Here in modern Western society, it can be difficult for us to imagine how women in the Middle East in first century Palestine could never do anything alone. They either had to be always in a group of women and children or under the watchful eye of their father, brother, husband or some other responsible…
Author: Fr. Michael Campion
A guide to having a really happy Christmas
By Tim Harford (The Undercover Economist) in the Financial Times, 22 December 2018 Is Christmas a time of magic, generosity and conviviality? Or of overconsumption, stress, and social anxiety? It is easy to make a case either way: listen to Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time”, followed immediately by Tom McRae’s slow sighing cover of the…
The Virgin Punishing the Infant
This poem was inspired by the painting below by Max Ernst (1926) The Virgin Punishing the Infant Carol Ann Duffy He spoke early. Not the goo goo goo of infancy, but I am God. Joseph kept away, carving himself a silent Pinocchio out in the workshed. He said he was a simple man and hadn't…
How lonely that feeling is – that you are the only one having a bad Christmas
By Brigid Delaney in THE Guardian, 21 December 2018 Driving through Victoria this week, and the farms are emerald with recent rain, but my friend is agitated because we’re lost. As navigator I’ve punched in the wrong street to Google maps, and we are flying blind into a maze of secondary roads. We can’t be…
The ‘gilets jaunes’ and the populism myth
By Simon Kuper in The Financial Times, 15/16 December 2018 Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on LinkedIn (opens new window) Save Save to myFT Simon Kuper DECEMBER 13, 2018 Print this page133 I live along the main boulevard for protest marches in Paris. My children learnt the…
The Economist’s Guide to Gift Giving
By Tim Harford in The Financial Times December 2016 “There are worlds of money wasted, at this time of year, in getting things that nobody wants, and nobody cares for after they are got.” That was Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1850, reminding us that concerns over Christmas consumerism aren’t new. Also not new is Joel…
Homily, Third Sunday of Advent (C) 2018
As we are just nine days from the feast of Christ’s birth, this third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. And the encouragement to rejoice and be happy in our relationship with Jesus opens the Second Reading from St Paul and underlines this message. Nevertheless, it is the somewhat austere…
Catholic Church criticises ‘unjust and divisive’ EU settlement scheme
by Ruth Gledhill in The Tablet, 13 December 2018 The Catholic Church in England and Wales has criticised the Government's settlement scheme for EU citizens living in Britain as one that may feel "unjust and divisive". In a statement, Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for migration and asylum, says some people, especially the most vulnerable, may have…
Working less makes you proud to be British
By Ed Conway in THE TIMES, 14 December 2018 Here’s a late entrant for the most surprising statistic of the year: the French work longer hours than the British. That’s right. Despite the 35-hour week, despite the strikes, despite the quality of life, it turns out the average French worker puts in about ten more…
As the world appears to turn upside down (again), Advent is here
By Thomas Reese in The National Catholic Reporter (USA), 12 December 2018 Hope is a difficult virtue to maintain these days, when the future seems uncertain and religious and political leaders have lost all credibility. Religion has either become irrelevant or a cause of conflict, rather than a source of idealism and reconciliation. In the…
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