RCIA Foundations

Ransom recruits Lewis to aid him in his trip to Perelandra. Ransom arrives and finds a stunning world of oceans and floating islands. While there he meets a Green Lady who speaks Old Solar, the language of the unfallen Field of Arbol, what we call the Solar System.

Discussion of the nature and significance of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

Introduction to C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and overview of major elements of the first book, Out of the Silent Planet.

Jesus had a remarkable way with people.  He spoke to their most intimate questions in their deep need for God—whether they knew them or not.  In Encounters with Jesus, we peer into a few of his most memorable encounters as described by St. John the Apostle in his Gospel.  An important religious leader, Nicodemus seeks out Jesus in the dead of night, fearful for what anyone spotting him might think!   But he is driven by a question that he does not ask but Jesus nevertheless answers.

Jesus had a remarkable way with people.  He spoke to their most intimate questions in their deep need for God—whether they knew them or not.  In Encounters with Jesus, we peer into a few of his most memorable encounters as described by St. John the Apostle in his Gospel. Other than the blessed Virgin, Pontius Pilate is the only mortal human being named directly in the Nicene Creed, and for good reason, as it is on his authority that Jesus Christ was crucified.  But during his interrogation of Jesus, Pilate finds him enigmatic and not a little frightening.  Who is this man?  What is he really up to?  But while Pilate worries about his reputation before the Emperor, Jesus offers Pilate what he really needs, salvation.

Jesus had a remarkable way with people.  He spoke to their most intimate questions in their deep need for God—whether they knew them or not.  In Encounters with Jesus, we peer into a few of his most memorable encounters as described by St. John the Apostle. Desperate to save their brother, Jesus’ dear friends, Mary and Martha write to him to come quickly to their home and heal Lazarus.  But Jesus delays leaving for two days, until he arrives to discover that Lazarus has already died.  Martha is frustrated with Jesus’s timing, while Mary is grievously heartbroken.  Overcome by their loss, Jesus joins them in their suffering before showing them a taste of what eternal life really is.

Jesus had a remarkable way with people.  He spoke to their most intimate questions in their deep need for God—whether they knew them or not.  In Encounters with Jesus, we peer into a few of his most memorable encounters as described by St. John the Apostle. Hungry from his journey through Samaria, in our first episode, Jesus stops by a well while his disciples head into town for food.  He encounters a woman from whom he asks a drink of water, but in exchange, he offers her the living water of eternal life.

Who is this Jesus? The ancient Christian arguments for Jesus' identity as fully God and fully man depend on the validity of the apostolic eyewitnesses who wrote their memoirs about him. But contemporary critics maintain that these documents, termed "Gospels" by the early Christians, are much more likely to have been written some 400 years after the events. And, further, that rival "gospels" that portray an otherworldly gnostic Jesus were dismissed by the Church based on arbitrary reasoning. Brant Pitre engages these criticisms decisively in his The Case for Jesus.

Our second and series finale class on St. Augustine's City of God!

This is the first of two episodes on St. Augustine from The City of God, Book XIX.

We move on to the Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, for this episode!

Aristotle, Class 3, the last half hour of the class on Aristotle's review of the best candidates for the best life (devoted to pleasure, honor, or contemplation) cut out. He opts for contemplation. We discussed the rationale for this, since his conception of God is more idea than person, since he couldn't figure out how to get perfection into imperfect personal pagan gods. Thus, the greatest activity is contemplation since the greatest thing is an idea.

Our St. Mary 2025 Summer Philosophical Readings Series, Aristotle Class Two

Our 2025 St. Mary Summer Philosophical Readings Series, Aristotle Class One

Till We Have Faces, Class Six, Final Class

Fifth Class on Till We Have Faces

Episode Four of Till We Have Faces

Episode Three of Till We Have Faces

Till We Have Faces, Class Two

C. S. Lewis is arguably the greatest philosopher of the twentieth century, offering a panoply of scholarly, fictional, children’s, allegorical, and polemic works that provide an extraordinary metaphysical-aesthetic vision of the human need for the divine.  His novel, Till We Have Faces, is without question his greatest work of all.  Set in an entirely pagan context, Lewis drives us through our own self-justifications to confront the fact that “we cannot know the gods face to face till we have faces.”  Don’t miss it. 

What is spiritual growth, and how do we all fit into the Body of Christ? Every single one of us is a unique presentation of the image of God, so it follows that every single one of us has an important role to play not just in the human race, not just in our families, not just in our bodies politic, not just in our professions, not just in our social clubs and friendships, but also in Christ's Body the Church.

Why do Catholics fast? What is the point? Why must feasting always follow fasting? Why is fasting intrinsically linked to prayer? How does the Fast fit into the Catholic concept of "co-suffering" with Christ and our fellow Christians? What is Lent and how does our Lenten observance of fasting, prayer, and alms-giving prepare us for the great Easter Feast?

Is the Word of God a book or a Person? How do we understand the relationship between the Church and the Bible? Can individuals authoritatively interpret the Bible on their own? What is the difference between literal and symbolic interpretation of the Scriptures? How does the enriched, multifaceted interpretive model of the Church open up the unveiling of sacramental imagery?

How do the City of God and the City of Man relate in the quest for charity?

What is God up to? What is his overall plan for human beings and the world? How does it all end? With a bang, with a whimper, or something else? Join us this week as we explore the “last things.”

Join us this week as we explore how the complementarity of the genders works through human constitutions to effect the wonder of marital love.

What role does gender play in the creation of human beings? What role does it play in human happiness? And why is one of our sacraments built around its fulfillment? Men and women, men and women, men and women! Join us this week as we explore the foundations of the sacrament of marriage.

This week we will be examining what sacraments are and why they fit perfectly into human nature. More divine genius to behold, so don’t miss it!

What is the Church? Why did Jesus institute it? What is it supposed to do? How well has it done that throughout history? Join us this week as we explore the nature and history of the Church!

Every week at Mass we conclude with the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, asking for his protection from the wickedness and snares of the devil. The history of the Church is dotted with angelic and demonic manifestations, not to mention the paranormal ghostly apparitions that we frequently hear about nowadays. What does this all mean? Are these beings even real? If they are, should we be afraid of them? Join us this week as we investigate the angels, demons, and ghosts.

St. Athanasius said that God became man that man might become God. Jesus is the son both of God and of man. This unity of God and man becomes the pattern and purpose for all of the sacraments. Join us this week as we explore the significance of the Incarnation.

The greatest commandment is to love God with all of ourselves. So, who is God? What is he like? Why is his being a trinity so crucially important? And how do we love him? Join us this week as we explore the nature of the Godhead and its role as the pattern for all human community.

What is the Faith really for? What is God up to? We suffer immensely in this troubled world, but St. Paul says that those sufferings cannot even compare to what God actually has in store for us! Join us this week as we explore the astonishing impact of omnipotent love.

Sometimes God gets angry. And maybe we deserve it! But God is also love. So how can God love me in spite of my faults? How is forgiveness of sins even possible? Listen this week as we explore the mystery of salvation. 

We hear all the time that happiness is different for everyone, pretty much whatever anyone wants it to be. You’d think, then, that nearly everyone would be happy. But they aren’t. So maybe happiness is a lot harder than we’re being told and maybe it requires moral virtue. But then there’s that troubling question of suffering, especially concerning good people. Is virtue required or is it all a matter of luck?  

How do we know that God exists? What role does reason play in discovering this truth? What role does faith play in expanding on this truth? What is the relationship of faith to reason?

What is truth? Is there any? How would we know if there were? Is there religious truth?