The 96 reflections are the result of a call from O'Connor, whose blogs on the Food for Faith website have, for about 10 years, elicited thoughtful responses from worldwide readers.

"My perspective and experience may have been interesting for others but more significantly my reflections seemed to encourage readers to share their own testimony," O'Connor writes in his introduction to the just-released book.

"From this moment my daily delight was hearing from others who contributed their personal experiences of God in the joys, hopes, griefs and anxieties of their own lives."

At Easter this year, he asked readers if they would share, in no more than 400 words, their experiences of an encounter with God.

He said he would assemble them into Fifth Gospel Living, a contemporary account from 21st-century ‘gospel writers' who live in their own ‘holy lands' with God in Jesus Christ by their side.

While several names are recognised as academics, writers, sports professionals, and religious figures, including retired bishops, most aren't. They are us.

So, what does a personal encounter with God look like to these storytellers, young and not so, Catholic or not, living in the USA, Italy, Australia, the Philippines and Aotearoa, New Zealand?

They speak of gentle days alone in nature; fun with grand-children; deep wells of sadness resulting from child death, family suicide, addictions, disease, divorce and abortion; witnessing peaceful deaths; requests for ‘a dust-sized amount of your power;" Christmas miracles, endless ‘coincidences' (aka the Holy Spirit); doubts, acceptance, trust, presence.

Like Food for Faith, O'Connor's first book, Fifth Gospel Living, is a great little dipper: brief chapters that allow the book to be picked up for as short or as long a period as you like, day or night, offering inspiration, humour, and time to be with God.

The publication is also sprinkled with brief quotes from some of the stories, offering further moments of contemplation.

It's a book that keeps on giving.

A note for anyone particular about grammar. Put it aside for this volume.

O'Connor has purposely edited "only when required, seeking to retain unique and personal turns of phrase, twists of grammar and colour of expression."

As he says, this reflects the 'richness of cultural and educational diversity in the contributors' and, as an observation, requires the reader to slow down, which is no bad thing.

Maybe you have your version of witnessing ‘the radioactive decay of the atom 156/72Hf" while going to receive Holy Communion or Jesus approaching you with a tray of apples and ice cream. O'Connor would be pleased to hear about it.

Fifth Gospel Living; a Christmas gift that keeps on giving is available at www.copypress.co.nz

Fifth Gospel Living is $35, it is published in 2024 by John O'Connor. Cover Design: Chiara Albrecht.

• Catherine Perry is a member of the Ponsonby Herne Bay parish.

He's starting by taking a sabbatical and collecting food for his faith.

After more than a decade of providing written and audio reflections for the popular Food for Faith podcast, the Christchurch priest (pictured) will 'take a breather' and hopes to return, having further cemented a new kind of outreach.

Although he's been able to study during the 38 years since his ordination, O'Connor says he's never taken a sabbatical of more than a month or two.

This time, Bishop Michael Gielan has offered him five months to study in Italy.

Opportunity

The basis for O'Connor's outreach is the 2018 census data.

This data shows that many who call themselves Catholic in New Zealand are not regularly connected with their parishes or Catholic schools, and many others have drifted to the point where on the census they say they have "no religion".

O'Connor says he's met many disconnected and 'non-practising' Catholics when they request sacraments for their children or as they bury their parents or grandparents.

During a conversation with them, he discoverd they want to reconnect with the Church.

But some see themselves to be too distant to return easily, or say Catholic Christian life has not been presented to them in a life-giving way.

However, O'Connor's Food for Faith ministry reinforces the need for a concerted effort to encourage Catholics to return to the faith.

New wine-skins

During his sabbatical, O'Connor says he will work on ways to present the Catholic faith in a new, relevant, digestible and attractive way.

He has a test group for his ideas in the world's smallest diocese.

In that diocese, there are usually 1,000 people at Mass on Sundays.

During the past 20 years, an average of 350 people have taken a week's faith-centred vacation together.

They know O'Connor well as, 12 years ago, they invited him to serve as their vacation chaplain.

O'Connor says the community focuses on the centrality of Christ.

Moreover, it steers clear of the moralism and legalism that many Catholics experience as the prime focus of their faith.

"As my local ministry in New Zealand allows, I have tried to be with them as often as possible for their annual August gathering.

Excited for the future

O'Connor told CathNews that, while he is away, the frequent reflections, daily Lectio and weekly Homily Studio will continue.

He plans to return to NZ in September, ready to use some of the methods he experiences in Italy to reach out to those who might be open to greater maturity of Catholic faith.

"I am convinced more than ever that this Food For Faith mission, associated retreats and seminars have the capacity to rekindle the faith of many who may feel as though they are distant" he says.

"I'm excited about where all this can go in the future" he said.

• Food for Faith

I'm reminded of the Bible censuses, especially the one early in Luke providing the reason that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem.

In recent years our NZ national census process has struggled, partly because of our difficulty with digital formats but perhaps more significantly because of a well-intentioned move towards politically correct but often vague wording.

This year in the religion question, people are advised, "The question is about the religion(s) you have now, rather than any religion(s) you used to have. It is up to you to decide what religion(s) you feel you have now."

This comment subtly encourages people who are entitled to choose the first option (confidently naming their religion of baptism and belief) to choose option two (no religion) or three (object to answering).

Statistics from the religion questions of recent censuses reveal what we already know: that most of those who are baptised as Christians have little regular connection with the faith community of their upbringing.

Many church communities make the mistake of measuring parishioners' commitment based only on Sunday worship attendance.

However, a Christian is one who is on a journey towards practising the presence of God 24-7.

Some may begin their journey to 24-7-practice with a weekly Sunday hour, while others start by labouring for justice on behalf of the broken-hearted, yearning for personal or family healing and forgiveness, or a quick prayer when feeling anxious or burdened in sleepless dark night hours.

There's a great little invitation hidden in today's first reading, which has led me to redefine practising Christianity.

The Christian is one who responds to Jesus' gentle invitation at any hour of the day or night: "Come now, let us talk this over…"

Now there's a great start for Christian practice: conversation (talking and listening) with Jesus.

I'm delighted when I hear Christians who may not have been near a church for decades proudly name themselves as Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian or Catholic.

These people have understood that while our response is important, Christian baptism marks us for eternity as people of God and gives us the right to name ourselves as a part of our Christian family.

I've quoted before the inspiring message of Pope Benedict at his 2005 inauguration Mass: "We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."

That sounds like the motto for this year's Aotearoa census: "All of us count."

A few days ago, we heard of the death of prominent New Zealander Georgina Beyer, who in 2005 became the world's first openly transgender Member of Parliament.

I recall her being verbally attacked and abused by a group carrying a Christian banner soon after her election. She responded with equal passion telling the group that they had misunderstood the Christian message.

Of course, she was right.

Well-meaning Christians often voice concern that many people have left the church. It is also helpful to consider the ways in which the church may have left the people.

I would love to have had that conversation with Georgina.

In 2020 Georgina Beyer was appointed to the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to LGBTIQA+ rights. My prayer today is that she receives with merit the ultimate award, the eternal abundance of life for which she lived.

May She Rest in Peace.. because all of us count.

• John O'Connor is a priest in the Christchurch diocese, New Zealand.
• First published at Food for Faith. Republished with permission.

Fr John is a priest of the diocese of Christchurch, ordained in 1985.

While serving in parishes around the diocese until recently, he has also completed an MA in Spirituality and continues to offer spiritual direction, retreats and spiritual formation seminars around the globe.

Currently he is completing an MA in Liturgy.

Fr John is Vocations Director for the Christchurch diocese and is the creator and author of the Food for Faith website and online ministry.

Fr John says, "I am convinced that if we get the liturgy right, all other aspects of the life of the church will fall into place easily."

Bishop Charles Drennan, NZCBC Secretary, said "we are most grateful to Fr John for filling this role, given his many other commitments. Fr John brings a creativity and technical skillset to the role as well as a deep love of liturgy. Our hope is that the work of the National Liturgy Office will transform the quality of liturgical experience in parishes. Collaboration and building relationships with local liturgical commissions and councils will then be a vital part of the role."

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan. Ko te Huinga Pihopa o te Hahi Katorika o Aotearoa The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC)
• Image: Facebook