A while back, there was a young girl that I knew. At first glance everything seemed to be going all right in her life: she was a diligent student, she was teetotal, and she was a regular church-goer. But her seemingly ordered and good life was blighted by something deep down inside her, something that massively troubled her mind as…

Part of my studies in the seminary, and incidentally one of their defining moments, was a five-month parish placement. The most responsible task delegated to me while I was there was the preparation of quite a large group of children for First Communion. Part of that job involved making all the necessary arrangements for the big day itself. Twenty-odd years…

When I had finished writing my last Sunday’s sermon, I deemed it to be one of my usual, bog- standard efforts – just short enough to stop the congregation having a snooze or having to admire the church’s architecture for too long. I considered that sermon to be acceptable at best or indifferent at worst; but certainly there was nothing…

My dog seems to be more popular and liked than his master! I believe that’s down to the dog’s good behaviour and manners, his unobtrusive and gentle ways of interacting with people, and his eager obedience. Overall, he’s undoubtedly a likeable creature. And I humbly take all the credit for that as I trained my dog, I keep my eye…

Lucky coincidence. Bad luck. Unfortunate. Happy ending. Pure luck. These are just a few examples of the many phrases and expressions that we use every day to describe the happenings in our lives. They have in common the assumption that things can happen without any logical reason, cause or explanation. Moreover, things happen without our own input, or contrary to…