Month: December 2012

Among the less-celebrated joys of living in the Great White North is the predictability of the yearly calendar. Humid lazy summers lull you into sipping white wine while enjoying long barbecues with friends. Likewise, the frigid, desolate, hibernating winters make you seek the pleasures of hot cocoa while curled up ...

Upon pausing for a moment and looking back at what inspired me into entering into my profession I realise it was a journey which started long before I was even conscious of it. It was a journey which, over many years and after experiences of volunteering in different countries got ...

“Myth has always involved ways of telling stories that had special significance.  Myths change history into significant history.”  This is the power of literature: from birth to death, from damnation to salvation, our lives are full with meaningful stories.  “Philosophy and literature, therefore, belong together. They can work like the ...

This month I have decided to go off on a tangent. But then, this is a blog so I guess going off at a tangent is acceptable. Last month I attended a talk at the University Chaplaincy entitled ‘Faith and Reason’ given by Fr Rene Camilleri. It was a very ...

“Immortality! Take it! It’s yours!” These are the words pronounced by Achilles in the Iliad of Homer. The poem colourfully depicts the struggle of these men to attain immortality through glory in battle. Almost three thousand years later, a couple decides to be deep-freezed immediately after their death in order ...

The divorce referendum and the reactions to the pastoral letter on IVF have clearly revealed unease within the leadership of the Maltese Church to adapt to changes in society.  The Bishops were only reiterating Catholic teaching that is proclaimed the world over, so why did the message create so much ...

In a time when the virtual is very real and the distant is becoming every day closer, we might be running the risk of unconsciously limiting human relations to the virtual realm. December is a time when most feel jolly and, as it goes, more generous with others. Whether this generosity ...