Yearly Archives: 2016

First Published in The Catholic Voice – December 2014 The Season of Advent As I write this article Christmas is just around the corner. During the season of advent we are encouraged to prepare for the coming of the Christ child as if He were coming for the first time. It is a time of great joy and a time particularly for thanksgiving. It is a very special time for families. It is a time for reflection on the year … Read More

First Published in The Catholic Voice – December 2014 Confusion about what the Church Teaches I like to talk to people about these articles and to discuss what is contained within them as it gives me greater insight into the state of both the world and the Church and it also gives me fuel for future articles. Recently I met with a young woman who had just returned from Rome where she is studying about marriage and family. I put … Read More

Wedding Anniversary in France. I have recently returned from a very enjoyable trip to France where I went for a week with my wife Naomi and our three youngest children to celebrate the twenty sixth anniversary of our marriage which was on November 12th. The day of the anniversary found us in Paray-le-Monial at the visitation chapel, where St Margaret Mary Alacoque was asked to spread devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, giving thanks to God for our … Read More

Jovinian, Doctors, Council of Trent In our last article we met up with Jovinian, the heretic from the late fourth century, who dared to equate marriage and holy virginity. We saw how three of the doctors of the Church who were alive at that time came to the defence of holy virginity and we saw how the pope of the time St Siricius excommunicated Jovinian. Another doctor of the Church St Jerome, who came after Jovinian had died, further clarified … Read More

God provides the Grace. The 2014 Synod on the Family was a very exciting event which has an important bearing on marriage as seen through the eyes of the Church’s magisterium. Several people whom I was in contact with during the synod were very worried about the possible outcomes of the synod, given that, certain seemingly heretical positions were in the ascendency and seemed to have the backing of a large number of bishops and even cardinals. My general response … Read More

In these troubled times for the Catholic Church, when many are confused and there is contradiction amongst cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laity, we do well to listen to those great Doctors of the Church who have gone before us.  I have mentioned my practice of following the liturgical cycle with Dom Propser Gueranger’s ‘The Liturgical Year’.  Yesterday was the feast of St John Chrysostom and Dom Gueranger gives the address that St John Chrusostom gave to the faithful under … Read More

There is nothing new under the Sun. “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there … Read More

Beauty Discarded. Imagine, if you will, that you are walking by your nearest town hall. You notice a skip outside the town hall and a wooden frame protruding from the skip. On closer inspection, you find that a masterpiece painted by the artist Rembrandt, which used to hang in the main reception area of the town hall, has been thrown out. In disbelief you enter the town hall to find that the masterpiece has been replaced by a modern art … Read More

True Devotions. This series of articles began with a look at the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and its basis in Sacred Scripture. For the past month or so, in conjunction with a new Apostolate called ‘True Devotions’, we have been looking at the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also at the life of St Thérèse and of her family. I would like to talk a little more about family life and prayer before returning to Catholic … Read More

The Martin Family. In the last article I introduced my newly found devotion to St Thérèse of Lisieux, and one comment I received was that whilst it was a good article, it did not say much about family life and prayer. I responded that, patience is a virtue, and that the article was going to be written in two parts the second of which would look at the family life of the Martins. Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin had nine … Read More

Falling in Love with St Thérèse. Today I have a confession to make. In July I made my annual five day silent Ignatian retreat with the monks of St Joseph’s Abbey from Flavigny in France. The retreat was held in the Ards Friary retreat centre in north Donegal and, as I told my wife on my return, I met a beautiful woman there and I fell in love with her. No it wasn’t Our Lady! It was St Thérèse of … Read More

Last week, I had the great grace of making a private retreat in St Joseph de Claival Abbey in France where my spiritual director, a benedictine monk, resides.  I had the good fortune to attend Latin Mass every day and to sit in the choir loft for many of the daily Divine offices of the Community which are sung in Latin in the Traditional Gregorian chant. I arrived home to a family ravaged by a severe bout of winter flu … Read More

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Eight Promise – “Fervent Souls shall speedily rise to great perfection” In St Matthew we are told “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) We know that of ourselves we can do nothing, let alone become perfect, and yet Christ desires this perfection of us so that we can enter into Heaven where nothing imperfect may enter. Christ saves sinners first by bringing them to repentance … Read More

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Peace for Families In the previous article we covered the first two of the twelve promises normally associated with the Sacred Heart Devotion as given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque. I also recommended this devotion to families, particularly on account of the second promise which promises peace to the families of those who practice this devotion. In our own family we have found that the practice of a particular devotion provides a … Read More