There is an American author by the name of Barbara Smith who once said that “Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish.” It is not easy to trust – to allow ourselves …
I came across a quote by Maya Angelou this week that got me thinking. Angelou wrote “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” It struck me that it is easy to look at the beautiful butterfly and forget about the metamorphosis or …
Homily 3rd Sunday of Easter A – 2023 – Fr Jerry Browne Read More »
When I was preparing my homily, I came across a Roman proverb that says “Money is like sea water; the more you drinks the thirstier you become.” Somehow, the proverb speaks to the danger of getting caught up in the pursuit of wealth. Dr. Carl Menninger, was a very well-known American psychiatrist who died in …
Brothers, sisters, let us not place our trust in riches and let us not fear our poverty, material and human. The more we are free and simple, small and humble, the more the Holy Spirit guides the mission and makes us protagonists of his wonders. Leave room for the Holy Spirit!” Pope Francis – Homily …
Fr Jerry Browne (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies) There is a story told about a mother, who while listening to the prayers of her small daughter, heard her listing some requests for blessings that children often do. “Bless Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa …” and so on. The mom was surprised, …
On the 22nd May 2022, I had the priviledge of attending the beatification of Pauline-Marie Jaricot in Lyon, France, which coincided with the annual General Assembly of the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies. 120 directors gather each year for the General Assembly, usually in Rome, but this year the assembly was held in …
“Looking at the past with gratitude is a sign of good spiritual health. It is the “deuteronomic” attitude that God taught his people. Cultivating grateful remembrance of the journey the Lord has had us take. And this gratitude is what nurtures the flame of hope. Those who do not thank God for the gifts he …
George Whitfield was an English evangelist who lived in the 18th Century. He regularly conducted outdoor evangelisation campaigns during a period of revival called the “Great Awakening.” Thousands of people responded to his Gospel message. After one of his sermons, someone asked Whitfield how many people were converted. Whitfield replied: “We’ll know in five years.” …
SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2022 “When we speak, we always want to say something good about ourselves, and often, we only speak about ourselves and what we do. How often! “I have done this and that…”, “I had this problem…” We always speak like this. How different this is from the Holy Spirit, who speaks by …
FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2022 “Let us not forget that God’s Spirit is closeness, compassion and tenderness. This is what God is like, he knows how to caress. And old age helps us understand this aspect of God which is tenderness. Old age is the special time of freeing the future from the technocratic illusion, it …
