As We Prepare to Vote
A few months ago one of The Southern Cross’ followers on Facebook asked whether South Africa’s only weekly Catholic newspaper would tell readers who to vote for in the upcoming 8 May elections. As...
Category: Sarah-Leah Pimentel
7-point Plan to Keep Sane on Social Media
Every year, one of my colleagues gives up Facebook for Lent. The rationale is quite simple; she wants to use the time she would normally spend on social media to make more time for...
Lessons from a Virtual Reality Game
I played a virtual reality game for the first time at a recent team-building event at work. At first it was really strange putting on the headset which immerses you in the virtual reality...
Faith When We Are Running on Empty
Two blocks from my house there is a small church. It has no signboard to indicate its denomination. On a Sunday, the parking lot is rarely full and the tiny congregation is elderly and...
Come, Lord Jesus, Come
Can you remember the excitement of the arrival of a new child to the family? From the moment the expectant parents announce the news, there is a flurry of activity to prepare the room...
Fight Back With Love
The world is changing. It is becoming angrier, more hateful and less trusting of those who are different — either because they come from a different country, practise a different religion, have a different sexual orientation, or hold different political or social views.
My Spiritual Lesson From an Ear Infection
For the past few weeks I have been struggling terribly with my ears. I picked up an ear infection while travelling for work, and it’s thrown me completely off balance, literally. At first I...
Holiness in Hopelessness
I am reading Pope Francis’ document on holiness, Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), which was published earlier this year. But to be honest, I’m finding it really hard to be holy....
Rock and Sand: The Search for Truth
There are two kinds of truth-seekers: those who constantly strive to find the Truth (with a capital T) and those who feel trapped by the idea that a truth system shapes our lives. The...
Beloved Daughters of a Loving Father
Recently I read that men are more likely to apply for jobs even when they meet only 60% of the requirements, while women are unlikely to apply unless they meet all of the criteria....
What Does ‘In Good Conscience’ Really Mean?
After the recent Irish referendum on abortion, I read that some priests said that Catholics who voted “Yes” to decriminalise abortion should go to confession because they had sinned by not defending the life...
Difficult, But Necessary Conversations
South Africa needs a process to find healing and forgiveness, to be transformed by one another, and together find solutions to the deep problems of our beloved country. I’m not really sure how we...
