Death, and dying are not topics that we discuss freely in our Western Christian culture; we tend to live life with the certainty of death hidden in the recesses of our mind. It is all around us, but we dare not think of it in case the impact of it is too much to bear. …
I am quite a fan of TEDtalks – there have been many fabulous talks and enlightening speakers presenting on a wide-range of subjects from surviving a suicide attempt to becoming an activist, with almost every conceivable topic in-between. Strangely enough religious leaders often do not make the best speakers, regardless of the topic they’re exploring. …
This is my opening lecture from the ‘Exploring Meaning With Thomas Merton and Viktor Frankl’ workshop held on 31st January 2015 at Bethlehem Abbey, Portglenone, Co. Antrim (and co-facilitated by Dr. Stephen Costello of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland): We gather here on this beautiful day, from many different places across Ireland, to celebrate …
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Thomas Merton’s Birth, The Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland and Thomas Merton Fellowship Invite you to a One-Day Workshop: ‘EXPLORING MEANING WITH THOMAS MERTON AND VIKTOR FRANKL’ Facilitators: Dr Stephen J. Costello, Director, Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland Rev. Dr. Scott Peddie, Thomas Merton Fellowship Thomas Merton was much influenced …
There are two quotes on forgiveness from the Jewish tradition that I find very moving (and indeed practical). They are: ‘Each night, before retiring, forgive whomever offended you’. Asher b. Yehiel, ‘Hanhaga’ ‘The most beautiful thing man can do is to forgive’. Eleazar b. Judah, Rokeah, 13C But regardless of our faith perspective, whether it …
As the Merton Fellowship for Peace and Contemplative Living met this weekend on a day retreat in All Souls Church in Belfast, I found myself reflecting on how far we have come in the four or so years we have been in existence. Since the first tentative steps were taken in an initial meeting held …
Learn how to meditate on paper. Drawing and writing are forms of meditation. Learn how to contemplate works of art. Learn how to pray in the streets or in the country. Know how to meditate not only when you have a book in your hand but when you are waiting for a bus or riding …
Sea of Faith was a six-part documentary television series, produced by the BBC and first screened in 1984. Presented by English philosopher and theologian Don Cupitt, the series explored the interface between the history of Christianity and critical thought through the lens of scientific advances, political atheism and societal secularisation. Of all the Sea of Faith productions, Cupitt’s short …
As we reflect upon the growing unrest and sectarian strife in the Middle East, at first glance it seems so difficult to find signs of hope. Consider, for example, the situation in Tripoli, one of Lebanon’s most divided cities, where sectarian antagonism chokes civic society and precludes the intermingling of Alewites, Sunni’s and Druze among …
‘No-one who knew Frans van der Lugt, the Dutch Jesuit priest murdered in Syria, was surprised by his refusal to leave the besieged city of Homs. He had spent almost 50 years in Syria and had been in Homs since the siege began more than two years ago’. So writes Bethlehem-based writer Daniel Silas Adamson in …
