We are often told of the health benefits of walking and in more recent years a target for adults of 10,000 steps per day is regularly touted. In truth, there is no hard science behind this, though in the last few years more studies have shed light on the relationship between walking and its clinical…
If we only prayed when we felt like it, we wouldn’t pray a lot. Enthusiasm, good feelings, and fervour will not sustain anyone’s prayer life for long, good will and firm intention notwithstanding. Our hearts and minds are complex and promiscuous, wild horses frolicking to their own tunes, with prayer frequently not on their agenda.…
Personal Profile Fr Simon Nolan O.Carm. was a young college student, he found his faith life to be drifting. But then a profound experience of God’s love at a weekend spent with the Carmelites revealed a religious vocation. Now, he is prior of Whitefriar St. in Dublin and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in…
The Sunday Gospel The message of today’s Gospel (Luke 18: 1-8) is clearly expressed in the opening line. Pray continually and never lose heart. We are prepared for this lesson by the First Reading which gives us a picture of Moses at prayer. A battle was being fought and as long as Moses kept his arms raised…
I had the pleasure this week of attending the premier of a new movie about Laudato Si’ called The Letter – A Message for our Earth. Launched in the Vatican on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, October 4, The Letter is a powerful movie which tells the story of four people from very different…
The annual and liturgical calendars are useful roadmaps for directing our attention and efforts in the spiritual life, writes Jason Osborne The slow descent into autumn is well underway in the northern hemisphere, with the darkness creeping a little further at the beginning and end of every day, the cold beginning to seep back in…
Personal Profile Long before she became a nun, Sr Helen Culhane RSM wanted to study nursing. Luck didn’t favour her initially and she settled into another career. But after joining the Sisters of Mercy, new doors opened to her and she has spent many years accompanying the sick, the dying and the bereaved. Sr Culhane…
Everyday Philosophy If you see a photograph of yourself as a baby you might have all sorts of thoughts. “How cute I was”, or “peaked in infancy”, or “why was I chasing that goat?” One thought you’re unlikely to think is “I wonder what he’s doing now?” You think yourself quite entitled to believe that…
Sweet Treats These humble muffins pack a big punch of flavour. The cinnamon and nutmeg make them warming, while the chocolate makes then comforting and slightly nostalgic. I find that I often have high ambitions of eating healthy when I buy bananas, and then promptly forget about them. While not exactly ‘healthy’, these muffins are…
There comes a time in life when it’s time to stop writing your resume and begin to write your obituary. I’m not sure who first coined that line, but there’s wisdom in it. What’s the difference between a resume and an obituary? Well, the former details your achievements, the latter expresses how you want to…
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Ruadhán Jones
Ben Conroy