Madonna - September / October 2005

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2005

Our cover
'The Lord is near to all who call him.'
(Psalm response for the 25th Sunday.) We injure our souls by the speed with which we move on the surface', says Paul Tillich, 'and miss our depth and true life'. We need to take the journey outwards, making our place in the world, but in focusing also on the inner journey, we create the balance our lives need.

Soul Matters — Christopher Gleeson sj
The journey within.
In life we make both journeys — outwards, taking our place in the world, and within , the journey of the spirit. We need the inner to give balance to the outer.

Roadside rest
Three become five.
The arrival of twins in a family brings a special time of busyness—but more so of the joy of God's abundant blessing.

Travelling with grief —a solo flight.
Soon after her husband's death, Heather Cameron set off overseas to visit his mother. In spite of the agony of the planning and prospect of travelling alone, she found it a more rich and life-enhancing experience than she had ever expected.

The sacredness of God's creation.
Franciscan Marya Grathwohl visited Australia recently with Sr Helen Prejean. Rosie Hoban spoke with this cosmologist and teacher of creation spirituality and environmental ethics.

Creating a labyrinth.
Jo Russell has created a labyrinth in her back garden. She tells the story of its creation and reflects on how it is a special place for prayer.

Family Matters — Teresa Pirola
Workplace witness.
Living out one's Christian commitment in the workplace can offer a special kind of leadership and inspiration.

Your Daily Prayer — September & October.
A prayerful reflection on the scripture readings for every day of the month.

The Power of Story — Elizabeth Pike
A contemporary parable.
The ancient Dreaming story of the platypus has much to teach about tolerance, self-respect and acknowledging our creator-God.

A Cloud of Witnesses — Edmund Campion
One of the valiant women.
Bernadette Foster began a women's group in her parish, a group which grew to become the Catholic Women's League. She was acknowledged by being given a papal honour, but even more so by the many women who were inspired by her to discover and use their own talents.

Bread for the Journey — Peter Steele sj
Of the Lord.
Christ is indeed our Lord, and yet we see him weak and naked at his birth and at his death. And in that nakedness all who are naked, weak, exposed in any way are linked with him.

If it's Friday it must be bingo and bonhomie.
Every week needy people gather at this parish centre for provisions. It's a large-scale operation all run by volunteers and graced by cheeriness and charity.

Poem— Knitted into God's design.
Rosemary Beavis reflects on the way the tangled threads of our lives are drawn together, just as a spinner transforms a fleece into a single thread.

Full of Surprises: The Bible without Blinkers — Antony F Campbell sj
The fate of the prophets — Jeremiah 26.
In spite of (or because of?) speaking the message God has revealed, the prophet's fate is to be condemned by the powerful and threatened with death. What is to be our response?