The Church: Inside and Out
Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton – Like a coin, there are two sides to the Church. One side faces the world around it. The other side is seen and experienced by its faithful people in...
Author: Michael Shackleton
Death Penalty Is Now Forbidden By The Church?
Why has Pope Francis suddenly made a change in the Catechism (2267), with regard to the just sentencing to death by the state of identified criminals? We are now taught that the death penalty...
God Cannot Be Cheated
Guest Editorial By Michael Shackleton – Corruption is the catchword of the day. It is not a new word. It has appeared in many history books describing the perennial dishonesty and downfall of empires...
Paying a Debt Forward?
Our children became our debtors when my wife and I with God’s help gave them life. Aren’t they obliged to pay us back as much as they can? Our gift to them was of...
Does the Creed Contradict Jesus?
Jesus said: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (Jn...
The Poetry Of A Priest
IN QUIET REALM, Poems by Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu. Write-On Publishing. 2018. 113pp. Reviewed by Michael Shackleton In his poem “The Daffodils”, William Wordsworth wrote that he would often lie on his couch “in vacant or in...
Are We Doomed?
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ is like a whisper against thunder. All around us, his call to respect the biodiversity of planet Earth is ignored. Has the pope’s lone voice any serious listeners outside...
Why Do We Pray to the Saints?
A friend quotes 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.” Her church honours the saints only as exemplars of the Christian life...
Must We Give Beggars Money?
At almost every traffic light, as soon as I stop the car, there is someone at my window wanting money. I give a little cash now and then, depending on how safe I feel,...
Celebrating Our Lady’s Birthday
The celebration of the feast of the Nativity of Our Blessed Lady occurs every year on September 8. Oddly, despite the Church’s huge respect and veneration of Mary and her indispensable role in Christian...
Prayers of the Faithful
Guest editorial Michael Shackleton – When the Western Cape and other affected areas recently confronted the prospect of a devastating regional drought, it seemed natural for people to pray for rain. Religious leaders of all...
Must We Still Fast Before the Eucharist?
Some Catholics do not know that there is such a thing as a Eucharistic fast, or know but ignore it. Is the fast still required? If not, why have we not been informed officially? Joe...
