The nineteenth-century American poet Emily Dickinson famously wrote, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant — / success in circuit lies.” She meant that the truth should be delivered indirectly and kindly to avoid overwhelming or shocking the recipient. This does not seem to be St Augustine’s style in Book II of Confessions. We…

Bethlehem is more than the place where Jesus was born. It is the place where the mystery of the Eucharist first begins to shine. In that small town, under the shadow of an empire and in the poverty of a stable, the God who made the universe chose to become our food. St Luke is…

Recently I was listening to a religious talk show on the radio when a caller asked: How do we know that God exists? A good question. The radio host answered by saying that we know it through faith. That’s not a bad answer, except what needs to be teased out is how we know this…

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them Matt 11:2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples Matt 11:3 and said to him, “Are you the…

Readers with a subscription to Sky Atlantic or NOW may have come across Succession, a HBO television series about a big media family like the Murdochs, where an aging patriarch wonders who will succeed him. It’s popular because it portrays a real-life dilemma; — a reflection on how to plan for the future. Succession seems…

Q: My dad gives up chocolate every year for both Lent and Advent. I always tell him that this is weird and that we’re not supposed to give things up for Advent, only Lent. Which one of us is right?   A: Strictly speaking, Catholics aren’t required to ‘give anything up’ for Advent. And even…

During the Advent season, it can be helpful to have the guiding hand of a saint to help us ponder faith and life and prepare ourselves for Christmas and the New Year. Hence, it is a good time to read again what has always been, and after the election of the first Augustinian pope, Leo…

The Scriptures tell us that Christ is close at hand. Advent is the time to ask: what fruit does my life bear? says Fr Dominik Domagala Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12   The message this Sunday is really quite serious: the Messiah is coming—and not in some distant, symbolic sense. No, Scripture tells us…

Q: From what I learned in history class, indulgences caused major issues for the Church in the 16th Century and was one of the main reasons why the Protestant Reformation happened. If indulgences were that much of a problem, then why does the Church still have them? A: I think a traditional Latin maxim applies…

Jesus was once asked why he spoke in parables. His answer is more than a little curious: I speak in parables . . . lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn again, and I should heal them. At first glance, it would seem…