100 :
21 Oct 2012

What a Change! Surely this reflection from John Chuchman must reflect the feelings of many of the faithful who have ceased bothering to participate. Our Church gave us such feelings of security and even pride. What a change in all the ways it has unravelled to become an irrelevant dying cult? What will all those who have ceased participating end up doing? [more]

099 :
14 Oct 2012

Whose Liturgy is it, anyway? John Chuchman today brings us an EXCLUSIVE. A conversation he overheard during the week direct from one of the Coffee Shops near where the Synod for the New Evangelisation is happening in Rome. This is the real deal of what's being discussed in Rome for the welfare of all of you. Don't miss this: your eternal salvation may depend on what is being prepared. Don't worry about all the public relations' whitewash you read from John L Allen Jr and the reports in the media and from the Vatican Press Office. Chuchman captures what he imagines are the "conversations" in the back room of a Roman coffee shop where they're carving up the real agenda about how we'll all pray in the future and access the Divine Graces of God. [more]

098 :
07 Oct 2012

Jesus was Not a Wimp! It's an interesting proposition: if you were placed in the shoes of Jesus – or any of his early followers who were tortured and killed for their beliefs – how much courage would you exhibit? John Chuchman begins his reflection today with the statement that "Jesus was Not a Wimp!" He ends with a question directed at each of us which essentially boils down to: how much courage would you exhibit if placed in the position of any of them? [more]

097 :
30 Sep 2012

Developing a Deep Trust in the Divine Within... Please excuse me today for bringing you a reflection from John Chuchman that comes very close to my own emerging spiritual outlook. It also fits well with the conversation on our forum at the moment emerging from this Sunday's readings [LINK]. It's about living comfortably with doubt and uncertainty and not trying to replace it with fake, manufactured certitudes. He closes with the observation: For me, living in the Question: 'What is Truth?' is to live in the Presence of the Divine. John's original title for this reflection was "Questions without Answers" ...Brian Coyne, Editor [more]

093 :
23 Sep 2012

Moving On and Moving Back! John Chuchman by himself produces a mountain of material for reflection each week that rivals what all of us produce on Catholica. In the midst of his last series of Sunday reflections on our website he produced another series that was even picked up by Tom Fox on NCR. John captures the mood of many who have been giving up on the institution but who haven't given up on Jesus or the search for a spirituality that speaks to their lives and experiences today. Here is the series of four reflections from John which have been attracting comment in all sorts of places. Use the navigation links within the commentary to access each reflection. [more]

092 :
16 Sep 2012

Part 6: Additional Thoughts on Developing One's Spirituality John Chuchman concludes this present series today with the observation: "In collaboration with Concerned Catholics of Montana and the American Catholic Council this piece mirrors my own personal Spiritual journey". From the feedback we've been getting at Catholica it would seem many others have similar feelings. [more]

091 :
09 Sep 2012

Part 5: Challenges – The New Cosmology and Evolutionary Biology This series from John Chuchman has been inspired by a group of people in Montana who, in turn were inspired by the American Catholic Council last year to make a difference. What makes it so interesting is that we are like eavesdroppers on a conversation of a group of intelligent lay-people who have attempted to go "back to basics" in thinking through their spirituality. As they discern here we are in a time of Spiritual and Religious transition because of the all the new knowledge that humankind is being given access to. How does that affect our beliefs and practices? [more]

090 :
02 Sep 2012

Part 4: Challenges – The New Cosmology and Evolutionary Biology This series from John Chuchman has been inspired by a group of people in Montana who, in turn were inspired by the American Catholic Council last year to make a difference. Today's commentary fits in so well with the conversations we've been having on Catholica this past week seeking to jettison our "excess baggage" and worn out nostrums in search of a spirituality and theology that can speak to us today. What we are learning through Quantum Physics, Cosmology and the Evolution of Life, and even the complexity of our own physiology and neurology, forces us to re-visit many of the fundamental beliefs handed down from our ancient forebears who had no access to this knowledge. [more]

089 :
26 Aug 2012

Part 3: The Need for a Personal Spirituality Is there such a being in the world as someone who is entirely "unspiritual"? Is an atheist or an agnostic an unspiritual person? John Chuchman, and the group from Montana who were the inspiration for this series, don't attempt to answer those questions in this commentary but they are questions prompted by the commentary. I suspect all people, even atheists, engage in the activity we lable as meditation — speculation about the deeper meaning of our existence and being. Perhaps the term "need" in the title to this reflection is where the emphasis ought to be rather than on the term "personal" — the need we all have to understand our spirituality? [more]

088 :
19 Aug 2012

Part 2: Religion & Spirituality Today we publish Part 2 of an extended series that John Chuchman has developed through the inspiration of a group of lay Catholics in Montana. The theme of the series is very positive: a search for a lay spirituality that can speak to the challenges of life today. The initiative grew out of the American Catholic Council held in Detroit in June last year. There is much to reflect on in this series. Readers may like to take it gently, a section at a time as we explore it here on Catholica. For the impatient, John has already published the full text on his blog [LINK]. Alternatively you can read the full text of the original Montana working paper on the American Catholic Council website at [LINK]. In an email during the week John challenged the use of the term "Lay" but I had taken that directly from the American Catholic Council website linked above. The headline I have used is the same one as the ACC website has used. John wrote "don't title it 'Lay' Spirituality; that is not accurate and it is demeaning." Perhaps a good topic for discussion might be whether or not such a creature as "Lay Spirituality" exists? [more]

087 :
12 Aug 2012

Part 1: The Nature of Spirituality Today we begin an extended series that John Chuchman has developed through the inspiration of a group of lay Catholics in Montana led by Rosemary and Jim Tackes. The theme of the series is very positive: a search for a lay spirituality that can speak to the challenges of life today. The initiative grew out of the American Catholic Council held in Detroit in June last year. There is much to reflect on in this series. Readers may like to take it gently, a section at a time as we explore it here on Catholica. For the impatient, John has already published the full text on his blog [LINK]. Alternatively you can read the full text of the original Montana working paper on the American Catholic Council website at [LINK]. This opening reflection looks at the nature of spirituality. John writes that the work that is emerging from this group in Montana reflects his own spiritual journey. With permission of the group in Montana and the ACC he is seeking to bring the work to wider public attention. [more]

086 :
29 Jul 2012

Grieving for the lost hope and opportunity... There are so many events this year commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Many of them seem to be wakes, lamenting and grieving over the lost opportunity. John Chuchman today endeavours to capture some of the grief in this reflection. [more]

085 :
23 Jul 2012

The search for a richer state of contemplation... Does everybody search for a better prayer life? John Chuchman has been boning up on a bit of advice from St John of the Cross. Are we forever "in process" to a better state of contemplation? [more]

084 :
15 Jul 2012

What is the objective of Eucharist? In a sense it is such an obvious question it's a wonder it hasn't been posed more often: what is the objective of the eucharist? That's the question John Chuchman poses for our reflection today: "Do the adorers seek to place God at their own disposition to reassure their identity and strengthen their determination? Or does the Real Presence seek to honor the liturgy where the community celebrates its own power in the name of God?" [more]

083 :
01 Jul 2012

Centered... John Chuchman poses the interesting thought in his reflection today: "God is a circle whose Center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere". To mix some metaphors, it is another interesting side of the prism from which to contemplate the divine given our recent conversations on Catholica about the nature of this Mystery. [more]

082 :
24 Jun 2012

Vatican Hegemonism target American Nuns, Part IV... Why is Pope Benedict and the Vatican targeting America and Americans? Is it because he sees the prospects of re-evangelising Europe as now hopeless and America, with its still relatively bouyant participation rates, might be a better prospect? In this conclusion to their series, Sr Charlene Ozanick and John Chuchman are essentially asking these questions. [more]

081 :
17 Jun 2012

Vatican Hegemonism target American Nuns, Part III... In this third part of their lengthy essay examining the hegemony being sought by a small remnant element in Catholicism Sr Charlene Ozanick and John Chuchman get more specific about the attacks on American Catholic Religious Women. For educated people around the world the Vatican charade to turn back the clock looks more ludicrous and childish with each passing week. (See also today the articles being discussed in the Catholica Forum from Spiegel Online and from Dr David Tacey.) [more]

080 :
10 Jun 2012

Vatican Hegemonism target American Nuns, Part II... In this second part of their lengthy essay examining the hegemony being sought by a small remnant element in Catholicism Sr Charlene Ozanick and John Chuchman examine the endeavours of the JPII and BXVI-led Vatican to nobble what they see as the liberal elements in the Church and most especially American Catholic Religious Women. In this commentary we read how the present initiative to control the Leadership Conference of Women Religious fits into a much longer history to impose ecclesial totalitarianism on the Laity and, more especially, Religious Sisters. [more]

079 :
03 Jun 2012

Vatican Hegemonism target American Nuns, Part I... Is a small fundamentalist and remnant element in Catholicism, who never accepted the decisions of the majority of the world's Catholic Bishops at the Second Vatican Council, and who simply do not represent the majority of the Catholic baptized in the world, attempting to take over Catholicism and impose their theological views and doctrines on the entire world? While this lengthy (nearly 6,800 word) essay by Sr Charlene Ozanick and John Chuchman is essentially directed to a United States Catholic readership the questions they raise could be extended to Catholics in all parts of the Western world today. Because of the length and detail in this essay we will present it in four parts over coming weeks. [more]

078 :
27 May 2012

To obey... We have long heard the word "obedience" bandied about in Catholicism. John Chuchman's reflection today attempts an examination of what an enlightened believer might make of the meaning of this word. We are all called to various forms of obedience in our lives: to the laws of the land, to the laws of science, to the methodologies of communication if we want to be effective communicators. What does obedience mean in a religious and spiritual context? [more]

077 :
20 May 2012

The Parable of the Loving Father Today's reflection by John Chuchman sits beautifully with a number of the conversations on our forum at the moment exploring the nature of this myster we try to condense into the word "God" and the relationship we are called into with this One who was referred to by Jesus as his "Father". In particular, as well as John's commentary, I draw your attention to a post by Enda on our forum exploring the spirituality of Edmund Rice on a similar theme [See: "The emphasis is on Christ-ian": LINK]. [more]

076 :
13 May 2012

Why is this meal different? A break today from the normal style of reflection layout from John Chuchman. Instead a joint reflection, perhaps appropriate for Mothers' Day, pointedly asking when the women were excluded from the Last Supper. No, it's actually a deeper question than that asking why the Catholic Eucharist is becoming so divorced from its roots in the Jewish Passover? The commentary is a joint effort from Sr M. Charlene Ozanick CSSF and John Chuchman. [more]

075 :
06 May 2012

A reflection on the meaning of Compassion... Is compassion merely charity, pit and sympathy of does it go beyond that? That's the essential question John Chuchman poses in today's reflection. What does Jesus offer as insights into the meaning of compassion? [more]

074 :
29 Apr 2012

Daring to be Truly Catholic... Today's refection from John Chuchman sits well with this Sunday's readings which we have been discussion on the Catholica Forum HERE. What defines "authentic Catholicism" today? How do we find what John labels as "personal authenticity" or what the editor has labeled as "personal integrity" in the forum discussion? [more]

073 :
15 Apr 2012

Is God more present in us or in the Eucharist? John Chuchman wrote very little of his reflection today. In fact all he wrote was the question: "How did we come to believe and/or behave as though God is more present in the bread and wine than in each and every one of us?". The rest of the reflection are the responses he received from his readers. [more]

072 :
08 Apr 2012

Do This... I went searching this morning for a commentary from John Chuchman that might somehow be connected to the Easter Message. I found one entitled "Do This..." from his book "Spirituality & Spiritual Growth beyond Hierarchical Church" and started doing the layout but then we had discovered ew had already published it on 14th November 2010. If I had forgotten we'd run this before chances are many of you have also. It's worth a second look... [BMC, Editor] [more]

071 :
01 Apr 2012

Competing Voices... John Chuchman today gives voice to a common concern one hears expressed in communities where people feel increasingly disenfranchised from their church or faith community: should we speak up or remain silent; should we stay or leave? It's a good discussion point. What thoughts do you have? [more]

070 :
25 Mar 2012

In Each and Every Moment, the Unknown... John Chuchman's... reflection today is about the need to be constantly aware of the limitations of our own points of view. Left unchecked, our personal projections based on the accumulation of all our past experiences, instead of simply being useful become rigid, blocking us from learning what is available to learn in the Now. [more]

069 :
11 Mar 2012

Metanoia: How much work do we have to do? How much choice do we have in any transformation we want to undertake? We can open ourselves up to metanoia and conversion but how much can we drive the process and how much do we leave to the Spirit that builds universes? These questions are at the heart of this reflection from John Chuchman... [more]

068 :
04 Mar 2012

Let's just Be the Church we want Church to be! Following John Chuchman's reflection today you may feel "I wish it were as easy as that". It's difficult leaving behind what for many of us has been a lifetime of understandings, belief and good memories. Is it a bit like what a young person feels life leaving home? We have a treasure of very positive memories of home but there's also a sense of relief to be out from under the constant scrutiny of mum and dad. John is essentially arguing that we just leave behind all the oppression of the hierarchs and the games they play of trying to constantly please their temporal bosses and let's just Be the Church we want the Church to be! [more]

067 :
26 Feb 2012

The Catholic Hierarchy is at war with the majority of us in the pews! John Chuchman's reflection today is principally focused to goings on in the United States but could as easily be applied in any country in the developed world today. Have some hierarchical fringe in the Church declared some sort of war on the great majority of ordinary pew-sitters in the church, or who once sat in the church? Are the old crusader's banners coming out again? [more]

066 :
19 Feb 2012

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 7: The Triune God of Love: We started this series from John Chuchman back in the middle of December and this is the last of this series of ponderings. We have added a "series navigation" line to the top and bottom of each Pondering as you might like today to go back and tackle the whole series as a set of connected reflections on this theme of the religious quest as a search for the ultimate in love. [more]

065 :
12 Feb 2012

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 6: The Mystery of God as Love: John Chuchman's reflection today perhaps fits especially well with the sort of questions Tom McMahon poses in his new Sunday series on Mythology. Love is a "mystery" we find difficult to explain with words, so also is this entity we trying and condense into expressions like "God" or "the Spirit". These "mysteries" of the Divine and Love seem inextricably linked. [more]

064 :
05 Feb 2012

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 5: Being in Love: There was an article in Zenit yesterday [LINK] asking if it is possible to make the Church's message "brilliant and attractice". Some argued in response that it's no longer possible [LINK]. What John could be thought of as doing in this series is trying to make the Jesus' message "brilliant and attractive". All of us engaged in the process of "pondering" — asking ourselves questions about what it all means; what our own lives mean; how we might better live our lives; or simply "be happy"? These are the sort of questions John Chuchman has been pondering in this series. The connecting central word in last week's ponder, this one today and the two to come in the word "love". [more]

063 :
30 Jan 2012

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 4: My Existence in Divine Love: >Back in the 1980's Tina Turner released a song under the title "What's Love Got To Do With It?" [YouTube]. It's a song title burned into the hearts of many. Turner subsequently used the title for a documentary about her life [Wikipedia]. Today's reflection from John Chuchman could be thought of as attempting to provide an answer to that question. Love is claimed to "make the world go around". In the Christian context we see our existence rooted in Divine Love... [more]

062 :
01 Jan 2012

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 3: Being Human is Questing: John Chuchman's reflection today fits beautifully with a theme that seems to be emerging across the whole of what we do here at Catholica: none of us can own the Divine exclusively. None of us can have an exclusive claim to know "the mind of God"; we are all on a journey of discovery — questing to understand the meaning of our individual lives, and of Life. [more]

061 :
25 Dec 2011

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 2: A Self-Transcending Child of a Self-Giving God: For the Christmas-New Year period John Chuchman has prepared for us a series of seven connected, short reflections. Essentially, they are exploring the ultimate meaning and objective of our lives with a spiritual or divine context. Life is a love story — a quest for the ultimate in love! [more]

060 :
18 Dec 2011

Ponderings of a fellow traveler on Life's Journey 1: My True Self (and my Creator) Revealed in Action: For the Christmas-New Year period John Chuchman has prepared for us a series of seven connected, short reflections. Essentially, they are exploring the ultimate meaning and objective of our lives with a spiritual or divine context. Life is a love story — a quest for the ultimate in love! [more]

059 :
12 Dec 2011

The Impact of Vatican II... Two commentators in one today: John Chuchman's reflection today is based on a talk Robert Blair Kaiser has given recently on the impact of Vatican II. As they conclude: The hierarchy is busy trying to convince everyone that Vatican II really did not change anything. Those of us who lived before Vatican II know otherwise. [more]

058 :
04 Dec 2011

Transforming My Anger... Life throws up so much that can make us all angry. Perhaps one of the great lessons from the Jesus story is that not even the Son of God escaped circumstances and injustice that would make any person very angry? It is also perhaps an irony today that the institution he gave his name to has become a cause for much anger in the hearts of many people today — think of those reading the newly released reports in Ireland, those protesting in Melbourne today and calling for a government enquiry into the Australian institution's handling of clerical abuse,, and all those whose petitions and needs are ignored by the hierarchy. John Chuchman's reflection today is a self-reflection on how he endeavours to transform his anger through the Spirit. [more]

057 :
27 Nov 2011

The Roman Missal — A Crisis? In place of his usual reflection John Chuchman sent through this plea today on behalf of the Church reform organisation, Call to Action. He also sent through an article by William Slavick entitled "Erasure of Vatican II extends to new Missal—affecting 400 Million!" which we have posted on the Catholica forum HERE. What are your views on the new translation; does it enhance your worship; do you believe it will help bring your children or the lapsi back in the door; or is it another endeavour to appease the vocal remnant minority in our pews? [more]

056 :
13 Nov 2011

God Is... Advent will be upon us in a few weeks. In today's reflection John Chuchman suggests an alternative Advent Ritual to let our light shine... [more]

055 :
06 Nov 2011

God Is... Trying to explain who or what God is continues to be the question that baffles humankind. We've been searching for answers ever since the first human being began to think. John Chuchman tackles that huge question and provides food for our own contemplation in his reflection today. It is a short reflection taken from his book "Spirituality &Spiritual Growth beyond Hierarchical Church". [more]

054 :
30 Oct 2011

A call for unity (again)... Today's layout is a repeat of one we ran a couple of weeks ago. It is only a repeat because of a mistake by the editor who has his mind too busy with a lot of other things and he was running very late with today's commentary as a result of that and did this layout in haste before realising he was repeating the call John Chuchman made a few week's ago. As a writer I am constantly astounded though at the ways in which different layouts often give new meaning to the same words. (Different layouts are also often useful in picking up typographical and grammatical errors.) As I was doing the layout though my mind kept mulling on how all pleas or calls for unity these days are akin to pushing the proverbials up a hill with a pointy stick. There is going to be no "unity" when we have a small remnant element in society who will not allow unity unless we all agree 110% with their point of view. Is the call John makes here about as idealistic as suggesting we go off and have a rational conversation with the religious terrorists who are presently holding the whole of humanity to a king's ransom? ...BMC [more]

053 :
23 Oct 2011

What is This All About? We often use the expression "life is a mystery". Very often there are no simple answers. John Chuchman's reflection today in a sense explores this big mystery of life by asking the question: "What is This All About?". How do we learn to live with mystery and uncertainty when there are no easy answers and certitudes? [more]

052 :
16 Oct 2011

A Call for Unity... Given a number of conversations taking place on the Catholica Forum at the moment John Chuchman's reflection today is a plea for unity. Whatever our differences on our perceptions of truth, John outlines a possible way for a group of people of diverse beliefs to form a sense of community and express a sense of unity. [more]

051 :
09 Oct 2011

Thoughts on the Liturgy Changes... The objections to the new liturgy seem to be almost reaching the cresendo of the objections to Humanae Vitae all those decades ago. Perhaps if so many people hadn't already left the church the noise of objection would be the same? John Chuchman brings us today some thoughts on the changes he came across written by Susan Masiak from St John Fisher University Parish in Michigan. They echo his own objections. What are your thoughts on the changes? [more]