A Catholic education wasn’t something that we ever considered for our kids. It’s not that we had anything against it — it’s just that we’re not Catholic. Not very religious at all, really. Yet in the four months since our son started at Hato Pāora College in Feilding, I’ve been pretty impressed. I had my Read more
I’ve heard that Gandhi was once quoted as saying: “I don’t reject Christ. It’s just that so many Christians are so unlike Christ.” Another variation of this quote is: “I would suggest first of all that all of you Christians and missionaries and everyone begin to live more like Jesus Christ.” Whether Gandhi said this Read more
We can read Scripture in different ways and for different reasons. Usually the Gospels come to us in chunks that fit the seasons of our Faith. Sometimes, I like to read one of the Gospels right through from beginning to end. If you haven’t done this, I suggest you try it. It can bring some Read more
In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus was prayerfully agonizing over his impending violent death, a large crowd with swords and clubs sent by the chief priests moved in to arrest him. Seeing this, one of Jesus’ disciples “put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his Read more
Someone on Twitter asked how people feel about the future, taking climate change into account. I replied that I don’t expect to have grandchildren, but imagine that humanity would remain resilient. Naturally, we segued into survivalist-apocalyptic jokes. My kid wields swords and sticks with a bit of flair, I offered. My friend said that would Read more
British Christianity is in pretty poor shape. A UK Social Attitudes survey has revealed that, for the first time in history, more people now regard themselves as having “no religion” than being a Christian. A cultural shift is to blame: people raised in the faith but who don’t practice it have ceased to identify with it. Read more
I used to be a third-grade teacher and a few times I was actually privileged to watch the instant when a child learned how to read. Choppy, foreign sounds would clatter out of the child’s mouth until suddenly something would click in his mind and heart and an actual word would effortlessly issue from his Read more
This is the age of the disgruntled – in domestic politics and foreign affairs alike. Anti-establishment sentiment within countries is somehow echoed by the way the rule book of international relations is being torn up. These dynamics feed on each other. They are at play in America (the rise of Donald Trump), Europe (growing populism) Read more
I became Catholic like St. Paul did: From the minute I encountered Christ, everything changed. I had a fiancé, four kids and three step children. I was sure that after getting married in the Catholic Church, everyone around me would see the differences in my life and I would be Catholic forever. I thought my Read more
Much of the world may be charmed by Pope Francis, but what has he done to include women as decision makers in the Catholic Church? More to the point, what can he do? Francis has, of course, been busy with other things. The seventy-eight-year-old Jesuit now in the third year of his papacy seems quite Read more