Season of Creation 2026 ‘Wherever the river flows, all living creatures in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. …Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and their leaves medicinal.’ (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
We conclude the Season of Creation this weekend with the feast of St Francis of Assisi, the beloved saint who inspires us to live simply that others may simply live, and to praise and thank God for the gift of creation, especially water. On every continent, inspired by our faith, Christians are acting. Rivers are being restored, water sources are being protected from pollution and extractive industries, and arid lands are becoming green again. Wells are being dug and water provided for parishes, villages, and health care centres.
Season of Creation 2026 ‘Wherever the river flows, all living creatures in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. …Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and their leaves medicinal.’ (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
This weekend concludes our collection of non-perishable food, toiletries, and cleaning products for the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project. Donations can be left in the basket in each church foyer. Thank you once again for your generosity.
Season of Creation 2026 Caring for our Common Home calls for us to respond to the Cry of the Earth, but also to the Cry of the Poor who suffer most from climate change and its damaging effects on food and water. Over this weekend and next ( 19th / 20th September and 26th / 27th September), we’re collecting non-perishable food items and cleaning products for the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project. A list of suitable items is available in each church foyer. In the latest BASP Newsletter we read: “Inevitably refugees and asylum seekers become a part of any debate about immigration—often based on devastatingly wrong information. While Australia accepts a high volume of overall immigrants, the number of refugees and asylum seekers admitted is extremely low.”
Season of Creation 2026 Caring for our Common Home calls for us to respond to the Cry of the Earth, but also to the Cry of the Poor who suffer most from climate change and its damaging effects on food and water. As in previous years we will collect non-perishable food items and cleaning products for the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project on the weekends of 19th / 20th September and 26th / 27th September. Please collect a list of suitable items from the church foyer. In the latest BASP Newsletter we read: “Inevitably refugees and asylum seekers become a part of any debate about immigration—often based on devastatingly wrong information. While Australia accepts a high volume of overall immigrants, the number of refugees and asylum seekers admitted is extremely low.”
Season of Creation 2026 Wherever the river flows, all living creatures in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. …Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and their leaves medicinal. This biblical text is drawn from Ezekiel 47: 1- 12, which portrays God’s life-giving water flowing from the temple of God. The river grows deeper and deeper restoring barren land, reviving waters, and sustaining flourishing ecosystems. The vision invites human responsibility: recognising ecological damage, embracing interconnectedness, we are called to immerse ourselves in the water, and actively safeguard and work for the renewal of creation, so that environmental healing and human well-being may flourish together.
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus predicts his fate and then discusses the need for the disciples to bear their own suffering. Too often the opposition of Jewish leaders has led Christians to hold an anti-Judaic attitude. Instead we should recognise that Jesus was rejected for religious as well as for political reasons. The unrest that he caused was a political threat to Rome, and his bold claims greatly troubled the religious leaders. Peter objects to Jesus’ words and Jesus accuses him of acting as an obstacle to the unfolding of God’s will. Turning to the other disciples, Jesus insists that those who are prepared to take up their cross to follow him, will be saved.
In today’s gospel Jesus questions the disciples about his identity. The disciples cite rumours that Jesus is a reincarnated prophet, namely John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah. It is Simon Peter who recognises Jesus’ true identity: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds by appointing Peter ‘the rock’ on which the church is to be built. As Eliakim was given keys of the house of David, so Peter is given keys to the kingdom of heaven! By the time the gospels are being written – some thirty to seventy years after Jesus’ death and resurrection – it is clear to Christians that Jesus had officially commissioned Peter to be the leader of the church, and Peter effectively took on this role for some thirty years. Some people like playing around with Jesus’ use of the word ‘rock’ to nominate Peter’s role in the infant church. Does it mean Jesus thought Peter was a bit thick in line with Marullus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things”? Clearly this is not Jesus’ reasoning, as he will have been quite aware that the Psalms praise God as my ‘rock’, ‘fortress’, ‘shield’ and ‘my place of safety’. Despite Peter’s weaknesses – denying Christ three times and running away from Jesus’ crucifixion – God gave him the grace to be dependable, committed and a support for others with their different gifts. Peter’s rule was not one of craving or hanging onto power, but the rule of one who eventually learnt from his master that to rule is to serve.
The overarching theme derived from today’s readings is the question of insider-outsider. We see here that the divisions and barriers that emerge out of human experience have been shattered by the graciousness of God. Jesus’ openness to ‘the other’ finds a precedent in the prophetic tradition. Isaiah spoke of a time when outsiders would join insiders in worshipping God, thus dissolving the categories of insider and outsider. He was, of course, referring to the age of messianic fulfilment. This age dawned with the coming of Jesus. Jesus himself moved out of the constraints of his own cultural worldview, and he directs us to do the same. People are either excluded because of gender, culture or religious perspective, or included only because they are able and willing to conform to discriminatory standards. In the reign of God, this should not be the case. People are accepted along with their own cultural profiles.
The disciples’ panic at the rising storm buffeting their boat must have been compounded by Jesus’s sudden appearance as he walked across the water. Jesus’s loving reassurance that he was not a ghost – “It is I, do not be afraid” – would have quelled their fears. Peter’s response may resonate with many of us: “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” We trust in the Lord; yet need reassurance. Jesus’s response fills Peter with peace and courage. He says simply to Peter, “Come.” Peter gets out of the boat and, quite miraculously, finds himself walking on the water towards Jesus. But, looking at the wind and the waves around him though, starts to sink. He cries out to the Lord and immediately Jesus reaches out and rescues him. In that moment, Peter’s relief at Jesus’ timely rescue must surely have been accompanied by the overwhelming realisation that Jesus’ loving, tender presence would never have let him drown. Peter realises that he is deeply and tenderly loved, in spite of all his inadequacies. Even at our most vulnerable moments, Jesus invites us to be courageous and audacious in trusting his steadfastness and his unfailing embrace of our frailties. Let us lean into the accompaniment of those who walk with us. Jesus looks steadfastly at us across the wind and water, and says, “Come”.
The “lovely” picture of God wanting to quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger is part of that unfolding narrative in the scriptures which sees the Kingdom of God in terms of a great banquet. It links us to the underlying message of this week’s gospel – the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand’ – which, in turn, points us to that banquet which we have in the gift of the Eucharist. And notice how Jesus uses the occasion of the feeding as a lesson for the apostles and for us, that we are called to be the providers. The instinct of the apostles was that this was all too much for them and that the people should be sent away to find food for themselves, but, of course, the Eucharist will become the ultimate sign and reminder that this is how we are to look after one another and be united through Christ with our Father in Heaven. Ultimately Christ will triumph over every problem that presents itself: “neither death nor life, nor angels or rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” May we have the confidence and the courage to go forth and proclaim that message to our troubled world.