Most of us have been raised to believe that we have a right to possess whatever comes to us honestly, either through our own work or through inheritance. No matter how large that wealth might be, it’s ours, as long as we didn’t cheat anyone along the way. By and large, this belief has been

It had been a day of searing heat in the city of Logiya in Ethiopia’s north-east Afar region. It’s a tough neighbourhood, containing the Danakil Desert, one of the hottest places known to man: temperatures in the naked plains frequently soar above 50°C (122°F), exacerbated by the fierce blowing of the Gara, which translates as

Caspar Schwenckfeld (1489-1561) was yet another Catholic priest who lost his mooring during turbulent times – in this case, the Reformation era. Born in Ossig, Silesia, to noble parents, he started university in Cologne in 1505, but after two years moved on to the university at Frankfurt on the Oder. After another year or two,

Cryptic across 6 Mongolian leader is ‘bully, brute, animal’ (11) 8 Queen’s opting out – in Oxford, principal goes to ring fellow dinosaur (8) 9 Nice friends for the author (4) 10 Extremely bitter exchange, with letters at first, to Belgian who wrote in French (4) 12 Biblical nomad needs a little while to crash

Ordinary Form Divine Office Week IV Sunday, March 31: Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) Jos 5:9A, 10-12; Ps 34; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 Monday, April 1: Weekday of Lent Is 65:17-21; Ps 30; Heb 10:4-10; Jn 4:43-54 Tuesday, April 2: Weekday of Lent, St Francis of Paola Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46; Jn 5:1-16 Wednesday, April

“Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life,” declared St Basil in the 4th century. The Catholic Church has always taught the existence of such guardian angels, not only for individuals but also for nations (Portugal’s guardian angel was seen by the visionaries at Fatima) and for Catholic institutions.

What does it mean to be in the world and not of it? This is an essential question for Lent. The Christian Humanism promoted by the Church since the Second Vatican Council has perhaps had an important role in correcting a Jansenist view of human nature and affirming that this nature retains dignity and beauty

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is known by the first word of the Introit, the first chant of Mass, “Laetare … Rejoice”! This is one of two days in the year when we use rose (rosacea) coloured vestments. We momentarily relax the penitential character of our Lenten Sundays. The tradition of rosacea vestments grows from

Fourth Sunday of Lent Josh 5:9-12; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3 & 11-12 (Year C) “The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have taken the shame of Egypt away from you.’” The words spoken to Joshua announced a new beginning for the children of Israel. They had endured the slavery of Egypt and the years

Professor Maxwell’s Duplicitous Demon By Brain Clegg Icon Books, 304pp, £16.99/$25 Names like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton spring easily to mind but while we recognise James Clerk Maxwell as a scientist of importance, what he actually taught may elude many of us. That could be because his work was essentially to demonstrate that magnetism,

Unplanned By Abby Johnson Ignatius Press, 304pp, £12.99/$16.99 The author, formerly working for Planned Parenthood as the director of an abortion clinic in Bryan, Texas, became famous when she left her job in 2009 after watching an abortion take place on ultrasound. She joined Coalition for Life, the organisation that had for years mounted prayer

Ten Caesars By Barry Strauss Simon and Schuster, 432pp, £20/$28 One is naturally disposed to be defensive of “Western civilisation”, in part because the term is often used as a euphemism for civilisations influenced by Christianity, in part because such alternatives as Sharia law are unappealing, and partly because of increasing hostility to the social