KEVIN HARGADEN :: While for most people, the holiday ended with the finishing of the last bit of chocolate egg, this is the first week of Easter. Last Friday, Christians around the world remembered the crucifixion of Jesus, son of Mary. And on Sunday, they gathered across the globe to celebrate his Resurrection. Technically, the celebration continues for 50 days until Pentecost. This year I am struck by a detail of the original story that parallels what is happening today. As many people know, to die by crucifixion was not just excruciating but also shameful. Contemporaneous Roman accounts des ..read more

BILL TONER SJ :: It is hard to go through a day without feeling negative towards someone who crosses our path. It could be some shop assistant who is a bit snappy (“No, you can’t pay for groceries at this counter any more!”), or someone walking a dog without a lead, or, if you drive, a motorist who changes lane in front of you without warning. Or it could be someone you don’t actually see, such as a commentator on the radio. The trouble is that the negative feelings can stay with us and spoil our day. Our Christian faith offers us a way that lessens the sense of offence we feel. The Bible give ..read more

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: Up on the cliffs above Larne, Co. Antrim, I was absolutely beside myself, in floods of tears and unable to control it. I had just come out of a film, The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, in the local cinema. It is a quite unremarkable movie, except for … Houston’s singing, but something in it had touched me deeply…. It all began with a retreat, the Spiritual Exercises, that I was doing as part of the initial training to be a Jesuit. You have a lot of different experiences like working with special needs, in an inner city youth club, a 30-day walking pilgr ..read more

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: One of the most difficult things to discern is the appropriate use of anger. Anger is such a powerful emotion that it can drive everything else out the window and sometimes get out of control in a spectacular fashion. Often it begins with a sense of injustice, a sense that some wrong has been done, and naturally you want to right the wrong. And anger is a gift in terms of getting the courage to stand up for yourself, but unfortunately often the anger takes over, consumes us, and can lead to very negative consequences. So even though ther ..read more

DERMOT ROANTREE [from editorial of Studies, spring 2024] :: Article 27 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts people’s right ‘to enjoy the arts’ and ‘freely to participate in the cultural life of the community’. It seems fair to say, however, that for most people access to the arts is not near the top of the human rights priority list. Set next to such staples as the right not to be enslaved or tortured or the right to freedom of movement or of expression, it may appear to be something of a luxury item – a desirable thing, no doubt, but hardly essential. And maybe ..read more

BRENDAN McMANUS SJ :: Having a secret or living a double life can seem like the most exciting thing ever. There is constant drama, great excitement, and the thrill of endless concealment. It can seem so easy to deceive people, to pretend to be something else and to maintain a ‘little’ secret. Often there is a justification that it is not hurting anyone, that you ‘need’ it in some way, and that it seems to make life worthwhile compared to a drab and boring existence. What could be wrong with having a hidden treasure, a secret hideaway, or a delicious treat for oneself? Surely you deserve it and ..read more

BILL TONER SJ :: There is no disguising the fact that the number of priests in Ireland is declining at an alarming rate. In 2006 there were just over 3,000 priests ministering in Irish dioceses, whereas today, at the end of 2023, there are just over 2,000. It is possible that, in five years’ time, in the whole diocese of Killala, there will be eight active priests to serve 22 parishes. Many rural churches are effectively being abandoned. Parts of the traditional ‘priestly’ functions associated with events such as funerals, are increasingly being carried out by lay people. Even though great eff ..read more

BILL TONER SJ :: Recent arguments by celebrity commentators debunking the notion of ‘God’ have been largely based on Darwin’s theory of evolution. If humans and all living creatures evolved naturally by a long process of genetic mutations that were useful for survival, what is the point – so the argument goes –  of inventing an invisible being called ‘God’ to account for them?  However, what happened before evolution may be of more significance in arguing the case for an intelligent creator of the universe.  In a blog some years ago I expressed a view that it was remarkable ..read more

Gavin Thomas Murphy runs a website called Gratitude In All Things where he looks to Ignatian Spirituality for strength and inspiration. Tears flowed freely when I heard the news that my 89-year-old friend Peter Hannan SJ was taken to intensive care, and I felt deeply sad when one of his friends told me he had died. I was lucky to have known this wonderful gardener and spiritual teacher during the later stage of his life. I became friends with him after responding to an invitation to help out in the grounds of Manresa Jesuit Centre of Spirituality. As we gardened, we easily slipped in ..read more

Ignatius Loyola’s great insight came while he was convalescing. Initially, God was communicating within him through his daydreams leading him away from selfish pride and towards self-giving service of others. It was only on reflection, looking back over his experience, that Ignatius could sort out what was genuinely from God. It would take him many years to be able to listen fully to what God was saying, to temper his own unruly impulses, and so be of real service to the world. God seems to work with us slowly and patiently through different experiences, and we need need to take time to reflec ..read more