Desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes, desperate times can bring out hidden talents, lead to ingenious inventions or call for unconventional approaches. But sometimes desperate measures deployed to solve a problem, rather than making it better, make it worse and even more desperate. Sometimes desperate times are too overwhelming, and obstacles unsurmountable; the only solution then seems to be…
Driving has been an inseparable part of my job from day one. I frequently had to cover long distances, and sometimes, it felt like I was a professional driver with a priestly job on the side. I’ve never been into cars, treating them just as a means of transportation. Consequently, the car in question has always had to be cheap…
What began with a sense of elation, awe, and wonder ended in acrimony. They had feasted on free bread, made miraculously abundant, to their heart’s content. So much so that they tried to crown Jesus as their king by force. When he eluded their grasp, they sought him out and found him in the town of Capernaum, on the far…
A parishioner who had listened to my “hard-boiled eggs” sermon last Sunday asked me whether I would continue the theme today and say something about the scotch egg. I evaded giving a straightforward answer. Firstly, to pique their interest so they would come to Mass. Secondly, I have never had a scotch egg. I googled it, and it looks like…
When I was a child, travelling was an entirely different experience from what it is today. Fewer cars meant more people on trains, buses, and coaches – they were often overcrowded. Even relatively short journeys by today’s standards took ages due to the combination of winding roads (no motorways) or old railway tracks and unreliable rolling stock and coaches. There were…