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14 September 2025 What keeps us from holiness? St John Henry Newman gave a surprising answer: not lack of faith, prayer, or effort — but lack of sympathy. In this lecture recorded at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Bulli, Bishop Tony Percy dissects Newman’s sermon Christian Sympathy - showing how the Incarnation, human weakness, and the call to communion belong at the heart of Christian life. Why do we hide our struggles? How does Christ’s suffering transform our emotion

200 words: Above the Crowds - From Stone to Speech The Beatitudes begin the Sermon on the Mount. The setting is helpful: Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. (Matthew 5). Moses goes up the hill. Jesus goes up the hill. Moses receives the Ten Words. Jesus gives the Eight Beatitudes. The Ten Commandments promote and protect fundamental human values. We do well to know, love and preach and teach the

In the United States every January, in the capital city, Washington D.C., people March for Life. Pope Leo XIV had this to say: I express heartfelt appreciation and assure you of my spiritual closeness as you gather for this eloquent public witness to affirm that ‘the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right.’ First, the right to life. Second, the right to religious freedom. Then follows freedom of expression, conscien

200 words: Immersed into change From a philosopher, theologian and rhetorician, known as the Trinitarian Theologian: Christ is bathed in light. Let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptised. Let us also go down with him and rise with him (St. Gregory Nazianzen (329-390)). Furthermore, Jesus commissions us: Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to observe all that I have command

200 words: Repetition as Revelation The astrologers come from the East to Jerusalem, led by the ‘star.’ They depart from King Herod: There in front of them was the star they had seen rising. It went forward and halted over the place where the child was (Matthew 2). What is the star? A cosmic event? The conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on February 20, 6 BC? The 2007 proposal of Grant Matthews, Astrophysicist at Notre Dame University, is possible. A symbol perhaps? That

200 words: Are We Wrong? John the Baptist was expecting a Messiah of judgement, not exactly a crash and burn approach, but: Someone who would cut down the rotten tree and burn the useless chaff (Henry Wansborough, OSB, Universalis). He got it wrong. So might we. We may sincerely think or believe something to be the case, but in fact it is not so. Conscience is ‘me looking at me.’ A gift of God: For we have in our hearts a law inscribed by God…. Our conscience is our most secr