Everyday Philosophy What’s the opposite of good, clear thinking? An obvious answer is ‘biased thinking’. The truth is that we’re all biased. None of us are gods or angels, and the brains with which we do our thinking often go wrong, the whirls and eddies of our thoughts pushing us away from the truth…
Is it bizarre to find a connection between the Harry Potter books and the Eucharist? It is something that has been going around in my head for a while. In the books it gradually becomes clear that the evil character Voldemort cannot easily be killed. He has placed a horcrux – a piece of his…
Personal Profile Madison Duddy Such spiritual places of retreat will be needed to recover ground lost to the materialism of modern Ireland,” says Gráinne McGroarty, a Co. Donegal native who founded Grásta Dé, a group of hermitage sites within the Inishowen peninsula. Gráinne believes this hectic world wears people out physically and spiritually, and a…
A number of years ago at a symposium on Faith and evangelisation, one of the speakers made a rather startling statement. She, a Christian activist, ended her presentation with words to this effect: “I work for the poor and I do it out of my Christian Faith. I’m committed to this because of Jesus, but I…
Sweet Treats This fruity layered cake is a definite crowd-pleaser with the tanginess of the lemon, bursts of blueberry and indulgent cream cheese icing to top it all off. It would make a beautiful cake for a friend or family member’s birthday. Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients – you will…
Have you heard the story about Johnny Magory? The Johnny Magory Annual Adventure Day in Aid of CMRF Crumlin will take place for the third time during National Heritage Week. The event is based around a children’s book series. This free family focused event is building on events held over the last 2 years and…
Questions of Faith The question of whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God has been a point of contention among different religious denominations and various scholars. It has been suggested that the sheer disparities theologically and philosophically between both religions indicate that its adherents must be praying to separate deities. It seems, however, that…
Negative thoughts can cause more damage than you think, writes Madison Duddy With stresses like work, family, friends, relationships and money, it’s hard to stay positive. Some days, people feel like it is just one thing after another. On days like that, when the alarm doesn’t go off, the car won’t start and coffee…
Medical Matters Doctors are often asked to do blood tests or checks on people as they get older to make sure all is well and give reassurance to their patients. The old adage of “prevention is better than cure” is so true and indeed early detection and treatment can also make a big difference.…
Personal Profile Madison Duddy speaks with Misean Cara Chairperson Justin Kilcullen Clearly, the work of the missionary orders as represented by the Irish is actually coming to an end. You can see the numbers are declining slowly, but surely, some things evolve in a different way, and we have to be able to continually…
Ben Conroy
Bairbre Cahill
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Colm Fitzpatrick
Dr Kevin McCarroll