Listen Lines

13/04/2026

Affirmation https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/affirmation-2/ I attended a talk this week where we were reminded how important it is to give affirmation to each other.
One of my favourite lines in Scripture is the words of God the Father addressed to Jesus.
‘You are my beloved Son, in whom I delight.’
While these words are spoken to Jesus, they are also, through him, spoken to us.
The more we believe this, the more we can lovingly and unselfishly delight in each other.
The more we delight, the more we can affirm in each other. Through us, God’s grace can touch each other, affirming our innate goodness and lovability.
When we name to another the gifts and charisms we see in them, we help them discover their lovability.
We know only too well our failures, mistakes, weaknesses and sinfulness.
These can contribute to the lie that we are no good, deficient or inadequate.
Of course, no one is perfect. St Paul reminds us that when we acknowledge our weakness to God, we allow him to make us strong.
We hear his words: ‘You are my beloved child, in whom I delight’…

13/04/2026

Contemplation in action https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/contemplation-in-action-3/ I was reflecting recently with someone on the need to be contemplative in action.
I am, by nature, an active person. I get energy from constructive action.
God is teaching me that, when I remain contemplative, I give myself the chance to hear Him speak to me more clearly.
There needs to be reflection and interior space within action. When we are intentionally open to listening, we are exercising the gift of free will to be in partnership with God.
Intentionality is not forced or pressured. It is a loving attentiveness and a gentle surrender of the will, freely given.
There is a dying to the ego in this; there is a healthy humility.
I do not need to fill every moment with ‘things to do’ or phone calls to make.
Instead of killing time with others, I celebrate life with them. We become companions on the never-ending journey, on the greatest adventure of all. We discover together that all is grace, that we are empowered and embraced by love.

08/04/2026

Living Seed https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/inner-humility/
“Here is an image, Jesus said, of the kingdom of heaven. There was a man who sowed his field with clean seed …” (Matthew 13:24). The countryman is not impatient because the season of flowers and fruit is swiftly over and the winter is so long. He is as conscious of life in winter, when the crust of the earth is iron and not a leaf is on the hedges, as he is when the fields are green, and the bough is white.
He has lived through cruel winters and heard old wives moaning full of foreboding for the spring; he knows that with spring the snowdrop comes again, and the pale drift of crocus and the delicate green blade of his early wheat. He knows that the life sleeping in the earth is stronger than anything that can assail it, that the life that is in all living is stronger than death. That is the knowledge which is the root of his peace.
The mystery of the seed is his. Scattered on the wind, it is not lost, but carries life wherever the wind blows. It sows the meadows and the woods. It shows the cleft in the rock. It sows the roadside and the ditch. It sows the dust-heaps in the cities. Buried, it springs from the grave, a green herb of life. It is the symbol of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven.
CARYLL HOUSELANDER FROM THE PASSION OF THE INFANT CHRIST (ANGELICO PRESS, 2025)

08/04/2026

April 2026 https://darwin.catholic.org.au/yarning/april-2026/

07/04/2026

Inner Humility https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/bitter-sweet-2/ ‘Unless you are careful, praise from others may harm you greatly, for when once it begins it never ceases, and generally ends in running you down afterwards. This usually takes the form of telling you that you are more holy than others and suchlike flattering speeches.

For the love of God, I implore you never to find your peace in such speeches for you might come to believe them, or to think you had done all you need and that your work was finished. Remember how the world treated our Lord Jesus Christ, yet how it had extolled Him on Palm Sunday! Men so esteemed St John the Baptist as to mistake him for the Messiah, yet how barbarously and for what a motive they afterwards beheaded him!

Always struggle within your own heart against these dangerous flatteries, then you will go forth with deeper humility… May God of His great bounty, give us light.’
–St. Teresa of Avila, From Living Water

06/04/2026

Bitter Sweet https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/bitter-sweet/ I have an aviary with birds in it. Birds are prone to picking up parasites such as worms, so any good bird breeder medicates them on a regular basis. Consequently, birds in aviaries often live much longer than birds in the wild.
I mix the wormer with water and put the mixture into their regular drinking containers.
I was watching the birds drink it the other day. They were not overly enthusiastic about it. It is for their own good, but they do not understand that, and they are not keen on the taste either.
So I leave the water there long enough for them to drink it, because there is no other water source in the aviary.
It reminded me of the fact that we do not always understand God’s plans for us. We do not always like things because they are different or not very pleasant. We do not always grasp what is best for us.
Yet God knows our needs even better than we do.
Easter reminds us to trust and to love.

05/04/2026

8 days! https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/8-days-2/ This week marks the eight days of Easter.
Christ is risen. This pivotal event is central to our Christian faith. So special and so unique is this celebration that it continues for a whole week.
Each day is as if it were Easter.
It is a time of rejoicing, giving thanks, and celebrating hope.
Jesus has overcome death, sin, fear, the devil, and evil.
We share in His victory.
We celebrate our baptism in Him.
We die to sin and are born again.
Even when our feelings do not keep up with this invitation to happiness and joy all the time, we are still able to live in hope.
We are anchored in Jesus and His resurrection.
This gives a joy deeper than we can always feel. We rest secure in Him.

04/04/2026

He is alive https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/he-is-alive-2/ Easter is about hope, life, joy, fulfilment, and so much more!

The global challenges, as well as many local ones, can at times give us good reason for concern.

However, the drama of God becoming one of us in Jesus is about newness, freshness, and the fullness of life.

No matter what life throws at us, we can be renewed in this life – and in eternal life to come!

Jesus is truly risen – beyond death, pain, and suffering!

We share in His victory over sin, death, and all evil.

He is our way, our truth, and our life.

This does not belittle our real struggles and pain.

However, we are reminded that He will turn everything to good for us.

He cries with us and lives with us.

03/04/2026

Waiting in darkness https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/holy-thursday-7/ Jesus is dead; He was buried yesterday…
What has happened to His dream? Where is He? Is He nothing… is He in Sheol?
He showed so much promise.
He spoke like no one had ever spoken. He healed so many, even bringing the dead back to life.
His followers were confused, distraught, and lost.
Holy Saturday is a time in between.
It was a time of waiting for those who loved Jesus. But waiting for what?
They had no way of knowing what was going to happen the following day.
So often, we do not fully understand. We do not have the answers to so many of life’s riddles.
With the hindsight of Easter, we are called and empowered to trust, always to trust, not just when we know the way, but at all times.
Despite Jesus giving the apostles some hints about His coming resurrection, they simply did not understand. Sometimes we do not understand, but Jesus knows the way.
Quoting the words of St Charles de Foucauld:

“I do not know where I am going, I do not know what lies before me, but it does not matter, since I am lost in the heart of my Creator.”

02/04/2026

The Crucified is no stranger https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/the-crucified-is-no-stranger-2/ Jesus is drained. He has been betrayed by a friend, and most of His other friends have fled in fear. The handpicked leader of the apostles has denied even knowing Him.

He is falsely accused and, though innocent, is condemned to death by both the religious and civil authorities.

He is flogged and crowned with thorns. He is made to carry a heavy cross.

He is crucified in excruciating pain.

He sees His mother, absolutely grief-stricken, standing at the foot of the cross.

He cannot feel the Father’s presence. He dies, suffocated.

Yet He still trusts: “Into your hands, Father, I commend my spirit.”
This drama, this real story, is also our drama.

The Crucified is no stranger.
Our amazing God is saying: I know your pain. I understand. I truly love you, and I always will.
In our own pain, in our own frustration, in times when we feel helpless, God understands.
When we look at the world around us, there is much we could call bad news. However, God is with us. Good Friday is not the end of the story.

01/04/2026

Holy Thursday https://darwin.catholic.org.au/daily_reflection/holy-thursday-6/ Today we focus on the gift of the Last Supper and what followed.
In the Last Supper, Jesus gives us the Eucharist. He gives us Himself. “Take, eat; this is my body. Take, drink; this is my blood, shed for you. Do this in memory of me.”
Jesus is our nourishment. The regular receiving of the Eucharist keeps us directly connected with the fundamentals of our faith. We remember and are drawn into the reality of what we are remembering in a special and unique sacramental way.
Jesus also washes the feet of His disciples. He shocked them by doing this. This was an act done by servants or slaves.
“I have given you an example: wash each other’s feet.”
There is no place for pretences or any form of arrogance, discrimination, or ‘lording it over each other’ in our Christian community.
Service will at times mean putting ourselves out. It is such an integral part of our Christian life that we are forgiving and accepting of others, not just when it is easy, but even when it goes against the grain. We cannot do this without being centred on Jesus. It is so countercultural, and we need His help.
After the Last Supper, Jesus is in mental, physical, and spiritual pain in the garden, where He pleads that what is about to happen might pass Him by. However, He makes a clear statement from the heart that He still trusts the Father will be with Him.
“Your will be done.”
Then He is betrayed by a kiss from Judas…
He is humiliated and falsely judged…

01/04/2026

Unity 61

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