Episode 34- Regnum Novum: Bringing forth the New Evangelization through Catholic Social Teaching with Omar Gutierrez – We continue the study of the “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church” Chapter 8 – part 1 The Political Community. What is the biblical basis for this social teaching? What is the purpose of the political community? What is the basis for morally legitimate authority?
Episode 4 – Simon the Magician – “Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians“
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss Simon the Magician and learning from pride and hubris.
An excerpt from Villains of the Early Church:
IF THERE had been supermarket tabloids in Rome of the first century, Simon Magus, or Simon the Magician, would have been on the front pages every week. His story gives us zombies, levitation, a talking dog, a jewel heist, and a prophesying baby, just to name a few of the highlights. But it all begins with a true story in the Acts of the Apostles.
Aquilina, Mike. Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians (Kindle Locations 528). Emmaus Road Publishing. Kindle Edition.
You can find the book on which this series is based here
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries(2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
By his way of creating theology, interweaving the Bible, liturgy and history, Bede has a timely message for the different “states of life”: a) for scholars (doctores ac doctrices) he recalls two essential tasks: to examine the marvels of the word of God in order to present them in an attractive form to the faithful; to explain the dogmatic truths, avoiding heretical complications and keeping to “Catholic simplicity”, with the attitude of the lowly and humble to whom God is pleased to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom; b) pastors, for their part, must give priority to preaching, not only through verbal or hagiographic language but also by giving importance to icons, processions and pilgrimages. Bede recommends that they use the vulgate as he himself does, explaining the “Our Father” and the “Creed” in Northumbrian and continuing, until the last day of his life, his commentary on the Gospel of John in the vulgate; c) Bede recommends to consecrated people who devote themselves to the Divine Office, living in the joy of fraternal communion and progressing in the spiritual life by means of ascesis and contemplation that they attend to the apostolate no one possesses the Gospel for himself alone but must perceive it as a gift for others too both by collaborating with Bishops in pastoral activities of various kinds for the young Christian communities and by offering themselves for the evangelizing mission among the pagans, outside their own country, as “peregrini pro amore Dei”.
Making this viewpoint his own, in his commentary on the Song of Songs Bede presents the Synagogue and the Church as collaborators in the dissemination of God’s word. Christ the Bridegroom wants a hard-working Church, “weathered by the efforts of evangelization” there is a clear reference to the word in the Song of Songs (1: 5), where the bride says “Nigra sum sed formosa” (“I am very dark, but comely”) intent on tilling other fields or vineyards and in establishing among the new peoples “not a temporary hut but a permanent dwelling place”, in other words, intent on integrating the Gospel into their social fabric and cultural institutions. In this perspective the holy Doctor urges lay faithful to be diligent in religious instruction, imitating those “insatiable crowds of the Gospel who did not even allow the Apostles time to take a mouthful”. He teaches them how to pray ceaselessly, “reproducing in life what they celebrate in the liturgy”, offering all their actions as a spiritual sacrifice in union with Christ. He explains to parents that in their small domestic circle too they can exercise “the priestly office as pastors and guides”, giving their children a Christian upbringing. He also affirms that he knows many of the faithful (men and women, married and single) “capable of irreproachable conduct who, if appropriately guided, will be able every day to receive Eucharistic communion” (Epist. ad Ecgberctum, ed. Plummer, p. 419).
The fame of holiness and wisdom that Bede already enjoyed in his lifetime, earned him the title of “Venerable”. Pope Sergius I called him this when he wrote to his Abbot in 701 asking him to allow him to come to Rome temporarily to give advice on matters of universal interest. After his death, Bede’s writings were widely disseminated in his homeland and on the European continent. Bishop St Boniface, the great missionary of Germany, (d. 754), asked the Archbishop of York and the Abbot of Wearmouth several times to have some of his works transcribed and sent to him so that he and his companions might also enjoy the spiritual light that shone from them. A century later, Notker Balbulus, Abbot of Sankt Gallen (d. 912), noting the extraordinary influence of Bede, compared him to a new sun that God had caused to rise, not in the East but in the West, to illuminate the world. Apart from the rhetorical emphasis, it is a fact that with his works Bede made an effective contribution to building a Christian Europe in which the various peoples and cultures amalgamated with one another, thereby giving them a single physiognomy, inspired by the Christian faith. Let us pray that today too there may be figures of Bede’s stature, to keep the whole continent united; let us pray that we may all be willing to rediscover our common roots, in order to be builders of a profoundly human and authentically Christian Europe.
Dr. Matthew Bunson, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is one of the United States’ leading authorities on the papacy and the Church.
His books include The Encyclopedia of Catholic History; The Encyclopedia of Saints; Papal Wisdom; All Shall Be Well; Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire; and The Angelic Doctor: The Life and World of St. Thomas Aquinas; The Pope Encyclopedia; We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, the first Catholic biography of the Holy Father in the English language; the Encyclopedia of U.S. Catholic History; Pope Francis. His also the editor of OSV’s “The Catholic Answer” magazine.
What a delight to be joined once again by Dr. James Papndrea, especially to discuss his book “What Really Happens After We Die: There Will Be Hugs in Heaven.” In part 2 of this podcast, we discuss Heaven and the reality of Hell.
Here professor of Church history Dr. James Papandrea gathers in one place all that is known about the afterlife — drawn from the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the Church’s Magisterium — affording, for the first time ever, a complete, authoritative, detailed portrait of the state of souls after death and the realms we enter. The following are among the many questions he answers:
-If, as St. Paul says, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God,” how can our bodies enter Heaven?
-After death but before the final resurrection, are we simply unconscious?
-What is our resurrection like? (And does it differ from Jesus’ Resurrection?)
-Are ghosts real? (You’ll be surprised at what the Church Fathers have to say.)
-What is the difference between Heaven and Paradise?
-Which of our parts will accompany us to Heaven (and which must be left behind)?
-In Heaven, do we still eat and drink?
-If, as Jesus says, there’s no marrying in heaven, are we still male and female there?
-After our resurrection, will we, like Jesus, be able to pass through matter?
-And many more fascinating questions answered!
Other conversations with James Papandrea on Inside the Pages:
What a delight to be joined once again by Dr. James Papndrea, especially to discuss his book “What Really Happens After We Die: There Will Be Hugs in Heaven.” In part 1 of this podcast, we discuss the relationship between body and soul, the nature of Purgatory, and the teachings of the Fathers (and Mothers) of the Church.
Here professor of Church history Dr. James Papandrea gathers in one place all that is known about the afterlife — drawn from the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the Church’s Magisterium — affording, for the first time ever, a complete, authoritative, detailed portrait of the state of souls after death and the realms we enter. The following are among the many questions he answers:
-If, as St. Paul says, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God,” how can our bodies enter Heaven?
-After death but before the final resurrection, are we simply unconscious?
-What is our resurrection like? (And does it differ from Jesus’ Resurrection?)
-Are ghosts real? (You’ll be surprised at what the Church Fathers have to say.)
-What is the difference between Heaven and Paradise?
-Which of our parts will accompany us to Heaven (and which must be left behind)?
-In Heaven, do we still eat and drink?
-If, as Jesus says, there’s no marrying in heaven, are we still male and female there?
-After our resurrection, will we, like Jesus, be able to pass through matter?
-And many more fascinating questions answered!
Other conversations with James Papandrea on Inside the Pages:
“Gratitude is the thing that brings us the most grace. I have learned this from experience. Try it and you will see. I am content with whatever God gives me and I show him this in a thousand different ways”
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
Before focusing on John 3, Sharon gives us a teaching on how Catholics approach scripture study. We are encouraged to use a canonical approach when studying the Bible; that is, we should consider the entire canon of the Bible whenever trying to understand a particular passage. The Bible is not meant to be a collection of isolated stories.
In addition, we learn about the senses of scripture: literal and spiritual, with the spiritual sense further divided into allegorical (a foreshadowing of future events and people), moral (virtues that can be learned) and anagogical (referencing eternity or the eschaton).
We then turn our attention back to John 3 and learn about Nicodemus, whose spiritual journey is a beautiful example of progressive growth in faith. Nicodemus was a member of the Great Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court of first-century Israel. At the time of Jesus’ adult ministry, the president of the Sanhedrin was Rabbi Gamaliel, the teacher of Paul. Gamaliel also advised his fellow members of the Great Sanhedrin to reduce their scrutiny over Jesus’ followers lest they find themselves fighting against God himself. Tradition holds that both Nicodemus and Gamaliel converted to Christianity. Nicodemus and Deacon Stephen the martyr of Acts 7 were buried together at Gamaliel’s estate outside of Jerusalem. Gamaliel and his son ultimately shared this same grave. Turning back to John 3, Sharon then focuses on the interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, who struggles with understanding the meaning of being born from above by water and spirit. Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, would have understood the significance of his earthly lineage, yet he failed to recognize the divine lineage of Jesus Christ, who was born from above, by the Holy Spirit overshadowing a pure earthly creature named Mary of Nazareth. Being in the form of God, Jesus did not think equality with God was something to be grasped so he lowered himself and took on human form (Phil 2). By taking on human form he showed us the face of God the Father and by His humble obedience made a way for us to get back to the Father and partake once again in our divine nature in the heavenly beautiful vision.
John 3 concludes with nuptial imagery, as John the Baptist identifies himself as the best man to Jesus, the bridegroom. Sharon teaches us about a traditional Jewish wedding, shedding light on the significance of John as the best man, whose role was to bear witness to the consummation of the marriage. Jesus the bridegroom had come and the best man’s job was done. John would decrease and allow Jesus to increase.
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to www.seekingtruth.net
Episode 3 – Pontius Pilate – “Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians“
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss Pontius Pilate and learning from his weakness.
An excerpt from Villains of the Early Church:
Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Countless millions of Christians recite that simple historical fact when they profess their faith. It reminds us that this is real history we’re dealing with. The death and Resurrection of Jesus are not just metaphors or allegories: they really happened at a particular moment in history.
Pilate is our anchor to that historical moment. He is our grounding in historical fact.
But he’s also one of the most fascinating characters in the Gospels. His doubt and dithering in the face of an unpredictable mob make him more than just a villain. They make him human, and we feel real sympathy for him. He’s doing a bad job, but in his position it was nearly impossible to do a good job.
Aquilina, Mike. Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians (Kindle Locations 391). Emmaus Road Publishing. Kindle Edition.
You can find the book on which this series is based here
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries(2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Episode 33- Regnum Novum: Bringing forth the New Evangelization through Catholic Social Teaching with Omar Gutierrez – We continue the study of the “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church” Chapter 7 – What is “economics” and why does the Church have a role in how it is lived out? Who are the poor? How are we called to live out our Catholic faith in the area of the “economy”?
328. Goods, even when legitimately owned, always have a universal destination; any type of improper accumulation is immoral, because it openly contradicts the universal destination assigned to all goods by the Creator. Christian salvation is an integral liberation of man, which means being freed not only from need but also in respect to possessions. “For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (1 Tim 6:10). The Fathers of the Church insist more on the need for the conversion and transformation of the consciences of believers than on the need to change the social and political structures of their day. They call on those who work in the economic sphere and who possess goods to consider themselves administrators of the goods that God has entrusted to them.
We live at a very special time. The confluence of many things has brought forth the clear need to be able to articulate the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church in a way that is accessible and applicable. This is not to be an effort where high-minded theories are to be bandied about. Rather, this is a time of opportunity wherein we can apply the Social Doctrine to the concrete so as to bring about a New Kingdom, a Revolution. – Omar G.
No one I know has the passion, zeal and just sheer love for the Holy Souls in Purgatory like Susan Tassone! She has an incredible depth of knowledge on the subject. You will never feel you are without companions on the journey after you hear Susan plead the Holy Souls cause.
Let the saints inspire you to intercede for the holy souls in purgatory! Throughout the ages the devotions, prayers, and practices of the Communion of Saints have been offered up on behalf of souls in purgatory, the Church Suffering. The saints ardent desire to intercede for the holy souls impelled them to pray ceaselessly for their eternal rest. This inspiring book shows how you can join the saints in this act of divine charity, thereby attaining spiritual gifts for acts done for the souls that cry out to us for relief. –See the firsthand experiences that saints have had with the holy souls –Learn the power of intercessory prayer on behalf of souls in purgatory –Seasonal Devotions & Spiritual Aids prepare all members of the family to plead the cause of souls
Episode 34- Regnum Novum: Bringing forth the New Evangelization through Catholic Social Teaching with Omar Gutierrez – We continue the study of the “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church” Chapter 8 – part 1 The Political Community. What is the biblical basis for this social teaching? What is the purpose of the political community? What is the basis for morally legitimate authority?
What a delight to be joined once again by Dr. James Papndrea, especially to discuss his book “What Really Happens After We Die: There Will Be Hugs in Heaven.” In part 2 of this podcast, we discuss Heaven and the reality of Hell.
