Peter Blog a few random thoughts

When ever you walk down the road around Brighton you are confronted with one really quite stark reality. That of Homelessness. It is easy to walk by, it is easy to walk by on the other side of the street and blame society or blame them. We might think and say Surely they have homes or they could go back to their own homes. A few weeks ago I got chatting to one on my walking around Brighton. It is so easy not to give a name to homeless people. His name was Rob, he invited me to sit next to him. As we sat and talked I noticed one thing. His world was full of feet, children and dogs. It is easy to walk by but here sitting next to me on the street was what Jesus was talking about in todays Gospel. IF we do not give a name to people, if we use generalisations then it is easy for us to forget that they are christ given as much as you or me. We do this so easily that it becomes  hard to ever think of them as our brothers and Sisters. This is what the Nazi Germany did to the Jews, and wha...

There is a certain kind of Religion that can be really quite off putting. They are the people like these: They go around telling others how they should pray and how they should act. They are their own definition better than anyone else. They are hard to negotiate with and never listen to another persons views for they are right. Laying heavy burdens on others they do not do the same themselves. In the annuals of history they are instantly forgotten.  Real authentic religion is when people are authentic when we can see that what they preach they practice these people are attractive and remember them by the example that they give. There was a beautiful moment a few days after Francis was elected Pope. He asked to go and visit the place where he stayed before the Conclave. A small Hostel with simple rooms on the Via della Scoffa. A place where I have stayed myself when I have been to Rome. You can imagine the surprise on the peoples faces as he came in to pay his bill. ...