Pop culture has given us a unique idea of the term justice. Justice, we often think, is about taking. Taking what’s owed. Taking revenge. Taking what we deserve. This worldview tends to make mincemeat of our Catholic social teachings.

What makes a person wise or intelligent?

Albert Einstein said that the “true measure of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a great deal of imagination. It is not enough to simply attend to facts, rules and rituals and consider the job done. Quite contrarily, the Gospels demands creativity, of trying to discern how to put flesh on the Beatitudes and properly serve God’s children.

Submission as Stewardship

Inspiration for the week.

“Far be it from us to forsake the Lord for the service of other gods.” We struggle with our gods. They appear in the forms of things like money, power, prestige, popularity, privilege, and self-fulfillment. We like these “gods” because they make us feel good and ask very little of us in return.

After the resurrection, Jesus' most frequent greeting is 'Peace be with you!' He knows how much we need peace in our minds, our hearts and our souls. If that's true. why does peace sometimes seem so elusive? Could it be that we have a leak in our souls?

In the ancient world, waving palms was a sign of victory. Whose victory and over what are we celebrating when we carry palms at Mass this weekend?

It is on the cross that Jesus reveals to us the depth of his love for us.

Halfway through lent we are told to 'rejoice'. God loves us so much he sent his Son so that we might spend eternity rejoicing with him in heaven. The good news is that eternity starts right now!

We are all searching for happiness, but oftentimes we look in the wrong places. By clearing out the temple Jesus shows us the way.

Sin is our walking away from God. It is a breakdown of trust. Thankfully St Paul has the antidote in this Sunday's second reading.

On this first Sunday of Lent two images from nature dominate. Both can help us understand and enter more deeply into the next six weeks.

The mind is a marvellous and complex thing, producing amazing thoughts, images, wisdom and inspiration. Yet at times it is like a two-year-old: it does not follow directions, does what it wants and loves to tell us “no!”

Read again this week's 'Live the Liturgy' section from the Newsletter and get inspiration for the week ahead.

We need history. We need it in order to understand ourselves, personally and collectively. The pieces of our histories may not have always been the most positive, honest, exemplary, dignified, proud and best moments of our lives, but they are ours.

The distinction between chastisement and punishment is, in many ways, a subtle one, but which is still relevant in our Catholic tradition.

Fr Christopher's thoughts on the New Year.

Prepare yourself for the coming of Christ by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests will be available every hour, on the hour, from 1pm to 7pm, Monday 21, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December. In addition, we are restarting the sacrament of reconciliation on Saturdays before and after the 11am Mass from 19 December.

Sometimes you have something to share with people that causes you to well up inside with excitement to the point of going crazy. A pregnancy test, a pay raise, a college acceptance, a wedding or engagement are all examples of moments in life when we might be bursting at the seams to tell somebody the good news.