If God is omniscient and immutable (unchangeable), what then is the purpose of prayer? It would seem as if prayer would be rendered of little value, given that God knows everything and is incapable of changing in response to our prayers. In his lectures on Matthew 6:9-11, Thomas Aquinas discussed the question of God’s omniscience and immutability and the purpose of one’s prayer. read more…
Monetary wealth, argued Bellarmine, can be a great temptation in the Christian life. In chapter five of his treatise The Art of Dying Well, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine maintains that the Christian should be especially vigilant in the use of their financial assets. read more…
Spiritual vigilance is one of the most important considerations for the Catholic Christian. Bellarmine seeks to equip Catholic Christians with an acute sense of the need for spiritual vigilance throughout the Christian life. Working from the text of Luke [12:35]-37, Bellarmine seizes upon Jesus’ parable of staying spiritually alert for the Day of Judgement. read more…
To die well, Robert Bellarmine argued, one must live well. The keys to living well are twofold: the virtues and the Seven Sacraments. In this episode, we discuss Bellarmine’s understanding of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity (love). read more…
Prayer is critical for the Christian life. For Bellarmine, prayer performs a multitude of purposes, especially in view of the reality facing each human being–death. From strengthening trust in God to read more…
In the Eleventh Fruit, Bonaventure discusses Christ’s future role as judge of all human beings and as the bridegroom of the Church. Following the tradition of Augustine and the Western Church, Bonaventure paints a picture of Christ’s work as judge Continue Reading
In the Tenth Fruit, Bonaventure reflects on Christ’s Ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit among the early leaders of the Church. Bonaventure finds in the post-Resurrection actions of Jesus the triumphal leading of the saints read more…
In the Ninth Fruit, Bonaventure discusses Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Taking as his point of departure the Apostle’s Creed and the various statements from the Gospels, the Pauline and Catholic Epistles, read more…
In the Seventh Fruit, Bonaventure reflects upon the sentencing of Jesus to death by Pontius Pilate, his torture and execution on the cross. He again sets in stark contrast the impiety of Jesus’ persecutors with his humility, mercy and grace. read more…
In the Seventh Fruit, Bonaventure reflects upon the sentencing of Jesus to death by Pontius Pilate, his torture and execution on the cross. He again sets in stark contrast the impiety of Jesus’ persecutors with his humility, mercy and grace. Bonaventure seeks to portray yet again for his audience, as promised in his prologue, the nature of a life crucified with Christ. read more…
In the Sixth Fruit, Bonaventure looks at the final hours of Jesus’ life, specifically the events surrounding Jesus’ trials before Herod and Pilate. He sets in stark contrast the impiety of Jesus’ persecutors with his humility, mercy and grace. read more…
In the fifth fruit, Bonaventure focuses our attention on Jesus’ confidence in his final trials. Focusing on the betrayal by Judas to his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, Bonaventure shows his readers how Jesus operated with a deep understanding of God’s providence. In light of this overarching perspective, Jesus treated Judas with compassion and approached his captors with calm and conviction. read more…
In the third fruit, Bonaventure focuses our attention on the Loftiness of Jesus Christ’s Power. From Christ’s baptism to his transfiguration, Bonaventure takes the reader across the life of Christ to help focus the reader’s attention on Christ’s power. read more…
What was one of the salient characteristics of Christ’s life? Bonaventure points to Christ’s humility as the guiding principle for all his actions. In his treatment of the second fruit, Bonaventure argues that humility is the root and the guardian of read more…
What are Christ’s pre-incarnate origins? In this episode, we examine Bonaventure’s high Christology, which forms the basis of his theological reflection on Jesus Christ’s two natures (human and divine) in his singular and divine person. Join us this week as we discuss how Bonaventure read more…
For Bonaventure, what was the Tree of Life spoken of in Revelation 22? In this episode, we review not only Bonaventure’s answer to this question, but we also read more…
Bonaventure was a prolific medieval theologian at the university of Paris and the Master General of the Franciscan order. read more…
What are some practical tips for daily prayer? In today’s episode, we talk about Catholic forms of prayer such as read more…
What are some practical tips for daily prayer? In today’s episode, we talk about Catholic forms of prayer such as read more…
What are the keys to preparing for a good Catholic marriage? In this episode, Mary and Dr. Estrada talk about the keys to entering and sustaining a fulfilled Catholic marriage read more…
Why do Catholic Christians celebrate the Epiphany? The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates the events recorded in Matthew 2, where the author mentions the arrival of magi from the East who came to see the newborn king. Following the star, read more…
What was the spiritual significance of Christ’s birth? In this episode, we discuss the parallels Bishop Fulton Sheen saw read more…
What is the purpose of struggle in the spiritual life? Newman argues that spiritual struggle read more…
How did John Henry Nemwan think about the season of advent? read more…
Who was Bl. John Henry Newman? In this episode, we provide a brief overview of his life read more…
November 23rd is the feast day of Blessed Fr. Miguel Pro, a Mexican priest and martyr of the early 20th century. Join us in this episode as we discuss the life and work of this Catholic martyr who remains read more…
Bishop Frank Caggiano recently asked US Catholics that if they had 60 seconds to share a single idea with the Youth Synod 2018 in Rome, what would it be. Our answer? read more…
Bishop Frank Caggiano recently asked US Catholics that if they had 60 seconds to share a single idea with the Youth Synond 2018 in Rome, what would it be. Our answer? read more…
In his Confessions, Augustine maintains that to hold a true understanding of God, one has to begin with a proper understanding of how people come to know the truth of Christianity. read more…
In his Confessions, Augustine maintains that God is both transcendent and immanent. In taking this position, Augustine drew upon the Christian and Platonist traditions and merged them to formulate two main pillars of his spirituality. read more…
Augustine’s Confessions from beginning to end is a prayer to God. On every page, Augustine turns to God in prayer, whether in confession for past sins to praise for God’s grandeur. read more…
Augustine’s Confessions, the most famous of his writings, are dominated by the motif of divine providence in a human being’s conversion. On nearly every page, this motif shines through as Augustine views his entire life through the lens of God’s provident care over his every step. read more…
What makes Catholic Christians distinct from all other types of Christians? In this episode we will explore the papacy, the distinct feature that makes Catholicism different from read more…
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) devoted much of his work as a bishop to writing about the spiritual life and sinful clergy. In light of the recent scandals in the Catholic Church, read more…
St. Augustine wrote much about the spiritual life, especially God’s work in drawing human beings to himself. The Confessions presents an intriguing look at the various ways in which God works in a human beings life. read more…
In this episode we briefly review the historical, literary and religious context of Augustine’s Confessions. read more…
In part 3 of this series on hope, we look at the biblical example Abraham and how his trust in God appeared foolish, particularly in his sacrifice of Isaac. We discuss the gratuitous nature of love, and read more…
We continue our discussion of Christian hope and Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Spe Salvi. In this episode, we explore the specific ways in which we can cultivate and grow in hope. read more…
How do Christians define hope and what is the basis for Christian hope? As St. Paul tells the Romans, “in hope we were saved.” Pope Benedict XVI delves into the virtue of hope in his encyclical, Spe Salvi. In this episode, we discuss Benedict’s encyclical, the role of hope in the spiritual life, its part in transforming the world, its identifying characteristics, and the impact it has on the believer by looking at several examples in the Christian tradition.
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