Flashes

  • Francis was the jewel, Leo must be the jeweller

    The jeweller’s challenge: cut too much, and brilliance is lost; cut too little, and promise remains unfulfilled. For Leo XIV, the coming months will reveal his willingness to take those risks.

    Francis was the jewel, Leo must be the jeweller
  • Mercy before rules

    Jesus meets the wound before the rule—touching the leper, lifting the bent woman, calling her daughter. The Church is called to do the same, placing mercy and care ahead of judgment or doctrinal debate. Mercy before rules.

    Mercy before rules
  • Where is God?

    The search for God never ends. When confronted with images of cruelty and suffering, humanity questions God’s presence. Traditional theology insisted God could not suffer. Yet the Gospels portray a God of compassion, revealed through Jesus. In this vision, God is not immune to pain but responds with love that transforms suffering into solidarity.

    Where is God?
  • Youth are the light

    Young Catholics often want to act on their faith. Volunteering in food pantries, hospitals, or parish projects allows them to serve others. Pope Leo’s words challenge leaders to create more opportunities for youth-driven service and ministry.

    Youth are the light
  • Beauty, peace, and productivity: Designing spaces that shape us

    What makes a space sacred? Reverence, beauty, light, and silence. Could these same qualities transform our home offices into places that nurture both productivity and human dignity?

    Beauty, peace, and productivity: Designing spaces that shape us
  • Can a sinful Church heal?

    Augustine’s Corpus Mixtum teaches that the Church is made of both saints and sinners. Redemption, he argued, is not about institutional purity but about divine mercy working through imperfect people—a message sorely tested by systemic failures and abuse.

    Can a sinful Church heal?
  • On mission—listening comes first

    When Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ returned to Luxembourg after 15 years in Japn, he faced a new challenge. He found that proclaiming the Gospel at home now required just as much adaptation as it did abroad.

    On mission—listening comes first
  • Focus

    When discomfort set in, the Israelites chose blame over unity. Instead of trusting the path to Canaan, they turned on Moses. Their desire for immediate relief clouded their vision of a greater promise.

    Focus
  • Disadvantage, not destiny, drives imprisonment

    Prisoners are more likely to have grown up with violence, drug abuse, overcrowding, poor schooling and unemployment. These disadvantages shape their lives far more than criminal intent. Recognising this is the first step toward justice that heals, not simply punishes.

    Disadvantage, not destiny, drives imprisonment
  • Church reform begins at the Baptismal font

    Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium called the Church to be a community of disciples, rooted in mercy and solidarity. This vision places co-working and mutual support at the heart of the Church’s mission today.

    Church reform begins at the Baptismal font

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