017 :
21 Dec 2006

Remembering those who cannot be with us at Christmas... Rosemary invites us, amidst all the joy and celebrations, to remember those who cannot be with us this Christmas. [more]

016 :
14 Dec 2006

It is the time for... Rosemary argues "it is the time to take a mini retreat in prayer in our daily lives, to assess how we are with God, how our lives are unfolding and how we might move closer to God". [more]

015 :
07 Dec 2006

A tribute to a quintessential Aussie Archbishop Rosemary takes up some scriptural imagery, and also a prayer from Cardinal Newman to pay tribute to a quintessential Aussie Archbishop who has turned 80 this week. [more]

014 :
30 Nov 2006

The language of God Rosemary's reflection today has been triggered by the discussion in our forum on favourite hymns. For Rosemary "music seems to be the language of God and those who can compose it and play it are gifted agents of God". [more]

013 :
23 Nov 2006

Where is your true home? Triggered by Ron Rolheiser's commentary this week, "Steadying ourselves in the storm", mentioned on CathNews and an article posted in our forum by Cliff Baxter entitled "Did Jesus ever have to pay rent?", Rosemary traverses some interesting ground in her commentary today. It's an exploration of where our home is to be truly found. Where is your treasure? Where is your home, your belonging? [more]

012 :
19 Nov 2006

What's the apocalyptic vision in today's readings all about... Rosemary Canavan offers some thoughts on what meaning and comfort we can drag out of the apocalyptic readings this Sunday.[more]

011 :
16 Nov 2006

Getting balance in our prayer life Just as we seek balance in our physical, emotional and mental health, Rosemary argues we need balance in our prayer life. Largely drawing on the Gospel of Luke she offers some thoughts at to how we might improve our prayer life. [more]

010 :
09 Nov 2006

Life's transforming moments Inspired by Margaret Throsby's radio interview with Robert Hughes, Rosemary takes us on a journey today to begin an exploration of the meaning of pain and struggle in our lives. [more]

009 :
02 Nov 2006

What is the kingdom of God really like? In Scripture, and a lot of other places, many people down through time have tried to come up with metaphors and descriptors of what the kingdom of God is really like. In this thought-provoking reflection Rosemary takes us through some of the imagery, old and new, to show the reality that "God's reign is in our everyday and ordinary life". [more]

008 :
26 Oct 2006

Metaphors of Life... Rosemary looks at life through the metaphors of journey and landscape. She argues "the landscape of the gospels is often metaphorical rather than actual" and invites you "to consider the landscape of your life and how it merges with that of Jesus". [more]

007 :
19 Oct 2006

Coping with situations that make us want to scream... Rosemary offers some thoughts on how to turn a bad hair day on its head into something that is positive. It's a lesson whose turning point hinges on a particular way of looking at Jesus as model. [more]

006 :
12 Oct 2006

Can we learn anything from the Amish tragedy? Rosemary Canavan suggests we can learn some valuable lessons from the way in which the Amish people recently responded to the shooting tragedy in their community. The community seemed to exhibit a very Christ-like understanding of forgiveness. [more]

005 :
08 Oct 2006

Seven Deadly Sins Series: Pride – the place where ego is unbridled! Each of us draws our identity from our families, our community, our nation and our Church. Rosemary mounts some cojent arguments as to why we should celebrate the personalities who make us who we are. [more]

004 :
28 Sep 2006

Celebrating the personalities who make us who we are... Each of us draws our identity from our families, our community, our nation and our Church. Rosemary mounts some cojent arguments as to why we should celebrate the personalities who make us who we are. [more]

003 :
21 Sep 2006

How do we handle the mortality of our lives? Taking as her starting point the deaths last week of three prominent Australians, Steve Irwin, Peter Brock and Colin Thiele, Rosemary is exploring the ways we Catholics "celebrate life" in the death and funeral rites of passage. [more]

002 :
14 Sep 2006

Handing On and Handing Over... Rosemary today takes up from a brief discussion that occurred in our forum during the past week: How do we hand on the faith to our children? What, precisely, do we mean when we say we have this desire to pass on our faith, our values or our ways of looking at life? [more]

001 :
07 Sep 2006

Around the Table... Allow us to introduce Rosemary Canavan to the readers of Catholica Australia. Rosemary lives in Adelaide. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts major in Psychology and two Bachelors degrees in Theology, the most recent an Honours degree in New Testament studies. She has two adult children. Her first commentary focuses on the value of family meals. [more]