Madonna - May/June 2003

MAY 2003

From the Editor
Those at the edge. Jesus chose not to place himself at the centre of social and religious life of his day, but rather on the fringe. ‘If we cannot find Jesus at the edge, we won’t find him anywhere else …’

The work of the ‘Shut-ins’.
In 1953, an Australian offshoot of the Sodality of ‘Shut-ins’ was formed. The name was amended in the 1970s, but the mission carried out by those who are disabled or restricted by illness continues in its importance.

Roadside rest
What’s going to happen next? During a pregnancy, a wife and husband have much curiosity and many expectations of what is to come for their child — much as we all have when we allow the Spirit of God into our lives.

Interview — Rosie Hoban
Blessed are you poor … People in parishes around Australia are making their energies and organisational skills available to help some of the asylum seekers who have reached these shores.

Finding hope.
Gina Basile spent time with orphans in Thailand, and came to appreciate the importance of the Mass to the young people she worked with, as well as that of Madonna to her own prayer life.

Standing up for motherhood.
Mother’s day can also be a celebration for all those women who live out a spiritual motherhood in the Church.

YOUR DAILY PRAYER — MAY & JUNE. A prayerful reflection on the scripture readings for every day of the month.

The Power of Story — Elizabeth Pike
Maralinga and beyond. Eileen Kampakuta Brown is the highly regarded cultural leader of a movement to fight against the dumping of nuclear waste in her people’s country.

Edmund Campion’s Australian Catholics
Holding to the Faith. This May is the 200th anniversary of the first Mass on Australian soil. Some months later, the Mass was banned. Until the first official priest arrived in 1820, it was lay people who kept the flame of faith alive.

Keep it in your heart.
Sunset on the edge of SA’s Flinders Ranges brings home the awesome and sacred power of God’s natural world.

Roast fish, honeycomb and resurrection — Peter Steele SJ.
One of the last stories we have of Jesus is that of him sharing fish and honeycomb with his disciples.

Full of Surprises: The Bible without Blinkers —
Anthony F Campbell SJ
Elijah (1 Kings 19). Faced with extraordinary difficulties, Elijah trusts in his God, and finds he is open to an awesome experience of God’s presence.

Around and about.
News of people and events of interest.

In review.
Reviews and comments on recent releases.