Abundant Life

Every seven days in this series of podcasts we've invited you to think about how we can become a more contemplative, more compassionate and more courageous Church. You may wish to use today to reflect on the material with a small group, or you may want to reflect on your own.

This Abundant Life episode, written and read by the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford, explores John 12.20-26

'Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard...' This episode is reflection 17 of  21 podcasts in the Abundant Life series, written and read by the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford

Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only... Jesus' mission is nothing less than the renewal of the whole earth. It is greater even than the salvation of his own people. It is to gather into one the dispersed children of God, born again from above into his kingdom. The great Passover has come.

This episode is reflection 16 of  21 podcasts in the Abundant Life series, written and read by the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford

Every faith journey is different. but this call to life is not meant to be a once and for all experience. Christ calls us continually back to a new and abundant life.

This episode is reflection 15 of  21 podcasts in the Abundant Life series, written and read by the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford

The English word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means heart. To be courageous is to be whole-hearted in our lives and in our faith. to encourage someone is, literally, to put the heart back in to them. In the language of Jeremiah, to be given a new heart.

This episode is reflection 14 of  21, the beginning of week 3 of Abundant Life.

Jesus shows us life in all its fullness. That abundant life is first contemplative and second compassionate. You might think that love of God and neighbour says everything there is to say. But we also need to look and find in the story the Christ who is courageous.

This episode is reflection 13 of  21, the beginning of week 3 of Abundant Life.

Every seven days in this series of podcasts we invite you to think about how we can become a more contemplative, more compassionate and more courageous Church. After each week of daily reflections you may wish to use today to reflect on the material with a small group, or you may want to reflect on your own.

Pope Francis has one of the most challenging vocations in the world. His calling is to lead the largest Christian Church, stretched across every continent, a Church which is full of challenges and problems. His calling, like ours, is to articulate a fresh vision of what it means to be Church in the 21st century: a Church bearing witness to the love of God in a globalising, secular, pluralist, sometimes dehumanising culture.

This episode is reflection 12 of  21. Tomorrow we reflect back on week 2 of Abundant Life.

This picture of Jesus before the tomb of Lazarus gives us the picture of how the Church is to be in the world: the foundation of God's mission is compassion: feeling with and suffering with others. Weeping with those who weep.

This episode is reflection 11 of  21. Written and read by Bishop Steven, each reflection accompanies the booklet Abundant Life.