Article 77 – Marriage – The Absent Father

|

Family BreakdownI have been doing a little research of late into the problem of absent fathers and the damaging effects the absent father has on his children, particularly on his daughters. Christmas is a sad time for many people on account of things such as bereavement, unhappy family memories, particularly those from an unhappy childhood, family breakdown and other family issues. It is a time when we must turn to the Holy Family in praise and joy but also to … Read More

Article 76 – Advent – Modesty – Preparation

|

The Season of AdventAs we enter the season of Advent, where we look forward not only to the coming of Christ’s birthday, but also to His second coming, we are reminded that this is a time of preparation. Primarily, preparation of our souls so that we are ready to meet Christ if he should choose to come at this time and so that we are in a state of perpetual readiness for our own death. I tell my children that … Read More

Article 75 – The Irish Minister for Health should Resign

|

The Killing of Terminally ill ChildrenIn my last article, I mentioned the importance of precision in the use of language, so as to avoid confusion. Today I want to take a quick break from Pope Pius XII’s allocution to midwives in order to emphasise the same point about language with regard to something more current in Irish society. There are some in Ireland today who favour putting terminally sick children to death if they are not yet born, and if … Read More

Article 74 – Pope Pius XII on Family 2

|

Marriage! Family Matters …cont’d God is OrderGod is a God of order. Simply put, this tells us that God does everything for a particular purpose. He creates things for a purpose and we have ‘right order’ when that purpose is being followed. The maxim ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ captures the essential essence of right order. Conversely, disorder, is when persons or things are used contrary to the purpose for which God created them. The Importance … Read More

Article 73 – Pope Pius XII on Family

|

Pope Pius XII – Allocution to MidwivesIn the coming weeks I would like to take a look at Pope Pius XII’s allocution to Italian midwives from October of 1951. This allocution is very important for those who wish to have a proper understanding of marriage particularly when, as we have seen, a former President of Ireland has joined with a group of dissenting Catholics in calling for the over turning of Blessed Pope Paul VI’s encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’, falsely stating … Read More

Hibernation

|

I realise that things have been very quiet on this site of late and that I haven’t posted anything since November 13th last year. It has been a busy time with two conferences, one in Kerry in December and one in Cork at the beginning of this month. I hope to upload that particular talk in the near future. This talk seems to some to be a little controversial because I am asking questions, and hoping that all those involved … Read More