Commentary

There is a curious and intriguing passage in the third chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, which in the context of the missive seems almost tossed-off, but which has proven to be a cornerstone of Catholic moral theology for the past two thousand years.

Peter and the other apostles, eventually regarded as bishops, needed helpers or assistants, eventually known as deacons. With the tremendous growth and expansion of the early Church (see Acts 2:41 and 4:4), the apostles’ workload had become excessive.

Let letters stand alone Nature and nurture

There is no question that the time in which we are living is marked by uncertainty and fear.

What new language are you learning? Have you planted a victory garden? How many books a week are you reading?

I’ve been experiencing some weird side effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

It started with the Italians, whose arias rose from the balconies. They were on lockdown, but their voices rang out down empty moonlit streets. Ballads, the national anthem, improvised ditties over the barking of dogs.

One silver lining for me during this weird coronavirus shutdown has been the opportunity to return to some writing projects that I had left on the back-burner. One of these is a book on the Nicene Creed, which I had commenced many months ago and on which I was making only very slow progress, given my various pastoral and administrative responsibilities.