As the headlines continue to swirl around the Catholic Church in Australia it is a distressing time for both victims of abuse and also for regular Catholics who have been rocked by one scandal after another for years.

We often hear the phrase that these years of crisis and shame have led to a “humbler” Church and lately I’ve been wondering what that humbler Church might look like in practice.

About 25 years ago while on retreat I read a book by the Scripture scholar, Dominic Crossan, entitled The Historical Jesus: the life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant.

“Blessed are you who are poor…blessed are you who are hungry…blessed are you who are weeping…blessed are you when people hate you…Familiar words that we might have heard several times already.

The willing response of Isaiah “Here I am, send me,” helps us reflect on our own response to God’s call. The call, to follow God’s will, is always present. How do I respond? Time to reflect on this question indeed!

When one is invited to a party there is the expectation of a good time to be had: good food, pleasant company, lively conversation, and the presence of the gracious host.

Having been baptised by John and confirmed he His Father (“This is my well-beloved Son; listen to him), Jesus began to preach the message of God’s love.

I’m unashamed to say that I’m a “Mama’s Boy”. Whenever I needed something and I can’t get it from my dad, I always turned to my mum and without a doubt my dad would give in.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and, with it, conclude the Christmas season.

We are beginning a New Year! Always a reason for hope and goodwill! 

One wonders if the neighbours of Joseph and Mary thought of the two of them plus Jesus, and any other siblings he might have had, as a “holy family”.  They certainly would have been seen as a devout Jewish family.