Earlier this year Charity Sunshine Tillerman Tillemann-Dick, a coloratura soprano, died aged 35. She had long struggled with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension that enlarged her heart to more than three times normal size and, in 2009 and again in 2012, she underwent double lung transplants.
The phrase ‘salt of the earth’ is commonplace in modern English. It comes, of course, from Jesus’ words in our Gospel passage today (Mt 5:1b-2, 13-16). It has come to describe those who are commonsensical, practical, honest, reliable. But is that what Jesus had in mind?
“My soul is bursting as it magnifies the Lord. My spirit is overjoyed with God my saviour. He looks on me in my lowliness and raises up all the lowly. He loves me in my emptiness and fills all the hungry with good things.
In the Gospel of John is the story of a crowd of vigilantes about to stone a woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11). Jesus intervened, writing the sins of the crowd in the sand and charging them: “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.”
The 19th century Scottish author, George Macdonald, was something of a renaissance man. A minister, Christian apologist, poet, and pioneer in fantasy fiction, he was a major influence
I am deeply saddened at the passing of the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 through the NSW Legislative Assembly this evening.If a civilisation is to be judged by how it treats its weakest members, New South Wales failed spectacularly today.
Our state is so full of life and promise, especially for the next generation.
We, as faith leaders, see God as the creator of life, and we welcome all new lives that will live, love and laugh
Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says, all is vanity! (Eccles 1:2; 2:21-3) In so many ways, ours is an age of self-absorption, even self-obsession. More than 80 million photographs are uploaded to Instagram every day, mostly people’s selfies
The summer of 1221 was a hot one. Global warming meant Europe was one and a half degrees warmer than usual, and was experiencing strange weather, melting glaciers, wheat growing all the way to Scandinavia, grapes all over England.
This week it was announced that a private members bill would be introduced immediately into parliament that will allow abortion for any reason up until birth in NSW.
“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Lk 11:1-13;Mt 6:8-13) OK, Jesus says, here’s a catechism of prayer for you. Let me teach you prayer of adoration, prayer of petition, prayer of contrition, and prayer of thanksgiving.
Fifty years ago yesterday, on July 20 1969, I was nine years old and along with my class of excited fourth-graders at St Michael’s Lane Cove – and 20% of the world’s population
