Editor's Round-Up
Sunday, 28th April 2019
Dear friends,
I'm sorry to say this will be our last email...
I'm sorry to say that this will be our last email because our service providor is shutting down this service. I suggest it is reflective of the reality that email as a means of communication is fast going the way of the fax and roneo machines. It's becoming redundant. This though is not the end of catholica. It's a trigger that is forcing us to rebuild our endeavour and find fresh ways to reach out to a wider audience. There's a discussion underway on our forum about how we intend to do this. If you would like to continue supporting our endeavour I urge you to continue visiting our forum regularly where the conversation continues without rest. I have retained our subscriber lists, which includes your email address, and will communicate with you a little further down the track about how you can receive updates of what we are doing. For the immediate future though all the action will be on our forum but with some experimentation on our social media sites at Facebook and Twitter. Amanda and myself would like to express our deep thanks for all the support you have given us over the last thirteen years via your subscriptions to this Listbox email service.
Read the further discussion on our forum about our plans to rehuild catholica...
https://www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?mode=thread&id=224315#p224358
Many decades ago, as a young boy or about 12, I made what I am sure was one of the first adult choices in my life. It was the choice of a Confirmation name. The name I chose was Thomas, after the 'doubting Thomas' whose story is the focus of this Gospel Reading from John today. My parents didn't make the choice for me, nor anybody else. I was in boarding school and made the choice freely by myself. Can you remember the first fully adult choice you made in your life? Even today I continue to see it as a poignant choice that reflects my life-long doubts. Bruce offers the lead reflection this weekend. The focus of his imaginative narrative is what we truly remember about those who have gone before us. Is it the actual person, many of whom we've never met "in the flesh", or is it the ideas they leave behind? What is the real essence of what we need to remember about Jesus?
Read the reflections of Bruce and others HERE...
https://www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?mode=thread&id=224289p224289
Some of our discussions from the past week...
It's all a Myth; but why Mythology is valuable! This is a lengthy commentary from Dr Julius-Kei Kato. He is examining the question of what we can learn from the New Testament's reticence to declare bluntly that "Jesus is God". It's probably not recommended for those who believe they already have the answer, or those seeking a simple answer. In this first part he sets out five nuanced arguments why we should accept the proposition. It is a commentary incorporating quite sophisticated theological arguments and scriptural analysis. In this first part he sets out five nuanced arguments why we should accept the proposition. In the second part he sets out arguments why we ought be sceptical. We will publish the concluding part on Friday (as it is a public holiday in Australia on Thursday). [more]
2019 Easter Week Reflection, Meditation #4... We begin this belated final Easter 2019 Meditation by Joy Ryan-Bloore with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens') performance at the recent memorial in Christchurch, NZ. He picks up on the theme, or Joy picks up on his theme, for this meditation on what lessons we can learn from the Resurrection, 2,000 years ago of Jesus, and our resurrection and recovery today. As I wrote introducing the last reflection: "This isn't just 'ancient history'. When read in the ways Joy proposes, it is the story of our lives NOW – both as individuals, and collectively. The Easter Story offers us a way of understanding even the large scale traumas we're experiencing in society, and with the climate and ecological challenges on our planet today, and such things as the numerous crises the Church is experiencing today." [more]
2019 Holy Week Reflections, Meditation #3 for Hood Friday and Holy Saturday... These meditations by Joy Ryan-Bloore offer us a radically fresh way of appreciating the Easter Triduum. We are called not simply to celebrate certain events that occurred approximately 2,000 years ago, we are called to interpret our own stories, and our own journey, through the life, death and resurrection of the One who provided this template for our own lives. This isn't just 'ancient history'. When read in the ways Joy proposes, it is the story of our lives NOW – both as individuals, and collectively. The Easter Story offers us a way of understanding even the large scale traumas we're experiencing in society, and with the climate and ecological challenges on our planet today, and such things as the numerous crises the Church is experiencing today. [more]
Wishing you a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life and in our world.
Brian Coyne
Editor
catholica
34 Martin Place, LINDEN NSW 2778, Australia
tel: +612 4753 1226
email: editor@catholica.com.au
