The dramatic Passion according to St Luke is proclaimed at all Masses throughout the Christian world today. In a sense you could say that in our physical standing for the Gospel we stand FOR Christ when so many fell away, and we stand with those who suffer this day in Ukraine, Gaza, Syria and elsewhere.…
The idea of union with God is, for most people, alternately attractive and terrifying. Attractive, because no matter how far we have fallen through the sin of Adam and our own personal sins, we cannot shake the feeling that such union is what we were made for by the very God to whom we desire…
Everyone loves a good ‘battle-between-good-and-evil’ – luckily, it’s not just for the movies, it’s for all of us! Like Solzhenitsyn said, the battle line between good and evil runs through every human heart. Our enemy is the devil and his demons; our comrades, the angels and saints; our captain, the Lord. Exciting stuff! But most…
The call to resurrection goes beyond physical revival; it’s about embracing transformation, says Fr Barry White You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face,” said Ian Fleming. Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43), the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), and Lazarus…
My first ever article for The Irish Catholic was regarding the new Apple intelligence and the future of AI. I got one thing right and one thing wrong. Apple intelligence has been a total disaster, from different features being laughable because of glitches to the much awaited ‘new and smarter Siri’ being pushed back till…
In my previous article, we discussed how percentages of self-declared Catholics and other religions have changed globally over time and the rise of the ‘nones’ in the West. Census figures show that those identifying as having no religion is on the increase across the island of Ireland. What does this mean? Religiosity still has a…
Fr James Goodwin 2025 has been declared by Pope Francis as a jubilee year. But what does that mean? What is a jubilee? How do we celebrate it? The roots of a jubilee year are found in Scripture. As described in Leviticus 25, every 50th year was to be celebrated as a jubilee year…
Encouraged by a believing friend, I was advised to read the Bible after an argument. I did, and it opened floodgates, says Thomas Colsy While reflecting on my journey to Catholicism, I think it right to explain how and why I came to believe the Catholic Faith was the truth, rather than merely something…
A Religious vocation is not only a gift for the person but also a gift to the Church. A gift is always given on a happy occasion, and when one is offering his/her life to God as a gift, the thought comes up: What’s it like to be a happy religious in today’s world? It’s…
My first words go to the priests, diocesan and religious. I say to you what St Paul said to Timothy. I ask you “to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when (the Bishop) laid (his) hands on you” (2 Tim 1 :6). […] As priests, you are privileged to be pastors of…