Holy Bishop Patrick, Faithful shepherd of Christ's royal flock, You filled Ireland with the radiance of the Gospel: The mighty strength of the Trinity! Now that you stand before the Saviour, Pray that He may preserve us in faith and love!
Hi Happy Jack, sorry to be off-topic, I just came across this news item, and I am not sure if you have already seen it or if it has been posted on an earlier thread:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/congress-members-blast-uk-harassment-christians-rare-rebuke-close-us-ally (Published 15 March 2023)
'As a Methodist institution, Cliff College is committed to being a safe and hospitable place where those with differing convictions are welcomed and encouraged to live and learn together as faithful disciples of Christ.'
Introduction: The First Choice A Catholic senator defends marriage and votes against labour rights on Monday. A Catholic activist champions the poor while dismissing chastity as repression. An environmental warrior fights pollution while treating sexuality as a private choice. We have fractured what should not be divided. We speak of sexual morality as one thing and social justice as another. We build entire Catholic identities around these divisions. Left versus right, private morality versus systemic sin, bedroom versus boardroom. This division obscures a deeper unity. The Second Vatican Council said it plainly: "Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self." From Eden to the present, human love unfolds as a single fundamental orientation: gift or grasp, communion or consumption, an open hand or a closed fist. In the modern West, we’ve built a civilisation of grasping. Radical autonomy, sexual utilitarianism, and economic acquisitiveness....
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1) Prologue: The Landscape Within I’ve walked a long road, and the older I grow, the more I see that the desert isn’t just somewhere you visit, it also slowly unfolds inside. As a child, I imagined the spiritual life as a mountain to climb, milestones and clear vistas. But after decades in mental health and social work, in cramped offices with flickering fluorescent lights, it feels more like wandering through a vast terrain. The ‘desert’ I speak of isn’t sand and wind. It’s the state of the human heart in our restless times: the ache for meaning amid abundance, the hunger for love amid noise, the search for meaning in comfort. The Church knows this desert. She walks through changing landscapes, her voice shifting as the world changes. When I was young, she spoke with warning and clarity, guarding truths, though sometimes sh...
Hi everyone, I just wanted to pop back and say a quick sorry for going so quiet these past few months. A few of you have checked in and asked if I was alright. Thank you. I am. I just seemed to disappear without meaning to. After the last post, which was so inward-looking, I found it hard to write anything else. And honestly, the summer here in the UK has been so full of news, changes, and general chaos that every time I tried to get a few thoughts down, something else happened. Before I knew it, weeks had gone by, and I was still staring at a blank page. So this is me easing myself back in; nothing profound, just a hello and an apology for the silence. I’d really love to hear from you: How are you finding things in the UK under Labour so far? What’s stood out to you these past months - good or bad? Any moments or stories that have stuck with you? I’ve missed the conversation here, and hope to get back into the rhythm of writing again. Thanks for sticking around. Peter...
Holy Bishop Patrick,
ReplyDeleteFaithful shepherd of Christ's royal flock,
You filled Ireland with the radiance of the Gospel:
The mighty strength of the Trinity!
Now that you stand before the Saviour,
Pray that He may preserve us in faith and love!
And the lovely Fáed Fíada - The Cry of the Deer or St. Patrick's Lorica.
@雲水,
DeleteAmen! Happy St Patrick's Day to everybody.
Hi Happy Jack, sorry to be off-topic, I just came across this news item, and I am not sure if you have already seen it or if it has been posted on an earlier thread:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/congress-members-blast-uk-harassment-christians-rare-rebuke-close-us-ally
(Published 15 March 2023)
Be warned, it is (sadly) a rather long read!
Thanks, RA. These are developments HJ is following.
DeleteYet another item to add:
Deletehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11877861/Christian-theology-lecturer-sacked-threatened-counter-terrorism-referral.html
'As a Methodist institution, Cliff College is committed to being a safe and hospitable place where those with differing convictions are welcomed and encouraged to live and learn together as faithful disciples of Christ.'
DeleteHow ironic!