FORGIVENESS: A FRANCISCAN REFLECTION By Evan Pederick tssf A talk given to members of the Third Order, Society of St Francis Hobart April 2022; evanpederick@gmail.com ____________________________________________________________________________ I decided to speak this afternoon about forgiveness when I noticed that the Gospel we will hear tomorrow, the third Sunday of Easter, teaches us about the connection between … Continue reading Forgiveness: a Franciscan reflection →

Prayer in the Midst of Crisis By Charles Ringma tssf It seems that one way or another our world has become more precarious – the COVID pandemic, the war in the Ukraine and its possible long-term implications, rising prices and flat wages, the effects of global warming, and our deep-seated anxieties about our governments and … Continue reading Praying in a time of Crisis →

Book review – A Fragile Hope: Cultivating a Hermitage of the Heart – Charles Ringma tssfPublisher: Cascade BooksISBN 9781725287013Reviewed by Terry Gatfield tssf Charles Ringma comes as no stranger to the bookshelves of many Christians in Australia and to many in the international community. Whereas most theologians have developed one major field of enquiry Ringma … Continue reading The Fragile Heart – Tertiary Charles Ringma’s latest book →

Christians reminds me of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, and Christians is a more entertaining read than Lewis.

How are we to discern in our world what is most pressing regarding the way the church is to be in the world?

by Evan Pederick tssf, Perth WA, July 2021; evanpederick@gmail.com Talk given to the Perth Third Order members Abstract In this paper I look at the spiritual theology of the 13th-century theologian, St Bonaventure. I suggest that because of the arguments affecting the Franciscan order at the time Bonaventure becomes Minister-General in 1257, his major work … Continue reading St Bonaventure’s Itinerarium as a bridge from Francis to the Franciscans →

A Divided Christendom. Can the Idea of a “Third Race” Help Us? by Charles Ringma tssf We seem to be living in a very different time to the 20th century when churches were concerned about the lack of unity of the church and its implications for the witness of the church in society. This concern … Continue reading Christians: The third Race? →

Mary and Her Place in Scripture by Pirrial Clift tssf I have barely touched on Mary’s Place in Scripture, the topic of this second part in a series about Mary of Nazareth. I chose to attempt to unpick just a few words in Luke’s Gospel. Not being a theologian myself, I have leaned on D.W. … Continue reading Mary and her place in scripture →

We Christians will be stronger and our faith will be deeper – we will be more blessed – because of living through this moment.

2021 Day of Penitence, St. Francis College, Milton, 13th March “Transformation within the desert” in this time of the pandemic. Talk 3 – Learning from the desert by Ray Clifton tssf Introduction When I was in Formation at St. Francis College, I would have a personal retreat in the summer break at the Old Friary … Continue reading Learning from the Desert →