In the eye of the beholder

On a recent family holiday to Cape Otway we took a day trip to the iconic 12 Apostles. I’ve visited a few times in my life and never failed to be captivated by their glorious obstinance in the face of the pounding surf. This was the first time that I have been there with my

Faith & spirituality in review

Gerald O’Collins SJ, Letters to Nevie: Learning from the Scriptures, St Pauls, ISBN 9781910365120 By any measure Gerald O’Collins has been a prolific author in his life as a world-class theologian. In what one believes is his 66th published book, we see the consummate teacher writing a series of beautifully crafted letters to his teenage grandniece, Nevie…

Where is God in all this?

PWPN – The Most Beautiful Moment In The Game

My favourite memory of a Victorian football match is of a little rover, legs pumping and bouncing the ball, running down the field, wrong-footing one giant defender and going through another, finishing in the goal square and kicking the winning goal just as the siren sounds. And all of us suddenly on our feet in delight, shouting, ‘You little bewdy!’ (You can see it happened a long time ago.)

The Last Word

Each year we ‘re-member’—put together again—the Easter story, promising again to work with Jesus in his ongoing work of human liberation...

The ointment and the vinegar

Countless times, since artists have tried to represent the passion and death of the Lord, they have found in the gospel text what we might call eloquent items.

Take up your cross

If you want to become a follower of mine, you need to deny yourself and take us your cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)

Taken down

The worst thing that can happen to any Christian is for their experience of the cross to become bland. It’s understandable that this might happen when there are crosses everywhere. You find them on churches, schools, badges, uniforms, flags and even on hot buns. The cross is so familiar that we could pass by without recalling what it represents

Women and the war

During this special anniversary year of ANZAC, our thoughts turn to those events of 100 years ago. In the May 1915 edition of Madonna, regular writer Constance M. Le Plastrier wrote a long reflection on the role that Australian women were playing in that great conflict. Here is an extract from her article.

Surprising the synod

Long-time commentators on family, Mavis and Ron Pirola, made world-wide headlines with their address to the recent Synod on the Family.

The Bread of Life

The secret ministry of frost

Coleridge’s poem Frost at Midnight is one of my favourite poems, and I love the turning of the seasons that brings me to my battered old paperback each year to rediscover it