Madonna - Current Issue

January / February 2009

Our cover
If today you hear his voice, do not harden your heart against it (Psalm response for 4th Sunday). Listening, says Michael McGirr, is the most profound form of preaching. A new year brings new possibilities and new challenges spoken to us by the Lord. May we listen to God’s words, in whatever form they may come, and respond in and with God’s Spirit.

In this issue ...

Soul Matters - Chris Gleeson SJ
We are more than we are. Spirituality is about our quest for the ‘more’ in our lives, the more that is offered to us by God in Jesus through the Spirit.

Roadside rest — Michael McGirr
Giving voice. A visit to the ballet with young children prompts some innocent wisdom about helping others find their voice in the world.

Tête à Tête — Mary Manning
Blinded by the Light. Mary Manning talks with St Paul about his early life and extraordinary conversion.

Memories of Pakistan
The Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad reminded Carla Jennings of her time as a volunteer in Pakistan.

Knocking
A new poem from Bruce Dawe poem – Jesus knocks at our door: How do we respond?

A good listener
Newly appointed Jesuit Provincial, Steve Curtin sj, talks with Rosie Hoban.

Family Matters — Teresa Pirola
Thoughts for St Valentine’s Day. A day that is often overwhelmed by commercialism can also offer us many positive reflections on the place of love in our lives.

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

The power of story — Elizabeth Pike
Mending the brokenness. A reflection on the impact of the government’s NT intervention from within an Aboriginal view of nature and spirit.

A Cloud of Witnesses — Edmund Campion
What a coffin can teach us. Mgr John Leonard planned the events surrounding his death so that they would be an object lesson to his parishioners, colleagues and friends.

The company of clouds
Cloud watching is not wasting out time, reveals Anne Rennie. It can be time well spent in reflection and contemplation.

Bread for the Journey — Peter Steele SJ
Three precious gifts. The gifts brought the Child at Epiphany are potent symbols of Jesus’ presence and power in our world.

A carpenter for the Lord
A tribute to an ordinary man whose life captured much that was extraordinary.