2477 :
18 May 2013

Pentecost: Tell us how the Spirit influences you today... It's Pentecost Sunday already this year. CathyT is leading the reflection for us this weekend and she suggests that rather than focusing on what happened two millennia ago at the first Pentecost we might focus on our present "Now": How does The Spirit influence or guide your life today? It's a topic in various ways we've been discussing on Catholica quite a bit. The theme of Cathy's own reflection is that "The Spirit challenges us". And she certainly challenges us also in the provocative thoughts she puts forward. We invite you to be challenged enough by Cathy's thoughts to share with us how you feel challenged today in your beliefs. [The Reflections of CathyT and others in our forum]

2463 :
04 May 2013

The guru has to leave the disciples... The Gospel reading from John this Sunday is the discourse Jesus has with his disciples warning them that he is to leave them. Sue leads the discussion on our forum today seeking to deepen our understanding of the meaning of this passage. To do that she turns to a perspective from the Hindu tradition in India discerned by the French Benedictine monk who lived in India for an extended period, Henri le Saux (1910-1963). The idea that the guru has to leave their followers is not unique to Christianity. Sue's reflection leads to discussion of the role of a guru and the meaning of this parting with their disciples. [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum]

2456 :
27 Apr 2013

Making sense of the meaning of ancient religious concepts today... We have a collaboration today: two scriptwriters on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean working on a film script to make a bit of modern sense of a few words allegedly uttered by Jesus at the last Supper. The collaborators are Joe (Journeyman) in Illinois and Ynot (Tony Lawless) in Victoria. What in heaven's name did the Greeks mean when they translated the language of Jesus when he spoke about being "glorified"? Some meaning got lost in translation. Joe seems to be the main instigator of this interesting way of analysing this weekend's Gospel reading, and Tony backs him up with the necessary academic research. In an interesting perspective they argue that the way we use the term "God" today has lost the sense of awe that the Jewish people of Jesus' time had when thinking, or speaking about, this awesome Mystery we try to condense into the word "God". Tony argues at one point "God has become domesticated ... people are coming to recognize that christians are over-familiar with 'God'". The Jewish people are in awe of the Divine so much that they do not voice the name of God. Did our over-familiarity with God, bringing the Divine down to our level, start way back when the original scriptures were translated into Greek? [The Reflections of Joe, Ynot and others in our forum]

2449 :
20 Apr 2013

The intimate relationship between the shepherd and their flock... Sandy presents this weekend's reflection on the Gospel reading about Jesus describing the intimacy of God to his people being likened to an old-fashioned shepherd to his sheep. Sandy herself is a story-teller and she presents a short story that seeks to explore the depths of this short passage from Jesus in amusing and informative ways. It's a dialogue between herself and her husband sitting before their computer screens googling such questions as how many sheep there are in the world, how many people in the world, and trying to get some handle on what this short parable is trying to convey to us. It's about the intimacy of God to every individual person. As her husband concludes, "The message of Jesus is for everyone, not just the theology professors". [The Reflections of Sandy and others in our forum]

2442 :
13 Apr 2013

"Follow me!" What did it mean to Peter? What does it mean for us? CathyT provides the starter reflection for the Gospel Reading this weekend. The story in focus is the post-Resurrection story where Jesus invites the one who denied him three times to "Follow me". In a sense it is a rhetorical invitation. It isn't just directed at Peter but at all of us. How are we to interpret this story today? Perhaps particularly in light of the conversations of recent days sparked by the commentaries of Tony Equale, Graham English, John N Collins and others that invite a new examination of how the earliest followers of Jesus interpreted everything? Cathy endeavours to look at the story through the eyes of three of the key players in the Gospel setting, The Beloved Disciple, Peter and the Risen Jesus. [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2435 :
06 Apr 2013

The post-Resurrection stories: what are we to believe? Tony Lawless, the person who gave the tag "Y-NOT" to these weekly reflections, leads our conversation today. The Gospel reading this Sunday is John's story about "Doubting Thomas". Tony's reflection has been drawing some effusive praise from others in the conversation. In exploring this reading he picks up on some earlier conversations in our forum this week and delivers his own "poetic and contemporary" interpretation of what this reading is trying to convey to us. [The Reflections of Tony and others in our forum]

2421 :
23 Mar 2013

Reflecting on the lengthy Passion Story of Palm Sunday... Joe (Journeyman) leads our reflection on the readings for Passion Sunday. It's a quality reflection to cap off a week full of cracker-jack reflections on Catholica. Joe essentially asks: What is this Passion story ultimately all about? Is it trying get us to be grateful to Jesus for dying for us, or are we called to gratitude for Jesus showing us how to die? [The Reflections of Joe and others in our forum]

2414 :
16 Mar 2013

Jesus: challenged again by the scribes and pharisees... It's good today to have a woman leading the reflection on this Sunday's Gospel reading about the "The Story of the Woman caught in Adultery". Sandra explores this challenging piece of scripture where Jesus is "tested" by the Scribes and Pharisees of his day. The woman was "breaking the law". Shouldn't she be stoned as the Law prescribed? What arewe to make today of the manner in which Jesus responded to to the "testing" of these people who knew the laws so well? Are there lessons in this for us today? [The Reflections of Sandra and others in our forum]

2407 :
09 Mar 2013

Constantly learning from the Parable of the Prodigal... "The parable of the Prodigal Son is so familiar that it is easy to take it for granted" that's how GeorgeH summed it up in his response to CathyT who writes the lead reflection on this Sunday's Gospel story: "The Parable of the Prodigal Son". CathyT puts a twist into her reflection bringing to it the perceptions of a woman and mother. Her reflection is worth mulling on for that reason alone. Put yourself in Cathy's shoes and ask yourself how you would react in the alternative scenario she paints. [The Reflections of CathyT and others in our forum]

2400 :
02 Mar 2013

Making sense of the pointlessness of life... Tony Lawless (Ynot himself) provides an insightful reflection today that others are finding appealing. He's try to fathom out what is meant by the difficult Gospel passage where Christ seems to be condemning people unless they repent. It has confused a lot of people down through the centuries — and probably created more than a few religions that have sent people up blind allies that don't lead to redemption or paradise. What IS the point Jesus Christ – or the writer of Luke's Gospel – seeking to get through to us in this piece of advice? We observe so often that life is random, even cruel, in the way wealth or poverty is distributed, or who gets hit by hurricanes, cyclones, disease, floods, fire and tempest. Is it correct to interpret these events as God punishing us, or rewarding us? Read what Tony has to say as it very well may change your life and change some views of how you've traditionally understood these sayings. [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2393 :
23 Feb 2013

The Transfiguration... Sue leads our reflection this weekend and the focus is in the meaning we can draw from Luke's Gospel story of The Transfiguration. Sue relates a story from an elderly Russian women who went to India to learn from a Sufi master and experienced something similar to what the witnesses to Jesus' transfiguration experienced. It helps drag the story back from the realms of superstition and miracles to something close to the realms of what any of us can experience being with some teacher or colleague or really inspires us. Throughout Lent, Sue has also been posting a set of daily meditations on our forum that have been developing a small but loyal following. [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum]

2386 :
16 Feb 2013

What an unexpected start to Lent 2013! The unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict last Monday has certainly stirred up the thoughts of many people around the world in the past week. The conservative elements in the Church have been as shocked as everyone else. Everyone is thinking about, often expressing, their hopes for the future. Joe (Journeyman) writes our lead reflection on the readings for the First Sunday of Lent and links the Gospel reading of Jesus' sojourn in the desert to the events of the past week and the time of reassessment they have triggered for all of us. Where is God's Spirit leading us today? [The Reflections of Journeyman and others in our forum]

2379 :
09 Feb 2013

Do not be afraid... This Sunday is the first week in Ordinary Time – and it's only a partial week because Lent begins on Wednesday coming. The reading from Luke this Sunday is the famous recruitment scene of the first Apostles and Jesus offering his advice about "Being not afraid" and to "put out into the deep". The lead reflection today is written by Sandra who is a new recruit to Ynot's team (she did write one previous commentary during January) but one of the original members of Catholica. Sandra ties in her reflection on the reading to the approach of Lent. [The Reflections of Sandra and others in our forum]

2372 :
02 Feb 2013

The problem faced by prophets... CathyT provides the lead reflection on this Sunday's Gospel reading. It's the reading from Luke where Jesus says "no prophet is accepted in his own land". Is this so much a scriptural passage to cement in Jesus' role in history as a prophet; or is it an observation by Jesus, or those who wrote the gospel, on the role that all prophets in society face? Cathy rewrites the story in more contemporary language as a way of trying to draw out what we might learn from this reading. [The Reflections of CathyT and others in our forum]

2337 :
29 Dec 2012

Some advice from wise parents... Tomorrow the Church celebrates The Feast of the Holy Family. CathyT has written the lead reflection and already sparked an interesting conversation on our forum about the role and responsibility of parents today. Her husband, Mike, chips in with a bit of wise advice: "the main role of parents is not to get in the way of the Holy Spirit!" Here is fertile ground for a great conversation involving parents who followed the advice of childless bishops and today are wondering why the advice was less than productive. For parents who have raised children through to full adulthood, what advice would you provide today about the role of parents? Is our principal role as parents to turn out clones of ourselves; or to turn out obedient, socially conformist, unctious citizens who respect temporal authorities; or to encourage the maturity of self-individuated individuals whose primary sense of obedience it to this Great Spirit who resides at the heart of Life? [The Reflections of CathyT and others in our forum]

2332 :
24 Dec 2012

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas... Our team that have been assisting Tony (Ynot) Lawless throughout the year write reflections on the Sunday Readings have combined efforts today to write a series of reflections on the various Masses that are celebrated from the Vigil through to the later Masses on Christmas Day. [The Christmas Day Reflections in our forum]

2330 :
22 Dec 2012

Have you ever been called to do "great things"? Tony Lawless (Ynot himself) has prepared our reflection on the Sunday readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent tomorrow. His reflection is already drawing an appreciative response on the forum. He compares the proposition put to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, that she was "Called to Great Things" to the challenges we often experience in our lives. How do we react when faced with challenges, or called to make some unusual commitment in our local community or world? [The lead Reflection of Ynot and others in our forum]

2323 :
15 Dec 2012

"What should we do?" the crowd asked St John the Baptist... Tomorrow is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent [Wikipedia], one of the two Sundays in the year where the liturgical colour is rose or pink. The Gospel reading from Luke is of the discourse between St John the Baptist and a crowd questioning him. It is one of the earliest Christian discourses on how to make moral and intelligent decisions in an ordinary lived life. Joe (Journeyman) leads our Sunday reflection this weekend. Deep thanks to Tony Lawless (Ynot) and to the small team he has motivated to spend time "mining" these Sunday readings. These reflections are better than what you find in many homilies in that they are written to try and elicit the truths and wisdom apparent to the ancient writers, not written to try and evade the scrutiny of our modern-day temple police. [The lead Reflection of Journeyman and others in our forum]

2316 :
08 Dec 2012

How to "prepare the way for the Lord"? What a powerful set of Advent reflections we have for you today. Sue provides the lead reflection for the Second Sunday of Advent but we also draw your attention to two other strings from recent days which intersect powerfully with the discussion on tomorrow's readings from Scripture. The overall theme of these conversations and reflections might be summed up in this question: How to "prepare the way for the Lord"? [The lead Reflection of Sue and others in our forum] | [The related conversation begun by Ynot: "What do we need to do to make liturgy work?"] | [The related conversation begun by Francis: "spiritual wardrobe"]

2309 :
01 Dec 2012

A new season: climate-wise and liturgical-wise... We certainly move around the globe with our reflections on the Sunday readings. This week's reflection comes from CathyT in Adelaide. Today marks the start of a new season in our climate: summer for us in the Southern Hemisphere and winter for those of you in the Northern Hempisphere. Tomorrow marks the start of a our new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. Our contributors to the discussion Cathy has started are exploring the image central to her reflection: the meaning of a time of new birth. If Jesus Christ were re-born into the world physically in 25 days time, do you think he'd end up being treated any differently this time around to how he was treated two millennia ago? [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2302 :
24 Nov 2012

"The paradox of Jesus as King – being true to our purpose!" Tony Lawless returns this week to offer a reflection on the Sunday Gospel reading on the last day of the liturgical year – the Feast of Christ the King. As Tony suggests what a paradox it is painting Jesus as a King? In so many aspects the entire thrust of the mission of Jesus is the total opposite of one who Lords it over ordinary people – or lives in luxury and luxuriates in power. What is the confrontation between Pilate and Jesus all about where Jesus is accused of acting like a king? Tony suggests it is a moral tale about being true to our purpose in life. That is the behaviour and thinking Jesus models for us – and no matter what the ultimate cost that is to be paid for adopting that outlook. [The Reflections of Tony and others in our forum]

2295 :
17 Nov 2012

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree..." But what lesson Master? Today we bring you a stunning commentary by Joe (Journeyman) on the gospel reading for this Sunday. It's one of those difficult readings with Jesus discussing the "end times". Joe leads with a fabulous discussion starter about the mindset through which we need to read, or listen to, these scriptural stories. Don't miss his first post in the string – nor the addendum he wrote a little further down the string. This truly is "spirituality for grown-ups". [The Reflections of Joe and others in our forum]

2288 :
09 Nov 2012

A Gospel message for today: Wow, tomorrow's Gospel reading might be considered one of the most pertinent to the crisis facing Catholicism today. Sue leads the reflection this week, and judging by those who have already responded, her reflection cuts to the heart of what Jesus' warning about the behaviour of the scribes is all about. As some have remarked, you don't often hear homilies cutting to the real heart of what The Parable of the Widow's Mite is really all about. This is a powerful and insightful reflection today from a woman who has self-evidently spent a lifetime in reflection on this sort of stuff. [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum]

2281 :
03 Nov 2012

A metaphor for religion today? The Gospel reading this Sunday from Mark is the one that begins: "One of the Scribes came to Jesus and asked him, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?'" It could almost be presented as the great challenge still facing religion today: the game of trying to trip people up about whether they believe or understand the Law correctly. CathyT leads our reflection this week. She writes: "What especially strikes me about this passage is the way that both Jesus and the scribe are able and willing to respond to the other as a person. The scribe is not preoccupied with his own status and position, nor has he lost sight of what really matters, so he is open to Jesus instead of feeling threatened by him." [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2274 :
27 Oct 2012

The healing of the blind... Is there not a universal yearning in all of us "to see"? Is that what this week's Gospel reading from Mark is telling us. Tony (Ynot) Lawless returns to lead the reflection this week. Tony argues at the end of his reflection: "The way is clearly set out at the very start of the gospel: the call to metanoia and to believe/trust the Good News. And then the Beatitudes: Blessed are are pure of heart, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they who hunger for justice." [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2267 :
20 Oct 2012

Can you drink from that cup that Christ drinks? What does Jesus mean by these words to his disciples: "Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" Joe (Journeyman) leads our reflection this weekend on tomorrow's Gospel and the string is already filling with insights that it might be difficult to find in too many other places. [The Reflections of Joe and others in our forum]

2260 :
13 Oct 2012

Having a detached attitude to wealth... Sue provides the lead reflection today on the Sunday readings. The focus today is on Jesus' advice to the rich young man to give away all his possessions. Sue opens her reflection with the story of a man she once knew who wanted to do this literally and the "creative" solution a priest came up with in response. Unfortunately she doesn't know if the man took the advice. The focus of her reflection though is on the question of whether Jesus is providing literal advice or whether he is encouraging an attitude of mind to material possessions and wealth? [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2253 :
06 Oct 2012

Marriage: Law or Love? CathyT provides the lead reflection today on the Sunday readings. And the Gospel reading is ... one of the ones from Jesus on marriage and divorce that has caused so much contention in Christianity down through the centuries. And it still is it seems, with an Episopalian Bishop in San Francisco excluded from the enthronement of the new Catholic Archbishop because he has different views about marriage to the current Catholic orthodoxy. Cathy begins her reflection by asking: "Dear oh dear, what was Jesus thinking?". [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2246 :
29 Sep 2012

Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Tony Lawless (Ynot) returns today from his recent convalescence to lead the reflections on this Sunday's readings. The Gospel reading is a collection of seemingly unconnected moral statements from Jesus. Tony doesn't spend time analysing them but instead links to an insight of Fr Eugene Stockton from his book, The Deep Within, "In the Church the faithful share a common mind, an awareness, that is now spread around the world and stretches back in time as an unbroken tradition. This is an awareness of the pervading presence of Christ.". In the second part of his reflection, Tony, goes back to examine the first reading and the call of all people to be prophets. [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2239 :
22 Sep 2012

Who is the greatest? Joe (Journeyman) provides the lead reflection this Saturday on the Gospel reading tomorrow. He writes: "I think Yeshua's most unwritten question in the Gospels is 'What do you think?' Yeshua lays the groundwork for my 'catholic' thinking, that being open to more than just a narrow perspective in how I respond to life. For myself being of 'catholic' mind, open and not limited by ancient dogmas, doctrines and creeds, is the journey that Yeshua actively invites me to embark on with him as my guide. What do you think?" [The Reflections of Joe and others in our forum]

2232 :
15 Sep 2012

On being a disciple... Sue provides the lead reflection this Saturday on the Gospel reading tomorrow. It's the passage from Mark's Gospel [8:27-32] where Jesus asks his disciples "Who do you say that I am?" You'll be familiar that this is the question that got Peter into trouble for giving the wrong answer and Jesus berated him. What is this passage trying to say to us? There are already some thoughtful responses in the string and I'm sure the community would value hearing any thoughts your might have. [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum]

2225 :
08 Sep 2012

Why the secrecy about a healing? Our commentators on this Sunday's Gospel reading from Mark are focusing on two aspects of the story. One is the healing itself. Two writers draw attention to the need all of us have for healing of some sort or another. Cathy who has written the lead reflection focuses more on the question of why Jesus called on his followers to keep quiet about the healing? What message are we meant to derive from that? The man responsible for this series of reflections, Tony Lawless or Ynot, is at home recovering from heart by-pass surgery and recovering his strength. Please keep Tony in your thoughts and prayers. [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2219 :
01 Sep 2012

Traditions: can they become burdens? The past week has witnessed some of the best discussions we have had on Catholica in the six years since we started. They've been triggered by a series of commentaries written by people in vastly different parts of the world but linked by a common theme: cleaning out the cupboards in our mind and spirit. As though by serendipity or God-incidence it effectively comes together today in some scripture readings from Jesus himself in his lessons to the Pharisees in encouraging us to discern what is really important in our lives. Joe who writes under the pseudonym Journeyman in our forum has prepared the commentary today drawing on the wisdom of a number of other scholars and commentators. These are rich pickings from the banquet offered by Yeshua bar Yosef from Natzeret [The Reflections of Joe and others in our forum]

2211 :
25 Aug 2012

How a woman might read the saying of Jesus "I am the bread of life"... Sue poses an interesting question right at the start of her reflection on the Sunday Readings for this week: "What does it mean to believe in someone? To believe in a friend, for instance?" Of course, what she's leading to is "What does it mean to believe in Jesus?" because that's what today's Gospel story centres on. Her reflection is already generating responses. The editor threw into the mix an article he came across in the Catholic Herald where renowned Scripture scholar, Fr Jerome Murphy-O'Connor suggests the Gospel writers "made up" some of the story (he's specifically discussing the experience of Jesus in the Garden of Gesthemane). In a sense all of us 'follow' someone – we all live out our lives on ideas we borrow from the world around us. When we say we "believe in", or "follow", Jesus, what, precisely does that mean? At the conclusion of my own post, which is based on this idea that some, perhaps much, of the Jesus story is "made up" by the Gospel writers, the editor pose the questions: who is the Jesus we seek? Is it the historical figure? Or is it the mythological figure – the historical figure who has been overlaid with this rich layer of theological interpretation that began right back with the earliest writers who recorded his story in the New Testament? Do you know the answers? As the writer of the article in the Catholic Herald pointed out Fr Murphy-O'Connor "emphasised the wide gap between recent research and how average churchgoers still perceive many events in the life of Jesus." [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum]

2204 :
18 Aug 2012

How a woman might read the saying of Jesus "I am the bread of life"... This weekend's reflection on the Gospel readings is led by a woman CathyT. Following on the from the style Ynot used last week she analyses the Gospel reading from the perspective of a woman who might have been a witness in the crowd. In her introduction Cathy suggests that women might understand what Jesus was on about better than us men. What do you think? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2197 :
11 Aug 2012

"Can this man Jesus be THE ONE?" Ynot (Tony Lawless) today continues his interesting and creative re-writing of the Gospel reading in order to better plumb the depths of what the passage is saying to us. In his reflection, Tony takes the position of a member of the group of people who witnessed Jesus' preaching that he was "The One". Some were sceptical and questioned what this meant. Tony explains that his dramatisation is an attempt to see if this perspective gives us better insight also into what Jesus, or the writer of John's Gospel, was trying to convey. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2190 :
04 Aug 2012

Jesus: "I am the bread of life!" What does this mean? Ynot (Tony Lawless) takes a different approach in his reflection on the readings for this Sunday. In an endeavour to fathom out the meaning in this iconic claim of Jesus that he is "the bread of life", Tony places himself in the position of one of the people who might have been present when Jesus first told this story. He argues we often read scripture through the eyes of Jesus or the person at the focus of a particular story but it is often helpful to place ourselves in the position of one of the witnesses. Does placing ourselves in the position of the witnesses help us better understand what the story is trying to communicate to us? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Ynot and others in our forum]

2183 :
28 Jul 2012

The Feeding of the Multitude... We've had an intensive discussion on Catholica in recent days about miracles, apparitions, the value of prayers like the rosary, the place of Mariology, and this Sunday's Gospel reading is one of the iconic miracle stories from John's Gospel [John 6:1-15]. Sue is leading the reflections today and is essentially asking if this story is about food for the body or food for the soul? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Sue and others in our forum] [The earlier extensive discussion on miracles and related matters]

2176 :
21 Jul 2012

Two highly contrasting pictures... Between the first reading and the gospel today we are presenting with two highly contrasting pictures. In the first reading [Jeremiah 23:1-6], God is warning those who scatter the flock of the fate that awaits them. That might cause some to wonder about the present situation where nearly 90% in the Western world have bugged off out of the sheepfold. In the Gospel [Mark 6:30-34] reading we are presented the contrast that Jesus and, by extension the follower of Jesus, are expected to show. CathyT has written our lead reflection today and as she points out Jesus responds "on demand". It's not about coming back for an appointment when the shepherd is ready. Cathy compares the response of Jesus to the response of a mother to a demanding baby. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Cathy and others in our forum]

2169 :
14 Jul 2012

Reliance on Providence: what does it mean? There is already a crackerjack exchange between Tony Lawless (Ynot) and Sue on our forum about this week's readings. The Gospel reading is about Jesus sending out his disciples and advising them to be reliant on Providence: "He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic." What is this story all about? Sue in her exploration tries to unpack its meaning within our 21st Century contemporary context. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2162 :
07 Jul 2012

How society treats its prophets... The past week in Australia has seen the clerical abuse scandal as front page news in the secular electronic and print media again. That, in turn has led to a huge amount of discussion on Catholica. Some of it spills over into this week's reflections led by Tony Lawless (Ynot) on this week's Sunday Readings. The Gospel reading this week is about Jesus' reflection on how prophets are treated in their own land. Tony writes: "The notion of 'Vicar of Christ' as a title that endows a man with authority to speak and act definitively on behalf of Jesus the Christ is problematic in the extreme. If we dare describe ourselves as the 'People of God', it must always be as a pilgrim people, a people called out of darkness. The call is always to leave where you are and go forth – go forward – go away, perhaps." ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2155 :
30 Jun 2012

A couple of "miracle" stories and discussion of the question about how prayer is answered... The reflection led by Tony Lawless (Ynot) this week seems to fit in well with the vigorous discussion we've been having earlier in the week on the nature of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit a "person", or a force, or power? In tomorrow's Gospel we hear two miracle stories. To me, Tony leads us in an interesting reflection about how the Spirit responds to our prayers and needs. Is it by great and powerful winds and thunderclaps or something far more gentle? How much do our attitudes – our "faith" – contribute to finding the answers? What do the words "talitha koum" mean that Jesus uttered to the little girl in one of the readings? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2148 :
23 Jun 2012

The meaning in the story of Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist... We are blessed on Catholica having in our presence a person like Ynot whose reflections each week so evidently come from a person of passion and commitment in trying to unravel the meaning of Scripture. This might be even more so in the light of the continuing discussion in our forum on the difference between reading scripture literally and reading it as mythology, theology and metaphor. This week's Gospel reading on the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah finding out in advanced age they were to be given a son who would proclaim the coming of the Lord. How much of this story is to be read literally, how much to be read metaphorically, how much is it to be read theologically? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2141 :
16 Jun 2012

What does the Kingdom of God look like? We have two inter-connected commentaries to bring you today. The second is Ynot's reflection on this Sunday's reading about the meaning in "The Parable of the Mustard Seed". Why does Jesus not describe what the kingdom looks like but only uses an allegory? Before you read that though we recommend an essay by Dr David Tacey, "Beyond Literal Thinking in Religion", we've been discussing in the forum. Dr Tacey argues: "To read the Bible literally is the error of both popular and dogmatic religion. I would refer to literalism as the 'original sin' of religion. It is what philosophers would call a 'category error', as it mistakes the purpose and intention of these ancient stories. It is an exercise in misreading, because mythological motifs are turned into factual accounts and treated as history." ...Brian Coyne, Editor [Dr David Tacey's paper] | [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2134 :
09 Jun 2012

Covenant: The body of bloood of Christ... Tony Lawless (Ynot) reminds us today that the focus of this Sunday's reading is on "New Covenant" framed by Jesus when he said: "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many". Tony writes: "Compared with the covenant formalised by Moses (first reading), the new covenant is not a set of laws setting out rights and duties. The new covenant is different. It is internal, written in the heart." The heart of his commentary though is the question: "Is the new covenant made with the church institution and the community as such, or is it made directly with the individual?" ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2128 :
03 Jun 2012

Exploring the theology of the Trinity... Again there is a vigorous discussion opened up by Tony Lawless (Ynot) on this Sunday's readings. I fear I may have thrown a spanner in the works by posing a "What If?" question: "What if the entire Jesus story were more legend than fact?". What do you make of these readings? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2121 :
27 May 2012

Who is the Holy Spirit? I feel like a spoiled child as I write this late on Friday night. I'm attending a music ministry weekend workshop with some of the best church musicians assembled from the Eastern half of Australia. We've just returned from an opening retreat and reflection session which was deeply moving and I found myself reflecting on Ynot's relection which I'd read earlier on this Sunday's readings. So often we try to get our heads around the questions of who is God, or this Son of God, Jesus, who has attracted the attention of so many billions down through the centuries. Ynot's reflection today poses a lesser often question. In fact I doubt I have ever considered it in my life before: who, exactly, is this one we call the Holy Spirit? I don't mean the Catechism answers. Tony provides a series of scriptural quotations where Jesus speaks of the Spirit or Paraclete but who, or what, precisely is "the Spirit"? How does the Spirit relate to each one of us? How do we relate to this entity called "the Spirit"? How is this "Holy Spirit" related to that spirit we hear people talk about that inspires a nation, or great artists, scientists and others involved in endeavours that contibute to the betterment of human society? Do you have a sense of being inspired or guided by some "spirit" in what you do in your life? ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2113 :
19 May 2012

How are we meant to interpet the story of Jesus rising into the clouds like a space rocket? The discussion is already lively this week as we prepare for the Solemnity of the Ascension tomorrow. Do some people still believe it literally as some image of Jesus ascending like some space ship up to some placed called "heaven" above the clouds? Y-not leads off a discussion attempting to get beyond the literal picture to take us deeper into what the meaning of this story in the Scriptures might be trying to get us to think about. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum]

2106 :
11 May 2012

What is a spiritual director meant to be for? Week by week the conversation on Catholica just gets better and better. Thanks to the many who are helping make this happen. Today is no exception. Tony Lawless in his reflection on the Sunday readings on Catholica explores the notion of "Spiritual Direction" today and that is already generating quite a conversation. Tony writes: What is a spiritual director meant to be for? I hope others will enlarge on this more than I can. Sue has indicated that she has looked into the practice in Buddhism and other religious traditions. My own experience tells me that spiritual direction is a tradition held in great honour in the church, but not practised much. To seek regular guidance is not common among catholics, and there is no strong tradition of holding up certain persons as wise, experienced and practical guides for the individual who comes seeking god. Just in this morning is an article by John L Allen in NCR asking "Who will be the next Pope?" and an equally interesting one by Tom Reese SJ in America magazine on the implications of the continuing fall-out from the clerical abuse scandal. These also are generating plenty of discussion on our forum. On the forum you'll find that conversations are still taking place on threads that are now buried down on about page 4 of the front index page. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum] | [The thread discussing the John L Allen and Tom Reese articles...]

2099 :
04 May 2012

Reflections on the role played by conscience for our well-being... Tony Lawless is one of those people who epitomises the insight "once a priest always a priest". He's been writing these reflections on the Sunday readings on Catholica for close to fifteen months now and quietly gathering a solid following of readers. Even though he's been gone from the "official priesthood" for a long time, he's probably more "pastor" than he's ever been in writing these reflections that are better than many homilies you might find at Sunday Mass. We've now decided to feature them as our Saturday lead commentary. So often the focus of our attention is what is wrong with the institution and its leadership and why so many have lost interest in participating or listening. As I wrote in the forum earlier today following news of the election of a new leader of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, "My own sense of what the institution needs in this country is a leader who can inspire the ordinary people in the pews (and, more so, now out of the pews) — someone who can provide a fresh interpretation of Jesus applicable to lived life and the challenges of today." The starting point to finding such a "fresh interpretation" needs to be our continued reading and reflection on the Jesus story which we find in scripture. Tony's reflections are always stimulating and none more so than today in that the comments he makes intersect with another discussion elsewhere on the forum about the place of conscience in guiding our lives and bringing us personal peace in our lives. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [The Reflections of Y-not and others in our forum] | [See also this comment on Primacy of Conscience by the Editor]

034 :
01 Jan 2008

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus XIV: The final of the meditations from Bishop Geoffrey Robinson today is a beautiful way for us to sing in the New Year. The bishop presents us with a beautiful meditation on "the song of Jesus" and why it is in our collective and individual interests to be singing it. We would like to extend our thanks to Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing, for the privilege of publishing this series of meditations on Catholica Australia. [more]

033 :
30 Dec 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus XIII: It's a short meditation from Bishop Robinson today but one that fits like a glove with the series of commentaries we've been running from Professor Len Swidler on Mondays. Bishop Robinson asks if the greater involvement of all the people in the governance of the Church would make recent scandals like the recent crisis caused by sexual abuse less likely? We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

032 :
23 Dec 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus XII: Bishop Robinson in his book now turns his attention to the Beliefs of the Church. He argues: "The promise of Jesus Christ was not that the church will never make mistakes, but that it will survive its mistakes". Today's meditation is on this nexus at the heart of Bishops Robinson's argument: the conflict between the search for certitude and the search for truth. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

031 :
16 Dec 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus XI: In Chapter Eleven Bishop Robinson tackles the painful issue of sexual abuse. His reflection might be seen as having a triple focus: the largest part is devoted to what needs to be done to heal the victims; he also discusses the healing the Church needs to take on board; running through the reflection is the question of the spiritual damage done by abuse and the need for spiritual healing. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

030 :
09 Dec 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus X: Chapter Ten of Bishop Robinson's book is possibly the most interesting to many lay Catholics who have msigivings about Catholic Church teaching on human sexuality. In this Chapter, Bishop Robinson explores what the teachings actually are and also explores places where they might have gone off the rails or have been misunderstood or misinterpreted. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

029 :
02 Dec 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus IX: Bishop Robinson argues: "If the Catholic Church is to regain some credibility after the many scandals of sexual abuse, it must first learn to speak with humility, intelligence, realism and compassion about all aspects of human sexuality". We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

028 :
25 Nov 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus VIII: Bishop Robinson now turns in his book to look at the different approaches we need to take to matters of morality (what we should do) and matters of belief (what we should believe). In the meditation today he presents a useful hierarchy listing six levels of moral living. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

027 :
18 Nov 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus VII: Chapter Seven of Bishop Robinson's book looks at power and structure in the Church. He argues in this meditation: "Ideas concerning such matters as participatory government and subsidiarity, which the church constantly preaches to nations, must be applied to the church itself". We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

026 :
11 Nov 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus VI: Bishop Robinson argues that any consideration of the question of power and structure in the Church has to be grounded not only in Scripture and tradition but in the knowledge that God gives us through the world around and within us. Each element needs to be read in conjunction with, not isolation from, the other two. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

025 :
04 Nov 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus V: Posing a question for meditation: what do you think was Jesus self-understanding of his mission. Bishop Geoffrey Robinson has been pondering this question for a long time but more so in the light of the events of recent decades in the Church which have led him to writing this book. We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

024 :
28 Oct 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus IV: What are God's true desires for his Church? That is the question that sits at the heart of Chapter Four of Bishop Robinson's book. He suggests: "It is persons, not religions, that God loves. God is happy when persons of any or no religion do things that help others, saddened when they do things that harm others, and loves all of them always, whatever they do." We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

023 :
21 Oct 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus III: A shorter meditation from Bishop Robinson today but a probing one. He's entitled this chapter "Spiritual Discernment" and basically he's asking what precisely are we called to believe and hand on? We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

022 :
14 Oct 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus II: In this reflection from the end of Chapter Two Bishop Robinson invites us to reflect on the two sources of our knowledge of God: the bible and the world around us and within us. He says: "They have sometimes been called 'the two books of God'. Human beings have had a significant role in the writing of both books, but both can also provide us with insights into divine wisdom." We present this series of meditations in cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing. [more]

021 :
07 Oct 2007

Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus I: In cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing, we have pleasure in presenting the end chapter reflections from his book which has created so much interest around the world. In this first reflection from the end of Chapter One he invites us to reflect on the nature of the relationship God calls us into. [more]

020 :
30 Sep 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit VII: Fear of the Lord For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the seventh and final gift of Fear of the Lord. [more]

019 :
23 Sep 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit VI: Piety For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Piety. [more]

018 :
16 Sep 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit V: Knowledge For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Knowledge. [more]

017 :
09 Sep 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit IV: Fortitude For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Fortitude. [more]

016 :
02 Sep 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit III: Counsel For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Counsel. [more]

015 :
26 Aug 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit II: Understanding For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Understanding. [more]

014 :
19 Aug 2007

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit I: Wisdom For our Sunday reflections on Catholica Australia we are presenting a series of prayers reflecting on The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Today's focus is on the Gift of Wisdom. [more]

013 :
05 Aug 2007

Lay communities need to take greater ownership of the liturgy… Fr John McKinnon offers some thoughts on what it means to be a "Eucharistic Community" in the context of the thinking, or spirituality, that was encouraged by the Second Vatican Council and in the context of dwindling priest numbers. He argues lay communities need to take greater ownership of their liturgies. [more]

012 :
29 Jul 2007

A new Spirituality for today's needs… In this provocative commentary, Fr Kevin Murphy asks if we can develop a pristine Christian Spirituality in accord with the original spirituality in the Church and which is sympathetic to today’s needs? [more]

011 :
22 Jul 2007

Bringing brutal honesty into our relationships, and into our conversations! This is a double-barrelled reflection. In introducing George Bouchey's commentary — which is all about sex, relationships, relationship breakdown, marriage and divorce — Brian Coyne suggests we need to find ways to be far more honest in the conversations we conduct in the Church. [more]

010 :
31 Dec 2006

The challenge posed by political correctness and moral relativism... Dr Andrew Kania presents a challenging reflection for us to see out the year. Partly inspired by the commentaries during the week from two of his former students, Ben and Phoebe Coyne, as well as other contemporary events, Andrew argues we need to guard against moral relativism. [more]

009 :
25 Dec 2006

"The Breath of Heaven" In a reflection that might take your breath away, Dawn Bowie provides us with an audio-visual experience for Christmas Day that perhaps only a woman could write. May it bring a deep experience of peace and lack of resistance into your day … the year ahead … and into your life. [more]

008 :
24 Dec 2006

A spiritual reflection for Christmas Eve... Today and tomorrow we have two gentle spiritual reflections. Today's comes from Andrew Kania wherein he argues "The message of Christmas is in itself a call to humility … [it] can be seen as the message of Divine love carried to us by the voice of the child." His reflection is accompanied by a gentle Christmas lullaby performed by Amanda McKenna. [more]

007 :
17 Dec 2006

Self-esteem or self-respect? Hugh Mackay's opinion piece in this weekend's Sydney Morning Herald has caused Tom Scott to re-think one of the homilies he's been preaching for a long, long time. What value should we promote more: self-esteem or self-respect? [more]

006 :
10 Dec 2006

A tougher seasonal reflection... Christmas in many ways today is the season in which we celebrate our affluence and success. Andrew Kania takes us on a more sobering reflection of Tom Scott/Brian Coyne: What value should we promote more: self-esteem or self-respect?. [more]

005 :
03 Dec 2006

What God will we serve at Christmas? For this first Sunday of Advent 2006 – the beginning of our preparation for Christmas – our resident "Holy Irritant", Tony Robertson, looks forward to ask what God will we serve when Christmas arrives. "As we wait in hope for the coming of God's Reign of Peace, we are called to challenge the values of our consumer culture by being a sign of the true God with Us, the God we know through the person and message of Jesus." [more]

004 :
26 Nov 2006

The Feast of Christ the King... For decades Tom Scott had wonderful memories of the Feast of Christ the King. Following the seed of a few words planted in his mind at the recording of a radio commercial to promote the Feast of Christ the King in the Jubilee Year, he has come to a far more critical view. [more]

003 :
19 Nov 2006

What's the apocalyptic vision in today's readings all about... Rosemary Canavan offers some thoughts on what meaning and comfort we can drag out of the apocalyptic readings this Sunday. [more]

002 :
12 Nov 2006

Searching for an authentic understanding of Jesus' vision... Following on from Rosemary's Take last Thursday, further discussion on the discussion forum in the days following, and today's Scriptural readings, Tom Scott seeks to explore what the authentic Catholic vision is by constrasting it to a number of alternatives. These include the "abundance theology" of Evangelical Christianity, the message thrust in things like the film The Secret, and abominations within Catholic belief itself. [more]

001 :
05 Nov 2006

The Historical Jesus Then and Now: The Challenge of the Kingdom of God... Last weekend Tom McMahon attended a series of lectures by the renowned scholar John Dominic Crossan at the local Presbyterian Church in his neighbourhood in San Jose. These are his notes and some links to further valuable material for quiet reflection. [more]