In recent days I have been bringing out my possessions both old and new to sort them. There are all kind of things scattered in my house and it is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. Now like a fisherman I will have to sort them out, box all good stuff and the bad stuff to be thrown into the garbage bin. It reminds me of what the Lord said about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom will collect all sorts, but at the end the Lord will send his angels to sort out the good and the evil.

Synod on synodality is a process announced by Pope Francis in October 2021. After two years of listening to lived experiences of Catholics all over the world and the voices of those often marginalised or excluded, the synod is to meet in October this year.

The number of Catholics in our parish has been steadily falling.  Since the 2001 census, the numbers have fallen about 9% over ten years, the Weekend Mass attendance has been steady at about 20% of the Catholic population.

Prasad flies in and out of a Kerala city just for burglary!  That does not mean he is not religious!  He always prayed in the local temple before starting his burglary!  He believes in a god who will assist him to steal the hard-earned treasures of other people.  Prasad does not have any qualms about stealing because he trusts in the material riches more than a benevolent god.  Unfortunately, such kind of faith is not too rare.  But genuine faith is far from it.

Faith is everything.  The term ‘Faith’ has different meanings.  “Have faith in yourself, you can do it!”  In this expression, faith means confidence.  But the Gospel of Matthew is speaking not about your self-confidence

Manipur state of India is burning with violence now.  Taking advantage of the conflict between Meitei and Kuki people, Hindus are attacking Christians and burning churches.  At least 80 Christians have been reported killed since the violence started on 3rd of May.

Ukraine war, like any other war,  is all about dominion over people and territory.  So is the internal conflict in Sudan of which we hear terrible stories of atrocities.  China is accused of using debt trap to expand its control over countries and their trade.  All these cases fall in one category – fight for dominion.  Imperial world of the old was no different.

In this winter we see many trees with bare branches after having shed the leaves. Before shedding them, the leaves turned very colourful, attracting everyone’s attention, the social media gets filled with autumn colours.

We just concluded the Reconciliation Week, an annual reminder for all Australians the need to connect with the first nation people of our country.  What is the wrong that needs reconciliation?  The words of Noel Pearson, an aboriginal leader, drives to the heart of the issue.

Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on the terrified disciples who locked themselves up in a room.  That breath of Jesus was a new beginning for them.  They were empowered even to forgive sins.  Pentecost was a Jewish feast before Christians adopted it.