<![CDATA[ECT+]]>https://www.ectplus.orghttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PUd2!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd970c00d-5a45-4261-b0a5-2312bc481342_124x124.pngECT+https://www.ectplus.orgSubstackWed, 29 Jul 2026 14:54:43 GMT<![CDATA[How Can We Speak Truthfully About God? | In Focus]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/how-can-we-speak-truthfully-abouthttps://www.ectplus.org/p/how-can-we-speak-truthfully-aboutTue, 28 Jul 2026 15:02:17 GMTWhat does it mean to speak truthfully about God?

In this episode of In Focus, Dr. Dominic De Torre introduces the theology of analogy — the way the Church speaks about God without reducing Him to a creature or making Him unknowable. He explains the difference between univocal, equivocal, and analogous language, explores why analogy is essential for Catho…

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]]><![CDATA[How to Love the World—the Right Way | Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/how-to-love-the-worldthe-right-wayhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/how-to-love-the-worldthe-right-wayThu, 23 Jul 2026 21:01:08 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 13 and Christ's parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price.

Jesus does not teach that the Christian life is about despising the good things of this world. Rather, He reveals that every created good finds its proper place when ordered to the greatest good: God Himself.

The saints do not hate the world. They simply love God more than the world.

When we discover Christ, every sacrifice becomes intelligible because nothing compares to the treasure of knowing Him.

The Christian life is not ultimately about what we lose, but about the One we gain.

]]><![CDATA[Too Many Problems in Prayer | Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/too-many-problems-in-prayer-sixteenthhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/too-many-problems-in-prayer-sixteenthThu, 16 Jul 2026 21:01:22 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Romans 8 and St. Paul's teaching that "we do not know how to pray as we ought."

Prayer is not something we accomplish on our own.

Even in our weakness, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, interceding within us and raising our minds to God.

The Christian life does not begin with finding the perfect words or mastering the right formula. It begins with God's own Spirit drawing us into communion with Him.

Before we know how to pray, the Holy Spirit is already praying within us.

]]><![CDATA[Why are Theologians Unhappy? | Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/why-are-theologians-unhappy-fifteenthhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/why-are-theologians-unhappy-fifteenthFri, 10 Jul 2026 21:00:47 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 13 and the Parable of the Sower.

Every seed hears the word, but not every seed bears fruit. Some receive it with joy, yet have no root. Others hear and understand, becoming deeply rooted in Christ.

Jesus reveals that lasting faith is more than an emotional response or intellectual interest. True understanding comes only by remaining rooted in Him, the eternal Word.

The Christian life begins by hearing Christ, grows through understanding Him, and bears fruit by remaining rooted in Him.

]]><![CDATA[Ethics is Never “First" in the Christian Life | Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/ethics-is-never-first-in-the-christianhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/ethics-is-never-first-in-the-christianThu, 02 Jul 2026 21:00:50 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 11 and Christ’s words: “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to little ones.”

Jesus is not condemning intelligence or praising ignorance. He reveals that the mysteries of God are not mastered through human ingenuity but received through union with Him.

The little ones are those who allow themselves to be shaped by Christ rather than relying upon themselves. Divine reality is greater than any human mind can grasp on its own.

The Christian life does not begin with moral effort or self-improvement. It begins with Jesus, who reveals the Kingdom to those willing to receive it.

Only little ones are content to live in Him.

]]><![CDATA[From Selling Porsches to Catholic Theology | Dr. Richard DeClue]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/from-selling-porsches-to-catholichttps://www.ectplus.org/p/from-selling-porsches-to-catholicTue, 30 Jun 2026 11:30:53 GMTIn this episode of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Theology podcast, Dr. Richard DeClue reflects on his journey from studying biology and selling Porsches to becoming a Catholic theologian and professor at the Word on Fire Institute.

He discusses his formation at Belmont Abbey College, Boston College, and the Catholic University of America, before exploring Eucharistic ecclesiology and why the Eucharist is essential to understanding the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission.

]]><![CDATA[Family is not "Big Enough” for Divine Love | Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/family-is-not-big-enough-for-divinehttps://www.ectplus.org/p/family-is-not-big-enough-for-divineFri, 26 Jun 2026 15:02:34 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s challenging words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”

Jesus is not asking us to love our families less. Rather, He reveals that no human relationship is capable of bearing the fullness of the love He desires to give us.

The deepest loves of family and friendship are real and good, but they remain finite. Only Christ is infinite enough to sustain the love for which the human heart was created.

When we love Jesus first, our love for others is not diminished—it is transformed. In Christ, we learn to love our family, our neighbors, and even ourselves with a love that shares in His own divine charity.

Only Jesus is great enough to become the reason for every other love.

]]><![CDATA[Does the Eucharist Make the Church? | In Focus]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/does-the-eucharist-make-the-churchhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/does-the-eucharist-make-the-churchTue, 23 Jun 2026 17:01:35 GMTWhat is the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church?

In this episode of In Focus, Dr. Richard DeClue introduces Eucharistic ecclesiology — the study of the Church understood through her intrinsic connection to the Eucharist. He defines the theological framework, traces the Eucharist's role in the Church's origin, nature, structure, and mission, and shows how the sacrament is not merely something the Church does, but what makes her the Church.

For more, read Dr. DeClue's article Eucharistic Ecclesiology here: https://www.ect.org/en/article/eucharistic-ecclesiology?previousUri=%2Farticles

]]><![CDATA[Do Not Be Afraid of What Others Think | Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/do-not-be-afraid-of-what-others-thinkhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/do-not-be-afraid-of-what-others-thinkThu, 18 Jun 2026 21:01:13 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 10 and Christ’s command: “Fear no one.”

We often live according to how we are perceived by others, shaping our lives around their judgments, whether favorable or critical. This tendency can become so strong that our sense of identity is rooted more in the minds of others than in reality itself.

But Jesus redirects our attention. We do not exist most truly in the thoughts of others, but in the knowledge and love of God. Human opinion does not constitute our being, nor can it save us.

The problem is not that others think about us—but that we allow their thoughts to define us. What others think is neither creative nor salvific.

God’s knowledge, by contrast, is real, creative, and sustaining. He knows us into being, and His knowledge is ordered toward our salvation.

To “fear no one” is to live not in reference to human judgment, but in the truth of how we exist before God.

]]><![CDATA[Emotions are Not Intrinsically Evil | Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/emotions-are-not-intrinsically-evilhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/emotions-are-not-intrinsically-evilThu, 11 Jun 2026 21:01:40 GMT

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Fr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Matthew 9 and the significance of Jesus’ compassion.

When Jesus sees the crowds, His heart is “moved with pity.” This reveals something essential: the emotional life is not inherently disordered or sinful.

Christ shows us that to be human is not only to think and to choose, but also to feel. And because Jesus is like us in all things but sin, His emotions reveal their true purpose.

The problem is not that we have emotions—but that they are wounded. And what is wounded can be healed.

Grace does not bypass the human person. It transforms the whole person—intellect, will, and even the affective life.

No part of our humanity is beyond the reach of Christ.

]]><![CDATA[Whoever Eats This Bread Will Live Forever | The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/whoever-eats-this-bread-will-livehttps://www.ectplus.org/p/whoever-eats-this-bread-will-liveThu, 04 Jun 2026 21:02:03 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John 6 and the shocking claim at the heart of the Eucharist.
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever." The Jews quarreled among themselves — not because the question was bad, but because they turned inward rather than toward Jesus.

This is the great temptation for all of us. When faced with a saving truth we cannot fully understand, we turn to our own objections, our own standards, our own debate. But there is no clarity within ourselves. We are not God.

Jesus does not enter their dialectic. He does not take a poll or address their objections. He simply reiterates the truth: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

Jesus alone is the principle of clarity about his sacred mysteries. He invites us to make him our first stop — not our last resort.

]]><![CDATA[You Cannot Be Indifferent to Jesus | Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/you-cannot-be-indifferent-to-jesushttps://www.ectplus.org/p/you-cannot-be-indifferent-to-jesusThu, 28 May 2026 21:01:16 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John 3:16 and the claim that there is no neutrality before Christ.

Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned — but whoever does not believe has already been condemned. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. The choice, however, cannot be avoided.

There are only two saviors: Jesus, who came to draw us into union with Himself — and ourselves, a project of self-salvation that is doomed to fail.

Every part of life belongs either to Christ or to that false project. Holding something back is not neutrality. It is antagonism.

Jesus invites us to open every part of ourselves to Him — because what is not united to Him is not saved.

]]><![CDATA[What to Do When There Is No Peace | Pentecost Sunday]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/what-to-do-when-there-is-no-peacehttps://www.ectplus.org/p/what-to-do-when-there-is-no-peaceThu, 21 May 2026 21:01:29 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John 20 and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples are afraid, hiding behind locked doors. Yet Jesus comes to them, bringing peace and instituting the sacrament of confession.

Even today, we can feel distant from Christ—held back by fear, sin, or shame. But the Gospel reveals a powerful truth: nothing can separate us from Jesus.

St. Paul teaches that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” When we invoke the holy name of Jesus, we are not alone. The Spirit is already at work, drawing us into union with Christ.

The name of Jesus is not just a word—it is a prayer, a presence, and a path to peace.

]]><![CDATA[Jesus: No One "Has" Eternal Life | Seventh Sunday of Easter]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/jesus-no-one-has-eternal-life-seventhhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/jesus-no-one-has-eternal-life-seventhThu, 14 May 2026 21:01:25 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Christ’s words in John 17: “This is eternal life: that they should know you, the one true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”

We often think of eternal life as a place or something we possess in the future. But Jesus reveals something deeper. Eternal life is not a location or an object. It is an act—knowing God.

This knowledge is not abstract. It is real union with the living God, made possible through Jesus Christ. And it does not begin later. It begins now.

The Christian life is not simply waiting for heaven. It is already a participation in eternal life, here and now, through knowing and loving God.

]]><![CDATA[Why the Commandments? | Sixth Sunday of Easter]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/why-the-commandments-sixth-sundayhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/why-the-commandments-sixth-sundayThu, 07 May 2026 21:01:30 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Christ’s words in John 14: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

At first glance, this can sound like a condition or a demand. But Jesus is not manipulating us or imposing external rules. He is revealing something deeper: love and obedience are inseparable.

The commandments are not arbitrary restrictions. They express who Jesus is. Those who are united to Him begin to live as He lives.

To love Christ is to be conformed to Him—and those who are conformed to Him naturally keep His commandments.

]]><![CDATA[Was Jesus a Public Intellectual? | Fifth Sunday of Easter]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/was-jesus-a-public-intellectual-fifthhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/was-jesus-a-public-intellectual-fifthThu, 30 Apr 2026 21:01:30 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on John 14 and Christ’s response to St. Thomas: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In a world filled with competing voices, opinions, and interpretations of what it means to follow Jesus, the Gospel offers a striking simplicity.

Jesus does not offer one path among many. He offers Himself. The confusion of the modern world cannot be resolved by more analysis or more perspectives, but only by returning to Christ.

To follow Jesus is not to navigate endless options, but to remain with Him—the one who is the way, the truth, and the life.

]]><![CDATA[Books, Articles, and a New Initiative Coming August 15th]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/books-articles-and-a-new-initiativehttps://www.ectplus.org/p/books-articles-and-a-new-initiativeMon, 27 Apr 2026 22:00:10 GMTExecutive Director Gideon Barr, General Editor Father Cajetan Cuddy, O.P., and Managing Editor Dr. Matthew Minard sit down for a progress update on the Encyclopedia of Catholic Theology. The conversation covers new and forthcoming Catholic handbooks on creation, grace, science and religion, and confirmation, along with a preview of nearly twenty articles currently moving through the editorial pipeline on topics ranging from the hypostatic union to political authority.

The team also takes stock of the ECT’s growing international reach, with scholars and translators now contributing from across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East — and Spanish translations running nearly in step with English publication.

]]><![CDATA[What Does It Mean to Be Catholic? ]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/what-does-it-mean-to-be-catholichttps://www.ectplus.org/p/what-does-it-mean-to-be-catholicThu, 23 Apr 2026 21:01:30 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on Acts 2 and St. Peter’s proclamation of the Gospel. When the people are cut to the heart, they ask what they must do—and Peter responds clearly: “Repent and be baptized.”

To be Catholic is not merely to adopt a label or join a denomination. It is to enter into a new life—one defined by the sacraments. Through baptism and the sacramental life of the Church, we are truly united to Jesus and share in His divine life.

The Gospel calls each of us not only to believe, but to live sacramentally in real union with Christ.

]]><![CDATA[Don't Miss Jesus]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/dont-miss-jesushttps://www.ectplus.org/p/dont-miss-jesusThu, 16 Apr 2026 21:01:16 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 and the disciples’ failure to recognize the risen Christ. Though they discuss the events of Jesus’ Passion and search for meaning, they do not recognize Him walking beside them.

The Gospel reveals a deeper problem: not simply misunderstanding Scripture, but beginning from the wrong starting point. When we try to interpret life, suffering, or even Christ Himself apart from Him, we risk missing Him entirely.

True wisdom begins with Jesus. When we start with Him, He illumines all things and reveals their meaning in Himself.

]]><![CDATA[Your Brokenness Is Not a Barrier to God]]>https://www.ectplus.org/p/your-brokenness-is-not-a-barrierhttps://www.ectplus.org/p/your-brokenness-is-not-a-barrierThu, 09 Apr 2026 21:00:44 GMTFr. Cajetan Cuddy, O.P. reflects on the risen Christ’s appearance to the disciples in John 20. Though they are afraid and hidden behind locked doors, Jesus comes to them, bearing the wounds of His Passion and speaking peace.

The Gospel reveals that nothing can prevent Christ from reaching those He loves—not fear, not suffering, not even sin. In His mercy, Jesus passes through every barrier and gives Himself to us, especially through the sacrament of confession.

The wounds of Christ are not signs of defeat, but of a love that transforms all things. Even our brokenness can become a place of healing when brought to Him.

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