The Evolution of the West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values by Nick Spencer My rating: 4 of 5 stars This series of essays from Nick Spencer is a challenge to those who might believe that Christianity has never made a contribution to the development of the Western world, that the Western world has, in… Continue reading Review: The Evolution of the West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values
Month: November 2019
Review: Prophecy
Prophecy by S.J. Parris My rating: 4 of 5 stars The plots to dethrone Elizabeth and replace her with Mary of Scotland have taken on new depths and our hero, Doctor Giordano Bruno, finds himself in an enviable position in the midst of the conspirators while also acting as an agent of Sir Francis Walsingham,… Continue reading Review: Prophecy
Homilies: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year C
My homily for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Year C) as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The scriptures readings proclaimed were 2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43. "The kingship of Jesus is rooted not in a political settlement but in a covenantal… Continue reading Homilies: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year C
Homilies: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
My homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) as preached during the 5.30 pm Saturday evening Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings proclaimed were Malachi 3:19-20; 2 Thessalonians 3"7-12; Luke 21:5-19. "If we focus on trying to interpret the 'signs and wonders' in the world and their connection to the… Continue reading Homilies: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Review: Resistance
Resistance: In a Nazi-Occupied Ireland, Where Would You Stand? by Brian Gallagher My rating: 2 of 5 stars As a fan of the great 'what if' genre, the basic premise of this book immediately grabbed my attention. That it was set in Ireland, a country I visited only twelve months ago, was an additional draw… Continue reading Review: Resistance
Homilies: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
My homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) as preached during the 9.30 am Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings proclaimed were 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - 3:5; Luke 20:27-38. "We don't know what eternal life will look like, yet we know that God is graciously offered… Continue reading Homilies: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Review: Heresy
Heresy by S.J. Parris My rating: 5 of 5 stars Religious differences, persecutions, murder, mystery, and Oxford College and the Elizabethan age. What better combination to introduce a series that features Dr Giordano Bruno of Nola, a former Dominican monk, a philosopher, an excommunicated heretic, and an agent of Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Chief… Continue reading Review: Heresy
The Vocation of Citizenship
It is...a bromide to observe that most people pay little attention to politics. They have, or so the conventional wisdom goes, much better things to devote their precious time and limited energy to. Besides, politics is all to often as corrupt as it is frustrating. There is a some truth to such sentiments, but the… Continue reading The Vocation of Citizenship
Homilies: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
My homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) as preached during the 5 pm Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings proclaimed were Wisdom 11:22 - 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:11 - 2:2; Luke 19:1-10. "When he looks at Zacchaeus, Jesus does not see a tax collector or a public sinner or… Continue reading Homilies: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
