Advent is the story of Jesus’ birth and the beginning of Christianity; but if we also see the readings as parable, they’ll become guidance for our own journey. Step by step they’ll bring us closer to the light that cannot be held in words. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent to a Read more
The ironic thing about people who send me letters about how useless I am and that our race relations are OK, is that most of them are from Pakeha men: as Duncan Garner proved in his latest opinion piece. I get many letters and emails: some polite, many abusive or threatening. The personal attacks aren’t Read more
Many of us have a negative view of fundamentalism, but doesn’t that word simply describe the beginnings of our growth in faith? Whether we talk about Islamic fundamentalism, Bible fundamentalism or Canon Law fundamentalism, we are referring to a belief system that is the religious ground in which people are planted. These systems are designed Read more
Naming it “corrosive” and a “dark” sign of contemporary American culture, the U.S. Catholic bishops approved a document this week condemning the production and use of pornography as a mortal sin. Reaction from the bishops’ critics didn’t take long. Some said the bishops themselves have very serious problems with pornography; others pointed out the not-so-distant Read more
There’s something profoundly rotten about cultures that can give birth to the murderous behaviour on show in Paris last Friday. This is just the latest and probably most visible instance because it happened in one of the hubs of the European and North American news media. These hubs make things that happen in too many other Read more
Dad’s face was gaunt, with skin hugging his high cheekbones and gray stubble enveloping his chin and upper lip. His bony shoulders poked out from a baggy blue-plaid hospital gown, and his hands shook when he tried to raise them. Just a month ago, we had been celebrating my birthday at a hibachi restaurant, where Read more
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are too many SOBs in the world. Islamic terrorists, dictators, neo-Nazis and everyday thugs. Perhaps we should put them all on an island and drop a bomb on it. But then that would make us the SOBs. Such is life. I’m being simplistic but the horror of Paris generates simple emotions: Read more
Although the October 4-24 synod on the family was the best-run synod of bishops since its institution by Pope Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council, there are still ways that the synod process could be improved. First, what went well? The most important improvement instituted by Pope Francis was open and free debate. Earlier synods were Read more
God writes straight with crooked lines. -Portuguese Proverb The question of the theology of ordination to the priesthood just isn’t going to go away. First, in a meeting with Italian priests in Rome in February, the Pope, they tell us, said that he is going to put the topic of the ordination of married men “into Read more
“Extraordinary how potent cheap music is,” says a character in a Noël Coward play. And it’s true. Even in church. A morbid Victorian hymn or a Christmas carol can reduce even the most cynical atheist to tears. But even more potent, I’d argue, is church music that isn’t so much cheap as embarrassingly bad. I Read more