Fr Pádraig Ó Cochláin “Is ait an mac an saol” is an old Irish saying, meaning that life is strange. I was released from hospital recently and am now on the road to recovery from Covid-19, a mysterious virus which seems to have originated in China, in late 2019. Many people by now have been…

Kristin Swenson aims to show that Scripture’s strangeness is one of its greatest strengths, writes Jason Osborne A talking snake convincing the first humans to eat some fruit; God wrestling with one of his earliest followers before touching his hip and putting it out of joint; angels appearing as wheels with eyes: these are but…

The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. About ten years ago we celebrated the Year of Faith and the logo chosen as a symbol of the times was the boat tossed about in a storm, today’s Gospel, Mark 4:35-41. In this series of Sunday Reflections, we have already referred to the problems of the…

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the much-needed support given by deacons, writes Chai Brady In many ways the Church in Ireland has been slow to roll out the permanent diaconate which has been a feature in other countries for about half a century after Vatican II’s decision to bring it back in the 60s. It…

St Columba is still a sign of unity and strength for Irish Christians 1,500 years since his birth, Dr Alex O’Hara tells Ruadhán Jones From Durrow to Derry in Ireland, to Iona, Scotland and North England, St Columba’s impact stretches many miles and centuries. Born to Donegal royalty – the Cineál Chonnail clan, relatives of…

In our present age of chaos, Sohrab Ahmari argues that tradition is man’s only hope for a fulfilling life, writes Jason Osborne Sohrab Ahmari’s new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos, opens with two epigraphs which, as might be expected of an epigraph, perfectly set the tone…

The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. There are many priests, teachers and parents who feel totally inadequate in the face of today’s society. The answers of yesterday seem to have no relationship with the questions of today. Many people are finding it hard to hold on to any faith in the Church. They…

A special section of the archive of the Shrine of Fatima reveals the intimate relationship between the Faithful and Our Lady, writes António Marujo A sheet of paper, handwritten, with a short message, in Portuguese: “You know who I am. There is no need to describe my person…” Another sheet of paper, completely blank. Some…

Irish Jesuit Provincial Fr Leonard Moloney SJ reflects on St Ignatius’s conversion and his legacy in Ireland, writes Ruadhán Jones On May 20, 1521, while St Ignatius of Loyola was attempting to defend a citadel in the town of Pamplona, Spain, his leg was shattered by a cannonball. Famously, this accident precipitated the vain young…

The monks of Glenstal have had to use the internet creatively to continue their age-old hospitality amid restriction, writes Jason Osborne The monastic lifestyle is a human pattern as old as time. For thousands of years, people have separated themselves from others, wrapping themselves in silence and solitude that they might better hear God’s voice.…