Experience the Living Word with Bishop David Walker
Hildegard of Bingen OSB was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and he recognized her as a Doctor of the Church—one of only four women in Christian history. Pope Benedict described St. Hildegard as “a woman of brilliant intelligence, deep sensitivity, and recognized spiritual authority.” He also celebrated her “fearlessness, a feature of every…
The spirit of St Vincent de Paul is alive and well in 2025. Growing up in a Catholic family in the 1960s, the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) was very much part of our world. My father was a Vinnies volunteer and my mother spent many years working at the Rendu Centre. We later…
Reading: Luke 16:1-13 (Year C, 2025) As we approach the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel from Luke invites us to reflect deeply on stewardship, integrity, and the proper use of the resources God entrusts to us. Jesus presents the parable of the dishonest manager – a story that challenges both our understanding of…
Reflecting on this Sunday’s Gospel, Luke 14: 25-33, I’m taken aback by the directness with which Jesus asks me to consider if I am prepared to pay the cost of discipleship. He outlines in detail the foolishness of the landowner and the king because neither were prepared to pick up the Cross and put their…
Welcome back to our reflections on the Gospels. Today, we turn our attention to the reading for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. This passage challenges us profoundly, calling us to examine the depth of our commitment to Christ and the cost of true discipleship. Radical Allegiance to Christ Jesus speaks plainly to the crowds…
As we approach the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel from Luke 13:22-30 calls us to reflect deeply on discipleship, commitment, and the journey of faith. In this reflection, I invite you to walk with me as we explore what it truly means to strive to enter through the narrow door. Striving for the…
In the Canon of Saints of the Catholic Church, St Monica is somewhat of a rarity. As a fourth century woman, who was married and had children, her sainthood situates her in quite a unique category. The under-representation of women who have been venerated as saints is largely due to historical and societal factors resulting…
“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.” As Jesus makes His way to Jerusalem, someone asks Him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” His answer doesn’t give numbers, it gives a challenge, to strive. The narrow door is not a…
In preparation for the feast of St Augustine on 28 August I ask myself what is it about Augustine’s life story, as told in his Confessions, that can still captivate modern readers, and no doubt frames the way of thinking for Pope Leo? He lived in North Africa over sixteen hundred and fifty years ago and…
As we approach the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we encounter a challenging passage from the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 12:49–53, Jesus declares, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” He speaks of a baptism with which He must be baptised, expressing great anguish…