Flashes
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When violins argue like world newsfeeds
Bach’s Goldberg Variations stirred unexpected reflections on justice, war, and the chaos of public discourse. The music became a mirror for inner conflict, revealing how struggles for justice may sometimes mask deeper personal unrest.
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Ritual exile — modern stigma
Who do we cast out today—those we fear, those we blame, those who differ from us? The ancient story still asks how far we go to preserve purity, and what kind of holiness demands exclusion.
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Romanticising the past risks the future
The risk of nostalgia lies not in tradition itself but in romanticising fragments as the whole truth. If Germany builds on a dream of GDR life, or Catholics cling to an imagined golden age, both risk turning truth into museum relics.
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Carlo Acutis: saint of the internet or symbol of conservatism?
The rise of Christian influencers – “Christfluencers” – has shaped how faith is presented online. Their emphasis on miracle healings, biblical literalism, and sexual morality mirrors the spirituality many link with Carlo Acutis, raising concerns about his image being appropriated by right-wing groups.
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Reform without an imprimatur
Though it lacks official endorsement, the Bristol Text offers reassurance that reforms can be both faithful and lawful. Its authority rests on theologians and pastors who shaped it, rather than on hierarchical approval.
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Science changes everything
The Webb Space Telescope reveals astonishing new realities of creation, while psychology deepens our understanding of human brokenness and potential. Such knowledge questions inherited frameworks and calls theology to reconsider how it speaks of sin, grace, and humanity’s place in the vast unfolding universe.
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Absolutely Right
Two voices echo across time: one calling for battle, another for God’s kingdom on earth. Between them lies the clash of worldviews shaping our age, where populist leaders and faithful dreamers compete to write the story of tomorrow.
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What young people seek in faith
The decline of youth in the Church is not the full story. Across Australia, young Catholics are rediscovering faith in surprising numbers, seeking authenticity, community, and a sense of hope that speaks to their deepest aspirations.
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Is the Church allowed to ordain men?
For centuries, women have led priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. Vaticanelle, a parody, imagines Pope Sister Martha and her Synodal Council debating whether men could be ordained. From the outset, she insists priesthood for men is not a serious expectation.
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The paradox of stability offline, fury online
When anger goes unchecked online it can spiral into cruelty. Anonymity fuels extreme behavior. Shaming replaces dialogue. Dialogue is a safeguard.
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