From the Editor's Desk, THE TABLET 6 December 2018 In politics, as in life, not looking before you leap is bad advice. Parliament may wish it could take it in the task it has currently embarked upon: to review, and eventually accept or reject, the Brexit withdrawal agreement. But the future is necessarily obscure whichever…
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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…
Gays must leave priesthood if they cannot be celibate, says Pope
By Christopher Lamb in THE TABLET, 4 December 2018 Pope Francis says he is worried about gays in the priesthood and religious life, ruling that if they cannot be celibate, they should pursue a different vocation. In remarks made during a book-length interview, Francis showed that his instincts remain that of an old-school fashioned Jesuit…
Failing the poorest hits the middle classes too
By Libby Purves in THE TIMES, 3 December 2018 To the sound of keening and rattling bones, Mark Carney predicted that a no-deal Brexit would mean rocketing interest rates and a 30 per cent drop in house prices. I was in the company of some people of my generation and one said flippantly, “Fine by me!…
It’s time to lift the lid on rip‑off undertakers
By Edward Lucas in THE TIMES, 3 December 2018 The person involved is dead and the customer is miserable and distracted. It is a recipe for profiteering. Not before time, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is turning its attention to the cosy backwater of Britain’s funeral industry, whose annual turnover is about £2 billion. The watchdog’s…
Homily, First Sunday of Advent (C) 2018
In first-century Palestine, it is estimated that about 95 per cent of the people living there were peasants. Their quality of life would have been very poor. Their biggest worry would be where the next meal was coming from and whether there was enough to feed their families. Creature comforts would have been few and…
Why the wealthy are always in a rush
By Tim Harford in FT Weekend, 1 December 2018 Will making more money save you time? Or will it make you feel more rushed than ever? I’ve been pondering this question because a friend challenged me to figure out whether income poverty and time poverty go hand in hand. There are cash-poor, time-poor people, who…
November reminds us to count our days aright
From Melissa Musick Nussbaum in The National Catholic Reporter, 30 November 2018 I was in the digestive complaint aisle at my local grocery store when a lyric on the music loop caught my attention: "I'm your Venus, I'm your fire, at your desire." It's a lyric I remember from high school, and from the looks of the…
Everyone’s hour will come, so be prepared for Judgment Day, pope says
Everyone's life will come to an end and God will want to see what has been harvested - 'the quality of our life' From The Catholic News Service, 28 November 2018 People would be wise to think about Judgment Day and wonder what God will see when he examines their lives, Pope Francis said. "If…
Freedom Fighter
The Tablet Interview: Michelle Diskin Bates, 21 November 2018 When I heard the news that Jill Dando, the presenter of Crimewatch, had been shot in the head on the doorstep of her Fulham home on 26 April 1999, I was playing with my baby daughter. The news gave me a jolt because Dando’s fiancé, consultant…
