On the 15th May Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical. Magnifica humanitas is about safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. It includes much wisdom and Christian insight. The encyclical is directed to the world at large, but from a distinct Christian viewpoint. “We wish to engage in dialogue with all…
This week the Christchurch City Council confirmed $15 million of funding towards the reopening of the Christchurch Cathedral, contingent on the government matching that funding and Christchurch Cathedral Reinstatement Limited showing a clear path to completion. What I noticed the most were all the negative comments around that funding—by newspapers, radio hosts and politicians, as…
From Monday to Wednesday I was at the clergy conference in Ashburton. Many of the clergy were billeted with parishioners, who also came to the church complex to help with meals, particularly doing the dishes. We had several presentations. One of them was by Crossway Church in Melbourne, which has successfully implemented the Bible Discovery…
Recently I read through a brief history of the Diocese of Waikato published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 1976. This now forms the major part of the Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki. The history also gives an overview of the church in the Waikato in the time prior to 1926. Two major themes ran through the booklet. One was…
Mother’s Day Recently one of our sons played his violin in a concert for the first time. Of course he played only very basic pieces of music, but it is a significant step from playing a few pieces with a piano to playing in an orchestra. When my mother saw the photos of her grandson…
Sometime last year the website Bible Odyssey asked me to write a short article on “Bread in Ancient Israel”. The website is published by the Society for Biblical Literature (SBL) and contains short articles by experts in simple language on topics related to the Bible. I must be considered an expert on the subject of…
For centuries the second Sunday after Easter was known as the Good Shepherd Sunday, because the Gospel reading was normally based on the Gospel of John chapter 10, where Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd.” The Sunday was also known as Misericordia Domini from the opening words of the traditional liturgy, based on Psalm…
A few weeks ago I brought my nephew to the airport early in the morning. We took the bus there. After I assured myself that he had been checked in alright, I caught the bus back home. While the bus to the airport was quite full, only one other passengers was on the bus in…
Somehow bunnies and eggs have become associated with Easter. Some say that is because they are symbols of new life. Others suggest that Easter took over an old pagan fertility festival—since rabbits (or hares) and eggs were symbols of fertility they were also associated with Easter. What is true is that in the northern hemisphere…
In some Christian traditions the Easter Vigil on Easter Saturday is an important celebration. While in the early centuries the Easter Vigil was really a waiting for the dawn on Easter Sunday, when the resurrection was celebrated, over the centuries the celebration moved to earlier in the night. I myself have only participated in the…