One of the most profound episodes in the gospels is Jesus’ encounter with the woman of dubious repute at Jacob’s Well in Samaria (John 4:5-42). There were many reasons why Jesus should not have engaged with that woman. For one thing, as she rightly noted, he was a Jew and she a Samaritan, members of groups who maintained a mutual hostility.
When Pope Francis was elected to the Chair of St Peter, he reportedly whispered: “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The question of land is putting South Africa’s prospects for peace and economic growth at risk, and needs to be solved with urgency and wisdom. Since parliament voted in February to place on the discussion table the option of expropriating privately-owned land without compensation, polemic on the issue has intensified, too often taking on racist dimensions.
Why is it that many Catholics wear crucifixes around their necks but not representations of the empty tomb? Without the Resurrection on the third day, the events of Good Friday would merely mark the...
The Cross, which we behold in a special way on Good Friday, was used as a method of capital punishment by many societies, including the Romans, from about the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, abolished it in his empire in AD 337, out of veneration for Jesus Christ, the most famous victim of crucifixion.
Few things can exercise Catholic minds as much as decorum, or the perceived lack thereof, at Mass. This is, in itself, a good thing: it shows that the faithful regard Sunday Mass not only as a weekly obligation but also as a mystical encounter with God which demands proper reverence.
Christ chose a small band of twelve everyday men and charged them with the awesome responsibility of teaching everyone on earth about him and his mission. He also chose a scholarly man, initially fiercely opposed to this mission, the converted Saul of Tarsus, and gave him the same vocation, that of preaching with them the Good News to every nation on earth.
Few family tragedies leave as many lasting scars as the suicide of a loved one. Those left behind not only are faced with the grief that accompanies all bereavements, but they inevitably will inquire into the past to answer questions that cannot be answered.
After almost nine years of Jacob Zuma’s mostly ruinous presidency, South Africa’s long wait to finally exhale ended last week with his departure. Under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the nation hopes that sober, responsible, transparent and accountable governance will take hold in South Africa.
Pope Francis is in the midst of the worst crisis in his papacy of almost five years.The Holy Father has a good record of saying the right things on the sex abuse scandal.So there was understandable indignation at comments in response to protests against a bishop accused of having known about the abuses of a priest.
A peculiar quirk of the calendar this year times Ash Wednesday to coincide with Valentine’s Day, and Easter with April Fool’s Day.
While Catholics will not mistake the Resurrection for an April Fool’s joke, some will likely be torn between observing the Church’s disciplines governing Ash Wednesday
This week 21 years ago the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, which legalised abortion-on-demand in South Africa, came into effect. For the Catholic Church, this law is a stain on our democracy because abortion kills God-made life, which is sacred.
