Lord, teach us to pray! What a great request. I doubt if any person who is trying to faithfully follow God thinks that they are praying too much, or too well. We all desire to grow in our prayer. To spend our time in God’s presence in a way that is more fruitful and more […] The post Pray with bold intimacy appeared first on rmhealey.org.

I like walking, and for many years now have tried to walk around 10km/day. Ideally this is bushwalking, but with our constant rain and flooding, many areas are closed, damaged, or way too muddy for pleasant walking. Instead, I now do lots of urban walking. I enjoy exploring new housing estates that surround our region. […] The post Hospitality and Discipleship appeared first on rmhealey.org.

One of the great challenges in understanding a parable like the Good Samaritan is recapturing the original impact it would have had to those who first heard Jesus tell this short story. The first problem is that we are over familiar with the basic story. The second is that the word Samaritan has lost its […] The post Despised neighbours appeared first on rmhealey.org.

In 1966, Christians made up 88.2% of the Australian population. 25 years later in 1991 it was 74%. Another 25 years later in 2016 it had dropped to 52.1%. Now in the just-released data from the 2021 Census, we are no longer a majority Christian nation, with only 43.85% of people identifying as Christians. The […] The post Come and share appeared first on rmhealey.org.

Sunday 13 in Year C.Patronal Feast of the Diocese of Wollongong: The Immaculate Heart of Mary First Reading ‡ 1 Kings 19:16.19-21Elisha rose and followed Elijah and became his servant. Responsorial ‡ Psalm 15:1-2.5.7-11You are my inheritance, O Lord. Second Reading ‡ Galatians 5:1.13-18My brothers, you were called to freedom. Gospel ‡ Luke 9:51-62Jesus resolutely […] The post Jesus set his face appeared first on rmhealey.org.

One of the truly great things about the gospels is that they remind us that the disciples are not magically transformed the first time they meet Jesus. It takes time for them to get to know him and slowly begin to understand what he is all about. I imagine that they were pretty chuffed at […] The post Come to the Centre and go appeared first on rmhealey.org.

TRINITY SUNDAY – The divine dance The biggest challenge in approaching a deeper understanding of the nature of God is being Western. Having a Western mind is really useful for science and computing + engineering. It is really not all that helpful for God. It began with the Greeks who loved making distinctions and treating […] The post Invitation to love appeared first on rmhealey.org.

More than 30 years ago while in pre-seminary formation, I was told a quote from a Russian Orthodox monk, who died in the nineteenth century, St Seraphim of Sarov (1754/1759-1833). The quote is – “the goal of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.” Seraphim goes on to say that like many […] The post Pentecost – Reception appeared first on rmhealey.org.

Ascension day can be a very confusing experience. For many people the imagery and artwork that accompany this feast does not help to clear the confusion. Picturing the feet of Jesus beneath a cloud that is taking him away from us does not help. Whenever an image is encountered in the scriptures, our first question […] The post Ascension Presence appeared first on rmhealey.org.

Sixth Sunday in Easter, Year C. We arrive at almost the very ending of the bible with our reading from Revelation 21 today. We are given the vision of the new Jerusalem as it descends and heaven and earth are fully reunited once again. The city is enormous – 12,000 stadia (2,400km) in each direction […] The post Gracious New Jerusalem appeared first on rmhealey.org.