Fr Anthony Trenwith — Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
On the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr Anthony Trenwith, Administrator of Holy Family Parish in Kerikeri and Te Parihi o te Ngakau Tapu at Waitaruke, reflects on the Parable of the Sower. What makes a good or bad sower?
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Station XV: Episode 150 — COVID, Courage, Conscience, Confession
In a bumper 150th episode of The 15th Station, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic dominates the show. This month, the focus is on the return to public worship in New Zealand (or lack thereof), as well as the courage of priests and medical staff in providing bodily and spiritual care to COVID sufferers. Anna, Don, James and Gavin also look at attempts to refuse to administer euthanasia if legislation is passed in New Zealand and consider Pope Benedict’s latest biography. Maybe what we all need is a bit of confession by delivery. Enjoy the show — and stay safe out there.
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Station XV: Episode 148 — COVID, Cardinal, Celebration, Commemoration
The news has been coming thick and fast on the COVID-19 pandemic, including as it relates to Masses and other public gatherings. Anna, Don, Gavin and James try to keep up with it all in this month’s episode. They also look at what happened at the High Court of Australia last week with Cardinal Pell’s attempt to overturn his sexual abuse convictions. In happier news, a new Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland has been ordained, with his deacon father assisting at the Mass — a rare occurrence indeed. Elsewhere in New Zealand, the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shooting has been marked. All that, plus some Lenten advice, on this show.
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Station XV: Episode 138 — Sri Lanka, Paris, Israel and the Vatican
There are some heavy topics to cover this month, with Anna, Don, James and Gavin discussing the horrific Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, the heroism that emerged from the Notre Dame fire and the battle over religious freedom in Australia. Pope Francis has also issued new guidelines on investigating and reporting child sexual abuse. Do they go far enough? And this month’s “light” story shows that even good deeds can sometimes have negative unintended consequences. Thanks for joining us for another episode of The 15th Station.
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Station XV: Episode 126 — Exhortation, Examination, Information and Profanation
Pope Francis has issued his third apostolic exhortation, calling on people to consider how they can lead a life of holiness under the title of (in English) “Rejoice and Be Glad”. There’s not much rejoicing in New Zealand, as child abuse again dominates headlines, but an investigation in that country appears set to exclude churches from its scope, despite Catholic and Anglican leaders calling for their inclusion. Back in Rome, a gathering of young people has produced a document that — to a large extent — calls for the Church to better explain why it believes what it believes. In the US, Facebook has acknowledged some errors in deleting Catholic content, while in Brazil, it is others who are calling out the errors of the ways of a parish that went a bit overboard in modernising the liturgy. Join Anna, James and Gavin for a journey through a month of Catholic news and insights.
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Station XV: Episode 120 — Sadness, Solidarity, Social and Celebrity
Tragedy has struck again, this time in Las Vegas, where the local Catholic bishop urged locals and tourists alike to band together in solidarity to support the mourning, the injured and the suffering. Pope Francis has acknowledged the inadequate response to the scourge of clerical sexual abuse, saying the Church was too late to recognise the gravity of the situation. The Pacific bishops are trying to avoid being too late to support the local economies and a New Zealand-born Australian bishop wants to make sure it’s not too late to reach people’s hearts and minds via social media. If that fails, the power of music and the Eucharist might work — or at least that’s maybe what some Colombian worshippers concluded. Enjoy the musings of Anna, Don, James and Gavin in this month’s episode.
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Station XV: Episode 119 — Electing, Protecting, Translating, Counting and Baptising
As New Zealanders prepare to vote in their national election, the issue of abortion — and the views of the Catholic Prime Minister — were put front and centre. Meanwhile, Pope Francis is seeking to empower local bishops’ conferences and protect the planet, through separate initiatives. In the US, religious affiliation numbers are seeing a drift away from Christianity and a rise of Latino Catholics. We’re not sure any of those faithful Catholics would choose to baptise their children in a sporting trophy, but an NHL champion has. Enjoy the show
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Station XV: Episode 113 — Praise, criticism, tragedies and comedy
It’s been a manic first (almost) month in the Trump presidency, and the US bishops have been both praising and criticising the President. In Australia, the bishops have been more focused on repentance, as damning statistics emerge about the extent of sexual abuse in the Church there. Back in New Zealand, there’s more analysis of the changing religious landscape and, internationally, there’s conjecture about a new translation of the Mass. But what would Jesus tweet? Catholic comedian Stephen Colbert offers his thoughts. Join Don, James and Gavin for the latest episode of The 15th Station.
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Station XV: Episode 111 — Politicians, Trailblazers, Questioners, Refugees and Sinners
Two big stories from New Zealand lead off the Christmas episode of The 15th Station. Following the surprise resignation of Prime Minister John Key, Bill English became the latest Catholic to hold the position, saying his faith is a big part of his life but won’t dictate his public policy. Another famous Catholic who spent a long time in Wellington, Mother Suzanne Aubert, was also in the news, as she was declared Venerable by Pope Francis, recognising her life of service among the poor and marginalised. Pope Francis’s comments on Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics and his ongoing support for the plight of refugees also grabbed headlines. But a new Catholic app hopes to grab people’s hearts and souls and encourage them back to the sacraments. Join James, Don and Gavin for a bumper episode to round out 2016.
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Station XV: Episode 106 — Bishops, Popes, Politicians and Pokemon
What Pope Francis said about Christians’ attitudes to homosexuals and what he did about the prospect of priests celebrating Mass ad orientem feature prominently in this month’s episode of The 15th Station. Don, James and Gavin also speak about the demographic challenges facing the Church in New Zealand — and in other Western countries — and consider the Church’s efforts to stop the legalisation of euthanasia. But how could a podcast be complete without discussion of PokemonGo? Answer: It couldn’t. Enjoy the show.
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