Martin Mallon 2013 articles 2012 articles
Oct
31: Opus
Dei cardinal says head of CDF wrong
Francis will have to confront Opus Dei at some stage if his desire for a
poor church for the poor is to be realised, especially in
Oct
29: PRAISE
AND THE CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
According to the
early church, the best way to pray is “with the hands outstretched and
the eyes lifted up”. This way “is to be preferred before all
others”. It makes me wonder why do so many Christians today have
difficulty with this method of prayer, especially when we consider that “it
bears in prayer the image of characteristics befitting the soul and
applies it to the body”? The
Second Vatican Council and the Holy Spirit are still changing our church
for the better
Oct 22: Pope
Francis: How to Know Jesus
We can come to know Jesus by following three paths to Him:
the paths of “the mind, heart,
and action.”
Oct
15: Saint Teresa of Avila
Teresa's
poem is a wonderful reminder, a wonderful description
of how our bodies and lives should be used for the glory and honour of God
Oct
8: Curia power finally broken
One of the first changes that should be made by the group of eight
cardinals and the Pope: remove the discipline of Canon #129. This reform
does not affect the Curia directly, but indirectly it would transform the
whole church and would ensure that the Curia could never reclaim its
recent position of authoritarian power and control over the church
Oct
1: All the Faithful
Francis
recognises the People of God as the real magisterium of the church, not
the “magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in
communion with him” as stated in the Encyclical Letter Lumen
Fidei.
This
emphasis on the importance of “all
the faithful”
leaves the way open for the laity to become much more involved in all
areas of the church, especially in areas they are currently restricted
from, such as synods
Sep
24: Reform is in the air
Francis
has a problem. Despite his talk and statements we still have the Roman
Curia excommunicating an Australian Priest for not following the
orthodox line. This type of action causes scandal in the church, and at a
time when priests are not excommunicated for child sexual abuse the People
of God are dumbfounded
Sep
17: How
deep is God’s love for us?
Everyone must be saved, everyone must be searched for as
the lost sheep and drachma were. No one must be left because they are too
poor or too "disgusting" and Pope Francis has highlighted this
many times since he became Pope
Sep
10: Contraception and conscience - back to basics
Bishop Conry is making clear that Humanae Vitae’s teaching on
contraception for married couples was never intended by Paul VI to be an
infallible teaching; the pope was giving guidance and it was then up to
individuals to use their conscience
Sep
3: Bring
back the Devil's Advocate
So why did Opus Dei wish to do away with the Devil’s Advocate? To ensure
Escriva would be canonized. Why did John Paul II agree to this? The answer
appears to be money
Aug
27: Women
deacons, a great woman and Gandhi -
A woman deacon saint!
St
Olympia, (or Olympias) was a wealthy woman who gave away most of her
inherited fortune to the poor and needy and for the building of churches.
She served the Church as a deacon and was close to many Fathers of the
Church including St John Chrysostom, who was Archbishop of Constantinople
and a Doctor of the Church and who had ordained her
See
also this
most interesting Wikipedia article which points out, among many other
things, that
Aug 20: The Royal
Priesthood
We are "a royal
priesthood", we are, as emphasised by the Second Vatican Council,
"the People of God". As long as one baptised Christian survives
there will be no shortage of royal priests. However, it will take the
institutional Church a long time to agree with this argument –
turkeys do not vote for Christmas
c.f. this article re lay people leading Eucharist in Brazil ...because no priests
August
13: Theology of Women
I believe Francis wishes theologians to highlight what is obvious; there
is no theological reason why women cannot be ordained. Let
us pray that the theologians now do their job as requested by Pope
Francis, and they need not fear the CDF as Francis has also made clear
c.f.
A
Nearly Forgotten History: Women Deacons in the Armenian Church
August 6:
Economic
Hope
Once again we have to ask ourselves where is the church in this debate.
Its silence overall and opposition to the "red priests" suggests
it is supporting the rich and elite. However, thankfully, it appears that
this is not the approach approved or practiced by Pope Francis and it is
clearly his intention that all of our church should operate on behalf of
the poor. It will take some time for Francis to turn the church from its
current stance, but it is beginning to move
July
30:
Why pray for our faithful dead and not just the dead?
Is the Catholic Church condemned by our liturgy; is it Christian?
May the Divine
assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful
departed, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace, Amen.
c.f. Julian
of Norwich: Reflections on Selected Texts by Austin
Cooper OMI
(whole book free on line at this link)
July
23: Give
Baptism priority over Denominations
Interestingly, all the members of the Taize Community, which is made up of
different denominations, are, according to Löser, permitted by the local
bishop, since 1973, to receive communion in the Catholic Church. This is
ecumenism, a real sign of unity and hopefully a sign of more unity in the
future
July
16: IS THERE A GOOD SAMARITAN TODAY?
There is in
Is
Is Iceland
July
9: Robber Barons
Why
is there no outcry against such behaviour? Why have we not heard from the
Labour Party? Is there no one out there who cares about the rich getting
richer while the poor get poorer? How bad does the situation have to get
before there is a public protest?
July
2: Archbishop’s
Crusade to Drive Out Payday Lenders
It is uplifting to read of a Christian bishop at last doing something
about the economic crisis and its impact on the poor
c.f.
Archbishop
backs payday loans alternatives
Justin Welby suggests credit unions use church halls in effort to
promote alternative to £2bn payday lending industry
June 25: Marked by a personal life of self-giving?Archbishop Diarmuid Martin should have gone further and called for society and the Government to wake-up to the damage that austerity is causing, and to change the country’s priorities to people rather than economics
June
18: Can the Curia be tamed?
This most interesting article has link to a story I'd missed:
Pope Francis has appointed a management consultant
to advise on reform of the Roman Curia!
June
11: Orans
Position According to the early church, the best way to
pray
is “with the hands outstretched and the eyes lifted up”.
This way “is
to be preferred before all others”
June
4: The
Economics of Good and Evil
Neither the politicians nor
the hierarchy seem to realise that the bankers are only interested in
saving themselves and their banks; they have no interest in governments or
people otherwise. If you disagree with this statement read the Articles
and Memorandum of Association of the banks
May 28: The
Church & austerity
Why is our
Church so quick to condemn politicians who support policies that effect
sexual matters, such as marriage, yet are practically silent about the
imposition of austerity measures, which hit the poor in our society
disproportionately?
May
21: The
Holy Spirit and Prayer
What happens when we permit the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of Christ, to guide us and to dwell inside us? We are made free! We are
able to dump every form of fear and slavery we are experiencing, and we
experience the true freedom of being Children of God. This means that the Holy
Spirit helps us to realise who we truly are, the Children of God made in the
image of God. As we pray and allow the Holy Spirit into the centre of our lives
He gives us the grace, the strength and the will to abandon habits and
conditions which had left us enslaved
May
14: Letters
from Vatican City
Reading
Letters From Vatican City
is quite shocking fifty years later. I have read a few books on Vatican II
and the Council dealings, but this one brings out the differences clearly
and shows how some cardinals and bishops gave false information during the
debates
Today's article by Martin mentions how the Eastern Church had a far richer understanding of the Holy Spirit than the Western Church. Some ideas re this topic are in this article. Martin's article also mentions "the Eastern idea of divinisation". c.f. "Divinisation in early Christianity" ...the second main section of this article. Also related is the way Pneumatology divides the Church
May
7: The
Holy Spirit
May the Holy Spirit guide us all as we attempt to
spread the love of God in our daily contact with other humans, children of
God.
April
30: Francis
and the Holy Spirit
A reflection on Pope Francis' homily at April 28 Confirmation
Mass: the Holy Spirit is working in our lives and in our world
April
23: Pope
Attacks Clericalism
Many of the churches in
April
16: Francis'
Revolution
This pontificate
keeps getting better and better. The feeling of peace that has enveloped
the Church since the election of Pope Francis witnesses to the Holy Spirit
carrying out a new work
April
9: The Wisdom of
the Cross
A reflection on the encounter between
Pope Francis and a young boy, Dominic, who is suffering from cerebral palsy
April 2:
Challenges
Perhaps
it would have been better if Benedict had not resigned, at
least I could have gone on as usual with a clear conscience
March
26: A Prophet and a New Pentecost
Before the conclave it was easy to lose hope, it was difficult to
believe that even the Holy Spirit could pull a rabbit out of the hat, but He
did.
March 19:
Pope Francis
This Pope
has lifted the spirits of many, given new hope and with his priority for
the poor has directed the church to where its attention should be focused,
where Christ’s attention was focused. Firstly on God, then on the poor
and not just the poor in spirit, but the large swathes of the world
suffering way below the poverty line.
March
12: Time
to change the method
of papal selection
Helping
to select Popes is part of the “kingly” function of the laity, so why
are we not permitted to fulfill this function?
Martin's
article has link
to this most interesting item:
Catholic
Patriarchy: What the Papal Transition Means and What Feminists Can Do
About It by Mary E. Hunt
March
5: Reform
and Evangelisation
If
another example was needed to explain why the Roman Curia needs reforming,
here it is: Cardinal Mahony has stated that the nuncio phoned him
requesting that he attends the conclave and that this request was
initiated by those at the top in the Vatican
Feb
26: Opus
Dei - Cancer Within?
Will this papal election be free and
open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, or does Opus Dei have a
disproportionate influence on the outcome?
(jw:
"Opus
Dei 2005 conclave"
in
Google produces many articles, some of them "over the top" ,
others worth reading. e.g.
Opus Dei & 2005 conclave)
Feb
19: A Meaningful Life
Scientists
like Charles Darwin have explained how life evolved, but they have
not been able to explain how to create life or to explain the origin
of the initial spark of life. Scientists know all the elements
needed for life to begin, yet they still do not know how to create a
living being. It is not surprising that
Feb
12: Dissent
and Authority
Ryan suggests that the bishops need to show some humility and admit that
they do not know everything that God wills. Basically, the hierarchy must accept
the sensus fidei, that the People of God cannot err in matters of belief
c.f.
Walk out during homily!
Feb
4: Archbishop
strips cardinal of public duties
The censoring, in any form, of a cardinal by
an archbishop is monumental.
Why has it happened & is it
approved by the
Jan
29: Book
review of
Shirt of Flame: A Year with St Therese of Lisieux
by Heather King
Therese's
burning desire
to be a priest was thwarted by the patriarchal,
clericalism-ridden institutional church
Amazon.com link with more reviews Heather King's website
Jan
22: The
Disconnect between the People of God and the Hierarchy
In the case of Humanae Vitae, the People of God
ignore and ridicule institutional church teaching, whereas with the new
translation of the Mass they either grin and bear it or leave the church.
Jan
15: Why
are bishops not accountable?
It is difficult
for many members of the Catholic church to stomach the fact that Cardinal
Bernard Law, Bishop Robert Finn and Archbishop Peter Sartain are held in
high esteem by the hierarchy of the church while the likes of Bill Morris
, Roy Bourgeois, Tony Flannery, Brian D’Arcy, etc are sacked, defrocked
or censored.
Jan 8: The
"Glory" of Virginity
The
phrase “the glory of virginity” is alarming and is apparently a symptom of a
problem at the core of the hierarchy , clericalism and patriarchy
Jan 1: The Gift of Love
Let us all accept Jesus’ “gift
of love” and make the world a much better place for everyone in 2013