Is it right to fear God? What is the difference between a destructive fear and a “holy trepidation”? An Advent homily by Fr Stephen Wang: Look around you at the chapel walls. Look at the […]
Archive for October, 2014
Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve? What is a Christian parent to do…
The one thing about October half term is the ever present Halloween parties that seem to hold children in such great sway. Halloween is fast becoming a nightmare for Christians parents who feel it epitomizes […]
Loneliness, part 4: the experience of Christ
An acceptance of the “original solitude” of Eden is called, in time, to mature into the loneliness as experienced by Christ in Gethsemane. In Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI writes of this defining event: […]
Gendercide: the reality of sex-selective abortion in the UK
Having spoken to thousands of students about the issue of abortion, most teenagers usually feel that abortion on the grounds of gender is “well, just wrong, Miss”, an attitude that seems to be shared by […]
7 Quick Takes on American evangelists, joke-practising, and lazy Sundays
-1- Such a busy couple of weeks… Just catching my breath! The non-stop busy-ness found a blissful interlude last weekend in an utterly contented Sunday with my sister, brother-in-law, little nephew, and some really good friends. Mass, […]
The foundations of the spiritual life
The French philosopher, Rene Descartes, famously tried to find the bedrock of thinking. He wanted the certainty he found in mathematics in all his thinking. He wanted therefore to find something he could not doubt, […]
Loneliness, part 3: Pope John Paul II and ‘Original Solitude’
The early chapters of Pope John Paul II’s theological project, The Theology of the Body, develop a philosophical anthropology based on a close reading of the Genesis creation stories. John Paul II contends that the […]
St John Paul II
It is really exciting to be able to write about a man I greatly admired; and someone I had the privilege to see. Karol Josef Wojtyla, known to the world as John Paul II […]
Loneliness, part 2: the experience of the priest
The popular description of loneliness emphasises its social dimension. Loneliness is the absence of companionship, a failure to create and sustain a web of meaningful, supportive attachments. Circumstance or choice means that some people live […]
Loneliness, part 1: the human condition
For many people, loneliness is that facet of human existence that they most dread and, from which, they tirelessly labour to escape. Yet, loneliness is one of the distinguishing hallmarks of our humanity. It is […]
A one day workshop about post-abortion counselling: for those wanting to offer support to women and men after an abortion
Theresa Burke, founder of the Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries, will run a series of clinical training seminars in London on Saturday 1 November 2014.The day is open to health professionals, priests and deacons, counselors and those […]
How Christianity can engage with contemporary culture: the example of St Alban
A talk by Fr Stephen Wang about the life of St Alban and it’s relevance for Christians today as they try to witness to their faith and work out the best way to engage with […]
From the synod: the message to the People of God
The following message was approved by the synod this morning by 158 out of the 174 voting members. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who headed the team redacting it, described it as a paraclesis, an early-Church literary form which […]
New formation programme for catechists
Catechist Foundations for the New Evangelisation: A formation Programme for catechists of today rooted in prayer in the Benedictine Tradition. Click here for further information. This is a distance-learning course of 18 months duration, with 5 study days, […]
Ida: beauty in black and white
[Warning: minor plot-spoilers in my text; but major plot-spoilers in the trailer above!] If the Polish film Ida does not win an Oscar for best cinematography at next year’s awards then I will eat my […]
Vocation to Love, part 8: ‘Remember those in prison’
Yesterday I was introduced to Zac. Zacchaeus to you, the chap who is up the Jericho Tree. But he’s ‘Zac’ to the thousands of participants on the Sycamore Tree course. You see, it’s easier for […]
The Call to Discipleship – Young Adults Retreat (18-35)
31st Oct – 2nd Nov 2014 @ Worth Abbey The Call to Discipleship – Young Adults Retreat (18-35) Offering an opportunity for you to discover deeper meaning and direction in your life, to hear Christ’s […]
What happens when you don’t put yourself in the centre?
St Paul tells us to be humble and self-effacing. But is this healthy? Does it mean we deny our own personalities and become faceless Christians? What really happens if we stop putting ourselves in the […]
The temptations you face when working in finance
Michael Lewis writes about the occupational hazards of working on Wall Street. He wonders why so many bright graduates still go into finance and what temptations they face when they arrive there. The question I’ve […]
MA in Catholic Applied Theology (Marriage and Family)
With the Synod coming up, it’s a good time to advertise this MA on Marriage and Family at Maryvale. See the site here for more information, and the blurb copied below. This programme teaches the […]
