The Journal
Reflections, essays, and dispatches from the Catholic Paradigm.
Latest
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Swept and Put in Order
Galatians 3:7-14 and Luke 11:15-26 on the Memorial of Saint Denis: Christ took the curse to give us the Spirit, and a house swept clean and left empty invites worse.
More from the Archive
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Called from the Tax Booth
Jesus calls Matthew mid-workday at the Capernaum tollbooth. A deacon’s reflection on Matthew 9:9-13 and Ephesians 4 for the Feast of St.…
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Formally Proclaimed: What the Church Says When a Vote Is Held Under Occupation
Russia’s Duma vote reached occupied Ukraine. What Catholic social teaching says about a right to vote that is only formally proclaimed.
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Do You Begrudge My Generosity
Matthew 20:1-16 and Isaiah 55: why the vineyard owner’s pay at the eleventh hour exposes the envy hiding behind a long-kept ledger…
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Fifty-Six Thousand People and the Word Forever: What the Church Says When a Small Nation Signs Under Pressure
The US-Denmark-Greenland defense deal has no end date. Catholic teaching asks whether a small nation’s consent, given under threat, still counts as…
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The Seed Has to Die
Paul answers the Corinthians with a seed and Jesus tells the parable of the sower. A deacon’s reflection on 1 Corinthians 15:35-49…
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The Law of Force or the Force of Law: A UN Panel, a School in Minab, and the Church
A UN mission alleges US war crimes at a girls’ school in Minab. The Church’s answer is the force of law, not…
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Out of Their Means
Luke 8:1-3 names the women who paid for Jesus’ mission, and 1 Corinthians 15 asks what their spending was worth if the…
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The Quiet Tax: Why the Church Counts a Stable Currency Among the Conditions of Justice
The Fed raised rates 12-0 against White House pressure. Catholic social teaching names a stable currency a condition of justice. Who pays…
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Forgiven Much, Loving Much
A reflection on Luke 7:36-50 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-11: why the one forgiven little loves little, and how to find out what…
Answering the hard questions: all 25 objections.