Category: Church Reform
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IS CELIBACY A DELICACY?
(A sequel to “The Gay Priest”) A delicacy is usually related to food, my favourite indulgence. It is different from the daily fare of dal-chawal or sabji-roti. For me a delicacy is something like succulent pork chops. Obviously one cannot eat that everyday. A delicacy is something special, not the norm. Celibacy is like a…
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THE GAY PRIEST
When we were young, being gay meant that we had the joyous abandonment of a child, an attribute that St Paul gives to being children of God (cf Rom 8:21). Today, being gay is understood as a man having a sexual relationship with another man; just as lesbian means women being in a sexual relationship…
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HAT – TRICK
The just concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) would be fresh in people’s minds. Hence one cannot be faulted for presuming that this piece is about cricket! It isn’t. It’s not about red balls but about red hats, the red Berettas given to Cardinals. They are the flavour of the season thanks to the announcement of…
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FARCICAL FRATERNAL FANTASY
There is celebration in some circles that Pope Francis’ latest directive that non-ordained “Brothers” in men’s religious orders that also include priests, may now become Major Superiors, albeit with Vatican permission. What is the hullabaloo about? Will it have any impact on the ground? Though not a fan of Shakespeare, the Pope’s directive reminded me…
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FEAR NOT…
Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, done and dusted. Life can now return to normal. Really? If the preceding 50 days was a drama, then “Yes”. If it was a spiritual experience, then “No”. Post Resurrection we cannot possibly return to normal life. A believing Christian’s life can never be “normal”. Nor is it abnormal. It…
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TRANSFIGURED, CONFIGURED, DISFIGURED?
This morning (13th March) the Church celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration. While the gospel was being read my thoughts raced ahead. The three Synoptic Gospels refer to the Transfiguration (cf Mat 17:1-8, Mk 9:2-8, Lk 9:28-36). Peter, who was present then, also alludes to it (cf 2 Pet 1:16-18).Significantly, all three synoptic writers situate…
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MAKE LOVE NOT WAR
As teenagers in the 1960’s we were exposed to the anti-establishment pop culture of the Beatles, and the anti-war protests of the hippies. The latter’s war cry (sic) was “Make love not war”. As I write this the Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered its second week. Time will tell how and when it will…
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HOW FAITHFUL IS GOD?
The mandate given to me was to write about “How great is the faithfulness of God”, in the context of FOCUS completing 9 years. This sounded like a categorical statement that brooked no argument. The best answer would be “Please read the Bible. You will discover how faithful God is”. Unfortunately, this seemingly innocuous question…
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SHISHU BHAWAN TO SHISHU MANDIR?
2022 dawned bleakly. Not just because of the resurgent Covid, but because of the events of 3rd January. On that sad day Mother Teresa’s “Missionaries of Charity’ (MC) sisters handed over their Nirmala Shishu Bhawan, Kanpur, to the Indian Army. Will Shishu Bhawan now become a Shishu Mandir, the term that the RSS uses for…
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MIXED FRUIT JAM
This is not a food recipe, but it could be a recipe for disaster for those who oppose it. I am referring to inter-faith marriages, sometimes referred to as Mixed Marriages (MMs). For some they bear much fruit, like a hybrid that is greater than the sum total of its parts. Take the Eurasian or…