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A Theologian’s Problems
I should have been a theologian 25 years ago. Things were simpler then. Theologians published books and catechisms which clearly explained everything. Everyone knew what the church taught and what
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Remembering As Surgery
There is a fine line between nostalgia and the longing for lost innocence. The latter is healthy; the former is not. Nostalgia is an unhealthy depression, an adolescent sentimentality which
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Saying ‘Yes’ To Santa Claus
If you ask a naive child: “Do you believe in Santa Claus?” he replies “Yes!” If you ask a bright child the same question, he replies “No!” However, if you
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The Real Loss Of Virginity
Some years ago, while giving a retreat, a lady came to me for confession. Her confession was long and sincere. However, that sincerity and genuine contrition was constantly punctured by
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On Sensible And Stupid Risks
Love is all about risking. However not all risks are well founded. Falling in love is like falling over a cliff. It is a letting go, an abandonment, a release
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Spring And The Resurrection
“It’s spring and I am blind.” I saw that written once upon the frayed lapel of a sightless beggar. That line struck me today, Easter Sunday, as I sat looking
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On The Road To Emmaus
Nearly 2,000 years ago, two disillusioned youths consoled each other as they walked that seven-mile stretch of road separating Jerusalem from Emmaus. They moved slowly, depression having taken the spring
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Splitting The Atom Of Love
In recent years the issue of social justice has edged its way to centre stage within Christian spirituality. This may not be seen as simply another post-Vatican II phase that
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Celebrating Our Alphabet
Perhaps the most frequent complaint one hears in church circles is that our liturgical gatherings are so uninspiring and boring. Usually the celebrant, the priest, is singled out as the
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All That Is Truly Masculine
Young screenwriter, Bruce Feirstein, recently published a book which sold so fast that the printing presses scarcely cooled between editions. It is an amusing, if superficial, attempt to insert laughter