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My father is gone, but he lives on
I did not expect my father to go so soon. Even now I don’t know how to describe my feelings.
Though my family and acquaintances perceive me as being strong, I am deeply wounded inside. Being unable to name grieving emotions does not mean all is well. Now I know the feeling of shock and disbelief, the sharp pain and deep sadness that the death of a parent brings. Read more…
Change is part of God’s plan
Fr Remo Bonifazi was “shocked” (“Anti-Catholic!”, letters July 23-29) by your editorial of July 2-8, which speculates that “one day the ministerial priesthood may be conferred upon women”. However, I think that the writer has not considered that change has always been part of God’s plan. Read more…
The look of love
By John Galloway OMI
The response of most Catholics to Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae was probably that this simply is not a practical or a feasible teaching. Many priests and bishops similarly criticised it. Read more…
How women dress
Less than a century ago, it was considered indecent for a woman to bare her ankles. Today, as fashions have changed, bare ankles are the least of our moral dilemmas, but the discourse about what constitutes seemly attire for women remains timeless. Alas, that debate usually is dominated by men who still claim authority over women in such matters. Read more…
Getting sick from hands at Mass?
We shake hands at Mass with all sorts of people. Then the sacred host is put in the same hands and we put it into our mouths. This must be a big health risk. The one next to us could have a serious sickness like influenza or tuberculosis. I am concerned about this. What do the experts say? Read more…
An exemplary couple
What happens when an adventurous Irish young man travels to South Africa and suddenly finds himself face to face with a beautiful Afrikaans-speaking girl? Well, all cultural, religious and ethnic barriers are broken, and a thing of beauty is born—an exemplary Catholic couple! Read more…
Church’s new image is rich
Bishop Edward Risi OMI, in his column “A better Mass” (July 9-15) asks: “What makes the Mass we celebrate today better than the Mass as we knew it in pre-Vatican days?”
He points to three developments which he says make the new rite better than the old: Read more…
SA’s moral obligation
South African politicians, like their counterparts elsewhere, have a way of missing the point. This failing reached a spectacular culmination when the provincial government of Gauteng argued before the Pretoria High Court that it had no legal obligation to further assist the displaced victims of the xenophobic attacks in May. Read more…
St Paul’s big round-trip
We often hear the phrase “the road to Damascus”. An infamous international stock market speculator sees the error of his ways and becomes a fierce critic of globalisation. A high-living pop singer rediscovers faith and opts for a celibate lifestyle. A drug dealer embraces Islam and starts an anti-drug campaign. Even among those who have perhaps no knowledge of St Paul, some will have heard of his dramatic conversion. Read more…
Paul and the Bible
When we think of St Paul on his many great journeys fearlessly preaching the gospel, do we imagine a street preacher proclaiming his message aloud, grasping and sometimes waving around a well-thumbed leather-bound copy of the Bible? When we think of Paul writing his letters, do we imagine him writing away surrounded by a stack of bibles, commentaries and works of theology? We would be mistaken. Read more…
