Today the Church keeps the Memoria of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. It’s a day that holds special significance for Benedictines. There are two collects given for Mass in a supplementary book which is used for all things Benedictine. Heavenly Father,your Son was receivedas an honoured and welcomed guestin the home of Bethany,keep us close to …
Author Archives: Turvey Nuns
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke 11:1-13 ‘Ask, and it will be given to you’ Asking for things in prayer is perhaps one of the first things we learn on our faith journey. In the Primary classroom if you set the children the task of writing a prayer the results will almost always be prayers of petition. There will be …
Feast of St Mary Magdalene
John 20:1-2,11-18 I recently read an article about Pope Francis where the writer talked about the importance of understanding his style of leadership, way of speaking and particular vocabulary. What stands out for me when I think of Pope Francis is his stress on the culture of encounter. Pope Francis wants us to meet people …
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke 10: 38-42 In the cycle of our Lectionary readings it’s a comparative rarity to find a Gospel text that features women who are both named and are central to the story. Martha and Mary populate our biblical imagination as women who had a particular gift: they were close friends of Jesus. That they open …
Feast of St Benedict
Proverbs 2:1-9Matthew 19:27-29 Some years ago I attended a lecture by Nicholas King sj entitled ‘Religious Life in the Bible. He began the lecture with a wry smile, repeated his lecture title slowly and then told us that of course there in no such thing as ‘Religious Life in the Bible’. I don’t think anybody …
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan is perhaps one of the most well-known parables in the Gospels. Often the very familiar parables can become weighed down with stereo typical interpretations, interpretations that often cast Judaism in a bad light. We’ve probably all heard sermons that speak of the priest and the Levite as the ‘elite’ and …
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 In last Sunday’s Gospel we heard the exacting demands of discipleship. This Sunday the focus narrows as we hear just how the seventy-two are to conduct themselves as they set out on their mission. ‘Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals.’ This is a stark reminder that complete trust in God is …
Saints Peter and Paul
Matthew 16:13-19 That Peter and Paul share a feast day has always struck me as a testament to the fact that from the beginning the Christian community had to navigate different styles of leadership and different opinions. Peter had first hand knowledge of Jesus and Paul did not. It is almost inevitable that they wouldn’t …
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke 9:51-62 It is almost impossible for me to hear this Gospel without also hearing in my head ‘Follow Me’ by Michael Cockett and Sr Madeleine, FCJ. ( I even remember that it was pg 73 in Songs of the Spirit!) My twelve year old self was carried along by the catchy tune and the …
Sacred Heart
Ezekiel 34:11-16Romans 5:5-11Luke 15:3-7 Recently I have been revisiting Greg Boyle sj’s book, Tattoos on the Heart. Fr Greg works with gangs in Los Angeles and his book tells the most moving story of how God’s love triumphs through every form of adversity. Fr Greg tells the story of a plane journey he took with …