104 :
25 Dec 2009

A Christmas Reflection... To bring our commentaries for 2009 to a close it is a pleasure this Christmas Day morning to welcome Tom McMahon back to the keyboard. In a whimiscal reflection, Tom, traces the origins of our Christmas traditions from their pagan origins, through good times and bad, to our present era where the transformation does not seem to have yet stopped. [more]

134 :
24 Dec 2009

Wise Men and Humble Shepherds! Today's commentary from Dr Ian Elmer will sit very comfortably with those who watched the documentary last week on ABC television entitled "The Star of Bethlehem: Behind the Myth" (it is still available on iView but sadly I've not been able to find other references on the net for readers in countries outside Australia). Like the documentary, Ian is exploring the fact and fiction — the mythos of logos — of the appearance of the Magi and the Shepherds in the Christmas story. Were these real actors in the Christmas story or is their presence meant to direct our attention to the meaning of the Incarnation? [more]

005 :
23 Dec 2009

Can any war be classed as "holy"? Today we bring you the conclusion to Robert Blair Kaiser's lengthy analysis of the Crusades and the concept of "Holy War". Can any war be classed as "holy"? [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]

084 :
21 Dec 2009

25.3: The outcomes of the Council of Chalcedon... Tom Lee's commmentary today brings into focus the doctrinal outcomes, and also the division, resulting from the great Council of Chalcedon. This brings to a conclusion Chapter 25 of Tom's mansucript. [more]

027 :
20 Dec 2009

Aspects of Life II #25… Today we come to the end of what has been a very gentle series of reflections over the last twenty-five Sundays by Francis Brown. It's the story of his own evolution in faith — finding again an At-One-Ness he had experienced as a young child but which he felt side-tracked away from for a significant portion of the eight decades of life. In this final excerpt from the last chapter of his book "My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality" shares his thoughts on a few aspects of life, including his great inspiration, Francis of Assisi, and his love for his environment and all of Creation. [more]

018 :
19 Dec 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 17 "Press" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of last week's chapter: In Chapter Sixteen, we saw the most influential Curial cardinals lamenting their threat to put Califoria under interdict. Cardinal Grandeur, visiting from Philadelphia, insisted that California's Catholics had already excommunicated themelves—automatically—by participating in these outlaw Masses. Other cardinals demur. Grandeur stalked off to take his case directly to the pope. He told Benedict XVI that he couldn't stand by and watch Mahony try to overturn "the divinely instituted hierarchical constitution of the Church." Benedict snapped at him. "There was no hierarchy in the early Church. There was no hierarchy at Pentecost. Hierarchy came later. Men set it up, not God." Grandeur was stunned. This was not the man he knew as Cardinal Ratzinger. Grandeur could see this is a man who had undergone a conversion, especially when he heard the pope tell him, "We have enjoyed a royal papacy for a thousand years. The question is, can we afford to keep running the Church like this for another thousand years? Or even another ten years?" And Grandeur is totally confused when he heard the pope say he would not suppress the upcoming national synod in the U.S., set for July 4, 2009, as Grandeur has demanded, nor discipline Cardinal Mahony. Now here's Chapter Seventeen... [more]

133 :
17 Dec 2009

The Nativity Narratives... The entire Jesus' story is hugely puzzling — particularly the Gospel narratives that attempt to provide context to the arrival of Jesus in our human midst. In today's commentary Dr Ian Elmer seeks to explore the contradictions between the various Nativity Narratives. He seeks to explain how some of them arose but the thrust of his commentary seeks itself to outline the context of what Jesus represents to us. [more]

004 :
16 Dec 2009

The 4th & 5th Crusades & the Children's Crusade... This week and next week, Robert Blair Kaiser gives a brief overview of the personalities and issues at the focus of each of the Crusades. [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]

083 :
14 Dec 2009

25.2: The lead-up to the Council of Chalcedon... Tom Lee's commmentary today is largely setting the scene for the great Council of Chalcedon. The politics leading up to that Council were convoluted. We saw some of that last week and it continues in the commentary today. We also see emerging here the divisions between the Eastern and Western parts of the Church. [more]

026 :
13 Dec 2009

Aspects of Life I #24… Here is Francis' own introduction to the last Chapter of his book which we will bring you today and next Sunday: There are so many aspects of life that I have thoughts about. In my thinking I perceive them in light of my knowledge that God is All-That-Is and that I am but one in That and in the loving extension in oneness of God in all of humanity and in all of what we call creation. That for me is covered by the word Creation. [more]

017 :
12 Dec 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 16 "Grandeur" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of last week's chapter: In the last chapter, Cardinal Mahony laid out the case for an autochthonous Church in America. He did so in a huge news conference that was televised live around the world. When a reporter says his plan sounds too political, the cardinal points out that the Church has always been political—under various forms of governance. "Today, the Church in Rome has a monarchical form of governance under a kind of constitution called canon law. Romans are proud of it, possibly because it is modeled on ancient Roman law and is therefore part of their own Roman culture. Americans do not quite understand it. Nor will we ever. It is a charter for tyranny, actually, designed to make its secret orders stick by the sheer power of an absolute sovereign, who makes all the laws, interprets all the laws, and enforces all the laws. That's one form of governance. One kind of politics, really. But it is not the kind of politics that commends Christ to his people, not any more, not today. Not in California. Not in the United States.". [more]

018 :
11 Dec 2009

Thank God for the Women Religious who embraced Vatican II! The resistance the Vatican is experiencing to its attempts to pull the religious women of the United States back into its conservative line has been generating headlines in even the secular press. Fr Dan Donovan argues: "the Catholic world must stand in solidarity with these women who now find themselves the butt of a latter day inquisition". [more]

132 :
10 Dec 2009

Should we take the Virgin Birth seriously? Biblical scholar, Dr Ian Elmer, today analyses the long-enduring controversy over the literal interpretation of the virginity of the Mother of Jesus. He seeks to bring together the differing arguments of some of the leading contemporary writers in the controversy. His own conclusion is "This isn't Mithras or Hercules; nor, for that matter, is the Jesus myth comparable to that of Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. Jesus isn't a fairy tale character, let alone some angelic or semi-divine figure whose story functions only to point to spiritual realities. ... While it may be true to say that belief in the Virgin Birth is not ultimately necessary for our relationship with the Father, I think there are always some non-negotiable aspects to the faith." [more]

003 :
09 Dec 2009

The First Crusades... This week and next week, Robert Blair Kaiser gives a brief overview of the personalities and issues at the focus of each of the Crusades. [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]

082 :
07 Dec 2009

25.1: Leo the Great asserts the Primacy of Rome A great chapter from Tom Lee coming up over the next few Monday's particularly in light of the storm John L Allen Jr has stirred up between two leading theologians in the United States in the last week over Council of Chalcedon matters (if you've missed it see the links in this thread on the forum). This week the dispute is between two more ancient personalities — Leo the Great and Hilary of Arles who were both eventually honoured by the Church. The story of Leo the Great is also another important brick to understanding how the Primacy of Rome became such a divisive matter in Christendom. [more]

025 :
06 Dec 2009

Jesus of Nazareth #23… Today Francis invites us into a meditation on the being and meaning of Jesus — the presence of God with us, within us and all around us. [more]

016 :
05 Dec 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 15 "Interdict" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of last week's chapter: When Rackham learned about a new model church for a 21st century based on the ancient model of the autochthonous churches of the Middle East, he promptly tells Mahony he has to lead American Catholics into autochthony. Mahony doubts the pope would ever give permission for that. Rackham says U.S. Catholics ought to make a declaration of autochthony, as the U.S. Founding Fathers wrote a Declaration of Independence in 1776, then stand back and dare the Vatican to say that some 70 million American Catholics are in schism. Mahony isn't so sure it would be that easy. "We'd have a fight on our hands." His prediction seems born out when he reads a Page One story in the Los Angeles Times that said the Vatican was putting the entire state of California under interdict. [more]

005 :
04 Dec 2009

How realistic is this dream? One of our other regular commentators, Dr Andrew Kania, is delivering an address at Oxford University tonight. Today though by the wonders of these new technologies we are able to bring you an address delivered at Oxford in the Year 2040 by the recently retired Pope John XXIV. The 'tehnology' is actually the creative, perhaps over-optimistic, mind of one of our other commentators, George Ripon. By way of introduction, George writes: "I first got into print on the Church Reform under the heading "Breathe" in the Online Catholics in issue 62, 20 Jul 2005. I had a dream and I'm at it again with a look into the future under a new pope, a dream or maybe a vision? No one can stop our dreams and dreams can lead us in many directions. Sadly the reality is different but we must maintain 'Joyful Hope' unless this is abolished in the New English translations." [more]

131 :
03 Dec 2009

Does God condone war and genocide? Today's commentary from Dr Ian Elmer sits very comfortably with the discussions Tom McMahon, Robert Blair Kaiser and others have been sparking over a considerable time on Catholica about our moral understanding of aggression and just war. Ian goes back to examine a puzzling passage from the Old Testament where God, or YHWH, appears to countenance genocide on a mass scale. Is there another way in which this Biblical account ought be read? [more]

002 :
02 Dec 2009

La crociata, non si fa piu—No more Crusades! Today Robert Blair Kaiser introduces us to one religious leader who was dead against trying to sanctify acts of aggression. His name was Pope John XXIII. His advice fell on largely deaf ears as Kaiser explains. [more]

137 :
01 Dec 2009

Faith-Based Diplomacy... 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]

081 :
30 Nov 2009

24.3: What are Catholic Christians to do if part of the Church goes wrong? A little bit of a potpourri in the excerpt from Tom Lee's manuscript today. We're still in the fifth Century. He provides a wrap on St Patrick in Ireland and the marauding of Attila the Hun further to the East. In the middle there is the story of Vincent of Lerins — the first person to try and formulate in a written way a process for dealing with heresy. It is a surprisingly modern set of ideas that do not sit well with the heresy-hunters of today. [more]

024 :
29 Nov 2009

Faith, Love and Kingdom #20… Chapter 14 from Francis Brown's book today is a longer reflection on the themes of innocence, forgiveness and the ideas of goodness and evil that we carry within us. It intersects comfortably with the discussion we've recently had on Catholica of our sense of worthiness. At the end we've included an excerpt from Gina Ogilvie's song, "Worthy" from her album "Gift of Grace". [more]

015 :
28 Nov 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 14 "Autochthony" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of last week's chapter: In Chapter Thirteen, Pike introduced Mahony to Ted Rackham, a Jew, and a former labor union and community organizer who got some of his best ideas from the social encyclicals of Leo XIII, Pius XI, John XXIII and Paul VI. Rackham has rugged good looks, a shaved head, a strong nose, a heavily muscled upper body. He gets around in a wheelchair. He has been a paraplegic from the age of seventeen, but that hasn't slowed him down. Now, in order to help Mahony, he needs to consult progressive theologians like Sean Sunnyhill who can teach him what is doable (and dreamable) in the Catholic Church. When Sunnyhill tells him about autochthony, he cannot pronounce the word, or, much less, spell it. Now here's Chapter Fourteen... [more]

017 :
27 Nov 2009

Is the cadaver trial of Pope Formosus in 897 a metaphor for the choices facing the church today? This is probably the most powerful and compelling commentary we have yet published on Catholica. You'll more than probably learn things about our history from Fr Daniel Donovan that you never knew. I think even the more liberal and progressive members of the Church will be awestruck and I hate to think how the more conservative members of the institution are going to react. Mark my words, "they will attempt to react to this one for sure" either against Fr Dan or against Catholica. Leave all that aside for a moment and just ask yourself "how do I react?" We would love to hear your reactions on the forums of Catholica. Which model of Church of the two presented here do you believe offers you salvation, meaning and the "peace which surpasses all human understanding" offered by Jesus Christ? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [more]

130 :
26 Nov 2009

Whatever Happened to the "Strange Gods"? Here's a commentary from Dr Ian Elmer with an embarrassing 'twist' in its conclusion. It starts off investigating the first commandment — the one about not having "strange Gods before us", moves to ancient goings on and tussles about deities in Canaan, Israel, Sumeria and other ancient locales but ends with confronting questions any thinking Christian ought spend time contemplating today. [more]

001 :
25 Nov 2009

Good names on bad deeds! In response to one of Tom McMahon's recent commentaries Robert Blair Kaiser emailed Tom a lengthy article he'd written in 2003 entitled "Holy Words, Holy Wars". It was submitted to the The New Yorker but in the heightened politics of the time as the US was about to invade Iraq was not used. Robert Blair Kaiser has kindly agreed to allow us to publish the article on Catholica. It is a lengthy analysis of the rhetoric of war and looks back at the history of political and religious leaders who have endeavoured to sanctify war as something undertaken in the name of God. Because of the length of the article (12,467 words) we will serialise it over the next three Wednesday's. The article takes up themes that Tom McMahon would like to take up in his series exploring the changing psychology of priesthood down through time. This article is timely for another reason in that in news reported overnight the UK government has established a commission of enquiry to ascertain why Great Britain got itself involved in the War in Iraq [BBC LINK]. [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]

080 :
23 Nov 2009

24.2: Mary and Patrick... To maintain your sense of continuity we repeat the last paragraph of Tom Lee's commentary last week to start today's excerpt. It's an excerpt that ought create much interest as he outlines the origins of Mariology in Eastern Catholicism before switching to the far side of Europe and the mission of Patrick in Ireland. [more]

023 :
22 Nov 2009

Faith, Love and Kingdom #20… Chapter 13 of Francis Brown's book is only two paragraphs in length. In those two paragraphs he questions that sense many of us were brought up with in the communion prayer based on the words of the Centurion who witnessed the death of Christ, "Lord, I am not worthy...". Does God create "unworthy" things, or people? [more]

014 :
21 Nov 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 13 "Rackham" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of the story so far: In Chapter Thirteen, a Mahony adviser, Father James Kowalski of Notre Dame, appeared on Fox Television News to debate the chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York about the pros and cons of a people's Church. Kowalski maintains, "Give the people a voice and a vote, and the people will get to work. Not for the hierarchical Church. For their Church, the people-of-God Church. For themselves." Mahony is starting to get the idea, that in order to re-form the Church, he has get into politics--as Nike Pike tells him, "up to his eyeballs." "What I need," Mahony tells a friend, "is a campaign manager, someone who, the less he knows about the Church, the better, someone who won't feel his hands are tied by our archaic customs. Or by canon law." Now here's Chapter Thirteen... [more]

042 :
20 Nov 2009

Supporting the Charter for Compassion... There is much spiritual energy in the world at the moment — some of it moving humanity in positive directions and some of it moving humanity in negative directions. Two of the seemingly postive initiatives at the moment are the Charter for Compassion project started by Karen Armstrong and the other is the World Parliament of Religions meeting in Melbourne in early December. Today's commentary from Andrew McAlister helps draw our attention to both these endeavours... [more]

129 :
19 Nov 2009

Did God have a wife? What a provocative, and fascinating commentary Dr Ian Elmer presents us with today. He argues it's not simply an interesting piece of history though. In exploring the religious practices of ancient people we better understand some of the practices of today. [more]

103 :
18 Nov 2009

The Psychology of Priesthood #20 Today's commentary from Tom McMahon will perhaps be a surprise to regular followers of his column. The assessment he makes of the Council of Trent is generous. He writes "Some claim that it took Vatican Two in 1965 to promulgate some of Trent's best thinking." [more]

079 :
17 Nov 2009

24.1: A clash over the human and divine natures of Christ... We move this week from the controversies surrounding Pelagius to those surrounding Nestorius. At the heart of the controversy is an understanding of the human and divine natures of Jesus. Tom Lee today explores the conflict between the two principal actors in the controversy, Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius of Constantinople. [more]

040 :
16 Oct 2009

Addendum to the National Apology... As the author of "Orphans of the Empire" (Random House, 1998), Alan Gill took a special interest in today's apology by the Prime Minister of Australia to former child migrants and Australian-born institutionalised kids. He contacted Catholica earlier today to bring to our attention a little-known aberration where the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney may earn a few brownie points. Here's the story Alan sent us for publication on Catholica... [more]

1098 :
16 Nov 2009

Is Catholicism a force for good in the world ... or should it be perceived as such? A couple of important things have come up though that do merit a break in our normal schedule. Firstly, being broadcast nationally on Australian television is an unprecedented apology from our national political leaders to the orphans who were removed from their homes and placed in institutions, often on the other side of the world. It is another of those "turning points" in the life of a nation — and perhaps the whole of human society. Particularly for our readers in countries other than Australia you can find more details on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's website at: www.abc.net.au.
Here at Catholica we would like to join this national initiative and extend our deepest apologies, and hopefully our deepest understanding if that is even possible in a matter like this, to the women and men who were subjected to the injustices of past misguided policies and societal attitudes.
The second reason for interrupting our normal schedule is to discuss the debate that was held on British television last week between Archbishop John Onaiyekan from Nigeria and Anne Widdencombe (Conservative British MP and covert to Catholicism) on the affirmative side and Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens on the negative side. The proposition under consideration was that "Catholicism is a force for good in the world". The Catholic team got trounced in the view of those participating in the on-screen vote.
In the Catholica forum last night I put up a proposal for a competition to see if anyone might come up with a more effective defense of the proposition that "Catholicism isa force for good in the world". That post has led to some fascinating responses. We'd like to hear from more of you both on the proposition I've put up for a competition, and/or, in response to the ideas that have already been put forward on the forum... [more]

022 :
15 Nov 2009

Faith, Love and Kingdom #20… This is a beautiful reflection from Francis Brown today. It brings together all of the ideas he has been exploring in the chapters leading up to this. It's an holistic exploration of the concepts of faith, love and kingdom. Included at the bottom of the page is a music track from the 2CD set, "Music for Joyful Prayer" (which is available in our Spiritual Marketplace). [more]

013 :
14 Nov 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 12 "Kowalski" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of the story so far: In Chapter Eleven, Sister Phoebe , with the strategic help of Cardinal Mahony and Nike Pike, turned aside a Vatican attempt to close down St. Priscilla's, and she does so in a televised encounter on the church steps with the Vatican's chosen emissary, Bishop Thomas Dimleigh. She waves a legal-sized envelope. "This document, signed by the cardinal, says I am in charge here. It says the people of God in Solvang own this church, and that the cardinal and I just watch over it for them. If the people don't like what we're doing for them, they can get rid of us." When Dimleigh's aide, sent by the Vatican, says the Church is not a democracy, Dimleigh says, "It sure as hell is beginning to look like one." Now here's Chapter Twelve... [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]

135 :
13 Nov 2009

A 'must read' commentary from Fr Tom Doyle… Today we publish an abridged version of what is probably the hardest-edged commentary we've yet published on Catholica. It is from an address Fr Tom Doyle gave to the annual gathering of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) in Chicago on 13 July 2008. The paper might be of particular interest to readers of Catholica Australia for two reasons: Firstly, it is one of the most comprehensive discussions you're likely to find anywhere on the steps that are necessary to bring the maximum possible healing to victims of abuse. Allied to that what Fr Doyle has to say might provide valuable insights for any person who is dealing with the effects of abuse, either as a victim or a person endeavouring to provide support to victims. Secondly, the necessary discussion on the nature of priesthood and the nature of the Church Tom Doyle engages in provides a wealth a valuable reflections that dovetail in exceedingly well with the on-going discussion we've been having on priesthood. While Fr Doyle largely raises these issues in the negative context of what went wrong, when viewed in a positive light they also shed light on what needs to be done to bring about a more effective priesthood that can better minister to the needs ot people today. The commentary also contains a link to the full version of his paper (approx 11,000 words) [more]

128 :
12 Nov 2009

Was the Church in Rome founded by a Woman? Dr Ian Elmer is being deliberately provocative with his headline — but for good reason as you'll discover as you follow his reasoning in this commentary which will be heartening to many. Like a biblical detective he's on the trail of endeavouring to understand who were the earliest founders of the Christian communities in Rome. [more]

102 :
11 Nov 2009

The Psychology of Priesthood #19 Today Tom McMahon draws our attention to an interview the Ecumenical Patriach of Constantinople gave to Charlie Rose on American television last week. We are able to bring you a small segment which is available on You Tube. He also discusses the recent violence at Fort Hood, Texas before ending the commentary with a brief introduction to the next historical period he will be looking at in this series seeking to understand how the ideas we have of priesthood evolved over the centuries. Fascinating history and a fascinating commentary even if it provides little cause for hope — besides the interview with Patriarch Bartholomew — that we are going to see a rejuvenated Church responding to the real needs of the great majority in Western civilisation in the near future. [more]

060 :
10 Nov 2009

A serious writer on spirituality and religion or an entertainer? Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, has spent the last couple of days absorbed in Dan Brown's latest thriller, The Lost Symbol. Not unexpectedly it's a great read but Brian asks if we should treat a writer like this primarily as an entertainer or is he someone who has an important contribution to make to the great discussions going on in society at the moment about the place and meaning of religion and spirituality in our lives? [more]

011 :
07 Nov 2009

Cardinal Mahony — Chapter 11 "Keys" Robert Blair Kaiser's summary of the story so far: Phoebe McNulty, one of the cardinal's nuns serving as a parish administrator in the northern part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, mounts a new kind of priestless liturgy at St. Prisilla's. The national press trumpets the story, of how a little freckled nun has solved the priest shortage and how, emulating her, liturgical communities had sprung up in priestless parish after priestless parish in villages, towns and cities around the world. Mahony ignores the Vatican order to stop these peoples' Masses because his friend, the archbishop of San Francisco, convinces him that "It won't matter what the Vatican says or doesn't say. The people will decide what they want to do, and the Vatican will let them. If I am wrong, I'll eat my hat." But Francis Oliver Grandeur, the cardinal archbishop of Philadelphia, resolves to stop Mahony's radical moves. Now here's Chapter Eleven... [more]

127 :
06 Nov 2009

"The Kingdom of God is among you" (Lk 17:21) To round-out his series of Puzzling Passages commentaries linking into the writing of St Luke, Dr Ian Elmer today explores what Jesus meant when he said "the Kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:21). How does this gel with the idea of a Kingdom to come or some "heaven" in the future? [more]

101 :
04 Nov 2009

The Psychology of Priesthood #18 The thrust of Tom McMahon's commentary can be summed up in this line: "Where do we find today the humble preacher from Nazareth, teaching the crowds the value of the beatitudes? Who teaches morals today?" [more]

078 :
02 Nov 2009

23.4: Wrapping up the controversy surrounding Pelagius? Judging by the comments one reads on modern internet discussion boards it might be claimed that the controversy surrounding Original Sin and the doubts of Pelagius have never finally been resolved. Continuing on from his commentary of the previous two weeks, Tom Lee concludes the discussion on the conflict between Augustine and Pelagius where all this started in today's extract from his manuscript. The chapter then ends with a look at the contemporary events in the Roman Empire and the "silliness" that erupted amongst some ascetics in the 5th Century. [more]

021 :
01 Nov 2009

In search of Self #19… The human psyche is complex and with all the knowledge humankind has acquired down through the millenia we still know little about what makes any of us "tick". The commentary last week and this from Francis relate this own, lifetime personal search to understand self. Indeed, his entire book might be labelled with that theme. Ultimately though, he argues, we need to let go of our mind and take on the Divine mind. As his own journey reflects that is often easier said than done. [more]