Q: How do God’s will and the Holy Spirit play a role in a conclave? A: I think ultimately, events in the life of the Church like conclaves bring us to the mysterious place where God’s providential ordering of history intersects with human free will. On one level, there is nothing miraculous about a conclave.…
Catholic schools face a critical juncture. The opportunity for renewal is vast, the path forward is clear, writes Bláthnaid Gunawardana Catholic schools have long been a crucial pillar in the Irish education system. They are highly admired and supported for their high levels of academic excellence, positive community engagement and strong moral framework. They aspire…
A few months ago, a friend and I here in Leuven went on one of those carnival rides that look, frankly, insane. It was basically a huge pendulum. If you think of it like a clock-face, it swung as high as one o’clock on the one side, and eleven o’clock on the other. All the…
Catholicism does not call us to be passive. It calls us to act, to respond, to wake up, writes Peter Kasko We often find ourselves working with all sorts of people in the workplace. Some are friendly, others not so much, and others yet – well, let’s just say they don’t care about anything or…
The resurrection of Peter At the end of The Georgics, Virgil retells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice—a story of love, loss, and irreversible failure. After Eurydice dies from a snakebite on her wedding day, Orpheus charms the rulers of the underworld with music to win her back. They agree—on one condition: he must not…
A Benedictine monk shared this story with me. During his early years in religious life, he had been resentful because he was required to ask permission from his abbott if he wanted anything: “I thought it was silly, me, a grown man, an adult, having to ask a superior if I wanted a new shirt.…
The Sunday Gospel Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 Rv 5:11-14 Jn 21:1-19 How often do we return to the familiar places we know so well, the places we have visited many times before, whether to rest or escape from life’s overwhelming problems? Whenever I return to my little town in Poland,…
I remember exactly where I was on August 15, 2004. Sitting in my grandparents’ house, all I wanted was to watch Match of the Day. Chelsea had played, and I was eager to see the highlights. But there was no football that morning—RTÉ was broadcasting a Mass from Lourdes, celebrated by a very frail Pope…
The misunderstanding of technological advancement and human progress As we entrust Pope Francis to the loving mercy of God after his twelve years of Petrine ministry, it is good to ponder aspects of his legacy. One aspect – perhaps among the less obvious ones, but which we can ponder with great gratitude – is the…
Acts 5:12-16 Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 Rv 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 Jn 20:19-31 God is so incredibly merciful – we simply cannot fathom Divine mercy. But the main lesson of today is that hopefully as we begin to understand it – that we also begin to forgive as God forgives. For a little while St Thomas…
Fr Barry White
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr Dominik Domagala
Fr John McCarthy