On the back of a rotten dream and a few following unsettled nights, I dragged just about every scriptural reference book I own out, blew off the dust, and began scratching out the following. It’s heavy but it’s worth the toil. I think. The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory has always been a scandal to the … Continue reading The Fires That Cleanse: On Purgatory, Scripture, and the Uneasy Middle
Tag: prayers
“Drop, Drop, Slow Tears” – A Meditation in the Margins
By a hopeless penitent with a bookshelf and a leaky conscience At the opening of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth, before we meet the orphaned seamstress or the soft-hearted Bensons, we are met with tears. Not sentimental ones, but slow, penitential tears - each drop a silent argument for mercy. The chosen epigraph, “Drop, drop, slow tears”, … Continue reading “Drop, Drop, Slow Tears” – A Meditation in the Margins
The Man & The Image
Here’s another one of Aesop's fables for today, as I slowly savour my way through these timeless tales. Quite literally, these stories are bite-sized morsels, yet each one is packed with a feast of wisdom and insight. Aesop's fables have been around for ages, dishing out wisdom with a side of animal antics and clever … Continue reading The Man & The Image
To the Land of Dreams I Run
To the land of dreams I run, When the day makes off with the sun. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 There comes a time, as the last embers of daylight are swallowed by the abyss of night, when I … Continue reading To the Land of Dreams I Run
Gaudete! A Tale of Two Chickens
Advent, with its quiet reflections and flickering candlelight, often stirs up memories - some sacred, some sentimental, and, in my case, one involving a chicken that met a rather undignified end on our kitchen floor. It was during a Christmas service, listening to others share their treasured festive recollections, that I found myself smirking at … Continue reading Gaudete! A Tale of Two Chickens
Wording 