Saint of the week November 24 sees the Church remember and celebrate 117 martyrs, killed for their commitment to the Catholic Faith in Vietnam between the 17th and 19th Centuries. Fr Andrew Dung-Lac, a priest, gives his name to the feast, and the 116 other martyrs he’s remembered alongside stand in for a multitude. Among…
Faith Development Faith in film Films are, first and foremost, meant to entertain us. We go to the cinema – or more often, watch on our TVs or phones – to laugh and to cry, to be inspired and overawed, to fall in and out of love. But that’s not a film’s only purpose. From…
Faith Development What is heaven? Heaven is often depicted in movies and tv shows as a radiant, sunny respite in the clouds, where the dead gather like fleshy angels against the backdrop of a perfect blue sky to enjoy their white robes and harps forevermore. Is there any truth to this image? If so, where…
Faith Development He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In any important relationship we pay attention to the other person and to what they have to say to us, through words or otherwise. In meditation,…
The first chapter of the Book of Revelation contains a powerful challenge that’s hidden within the overall esoteric language of that book. John, its author, speaking in the voice of God, says something to this effect: I have seen how hard you work, I have seen your fidelity and your hunger for the truth; but I have this against you: “you have less…
The Sunday Gospel Dark November will soon be past, and in the Church’s calendar, today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year. Advent means coming and it has three dimensions: the past coming of Christ at the first Christmas; the future coming of Christ at the end of life;…
With COP27 coming to an end, how to care for creation is on more minds than ever, writes Jason Osborne The 2022 United Nations Climate Change conference, COP27, is drawing to a close in Egypt, and whatever else about it, these yearly gatherings continue to spark conversation and debate about how best to address the…
‘Exceptional’ ancient bronze statues emerge in Italy Archaeologists in Italy have found more than two dozen beautifully preserved bronze statues dating back to ancient Roman times in thermal baths in Tuscany, in what experts are hailing as an “exceptional” discovery. The statues were found over the last two weeks in San Casciano dei Bagni, a…
A Parent’s Perspective November can be a dark, bleak month, situated between the mellowness of October and the excitement of the lead up to Christmas. With all its dreary days and inclement weather, it is a month I quite enjoy as the wind and rain provide the perfect excuse for snuggling up on the couch…
Forty years ago in November of 1982, I began writing this column while a doctoral student in Belgium. I chose to call it ‘In Exile’ for two reasons. Superficially, I chose this title because I was living in Europe, far from much of what I considered as home. While I was not pretending to be…
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Maria Byrne