EDITOR'S ROUND-UP

Saturday, 01 November 2008

Blitzing all the previous records…

Dear Friends,

Our daily readers will already know this so I mainly relay it here for our weekly readers. October turned out to be a spectacular month for the growth or Catholica. We blitzed all the previous records for the size of our daily, weekly and monthly audiences. You'll find more details about the stats, and what's accounting for our continuing success in the forum. A brief glance down the list of commentaries below might also prove enlightening. <Stats for October>

And the pace continues: Ian Elmer introduces his commentary today with these words: "Much talk in the Church during recent decades has centred on the rise of Catholic fundamentalism or neo-conservatism. The heady days of Vatican II seemed to have slowed as conservative forces within the Church have sought to slow change and progress. Once again, events surrounding Paul's early commerce with the Jerusalem apostles remind us of these events and provide insight into the social dynamics at work in times of change. In particular, we explore this week the rise of the conservative James in the wake of the Hellenists' mission in Antioch." <Link to Ian's commentary>

Pray for the Remnant! "War is Peace! Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength!" — The slogans of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's novel "1984". Orwell must laugh that his insights from his 1948 novel, might be applied with delicious irony to the Holy Roman Catholic Church in 2008. Ripping the heart out of Vatican II while pretending that you love Vatican II and want to see it's reforms rejuvenating the Catholic Church. The latest casuality in this game of casuistry it seems are the Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children. Fr Daniel Donovan reviews the thinking that led to the introduction of this reform and voices his protest at the game which seems to be underwayto reform the reform of the liturgy. <more>

A Review of Fr Eric Hodgens' essay… Kerry Gonzales presents today a review of Eric Hodgens' extended essay, "New Evangelisation in the 21st Century". She praises Fr Hodgens for his writing style and clarity of thought but this dame is no slouch either when it comes to writing style and clarity of thought. This is an inspiring commentary. <more>

The Great Escape… The passage from the old testament which Dr Andrew Kania's bases his commentary on today is subtitled "The encounter with God" in the Jerusalem Bible. Dr Kania entitled his essay "The Great Escape (cf 1 Kings 19:9-14)". Is the "encounter with God" a "great escape"? Sadly, it probably can be. The sense in which Dr Kania intends it is that the encounter is a "great escape" from the din of life. There is much valuable food for thought in what this commentary contains. Ultimately it's a reflection on "the importance of quiet". <more>

Catholica Editorial followed by an analysis of the Vatican Questionnaire used for the selection of Australian Bishops... A leaked secret Vatican Questionnaire used in the process of selection of new Bishops raises deeply disturbing questions about the future of Catholicism. In an editorial written by the editor of Catholica and a separate analysis of the Vatican Document by Dr Paul Collins we examine what this document reveals. <more>

Is there a better way to get bishops more responsive to the needs of Australian Catholics today? We publish the text of an email that Catholics for Ministry are in the process of sending out to the signatories of the petition that went to the Australian Bishops last year. The email attaches a copy of the secret questionnaire that the Vatican's representative in Australia sends to a carefully selected number of people sounding out suitable candidates for vacant positions. Paul Collins and Frank Purcell, convenors of Catholics for Ministry describe the document as "dismaying and scandalous" and have pointed out its deficiencies in a letter to the Papal Nuncio. <more>

9.1: The Gospels as Liturgy… An introductory commentary from Tom Lee today from a short but fascinating chapter from his manuscript that introduces us to a new mindset from which to view the Gospels — reading them as liturgical documents rather than as historical documents. In fact it is not really a "new" mindset, it is a very ancient one. It comes from our Jewish brothers and sisters — the people who provided the crucible for Christian insight. <more>

Something to meditate on… I was a bit confused what to call this. It started out meaning to be a parable, it turned into a family story but the parable idea had not gone away, so it ended up being a family story ending in a parable. Whatever I might call it I trust you might enjoy it and it might also leave you with some rich ideas for meditation. Cheers, Brian Coyne <more>

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world!

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher