A poignant Christmas Day reflection from Catholica Australia
Monday, 25th December 2006
Christmas Day

Dear friends,

Dawn Bowie's audio visual commentary today could be prefaced by many adjectives such as gentle, poignant and powerful. Do yourself a favour and set aside the ten minutes or so that it takes to take it in.

For those who might be looking for something to fill in some waiting time at any period during the day could I also recommend a long feature article that was published in the New York Times Magazine yesterday entitled Nuevo Catholics. It's an examination of the rennaisance in Catholic practise in parts of the United States due to migration from Latin America. It raises many interesting questions. Is our "faith" simply about numbers — or is it ultimately about a certain way of understanding or discerning ultimate truth? Is it merely some "protection" for those times when we are weak, vulnerable and fearful or is it about understanding and discerning ultimate truth? While the institutional Church, and all of us, do have a non-paternalistic responsibility for the weak and vulnerable in society, is not our responsibility to be leading all to "ultimate truth" or is it legitimate to be trading on their weakness, vulnerability and fear in order to accrete power to ourselves or our institution?

May your Christmas Day be filled with great blessings and joy.

"The Breath of Heaven" In a reflection that might take your breath away, Dawn Bowie provides us with an audio-visual experience for Christmas Day that perhaps only a woman could write. May it bring a deep experience of peace and lack of resistance into your day … the year ahead … and into your life. [more]

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher
Catholica Australia