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Loup Besmond de Senneville writing in globalpulsemagazine.com draws our attention to the fact that not all bishops or bishops’ conferences take the same approach or strategies when dealing with state authorites or pressing social issues.

Gerry Heffernan, writing from Brisbane, invites each one of us to express our solidarity with the Christians of the Middle East by joining in some way with Chaldean Christians who in accordance with their liturgical tradition are preparing to observe the so-called “fast of Nineveh” (Bautha of Ninwaye).
The Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Luis Raphael I, has invited all the faithful of the Chaldean Church to pray and live abstinence from food in order to ask the Lord for the return of the gift of peaceful coexistence in Iraq and throughout the troubled region of the Middle East.

Brian Eyre, reflecting on his own experience, asks ‘Should the modus operandi of Married Priests be the same as that of Celibate Priests?’
Brain suggests they should have a different focus but many of his suggestions may have equal validity for all priests, married or celibate. ‘If they are to make a significant contribution to the life of the church let them be more people orientated and less church buildings orientated.’

Brendan Hoban, in his Western People column, comments on the recent publicly expressed differences between Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Bishop Eamonn Walsh in relation to comments made by Eamon Walsh at the funeral of bishop Dermot O Mahony.
“Not so long ago bishops never contradicted each other. It wasn’t just regarded as bad form; it was breaking a golden rule because bishops never disagreed with each other – at least in public.”
“But now Pope Francis has brought a refreshing air of realism into the Church, where freedom of speech makes possible an adult debate for the first time in more than half a century. So bishops (and priests and people) can now say what they want – with the Pope’s imprimatur.”

Now that we’re as good as done with Christmas for another year is it time we evaluate how and when we celebrate the birth of Jesus?
Just before Christmas, Father William Grimm writing in globalpulsemagazine.com asked was it time to drop Christmas. “We could re-adopt the ancient multifaceted feast of Epiphany. Or, we could just move the celebration of the Nativity to some other point on the calendar.”

Mattie Long, moderator of the comments on this site, raises the issue of anonymous comments being published on the ACP website.
“It would appear to me that doing so encourages less than charitable, and less than Christian, instincts to get the better of some people who otherwise would see themselves as Christian in word and in deed”.

Brendan in his weekly Western People column outlines how we can all experience Christmas in very individual ways.
Brendan then suggests; “Make sure you take a bit of time off from Christmas. Let the water under your feet settle into a little puddle so that you can see a bit of yourself in it. Let the bustle fade into a silence. Find a clear space where you can hear what life is saying to you. Sit somewhere and look out at the world as it rages and races past. Find a quiet corner ….”
Good advice!