Even the greatest believer goes through the tunnel of doubt John the Baptist, hearing of Jesus’ works, is seized with doubt as to whether he is really the Messiah or not. In fact, he imagined a stern Messiah who would come and do justice with power by chastising sinners. Now, on the contrary, Jesus has…
There’s a widespread interest today in the possible existence of life on other planets. With the development of telescopes that are able to reveal things our eyes have never seen and the expansion of human efforts in space, questions have naturally been asked about who, or what, we might bump into “out there”. Many claim…
I did my doctoral thesis on the classical, philosophical proofs for the existence of God. The concept had always intrigued me: ‘Can you prove that God exists?’ After researching the thought of Aquinas, Anselm, Descartes, Leibnitz, and Spinoza (all of whom assert that you can ‘prove’ the existence of God through rational argument) what was the…
The Sunday Gospel Have we forgotten why we celebrate Christmas? A friend told me she got a card wishing her a very merry winter festival? Could you beat that! People tell me they have to search in shops for cards that portray the Nativity but there is no shortage of snowy fir trees, red robins,…
New York-based authors Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore have found safe harbour in the practice of inviting God into every moment of modern life, writes Jason Osborne ‘Liturgy’ is the public prayer of the Faithful, but it takes many forms. Whether it’s in Mass or the Liturgy of the Hours, liturgy gives structure to our…
It delights me that Babette’s Feast is one of Pope Francis’ favourite films. It is a lovely film and quite subtle, deserving much more than the small, but devoted following it had previously. Set in a small community in Denmark, with its particular virtues and expectations, it is about how these can both elevate and…
A doctor of the Church, St John of the Cross is also one of its great mystics and poets. Born Juan de Yepes de Alvarez in Spain, he was the son of poor parents from Castile, near Avila, but was mostly raised by his mother after his father died early in his life. In 1563, he…
Meditation awakens the heart to the spirit who dwells within every person. Each of us is called to continually renew that spirit as we follow our life’s path. We might express this in another way by saying that we are each called to give birth to Christ in our hearts just as Mary did in…
The first half of Advent sees us praying, watching and waiting for the coming of Christ at the end of time. The second half of Advent, though, focuses on the coming of the Messiah at Christmas – in the form of a new born baby; innocent, defenceless and totally dependent. Right at the beginning of…
In her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, Stories That Heal, medical doctor and writer, Rachel Naomi Remen shares this story. When she was 14 years old, she took a summer job working as a volunteer in a nursing home for the aged. This wasn’t easy for her. She was young, shy, and mostly afraid of elderly…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Ruadhán Jones