De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

 Matthew 7:1-6 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you." I wanted to share this Tim Mackie exposition of judgement which I found profoundly helpful. Even if it is not true, the impression most non-Christians have of Christians is that they are judgemental, hypocritical & anti-gay. Westborough Baptists then: a vocal minority. Tim, quite shockingly says we are guilty of judging other Christians way...

One really common question people ask is what happens when we die? Interestingly, all people at all times all over the world have believed in life after death. Only in modern times, when the cult of scientism has dominated secular understanding almost completely, do many people completely deny the possibility of life after death. I think they are afraid of the light, afraid that there will be consequences for their behaviour.  Scientism has been the subject of warnings from several Popes, perhaps the clearest explanation comes in Fides et ratio : "Another threat to be reckoned with is scientism. This is the philosophical notion which refuses to admit the validity of forms of knowledge other than those of the positive sciences; and it relegates religious, theological, ethical and aesthetic knowledge to the realm of mere fantasy. In the past, the same idea emerged in positivism and neo-positivism, which considered metaphysical statements to be meaningless. Critical epi...

Following on from my post yesterday on praying for the dead, Fr. Kevin's homily at Mass today shone more light on the subject: If you go think back over the history of the film industry over the last fifty years, in every decade there has been an ever increasing number of films made about the end of the world, and they often contain the word Apocalypse . The genre has included everything from the world being overtaken by aliens, to global diseases obliterating mankind, to natural disasters of every kind. For the people in the Philippines – our brothers and sister in the Faith – the events of last weekend will have been nothing less than apocalyptic for them. For the Church at this time, the end of the year brings with it thoughts of the end of the world: apocalypse . It’s a Greek word that means uncovering; rather in the same way that the Latin equivalent – revelation – means also an unveiling, a taking away of the veil. Something of great significance is being disc...

...For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." ( Matt 7:1-2 ). This line of Scripture is one of the most misused there is in the whole Bible. It is usually trotted out when someone with faith objects to some immoral action. The accusation is that you are being 'judgemental'. Whether you are dealing with an adult child who’s living with her boyfriend or coping with an adult sibling who has announced that he is gay, we struggle with he dilemma of whether to allow the child or sibling to practice the immoral lifestyle in the family home. Do I have to let them spend the night? What do I tell my kids? How do I deal with this in a loving way? Can I truly love my neighbour while rejecting his immoral lifestyle? Is it any of my business? The simple answer is to say "Jesus never judged anyone, he loved everyone and love and forgiveness are the path to the arms of our Lord". This has been the trend ...

Well, here we are at the final episode of Fr. Robert Barron's wonderful Catholicism series. It has been a fantastic journey that has really opened up the beauty and majesty of the faith for us. I know from speaking with many of you how much you have gained from the series and how much you have enjoyed it. If you are interested in continuing your study, please do let Fr. Kevin or myself know and we will be very happy to put on something else in the near future. Tonight, rather appropriately, we are considering the Last Things: Death, Judgement, Hell, and Heaven, something we may not have heard much of lately, but things which are vital for all of our understanding of the faith. I have some more on my blog about this if you are interested, just click here . Here is an overview of the topic: World Without End~Eschatology: The Last Things "God is the 'last thing of the creature. Gained, he is paradise; lost, he is hell; examining, he is judgement  purifying, ...