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Order of Malta Australia

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RECORDING: “Intentional Living” – Advent Reflection With Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci

16/12/2024 


Recording link: Reflection with Bishop Charles Gauci – 14 Dec 2024 – Intentional Living

On 14th December 2024, Most Reverend Charles Gauci DD, Bishop of Darwin and the Northern Territory, Conventual Chaplain Ad Honorem, led Order of Malta members and aspirants in an online Advent reflection upon “Intentional living”.

Bishop Charles implored us to carve time in our busy lives to pause and reflect upon our 4 key relationships with:

  1. God
  • Am I mindful that God loves me unconditionally and wishes the best for me?
  • Do I stop and pray, to share with God?
  • Do I find stillness to listen to God speaking with me? Perhaps through Adoration?
  • Can I find 5 minutes, or even 10 minutes, or longer, each day, to sit with God?

 

  1. Self
  • Virtue is nurtured through healthy habits. What healthy habits can I prioritise more in my daily life?
  • What negative habits or ego-driven addictions do I need to ‘weed out’ of my day?
  1. Others
  • Do I share the joy, mercy, and hope of God wherever I go, with all who I meet?
  • How do I serve the sick and poor, or engage people in need?
  •  During Advent, is there someone who I need to reach out to and forgive?
  • Is there someone who I need to humbly seek forgiveness from?
  1. Creation
  • God blessed us as Stewards of Creation. Do I take the time to appreciate creation as God’s first revelation?
  • How can I nurture my natural environment?
  • When do I find time to walk or sit in nature, and reflect upon the miniature and the magnificent?
  • How can quiet time in nature help to restore my own perspective amid the stresses of life?

May intentional living through our Advent journey help us to encounter the deeper reality of God’s love. Inspired by St Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9, may we grow to see what no eye has seen, hear what no ear has heard, and experience what no mind has conceived. For as St Augustine reflected, our hearts are restless until we rest in Christ, whose birth we shall soon celebrate.

This was the second time this year that Bishop Charles generously led an online reflection for our Order. All members, candidates, volunteers, family, and friends are welcome to share this formation series, “An Hour of Reflection with a Chaplain” of the Order of Malta.

The Australian Association

The Australian Association, formed in 1974, currently has in excess of 300 members and aspirant members across every State and Territory of Australia. We also have ongoing and strong links with the Order’s National Associations throughout the Asia Pacific Region including in Singapore and the Philippines and with members of the Order in New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand and Korea. The Order of Malta is committed to serving Our Lords the Poor and Sick worldwide and has done so for over 900 years. This website shares with you the history, mission and current activities of the Order of Malta in Australia, and provides links to the work of the Order world-wide.