Thoughts on Faith

Today – 17th March – is St Patrick’s Day.  St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. If you’ve ever been in New York on St Patrick’s Day, you’d think he was the patron saint of New York as well… the flamboyant parade is full of American/Irish razzmatazz.   It’s all a far cry from the hard…

A number of years ago the hit film Slumdog Millionaire touched millions of people with its story of a youngster triumphing against all the odds. Dominic Savio, whose feast day is 9th March, did the same thing. In fact, he is a good patron ‘child saint’ for children today who struggle to get anywhere in life.   He…

Ash Wednesday, which this year is 22nd February, marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. Have you done something which haunts you?  Which makes you feel restless and defensive, every time you think of it? Why not deal with it this month, and put it behind you? Whatever your mistake has been, consider what…

On 17th February the Anglican Church remembers Janani Luwum, Archbishop & martyr of Uganda. The Most Reverend Janani Luwum (d 1977) was the Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi and Boga Zaire when 45 years ago this month he was murdered by the dictator Idi Amin. At the time the Church in Uganda was on the…

The Roman Emperor Claudius II needed soldiers. He suspected that marriage made men want to stay at home with their wives, instead of fighting wars, so he outlawed marriage. A kind-hearted young priest named Valentine felt sorry for all the couples who wanted to marry, but who couldn’t. So secretly he married as many couples…

In bygone centuries, Christians said their last farewells to the Christmas season on Candlemas, 2nd February. This is exactly 40 days after Christmas Day itself. In New Testament times 40 days old was an important age for a baby boy: it was when they made their first ‘public appearance’. Mary, like all good Jewish mothers, went…