Cracks in Postmodernity - Seeking moments of transcendence in the remains of postmodern culture.

Gold Within the Mud: new post at EP

February 22, 2019 By Stephen G. Adubato

From my new post at Ethika Politika: As much as I was moved by Fr. Tolton’s story, I couldn’t help but leave the play with a sense of disgust. “How could the Church have been so racist…so evil?” While the Church’s hierarchy has done much to overcome its racist past, it remains mired with other vices and evils. Most recently, I’ve been trying to understand how a hierarchy which attempts to cover up the sexual abuse of minors can claim… Read more

“Blessed is the fruit of your wounds”: Abortion and the Risk of Accompaniment

January 22, 2019 By Stephen G. Adubato

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This week marks the anniversary of “Roe v. Wade,” the historic supreme court case that made abortion legal in the US. Many people observe the anniversary by attending the March for Life in DC or engaging in other forms of “pro-life” activism. As much as all those gestures have value, I instead am spending this time reflecting on my relationship with one of my closest friends. A few months ago, my friend was impregnated by a man with whom she… Read more

It’s Better to Receive Than to Give

December 24, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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This is the edited version of a post previously published on this blog When I was younger, I associated the “Christmas spirit” with some ambiguous “warm fuzzy” feeling which, by the dawn of Christmas morning, would quickly dissipate into a sense of emptiness and boredom. Christmas never lived up to the hype that its elusive spirit seemed to generate in the people around me. So what exactly is the “Christmas spirit”? The general consensus seems to oscillate between the ideals of unfettered consumerism, moralistic altruism (“it’s… Read more

Let Me Feel the Lack: A meditation on Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line

October 21, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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by guest contributor Patrick Tomassi At the beginning of Terrence Malick’s epic World War II film The Thin Red Line, Private Witt, played by Jim Caviezel, is AWOL on an island in the south Pacific, living with a Melanesian tribe. In those people, he encounters something that he cannot necessarily name – a beauty, peace, love – that overtakes him. He is happy with them – playing with the children, helping to build, swimming in the ocean. And he’s struck… Read more

In the Crosshairs of Intersectionality: Ideological Colonization

September 10, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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I’ve recently come across this interview with Nigerian pro-life activist Obianuju Ekeocha on BBC World News which made my #CracksInPomo senses went haywire. This blog’s mission is to point out the cultural paradoxes that “crack” through postmodernity, and “Uju” is flashing red on my radar. So what is it about this video that is making my pomo senses tingle like a wasp sting? Go watch the video yourself. …And once you watch the video, you can read my thoughts. What’s… Read more

YOU are the reason the Church has problems (but you’re also the answer)

September 2, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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We need to remember that “contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen, restores our humanity, even when it has been broken by the troubles of this life or marred by sin. We must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ”. So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his fire inflame… Read more

Jesus has revealed the answer to the Church’s problems

September 2, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. —For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups… Read more

HELP ME…with your thoughts on Catholic Social teaching

September 1, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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So the other night I was having dinner with my friend at an oh-so-hip Italian restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. As we sipped on our glasses of Montepulciano, I brought up some questions that surfaced as I was studying for my comprehensive exams (in moral theology) earlier in the day. While the people seated at the tables next to us discussed the sociological implications of the Burning Man festival and where they were going to get wasted later that… Read more

Sex Abuse and the Voices of Victims: Christ Needs You

August 25, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Why would God entrust his Church to such a flawed human being? Wouldn’t he rather pick one of his more morally consistent or level headed followers for the job? When we sin, we usually try to find ways to “fix” ourselves. But Jesus wanted the leader of His Church to be someone who reminded… Read more

The “Fascinating” Sacrifice of Love: Bishop Camisasca’s message to Pride marchers

August 15, 2018 By Stephen G. Adubato

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I thought I’d leave a link to this moving homily by Bishop Massimo Camisasca of the Reggio Emilia-Gustallo diocese in the Italian province of Modena. It was addressed at a prayer vigil against homophobia which was held before the evening of Reggio-Emilia’s Pride parade. I was surprised by his ability to combine Francis-style compassion with gentle frankness about the Church’s moral teaching in a way that was organic and not forced. Most preachers seem to emphasize compassion over teachings, or… Read more