Advent, Advent ein lichtlein brennt… is a famous German saying, meaning “Advent, Advent a light is burning…” I used to love this time of the year, Advent, as a child but even more now as an adult because I learnt to appreciate the memories my parents created. The traditions around Advent are so wonderful. From…
Everyday Philosophy What do St Thomas Aquinas’s position on divine command theory and factory farming of animals have to do with each other? Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma asks whether things are good because God wills them, or whether God wills them because they are good. Divine command theory takes the first position: that the only thing…
Our greatest strength is often our greatest weakness. Sensitivity is a gift, but as any sensitive person will tell you, that gift can be a mixed blessing. Sometimes a thick, calloused skin can save you from a lot of suffering, particularly from heartache. The popular spiritual writer Henri Nouwen was a highly sensitive person. That…
This Christmas will be my first Christmas as a married person. Myself and my husband have still not decided where we will spend it but we are getting pressure from both families as to where we should be spending Christmas day. For some families, who is seated at their Christmas table on Christmas day is…
Apple to sell spare parts to consumers to repair apple products Apple said it will for the first time start selling spare parts and tools to the general public to perform their own repairs on some iPhones and Mac computers. The self-service repair programme comes after years of pressure from consumer groups which have resulted…
The Sunday Gospel T he First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. The Gospel of the day is about the end of time (Luke 21:25-28.34). It might seem odd that Advent begins, not with preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, but his coming for us at the end of…
Personal Profile Dr Marian Mortell developed a love of Scripture from her school days, and it was a love the really began to flourish ten years ago. She took early retirement from her teaching career to return to study, and along with other lovers of Scripture in Cork set up the Cork Scripture Group. Dr…
Getting married is a wonderful thing, but there are boxes to be ticked before getting there, writes Jason Osborne Even in an era that is slowly turning against marriage, it’s still a closely-held desire in the hearts of many singles to one day commit themselves to another at the altar. The present western culture often…
Medical Matters Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Well, measurement of blood pressure, as we all know, is a fundamental part of the routine clinical examination – and for good reason. This is because high blood pressure or hypertension is for the most past a silent condition which, over time, may have far-reaching…
Personal Profile Fr Finbarr O’Leary, a Cork man who became a priest despite never attending secondary school, recently completed his second masters at the age of 82. His vocation took him from a rural Cork farm to Wales, South America, America and back home again. Fr Finbarr’s interest in the priesthood stems from the visit…
Ben Conroy
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Wendy Grace
Ruadhán Jones
Dr Kevin McCarroll