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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

August 6 marks both Hiroshima and the Transfiguration — a date of devastation and divine hope. One event shows what humans can destroy, the other what we can become. The contrast urges us to reflect on who we are and who we are meant to be.

St Paul wrote, “We who are many are one body.” That became true in a guard’s van, where grumbling turned to gratitude, division to dialogue. Eucharist emerged not from consecrated bread, but from disrupted plans and a shared human response.

The terms “clergy” and “laity” can trap us in outdated hierarchies. Could adopting the language of “missionary disciples” help the Church rediscover shared leadership and mutual respect?

Can a white, male God creating a white, male Adam still speak to today’s world? Jesus welcomed all—Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women. Diversity was always part of the divine plan. What if creation looked like all of us?

The world’s poorest are being asked to bear the cost of a system rigged against them. With declining development aid and rising debt repayments, hope is fading fast for millions whose lives are treated as disposable.