The Dominican
Archive
2023
POSTCARD FROM NAZARETH
Greetings in the Lord to you all at St Dominic's from the cradle of our faith, Nazareth.
Australia’s Catholic bishops have called on the nation to seek “a new engagement” with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their annual Social Justice Statement.
SAFEGUARDING SUNDAY
This weekend, the Catholic Church in Australia marks Safeguarding Sunday
INDWELLING
We’re familiar with the notion of indwelling insofar as we know that the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation entail the bestowal of the divine Spirit
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY
Australia’s Catholic bishops have called on the nation to seek “a new engagement” with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their annual Social Justice Statement.
CERTAIN SLAVERY VS FREE SERVICE
What do we do with our freedom from sin and reconciliation with God? Are those twin realities just for our own benefit and enjoyment?
ACCOUNTING FOR OURSELVES
It’s extraordinarily difficult to get a good reading on ourselves. As the old saying goes, can a fish describe the water it swims in?
YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH TODAY
Let us explore the role of young Catholics in the Church today and what they are up to in Australia.
BLESSED JANE"S SON
The name which Blessed Jane gave her son is a symbol of our parish patron’s total dedication to the work of preaching.
WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
The theme chosen for this year is “His mercy is from age to age”.
ABRAHAM
Abraham is key to Paul’s preaching because he is the evidence of someone being at rights with God without keeping the Mosaic Law.
THE ORIGINAL WAY TO HOLINESS
Having established in Romans 2 that all nations have equal need of the Saviour, Paul turns his attention to his own people, Israel.
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER SUNDAY - A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
Every year, on the first Sunday in July, Catholics across Australia affirm and celebrate the gifts of Australia’s First Peoples in the Catholic Church.
EQUALITY IN NEED
Neither a Jewish Christian nor a Gentile one has any advantage over the other.
THE NEW ISRAEL IN ROME
“To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints” (Romans 1:7).
PRAISE THE SACRAMENT OF YOUR SALVATION, NEW ZION!
Our own St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) is responsible for many of the glorious traditional texts assigned to today’s great feast.
GOD IS NOT ALONE
The Spirit of God came to overcome the barriers which the disciples first encountered in the preaching of the Gospel: personal fear and diverse languages.
ARE YOU BAPTIZED
One of the first questions we ask someone who wants to become Catholic is, “Are you baptized?”
LAUDATO SI
On Wednesday, 24 May, we will celebrate the ninth anniversary of Pope Francis giving the world the Encyclical with the strange name, Laudato Si, literally “praised be”.
EXORCISM
Why does the Rite call for an exorcism?
BAPTISM: SIGN OF THE CROSS
Through Baptism we begin our new life in Christ as adopted children of God.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY:
Over 100 years of service to the poor.
VOCATIONS 2 (another perspective)
You might be wondering why we ought to consider seriously the vocations to the married, single or consecrated life.
VOCATIONS
During Eastertide, glorious in his Resurrection, Christ calls us to believe without seeing him, to renew the promises of our Baptism, to resolve again to conform ourselves to him.
NEW LIGHT
Alleluia: the Lord is risen! He is truly risen, alleluia!
FORGIVENESS
It was once bold of us to think that God would forgive our sins.
PENANCE
Towards the end of our confession, the priest assigns us a penance. Indeed, sometimes confession is called the Sacrament of Penance because of this part of its liturgy.
THE ABSOLUTION OF SINS
Thankfully, it’s not really up to any of us whether sins confessed will be forgiven. When sins are confessed, it is God who acts; when sins are absolved, it is God who forgives.
THE ACT OF CONTRITION
During confession, the priest will ask us to make an act of contrition. Many confessionals including our own have a printed act of contrition available, so that our penitents are at ease when they come.
CONFESSION
Repentance of the kind we are urged to make in Lent takes the form of sacramental confession for at least our mortal sins.
THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
The first step we must make in Lent is repentance for our sins. Sorrow for sins is best expressed in the sacrament of reconciliation, where God’s grace is tailored to our personal story.
CHANGE OF HEART
On the eve of Lent we turn our minds towards our relationship with God, which is no static thing. Although God’s love for us is constant and copious, our love for him is not. It is subject not only to the affections we summon up or receive from time to time, but also by the state of our souls.
GOD’S PRESENCE AND ASSISTANCE
It’s time to start thinking about what observances we shall take up this Lent in order to grow in our spiritual self.
MEDITATION
Last week, we noted that we are beginning our preparation for Lent especially by considering our relationship with God.
FOR MANY
As we begin to prepare for Lent, we turn our minds to the quality of our relationship with God, for he is the origin and end of our life.