We are all products of our backgrounds and upbringings. It’s fascinating – and often amusing – to see that the older people get the more they resemble their parents in looks, mannerisms and even attitudes and dispositions. It’s not surprising that people raised in the same family, particularly if that upbringing has been a relatively…
Have you ever wondered what it was like for Mary and Joseph to make the journey to Bethlehem? Or, for Jesus and his disciples to make the trip from the Galilee to Jerusalem? From the earliest times, Christians from all over the world have gone to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of…
Where I was born in Co. Tyrone, today is generally known as ‘Boxing Day’. It’s a pity that – at least in that part of Ireland – the influence of British television and culture has had the effect of erasing St Stephen from the calendar. Thankfully, in most of the rest of Ireland the day…
I’ve always loved how the Christ-child in the nativity scene is usually depicted with his arms outstretched, as if reaching out to the world. The birth of Jesus – God becoming man – is the decisive Divine intervention in human history. And yet, there is a paradox of humility and apparent weakness in the Christmas…
This weekend marks the Third Sunday of Advent – Gaudete Sunday. While Advent no longer has the penitential feel it once did, this weekend is a break from the sense of expectation and an invitation to rejoice in God’s presence amongst us. The Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord is still two weeks away,…
The Council of Priests of the Dublin Diocese has recommended a bold move that – if adopted – will see sacramental preparation move from the schools to a parish-based programme. This is how Catholic children are prepared for First Confession and First Holy Communion in most other parts of the world. The historic dominance of…
Some politicians never tire of telling us how liberal and tolerant Ireland is today. It is, they claim, a much better place than the Ireland of the past. Debate, they tell us, is much more civilised today and there is not the ‘chilling effect’ that many claim the prospect of a belt of a crosier…
For the first time in the 131 year history of this newspaper, the iconic masthead on the front page is red rather than the trademark blue. A masthead is a newspaper’s identity, and a decision to modify it is not made lightly or without just cause. The reason that it is red is to highlight…
Apart, of course, from the divine guarantee non praevalebunt (‘The gates of Hell shall not prevail’), part of the genius of the Catholic Church in facing the challenges of every era is the ability to read the signs of the times. Take the crisis of the Reformation. The huge renewal and reform of Catholicism that…
Many tributes have been paid to the late Gay Byrne who died this week. He dominated much public debate in the second half of the last century and was a towering figure in broadcast journalism. In some ways, his television and radio programmes were a mirror being held up to an Ireland where many people…
Michael Kelly