wonderingpilgrim

COVID-19 Easter Sunday

Hitting Holy Saturday “Pause”

Those who have travelled the Christian journey for two thousand years know that the Easter Saturday Pause is a mere interlude between Good Friday lamentations and Easter Sunday celebration of raised life. Prescience prevents us into entering the utter despair and hopelessness of those who experienced the first Easter. There was no expectation of deadContinue reading “Hitting Holy Saturday “Pause””

Why “Good Friday””

“Why is it called Good Friday? What’s so good about it?” All the years I taught Religious Education in public schools, I could lay bets on some student asking this question. By and large, the kids I taught were engaged with the stories of Jesus – enough to be dismayed and offended at the accountsContinue reading “Why “Good Friday”””

The Power of Basin & Towel

I’ve often wondered how different church history might have been if its universal symbol was a basin and towel rather than a cross. Today, on the eve of Good Friday, Christians commemorate the Last Supper at which Jesus, having taken a basin and towel, washed his disciples’ feet, saying “By this, all will know thatContinue reading “The Power of Basin & Towel”

Spy Wednesday

Who knew this was a name for the Wednesday before Good Friday? It brings in the Judas principle. He was the bean-counter for Jesus’ inner circle of twelve – the one who objected to Mary’s extravagant anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume which could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. FromContinue reading “Spy Wednesday”

Beating Holy Tuesday Blues

Retirement was meant to be easy and simple. Instead, for the last ten months, we have been involved in a battle of wits and wisdom with the powers and principalities of Australia’s labyrinthine financial regulatory system. In seeking redress for a failed retirement “lease for life” scheme, our cohort of some 105 retirees plus theirContinue reading “Beating Holy Tuesday Blues”

Turning the tables over

COVID-19 has certainly turned the tables over economically. “Free market” trickle-down philosophy has suddenly and seismically given way to billions of dollars worth of rescue to keep society viable. One can discern a palpable shift in many communities. Supermarket brawls that reflected neo-liberal “survival of the fittest” philosophy have given way to neighbours and strangersContinue reading “Turning the tables over”

Palm Sunday – A Highway to Hell?

Only four weeks ago Canning Highway in Perth was packed tight as thousands of fans commemorated Bon Jovi and AccaDacca’s “Highway to Hell” famous signature song vibrating from bands on a fleet of tray-top trucks as they rolled from Canning Bridge to Fremantle. Four weeks later Perth’s highways are all but deserted as we self-isolateContinue reading “Palm Sunday – A Highway to Hell?”

Tango with the ‘Rona

Waking dreams are the most interesting to ponder (even if they are the only ones I can now recall). This morning’s had the words in the title. What on earth was running through the caverns and labyrinths of my wild unconscious before it succumbed to its waking tethers? A brief research of the origins andContinue reading “Tango with the ‘Rona”

Djilba is the local indigenous season that roughly coincides with late winter/ early spring and it’s when the native flora appears. I found these within a five minute walk from our place.