Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Social media and video games are harming our young people’s minds.  They are being so bombarded with instant gratification that, like young children, they need to have ‘something every moment to distract them.’ So says Baroness Greenfield, a senior research fellow at Oxford University.  She refers to studies at Harvard and Princeton which found that...

Do you want your life to make a difference – for the good – in this world?  Then Luis Bertran (1526-81) is the saint for you.   This fearless Dominican priest so inspired tens of thousands of people in Latin America that he was chosen as patron of Columbia. Luis Bertran was born at Valencia in...

We all know about the sandwich generation – those of us who are caught in between trying to support our children in buying a home, and also in supporting our parents who need social care. But now there is a new generation – the club-sandwichers.  They are those of us whose money is now going...

Have you ever held your head in your hands and felt that events were against you? Then Denys is the saint for you.  This Christian martyr knew all about holding his head in his hands when times got rough. According to Gregory of Tours, Denys was an Italian bishop who became the first bishop of...

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. How the mighty have fallen!  2 Samuel 1:26 A lament is a passionate expression of grief, a heartfelt cry of sadness. Here David, who composed some of the most memorable...

A man asked a friend about the two greatest problems in the world. The friend responded, ‘I don’t know and I don’t care!’ ‘You got them both!’ the man replied. Psalm 121 presents a God who both knows and cares about our problems. As the first Song of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), it was used by...

Here is a saint for you if you have lost the person you love.  Here is a saint for you if you would not let your wealth and security stop you from doing something daringly good with your life. Francis Borgia (1510 – 72) certainly began with it ‘all’.  He was the son of a...

If you approve of giving money to help cathedrals survive, then Edward the Confessor (1003 – 66) is the saint for you.  This early King of England was the virtual founder of Westminster Abbey.  And never mind entrance charges –   at one point in his life, Edward was giving a full tenth of his income...

Many women start businesses in order to help society in some way, rather than to simply make money. According to recent research, 66 per cent of women said they had started a business to contribute to society, compared with just 39 per cent of men. The study led by Aston University in Birmingham found that:...

Some Christians today have the curious idea that being a Christian guarantees a prosperous life in this world.  St Paul was more realistic – throughout his epistles he urges Christians to pray for patience and endurance in this world.  Donation (martyred c 484) is a timely reminder that we are called to be witnesses, and...

Rock Prayer for changing seasons Wisdom Lord, have mercy The Pianists and Musicians The Guarding of the God of Life Our Friend How can I endure? ** Rock Matthew 7:25 In the changing seasons, in the terrifying, changing world where landscapes are no longer recognisable, where things spin so quickly out of control, You are...

A woman had recently become a Christian and been baptised.  Curious, one of her colleagues at work asked her what it was like to be a Christian. The woman was caught off guard and didn’t know how to answer.  Then she saw the office ‘jack-o’-lantern’ on a nearby desk and blurted: ‘Well, it’s like being...