Fr John’s Reflection – Sunday 18th May 2025

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Pruning

 The seasons seem to be out of order. We have skipped winter and gone straight into Spring. Daffodils are starting to put forward their new growth at least two months early. Those who are more attentive to their gardens would also notice subtle changes in the climate and how this can confuse plants, no less than ourselves. Yet this weekend we talk about the importance of pruning and tidying up the garden of our lives. There is a need to be aware of where new growth is starting to emerge and what impedes it.

Unlike Lent, this is not just a time to focus on the adverse effects of sin but to notice how we resist meeting the risen Christ in this new springtime of our lives, even as we prepare for winter. This is where we no longer focus on what causes death but on what brings life. This takes a willingness to work in harmony with the Holy Spirit and find ways to share the gifts entrusted to us for the good of others. We start to notice how we are called to resist the temptation to hoard what we have been given for a rainy day or become like bears who hibernate in winter. There can be a secret fear that we will become less if we give anything away. We can start to measure our lives by what we own rather than what we are worth.

This is the gentle encouragement of Easter when we discover the risen Christ in the reality of daily life. God does not wait until we have it, but meets us where we most need to be met. We are not called to wait for the perfect opportunity for this to happen, but to be embraced by God’s love that enriches and emboldens us to be present to the whole of God’s creation. We are Easter people who proclaim that our mission is to meet Jesus each day, as we are not as we think we should be.

Fr John’s Reflection – Sunday 11th May 2025

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Listen to my voice

 Good Shepherd Sunday is an appropriate time when the Cardinals in Conclave consider a Pope to succeed Pope Francis. It allows us to reflect on our journey of faith, where we are called to listen, follow and seek the Kingdom of God. This is at the heart of a person in leadership. They need to be people who listen to the voice of God and discern what gathers us into one flock. This way of being present does not assume authority equates with power. Their office is at the service of others so that they can be people of Faith who proclaim the Gospel to our current age. They call us to a wholeness and holiness of life.

They then lead us by witnessing what is central to the Christian life. They teach not just in the words that they preach but in the life that they live. In our own age, they need to proclaim who they follow and how that encourages us to walk beside them on the journey. They walk amid the flock. This approach allows them to be more than a sheep dog yapping at our heels or a figurehead who appears remote from daily life. By being in our midst, we discover how the Good News of Jesus Christ transforms our way of living. We become people of Hope.

By seeking ways to be present to others, we start to discover that this is not simply about making plans or setting agendas, but rather a way of being present. This allows the opportunity to have a God’s eye view on how we order our lives to live the Gospel more easily. We become people motivated by the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy to manifest the grace of God. We become people of Charity.

This threefold office of Sanctifying, Teaching, and Governance is at the heart of the Good Shepherd. Our new Pope must be a person of Prayer who embodies the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We hope he will be a living witness to the teaching of our faith that can be understood in our own time. We seek ways that lead us to be charitable with our whole lives.

Fr John’s Reflection – Sunday 4th May 2025

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Do you Love Me!

 The three questions that Jesus asks Peter illustrate the distinction between conditional and unconditional love. They help us understand the mission of God, which is to love each of us unconditionally and to respond to that call. This availability to engage in conversation daily lies at the heart of our prayer. It echoes the words that Jesus says, when he says that we need to love with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. This golden rule is called the core of the Easter journey. This is where we encounter the risen Christ in our daily lives and act accordingly, guided by our beliefs.

This is poignant as we gather to consider who will be our next Pope and reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis. We are called to be people of faith, hope and love. This is about entering into a dialogue that witnesses to how our prayer overflows into our daily activities. The prayer touches the heart of Jesus as we sit down and gaze upon him. The ability to take a long, loving look at the real world emboldens us to be people who are not passive recipients of grace, but fellow travellers. We are all pilgrims on the journey who seek to embody the life of God for others in all that we do.

Over the last nine days of mourning for Pope Francis we are challenged by many of the Saints that we have celebrated over the previous week: Saint Peter Chanel who carried the Word of God to Oceania; St Catherine of Siena who sought to depth the wells of salvation and challenged the Popes of her time to be faithful to their office; Pope Pius V who sought to bring unity in the Church, St Joseph the Worker who sought people to find their dignity in their work and St Athanasius who sought people to be united in the expression of their beliefs. As we pray for the Cardinals who enter the Conclave next Wednesday, 7th May, we hold them before God that they may be inspired to choose a person who, like Peter, listens to the Unconditional Love of Christ to serve and look after the flock.

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 29 Dec 2024

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Review of Life

As we approach a new year, we can start to reflect on how we want to enter into 2025. There seem to be many things that can grab our attention about becoming our best self.  When we seek to make intentions, we can focus on things that will produce that best self whether it is exercising more, seeking to lose weight, studying a new language, or focusing on a particular project. This can cause us to set goals that may be achieved. However, the question is who will we become as we seek the benefits of these activities? I think what motivates us to achieve these goals is probably more fundamental to whom we become.

The Holy Family helps us to reflect on the importance of how we build relationships with each other. This helps us to notice how we build up a community that can be sustained against the uncertainties of life. We seek to notice how we are called to become people who act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God. The gifts that we produce in each relationship allows us to give praise to God and bring hope to others.

As we enter into the new year, we seek to live in a way that daily reviews how we become a people who seek God together. This is by seeking what builds each other up rather than tear each other down. We can witness too easily how easy it is to destroy life rather than seeking to build that which builds life. We are called to be people who seek the good of God in which every person is considered as a child of God.

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 22 Dec 2024

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Visitation

Travelling overseas I have witnessed how many families are travelling with young children. This mass movement of people reflects much of what we have seen at the first Christmas when Mary travelled with Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We know that travel brings its own difficulties and trials along the way. The same is true whether we travel vast distances or just next door. We need to be prepared for what we may encounter along the way. We need to look out for fellow travellers who may experience difficulty. Ultimately, we also need to practice patience to arrive in a way that benefits others.

As we celebrate this Holy Season, we ask that God may bless us with peace, hope and joy. Especially for those who cannot travel freely, those who find themselves homeless at this time and those who struggle to afford the necessities of life. Christmas calls upon us to refocus our lives on the person who seeks to bear poverty, rejection and isolation with an anticipation that every human life has dignity. Our hearts need to be open so that we can direct efforts that produce ways in which people can discover freedom of movement, shelter for their families and meaningful work that provides a living wage.

As we celebrate another Christmas may we remember the peace of Christ that disturbs us!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

DE COLORES!

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 15 Dec 2024

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Make the Paths Straight

Once again, we listen to the teaching of John the Baptist. He reminds us to reach out to those in need and not to exploit our positions for personal gain. As we come closer to Christmas, I pray that our hearts not be coarsened. Have a peaceful preparation for the remainder of Advent.

Fr. John Armstrong

DE COLORES!

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 1 Sept 2024

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Learning to live by the spirit of the game

When I listen to others, I often ask myself what am I listening for? There is an art in conversation that is more than considering your response but attentiveness to what the other person is trying to express. I often find myself echoing the prevailing wisdom or the latest insight I have heard from others. The difficulty with these responses is that they bounce along the surface and do not seek what I am prepared to live for. We live in an age where opinions are readily available and easily transmitted around the world but do not reveal who we are called to become.

 

We discover this in the discussion between Jesus, the Pharisees and the scribes. These are people who take the discussion about faith seriously as can be seen when they address the hygiene laws of the day. What is added to this discussion is that not obeying these laws makes a person unclean on the inside. Jesus challenges this viewpoint to not just observe external laws without an inner conversion of heart. Thus, we don’t just obey laws because we want to look good but we seek to be good, that enables us to care for others.

 

This conversion of heart builds the foundation of Jesus’ life. He does not just want lip service but a way of being present that reaches the depth of our soul. This acknowledges how we allow God into the places that we hide away and give rise to evil intentions, the things that truly make us unclean. By acknowledging this reality, we start to find the spirit of the law. We discover how God meets us even in our darkest night and seeks to kindle the flame that burns away the darkness. That warms us from the inside out and transforms our world.

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 25 Aug 2024

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Come closer but not too close!

The remarkable miracle of the Eucharist is that God wants to invite us to the table and be met body and soul. So often we find people asking whether people will notice if they are not there on Sunday and quietly slip away. There can be a sense that the profound intimacy offered by God goes stale when there seem to be so many other good things that we can partake of that seem to satisfy that deep longing in our hearts. Yet while we can be involved with many things there can be a sense of a deep emptiness that yearns to be filled. It is in this sense that we long for something or someone who will meet us and come close.

Jesus speaks of this in the crescendo of the reflections in John that disturb those who hear him. He wants to come close to us and be embraced by that divine love that is poured out for us. This is where God’s desire for us is often stronger than our response. It is the question that often can resonate in our own hearts about a life that is eternal. We can often be perplexed that we want to partake of this divine love but only rely on our human understanding. Yet this is where God meets us in our questions and our relationships that seek to manifest this divine love.

It is this encounter that can sustain us by holding us close and enveloping us in a loving embrace. God wants to hold our gaze and look upon us. This divine encounter allows us the greatest freedom to be who we are called to be. In each Eucharist, we discover a God who wants to hold us close and come closer. To fill us with a divine love that sustains and nurtures us. Our simple response is to be present and give thanks for such a profound gift that floods our world with life and light!

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 18 Aug 2024

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When a house becomes a home

 One of the struggles of our time is how we provide adequate housing for people so that they can feel at home within the community in which they live. The emphasis can often focus on the external provision of a building to meet the internal needs of the heart. I think this is where we may need to return to the philanthropist businessmen of past ages who realised that they were not solely in it for the money but for their vision to build a better world. Growing up in Birmingham, I was conscious of the tradition of George and Richard Cadbury who sought to build a model village to improve the conditions of the workers in an environment in which they could flourish. This vision is also present in the suburbs of Glebe and Pyrmont that sort to provide not just houses but a community in which people could live.

This also helps us to see that we need to have a certain wisdom that perceives who is welcome at the table. In an age where much of our lives are dissipated on external things to improve our health, our wealth, and our depth we often avoid what brings us home where we are called to spend our time. The media often provides a vision that looks at external pleasure and success rather than what truly nourishes and sustains us. Thus, as St Paul notices we become intoxicated with ways of life that dull our senses. Yet we are called to pray in a way that resonates with God and seeks to harmonise with others.

We are called to imbue the life of Christ each time we gather for Eucharist. We are called to participate in the life that Christ offers to us. We are called to become what we eat and drink. It is why our liturgy engages all the senses of sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. We are called to be transformed by what we receive and not just adopt a consumerist approach to life. This is where we find our true home because God wants to make a home within us. This is not just a transitory home but an eternal home where we can discover who we are and who we are called to become. We are drawn into a life that will sustain us to eternity, the bread of life that is food for the journey.

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)

 

Fr John’s reflection for Sunday 11 Aug 2024

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Having a conversation that matters

We encounter Elijah at his lowest ebb. Having escaped from the clutches of Jezebel he flees into the desert after he has put the prophets of Baal to death. At a time when we witness one of the great signs of the offering of sacrifice to God, we notice the inner turmoil within Elijah. He just wants to die because he fears for his life. Into the midst of this turmoil God enters into the dialogue through providing food for the journey not once but twice. There is a need to move beyond just wishful thinking towards a life-giving encounter that will sustain Elijah to the mountain of Horeb.

In our own lives we are sustained by this food for the journey each time we encounter Jesus’ present in the Eucharist. This encounter meets us at times when we can be on the verge of giving up and the burdens we carry appear to be too heavy. Especially as we encourage people to return to celebrate Sunday Mass post COVID we need to have conversations that matter. The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is not an extra duty to be fulfilled but a recognition that we need to be fed with the bread of life on a regular basis. We are called to the table of the Lord to celebrate who we are in God’s eyes. This is important especially when people cannot attend Mass because of their illness. That they can be remembered at our Masses and then provided with communion by people who faithfully bring the bread of life to nurture them. This demonstrates that they are not forgotten or alienated from God. Just like the angel visiting Elijah they are provided with the food for the journey.

is is especially true for people who are close to death or are faced with a life-threatening condition. Reading through the general instruction on the pastoral care of the sick we can notice some of the instructions about viaticum that involve the three sacraments of Eucharist, Penance and Anointing.

Especially in an age where people can be confronted with the reality of suffering and death, we are called to have conversations that do not shy away from the meaning we find in life. People need to be accompanied so that suffering and death does not have the final word. We are called to see the value of each person’s life through the eyes of God. It is this pastoral care that provides the sensitivity to provide what is on hand to draw a person into a deeper relationship with God. This seeks to alleviate both their physical and spiritual suffering that can so easily cause them to be plagued by fears of their own worth when they feel that they are alone.

Paul also notices this in how we seek to be people who are reconciled with each other rather than diminished by our differences. The call is to be people who sustain each other especially when we notice our own resistances to God’s grace. The Eucharistic presence available to us through confession helps us to notice how God enters our deepest fears. We are not left alone to fight the battle of faith on our own. This anointing also sustains us to influence others even at the moment of death by freeing us from what oppresses and afflicts us.

God does not abandon us to our own fears, our own sins or our own hunger. He provides the bread of life that offers his very self. This encounter sustains us in the journey of life and embraces us with the promise of eternal life. As people who walk with others on this journey we can become pilgrims of faith, hope and love, who see in each meeting that every life has a deeper meaning, and no prayer is left unanswered.

DE COLORES!

Fr. John Armstrong

 

“The intellectual quest is exquisite, like pearls and coral. But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on another level altogether. Spiritual wine has a subtler taste. The intellect and the senses investigate cause and effect. The spiritual seeker surrenders to wonder.” (Rumi Wisdom; trans. Timothy Freke)