A selection of articles which look at a variety of different aspects of Christian faith and mission. If any look to be of interest please contact the library by emailing library@bbi.catholic.edu.au or phone: 02 9847 0566
Lent and Easter
Engaging Lent: Take charge of your spiritual life U.S Catholic, March 2016, pp. 36-37
Lent is like committing to a long run. In the beginning of the run, we feel light and determined, like anything.is possible. In the middle, our resolve fades, and we wonder why we thought we could accomplish something so difficult. We are tempted to walk, to renege on our Lenten promise. But if we persevere—keep running, keep “lenting”—we will end our 40 days with the deep joy offered by the resurrection. The author offers some ideas for how to keep engaged during the season of Lent.
A year long invitation to the Triduum by Denise Morency Gannon. Pastoral Liturgy. Jan/Feb 2016 pp. 4-6
In some parishes, a full church for the Easter Vigil is expected. In other communities a small cluster of members participates at the liturgy annually. The author explores how a parish’s intentional practice of hospitality can make a difference in the participation in the Triduum.
Welcoming Children to the Three Days by Kathryn Ball-Bouruff. Pastoral Liturgy. Jan/Feb 2016 pp. 7-9
The author admits that it can be quite a challenge to bring children to the liturgy on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, but comes up with excellent reasons for encouraging children to be in the Triduum. She also presents tips on how both parents and children can best experience the pinnacle of the liturgical year
http://www.pastoralliturgy.org/resources/WelcomingChildrentotheThreeDays.pdf
Laudato Si
The Francis Project: Pope Francis, St Francis and Laudato Si. By Peter Tyler. The Pastoral Review. Jan/Feb. 2016, pp. 48-53
This article argues that Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ can be understood as manifesto for integrated humanity as well as a call for a integral ecology. In making this claim, the article follows the structure of the encyclical whilst suggesting links with Franciscan sources.
Christian Spirituality
St Teresa of Avila: Spiritual Guide for Today by Austin Cooper. Australasian Catholic Record. October 2015, pp. 447-458.
In this article, the author gives an overview of the warmth and wisdom of Teresa of Avila and how reading her works can offer lessons in humility, detachment, love and prayer
Church Mission
Ad Gentes to Evangelii Gaudium: Mission’s Move to the Centre by Noel Connolly. Australasian Catholic Record. October 2015, pp. 387-402
Although mission has officially been at the heart of the church, in practice it has been regarded as an optional extra. It was something the church left to ‘overseas missionaries’ or something it does only when it has attended to its more traditional activities of celebrating the liturgy, running schools, hospitals and teaching. In this article, the author traces the stress on mission in the major missionary documents since Vatican II, and in the process hopes to clarify the meaning of mission.
The Old as well as the New: Catholic Education Fifty Years on from Vatican II by Therese D’Orsa. Australasian Catholic Record. October 2015, pp. 403-414
The author considers Catholic education’s essential mission dimension fifty years on from Vatican II, by a asking the questions: What new issues must teachers and leaders now consider, and in what ways is our contemporary context shaping the mission of Catholic education?
Parish Life
The local Church: An encounter with Jesus by Philip McParland. The Pastoral Review. Jan/Feb. 2016, pp. 43-47
This article proposes that the primary reason the Church exists is to bring people into a relationship with Jesus. It explores what this means for pastoral practice at parish level.
Year of Mercy
The Year of Mercy: Luke the Gospel of Mercy by Ronald D. Witherup. The Pastoral Review. Jan/Feb. 2016, pp. 24-29.
The Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis dovetails with the liturgical year of Luke which began on the first Sunday of Advent. It provides a timely way to examine this gospel of Luke as it is often characterized as the Gospel of Mercy