We’re told that forgiveness is one of the distinctive teachings of Christianity. Jesus preached and practiced it. However, if we’re honest, I suspect many of us will admit that we find it difficult to forgive. We hold on to slights, upsets and offences. It’s a real challenge to let go of them and forgive the person who has offended us, writes CRA President, Br Peter Carroll FMS.

Christians and millions of others around the world know the story of the first Christmas, writes CRA President Br Peter Carroll FMS. However, one part can easily be neglected. That Jesus was born in a manger, we know - but why? And the answer is instructive: there was no room at the Inn for him. Does our world have room for Jesus – the Jesus who is the Word of life, rather than the baby in the crib?

After much discernment in prayer, Josephite Sister Liz Koziol RSJ recalled being overcome by a sense of peace as she accepted another calling, this time to lead the Perth Archdiocesan Prison Ministry as its Coordinator.

Sister Ivy Khoury, Africa Program Coordinator at Caritas Australia, works alongside local partners in Mozambique and Zimbabwe on long-term development projects, and has seen first-hand this year how COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings have hit communities that rely on small-scale agriculture for their food and livelihoods.

Gifts play an important part in our society and Christmas is our biggest season of gift-giving. Some gifts are cherished and a source of great joy; others put aside with little care or even passed onto others. Perhaps it is true it is the thought that counts, but the single, well-considered thought can be worth a thousand cast in haste, reflects Columban Father Jim Mulroney..