The Stoic philosopher Epictetus observed almost 2,000 years ago that “it is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows”. I’ve thought about it a lot over the last week regarding the reaction to the mother and baby report. Some newspaper columnists have called on Judge Yvonne Murphy’s report to be set aside because –…
There is no simple or singular story of the treatment of unmarried mothers in mother and baby homes and county homes. At the outset, I acknowledge that many former residents reject the use of the word ‘home’. The report of the commission investigating the treatment of the mothers and their children in the period from…
The idea of journey is a central motif in our Faith. Whether it is Abraham leaving his homeland to go to the Promised Land or Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt – the People of God on the move is a constant. The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) describes the Church as being on a…
An old Irish superstition is that at the stroke of midnight on December 31, those seeking good luck were recommended to enter their house through the front door and leave through the back. It’s not obvious to me how that particular custom arose, but like many superstitions the origins are clouded in a combination of…
O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight. We all have our favourite Christmas carols. My own is probably…
Normally at this time of year our parishes and churches would be abuzz with preparations for carol services. Christmas has the ability to turn the heart of even the most devoted cynic. Who can fail to be moved by the sight of wide-eyed children dressed as Mary and Joseph carrying a doll to a makeshift…
“God has abandoned you all,” was the quip from an aggressive secularist to me on social media recently. Of course, the irony was my correspondent didn’t believe in God. What was it C.S. Lewis said about atheists not believing in God and yet hating him? Still, feeling abandoned by God is an authentic experience and…
One of the most edifying things about Church history is that in every generation the Christian community rises to the challenge and response to crises as they occur. And the Faith emerges stronger and the faithful discover God in a new way. Covid-19 is far from the greatest test that the Church has ever faced.…
“You’re like a broken record,” a friend said to me at the weekend (from a safe distance). Half-joking, half-serious he was referring to the fact that I was – again – bending his ear about the injustice of the draconian restrictions on public worship. This weekend, the North will join the Republic with parishioners unable…
Many people were relieved to hear Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicate on RTÉ Radio that public Masses will likely begin again in the Republic by early December when level five restrictions are set to be eased. Under the original framework, public worship is currently also banned under level three (the restrictions we are expected to move…
Michael Kelly