The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, says he is both disappointed and heartened by the result of the National Marriage Postal Survey on changing the legal definition of marriage in Australia. “While I do not deny the good will of many who voted Yes, I am deeply disappointed that the likely result […]
Our epistle this morning (1Thess 1:1-5) may have seemed little more than a formal “g’day” and list of acknowledgments like my greeting at the start of Mass. Yet these were in fact the very first words ever written for the New Testament. And like the start of any good story, they are intended to grab […]
At His Last Supper the Lord Jesus foresaw the division of His disciples, as in the ages to come some would be for Paul and some for Cephas (cf. 1Cor 1:12; 3:22; Gal 2:7-13), some for Arius and some for Athanasius, some for Luther and some for Cajetan, and so on again and again. Chapter […]
Our three parables this morning (Mt 13:44-52) compare the joy of finding the kingdom of heaven with the excitement people in Jesus’ world experienced on finding natural resources (like gold in a field), human inventions (like pearls set and retailed by merchants), or spiritual goods (like the “good fish’’ sorted from the bad ones by […]
Every great religion has had its sacred sites where people felt closest to God. Our Jewish ancestors counted the Jerusalem Temple their holiest place, where God’s shalom dwelt, and the prayers and sacrifices of the cult were offered. Today we heard the Prophet Nehemiah’s account of the dedication of that temple and altar (Neh 8:2-10). […]
“I pull a Kleenex from its box and hand it to Stevie Nicks. She wipes a tear as it slides down her cheek. She cries… when she speaks of the babies she might have had.”[1] Thus begins a 1992 interview given by the 5-foot-1 ‘Queen of Rock’n’roll’, Stevie Nicks, to Vox Magazine’s Spencer Bright. Known for […]
A number of commentators have recently suggested that loyalty to Catholic teaching, and especially to Pope Francis, would allow, even require, support for same-sex marriage; by implication, the Australian bishops misunderstand Catholic teaching and have been disloyal to Pope Francis by saying Catholics should vote NO. But what has Pope Francis actually said about this? […]
“It is shameful and inhuman to treat men like chattels to make money from, or to regard them merely as so much muscle power… To the rich I say… once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest that one owns belongs to the poor.”[1] Was that Marx or Engels? No, it […]
1. A trip down memory lane 1.1 The first Harman lecture The Harman Lecture was established to honour the late Rev. Dr Francis Harman, a charming and wise canonist, ethicist and parish priest who long hoped for a session of the John Paul II Institute in Australia, celebrated its conception, but died in 2000 just […]
It was with great sadness that today we learned of the death of John Richard ‘Johno’ Johnson at the age of 87. Johno was a remarkable man who had a profound influence on all those he encountered. Inspired by the great loves of his life—the Catholic Church, the Australian Labor Party, his beloved wife Pauline […]
The proposed marriage amendment bill released on 6 August will not protect the religious freedom of the Australian people (Online Editor’s note: Background to developments). The limited protections offered to ministers of religion and those already registered as civil celebrants evidences an incorrect assumption that freedom of religion is simply a matter for those engaged […]
Taylor Swift is a household name. She’s famed for her honest, almost “confessional” songs, and for an instrumental prowess that has influenced a surge in girls wanting to learn guitar. She has received many awards and accolades, and is to be admired for her philanthropy if not necessarily for her private life or the causes […]
