Columns

An ode to the Church

Sep 14, 2018

Carlo Carretto was an Italian monk who died in 1988. For many years he lived as a hermit in the Sahara Desert, translated the scriptures into the Tuareg language, and from the solitude of the desert wrote some extraordinary spiritual books.
Towards a more meaningful, inclusive Malaysia Day

Sep 14, 2018

This Sunday, we celebrate Malaysia Day, the first in the new Malaysia. The celebrations this year take on a new tone as we celebrate the diversity in our federation – comprising the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak – in the spirit of inclusivity.
How to respond

Sep 08, 2018

Sometimes, all you can do is to put your mouth to the dust and wait. That’s a counsel from the Book of Lamentations and, while perhaps not the best response to the recent revelations of clerical sexual abuse and cover-up in the Roman Catholic Church, it seems the only helpful response available to me as a Roman Catholic priest today. Beyond prayer, I’ve been hesitant to respond otherwise to this current situation for three reasons.
Conservative backlash against Francis?

Sep 07, 2018

This has been an uncomfortable time for the Catholic Church, in particular the Bishop of Rome, Francis, who is fresh from a trip to Ireland.
Uri Avnery — a prophetic voice in a troubled region is no more

Sep 01, 2018

The great Israeli peace writer and peace activist Uri Avnery passed away on Aug 20 at the age of 94. He may not be familiar to many of us here. But his work for the cause of a just peace in the Middle East should be an example for us all.
Beautiful stoics

Aug 30, 2018

There’s a rich literature being written today by some highly intelligent, sensitive men and women who might best be described as agnostic stoics.
Merdeka 2.0: A nation blessed, a new journey begins

Aug 23, 2018

So we are on the threshold of Merdeka once again. The first Merdeka since the arrival of the new Malaysia on 9 May — or as some would say, Merdeka 2.0.
The power of a compliment

Aug 23, 2018

Thomas Aquinas once suggested that it’s a sin to not give a compliment to someone when it’s deserved because, by withholding our praise, we’re depriving that person of the food that he or she needs to live on. He’s right. Perhaps it’s not a sin to withhold a compliment but it’s a sad impoverishment, both for the person deserving the compliment and for the one withholding it.
Strengthening social solidarity to ease the public burden

Aug 16, 2018

In the new Malaysia, there are a few things we can do to immediately raise the quality of life for the lower-income group. The first step has already
Why I believe in God

Aug 16, 2018

Some of my favourite authors are agnostics, men and women who face life honestly and courageously without faith in a personal God.