2012 Articles by Martin Mallon (Ireland)
Dec
25: Joy
To The World
This beautiful reflection has link to
great article about Charles Dickens'
"Christmas Carol", with the words "historians believe that
this story is responsible for our continued observance of Christmas. It
revived very old customs that had been on the verge of dying
out"
Dec
18: All My
Life
I
came across this beautiful poem by theologian Mary T. Malone. There are so many elements to this poem, that I felt obliged to
print it for readers to reflect on. Comments would be appreciated, particularly
because each time I read this poem something new strikes me and I am sure I am
missing many insights.
Dec
11: Advent
and Mass
Patrick
Moore, a famous English astronomer died on Dec 9. One notable
quote made by Patrick has a bearing on this meditation: "Haven't
got a clue how to visualise infinity. Even Einstein hadn't. I know because I
asked him." One of the greatest scientists could not “visualise
infinity” so it is no wonder that the mystery of the incarnation is difficult
for us lesser mortals to make sense of
Dec
4: Ecumenical
Council to be held every ten years "for ever"
"The
frequent holding of general councils is a pre-eminent
means of cultivating the Lord's patrimony. It roots out the briars, thorns and
thistles of heresies, errors and schisms, corrects deviations, reforms what is
deformed and produces a richly fertile crop for the Lord's vineyard.
Neglect of councils, on the other hand, spreads and fosters the aforesaid
evils"
Ecumenical
Councils are to be held every ten years “for ever”. Naturally, this did not
go down well with subsequent Popes and curia as it deprived them of power and
control
Nov 27: Mary
Mary,
the mother of Jesus, becomes prominent as we approach Advent. She has a major
role to play in Advent and is a great witness to us all. Her ability to wait
patiently never ceases to amaze, especially in the modern era where no one app
Nov 20: Who To Believe?
If
we continue to ban people from Catholic campus speaking engagements
because of this issue or that, if we refuse to dine with the
Catholic Left, how can we enlist their aid, as Cardinal O’Malley did in
Boston, when we might need it?
Nov
13: Richard
McBrien on Pope John XXII's opening address at Vat II
The Church
has always faced persecution and exterior threats, but the most serious threats
have always come from within.... We did not and do not listen to each other.
Dissent is crushed not “by
demonstrating the validity of her teaching”, but by condemnations and sanctions.
Nov
6: The
Law of Love
Where
does this leave the institutional Church? Clearly it is more important to obey
this Law of Love than to obey the Church. Yes, Church teaching is useful for
guidance, but Jesus puts the Law of Love above Church teaching
Oct 30: New
Evangelisation
So
we are in a situation where the New Evangelisation is directed at “those
who, though baptized, have drifted away from the Church” and
yet we are expected to believe that liturgy will bring these lapsed
Catholics back to the Church, even though many will have experienced the
liturgy before they left the Church and in some cases liturgy was a reason
for leaving. How can they experience the liturgy if they are not
physically in the Church?
Concentration
on liturgy is going to evangelise few lapsed Catholics. Concentration on
our daily lives, ecumenism and the poor appears to be the way forward and
constantly deepening our relationship with Jesus is the engine of growth.
Oct
23: Vatican
II Success Story?
Effective
ecumenism is one of the greatest unused tools of evangelisation. Imagine if the
Christian Churches could be, and seen to be, united on many issues, how
Christ’s request in John 17:21, that “May they all be one”, would
demonstrate that Christians do practice Christianity and are united in Christ.
What a wonderful witness of Christ for the rest of humanity.
Oct
16: 50
Years On
The
hierarchy are encouraging us to read the documents of Vatican II, but say we
must interpret them in a particular way; their way.
The “right hermeneutic” that Pope Benedict has
requested be used in interpreting Vatican II documents is one where the
“conservative” aspect of every teaching must be chosen. Clearly this is not
what the bishops and the Holy Spirit wanted to be the outcome of Vatican II
Oct
9: The formation of conscience
The teaching of Vatican II indicates the way forward as regards
conscience.
As the people of
God we should use our consciences and not just rely on Church teachings
c.f. articles
on conscience by Brian Lewis
Oct
5: The
vision of Vatican II
A powerful commentary on the inspirational
America Magazine interview with
Ladislas Orsy SJ
John XXIII was advised to be
careful because if you make concessions to the bishops then they will run away
with the Council. Apparently the Pope responded: “They too”, meaning the
bishops, “have the Holy Spirit.” The Pope obeyed the Spirit as he discovered
the Spirit in the bishops, and without that the Council would have been very
different; it would have been a restatement of the status quo of the last two or
three centuries. The
bishops' first responsibility is to the Holy Spirit, not to the Pope, not to
the bishops’ conference
Oct
3: Vatican
& Religious:
going backwards or forwards?
The archbishop appears to be overly optimistic as the evidence suggests
the Holy See appears to be intent on going backwards, as demonstrated by
the new translation of the Mass and the Visitation of the US LCWR
Oct
2: Call
for Reform
The
current situation is very dangerous as it does cause people to drift along, believing official Church teaching is God
given and binding, without using their discerned moral consciousness, therefore abdicating personal responsibility. The
reform of the Church must begin with the people informing their consciences
Sep 25: The
Year of Faith
It appears we are not
to read the documents of Vatican II unless we use tunnel vision with the tunnel
being a “right hermeneutic”
Sep
18: Why did Jesus
not marry?
Celibacy, as a requirement of the priesthood, is a church discipline and
no more. The Second Vatican Council made this plain when it stated that
"Celibacy is not required by the priesthood itself, as is evident in
the practices of the early Church, and in the tradition of the Eastern
Churches"
Sep
11: Signs
of the Times
The next ecumenical council should not be Vatican
III, but Rio I !
Sep
4: Christianity
and Banks
What kind of a reception would the prodigal son
have gotten in the Merkel household?
Aug
28: Some
Aspects of the
Spirituality
of Therese of Lisieux
Try talking about mercy in the Church. Take as
your concrete examples the remarriage of divorcees, or priests who have
left the ministry. You can be sure of being criticised, even denounced
August
21: A Pilgrimage to Paray-le-Monial
The Cardinal said that coming to
Paray was a source of strength
from the heart of Jesus
August
14: Congar
and the Council
The Council planted the seeds of a new
ecclesiology – a new church. But the obstructionism
of the Roman Curia and of the forces of the right led to too many
essential points being expressed as compromises
August
7: Congar
and the Curia
Newman had to defend himself against the “schismatic spirit” of
the right. The similarities with today’s church are striking as the curia and
hierarchy present a “schismatic spirit”. This can be seen in the
non-implementation of Vatican II teachings on collegiality and subsidiarity,
together with the
reform of the reform
July
31: Church
Governance & Conscience
What
are the People of God to do when faced with a hierarchy that is ignoring some of
the main teachings
of an Ecumenical Council?
In
the fourth century for over 30 years during the Arian crisis, the Church taught that Jesus
was not divine. This was in opposition to the teaching of the
Council of Nicea in 325 AD.
St
Athanasius and the laity ignored official Church teaching and listened to
the conscience God gave them,
until the teaching of the divinity of Christ
was restored.
July
24: Priests
and change in the Church
Article quotes Bishop Fritz Lobinger:
“The early church indeed did ordain local leaders who were married,
had received brief local training, were chosen by the local
community
and had proven their worthiness over some time.
I
am not alone. There are hundreds of bishops who feel that renewing this
ancient tradition
is the only solution to the shortage of priests.”
July
17: Inconsistent
Methodology
It would appear that Pope Benedict will continue to use the hermeneutic of
continuity
to interpret the teachings of Vatican II
while using
“definitive” teachings
to halt debate on disputed points of theology,
such as ordaining women priests
July
10: Community
and Inclusion Reflection on talk at Dublin Eucharist
Congress by Fr Peter McVerry SJ
We must be radical to follow Jesus and our
institutional church clearly is not.
The institutional church is a church
of laws and not compassion and this is not the church Jesus started
July
3: How
to live today
What should we do now while we wait for changes in
the structure of the institutional church?
June
26: Eucharist
and Dialogue
Martin
recommends this excellent article from Independent.ie
Healing
our rotten State from within
by Stephen J. Costello
"It is the spiritual dimension that
urgently needs to be tapped into...
where inner riches and vast
resources of the Irish spirit lie dormant. Therein lies our strength. And
the solution.
June
19: Baptism,
Ecumenism & Vatican II
June
12: Eucharistic Congress, Dublin
June 5: The Ministry of Women Deacons and Canon 129
May 29: Vat II & the legitimacy of Canon 129
May 22: International Eucharistic Congress Dublin June 10-17
May 15: Towards an Assembly of the Irish Catholic Church - comments re May 7 Dublin meeting