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The Lord comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him what he desires. Solomon responds: Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great? (1 Kings 3). Solomon is prudent, not prudish. The former comes from the Latin providens, meaning ‘seeing ahead.’ The latter from the French, meaning ‘shocked by someone’s behaviour.’ We need prudent men and women in every age, but especially now with the c

You: ‘I don’t know how to pray.’ Me: ‘Of course you don’t.’ You: ‘Seriously, I can’t pray.’ Me: Relax. Let Paul direct you: The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words (Romans 8). We are good people, but weak. Take this magnificent passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offe

Matthew has five great discourses. Chapter 13 is number three. It is ‘chock-a-block’ with parables. In my opinion, the ‘Parable of all Parables’ is the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9), with its allegorical interpretation in Matthew 13:18-23. Brendan Byrne, Lifting the Burden (2004), wants us to be more perceptive and receptive: Where does the seed fall? What is the reception and response to the seed? What are the three failures and the three gains? The evil on

In the midst of the widespread rejection of his message, Jesus prays to his Father: I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth (Matthew 11). Jesus calls his Father ‘Abba.’ Jewish names for God include Lord, King, Shepherd, Rock, Fortress, Father. George T. Montague alerts us to something most important: The Talmud says that when a baby first begins to speak, his first words are Amma and Abba, both titles of intimacy by which he addresses his ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy.’ The fi

Pope Leo XIV begins chapter five of Magnifica Humanitas with a helpful reflection on the ‘tragic issue of war.’ He notes that ‘the past sixty years have been marked by conflicts of astonishing brutality.’ He warns of the danger AI poses for future conflicts. He defends the just war theory as a last resort in cases of legitimate self-defense. He then moves to help us to answer the question: At a time of great change, what should our attitude be? Pope Leo XIV speaks of the need

Modern life is replete with addictions. Alcohol takes its toll. Illicit drugs kill. Pornography is plentiful, accessible and destructive. Experts say that the gambling addiction is the hardest to break. One thing is certain: therapists will not be without work. Can we offer anything from our rich spiritual tradition? Well educated, formed in the Jewish faith, Saul of Tarsus undergoes an unexpected conversion, re-orientating him from persecuting Christians to the warm embrace