Faith Issues

Articles relevant to aspects of religious faith, in particular Catholic Christianity.

The challenge of the Incarnation

The challenge of the Incarnation Sarah Broscombe As we enter the season of Advent, we begin to contemplate how we respond in our daily lives to God’s gift of himself to the world. How, why and what do we give? Sarah Broscombe offers a meditati...

An Advent Narrative

An Advent Narrative Dominic Robinson SJ “Our Advent hope is assured and joyful, because Christ longs to be one with us.” Dominic Robinson SJ offers a reflection on the season of Advent in light of Pope Benedict’s first Encyclical, Deus Car...

Has Europe lost its soul to the markets?

  Has Europe lost its soul to the markets? by Chief Rabbi Lord Sachs (Published in The Times, 12th December 2011)   The British Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks called for an alliance between Jews and Christians against the “aggressively secularising ...

Living the Sermon on the Mount

Familiar as the words of the Sermon of the Mount may be, the standards that it sets for Christian living continue to pose a radical challenge to followers of Christ. Fr Jack Mahoney concludes his study of the sermon, asking what value we might fin...

The Shape of the Sermon on the Mount

Fr Jack Mahoney looks again at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, describing how the structure of the sermon can help us to understand what Jesus wanted to tell his disciples. What are we to make of the new righteousness, which ‘exce...

The Meaning of the Sermon on the Mount

In this artice, published in Thinking Faith, Jack Mahoney SJ explores the significance of this famous discourse and its place in the moral teaching of Jesus. The moral teaching of Jesus has inspired and challenged Christians and all men and women fo...

Holy See clarifies reports on "what the Pope said"

This is the text of a note issued by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. on 2st November 2010 concerning certain remarks by the Pope on the use of condoms, which appear the new book "Light of the World" and have been widely rep...

The Pope on Zacchaeus and God's Mercy

This is the address of Pope Benedict XVI, given on Sunday 31st October before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square. The evangelist St. Luke pays special attention to the theme of Jesus' mercy. In his narration...

Ambassador's Address on UK-Holy See Relations

"The Crown's Oldest Diplomatic Relationship Is With the Papacy" This is the text of an address given on 14th October 2010 by Francis Campbell, the U.K. ambassador to the Holy See, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Newcastle. * * * The UK, the Holy See, and ...

Holiness and Wholeness

A new series on BBC2, beginning on Friday 22 October, explores the journey of five people from very different backgrounds who decided to step back from their hectic lives and experience silence. In an extract from a book to supplement The Big Silence, Brendan Callaghan SJ, who accompanied the volunteers during their eight-day retreat at St Beuno’s Spirituality Centre, describes how, through silence, we can grow in holiness and wholeness.