Streets in first century Palestine were not the clean and paved roads that we can take for granted today. They would have been rough and filled with human and animal waste, so much so that anyone walking them, mostly in sandals, would have filthy and very smelly feet. So when guests arrived at a house…
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The old man manages a Manhattan Lenten meditation
By Garrison Keillor In church on Sunday, we sang a hymn unfamiliar to me in which we asked the Lord to deliver us from “love of pleasure,” which, as I sang it, I realized I have no intention of giving up. None. Okay, it’s Lent but I was raised fundamentalist and it took me a…
Homily, Palm Sunday (C) 2019
The second reading for our Mass on this Palm Sunday existed as a hymn in the early Church before St Paul adopted it for his letter to the Philippians. It opens with the declaration that although Jesus was ‘in the form of God’, i.e. divine, he did not remain in this condition, as was his…
Benedict’s letter about sex abuse crisis is a regrettable text
by Michael Sean Winters in The National Catholic Reporter (USA), 11 April 2019 When a friend first sent me Pope Emeritus Benedict's article about the root causes of clergy sex abuse, I thought the text was a hoax. Here, it seemed, was a caricature of both Joseph Ratzinger's once powerful intellect and of conservative explanations…
James Cracknell’s flaws as a husband helped to make him a great sportsman
By Matthew Syed in THE TIMES, 10 April 2019 Like many readers, I was struck by the piece by Beverley Turner on these pages on Monday. It was about the break-up of her marriage with James Cracknell, a story that some will feel should never have been aired publicly, but which I found wise and moving. Cracknell,…
Homily, The Fifth Sunday of Lent (C) 2019
A demonstration was held outside the Dorchester Hotel in London yesterday after the Sultan of Brunei – the owner of the hotel – and his regime passed a ‘death by stoning’ law as punishment for homosexuality in their country. Watching the TV News last night, I noticed that one of the protesters carried a placard…
The United Kingdom Has Gone Mad
The problem with holding out for a perfect Brexit plan is that you can’t fix stupid. By Thomas L. Friedman in The New York Times, 2 April 2019 LONDON — Politico reported the other day that the French European affairs minister, Nathalie Loiseau, had named her cat “Brexit.” Loiseau told the Journal du Dimanche that she…
Getting the Call
A Dialogue By Mollie Wilson O'Reilly in 'Commonweal' (USA), 3 April, 2019 Carlos’s phone rang early on a Sunday. “Hello?” “Hi, Carlos? This is Msgr. Farrell calling from the bishop’s office with some exciting news. His excellency has decided to elevate you to the clerical state.” “I’m sorry?” You’re being elevated. It’s like a promotion.…
Fourth Sunday of Lent (C) 2019
We have just heard one of the best known stories in the Gospel. It’s about a father and his two sons. The story or parable is allegory: the characters represented are God, a sinner and an unforgiving person. This is the third of three successive stories Jesus tells in St Luke’s Gospel about what God…
Our week: Everybody*
From THE TIMES, 30 March 2019 Whatever your side of the divide, this is funny ... Boris Johnson’s biblical knowledge leaves a lot to be desired MONDAY Jacob Rees-Mogg Thank you, yes, a most fruitful visit to Chequers. It has changed nothing. The prime minister, who I admire and respect enormously, wishes to sell our…
