The shift to working from home has given many of us a new perspective on how we do our jobs. Without the context of a shared workspace or the rhythm of a typical office day, our own personalities are having far more of a say in our performance. It follows, then, that the best way Read more
“100 hundred million is a stark figure – sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. The war in Ukraine has greatly contributed to this record high number of displaced persons – with 8 million forced to move out of Read more
Wow! Wow! WOW! Wow! I am sure many people around the world have had a similar experience to me as they look at the amazing photos that NASA and its partners have been releasing in the last few days. I have only a secondary-school pupil’s grasp of physics, but one does not need to be Read more
In the space of a generation, sexual behaviour once considered immoral and beyond the pale is now endemic and considered normal. Long gone are the days when the statue of David displayed in Melbourne’s Myers emporium had to be covered with a fig leaf and where nudity in the musical Hair caused moral outrage. The Read more
You will know that we are Christians by our love, but you will know that we are Catholics by our fights. Sadly, one of the things Catholics fight over is the Eucharist. In his June 29 apostolic letter to the Catholic people, Pope Francis decries this division while describing the Eucharist as the sacrament of Read more
Born with chiefly qualities and status, Dame Whina Cooper (1895–1994) was destined for a life full of surprises, good ones and heart-wrenching ones, and surprises she herself sprang on people. Good direction by Paula Whetu Jones (Waru, 2017) and James Napier Robertson (The Dark Horse, 2014) bring these to the forefront in Whina, propelling the Read more
In his recent apostolic letter, Desiderio desideravi, Pope Francis addresses a fundamental religious problem of modern humanity, especially in the global north: symbols are no longer symbolic. We could rephrase this in the following different ways: Symbols are just symbols – and ignored. Symbols no longer speak to us – and we miss what they Read more
The suicide of Father François de Foucauld of Versailles has deeply affected the Catholic community in this Western Parisian suburb. We must be careful not to jump to quick conclusions or make judgements. The “reasons” for a suicide are intimate and will always retain, even if it is painful for those around them, their share Read more
It’s an interesting experience being a churchgoer these days. We’ve been nudged to the periphery of society and lost out in numbers and influence. Countless revelations about sexual misconduct by clergy have shaken public confidence. The accumulation of negative publicity in very recent times has been remarkable: Dilworth School, Gloriavale, Destiny Church’s antics, Arise Church’s Read more
Despite advances in cleaner water and safer indoor cooking, pollution remains the world’s leading environmental risk factor for disease and premature death, responsible for one in every six deaths, or 9 million premature deaths annually, according to a new report in The Lancet. The report finds the majority of pollution-related deaths today come from what Read more