Saturday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21Through Christ, let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise, a verbal sacrifice that is offered every time we acknowledge his name. Keep doing good works and sharing your resources, for these are sacrifices that please God.Obey your leaders and...
Reflections
Reflections
Silencing the Heart
Friday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 13:1-8Continue to love each other like brothers, and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Keep in mind those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them;...
Take nothing for the journey
Saints Paul Miki and his Companions, Martyrs on Thursday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 12:18-19,21-24What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking...
Agatha
Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr, on Wednesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects...
Interrupting Grace
Tuesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 12:1-4With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let...
The Gerasene Pigs
Monday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 11:32-40Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets – these were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what is right and earned the promises. They could keep a lion’s mouth shut, put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from...
Renamed and Reoriented
Saturday 25 January 2025 The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle Feast Acts 22:3-16Paul said to the people, ‘I am a Jew and was born at Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was taught the exact observance of the Law...
overflow into mission
Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor on Friday of week 2 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 8:6-13We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises....
By Offering Himself
Thursday of week 2 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 7:25-8:6The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him. To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond...
Goodness or Lawfulness
Wednesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 7:1-3,15-17You remember that Melchizedek, king of Salem, a priest of God Most High, went to meet Abraham who was on his way back after defeating the kings, and blessed him; and also that it was to him that Abraham gave a...
Not burdens but gifts meant to bring life
Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr on Tuesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 6:10-20God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one...
Stretched and Flexible
Monday of week 2 in Ordinary Time Hebrews 5:1-10Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because...
Gifts used in Service
Affirming the Gifts, Blessings, and Passions from Heaven There’s a story about a young boy named Samuel who lived in a small, impoverished village. Samuel had a peculiar habit of collecting discarded scraps—bits of metal, broken glass, and other things people deemed worthless. Most of the villagers laughed at...
Of course I want to!
Reflection on Luke 5:12-16 “If you want to, you can cure me.” Jesus replied, “Of course I want to! Be cured.” Years ago, during a retreat by a lake, we were each given a stone and asked to reflect on something we needed to release—fear, pain, or doubt. We...
Through your hands, we feel the warmth of your heart
Reflection: In a small village nestled in the hills, there lived a man named Raj, who had a gift for weaving. His hands worked magic with thread, creating blankets so warm and vibrant that they not only shielded the villagers from the harsh winters but also brought joy to...
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Gifted and Blessed Retreat Dec 20, 2024, Kensington, NSW A few years ago, I met a woman named Melissa, who told me about a birthday gift she received as a child. Her grandmother had given her a simple paint set. To Melissa, the gift didn’t seem extraordinary at first....
A mission to unburden people
Cor Vitae Formators Program Closing Retreat – October 16, 2024 – Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Margaret Mary Alacoque, the 17th-century French mystic, is known for her spirituality that was centred on the boundless love and mercy of Christ, symbolized by His heart, wounded for the salvation of...
Inner Mansions
Cor Vitae Formators Program Closing Retreat – October 15, 2024 Readings:o Galatians 5:1-6 It is faith not the law that justifies uso Luke 11:37-41 “You clean the outside of the cup and plate, while inside you yourselves are filled with extortion and wickedness. Did not he who made the...
Kenosis
Cor Vitae Formators Program Closing Retreat. Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1Luke 11:29-32 Reflection: Kenosis: Christ’s emptying Himself for the salvation of humanity (Philippians 2:7). It’s a profound act of love, humility, and trust in the Father. This is foundational to understanding the Christian call to freedom and the dangers of...
Aligning our hearts with God’s will in a way that transforms us
Cor Vitae Formators Training Closing Retreat – 28th Sunday Year B Wisdom 7:7-11Psalm 89Hebrews 4:12-13Mark 10:17-27 Reflection: Discernment is one of the great gifts of our faith, but it is often misunderstood. It’s not merely about making decisions but about aligning our hearts with God’s will in a way...