Series Archives

VEC1 – Judas – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 1 – Judas – “Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians“

In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss the “mystery of Judas.”

An excerpt from Villains of the Early Church:

What happened to Judas? Was it simple greed that snapped him? That seems unlikely. Thirty pieces of silver was a good bit of money, but Judas was doing all right with his embezzling racket. The Gospels don’t tell us his motivation most likely because their writers just didn’t know. It was a mystery to them as it is to us. And a lot of the Christian legends that later grew up about Judas seem like popular attempts to psychoanalyze him.

Judas was also present for the Last Supper, having a miserable time as Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray him: “The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).

John tells us that the disciple whom Jesus loved—John himself—asked Jesus who the betrayer would be. “It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it,” Jesus responded, and then dipped the morsel and handed it to Judas. Yet the others still didn’t understand what Jesus meant when he said to Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:26–27). Was he sending Judas out to buy more food? Or to make a donation to the poor from the money box?

“So, after receiving the morsel, he immediately went out,” John says, adding the significant detail “and it was night.” Judas walked out of the Last Supper and into the very symbolic darkness (John 13:30).

But he knew where to look for Jesus when he came with the police. Judas and the rest of the disciples had often been with Jesus in that pleasant park across the Kidron Valley, the garden of Gethsemane (see John 18:2; Mark 14:32). That was where Judas led the soldiers to arrest Jesus.

Aquilina, Mike. Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians (Kindle Locations 190-203). Emmaus Road Publishing. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in the Villians of the Early Church podcast visit here – Villains of the Early Church – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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.

Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com

BKL269 – “On Prayer” – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff podcast

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Show 269 ” Building a Kingdom of Love” – On Prayer

Msgr. Esseff reflects on the teaching of the Sacred Scriptures and on how we pray:

Gospel LK 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

ST-John Ep 6 – John 2: The Wedding At Cana part 2 – The Gospel of St. John – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 6 – John 2: The Wedding Feast at Cana pt. 2

Picking up from where we left off last week, Sharon takes us to John 1, where we count the days as described by John. Day 1: the Jewish leaders come to visit John in the wilderness wondering if he is Elijah returned or the prophet or even the Messiah. Day 2: Upon seeing Jesus, John cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” The image of a lamb immediately makes us recall Genesis 22, Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. As they climb Mt. Moriah, Isaac notices that they do not have a lamb to sacrifice. Abraham reassures him, promising that God himself will provide the lamb. Just as Abraham is about to kill his son, God stops him and provides a ram for sacrifice. Israel and the rest of the world will have to wait for God’s promise of a sacrificial lamb to be fulfilled by Jesus. The image of a sacrificial lamb can be found elsewhere in scripture: the Passover lamb of Exodus 12; the messianic silent lamb led to slaughter in Isaiah 53; the marriage feast of the lamb in Revelation 19. Day 3: the call of the first disciples, including Andrew and his brother Simon, whom Christ renames Peter. Day 4: the call of Phillip and Nathanael. Sharon breaks open the symbolism behind Jesus’ home town of Nazareth, which means “branch town”, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 11 which predicts that a branch will spring forth from the root of Jesse, and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him. Branch imagery is also found in Zechariah 3 which describes “my servant the Branch” who will the remove the guilt of the land in a single day. Then, on the third day after the fourth day, we come to Day 7: the wedding feast of Cana. The verb form of Cana is translated “to create” and it is the same word spoken by Eve when she exclaims that with the Lord’s help, she has created a man, Cain (Gen 4). The wedding feast at Cana is a symbol of a new creation, a new covenant and serves as the backdrop of the mystical marriage: Jesus, the new Adam, enters into a spiritual marriage with Mary, the new Eve, and the fruit of this marriage is the Church. The marriage is consummated at the cross and the church is birthed at Pentecost. By calling his mother “woman”, Jesus brings us back to the woman of Genesis 3:15, whose offspring will crush the head of Satan. Jesus later again calls Mary “woman” as he hangs on the cross, telling her and John the apostle: “Woman behold your son.” John represents the Church and Mary, the woman, is our mother. In this chapter, we are introduced to another of John’s themes: the hour. When Mary tells Jesus that the wine has run out, Jesus responds that his hour has not yet come. Jesus, in his humanity, anticipates the hour of his passion, and knows that this first miracle of turning water to wine will mark the beginning of his road to Calvary. Another theme that runs through John’s Gospel are the Jewish feast days. In this the first of three Passovers found in John’s Gospel, Jesus clears the Temple of merchants and money changers. The true presence of God had been missing from the Temple since the Ark of the Covenant was hidden away by Jeremiah (2 Mac 2). The true presence of God has now returned to the temple and Jesus predicts his passion: Jesus’ body, the new temple, will be raised in three days after his death.

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.

For more in this series visit the Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran Discerning Hearts page

“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

ST-John Ep 4 – In the Beginning pt 2 – The Gospel of St. John – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 4 – John 1: In the Beginning pt. 2

What is your deepest identity? As we begin our study of John, Sharon poses this fundamental question: Who are you? What is your identity? The answer can be found in scripture: you are a beloved son or daughter of God. This powerful theme runs deep in this lecture. Beginning at the beginning, Sharon focuses on John 1 and Genesis 1, illuminating the nature of Jesus, the Word, who was with God, was in God and was God before the beginning of time. Central to the nature of Christ is his humanity, and specifically his identity as a man. Jesus’ maleness is inherent to his personhood. Sadly, Satan attempts to distort the reality of who we are as male or female, and our current culture has been bombarded with so-called “gender identity ideology”, which Pope Francis describes as a negative trend, a profound falsehood, ideological colonization by wealthy countries, and demonic. Gender used to be a binary choice: male or female. Now gender is used to describe social and cultural differences as opposed to biological. With the fall, confusion entered the world and we lost our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God and the fatal wound of sin entered the world. But, thanks be to God, with the Incarnation of Christ, we now have a way back to the Father. Jesus has given us the power to be children of God and reclaim our truest identity. Sharon then goes on to talk about John the Baptist, whose purpose was to bear witness to Christ. The Jewish leaders venture into the desert and question John about his identity: Are you Elijah? Are you the prophet? Are you the Messiah? John explains that he is the voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Lord as prophesied by Isaiah. While not Elijah returned, John indeed is the new Elijah as predicted by the prophet Malachi, who the Lord will send before the anointed one. Sharon focuses on typology: John, the new Elijah, and Jesus, the new Moses. She concludes her lecture with the first of several examples of bridegroom imagery found in John’s Gospel. John states he is unworthy to unfasten the ties of Jesus’ sandals. More than a statement of humility, John is reaffirming his role. He is not the bridegroom of redeemed Israel. He is the witness, the best man of the marriage between Jesus, the groom, and the Church, his bride.

For more in this series visit the Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran Discerning Hearts page

BTP-IC12 – Fifth Mansions Chapter 1 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Podcast

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In this episode, Dr. Lilles discusses the Fifth Mansions Chapter 1 of the “Interior Castle” which covers:

1. Graces of the fifth mansions. 2. Contemplation to be striven for. 3. Physical effects of the Prayer of union. 4. Amazement of the intellect. 5. The Prayer of union and of quiet contrasted. 6. Divine and earthly union. 7. Competent directors in these matters. 8. Proof of union. 9. Assurance left in the soul. 10. Divine union beyond our Power to obtain.

For the Discerning Hearts audio recording of the “Interior Castle” by St. Teresa of Avila you can visit here

For other audio recordings of various spiritual classics you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics page

For other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Interior Castle with Dr. Anthony Lilles”

Anthony Lilles, S.T.D. is an associate professor and the academic dean of Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years he served the Church in Northern Colorado where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. Through the years, clergy, seminarians, religious and lay faithful have benefited from his lectures and retreat conferences on the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the writings of St. Elisabeth of the Trinity.

BKL267 – “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

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Msgr. Esseff reflects on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. He describes in detail the true horror of this means of execution and what it meant to be crucified in the time of Jesus. But he also talks about the great love that God has for us in embracing the Cross for our sake and what it means for us today. A very powerful reflection.

BTP-IC11 – Fourth Mansions Chapter 3 part 2 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Podcast

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In this episode, Dr. Lilles discusses the Fourth Mansions Chapter 3 part 2 of the “Interior Castle” which covers:

1. The Prayer of recollection compared to the inhabitants of the castle. 2. The Shepherd recalls His flock into the castle. 3. This recollection supernatural. 4. It prepares us for higher favours. 5. The mind must act until God calls it to recollection by love. 6. The soul should here abandon itself 8. into God’s hands. 7. The prayer of recollection, and distractions in Prayer. 8. Liberty of spirit gained by consolations. 9. The soul must be watchful. 10. The devil specially tempts such souls. 11. False trances and raptures. 12. How to treat those deluded in this way. 13. Risks of delusion in this mansion.

For the Discerning Hearts audio recording of the “Interior Castle” by St. Teresa of Avila you can visit here

For other audio recordings of various spiritual classics you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics page

For other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Interior Castle with Dr. Anthony Lilles”

RN26 – “The Common Good” in the Compendium of Social Doctrine Chap 4 Section 1- Regnum Novum w/ Omar Gutierrez

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Episode 26- 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 4 Section 1

CHAPTER THREE
THE HUMAN PERSON AND HUMAN RIGHTS

III. THE MANY ASPECTS OF THE HUMAN PERSON
A. The unity of the person
B. Openness to transcendence and uniqueness of the person

a. Open to transcendence
b.Unique and unrepeatable
c.Respect for human dignity

C. The freedom of the human person

a. The value and limits of freedom
b.The bond uniting freedom with truth and the natural law

D. The equal dignity of all people
E. The social nature of human beings

IV. HUMAN RIGHTS
a.The value of human rights
b.The specification of rights
c.Rights and duties
d.Rights of peoples and nations
e.Filling in the gap between the letter and the spirit

Also, visit Omar’s “Discerning Hearts” page Catholic Social Teaching 101

BTP-IC10 – Fourth Mansions Chapter 3 part 1 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Podcast

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In this episode, Dr. Lilles discusses the Fourth Mansions Chapter 3 part 1 of the “Interior Castle” which covers:

For the Discerning Hearts audio recording of the “Interior Castle” by St. Teresa of Avila you can visit here

For other audio recordings of various spiritual classics you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics page

For other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Interior Castle with Dr. Anthony Lilles”

CA-12 – G. K. Chesterton – Christian Apologetics w/ Dr. R. R. Reno Podcast

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Episode 12- G. K. Chesterton

In this episode, Dr. Reno discusses G. K. Chesterton his life and times, as well as his vigorous, fun, witty engagement with secular critics of Christianity which still resonate so well today.

Read Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” here

“Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno” explores numerous facets of faith and reason in the life of the Church and the world. Grounded on the work of giants, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, Blessed John Newman, Blessed John Paul II, G. K. Chesterton, Blaise Pascal and Stephen Barr, Dr. Reno helps us to open our minds to make the journey to our hearts.

R. R. Reno is the editor at First Things: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life, and Professor of Theology, currently on leave from Creighton University. His theological work has been published in many academic journals. Essays and opinion pieces on religion, public life, contemporary culture, and current events have appeared in Commentary and the Washington Post. In Fighting the Noonday Devil Reno suggests that putting ourselves at the disposal of what is real is what trains us for true piety. His other recent books include Genesis: Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible and Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible.