025 :
31 Aug 2006

What are God's politics? Tom returns to a theme he's battled with in his own mind for many years. What are God's politics? Is there an ideal political party and an ideal political philosophy? You might be surprised with the answer he comes up with. [more]

003 :
31 Aug 2006

Looking at all these BIG questions through the mind of a contemplative – Part III... We present the third part of Patrick Collins' argument, following the thinking of Thomas Merton, that not enough energy has been put into spiritual reform — the bread and butter matter of how we relate to and intersect with God. Further information below. [more]

011 :
30 Aug 2006

The need to Question... Following on from Kate's commentary on Sunday Peregrinus argues that it is the very process of questioning that leads to spiritual growth. [more]

002 :
30 Aug 2006

Looking at all these BIG questions through the mind of a contemplative – Part II... We present the second part of Patrick Collins' argument, following the thinking of Thomas Merton, that not enough energy has been put into spiritual reform — the bread and butter matter of how we relate to and intersect with God. Further information below. [more]

001 :
29 Aug 2006

Looking at all these BIG questions through the mind of a contemplative – Part I... Fr Patrick W. Collins Phd has been quietly following the conversations here on Catholica Australia from his home in Michigan and has long been very supportive of our endeavours. Fr Collins retired from active ministry earlier this year but one suspects that "retirement" is the inappropriate descriptor. It's more like a change of direction as to how he continues his ministry. On his own website he describes himself as "author, preacher, musician and university professor. He senses that his principal vocation is to contemplative living — out of which his various ministries flow. In addition to numerous books and articles, Fr. Collins has produced forty-five TV programs, and a number of videos, among them Thomas Merton: Man, Monk, Myth with Music. Fr Collins has a deep love of the thinking of Thomas Merton. Over the next three days we invite you to immerse yourself in this very thoughtful reflection Fr Collins has submitted to us which not only addresses issues raised in a range of commentaries and posts in our forum but it poses a very different way of looking at the overview of where the Church has been heading since the Second Vatican Council. The broad thrust of his argument, following the thinking of Thomas Merton, is that not enough energy has been put into spiritual reform — the bread and butter matter of how we relate to and intersect with God. Read what Patrick has to say and, I mean it, if you can handle the mental gear shift that is involved, "start really living"... [more]

021 :
28 Aug 2006

Would you like to be able to write more effectively? The Old Curmudgeon would like to see a revival of the great Catholic tradition in writing. Older readers might remember the Fr Brown Stories of that famous English Catholic convert, G.K. Chesterton, but here in Australia we had the Around the Boree Log tradition of Fr Hartigan ('John O'Brien'). Catholica Australia and Cliff Baxter are offering all those who want to become more effective writers professional tuition and a place to get themselves published. [more]

008 :
27 Aug 2006

The journey to spiritual maturity... In a moving personal reflection Kate looks back over the twists and turns in her own spiritual journey. She concludes with a Chinese proverb which sums it all up: "One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." [more]

007 :
26 Aug 2006

Would the 'Real' Jesus Christ Please Stand Up? This week, Biblical scholar, Ian Elmer, begins a new exploration that he informs us will unfold over several weeks. Last week he was exploring the different perspectives on Jesus that were to be found from the New Testament accounts in the early Church. His new quest goes back further than that in an endeavour to reconstruct what scholars are finding out about the historical Jesus. In his first article today in this series Ian is addressing the issue of method. In effect, asking questions about how Biblical scholars undertake the task of reconstructing the Historical Jesus. What criteria do they use to sort fact from fiction? [more]

010 :
26 Aug 2006

Divorce IV: The twist in the Orthodox perspective... In this final of the series on divorce, Peregrinus looks at the interesting twist in pastoral pragmatism, or compassion, the Eastern Orthodox Church brings to her interpretation of God's will in these difficult matters. [more]

006 :
25 Aug 2006

The Real Presence – what it really means... In what you'll find is easily his most accessible commentary yet for Catholica, Nathanael Theologos in this short but value-laden reflection drives to the heartwood concepts at the centre, focus and objective of Catholicism. [more]

009 :
25 Aug 2006

Divorce III: The Protestant perspective? In today's take Peregrinus looks at the ways in which the Protestant churches have developed different perspectives on divorce. [more]

004 :
24 Aug 2006

When it's too hard to cry... Our lead offering today is an audio-visual reflection that has been jointly put together by Amanda McKenna, Cliff Baxter and Brian Coyne. This is not entertainment but a resource we are placing on the web that we hope may assist people from time to time who are suffering pain or deep trauma in their lives. [more]

008 :
24 Aug 2006

Divorce II: What did Paul have to say on the subject? In today's take Peregrinus looks at St Paul's views on divorce and the Roman Catholic perspective. Over the next two days he looks at the Protestant and Orthodox perspectives. [more]

007 :
23 Aug 2006

Divorce I: What did Jesus have to say on the subject? Today we begin a magnificent four-part series prepared and written by Peregrinus on the subject of divorce. Today's take examines what Jesus had to say about it. Tomorrow's instalment will look at St Paul's views on the subject. On Friday Peregrinus will take us on a tour of the Protestant perspective and on Saturday will examine the orthodox view. [more]

024 :
22 Aug 2006

A question for Michael Willesee... Well-known Australian journalist, Mike Willesee was interviewed by Andrew Denton on ABC television last night about his re-conversion to Catholicism and his journalistic quests in search of miracles. Tom Scott, who has a family connection with Mike Willesee, has a question for Mike ... and all of us. [more]

020 :
22 Aug 2006

A tribute to a journalist colleague... In this piece Cliff doffs his Panama in honour of a long time comrade in journalism, Alan Gill, author of many books, who has written a typically professional piece for Online Catholics, of which I have the honour to be discussion board moderator. [more]

019 :
21 Aug 2006

Climate Change: Why we should be concerned! Cliff Baxter, self-styled Curmudgeon, has been reflecting on an Earth that appears to be dying, a conference on Climate change to be held in Melbourne on October 13, and the Boiling Frog Principle. [more]

007 :
20 Aug 2006

On problems of one's personal image and being resurrected! KateD provides a witty reflection masking some deeper issues this Sunday. If you had a body like Elle McPherson you probably wouldn't mind the prospect of bodily resurrection for eternity. Kate doesn't have a body like Elle's though and she definitely doesn't like the prospect of eternal resurrection in the current body armour she possesses. [more]

006 :
19 Aug 2006

Who is this man Jesus who is the focus of our attention? Ian Elmer argues the Notion of the undivided Church is a myth. From the very outset there were differing views on the identity of Jesus that led to different "ways" of following Jesus. He explores these earliest differences of opinion seeking to provide us with an insight into our own unique view of Jesus and an appreciation that our view is not the only one. [more]

005 :
18 Aug 2006

Faith as the author... Much of the commentaries of Nathanael seem to be pointing to the paradoxes in our faith. In this reflection he argues "faith" is the author or wellspring of life. It's our faith which helps to reveal to us what the purpose of our lives is. The "purpose" of our lives is not some set of instructions that are emailed to us by God, rather Nathanael argues, the purpose is revealed by the very process of endeavouring to discover what the purpose is. But the author of our being is always present within us (through our faith). He argues it is this author "which enables our life to reveal its purpose for being alive". To reach outwards (i.e. to reveal the purpose of our life, and live it) the paradox is that we have to reach inwards (i.e. towards the author of our life — our sense of faith). The well-lived or "faith-filled life" is revealed in the joy we radiate as we age which, again paradoxically, seems to come as a reflection or reward from how much we reach out to others in need. [more]

001 :
18 Aug 2006

Suggestions for our Future Church... Vince Exley is another much-loved member of this community who has been with us since the very earliest days of the CathNews discussion community. The lucky bugger lives in one of Australia's paradise locations, the Whitsunday Islands in tropical Queensland. He's a really contented bachelor and described his life to me a few years ago in these terms: "I feel God has really blessed me in leading me to retirement in this beautiful area. I lead a very fulfilling life of twice daily Christian meditation, a very fulfilling Sunday Eucharist, pleasant daily walks along the beach, Vinnie's activities, relaxation in the resort's Spas and Pools and an afternoon scotch or two on my balcony." Vince waxes and wanes between his conservatism and his radicalism. A few years ago, under the influence of another poster, Maggie a fabulous contributor to our discussions but very conservative theology student from Notre Dame, Indiana, we thought the poor guy was just about to fall off the edge of the conservative edge of the spectrum. In this thought-provoking article he submitted yesterday Vince is back at his challengingly radical best. What do you think of his Suggestions for our Future Church? [more]

018 :
17 Aug 2006

The dissonance of war. The harmony of peace. The Curmudgeon looks at the way music can reply to the dissonance of the single, pathological and repetitive note of war. NOTE: Multi-media content – Cliff's reflection today is accompanied by a sound track. [more]

006 :
16 Aug 2006

What do the Gospels really have to say about sex? This week Peregrinus begins a fascinating two-part series on what the Gospels and Jesus really had to say about sexual morality. His article today focuses on the place of sex in Scripture and Jesus' teachings. Next week his article will continue by examining the issue of divorce as it was treated in Scripture and by Jesus. [more]

023 :
15 Aug 2006

"Let no man put asunder..." It was a momentous day in my life yesterday so much so that I slept in and am late with the bulletin today. If you have ever doubted the power of words, do yourself a favour and read this. [more]

017 :
14 Aug 2006

How secondary gain wrecks our lives, and our communities... Is it possible to understand what goes on in the minds of people who convince themselves that committing acts of terrorism is God's work? Or is it possible to understand what goes on in the minds of people who convince themselves that committing acts of verbal terrorism in the Catholic Church is God's work? What drives fundamentalism? They are all convinced they are the defenders of "Truth"? But are they? Do we do ourselves, or the world, a favour, by appeasing hypochondriacs ... or terrorists? Cliff Baxter has some background reading that readers of Catholica might be interested in. [more]

001 :
14 Aug 2006

Obituary for a priest colleague... One of the last places one would expect to find praise and "from the heart" love for the priesthood would be from a man who got kicked out of the priesthood for his rebelliousness. Tom McMahon, a former priest now married, lives a very fulfilled life in San Jose and continues to contribute voraciously to several Catholic discussion lists in the States. We publish this recent obituary he wrote here as some kind of conclusion to our own discussions in recent days on some of the qualities we look to in priests. It's poignant and nostalgic writing but Tom also continues to pose some of those difficult questions that we need to be asking ourselves about what kind of Church we are creating for the future. [more]

006 :
13 Aug 2006

How the Word lifts my heart in the Liturgy In her "take" this Sunday Kate is writing passionately about her love of the Word in Liturgy. That so many no longer seem moved by Scripture begs many questions. She seeks to share what excites her about the Word when it is proclaimed in the Liturgy. [more]

001 :
13 Aug 2006

Life Cycle... Andrea Snashall was one of the most outstanding public relations officers working in any of the Catholic schools in Western Australia in the 1990s. She was seconded to work at the Catholic Education Office because of the quality, and effectiveness, of her work. A few years ago Andrea moved to live in Switzerland following a long-distance romance across the globe. She is now married and the mother of Luca (2 yrs) and Gioia (10 mths). She wrote this reflection recently for a magazine for expats living in Switzerland. It's a particularly poignant reflection on her relationship with her father. [more]

005 :
12 Aug 2006

Are we called to be mystics? Not only expanding on his essay from last week exploring the conversion experience of St Paul, this essay by Ian Elmer slots in almost perfectly with the discussion on "vocation" we carried in Catholica yesterday. Here Ian is exploring whether we are all called to have mystical religious experiences or are there other equally valid, and valuable, forms of spiritual expression or experience? [more]

004 :
11 Aug 2006

The Priesthood today. Nathanael Theologos reflects on the qualities of three priests who have inspired his sense of vocation. As a contribution to Vocations' Week which is celebrated this week, Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, challenges readers to write in our forum about what qualities we are seeking from our priests. [more]

016 :
11 Aug 2006

Could you spare a small donation for this family in Armenia? Cliff Baxter has received a heartfelt appeal for assistance for a family in Armenia. He visited the country in 2001 to write a book on the country and its history and developed a great love for this most ancient of Christian nations. Read the full story and if you can add to our appeal total it would be deeply appreciated. [more]

001 :
10 Aug 2006

Bearing one another's burdens Dawn Bowie makes her debut in Catholica exploring challenges in relationships at a much more advanced stage in life. [more]

005 :
09 Aug 2006

Being able to see God in the ordinary and mundane... Peregrinus has been challenged by Cindy's memoirs of the controversy in her Sacristy with the Parish Priest over the disposal of the surplus Holy Oils. He writes: "All the fussy rules, protocols and precepts about these things are at best ludicrous, and at worst a distraction from the gospel. But, as with a lot of things that look ridiculous, there's a valuable point buried under all this nonsense, if we're willing to see it. The point is the Incarnation." [more]

022 :
08 Aug 2006

The conundrums of my new-found friendship with Cliffy Baxter... Following on from his last take, Tom Scott, explores a little further the conundrums and paradoxes in his new found friendship with Cliff Baxter. What are the things that attract us to people who might have opposite views to the one's we hold? Where do you sit along the line on these issues which Tom and Cliff have differences about? [more]

015 :
07 Aug 2006

A Passionate Plea for Peace... Cliff Baxter has won many awards during the course of his long career in journalism – possibly more than any other Catholic journalist in Australia. The column he has written for us today might give you an insight why. It is an extraordinarily powerful and passionate plea for peace yet, despite it's passion, it carries a sense of objectivity and fairness to the peoples caught up on both sides of the conflict in the Middle East. I have attached multi-media content in the form of another "Prayer for Our Time" to Cliff's Take. If that distracts from the reading of his column I suggest you scroll down and put it on pause until you reach the end of his column. Let us not just "pray for peace" but "work for peace" amongst all the peoples of our world. [more]

005 :
06 Aug 2006

This little light of mine and the Transfiguration Don't let the title put you off. This reflection by Kate is in the "must read" category. Grab yourself a cup of tea, a beer, or whatever helps you relax and steal the half hour or more that you need if you want to be really uplifted this Sunday as we remember the Transfiguration of Jesus. [more]

004 :
05 Aug 2006

Can we learn from Paul's descriptions of his "Damascus Road conversion" insights as to how God reveals himself in our lives? In this article Ian Elmer brings into focus some scriptural-based observations on a number of questions that we've been discussing as a community over recent months. One on-going question a number of people have been addressing is the one of how God speaks to us? Following on from his own essay on 3rd August on the present wisdom as to how we understand God revealed himself to the writers of Sacred Scripture, today Ian picks apart Scripture itself with the aid of a number of other scholars to see what we might learn from the ways in which Paul claims the Gospel or Divine insights were revealed to him. Was Paul being "economical with the truth" in suggesting the revelation all came in some flash of light on the road to Damascus or was it a slower, evolutionary process that was also tempered by other events that Paul had to deal with and surmount in his own life? [more]

004 :
04 Aug 2006

Struggling with the issues surrounding celibacy... Celibacy continues to be a hot topic. It raises hackles in discussion forums and seems to be cause for division in the Church. In today's commentary our resident "seeker of moderation and balance", Peregrinus, takes his pen to all the arguments seeking that place of intelligent sense. [more]

003 :
03 Aug 2006

Who Is the Author of the Bible? Did God literally reach down and guide the hands of those who transcribed Sacred Scripture? We asked Ian Elmer to give us an overview of what the accepted wisdom is today from both the institutional Church and scholars on what, precisely, we mean when we say that Scripture is "inspired" or "authored" by God. How do you, the reader, understand this expression? What does it mean to you? [more]

014 :
01 Aug 2006

The tragedy of St Vincent's Redfern... There were further major developments at the Catholic parish of Redfern on the weekend. This received significant media coverage on Monday and led to much comment on the CathNews discussion forum which reflects the deep divisions in the institutional Church at the moment on much wider issues as to how the Church is to be re-evangelised. Cliff Baxter lives close to Redfern and has been watching the developments in that parish with growing alarm... [more]

013 :
31 Jul 2006

Should the Aboriginal people embrace capitalism? A week or so ago the head of the Federal Government's Indigenous business advisory group, Joseph Elu, blamed a failure to embrace capitalism for Aboriginal social problems. Cliff Baxter argues that capitalism is not a response. On the contrary, he argues, we can learn from their culture of the common good. In a separate essay, Tom Scott, challenges the arguments advanced by Cliff (See commentary below this one). [more]

021 :
31 Jul 2006

Should the Aboriginal people embrace capitalism? This is Tom Scott's response to Cliff Baxter's arguments in the commentary above this one. [more]

004 :
30 Jul 2006

The struggle between priests and people Survey research constantly shows us that the success of communities – whether they are schools, parishes, businesses, football clubs, universities, political parties or churches – depends heavily on the leadership qualities of those at the top. In this poignant essay KateD examines what goes wrong when those at the top couldn't give a stuff about the aspirations of the community they are meant to be serving. [more]

004a :
30 Jul 2006

Remembering – a prayer for our time A few week's ago we brought you the entry submitted by Jo Shears to the Prayer for Our Time initiative conducted on the CathNews discussion forum in 2002. This Sunday, given the on-going conflict in the Middle East, but also cognizant of the spirit of hope that seems to characterise our own initiative as we prepare for our public launch this coming Thursday, it seems entirely appropriate to bring you the entry submitted by KateD and her bashful husband who masquerades around a lot of the time like Alice in Wonderland. In a post on our discussion forum last week, Kate explained how her multi-media prayer ended up being used in parishes and a diverse variety of other places. [more]

012 :
29 Jul 2006

It's enough to send you bananas! With the news this week that Australia's worrying inflation rate has been caused by the surging price of bananas since the crop was wiped out by Cyclone Larry last January, The Curmudgeon asks if we ought take this country off the gold standard onto a banana standard. [more]

003 :
28 Jul 2006

Love as the antidote to fear... Following on from his last contribution in these pages where Theologos asked about the role played by fear in our lives, in his reflection today he poses the proposition that Love is the antidote to fear. [more]

003 :
26 Jul 2006

What do you know about the history of the mother of the mother of God? And why you might bother to know at least a little... Today, 26th July, is celebrated as the Feast day of St Anne — the mother of the Virgin Mary. In his commentary for today, Peregrinus explores the vexed progeny of the stories that grew up around her and then goes on to explain why, despite all their controversy,