In the Bible the greatest forces known to people were the power of the sea and earthquakes on land. These were regarded as the forces of darkness and evil and, thus, the enemy of God. When the sea became agitated and brewed up a storm, it appeared to people as if it had its very…
Blog
Who goes first? The ethics of distributing a Covid-19 vaccine.
By Kevin W. Wildes and Warren von Eschenbach in The National Catholic Reporter (USA), 4 August 2020 We are in the midst of a global health crisis that already has inflicted a significant humanitarian and economic toll on the United States. For now, we must try to contain the spread of Covid-19 through physical distancing and face-covering.…
Why Not To Worry
By Patrick Jephson in The National Catholic Reporter (USA), 4 August 2020 "Fear God," said the engraving on the pulpit of the chapel in Ireland I was compelled to attend as a boy. My young and truant mind used this hour every Sunday to wander far and wide, but it would always return at some…
Homily, 18th Sunday of the Year (A) 2020
We find Jesus in our Gospel today (Matthew 14:13-21) withdrawing after hearing that John the Baptist had been murdered. He would have been upset by John’s death – they had known each other from birth, probably grew up together and may have been related. This would have been a moment when Jesus began to realise,…
Fears Persist About Attending Mass
By Ellen Teague in THE TABLET, 30 July 2020 Catholics are delaying returning to Mass in their local parish until they feel safer, with some saying they prefer online Masses to the restricted, socially distanced liturgies available in churches. The Tablet spoke to Catholics across the country, including those at meetings of Catholic People’s Week…
Homily, 17th Sunday of the Year (A) 2020
Nowadays if we have valuables that need safe keeping, we can place them in a safe or lodge them in a strongbox somewhere; and if we have money to spare we can put it in a bank, building society or in an investment platform. In first century Palestine there were no such facilities so it…
It’s time to end male supremacy in the Catholic Church
By Roy Bourgeois in The National Catholic Reporter, 24 July 2020 In these challenging times, I am filled with hope to see so many people in our country speaking out about racism and white supremacy. It seems that an increased awareness of the need for equality is taking hold where before we saw apathy and…
The Vanity of White Guilt
From time to time I post articles of interest containing points of view with which I do not necessarily agree but which, I believe, deserve to be heard and robustly debated. (MJC) By Lionel Shriver in The Spectator, 9 July 2020 When I was about ten, on return home from church I ate a peach,…
Wearing a Mask is Pro-Life
By Fr James Martin S. J. in 'America' (The Jesuit Review), 21 July 2020 I am pro-life. What does that mean? Simply put, it means I believe that all life is sacred, inviolable and a gift from God. That reverence for life includes a desire to care for the unborn child in the womb, the elderly person…
The Re-Opening of Holy Name Church
The committee responsible for Health and Safety in our buildings met with the Parish Council Chair and me on Tuesday, 14 July to consider the possibility of re-opening our church. Here is their report of the meeting: The opening of the church, as you can imagine, is a very complex matter. The directions from the…
