150 :
27 May 2010

Academic Freedom... At first sight, today's commentary might seem to be about things remote from the readership Catholica is endeavouring to serve — the disenchanted who are sick of what our institution has been attempting to serve up as "truth" and "the pathway to paradise" — but, bear with us, there is a connection. This is an important article about academic freedom. In the West academics might be in more danger of being reported by the 'Temple Police' than the 'State Police' but the threats to academic freedom in both places are very real. Amidst growing concern in various articles in the international media regarding political pressure being exerted on the Ukrainian Catholic University by the Ukrainian Secret Service, Dr Andrew Kania, provides some background history to the University. This article might have particular interest in Australia because the present rector of the University, the young, American-born, Fr Borys Gudziak, will be in Australia for a series of lectures in July this year. At the end of this commentary we provide links to a recent commentary in The Economist (23 May) which was followed up by a comment in First Things (25 May) by George Weigel. We have borrowed the headline from First Things as the title for this commentary. [more]

149 :
27 Apr 2010

Is it time for Lay Cardinals again? This commentary from Dr Andrew Kania hardly requires an introduction other than the one's Dr Kania gives to it. It is a powerful essay examining the importance and role of the laity in the Church. [more]

148 :
25 Apr 2010

An ANZAC Day Tribute... I dedicate this article in memory of all those fallen men and women of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, who died for us, who live after them, to enjoy such a blessed life, and in particular to those men who died on the Sandakan Death March, of which my great Uncle was one of too many. Lest We Forget. ...ATK [more]

147 :
20 Apr 2010

In the name of our Trinitarian understanding of Almighty God... We all have experiences in our lives that lead to some 'sign' or 'memory' having special relevance to us. You may recall Dr Andrew Kania relating to us his traumatic experience as a youngster at school of being humiliated because he wouldn't make the sign of the cross in the right way — well "the right way" according to the particular teacher he had at the time. The "Sign of the Cross" has always had an extra special relevance to Andrew and he shares some of his insights with us in this commentary. Within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the Sign of the Cross is one of our most used and oldest "signs". [more]

146 :
13 Apr 2010

Important differences between Byzantine and Latin Rite practices... Here's a fascinating essay from Dr Andrew Kania which will be of educational interest to many readers of Catholica explaining some of the differences between Byzantine Rite and Latin Rite liturgical practices and the difficulties and misunderstandings that sometimes arise in Catholic schools. It is to be hoped that the essay might receive wide circulation in Catholic schools amongst chaplains and RE teachers in particular, as well as in the wider community, in line with the desire of the Australian Bishops to encourage better understanding of these matters throughout the Church. [more]

145 :
11 Apr 2010

Finding a point of balance amidst the current crisis... Today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania is triggered partly by the crisis the institutional Church is presently going through and a deep disappointment even disillusion brought on by the behaviour of some priests and bishops. Andrew also has many wonderful memories of the Church that nurtured him. Today he shares some of those memories in preparation for the criticisms that he also feels needs to be voiced at this time. At times today's commentary is almost whimsical and certainly nostalgic and will stir many such memories ofr readers of Catholica. [more]

144 :
09 Mar 2010

The nature of Epiphany II... Today Dr Andrew Kania concludes his two-part reflection on the nature of Epiphany. We speak of God giving light to the world and Jesus giving true light to every person (as in John 1:9) but what does this all mean in practical terms? This reflection contains some thought provoking ideas from the likes of Marco Polo, Thomas Merton, Yves Congar as well as Andrew himself. [more]

143 :
02 Mar 2010

The nature of Epiphany I... Today and next Tuesday Dr Andrew Kania invites us to spend time reflecting on the nature of Epiphany in our lives. This week the reflection is based on the Old Testament scriptural passage from Isaiah on Epiphany from Chapter 9. Next week he takes a passage from John in the New Testament. [more]

142 :
20 Feb 2010

There can be no excuse for these crimes; and no excuse for their cover up! On the 26th of November, 2009, a statement was issued by the Irish Government with regard the findings of the Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The long-awaited Statement informed the Irish public that: "a systemic, calculated perversion of power and trust was visited on helpless and innocent children in the Archdiocese over a 30 year period ... The report leaves us in no doubt that clerical child sexual abuse was tolerated and covered up by the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Church authorities. The focus of those authorities was on the avoidance of scandal for the Church and the preservation of the good name, status and assets of the institution, rather than on the welfare of children. The findings are shocking and raise the most fundamental questions for the Church authorities." Dr Andrew Kania has prepared this commentary which we publish as an editorial reflective of the collective view of the wider Catholica community on this issue of acute embarrassment to almost all baptised Catholics. ...Editor [more]

141 :
16 Feb 2010

The power, and limitations, of language... Yesterday morning I received an email from a priest friend having a go at (Don't call me Fr) Peter Kennedy of South Brisbane fame. He was complaining about Peter's media comment in recent days "We have made God in our own image. I can't believe in a God that grants some people miracles but punishes others, but I do think there is something more, but what it is, I have no idea." Later in the day the priest friend sent me a further email from another former priest friend of his who effectively said: "hang on a minute, Peter Kennedy is actually saying something theologically correct here". My friend had changed his mind: who can describe God? Could Augustine describe God? Or Thomas Aquinas? Could Jesus himself accurately describe his 'father in heaven'?" By coincidence, today's commentary from Andrew Thomas Kania explores this theological problem we have as human beings of trying to use language to describe things such as 'love', "commitment', 'virtue', or the hardest of them all 'the Mystery of God'. This is rich territory for meditation. ...Editor [more]

140 :
22 Dec 2009

A way forward for harmony between the Peoples of the Book: Part 2... Again we have a commentary today that might be better bookmarked for reading after the Christmas season is past. This is material for serious reflection from Dr Andrew Kania that looks at the whole issue of inter-religious dialogue through the minds of a 13th century thinker and a 15th century thinker: Raymon Llull and Nicholas of Cusa. Both thinkers seem way ahead of their time and offer a surprisingly modern appreciation of the attitude that we should have towards people who do not share the same theological understandings as ourselves. [more]

139 :
15 Dec 2009

A way forward for harmony between the Peoples of the Book: Part 1... Today's commentary gels in so well with the recent Parliament of World Religions held in Melbourne, and the lengthy discussions we've been having in this community on the embarrassment of the Crusades and other behaviours in our Church. Dr Andrew Kania's commentary is the first part of the thought-provoking address he gave at Oxford University on the 4th December which draws on the wisdom of a 15th century modern, Nicholas of Cusa, seeking to encourage interreligious dialogue, rather than conflict and competition, between the Peoples of the Book. This is accessible theology, and interreligious politics, for the hardest of hearts. Immerse yourself and feel uplifted with a little hope. [more]

138 :
08 Dec 2009

Faith-Based Diplomacy Part 2... Today we publish the second part of Dr Andrew Kania's address last week to the Oxbridge students at Eton College. An intellectual tour de force drawing on some of the best thinkers on spirituality and religion of the last century, Dr Kania builds the case for the importance of religion as a force to create political and social harmony in the world if it can be freed from the yoke of religious and political fundamentalism. [more]

137 :
01 Dec 2009

Faith-Based Diplomacy Part 1... Dr Andrew Kania today delivers a lecture to students at the elite British boys' school, Eton College, who next year will be moving on to study at Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Catholica is proud to be able to bring you the text of his lecture at around the time Andrew will be delivering it on the other side of the world to a group of young people who will be in the leadership sectors of the future. [more]

136 :
24 Nov 2009

A modern metaphor for understanding the Mystery of Trinity? Dr Andrew Kania returns to the pages of Catholica today with an interesting commentary seeking to find a more contemporary metaphor or analogy through which we might better understand — or, for teachers, explain — the difficult theological Mystery of Trinity accessible to the modern scientific or technologically oriented mind. Does this understanding, taken from a classical Physics understanding of Light, serve as a good analogy as to how something can be divided but indivisible at one and the same time? Next week Dr Kania will be back at Oxford and we will begin publishing the paper he will be delivering there. [more]

135 :
13 Nov 2009

Congratulating the Ukrainian Catholics of Australia Something a little different by way of a commentary today — and something pretty personal for our regular commentator, Dr Andrew Kania. As regular readers would have worked out a long time ago, Andrew is very passionate about his Ukrainian Catholic heritage, not to mention his Polish heritage as well. Last weekend he was able to celebrate this in a special way with the launch of a book his father, Vladimir, has written — in Ukrainian — documenting the history of the Ukrainian Catholics in Western Australia. His book is part of a series of wider celebrations the Ukrainian Catholics in Oceania have been having in recent years of their presence in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. Their presence here was initially sparked by the migrations out of Europe that occurred in the wake of the Second World War and the persecution of Catholics behind the Iron Curtain. For our lead commentary today we re-publish a short article Dr Kania wrote for the Ukrainian community in Perth as part of their celebrations last weekend. We also re-publish a longer dot-point history of Ukrainian Catholicism in Australia which we have taken from the Ukrainian Catholic Church's website which will be of interest to many readers of Catholica in broadening their appreciation of the diversity of Catholicism. [more]

134 :
11 Aug 2009

Moral Hemophilia: Concept and Reality (cf. Luke 10: 29-37) It seems a common human trait that as time unwinds in our lives most people find a desire to travel back and understand their origins as a way to understanding their present and forging a new future. Today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania could be described as being written out of that genre. Andrew claims a joint Ukrainian and Polish heritage. His faith and spiritual outlook was significantly forged by the momentous conflicts that went on, often between co-religionists, in the furnaces of ideology, politics and religion in Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. Today's commentary is part personal journey looking back at the tensions between two profoundly Catholic nationalities, the Poles and the Ukrainians in the immediate aftermath of World War II. It is a commentary that many on Catholica will appreciate given the video on YouTube which we have been featuring on the Catholica Video Channel [LINK] for the past week — which, entirely by conincidence surfaced on Crikey and was brought to our attention on Catholica by TonySee — which graphically illustrated the emotional pain suffered by the Ukrainian people in 1945 shortly before the historical events explored by Dr Kania today. [more]

133 :
04 Aug 2009

The real story behind Morris West's prophecy... Morris West is often lauded as some kind of prophet for his seeming prediction of the election of Karol Wojtyla as Pope. In fact Morris West's story was based on some individuals from another part of Eastern Europe. Dr Andrew Kania's commentary today gives some of the background and also further highlights the suppression placed on the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe, and particularly the Ukraine, under Stalinism. Andrew entitled this fascinating essay: Prisoner and Exile (cf. Isaiah 53: 3-4, LXX) [more]

132 :
28 Jul 2009

Bonhoeffer's New Theology: a new way of understanding our relationship with God Christianity is neither a game of trying to suck up to God, or Jesus Christ, in the hope of some eternal reward, nor is it some game of abundance theology pretending that if we are 'good' and follow all the rules God will make our lives happy and materially plentiful. It is a serious pursuit of endeavouring to think and act like God through the example of Jesus Christ. In this poignant concluding essay to his series on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr Andrew Kania seeks to provide insight into the new theology Dietrich Bonhoeffer was brought to think through in the moral dilemmas posed by the rise of Adolf Hitler and his own incarceration and execution. This theology does lead to a sense of personal abundance and freedom that surpasses any kindergarten-level or materialist theologies. Bonhoeffer forged this theological understanding in a crucible at the extreme of human endurance but it is a theology for all of us in the hum-drum of life in peaceful times as well. [more]

131 :
21 Jul 2009

Render unto Caesar (cf Matthew 22: 17-21) In one sense Dr Andrew Kania's commentary today is preparatory for one that is going to be even more interesting next week looking at the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In another sense though, today's commentary is highly provocative, even controversial raising issues that nice people would perhaps prefer not to think about. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was both a traitor and a conscientious objector. He was supportive of those who thought it was morally justifiable to kill the leader of their own nation, Adolf Hitler. How could any Christian, let alone an eminent theologian, justify such thinking in a moral sense? The issues the case of Dietrich Bonhoeffer raises are not simply 'an interesting piece of history'. They cut to the moral core of the issues at stake in the Church's understanding of the notion of Primacy of Conscience. Ultimately, and as pointed to by Jesus himself in Matthew 22: 17-21, our ultimate loyalty has to be to moral truth and God not to any temporal notions of loyalty to temporal leaders. In his commentary today and next week, Dr Kania is driving towards an exploration of the theological and moral questions which he raises at the end of today's commentary. [more]

130 :
14 Jul 2009

Last Man Kneeling (cf. Genesis 18: 23-33, LXX) In his most recent commentaries Dr Andrew Kania has made passing reference to the German Lutheran Theologian and World War II martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. That led to him reading up much further on Bonhoeffer in the past week and preparing this essay which explores the courage of the man. Understated in his summary of the life of Bonhoeffer, Dr Kania hints, via a quote from the Dominican mystic, Johannes Tauler, that the real question posed by the example of Bonhoeffer is the one of what moral courage are any of us asked to exhibit in the face of injustice and tyranny? Would any of us have had the courage of a Dietrich Bonhoeffer were we faced with a similar set of circumstances? Faced with a political leader like Adolf Hitler what are the moral limits one must go to in opposing their behaviours? [more]

129 :
07 Jul 2009

What sort of priests do we want? Dr Andrew Kania is far more of a gentleman than the editor of Catholica who takes responsibility for today's headline. Dr Kania couches his arguments in constrained language. Today's essay is every bit as provocative as the one he brought us last week. Priesthood today is "on the nose". The fact that the Vatican has chosen to hold a Year of the Priest is partly an exercise in trying to re-elevate the position of priest to one of esteem in the wake of the abuse scandals. We might ask though whether the abuse scandals occurred because we had put priesthood on the wrong sort of pedestal? Dr Kania, in this essay he entitled "Teacher, Preacher, Witness, Friend (cf. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3)" invites us to reflect on what sort of model we need for priesthood... [more]

128 :
02 Jul 2009

Questioning the direction in which our leaders are taking us... One of the things that seems to characterise the community that has gathered here at Catholica is a collective memory of a time when there was excitement within Catholicism. We were fired up following the Second Vatican Council — re-invigorated and anxious to get out and share our excitement about what Jesus and our institution had to offer the world. That excitement and hope seems to have been dissipated by a leadership that is timid and trying to pacify only the insecure and those who see their faith as some security blanket of certitudes. Our present leader, Pope Benedict, speaks of a "smaller, purer Church". Today Dr Andrew Kania questions both the leadership and ourselves as to where we are going. Are we a Church trying to perpetually prove we are the only one's with access to Truth or should we see ourselves as the institution leading and encouraging the world in unearthing what the ultimate truths are? This is a powerful commentary coming from a writer often perceived to have a more conservative disposition. [more]

127 :
23 Jun 2009

Healing the division between East & West... Last week, you will recall, Dr Andrew Kania provided us with a gutsy commentary examining the disunity in Christianity between the Catholics and the Protestants. Today he provides what is possibly a more powerful essay examining the root causes of the division between the Eastern and Western lungs within Catholicism. Many Latin Church readers will perhaps not have seen arguments like this presented from the Eastern perspective. [more]

126 :
16 Jun 2009

Eclipsing Truth Today we have a gutsy commentary from Dr Andrew Kania. This is adult spirituality at it's very best. Not only is it a cleverly crafted and entertaining piece of writing it has the capacity to bounce your mind around like a basketball in the hands of a pro. He's asking confronting questions: questions which ought be confronting for us Catholics as much as they ought be confronting for those in the other estimated 33,000 denominations and sects that make up Christianity today. In a sense it's a reflection on the meaning in the end words of Matthew's Gospel — the bit about making disciples of all people and having faith in Jesus being with us to the end of time — Matthew 28: 18-20. Andrew entitled it "Eclipsing the Truth". It's an essay about so many things: ecumenism and the (dis)unity of Christianity; what it means to be 'catholic', 'Catholic', 'Christian' or a 'follower of Christ'; what are we endeavouring to pass on to our children; where do we find 'truth'; can any of us 'live a lie'? [more]

125 :
09 Jun 2009

Ambassadors — of the Faith Andrew Kania entitled today's essay "Ambassadors – of the Faith (cf. John 17: 20-21)" and that perhaps gives a clue to where he wishes to place his emphasis. It's a commentary about an important subject: the responsibility incumbent upon us all to restore unity to the Christian Church. In today's email [LINK] Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, poses some further questions to open up this discussion even further. [more]

124 :
02 Jun 2009

Institutional Authority Today we have pleasure in presenting a really intellectually rigorous and provocative commentary by Dr Andrew Kania looking at the critical issue of institutional infallibility. Without some starting point of authority for where truth is defined, whether it be in the realms of science or theology, we are effectively up the creek without a paddle. Dr Kania argues the case well but there is much more to be opened up beyond this starting point. Andrew entitled his essay "The Last Straw" and submits it as a reflection on 2 Timothy 4:3-4. [more]

123 :
26 May 2009

Eggs that seek to penetrate the Mystery of the Cosmos Today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania at first sight might appear to have been misplaced as an article more intended for the craft pages of a woman's magazine. It does have those aspects to it but it also "packs a punch" at a couple of deeper levels: a different way of theologising (thinking about the Mystery of the Divine); and the healing of the tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity. [more]

122 :
19 May 2009

The Witness (cf Psalm 108:1-6): In a discussion with Dr Kania this morning, he informed me this series of essays began for him literally while participating in the Byzantine Liturgies at Easter time. He ends today's conclusion with a discussion on the worth of this sort of theological speculation when the actual historical or scriptural evidence of what actually happened is light on. [more]

121 :
12 May 2009

The Witness (cf John 21:25): Flowing on from his reflection two week's ago speculating on the way in which Jesus' Mother would have become aware of the Resurrection, in this first of a two-part reflection Dr Andrew Kania explores the place of Mary further and leads into speculation on the special place of John, the Beloved Disciple as a witness to the Resurrection. [more]

120 :
05 May 2009

The Challenges facing the Church in Australia Even the proverbial "blind Freddy" knows today that the Catholic Church, along with most other forms of institutional religion today has its back against the wall with declining attendances and a sense of demoralisation that even extends into the episcopal leadership. In today's commentary Dr Andrew Kania, a Catholic lay leader and teacher with years of experience working with young people in secondary schools and at the tertiary level, shares some thoughts about what ought be done to address the crisis. [more]

119 :
28 Apr 2009

Hymn to Her (cf John 21:25): The Byzantine Easter occurred a week after the Latin Easter this year and today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania is a speculation following on from his Eastern celebration that speculates theologically on a post-Resurrection meeting between Jesus and his mother Mary. He is assisted in his speculation with excerpts from the Byzantine Easter Liturgies and some thoughts on this speculated meeting given by Pope John Paul II in 1997. [more]

118 :
21 Apr 2009

Jesus Wept (cf John 11:35): The stories of Martha, Mary and Lazarus have been a favourite theme of painters. That perhaps reflects the impact these stories have had on Christians down through the centuries. In todfay's lead commentary Dr Andrew Kania goes in search of the deeper meaning to be drawn from the story of the Raising of Lazarus. Andrew titled this essay "Jesus Wept (cf. John 11:35)". [more]

117 :
14 Apr 2009

A post-Easter reflection: The Psalmist sings that ultimately our refuge is in God alone (Psalm 62:5). This is the theme Dr Andrew Kania takes up today for his post-Easter reflection. What lessons do we take from the Easter messages concerning death and resurrection? Andrew titled this essay "Hide and Seek". [more]

116 :
07 Apr 2009

Lenten Reflection 5: Today's commentary by Dr Andrew Kania is poignant and moving. It may lead you to coming to fresh insights into the meaning of the stories of Peter, and Jesus. It's a reflection on the questioning Jesus subjected Peter to. Are we subjected to similar questions in our lives? In today's email I have also recommended you invest the time to spend with this reflection and with the equally confronting issues I have raised from an entirely different direction in today's email. ...Brian Coyne (Editor) [more]

115 :
31 Mar 2009

Lenten Reflection 4: How do we cleanse ourselves of religious hypocrisy? That's essentially the message of today's Lenten reflection by Dr Andrew Kania based on the thinking of St John Chrysostom. You can find the passage from Matthew (15:1-19) on the USCCB website HERE. [more]

114 :
24 Mar 2009

Lenten Reflection 3: What a timely Reflection this is by Dr Andrew Kania given the extraordinary media story in Australia at the moment of the internationally-honoured judge, Marcus Einfeld, who appeared on television on Monday to apologise for lying after being sentenced to jail for his error. What deep lessons the story of Marcus Einfeld has for all of us. There but for the grace of God walk I! This is a beautiful, if chilling, reflection by Dr Kania exploring that complex territory around truth, lies and bearing false witness. [more]

113 :
18 Mar 2009

Lenten Reflection 2: In the second of his Reflections for Lent Dr Andrew Kania explores that difficult terrain most of us face in our lives at one stage or another — the feelings we have when we have been betrayed … and also how we feel when we have been guilty of betrayal. All of us can empathise with Peter — and with Jesus. Through meditation on these iconic stories we better prepare ourselves when we find ourselves cast in the position of a Peter, or a Jesus. [more]

112 :
10 Mar 2009

Lenten Reflection 1: Andrew today begins a series of four reflections for Lent. This first reflection poses the question "Why did Jesus place himself in the predicament that he ended up in?" Andrew entitled this reflection "One Giant Leap" and suggests it be read in conjunction with the verses 3-4 from Psalm 8 which you will find at the conclusion of the commentary. [more]

111 :
03 Mar 2009

The Cosmic Mystery of Christ – Part II In this conclusion to his two-part essay Dr Andrew Kania puts forward a mix of challenging philosophical and theological ideas that ought generate considerable debate. Largely based on the insights of the Russian Orthodox philosopher, Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900), he presents a mix of ideas some of which will feel comfortable when read from within the Western theological tradition and others which might challenge our contemporary perspectives within the scientific perspectives we operate within in society today. [more]

110 :
24 Feb 2009

The Cosmic Mystery of Christ – Part I In what might be his most compelling and provocative commentary yet, Dr Andrew Kania invites you to look at the Mystery of Jesus Christ from an Eastern Catholic and a Cosmic perspective. Part one of a two-part essay with an introduction from Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne. [more]

109 :
17 Feb 2009

Learning more from Eastern Catholicism… This commentary from Dr Andrew Kania is a must read for anyone seriously seeking truth. It comes from that part of our religious and spiritual heritage that we in the West know little about — the intellectual, philosophical and theological development of faith that has been taking place in Eastern Christianity, often amidst great suffering, but largely through cultural barriers, outside of our purview. It has a connection that many might find interesting with the interview with Ted Mason that has been generating comment on the Catholica Forum this morning — this is "grounded, earthy spirituality" not "handed down on high from priests" but rung out of the soil, and the daily grind of simply life in "the real world" by lay people who endeavour to live with the Spirit. Learn something about one of the great philosopher heroes of the Eastern Christian Church: Hryhorij Skovoroda. [more]

108 :
10 Feb 2009

What can we learn from Sweden about religion and spirituality? Today's commentary from Dr Andrew Kania intersects at a number of valuable points with on-going discussions we're having here on Catholica. The main one is the challenge facing institutional religion in maintaining its relevance in Western society. His commentary is drawn from the research he's been engaged in at Oxford University into the Mystical Theology of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld. A second point of intersection then might be the on-going discussion we have about the value of mysticism to spirituality. Dr Kania doesn't give much away here on that subject but maybe we might induce him to open up on the question, with this serving as the introduction to a later commentary examining the place of mysticism either from the perspective of his research, or from his equally steeped interest in Eastern Catholicism. This is quality adult discussion of spirituality at its very best. [more]

107 :
03 Feb 2009

Resolving illusion and fantasy in our lives! For his first commentary for 2009, Andrew Kania presents a provocative commentary examining the "living hell" that the world of illusion and fantasy can create in our lives. What's the answer to getting rid of our illusions, delusions and fantasies? Andrew's title for this essay is "Living Hell". [more] [See also further discussion in email 912]

106 :
23 Dec 2008

No theological games here! Following on from the interesting discussion generated last week by his commentary, Dr Andrew Kania today cuts into the real heavy stuff looking at the Theology of the Soul. He suggests we might read this reflection in light of Psalm 51: 1-17. This is a "no-nonsense" theological commentary seeking to explore the ultimate objective of the spiritual quest from a largely Eastern Catholic perspective. This is spirituality for adults at its best! [more]

105 :
16 Dec 2008

Defending Eastern Catholicism against Cardinal's Kaspar's view… Dr Andrew Kania was present at an address delivered by Cardinal Walter Kaspar at Christ Church, Oxford, earlier this year where the Cardinal offered some comments disparaging of some aspects of Orthodox Catholicism. In today's commentary, Dr Kania responds with a vigorous defence of what he argues is the different approach to theology and philosophy used in the Churches of the East. [more]

104 :
09 Dec 2008

Personal Reconciliation with God… The passage from Isaiah reads: "Let every valley be filled in, every mountain laid low, let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley, then the glory of YHWH will be revealed". Dr Andrew Kania's reflection today is about Personal Reconciliation. [more]

103 :
02 Dec 2008

The dilemmas in discussion about refugees… Today's offering by Andrew Kania is a "from-the-heart" exploration — or is it defence? — of any person who, at any point, has reason to consider themselves a refugee. And aren't we all, at some stage or other of our life journeys? Although born and raised in Australia, Dr Kania is the son of a Ukrainian refugee, who had to flee his native Poland with his parents and siblings, because of the violent oppression and ethnic cleansing of the Soviets after World War II. Perhaps it is equally true to say that at some stage or other of our lives all of us sit on the other side of the fence and "use" people who are different to us as a battering ram, or in order to elevate our own sense of worth at their expense. In this essay Andrew attempts to distil some of the wisdom that some of the great minds have sought to apply to the challenges posed by those who are forced, for whatever reason, to flee their homelands. His title for the essay is "Cunning as Snakes, Meek as Doves" which is adapted from some words Jesus used. [more]

102 :
25 Nov 2008

A spiritual reflection on the Legend of Sisyphus Dr Andrew Kania today reflects on that frustration we all feel at some time or another when our life doesn't seem to be leading anywhere, or when we feel like we're pushing a piece of excrement up a hill with a pointy stick. It's the story of Sisyphus … and the story of Job and Moses and King David. What sustains us when the odds seems so overwhelmingly against us? (Sounds a bit like holding out any hope of reforming the Catholic Church so that it actually meets the needs of its people doesn't it?) [more]

101 :
18 Nov 2008

Good Medicine! Dr Andrew Kania in his commentary today ventures into the emotive territory of the possible links between religious faith and physical, mental and emotional health. Does religion help keep us healthy? There is increasing scientific research seeking to explore this territory, mainly in the realm as to whether religious faith assists in recovery for various diseases or coping with a serious disease. These studies show mixed results as Google searches show. There are indicators suggesting a general trend though that a healthy spiritual attitude can contribute to better health in the other domains of life. Dr Kania today examines some of the research evidence and also draws in more traditional theological and scriptural perspectives. He also explores some of the nuances we believers need to bring to these discussions. Perhaps the focus of on-going research ought focus on what forms of religious faith and spirituality are most beneficial in promoting harmony in the realms of physical, mental and emotional harmony and well-being? [more]