Category: Articles

The Odes of Solomon are the oldest surviving hymnal from the early Christian world. They were probably written in ancient Syria, in the Syriac language, between 100 and 200 AD. […]

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One of the teachings of the Catholic faith, which we Maronites share, and which has always seemed to me to be absolutely true is the doctrine of Purgatory. I have […]

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A Calling: Part Two When chapter 6 of Abbot William’s autobiography opens, it is mid-1951, and he has joined the Trappist abbey at Spencer. He writes about the spiritual path […]

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The Massabki brothers, Francis, Abdel Moati and Raphael, were Maronite martyrs, slain in Damascus on 10 July 1860 in part of a dramatic anti-Christian uprising in Syria and Lebanon from […]

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The journal Universitas, issued by the Jesuit-run Fu Jen University in Taiwan, has kindly published my article entitled “The Institution of the Eucharist in the Gospel of John, the Didache […]

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Formulation and Dithering  It is a beautiful, entertaining word: “dithering”; quite one of the modest glories of the English language. You could spend the afternoon in nature, on a grassy […]

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Formulations play an enormous part in our lives. They are necessary: whenever we speak we use formulations: “Good morning”, “I am …”, “Would you like …”, “Can you tell me […]

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Gurdjieff and the Prayer of the Heart Gurdjieff taught that techniques such as fasting, confession and prayer were not only valuable, but essential for any seeker. Gurdjieff gave few indications […]

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What is the greatest novel ever written, you ask? Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein (1954). Without a doubt. Of course, this is just my own opinion. I shall […]

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This little book (what they call a “chap book”) is based on my time as a prosecutor. I dedicated it to my nephews and nieces because it includes the sort […]

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