Liturgies

As we live in increasingly precarious times, our fears can get the better of us. The easy way is to see increasingly more people as others, different from us and a threat to us. It is a sentiment magnified in the rhetoric of increasingly more conservative politicians. But this sentiment is the opposite from the invitation of Jesus who invites us to see everyone as our sister or brother, especially the poor, the stranger and the outcast.

In this week’s homily, Rose shares with us her journey with her identity and how this has brought her to a place of radical self-acceptance. She explores how existing outside the status quo can create a sense of freedom and invites us to bring this idea of radical self-acceptance into our own lives.

Simon Cleary will talk about some of what the river and its people taught him during his month-long walk along the banks of the Brisbane River/Maiwar in May 2022. This led to his just published fourth book, Everything is Water (UQP).

In this week’s homily, Liz will explore contemporary understandings of prayer. Richard Rohr says that prayer is the opening of the heart and the mind; the Desert Mothers and Fathers say that prayer changes us, not God; and Pastor Dawn says that the changes move us to embrace others in deep bonds of love and that’s a healing power we have barely begun to understand.

Margaret will explore the metaphor and the invitation to Come to the Edge. The edge is the place where interaction and transformation takes place and where we can begin to imagine new ways of being spiritual and political in our cohabitation of a fragile planet.

This week we will be hearing from Gail Mabo daughter to the famous Eddie Koiki Mabo. His determination to win in the High Court overturned the concept of terra nullius, allowing First Nations people to claim rightful custodianship of this land. Gail proudly carries on her father’s powerful legacy inspiring us to continue the fight for justice for the first peoples of this land.”

As we prepare to move into the NAIDOC celebrations this year we come bearing the unhealed scars of a failed Yes Campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. One of the prominent leaders of the campaign was Thomas Mayo. In this interview he speaks of his disappointment but also what he sees as a way forward for all Australians.

A genuine response to the climate crises invites us to recognise that we are all interconnected. The well being of all life around us is also our well being. Terry will be speaking about the importance of interbeing with the help of a short film by Charles Eisenstein.

This week we commemorate refugee week. We'll view a small film about a refugee camp typical of so many camps like it globally. The Zaatari Refugee Camp is home to 130,000 Syrians fleeing violence and war. Children make up half the camp’s population. We will hear the story of Sidra, a 12-year old girl who has spent the last 18 months in Zaatari.