Another Advent season is upon us and another Christmas is just around the corner. The season of Advent has two halves – the first period focuses on hope for the coming of Christ in the future and second part (from December 16) concentrates on the coming of Christ in the past with his incarnation and…
Second Vatican Council and the reform of the Church
We have just passed the significant milestone of 60 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Pope St John XXIII on October 11, 1962. In his inaugural speech that opened the Council, Papa Roncalli mapped out the way in which the Church intended to “bring herself up to date where required” in…
Is it time for a parish mission?
As time goes by, parishes all over the country are continuing to realise the negative effects that Covid-19 had on their communities. Apart from the loss of those who died from the disease, the virus scattered people into greater isolation and broke the habit of Church attendance for many. As communities struggle to re-build after…
What do we teach our children about porn?
At the end of July, the Department of Education announced that the topic of pornography will be included in a revised curriculum to be taught in our schools. While there is nothing wrong with discussing the topic per se, there are concerns about how it will be taught – as something morally neutral, or worse…
There is also a vocations crisis when it comes to marriage
‘Family Love – a Vocation and a Path to Holiness’ was the theme of the Tenth World Meeting of Families that took place in Rome recently from June 22 to 26. Here I would like to reflect on one aspect of this theme, namely the family as both having a vocation but also being the…
Faith as a love affair of the heart
Last Friday, June 24, we celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The spirituality of the Sacred Heart is an invitation to be intimate with God. The theme of intimacy is central in the Bible. The symbol of the heart is considered to be the seat of emotions and human affectivity. It can rejoice…