The Emmaus Series

The Emmaus Series Videos
The following are images from our 20 videos production. It described briefly the content of the videos. To read just place the pointer on the text to stop the transition.
Spirituality
A "spirituality" is an approach to life that is in touch with the yearnings, hopes and commitments that are the measure of our human existence. As Australians, we share a distinctive culture, derived in part from the old world, and shaped as well by the experience of sharing life in this unique continent. Australian spirituality can be defined as the "best self" of our distinctive culture.
Beyond Death
Faith helps us to understand ageing and dying as part of our destiny, as God's creatures. Unfortunately, the message of Christian hope – 'a total hope even for the material world' - has been neglected in recent centuries. We will be helped recover this total vision, if we become more familiar with the hopes of the Old Testament. Old Israel's hope in God's promises was boundless ...
Conscience
The sense of 'right and wrong', and the responsibility this implies, is a basic human experience. Many cultures liken conscience to a 'divine voice in the heart'. People sum up the essentials of conscience when they acknowledge that a person is responsible for their actions, 'according to their lights'. This presentation explains the teaching of two great Catholic authorities (Thomas Aquinas and Cardinal Newman).
Discipleship
In his first Encyclical, John Paul II suggested that the Church's life will be renewed if it sees itself as "the community of the Lord's disciples" Because "disciple" is a familiar word, constantly used in the New Testament, it may seem stale and "churchy". It means "learner" – one seeking to learn from a great leader.
Eucharist
An introductory section discusses the Church's faith in the "real presence" of the Saviour in the Eucharist. From Apostolic times, it is clear, the Church in both East and West has believed that what is placed in the altar as bread and wine becomes the real body of the Lord. History has clear lessons ...
Forgiveness
The practice of this sacrament (of God's gift of forgiveness and reconciliation) has undergone great changes in the course of the Church's history. In the New Testament Church, those guilty of seriously disruptive sins (such as apostasy, murder and notorious adultery) were excluded from the community for a time, for their 'salvation'.
Good News
Since Vatican II the church has re-emphasised the theme of "evangelisation": bringing the Gospel (Good News) of Christian faith to our world. But what is this Good News? It is not surprising that frail humanity has experienced great uncertainty before God, the all-powerful Creator and the all-perfect Lord of all. Even good Christians have often lived in fear and uncertainty before God. The Good News brought by Christian faith should banish these fears.
Jesus Christ
There are two ways of understanding the Saviour in the Gospels. The most familiar is that of St John's gospel, an approach "from above". It begins with the divine Jesus, the Word who "became flesh" and returning to the Father opened the way for us to share in his divine life. The approach of the other three gospels – less familiar, but very important in an age in which many must find the Christian faith anew – is "from below".
Liturgy
The renewal of the Church's life envisaged by Vatican II looks to the celebration of Word of God and the Sacraments - in a renewed liturgy - as the central focus of Christians' faith awareness. For many centuries, however, the majority of Catholics have related to their God through the popular devotions that have been so important in their lives. Helping people to appreciate the importance of the liturgy in their lives is, therefore, a delicate pastoral problem ...
Mary
From the Church's beginnings Mary has been seen as a great sign of encouragement for believers. References to Mary, though they may seem brief, are deeply meaningful, presenting Mary as a figure of immense significance for the communities that produced these texts. St Luke, in his Gospel and Acts of the Apostles, skilfully portrays Mary as the model of discipleship, the one who "hears the Word of God and puts it into practice".
Ministry
The practice of this sacrament (of God's gift of forgiveness and reconciliation) has undergone great changes in the course of the Church's history. In the New Testament Church, those guilty of seriously disruptive sins (such as apostasy, murder and notorious adultery) were excluded from the community for a time, for their 'salvation'.
Prayers
Most Christians find themselves frustrated and discouraged, when they try to give prayer a bigger place in their lives. Prayer is a challenging activity, which takes us to a very elemental level – Jesus tells us that we must recover the simplicity and trust of little children.
Sacraments of Initiation
This presentation aims to help parents who request baptism for their children – especially those who no longer take part in Catholic practice – to reflect upon what is implied in their request, and the responsibilities involved.
Scriptures
Though we have usually thought of the Bible as a single book, the Scriptures are a library of books - the rich literature in which, inspired by the Holy Spirit, God's people remember how the covenant has called them to a new life and identity.
Stages of Faith
A child's view of the world is very different from that of an adult. The 20th century gave us important studies in the area of human development. In one of these, James Fowler mapped the pattern of development which takes place in a persons faith experience. Looking at the six stages Fowler identifies can help us to retrace our own faith journey ...
The Church
"We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church". Catholic faith recognises that the Church is essential to God's plan of salvation. Today, however, many people are dissatisfied with aspects of the Church. This is not unrealistic – Vatican II's call for "renewal" was an acknowledgement that the Church can improve its response to God's call.
The Creed
From the time of the apostles, the Creed has been part of the Church's shared life – declaring acceptance of the astounding claims of Christian faith. Of course, the Creed has evolved – from the simple formula, "Jesus is Lord", to the more elaborate statements of the very ancient Creed we call "The Apostles' Creed", and the Nicene Creed used in the Sunday liturgy (4th century).
The Cross
Our familiar crucifix does not portray the full reality of crucifixion, a horrendous and degrading execution - a "stumbling block" for St Paul when first encountered the Christian faith. For several centuries Christians represented the Cross without the crucified Jesus, as a trophy of the Saviour, triumphant over all evil.
Vatican Two
Most Catholics were unfamiliar, when Vatican II was announced, with the importance of the 21 general councils in the life of the Church – since there had only been one council since the 16th century. If some were non-events, these were exceptions; most councils were 'epiphanies of the Spirit', initiating a long process that – while it was often disturbing – brought lasting benefits to the whole Church.
World Toay
Today's Western world is not easy to understand – with its immense achievements and apparently insoluble problems. This talk explores the suggestion (G. Lafont) that our problems had their origin at the end of the first millennium. The Christian outlook of the first millennium was shaped by the genius of St Augustine.

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Reflections