Dom Bede at Worth

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES   Dear Mr. President, If you ever get to read this letter, I expect you will consider me a Non-Entity from a foreign country whom you can afford to ignore. And you are right !   Nevertheless, what this Non-Entity has to say is shared by a great many people he knows. When we hear of your plans to build a wall to seal off the “back door” to your country, to use more barbed wire and to send in the Army, all in the cause of repelling the poor who come knocking on your door for relief, we feel it dramatically portrays the shattered nature of western culture and its Christian values, without the provision of anything to replace it. To repel the poor in this way is to reject belief in the brotherhood of humankind which itself depends on the universal fatherhood of God. It makes of you an atheist: no matter how often you may ask God to bless America, or however many “prayer breakfasts” you attend, your actions belie such w

THE CENTRE CANNOT HOLD   The Irish abortion referendum result was predictable, but nonetheless   I was surprised   that Ireland showed such a strong cultural shift away from the Catholic Church’s long-standing and unflinching teaching. So where should a Christian stand in this matter ?   Yes, there are complex moral issues involved, such as: ·          Just when does a foetus become a human person ? ·          Is it right that we only give a new human being legal rights from the moment of birth ? ·          Does a woman have an absolute right over the life of the foetus she carries ? ·          Is she answerable for conceiving when she knew she did not want a child ? ·          Does the father have any rights in the matter? ·          And what about duties in respect of parents and the community ? The matter is complex to say the least, and few seem to be aware of the taproot that has fed, and still feeds the divergence between the Catholic Church’s teaching and the pop

“ TWO BODIES” A SERMON PREACHED AT A MEMORIAL MASS    -     21.03.18 We’re all aware of the how the astonishing rush of discoveries and applications in the field of technology is affecting every part of our lives: smart phones, the web, robotics and driverless cars etc. But I wonder if you would agree with me that it has impacted even on our subconscious   lives too, and in a way that makes belief in the non-physical, non-observable, more challenging. And because it is a matter of the subconscious,   we may be largely unaware of what is happening to   us. So today, as we think and pray about Margaret’s life and death, the question arises, “What does the Apostles’ Creed mean when it asks us to believe in the “resurrection of the body ?”   Is this really credible ?   After all it does sound like the fanciful reflections of a primitive people seeking to explain the meaning of their lives. Well, there are two things (among various others) significant for me personally, which

22 nd March 2018 Dear Bloggers, No, I didn’t drop dead ! But you haven’t had anything from me for a few months, because I have been unwell.   However,   I’m now back on an even keel and about to resume my postings which I do hope you will find interesting. Don’t hesitate to respond if you should wish to make a comment !     “Bede at Worth”