Christ And Caesar
22nd Sunday after Pentecost In today’s Gospel, Our Blessed Lord is put to the test. A trap is laid for Him by His enemies. Yes or no, do we pay the tax to Caesar? If He says yes, He immediately estranges the Jews who detest the Roman hegemony over the land. If He says no, […]
The Real Battle
21st Sunday after Pentecost Today’s Mass presents us with a fascinating mosaic of texts which at first sight might seem somewhat disparate. We have a kind of chiasmus with at the beginning Mardochai praying to the Lord with great assurance that all things are in His hand and at the end the Psalmist peacefully trusting […]
My Heart Is Ready, O God
20th Sunday after Pentecost In today’s epistle, St Paul once more takes us by surprise, opening up for us one of those amazingly beautiful truths – totally incomprehensible to the world – namely that in the midst of evils and sufferings, the truly Christian soul has no reason to lose heart. On the contrary, right […]
Queensland Retreats And Oblates
Fr Prior and Br Patrick have safely returned to the monastery after two beautiful retreats at Woodlands of Marburg, QLD. 35 women and 30 men followed these retreats which were the first ones held in Queensland since 2017. The presence of the monks was also the occasion for the reception of a new novice oblate […]
Let Not This Appeal Go Unheard
Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary The feast of the Holy Rosary which is this coming Thursday, 7 October, is solemnised today on the first Sunday of October, month dedicated to this Holy Rosary. The epistle for today’s Mass sets the tone for the feast when we hear Wisdom addressing us: Now, therefore, ye children, […]
A Simple Request From Mother
18th Sunday after Pentecost In today’s Gospel, we see Our Blessed Lord heal a paralytic whom he reassures with the words: Your sins are forgiven. Notice how sin is identified with paralysis, as in other passages it is with illness, being crippled, being in exile, and finally bound in death as was Lazarus. Yes, sin […]
The Tears Of Our Lady
17th Sunday after Pentecost 175 years ago today in a small and, at that time, very obscure hamlet of the French Alps named La Salette, two little children, Melanie (age 14) and Maximin (age 11) climbed the slopes driving their cattle up the mount. Exhausted, the two children lay down on the grass and fell […]
Of Conscience And Heroism
16th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Name of Mary In today’s epistle we hear St Paul make mention of his captivity and plead with the Ephesians not to lose heart because of his tribulations. In today’s Gospel we see Our Lord not only perform a miracle that scandalises the Pharisees, but actually go further and reprehend […]
God Is Not Mocked
15th Sunday after Pentecost At the heart of today’s liturgy we have the Gospel recounting the resurrection of the son of the widow of Naim. St Luke describes the scene by telling us that as Jesus approached the town followed by a large crowd, another large crowd was processing out. As the disciples get closer […]
