632 :
30 Apr 2008

"Who are you looking for?" This series of forum discussions on Wednesdays is attempting to shadow a series of commentaries by Dr Patrick Collins we published last year looking at the Spirituality of Thomas Merton (For the specific commentary see HERE). The Editor kicks off the discussion today by looking at one of Merton's observations about our lack of trust in God which arises, in part, because of a flawed self-perception we carry in us of what God's relationship to us is. In his mini-commentary the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, also brings in some observations Fr Ron Rolheiser made in a commentary featured on CathNews yesterday which, in turn, also links to some of Dr Andrew Kania's observations in his commentary on Catholica yesterday. These three or four commentators we're drawing attention to today provide a rich landscape for our meditation on our own relationship with God. (Links to the Rolheiser and Kania commentaries at the end of the mini-commentary in our forum.) [Link to Forum Discussion Thread] | [Link to Original Commentary by Dr Patrick Collins]

071 :
29 Apr 2008

What's in a name? Today's commentary ought to raise a lot of interest. In it Dr Kania explores the issue of how our name can affect our personality and outlook on life. He raises many intriguing ideas that merit our quiet reflection. [more]

028 :
28 Apr 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #14… Today's commentary is perhaps the most public confession you are likely to find anywhere of a Catholic priest discovering the nature of fatherhood. Many will be moved by the frankness and honesty with which Tom McMahon goes back and relates his personal journey from priest to father. Has the form of priesthood that grew up as a later cultural adaptation in Christianity outlived its usefulness and we need to re-discover an understanding of priesthood which is much closer to that modelled by Jesus Christ, the first Apostles and the presbyters in the early Christian church? [more]

037 :
27 Apr 2008

BOOK REVIEW: The remarkable life of Charles Gordon O'Neill I do highly recommend Stephen Utick's book on Charles Gordon O'Neill. How would you cope should vicissitude and embarrassment strike your life on the sort of scale experienced by O'Neill? How would you measure the "success" of your life then? This book is useful for its history but also serves as a valuable reflection on the value of each of our lives within a truly Jesus Christ-inspired context. …Reviewed by Brian Coyne. [more]

003 :
26 Apr 2008

Lessons from priests who have married… In this third extract from his extended essay Dr Padovano explores the position of former priests who retain a love for the Catholic Church but who felt called to leave active ministry to marry or exercise their gifts in different ways. What he has to say will be of interest to former priests in Australia — does what he write 'gel' with your experiences? Perhaps we can take that up in later commentaries or discussion in our forums? — but it will also be of interest to the wider readership of Catholica. Much of what he writes fits comfortably and usefully with our own on-going discussion on the changing understanding of priesthood today… [more]

627 :
25 Apr 2008
ANZAC Day

An overview of Wolrd Youth Day and its prospects… Today's Sydney Morning Herald contains a feature length overview of World Youth Day and its prospects for rejuvenating the Church. Our email commentary today extracts the views of Fr Daniel Donovan and Paul Collins, who also happen to be occasional commentators for Catholica, who present the more sceptical case but we urge readers to read the full feature article in the Herald. There are also links to two other stories in the Herald connected with WYD — one of them looking at the prospects of Cardinal Pell receiving a "promotion" for the success of WYD. [Email Commentary]

003 :
24 Apr 2008

Rethinking our notions of parish structure… Fr Kevin Murphy suggests the leaders in the Church need to be paying more attention to the breakdown in the geographical-based parish structure. Self-evidently it is no longer serving the needs of the people, nor of the institution… [more]

625 :
23 Apr 2008

Detaching oneself from the distractions of the world: The discussion we are seeking to spark today is taken from an observation of Dr Patrick Collins in his series we published last year looking at The Spirituality of Thomas Merton (For the specific commentary see HERE). Merton, says Collins, essentially sees spirituality as "simply the journey from false self toward the True Self". In the commentary he discusses the observations Merton made of the difficulty of implementing this in ordinary life. We all have obligations, whether we're in cloistered life or earning our living or making our way in the secular world. The starting point for discussion today I suggest might be relating our own experiences as to whether we firstly agree with Thomas Merton and Patrick Collins and secondly, if we do, what are the challenges in trying to make this journey — particularly for those who have responsibilities in bringing up families, earning a living, studying or the pressures involved in running a business. [Link to Forum Discussion Thread] | [Link to Original Commentary by Dr Patrick Collins]

070 :
22 Apr 2008

Where Is Your Brother? This week both Eastern Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox celebrate Holy Week. It is an appropriate time in which we might re-visit what is perhaps still the greatest scandal in Christendom of all time — the split which occurred between the East and the West in 1054. Dr Andrew Kania's commentary today takes us back to examine the causes of the split and argues that greater effort needs to be made on both sides to heal the split. [more]

002 :
21 Apr 2008

Reasons to be hope-filled… In this second extract from his detailed exploration of post-Vatican II and post-JPII Catholicism, Dr Anthony Padovano argues why there are good reasons for Vatican II Catholics to remained hopeful. [more]

027 :
20 Apr 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #13… In today's take Tom McMahon looks at what he sees as the artificiality of the seminary system of training priests. He also offers some of his own observations on the sexual abuse scandal and why sexual abuse manifested itself out of this system. [more]

001 :
19 Apr 2008

The Shattered Hopes of Vatican II… Interspersed with our regular commentaries over the coming two weeks we will be publishing excerpts from this lengthy, detailed and interesting analysis by Dr Anthony Padovano which looks at the progress of reform in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council. Dr Padovano asks: "Indeed, there is despair among Church traditionalists. But why are liberals locked in despair?" [more]

011 :
18 Apr 2008

The Pope's comment on the relationship between civil law and moral values… The visit of Pope Benedict to the United States and the United Nations is proving to be unexpectedly interesting from a range of different perspectives. His comments on the differences between the secular cultures of Europe and the United States in particular have generated considerable interest amongst those who have been following the lengthy discussion in recent years of the threat to religious values posed by secular culture. One of the most interesting observations was made by Sandro Magister yesterday with the brief comment and a more lengthy comment from Pope Benedict which Magister has taken from a book Benedict wrote in 2004 when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger and which we present as our lead commentry today. [more]

618 :
16 Apr 2008

A New Experiment…Today's commentary is a new experiment linking into a commentary we published last year by Dr Patrick Collins which looks at the spirituality of Thomas Merton. For a full explanation of this experiment and how it has arisen read the daily e-bulletin for Wednesday, 16th April 2008 HERE. [Direct link to the commentary]

069 :
15 Apr 2008

The Moving Hand… Dr Kania explores the ever-fascinating story of the sinking of the Titanic in search of answers to some questions that perhaps lie deeper than where the Titanic ended up. What is the role of Providence in our lives? What are the ultimately important standards by which we measure the value of our lives? [more]

011 :
14 Apr 2008

31.4: Looking for positive alternatives... In this final extract from the conclusion to his book, Tom Lee shares some personal reflections on where his exploration has led him and his own beliefs today. [more]

026 :
13 Apr 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #12… Today Tom McMahon begins a two-part sub-series which he has entitled "Jesus, touch and skin". He is looking at new formulations of priesthood that might take us closer to the more authentic and original Jesus' vision. [more]

036 :
12 Apr 2008

Finding "peace with God": How important is it? Brian Coyne takes a quotation from Thomas Merton as a starting point for a reflection trying to fathom what this spiritual journey is all about. [more]

009 :
11 Apr 2008

Looking for balance in our spirituality... Here is another of those beautifully eclectic reflections by Vince Exley where he pulls togehter a couple of lengthy quotes from other authors he has recently been reading. Vince writes: "At the present time our local Vinnies is struggling with the problem of using plastic bags in our shop. I have dug up some random readings on how we need to care for both persons and the environment and how we need to be Church to do this." [more]

081 :
09 Apr 2008

Do we need to re-discover some of the insights of Aquinas? Today's commentary is almost guaranteed to drive any self-respecting fundamentalist into a state of apoplexy. Peregrinus explores how the views of Thomas Aquinas on morality became superceded by the views of the Franciscan, William of Ockham, and that has helped fashion our moral understanding right down to the present day. He advances arguments why a more intelligent understanding of morality suggests we might begin paying more attention to the arguments of Thomas Aquinas. His core argument is for a new synthesis between the valuable viewpoints put forward by both Aquinas and Ockham. [more]

068 :
08 Apr 2008

The Master Knot of Human Fate… In this commentary Dr Andrew Thomas Kania leads us through the intriguing and ingenious plot of the Spanish writer, Miguel de Unamuno's book, Niebla. Andrew entitled the essay "The Master Knot of Human Fate" and draws our attention to the following passage from Genesis: "So Yahweh God expelled him from the Garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken. He banished the man, and in front of the Garden he posted cherubs, and the flame of a flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life." (3: 23-24, The Jerusalem Bible) In short summary, this is a fascinating way of envisaging our own adult relationship with God… [more]

010 :
07 Apr 2008

31.3: Looking for positive alternatives... In this penultimate extract from the conclusion to his book, Tom Lee turns his attention to looking at some alternatives that offer some hope for the future. [more]

025 :
06 Apr 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #11… In the last few days Tom McMahon journied back to his old seminary with seven of his now octagenarian classmates. He reflects a little on that but at greater length on how the clerical priesthood seems to have lost its way on the journey into the 21st Century. [more]

024 :
05 Apr 2008

Part VII: 'On the Third Day'… Daniel today explores the most controversial part of the Christian story. Did Jesus truly rise from the dead? What are the arguments and facts as biblical scholars see them? [more]

035 :
04 Apr 2008

The paradox involved in "following Christ"… This is a mixed commentary. It started out as a post for the forum seeking to share some of the "fun" the editor's been having in recent months learning a new computer programming language. The arrival of a new book for review at Catholica on the remarkable story of the founder of the Vinnies in Australia and New Zealand, Charles Gordon O'Neill, who himself ended up dying as a pauper, ended up giving it a twist. Brian Coyne reflects on the "paradox" involved in trying to "follow Christ". [more]

080 :
02 Apr 2008

Obedience or Conscience? To quote Peregrinus: "Y'know, surfing the Catholic blogosphere, you tend to get the impression that there are two distinct Christian moralities out there, which don't have a lot to do with each other." This week and next week he will be examining the conflict between these two viewpoints that have little to do with another. [more]

067 :
01 Apr 2008

The Chaos of Mercy… Our words and actions — both the good ones and the bad ones — carry enormous power. If the flapping of a butterfly's wings in China can be felt in Antarctica do we stop to think of the power that our words and actions carry? The science might be romanticised a little, as is probably the way in which Dr Kania tells the tale — this was originally written for an adolescent audience — nevertheless there is much worth reflecting on in the base ideas that this essay is exploring. [more]

009 :
31 Mar 2008

31.2: The challenges to religion... Tom Lee explores some of the challenges the established churches face in our contemporary world — science, nature, fundamentalism, questions tha were unknown to previous generations. [more]

024 :
30 Mar 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #10… Here is a reflection and commentary that tugs at the heart strings from a number of different angles. Yet, at the same time it has a "hard edge" to it As Tom McMahon struggles to articulate what it is about Jesus that draws us forward in love of neighbour and that impublse to serve others. [more]

023 :
29 Mar 2008

Part VI: 'The Son of Man's Hour'…It is an intriguing question that Daniel endeavours to explore today, with the help of a few scholars who've been thinking about the question for a long time: Did Jesus go to Jerusalem knowing he would die, or did Jesus go to Jerusalem to die? Many people's eyes probably glaze over even thinking about the question. For many others though they have pursued it as scholars with a passion and many others have sacrificed their own lives in order to try and understand Jesus and follow what Jesus was on about. What do you think the evidence shows? [more]

599 :
28 Mar 2008

A pot-pourri of news... Update from Dr Armen Gakavian, Amanda McKenna involved in the release of As One Voice hymnal, Adele and Ben Coyne representing Australian lawyers at competition in Bangalore. [more]

008 :
27 Mar 2008

Getting to the heart of what we really believe... Inspired by a number of different influences, Vince Exley recently sat down an endeavoured to write out in a very honest way a summary of what he has really come to believe. He shares it with us here on Catholica. Should we all engage in this exercise from time to time of stripping ourselves of all those illusions and emotional attachments that often cloud our vision of what we really believe? [more]

079 :
26 Mar 2008

A discussion on how much personal morality should intrude into public policy… Catholics, led by Augustine and Aquinas, have traditionally been more liberal than the Protestants, regarding public social policy. One could argue that arch-conservative Catholics want to change that today. Peregrinus re-visits some important principles considered in depth by Augustine and Aquinas as to how personal morality should impact on public social policy. It is always a vexed area of discussion as the current situation concerning a public park in Amsterdam illustrates very well. [more]

066 :
25 Mar 2008

Cultivating the Spirit… It seems one of the great commonalities of life is that we're all "led to distraction" by all manner of sideshows. In this reflection, Dr Kania calls on the insights of writers like Blaise Pascal to draw the focus back to what is ultimately important. [more]

008 :
24 Mar 2008

31.1: The future... For the next four or five weeks we rocket through to look at the final part of Tom Lee's manuscript. In looking to the future this may seem a major discontinuity to what we've been reading in this series so far but the introduction to this essay will hopefully provide a context for readers. [more]

594 :
23 Mar 2008

The Meaning of Easter – The Meaning of Jesus! A short reflection from the editor, Brian Coyne, asking questions about the meaning we can extract from the Easter experience and how he has arrived at the views he holds today. [more]

023 :
23 Mar 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #9… Tom provides some insight into what motivated him to tackle this series and the challenges it has posed to him. Using John Donohue's Celtic concept of Anum Cara he points to a different sense of priesthood that seems to be emerging in society. Can the institution cope if the people wander off developing their own concepts of what priesthood means? [more]

022 :
21 Mar 2008

Part V: 'Mighty in Word and Deed'… This is certainly a fascinating, and extended, reflection from Daniel — particularly over the Easter Triduum 2008 — looking at how Jesus perceived his role as prophet and messiah, and also looking at how his followers and opponents viewed him against their expectations. We might discuss though how does all this take us closer to finding the relevance of Jesus in our lives 2000 years later? What are people today searching for: a prophet, a messiah, a miracle-worker, a story-teller, or a model or archetype as to how we ought think and act in our lives today? [more]

065 :
20 Mar 2008

The Experience of God… Here's a timely reflection for Easter from Dr Kania looking at some pretty fundamental stuff. He's exploring the nature of our core relationship with God. It intersects beautifully with some points Fr Alex Caughey raised for discussion in our forum yesterday when he argued "Religious practice is not faith!" [more]

078 :
19 Mar 2008

The Cursing of the Barren Fig Tree… What is the meaning we are meant to derive from this difficult-to-understand story told by Jesus Christ? Peregrinus goes in search of some answers. [more]

007 :
17 Mar 2008

1.6: Conclusion to Part I... In his conclusion to part I, Tom Lee continues his focus in endeavouring to provide an overview as to how Jesus "fitted the cultural scene" of his time, and also how he "didn't fit". [more]

022 :
16 Mar 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #8… This week Tom McMahon shares with us some memories of his years in the seminary in the 1950s. Will the attempts some are making to re-introduce that sort of seminary culture succeed, or are those attempts an historical aberration and that "culture of priesthood" is going the way of the dinosaurs? [more]

002 :
15 Mar 2008

A critical appraisal of the Pontificate of Benedict XVI… This editorial which has just been published in ARCC Light is a devastingly blunt appraisal of the pontifical style of Pope Benedict and might be read as indicating that the goodwill that the more Vatican II-inspired elements in the Church had extended to our new Pope have now been completely exhausted. Is the honeymoon over for Pope Benedict? See also the Catholica Australia editorial in response. [ARCC Editorial] | [Catholica Australia Editorial in response]

021 :
14 Mar 2008

Part IV: A Messiah in the Making… There are three good reasons, whatever your age or position why this commentary is worth reading: (i) It provides a fascinating perspective on Jesus particularly on the speculations of who Jesus himself thought he was. (ii) It's fascinating looking at these questions through the mind of a young person engaging with these questions perhaps seriously for the first time in his life. (iii) This is simply the most well-written commentary yet submitted for our enjoyment, and enlightenment, by Daniel. It is simply a pleasure being part of the audience that is providing a sounding board for a talented new writer as he hones his technical skills as a writer and communicator. [more]

007 :
13 Mar 2008

Michael Morwood Interview VI… In this final segment of our conversation with Michael Morwood, he shares his views on prayer, on the inability of the institution to respond to the spiritual needs of the community, his hopes for the future and our sense of 'Catholic' identity. [more]

077 :
12 Mar 2008

A new way of unifying society?This coming Sunday brings us the long Gospel reading of the Passion. Today, Peregrinus explores the penchant in society for scapegoats and discord and how Jesus offers a new way towards social communion and unity. (Due pressures of work, Pere apologises that he hasn't been able to write a fresh commentary for today. This Lenten Reflection is taken from the series he wrote last year where the focus was on the Gospel account of Luke. Next Sunday the Gospel Passion narrative will be from Matthew's Gospel.) [more]

064 :
11 Mar 2008

The Song of Life's Experience… Dr Kania's commentary today is basically about two subjects: Being "mugged by reality", and it's about "learning from the Ancients" — in particular learning from King Solomon and what he wrote in The Book of Proverbs. [more]

006 :
10 Mar 2008

1.5: Introducing Jesus into the discussion... In this further continuation of part I, Tom Lee's focus shifts to a closer examination of how Jesus fitted with the schema of his time — both in the ways in which he very much 'fitted in', as well as the places in which, or his followers, contemporary as well as later, offered radically different alternative. [more]

021 :
09 Mar 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #7… Tom takes a rather critical look at the system of "ranks and orders" Jesus set up to manage and govern his Church until the Second Coming! [more]

001 :
08 Mar 2008

Steps towards Ministry… TWe are all called to evangelise. In this article, originally published in the New Evangelisation newsletter, New Zealand (www.newevangelisation .wellington.net.nz), Sydney-based lay activist, Harvey Smith, outlines some thoughts for stirring us out of our complacency. [more]

020 :
07 Mar 2008

Part III: The children of Abraham… Many will derive greqat value from this third part of Daniel's series trying to trace the historical Jesus. In about 3,600 words he endeavours to provide a concise summary of the beliefs and practices in the diverse Jewish sects and factions that set the backdrop for the appearance of Jesus. [more]

007 :
06 Mar 2008

Michael Morwood Interview V… The focus in the fifth segment of our extended conversation with Michael Morwood, is on liturgy and prayer. What image do we have in oru heads today of the God we are seeking to communicate with when we participate in liturgy or pray? [more]

076 :
05 Mar 2008

The Raising of Lazarus… Continuing this interesting series of reflections on Lenten Mass readings, in this essay, Peregrinus turns his attention to the story of the Raising of Lazarus. He argues: "The point is that God's response to our grief and anger and pain and loss is real". [more]

063 :
04 Mar 2008

Angelic Doctor or Dumb Ox… You can approach this commentary from many angles. In one sense it is a continuation of the discussion from last week on truth. In another sense, it might form the basis for reflection on the sort of heros that might inspire us in our journey through life. Dr Kania asked us to include a rendition of "Panis Angelicus" so the mp3 file will play when you open the reflection. [more]

005 :
03 Mar 2008

1.4: The origin of some of the early Christian beliefs... Tom's essay today will be of much interest to readers of Catholica. He explores the origin of some of the beliefs that later became important in the Christian tradition. [more]

020 :
02 Mar 2008

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #6… Today Tom McMahon reflects further on his own personal journey from one understanding of priesthood to another. Is his discovery that "an adult relationship with Jesus set him free" something that is most pertinent to the collective exploration we're making in this community here at Catholica? [more]

004 :
01 Mar 2008

Dealing with past hurts... In His concluding commentary to his series on Anger, Fr John McKinnon shares some valuable thoughts on ways in which we might deal with past anger so that we can return to equilibrium in our lives. [more]