Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

– courage in persecution Persecution of Christians in various countries is making the headlines these days. Believers facing such opposition might well find inspiration from the courage of the Japanese Christians of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The Jesuit Francis Xavier had first brought Christianity to Japan in 1549, when he persuaded Shimazu...

 – and the wild boar St Kew has nothing to do with gardens or the ‘Q’ of James Bond fame. This Kew was a girl who lived in Cornwall in the 5th century, and who should be the patron saint of girls with difficult older brothers. Kew’s older brother was a hermit who felt his...

– the persuasive sister Scholastica (d.c. 543) should be the patron saint of any woman who can bend her brother to do her will – no matter how ‘powerful’ that brother might seem to other people. For Scholastica’s brother was no less than the great monk Benedict, who founded the famous Benedictine order and lived...

– the poetic shepherd Caedmon (d 680) should be the patron saint of all farmers who enjoy humming to themselves as they do the lambing this Spring. For Caedmon of Whitby was a bit like David in the Bible; he grew up as a simple herdsman out on the hills who enjoyed composing songs and...

– a poem St Valentine’s Day, many believe, was named after one or more Christian martyrs and was established by Pope Gelasius 1 in 496 AD. Valentine of Rome was martyred about 269, and this day usually ‘belongs’ to him. The first recorded association of Valentine Day with romantic love (1382) is from Geoffrey Chaucer....

All in the month of February 60 years since we first orbited Earth In memory of Dolly the Sheep The World Ahead The Christian faith of Denzel Washington   **   Editor:  We continue our column that looks at memorable dates in the month (this time, FEBRUARY) down the years. Here is a range from...

– a legend The Roman Emperor Claudius II needed soldiers. He suspected that marriage made men want to stay at home with their wives, instead of fighting wars, so he outlawed marriage. A kind-hearted young priest named Valentine felt sorry for all the couples who wanted to marry, but who couldn’t. So secretly he married...

There are two confusing things about this day of romance and anonymous love-cards strewn with lace, cupids and ribbon: firstly, there seems to have been two different Valentines in the 4th century – one a priest martyred on the Flaminian Way, under the emperor Claudius, the other a bishop of Terni martyred at Rome. And...

It was: 175 years ago, on 11th Feb 1847 that Thomas Edison, American inventor and businessman was born.  Best known for inventing the first practical incandescent light bulb, phonograph, movie camera and projector, and many more. 100 years ago, on 8th Feb 1922 that the first radio was installed in the White House. Also 100...

Cyril and Methodius are saints for anyone with good secular qualifications, who now suspects that God may be calling them to use those skills in His service. Cyril and Methodius were brothers, born into a wealthy family in Thessalonica, in 826 and 815 respectively. Their upbringing destined them for lives of respect and influence. Methodius,...

How full is your ‘Love Tank’? Dealing with a dispute Saving the Planet via Kitchen and Bathroom in 2022 What a tree can do for you Beware bird flu this winter You and Chris Witty Why you should do housework Want to see if you can find some romance? ** Editor: With Valentine’s Day in...

Everyone has times when, if we are in a relationship, we feel really loved by our partner, there’s a close connection and lots of fun and laughter. The relationship is flourishing. There are also times when we feel distant, frustrated, angry perhaps, and all the love seems to have leaked out of the relationship. Imagine...