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The Church In The Modern Context, Maria Milazzo Apr 2022

The Church In The Modern Context, Maria Milazzo

Obsculta

This paper on the Church in the Modern Context brings into conversation the goals of Vatican I, Vatican II, and those of Pope Francis in today’s modern context. It seeks to understand the context of the councils and where Pope Francis seeks to lead the Church today, especially one that resembles a field hospital.


Eucharist, Kenosis & Ignatius Of Antioch's Johannine Ecclesiology, Jayan Koshy Apr 2022

Eucharist, Kenosis & Ignatius Of Antioch's Johannine Ecclesiology, Jayan Koshy

Obsculta

An anti-hierarchical ethos has been assumed in John’s Gospel by much modern biblical scholarship. The Johannine community functions, especially for non-episcopal communions, as an emblem of “flat” ecclesiology in the early Church, defying the Synoptic emphasis on apostolic ministry. However, recent scholarship destabilizes this consensus, drawing on figures associated with John in early tradition to present alternative Johannine ecclesiologies. Andrew Byers, for instance, seeks to harmonize Ignatius of Antioch’s high theology of the episcopacy with the theology of John’s Gospel. Building on Byers’ work, this essay argues that the Johannine tradition is not only compatible with Ignatius, but even supplies …


The Generation Of The Smartphone, Anisabel Palma Apr 2022

The Generation Of The Smartphone, Anisabel Palma

Obsculta

iGen is the generation of those born after 1995. A common characteristic of teen iGen’ers is their lack of interest in school. Many of these kids attend school only because they must, not because school is a place where they are looking forward going each morning. The low interested has been increasing since 2012.. There is a link between iGen teens’ behavior including motivation to go to school to their use of technologies around them. In this paper, the author tries to find a response to this change and to offer some hope to those working with teens.


Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time - Year C, Chinh Nguyen Apr 2022

Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time - Year C, Chinh Nguyen

Obsculta

This is a homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – year C. Speaking God’s truth hurts, but love prevails. Being a prophet is difficult, but love never fails. SYNOD


The Church As Polis, Amy Wen Apr 2022

The Church As Polis, Amy Wen

Obsculta

This paper aims to name a growing rift between belief and ethic in contemporary American society. It suggests the concept of liturgy as ‘primary theology’ and a liturgical anthropology as the solution to this rift. The paper picks up on voices from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions to highlight an ecumenical approach in retrieving a Christian worshiping anthropology.


Contributor Bios, Obsculta Editors Apr 2022

Contributor Bios, Obsculta Editors

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


The Music In The Trees, Peter Jensen Apr 2022

The Music In The Trees, Peter Jensen

Obsculta

The following poems are meditations about the growth students experience during the learning process. I utilize trees as an analogy for pedagogical development. References to the outward, circular expansion of trees are analogous to the physical actions performed in a learning task. References to upward growth signify the simultaneous, invisible ascent undertaken by the learner to better understand his or her own identity. The series illustrates a four-part learning cycle. 1) Invitation: I wonder if the moments of curiosity in students is an innate response from within the individual when they sense an informational experience that will fill a pedagogical …


Christian Asceticism, David Allen Osb Apr 2022

Christian Asceticism, David Allen Osb

Obsculta

The experience of the desert and wildlife was one of the hallmarks of early Christian monasticism. This paper offers a few vignettes about how animals and the natural world influenced the spirituality and writing of the ascetic life of early Christian monastics.


Reflections On Isaiah 63:7-9, Maria Milazzo Apr 2022

Reflections On Isaiah 63:7-9, Maria Milazzo

Obsculta

This reflection for a homily given at a virtual midday prayer breaks open the Scripture reading of Isaiah 63:7-9. The scripture reading leads us to reflecting upon God’s mercy and goodness in our lives, both in the good and challenging times.


How Big Are Your Arms, O God?, Carol M. Meier Apr 2022

How Big Are Your Arms, O God?, Carol M. Meier

Obsculta

Expansive images and expressions of God invite us all to experience God’s steadfast, faithful, and unconditional love in our lives. Out of this deep sense of belovedness, we are called to embody God’s loving presence. “How Big Are Your Arms, O God?” urges a broader imagination of God’s compassion and a more inclusive expression of that love in this world. As both a proclamation and a reminder, this song explores our understanding of and response to “the breadth and length and height and depth…[of] the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18, NRSV).


Liturgical Signs And Gestures, Chinh Nguyen Op Apr 2022

Liturgical Signs And Gestures, Chinh Nguyen Op

Obsculta

Fully, consciously, and actively participating in the sacred liturgy was one of the goals of the renewal of the liturgy called for by the Second Vatican Council. This paper explores the question, how do we enter in? The answer is there are many ways to help the faithful take part in the sacred action of the liturgy. One of the best ways is understanding what we are doing or celebrating in the Sacred Liturgy of the Church. The practical way is comprehension of the meaning of the liturgical gestures.


Everyone Wants A Revolution, No One Wants To Do The Dishes, Henry O. Widdicombe Apr 2022

Everyone Wants A Revolution, No One Wants To Do The Dishes, Henry O. Widdicombe

Obsculta

This piece is a reflection on climate despair, filtered through the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, the Catholic Worker Movement, and Benedictine spirituality to imagine what the response of a faithful Catholic might be. It posits that the only adequate response to, seemingly, insurmountable challenges is to hope against hope.


On The Task Of Today's Theologian, Henry O. Widdicombe Apr 2022

On The Task Of Today's Theologian, Henry O. Widdicombe

Obsculta

This piece was written as a reading response paper for Kristin Colberg’s Documents of Vatican II course in the Spring of 2022. It argues that today’s theologian must take seriously the demands of the Second Vatican Council and that the task of the theologian is, in light of contemporary culture, offer an ever-new articulation of the Gospel of Christ Jesus that does not lose its ever-ancient truths. In that vein, the piece utilizes the assigned readings for a particular course meeting to, with the aid of Bernard Lonergan, outline a kind of pro-Vatican II panegyric.


Pope Francis' Leadership In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op Apr 2022

Pope Francis' Leadership In The Time Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op

Obsculta

The essay writes about the influences of the COVID-19 pandemic to human existence in various aspects, particularly Christian faith. In the darkness and hardship of life, believers and non-believers need the help of good leaders so that they can overcome the crisis, but not lose their faith in God. In order to achieve this purpose, the leaders both in the Church and in the world need to acquire some qualities. What are qualities of a good leader? The essay is an attempt to answer this question by reflection on Pope Francis’ leadership. According to Orobator, Pope Francis is good leader …


A Letter From The Diocese, David Fremo, Mayuli Bales, Toni Hudock, Brenda Kresky, Janine Mettling Osb, Kent Schmitz, Philip Shefveland, Barbara Sutton, Ralph Zimmerman Apr 2022

A Letter From The Diocese, David Fremo, Mayuli Bales, Toni Hudock, Brenda Kresky, Janine Mettling Osb, Kent Schmitz, Philip Shefveland, Barbara Sutton, Ralph Zimmerman

Obsculta

No abstract provided.


A Homily On Romans 10:14-15, Dinh Vo Apr 2022

A Homily On Romans 10:14-15, Dinh Vo

Obsculta

In my studies within the course of Technology in Ministry, I was encouraged to use and promote the use of technology as a valuable means to proclaim the Good News to people where they are. In the “spirit” of Vatican II, the Church reaches out to her sons and daughters, especially the young, in an effort to make practical use of technology. Social media specifically comes into question when considering the use of high-tech communication to proclaim the Word. If we hold that the beauty of the feet of those who bring good news to the world from village to …


Climate Change: The Role Of Technology, "Dominon," And Our Pastoral Responsibility, Leah Wakefield Apr 2022

Climate Change: The Role Of Technology, "Dominon," And Our Pastoral Responsibility, Leah Wakefield

Obsculta

This paper briefly examines the correlation between burning fossil fuels, the increase of carbon in the atmosphere and resulting volatile weather, including hurricanes and floods. The paper then discusses possible technological solutions, including carbon dioxide scrubbers. Finally, the paper critically examines Genesis 2:15 and 1:26 and uses Laudato Si’ to reframe our understanding of “dominion” over the earth as a responsibility that calls for us to work to end climate change.


An Exegesis Paper On The Hanging Of The King Of Ai, Amy Wen Apr 2022

An Exegesis Paper On The Hanging Of The King Of Ai, Amy Wen

Obsculta

This paper analyzes Joshua 8 on the Hanging of the King of Ai. By utilizing contemporary biblical scholarship, this paper attempts to highlight elements of Ancient Near Eastern crucifixion and torture practices to shed new light on Jesus’ own crucifixion.


The Faith Of Jesus, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op Apr 2022

The Faith Of Jesus, Hang T.H. Nguyen Op

Obsculta

According to Jon Sobrino, a theologian of Liberation Theology, Jesus has faith since He is a believer “like ourselves,” the model of faith, the one upon whom we have to keep our eyes fixed to live our faith. In another reference, Sobrino insists that “Jesus was an extraordinary believer and had faith. Faith is Jesus’ mode of being,” and “Faith describes the totality of the life of Jesus.” J. Sobrino’s view on Hebrews 12:2 does not conform with that of the Catholic traditional faith on the immediate and intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father. The essay is the arguments …


Reclaiming Rights To The Rites Of The Anointing, Kelly Olson Apr 2022

Reclaiming Rights To The Rites Of The Anointing, Kelly Olson

Obsculta

This submission is a paper written in response to the discussion of Jesus’ healing ministry restoring ethnomedical health of a community through healing particular individuals thus representing the need to reintegrate the marginalized within the body of the community and the utilization of the Rite of the Anointing as a communal sacrament to renegotiate the individual in the community amid circumstances contributing to the migration to the periphery creating discord and illness. I have used the diverse and global impact of the pandemic to illuminate imbalanced health of communities and the urgency with which we must respond through sacramental theology.