De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Today, 21st September 2012, is the feast of St. Matthew. In honour of one of my favourite Evangelists (I have four favourites all together), I thought I would post some detail about the Gospel he authored, including my opinion about its origins, audience, characteristics and its context within the Synoptic problem. The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602) by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Commissioned by the French Cardinal Matteo Contarelli, the canvas hangs in Contarelli chapel altar in the church of the French congregation San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, Before I began studying, I thought I knew that all the Gospels were written by people other than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, hundreds of years after Jesus' death and Resurrection. It was inspiring to embark on a detailed study of all the sources which led me to a position where I now am sure that this is not the case. Matthew’s Gospel, the first book of the New Testament, is held by the Church’s tradition (dating fro...

I have reflected before on what makes a school Catholic . Education based on the premise that there is such a thing as truth, and that truth can be accessed and understood. Fundamentally, knowing the truth and living in accordance with it will make you better equipt for life and facilitate a confident, happy, family based society which values every member. The essential element that will facilitate delivery of this ideal must be educators who know, love, and live Catholic lives. Truly Catholic teachers are our schools greatest asset. Here are some clarifications regarding the legitimate expectations of Catholic schools regarding their teaching staff based on the CES contract and Canon Law. The CES contract of employment for teachers in Catholic schools, in its general terms and conditions (section 4) states: 4.1 You are to exercise the ministry and professional duties and maintain the professional standards of a Teacher in the School under the directions of the Go...

In which I use the word 'shocking' quite a lot. There's some truly shocking news floating round the internet about Liverpool diocese. Apparently, Archbishop Patrick Kelly formally commissioned 22 lay ministers to celebrate funeral ceremonies in an effort to relieve pressure on priests who sometimes must celebrate seven or more funeral Masses a week. The move was announced through a shockingly Protestant brochure entitled, “ Planning a Catholic Funeral ”, published recently by the archdiocese. The brochure described a funeral as the “community’s main celebration and prayer for the deceased”. “This could be a funeral Mass but … it may be a funeral service led by a lay funeral minister or a deacon,” it said. Shocking! Clearly a triumph for the phantom menace known as "the Spirit of Vatican II", the attempt to Protestantise all Catholic liturgy in the model served by Annibale Bugnini: “ We must strip from our Catholic prayers and from the Catholic lit...

Many of us would say yes; a long time ago! I'm going to use this brilliant post by Mac McLernon to basically get Stephen Fry's grinning countenance of the front of my blog. Time For A Reality Check...? After Professor Tina Beattie signed a letter in The Times which was at variance with Catholic teaching, her invitation to speak at Clifton Cathedral was withdrawn. Given that Prof. Beattie has never made any secret of her opinions, one might wonder why she was asked to speak in the first place.  Be that as it may, it was encouraging that Clifton diocese had seen how untenable it would be to have such a speaker scheduled. Prof. Beattie explained to the Catholic Herald that she was saddened by the cancellation, but that, after discussion, she understood it and accepted the reasons for it.  The Pill editorial has allowed itself an interesting slip in its haste to rush to Prof. Beattie's defense.  After noting that the letter to The Times distorted the wo...

Stephen Fry It’s not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame and self-loathing—they are not all bad. Those devils have been my angels. Without them I would never have disappeared into language, literature, the mind, laughter and all the mad intensities that made and unmade me.  ― from  Moab Is My Washpot So yesterday Stephen Fry tweeted an image which I thought was offensive and beneath him: https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/246211464447291392 I felt compelled to express my disgust; there were certainly enough sycophants patting him on the back for his hilarious witticism, so I suggested such gutter humour was beneath him and he responded with more prejudice. The very fact that he aimed a tweet directly at me provoked an onslaught from his followers which constituted literally hundreds of tweets, many of which were pretty foul and I am sure even Mr. Fry would not have condone...

Welcome to this, the ninth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you, answer some questions you may have, help you to see how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps begin to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . This Sunday the theme for the readings might be summed up as: Jesus the Suffering Servant The readings are: Isaiah 50: 5-9 Psalm: 114: 1-6, 8-9; Response: v. 9 Second Reading: James 2: 14-18 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35 First, a little preliminary survey of each of the books. I will post the same, or similar prelims week on week, for each book as we encounter them. We have i...

Further to my post here , I thought I should report a discussion which developed on Facebook and produced what I thought were some very important points. It is important I think, while expressing one's own valid preferences and expressions, not to give the impression that there is something wrong or disrespectful about a practice explicitly approved by the Church. Reception on the tongue and on the hand are both permitted and I have seen both practised with great devotion. I have also seen both practised carelessly, though I am sure unintentionally so. If the Church gives us a choice then people are entitled to make either choice without any judgment being made about their interior disposition. It is a matter for you if you make that choice and I do not doubt your devotion. To make a judgment about the heart of someone who receives in another way is not appropriate though. It's not a question of the letter of the law. Both practises are long established in the traditio...