How to be alive: courage to be

Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid Matthew 14: 27 Spend some time with Matthew 14: 22-33. Jesus walks on the sea towards the disciples in the boat being battered by the waves and the wind, and says to them:  “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid”. They are frightened but […]

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How to be alive: ‘yes’ to life

For all that has been- THANKS!To all that shall be- YES! Dag Hammarskjold Practise resurrection.Wendell Berry God is not exterior evidence but the secret call within usOlivier Clement As you spend time reflecting on your life – become aware of those things in your life that are destructive, which lead nowhere, which are negative and […]

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How to be alive: surprise in paradox

I find that there is a crucifixion and a resurrection every day Michael Leunig _______________________________________ I find that there is a crucifixion and a resurrection every day; in some sense or other there seems to be lots of little crucifixions and occasionally some big ones, and if it is gone into and almost embraced, if […]

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How to be alive: embracing life

God speaks to us in the depths of our being, not off the top of our heads. Gerard Hughes _______________________________________ God speaks to us in the depths of our being, not off the top of our heads. The depths of ourselves are not in our reasoning and ideas. If we are to find God, we […]

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How to be alive: being found

Reclaim your Sacred Site. Noel Davis _______________________________ Reclaim your Sacred Site.Clear a little spaceIn your crowded everydayAnd every day reclaim the sacred siteThere at the heart of youGive the Sacred the space and timeTo come and sit with youTo become intimate with your story. Noel Davis Contemplation is not, as people often mistakenly believe, chiefly […]

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We are taking a short break

Fr Philip Carter and Alison McAllister are taking a short break from the blog Spirit Matters. We’ll be back in September. The last five posts that have brought you Fr Philip’s meditation series Who is Jesus? have filled many of you with delight and we’ve appreciated the comments received in person and through email. I […]

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Jesus is our future who has already appeared

In this final post in the series Who is Jesus, the images are chosen to reflect the love and compassion of Jesus as he meets us in our failure and weakness and touches us with the miracle of grace. learning to be fully alive, fully human ____________________________________ The ‘future’ has appeared already: what the Christian […]

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Jesus is the truth of our existence: learning to choose life

I am beginning to hear the gospel at the level of my identity. Miriam-Rose Ungenmer Baumann ____________________________________________ Discipleship is the only form in which faith in Jesus can exist.Eduard Schweizer _________________________________________ We will never know what we do not do.Dietrich Bonhoeffer _____________________________________ Truth is that indestructible life that is open to us when we cease […]

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