Liturgies

This year’s theme for NAIDOC week – FOR OUR ELDERS – acknowledges and highlights the vital role Elders have as cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors and leaders. Aboriginal Elders have struggled since colonisation to maintain their land and to retain autonomy and some voice in the management of their affairs. In today’s liturgy we will witness some of the history of the struggles Aboriginal people have had since colonisation to find a voice and be heard and respected as a people.

In our liturgy this week we will be focusing on one of Jesus’ central invitations, that is from the Greek word, to metanoia. In inviting us to do this he encourages us to transcend the busy judging mind to move into stillness and presence with the spirit and the Beloved.

Our homilist, Penny Wearne talks about what she and a small group of volunteers do as they support and advocate for refugees and people seeking asylum in and around the Brisbane area and beyond. Whilst exploring the theme of Finding Freedom, she shares some facts, perspectives and lived experiences from the journey walking beside refugees and the reality of their lives.

In our liturgy this week as we continue the themes of World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, we hear from Damon Gameau. He begins his talk by stating that clearly ecological collapse is one of the greatest challenges of our times. We've long looked to science, politics and business for solutions, but perhaps we also need to be looking to storytelling. What role do stories play in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss? Can we tell a new, but old, story about humans and nature that will reshape our world for the better?

Homilist Mark Thomson is a SMX member, Micah Projects Board Member, and practising architect who will share some thoughts on linking”our spiritual environment” to ‘the world environment.'“

This weekend Terry will be speaking on the unitive nature of the Holy Spirit so central to this feast of Pentecost. This unitive and reconciling nature of the spirit will be most necessary in the hearts of many Australians as we attempt to achieve a First Nations Voice to Parliament later this year.

In today’s liturgy we will be listening to Richard Rohr speak about the power of contemplation. He explores, how for most of us we were taught that prayer was talking to God. The prayer of silent contemplation was for those select few.

The Earth is our mother. We need to realise that the Earth is not just our environment. The Earth is not something outside of us. Breathing with mindfulness and contemplating your body, you realise that you are the Earth. You realise that your consciousness is also the consciousness of the Earth. Look around you–what you see is not your environment, it is you.

Michael Tansky explores Steve Biddulph's latest book titled "Fully Human – A new Way of Using Your Mind". Our bodies are sending us messages every second we are alive. These messages are quicker, subtler and much smarter than our conscious brains at knowing what’s going on. Yet most of us ignore them but we do this at our peril. Michael will explore how can we tap into them more effectively.

This week we will hear from Lara Watson a proud Burri Gubba woman and a Trade Union Indigenous Officer. She will be sharing what a win for “Yes” in the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum would mean for her people and the people of Australia.