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Research Article
Slovenian Post-Conciliar Contextual Theology: Anton Strle’s Reception of Vatican II
Filip Veber*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
1-11
Received:
24 December 2025
Accepted:
12 January 2026
Published:
29 January 2026
Abstract: The article presents a case study of a local reception of the Second Vatican Council through the lense of a prominent Slovenian theologian, Prof. Anton Strle (1915-2003), and analyses his introductions to the four conciliar constitutions (Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Gaudium et Spes), published alongside their Slovenian translations during and immediately after the Council. By means of descriptive textual analysis, the article provides an insight into reception of the Council in a small and linguistically limited environment of the post-WWII Yugoslavia. Key findings include: (1) Strle’s pivotal role as a mediator of the Council in a linguistically small environment, fostering post-conciliar renewal through teaching and contextualization; (2) his exemplification of hermeneutic of fidelity, rooted in fidelity to the conciliar texts and the deposit of faith, doctrinal continuity and development; (3) the prominence of Ecclesial Christology in his reception, bringing together conciliar ecclesiology (Church as the Mystical body, sacrament and communion) with the centrality of Christ for the Church and the Council; and (4) practical applications urging the Church’s Eucharistic gathering for evangelization of the world. By synthetizing Strle’s understudied texts, this study bridges the gap of understanding the reception of the Council in smaller nations and linguistically limited environments, demonstrating Ecclesial Christology as the exemplary fruit of the hermeneutic of fidelity for faithful conciliar implementation in any age.
Abstract: The article presents a case study of a local reception of the Second Vatican Council through the lense of a prominent Slovenian theologian, Prof. Anton Strle (1915-2003), and analyses his introductions to the four conciliar constitutions (Lumen Gentium, Dei Verbum, Sacrosanctum Concilium, Gaudium et Spes), published alongside their Slovenian transl...
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Research Article
Women as a Commodity: An Intersectional Look at the Bridgerton Series
Eric Lumogda Legada,
Daniel Sampag Fernando*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
12-20
Received:
7 January 2026
Accepted:
17 January 2026
Published:
30 January 2026
Abstract: Television shows play a significant role in exposing the realities and societal conditions prevalent in our time. Bridgerton is a Netflix series that spans two seasons. It is a story of love, passion, fashion, and family affairs set during the competitive Regency era in London, where marriageable youth and gentry are introduced into society. This philosophical paper employed an intersectional feminist film and television textual analysis to examine the representation of women in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Additionally, the paper integrates critical discourse analysis and narrative analysis as complementary methods. It also employed Bell Hooks' theory of representation that examined how the issue of gender oppression is prevalent in Bridgerton. The content was organized and analyzed through a set of thematic categories. Hence, one noticeable aspect of the show is the way women are groomed and trained to fit into the social strata, so that they can be pleasing in the eyes of the Queen, who approves them. Another is the way women are viewed as a means to save the family's wealth once they are partnered with a noble husband-to-be, disregarding their agency. Applying hooks' views, this paper underscores that women are not mere commodities. They are persons of dignity whose rights and privileges must be given due recognition equal to those of others. This is true not only among women but also to all. Equality builds justice. Justice diminishes oppression. For it is only when we start doing injustice towards others that oppression rises once again.
Abstract: Television shows play a significant role in exposing the realities and societal conditions prevalent in our time. Bridgerton is a Netflix series that spans two seasons. It is a story of love, passion, fashion, and family affairs set during the competitive Regency era in London, where marriageable youth and gentry are introduced into society. This p...
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Research Article
The Sanctified Vocation: A Treatise on the Divine Ontology of Labour, the Imperative of Excellence, and the Determinism of Providence
Partha Majumdar*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2026
Pages:
21-34
Received:
10 January 2026
Accepted:
20 January 2026
Published:
30 January 2026
Abstract: This comprehensive treatise presents a philosophical and theological framework for labour that challenges the modern, transactional view of work, which often leads to alienation and a false hierarchy of professions. The analysis posits that all forms of work possess an inherent equality in dignity, a concept explored by deconstructing the sociological distinction between "menial" and "strategic" labour. Drawing on comparative theology—specifically the Vedantic concept of Yajna, the Protestant doctrine of vocation, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Islamic theology of Rizq—as well as empirical evidence from organisational psychology, the text argues that the value of work is determined by internal orientation rather than external status. Central to this argument is the imperative for uncompromising excellence. The notion of "easy" work is refuted through an examination of the Japanese spirit of Shokunin, the psychological principles of deliberate practice, and theological arguments which frame quality craftsmanship as a moral and spiritual obligation. Excellence is thus presented not merely as a performance metric but as a form of spiritual discipline and reverence for the task’s intrinsic demands. This intense commitment to process is complemented by a doctrine of providential determinism regarding outcomes. By synthesising the Vedantic principle of Prarabdha Karma with the Islamic concept of Rizq, the treatise argues that material recompense is cosmically fixed. This belief is framed as a liberating force, freeing the worker from the anxiety of results and the corrosion of envy, thereby enabling a state of detached diligence, or Nishkama Karma, where effort is focused solely on the quality of the action. Ultimately, the analysis concludes that this model of a "Sanctified Vocation"—a synthesis of divine assignment, process excellence, and acceptance of material destiny—offers a robust and sustainable antidote to the modern crisis of meaning in the workplace, transforming labour from a mere economic transaction into a profound path for spiritual integration, dignity, and inner peace.
Abstract: This comprehensive treatise presents a philosophical and theological framework for labour that challenges the modern, transactional view of work, which often leads to alienation and a false hierarchy of professions. The analysis posits that all forms of work possess an inherent equality in dignity, a concept explored by deconstructing the sociologi...
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