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A Pilgrim in the Desert: Lessons from a Long Road

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  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...
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"Act of Reparation" by Bishop Schneider - Prayer, Protest and Political Sacralisation

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  Prologue: The Controversy in Rome In early September 2025, an event in Rome sparked significant controversy among Catholics worldwide. The incident occurred during the Jubilee Year, a time traditionally marked by pilgrimage, penitence, and spiritual renewal. A group of activist Catholic LGBTQ+ organisations participated in a public demonstration calling for greater inclusion within the Church.  The group entered several significant religious sites, including the Church of the Gesù and St. Peter's Basilica, carrying rainbow-coloured crosses. some were wearing T-shirts that bore slogans considered profane and irreverent. According to reports and photographs circulated online, one shirt read "F*uk the Rules." Participants described their action as a "pilgrimage of inclusion," passing through the Holy Door to affirm that LGBTQ+ Catholics, too, sought mercy during the Jubilee. Organisers of the groups insisted their act was devotional, not defiant, a public ...
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Three Paths Through the Wilderness: Reflections on Responses to Cultural Crises

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  An old man's thoughts on the choices facing the faithful. Introduction "You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket" (Matthew 5:13-15). In my lifetime, I've witnessed sincere Christians explore distinct paths through cultural hostility or indifference. Each claims fidelity to Christ's call to be salt and light, yet these paths seem to diverge, sometimes sharply. So, I find myself returning to three images Jesus gave us—salt, light, and a city on a hill—as I watch His people wrestle with how to live in an increasingly secular, chaotic age. Salt must mingle with what it preserves, yet it can lose its savour. Light must shine in the dark, yet it can be hidden under a bushel, or burn so fiercely that it blinds. A city on a hill cannot hide; it is set inescapably before the watching world, for glory or for shame. Together, these metaphors sketch ...
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Where There Is No Vision: Reflections on Our Restless Age

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  More thoughts from an old man witnessing a culture lose its way Introduction “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” - Proverbs 29:18 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” - Ecclesiastes 1:2 I keep returning in my prayers to two voices from Scripture that speak directly to our time. The wise man in Proverbs warns that "where there is no vision, the people perish." The Preacher in Ecclesiastes laments that "all is vanity;" our projects, our achievements, our carefully constructed meanings dissolve like vapor. These two truths haunt me as I watch our culture flail about, desperately seeking something to believe in now that the Christian story has been largely abandoned. We are a people starving for a vision giving meaning, yet everything we grasp turns to dust in our hands. The Restless Substitutes In my lifetime, I've watched secular society try to fill the God-shaped hole with various substitutes. Eac...
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Questions That Don't Have Easy Answers: Reflections of a Pilgrim

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Introduction An old man's thoughts on why members of the Church need more wisdom and less certainty. As I near the end of my earthly pilgrimage, I find myself thinking more about questions than answers. This surprises me. I expected that after decades of faith, prayer, and study, things would be clearer. Instead, they've become more complex. Perhaps that's exactly as it should be. The Question That Started It All Months ago, I found myself wondering about something that seemed simple at first: Should faithful Catholics engage with our increasingly secular culture, or should we withdraw into our own communities to preserve authentic faith? Part of what triggered writing this reflection today was the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk, the Evangelical conservative commentator. I didn’t agree with his rhetoric, often sharp and divisive. However, the violence of his death, and the heated exchanges that surrounded his public witness before and after this murder, sh...
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