Where there is the presence of Jesus, there is the presence of His Mother. – Fulton J. Sheen The Catholic devotion to Mary has never come easily to me. I know Mary is, for some people, the way they discovered and really developed a relationship with Jesus. But for me, it was the opposite. Jesus Read more
Jesus called his disciples to love their enemies, to be abundantly merciful, to repent and forgive, and to offer no violent resistance to those who do evil. But he also modeled nonviolence by actively confronting injustice and violence, as when he defied the Sabbath laws to heal the disabled, confronted unjust power at the Temple, Read more
Would Jesus have been the world’s all-time best Basketball player? Or, come to that would he have been the greatest ever All Black? Did he have to learn his craft of carpentry? Did he have to learn table manners? There are all kinds of questions one can ask about the way Jesus’ divine and human Read more
It’s taken me years, but I’m really learning to love St. Joseph. Part of it has probably been praying this novena, but a bigger part is art. I’m sorry, but I just can’t get that excited about an old guy with a lily. But with all the traveling I’ve done, I’ve seen a lot of Read more
It is that time of year again when someone somewhere has to write an article lamenting the commercialisation of Christmas, though it has to be said that these type of articles have faced some competition of late from articles lamenting the campaign by the politically correct to abolish Christmas altogether. Poor old Christmas: attacked on Read more
Last week, for the first time in its history of nearly 2,000 years, the tomb (sepulchre) of Jesus was examined by archaeologists and conservationists. Never before has it been subject to scientific scrutiny. These men of science, accompanied by a group of selected priests and monks, were surprised by what they saw. Despite centuries of Read more
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said who Jesus is for him, after being asked the same question put to Peter in Matthew’s Gospel. The question “Who do you say I am?”, in reference to Jesus, was put to Mr Trump by evangelical commentator Cal Thomas in the US. The exchange was published in transcript Read more
Land adjoining the site of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan is to be cleared of thousands of land mines. A British trust is to work on clearing the mines at Qasr al-Yahud on the West Bank of the Jordan, with the co-operation of Israeli and Palestinian authorities and eight churches. Work is expected to Read more
Today’s world seems so to have so many unscrupulous money-changers, that we come to the gospel story already primed. As Jesus overturns tables and drives men out with a whip of cords, we are mentally shouting, “Good on you, Jesus! Go for it! Give them what they deserve!” But were the money-changers in the temple Read more
Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis has described playing the role of Jesus in a new film as a very special experience. Curtis plays Jesus in the film “Risen”, which opened in New Zealand last week. The Kiwi actor was raised as a Catholic, but lapsed in his teens. “It’s a role I have jokingly always wanted,” Read more