017 :
09 Sep 2012

Where as I in the Healing Story of Jesus? Fr Brian Gleeson CP contibuted a reflection on the Gospel Reading for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Brian writes: "In touching the ears and tongue of [the deaf and dumb man], Jesus also touched his wounded heart. More than anything else it was that touch which made him a different person, a new man in fact. That was the real miracle. It's the same for us. For the healing of our wounded, damaged or broken hearts, we must look to Jesus." [more]

016 :
08 Dec 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 5 In this final part of his series examining the meaning of the Resurrection through modern theological and scriptural scholarship Fr Brian Gleeson CP today draws the threads together to his conclusion. Is the Resurrection so much important today in knowing accurately what happened two millennia ago or "by the experience of his power in our lives which ... alone can convince us that Jesus lives and reigns"? [more]

015 :
01 Dec 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 4 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 4 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Today the focus is on the testimony of St Paul to the Resurrection. [more]

014 :
24 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 3 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 3 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we have split into five parts. Today we really enter into the meat of his analysis with a commentary within a commentary on the meaning of the Easter stories. [more]

013 :
18 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 2 Fr Brian Gleeson CP today presents part 2 of his lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we have split into five parts. Today Fr Brian focuses on the scriptural evidence and how we ought interpret that. [more]

012 :
10 Nov 2011

The Resurrection: an examination of the evidence today : Part 1 A constantly reverberating topic on Catholica, as in wider society, is the precise meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ — the event that is considered the central defining event of Christianity that sets it apart from all the other systems of religious belief. Theologian, Fr Brian Gleeson CP thought it might be useful for our reflections here on Catholica to re-publish a paper that he originally had published in the Australasian Catholic Record in 2009. It is lengthy and comprehensive analysis of some of the best contemporary analysis of the meaning of the Resurrection by today's theologians. Because of the length of his analysis we are splitting it into five parts and will publish it over the coming five Thursdays. Today Fr Brian introduces what he will be covering in the analysis. [more]

011 :
19 May 2011

How should power be shared in the Church? The current discussions in the wider media and on Catholica following the events surrounding Bishop William Morris, as well as the on-going Catholica discussion about Papal Primacy and whether the role of the Pope is to be interpreted as some exclusive channel of God's thinking to humanity or as coordinator of the church-wide, or human-wide, effort to interpret what the Divine is saying through ALL men and women, prompted Dr Brian Gleeson to suggest we re-run this article he wrote in 2003. It was published in the very first edition of the e-Journal of Theology published by Australian Catholic University. We suggest the arguments Fr Gleeson presents are highly relevant to the discussions that need to be taking place within the Church at the moment and, from our point of view here at Catholica given our skepticism of where everything is heading at the moment, for whatever shape the Phoenix might take if the institution does end up being reduced to some smouldering ruins. This essay was originally published under the title: "Power-Sharing in the Catholic Church Today: Making Collegiality Really Happen". [more]

010 :
16 Dec 2010

Dining with Jesus: the meaning of remembrance and presence... This is a deceptive commentary from Dr Brian Gleeson. Is that something that is almost de rigeur from a Passionist? He's submitted it as a response to some of the recent discussion on the Catholica Forum about the meaning of the Eucharist. It might be argued this commentary seeks to encapsulate all the very best of Vatican II spirit eucharistic theology and understanding in one place. [more]

009 :
01 Oct 2010

How do we respond to the poor in our midst today? Brian Gleeson ends his commentary today with the very personal question directed at himself, and us (his readers): do we really and truly live out the message Jesus gives us in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? Dr Gleeson is essentially exploring the question "what sort of Church are we? How do we respond to the poor in our midst today?" [more]

008 :
31 Aug 2010

Dining with Jesus: his ministry of meals... Brian Gleeson has written this introduction to today's commentary: "The mission of Jesus the Messiah was to proclaim the coming of the kingdom (reign and rule) of God on earth and make it happen. He was both its agent and servant. His ministry consisted of all the means he used to accomplish his mission. They all expressed his pastoral care of people as their Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for his sheep (Jn 10:11). One principal ministry was his preaching and teaching. Another was his healings of one kind or another. Yet another was his passion, death, and resurrection. Still another was his ministry of meals, of table fellowship. Too often, though, his ministry of meals has been somewhat overlooked or neglected. The following investigation and presentation is all about it..." Today's commentary might be read as an extension of the discussion started by Kevin Murphy in his commentary last Satuday. [more]

007 :
24 Aug 2010

Putting our hope in the person of Jesus – Part III At the conclusion of this series the critical question Dr Brian Gleeson addresses to each of us is this: As our starting point to understand Jesus do we start with the Divine Jesus, or the human Jesus? Dr Gleeson suggests we start with the human Jesus rather than the other way about. Read more to find out why? [more]

006 :
17 Aug 2010

Putting our hope in the person of Jesus – Part II By way of introduction, Dr Brian Gleeson writes that this reflection "is a partial response to those questions that the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, raised in the forum on August 6, 2010: 'Who, exactly is this Jesus I'm seeking? What is his "message" or "good news"? Does he have a message for all humanity?'" In today's extract we have included the last two paragraphs of Part I as introduction to this exploration of the differing styles of the four evangelists. [more]

005 :
15 Aug 2010

Making Sense of the Assumption of Mary... For today's Feast of the Assumption Dr Brian Gleeson presents a reflection inviting us to reflect on the origins of the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven and what meaning we can draw from it today. [more]

004 :
10 Aug 2010

Putting our hope in the person of Jesus – Part I By way of introduction, Dr Brian Gleeson writes that this reflection "is a partial response to those questions that the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, raised in the forum on August 6, 2010: 'Who, exactly is this Jesus I'm seeking? What is his "message" or "good news"? Does he have a message for all humanity?' Towards answering them, let me draw attention also to the response Fr James Proctor gave his childhood friend, Cherie Blair, when she asked him on the ABC Compass episode of August 1, 2010: 'Is there any hope for the future of the Church?' James answered that the key to the survival of Christianity and the Church is the gospel and the person of Jesus. What follows, then, is put forward as an expression, development, and endorsement of that hope." [more]

003 :
03 Aug 2010

The Jewish World of Jesus – Part II Dr Brian Gleeson today concludes his three-part exploration of the Jewish world in which the historical Jesus lived. As he suggests at the end, we've learned a lot from scholarly study in recent decades but there is still much which we will probably never know. What we have been learning from modern scholarship, Dr Gleeson suggests, "is essential" to any investigation of Jesus' mission, ministry, destiny and identity. [more]

002 :
29 Jul 2010

The Jewish World of Jesus – Part II A lengthy commentary today from Dr Brian Gleeson as he explores the Jewish world in which the historical Jesus lived. If you think the politics of the world in which we live is complicated spare a thought for Jesus and the politics of the world in which he found himself operating. This commentary sits with the parallel series of commentaries we are running by Vynette Holliday and should also be considered within the context of the interesting discussions opening up on our forum exploring the Jewishness of Jesus and the implications for our thinking today. The commentaries, and the forum discussions, might help open up to the intelligent lay reader a more nuanced way of interpreting what we read or hear in the Scriptural accounts of the life of Jesus. [more]

001 :
20 Jul 2010

The Jewish World of Jesus – Part I We welcome to the pages of Catholica today Dr Brian Gleeson with the first of a series of commentaries looking at the Jewish world in which the historical Jesus lived. Dr Gleeson submitted this series not so much as a direct rebutal of the ideas Vynette Holliday presented in her lead commentary yesterday but as a set of ideas to be considered in parallel with the very similar territory Vynette has indicated she is intending to explore in her series. [more]