Family pressures are familiar to us all, they are so much more acute here on the border. Jason is 17 years old, a Hispanic, born on the US side of the river, a spina bifida kid who lives in a wheel chair. His mum left him at birth. Magda his grandmother, adopted him as her Read more
It’s early May. Which means it’s wedding season. Which means a whole lot of Americans will soon be partying in a barn. Millennials, in staggering numbers, are choosing to start their married lives under high eaves and exposed beams, looking out over long, stripped-down wooden benches and lines of mason jars. According to an annual Read more
Recently I read this statement from a progressive rabbi: “It is a sin to read the Torah as historical fact.” He then went on to describe the importance of reading scripture as parable, allowing the Holy One to speak to us through it. Ah, I thought. He’s talking about the Catholic tradition of lectio divina. Read more
Just over a week ago, three Chile abuse survivors met Pope Francis, and then gave an important press conference reflecting on the meeting. Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton, and José Andres Murillo said Pope Francis had admitted he was “part of the problem”, and had pledged to do more in future. It’s a bit of Read more
Last night’s Met gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art presented us with several Joans of Arc in chainmail dresses; a crusader or two; a plethora of angels; a few cardinals (only one genuine!); a mother of sorrows and many other Marys; and lots of men in their “Sunday best” suits. And one pope: that Read more
Recently some 2000 members of the National Guard of the United States have been sent to the Southern Border with Mexico. The National Guard exists for the protection of the nation. They assist in times of natural disasters or respond to an armed threat from a foreign military force. None of that is happening at Read more
Three generations of Kiwis ‘down the road’, it dawned on me that not only am I from a migrant family but I too am also a migrant. 27 years in Peru; 5 years in Venezuela; a stint in Australia: 5 years here in the Rio Grande Valley on the border the USA with Mexico. Now Read more
One day, while our Māori Anglican dad was at work, our Pākehā Catholic mum rushed her brood off to the local priest and had us baptised. Dad clammed up for a bit, but came around. He reckoned it was good we were “something.” Next minute, we were off to weekly Catechism classes in preparation for Read more
One of the most persuasive myths about prostitution is that it is “the oldest profession”. Feminist abolitionists, who wish to see an end to the sex trade, call it “the oldest oppression” and resist the notion that prostitution is merely “a job like any other”. Now it would appear that the New Zealand immigration service Read more
O.K., in spite of dismal national trends, in spite of your family and friends leaving the church like rats jumping from a sinking ship, you want to remain Catholic. You have your reasons. Perhaps you are rock solid in your faith. Or perhaps it is more of a hunch, that Catholicism is where Jesus is Read more