The Christian religion began with the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a Jew as were his earliest followers. In one sense it is possible to say that Christianity began as a movement within Judaism. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, these early followers believed him to be the Messiah… Read More
Category: Faith
Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday
I was listening to the Brendan O’Connor Show last weekend on the radio and at one stage the host pointed out that we have nothing to look forward to during these long days while Covid continues to influence all the decisions about how we live our lives. He was echoing some of the viewpoints… Read More
The Bells of the Angelus
Those of us of a certain age grew up with RTE’s daily Angelus broadcasts at 12.00 and 18.00 as part of the background to our lives. They were a call to prayer which we took for granted. At school, we would stand up in class and recite the prayer. The Angelus is a Catholic devotion… Read More
That Sketch – For the Love of God!
There was a time when I did have a television but about five years ago I decided to get rid of same so now I depend mostly on the radio for my news. This, of course means that I did not have the option of watching RTE One’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Show. In view… Read More
Christmas with Covid
One morning this week while listening to the radio I heard a news report broadcast from Dublin Airport. The people interviewed were describing how different their workplace looked this year. The crowds which usually pass through their portals at Christmas have dwindled, all as a result of the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. One woman explained… Read More
Born without Sin: Immaculate Conception of Mary
On Tuesday of this week, we celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was free from Original Sin from the very moment of her conception. In 1467 the feast of the Immaculate Conception was approved by… Read More
From Advent to Lent
Last Sunday, November 29 marked the beginning of Advent, the first of twenty-five days when we get ready for the great event of Christ’s birth. The word itself has its roots in the Latin, adventus which translates as ‘arrival’, from advenire – ad meaning ‘to’ and venire– ‘come’. Advent is a time of spiritual preparation… Read More
Holistic Healing: A Christian Approach by Pat Collins CM
We are living in a time of Pandemic which has affected us all and the topic of healing has never been more relevant. With healing comes hope and hope is always the mark of the Christian. How timely then is the book Holistic Healing A Christian Approach by Fr Pat Collins CM (Columba Press, €16.99)… Read More
Irish, Catholicism and the US Presidency
Author- Marie-Therese Cryan. As I write this the American Presidential Election is over but there is still no confirmed winner. It is the main story of the day making a welcome change from Covid-19, even though it seems there may well be some rocky, even worrying days ahead. Already there have been protests, demonstrations and… Read More
November – Remembering the Holy Souls
November – Remembering Our Dead, Month of the Holy Souls This year, we would all I think agree, has been one like no other thanks to Covid-19. Only those among us old enough to have had experience of World War II will remember such a time of ongoing catastrophe. Death of course on a grand… Read More
October: The Month of the Holy Rosary
The Rosary is a much-loved prayer of the Catholic Church and probably the most popular after the Our Father. Its purpose is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. In it, we immerse ourselves in Christ’s life from birth, through death, to his glorious Resurrection. It is a celebration of the… Read More
The Guardian Angels
One of the most appealing images remembered from religious instruction in childhood was that of the guardian angels protecting us all from danger, both physical and moral. Just as parents sometimes entrust the younger members of the family to the care of their elder brothers and sisters, so our Father in Heaven commits us to… Read More
Mary’s Dowry and Our Lady of Walsingham
England is a country that is firmly associated with the Protestant religion because it was its King, Henry VIII who broke from Rome when the pope would not allow him to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon. It was Henry’s daughter Elizabeth I whose compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism resulted in Anglicanism, a hybrid of… Read More
The Cross: From Shame to Triumph
On September 14 we celebrated the feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross. This is a commemoration of two historical events: the Finding of the True Cross and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion. The Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-38… Read More
Someone Beautiful For God- Mother Teresa
On the fifth of this month, we celebrated the feast of St Teresa of Calcutta, fondly known to almost everyone as Mother Teresa. The woman who for much of her life was described as “the living saint”, was canonized on September 4, 2010. Teresa, forever associated with India, especially Calcutta (now known by its local… Read More
Monica and Augustine
There is a well-known saying that, ‘Behind every great man there is a great woman.’ This certainly applies to St Monica, whose feast day we celebrate last week. Monica’s son, St Augustine, has been described as the most Significant Christian Thinker after St Paul. His adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological… Read More