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"Even if I have long neglected it, Jesus calls me tenderly to mental prayer, and offers me special help in speaking this language of faith, hope, and love... Am I going to resist this appeal of a Father Who calls even the prodigal to come and listen to His word, to talk to Him as a son; to open his heart to Him and to listen to the beatings of His own?"

Part Five of the classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), begins with practical principles for living the interior life and concrete guidance on mental prayer. In addition, Dom Chautard provides ten aids to mental prayer in the included appendix.

Episode 6: Part Five (sections 1 - 2) & Appendix

00:00 - Intro

00:39 - 1. To Active Workers: Hints on the Interior Life

08:51 - 2. Mental Prayer: A Necessary Element of Interior Life, and Consequently of the Apostolate

10:09 - i. Fidelity to Mental Prayer

15:37 - ii. What Mental Prayer Ought to Be

18:45 - iii. How Am I Going to Make My Mental Prayer?

36:50 - Appendix: Ten Aids to Mental Prayer

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"I will attempt to suggest to you on the present Festival some of the incentives to wonder and awe, humility, implicit faith, and adoration, supplied by the Ascension of Christ."

A powerful Ascension sermon from St. John Henry Newman's Anglican period.

Links

Mysteries in Religion full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon18.html

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"If, then, the infinite benevolence of God wins our love, certainly His justice commands it; and were we able, as the Saints made perfect are able, to combine the notion of both in their separate perfections, as displayed in the same acts, doubtless our awe and admiration of the glorious vision would be immeasurably increased."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this sixth sermon, Newman opposes the sentimental tendency to portray God as mere benevolence, insisting instead that true religion acknowledges God's perfect justice together with His mercy.

Links

On Justice, as a Principle of Divine Governance full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon6.html

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"Come—I sing of a splendid dream, a mighty marvel, that came at midnight when the tongues of men are silent. A strange tree—most wondrous strange!— stretched forth branches in a blast of light."

The Dream of the Rood is an ancient Anglo-Saxon poem, composed as early as the 8th century. It takes the form of a dream-vision in which the narrator sees the Cross on which Christ was crucified, and most of the poem consists of a speech given by the personified Cross, telling the story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, with the Wood sharing in the glory of the Word.

The virile style and the warrior ethos of Anglo-Saxon verse took on a Christian form in this poem, with Christ being depicted as a heroic warrior and the Cross as his loyal retainer, with self-sacrifice rather than a contest of arms gaining the victory.

James Majewski gives a dramatic reading of The Dream of the Rood, as recently translated by Tessa Carman and J.C. Scharl.

Links

The Dream of the Rood: A New Translation full text: https://thelampmagazine.com/blog/the-dream-of-the-rood-a-new-translation

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Lives of the Popes on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lives-of-the-popes/id1885968422

Lives of the Popes on CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/lives-of-popes-podcast/

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"... we shall find it difficult to estimate the moral power which a single individual, trained to practice what he teaches, may acquire in his own circle, in the course of years. While the Scriptures are thrown upon the world, as if the common property of any who choose to appropriate them, he is, in fact, the legitimate interpreter of them, and none other; the Inspired Word being but a dead letter (ordinarily considered), except as transmitted from one mind to another."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this fifth sermon, Newman contends that Christian truth spreads and endures in the world primarily through the personal character of holy individuals, rather than through the influence of institutions or intellectual arguments alone.

Links

Personal Influence, the Means of Propagating the Truth full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon5.html

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"No work takes deep root, or has real stability, or will perpetuate itself, unless the apostle has begotten the interior life in other souls. Naturally, he cannot do this unless he himself is strong in the inner life."

This episode concludes Part Four of the classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935). Among other things, there is featured an illuminating description of the progressive stages of conversion, which Dom Chautard includes as an aid for spiritual directors.

Episode 4: Part Four (sections e - g)

00:00 - Intro

00:39 - e. Because the Interior Life Begets Interior Life, Its Results Upon Souls Are Deep and Lasting

20:09 - f. Importance of the Formation of "Shock Troops" and of Spiritual Direction

46:12 - (Stages of Conversion - Categories for Spiritual Directors)

57:48 - g. The Entire Success of the Apostolate Depends on One Thing: An Interior Life Centered on the Blessed Eucharist

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"Am I really one of those who depend upon their mental prayer, their visits to the Blessed Sacrament, above all upon their Mass or their Communion, to put real moving power into their preaching? If I am not, I may perhaps be a loudly 'tinkling cymbal,' or even give forth the more pompous din of 'sounding brass,' but I am not communicating to others any love, that love which makes the eloquence of the friends of God impossible to resist."

Part Four of the classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), describes the many ways in which the interior life ensures the fruitfulness of active apostolic works.

Episode 4: Part Four (sections a - d)

00:00 - Intro

00:39 - The Interior Life is the Condition on which the Fruitfulness of Active Works Depends

07:36 - a. The Interior Life Draws Down the Blessings of God

15:18 - b. It Makes the Apostle Capable of Sanctifying Others by His Example

23:51 - c. It Makes the Apostle Radiate the Supernatural: the Efficacy of This Radiation

01:13:42 - d. It Makes the Gospel Worker Truly Eloquent

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"Human philosophy was beaten from its usurped province, but not by any counter-philosophy; and unlearned Faith, establishing itself by its own inherent strength, ruled the Reason as far as its own interests were concerned, and from that time has employed it in the Church, first as a captive, then as a servant; not as an equal, and in nowise (far from it) as a patron."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman's own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this fourth sermon, Newman demonstrates how Reason oversteps its bounds when it sets itself up as the legitimate judge of religious truth, over and against childlike spiritual discernment.

Links

The Usurpations of Reason full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon4.html

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"Two attitudes are possible: one, that the world is an absolute jungle and that the exercise of coercive power by rulers is only a manifestation of this; and the other, that it is both necessary and right that there should be this exercise of power, that through it the world is much less of a jungle than it could possibly be without it, so that one should in principle be glad of the existence of such power, and only take exception to its unjust exercise."

Elizabeth Anscombe was a prominent 20th-century British philosopher, known for her influential work in ethics and her deep commitment to Catholic doctrine. In her essay ‘War and Murder,’ Anscombe considers the morality of violent coercive power, critiques the influence of pacifist ideology, and defends the moral prohibition against killing the innocent -- grounding her arguments in the principle of double effect and its crucial distinction between intended and foreseen consequences.

Read “War and Murder” https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/spring06/papers/anscombeWarAndMurder.pdf

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"When attention to the theological meaning of femininity is not accompanied by reflection on masculinity, men are left without a sense of the existential and sacramental significance of their own sex."

A reading of a fascinating essay originally published in the journal Logos, about the work of Walter Ong, SJ.

In the wake of an emphasis on the “feminine genius” as delineated by Pope St. John Paul II and others, this article attempts to develop a profile of the masculine genius. It supplements the teaching of Pope Francis on this subject in order to balance the more complete articulation of the feminine genius already provided by the Magisterium.

Drawing primarily from the work of Walter J. Ong, whose presentation is corroborated and buttressed here with other studies, this article demonstrates that the masculine genius includes a set of gifts that complement those of women, both in the natural order and in the order of redemption.

In Search of the Masculine Genius: The Contribution of Walter J. Ong full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/librarypdf/Raab-Masculine-Genius.pdf

Text originally published by Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, Volume 21, Number 1, Winter 2018.

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"These falls can be MOST CERTAINLY avoided when one knows how to use the precious balancing pole of the interior life. It is only the abandonment of this INFALLIBLE instrument that brings dizziness and the fatal false step into space."

Part Three of this classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), warns of the spiritual perils of an active life divorced from a deep interior life, while offering the assurance of grace and progress in virtue for those who root their work in prayer and union with God.

Episode 3: Part Three

00:00 - Intro

00:52 - 1. Active Works, a Means of Sanctification for Interior Souls, Become, for Others, a Menace to their Salvation

14:07 - 2. The Active Worker Who Has No Interior Life

43:45 - 3. The Interior Life: Basis of the Holiness of the Apostolic Worker

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"The true light of the world offends more men than it attracts; and its divine origin is shown, not in its marked effects on the mass of mankind, but in its surprising power of elevating the moral character where it is received in spirit and in truth."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman’s own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this third sermon, Newman distinguishes the transcendent calling of the Christian from the achievement of ordinary virtue contemplated by "natural" religion or mere ethics.

Links

The Influence of Natural and Revealed Religion Respectively full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon3.html

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"The life of action ought to flow from the contemplative life, to interpret and extend it, outside oneself, though at the same time being detached from it as little as possible."

Part Two of this classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), further explores the inseparable interdependence of the active and the interior lives—each depends upon, presupposes, and completes the other.

Episode 2: Part Two

00:00 - Intro

00:46 - 1. The priority of the interior over the active life in the eyes of God

10:30 - 2. Good works should be nothing but an overflow from the inner life

16:36 - 3. Active works must begin and end in the interior life, and, in it, find their means

25:11 - 4. The active and interior lives are completely interdependent

36:22 - 5. The excellence of this union

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"If God calls me to apply my activity not only to my own sanctification, but also to good works, I must establish this firm conviction, before everything else, in my mind: Jesus has got to be, and wishes to be, the life of these works. My efforts, by themselves, are nothing, absolutely nothing."

Part One of this classic work by the French Trappist monk, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard (1858-1935), examines the relationship between exterior works and the interior life of the apostle, demonstrating how the fruitfulness of the former depends entirely upon the vitality of the latter.

Episode 1: Part One

00:00 - Intro

00:38 - Prologue 05:50 - 1. God wants good works, and therefore zealous action 13:00 - 2. God wills that the life-principle of our works be Christ 20:59 - 3. What is the interior life? 42:58 - 4. Ignorance and neglect of this interior life 49:55 - 5. Is the interior life lazy? 01:04:06 - 6. Is the interior life selfish? 01:16:54 - 7. No conflict between the interior life and the salvation of souls This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

The Soul of the Apostolate full text: https://www.cmri.org/0-olmc-mission/catholic-books/soul_of_the_apostolate.pdf

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"The Comforter who has come instead of Christ, must have vouchsafed to come in the same sense in which Christ came; I mean, that He has come, not merely in the way of gifts, or of influences, or of operations, as He came to the Prophets, for then Christ's going away would be a loss, and not a gain, and the Spirit's presence would be a mere pledge, not an earnest; but He comes to us as Christ came, by a real and personal visitation."

A powerful Pentecost sermon from St. John Henry Newman's Anglican period.

Links

The Indwelling Spirit full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/index.html

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"Prefer nothing whatever to Christ. And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!"

The Rule of St. Benedict is a foundational spiritual guide composed by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, around 530 AD. In this third episode, covering Chapters 39–73, Benedict details daily routines like meals and work, outlines hospitality and simplicity in possessions, and establishes the monastery’s governance. These final chapters conclude Benedict's Rule, presenting a vision of disciplined living, generous welcome, and unity centered on Christ. Episode 3: Ch. 39 - 73

00:00 Intro

00:38 Food, Work, and Silence (Chapters 39–47) 12:28 Labor, Hospitality, and Possessions (Chapters 48–57) 27:04 Entry and Community Structure (Chapters 58–62) 37:19 Leadership and Communal Unity (Chapters 63–73) This work released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50040/pg50040-images.html#chapter-1

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"We believe that the divine presence is everywhere... But we should believe this especially without any doubt when we are assisting at the Work of God."

The Rule of St. Benedict is a foundational spiritual guide composed by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, around 530 AD. In the chapters comprising this second episode, Benedict details the structure of the Divine Office, establishes the rhythms and roles of community life, and provides guidelines for the disciplinary measures to be taken against erring brothers. Episode 2: Ch. 8 - 38

00:00 Intro

00:38 Structuring Prayer (Chapters 8 - 20) 16:32 Order and Discipline (Chapters 21 - 30) 25:15 Community Life and Roles (Chapter 31 - 38) This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50040/pg50040-images.html#chapter-1

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"And so we are going to establish a school for the service of the Lord. In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But if a certain strictness results… do not be at once dismayed and fly from the way of salvation, whose entrance cannot but be narrow."

In this first of five episodes, we begin The Rule of St. Benedict, a foundational spiritual guide composed around 530 AD by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism. In the Prologue, St. Benedict sets forth the Rule’s purpose, followed by Chapters 1–7, in which he outlines the kinds of monks, the qualities of an abbot, the Instruments of Good Works as a monk’s daily guide, and the Rule's core principles of obedience, silence, and humility. Episode 1: Ch. 1 - 7, with Prologue

00:00 Intro

00:38 Prologue 07:43 Chapter 1 - On the Kinds of Monks 09:51 Chapter 2 - What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be 16:43 Chapter 3 - On Calling the Brethren for Counsel 18:37 Chapter 4 - What Are the Instruments of Good Works 23:44 Chapter 5 - On Obedience 26:18 Chapter 6 - On the Spirit of Silence 27:50 Chapter 7 - On Humility This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Links

St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/50040/pg50040-images.html#chapter-1

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"It is not for Demophilus to set these things straight. For if the Word of God commands us to pursue just things justly... this must be pursued by all justly, not beyond their own fitness."

This letter—historically attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite, a 1st-century convert of Saint Paul from Acts, but now considered the work of an anonymous 5th-century author known as 'Pseudo-Dionysius'—delivers a stern yet compassionate rebuke to a monk named Demophilus. Dionysius challenges the monk's rash condemnation of a priest for absolving a repentant sinner, and urges mercy, humility and respect for the Church’s hierarchy. Adapted from an 1897 translation, this version retains the work's rhetorical and theological depth while rendering the language more accessible to contemporary listeners. Links

Letter VIII: About minding one's own business, and kindness full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/areopagite_08_letters.htm#letter8

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"The philosopher aspires towards a divine principle; the Christian, towards a Divine Agent."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were isntrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman’s own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this second sermon, Newman illustrates how the foundational awareness of God's existence ascertained by natural religion (human reason and observation of the world) is perfected and deepened by the personal knowledge of God offered by revealed religion (divine revelation, especially in the person of Christ).

Links

The Influence of Natural and Revealed Religion Respectively full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon2.html

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"The philosopher might speculate, but the theologian must submit to learn."

St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England.

In this collection of fifteen sermons, Newman especially explores the relationship between faith and reason, and lays the groundwork for themes he would later develop in works like his Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman’s own conversion to Catholicism years later.

In this first sermon, Newman argues that it was Christianity which first promoted a properly philosophical disposition, by encouraging a mindset and instilling the virtues essential for a truly scientific approach to the pursuit of truth.

Links

The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon1.html

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“This present feast is one of the greater of the whole year... Because there are three grades of sanctity which we celebrate in this feast.”

St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) was a Spanish Dominican friar, theologian, and renowned preacher known for his fiery sermons and missionary work across Europe. He was deeply devoted to calling people to repentance, emphasizing the urgency of salvation and often preaching about the Last Judgment. This earned him the moniker "Angel of the Judgment."

In this Candlemas sermon, St. Vincent reflects on the three significant events which this great feast commemorates: the Meeting with Simeon, the Presentation of Christ, and the Purification of Mary.

Links:

Full text: https://www.svfsermons.org/C117_Purification%20of%20the%20BVM.htm

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"Be sure that wherever our lot is cast we may and must aim at the perfect life."

Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results.

Themes include:

Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly
Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy schedule
Growing in virtue
Battling wisely against temptation
Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises

Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you’ll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord.

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

—description from the publisher

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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Timestamps

00:38 Preface

12:26 Part 1 – Counsels and Exercises for the Guidance of the Soul from Its First Desire After a Devout Life unto a Full Resolution of Pursuing the Same

12:38 True Devotion Explained

18:19 The Nature and Excellence of Devotion

23:17 Devotion is Suitable to Every Vocation and Profession

27:26 The Need of a Guide for those who would Enter Upon and Advance in the Devout Life

33:35 The First Step: Purifying the Soul

38:22 The First Purification: From Mortal Sin

40:56 The Second Purification: From All Sinful Affections

44:17 How to Affect This Second Purification

46:56 First Meditation, On Creation

53:26 Second Meditation, On the End for Which We Were Created

59:26 Third Meditation, On the Gifts of God

1:05:20 Fourth Meditation, On Sin

1:11:39 Fifth Meditation, On Death

1:19:00 Sixth Meditation, On Judgment

1:24:59 Seventh Meditation, On Hell

1:29:02 Eighth Meditation, On Paradise

1:34:05 Ninth Meditation, On the Choice Open to You Between Heaven and Hell

1:39:26 Tenth Meditation, On How the Soul Chooses the Devout Life

1:46:40How to Make a General Confession

1:49:23 A Sincere Protest Made with the Object of Confirming the Soul’s Resolution to Serve God as a Cojnclusion to its Acts of Penitence

1:53:58 Conclusion of This First Purification

1:55:53 The Necessity of Purging Away All Tendency to Venial Sins

2:00:35 It Is Necessary to Put Away All Inclination for Useless and Dangerous Things

2:03:14 All Evil Inclinations Must Be Purged Away

02:05:29 Part 2 – Counsels as to Uplifting the Soul to God in Prayer and the Use of the Sacraments

2:05:38 The Necessity of Prayer

2:11:30 A Short Method of Meditation in the Presence of God: The First Point of Preparation

2:17:05 Invocation: The Second Point of Preparation

2:18:38 Representing the Mystery to Be Meditated to Your Imagination: The Third Point of Preparation

2:20:49 Considerations: The Second Part of Meditation

2:22:16 Affections and Resolutions: The Third Part of Meditation

2:24:01 The Conclusion and Spiritual Bouquet

2:25:44 Some Useful Hints on Meditation

2:30:40 Concerning Dryness in Meditation

2:33:15 Morning Prayer

2:36:05 Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience

2:38:03 Spiritual Refreshment

2:42:42 Aspirations, Brief Prayer, and Holy Thoughts

2:53:34 Holy Communion, and How to Receive It

2:58:17 The Other Public Offices of the Church

3:00:13 How the Saints Are United to Us

3:02:58 How to Hear and Read God’s Word

3:05:05 How to Receive Inspirations

3:10:31 Confession

3:17:35 Frequent Communion

3:23:09 How to Communicate

03:28:01 Part 3 – Counsels Concerning the Practice of Virtue

03:28:08 How to Select That Which We Should Chiefly Practice

03:36:56 The Same Subject Continued

03:43:55 Patience

03:53:08 Greater Humility

03:59:02 Interior Humility

04:08:28 Humility Makes Us Rejoice in Our Own Abjection

04:15:11 How to Combine Due Care for a Good Reputation with Humility

04:22:40 Gentleness Towards Others and Remedies Against Anger

04:31:05 Gentleness Towards Ourselves

04:35:35 We Must Attend to the Business of Life Carefully, but Without Eagerness or Over-Anxiety

04:40:18 Obedience

04:45:43 Purity

04:49:05 How to Maintain Purity

04:52:48 Poverty of Spirit amid Riches

04:58:28 How to Exercise Real Poverty although Actually Rich

05:06:08 How to Possess a Rich Spirit amid Real Poverty

05:09:50 Friendship: Evil and Frivolous Friendship

05:13:31 Frivolous Attachments

05:18:48 Real Friendship

05:24:40 The Difference between True and False Friendship

05:28:57 Remedies against Evil Friendships

05:35:47 Further Advice concerning Intimacies

05:40:22 The Practice of Bodily Mortification

05:50:59 Society and Solitude

05:56:24 Modesty in Dress

06:00:20 Conversation: First, How to Speak of God

06:02:52 Unseemly Words and the Respect Due to Others

06:07:18 Hasty Judgments

06:17:28 Slander

06:28:27 Further Counsels as to Conversation

06:32:24 Amusements and Recreations: What Are Allowable

06:34:56 Forbidden Amusements

06:36:53 Balls and Other Lawful but Dangerous Amusements

06:41:59 When to Use Such Amusements Rightly

06:43:49 We Must Be Faithful in Things Great and Small

06:49:23 - A Well-Balanced, Reasonable Mind

06:53:33 - Wishes

06:58:15 - Counsels to Married People

07:11:47 - The Sanctity of the Marriage Bed

07:13:15 - Counsels to Widows

07:22:31 - One Word to Maidens

07:23:51 Part 4 – Counsels Concerning Some Ordinary Temptations

07:23:58 - We Must Not Trifle with the Words of Worldly Wisdom

07:29:29 - The Need of Good Courage

07:32:09 - Temptations and the Difference Between Experiencing Them and Consenting to Them

07:37:19 - Two Striking Illustrations of the Same

07:40:56 - Encouragement for the Tempted Soul

07:43:26 - When Temptation and Pleasure are Sin

07:47:23 - Remedies for Great Occasions

07:50:15 - How to Resist Minor Temptations

07:52:26 - How to Remedy Minor Temptations

07:55:02 - How to Strengthen the Heart Against Temptation

07:57:40 - Anxiety of Mind

08:03:27 - Sadness and Sorrow

08:08:40 - Spiritual and Sensible Consolations and How to Receive Them

08:23:23 - Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness

08:33:49 - An Illustration

08:41:07 Part 5 - Counsels and Practices for Renewing and Confirming the Soul in Devotion

08:41:15 - It Is Well Yearly to Renew Good Resolutions by Means of the Following Exercises

08:43:58 - Meditation on the Benefit Conferred on Us by God in Calling Us to His Service

08:48:55 - Examination of the Soul as to Its Progress in the Devout Life

08:52 :13 - Examination of the Soul's Condition as Regards God

08:56:52 - Examination of Your Condition as Regards Yourself

08:59:16 - Examination of the Soul's Condition as Regards Our Neighbor

09:00:43 - Examination as to the Affectations of the Soul

09:03:10 - The Affections to Be Excited After Such Examination

09:04:36 - Reflections Suitable to the Renewal of Good Resolutions

09:05:23 - First Consideration, On the Worth of Souls

09:08:13 - Second Consideration, On the Excellence of Virtue

09:10:01 - The Example of the Saints

09:11:48 - The Love That Jesus Christ Bears to Us

09:15:05 - The Eternal Love of God for Us

09:16:36 - General Affections That Should Result from These Considerations and Conclusion of the Exercise

09:19:16 - The Impressions That Should Remain After This Exercise

09:20:53 - An Answer to Two Objections That May Be Made to This Book

09:23:45 - Three Important and Final Counsels

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“Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is possible, and we are able to practice it because we are created in the image of God. To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world—this is the invitation I would like to extend with the present Encyclical.”

Deus Caritas Est, or “God is Love,” was the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, released on December 25, 2005. This letter focuses on the nature of Christian love, particularly examining the relationship between God’s love for humanity and the love Christians are called to show others. Benedict grounds his reflections in Scripture and tradition, aiming to clarify misunderstandings about Christian love in a contemporary world marked by both cynicism and sentimentality.

This episode comprises the second part, titled “Caritas: The Practice of Love by the Church as a Community of Love,” and the encyclical's conclusion.

Links:

Full text: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html

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"They are the class of feelings we should have—yes, have in an intense degree—if we literally had the sight of Almighty God; therefore they are the class of feelings which we shall have, if we realize His presence."

This sermon appears among a collection of sermons originally written and preached by St. John Henry Newman before his conversion to Catholicism. In it, Newman emphasizes that true reverence arises from a deep, abiding awareness of God's presence.

Links

Reverence, a Belief in God's Presence full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume5/sermon2.html

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"You thought perhaps when learned Campion dies, His pen must cease, his sugared tongue be still; But you forgot how loud his death it cries How far beyond the sound of tongue and quill."

In 1581, a young Englishman named Henry Walpole attended the execution of the Jesuit Edmund Campion. As Campion was hung, drawn and quartered, Walpole stood close enough to be spattered with his holy blood. Though Campion’s fame in England was already great, Walpole would amplify it further with a splendid, lengthy poem, which became enormously popular among English Catholics—so popular that the man who printed the book had his ears cut off as punishment.

In his poem Walpole wrote: We cannot fear a mortal torment, we, This martyr’s blood hath moistened all our hearts, Whose parted quarters when we chance to see We learn to play the constant Christian’s parts.

This was more than wordplay: Two years after Campion’s death, Walpole became a priest, and was himself hung for the faith in 1595. Links

Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs: https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/

Catholic Culture Podcast #69—The Poetry of the English Martyrs—Benedict Whalen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

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“This is love in its most radical form. By contemplating the pierced side of Christ, we can understand the starting-point of this Encyclical Letter: “God is love”. It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move.”

Deus Caritas Est, or “God is Love,” was the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, released on December 25, 2005. This letter focuses on the nature of Christian love, particularly examining the relationship between God’s love for humanity and the love Christians are called to show others. Benedict grounds his reflections in Scripture and tradition, aiming to clarify misunderstandings about Christian love in a contemporary world marked by both cynicism and sentimentality.

In this first part, titled “The Unity of Love in Creation and in Salvation History,” Benedict explores two distinct yet intertwined dimensions of love, eros and agape, arriving at the newness which biblical faith brings to man's understanding of love—a new understanding that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the incarnate love of God.

Links:

Full text: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html

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"For we don't invent marriage... any more than we invent human language. It is part of the creation of humanity and if we're lucky we find it available to us and can enter into it. If we are very unlucky, we may live in a society that has wrecked or deformed this human thing."

Elizabeth Anscombe was a prominent 20th-century British philosopher, known for her influential work in ethics and her deep commitment to Catholic doctrine. In her essay 'Contraception and Chastity'—one of the earliest defenses of Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae Vitae—Anscombe expertly explains the evil of contraception and contrasts its use with that of methods of natural family planning.

Read by Karina Majewski

Links

Contraception and Chastity full text: https://global.uwi.edu/sites/default/files/bnccde/PH19B/conchastity.html

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My oldest friend, mine from the hour When first I drew my breath; My faithful friend, that shall be mine, Unfailing, till my death... "St. Michael" full text: https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/st-michael

"Angelic Guidance" full text: https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/angelic-guidance

"Guardian Angel" full text: https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/guardian-angel-2

Happy feast of the Guardian Angels!

More links:

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"In proportion as we lean to our own understanding, we are driven to do so for want of a better guide. Our first true guide, the light of innocence, is gradually withdrawn from us; and nothing is left for us but to 'grope and stumble in the desolate places,' by the dim, uncertain light of reason."

This sermon appears among a collection of sermons originally written and preached by St. John Henry Newman between 1825 and 1843, before his conversion to Catholicism. In it, Newman warns against the dangers of intellectual pride and underscores that the path to true wisdom lies in humble submission to God's commandments, not in self-reliant reasoning.

Links

The Self-wise Inquirer full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/sermon17.html

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"But to experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator. Just as man does not have unlimited dominion over his body in general, so also, and with more particular reason, he has no such dominion over his specifically sexual faculties, for these are concerned by their very nature with the generation of life, of which God is the source."

Issued in 1968, Humanae Vitae is the final encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI. In it, he rejects the conclusions of the 1966 majority report of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control, and instead reaffirms the Church's longstanding opposition to artificial contraception while promoting natural family planning as a moral alternative. The document remains a significant source text for Church teaching on responsible parenthood, marital love, and the sanctity of life.

Links

Humanae Vitae full text: https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html

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"For there are two, O emperor Augustus, by which the world is principally ruled: the sacred authority of pontiffs and the royal power."

Pope St. Gelasius I reigned as pope from 492 to 496 AD and is best known for articulating the doctrine of "the two swords." This doctrine explains that man is subject to two powers: the temporal and the spiritual. Whereas the temporal power wields natural authority to promote the common good, the spiritual power wields supernatural authority for the care of souls. While recognizing that these two powers complement one another, Gelasius asserts the ultimate primacy of the spiritual authority over the temporal.

Pope Gelasius' contributions helped shape the relationship between church and state in medieval Europe, and to this day the Church's position remains what he first described in this famous letter to the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I.

Links

Famuli Vestrae Pietatis full text: https://thejosias.com/2020/03/30/famuli-vestrae-pietatis/

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"And just as the all-holy body of God's Son, which was taken from her, rose from the dead on the third day, it followed that she should be snatched from the tomb, that the mother should be united to her Son; and as He had come down to her, so she should be raised up to Him."

John of Damascus, also known as St. John Damascene, was an influential monk and theologian of the 8th century. He is considered the last of the Greek Fathers and is primarily known for his definitive defense of icons against the iconoclast heresy. His influential body of work includes sermons, hymns, and an encyclopedia that summarizes the philosophical and theological developments of the Patristic era. His significant contributions to the Church's understanding of her doctrine and liturgy have earned him the title "Doctor of the Church."

In this sermon—one of three on the Dormition of Mary—St. John reflects upon Mary's participation in the mysteries of salvation, describes the gathering of the apostles and angels to honor her departure from this world, and exhorts all to celebrate the great feast of her Assumption.

Links

Sermon II: On the Assumption full text: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/johndamascus-komesis.asp

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"Constantine's submission of his power to the Church has been a pattern for all Christian monarchs since, and the commencement of her state establishment to this day; and, on the other hand, the fortunes of the Roman empire are in prophecy apparently connected with her in a very intimate manner, which we are not yet able fully to comprehend. If any event might be said to call for a miracle, it was this."

In this chapter from Newman's Essays on Miracles, written in his Anglican period, Newman evaluates the historical and evidential support for the miraculous event which led to Constantine's conversion to Christianity around A.D. 311-312.

Links

Appearance of the Cross in the Sky to Constantine full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/miracles/essay2/chapter5-4.html

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"So the man whom Satan has smitten ought not to be ashamed to confess his sin, and depart from it, and entreat for himself the medicine of penitence. For gangrene comes to the wound of him who is ashamed to show it, and harm comes to his whole body; and he who is not ashamed has his wound healed, and again returns to go down into the conflict."

St. Aphrahat is known in the tradition as “the Persian Sage.” Born in the late third century in the Persian Empire, he flourished amid persecution and is the earliest prominent witness to Syriac Christianity. He wrote in a dialect of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, and maintained close contact with Judaism, demonstrating a profound knowledge of Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish customs. He is best known for his collection of twenty-three writings called the "Demonstrations."

Demonstration VII concerns penitents. Composed in 336-337 A.D., it is the earliest work to treat of the early Church's approach to the sacrament of penance and pastoral care with such precision.

Links

Demonstration VII, On Penitents full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/aphrahat_dem7.htm

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"Your very perplexity in reconciling the surface of things with our Lord's announcements, the very temptation you lie under to explain away the plain words of Scripture, shows you that your standard of good and evil, and the standard of all around you, must be very different from God's standard."

In this sermon from his Anglican period, Newman reflects upon the challenging truth proclaimed uniformly throughout Scripture: the chosen are few, though many are called.

Links

Many Called, Few Chosen full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume5/sermon18.html

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“Keep his commandments, and you will have a cure for sin.”

The Shepherd of Hermas is an apocryphal text written in Rome in the 2nd century. It belongs to the category of "apocalyptic" literature, as it relates a series of revelations given to its titular character, Hermas, who may or may not also have been the work's author.

The Shepherd of Hermas was widely read and respected in the early Church, with some Church Fathers (such as Irenaeus and Origen) even considering it part of canonical scripture.

The text is divided into three main sections: Visions, Mandates, and Parables. Taken together, they serve as an exhortation to repentance.

Part 4: Conclusion

00:00 Intro

00:39 Ninth Parable - Chapter 1

03:35 Chapter 2

05:27 Chapter 3

06:40 Chapter 4

09:12 Chapter 5

11:18 Chapter 6

13:12 Chapter 7

15:15 Chapter 8

17:39 Chapter 9

20:07 Chapter 10

21:59 Chapter 11

24:58 Chapter 12

27:45 Chapter 13

30:38 Chapter 14

32:54 Chapter 15

35:21 Chapter 16

37:36 Chapter 17

39:31 Chapter 18

41:44 Chapter 19

43:28 Chapter 20

44:46 Chapter 21

45:56 Chapter 22

47:10 Chapter 23

48:37 Chapter 24

50:00 Chapter 25

50:36 Chapter 26

53:06 Chapter 27

53:50 Chapter 28

56:08 Chapter 29

57:30 Chapter 30

59:11 Chapter 31

01:01:05 Chapter 32

01:02:48 Chapter 33

01:04:14 Tenth Parable - Chapter 1

01:05:45 Chapter 2

01:07:21 Chapter 3

01:09:14 Chapter 4

This work was released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

The Shepherd of Hermas full text: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-grimm/

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"It cannot be said, then, because we have not to bear the burden and the heat of the day, that therefore we have returned to paradise. It is not that our work is lighter, but our strength is greater."

This sermon from Newman's Anglican period was originally preached on Septuagesima Sunday. In it, Newman addresses the misconception that grace exempts Christians from work, and he exhorts Christians to embrace their calling to work diligently for the glory of God.

Links

The Work of the Christian full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/subjects/sermon1.html

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“These mandates are advantageous for those who intend to repent. For, if they do not walk in them, their repentance is worthless. You who repent must cast off the wickedness of this world which wears you down; if you put on every excellence of justice, you can observe these mandates and keep from committing any additional sins.”

The Shepherd of Hermas is an apocryphal text written in Rome in the 2nd century. It belongs to the category of "apocalyptic" literature, as it relates a series of revelations given to its titular character, Hermas, who may or may not also have been the work's author.

The Shepherd of Hermas was widely read and respected in the early Church, with some Church Fathers (such as Irenaeus and Origen) even considering it part of canonical scripture.

The text is divided into three main sections: Visions, Mandates, and Parables. Taken together, they serve as an exhortation to repentance.

Part 3: Parables

00:00 Intro

00:39 First Parable

04:18 Second Parable

08:45 Third Parable

09:48 Fourth Parable

12:08 Fifth Parable

27:08 Sixth Parable

38:25 Seventh Parable

42:05 Eighth Parable

This work to be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

The Shepherd of Hermas full text: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-grimm/

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“Put the Lord in your hearts, then, you who are empty and fickle in the faith. You will then know that nothing is easier, sweeter, or more gentle than these mandates. Be converted, you who walk in the commandments of the Devil, commandments that are hard, bitter, cruel, and foul. And do not fear the Devil either, because he has no power against you. I, the Angel of Repentance, who have overcome the Devil, am on your side.”

The Shepherd of Hermas is an apocryphal text written in Rome in the 2nd century. It belongs to the category of "apocalyptic" literature, as it relates a series of revelations given to its titular character, Hermas, who may or may not also have been the work's author.

The Shepherd of Hermas was widely read and respected in the early Church, with some Church Fathers (such as Irenaeus and Origen) even considering it part of canonical scripture.

The text is divided into three main sections: Visions, Mandates, and Parables. Taken together, they serve as an exhortation to repentance.

Part 2: Mandates

00:00 Intro

00:39 First Mandate

01:27 Second Mandate

03:38 Third Mandate

06:01 Fourth Mandate

14:26 Fifth Mandate

20:12 Sixth Mandate

24:51 Seventh Mandate

26:50 Eighth Mandate

31:39 Ninth Mandate

34:56 Tenth Mandate

40:06 Eleventh Mandate

47:13 Twelfth Mandate

This work to be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

The Shepherd of Hermas full text: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-grimm/

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“So I wrote the commands and parables as he bade me. If you hear them and keep them, and walk in them, and fulfill them in a pure heart, you will receive from the Lord what He promised you. But if you hear them and do not repent, or even add to your sins, you will receive the contrary from the Lord.”

The Shepherd of Hermas is an apocryphal text written in Rome in the 2nd century. It belongs to the category of "apocalyptic" literature, as it relates a series of revelations given to its titular character, Hermas, who may or may not also have been the work's author.

The Shepherd of Hermas was widely read and respected in the early Church, with some Church Fathers (such as Irenaeus and Origen) even considering it part of canonical scripture.

The text is divided into three main sections: Visions, Mandates, and Parables. Taken together, they serve as an exhortation to repentance.

Part 1: Visions

00:00 Intro

00:42 First Vision

09:23 Second Vision

15:57 Third Vision

43:30 Fourth Vision

50:44 Fifth Vision

This work was released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

The Shepherd of Hermas full text: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-grimm/

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“Consider the love with which our dear Lord Jesus Christ bore so much in this world, especially in the Garden of Olives and on Mount Calvary; that love bore you in mind, and through all those pains and toils he obtained your good resolutions for you, as also all that is necessary to maintain, foster, strengthen and consummate those resolutions.

"How precious must the resolutions be that are the fruits of our Lord’s Passion! And how dear to my heart, since they were dear to that of Jesus! Savior of my soul, You died to win them for me; grant me grace sooner to die than forget them.

"Be sure, my child, that the heart of our most dear Lord beheld you from the tree of the Cross and loved you, and by that love he won for you all good things that you were ever to have, and amongst them your good resolutions.”

Part 5

(00:46) Chapter 1—It Is Well Yearly to Renew Good Resolutions by Means of the Following Exercises

(03:29) Chapter 2—Meditation on the Benefit Conferred on Us by God in Calling Us to His Service

(08:26) Chapter 3—Examination of the Soul as to Its Progress in the Devout Life

(11:44) Chapter 4—Examination of the Soul's Condition as Regards God

(16:23) Chapter 5—Examination of Your Condition as Regards Yourself

(18:47) Chapter 6—Examination of the Soul's Condition as Regards Our Neighbor

(20:15) Chapter 7—Examination as to the Affectations of the Soul

(22:42) Chapter 8—The Affections to Be Excited After Such Examination

(24:07) Chapter 9—Reflections Suitable to the Renewal of Good Resolutions

(24:54) Chapter 10—First Consideration, On the Worth of Souls

(27:45) Chapter 11—Second Consideration, On the Excellence of Virtue

(29:33) Chapter 12—The Example of the Saints

(31:19) Chapter 13—The Love That Jesus Christ Bears to Us

(34:36) Chapter 14—The Eternal Love of God for Us

(36:08) Chapter 15—General Affections That Should Result from These Considerations and Conclusion of the Exercise

(38:48) Chapter 16—The Impressions That Should Remain After This Exercise

(40:24) Chapter 17—An Answer to Two Objections That May Be Made to This Book

(43:16) Chapter 18—Three Important and Final Counsels

This work was released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"... it is incumbent upon us, for the present, to trace, as it were, the silhouette of virtue in the pagan authors. For those who carefully gather the useful from each book are wont, like mighty rivers, to gain accessions on every hand."

Drawing from his deep understanding of both classical Greek literature and Sacred Scripture, St. Basil the Great—a towering figure of the early Church—advocates for the proper integration of the literary treasures of ancient Greece within the broader formation of young Christian men. Basil challenges those whom he addresses to discern the morally enriching elements of Greek literature while guarding against its pitfalls, particularly its indulgence in more decadent and morally ambiguous themes.

Links

Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/basil_litterature01.htm

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"If anyone strives to be delivered from his troubles out of love of God, he will strive patiently, gently, humbly and calmly, looking for deliverance rather to God's goodness and providence than to his own industry or efforts; but if self-love is the prevailing object, he will grow hot and eager in seeking relief, as though all depended more upon himself than upon God."

Part 4

(00:45) Chapter 1—We Must Not Trifle with the Words of Worldly Wisdom

(06:16) Chapter 2—The Need of Good Courage

(08:56) Chapter 3—Temptations and the Difference Between Experiencing Them and Consenting to Them

(14:06) Chapter 4—Two Striking Illustrations of the Same

(17:43) Chapter 5—Encouragement for the Tempted Soul

(20:13) Chapter 6—When Temptation and Pleasure are Sin

(24:10) Chapter 7—Remedies for Great Occasions

(27:02) Chapter 8—How to Resist Minor Temptations

(29:13) Chapter 9—How to Remedy Minor Temptations

(31:49) Chapter 10—How to Strengthen the Heart Against Temptation

(34:31) Chapter 11—Anxiety of Mind

(40:18) Chapter 12—Sadness and Sorrow

(45:31) Chapter 13—Spiritual and Sensible Consolations and How to Receive Them

(01:00:14) Chapter 14—Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness

(01:10:40) Chapter 15—An Illustration

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"If the Catholic Faith is true, a University cannot exist externally to the Catholic pale, for it cannot teach Universal Knowledge if it does not teach Catholic theology. This is certain; but still, though it had ever so many theological Chairs, that would not suffice to make it a Catholic University... a direct and active jurisdiction of the Church over it and in it is necessary, lest it should become the rival of the Church with the community at large in those theological matters which to the Church are exclusively committed."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this final discourse, Newman concludes with a reflection upon the central and direct role which the Church must play in the life of a University and upon its pursuits: "She fears no knowledge, but she purifies all; she represses no element of our nature, but cultivates the whole... her principle is one and the same throughout: not to prohibit truth of any kind, but to see that no doctrines pass under the name of Truth but those which claim it rightfully."

Links

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

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"No indeed, I would not even have people wish for more wit or better judgment, for such desires are frivolous, and take the place of the wish everyone ought to possess of improving what he has. We ought not to desire ways of serving God that He does not open to us, but rather desire to use what we have rightly."

Part 3

(00:38) Chapter 36—A Well-Balanced, Reasonable Mind

(04:48) Chapter 37—Wishes

(09:30) Chapter 38—Counsels to Married People

(23:02) Chapter 39—The Sanctity of the Marriage Bed

(24:30) Chapter 40—Counsels to Widows

(33:46) Chapter 41—One Word to Maidens

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"True Religion is slow in growth, and, when once planted, is difficult of dislodgement; but its intellectual counterfeit has no root in itself: it springs up suddenly, it suddenly withers. It appeals to what is in nature, and it falls under the dominion of the old Adam. Then, like dethroned princes, it keeps up a state and majesty, when it has lost the real power. Deformity is its abhorrence; accordingly, since it cannot dissuade men from vice, therefore in order to escape the sight of its deformity, it embellishes it."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this eighth discourse, Newman examines the bearing of intellectual culture—whether for good or for ill—upon the exercise of religion. Notable in this chapter is Newman's survey of the moral and ethical character of the "gentleman."

Links

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

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"Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily... If you do all in God's name, all you do will be well done."

Part 3

(00:38) Chapter 23—The Practice of Bodily Mortification

(11:15) Chapter 24—Society and Solitude

(16:40) Chapter 25—Modesty in Dress

(20:36) Chapter 26—Conversation: First, How to Speak of God

(23:08) Chapter 27—Unseemly Words and the Respect Due to Others

(27:34) Chapter 28—Hasty Judgments

(37:44) Chapter 29—Slander

(48:46) Chapter 30—Further Counsels as to Conversation

(52:43) Chapter 31—Amusements and Recreations: What Are Allowable

(55:15) Chapter 32—Forbidden Amusements

(57:12) Chapter 33—Balls and Other Lawful but Dangerous Amusements

(01:02:21) Chapter 34—When to Use Such Amusements Rightly

(01:04:10) Chapter 35—We Must Be Faithful in Things Great and Small

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"Thou findest here what thou wilt wish at last, And that account which none can ever shun; Then frame thy life before thy time be past, As thou wilt wish that thou in time hadst done: Lest thou in vain doth wail thy wretched state, When time is past and wailing comes too late." A poem by Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel (1557-1595), an English nobleman, translator, and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Links Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs, 1503-1681 https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/

Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 69—Poetry of the English Martyrs, w/ Benedict Whalen: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

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"If then the intellect is so excellent a portion of us, and its cultivation so excellent, it is not only beautiful, perfect, admirable, and noble in itself, but in a true and high sense it must be useful to the possessor and to all around him; not useful in any low, mechanical, mercantile sense, but as diffusing good, or as a blessing, or a gift, or power, or a treasure, first to the owner, then through him to the world."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this seventh discourse, Newman answers the utilitarian critics of liberal education. He points out that the cultivation of the intellect is not only a sufficient end in itself, but that it is also to be valued even when considered on utilitarian grounds. He cites extensive excerpts from the writings of two key figures in the reform of Oxford teaching, Edward Copleston and John Davison.

Links

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Edward Copleston: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Copleston

John Davison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Davison_(priest)

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"In the world those who aim at a devout life require to be united one with another by a holy friendship, which excites, stimulates, and encourages them in well-doing."

Part 3

(00:39) Chapter 11 - Obedience

(06:04) Chapter 12 - Purity

(09:26) Chapter 13 - How to Maintain Purity

(13:09) Chapter 14 - Poverty of Spirit amid Riches

(18:49) Chapter 15 - How to Exercise Real Poverty although Actually Rich

(26:29) Chapter 16—How to Possess a Rich Spirit amid Real Poverty

(30:11) Chapter 17—Friendship: Evil and Frivolous Friendship

(33:52) Chapter 18—Frivolous Attachments

(39:09) Chapter 19—Real Friendship

(45:01) Chapter 20—The Difference between True and False Friendship

(49:18) Chapter 21—Remedies against Evil Friendships

(56:08) Chapter 22—Further Advice concerning Intimacies

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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“While exchanges and conflicts of opinion may constitute normal expressions of public life in a representative democracy, moral teaching certainly cannot depend simply upon respect for a process: indeed, it is in no way established by following the rules and deliberative procedures typical of a democracy... Opposition to the teaching of the Church's Pastors cannot be seen as a legitimate expression either of Christian freedom or of the diversity of the Spirit's gifts.”

Veritatis Splendor, or “The Splendor of Truth”, was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II on August 6, 1993. The encyclical addresses fundamental questions of the Church's moral teaching, especially in relation to the various ways in which that teaching had been (and continues to be) challenged by modern strains of dissident theology.

In this third and final chapter, titled "Lest the Cross of Christ Be Emptied of Its Power", John Paul II emphasizes the profound connection between freedom, moral law, and human flourishing—both for the individual and for society. He further underscores the inseparable link between freedom and truth and stresses the primary role of grace in supporting human freedom and enabling individuals to overcome sin. He ends the encyclical with an appeal to Mary, Mother of Mercy.

Links:

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3459&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2320723

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“If acts are intrinsically evil, a good intention or particular circumstances can diminish their evil, but they cannot remove it. They remain irremediably evil acts; per se and in themselves they are not capable of being ordered to God and to the good of the person... Consequently, circumstances or intentions can never transform an act intrinsically evil by virtue of its object into an act subjectively good or defensible as a choice.”

Veritatis Splendor, or “The Splendor of Truth”, was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II on August 6, 1993. The encyclical addresses fundamental questions of the Church's moral teaching, especially in relation to the various ways in which that teaching had been (and continues to be) challenged by modern strains of dissident theology.

In this second chapter, titled "Do Not Be Conformed to this World", John Paul II addresses the relationships between freedom and law, conscience and truth, and fundamental choice and specific kinds of behavior. He concludes the chapter with a careful consideration of the moral act.

Links:

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3459&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2320723

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“No damage must be done to the harmony between faith and life: the unity of the Church is damaged not only by Christians who reject or distort the truths of faith but also by those who disregard the moral obligations to which they are called by the Gospel.”

Veritatis Splendor, or “The Splendor of Truth”, was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II on August 6, 1993. The encyclical addresses fundamental questions of the Church's moral teaching, especially in relation to the various ways in which that teaching had been (and continues to be) challenged by modern strains of dissident theology.

Links:

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3459&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2320723

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"The helpers of our faith are fear and patience; our allies are long-suffering and self-control."

The so-called Letter of Barnabas is neither a letter nor by St. Barnabas. Written by an anonymous author sometime between the years 70 and 150 AD, it is a work of allegorical scriptural interpretation chiefly notable for its early date. Having been composed well before collection of the New Testament into a canon, the Letter of Barnabas attempts to illustrate the Old Testament's fulfillment in Christ and to warn the early Christians against accepting it in a strictly literal sense. Relying on his own imagination and best lights, the author succeeds to a greater and lesser extent throughout, sometimes reading an unhistorical meaning into the sacred texts. The letter ends with an exposition of the "Two Ways" similar to that found in the Didache.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120401/the-apostolic-fathers

Alternate translation: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3840

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"I say, a University, taken in its bare idea, and before we view it as an instrument of the Church, has this object and this mission; it contemplates neither moral impression nor mechanical production; it professes to exercise the mind neither in art nor in duty; its function is intellectual culture... It educates the intellect to reason well in all matters, to reach out towards truth, and to grasp it."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this sixth discourse, Newman argues that the end of a liberal education is not to impart mere knowledge, but to cultivate the intellect. He laments the lack of a word in English to express this idea of intellectual excellence as distinct from the accumulation of learning, and he goes on to illustrate what should be understood as true illumination or enlargement of mind and its implications for university studies.

Links

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

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"Give me thy grace, good Lord, To set the world at naught;" The 16th and 17th centuries produced a number of men whose courageous faith was accompanied by prodigious learning and literary talent. Among these was St. Thomas More, who wrote poems while languishing in the Tower of London, 1534-1535. Read here are "Lewis the Lost Lover" and "Davey the Dicer", both written in the Tower of London, as well as a meditation written in the margins of More's prayer book while he was imprisoned.

Links

Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs, 1503-1681 https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/

Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 69—Poetry of the English Martyrs, w/ Benedict Whalen: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

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"Anyone who will calmly consider what he has done without God, cannot fail to realize that what he does with God is no merit of his own; and so we may rejoice in that which is good in us, and take pleasure in the fact, but we shall give all the glory to God alone, who alone is its author."

Part 3

Chapter 1 - How to Select That Which We Should Chiefly Practice (00:00:38)

Chapter 2 - The Same Subject Continued (00:09:33)

Chapter 3 - Patience (00:16:32)

Chapter 4 - Greater Humility (00:25:45)

Chapter 5 - Interior Humility (00:31:39)

Chapter 6 - Humility Makes Us Rejoice in Our Own Abjection (00:41:25)

Chapter 7 - How to Combine Due Care for a Good Reputation with Humility (00:48:09)

Chapter 8 - Gentleness Towards Others and Remedies Against Anger (00:55:38)

Chapter 9 - Gentleness Towards Ourselves (01:04:03)

Chapter 10 - We Must Attend to the Business of Life Carefully, but Without Eagerness or Over-Anxiety (01:08:33)

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format.

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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In this livestream, James Majewski and Thomas Mirus we discussed errors artists can fall into in pushing back against a moralistic approach to art found within the Church. Rather than reacting away from rigidity to excessive openness, the mature Catholic artist has to get over himself and be a servant.

Also discussed: The relation between order and surprise in beauty, morality and culture.

Note: the video begins abruptly in the middle of our introductory fundraising campaign pitch - because of some glitched-out audio, we cut the first 6 minutes or so.

We're a week into CatholicCulture.org's May fundraising campaign. Generous donors have offered a $50,000 matching grant, so any donation you make by May 24 will double in value! You can donate on our website or PayPal (tax-deductible).

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We thought Catholic Culture Audiobooks listeners might be interested in this discussion with Mike Aquilina, host of Way of the Fathers, also on the Catholic Culture Podcast Network.

For those who missed the YouTube livestream Q&A with Mike Aquilina on May 8th, 2023, here is the audio. It was a lively conversation where Mike fielded viewer questions about important cities of the early Church, early evidence for papal primacy, the role of charity in the early Church, Origen, the providential role of easy travel for the spread of the Gospel in the first centuries, and more.

We're a week into CatholicCulture.org's May fundraising campaign. Generous donors have offered a $50,000 matching grant, so any donation you make by May 24 will double in value! You can donate on our website or PayPal (tax-deductible). Donation links below:

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We’ll be doing more YouTube livestreams where viewers will be able to interact, ask questions and prompt discussion via the live chat box. Upcoming livestreams:

5/15, 8pm ET—Thomas Mirus & James Majewski (hosts,Catholic Culture Podcast, Catholic Culture Audiobooks, Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast)

5/22, 8pm ET—Phil Lawler & Jeff Mirus (CatholicCulture.org writers)

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We'll be doing YouTube livestreams on the next 3 Monday evenings, as part of CatholicCulture.org's May fundraising campaign. In these freewheeling conversations, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and prompt discussion in the live chat box!

5/8, 8pm ET - Mike Aquilina (host, Way of the Fathers podcast)

5/15, 8pm ET - Thomas Mirus & James Majewski (hosts,Catholic Culture Podcast, Catholic Culture Audiobooks, Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast)

5/22, 8pm ET - Phil Lawler & Jeff Mirus (CatholicCulture.org writers)

You can use this link to connect to the Mike Aquilina livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNXvhOJuLZ8

The links to the other two livestreams will go up on the Catholic Culture YouTube channel a few days before each one.

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We'll be doing YouTube livestreams on the next 3 Monday evenings, as part of CatholicCulture.org's May fundraising campaign. In these freewheeling conversations, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and prompt discussion in the live chat box!

5/8, 8pm ET - Mike Aquilina (host, Way of the Fathers podcast)

5/15, 8pm ET - Thomas Mirus & James Majewski (hosts,Catholic Culture Podcast, Catholic Culture Audiobooks, Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast)

5/22, 8pm ET - Phil Lawler & Jeff Mirus (CatholicCulture.org writers)

You can use this link to connect to the Mike Aquilina livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNXvhOJuLZ8

The links to the other two livestreams will go up on the Catholic Culture YouTube channel a few days before each one.

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"It is not enough to be Christians in name. It behooves us to be such in fact. [...] So let us become His disciples. Let us learn to live the life that Christianity calls for. No one with any other name than this can belong to God."

St. Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch. The only extant writings by St. Ignatius are the seven letters he wrote as a prisoner on his way to Rome to face martyrdom. In this letter,Ignatius encourages the Magnesian Christians to maintain their unity and avoid false teachings, exhorting them to obedience to their bishop and warning against those who deny the reality of Christ's human nature or who would Judaize the faith.

With this episode, Catholic Culture Audiobooks has now released the complete letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the chief figures among the Apostolic Fathers.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120401/the-apostolic-fathers

Letter to the Magnesians alternate translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1629

Other readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 4—Ignatius of Antioch: To Know “Jesus Christ Our God” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/

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A vernacular version of the earliest surviving Easter vigil homily by a second-century bishop about whom little is known.

Full text: https://www.kerux.com/doc/0401A1.asp

Alternate translation: https://sachurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/On-Pascha-Melito-of-Sardis.pdf

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"People are shown to be not particularly spiritual at other times if they do not prove themselves to be more spiritual in these days."

St. Leo the Great's pontificate was described by Pope Benedict XVI as “undoubtedly one of the most important in Church history”. His 96 extant sermons, given during the period 440-461, reveal his great desire for the unity of the Church and his strong belief in the primacy of the papacy.

These three Lenten sermons were given in the years 441, 442, and 443 respectively. In them, Leo exhorts the faithful to use Lent as a time to fight against the temptations of the flesh and overcome the self, that they might participate fully in the Easter feast.

Links

St. Leo the Great Sermons: https://verbum.com/product/120449/st-leo-the-great-sermons

Alternate Translations at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2215 and https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2217

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"I don't know which is the cause of the greatest grief for me: whether those who were slain, or those who were captured, or those whom the devil so deeply ensnared."

St. Patrick's Letter to Coroticus is one of two extant works from the fifth century bishop who would come to be known as the “Apostle of Ireland.”

Written several years into St. Patrick's missionary work in Ireland, this letter offers a stern rebuke to a British warlord named Coroticus and his soldiers, the latter of whom had killed and enslaved several of Patrick's recent Irish converts. Reading at times like a Pauline epistle, the letter reveals Patrick's deep love for his Irish flock, his courage in confronting the evils of his day, and his profound zeal for the Gospel.

St. Patrick, pray for us!

Links

Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus Full Text: https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/epistola_english#

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 51—St. Patrick | Paternal & Patristic: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/51st-patrick-paternal-and-patristic/

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"God is the Lord, of angels, and of men—and of elves."

In this 1939 essay, J.R.R. Tolkien expounds upon his personal theory of fantasy. Considered by many to be his most influential scholarly work, the essay is remarkable both as an analysis of a literary form by one of its most important pioneers and as a key to understanding Tolkien's own legendarium.

Links

On Fairy-Stories full text: https://archive.org/details/on-fairy-stories_202110

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"The artist puts before him beauty of feature and form; the poet, beauty of mind; the preacher, the beauty of grace: then intellect too, I repeat, has its beauty, and it has those who aim at it."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

What is the point of a liberal education? What is the use of philosophy? What good is knowledge in general? These questions and others like them are the consideration of Newman's fifth discourse on university studies, in which he answers that the study of philosophy and acquisition of knowledge is a sufficient end and good in itself.

Links

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

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"Therefore, my child, communicate frequently, as often as you can, subject to the advice of your spiritual Father... and by reason of adoring and feeding upon beauty, goodness, and purity itself in this most divine Sacrament you too will become lovely, holy, pure."

St. Francis de Sales continues his instruction in the devout life with these eminently practical chapters on how the saints are united to us, how to hear and read God's Word, how to receive inspirations, how to go to confession, and how to receive Communion. On this last subject, St. Francis observes: “one rarely does that well which one seldom does.”

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"The courage to engage the whole breadth of reason, and not the denial of its grandeur—this is the programme with which a theology grounded in Biblical faith enters into the debates of our time."

Pope Benedict XVI delivered this address to scientists at the University of Regensburg on September 12, 2006, where he was a professor and vice rector from 1969 to 1971.

The Pope praised the university's traditional openness to approaching God through the use of reason. He went on to contrast this approach with the Muslim teaching that God transcends man so completely that "His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality." According to this perspective, man can never seek to understand God, Who is free to act in whatever way He chooses, for good or for evil, and is never bound to reveal the truth to man.

Pope Benedict explained how in this context, the Western synthesis between faith and reason is all the more important: "The truly divine God is the God who has revealed himself as logos...and has acted and continues to act lovingly on our behalf...Consequently, Christian worship is...worship in harmony with the eternal Word and with our reason." This convergence of faith and reason "created Europe and remains the foundation of what can rightly be called Europe."

Links:

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7155

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"Now, in the practice of this spiritual retreat and of these brief prayers the great work of devotion lies: it can supply all other deficiencies, but there is hardly any means of making up where this is lacking."

In this installment, St. Francis De Sales delves further into his discussion of prayer, focusing his chapters on such subjects as Morning & Evening Prayer, how to receive Holy Communion, and on praying the other public offices of the Church. De Sales stresses the importance of daily placing oneself in the presence of God, which he describes as "one of the surest means of spiritual progress."

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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“We are now entering on a fresh stage of our life's journey; we know well how it will end, and we see where we shall stop in the evening, though we do not see the road.”

Ring in the New Year with this New Year’s Day sermon by St. John Henry Newman, first released on this podcast in January 2020.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume7/sermon1.html

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Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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Originally delivered at the Pro Civitate Dei summer school in La Londe-les-Maures, France on June 12, 2022, The Politics of Hell is an in-depth examination of St. Thomas Aquinas' doctrine concerning the social order among angels and demons—and a commentary on the human governmental arrangements to which each most closely corresponds.

Links:

The Politics of Hell full text at The Josias: https://thejosias.com/2022/06/16/the-politics-of-hell/

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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But bright Cecilia rais'd the wonder high'r; When to her organ, vocal breath was giv'n, An angel heard, and straight appear'd Mistaking earth for Heav'n.

"A Song for St. Cecilia's Day" full text: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44185/a-song-for-st-cecilias-day-1687

"Alexander's Feast; or, the Power of Music" full text: https://poets.org/poem/alexanders-feast-or-power-music

Happy feast of St. Cecilia!

More links:

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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“Matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed...”

Casti Connubii, or “of chaste wedlock”, was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI on December 21, 1930, in response to the approval by the Anglican Communion’s seventh Lambeth Conference of birth control for married couples.

Over 90 years later, this encyclical has lost none of its relevance. In it, Pope Pius delivers a sweeping defense against the many threats to marriage that are still prevalent today. Priests and catechists involved in marriage preparation, take note!

Pope Pius first discusses the nature and the dignity of Christian marriage, as well as its many benefits to family and to society. He then addresses the many errors and vices opposed to marriage before finally describing the principal remedies to the problems afflicting marriage in the present day.

Pope Pius XI’s encyclical on marriage contains many truths forgotten even among faithful Catholics. Originally released on this podcast in three parts, Casti Connubii is now available to be listened to in a single continuous episode.

Links:

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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“Matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed...”

Casti Connubii, or “of chaste wedlock”, was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI on December 21, 1930, in response to the approval by the Anglican Communion’s seventh Lambeth Conference of birth control for married couples.

Over 90 years later, this encyclical has lost none of its relevance. In it, Pope Pius delivers a sweeping defense against the many threats to marriage that are still prevalent today. Priests and catechists involved in marriage preparation, take note!

Pope Pius first discusses the nature and the dignity of Christian marriage, as well as its many benefits to family and to society. He then addresses the many errors and vices opposed to marriage before finally describing the principal remedies to the problems afflicting marriage in the present day.

Pope Pius XI’s encyclical on marriage contains many truths forgotten even among faithful Catholics. Originally released on this podcast in three parts, Casti Connubii is now available to be listened to in a single continuous episode.

Links:

DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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"If you drop any science out of the circle of knowledge, you cannot keep its place vacant for it; that science is forgotten; the other sciences close up, or, in other words, they exceed their proper bounds, and intrude where they have no right... no science whatever, however comprehensive it may be, but will fall largely into error, if it be constituted the sole exponent of all things in heaven and earth, and that, for the simple reason that it is encroaching on territory not its own, and undertaking problems which it has no instruments to solve."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this third discourse, Newman examines the unavoidable consequence that Theology, if abandoned, will soon have its place usurped by one or more of the other sciences, with dire consequences both to Theology and the other sciences themselves.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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"Blest powers forbid thy tender life Should bleed upon a barbarous knife; Or some base hand have power to rase Thy breast’s chaste cabinet, and uncase A soul kept there so sweet; oh no, Wise Heav’n will never have it so; Thou art Love’s victim, and must die A death more mystical and high; Into Love’s arms thou shalt let fall A still-surviving funeral." Richard Crashaw was a 17th-century English poet and Anglican priest who later in life converted to Catholicism. He taught at Cambridge and served as curate of the Church of St. Mary the Less, where he became known for his High Church Anglicanism. Puritan detractors cited him for his "Mariolatry", or excessive devotion to the Virgin Mary, and also found fault with his adornment of the church with Christian art and his use of Catholic vestments.

Under Oliver Cromwell, Crashaw was expelled from his parish and forced to flee the country. It was during this exile that Crashaw converted to Catholicism, eventually ending up in Rome under the employment of a Catholic cardinal. This same cardinal would appoint him to be canon of the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto, where Crashaw died a few short months later.

Crashaw is known for his religious poetry with distinct mystical themes. He was inspired by the works of St. Teresa of Avila, despite the fact that in England she had yet to be translated and was largely unknown. Crashaw wrote three poems about St. Teresa, of which "A Hymn to the Name and Honour of Saint Teresa" is the first. In it, Crashaw traces a development from the child Teresa's desire for physical martyrdom to the adult Teresa's mystical conquest of the inner self.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

Links

"A Hymn to the Name and Honour of the Admirable Saint Teresa" full text: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44057/a-hymn-to-the-name-and-honour-of-the-admirable-saint-teresa

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio to support this podcast!

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"Blest powers forbid thy tender life Should bleed upon a barbarous knife; Or some base hand have power to rase Thy breast’s chaste cabinet, and uncase A soul kept there so sweet; oh no, Wise Heav’n will never have it so; Thou art Love’s victim, and must die A death more mystical and high; Into Love’s arms thou shalt let fall A still-surviving funeral." Richard Crashaw was a 17th-century English poet and Anglican priest who later in life converted to Catholicism. He taught at Cambridge and served as curate of the Church of St. Mary the Less, where he became known for his High Church Anglicanism. Puritan detractors cited him for his "Mariolatry", or excessive devotion to the Virgin Mary, and also found fault with his adornment of the church with Christian art and his use of Catholic vestments.

Under Oliver Cromwell, Crashaw was expelled from his parish and forced to flee the country. It was during this exile that Crashaw converted to Catholicism, eventually ending up in Rome under the employment of a Catholic cardinal. This same cardinal would appoint him to be canon of the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto, where Crashaw died a few short months later.

Crashaw is known for his religious poetry with distinct mystical themes. He was inspired by the works of St. Teresa of Avila, despite the fact that in England she had yet to be translated and was largely unknown. Crashaw wrote three poems about St. Teresa, of which "A Hymn to the Name and Honour of Saint Teresa" is the first. In it, Crashaw traces a development from the child Teresa's desire for physical martyrdom to the adult Teresa's mystical conquest of the inner self.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

Links

"A Hymn to the Name and Honour of the Admirable Saint Teresa" full text: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44057/a-hymn-to-the-name-and-honour-of-the-admirable-saint-teresa

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio to support this podcast!

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"In a word, Religious Truth is not only a portion, but a condition of general knowledge. To blot it out is nothing short, if I may so speak, of unravelling the web of University Teaching."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this third discourse, Newman examines the central importance of Theology—the Science of God—within the broader curriculum of liberal education, and its impact and influence upon every other science taught within a university.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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"In a word, Religious Truth is not only a portion, but a condition of general knowledge. To blot it out is nothing short, if I may so speak, of unravelling the web of University Teaching."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this third discourse, Newman examines the central importance of Theology—the Science of God—within the broader curriculum of liberal education, and its impact and influence upon every other science taught within a university.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

"In a word, Religious Truth is not only a portion, but a condition of general knowledge. To blot it out is nothing short, if I may so speak, of unravelling the web of University Teaching."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this third discourse, Newman examines the central importance of Theology—the Science of God—within the broader curriculum of liberal education, and its impact and influence upon every other science taught within a university.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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" Religious doctrine is knowledge, in as full a sense as Newton's doctrine is knowledge. University Teaching without Theology is simply unphilosophical."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this second discourse, Newman argues that religious doctrine is genuine knowledge, and that a university which does not provide for theological instruction is omitting a most necessary science.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

" Religious doctrine is knowledge, in as full a sense as Newton's doctrine is knowledge. University Teaching without Theology is simply unphilosophical."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this second discourse, Newman argues that religious doctrine is genuine knowledge, and that a university which does not provide for theological instruction is omitting a most necessary science.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

" Religious doctrine is knowledge, in as full a sense as Newton's doctrine is knowledge. University Teaching without Theology is simply unphilosophical."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In this second discourse, Newman argues that religious doctrine is genuine knowledge, and that a university which does not provide for theological instruction is omitting a most necessary science.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

"The views to which I have referred have grown into my whole system of thought, and are, as it were, part of myself. Many changes has my mind gone through: here it has known no variation or vacillation of opinion..."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

We continue our reading series with Newman's first discourse, in which he introduces some foundational considerations before beginning in earnest his detailed explication of the philosophy of education.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

"The views to which I have referred have grown into my whole system of thought, and are, as it were, part of myself. Many changes has my mind gone through: here it has known no variation or vacillation of opinion..."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

We continue our reading series with Newman's first discourse, in which he introduces some foundational considerations before beginning in earnest his detailed explication of the philosophy of education.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

"The views to which I have referred have grown into my whole system of thought, and are, as it were, part of myself. Many changes has my mind gone through: here it has known no variation or vacillation of opinion..."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

We continue our reading series with Newman's first discourse, in which he introduces some foundational considerations before beginning in earnest his detailed explication of the philosophy of education.

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

Translations from the Cluny Media edition: https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

View Details

"The view taken of a University in these Discourses is the following: That it is a place of teaching universal knowledge."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In The Idea of a University, St. John Henry Newman champions a “discipline of mind” that enables its possessor to distinguish essence from accident, means from end, and good from evil. These habits are now all too rare. The reader of The Idea of a University will delight in the melody of Newman’s prose, the sharpness of his insights, and the force of his arguments, but will also rejoice to find something incomparably more valuable, a vast vista of an orderly life of learning with a glimpse of the mind’s last end—God.

—description from the Cluny Media edition [https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university]

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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"The view taken of a University in these Discourses is the following: That it is a place of teaching universal knowledge."

In 1854, Newman was invited to Dublin by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to serve as rector for the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College, Dublin. Though he retired after only four years, during this time he composed and delivered the lectures that would become The Idea of a University.

In The Idea of a University, St. John Henry Newman champions a “discipline of mind” that enables its possessor to distinguish essence from accident, means from end, and good from evil. These habits are now all too rare. The reader of The Idea of a University will delight in the melody of Newman’s prose, the sharpness of his insights, and the force of his arguments, but will also rejoice to find something incomparably more valuable, a vast vista of an orderly life of learning with a glimpse of the mind’s last end—God.

—description from the Cluny Media edition [https://clunymedia.com/collections/john-henry-newman/products/the-idea-of-a-university]

Part 1 of this work, "University Teaching", will be released in episodic format over the coming weeks. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

The Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture reading project on The Idea of a University: https://www.newmansthoughts.com/

The Idea of a University full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/

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"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives."

On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973, restoring the authority of individual states to regulate abortion.

The landmark ruling came on a 6-3 vote, with Justice Samuel Alito writing for the majority. Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett joined in the opinion, with Chief Justice Roberts adding a concurring opinion. Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan filed a vigorous dissent.

The Court’s decision did not outlaw abortion, but instead allows for individual states to make their own laws regarding the practice. The majority opinion is read here in its entirety.

Note: the opinion features a great number of quotations and case citations. For the sake of aural comprehension, not every quotation has been identified as such nor every citation named.

Links

Full text: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf

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"There is no disposition so good but it may be made bad by reason of vicious habits, and neither is there any natural disposition so perverse but that it may be conquered and overcome by God's grace primarily, and then by our earnest endeavor."

St. Francis de Sales ends this first part of the Introduction with instructions on making a general confession along with a firm resolution at amendment. He concludes with an exhortation that the devout soul be resolved to purge away all tendency to venial sins, all inclination to useless distractions, and all imperfections whatsoever. In Part 2, he will lay out the means for doing so.

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format over the course of the next several months. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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How to keep–is there ány any, is there none such, nowhere

known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, láce, latch

or catch or key to keep

Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, . . . from vanishing

away?

Gerard Manley Hopkins was an English poet and Jesuit priest born on July 28, 1844 (tomorrow would have been his 178th birthday!). A convert from Anglicanism, Hopkins was received into the Church in 1866 by none other than St. John Henry Newman. Because of his commitment to his religious and priestly vocation, Hopkins resolved never to publish his poems during his life. After his death, however, friends and acquaintances published his surviving work, and Hopkins was quickly recognized as one of the most innovative poets of his century.

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo"—originally intended as part of a larger, never finished poem about the martyrdom of St. Winifred—was completed in 1882, seven years before Hopkins' untimely death of typhoid fever in 1889, at the age of 44. Hopkins considered it to be the most musical of his poems, and among the most dramatic.

Though he struggled with depression throughout his life, Hopkins' last words at his death were, "I am so happy, I am so happy. I loved my life." The mythic Philosopher's Stone was believed to be capable of turning lead into gold. In "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo", a similar transmutation occurs—the kind of transformation which God's grace alone is capable of accomplishing.

Let’s pray for the soul of Gerard Manley Hopkins on this anniversary of his birth!

Links

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo" full text: https://hopkinspoetry.com/poem/the-leaden-echo-and-the-golden-echo/

Notable readings of the poem by Sir Alec Guinness and by Richard Burton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPnd5zyzI0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhQwFf6Qb9U

Short film and reading of the poem by Margaret Tait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L080KSBxemg

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How to keep–is there ány any, is there none such, nowhere

known some, bow or brooch or braid or brace, láce, latch

or catch or key to keep

Back beauty, keep it, beauty, beauty, beauty, . . . from vanishing

away?

Gerard Manley Hopkins was an English poet and Jesuit priest born on July 28, 1844 (tomorrow would have been his 178th birthday!). A convert from Anglicanism, Hopkins was received into the Church in 1866 by none other than St. John Henry Newman. Because of his commitment to his religious and priestly vocation, Hopkins resolved never to publish his poems during his life. After his death, however, friends and acquaintances published his surviving work, and Hopkins was quickly recognized as one of the most innovative poets of his century.

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo"—originally intended as part of a larger, never finished poem about the martyrdom of St. Winifred—was completed in 1882, seven years before Hopkins' untimely death of typhoid fever in 1889, at the age of 44. Hopkins considered it to be the most musical of his poems, and among the most dramatic.

Though he struggled with depression throughout his life, Hopkins' last words at his death were, "I am so happy, I am so happy. I loved my life." The mythic Philosopher's Stone was believed to be capable of turning lead into gold. In "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo", a similar transmutation occurs—the kind of transformation which God's grace alone is capable of accomplishing.

Let’s pray for the soul of Gerard Manley Hopkins on this anniversary of his birth!

Links

"The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo" full text: https://hopkinspoetry.com/poem/the-leaden-echo-and-the-golden-echo/

Notable readings of the poem by Sir Alec Guinness and by Richard Burton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyPnd5zyzI0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhQwFf6Qb9U

Short film and reading of the poem by Margaret Tait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L080KSBxemg

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"Now, in order to attain this fear and this contrition, you must use the following meditations carefully; for if you practice them steadfastly, they (by God's grace) will root out both sin and its affections from your heart. It is to that end that I have prepared them: use them one after another, in the order in which they come, only taking one each day, and using that as early as possible, for the morning is the best time for all spiritual exercises—and then you will ponder and meditate on it through the day. If you have not as yet been taught how to meditate, you will find instructions to that purpose in the Second Part."

This episode contains the ten meditations included by St. Francis de Sales in the First Part of his Introduction to the Devout Life. The below timestamps are provided to facilitate listening to the meditations one at a time:

First Meditation, On Creation — 0 min 40 sec

Second Meditation, On the End for Which We Were Created — 7 min 10 sec

Third Meditation, On the Gifts of God — 13 min 10 sec

Forth Meditation, On Sin — 19 min 04 sec

Fifth Meditation, On Death — 25 min 23 sec

Sixth Meditation, On Judgment — 32 min 44 sec

Seventh Meditation, On Hell — 38 min 43 sec

Eighth Meditation, On Paradise — 42 min 46 sec

Ninth Meditation, On the Choice Open to You Between Heaven and Hell — 47 min 49 sec

Tenth Meditation, On How the Soul Chooses the Devout Life — 53 min 10 sec

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format over the course of the next several months. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"I advise you not to be too deeply disturbed by these scandals, because their coming was foretold so that, when they came, we might remember that they had been foretold and might not be greatly troubled by them."

”Augustine’s correspondence, the mark and expression of the influential personality and apostolic zeal of the author, is rich in historical, philosophical, theological, exegetical, spiritual, literary, and autobiographical content” (Agostino Trapè). In this letter (Letter 208), he exhorts a Christian woman not to be scandalized by the faults of Christians and their pastors, and to remain within the unity of the Church despite the sins of its members.

The extant correspondence of St. Augustine includes more than 270 letters, including well over 200 written by him. Those numbered 124-231 span the period from the conference between Catholic and Donatist bishops held in 411, and the rise of the Pelagian heresy, until Augustine’s death in 430.

Links

Letter to the Lady Felicia (Letter 208) full text: https://verbum.com/product/120439/saint-augustine-letters-vol-v

Alternate translation freely available at Catholic Culture: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3133##

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"It may be, my child, that you do not know how to practice mental prayer, for unfortunately it is a thing much neglected nowadays. I will therefore give you a short and easy method for using it..."

We continue our reading series of St. Frances de Sales' spiritual masterpiece by jumping ahead a few chapters to Part 2, in which the Doctor of the Church breaks down each part of his method for meditation. The fuller explanation on mental prayer given within these chapters will help us when we proceed with the ten distinct meditations provided in Part 1, which will be the subject of the next installment.

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format over the course of the next several months. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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"The Lord’s memorial is the central mystery of our Christian life. It has taken the form of a meal at which He offers Himself as the food. We were taught this in the Communion instruction of our childhood; we hear it repeated again and again in sermons and retreats; we read it in religious books. Yet are we really aware of the stupendousness of the thought?"

Romano Guardini (1885-1968) was a German priest and academic, regarded to be one of the most important Catholic intellectual figures of the 20th century. He authored numerous books and was a major influence on such Catholic thinkers as Josef Pieper, Luigi Giussani and Joseph Ratzinger, among others. He declined a cardinalship offered by Pope Paul VI in 1965, and his cause for canonization was opened in December 2017 by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

Guardini was particularly influential in the area of liturgy. The work from which this reflection comes, Meditations Before Mass, originated as a series of discourses offered in preparation for the celebration of Mass. "Their purpose," Guardini writes, "was simply to reveal what the Mass demands of us and how those demands may be properly met." This particular meditation can serve as a helpful preparation for the coming Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

Links

Christ's Offering of Self full text: https://guardini.wordpress.com/meditations-before-mass/

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"Be sure that wherever our lot is cast we may and must aim at the perfect life."

Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results.

Themes include:

Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly
Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy
schedule
Growing in virtue
Battling wisely against temptation
Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises

Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you’ll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord.

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

—description from the publisher

This work will be released in its entirety in episodic format over the course of the next several months. Be sure to subscribe so as not to miss an installment!

Links

Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales

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In this episode from the archive, a selection of three of Newman’s poems is read, all of which were composed within a few days of one another and all reflecting on the efficacy of prayer.

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Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/index.html

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"If you hate your own corruption in sincerity and truth, if you are really pierced to the heart that you do not do what you know you should do, if you would love God if you could, then the Gospel speaks to you words of peace and hope. It is a very different thing indolently to say, 'I would I were a different man,' and to close with God's offer to make you different, when it is put before you. Here is the test between earnestness and insincerity."

This sermon is taken from a collection of sermons given by Newman between 1825 and 1843, before his conversion to Catholicism. In it, he reflects on Christ's counsel to his Apostles, "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." (John 13:17)

Links

Knowledge of God's Will without Obedience full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/sermon3.html

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“Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism—community of goods—must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal.”

Rerum Novarum—literally meaning “Of New Things,” but more accurately translated, “Of Revolutionary Change,”—was Pope Leo XIII’s response to the political upheaval of the 19th century. Issued on May 15, 1891, Rerum Novarum set forth a definitive word on these “new things”, and laid the groundwork for much of the development of the Church’s social thought through the 20th century. Today, Rerum Novarum is considered a foundational text of Catholic social teaching.

Covering everything from property rights to trade unions, to questions of wages and the relationship of man to the State, Rerum Novarum is a sweeping document that is at once comprehensive and accessible. There’s no need to be a political philosopher or economist here. Leo XIII develops his arguments in a methodical and straightforward way, and states plainly that human society can be healed in no other way than in a return to Christian life and Christian institutions.

Originally released on this podcast in two parts, Rerum Novarum is now available to be listened to in a single continuous episode.

Links

Full Text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4904

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"Be solicitous only to pour out tears abundantly, and leave to God the care of drying them up."

On the Sanctity and Duties of the Monastic State by the Abbé Armand-Jean de Rancé was originally published in Paris in 1683.
Although Abbé de Rancé, the founder of the Trappists, originally wrote for his monks, many laity of 17th c. France enthusiastically adopted much of his spirituality, and to wonderful effect. With asceticism re-appearing now as a corrective to our self-indulgence and softness, his incisive book is a badly needed, bracing corrective for the Christians of our time. -- from the description of Back to Asceticism: the Trappist Option, trans. Lee Gilbert.

Links

Back to Asceticism: The Trappist Option -- https://www.amazon.com/Back-Asceticism-Translation-Introduction-MONASTIQUE/dp/057855366X

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"In the second coming when He will come for rendering repayment, He will not come in humility and poverty, but in such majesty and power that the whole world will tremble."

St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) was born in Valencia, Spain, and died in Vannes, Britany. He was a great scholar and theologian, and even served as an advisor to Benedict XIII, the Avignon anti-pope. St. Vincent was also a great preacher, traveling throughout Europe as a parish mission preacher. The favorite topic of his sermons was the final judgment, and he is often called the "Angel of the Judgment."

This sermon demonstrates St. Vincent’s ability, in typically Dominican style, to render a close analysis of scripture into an accessible sermon capable of drawing out both the literal and moral significance of the sacred text.

Happy feast of St. Vincent Ferrer!

Links

Sermon on the Last Judgment full text: https://www.svfsermons.org/A398_On%20the%20Last%20Judgment,%20Sheep%20and%20Goats.htm

More St. Vincent Ferrer sermons trans. by Fr. Albert G. Judy, OP: http://www.svfsermons.org

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"For, truly, she is raised above the condition of sinful beings, though by nature a sinner; she is brought near to God, yet is but a creature, and seems to lack her fitting place in our limited understandings, neither too high nor too low. We cannot combine, in our thought of her, all we should ascribe with all we should withhold."

The Reverence Due to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a sermon first given by Newman for the Feast of the Annunciation, before his conversion to Catholicism. In it he considers in what respects the Virgin Mary is "Blessed".

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord!

Links

The Reverence Due to the Virgin Mary full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon12.html

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"You can judge and believe in all truth that it was a gift of God.
This is my confession before I die."

St. Patrick was a fifth century bishop who came to be known as the “Apostle of Ireland.”

A confession is thought of today primarily as an acknowledgment of guilt. It can also refer to the praise of God’s greatness or a profession of faith.

In this Confession, St. Patrick recounts and gives thanks for the many blessings of God which Patrick had experienced throughout his life, despite his failings and limitations.

St. Patrick, pray for us!

Links

St. Patrick's Confession Full Text: https://dialogueireland.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/confessio-letter-single-page-17th-mar-03.pdf

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 51—St. Patrick | Paternal & Patristic: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/51st-patrick-paternal-and-patristic/

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“So long as we are sheep, we conquer: though ten thousand wolves prowl around, we overcome and prevail. But if we become wolves, we are worsted, for the help of our Shepherd departs from us: for He feeds not wolves, but sheep.”

In addition to being a towering figure among the Early Church Fathers, St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 AD) is also one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever produced—a truth attested to by the fact that most of Chrysostom’s extant writings are sermons.

This is the thirty-third of the nearly one hundred exegetical homilies by Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew, in which Chrysostom emphasizes Christ’s command that his followers be as “sheep in the midst of wolves... wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Links

Homily 33 on the Gospel According to St. Matthew Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2009

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 41—Chrysostom (Part 1) | Golden Mouth & Golden Mysteries: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-1-golden-mouth-golden-mysteries/

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 42—Chrysostom (Part 2) | Triumph, Tragedy & Glory: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-2-triumph-tragedy-glory/

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"If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent
If the unheard, unspoken
Word is unspoken, unheard;
Still is the unspoken word, the Word unheard,
The Word without a word, the Word within
The world and for the world;
And the light shone in darkness and
Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
About the center of the silent Word."

Written in 1930, Ash Wednesday is a six-part "conversion poem" written by Eliot after his own conversion to Anglicanism. With references ranging from Dante to Shakespeare to the Bible, Ash Wednesday is a moving poem of theological and philosophical depth that speaks to both the struggles and the consolations of spiritual growth.

Links

Ash Wednesday full text: https://www.best-poems.net/t_s_eliot/ash_wednesday.html

T.S. Eliot's own reading of the poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUlzDTGd44

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"Holy Church is both one in all its members and complete in each of them."

Have you ever wondered why the congregation responds to the priest's greeting, "The Lord be with you," with the response, "And with your spirit," rather than "and also with you"? Have you ever wondered why the Confiteor has us say, "and you, my brothers and sisters," even when we are alone?

Doctor of the Church St. Peter Damian (1007-1073) addresses this and other questions in a letter written 1000 years ago—an important work on prayer and ecclesiology, and powerful affirmation that the Church is present in her individual faithful.

Links

Translation courtesy of Holy Family Hermitage in Bloomingdale, Ohio, as found in their volume Camaldolese Spirituality: https://www.faithandfamily.pub/camaldolese-spirituality/

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“Holiness and prayer are simple. God's Mother taught me so."

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes! We celebrate the occasion with St. Bernadette's autobiographical account of the apparitions at Lourdes, narrated by Karina Majewski.

Full Text: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/short-life-of-bernadette-5238

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“Hypocrites seduce souls in order to have followers and honors."

Happy Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. We celebrate the occasion with the Angelic Doctor's very own sermon on how to detect false prophets. Beware!

Article on Aquinas’ preaching style: “What Lessons Do Thomas Aquinas’ Sermons Hold For Modern Preachers?” https://www.hprweb.com/2017/06/what-lessons-do-thomas-aquinass-sermons-hold-for-modern-preachers/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-academic-sermons-aquinas-hoogland/

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“When you are obedient to the bishop as you would be to Jesus Christ, you are living, not in a human way, but according to Jesus Christ…”

St. Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch. The only extant writings by St. Ignatius are the seven letters he wrote as a prisoner on his way to Rome to face martyrdom. The two short letters featured in today's episode both address the question of obedience to the bishop.

St. Ignatius’ Letter to the Romans was the very first patristic work featured on this podcast. After today’s episode, only one letter remains: the Letter to the Magnesians. Look out for that, when we will have released the complete letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the chief figures among the Apostolic Fathers.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120401/the-apostolic-fathers

Letter to the Trallians alternate translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1630

Letter to the Philadelphians alternate translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1632

Other readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 4—Ignatius of Antioch: To Know “Jesus Christ Our God” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/

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"The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion."

As many know, J.R.R. Tolkien—the English writer, poet, philologist and academic best known for being the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—was Catholic. After the untimely deaths of both his parents, Tolkien was raised under the guardianship of a priest. Later in life, Tolkien’s friendship with C.S. Lewis would be instrumental in Lewis’ conversion from atheism to Christianity.

The collection of The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien was originally published in 1981 by his son, Christopher, and biographer, Humphrey Carpenter. It contains 354 letters written between 1914 and 1973, the year of J.R.R. Tolkien's death. This episode features part of a letter written by Tolkien to his second son, Michael, in 1963, when Tolkien was 71 years old.

It is a remarkable letter of fatherly encouragement, and one that reads as though it could have been written today.

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“When He began to cry / she got up and gave Him milk; / she embraced Him as she sang to Him, / swaying her knees until He became still.”

St. Ephrem—a Father and Doctor of the Church considered by many to be the greatest hymnographer the Church has ever seen—is perhaps best remembered for his hymns on Christmas and Epiphany. Listeners can be sure, then, that this reading of Ephrem's Marian hymn on the Nativity is a real Christmas treat. Merry Christmas!

Links

Ep. 28—Ephrem, Symbolist—Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/27ephrem-symbolist/

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"My Brethren, it is plain that, when we confess God as Omnipotent only, we have gained but a half-knowledge of Him: His is an Omnipotence which can at the same time swathe Itself in infirmity and can become the captive of Its own creatures... We must know Him by His names, Emmanuel and Jesus, to know Him perfectly."

Omnipotence in Bonds is one of the most celebrated sermons by St. John Henry Newman, first preached on the Sunday after Epiphany in 1857, the first year of the University Church, Dublin.

Newman meditates on the Incarnation, by which God makes Himself subject to His creatures — even before Christ's Nativity, and even after His Crucifixion. This is a powerful reflection both for Advent as well as for the Christmas season!

Links

Omnipotence in Bonds full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/occasions/sermon6.html

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“True, we should esteem the things that make for the glory of God, but we should show the greatest esteem for those that concern the will of God.”

To help with your Advent preparation this year, we’re re-releasing St. Alphonsus Liquori’s Uniformity with God’s Will. This time, you’ll be able to listen to this classic of Catholic spirituality in a single audiobook episode.

St. Alphonsus was an Italian bishop who lived from 1696-1787. He is the patron saint of confessors, and is perhaps one of the most widely read Catholic authors in the world (translations of his works exist in over seventy different languages). St. Alphonsus was a prolific writer who wrote over one hundred works on spirituality and theology.

This text was written in 1755, and represents a topic that was dear to St. Alphonsus’ heart. It is said that, in a similar way to how St. Ignatius stressed “all for the greater glory of God,” St. Alphonsus gave central importance to “the greater good pleasure of God.” After writing this work, St. Alphonsus frequently read it himself, and even had it read to him when his eyesight began to fail.

Uniformity with God's Will is a truly timeless work by a Doctor of the Church.

Links

Uniformity with God's Will Full text: http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/uniformity_with_Gods_will/un3.php

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This is the second sermon of seventeenth-century French theologian and bishop, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, to be featured on this podcast. Like the first, it takes St. Joseph for its subject.

Bossuet's love for the hidden life is at the center of his devotion to St. Joseph, and is the virtue of Joseph which he most focuses upon in this sermon. His reflections here are remarkably appropriate for Advent, meditating as he does on both Joseph's hidden life, as well as the hidden circumstances of Christ’s birth and life—and looking ahead to Christ's Second Coming, when St. Joseph’s hidden greatness will truly be known.

Meditations for Advent, Sophia Institute Press: https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/meditations-for-advent

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"Here then we have a sign of Antichrist's appearance—I do not say of his instant coming, or his certain coming… still, so far as it goes, it is a preparation, a warning, a call to sober thought..."

This episode is the fourth in Newman’s series of lectures on The Patristical Idea of Antichrist. In this final lecture, Newman focuses his attention on the persecution that is prophesied to attend the coming of Antichrist— a persecution which, the prophecies indicate, will be more terrible than any to have come before, and will only be cut short by Jesus’s Second Coming.

As with any meditation upon the apocalypse, the end of this meditation is our own conversion: to chasten our attachment to this world, to be awake so as not to be deceived or seduced away from following Christ, to accept persecution for His sake, and to prepare for the day when we will stand before Him.

Links

The Persecution of Antichrist Full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture4.html

Pt. 3, The City of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-3-city-antichrist/

Pt. 2, The Religion of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-2-religion-antichrist/

Pt. 1, The Times of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-1-times-antichrist/

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“As history testifies, the prosperity of the State and the temporal happiness of its citizens cannot remain safe and sound… where the very fountainhead from which the State draws its life, namely, wedlock and the family, is obstructed by the vices of its citizens.”

Pope Pius XI’s Casti Connubii contains truths about marriage forgotten even by many faithful Catholics. With this third installment, we finally conclude our reading of one of the greatest encyclicals ever written.

In the first episode, we heard Pius describe the nature of marriage, and of the wonderful law and will of God respecting it. In the second episode, we listened to Pius’ strong rebuke of the errors and impending dangers to marriage, already evident in 1930, when this encyclical was promulgated. In this third and final episode, Pope Pius will propose the suitable remedies with which to counteract the many attacks on marriage and the family.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

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“The family is more sacred than the State... men are begotten not for the earth and for time, but for Heaven and eternity.”

Last week we began a three-part reading of Casti Connubii, Pope Pius XI’s encyclical on Christian marriage promulgated in 1930.

In the first part, Pope Pius discussed the nature and the dignity of marriage, and described as well marriage’s many benefits to family and society. In this second part, he addresses the errors and vices opposed to marriage.

Whatever the error, Pius observes that the fundamental principle animating it is the false notion that marriage is invented by man and is therefore subject to his will.

Pius addresses in detail the errors opposed to each of the three main blessings of marriage, which he outlined in the beginning of the encyclical as offspring, conjugal faith, and the sacrament.

In the end, Pius affirms that marriage’s religious character arises not from any idea imposed by religion, but rather from its very nature. Marriage is sacred in its divine origin and its divine purpose, and has been raised by Christ to the level of a great sacrament of the Church.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

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“Matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed...”

Casti Connubii, or "of chaste wedlock", was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI on December 21, 1930, in response to the approval by the Anglican Communion's seventh Lambeth Conference of birth control for married couples.

Over 90 years later, this encyclical has lost none of its relevancy. In it, Pope Pius delivers a sweeping defense against the many threats to marriage that, sadly, are still prevalent today. Priests and catechists involved in marriage preparation, take note!

This reading of the encyclical in its entirety will be released in three episodes: the first part concerns the nature and the dignity of Christian marriage, as well as its many benefits to family and to society; the second part deals with the many errors and vices opposed to marriage; and finally, the third part covers the principal remedies to the problems afflicting marriage in the present day.

In this first episode, Pope Pius echoes and expounds upon St. Augustine's list of the three chief blessings of marriage: offspring, conjugal faith, and the sacrament.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

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“He has given to those who desire Him not only to see Him, but even to touch, and eat Him, and fix their teeth in His flesh, and to embrace Him, and satisfy all their love. Let us then return from that table like lions breathing fire, having become terrible to the devil.”

St. John Chrysostom was born sometime in the years 344 - 354 AD. He developed great fame as a preacher, to which his earned moniker of Chrysostom, or “golden mouthed”, attests.

Chrysostom's reputation eventually led to his reluctantly becoming the Bishop of Constantinople, the Christian capital of the time. There he set about a reform of the clergy and laity. Within a few years, Chrysostom’s political and ecclesiastical enemies were arranging for his exile. After being banished once and still being found too close for comfort, he was banished again. In 407 AD and en route to the destination of this second exile, Chrysostom died.

St. John Chrysostom's body of work represents the largest collection of extant writings from among the Greek Fathers of the Church, with most of his works surviving in their entirety. Among these are included some treatises, and many letters—but by and large his body of writings is comprised of sermons.

There are a total of 88 exegetical homilies by Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John. In this homily, Chrysostom breaks down John 6:41-52—a significant portion of what is known as Jesus’ “Bread of Life Discourse”. The result is not only an excellent verse-by-verse exegesis, but also a rousing sermon on the Eucharist, the Mystery of Faith.

Links

Homily 46 on the Gospel According to St. John Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2046

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 41—Chrysostom (Part 1) | Golden Mouth & Golden Mysteries: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-1-golden-mouth-golden-mysteries/

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 42—Chrysostom (Part 2) | Triumph, Tragedy & Glory: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-2-triumph-tragedy-glory/

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"What a wonderful rule of God's providence is herein displayed which occurs daily!—the Church sanctities, yet suffers with, the world—sharing its sufferings, yet lightening them."

In this third of four lectures on The Patristical Idea of Antichrist, Newman closely examines the role which the Roman Empire—and, perhaps, even the city of Rome itself—will play in the coming of Antichrist.

As with the first two lectures on the Times and Religion of Antichrist, what’s refreshing about Newman’s analysis in this lecture is the seriousness with which he takes the Old and New Testament prophecies about the Antichrist. Through a careful consideration of which aspects of prophecy have been fulfilled and which unfulfilled, Newman demonstrates how these prophecies do more than simply arouse our curiosity in a future event, but in fact edify us in the present.

This one episode can be listened to on its own. However, if you do wish to go back and listen to the previous episodes, remember that only the most recent 15 audiobook episodes are publicly available at any given time. To unlock full access to our complete audiobook archive, simply login to your Catholic Culture account, or register for free at catholicculture.org/getaudio

Links

The City of Antichrist Full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture3.html

Pt. 2, The Religion of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-2-religion-antichrist/

Pt. 1, The Times of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-1-times-antichrist/

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“Whoever, then, appears in his own opinion to have comprehended the Sacred Scriptures, or even some part of them, yet does not build up with that knowledge the two-fold love of God and his neighbor, has not yet known as he ought to know.”

Over one year ago, Catholic Culture Audiobooks began a seven-part reading series of St. Augustine’s great work On Christian Instruction, or De Doctrina Christiana. We’re very pleased now to be able to offer this work in its entirety, in one continuous episode.

De Doctrina Christiana is listed alongside the Confessions and City of God among Augustine’s contributions to the “Great Books of the Western World”. It is considered the most important early Latin treatise on scriptural interpretation, and a foundational work for the field of Biblical hermeneutics. It ranks among the most important works of classical rhetoric, alongside works by Cicero and Quintillian. Its fourth and final book was one of the very first works to be printed, only about a decade after the Gutenberg Bible.

De Doctrina Christiana is composed of four books. As Augustine describes, the first three books “help to an understanding of the Scriptures, while the fourth instructs us how to present the facts which we have comprehended.”

If you missed these readings at the time of their initial release—or even if you listened to some or all of them—we hope you’ll enjoy this release of the full audiobook in a single episode.

Links

Christian Instruction: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

De Doctrina Christiana Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

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“Therefore, dear son, the first thing I advise is that you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth.”

St. Louis IX became the King of France at the age of twelve. A kind husband, a father of eleven children, and at the same time a strict ascetic, Louis’ conduct as king was that of a real saint. St. Louis' letter of advice to his eldest son, the later Philip III, reflects not only his saintly piety, but also his high ideal of kingship, and illustrates how a saint might act on the throne of France.

Links

Letter of St. Louis IX to His Son Full Text: http://www.christendomrestoration.org/uploads/9/0/2/6/9026344/letter-of-st-louis-ix-to-his-son.pdf

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“We beg, O Augustus, we do not battle. We are not afraid, but we are begging. It befits Christians to hope for the tranquility of peace and not to check the steadfastness of faith and truth when faced with danger of death.”

Alongside Gregory the Great, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome, Ambrose of Milan has long been considered one of the four great Doctors of the Church. In particular, Ambrose is perhaps best known for having set the model for the Church’s relationship to the state. He’s famous for having said, “The emperor is within the Church, not above the Church.”

In this letter to his sister, St. Ambrose relates events at Milan connected with the demand of the Empress Justina for a basilica for the Arians, and how the people rose up in opposition. It includes sketches of two addresses he gave: the first, comparing their trials to those of Job; and the second, adapting the story of Jonah to the present circumstances, and relating the joy of the people at recovering their church.

Throughout the letter, Ambrose makes clear the limits of the emperor's authority: "You have been given authority over public edifices, not over sacred ones."

Links

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 33—Ambrose of Milan, How the Church Regards the State: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/33ambrose-milan-how-church-regards-state/

Letters, by St. Ambrose: https://verbum.com/product/120426/saint-ambrose-letters

Letter to His Sister full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2073

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“The expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun; it is of God; it cannot be withstood. So the faith was planted: So it must be restored.”

Edmund Campion was born on January 25, 1540, into an England awash with religious turmoil. Once expected to become an apologist for the Church of England, Campion would instead flee to France, where he was reconciled with the Church and accepted into the Society of Jesus.

After he was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1578, Campion was chosen by his superiors to lead a mission back to England. In 1580, shortly after arriving clandestinely in London, Campion quickly set about composing the statement that would later become known as "Campion's Brag". According to some scholars, it is the earliest defense of the faith to appear in English during the Reformation.

Campion was finally captured in 1581 and brought to the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned and tortured for four months. After a farce trial of bribed witnesses and false evidence, Campion was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. On December 1, 1581, Campion was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Links

Campion's Brag Full text: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/campions-brag-5297

Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 69—Poetry of the English Martyrs | Benedict Whalen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

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“Surely the world is impregnated with the elements of preternatural evil, which ever and anon, in unhealthy seasons, give lowering and muttering tokens of the wrath to come!”

This is the second in a series of four lectures by Newman on The Patristical Idea of Antichrist, the first lecture of which we released back in January. Whereas the first lecture considered "The Times of Antichrist", this second lecture addresses the question of whether the Antichrist will profess any particular religion at all.

On the one hand, Antichrist will not only reject Christ — he will oppose all religion, all worship, and all that is called God. On the other hand, the Antichrist will be mistaken for the Christ. He will impersonate the Messiah, and therefore will have some connection to Jewish custom, ritual, and the Temple. Further, he will usher in a novel form of false worship, and will do so even as he restores the old Roman Empire.

Newman recalls some remarkable features of the French Revolution to illustrate that "there are ways of fulfilling sacred announcements that seem at first sight contradictory.”

As with the first lecture, this present installment is an exhortation to take seriously the prophecies concerning the Antichrist, and to a renewed confidence in God’s providence through history.

Links

The Religion of Antichrist Full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture2.html

The Times of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-1-times-antichrist/

Way of the Fathers w/ Mike Aquilina, Ep. 32—Julian, the Apostate Who Aped the Church: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/32julian-apostate-who-aped-church/

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“One that lives by other's breath, / Dieth also by his death.”

In honor of the recent feast of St. Mary Magdalene, we’re returning to the poetry of the English Jesuit martyr, St. Robert Southwell, whom we’ve featured on this podcast before. In this episode, we’ll be hearing his poem “Mary Magdalene’s Complaint at Christ’s Death”, a meditation upon Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Cross. As an eventual martyr himself, Southwell’s reflections on death here are especially powerful.

First, however, we'll listen to a brief letter by Southwell, written to his cousin, on the nature and purpose of poetry. Southwell was massively influential on later writers of the English Renaissance, and this letter had much to do with that. William Shakespeare, in fact, seems to have included a response to this very letter in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some scholars have argued, even, that the cousin to whom Southwell is writing this letter is, in fact, Shakespeare himself.

You can learn more about St. Robert Southwell, his poetry, and the poetry of other English Martyrs, in episode 69 of the Catholic Culture Podcast.

Links

St. Robert Southwell—Love & Suffering: 3 Poems | Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/love-suffering-3-poems-by-st-robert-southwell/

Ep. 69—Poetry of the English Martyrs—Benedict Whalen | Catholic Culture Podcast: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

"Mary Magdalene's Complaint at Christ's Death" full text: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalen%27s_Complaint_at_Christ%27s_Death

Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/

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“The axe of the Gospel must now be laid at the roots of the barren tree and the tree must be delivered to the flames with its unfruitful leaves, so that he who has never learned to speak might learn at length to hold his tongue.”

Throughout his life, St. Jerome was never far from controversy. Infamously irascible, Jerome often found himself in fierce disagreement with his contemporaries — and he’d let them know it, too. Helvidius was one such hapless victim of Jerome’s righteous scorn.

Despite little training in eloquence or theology, Helvidius had gained some notoriety as an opponent of monasticism and of virginity as a way of life. This led Helvidius also to deny the perpetual virginity of Mary. Helvidius’ book on the subject became a major source of scandal in Rome. And this Jerome could not abide.

In his response, Jerome maintains three propositions against Helvidius: that Joseph was considered the husband of Mary as he was considered the father of Jesus, more by repute than by biological fact; that the “brethren” of the Lord referenced in the Gospels were Jesus’ cousins, not his brothers; and that virginity is indeed a higher state in life than the married state.

And, of course, Jerome’s characteristically caustic manner against his opponents is on full display...

Links

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 37—Jerome, the Curmudgeonly Commentator: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/37jerome-curmudgeonly-commentator/

Dogmatic and Polemical Works, by St. Jerome: https://verbum.com/product/120412/dogmatic-and-polemical-works

Against Helvidius full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2314

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In 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 narrating the Fathers

[7:00] How Mike meandered into a career writing about the Fathers

[9:27] The original idea for audiobooks and podcasts at The Catholic Culture

[15:33] How Mike distills scholarship into an accessible and edifying presentation of early Church history

[21:20] The accessibility and affordability of creating a good-sounding podcast

[24:16] James’s process for preparing nuanced readings of the Fathers at a rapid pace

[33:03] Mike’s and James’s recourse to the intercession of the holy authors they study

[37:38] St. John Henry Newman and the early Fathers as masters of media

[42:40] The mastery of the Fathers’ work and its relevance today

[45:55] The spiritual effects of narrating the writings of saints

Links

Support CatholicCulture.org’s podcasting efforts https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Catholic Culture Podcast https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/catholic-culture-podcast/

Way of the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/way-fathers/

James T. Majewski https://www.jamestmajewski.com/

Mike Aquilina https://fathersofthechurch.com/

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“I ask you to ask yourself simply, very simply, this question: where is the honor which I am due as a father? Does it exist? Does it exist enough? Do I enforce it enough, these rights which I do not have the right to touch because they are the rights of divine fatherhood which I represent?”

Happy Father's Day! We’re continuing our series of works honoring St. Joseph throughout this year of St. Joseph, with this remarkable reflection on fatherhood.

The English translation of this work appeared in the Winter 2018 Issue of Dominicana Journal, a publication of student friars of the province of St. Joseph, in formation at the Dominican House of Studies. The focus of this particular issue was “Christian Manliness”, presenting a positive view of manly virtue and masculine perfection.

Pierre-Thomas Dehau, OP (1870-1956) was a priest of the Dominican Province of France. Blind from a young age, he was never able to write books. Instead, Fr. Dehau devoted himself to preaching and giving retreats. The works of his available to us today come from notes of his lectures, homilies, and conferences. This text is an excerpt from a series of conferences given by Fr. Dehau on the family, considering each member of the family - father, mother, and child - and reflecting upon their counterparts in the Holy Family.

Links

Dominicana Journal: https://www.dominicanajournal.org/

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“What is up to us is to plead without ceasing for discernment and love, for justice and patience—and for unshakable love for the Church. Because only the lover discerns. And what people who do not love her, maybe secretly hate her, tell us about her need not frighten us.”

Born in 1901, Ida Friederike Görres was an historically significant, but today often overlooked, figure in the early twentieth-century German Catholic Renewal movement. In fact, then-Fr. Joseph Ratzinger eulogized her at her funeral in 1971. Today, fifty years after her death, there is renewed interest in her works.

A student of political science, history, church history, theology, and philosophy, she later worked for the diocese of Dresden-Meissen as “Diocesan Secretary for Young Women’s Ministry”. After her marriage, Görres devoted herself increasingly to her work as a writer and theologian in service to the Church.

She published many lengthy works, as well as lectures and shorter writings on current issues in the Church. She lived through the Second Vatican Council, and though she welcomed the Council with joy, she would track later developments within the Church with concern—as evidenced by this lecture given in 1970, only one year before her death.

Narrated by Karina Majewski.

Links

Learn more about Ida Friederike Görres: https://www.idagoerres.org/

Trusting the Church Full Text: https://www.idagoerres.org/trusting

Follow this link to join the Online Great Books VIP waiting list and get 25% off your first 3 months: https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/

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“In your bread is hidden the Spirit which cannot be eaten. / In your wine dwells the fire that cannot be drunk. / Spirit in your bread, fire in your wine: / It is a distinct wonder that our lips have received!”

Born in the year 306, Ephrem lived in Nisibis (in modern-day Turkey), at what was then the border between the Roman and Persian empires.

Ephrem was a deacon and a prolific writer, and he is to this day among the most notable hymnographers in Eastern Christianity. He has been called, in fact, the lyre of the Holy Spirit, and in 1920 he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV.

This short hymn is one of Ephrem’s Eucharistic hymns, and also contains some resonance with Pentecost.

Learn more about Ephrem the Syrian in Episode 28 of Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina.

Links

St. Ephrem, Hymns on Faith: https://verbum.com/product/169347/the-hymns-on-faith

Ep. 28—Ephrem, Symbolist—Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/27ephrem-symbolist/

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“Like the new mother, burdened with milk for the child, so the poet with the word within him, addressed to others.”

Paul Claudel was born in 1868 in rural northeastern France. He absorbed the poetry of Walt Whitman and Arthur Rimbaud while in his teens, and experienced a religious epiphany at Notre Dame cathedral during Christmas 1886. Claudel was productive in many literary genres. Besides the Odes, his masterpieces include the dramas The Break of Noon, The Tidings Brought to Mary, and The Satin Slipper. The poet served throughout the world in the French diplomatic corps, and died in 1955.

Five Great Odes constitutes one of the great twentieth-century achievements in lyric poetry. The third Ode, "Magnificat", recalls Claudel's conversion, which occurred at Christmas vespers, where the Magnificat was sung, in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Links

Buy Five Great Odes, from Angelico Press: https://www.angelicopress.org/five-great-odes-claudel

Ep. 92—Claudel’s Cosmic Vision—Jonathan Geltner | Catholic Culture Podcast: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/92-tom-bombadilleau-claudels-cosmic-vision-jonathan-geltner/

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“True, we should esteem the things that make for the glory of God, but we should show the greatest esteem for those that concern the will of God.”

This week, we conclude our series of readings from St. Alphonsus’s Uniformity with God’s Will.

In these final chapters, St. Alphonsus turns his attention to times of spiritual desolation, when submission to the will of God can sometimes be the most difficult.

Alphonsus includes in his considerations: the sudden loss of others, particularly those by whom we are spiritually edified; dryness and difficulty in prayer; unrelenting temptation; as well as the circumstances of our own death.

“We should consider everything happening to us in the present," Alphonsus writes, "and everything that will happen to us in the future, as coming from the hands of God.”

To hearken back to the very first chapter of this work, uniformity with God’s will means something more than simply obeying God in this or that circumstance — it means, as St. Alphonsus puts it, “that we make one will of God’s will and ours… that God’s will alone, is our will.”

Links

Uniformity with God's Will Full text: http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/uniformity_with_Gods_will/un3.php

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“...at the moment of Joseph's own ‘annunciation’ he said nothing; instead he simply ‘did as the angel of the Lord commanded him’. And this first ‘doing’ became the beginning of ‘Joseph's way’. The Gospels do not record any word ever spoken by Joseph along that way. But the silence of Joseph has its own special eloquence..."

On August 15th, 1889, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the encyclical letter Quamquam Pluries on devotion to St. Joseph. 100 years later, on August 15th, 1989—and only two years after the release of his great Marian encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, "Mother of the Redeemer"—Pope St. John Paul II gave his apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos, "Guardian of the Redeemer", on the person and mission of St. Joseph in the life of Christ and of the Church.

This being the Year of St. Joseph, and today being the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, we’re pleased to release our reading of this exhortation in its entirety.

“It is my heartfelt wish,” St. John Paul writes, “that these reflections on the person of St. Joseph will renew in us the prayerful devotion which my Predecessor called for a century ago. Our prayers and the very person of Joseph have renewed significance for the Church in our day.”

St. Joseph the Worker, Guardian of the Redeemer — pray for us!

Links

Redemptoris Custos Full text: http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris-custos.html

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“Sickness is the acid test of spirituality, because it discloses whether our virtue is real or sham.”

If with the first three chapters, St. Alphonsus makes the case for obedience to God—the excellence of this virtue, and that man’s ultimate happiness derives from it—in these chapters, St. Alphonsus gets practical, turning his attention to those instances where obedience to God can sometimes be especially difficult.

In particular, he focuses on our susceptibility to sickness, and stresses the importance of obedience to God’s will in times of infirmity.

That renders these chapters especially relevant to our own day, when it should be apparent that most of our suffering over the past year has come from our attempt to avoid suffering, and certainly not to accept it in the spirit of trust and docility which St. Alphonsus here describes.

Indeed, in some places, Alphonsus’ words seem almost prophetic:

“It often happens,” St. Alphonsus writes, “that some, on the occasion of a slight illness, or even a slight indisposition, want the whole world to stand still…”

Sound familiar?

Links

Uniformity with God's Will Full text: http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/uniformity_with_Gods_will/un3.php

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“Conformity signifies that we join our wills to the will of God. Uniformity means more -- it means that we make one will of God's will and ours, so that we will only what God wills; that God's will alone, is our will.”

A few weeks ago, the Church celebrated the 150th anniversary of the proclamation, by Pope Pius IX, of St. Alphonsus Liguori as a Doctor of the Church.

St. Alphonsus was an Italian bishop who lived from 1696-1787. He is the patron saint of confessors, and is perhaps one of the most widely read Catholic authors in the world (translations of his works exist in over seventy different languages). St. Alphonsus was a prolific writer who wrote over one hundred works on spirituality and theology.

This text, Uniformity with God’s Will, was written in 1755, and represents a topic that was dear to St. Alphonsus’ heart. It is said that, in a similar way to how St. Ignatius stressed “all for the greater glory of God,” St. Alphonsus gave central importance to “the greater good pleasure of God.” After writing this work, St. Alphonsus frequently read it himself, and even had it read to him when his eyesight began to fail.

The extraordinary circumstances within which we find ourselves today require a careful consideration of where our obedience is owed. This classic work by a Doctor of the Church can help.

Links

Uniformity with God's Will Full text: http://www.catholictreasury.info/books/uniformity_with_Gods_will/un3.php

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"... as His atoning passion was undergone in the body, so it was undergone in the soul also."

Today’s episode is a re-release of a reading that we first published on Good Friday last year. Since our back-catalog of audiobook episodes is restricted to those who register for free at CatholicCulture.org, we’ve decided not only to re-release this for the upcoming Sacred Triduum, but to keep it available permanently on the Catholic Culture YouTube channel.

Written by this show’s patron saint, John Henry Newman, this reading is best listened to in silence (perhaps even in prayer, making it the subject of a meditation by listening in one sitting).

However you listen, make this a part of your Good Friday observance.

Links

Mental Sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/discourses/discourse16.html

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“How, and when, did Mary take part—and the initial part—in the world's restoration? It was when the Angel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the great dignity which was to be her portion.”

Happy Feast of the Annunciation! The reading featured in today’s episode is a selection from a larger work by Newman, published posthumously as Meditations and Devotions. In the first part of the work, Newman meditates on the Litany of Loreto. He divides those meditations into four categories: On the Immaculate Conception, On the Annunciation, On Our Lady’s Dolors, and On the Assumption.

What we’ll be hearing today are Newman’s meditations on those titles of Mary which he most closely associates with the Annunciation: Queen of Angels, Mirror of Justice, Seat of Wisdom, Gate of Heaven, Mother of the Creator, Mother of Christ, and Mother of our Savior.

With Holy Week just around the corner, these meditations are a reminder that the joyful mysteries, beginning with the Annunciation, anticipate and initiate the sorrowful mysteries ending with the Crucifixion.

Links

On the Annunciation Full text: https://newmanreader.org/works/meditations/meditations2.html

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“Joseph merited the greatest honors because he was never touched by honor. The Church has nothing more illustrious, because it has nothing more hidden.”

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet was a seventeenth-century French theologian and bishop. During his life, he was highly regarded for that for which today he is still most remembered: his preaching. His style and accomplishment as an orator has seen him numbered among the likes of Augustine and Chrysostom—two of the Church’s greatest preachers—and the most celebrated of his written works, Discourse on Universal History, has been favorably compared to Augustine’s own City of God. St. Junipero Serra and Pope Pius XII are included among those who cherished Bossuet’s writings, the latter of whom kept a copy of Bossuet by his bedside table.

For all his fame as an orator and French stylist, however, Bossuet was also a man of great love for the study of Sacred Scripture, and for devotion to retirement and the interior life. It was only at the urging of St. Vincent de Paul (under whose spiritual direction Bossuet had prepared for the priesthood) that he moved to Paris and devoted himself entirely to preaching in the first place.

Though he would eventually go on to become the court preacher of Louis XIV, Bossuet continued to esteem hiddenness. In today’s reading, Bossuet observes: “The Christian life should be a hidden life, and the true Christian should ardently desire to remain hidden under God’s wing.”

Indeed, it is Joseph’s hiddenness that Bossuet recognizes is most essential to his greatness. Bossuet’s reflections here have fresh significance today, in our modern prestige economy played out on the Internet and in social media.

May Bossuet—among the best of preachers—convict us with his words; and may St. Joseph—the best of Teachers—teach us to be hidden.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

Links

St. Joseph: A Man after God's Own Heart full text: https://catholicexchange.com/saint-joseph-man-gods-heart

Meditations for Lent, Sophia Institute Press: https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/meditations-for-lent

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“Possibly such a woman could not have been slain unless she herself had willed it, because she was feared by the impure spirit.”

We’re back to the time of the Church Fathers with this first-hand account of the events leading up to and including the martyrdom of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity. These events were documented primarily by Perpetua herself, who after her arrest maintained a prison diary. Alongside her testimony is another text written by one of her companions, Saturus, as well as an eyewitness account of the executions themselves.

Originally written in Latin, this work is largely recognized as having been at least edited by Tertullian, though whether he composed the narrator portions himself or not remains unknown. Still, we can be grateful to whoever collected these accounts, as they together paint a very complete and compelling picture of these heroic martyrs.

Saints Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us.

Links

Full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1678&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2097575#

Way of the Fathers Ep. 15—Perpetua: A Rare Female Voice from Antiquity https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/perpetua-rare-female-voice-from-antiquity/

Catholic Culture Audiobooks: The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/martyrdom-st-polycarp/

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Additional narration provided by Karina Majewski

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"The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already… but the Church of faith."

In 1969, Fr. Joseph Ratzinger gave a radio address in which he made some predictions for the Church heading into the new millennium. The notion often attributed to him—that the church would become “smaller and purer”—is derived from this speech.

Interestingly, the phrase “smaller and purer” does not actually occur anywhere in the address. In fact, "smaller and purer" has often been misconstrued to suggest that Ratzinger wanted to drive people away from the Church. Instead, what Ratzinger does say is that the Church of tomorrow will be “a more spiritualized and simplified Church.” Far from driving people away, this Church, sifted through the crucible of trials, will be discovered by those outside of it as something wholly new and attractive.

To cast into the future this way, Ratzinger looks to the past—specifically, to the time of Enlightenment, the historical moment which Ratzinger identifies as most analogous to the times in which the Church finds herself today. “It is precisely in times of vehement historical upheaval,” Ratzinger writes, “that men need to reflect upon history.”

Links

Joseph Ratzinger - Aspects of Christian Meditation audiobook: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/joseph-ratzinger-aspects-christian-meditation/

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“Day and night follow each other not more surely, than punishment comes upon sin… just as a stone falls to the earth, or as fire burns, or as poison kills, as if by the necessary bond of cause and effect.”

Penitence is the focus of this sermon, given by Newman some years before his conversion to Catholicism. In it he addresses a topic too often neglected: the consequence of sin—of a single sin, at that. Even for Catholics, it can at times be all too easy simply to go to confession, receive absolution, and to forget that certain consequences remain—that reparations remain to be made—and that the work of penitence is ongoing.

Even when we do attend to the consequences of our sin—above all, to the harm that our sin inflicts upon Jesus—these consequences can feel far removed, considered only in the abstract. In, this too, Newman's sermon is beneficial. By looking at the moral consequence of sin, Newman considers sin’s consequence in an imminent and concrete light, able to stir us from complacency.

The sermon reads, at times, almost like an examination of conscience. It’s my hope that this reading can be such for us as we undertake this great penitential task at the outset of our Lenten journey.

Links

Moral Consequences of Single Sins Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume4/sermon3.html

FREE Lenten Liturgical Year Ebook: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/liturgical-year-volume-3-released-lent/

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“The paradoxical truth is that tames are more effective agents of the gay agenda than gays themselves... The tame commitment to the noncommittal is the engine that powers gay progress in the Church.”

Fr. Paul Mankowski, a Jesuit of the Midwest province and former contributor to CatholicCulture.org, passed away suddenly last year at the age of 66. At the time, we released an audiobook recording of “What Went Wrong?”, a 2003 address to the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in which Fr. Mankowski presents an excellent analysis of how the Catholic clerical sexual abuse crisis occurred. It has since gone on to become one of our most popular audiobook episodes.

Fr. Mankowkski’s words, in fact, often read as if they were written just yesterday. That was certainly the case with his address on “What Went Wrong”, as it is with this description of the phenomenon of “the tame priest”, written in 1996.

If you have looked with increasing bewilderment and frustration at the action—or, better put, inaction—of members of the Church’s clergy, especially among our bishops, then “Tames in Clerical Life” just may shed new light on the problem.

Links

"Tames in Clerical Life" full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/userfiles/files/Tames.pdf

"What Went Wrong?" on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/fr-paul-mankowski-what-went-wrong/

Phil Lawler Tribute to Fr. Mankowski: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/farewell-uncle-di-father-paul-mankowski-rip/

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“Is the enemy of Christ, and His Church, to arise out of a certain special falling away from GOD? And is there no reason to fear that some such Apostasy is gradually preparing, gathering, hastening on in this very day?”

The lecture we’ll be hearing today is the first in a series of four. These were written before Newman’s conversion to Catholicism and made their initial appearance among Newman’s “Tracts for the Times”—an effort by Newman and others to firm up a definite basis of doctrine and discipline for the Church of England.

As will be seen, Newman obviously felt that the idea of Antichrist—and, specifically, that idea of Antichrist as expressed by the Church Fathers—was of special significance.

In fact, decades later and after his conversion to Catholicism, Newman would choose to have The Patristical Idea of Antichrist re-published in a collection called “Discussions and Arguments”, from which this reading comes.

Part 1, The Times of Antichrist, is an exhortation to take seriously prophecy concerning the Antichrist, and to recognize these prophecies as referring to a specific time and concerning a specific individual.

Newman also identifies apostasy in particular as that which unfailingly prepares the way for the spirit of Antichrist—a spirit already active in the world, ever struggling to bring about its ultimate fulfillment—and a spirit that each of us either resists, or hastens the coming of its day.

Links

The Times of Antichrist Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture1.html

Way of the Fathers w/ Mike Aquilina, Ep. 32—Julian, the Apostate Who Aped the Church: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/32julian-apostate-who-aped-church/

Societal polarization: Dangerous, but also a sacred duty. By Dr. Jeff Mirus: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/polarization-dangerous-but-also-sacred-duty/

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“I have discussed in these four books not the kind of man I am, because I have many failings, but the kind of man he should be who strives to labor in sound teaching, that is, in Christian teaching...”

We’ve finally reached the end of our seven-part reading series of St. Augustine’s De Doctrina Christiana, or On Christian Instruction. Whether you’re fully caught up on all of the previous episodes, or if you’ve not listened to any of them, you’ll still stand to benefit from today’s episode.

That’s because Augustine concerns himself in these final chapters with concrete rhetorical advice, and practical strategies for speaking and instruction.

He does so primarily by outlining three basic styles of speech: the subdued style, the moderate style, and the grand style. To illustrate each of these three styles, Augustine provides extended quotes from the letters of St. Paul, as well as from two other orators whom he greatly respects: St. Cyprian and St. Ambrose.

Augustine rounds out Book 4 with an emphasis on the effect that a speaker’s life will have upon his speech, and on how important a role moral character plays in the way a speech is ultimately received by others.

Finally, Augustine returns to a point he has made throughout De Doctrina Christiana: the power of prayer — prayer before speaking, and prayer after speaking, asking for the grace of God “in whose hand are both we and our words.”

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

Previous De Doctrina Christiana episodes: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

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"Thus when we would know who God is, we answer: Jesus."

We’ve got a shorter episode for you today: notes from a sermon Newman gave on the Holy Name of Jesus, ordinarily celebrated by the Church on January 3 but which in 2021 is superseded by the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

Still, the Holy Name of Jesus ought be particularly reflected upon at this time of year. The Name of Jesus is, after all, what really makes the new year new: 2021 the Year of Our Lord — who makes all things new.

As Newman observes, the Holy Name sums up in Itself the whole history of salvation.

Links

On the Name of Jesus (sermon notes) Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/sermonnotes/file2.html#sermon11

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“Thus, in praying for himself and for those whom he is about to address, [the orator] should be a suppliant before he is a speaker… Who can make us say what we should, and say it in the way we should, except Him in whose ‘hand are both we and our words’?”

With this fourth and final book of Augustine’s work On Christian Instruction, we finally arrive at the chapters dedicated to, well, instruction. Whereas in Books 1-3 Augustine exhaustively describes the process of ascertaining the meaning of the Scriptures, here he turns his attention to the manner in which that meaning should be conveyed and taught.

And Augustine would know a thing or two about this: before his conversion, Augustine was an accomplished orator, schooled in the best Roman traditions of rhetoric. It's exciting to see Augustine’s expertise and passion for the subject.

Augustine directs Book 4 to those who will be responsible for preaching and teaching the faith—the clergy, in particular. Augustine reasons that if those whose purposes are evil will make good use of rhetorical rules to disseminate their message effectively, how tragic it is if those preaching the Gospel do not also exercise the same care.

Still, the Christian orator succeeds, Augustine says, “more through the piety of his prayers than through the power of his oratory.”

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

Previous De Doctrina Christiana episodes: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

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“Consider what it is you mean by praying, and you will see that, at that very time that you are asking for the coming of His kingdom, you are anticipating that coming, and accomplishing the thing you fear.”

I don’t know about you, but every Advent I find myself faced with the same dilemma: how to pray for Christ’s coming, even as I am increasingly aware of my own need for conversion—and more time to set about converting. There’s a nagging fear in the back of my mind that, if Christ comes too soon, I won’t be ready. So when I pray along with the Church, “Come, Lord Jesus,” my heart, nevertheless, seems sometimes to whisper, “Just not quite yet.”

Of course, that’s not the Church’s prayer, which indeed is an urgent one. And somehow this Advent, with everything going on in the world, seems more urgent than ever. It feels like the very stones are crying out “Come, Lord Jesus”—and not because things are all in their proper order... in my own heart perhaps least of all.

So how to resolve this seeming paradox, to pray for Our Lord’s coming even as His Coming necessarily involves the end of our time for conversion?

It’s precisely that question which Newman addresses in this sermon. His reflections here have informed the way I’ve approached Advent so far, and I hope they will for you too.

From all of us at CatholicCulture.org, we wish you a prayerful, penitential, and hopeful Advent.

Links

Shrinking from Christ’s Coming Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume5/sermon4.html

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“Students of these revered writings should be advised not only to learn the kinds of expressions in the Holy Scriptures… but also to pray that they may understand them.”

With these final chapters of Book 3, Augustine wraps up his treatment of figurative expressions. He illustrates just how tricky scriptural interpretation can be, citing instances wherein the same literary figure is employed in different—or even contrary—ways. He quotes many scriptural examples throughout these chapters, always careful to highlight the clearer instances in order to illuminate the more obscure ones.

Augustine shows how the scriptural authors utilized the whole range of literary devices—including metaphor, irony, parable, and allegory—even if the authors themselves did not define those devices as such.

And finally, Augustine relates a set of seven rules for scriptural interpretation—rules that were previously enumerated by a certain Donatist heretic named Tyconius, but that are here refined and repurposed within the broader context of Augustine’s work.

Augustine is careful to stress, however, that these rules alone cannot be relied upon as though a key to unlock the meaning of Holy Scripture. Indeed, as he concludes Book 3, Augustine emphasizes prayer—which he describes as “chiefly and especially necessary” when it comes to understanding the Scriptures.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

Previous De Doctrina Christiana episodes: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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We had planned today to release the fifth installment in our seven-part series of St. Augustine’s De Doctrina Christiana — but in light of renewed lockdown measures being implemented across the United States and elsewhere, we’ve decided instead to re-release another work of Augustine’s previously featured on the show: his letter to Honoratus, on the necessity of keeping the sacraments available.

As a Church, let’s not do what we did before in the first shutdown. Let’s not go silently into that good night. Let’s let government officials—and, even more importantly, church leaders—know that the administration of the sacraments is an essential service.

If you missed this episode the first time around, give it a listen. Or listen again, considering all that’s transpired in the five months since we first released this reading. For access to this and all of our previous episodes, register for free at catholicculture.org/getaudio

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3143

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"Is my gloom, after all, / Shade of his hand, outstretched caressingly?"

Francis Thompson was an English Catholic poet who died on this day, November 13, in 1907. He was only 47 at the time, stricken with poor health that followed him from hard experiences he had had as a young man living on the streets of London. His story is a powerful witness to grace.

"The Hound of Heaven" was written when Thompson was living at Our Lady of England Priory while recovering from opium addiction. One can hear in it echoed the sentiments of Psalm 139 (which he no doubt would have heard prayed often at the priory): "Where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your face? … even darkness is not dark for you and the night is as clear as the day."

Let’s pray for the soul of Francis Thompson on this anniversary of his death, and for all the Poor Souls during this month of November!

Links

"The Hound of Heaven" full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=10546

Richard Burton's famous reading of the poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gToj6SLWz8Q

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“This is the faith by which the Catholic Church lives and progresses, namely, that humanity is believed to exist in Jesus Christ not without real divinity, and divinity, not without real humanity.”

The papacy of Pope Leo I (described by Pope Benedict XVI as “undoubtedly one of the most important in Church history”) saw, among other things, the convening of the Catholic Church’s fourth ecumenical council: the Council of Chalcedon. At the Council, the hypostatic union of Christ’s twofold nature—human and divine—was definitively set forth.

The Tome of Leo was a central document debated during the Council, and was eventually accepted as doctrinal. To this day it remains a foundational text of Christology, and is perhaps the theological contribution for which St. Leo the Great is most remembered.

Written in the form of a letter, the Tome is addressed to Flavian, the Patriarch of Constantinople. Flavian had recently excommunicated a certain presbyter by the name of Eutyches, who had taught what would come to be known as the heresy of Monophysitism: the denial of Christ’s twofold nature and the insistence that in Christ there is but only one nature, wholly divine.

The Tome of Leo, rather than reading like some fusty or obscure theological treatise, is actually quite accessible. Leo writes clearly, invoking the text of the Nicene Creed and referencing the Scriptures throughout. He illustrates that humanity and divinity both truly exist in the Person of Christ, the Incarnate Word, and that other mysteries of the faith—notably, Christ’s very sacrifice on Calvary, and our Redemption—depend upon this mystery.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2133

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"Since, then, no one is allowed to be remiss in the service due to God, and since the chief duty of all men is to cling to religion in both its reaching and practice—not such religion as they may have a preference for, but the religion which God enjoins, and which certain and most clear marks show to be the only one true religion —it is a public crime to act as though there were no God."

We’re releasing this episode just a couple of days before the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s great encyclical letter 'On the Christian Constitution of States', Immortale Dei, first issued on November 1, 1885. We’re also releasing this just a few short days before the United States presidential election, at a time when the relationship between Church and State ought to be particularly relevant, especially to the mind of the Catholic voter.

Indeed, in this encyclical, Pope Leo XIII urges Catholics to give particular attention to national politics, and to make use of popular institutions for the advancement of truth and goodness. He warns that, were Catholics to abdicate the field of politics, it would “allow those whose principles offer but small guarantee for the welfare of the State to more readily seize the reins of government.”

The question came up most recently in American civic life with the successful confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barret to the U.S. Supreme Court. During her hearings, we saw what Pope Leo would term “a hackneyed reproach of old date” in the not-so-subtle accusations that Justice Barret’s professed Catholicism would somehow compromise the discharge of her civil duty.

Such anti-Catholic invectives have, notably, been entirely absent when it has come to the professed Catholicism of a certain presidential nominee. The reason why should be obvious for anyone with eyes to see.

There, too, Leo condemns the politically expedient side-lining of Catholic teaching, warning that, for Catholics, “It is unlawful to follow one line of conduct in private life and another in public, respecting privately the authority of the Church but publicly rejecting it.” He especially cautions those who would hold positions of authority, writing: “they must remember that the Almighty will one day bring them to account, the more strictly in proportion to the sacredness of their office and preeminence of their dignity.”

It is the right exercise of authority that is at the heart of Leo’s concern in Immortale Dei — and in particular, the right relationship between the authority of the Church and that of the State.

Leo's is a corrective to the defective view of authority that arises from an incorrect view of liberty — and this theme of liberty, as opposed to license, predominates throughout Immortale Dei. In fact, Pope Leo would, less than three years after issuing Immortale Dei, follow up with another encyclical letter entitled Libertas, on the Nature of Human Liberty.

We’re releasing this episode ahead of the U.S. election in the hopes that it may serve as a resource leading up to this great expression of civil responsibility, but also in witness to the fact that—whatever the outcome of this or any election—Christ remains the same; as does the perennial teaching of His Church; as does the law of charity, and the responsibility of the Christian.

Links

Full text of Immortale Dei: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4916

The Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 90—Leo XIII on the State’s Duties Toward the Church—Thomas Pink: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/90-leo-xiii-on-states-duties-toward-church-thomas-pink/

Audiobook of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/pope-leo-xiii-rerum-novarum-pt-1/

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“Reflect for a long time upon what is being read, until the interpretation is drawn over to the sway of charity.”

We’re picking up where we last left off in St. Augustine’s great treatise On Christian Doctrine, beginning Book 3 and finally diving into Augustine’s primary concern with this work: the correct interpretation of Holy Scripture.

In the initial chapters, Augustine closely considers the textual minutia of everything from punctuation to conjugation and declension, to pronunciation and inflection. (Lectors, take note!)

Of particular concern for Augustine, however, is the correct discernment between literal and figurative expressions. It’s with respect to the latter that some of Augustine’s most salient insights shine through. His multi-faceted consideration of signs and symbols finds application in a wide range of concerns, including the sacraments, inculturation of the faith, and even morality.

Augustine is particularly helpful in his discussion, toward the end of the reading, of the Old Testament and of certain anomalous—or even vicious—behavior of Old Testament figures.

Any correct reading of Scripture will ultimately conduce to a love of God for his own sake, and of neighbor for God’s sake.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

Previous De Doctrina Christiana episodes: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audiobook_authors_titles.cfm

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“It is better to say nothing and be a Christian, than to speak and not to be one.”

Throughout Ignatius’ letters is a clear view of the Church as hierarchical and monarchical, and his Letter to the Ephesians is no exception. In it Ignatius emphasizes respect and obedience to the bishop, and to the priests and deacons in union with him.

For Ignatius, the formula is simple: Jesus is the mind of the Father, and the appointed bishops are of one mind with Christ. If the prayer of two or three gathered in Christ’s name is so efficacious, how much greater is that prayer in union with the bishop and the whole Church?

Ignatius also issues stern warnings to those who would compromise the Church’s unity and pollute her teaching. In particular, those who would corrupt the family. Ignatius warns that those who bear the name of Christian while behaving in a way unworthy of God cannot be listened to. Again, for Ignatius the formula is simple: faith can no more do the things of infidelity, than infidelity can do the things of faith.

Are we to abandon such people? Of course not, Ignatius says. “Do not cease to pray, for there is hope of their conversion and of their finding God. Give them the chance to be instructed, at least by the way you behave.” Yet another simple formula.

Ignatius of Antioch’s feast is October 17. Let us pray for Ignatius’ intercession, asking Our Lord for the meekness, humility, and steadfastness in prayer to which Ignatius exhorts us.

Links

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1628

Other readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?searchgoals=6&andsearch=Ignatius%20audiobooks

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 4—Ignatius of Antioch: To Know “Jesus Christ Our God” https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/

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“I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well, that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it.”

Happy Feast of St. John Henry Newman, everyone!

Today’s reading comes from a larger work by Newman entitled, “Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England.” What was the position of Catholics in England then, would seem to resemble the present position of Catholics in many places now.

Newman was writing against the backdrop of a resurgence of anti-Catholicism throughout England, marked by anti-Catholic hysteria and government overstep — and though Newman is responding to an institutional prejudice born specifically of an established Protestantism, his words for the most part can be applied equally as well to prejudice born of secularized liberalism.

Newman puts so-called “public opinion” into its place. Many of his comments are especially worth considering in our age of social media and online outrage. Newman exhorts Catholics to be straightforward, generous, and forbearing in spite of provocation. “Interpret the actions of all,” he says, “in the best sense that you possibly can.” A maxim well worth remembering when sensationalist headlines, insults, and calumnies are the currency of the day.

St. John Henry Newman, pray for us!

Links

Duties of Catholics Towards the Protestant View Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/england/lecture9.html

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“Among this ever so numerous throng of pure spirits, the highest of hierarchies is that of the great contemplative angels… Next comes those who are ministers of the Most High… and finally there are the angels who simply execute the orders of God, as are the invisible guardians of men, communities, and nations.”

In honor of today’s feast of the Guardian Angels, we’re featuring an excerpt from The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the Intellectual Life, by French Dominican theologian Garrigou-Lagrange.

In the chapter we’ll be hearing, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange writes from the perspective of an angel. In the angel's own words, he describes the nature, knowledge, and limits of the created pure spirit, and, by way of contrast, elucidates the limits of our own human intellect.

Though at times philosophically hefty, Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's is an eye-opening account of our angelic compatriots, and one especially worth considering as we remember and give honor to our guardian angels.

Links

Translation courtesy of Emmaus Academic: https://www.emmausacademic.com/publications/2018/5/18/sense-of-mystery

The Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 38—Garrigou-Lagrange, The Sacred Monster of Thomism—w/ Matthew K. Minerd: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-38-sacred-monster-matthew-k-minerd/

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“Whoever does not refer everything to the praise and love of the one God... may seem to be erudite, but he can by no means be considered wise.”

Where we last left off, Augustine had just finished vindicating some "pagan" forms of knowledge—such as music— as useful in the study of Sacred Scripture. He’ll go into further detail concerning what should be avoided and what embraced from among the so-called pagan disciplines.

Rejection of superstition is a major theme contained in these chapters, and Augustine provides some helpful criteria for the Christian in discerning what is superstitious from what is not.

While all superstitious human conventions must be rejected as worthless and sinful, human conventions not arranged with demons, but arranged among men themselves, can sometimes be useful—even essential. It’s here that Augustine discusses principles of logic and rhetoric—a subject he’ll return to later in Book IV.

Though much of what he discusses in these chapters may strike some as academic, Augustine is far from advocating an esoteric approach to the Scriptures. "Knowledge puffs up," Augustine quotes St. Paul, "but charity edifies." What Augustine accomplishes, rather, is a robust defense of the fundamentally catholic character of the truth. In so far as anything is true, it is Christ’s. Thus all knowledge must, in the end, be put to the service and love of God.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

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“While I was lying in darkness and in the obscure night, and while, ignorant of my real life, I was tossing about on the sea of a restless world wavering and doubtful in my wandering steps… I thought it indeed difficult and hard to believe... that divine mercy was promised for my salvation.”

Born at the beginning of the 3rd century to a wealthy, pagan family in Carthage, Cyprian initially rose to prominence as an orator. After a youth spent in dissipation, Cyprian converted and was baptized at around 35 years old. His bishop became so impressed with him that after only one year, Cyprian was made first a deacon, and then a priest; when that same bishop died only one year later, Cyprian was chosen to succeed him! As bishop, Cyprian would shepherd the church in Carthage through many storms—including persecution, a pandemic, and schism.

The Letter to Donatus, however, came before all of that; it is, in fact, the earliest of Cyprian's treatises, written very shortly after his conversion. In it Cyprian writes to his friend, Donatus, who is also a recent Christian initiate. He describes elements of his own conversion, including details about the miserable state to which his sins had reduced him.

Cyprian writes with characteristic eloquence and power, and he concludes his letter with a rousing exhortation to Christian life. The Letter to Donatus remains as compelling today as it was in 246 A.D.

Notes

Donate at http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio to support this podcast!

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/46612/st-cyprian-treatises

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1733

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 18 - The Short, Happy Life of Cyprian of Carthage: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-18-short-happy-life-cyprian-carthage/#

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"Deviant sexual assault has accomplished what liturgical abuse never could: it has generated secular media pressure and secular legal constraints so overwhelming that the apparat was forced to make its files public."

Last week saw the sudden passing away of Fr. Paul Mankowski, a Jesuit of the Midwest province and a former contributor to CatholicCulture.org. For years, he spearheaded CatholicCulture.org’s old "Off the Record" column, writing under the pseudonym of Diogenes.

A brilliant priest who worked tirelessly for Catholic renewal, Fr. Mankowski was unfortunately stymied by his superiors. As Phil Lawler writes in his tribute to Fr. Mankowski: “When told that he could not write under his own name without censorship, he used pseudonyms. When told that he could not write under a pseudonym, he stopped. And so the Catholic world was denied what might have been a treasure-trove of lively and insightful prose. Do not be surprised if some memorable work now leaks out posthumously.”

Well, already we’re seeing more of Fr. Mankowski in the spotlight. Numerous tributes to him have cropped up, and a number of his essays have also been making the rounds on social media.

Among them is a piece that first appeared on CatholicCulture.org, and is still available in our Library - a 2003 address to the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, in which Fr. Mankowski presents an excellent analysis of how the Catholic clerical sexual abuse crisis occurred.

Fr. Mankowski’s analysis of “what went wrong” is, perhaps, more relevant now than ever.

Notes

Full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5915

Phil Lawler Tribute to Fr. Mankowski: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/farewell-uncle-di-father-paul-mankowski-rip/

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We are re-releasing—in one contiguous sequence—our 6-part series of St. Athansius’ famous biography of St. Anthony. You’ll hear the introduction that kicked off our release of Part 1, but then you can sit back and enjoy the entirety of Athansius’ Life of St. Anthony without interruption.

You may already be familiar, from its countless recurrences across art and literature, with “The Temptation of St. Anthony”... but The Life of St. Anthony—of which the temptations are only part—is, perhaps, one of the most influential works in the history of Christian literature.

Setting aside the unique authority and influence of the biographer (the great Church father, St. Athanasius of Alexandria), the work itself describes the life of a singularly holy man. In fact, it is the earliest biographical account of a saint who had become such without having had to suffer martyrdom.

Though St. Anthony was not the first Christian hermit, he was the most popular: this account of his life did much to spread his ascetic and monastic ideals throughout the East and West. Anthony has been called not only the father of Christian monasticism, but even the founder of the religious life.

Needless to say, we are very excited to be bringing you The Life of St. Anthony in its entirety. If you’ve not done so, now is the time to register with us at http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio!

Notes

Way of the Fathers episode on St. Anthony: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/anthony-desert-solitary-celebrity/

Episode on the Temptation of St. Anthony in art history https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/90-temptation-st-anthony-elizabeth-lev/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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“Everyone devoted to the study of the Holy Scriptures... will find nothing else except that God must be loved for His own sake, and our neighbor for the sake of God.”

We’re resuming our multi-part reading series of St. Augustine’s De Doctrina Christiana, or 'On Christian Doctrine'. This is our second installment in the series, having released the Prologue & Book 1 in an episode last month.

Augustine dives deeper into the subject of scriptural interpretation in these chapters, including a seven-step process from Fear of the Lord (step 1) to Wisdom (step 7). Think of it as Augustine’s seven habits of highly effective scriptural readers.

Augustine's approach to Scripture, however, is not so much an academic approach as a spiritual one. For Augustine, all scriptural knowledge will boil down to the great dual commandment of love of God and love of neighbor.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

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“Her glories are not only for the sake of her Son — they are for our sakes also.”

Happy Solemnity of the Assumption, everyone!

Listeners may recall that for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception last December, we featured another work by Newman, titled The Glories of Mary for the Sake of Her Son. Today's reading, On the Fitness of the Glories of Mary, is taken from the same volume.

Whereas in The Glories of Mary for the Sake of Her Son, Newman focuses primarily upon the then soon-to-be-defined dogma of the Immaculate Conception, here he draws special attention to Mary’s Assumption, and to the fitness — or, as he says, becomingness — of both dogmas.

Newman further points out that Mary’s glories are not only for the sake of her Son, but for the sake of us, the rest of her children, as well. So too may our celebration of this high feast day redound not only to God’s glory and her honor, but to an ever more true devotion to Our Lady and to Jesus living in her.

Notes

On the Fitness of the Glories of Mary Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/discourses/discourse18.html

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“All the aspirations which the prayer of other religions expresses are fulfilled in the reality of Christianity beyond all measure.”

This ecclesial document was written in 1989 by the then-Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.

Ratzinger was responding to a surge of popular interest in forms of Eastern spirituality—including such methods as Zen, yoga, and so-called transcendental meditation—which had led to an uncritical adoption by some Christians of methods of prayer incompatible with Christian worship.

The fascination with Eastern methods continues today, with the ongoing popularity of yoga and the re-branding of Buddhist meditation under the guise of “mindfulness”. The same vigilance that prompted Ratzinger in 1989 would seem to be called for once more, that Christians may carefully distinguish that which is authentically Christian from that which is not.

Ratzinger’s is a masterful and accessible treatment on fundamentals of Christian prayer. Though he addresses the letter to bishops, one does not have to be a theologian or mystic to be spiritually edified — and have one's prayer enriched — by what he writes.

Notes

Aspects of Christian Meditation Full text: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html

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“In accordance with the view of the apostle Paul, let us give attention to the text - that we can, as he himself says, receive ‘the mind of Christ’ and know ‘the things that are given us by God.’”

Origen of Alexandria could be considered the most titanic intellectual figure of the first three centuries of Christianity after St. Paul.

In the breadth of his writings and in the depth of his influence, he is equaled by few among the Church Fathers. He brought the Catechetical School of Alexandria to its height after succeeding Clement as its head. He was the first to make Scriptural exegesis into a science. His works were copied by Sts. Jerome and Ambrose among many others, and he influenced great medieval mystics like St. Bernard and Meister Eckhart. He dared to go where no Christian thinker had gone before — and though he fell into some theological errors, he nevertheless submitted all his thought to the judgment of the Universal Church, and attained something very close to a martyr’s death.

Origen’s homilies are simple, conversational and spiritually edifying. One is struck by his conviction that every word, every grammatical construction of Scripture has a purpose, and by his care not to let any meaning God intended go to waste. His interpretations give the lie to contemporary mischaracterizations of how early Christians understood the bible, especially with regard to the creation texts.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/46619/origen-homilies-on-genesis-and-exodus

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 19—Origen: The Most Controversial Christian Ever? https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/life-origen-most-controversial-christian-ever/

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 20—Origen, Part 2: Hero, Heretic—or Hybrid? https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/origen-part-2-hero-heretic-or-hybrid/

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July 24, 2020 is being observed by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as a day of mourning for Hagia Sophia, in response to the decision by Turkey’s President to convert the historic cathedral in Istanbul from a museum to a mosque.

In a message to the Greek Orthodox faithful, Archbishop Elpidiphoros wrote, “knowing that on Friday, July 24th, there will be an ‘inauguration’ of this program of cultural and spiritual misappropriation and a violation of all standards of religious harmony and mutual respect, we call upon all the beloved faithful of our Holy Archdiocese to observe this day as a day of mourning and of manifest grief. We urge you to invite your fellow Orthodox Christians and indeed all Christians and people of goodwill to share in the following observances.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops shared this invitation, indicating that the Hagia Sophia — after serving for over eighty years as a museum — had become a place of encounter and dialogue between people of all faiths and cultures.

The Greek Orthodox have asked that every church toll its bells, every flag be raised to half-mast, and that the Akathist Hymn is chanted in the evening — to which the USCCB has added that for Catholics unfamiliar with the Akathist Hymn, the recitation of the rosary is recommended. Both prayers entreat the Mother of God for her intercession.

It is for this reason that we are re-releasing our reading of the Akathist Hymn, which appeared on this podcast back in March for the feast of the Annunciation. As access beyond the most recent 15 episodes of this podcast is restricted to our registered users, this particular episode is a perfect example of the kind of content only available to those who register for free at catholiculture.org/getaudio.

We want everyone, however, to have access to this resource on this day. So for those who have yet to register, please consider doing so. And for those who have already registered and listened to this episode, we hope this re-release will serve as a prompting to join together with us as we unite alongside our fellow Christians in this day of mourning, praying the words of this powerful and ancient prayer to the Mother of God.

Notes

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=899

Example of sung chant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2IYzQ2Ava4

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“Whoever, then, appears in his own opinion to have comprehended the Sacred Scriptures, or even some part of them, yet does not build up with that knowledge the two-fold love of God and his neighbor, has not yet known as he ought to know.”

“Everything which is not exhausted by being given away is not yet owned as it ought to be.”

This episode marks the beginning of an exciting new work on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: De Doctrina Christiana, or On Christian Doctrine, by St. Augustine of Hippo.

Though De Doctrina is a shorter work than Confessions or The City of God, it’s ranked right alongside them in significance — the three books together comprising St. Augustine’s contribution to the “Great Books of the Western World” list.

In this episode, we hear Book One in its entirety. Augustine provides, by way of introduction to the study of interpretation, an influential synthesis of Christian teaching based on the idea that only God should be enjoyed, as the source of true happiness, whereas all other things are meant to be used toward our true end.

Over the course of the next few months, we’ll be releasing the other three books in two parts each — for a total of seven episodes, each about an hour or so in length. It’s the longest work we’ve tackled yet on this podcast, but we hope you’ll join us on the journey as we make our way through this great work of our Christian inheritance and Catholic culture.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

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This episode marks Catholic Culture Audiobooks’ 50th audiobook release - so who better to hear from than our patron saint, St. John Henry Newman? And to celebrate this milestone accomplishment, what better topic than that of “the danger of accomplishments”?

In this sermon,Newman warns of the danger of separating feeling from acting. Let it not be said that we simply entertained ourselves, merely listening to - or merely reading! - the fine sentiments expressed in the great works featured on this podcast. Rather let us, as Newman says, “apply all we read to ourselves… from the mere sincerity and honesty of our desire to please God.”

Here’s to another 50 episodes more!

The Danger of Accomplishments full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon30.html

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"But the fight for our planet, physical and spiritual, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started."

Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn gave this commencement address at Harvard University on June 8, 1978. Almost line by line, Solzhenitsyn’s observations are prophetic. Especially in light of current events, Solzhenitsyn’s remarks are more clearly relevant than ever — perhaps even more so than at the time when they were first delivered. When men forget God, catastrophe for society is soon to follow.

Notes

Full text: https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/a-world-split-apart

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“Mistrust Him, Meg, I will not, even if I feel myself faint."

This is the third in a series of podcast episodes in honor of St. Thomas More's feast day on June 22nd (see our discussion of the classic film, A Man for All Seasons, along with an interview with More scholar Louis Karlin, on Criteria: the Catholic Film Podcast).

In this episode, we present the entirety of Dialogue on Conscience, by St. Thomas More and his daughter Margaret. We've also — for the first time on this podcast — enlisted the help of an actress to voice the female writers (an actress who happens also to be James' wife).

Dialogue on Conscience is presented in the form of two letters; the first, written by More’s stepdaughter, Alice Alington, to his eldest daughter, Margaret Roper; the second, a letter written by Margaret in response to Alice — itself the record of a dialogue between Margaret and St. Thomas that provides us with an invaluable look into More's wit, personality, and faith.

Links

Interview with More scholar Louis Karlin https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/robert-bolts-man-for-all-seasons-christian-saint-or-hero-selfhood/

Discussion of film A Man for All Seasons https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/man-for-all-seasons-1966/

Text courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-More-Source-Book/dp/0813213762

Another version of the text: https://www.thomasmorestudies.org/docs/Dialogue%20on%20Conscience%20Modernized.pdf

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“Because of something uncertain, there should not be a definite abandonment of duty — for, in that event, there is certain ruin for the people, not only in things pertaining to this life, but also in those of that other life which must be cared for with incomparably greater attention and anxiety.”

In his Letter to Honoratus, Augustine writes in response to a question put to him by a fellow bishop. The question? Whether it should be permissible for bishops and their clergy to flee an oncoming persecution.

Augustine, unsurprisingly, says NO to fleeing, and exhorts bishops to place their trust in God. Augustine emphasizes the power of God to protect, as well as the primacy of prayer. He underlines that concern for eternal life takes precedence over the mere preservation of temporal life, and identifies bishops and their clergy as beholden to serve the laity in their charge. If the laity remain, the clergy are obliged to remain.

As Augustine also points out, it is during the times of most danger that the sacraments are most essential — and in most demand. Although Augustine here responds to a much different set of circumstances than that of our own, it is not difficult to see how some of his directives find application in our current situation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Notes

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3143

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"The man who thinks that he is quiet and peaceful has within him a passion that he does not see."

St. Dorotheus was a 6th century Palestinian abbot who founded a monastery near Gaza. Excerpts of his instruction on self-accusation are found in the Office of Readings, and are particularly relevant in the wake of the violence and tension set off by the death of George Floyd.

Excerpts from Doct. 13, De accusatione sui ipsius, 1-3: PG 88, 1699

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“Love gives life to the soul, for just as the body lives through the soul, so the soul lives through God, and God dwells in us through love.”

Happy Pentecost! We celebrate on the podcast with this Pentecost sermon by St. Thomas Aquinas.

Article on Aquinas' preaching style: "What Lessons Do Thomas Aquinas' Sermons Hold For Modern Preachers?" https://www.hprweb.com/2017/06/what-lessons-do-thomas-aquinass-sermons-hold-for-modern-preachers/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-academic-sermons-aquinas-hoogland/

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"Let the working man and the employer make free agreements, and in particular let them agree freely as to the wages; nevertheless, there underlies a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between man and man, namely, that wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-behaved wage-earner."

The second half of Leo XIII's classic encyclical offers a defense of the right of association, exhortation to preferential option for the poor, emphasis on the importance of Sabbath rest, as well as an explication of the principles of a just wage.

Full Text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4904

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“Hence, it is clear that the main tenet of socialism — community of goods — must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal.”

Rerum Novarum—literally meaning “Of New Things,” but more accurately translated, “Of Revolutionary Change,”—was Pope Leo XIII's response to the political upheaval of the 19th century. Issued on May 15, 1891, Rerum Novaum set forth a definitive word on these “new things”, and laid the groundwork for much of the development of the Church’s social thought through the 20th century. Today, Rerum Novarum is considered a foundational text of Catholic social teaching.

Covering everything from property rights to trade unions, to questions of wages and the relationship of man to the State; it’s a sweeping document that is at once comprehensive and accessible. There’s no need to be a political philosopher or economist here. Leo XIII develops his arguments in a methodical and straightforward way, and states plainly that human society can be healed in no other way than in a return to Christian life and Christian institutions.

In this first half, Pope Leo XIII lays out the problems, rejects socialism’s call for the abolition of private property, and identifies those rights and duties of the person and family that are prior to and independent of the State. He outlines the respective rights and duties of the worker and of the employer, affirming their mutual need for one another and calling them not only to cooperation, but to love.

Today, when so many of the same social ills have reared their ugly head, Rerum Novarum is required reading for anyone looking to address the political and economic questions of today.

Full Text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4904

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“When the Master himself has explicitly said of the bread, ‘This is my body,’ will anyone still dare to doubt? When He is Himself our warranty, saying, “This is my blood,” who will ever waver and say it is not His Blood?”

During Lent, we heard the first two of St. Cyril’s Catechetical Lectures – now we jump ahead to his final two, Lectures 23 and 24.

In his final lectures, termed the Mystagogical Lectures, Cyril instructs the newly baptized on the mysteries into which they had just been initiated: baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. He reserves his lectures on the Eucharist for last, to "crown the work" of his pupils' spiritual edification.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120470/the-works-of-saint-cyril-of-jerusalem-vol-2

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2431

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“Do not lose heart, children, for as the Lord has been angry, so will He heal again and the Church shall quickly recover her own good order and shall shine as she has shone.”

We’ve finally arrived at the conclusion of our six-part series of the great Catholic classic, Life of St. Anthony.

If you’ll recall, we began this work all the way back in January, with Part 1 released on the feast of St. Anthony. How appropriate, then, that our finale be released today: on the feast of the work's author, St. Athanasius of Alexandria.

In our first episode, we heard the Lord promise to Anthony, “Because you remained firm and have not yielded, I will always be your helper—and I will make your name known everywhere.” In the completion of Athanasius’ biography of this great saint, we see yet again that God is always faithful to His promises.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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Happy feast of St. Joseph the Worker!

In this episode, we honor St. Joseph with a brief Holy Saturday poem by Sr. Mary Ada, OSJ. St. Joseph, Protector of Holy Church—pray for us!

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"I would have accepted a sad life, but not one that was absurd."

Raïssa Maritain is best known as the wife of Jacques Maritain, one of the foremost Catholic philosophers of the 20th century whose work was instrumental in the modern revival of the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Raïssa was a poet, painter, and philosopher in her own right. We Have Been Friends Together is Raïssa's autobiography and a memoir of her marriage to Jacques.

The excerpt featured in today's episode is Raïssa's moving account of the fateful afternoon when she and Jacques, both in their 20's and still students at the Sorbonne, make a suicide pact together. Disillusioned by the nihilism that dominated their philosophical studies, Jacques and Raïssa—still at this point agnostic and atheist—resolve either to discover the meaning of life or else to end it. It was this resolution that set them on a path that would ultimately lead to Christ and to His Church.

This episode is released on the anniversary of Jacques Maritain’s death in 1973, so we can pray for Jacques and for his wife, and give thanks to God for their work, their marriage, and their lives.

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“None rejoice in Easter-tide less than those who have not grieved in Lent.”

Happy Easter!

With today’s reading, we round out the trilogy of Newman readings we began on Palm Sunday, continued through Good Friday, and now conclude for Easter.

In this sermon which he originally preached on Easter Day, Newman likens Christian joy at Easter to that of sick people in convalescence—a particularly charged metaphor today. He speaks also of the unassuming yet undeniable power of the Church’s precepts and ordinances—another theme especially worth considering when, in so many places throughout the world, public liturgies have been suspended.

All in all, there’s much here to help us begin this Easter season during an uncertain and extraordinary time.

Keeping Fast and Festival full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume4/sermon23.html

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"... as His atoning passion was undergone in the body, so it was undergone in the soul also."

In this special Good Friday episode of Catholic Culture Audiobooks, we continue our Holy Week trilogy of Newman readings with a reading from Newman's Discourses to Mixed Congregations.

A bit longer than some of our other episodes, but worth listening to in one sitting, if possible. Even better: in silence or prayer.

Mental Sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/discourses/discourse16.html

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“What is given us by revelation to estimate and measure this world by? The event of this season—the Crucifixion of the Son of God.”

Happy Palm Sunday, everyone.

We’re kicking off Holy Week with a sermon given by Newman for the last Sunday in Lent. This is the first of three episodes featuring our podcast’s patron and marking the Church’s celebrations of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter.

During this time when a great many Catholics will be unable to attend liturgical celebrations, it’s our hope that this podcast may be just one of the resources to help you keep fast and festival, and to observe these high holy days within your own homes and with your own creativity.

Free Liturgical Year Ebook for Easter: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/easter-volume-released-for-this-liturgical-year/

Holy Week in the Home During Quarantine: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/holy-week-in-home-during-quarantine/

The Cross of Christ the Measure of the World Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume6/sermon7.html

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“Would you know the power of repentance? Would you understand this strong weapon of salvation and the might of confession?”

We’re returning to St. Cyril’s Lenten series of catechetical lectures with his Catechesis II, in which Cyril offers up a remarkable testament to the power of repentance.

More than anything, Cyril exhorts his catechumens to sure confidence in God’s mercy, no matter how much one has sinned. God’s mercy, Cyril reminds, can extend even to a whole people; a nation; a globe. Worth remembering always, but perhaps in particular during a time of global pandemic.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120469/the-works-of-saint-cyril-of-jerusalem-vol-1

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2410

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"Rejoice, O Bride Ever-Virgin!"

Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation!

The hymn we will be hearing is one of the most well-loved services of devotion in the Eastern Church. Although there’s some debate concerning the particulars of its authorship, many scholars agree with the pious tradition that the Akathist Hymn was composed by St. Romanos the Melodist, c. 530 in Constantinople.

St. Romanos was a deacon and noted hymnographer, whose hymns have been praised both for their beauty as well as for their profound theology. The Akathist Hymn—just one of the many hymns attributed to St. Romanos—was originally composed for liturgical use in the celebration of the great Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, March 25.

After the great liberation of Constantinople in 626, it was chosen to be sung as the hymn of thanksgiving for the miraculous victory that had been achieved through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. The faithful prayed all through the night without sitting, hence the Greek meaning of the title, Akathistos—"not seated."

During this time of global pandemic, may we, too, be found upright in thanksgiving and supplication, invoking Mary’s invincible intercession to deliver us from these sufferings and to free us from all danger.

Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=899

Example of sung chant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2IYzQ2Ava4

Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/03/20/200320c.html

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"Sustain the struggle for your soul, especially in these days!”

We’re introducing a new figure today: St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century bishop whose feast is March 18.

We’ve only a few extant works from St. Cyril: a letter, a homily, some fragments, and a series of 24 lectures known as the Lenten or Catechetical Lectures.

These were pre-baptismal catechetical lectures given by Cyril to catechumens in the Lent of probably 349 A.D. Of these lectures, the most well known are perhaps the final five, also known as the Mystagogical Lectures. In these, Cyril deals with each of the three sacraments the then-neophytes would have received: baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist.

This first Catechetical Lecture serves as a good introduction to the others, as well as a welcome return to the basics. “Lay aside things of the present,” Cyril says, “and put your faith in things to come.”

Which, of course, is always true, but perhaps especially so now.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120469/the-works-of-saint-cyril-of-jerusalem-vol-1

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2409

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“For when did the knowledge of God so shine forth? When did chastity and the virtue of virginity so manifest itself, or when was death so despised, as since the Cross of Christ appeared?”

We’re quickly approaching the conclusion to this great spiritual classic by St. Athanasius! In this episode, we’ll hear Athanasius recount a litany of wonders God worked through St. Anthony’s prayer: more healings, visions, and casting out of evil spirits, as well as descriptions of St. Anthony’s theological tussles with Arian heretics and Greek philosophers.

If you’ve not yet listened to our previous installments in this series, today’s episode stands on its own; but after listening, you may find you’ll want to go back and hear this extraordinary life from the beginning.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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"Perhaps this is the truest view of such exercises, that in some wonderful, unknown way they open the next world for good and evil upon us..."

Newman originally gave this sermon for the first Sunday of Lent, reflecting upon Christ’s fasting and temptation in the desert.

To be sure, it is prayer, almsgiving, and fasting that both the Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church insist upon, and which the Church calls each of us to during this and every Lent; so Newman's subjects is well worth reflecting upon at the outset of our own Lenten practices.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume6/sermon1.html

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“Do you hate your brother and walk about free from care? Are you unwilling to be reconciled, although God is giving you an opportunity for that purpose? Behold, you are a murderer and yet you live.”

It's Lent!

These two Lenten sermons (Sermons 205 and 211, respectively) were originally given by Augustine at the beginning of Lent.

The first sermon is brief, but packed with good stuff. Among other things, Augustine warns against using our fasting or abstaining from one kind of pleasure as a pretense to seek out other luxuries, and he exhorts us not to nail others to our cross, so to speak, by being ill-tempered while fasting. Some things never change!

He ends the first sermon emphasizing forgiveness; with the second sermon, Augustine takes up the subject of forgiveness and preaches on it more comprehensively. He tackles it seemingly from every angle: are you unwilling to forgive your neighbor? Is your neighbor unwilling to forgive you? Are either you or your neighbor unwilling to ask to be forgiven? There's something here for everyone.

This second sermon is especially challenging -- and for that reason, all the more worth attending to at the outset of this penitential season.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120454/saint-augustine-sermons-on-the-liturgical-seasons

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“I am a servant of Christ. If you have been sent against me, here I am.”

With today’s episode, we pass the halfway mark of this Christian classic. We’ll hear of Anthony’s move even further into the desert, more stories of his struggles against principalities and powers, and more of Anthony's words to the monks who came to him seeking guidance.

In part 3, we heard Anthony describe some beginning rules for the discernment of spirits. This time, we’ll hear him provide instruction on another hallmark of Christian spirituality: the examination of conscience at the end of the day.

There’s also to be found here a number of instances testifying to the power of prayer, of what can happen when one prays and believes sincerely, and a reminder of Our Lord’s words, “Ask, and it shall be given to you.”

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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In this special, post-Valentine's Day episode, we've compiled a selection of three poems by St. Robert Southwell.

Like St. Valentine, St. Robert Southwell was a martyr: an English Jesuit who served as a clandestine missionary in post-Reformation England. There he ministered in secret for six years before he was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. After three years of imprisonment and torture, he was convicted of high treason and executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.

During his time in England, Southwell witnessed the executions of many other Catholics, including those of people he knew personally. It’s in this light, and in light of his own eventual martyrdom, that his poetry carries with it an especial gravity. At once horrified and inspired by the martyrdoms he witnessed, Southwell wrote this paradox into his poetry, as reflected in the poems selected for this episode.

"The Burning Babe", "A Child My Choice", and "I Die Alive" by St. Robert Southwell, as found in Lyra Martyrum: The Poetry of the English Martyrs https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/

For more poetry readings: the Daily Poem podcast https://shows.acast.com/the-daily-poem

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“I will prove to you, here and now, that we do not believe in groundless myths nor in teachings not based on reason, but in doctrines that are inspired by the Divine Spirit, abundant with power, and teeming with grace.”

St. Justin Martyr, born sometime between the years 100 and 110 AD, is generally considered the most important of the Greek apologists. Dialogue with Trypho, in fact, is the oldest extant Christian apology against Judaism -- though Justin is perhaps better known for his Apologies directed toward Roman Emperors and Senators.

The details we know of his life are largely found in his own writings: in particular, these beginning chapters to his Dialogue with Trypho, wherein he recounts his conversion.

Born into a pagan family, Justin describes how, as a young man, he flitted from one school of philosophy to another. He finally landed among the Platonists, with whom he was mostly pleased for their notion of God. That is, until he met a mysterious old man who revealed to him Platonism’s insufficiency. It is this strange encounter that we’ll hear described for us today.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/46607/the-first-apology-the-second-apology-dialogue-with-trypho-exhortation-to-the-greeks-discourse-to-the-greeks-the-monarchy-of-the-rule-of-god

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1612

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“It is possible, with the help of God, easily to distinguish the presence of the good and the bad: a vision of the holy ones is not agitated.”

We’re continuing where we left off at the end of our last episode, with Anthony addressing the monks who have come to the desert to imitate his way of life and seek his guidance. We’ll hear Anthony complete the discourse he began in our previous episode, and go deeper into the methods of spiritual combat.

Of particular interest, Anthony provides some provisional rules for the discernment of spirits. Those familiar with St. Ignatius of Loyola's rules for discernment as outlined in his Spiritual Exercises will no doubt recognize many similarities here.

Also worth noting is Anthony’s reliance upon the the Word of God and on the Sign of the Cross in his confrontations with the devil. Committing to memory some of the same Scripture passages Anthony employs may help us in our own times of struggle, and Anthony’s insistence on the power of the Sign of the Cross serves as a reminder that the Sign of the Cross is itself a prayer (and sacramental, too!).

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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“Do not be fearful when you hear of perfection, nor be surprised at the word, for it is not far from us… the Lord has already told us: the kingdom of God is within you.”

We last left St. Anthony as he began his life in the desert, taking up residence in an abandoned fort - an appropriate setting, given the spiritual combat Anthony had gone out into the desert to wage.

At the beginning of this second installment, Athanasius fast-forwards us 20 years. Others inspired by Anthony have since also come to the desert to imitate his way of life. Anthony addresses the crowd of monks gathered to hear from him, and this discourse given by Anthony - a long sermon on the ascetical life - could be considered the very first monastic rule.

Whereas last episode we heard tale of Anthony’s struggles, in today’s episode we’ll hear from Anthony himself, strengthened by his struggles.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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“Dearest brethren, how great the delight, how great the pleasure, how great the sweetness that is in the heavenly words of wisdom!”

In honor of his feast day today, we’re featuring, for the first time on this podcast, St. Thomas Aquinas. Known as the “Angelic Doctor”, St. Thomas Aquinas is, arguably, the most influential theologian and philosopher that the Church has ever seen.

St. Thomas lived well past the time of the Church Fathers, but his magnum opus, The Summa Theologica, is greatly indebted to the Fathers. Along with the Bible and the works of Aristotle, the Church Fathers are cited by him throughout the Summa as among the most authoritative sources.

No doubt many of our listeners will be familiar with his Summa and many of his other works, but perhaps fewer will be familiar with his sermons.

We have in his sermons everything one would expect from Aquinas: references throughout to Aristotle, careful enumeration and categorization, and nearly every point made is substantiated with a direct scriptural quotation. In the sermon we’ll be hearing today, Aquinas manages to unpack quite a bit from five simple words: "Heaven and earth will pass."

If you’ve appreciated St. Thomas in the past, you’ll enjoy this sermon; and if you’ve never read Aquinas at all, you’ll find here a characteristic taste of his fascinating intellect and personality.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-academic-sermons-aquinas-hoogland/

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In this special episode in honor of the annual March for Life, we’ve compiled a selection of three of Newman’s poems, all composed within a few days of one another and all reflecting on the efficacy of prayer. We encourage everyone, whether at the March for Life or not, to pray with us for an end to abortion in the United States and throughout the world.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/index.html

The Daily Poem podcast: https://shows.acast.com/the-daily-poem

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“Do not hesitate to believe what you have heard from those who have brought you accounts of him; believe, rather, that they have told but little... for it is probable that, when each one has told what he knows, the account will not do Anthony justice.”

Happy Feast of St. Anthony, Abbot!

You may know him from the countless recurrences, across art and literature, of “The Temptation of St. Anthony.”

Well, The Life of St. Anthony - of which the temptations are only part - is, perhaps, one of the most influential works in the history of Christian literature.

Setting aside the unique authority and influence of the biographer (the great Church father, St. Athanasius of Alexandria), the work itself describes the life of a singularly holy man. In fact, it is the earliest biographical account of a saint who had become such without having had to suffer martyrdom.

Though St. Anthony was not the first Christian hermit, he was the most popular: this account of his life did much to spread his ascetic and monastic ideals throughout the East and West. Anthony has been called not only the father of Christian monasticism, but even the founder of the religious life.

Needless to say, we are very excited to be bringing you, over the course of several episodes, The Life of St. Anthony in its entirety. If you’ve not done so, now is the time to register with us at http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to ensure that you don’t miss a minute of this exhilarating Christian classic.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120446/early-christian-biographies

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3080

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“... if any of these customs is common to the whole Church throughout the world, it is the most unheard of madness to doubt that such custom is to be followed.”

For the first time on this podcast (but certainly not the last!), we’ll be hearing from a Church Father and Doctor who needs no introduction: St. Augustine of Hippo.

Also known as "Letter 54", Augustine’s Letter to Januarius was written in response to a question posed by Januarius in a previous letter: at what time of day should the Holy Sacrifice on Holy Thursday be celebrated?

What follows is an insightful and sometimes humorous letter, even containing a fun anecdote wherein Augustine recounts having once played intermediary between his mother and St. Ambrose. The letter also contains a clear affirmation of the twofold authority of Scripture and Tradition, careful articulation of the distinction between that which is essential to the faith and that which is not, and a hint at some of the early Church’s more procedural disputes.

For a short letter, there’s a lot to enjoy - and, perhaps for some of us, a humbling reminder that disagreements regarding accidental aspects to liturgy are as old as the Church itself!

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://verbum.com/product/120434/saint-augustine-letters-vol-1

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3202

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“We are now entering on a fresh stage of our life's journey; we know well how it will end, and we see where we shall stop in the evening, though we do not see the road.”

Happy 2020, everyone!

We’ve been away for the holidays, but we're back and kicking off the New Year with a reading from our patron -- a sermon originally given by St. Newman on New Year’s Day.

And with a New Year, we at Catholic Culture Audiobooks have plenty of new material and directions in store...

We've got an exciting year planned, but we also want to hear from you! What Catholic classics do you want to hear on this podcast? You can send any feedback or suggestions to podcast@catholicculture.org

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume7/sermon1.html

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Merry Christmas!

Rather than a full sermon today, we’ll be hearing instead from sermon notes jotted down by St. Newman in 1851.

Before his conversion, St. Newman had always read his sermons from a prepared manuscript, according to Anglican custom at the time. As a Catholic priest, Newman preached his homilies in a manner with which Catholics were more accustomed, with a more extemporaneous feel.

Interestingly, his sermon notes were, for the most part, written down after the sermon, not before - an indication that, even after having been prepared, Newman’s thoughts would continue to develop as he preached.

Though his sermon notes are, by comparison, more muted than his full sermons, they are, nevertheless, fascinating and rewarding in their own right.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/sermonnotes/file3.html#sermon15

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"This faith, if only you desire it, you can have."

Regarded as "one of the most exquisite pieces of early Christian literature", this letter from an anonymous author to a pagan named Diognetus is a sublime work of Christian apologetics not to be missed.

The translator of today's work goes on to describe the author:

"... an unnamed master of Greek style, a fervent Christian filled with Pauline convictions, a humanist who has achieved a remarkable harmony of supernatural faith and charity, with a highly cultivated intelligence, literary taste, conscience, and social sense. The calm and clarity of his thought reveal a master of logic, the deep convictions of a serious thinker, the eloquence of a trained rhetorician, the breadth of mind and warmth of heart, the poise of an educated gentleman.”

Now if that doesn’t make you want to listen to this episode, I don't know what will!

Mike Aquilina on the Letter to Diognetus: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-8-letter-to-diognetus-intro-to-apologists/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1620

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"And let us not merely seem to pay attention and to believe now, while being admonished by the presbyters, but also, when we have gone home, let us remember the commandments of the Lord..."

The Second Letter of St. Clement is, in fact, neither a letter nor by St. Clement. It is, instead, a homily and the oldest example of Christian preaching that we have outside of Scripture itself. Its appearance alongside St. Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians in many early manuscripts earns it its title.

Highlights include affirmation of Christ’s divinity, emphasis placed upon the resurrection of the body, and some moving words on penance. Among the numerous Scriptural references, there are a few instances of quotation from unknown sources (likely one or more apocryphal gospels).

Though we may not be able to attribute this text to any particular figure among the early Fathers, you’ll find that it’s no less edifying - and, perhaps, all the more intriguing - for it.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1990

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“It was fitting, for His honor and glory, that she, who was the instrument of His bodily presence, should first be a miracle of His grace.”

Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception!

The work from which this reading is taken was published in 1849. The Immaculate Conception was defined solemnly as dogma in 1854. Here Newman evidences the excitement, anticipation, and awe at Mary's Immaculate Conception that was already universally held among the faithful. With this reading, we can make St. Newman’s admiration our own.

Last week we heard a letter from St. Ignatius, in which was recounted some of Ignatius’ efforts to combat the heresy that denied Jesus' humanity. Newman here confronts a similar rejection of the Incarnation, but he does so this time by way of Mary, who, he affirms, alone has destroyed all heresies.

All Hail the Immaculata!

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/discourses/discourse17.html

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"The season is chill and dark, and the breath of the morning is damp, and worshipers are few, but all this befits those who are by profession penitents and mourners, watchers and pilgrims."

While many may spend Advent in eager anticipation of Christmas, Newman here points toward another coming event we should all anticipate: our particular judgment.

St. Newman's thoughts here compliment his reflections on Christian Reverence, which we featured in a previous episode on the occasion of the Solemnity of Christ the King. With all the preparation that has to go into an audience with a worldly king, how much more so must we prepare for our reckoning with the Lord of All?

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume5/sermon1.html

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"Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

In a previous episode, we heard St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the bishop of Smyrna. Today, we hear his letter to the Church in Smyrna.

In the most recent episode of Way of the Fathers, host Mike Aquilina detailed St. Ignatius of Antioch and his letters: "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."

You’ll hear each of those themes echoed in today’s letter, and you’ll also hear the very first instance of the expression Catholic Church in Christian literature.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1633

Previous readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?searchgoals=6&andsearch=Ignatius%20audiobooks

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Happy Thanksgiving!

In lieu of a full episode today, we’re bringing you a reading of a poem by this podcast’s patron, St. John Henry Newman.

Many are unaware of just how prolific and skilled a poet Newman was. We hope to remedy that with this podcast, and to bring you more of his poetry in future episodes - but for now, this mini-episode will serve as our introduction to his verse with a single poem, aptly titled: A Thanksgiving.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/verse15.html

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"In heaven, love will absorb fear; but in this world, fear and love must go together."

This past Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King. We’re continuing to celebrate Christ’s awesome kingship through this final week of the liturgical year, and today we do so with a reading of this sermon by St. Newman.

Long live Christ the King!

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/sermon23.html

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"But, if some shall disobey the words which have been spoken by Him through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in no small transgression and danger."

November 23 is the memorial of St. Clement of Rome, a 1st-century successor of St. Peter said to have been consecrated by Peter himself. His letter to the Corinthians is his only extant work.

St. Clement, along with his Letter to the Corinthians, was recently the subject of an episode of Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina. Introducing that episode, Mike wrote:

'Clement healed the Church in the way of the Apostles: by writing a winsome, reasonable, gentle letter. Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians is, says Johannes Quasten, “the earliest piece of literature outside the New Testament for which the name, position, and date of the author are historically attested.” It provides us a snapshot of Church life as the first Christian generation turned over to the second. And it reveals the origins of so many doctrines: apostolic succession, Roman primacy, the papal office, and the unity of the Old Testament and the New.'

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1608

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“The unseen God alone was their Comforter, and this invests the scene of their suffering with supernatural majesty, and awes us when we think of them.”

In our last episode, we heard the oldest of the Acts of the Martyrs: the first hand account of the martyrdom of St. Polycarp. Today, we'll hear a sermon from St. John Henry Newman on the topic of martyrdom itself, and on the early church martyrs in particular.

You’ll find the reflections here conducive to a deeper appreciation for the account of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom. If you’ve not yet had a chance to listen to that episode, you’ll want to be sure to do so after hearing this sermon.

Of course, if you already tuned in last time, you could always go back and listen again!

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon4.html

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"The uproar in the stadium was such that nobody could be heard at all."

We first heard a letter addressed to Polycarp by St. Ignatius of Antioch, followed by a letter composed by Polycarp himself; now, we conclude with an authentic, firsthand account of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom on February 22, 156.

Among other things, the account attests to the veneration of saintly relics by early Christians. The letter puts forth a clear defense of the veneration of saints as distinct from the worship rendered solely to God.

The account is as moving now as it was when the Christians at Smyrna first wrote it.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1627

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"The letter of Ignatius sent to us by himself and all the others we have here we send you... and from them you will greatly profit."

Earlier in the week, we heard Ignatius’ Letter to Polycarp; today, we hear from Polycarp himself.

Bishop of Smyrna in the 2nd-century, Polycarp is known to have composed numerous letters, though his Letter to the Philippians is the only one that has survived.

Perhaps most significant to the work of this podcast is Polycarp’s insistence on the value of close study of the letters of St. Paul and those of St. Ignatius, whose letters he sent to the Philippians along with this letter.

Mike Aquilina on St. Polycarp: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-st-polycarp-and-social-network/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1626

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"Copy the ways of God in speaking to each as an individual person... Not every wound is healed by the same salve."

Coming off our celebration of All Saints' Day, today's reading is of a letter written from one to saint to another: St. Ignatius’ Letter to St. Polycarp.

Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna, and alongside Ignatius of Antioch and Clement of Rome, he is regarded as one of the chief figures among the Apostolic Fathers.

What distinguishes this from other letters by Ignatius is that, as opposed to having been sent to an entire Church community, this letter represents a personal correspondence from one early bishop to another. Polycarp so valued this letter, in fact, that he would later send it in its entirety to the Philippians.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1634

Other readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?searchgoals=6&andsearch=Ignatius%20audiobooks

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"We crowd these all up into one day; we mingle together in the brief remembrance of an hour all the choicest deeds, the holiest lives, the noblest labors, the most precious sufferings, which the sun ever saw."

Happy Solemnity of All Saints!

Today's reading is of a sermon from St. John Henry Newman’s Anglican period, given while he was vicar at St. Mary’s of Oxford and on the occasion of the Feast of All Saints.

Newman was renowned for these sermons, and congregants would flock to University Church of St. Mary’s to hear him preach. His sermons from this period remain among the greatest Christian discourses of all time; they are as inspired, striking, and challenging today as when they were first delivered - and this one is no exception.

Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon32.html

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"Do not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but keep what you have received, without adding or subtracting."

The Didache is one of the most important sources from the age of the Apostolic Fathers; so instrumental, in fact, that some of the early Fathers considered it to be a part of the New Testament.

Effectively the oldest extant written catechism, it provides both moral and liturgical instruction, including the oldest recorded Eucharistic prayers.

In a time sometimes characterized by ambiguity and evasiveness, the simplicity with which the Didache puts forward its teaching is, perhaps, itself an instruction. Like last week’s reading, this one is worth listening to more than once.

Mike Aquilina on the Didache: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-6-whats-in-name-anonymous-texts-from-early-church/

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1631

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"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another."

One of the prayers most commonly associated with St. John Henry Newman comes directly from this excerpt of St. Newman’s Meditations and Devotions, entitled Hope in God, Creator and written less than two years after his conversion to Catholicism.

Newman would eventually choose ‘Cor ad Cor Loquitur’ as his cardinal motto, ‘Heart Speaks to Heart’. With Hope in God, Creator, Newman’s heart speaks to ours.

Full text: www.newmanreader.org/works/meditations/meditations9.html

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"Artists are constantly in search of the hidden meaning of things, and their torment is to succeed in expressing the world of the ineffable. How then can we fail to see what a great source of inspiration is offered by that kind of homeland of the soul that is religion?"

Today, in honor of the feast of St. John Paul II, we take a brief departure from Newman and the Fathers to bring you his Letter to Artists.

Karol Wojtyla, as he was known prior to his election to the papacy, was an artist himself. A poet, a playwright, and an actor who co-founded and performed with one of the most important Polish theater troupes of the last century, Wojtyla left behind an artistic legacy often overlooked for his many contributions elsewhere.

With Letter to Artists, however, it seems clear that St. John Paul remained an artist at heart his whole life.

Slightlyabridged.

Full text: https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html

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October 17th is the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch and we’re marking the occasion with a reading of St. Ignatius’ Letter to the Romans, our very first Patristic work featured on this podcast.

The Letter to the Romans is perhaps the most well known of St. Ignatius' letters. It’s certainly the most striking. In it, St. Ignatius implores the Church at Rome not to intervene in his impending execution.

Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/

Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1631

Other readings of Ignatius’ Letters: https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?searchgoals=6&andsearch=Ignatius%20audiobooks

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We’re kicking things off with the Saint whom this podcast has taken for its patron, none other than the newly canonized St. John Henry Newman.

This reading comes from one of Newman’s earliest publications after his conversion, a volume entitled Discourses to Mixed Congregations, and is the first of the eighteen discourses contained in that volume. It reads as a sort of orator’s mission statement, and it’s a mission we’d like to make our own at the outset of this audiobook series.

Text to "The Salvation of the Hearer the Motive of the Preacher": http://www.newmanreader.org/works/discourses/discourse1.html

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Welcome to Catholic Culture Audiobooks, a brand new podcast and production of CatholicCulture.org, bringing you professionally-produced audio recordings of great Catholic literature from throughout the centuries! Starting with the Church Fathers and St. John Henry Newman. Read by James T. Majewski.

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