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 […]
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The struggle with infertility: Catholic perspectives on what it means for couples, and how others can support them
[A guest post about the challenge of infertility, edited by Rebecca Royse] Infertility Awareness Week, 2014: A Catholic Perspective One in six couples will experience infertility at some point in their marriage. Infertility is medically […]
Between the fire and the water, an Easter homily, by Fr Stephen Wang
A homily from the Second Sunday of Easter, reflecting on the Easter fire, the baptismal font, the presence of Jesus in the Upper Room, the Canonisation of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, […]
The vocation to love, part 4: The call of Mary
Luke’s Gospel begins with two stories of vocation: of John the Baptist through his father, Zechariah, and of Mary to be mother of Jesus. John is a link between the Old Testament and the New. […]
Taking religion seriously and moving beyond an ‘unreflective atheism or agnosticism’
In a recent article, Charles Murray advises that an important aspect of living a fulfilling life is to take religion seriously. “Start by jarring yourself out of unreflective atheism or agnosticism”. Now that we’re alone, […]
How to find healing after an abortion: weekend retreats with Rachel’s Vineyard this June and October
Rachel’s Vineyard UK has two weekend retreats coming up over the next few months. One of the best ways of publicising these is through the parish newsletter and noticeboard. You can find out about the […]
How to enter into the Passion and Resurrection of Christ
Lent is passing so quickly and we are in the final days before Holy Week. I don’t know about you, but I always find the emotion of Holy Week quite hard to take. Perhaps it […]
Do you want a ‘start-up’ marriage in your 20s or a ‘corporate merger’ marriage in your 30s or 40s?
Charles Murray dishes out some advice for young people. It includes looking at the difference between a “start-up”and a “merger” marriage, how to discern a soul-mate, and the importance of religious friends. (Full disclosure: I’m […]
Does God have favourites?
A homily from Fr Stephen Wang about the mystery of how God calls some people to faith and to particular vocations.
Where do people go when the course/programme has finished and they are hungry for more?
It often happens that you get to the end of a really fruitful programme/course/series in your parish, and people start to ask, “What’s happening next?” “We want to continue, this has been the experience of […]
Where is Ireland going? What would St Patrick say and do today?
The video above, produced by Fáilte Ireland (the Irish tourist board) has been doing the rounds recently. It was produced in honour of St Patrick’s Day, and its central message is, ‘Ireland Inspires’. It celebrates the […]
The key to understanding Pope Francis
A talk by Fr Stephen Wang, which looks at the first sections of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, and gives a key to understanding the vision of Pope Francis and his first year in office.
Geocaching and the search for God
A few days ago a gang of us from the Pure in Heart London prayer group took advantage of the good weather and went for a ramble in the beautiful Surrey countryside. There really is […]
The Scent of Lemons: the non-neutrality of new media and emerging technologies
In the last 20 years or so, the revolution in communications technology has radically changed the lives of billions of ordinary people. In many ways, this technology has made our lives easier: communication is speedier, […]
The radical call to love without limits
Most of our relationships have some kind of calculation involved: with colleagues, with friends, even within a family. There is a give and take; an agreement – implicit or explicit – that I will be […]
Can you love someone with words alone? From Walt Disney to God’s touch in the sacraments
I have just seen two great films in twenty four hours: Her, a dystopian sci-fi vision of a very near future, and Disney’s Frozen, which goes into my top three films of the year. Very […]
‘Please God, find me a husband!’ A graphic novel about life, love and faith (and searching for a husband!) by Simone Lia
I can’t say I have read many graphic novels, but this is an extraordinary book. It tells the tale, as you would expect from the title, of Simone Lia’s search for a husband, and her […]
Are you beautiful? How do you know? Who makes the rules? Who tells the truth?
I heard a talk on Saturday about the biblical idea of beauty, and how distorted our own ideas of beauty have become within the prevailing culture. As an introduction, the speaker showed this ‘Onslaught’ video […]
How to discover your vocation
Practical thoughts about how to discover your vocation, how to be open to God’s call in your life, and what you can do in your prayer life to help you on the journey. A homily […]
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
[Guest post by Rosemary Boyle] I have read various ‘parenting’ books, most of which didn’t really help. Now that the youngest of my 4 children is 17 and my oldest 26, I have discovered the […]
“Let’s just stop catechising children”
Joanne McPortland over at Patheos has been causing something of a stir… She is proposing that what is wrong with the parish formation set-up is that it has, for too long, been catechising the wrong people […]
