31 October 2010

The today of salvation

As we move into the final stage of our journey to Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke we  find Jesus on the move through the town of Jericho. On the wings there appears this short, wealthy chief tax collector who for some unknown reason decides that climbing a tree is a good way to avoid becoming the centre of attention. In short order, the despised and socially outcast Zacchaeus is hurried and welcomed into the presence of Jesus, as the Lord decides that his house is the place to be and all heaven breaks loose as the kingdom of God breaks into the life of this son of Abraham.

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Recorded at St JohnVianney, 8.30am (10'41")

23 October 2010

Religion binds us

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) invites us to reflect not just on what true prayer is about, but also on what religion is all about in the first place. The parable encourages us to ponder deeply about the truth of what we share in common - especially as we commemorate Mission Sunday and we are invited to understand our connection to the church around the world, and in a particular way this year, with the many needs of the people of Timor Leste. (8:30)

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17 October 2010

Trusting in God's goodness

The Gospel (Matthew 6:25-34) chosen for the feast of St Mary of the Cross provides an amazing antidote to the modern (and ancient) tendency to worry about just about everything - what we are to eat, drink, wear. Is the vision that Jesus expresses simply Utopian or does this teaching of Jesus and the lived experience of St Mary provide a most brilliant model for how to live in the present moment?

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Recorded at St John Vianney (08'08")

10 October 2010

Naaman's spiritual odyssey

Sunday 28C - The healing of ten lepers in Luke 17 is a classic Lukan story that has its proper place on the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. But to truly understand the power of this story for our own lives we need to revisit the full story of the healing of Naaman that we read only a small extract from 2 Kings 5 to see what lessons we can learn for our own lives. The work of Russian linguist and folklore analyst Vladimir Propp (1895-1970) may also be helpful in understanding what is at stake when Naaman listens to the advice of a enemy and foreign slave girl to travel to Jerusalem to enlist the help of a prophet by the name of Elisha.

Recorded at St John Vianney (11'17")