Inclusion
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Doctrine embedded in code
Church doctrine is not a monolith delivered whole from a divine height. It is the product of human minds, shaped by culture, era, and a narrowly drawn group of ordained men. Understanding this is the first step toward doctrine that is life-giving rather than life-destructive.
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Juxtapositions: Lent, liturgy and life
From Ash Wednesday dispensations to Ramadan night bazaars and Iranian strike headlines, this Lent in Singapore refused to stay tidy. Fifteen days of overlapping seasons, obligations, and emotions came to the liturgy — and were held together without any of them being erased.
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Seeking. Skepticism. Sanctuary.
Moses Mendelssohn observed that we can never fully know another person’s interior beliefs – and often can’t be certain of our own. The article draws on that insight to ask how parishes can make space for faith at every stage of certainty and doubt.
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A Jesuit reads a Jesuit pope
A concise guide to understanding the Francis era; Jesuit, Frank Brennan explores the concept of the “disruptive pilgrim”. The book is an insightful guide to the modern papacy, where Brennan highlights how unsettling the status quo serves as a pastoral tool to awaken the Church.
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Blessings for couples who love one another
Germany’s bishops have said yes to blessing LGBTQ and other non-traditional couples in a historic pastoral shift. The catch? There’s no approved ceremony to do it, leaving questions about how sustainable this practice can be.
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God crashes Mary’s mundane Monday
When Gabriel appears to Mary, she is likely at her daily tasks, grinding grain, perhaps, or drawing water. God crashes into her mundane Monday. The Christmas story begins not in sacred spaces but in ordinary life—and that changes everything about how we understand faith.
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New Catholicism: Local realities, global communion
A new kind of catholicism is emerging: global in scope, yet respectful of the local. It honours complexity, listens deeply, and resists easy answers. The challenge ahead is to hold unity and diversity in tension with grace and humility.
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“Pray, pay, and obey”: the cry of the unheard
Agency is the feeling that one can make a difference. Its loss breeds despair. When members of the Church feel powerless, many simply opt out.
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Blessing love without betraying doctrine
The Church faces a defining question: can it bless love without betraying doctrine? What began as pastoral care now challenges the very grammar of Catholic worship — for in the Church, what is blessed becomes a revelation of belief.
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Go where it hurts
While walking along the Fuji River in 1684, poet Matsuo Bashō encountered a starving child, abandoned and crying. His act of compassion—and his haunting reflection—raise deep questions about suffering, God, and human response that still speak to today’s world.
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