Fr Jim's (old) Blog

Three years ago our Parish Pastoral Council initiated a new ministry to build community and to reach out beyond the parish in a Christ-like way to our neighbourhood. Jane Kenny who was on the PPC at the time presented a model of Community Dinners which had been successful in her previous parish at Narraweena. The energy with which everyone on the PPC resonated with the idea seemed to be of the Spirit and so we launched our Community Dinners here in Kincumber. They've been a resounding success. Each Tuesday night (apart from a winter break) up to 100 people converge on the school hall to share a free, open meal. It's a family friendly event, and attracts people from aged 1 to 95. The dinners recognise that there are many people who live alone who eat every meal on their own. Sharing meals together was a hallmark of Jesus' ministry, and of Christian fellowship ever since. Strangers have become friends through this meals, and for some people it is the place they feel mos...

I had only intended to write this blog while I was away from the parish, favouring face to face communication while I'm here. But it was suggested to me by our parish Faith Formation Team that the blog had made an impact, and might be an opportunity to offer a range of material which I can't always use  in a homily, or in the parish bulletin. There's also the advantage that readers can leave comments, so I'll give it a go. Last Sunday's second reading was a difficult passage from the Letter to the Hebrews which includes the phrase "The Lord disciplines those he loves" (Heb 12:6). This can be read as God inflicting suffering on us to teach us a lesson. In my homily I explored differing perspectives on how much we think God intervenes in the world, which could change our perspective from God inflicting suffering to make us grow to God allowing suffering so that we can grow. Suffering comes to us in many forms of loss and limitation, often unavoid...

For two weeks before I left for the US people at home were asking me "have you packed your bags yet?". I resisted packing until the last day because I think the physical actions of packing lead to the emotional pack up as well - checking out and no longer being present where I am. So for the same reason I have been holding off packing my bags here. I want to stay present and enjoy every last minute of this wonderful adventure. But the time has come. I've had to work out what to do with some of the things I've bought while here: kettle, coffee mugs, reading lamps; stuff which is too big to fit in my bag, but too good to throw away. Fortunately one of the few locals from Omaha in our classes, Coco, has kindly offered to store a box full of stuff for Kevin and I till next year. Packing these things has, as I knew it would, brought up the sadness of leaving for me. I have so many people I am looking forward to seeing back home (family, friends, 600 parishioners), bu...

Avid readers of the blog (all three of you) might remember that when I first arrived here in Omaha there was nothing ready in the dorm room, not even toilet paper, and nobody around who could give any information. I felt quite lost and wrote about here. I soon discovered that lots of us who had arrived at different times had the same experience. I raised this at the student board meeting and we agreed that someone should do something. And apparently the previous year group had the same experience and also thought someone should so something. Nothing happened though, because in a big system like a university the people who coordinate the program of study aren't the people arrange the accommodation. Following the maxim of St Mary of the Cross "never see a need and not do something about it", a couple of us have made up an information sheet which will be in each room next year with simple things like where the nearest shops and take away food places are, how to operate...

Any way of prayer or mediation may be considered a spiritual exercise. Just like physical exercise it helps to have a plan, a coach and some discipline. The Spiritual Exercises (notice the capitals) are a series of meditations and contemplations which 16th century St Ignatius of Loyola composed from his own prayer experience, and then taught to his followers, who became the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). The Exercises are mostly contemplations of scenes in the gospels, where we are to use our imagination to place ourselves within the scene so as to meet Jesus intimately, allowing the gospel account to unfold as we watch, listen, feel and take part. Following the contemplation of the scene is a prayer dialogue with Jesus about whatever we experienced and learned. Woven throughout the program of gospel scenes which Ignatius chose are some specific meditations on sorrow for sin, choosing to follow Jesus, and then giving yourself wholeheartedly to Jesus. The Exercises can be don...

I'm now in the middle of my second term. Life on college campus has a wonderful rhythm here, which for me is 6 wake, prayer, breakfast 8 Counselling skills class 10 Theology of the Spiritual Exercises class 12 lunch, break, study 5   Mass , dinner study, exercise and that's about it! In between there are wonderful conversations in the dorm rooms and hallways,and occasional walks downtown for groceries or an evening stroll. Tuesday night is a 7pm Mass for our whole class group (about 50 people this term) and Friday night is a social dinner. Weekends are free, and I usually go to the 10.30am Mass here on campus. Some people here are getting cabin fever, feeling frustrated and/or bored of the same routine and being with the same people all the time. I like it. I think having spent years in seminary I'm quite OK with an institutional style of life. It feels to me very contained, where all my focus is on the one community of people and in the same direction. In normal ...

Brian Wilson was the brains behind The Beach Boys, who seem to feature in the soundtrack of most people's teenage years. Tonight I went to hear him in concert in Omaha as he played for the 50th anniversary of the Pet Sounds album, a record so groundbreaking that Paul McCartney cites it as inspiration for Sergeant Peppers. I wouldn't have known the concert was on except that The Beach Boys are my room mate Kevin's favourite band. I fell in love with Brian Wilson when I watched the biopic Love and Mercy last year. Wow. What  perfect concert. It was outdoors at sunset, but in a small amphitheater rather than a stadium. As befitting a concert by a 74 year old and attended by hippies of various generations it was over by 9pm so not a long late night (its a school night!) and close enough to walk the couple of miles home. Brian and his 10 piece band played the whole Pet Sounds album including the sublime God Only Knows plus all of the upbeat favourites like Good Vibra...