Shows
Way of the Fathers5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His TimeSt. Albert the Great (1206-1280) mastered every field of study available to him, from astronomy to zoology. He was called the “miracle of his time,” not because he performed miracles, but because he was considered an authority - on the level of St. Augustine and Peter Lombard - even within his own lifetime. He was the mentor and teacher of a more famous doctor of the Church: St. Thomas Aquinas. Links For a great conversation about Peter Lombard’s Sentences, check out this article, The Most Influential Theology Book Nobody Reads: https://www.catholicculture.org/comment...
2025-08-2722 minWay of the FathersThe Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen w/ Margot FasslerSt. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century abbess, mystic, polymath, and Doctor of the Church, is best known to non-Catholics for something else – her music. We have more pieces of music by Hildegard than by any other medieval composer whose name we know. Her chants are beautiful, otherworldly, virtuosic and ahead of their time. Some of them were written for her morality play, the Ordo virtutum, which is also the first of its kind. Thomas Mirus (producer of Way of the Fathers and host of the Catholic Culture Podcast) interviews musicologist Margot Fassler about what makes St. Hildegard’s music so spec...
2025-06-301h 01
The Catholic Culture Podcast198 - The Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen - Margot FasslerSt. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century abbess, mystic, polymath, and Doctor of the Church, is best known to non-Catholics for something else – her music. We have more pieces of music by Hildegard than by any other medieval composer whose name we know. Her chants are beautiful, otherworldly, virtuosic and ahead of their time. Some of them were written for her morality play, the Ordo virtutum, which is also the first of its kind. Musicologist Margot Fassler joins the podcast to discuss what makes St. Hildegard’s music so special. This episode is a crossover with Way of the Fath...
2025-06-301h 01Way of the Fathers5.7 St. Peter Damian: Monitor of the PopesSt. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) was an advisor to, and sometimes corrector of, Popes, Emperors, and Kings. Through his writings he was a reformer of the clergy, and the monasteries, especially calling out and confronting immorality among the clergy. He was a member of the first college of cardinals as we know it today, and took part in wrestling away from royals and nobles the power to appoint Popes, restoring the process of papal elections. Links Listen to the Catholic Culture audio book of St. Peter Damian’s The Lord Be With You: https://www.cat...
2025-03-2631 minWay of the Fathers5.6 St. Peter Damian: The Medieval JeromeSt. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) is another one of our lesser-known Doctors of the Church, and yet he was, in his time, a man who could give advice to the Popes, and call for reform in the clergy and in the monasteries. Known as a Catholic reformer (long before the Protestant Reformation), he confronted clergy immorality, simony and lay investiture, as well as corruption in the process of the election of Popes, and he was a member of the first college of cardinals, as we know it today. Links Listen to the Catholic Culture audio b...
2025-03-1223 minWay of the Fathers5.5 St. Gregory of Narek: Doctor of MercySt. Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003), was an Armenian saint: a monk, scholar, poet, and hymn writer. Praised as a saint by Pope St. John Paul II, who called by him the “great Marian doctor of the Armenian Church,” St. Gregory of Narek was officially proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015–one of the most recent additions to the list of the Doctors of the Church. Links Listen to our Way of the Fathers episode on the heresy of Eutyches and monophysitism: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/416-heresieseutyches-monophysitism-drop-in-ocean/ Listen to our...
2025-02-2626 minWay of the FathersEgeria the Pilgrim and the Stations of the CrossEgeria (or Etheria) was a woman who embarked on a three-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the late fourth century. From her “pilgrimage diary” (actually fragments from her letters to her “sisters” back in Spain) we learn much about liturgy in Jerusalem. There we can see the beginnings of the lectionary, and the seeds of the Stations of the Cross. In this episode, Dr. Papandrea also talks about the history of the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage itself. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on the city of Jerusalem, Episode 3.2: https://www.catholicculture.org/comment...
2024-11-1315 minWay of the FathersRufinus of Aquileia and the Apostles’ CreedRufinus is mostly known as the translator of Origen, and the opponent of St. Jerome in the controversy over Origen. But he also wrote an important commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, which is on Dr. Papandrea’s list of “state of the art documents,” patristic works that succinctly showcase the state of the development of doctrine at the time they were written. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episodes on Origen, Episode 19: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/life-origen-most-controversial-christian-ever/ and Episode 20: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/origen-part-2-hero-heretic-or-hybrid/ To listen to Mike Aquil...
2024-10-2321 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: making the Church less worldly; music and conversion; a Catholic movie from 1903A collection of highlight clips from past episodes. 82 A Habitual Counterculture - Brandon McGinley https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-82-habitual-counterculture-brandon-mcginley/ 68 What I Learned from Making Music with Mark Christopher Brandt https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-68-what-i-learned-from-making-music-with-mark-christopher-brandt/ Vie et Passion du Christ https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/vie-et-passion-du-christ-1903/ SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio
2024-10-071h 15Way of the FathersFather Caius and the Tomb of St. PeterCaius was a priest in Rome, in the third century. He wrote that if one comes to Rome, one can visit the shrines at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. These tombs had been known and visited since the apostle’s deaths, and are known to this day - they are in the same place where Caius knew them. The tomb of St. Paul is directly under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which was built on the site of the first memorial chapel, which was itself built on the site of...
2024-09-2526 minWay of the FathersAthenagoras the Athenian: Apology Not AcceptedThe early Christian apologist Athenagoras may not be as famous as some of the other Church fathers, but he’s a great example of someone who started out as an apologist against Christianity, but when he actually learned what the apostles and the Church taught, he was converted. He teaches us about the doctrines of the Trinity, and the Resurrection. Links To read Athenagoras’ A Plea for the Christians: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1656&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2421225 To read Athenagoras’ On the Resurrection of the Dead: https://www.catholi...
2024-09-1122 minThe Catholic Culture Podcast183 - Does Angel Studios merit the hype?James Majewski plays guest host in this episode, asking Thomas about his recent essay critiquing the well-known Christian film distributor Angel Studios (associated with The Chosen, Sound of Freedom, and Cabrini). Articles and podcasts mentioned: “Angel Studios: Questioning the hype” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/angel-studios-hype/ “Cabrini secularizes a saint” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cabrini-secularizes-saint/ “Cabrini and the denial that Christ is for everyone” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cabrini-and-denial-that-christ-is-for-everyone/ Thomas’s article on Padre Pio in Dappled Things https://www.dappledthings.org/deep-down-things/about-that-padre-pio-film Pope Pius XII on the I...
2024-09-1037 minWay of the FathersPapias of Hierapolis and the Book of RevelationIn the first episode of an interim series on lesser known fathers, Dr. Papandrea introduces one of the “apostolic fathers,” Papias of Hierapolis. We only have fragments of his writings, but those fragments started a controversy over the authorship of the book of Revelation and the Johannine letters. Papias is a good example of how the Church fathers, as individuals, were not right about everything - Papias was wrong in his methodology for interpreting the Book of Revelation, among other things, but he gives us some important clues into the authorship and writing of the Gospels. Links
2024-08-2836 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Scott Hahn on cremation, Gene Wolfe, Ben-Hur, Jane Greer, Charlie ParkerA collection of highlight clips from past episodes. 77 Gene Wolfe, Catholic Sci-Fi Legend—Sandra Miesel, Fr. Brendon Laroche https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-77-gene-wolfe-catholic-sci-fi-legend-sandra-miesel-fr-brendon-laroche/ Ben-Hur w/ Elizabeth Lev (Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast) https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ben-hur-1959-w-elizabeth-lev/ 80 Bring Out Your Dead - Scott Hahn https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-80-bring-out-your-dead-scott-hahn/ 81 Love Like a Conflagration - Jane Greer https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-81-love-like-conflagration-jane-greer/ 126 How Charlie Parker Changed My Life https://www.catholicculture.org/co...
2024-08-011h 04Way of the Fathers4.17 The Heresies—Iconoclasm and the Art-SmashersDoes the devotional use of Christian art and iconography break the commandment against worshiping idols? How and where does one draw the line between legitimate reverence and idolatrous worship? In this controversy - as is often the case - the heresy is a criticism of an ancient practice. And you may be surprised to learn that the related tradition of the veneration of relics is even older! Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 56 on John of Damascus: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/56john-damascus-last-witness-to-lost-world/ To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 2.8 on The...
2024-07-2427 minWay of the Fathers4.16 The Heresies—Eutyches and Monophysitism: A Drop in the OceanThe pendulum swings one more time as Eutyches overreacts against Nestorius, and emphasizes the union of the two natures in Christ, to the point of blurring the distinction between them. In this conception of the Person of Christ, the divine nature so overwhelms the human nature that Jesus’ humanity is absorbed and cancelled out like a drop of oil in the ocean. This solution corrected Nestorius’ separation of the two natures, but it went too far and compromised the integrity of his human nature and, even more than Apollinarius before him, described a Jesus who was not really fully huma...
2024-07-1034 minWay of the Fathers4.15 The Heresies—Nestorianism: Two People in OneThe pendulum swings again as Nestorius overreacts against Apollinarius, and emphasizes the distinction between the two natures in Christ, to the point of describing a radical separation of natures. It was as if Nestorius was saying that Christ is not one Person, but two - a divine Person and a human Person, united only as long as the human will submits to the divine will. This solution corrected Apollinarius’ diminished human nature, but it divided the life and actions of Christ into two, even to the point of claiming that Mary was not the Mother of his divine nature....
2024-06-2628 minWay of the Fathers4.14 The Heresies—Apollinarius and Monothelitism: The Word in a Human SuitApollinarius tried to say that Jesus could not have sinned because his human nature had no will of its own. In doing this, he stumbled onto a heresy called Monothelitism (“one-will” christology), which would become a huge controversy later. But a Christ without a human will would be a Christ who is not fully human. He would only be wearing a human body like a costume, but he would not be truly human. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 30 on Gregory of Nazianzus: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/gregory-nazianzen-greatness-in-passive-voice/ To listen to Mik...
2024-06-1224 minWay of the Fathers4.13 The Heresies—Pelagianism and the Seeds of CalvinismPelagius was so optimistic about human nature and the freedom of the will that he went so far as to deny the reality of original sin and the need for infant baptism. Saint Augustine corrected Pelagius and his followers, but in the heat of the debate he went a bit too far in in the opposite direction, and proposed a doctrine of election that the Church ultimately did not embrace. This episode explores, not only the problems with Pelagianism, but also the problems with its opposite, and the ways in which Saint Augustine inadvertently laid the foundation for the...
2024-05-2244 minWay of the Fathers4.12 The Heresies — The “Spirit-fighters” and the Aftermath of NicaeaAfter the Council of Nicaea, all the same questions that had been asked of the Son of God, were now asked of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit divine, and worthy of worship? Does worship of the Holy Spirit compromise monotheism? Some who reluctantly accepted the divinity of the Son still refused to accept the divinity of the Spirit, and so they continued to reject the doctrine of the Trinity - these were called “Spirit-fighters.” This controversy led to the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in the year 381 AD, and to the completion of the Nicene Creed. Li...
2024-05-0828 minWay of the Fathers4.11 The Heresies — Arianism: A Man Who Became a GodArianism was the fourth century evolution of adoptionism, in which Arius made a concession to the mainstream by accepting a quasi-divinity in Jesus Christ. But this was an acquired divinity, an earned divinity, and a divinity that was less than that of the Father. The controversy led to the first worldwide (ecumenical) council of bishops, the Council of Nicaea, in the year 325 AD, and it ultimately led to the crafting of the Nicene Creed, as the Church’s definitive statement of orthodox faith. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 23 on Alexander of Alexandria: http...
2024-04-2445 minWay of the Fathers4.10 The Heresies — Rebaptism and the DonatistsIn the aftermath of the persecutions, controversies arose over the sacraments, which required clarification of the Church’s sacramental theology. Out of those controversies, new schisms emerged which had a correct understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity, but incorrect understandings of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church) and incorrect understandings of what makes a sacrament valid and effective. The significance of these schisms cannot be overstated, since it is still true to this day that the practice of rebaptism is one of the most prevalent acts of schism against the universal Church, and one of the greatest barriers to...
2024-04-1029 minWay of the Fathers4.9 Novatian: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 2 (The Bad and the Ugly)In this second part of a two-part series on Novatian of Rome, Dr. Papandrea discusses the flawed sacramental theology and ecclesiology of Novatian, which led to a schism that not only lasted for centuries, but created a new situation in which a faction could be orthodox with regard to the doctrine of the Trinity, yet not within the mainstream of the Church and her Tradition (i.e., Christian, but not Catholic). Links To read the document Against Novatian (possibly by Pope Sixtus II): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1727...
2024-03-2636 minWay of the Fathers4.8 Novatian: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 1 (The Good)Novatian of Rome is an extremely important, but conflicted, character in the early Church. On the one hand, he clarified and helped define the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, preparing the Church for the ecumenical councils. On the other hand, he was the central figure of a schism in a controversy over the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. In this first part of a two-part series on Novatian, Dr. Papandrea discusses the positive contributions of Novatian, as a Church father, and as the subject of his doctoral dissertation. Links To read Novatian’s let...
2024-03-1337 minWay of the Fathers4.7 The Heresies – Modalism: God as a Monad with Three NamesModalism denies the distinctions between the three Persons of the Trinity, so that God is presented as, not a Trinity at all, but rather a monad with three names. Modalism can be expressed chronologically (the Father became incarnate as the Son) or functionally (the names describe activities like Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer), but either way, in modalism the Son IS the Father in disguise, which ultimately denies the real humanity of Jesus Christ and the reality of his passion. Links For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10: https://www.catholicculture.org...
2024-02-2840 minWay of the Fathers4.6 The Heresies – The Enigma of Origen and OrigenismWhether Origen is considered a father of the Church, or a heretic, depends on whom you ask. But everyone agrees he may have been just a bit too smart for his own good. At best, he tried in vain to out-gnostic the gnostics, at worst, he was too influenced by gnosticism. In the end, the Fifth Ecumenical Council declared him a heretic. In this this episode, Dr. Papandrea gives evidence why Origen should not be considered a father of the Church, but should be considered a heretic, but in the end, you decide! Links Make...
2024-02-1426 minWay of the Fathers4.5 The Heresies – Gnosticism: Christ as Cosmic MindThe heresy of docetism evolved into a complicated web of schools of mythology, which we lump together under the name of gnosticism. These all still denied the real humanity of Christ, though in two distinct ways. Docetic gnosticism continued the trend of seeing Christ as a phantom, with no real tangible body. “Hybrid” gnosticism made concessions to the accounts of a tangible body of Jesus, but called it an ethereal, or luminous, body - in other words, not a true material flesh and blood body. Links For more information on Clement of Alexandria, listen to Mike...
2024-01-2450 minWay of the Fathers4.4 The Heresies – Adoptionism: Christ as Anointed ProphetIn the third century, the heresy of the Ebionites evolved into a more general form of adoptionism, still denying the divinity of Christ, and now emphasizing his status as an anointed, but adopted, son of God, much like the kings and prophets of the Old Testament. Adoptionism is also known as “dynamic monarchianism,” in part for its claim that it was preserving the oneness (monarchy) of God by denying the divinity of Christ. Links For more information on Justin Martyr, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 9: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/justin-martyr-everything-good-is-ours/ To read J...
2024-01-1047 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Jonathan Roumie, classical Christian education, Nouvelle théologieThis episode collects highlights from episodes 74-76 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. Links to full episodes: Ep. 74—What Is Classical Christian Education?—Andrew Kern https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-74-what-is-classical-christian-education-andrew-kern/ Ep. 75—Don’t Scapegoat the Nouvelle Théologie—Richard DeClue https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-75-dont-scapegoat-nouvelle-thologie-richard-declue/ Ep. 76—Playing Jesus on The Chosen—Jonathan Roumie https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-76-playing-jesus-on-chosen-jonathan-roumie/ SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio
2024-01-101h 13Way of the Fathers4.3 The Heresies – Docetics & Marcionites: Denying Christ's HumanityFor the second heresy, Dr. Papandrea examines the opposite extreme from the first: these are the Docetics, including the most famous docetic teacher, Marcion and his followers. They concluded that Christ was a god, not necessarily different from the many other gods or demigods in the Greco-Roman pantheon, but that he was not really a human. Links For more information on Polycarp of Smyrna, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 5: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-st-polycarp-and-social-network/ To read Polycarp of Smyrna’s Letter to the Philippians: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/father...
2023-12-2731 minWay of the Fathers4.2 The Heresies – Judaizers and Ebionites: Denying Christ’s DivinityIs Jesus Christ God? Is he a man? Is he both? Spoiler alert: the mainstream Church answered with the both/and, but the factions on the fringes tended to choose one or the other. For our first heresy, we take a look at the Ebionites, and their New Testament-era predecessors, the so-called Judaizers. These concluded that Jesus Christ was a mere human. A human who became a prophet perhaps, but just a human. Links For more information on Ignatius of Antioch, see Mike Aquilina’s Episode 4: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/ To...
2023-12-1332 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastThe Catholic Culture Podcast Sountrack6:51 Franciscan Eyes 14:33 Forbearance 15:52 The Mourners 20:19 Spiritual Combat 25:56 Passage Compositions and piano by Thomas Mirus; recorded spring 2018, Brooklyn. Listen to this music on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/CVqC2ZukI9o Download these tracks as lossless .wav files here: https://www.catholicculture.org/multimedia/thomas_mirus_2018.zip DONATE to help CatholicCulture.org continue its mission! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters
2023-11-1430 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Esolen in the Wild West, Thomas More’s conscience, and moreLooking back at highlights from past episodes of the Catholic Culture Podcast and Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. Full episodes below: Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 65—Reason with Stories, Philosophize with Your Life (Vision of the Soul Pt. III)—James Matthew Wilson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-64-reason-with-stories-philosophize-with-your-life-vision-soul-pt-iii-james-matthew-wilson/ Ep. 73—St. John Henry Newman’s Aesthetics—Fr. Guy Nicholls, Cong. Orat. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-73-st-john-henry-newmans-aesthetics-fr-guy-nicholls-cong-orat/ Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast Robert Bolt’s Man for All Seasons: Christian saint or “hero of selfhood”? https://www.catholicculture.or...
2023-10-171h 18The Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Cultural appropriation, ugly beauty, English poet-martyrs, Polish cinemaLooking back at highlights from past episodes of the Catholic Culture Podcast and Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. Full episodes below: CCP Ep. 63—Beauty Revealing Being (Vision of the Soul Pt. II)—James Matthew Wilson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-63-beauty-revealing-being-vision-soul-pt-2-james-matthew-wilson/ CCP Ep. 69 - The Poetry of the English Martyrs - Benedict Whalen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/ CCP Ep. 70 - The Flannery-Haunted World - Joshua Hren https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-70-reviving-catholic-literary-tradition-joshua-hren-john-emmet-clarke/ Criteria - Dekalog: One (1988) https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/dekalog-one-1988/ DONATE to make...
2023-08-091h 13The Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: AI is boring; liberal anti-culture; misguided Catholic feminismThis episode features highlights from episodes 61 and 67 of the Catholic Culture Podcast, and from an early episode of Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. Ep. 61—Liberal Anti-Culture vs. the Western Vision of the Soul (Pt I)—James Matthew Wilson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-61-liberal-anti-culture-vs-western-vision-soul-pt-i-james-matthew-wilson/ Ep. 67—“Why I’m No Longer A Catholic Feminist”—Melody Lyons https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-67-why-im-no-longer-catholic-feminist-melody-lyons/ Robots Don’t Matter! 2001: A Space Odyssey https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/2001-space-odyssey-1968/ Donate to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio Go to Catholic Culture's...
2023-06-121h 13The Catholic Culture PodcastThe Vocation of Thomas Aquinas - Matthew MinerdJean-Pierre Torrell, O.P.’s definitive scholarly biography of St. Thomas Aquinas has recently received its third edition. Translator Matthew Minerd returns to the Catholic Culture Podcast to discuss what we can learn from Fr. Torrell about the life of St. Thomas and the context in which works like the Summa theologiae were written. This episode is a deep dive into Thomas’s vocation in a number of senses – his Benedictine formation and eventual decision to become a Dominican instead, his intellectual formation as a student of St. Albert the Great and eventual Bachelor of the Sentences, and hi...
2023-06-051h 38The Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Christopher Tolkien, William Byrd, A Hidden Life, poetry-painting collaborationThis episode features highlight clips from episodes 50, 58, 60, and 66 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. 50: A Catholic Composer in Queen Elizabeth’s Court, Pt. II – Kerry McCarthy https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-50a-catholic-composer-in-queen-elizabeths-court-pt-iikerry-mccarthy/ 58: A Hidden Life Film Review w/ James Majewski https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-58-hidden-life-film-review-w-james-majewski/ 60: Princeton Hosts Event Dedicated to St. Cecilia https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-60-princeton-funds-catholic/ 66: Christopher Tolkien, 1924-2020 – John Garth https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-66-christopher-tolkien-1924-2020-john-garth/ Donate to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio Go to Catholi...
2023-04-281h 06Way of the FathersThe Deep Roots of Consecrated LifeAs long as there’s been Christian faith, there have been ascetics—athletes of prayer—and these athletes, both female and male, have sought ways to live in intentional community. Experiments in communal life went on in every corner of the Empire—in Egypt, Palestine, Rome, Cappadocia, Athens, Antioch, Africa—and involved the greatest names in the early Church. LINKS Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1699 Ambrose of Milan, Concerning Virgins https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2092 Ambrose of...
2023-02-0823 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: music & spirituality, the common good, Mary's riverThis episode contains clips of highlights from episodes 33, 56, and 57 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. Links 33: Structure and Freedom in Music and in Christ – Mark Christopher Brandt https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-33-structure-and-freedom-in-music-and-in-christ-mark-christopher-brandt/ 56: Vindicating Authority – Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-56-vindicating-authority-aquinas-guilbeau-op/ 57: River of the Immaculate Conception – James Matthew Wilson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-57-river-immaculate-conception-james-matthew-wilson/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio
2022-11-031h 14Way of the Fathers2.5 Chalcedon: Firm Foundation for the Doctrine of Christ What happened when God took flesh? A simple question roused hundreds of speculative answers, most concerning the “person” and “nature” (or natures) of Jesus Christ. But the philosophical terms themselves were slippery, and mistranslations only made matters worse. The wild speculation came to a stop at the Council of Chalcedon, thanks to a letter from Pope Leo the Great. His “Tome” defined terms with abundant clarity. Since then, in mainstream Christianity, Orthodox Christology has been Chalcedonian Christology. The Tome is a necessary point of reference for all subsequent doctrine of Jesus Christ. LINKS Leo the Great, L...
2022-08-1116 minWay of the Fathers2.3 First Constantinople: A Capital Council Nicaea didn't resolve the Arian crisis. In fact, it provoked a riot of reactions — endless variations on the Arian theme. Imperial force only made matters worse. For a half-century, conflict raged. The situation seemed hopeless until Theodosius summoned bishops to meet in 381. LINKS Socrates Scholasticus, Church History (Book V) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2884 Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History (Book VII) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2885 Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History (Book V) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2886...
2022-07-1321 minWay of the Fathers2.2—The Council of Nicaea: First and Foremost Nicaea (325 A.D.) is the first of the ecumenical councils, not only in chronology, but also in importance. It occupies a certain primacy. The phrase "Nicene Faith" is sometimes used as an equivalent term for classic Christian doctrine. That's how we see it after centuries of development. But what did it mean to those who attended? LINKS Eusebius of Caesarea, Oration in Praise of the Emperor Constantine https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2883 Eusebius of Caesarea, The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine https://www.catholicculture.org...
2022-06-2923 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Indie rock, postliberalism, Mary and the Holy SpiritThis episode contains clips of highlights from episodes 51 and 53-55 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. Links (in order of clips) The Hundredfold - Anthony Esolen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-55-hundredfold-anthony-esolen/ Bringing Melody Back to Pop Music - The Duskwhales https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-51-bringing-melody-back-to-pop-music-duskwhales/ God Made Us for Order and Surprise - John-Mark Miravalle https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-53-god-made-us-for-order-and-surprise-john-mark-miravalle/ Fostering Responsible Elites - Jonah Bennett https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-54-fostering-responsible-elites-jonah-bennett/
2022-04-271h 13Way of the FathersThe Paradoxical Prestige of the Deacon in the Early ChurchMost lowly and most loved, deacons played supremely important roles in the early Church. Think Lawrence of Rome. Think Ephrem of Syria. They were consistently voted most likely to be pope. Jerome wryly observed that when a bishop wanted to demote a deacon, he ordained him to the priesthood. LINKS Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Trallians https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1630 Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Philadelphians https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1632 Jerome, Letter 146 https://www.catholicculture...
2022-04-2616 minThe Catholic Culture Podcast125 - St. Joseph in Art History - Elizabeth LevArt historian Elizabeth Lev joins the show to discuss her new book, The Silent Knight: A History of St. Joseph as Depicted in Art. The book offers not only a history of sixteen centuries of art featuring St. Joseph, but also an account of the development of devotion to St. Joseph over the past two thousand years -from the old man sitting overlooked in the corner of early Nativity scenes to the glorious Patron of the Univeral Church. Links Watch on YouTube to see the artworks discussed: https://youtu.be/LiPgnGAcu-s E...
2022-02-141h 17The Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Authority in marriage, anti-libertarianism, the scapular and moreThis episode contains clips of highlights from episodes 45 and 47-49 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. Episode 45—Libertarianism vs. Natural Law on Private Property https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-45-libertarianism-vs-natural-law-on-private-property/ Episode 47—Our Lady’s Habit: Wearing and Loving the Brown Scapular—Fr. Justin Cinnante, O.Carm. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-47-our-ladys-habit-wearing-and-loving-brown-scapular-fr-justin-cinnante-ocarm/ Episode 48—Authority and Submission as Gift in Christian Marriage—Mary Stanford https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-48-authority-and-submission-as-gift-in-christian-marriage-mary-stanford/ Episode 49—A Catholic Composer in Queen Elizabeth’s Court, Pt. I—Kerry McCarthy https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-49-catholic-composer-in-queen-elizabeths-court-pt-i-kerry-mccarthy/
2021-11-231h 14The Catholic Culture PodcastMaritain's Art and Scholasticism, Pt. 2This is a crossover episode in which Thomas joins forces with Scott Hambrick and Karl Schudt from the Online Great Books Podcast, to discuss the classic essay Art and Scholasticism by Jacques Maritain. This episode covers beauty as a transcendental and its role in the fine arts, and intuition as the way we experience artistic beauty. The beauty of a work does not depend on the emotional effects it produces, nor can it be proven by analysis. We experience beauty intellectually, but by intuition rather than by thought. The hosts also digress into arguments over p...
2021-10-131h 27The Catholic Culture PodcastA Bishop's Stand on Gender Ideology - Fr. Stephen SchultzBishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, recently issued “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology”. The document takes a strong unequivocal stance against transgender ideology, down to practical specifics like telling the faithful we must not use transgender names and pronouns. Beyond that, it excels in showing how the Church’s whole anthropology and theology are at stake in the transgender issue. Today’s guest, Fr. Stephen Schultz, was one of the Bishop’s advisers in drafting the document. Fr. Schultz is the director of the EnCourage apostolate in the Diocese of Arlington, and chaplain at St. Pau...
2021-09-2958 minWay of the Fathers48—Leo the Great: Who Roared with the Voice of Peter Though prolific in his words and prodigious in his deeds, Leo was utterly self-effacing. Classically educated, he never quoted the classics. He preached with Gospel simplicity. He strove always to let Christ shine through his sermons and his letters. Yet he made history for three world-changing interventions. It was Leo who stopped Attila the Hun’s rampage through Europe. It was Leo who put a decisive end to the ancient heresies about the natures of Christ. And it was Leo who kept the barbarian Vandals from murdering the Romans and burning the city. Tradition calls him “the Grea...
2021-09-2821 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastCan a Novelist "Create" a Saint? - Joshua HrenIn his new book How to Read (and Write) Like a Catholic, fiction writer and editor Joshua Hren lays out an approach to Catholic literature that spans all the way from St. John Henry Newman called “a record of man in rebellion” to the other end of the continuum, which is a representation of the Beatific Vision. Topics discussed include: How important is beauty to fiction? Will beauty save the world? The importance of particularity; Carmelite vs. Ignatian views of imagination Newman and Augustine on the uses, limitations, and dangers of indulging sentiments about fictional characters Can the acti...
2021-08-261h 07Way of the Fathers45—John Cassian, Monk on the Move, Solitary in the City The great ascetic movement was in its first years of explosive growth when John Cassian journeyed from West to East. He visited the communities of monks and hermits in Palestine and Egypt. Though he sought a quiet life, he got caught up in international intrigue and adventure. In his later years he drew together the memories of his years in the desert, and composed two works on the cultivation of virtue and the practices of prayer. LINKS John Cassian, The Conferences (Part 1) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2107
2021-08-1017 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastSir Gawain and the Green Knight - Anthony EsolenToday we discuss one of the greatest Arthurian tales, told by one of the most virtuosic poets in the history of English, an anonymous priest of the 14th century. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells us a lot about courtesy, original sin, and grace, all bound up in an enormously entertaining story about a giant, decapitation-surviving green knight. Poet and critic Anthony Esolen joins the show to discuss the poem, its Middle English dialect, and the tradition of alliterative verse. Watch discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8YKmYkklcuU Links Marie B...
2021-08-021h 36The Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Garrigou-Lagrange, Dana Gioia, Tolkien's metaphysics, and moreThis episode contains clips of highlights from episodes 38-41 and 44 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. 38 - Garrigou-Lagrange, The Sacred Monster of Thomism - Matthew Minerd https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-38-sacred-monster-matthew-k-minerd/ 39 - Composing Liturgical Music That's Noble, Accessible...and Sacred - Paul Jernberg https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-39-composing-liturgical-music-thats-noble-accessible-and-sacred-paul-jernberg/ 40 - Tolkien and Aquinas - Jonathan McIntosh https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-40-tolkien-and-aquinas-jonathan-s-mcintosh/ 41 - The Neo-Colonial West Is Forcing Abortion on Africa - Obianuju Ekeocha https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-41-neo-colonial-west-is-forcing-abortion-on-africa-obianuju-ekeocha/ 44 - Catholics Need Poetry. But...
2021-07-301h 30
Criteria: The Catholic Film PodcastBONUS: Interview with narrator James T. MajewskiIn this bonus episode originally from the Catholic Culture Podcast, CatholicCulture.org’s director of podcasts, Thomas V. Mirus, interviews voice actor James T. Majewski (Catholic Culture Audiobooks) and author Mike Aquilina (Way of the Fathers) about how they make their shows and the effect reading and studying the Church Fathers has had on them personally. If you are a lector at Mass, you will find James’s comments on how he approaches reading the writings of the Saints inspiring and helpful. Contents [2:15] James’s training in philosophy and acting as preparation for narrat...
2021-06-2853 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: How men can help the angry feminist in their lives, and moreThis episode features clips from episodes 34-37 of the Catholic Culture Podcast, including some personal stories from Thomas. Links The Memoirs of St. Peter w/ Michael Pakaluk https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-34-memoirs-st-peter-michael-pakaluk/ Moral Blindness and Abortion w/ Abby Johnson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-35-moral-blindness-and-abortion-abby-johnson/ Bridges to Hell or Heaven: “Toxic Femininity” and the Spirit of Anti-Mary w/ Carrie Gress https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-36-bridges-to-hell-or-heaven-toxic-femininity-and-spirit-anti-mary-carrie-gress/ Sculpting Two Benedicts w/ Jago https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-37-sculpting-two-benedicts-jago/ Join Online Great Books via this...
2021-06-151h 04Way of the Fathers39—Augustine (Part 2): A Mob-Made Bishop Makes His MarkThe drama of Augustine’s life hardly ended with his baptism. The years that followed included his ordination-by-mob, an attempt on his life, and wars of words with at least four major heresies. His years were breathless adventure and busyness, and yet they yielded 44 volumes of work that continues to exercise a profound influence—no only on Christian theology, but on civilization. This is the second of three episodes on his life. LINKS Works by St. Augustine on Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm Saint Augustine. Works and...
2021-05-1217 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights: Feminism and ideology; intuition, temperance and art; Great Books; Tolkien's visual artThis episode features highlight clips from episodes 26-30 of the Catholic Culture Podcast. Links Online Great Books opens a new enrollment period approximately once a month. Get in there using discount code “catholicculture” for 25% off your first three months! Or use this referral link: https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth exhibition book https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Maker-Middle-earth-Catherine-McIlwaine/dp/1851244859/ 29 - Catholic Feminism: Should We? - Abigail Rine Favale https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-29-catholic-feminism-should-we-abigail-rine-favale/ 28 - An Introduction to Maritain's Poetic Philosophy - Samuel Hazo http...
2021-04-2757 minWay of the Fathers37—Jerome, the Curmudgeonly Commentator Jerome is renowned for his biblical studies and translations, The Church invokes him as Doctor, Father, and Saint. Yet he is just as famous for his sharpness in dispute. He clashed with Augustine and Rufinus, disdained Ambrose and Chrysostom. His put-downs stand with the best of Mark Twain and Groucho Marx. Links Justin McClain’s splendid collection, The Quotable Saint Jerome, https://www.amazon.com/Quotable-Saint-Jerome/dp/0813233216/ J.N.D. Kelly’s biography, Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Controversies, https://www.amazon.com/Jerome-His-Life-Writings-Controversies/dp/156563084X/ Jerome, Letter 57: to Pamm...
2021-04-1426 minWay of the Fathers36—The Luminous Vision of Didymus the Blind Didymus lost his sight at age four, and yet he became one of the most respected theologians on earth. This was in the fourth century, more than a millennium before Braille, audio tech, or other accommodations. Among his renowned disciples were Jerome, Rufinus, and Palladius. His life was long and full, intensely engaged in the controversies surrounding the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation. His story should inspire anyone who hears it. And the story isn’t over yet. Links Jerome tells the story of Didymus and Anthony https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/li...
2021-03-2513 minWay of the Fathers34—Cyril of Jerusalem: Mystery and MayhemCyril served as bishop during ugly times. The Church was divided, and suspicion was universal. He suffered false accusation, conspiracy, and exile. Yet he was able to see supernatural beauty shining through natural signs in the Church’s liturgy: bread and wine, oil and water, breath and gesture. He is history’s great practitioner of the art of mystagogy—guidance in the sacramental mysteries. His lectures, in fact, cover all the basics of Christian life: creed, commandments, prayer, and sacraments. Eyewitnesses tell us that his hearers applauded when he taught. His lectures still edify and entertain more than a millen...
2021-02-2417 minWay of the Fathers33—Ambrose of Milan: How the Church Regards the State Ambrose of Milan, more than any other figure, is invoked in the West as the model for church-state relations. He’s the one who said: “The emperor is within the Church, not above the Church.” And he said it with deeds as well as words. He said it in private letters and public demonstrations. He said it through direct confrontation and civil disobedience. A former politician himself, he had a keen understanding of the game—and in the late fourth century the stakes were very high. Links Ambrose, Sermon against Auxentius on the Giving U...
2021-02-1120 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastFighting Pervasive Religious Indifferentism - Ralph MartinWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zkfJ-gSMdUg Today’s Catholic culture is marked by a profound and settled religious indifferentism. Among many Catholics, to say what the Church has always taught—that Jesus Christ is the one way to salvation—is considered offensive, or at best, rash. In certain countries, the bishops’ conferences have practically made a policy against seeking converts from other religions (or lack thereof). Catholics, ruled by fear of human respect and compromised by their own private sins, are finding more and more reasons not to proclaim Christ’s moral teachings as well. Ralph Ma...
2021-01-2554 minWay of the Fathers31—Gregory of Nyssa: Zero to Hero Gregory of Nyssa was born into a family of high achievers. His brother was Basil the Great; his sister was Macrina the Younger. In Gregory’s young life, however, he was something of a disappointment. It’s not that he was a sinner or unbeliever, but he seemed to lack the holy ambition and drive that were characteristic of his older siblings. Basil often reprimanded him as a bumbler. But at Basil’s death Gregory came into his own and suddenly emerged a major player on the world scene—a master of spiritual and systematic theology, a leader a...
2021-01-1218 minWay of the Fathers30—Gregory Nazianzen: Greatness in the Passive Voice All Gregory wanted was a quiet place where he could relax with his books and a few close friends. From young adulthood he believed God was calling him to the contemplative life, and to old age he never lost that sense. But history kept dragging him into its current. First, his father (a bishop) coerced him into ordination to the priesthood. Then his closest friend, Basil the Great, pressured him to be ordained a bishop. Both times he put up little resistance, but later resented the actions as violence. Both times he eventually fled the demands of...
2020-12-2817 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastAn Introduction to Thomas Tallis - Kerry McCarthyAll music by Thomas Tallis used with permission of the artists and labels listed below. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i-oMO9qqzKA As a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) composed sacred music for four successive English monarchs, starting with Henry VIII and ending with Elizabeth. Those were turbulent times in England, especially for a church musician. Those were turbulent times in England, especially for a church musician. Like his colleague (and probable pupil) William Byrd, Tallis was able to adapt his compositional style to meet the constantly shifting ideological d...
2020-12-111h 56Way of the Fathers29—Basil and the Beginning of Christian Social Thought History calls him "Basil the Great," and his greatnesses were many. He was a brilliant theologian; and anyone today who writes about tradition or the Holy Spirit must engage his works, which are foundational in the field. He also produced some of the earliest sustained reflections on the social order implicit in the Gospel. But he didn't just think about these things. He did something about them. As bishop he was a model administrator, marshaling the resources of Christians in order to build a "new city" dedicated to worship and service of those in need; there he c...
2020-12-1017 minWay of the Fathers28—Ephrem, SymbolistAs a theological poet, he is peerless but for Dante. Yet Ephrem’s fame rests not only on his words, but also on his heroic deeds. He lived almost his entire life in a war zone. He helped invent the hospital and the women’s choir. He served tirelessly in times of famine and natural disaster—and he died caring for the sick during a pandemic. More than 500 of his hymns have survived into our time. Links Free audiobook readings of St. Ephrem’s hymns https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?searchgoals=6&andsearch=Ephrem%2...
2020-11-2416 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastThe Temptation of St. Anthony - Elizabeth LevWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H1_78eLjaB8 The trials of St. Anthony the Great (251-356 AD), as described in St. Athanasius's Life and the medieval Golden Legend, have been a favorite subject of Western artists since the Middle Ages. Anthony, a desert monk, was frequently assaulted by Satan, who when he could not win by normal temptations, sent his demons in the form of wild beasts, beautiful women, soldiers and even monks to torment and distract the Desert Father. Artists have long been fascinated with these episodes, finding in them an opportunity...
2020-11-131h 55Way of the Fathers26—Hilary of Poitiers: Exile and Understanding He is often called the Athanasius of the West, and the two men had much in common. They defended the Council of Nicaea and opposed the emperor ... and suffered exile for their trouble. But Hilary's approach to controversy differed from that of Athanasius. He listened to his opponents, read their works, and found common ground when he could. When he couldn't, he was able to address their concerns clearly and directly. He was even willing to work with heretics as they opposed more radical heresies. He composed the first systematic treatise on the Trinity and was perhaps...
2020-10-2815 minWay of the FathersEp. 25—Eusebius: History from the Wrong Side of History Every Christian historian or history buff is dependent upon the work of Eusebius of Caesarea. He didn’t invent Church history, but his writings made it a serious discipline. He was the first to attempt a comprehensive, universal history of Christianity. He wanted his account to be the official story. Yet in his own lifetime he showed the perils and ironies of living within history. He did this by aiding and abetting true villains and assisting in the persecution of saints and heroes. Links Eusebius of Caesarea, Oration in Praise of Constantine, on hi...
2020-10-1420 min
Criteria: The Catholic Film PodcastAre heist films moral? The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)The Lavender Hill Mob stars Alec Guinness as Henry Holland, an unambitious London bank clerk — and unlikely bank robber. When he meets the eccentric artist Alfred Pendlebury (played by famous comic/character actor Stanley Holloway), the two together hatch a plot to smuggle gold bullion out of the country in the form of miniature Eiffel towers. What unfolds is a heist-comedy that stands apart as perhaps the most purely entertaining film included on the Vatican Film List. Are heist films morally problematic? Are British criminals cooler than Italian criminals? What is cockney? Thomas and James are joined by...
2020-09-3057 minWay of the FathersEp. 24—Athanasius against the World The world awoke to find itself heretic, but one man would not accept the situation. Athanasius stood fast against emperors, bishops, and even synods of bishops. Ordained as a young man, he lived to reign as bishop for 45 years. But 17 of those years he spent in exile. He was exiled five times at the orders of four different emperors. Athanasius became symbolic—the face of the Council of Nicaea, with its creed and its special word: “consubstantial.” As the fortunes of Nicaea waxed and waned, Athanasius rose and fell. He was accused of murder and embezzlement, charged with d...
2020-09-2323 minWay of the FathersEp. 23—Alexander’s Lagtime Stand Alexander can’t say he wasn’t warned. His predecessor as bishop of Alexandria, Peter, had told him not to trust Arius. But Alexander ignored the advice. Then Arius went into open rebellion, and then his heresy spread throughout the world. And then Alexander had to act decisively, arguing strongly against the Arian heresy and prevailing at the Council of Nicaea in 325. Links St. Alexander of Alexandria, Letter to the Bishop of Constantinople https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1823 St. Alexander of Alexandria, Encyclical Letter https://www...
2020-09-1119 minWay of the FathersEp. 22 - Anthony of the Desert: The Solitary CelebrityThrough one man’s witness, monasticism took the world by storm. Anthony of Egypt became history’s least probable celebrity. He gave up his money and possessions. He couldn’t read or write. He fled to the desert to be alone with God. Yet he drew disciples wherever he went. His desert became a city populated by monks and hermits. Philosophers and emperors sought his sage advice. In the course of his life he exercised a profound influence on the history of religion. Links St. Athanasius, Life of St. Anthony (audio) https://www.catholicculture.org/commen...
2020-08-2619 minWay of the FathersEp. 21 - Lactantius: The Fall & Rise of the Christian Cicero He was the greatest rhetorician in the Latin-speaking world. Born in North Africa, Lactantius was summoned to serve at the imperial court. He converted to Christianity and, with the persecution of Diocletian, lost his job and lived in poverty. He continued writing to strengthen the faithful. With the rise of Constantine and the legalization of Christianity, he was restored to glory. In his writings we have a unique eyewitness account of one of history’s most important transitional moments. Links Lactantius, Of the Manner in which the Persecutors Died https://www.catholicculture.org/cu...
2020-08-1215 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastHighlights from the Archive #3: The abuse crisis, acedia and moreThis episode revisits some great moments from past Catholic Culture Podcast episodes: 18 - Acedia, the Forgotten Capital Sin - R.J. Snell https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-18-acedia-forgotten-capital-sin-rj-snell/ 19 - Understanding the Church's Abuse Crisis - Fr. Roger Landry https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-19-understanding-churchs-abuse-crisis-fr-roger-landry/ 21 - Gosnell, the Abortion Story No One Wanted Told - Ann McElhinney https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-21-gosnell-abortion-story-no-one-wanted-told-ann-mcelhinney/ 22 - Newman's Idea of a University https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-22-newmans-idea-university-paul-shrimpton/ 23 - How the Laity Must Respond to the Abuse Crisis...
2020-08-121h 03The Catholic Culture PodcastDoes A Man for All Seasons portray St. Thomas More accurately?In this episode originally from Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast, Thomas asks attorney and scholar Louis Karlin whether Robert Bolt’s play and film A Man for All Seasons accurately depict St. Thomas More’s views on the rights of conscience, and his motives for martyrdom. More’s involvement in the prosecution of heretics is also examined: even if More was a martyr of conscience, is it accurate to call him a champion of religious freedom? One thing is certain: the portrayal by Hilary Mantel and others of More as a torturer of heretics is false. Links...
2020-08-071h 01Way of the FathersEp. 20 - Origen, Part 2: Hero, Heretic - or Hybrid? It’s hard to be an intelligent Christian without somehow handling Origen’s ideas. He set the ground rules for scientific study of the Bible. He wrote foundational works in spirituality, apologetics, and fundamental theology. In this episode, we look at those big accomplishments, but also examine the ideas that got him into trouble. Do souls exist before they get bodies? Does Satan get saved in the end? Does allegory trump history when we read the Bible? And did Origen really say all these things anyway? Find out why the Man of Steel is just as controversial toda...
2020-07-2420 minWay of the FathersEp. 19 - Origen: The Most Controversial Christian Ever? Origen of Alexandria was one of the most important figures in Christian antiquity—most brilliant and most productive—yet also one of the most complicated. He was widely influential and widely despised. He was praised for his accomplishments and blamed for disasters. He wrote thousands of books and invented several academic disciplines, including scientific biblical studies, fundamental theology, and spiritual theology. Toward the end of life he endured tortures rather than deny the faith; and he died a hero’s death. This is the first of two episodes on his life and work. Links Greg...
2020-07-0817 minWay of the FathersEp. 18 - The Short, Happy Life of Cyprian of Carthage He was a believer for little more than a decade, but in that time he managed to set one of the pre-eminent examples of Christian leadership. Before his conversion, Cyprian had lived the Carthaginian dream. He was wealthy and successful, but miserable and maybe addicted to drink and other pleasures. With his baptism came a transformation. Within a year he was ordained a priest. In two years he was bishop over all of North Africa. His years in office were a time of unprecedented crisis. His Church faced persecution, pandemic, catastrophic climate change, and famine. H...
2020-06-2419 minWay of the FathersEp. 17 - The Long, Strange Trip of Hippolytus of Rome He started as a papal critic, became history's first antipope, and today is honored — with the pope he rejected — as a saint whose feast day is universal. Go figure. Hippolytus of Rome is one of the great curiosities of early Christian history. In ancient times he was known for his encyclopedic books of theology, which became standard reference works in the centuries to follow. The Church revived his Mass prayers in the last century, and they're still in use today. Links The Refutation of All Heresies https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathe...
2020-06-1016 minWay of the FathersEp. 16 - Clement of Alexandria: Teacher in a New Kind of School Alexandria, in Egypt, was the intellectual capital of the Greco-Roman world, and as the second century turned to the third it emerged as an influential center of Christian thought. Its first impression was spectacular — and it all came from a teacher named Clement. He was a seeker after truth, and had traveled the Mediterranean to study under the greatest Christian teachers. He settled in Alexandria, the site of a newly founded school, and eventually he came to lead the school. Several of Clement's works have survived, including his great trilogy on the spiritual and moral life. Any Ch...
2020-05-2721 minWay of the FathersEp. 14 - Tertullian: He Forged Words and Invented FreedomsThank Tertullian of Carthage for his role in forming a distinctively western Christianity. He gave us words in our own language to express the inexpressible: words like Trinity and Sacrament. He also introduced the world to the idea of freedom of conscience. Our civilization rests on his ideas. Links Tertullian, Apology https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1662 Tertullian, To Scapula https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1682 More works by the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/ ...
2020-04-2819 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastPodcast Highlights: Music and morals, Tolkien and moreA look back through the Catholic Culture Podcast archive. This episode contains highlights from: Ep. 11 - Music and Morals - Basil Cole, O.P. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-11-music-and-morals-fr-basil-cole-op/ Ep. 14 - Priest & Actor - George Drance, S.J. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-14-priest-actor-george-drance-sj/ Ep. 15 - Online Education with the Tolkien Professor - Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-15-online-education-with-tolkien-professor-corey-olsen/ Ep. 16 - Extremly Specific Middle-Earth Q&A with the Tolkien Professor - Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-16-extremely-specific-middle-earth-qa-with-tolkien-professor-corey-olsen/ Ep. 17 - A...
2020-04-191h 13The Catholic Culture PodcastPodcast Highlights: Native saints, Operation Rescue and moreA look back through the Catholic Culture Podcast archive. This episode contains highlights from: Ep. 1 - A Working Actor's Working Faith - Tony Mockus, Sr. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-1-working-actors-working-faith/ Ep. 2 - The Largest Civil Disobedience Movement in American History - Bill Cotter, Phil Lawler https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-2-largest-civil-disobedience-movement-in-us-history/ Ep. 3 - Native American Catholicism and the New Evangelization - Peter Jesserer Smith https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-3-native-american-catholicism-new-evangelization/ Ep. 4 - The Marian Option - Carrie Gress https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-marian-option-carrie-gress/ ...
2020-03-121h 29The Catholic Culture PodcastWhat I Learned From Making Music With Mark Christopher BrandtThomas recently had the privilege of playing piano on the latest album by Catholic composer Mark Christopher Brandt. The Butterfly consists of a suite for string quartet and piano, plus two solo piano pieces. The suite, which uses the butterfly’s transformation as an allegory of conversion, was described by the Catholic poet Dana Gioia as “fresh, inventive and alive”. In this episode you will hear the beautiful Butterfly suite in full, followed by a no less beautiful conversation in which Thomas shares what he learned from Mark during this project, and Mark (as always) shares much wisdom...
2020-02-281h 18Way of the FathersEp. 9 - Justin Martyr: Everything Good Is Ours“Whatever things are rightly said are ours.” St. Justin looked at creation and saw Christ. He looked into the mind of Plato and found a Christian, born centuries before his time. Speaking with Romans, speaking with Greeks, speaking with Jews, he sought the good in his adversaries’ best ideas and showed that the good belonged properly to Christ and Christians. Though he lived in the second century, his description of the Mass was used in the Church’s 20th-century Catechism. He showed us how to be fearless in the face of ideas, and fearless even in the face of death.
2020-02-1218 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastAdvancing the Faith in the Podcast Medium - Mike Aquilina, James T. MajewskiIt’s Podcast Week here at CatholicCulture.org, as we want to make more people aware of our audio offerings, particularly the two new podcasts we launched last October: Catholic Culture Audiobooks and Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina. Both of these shows have broken new ground in Catholic podcasting, which has so far largely stayed in the realm of talk shows rather than scripted programming. As more and more people in the United States and globally adopt podcasts as a source of entertainment and education, it’s important that Christ be there to meet them.
2020-01-3051 minWay of the FathersEp. 8 - Letter to Diognetus: Intro to the ApologistsForget the Dale Carnegie course. Here's how to win skeptical friends and influence pagans. Read the second-century Letter to Diognetus. The author's name is lost to history, but his warm, winsome overture still stands as a model of apologetics — the art of explaining and defending the faith. The Letter is often counted as the last of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers — or the first of the writings of the second-century Apologists. No matter how you shelve it, it's good reading, praised by saints and popes for centuries. Links Free online text of The Epistle to D...
2020-01-2220 minWay of the FathersEpisode 6 - What's in a Name? Anonymous Texts from the Early ChurchThe work of the early Church was largely done by Christians whose names we’ll never know. In fact, many of the most important documents from the first and second centuries have unknown or uncertain authorship. In this episode we examine some of those fascinating documents — the Didache, the Letter of Barnabas, and Second Clement — and we pay homage to our great (though nameless) ancestors in the faith. Links Kenneth Howell’s new translation of the Didache and Second Clement https://www.amazon.com/Clement-Didache-Early-Christian-Fathers/dp/0983082979/ Audiobook of the Didache https://www.catholicculture.org/commenta...
2019-12-2018 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastA Hidden Life Film Review w/ James MajewskiTerrence Malick’s stunning new film, A Hidden Life, is about Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who was martyred for refusing to swear loyalty to Hitler. James Majewski joins Thomas to discuss the film. He reads excerpts from Bl. Franz’s letters and prison writings, to see how well Malick’s portrayal lives up to the real-life saint. The letters of Franz and his wife Franziska their deep devotional life, and testify to how much Franz’s heroism owed to the sacraments and the support of some good priests who we do not see in the film....
2019-12-1350 minWay of the FathersEpisode 5 - St. Polycarp and the Social NetworkSt. Polycarp of Smyrna was a man with many connections. He knew the Apostle John, and St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Irenaeus of Lyon, and Pope Anicetus, and the arch-heretic Marcion. He also sought the company of many elders who had heard Jesus and witnessed the Lord’s miracles. Polycarp led a long and fascinating life, and he died a martyr’s death. In this episode we tell his story through his many relationships — his social network in the infant church, which like an infant child was rapidly growing in 150 A.D. Links Kenneth Howell...
2019-12-1118 minWay of the FathersEpisode 4 - Ignatius of Antioch: To Know "Jesus Christ Our God"St. Ignatius of Antioch is the first of the Fathers to leave us abundant writings. His seven letters are passionate — warm, yet authoritative — spontaneous, but doctrinally rich. Written in 107 A.D. as the aged bishop traveled from Antioch to a martyr’s death in Rome, the letters give witness to many of the early Church’s beliefs and practices: Jesus’ true humanity and true divinity; his real presence in the Eucharist; and the universal hierarchy of bishop, priest, and deacon. The host of this podcast, Mike Aquilina, confesses Ignatius to be his favorite among the Fathers. Links Buy...
2019-11-2623 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastBringing Melody Back to Pop Music--The DuskwhalesIndie rock trio The Duskwhales formed almost 10 years ago at a small Catholic high school in Virginia. Over that decade, four albums and three EPs, they have forged a distinctly melodic sound in contrast to today’s joyless pop milieu. Their vocal harmonies hearken back to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, while their organ-heavy instrumentation (no bass player in their live shows) sets them apart from contemporary rock bands. In this 10-year career retrospective they discuss their musical output so far, the importance of their friendship and faith to their survival and continual artistic growth as a band, th...
2019-09-192h 07The Catholic Culture PodcastAuthority and Submission as Gift in Christian Marriage - Mary Stanford“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.” These words of St. Paul in Ephesians 5 have been a continual source of discomfort to modern Catholics, and most priests would rather explain this teaching away or avoid discussing it altogether. For the faithful Catholic, however, treating Scripture and Church teaching as something embarrassing is not an...
2019-08-211h 09The Catholic Culture PodcastWhat Tolkien's Visual Art Tells Us About His Creative Mind--John McQuillen and Holly OrdwayWhile Tolkien’s brilliance as a world-builder and storyteller is well-established, fewer people are aware of just how unique (and obsessive) his creative process was, or that he was a gifted visual artist. That is changing thanks to an unprecedented exhibition of Tolkien’s personal items, manuscripts and artworks, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth, currently on display at the Morgan Library in Manhattan. John McQuillen, Assistant Curator at the Morgan Library, and Holly Ordway, author of the upcoming study Tolkien’s Modern Sources, join me to discuss the exhibition, which sheds light on Tolkien’s use of visual art to h...
2019-02-271h 04The Catholic Culture PodcastThe Arts, Contemplation and Virtue--Basil Cole, O.P.Fr. Basil Cole returns to discuss what he has been teaching the student brothers at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., in a course on the arts, contemplation and virtue. Links Episode 11: Music and Morals—Fr. Basil Cole, O.P. https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=11 Fr. Basil’s dissertation, The Moral and Psychological Effects of Music: A Theological Appraisal https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=11968 Fr. Basil’s articles at Catholic Culture https://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourcetype=1&catlabe...
2019-01-2253 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastAcedia, the Forgotten Capital Sin--RJ SnellOnce included among the capital sins, acedia has been identified with both sloth and sadness. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, defined it both as "disgust with activity" and “sadness about spiritual good.” Today’s guest, RJ Snell, argues that acedia is the chief spiritual malady of our age, underlying the malaise, nihilism and despair so prevalent in the modern West. Links R.J. Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents: Metaphysical Boredom in the Empire of Desire https://amzn.to/2xTTBhQ Thomas’s 2015 review of Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?i...
2018-10-0355 minThe Catholic Culture PodcastMusic and Morals--Fr. Basil Cole, O.P.Are music and morals connected? If so, what is the nature of that connection? Are certain musical sounds morally bad or good in themselves, or are they neutral? Could the influence of music on morality be of an indirect kind? Is there such a thing as a virtuous way of listening to music? Can music prepare us for the spiritual life? Do you have to be a good person to make beautiful music? I discuss these questions and more with theologian Fr. Basil Cole, O.P., an amateur jazz pianist who wrote his dissertation on the moral effects of...
2018-07-171h 17
The Catholic Culture PodcastHow to Start an Institutional Apostolate, Part 2—Jeff MirusThis episode is for anyone who believes he is called to found a Catholic apostolate, or anyone who is overseeing one already. In this second part of a two-part interview, CatholicCulture.org founder Jeff Mirus shares more lessons from his decades of experience founding several Catholic organizations. In the mid-80s he left Christendom College to start a publishing company. Then circumstances forced him to transition away from full-time apostolic work which, though painful at the time, providentially set the stage for him to return on more sustainable terms, leading to the present online apostolate.
2018-07-1055 min