We are commanded not to eat of the accursed fig. Mark 11:12-14,20 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves,
New Zealand has just undertaken our national census. This includes information about what spiritual tradition people identify with – that information does not question if or how they practise that identification. There is also, now, the announcement that MissionKoru is undertaking a New Zealand church census. The government census was able to be completed either
Lies and statistics Read More »
The conclave begins tomorrow to elect a new pope. In the past 100 years, no conclave has lasted longer than five days: Pius X: 4 days; 7 Ballots; elected Aug 4 1903 Benedict XV: 3 days 10 Ballots; elected Sep 3 1914 Pius XI: 5 days; 14 Ballots; elected Feb 6 1922 Pius XII: 2
How to Become Pope Read More »
Father Lazarus is a Coptic hermit living in one of the places where Saint Anthony lived in Egypt (Anthony is significant in Christian monastic history). Fr Lazarus has had a fascinating story; an Australian who is now living the most radical consequence of the realisation that God is our end. Rev. Peter Owen-Jones, an Anglican
The early English-language Books of Common Prayer did not have this, but, in 1662, a rubric was added after the collect for Ash Wednesday: This Collect is to be read every day in Lent after the Collect appointed for the Day. I argue strongly against having two (or more) collects in a row at the
repeating the Ash Wednesday collect? Read More »
If you agree that Easter is a season not just a day or a week, and that the season lasts fifty days (as is clear at the Council of Nicaea), then please click that you are “going” to Easter is Fifty Days. Easter is a seventh of the year, the Great Sunday of the year,
Easter is fifty days Read More »
These thoughts are the result of a conversation with a (wishing-to-remain-anonymous-for-this-but-very-happy-to-let-me-publish-the-essence-of-the-conversation) person. We all know that the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. We also know that God has a tendency to hide the meaning of life from us – it is certainly not so straight forward that all people easily agree
God hides the meaning of life? Read More »
I recently, here, wrote about fifty cardboard, 1.2-metres-square, “god boxes” for people to use as prayer or quiet rooms placed around the city of Christchurch. The second reaction I got to my post was, “No community!” Fascinating. Of all people seeing community beyond the physical presence of bodies in close proximity, Christians, I would have
virtual community? Read More »
