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Tag Archives: Eric-Hodgens
ERIC HODGENS. Back to following The Way.
Power is still the Church’s stumbling block. Mind you, Jesus warned us: The gentiles lord it over their subjects – not so with you. The Church’s power to “lord it over” society has been curtailed by today’s pluralism but is … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged Christianity, Constantine, early church, Eric-Hodgens, Fathers of the Church, The Great Schism, The Reformation
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ERIC HODGENS. The Catholic Dilemma.
Clerical privilege took a heavy blow when Catholic bishops were summoned to appear at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to child sexual abuse (RC). The church answering to the state.
ERIC HODGENS. The need for new Church Leadership.
While the Catholic population is increasing, active participation in parish life is steadily decreasing. This means that the pool of future lay leaders is steadily getting shallower. If this decline is to be reversed, now is the time to select … Continue reading
ERIC HODGENS. Epiphany – A Supernova In Full Eruption.
Love is a many splendored thing. So, too is a diamond. The more skilled the diamond cutter, the more brilliant the diamond’s sparkle. Love and diamonds pair perfectly.
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged epiphany. Cana of Galilee, Eric-Hodgens, John the Baptist, Pentecost, wise men
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ERIC HODGENS. Christmas – An Epiphany.
What he stands for is the real object of our celebration – love of family and friends; love of enemies, too. He stands for peace, for fair consideration of everyone we deal with, for a world in which we work … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged Christmas story, Eric-Hodgens
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Eric Hodgens. Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns.
Easter brings Easter eggs and hot cross buns. You see the egg and dart pattern on the frieze of some Victorian-period buildings. But it goes way back to classical times. The eternal question – life or death. Two men looked … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Pell and the Royal Commission: Spotlight on Ideology.
When Cardinal George Pell enters the witness box at the Royal Commission we see a legal counsel interviewing him to find to what extent he is to blame for a failure in his church’s duty of care. The adversarial setup … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Child Sexual Abuse – A Cascade of Victims.
The sexual abuse of children creates many victims – and many levels of victimhood. Cultures, including ours, have rules about sexual activity. Cultural deviations from what is considered normal meet a range of cultural responses from approval to acceptance, to … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Christmas Peace – A Paradox
Christmas is a Christian afterthought. The earliest Christian writings (Paul’s epistles and Mark’s Gospel) don’t mention Jesus’ birth. The first to do so is Matthew’s gospel where the author posits the birth simply as another event in the fuller story … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Hope After The Synod?
In Greek synod means on the way together – (odos means a way; syn means together). The model is peripatetic– walking around. Aristotle used to walk round with his disciples discussing issues and his school got called the Peripatetic School. … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged Eric-Hodgens, Geroge Pell, parish priests, Pope Francis, Synod on the Family
2 Comments
Eric Hodgens. The Catholic Church is really two churches.
The Catholic Church is really two churches these days. The first is the hierarchy. The second is rank and file active Catholics together with their priests. This second group is the real church. Over the last 35 years, now, they … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. No Change in Priestly Recruits
The Melbourne Age said on Sunday 3 May that the Catholic Church was attracting more trainee priests. SBS had a similar article. Both are factually wrong. The last big year of seminary entries was 1968. Recruitment dropped steadily for 20 … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith, Uncategorized
Tagged Catholic Church, Eric-Hodgens, trainee priests
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Eric Hodgens. Can Pope Francis Turn the Church around?
The question needs to be asked because the Catholic Church is in trouble. Firstly, it has a . credibility problem. Affiliation has been dropping since the 60s. Sunday Mass attendance, the first indicator of affiliation, backs this up. The Church’s … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Celibacy – Icon of Clericalism.
The Catholic Church October synod was surprisingly successful. Unlike previous synods the discussion was open. The focus was pastoral rather than legal. Questions like Communion for divorcees, living together without being married, homosexual relationships, contraception are now on the table. … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged celibacy-in-the-Catholic-Church, Clericalism, Eric-Hodgens, Humanae Vitae, natural law, Synod on the Family
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Eric Hodgens. Archbishop Fisher’s Vision.
Archbishop Fisher introduced himself to his Sydney flock at his installation on 12th November 2014. He knows the Sydney Church and its history from personal experience. He is, after all, a born Sydney native whose early years inculturated him into … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. Will the Synod on the family work?
Pope Francis has changed the focus of the Catholic Church from doctrine and rules to care and compassion. If people are at odds with the rules they should be supported and encouraged rather than condemned. Since many of the rules … Continue reading
Eric Hodgens. On a Wing and a Prayer – A Personal Memoir.
As priests we were sent out on a mission to spread the Gospel and be pastors of the flock. But it was the secular world that formulated mission statements and pastoral care policies. We had the vocation, but it was … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged Eric-Hodgens, Humanae Vitae, Karadima case, Marcial-Marciel
3 Comments
Eric Hodgens. A new moral compass
The Church is not the best guide to moral values. That is the response of some Catholics to the questionnaire which the Vatican sent out in preparation for the October Synod of Bishops. Many practising Catholics do not agree with … Continue reading
Posted in Religion and Faith
Tagged Catholic church and morals, Eric-Hodgens, Humanae Vitae, infallible teaching
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Eric Hodgens. Where do bishops come from?
Sydney needs a new archbishop who has every chance of becoming a cardinal once Cardinal Pell turns 80. How do we get a new bishop? The pope will appoint one. Since 1917 he has claimed the right to do so. … Continue reading