According to Isaac the Syrian, a famous 7th-Century bishop and theologian, a person who’s genuinely humble gives off a certain scent that other people will sense and that even animals will pick up so that wild animals, including snakes, will fall under its spell and never harm that person. Here’s his logic: a humble person,…
A Parent’s Perspective A lot of Catholic events and organisations seem to cater for 18-35 year olds; others are geared towards children or married couples with children. Single people; widows and widowers, with or without children; other lone parents and those who are married and childless can often feel a little bit out on a limb.…
Watching too much television is a silent problem in Ireland, writes Colm Fitzpatrick It’s hard not to marvel at today’s technologically advanced world; the fact that we can connect with family and friends from different sides of the planet; find any desired information with a device that fits neatly in our pocket; or order items…
Most of us still have vivid memories of our first day in school. My mother says she can still see, like yesterday, that morning in the mid-1950s, when she turned to look at her mother as she walked out the door of the classroom, leaving her alone in this new and unfamiliar environment for the…
Youth Space God also walks among us at youth pilgrimages, writes Siomha Magee I have recently returned from Medjugorje, where I attended the five-day Youth Festival with my mum, and a wonderful group of 38 other people. It was a fantastic experience! We stayed in a lovely family-run B’n’B, which was about 10 minutes walk…
Green Fingers October is usually the time of year that our temperature changes from warm to cooler, if not frost. This in turn signals a change in the look of most gardens, from full-on bursting with foliage and flowers to slimmed down or bare boned, even somewhat skeletal. Don’t be too tidy: leave the big…
Homework can seem like a never-ending chore but a parent’s help can make all the difference, writes Colm Fitzpatrick With school once again in full swing, pupils will be arriving home in their droves to a hot meal, comfortable clothes, and reams of homework. The bane of most children’s lives, homework is seen as a barrier to complete…
Questions of Faith Modern conceptions of the Devil often depict him as an evil, red-tinged, horned fiend, relishing in the torture of lost souls as he malevolently impales the damned with his pitchfork. This, however, is not how Satan has always been perceived; the Church provides us with a much richer account of who the…
Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with the youngest parish priest in Ireland At a time in Ireland when many young men no longer value religious life as a desirable vocation to pursue, the youngest parish priest in the country is setting an example to the next generation that God is still calling them. Antrim-born…
Everyday Philosophy What’s the proper role of common sense in philosophy? In good thinking? The answer isn’t as straightforward as we might hope. I’ll begin as I often do by asking “what do we mean by common sense?” This time I’ll try to characterise it by examining its absence. We’re all familiar with cases…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Maria Byrne
Colm Fitzpatrick
Ben Conroy