De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

SFX Staff Bulletin - Chaplain’s Page (03/06/19) “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way!” (Mac Davis, 1980) A few of you will be old enough (sorry!) to remember this comedy song. For those who aren’t, here it is:     As you may have guessed, the assembly and form period theme for the week after half-term is Humility. It’s a term that in the Christian context generally gets contrasted with the sin of pride. But, personally, I like the interpretation that refers back to the word’s etymology and the latin “ humus ” or earth . Someone who is humble is someone who is grounded , down to earth . One of my favourite Catholic folk hymns from the 1980s quotes in paraphrase form the Old Testament prophet Micah (chapter 6, verse 8) on this topic: “This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this, That you act justly, that you love tenderly, That you walk humbly with your God .”   Walking ...

Prof. Brian Cox has the gift of being both sensible and level-headed whilst at the same time being passionate about communicating his own passion for nature/the universe, not unlike astronaut Chris Hadfield, with whom he also shares the lay man's open-mouthed sense of wonder at the splendour of it all and the ability to articulate that wonder in a way that helps others to share in it. In these quotes from his new book  + TV series he comes down quite clearly on Darwin's side, but is nonetheless measured and respectful in his attitude to religion + religious belief in relation to our understanding of the universe. Though Cox himself is not religious, in advocating the need for a sense of wonder when observing even as insignificant a thing as a blade of grass, he is advocating an attitude which I believe brings us closer to God in awe and wonder at the world he has made.