Sunday 11 December 2011

At all Christmas Masses, when the Nicene Creed is sung or said, the priest and all the people genuflect at the words "and became man". We do this in order to honour the great mystery of our religion: that for the sake of the human race and for our salvation, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (cf Jn 1:14).

Thursday 24 November 2011

It is simply astonishing how often the phrase ‘wait for the Lord’ appears in the Scriptures.

Friday 11 November 2011

Poetry is one of the most difficult genres to translate from one language to another. Sense, rhythm, metaphor and rhyme all intertwine to produce a tapestry rather than a tangle. But when transferring a poem from its original language into another, the translator has to unravel this tapestry, and then weave it back together again. To which elements will he seek to be faithful, given the near impossibility of conveying every element exactly?

Friday 28 October 2011

As I write this instalment of Hartbeat, I am about to set off on the Ad Limina pilgrimage. It was a great joy for me to see, before I left, the arrival of the new editions of the Roman Missal to be used on the altars of our parishes.

Friday 14 October 2011

As I write this, I am preparing to leave for the Ad Limina visit of the Australian bishops to the Holy See. For us, this visit will be a profound expression of our communion with the universal Church.

Friday 30 September 2011

Have you ever been to a family reunion? I mean the kind of reunion which brings together members of a wide, extended family: cousins and uncles and aunts, second and third cousins, cousins once or twice removed, great uncles and great aunts.

Friday 16 September 2011

“Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter) and remained with him for 15 days.” St Paul, Letter to the Galatians

Friday 2 September 2011

Reflection on World Youth Day, Madrid, 2011

At the Saturday night Prayer Vigil in Madrid on 20 August, the ‘big adventure’ of World Youth Day threatened to descend into absolute chaos and confusion. Pope Benedict XVI
had just begun his homily when the rain came pouring down. The Holy Father stopped. The wind and rain took over. Pilgrims and bishops alike were soon wet through.