Behold I stand at the door and knock...

Our task as disciples of Christ and members of His holy Church is to be ever watchful in keeping His commandments and, through grace, to grow in faith, hope and charity. Yet, we know that sin seems to abound in the Church; that there are bad shepherds and wicked sheep. Yet, we do not give up. We do not despair. It is not our Church but Christ's. If you would like to contact me to provide feed...

The Devil and his fallen angels (the demons) are our enemies and they hate us and they loathe what God has given us. But they hate God above all. Their pride and their envy of what Christ has done, and has done for us, knows no bounds. But they have not won and will not win. Christ has given us the pledge of eternal life that overcomes and defeats all that Satan does. If you would like to contact...

The percentage of Australian Catholics who attend Holy Mass regularly continues to decline. This is an existential problem for the Church. How can we remedy this? What can we do? If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.org.au Also if you would like to support me in this work, please send me an em...

To please God is key to the holiness of a Catholic life. This task is mentioned both in the 2nd reading and the Collect of this Sunday's Mass. But what might hinder us as we seek to please God? If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.org.au Also if you would like to support me in this work,...

This podcast is about the Sacred Heart of Jesus because my parish is dedicated to His most sacred Heart. So, as is permitted, we replace the Sunday in Ordinary Time with an external solemnity for our patronal feast. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.org.au Also if you would like to support...

The solemnity of Corpus Christi turns our attention to the abiding presence of Christ with His Church, namely, the Blessed Sacrament. Christ is truly and really present in the consecrated species of bread and wine, in a way that is an intersection of the natural and the supernatural. It is a presence that is complete and full. The whole matter of the bread and wine is transformed into Christ'...

The life of God is a mystery that is far beyond us. Yet, at the same time, it is one of the key Christian dogmas. But we have been drawn into this life of God through the Sacraments and so we can have access points into this mystery. The full mystery will be revealed in the glory of heaven. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.... If you would like to contact me to provid...

The Holy Spirit broke into the world on that first Pentecost Sunday with an amazing manifestation of sight and sound. Only those who receive the Holy Spirit may know the full beauty and richness and power of the gifts that the Holy Spirit brings. The world cannot and does not know of these because the world is in opposition to Christ. Yet, we do know and the Holy Spirit enables us to show forth th...

The Paschal Mystery did not end with the empty tomb, or with Jesus’ appearances to the Apostles over the course of forty days. Rather, our salvation is embraced also by the Passion and Death of the Lord as well as His Ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. God has achieved our salvation in a remarkable and wondrous way! If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, su...

Jesus commands us to love one another in the Gospel reading of today's Mass. What sort of love is He talking about? It is charity. But, how is charity to be understood, and if it is love, what sort of love is it? The image used today is by Francesco Trevisani and is St Peter baptising Cornelius. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do t...

Eastertide is the time above all times and seasons when we turn our attention to the Paschal Mystery. So, what is the Paschal Mystery and what has it to do with our life and happiness? If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.org.au Also if you would like to support me in this work, please send me...

There is no salvation outside the Church is a doctrine held to since the time of the apostles, as we hear St Peter say in the first reading of this Sunday's Holy Mass. But how are we to understand this? And what does this mean for us and for those who are outside the Church, by their own choice or by the circumstances of their lives? If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, sugges...

How do we know Christ rather than know about Him? Well, it is He who gives us the way to do this. Most clearly, as we hear in today's readings from Holy Scripture, through His real presence in Holy Communion and through following His commandments. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.org....

God's mercy endures for ever! This is the theme of today's Sacred Liturgy. It is not new. It is as old as the first revelation of salvation made to Adam, to Abel, to Abraham and down the generations until the coming of Divine Mercy incarnated in Jesus, Our Lord. Today is a day to continue to deeply rejoice that Divine Mercy is greater than any sin; even greater than the sin of the whole...

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection is the high point of our Christian year. Christmas is beautiful and so appealing, but we do well to remember that Jesus was born so that He might die for our sins and rise to life for our eternal life. "For this I was born; for this I came into the world," he said to Pilate, as we heard on Good Friday. On this day, no matter what the world might say or b...

We are at the beginning of Holy Week. The cries of welcome and jubilation will turn to condemnation and calls for crucifixion. In all the movements of this week, the kenosis , or the self-emptying of Christ holds our attention. Let us keep close to Him and empty ourselves for Him so that we may worthily participate in His resurrection. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestio...

Covenant is a word we hear often in both the Old and New Testament. What Christ has done through His life, death and resurrection is to establish a permanent and everlasting covenant which was sealed in His blood; not the blood of animal sacrifices but in the blood of the only Son of God. After you listen to this podcast you might like to delve into the Letter to the Hebrews. If you would like to...

The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday. The rose coloured vestments signal a brief respite from the penitential practices of Lent. God is all mercy and love. We know that and we reverence the images of Christ crucified because that is the pre-eminent sign of Divine Mercy and Love. Today I speak about the Sacrament of Penance/Confession/Reconciliation because it is the best way by which we pre...

The Decalogue, or the ten words from God, or as we usually know them, the Ten Commandments is the First Reading at Holy Mass this Sunday. This revelation from God became the foundation of the Mosaic Law that governed the life of the Jewish people. It was not a burden but something that enabled them to remain close to God and He to them. Today I explore further from the Ten Commandments what the Ch...

God is all goodness, all truth, and all beauty. Living a virtuous life is how we participate in God's own life, which is another description of grace. The virtue of obedience motivated Abraham to be faithful to God. But what does it mean to live a virtuous life? In this podcast, as well as delving into the Scripture readings, I also describe the 7 major virtues. I hope this is helpful and tha...

We hear about the temptations of Jesus in the desert on this first Sunday of Lent. Temptation is most regularly connected in some way with sin. So, since I find many Catholics do not clearly understand what sin is, I though I would offer a short catechesis on this topic. I hope you find it helpful. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do thi...

The very moving scene of the leper kneeling before Jesus is one of great pathos. It also provides us with a neat and appropriate entry into Lent on this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. May the great trust of the leper be ours during this coming season of Lent. If you would like to contact me to provide feedback, suggestions  or to ask questions you can do this via email: frpchandler@armidale.catholic.or...

The reading from the Book of Job reminds me of those women and men (mostly women, which is an interesting point to ponder) whom Our Lord Jesus or His holy mother, Mary, have asked (and are probably still asking) to be victim souls, that is, those who accept suffering for the good of others and for the salvation of the world. I speak of St Gemma Galgani but there are other victim souls. Another ver...

The growing recognition of the divine authority of Christ forms one part of this Sunday's gospel reading but also does the reality of evil as a person, and Christ's dominion over the devils. Once again there are lessons for us about evil and, by extension, about authority in the Church and how Christ wished authority to be exercised for the good of all. This is a topical subject, given t...

At this beginning of our reading of the Gospel of St Mark, we hear of the early events as Our Lord, Jesus Christ, began His Church. His appearance out of the hidden years at Nazareth and His calling of the first four apostles signals the beginning of a battle against the Devil, who is the enemy of God and of the human race. Each of us is part of this battle and we are each one of the combatants. T...