Autochthonous churches — realistic or not?

Dear Friends,

As indicated last week, Robert Blair Kaiser's commentary this week is entitled "Autochthony". I presume by now most readers of Catholica would know what the word means. While I am personally attracted to the concept I do have strong hesitations that it is possible or that the world is moving in that direction. More and more each week I feel the Church is moving into an irrecoverable position and in another generation or two all that will be left is a "museum of the remnant". That will not be "the end" though. There is much spiritual energy in the world at the moment and these ideas that Robert Blair Kaiser presents in novel form may well be extremely important in shaping whatever arises from the ashes the remnant have brought about. What do you think? Do you think Catholicism will survive, or revive in the forms the remnant want to take it? Or do you think something fresh will eventually emerge?
<Link to today's excerpt from Kaiser's novel, "Cardinal Mahony">
<www.catholica.com.au/gc3/rbk/015_rbk_281109.php>

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>

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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>

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

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher