The Nativity – Greg Olsen By Charlie Johnston The first Advent occupied hundreds of years as a groaning world awaited the appearance of the Messiah. When He came in a manger, few noticed it at all. When He began His ministry, the ruling class rejected Him as a dangerous fraud. Even those who believed in […]
Our New Advent — A Sign of Hope
Saint of the Day – 12 December – Saint Vicelinus of Oldenburg (1086-1154) Bishop, Missionary, “the Apostle of Holstei,” zealous Preacher and as Bishop, he concentrated on education of his Priests and the spiritual growth of his Diocese as well as the needs of the poor, founder of numerous monasteries. Born in 1086 in the […]
Saint of the Day – 12 December – Saint Vicelinus of Oldenburg (1086-1154) — AnaStpaul
Saint of the Day – 11 December – Saint Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople (c 409–493) Priest, Monk, Abbot, Hermit, miracle-worker – born in c 409 at Maratha, Syria and died in 493 near Constantinople of natural causes. Daniel was born in Maratha, Syria in 409 and became a monk in nearby Samosata on the […]
Saint of the Day – 11 December – Saint Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople (c 409–493) — AnaStpaul
Such a strange December here on the southern coast. Days as grey as winter with a wind that bites like ice. Get over the mountains and it’s the blazing Aussie summer sun and bushfires burning out of control. Here, though, La Nina rules the weather. Cronus however, seems to be sleeping on the job. Time […]
The Uncertainty Principle — Mapping uncertainty
As the song relates
in my happy-ever-after moments:
I believed in the Israelite.
What a circuitous, tortuous route
this mind has been dragged through,
chained to the runaway horse
called magic, or deception,
along with most of the world,
sore and buffeted
through cyclone and fire,
the machinations of men.
I take on board
the doubts and conjecture —
did such and such ever exist;
yet I have studied the shroud
and the napkin of truth — to me
science and the Spirit are one.
So this year as Advent moves
relentlessly on to that crystallization,
when Sol’s southern tropic is reached,
with the death of the sun,
the incarnation of the Son
and the Word,
switching northward towards Light and hope,
I feel my soul and sinews ignite.
This time, more than any other time,
I believe in the Israelite.
Copyright Francis 2020
Ciscography 