027 :
20 Dec 2009

Aspects of Life II #25… Today we come to the end of what has been a very gentle series of reflections over the last twenty-five Sundays by Francis Brown. It's the story of his own evolution in faith — finding again an At-One-Ness he had experienced as a young child but which he felt side-tracked away from for a significant portion of the eight decades of life. In this final excerpt from the last chapter of his book "My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality" shares his thoughts on a few aspects of life, including his great inspiration, Francis of Assisi, and his love for his environment and all of Creation. [more]

026 :
13 Dec 2009

Aspects of Life I #24… Here is Francis' own introduction to the last Chapter of his book which we will bring you today and next Sunday: There are so many aspects of life that I have thoughts about. In my thinking I perceive them in light of my knowledge that God is All-That-Is and that I am but one in That and in the loving extension in oneness of God in all of humanity and in all of what we call creation. That for me is covered by the word Creation. [more]

025 :
06 Dec 2009

Jesus of Nazareth #23… Today Francis invites us into a meditation on the being and meaning of Jesus — the presence of God with us, within us and all around us. [more]

024 :
29 Nov 2009

Faith, Love and Kingdom #20… Chapter 14 from Francis Brown's book today is a longer reflection on the themes of innocence, forgiveness and the ideas of goodness and evil that we carry within us. It intersects comfortably with the discussion we've recently had on Catholica of our sense of worthiness. At the end we've included an excerpt from Gina Ogilvie's song, "Worthy" from her album "Gift of Grace". [more]

023 :
22 Nov 2009

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]

022 :
15 Nov 2009

Faith, Love and Kingdom #20… This is a beautiful reflection from Francis Brown today. It brings together all of the ideas he has been exploring in the chapters leading up to this. It's an holistic exploration of the concepts of faith, love and kingdom. Included at the bottom of the page is a music track from the 2CD set, "Music for Joyful Prayer" (which is available in our Spiritual Marketplace). [more]

021 :
01 Nov 2009

In search of Self #19… The human psyche is complex and with all the knowledge humankind has acquired down through the millenia we still know little about what makes any of us "tick". The commentary last week and this from Francis relate this own, lifetime personal search to understand self. Indeed, his entire book might be labelled with that theme. Ultimately though, he argues, we need to let go of our mind and take on the Divine mind. As his own journey reflects that is often easier said than done. [more]

020 :
25 Oct 2009

In search of Self #18… This is another of those gentle reflections from Francis today worth sitting with for a while. It's a reflection on 'self' — his 'self' but it so easily applies to all of us. A couple of weeks ago we included a Sinfonia from Beethoven with one of Tom McMahon's commentaries. That music is included again today as you might like to sit with what Francis writes for a little while. [more]

019 :
18 Oct 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #17… Francis concludes Chapter Ten of his book with three poems written in 2005 and 2006 which explore in verse the themes he's been exploring in previous weeks in prose. A pensive commentary today accompanied by a violin concerto by Mendelssohn. [more]

018 :
11 Oct 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #16… In a footnote to today's commentary, Francis Brown writes: "This piece of writing is meant to illustrate how a priest displaced from the official clerical status of priesthood (because of a request to marry), and feeling a persisting priesthood within him, can occupy himself. There are many spiritually-minded people in the world who have been displaced in some way by the lesser spiritual aspects of churches. These are still waiting for the hand of Jesus to touch them. Perhaps I can be the light of Christ that they are waiting for and have not found in the official churches." [more]

017 :
04 Oct 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #15… In today's extract from his book, Francis relates some of the sense of alienation he felt on leaving the clerical priesthood and his pathway to find a new place of spiritual equilibrium in his life. [more]

016 :
27 Sep 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #14… Introduction by Brian Coyne: I remember a priest saying to a group of us around the time I was leaving school and going to university that even under the most orthodox interpretation of Catholic Church teaching it was difficult for any person to commit a mortal sin. I've pondered on those words many times over my lifetime and they came back to me as I was preparing today's commentary from Francis Brown. Francis challenges today the concepts of death and sin. I'm not sure that I wholly agree with him. While I do think there are few people who run around deliberately being sinful. I do think we all make plenty of bloody stupid decisions in our lives, or think stupid things, that bring disharmony into our lives — or the lives of our families, neighbours and communities. What Francis seems to be arguing here is a way of thinking that helps restore harmony and wholeness into our lives. This is another beautiful reflection worth sitting with quietly for a lengthy period of time. [more]

015 :
20 Sep 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #13… With Francis story we now enter a longer chapter where he writes of his more recent explorations of spiritual meaning. In this first section of Chapter 10 he writes of the release from fear... [more]

014 :
13 Sep 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #12… Francis is such a hope-filling writer. Today's excerpt from his book is a sort of transition chapter as he explains in the first paragraph. At the end of everything we can't take our money with us, we can't even take our hopes, our dreams and our disappointments with us. At the end of everything our hope is Oneness with the Divine — peace and equilibrium. Francis argues, it is Here, Now! Sieze it... [more]

013 :
06 Sep 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #11… Francis entitled Chapter 8, "Providence". Perhaps the entire chapter can be summarised in this sentence Francis writes: "As Jesus brought Christ­consciousness into his life by awakening to his true relationship as Child of God, so I called on the Holy Spirit to continue to guide me to the same awakening to see me too as Christ." [more]

012 :
30 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #10… A change of pace from Francis today. He shares with us just four poems written between 1997 and 2002 which he sees as expressing a contrast between his experience of hell and resurrection. [more]

011 :
23 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #9… Where Francis leads us today in his reflection is in many ways a lesson in not being too hard on ourselves. Judging other is a problem but we can also be too judgmental toward our own selves. Jesus offers a compassionate, non-punitive, win-win type of justice! [more]

010 :
16 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #8… Do you have memories of your childhood as distinct as these ones Francis Brown is sharing with us? In Chapter 6, which we are splitting into two parts, he reflects on the sense of separation that he felt the formal education process gave him from the pre-school sense of wholeness and oneness he experienced. [more]

009 :
09 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #7… It's a short reflection from Francis today ... and in verse. As children do we appreciate enough the love our parents have for us? Or how much time our parents spend thinking about us wherever we are in the world, or on our journeys? [more]

008 :
02 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #6… Chapter 4 from Francis Brown's book takes the form of a dialogue with a visitor in which Francis explores the question of the relative value of the knowledge that is inherent to creation and the learned knowledge we acquire at school and in other places in life. Learned knowledge has a value but we need to be careful not to squeeze out an openess to the Holy Spirit to lead us to new perceptions. Francis concludes: "Be open, with the Holy Spirit, to new perception. Be free to learn anew of those you have met or will meet. Allow rebirth to occur for each part of creation so that you see it simply as God created." [more]

007 :
02 Aug 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #5… We have published Chapter 3 of Francis Brown's book before on Catholica as a stand-alone parable [See www.catholica.com.au/gc2/occ/024_occ_151008.php]. We present it again here, this time within the context of where it sits in his entire book, My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality. [more]

006 :
26 Jul 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #4… In this second part of Chapter 2 of his book, My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality, Francis goes almost mystical. The thrust of his argument though seems similar to the thoughts of Ekhart Tolle — we find the Divine presence not in the past or the future but in the Now. We need to resist those forces that separate us from the timeless, the infinite and the Divine presence. Can we experience this 'presence' amidst the ordinariness of life? How much are we constrained, or restrained, by the expectations of what society calls 'normal' or 'reality'? Francis describes his experiences. [more]

005 :
19 Jul 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #3… In both his physical presence and in his writing Francis Brown exudes a spirit of gentleness. He may no longer be a Franciscan priest but he remains both Franciscan and priestly to his core. We're splitting Chapter 2 of his book, My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality, into two parts. He recalls the re-awakening of his childhood spirituality as a form of resurrection. [more]

004 :
12 Jul 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey #2… Chapter One of Francis Brown's book, My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality, he entitled "Beginnings" but I think it might be more accurate to describe it as a fourteen paragraph set of stepping stones across his entire life. He lays out the five or so paradigmatic turning points of his journey which he'll be exploring in more detail as this series moves on. [more]

003 :
05 Jul 2009

A lifetime spiritual journey… It is a pleasure to begin an extended series of short commentaries from Francis Brown They are extracts from his book My Love is Here — an evolution in spirituality. If we might be so bold as to provide an overview summary this is the spiritual journey of one man — one who might now be described as an "elder amongst us" — from childhood, into school, into seminary, into priesthood, as a missioner in PNG to people who still lived in a culture far removed from our technological culture, into married life and raising a family, back into the urban life of Brisbane and Sydney but all the while seeking to re-discover a spiritual Presence he had experienced in the innocence of his childhood and which he believes was educated out of him for a long period. [more]

002 :
16 Oct 2008

A Parable… Take yourself back … back to before you were born … back to imagine yourself as the first child to have heard a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale … or one of the first to have heard Jesus "speak in parables". How would you discern the meaning of a parable hearing it for the first time? Today we have a complete change of pace for a lead commentary on Catholica. Francis Brown presents us with a modern Australian parable. You, Dear Reader, are presented with the challenge of discerning its meaning. Enjoy… [more]

001 :
03 Oct 2008

Francis Brown shares the story of his spiritual journey… The lengthy discussion thread in our forum last week "Why so cognitive?" started by Nicholas (See post#17017), set Francis Brown off on his own spiritual reflection. He wasn't sure how it might fit with the flow of the thread and emailed it to the editor for a second opinion. It's a pretty frank confession of his own spiritual journey and fits so well with our desire here at Catholica to encourage the "sharing of our stories" that we asked Francis if he minded if we ran it as a lead commentary… [more]