The iconic end of Alasdair MacIntyre’s most famous book

The iconic end of Alasdair MacIntyre's most famous book, After Virtue: "It is always dangerous to draw too precise parallels between one historical period and another; and among the most misleading of such parallels are those which have been drawn between our own age in Europe and North America and the epoch in which the …

What’s in a benediction?

At the close of many services of worship, a leader stands and, often with one hand raised, palm facing the congregation, he or she speaks words of โ€œbenediction.โ€ Whatโ€™s in a benediction, and why are they important? The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious …

Nothing in my hand I bring

Last week, I suggested that, in his inaugural sermon at the Nazareth synagogue (Lk 4:16-21), and in the Beatitudes which must have been taught very soon after, Jesus echoed the words of Isaiah 61:1-7. I said that Jesus came to change the world, to turn the world upside down, to right wrongs, to pour out compassion, …

A guide to the Beatitudes

In what would be his last sermon, Pope Francis emphasised a contrast between the way of the world and the Way of Jesus. He said: Todayโ€™s builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers, and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell. …

New Ecumenical Council general secretary eyes greater church unity

Sight Magazine โ€“ April 16, 2025 โ€œAt its heart, the ecumenical community is a community of prayer โ€“ for one another, for all who seek to follow Christ, for people everywhere of all faiths or none, and for our world. As theologian Karl Barth said, โ€˜Prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder …