The Catholic Culture Podcast

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4Uv7MvEHixg The Hillbilly Thomists, a bluegrass group entirely composed of Dominican friars, have just released their second album, Living for the Other Side. Percussionist Fr. Joseph Hagan, who happens to be a priest at Thomas's parish, joins the show to talk about the new album, the connections between bluegrass and the Apocalypse, and music as an expression of the Dominican mission of preaching. All songs used with permission. Links https://www.hillbillythomists.com/ Music video, "Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKDG9DF7mhA This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zkfJ-gSMdUg Today's Catholic culture is marked by a profound and settled religious indifferentism. Among many Catholics, to say what the Church has always taught—that Jesus Christ is the one way to salvation—is considered offensive, or at best, rash. In certain countries, the bishops' conferences have practically made a policy against seeking converts from other religions (or lack thereof). Catholics, ruled by fear of human respect and compromised by their own private sins, are finding more and more reasons not to proclaim Christ's moral teachings as well. Ralph Martin, whose new book A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward is a comprehensive spiritual diagnosis of our present situation, joins the show to discuss the many factors contributing to religious indifferentism. These include theological doubts about whether anyone really goes to hell (thanks, Balthasar), the therapeutic culture which has lost any sense of sin and justice, the focus on legalistic analysis of culpability rather than the need to change, and fear of human respect. Links A Church in Crisis https://stpaulcenter.com/product/a-church-in-crisis-pathways-forward/ Jeff Mirus's review of A Church in Crisis https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/mapping-crisis-ralph-martins-blockbuster-book/ Renewal Ministries https://www.renewalministries.net/ The Fulfillment of All Desire https://stpaulcenter.com/product/the-fulfillment-of-all-desire/ Newman sermon, "Christian Reverence" on Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-christian-reverence/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3Czyd0XSEso The alarmists were right: ideas that were only a few years ago complacently dismissed as the perennial agitation of a few campus loonies are now pervasive in the corporate world, mass media and pop culture. Critical race theory, transgender ideology, the obsessive search for oppressive power relations in every aspect of life and every feature of language, the demand for all to be activists, shutting down of dissenting speech as violence: common sense or the gift of a solid Catholic formation will suffice for most who reject these ideologies. But some will want a more rigorous critique or a deeper understanding of the philosophical roots of radical leftist activism. To that end, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay have written Cynical Theories, a very helpful primer on the development of modern activism from 1960s postmodernist philosophy. In this episode, Thomas and political philosopher Darel Paul discuss the book, which tracks how postcolonial theory, queer theory, women's/gender studies, critical race theory, and other activist fields have instantiated or adapted the following central principles and themes of postmodernism: Postmodern principles: Radical skepticism about the ability to know anything, cultural constructivism Society is formed of systems of power and hierarchies which decide what and how things can be known Postmodern themes: The blurring of boundaries, the power of language, cultural relativism, loss of the individual and the universal The episode concludes with a critique of Pluckrose and Lindsay's prescription of a return to Enlightenment liberalism as a corrective to postmodernism. Contents [1:41] Reasons for discussing Cynical Theories [4:36] Evidence of postmodernist activist movements reaching the mainstream [10:58] What the book contributes to the discourse on woke ideology [15:00] Similarities and differences between postmodernism and Marxism [26:25] The core postmodern principles and themes [38:53] Policing speech as a tool of power rather than a rational means of communicating truth [47:58] The proliferation of postmodern principles into a number of activist fields [49:47] Defining one's identity in terms of suffering and oppression [55:07] Tension between postmodern rejection of categories and the need to have categories to critique power relations; the emergence of queer theory; deliberate incoherence as liberation [1:01:06] Conundrum for LGBTQ activists: gain "normal" status or destroy idea of normality? [1:06:40] Gender theory vs. critical race theory on categories [1:18:50] Postmodernism as a class ideology? [1:24:17] The postcolonial critique of science; epistemic relativism [1:27:30] Critique of Pluckrose and Lindsay's advocacy of a return to Enlightenment liberalism [1:32:51] Liberalism as an inherently negative and deconstructive philosophy [1:40:04] Postmodernism as an extension and/or consequence of liberalism [2:04:33] How to communicate truth to someone who believes language is merely power? Links Pluckrose and Lindsay, Cynical Theories https://www.amazon.com/Cynical-Theories-Scholarship-Everything-Identity_and/dp/1634312023 Darel Paul, "Against Racialism" https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/10/against-racialism Darel Paul, "Listening at the Great Awokening" https://areomagazine.com/2019/04/17/listening-at-the-great-awokening/ Darel Paul, "The Global Community Is a Fantasy" https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-global-community-is-a-fantasy/ Darel Paul, From Tolerance to Equality https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481306959/from-tolerance-to-equality/ Ep. 61 on liberalism as an anti-culture with James Matthew Wilson https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-61-liberal-anti-culture-vs-western-vision-soul-pt-i-james-matthew-wilson/ Ep. 18 on the vice of acedia manifested in our refusal to accept our given nature https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-18-acedia-forgotten-capital-sin-rj-snell/ Christmas episodes: It's a Wonderful Life (1946) film discussion w/ Patrick Coffin https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/its-wonderful-life-1946-w-patrick-coffin/ CCP 59 – The Glorious English Carol https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-59-glorious-english-carol/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

All music by Thomas Tallis used with permission of the artists and labels listed below. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i-oMO9qqzKA As a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) composed sacred music for four successive English monarchs, starting with Henry VIII and ending with Elizabeth. Those were turbulent times in England, especially for a church musician. Those were turbulent times in England, especially for a church musician. Like his colleague (and probable pupil) William Byrd, Tallis was able to adapt his compositional style to meet the constantly shifting ideological demands of the regimes under which he served. Unlike the combative Byrd, who in his later years removed himself from court life and made a point of his loyalty to Rome, Tallis may have simply gone with the flow. We don't know for sure, because there is very little information about his life. Here to tell us what we do know is singer and scholar Kerry McCarthy, author of a concise new book on Tallis's life and music in Oxford University Press's Master Musicians Series (which also includes her book on Byrd previously discussed on this podcast). She enthusiastically discusses his music, his times, the foundation of polyphony in plainchant which was obliterated by the Reformation, the various compositional techniques of the time, and the nature of the medieval modes with which these composers worked. Links Kerry McCarthy, Tallis https://global.oup.com/academic/product/tallis-9780190635213 Hear Kerry sing with Capella Romana in a groundbreaking recreation of the acoustics of a sixth-century Byzantine cathedral! Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia: Medieval Byzantine Chant https://cappellaromana.org/product/lost-voices-of-hagia-sophia-medieval-byzantine-chant/ Kerry McCarthy discusses Byrd on this podcast: Pt. 1 https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-49-catholic-composer-in-queen-elizabeths-court-pt-i-kerry-mccarthy/ Pt. 2 https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-50a-catholic-composer-in-queen-elizabeths-court-pt-iikerry-mccarthy/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio Music heard in this episode Thomas Tallis: "If ye love me" performed by The Gesualdo Six, c/o Hyperion https://www.amazon.com/English-Motets-Gesualdo-Six/dp/B078X98G4B/ Video from their YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/yHe2FDlHHa8 "Lesson Two Parts in One" performed by Matthieu Latreille https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EsptIeArHI "Miserere nostri" (Tallis/Byrd), "In jejunio et fletu" performed by Alamire, c/o Obsidian https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H4OHXG/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp "Puer natus est nobis: Agnus Dei", "Psalm Tunes from Archbishop Parker's Psalter", "Spem in alium" performed by Chapelle Du Roi, from their Complete Works of Tallis c/o Signum Records UK https://signumrecords.com Chapelle's Du Roi's Complete Works of Tallis available affordably in the US here https://www.amazon.com/Tallis-Complete-Chapelle-Du-Roi/dp/B005JWXA1K/ Ralph Vaughan Williams: "Fantasia on a Theme from Thomas Tallis" performed by Academy of Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields, dir. Neville Mariner https://www.amazon.com/Williams-Greensleeves-Tallis-Neville-Marriner/dp/B000004CVM/

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z5jrU3JYnv0 In his Five Great Odes, the great French Catholic poet Paul Claudel (1868-1955) offers a cosmic vision in which man, in his contemplative and poetic capacity, stands as mediator between God and all creation. Man, in the image of God and even more in the headship of Christ, names all creatures, unites them in his heart, speaks for them and offers them back to God as unified whole of which man himself is a part: "I extend my hands to left and to right/so that by me not one gap should exist in the perfect circle of your creations." Poet James Matthew Wilson compares Claudel's cosmic and Catholic vision to that of Tolkien, and startlingly, to one of Tolkien's characters: "Claudel's Odes show him to be a new Tom Bombadil, who moves through the world without irony because he has already transcended the jaded and impoverished vision typical of the modern age and entered with joy into an experience of the universal and the eternal." This is an interview with Jonathan Geltner, translator of a new English edition of Claudel's Odes. Links Five Great Odes https://www.angelicopress.org/five-great-odes Episode mentioned: "Structure and Freedom" with Mark Christopher Brandt https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-33-structure-and-freedom-in-music-and-in-christ-mark-christopher-brandt/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H1_78eLjaB8 The trials of St. Anthony the Great (251-356 AD), as described in St. Athanasius's Life and the medieval Golden Legend, have been a favorite subject of Western artists since the Middle Ages. Anthony, a desert monk, was frequently assaulted by Satan, who when he could not win by normal temptations, sent his demons in the form of wild beasts, beautiful women, soldiers and even monks to torment and distract the Desert Father. Artists have long been fascinated with these episodes, finding in them an opportunity for the most outlandish feats of imagination. In this episode, Catholic art historian Elizabeth Lev traces the development of this artistic subject from the Middle Ages on, with special attention to the phantasmagorical work of Hieronymous Bosch. From Bosch we proceed through the intervening centuries to the modern era, where this theme was taken up again but perhaps not in the most edifying spirit. In this podcast (the YouTube version of which includes images of the paintings), the first 40 minutes or so are spent introducing the story of St. Anthony and examining some early medieval depictions as well as later ones which focus heavily on his traditional attributes. Then we take off with the increasingly complex depictions of Anthony's demonic trials, starting with Bosch, examine various early modern variations, and conclude with the nightmarish (yet spiritually distinct) visions of Max Ernst and Salvador Dali. Links Zip file with all paintings shown in video https://www.catholicculture.org/images/commentary/anthonypaintings.zip Elizabeth Lev, How Catholic Art Saved the Faith https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/how-catholic-art-saved-the-faith Our audiobook of St. Athanasius's Life of St. Anthony https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-athanasius-life-st-anthony-full/ St. Anthony's life and legacy as one of the Church Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/anthony-desert-solitary-celebrity/ Elizabeth Lev https://www.elizabeth-lev.com Koin - Catholic event planning app http://www.meetkoin.com This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Freedom, Humanis Dignitatae, begins by noting that its discussion of religious liberty "has to do with immunity from coercion in civil society" and so "leaves untouched traditional Catholic doctrine on the moral duty of men and societies toward the true religion and toward the one Church of Christ." This episode is about discovering what that traditional doctrine was and is. Our main source will be Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Immortale Dei, which is available in audiobook form on CatholicCulture.org. Thomas Pink guides us through a close reading of this document (with supplementary material from Libertas and Longuinqua). Here, and in the magisterium of other 19th-century Popes, we find a number of teachings on Church and State that have gone largely unmentioned since the Council, and which are sadly forgotten or even rejected by the majority of self-described conservative Catholics. The core point is that the State, like the Church, receives its authority from God. Therefore the State has a duty of obedience to God, obedience which cannot be arbitrarily limited to what can be known by reason, excluding revelation. So, Leo says, the State has duties to profess, protect and foster religion, and not just any religion, but the true Faith: "The Church, indeed, deems it unlawful to place the various forms of divine worship on the same footing as the true religion, but does not, on that account, condemn those rulers who, for the sake of securing some great good or of hindering some great evil, allow patiently custom or usage to be a kind of sanction for each kind of religion having its place in the State." Other points discussed are these: Leo's analogy comparing the relationship between Church and State to the harmony between soul and body. The evil consequences of the State's indifference toward God and true religion. The authority of the Church to coerce the baptized in fulfilling their religious duties, and to have the State act as its agent (all the while remembering that the State has no authority of its own to regulate the supernatural good of religion). Leo's condemnation of freedom of speech and opinion as commonly understood. It is clear that a docile and orthodox reading of Vatican II cannot lead us to dismiss prior teachings on Church and State. Yet this works both ways: Church teaching is is a unity, so when discussing these older teachings, we must also ask what is the nature Vatican II's teaching on religious liberty and how all of these teachings can be understood in light of one another. The key lies in the limited scope of Dignitatis Humanae, which from the outset intends only to address religious coercion by the State, and leaves the duties of the State towards religion untouched in both senses of the word. Though the Church's teaching on religious liberty is much further from the ideals of the American Founding than many careless readers of Dignitatis Humanae have assumed, American Catholics can and must love their country. Therefore we close with Pope Leo's friendly and encouraging words to the Church in America. Contents [3:09] The historical and theological context of Immortale Dei [7:52] True and false liberty [10:38] The two powers of Church and State; their directive and coercive functions [18:40] The State's duty to profess, protect and foster the one true religion [24:06] Reasons for toleration of other religions; coercion of the baptized [34:15] Leo's analogy of Church and State with soul and body [43:36] Separate sovereignties of Church and State interact; State can act as the "secular arm" [49:41] Obligations twd. religion of the State properly speaking, not just rulers as individuals [55:23] Consequences of the State neglecting God and religion [1:03:00] Dignitatis Humanae: drafting, intended scope, legacy, compatibility with tradition [1:20:50] Papal condemnations of freedom of speech and opinion [1:31:30] The Church's move away from coercing baptized heretics [1:36:33] The importance of docility in accepting difficult teachings [1:41:49] Need for a synthesis of the whole magisterium on Church, State and religious liberty Links Audiobook of Immortale Dei https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/pope-leo-xiii-immortale-dei-on-christian-constitution-states/ Text of Immortale Dei (On the Christian Constitution of States) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4916 Libertas (On the Nature of Human Liberty) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4885 Longuinqua (On Catholicism in the United States) http://catholic.net/op/articles/286/cat/1198/longuinqua.html Thomas Pink on Twitter https://twitter.com/thomaspink1 Thomas Pink, "Conscience and Coercion" https://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/08/conscience-and-coercion This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

In addition to being the host of Catholic Culture's Way of the Fathers podcast and the author of dozens of books on the early Church, Mike Aquilina is a poet who has written songs performed by the likes of Dion, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen. Mike joins the show to discuss his collaboration with legendary singer Dion, early Christian beliefs about Mary, and other topics in early Church history. You'll hear songs from Dion's new album Blues with Friends, and readings from Mike's new poetry collection The Invention of Zero. All songs and music videos used with permission from Dion. Contents [3:31] Mike's prolific 2020 in books, poetry and music [5:49] Working with Dion on his album Blues with Friends [9:28] "Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America)" by Dion [17:40] Dion's influence on the greats of rock'n'roll [20:12] "Told You Once in August" by Dion [29:55] Early Jewish and pagan attacks on Mary [34:16] What we can learn from apocryphal texts [38:52] Evidence for early belief in Mary's Assumption [45:31] "New York is My Home" by Dion and Paul Simon [53:16] What was the agape meal and why did it disappear after the early years of Christianity? [58:51] Mike reads poems from The Invention of Zero [1:04:06] Making the Way of the Fathers podcast [1:08:36] "Hymn to Him" by Dion [1:14:31] Dion's return to Catholicism via St. Augustine Links Mike's recent projects: Dion, Blues With Friends https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Friends-Dion/dp/B086XCX576 Dion, New York Is My Home https://www.amazon.com/New-York-My-Home-Dion/dp/B017WK8NX6 History's Queen https://www.avemariapress.com/products/historys-queen The Invention of Zero https://catholicbooksdirect.com/product/the-invention-of-zero-an-accumulation-of-poems/ Work Play Love https://paracletepress.com/products/work-play-love The Holy Mass (Sayings of the Fathers of the Church) https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-holy-mass-aquilina-weinandy/ Way of the Fathers podcast https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/way-fathers/ Dion https://diondimucci.com/music/ Mike Aquilina https://fathersofthechurch.com/ Podcasts mentioned: Patrick Coffin interview with Dion https://www.patrickcoffin.media/music-legend-hits-well-timed-homer/ Square Notes: The Sacred Music Podcast https://sacredmusicpodcast.com/ Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church https://catholicproject.catholic.edu/podcast/ Books on the Assumption mentioned by Mike: Stephen Shoemaker, The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Traditions-Dormition-Assumption-Christian/dp/0199210748 Richard Bauckham, The Fate of the Dead: Studies on the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Dead-Apocalypses-Supplements-Testamentum/dp/1589832884 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8zPXC9KscGs The debate over Christopher Columbus's legacy tends to go back and forth from cartoonish demonization to glossing over the man's real faults. Robert Royal, in his book Columbus and the Crisis of the West, does neither of those things, instead giving a nuanced picture of Columbus's motives, worldview, faults and achievements. The book goes beyond Columbus himself, however, examining the overall significance of the encounters between cultures that occurred in the Age of Exploration, how we do history, and how the West idealizes and instrumentalizes native peoples for its own purposes of self-hatred. Columbus was neither a genocidal maniac nor a saint; while he did not "discover" America, he did discover the world—as much for Native Americans as for Europeans. Contents [2:42] Reason for a new edition [7:11] The evolution of Columbus's legacy before recent decades [13:16] Columbus's motives: God, glory and gold, and their misrepresentation [16:25] A breakdown of Columbus' unprecedented achievements [20:56] Did Columbus discover America? [25:38] Relations with the natives on Columbus's first visit to America [33:26] Did Columbus intend to be a conqueror? His failures as a governor [41:25] Columbus did not establish the Atlantic slave trade; slavery in every culture [45:40] No institutional structure by which Columbus could fight abuse of natives [49:17] Spain's role in the development of international law and universal human rights [53:38] How we celebrate complicated historical figures Links Columbus and the Crisis of the West https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/columbus-and-the-crisis-of-the-west Free Columbus Day seminar with Robert Royal, Christopher Check and Wilfred McClay https://engage.thomasmorecollege.edu/rediscovering-columbus43042020 The Catholic Thing https://www.thecatholicthing.org/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ve9oqQpCrI Jeremy McLellan is a Catholic stand-up comedian who, strangely, is huge is Pakistan. He joins the show to discuss the woke takeover of comedy, the nihilistic dogmas of many comedians, the relationship between comedy and suffering, and the ethics of the word "retarded". Thomas describes his past experience doing open mics and Jeremy gives him some pointers. Contents [1:07] "Do CHILDREN Belong in Church?" [3:24] The woke takeover of comedy; contrarianism and nihilism; comedy and truth [11:18] The dogma of comedians: anything goes to get a laugh [17:35] Jeremy and Thomas compare notes on open mics [24:08] The comic must draw the audience into his world [27:26] Jeremy's conversion to Catholicism and relationship with his large Muslim audience [36:03] The best joke Jeremy has ever heard [40:17] The ethics of the word 'retarded' [48:13] Comedy and trauma; processing pain through humor [51:42] The dangers of identifying with our sins and pathologies Links Jeremy McLellan's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/underthefigtree Online Great Books opens a new enrollment period on October 13th. Join the waiting list via this referral link to get 25% off your first three months! https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Episode 27 with Online Great Books' Scott Hambrick https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-27-always-wanted-to-study-great-books-heres-how-youll-actually-follow-through-scott-hambrick/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The Catholic Culture Podcast is now in video! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBwqvyZyc2bpzI-kOYhwrkw While the Catholic Church has condemned Marxism, Communism and socialism from their beginning, an alarming number of those calling themselves Catholic display a sympathy for these ideas: think of America magazine's 2019 essay on "The Catholic Case of Communism". Even some orthodox Catholic intellectuals seem to think we should mine the writings of Marx for whatever truth might be contained among the rubbish. Aside from the fact that Marx's philosophy represents a war on being itself (in his words, "the ruthless criticism of all that exists"), making it rather difficult to find untainted morsels of truth in his writings, there are other reasons to steer clear. If philosophy is truly the pursuit of wisdom, we should care about the personal lives of philosophers. Marx was a deeply vicious man. He displayed complete contempt for his fellow man, was a virulent racist, despised God and religion, and was an utter hypocrite when it came to money, constantly sponging off his family and acquaintances. Beyond all that, there is the distinct sense of something demonic in Marx's personal life. Those who knew him most intimately consistently described him in demonic terms: His son wrote to him as "my dear devil", his father suggested that he was "governed by a demon", and Engels referred to him as a "monster of ten thousand devils". Marx himself was obsessed with the Devil, writing poems and plays about characters who make pacts with Satan and are resigned to their own damnation. He even told his children an ongoing bedtime story about a man who sold his soul to the devil. (Marx's two daughters would die in suicide pacts with their husbands, who were atheistic revolutionaries like their father-in-law.) In this episode, Paul Kengor, author of The Devil and Karl Marx, discusses this (exhaustively footnoted) evidence of the demonic in Marx's life. What inspired this man with so much hatred that he called for the "ruthless criticism of all that exists", beginning with religion? Contents [3:03] The scope of The Devil and Karl Marx [10:36] A picture of Marx from those closest to him [15:23] Marx's lifelong "ruthless criticism of all that exists", beginning with religion [26:33] Satanic themes in Marx's early literary output [30:57] Suicide pacts in Marx's literature and in his children's lives [37:56] Walter Duranty and Aleister Crowley [41:55] Marx's personal behavior around money, family, and friends [47:41] The error of separating philosophy from personal life [52:29] "Just a phase"?: Why Marx's youthful writings are relevant to his later work [55:18] The pedants' denial that Marxism is present in contemporary movements Links Paul Kengor, The Devil and Karl Marx https://www.tanbooks.com/the-devil-and-karl-marx.html Online Great Books opens a new enrollment period on October 13th. Join the waiting list via this referral link to get 25% off your first three months! https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Episode 27 with Online Great Books' Scott Hambrick https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-27-always-wanted-to-study-great-books-heres-how-youll-actually-follow-through-scott-hambrick/ Support the show! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

There are many strange stories in rock history. But Luxury is surely the only band in which three out of five members ended up becoming Orthodox priests. Combining a hard-edged instrumental texture with sweet, melodious vocals and literary lyrics, Luxury has continued to record and perform sporadically since their beginning in the mid-1990s Christian punk scene. They have retained a loyal following and their latest album, Trophies, was released last year to much acclaim. Fr. David Lee Bozeman—singer, songwriter and guitarist—joins the show to tell the band's story, discuss the relationship between liturgy and modern culture, and comment on his lyrics, which deal with themes like ordination, marriage real and counterfeit, the scourge of pornography, and the sanctification of the body. Contents [2:36] "The Majesty of the Flesh" [9:39] The complicated sanctity of the Christian body; deification/theosis [14:58] Fr. David's songwriting process [15:53] The story of Luxury, three of its members' path from Protestantism to sacramental faith [25:06] "Courage, Courage", a song about Fr. David's ordination [35:48] "To Conquer and Destroy" [39:29] The band's early influences and Fr. David's reference points from the 80s and 90s [44:19] Fr. David's experience of the Christian rock scene [46:27] Orthodoxy and modern culture: liturgy is brought into secular life, not vice versa [52:02] "The War on Women" and the hold of pornography on the modern world [1:02:00] The compact experience of T.S. Eliot's poetry and its influence on Fr. David's lyrics [1:05:46] "Museums in Decline" [1:11:58] "Trophies" and the Orthodox understanding of marriage and second marriages [1:20:35] Provocation in Luxury's early lyrics [1:23:16] "Queer Logic", a lament over the Supreme Court's decision on gay marriage [1:27:37] "Perpetua Simone" All music in this episode used with permission from Luxury and Lee Bozeman. "The War on Women", "Museums in Decline", "Trophies", "Courage, Courage" from Luxury, Trophies. https://luxury.bandcamp.com/album/trophies "To Conquer and Destroy", "Perpetua Simone" from Luxury, Luxury. https://luxury.bandcamp.com/album/luxury "The Majesty of the Flesh" from Lee Bozeman, The Majesty of the Flesh. https://leebozeman.bandcamp.com/album/the-majesty-of-the-flesh "Queer Logic" from Lee Bozeman, Queer Logic. https://leebozeman.bandcamp.com/album/queer-logic Links Lee Bozeman http://www.leebozeman.com/ Lee Bozeman on Bandcamp https://leebozeman.bandcamp.com/ Luxury on Bandcamp https://luxury.bandcamp.com/ Luxury on Twitter https://twitter.com/thebandLuxury Luxury on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LuxuryBand This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Catholic theologian Douglas Farrow and Lutheran political scholar Andrew Busch join the show to discuss their recent essays on the coronavirus lockdown, and assess the reasons and prospects for civil disobedience. In "The Health-First Heresy," Farrow examines the responses of Catholic and other Christian leaders to the state's orders to cease corporate worship. Whatever concessions the Church may make to the state as to the circumstances under which worship is held, she may not simply suspend her proper activities indefinitely until the state gives the word. In "The Limits of Expertise," Busch assesses where "following the experts" (which ones? in what fields?) has gotten us so far and points out the dangers of pretending to replace statesmanship with expertise. Contents [8:30] The "health-first heresy"; the priority of the soul over the body [17:29] Making prudential judgments vs. suspending corporate worship indefinitely; how much can the Church concede to the state in matters of worship? [23:37] We have to realize the world is run by people who have contempt for religious worship [32:09] Areas of overlap between Church and state authority [40:08] The modern desire to be in complete control surpasses the desire to avoid suffering [42:58] Religious leaders need to plan for the next pretext to shut down worship [49:56] Listen to—Which scientists? In what fields? [56:30] The track record of the experts [58:56] The legal fallout of accepting lockdowns [62:47] Shifting the goalposts from "flattening the curve" to eliminating all cases [1:04:13] Rule by experts is incompatible with the consent of the governed [1:07:47] Other motives behind lockdown [1:10:29] Why coordinated civil disobedience needs to begin NOW—no waiting for a vaccine [1:21:06] Striking a balance between resisting irrational fear and taking appropriate precautions Links Douglas Farrow, "The Health-First Heresy" https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/08/07/the-health-first-heresy/ Andrew Busch, "The Limits of Expertise" https://americanmind.org/essays/the-limits-of-expertise/ Douglas Farrow at Catholic World Report https://www.catholicworldreport.com/author/farrow-douglas/ Andrew Busch at The American Mind https://americanmind.org/author/andrew-busch/ and Claremont Review of Books https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/author/andrew-e-busch/ Episode 56 on Yves Simon's General Theory of Authority https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-56-vindicating-authority-aquinas-guilbeau-op/ Episode 27 with Online Great Books' Scott Hambrick https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-27-always-wanted-to-study-great-books-heres-how-youll-actually-follow-through-scott-hambrick/ Online Great Books opens a new enrollment period on October 13th. Join the waiting list via this referral link to get 25% off your first three months! https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

While the left continues crudely to paint America's founding as a mere expression of white supremacy, certain thinkers on the right have been making their own attack on American principles. They argue that America's founding principles are fundamentally a product of an Enlightenment liberalism incompatible with natural law and faith. They find in the Constitution seeds of moral relativism, leading inevitably to Obergefell and gender ideology. To this position Robert Reilly's new book America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding is a powerful rejoinder, arguing that the Founding's roots lie a few millennia further back than the Enlightenment. With superb scholarship, he examines the whole history of Western culture up to the Founding, beginning with the Greeks, Hebrews and early Christians, proceeding through the Middle Ages to the Protestant Revolt and the debate over the divine right of kings. It becomes clear that the American Founding was part of a millennium-long debate over the question of which is supreme, reason or will. This interview focuses primarily on the original explication of several important American constitutional principles in medieval ecclesiastical and secular law. At the end, Thomas poses some tough questions about the compatibility of the First Amendment with the teachings of Leo XIII about Church-state relations and free speech in Immortale Dei. This is a listener-supported show! To help produce more episodes, please go to http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio. Contents [2:09] The stakes of the debate over America's founding [10:38] Christianity diminished the role of the state… [17:15] …while granting legitimacy to the state within its own secular sphere [22:38] The two swords; separation of temporal and spiritual authority [25:36] The king must respect the ancient customs of the land [29:02] Developments in canon law: consent of the governed, the right to representation [39:08] The Coronation Charter and the Magna Carta, right to revolution [42:56] Natural and divine law trump human positive law, both secular and ecclesiastical [46:14] The importance of England's role in the formation of the American colonies [48:57] Political implications of the debate over God's Intellect vs. pure arbitrary Will [53:43] How consent works: the basis of a democratic majority and minority [57:54] The dependence of a democratic republic on the virtue of its people [1:06:15] Revolution against US govt. justified during slavery and today? Role of prudence [1:13:40] Does the Constitution conflict with Catholic teaching on Church and state? [1:28:34] Is Constitutional freedom of speech correct from a Catholic POV? [1:36:47] Modern-day barbarism: the re-tribalization of Man with identity politics [1:39:39] Does the Constitution mandate free speech on the state level? Links Robert Reilly, America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding https://www.ignatius.com/America-on-Trial-P3479.aspx Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei (On the Christian Constitution of States) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4916 Pope Leo XIII, Longuinqua (On Catholicism in the United States) http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_06011895_longinqua.html Phil Lawler's review of America on Trial https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/answer-to-catholic-critics-american-founding/ David Upham's critique of America on Trial https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/07/03/how-americanism-put-baby-in-the-corner/ Book mentioned: The Ancient City by Fustel de Coulanges https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-City-Religion-Institutions-Greece/dp/0801823048 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

This episode revisits some great moments from past Catholic Culture Podcast episodes: 18 - Acedia, the Forgotten Capital Sin - R.J. Snell https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-18-acedia-forgotten-capital-sin-rj-snell/ 19 - Understanding the Church's Abuse Crisis - Fr. Roger Landry https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-19-understanding-churchs-abuse-crisis-fr-roger-landry/ 21 - Gosnell, the Abortion Story No One Wanted Told - Ann McElhinney https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-21-gosnell-abortion-story-no-one-wanted-told-ann-mcelhinney/ 22 - Newman's Idea of a University https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-22-newmans-idea-university-paul-shrimpton/ 23 - How the Laity Must Respond to the Abuse Crisis - Fr. Roger Landry https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-23-how-laity-must-respond-to-abuse-crisis-fr-roger-landry/ 24 - Talking A Capella with VOCES8's Barnaby Smith https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-24-talking-capella-with-voces8s-barnaby-smith/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

In this episode originally from Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast, Thomas asks attorney and scholar Louis Karlin whether Robert Bolt's play and film A Man for All Seasons accurately depict St. Thomas More's views on the rights of conscience, and his motives for martyrdom. More's involvement in the prosecution of heretics is also examined: even if More was a martyr of conscience, is it accurate to call him a champion of religious freedom? One thing is certain: the portrayal by Hilary Mantel and others of More as a torturer of heretics is false. Links The Center for Thomas More Studies https://thomasmorestudies.org/ Lecture by Richard Rex critiquing the historical fiction of Hilary Mantel, "More the villain and Cromwell the hero?" https://ionainstitute.ie/thomas-more-thomas-cromwell-and-wolf-hall/ William Marshner, "Dignitatis Humanae and Traditional Teaching on Church and State" https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=8778 Thomas Pink, "Conscience and Coercion" https://www.firstthings.com/article/2012/08/conscience-and-coercion Louis W. Karlin and David R. Oakley, Inside the Mind of Thomas More: The Witness of His Writings https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Mind-Thomas-More-Writings/dp/1594173133 Karlin, Wegemer and Kelly, Thomas More's Trial by Jury: A Procedural Legal Review with a Collection of Documents https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Mores-Trial-Jury-Procedural/dp/1843838737/ Stephen Smith (ed.), For All Seasons: Selected Letters of Thomas More https://www.amazon.com/All-Seasons-Selected-Letters-Thomas/dp/1594171637 Wegemer and Smith (ed.), The Essential Works of Thomas More https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Works-Thomas-More/dp/0300223374/ St. Thomas More, The Sadness of Christ https://www.amazon.com/Sadness-Christ-Thomas-More/dp/1849020558 The Yale Edition of the Complete Works of St. Thomas More, Vol. 14, De Tristitia Christi https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Thomas-Tristitia-Christi/dp/0300017936 Other podcasts on St. Thomas More Criteria film discussion https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/man-for-all-seasons-1966/ Audiobook of More's Dialogue on Conscience https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-thomas-more-dialogue-on-conscience/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio Music is The Duskwhales, "Take It Back", used with permission.

Something a little different: this is the audio from a video on the DeClue's Views YouTube channel, which I am republishing here because I want to give these men a wider audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeQenCC8iQo Description: In a recent video,Taylor Marshall presented what he considers to be errors in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. This video by Richard DeClue and Chris Plance serves as a rebuttal. It starts by highlighting general problems with Marshall's approach and the spiritual dangers it entails. It then goes through each of Marshall's "errors," offering corrective interpretations in light of the documents themselves and other magisterial texts. Time Stamps to Parts of this Video: 0:00:04 Opening Prayer 0:00:55 Introduction to Chris Plance 0:02:28 Introduction to Richard DeClue 0:03:19 Brief Description of Taylor Marshall's Video 0:03:54 Chris Plance on Why We Need to Respond to TM's Video 0:10:55 Richard DeClue on Why We Need to Respond to TM's Video 0:13:43 Taylor's Opening Remarks about Dialogue with Traditionalists 0:15:13 Richard and Chris on the Traditional Latin Mass and Traditional Catholicism 0:18:18 The Need to Avoid Strawmen and the Importance of Accurately Presenting Material 0:23:30 The Charge that the Council was "So Long Ago" and "We're Still Debating It" 0:28:19 The Issue of Whether the Council is Binding If It Didn't Proclaim New Dogmas/Anathemas 0:41:30 The Church Before and After Vatican II is the Same Church 0:42:40 The Infamous Schillebeecx Quote and the Need to Avoid a "Soap Opera Approach" 0:50:06 Lumen Gentium #8: Subsistit In (Subsists In) 1:00:29 Lumen Gentium #14 On the Catholic Church as Necessary for Salvation 1:02:19 Additional Point about Subsists In (Lumen Gentium #8) 1:03:59 Lumen Gentium #16: Do Muslims Worship God? 1:21:23 Lumen Gentium #16-17: A Preparation for the Gospel and Deceit By the Evil One 1:27:50 Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions 1:46:30 Dignitatis Humanae: Declaration on Religious Freedom 1:56:25 Unitatis Redintegratio: Decree on Ecumenism vs False Ecumenism 2:00:30 Sacrosanctum Concilium: Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 2:03:57 Closing Remarks 2:17:23 Closing Prayer To Support Chris Plance, go to his Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/CatholicLA To Support Richard DeClue, go to his Donor Box page: https://donorbox.org/sapientia-nullif... To read Richard's blog, click here: https://declubac.wixsite.com/sapienti... For the Documents of Vatican II, go to the Vatican Website: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_co... Edward Feser's Blog Post: http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2015/... For Massimo Introvigne's Article on Ratzinger and Religious Freedom: https://www.cesnur.org/2011/dan-mi.html

The Catholic Church in America has largely lost its distinctive flavor and with it, its ability either to retain the faithful or to evangelize the infidel. The problem precedes Vatican II: in the Tridentine 1950s, many Catholics, eager for mainstream respectability, had already adopted a bourgeois spirituality. In his first book, The Prodigal Church: Restoring Catholic Tradition in an Age of Deception, Brandon McGinley calls for Catholics to return to the essence of the faith, rather than to a previous era of Catholic "success", and so find creative ways to restore a robust and evangelical Catholic culture in the unknown years to come. Contents [2:03] Fr. Ratzinger's famous quote about a smaller and more spiritual Church [8:30] Catholicism an embodied faith [12:32] Incompatibility between American and Catholic principles? [19:10] American Catholicism in the 1950s—incipient worldiness [27:15] The importance of small habits in living out the reality of faith and Christ's passion [33:04] Spiritual corrosion caused by immoderate anger towards the hierarchy [39:44] Remembering the Church Triumphant [43:05] "Third places" and the importance of the parish as a community space [51:05] The need for community among nuclear families [55:05] Catholic hospitality and vulnerability [1:00:04] Why we shouldn't separate "moral" from "social" teaching Links The Prodigal Church https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/the-prodigal-church Brandon McGinley https://brandonmcginley.com/ Brandon McGinley on Twitter https://twitter.com/brandonmcg This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

From 1981 to 1993, Jane Greer edited Plains Poetry Journal, publishing poets who were reviving the traditional tools of "rhyme, meter, alliteration, assonance, painstaking attention to diction" which had been abandoned in favor of free verse. (These poets included names you will be familiar with from the Catholic scene today, such as Anthony Esolen and Mike Aquilina.) Then, as they say, life happened, and Greer didn't write a single poem for almost thirty years. But God's ways are unpredictable. After three decades of silence, Greer was suddenly struck with a poem while sitting in a New Orleans café. This began a steady stream of output resulting in her new collection, Love Like a Conflagration (which also includes the poems from her only previous book). Greer's poetry is musical, fiery and accessible, and has received high praise from many of today's foremost Catholic poets, including past podcast guests Samuel Hazo, James Matthew Wilson, Anthony Esolen and Mike Aquilina. Hazo writes: "There is not a poem in this remarkable book that will leave you unchanged or be forgotten … Each of these poems is as permanently current as it is consummate. [Greer] puts on the page the passion long absent from American poetry. I've never read a book as poetically and beautifully frank as this." Contents [2:57] Style and intended audience of Jane's work [3:53] The introductory poem to Love Like a Conflagration, "Micha-el" [9:00] Structure of the collection [12:22] "Her Green Desire" [16:19] Jane's 30-year hiatus from poetry and providential return [23:13] "At the Cafe Pontalba", Jane's first poem after 30 years of silence [25:27] Jane's beginnings as a self-taught poet and early influences [30:30] "Because God Wanted It", a poem about unmerited grace [34:28] The relationship between Jane's spiritual life and her poetry [38:12] Dealing with lust in "Song of the Passerby" and "Pastoral" [45:08] Jane's work founding and editing Plains Poetry Journal [50:27] "Bourbon, Neat" and pure play with language [55:34] The immersive musicality and force of Jane's poetry [57:50] "Feminist Androgyne" [1:03:15] "The Haunting" [1:05:09] "Twice Betrayed", a poem in Lazarus' voice [1:10:49] "In the Pool at the Bourbon Orleans" Links Read "Micha-el" https://isi.org/modern-age/micha-el/ Love Like a Conflagration https://lambingpress.com/product/love-like-a-conflagration/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Modernity treats the human body pretty much as a machine for the production of pleasure. It is tuned up, fueled, and oiled for peak performance, and then when it is no longer of use, it is burnt and disposed of in a maximally efficient manner. Paradoxically, the denial of a soul which persists after bodily death has led us to deny the body itself as fundamental to human identity. The allegedly soulless modern has less hope of resurrection than the Saducees ever did. We somehow fear death more yet never engage with the reality of death. Scott Hahn joins the show to talk about how the incarnation, death and resurrection of the Son of God changed how our civilization viewed the body, death and the afterlife. Unfortunately, even Catholics today treat dead bodies in a way that does not convey this reality. Yet how we approach death & burial has the potential to show the Catholic difference and evangelize our culture. Contents [1:24] The present confrontation (or lack thereof) with mortality and death [4:28] Modern Gnostic attitudes towards the body [7:21] The ancient pagan sense of reverence for dead bodies vs. that of the Hebrews [15:08] The duality in Jewish treatment of corpses [23:48] Shift to early Christian attitudes [29:12] Rediscovering a healthy, balanced and hopeful view of the human body [31:41] What does it mean that we will have "spiritual bodies" after the resurrection? [47:07] Catholic beliefs about the consequences of failing to properly bury the dead [53:50] Revival of cremation by French revolutionaries, Masons, Communists and neo-pagans as a deliberate attack on the Church [59:51] The relevance of sacramentals and relics to the question of cremation [1:05:05] Inordinate fear of death during the present pandemic; reasons for hope Links Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body https://stpaulcenter.com/product/hope-to-die-the-christian-meaning-of-death-and-the-resurrection-of-the-body/ "In all things, charity (even pandemics)" https://www.lincolndiocese.org/news/diocesan-news/13928-in-all-things-charity-even-pandemics Scott Hahn http://www.scotthahn.com/ Emily Stimpson Chapman https://thecatholictable.com/about-emily-stimpson/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

This is the second half of an interview with G.C. Dilsaver on his book The Three Marks of Manhood: How to be Priest, Prophet and King of Your Family. Dr. Dilsaver discusses how the Christian husband and father must wield three staves: the scepter of authority, the crosier of co-episcopacy, and the cross of redemption. This last is most important, as the Christian patriarch's mandate is to lead in self-abnegation so that he may decrease and Christ may increase. The measure of his success is not in providing materially for his family but in teaching them by example to love God above all else and to suffer well for His sake. Contents The Scepter of Authority [3:30] Exercising one's authority delegated by God is a duty in obedience and humility—but that means authority is not based on superiority in intelligence, goodness, etc. [7:06] Humiliation in the exercise of authority [10:06] Why modern men run away from their authority [14:10] Christian patriarchy as the greatest bastion against the overreaching State The Crosier of Co-Episcopacy [18:10] A father is his family's spiritual leader and representative/intercessor before God [21:08] The need for an intense prayer life to be a truly engaged and militant Catholic man [23:49] The cloistered home—not to escape the world, but to enter the depth of reality [26:45] The father too must be devoted to the home [28:15] The prophetic role; practical ways of being the priest of the domestic church The Cross of Redemption [36:07] Rebirth in Christ through the experience of weakness and failure [37:58] Danger of father seeing himself mainly as material provider, not teaching family to suffer well [45:15] Critique of "suburban secular Christianity", the problem with "coping" with reality [49:12] Familial asceticism: poverty, chastity and obedience in the home [57:51] Setting an example in obedience to the Church and, at times, defiance of the State [1:02:38] How the Cross transforms and fulfills romantic love Links The Three Marks of Manhood https://www.tanbooks.com/three-marks-of-manhood-how-to-be-priest-prophet-and-king-of-your-family-2.html Psychomoralitics website http://www.souldeepscience.com/ Psychomoralitics book https://www.amazon.com/Psychomoralitics-Soul-Deep-Alternative-Failed-Professions/dp/099936071X Celebrating God-Given Gender https://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-God-Given-Gender-Masculinity-Femininity/dp/0999360701 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

There is a great need for Catholics to acknowledge the timeless Biblical and Magisterial teachings about the headship of fathers over their families. Yet St. Paul's simultaneous call for husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the Church - that is, to the point of death - is sometimes treated as an addendum when in fact it is the very essence of Christian patriarchy. In his 2010 book The Three Marks of Manhood: How to Be Priest, Prophet, and King of Your Family, the "father of Christian psychology" G.C. Dilsaver upholds the natural and supernatural basis of male headship while describing how it must be purified of pagan, dominating and selfish elements. The path to true Christian manhood is through the crucible of humiliation. Against the notion of the rigidly masculine and "active" man, Dilsaver also insists that receptivity is the basic condition of the creature regardless of sex—hence the maxim of Catholic mysticism that the soul is feminine in relation to Christ. This is the first part of a two-part interview. Contents [2:48] Christian patriarchy is about devotion to the feminine as something sacred [4:29] Self-sacrificial love as the essence of headship [10:25] The need to purify male headship in an exclusively Christian spirit rather than returning to a historical model from past Christian civilization which retained pagan elements [13:35] Inseparability of the hierarchy and sacramentality of marriage [17:37] Magnanimity—greatness of soul, greatness of cause, tempered with humility [21:43] Receptivity, not fatherhood, intrinsic to all creatures; the soul is feminine in relation to Christ; woman as pure distillation of creatureliness [28:32] Men need to learn from the specifically feminine aspects of Mary's greatness [33:02] The problem with stoicism and machismo [37:37] The scepter of self-discipline and the insufficiency of acquired virtue; necessity of humiliation and love in the present moment [44:40] Initiation of young men vs. young women [50:33] Dangers of getting married young just to get married, without self-knowledge Links The Three Marks of Manhood https://www.tanbooks.com/three-marks-of-manhood-how-to-be-priest-prophet-and-king-of-your-family-2.html Psychomoralitics website http://www.souldeepscience.com/ Psychomoralitics book https://www.amazon.com/Psychomoralitics-Soul-Deep-Alternative-Failed-Professions/dp/099936071X Celebrating God-Given Gender https://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-God-Given-Gender-Masculinity-Femininity/dp/0999360701 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

After much popular demand, Thomas pays tribute to legendary Catholic sci-fi writer Gene Wolfe, who passed away last year. Though not known to the general public, Wolfe is a sci-fi author's sci-fi author—a number of his contemporaries considered him not only the best in the genre, but in American fiction at the time (Ursula Le Guin said "Wolfe is our Melville"). Among today's writers, one of his biggest fans is Neil Gaiman. One critic described Wolfe's magnum opus, The Book of the New Sun, as "a Star Wars–style space opera penned by G. K. Chesterton in the throes of a religious conversion." Wolfe also held the patent on the machine that makes Pringles. That's his face on the can. In this episode, Fr. Brendon Laroche comments on Wolfe's works, while Wolfe's friend, Catholic historian and sci-fi expert Sandra Miesel, shares personal reminiscences. Contents [2:48] Why Fr. Brendon likes Gene Wolfe [4:14] Cryptic yet entertaining, evocations of memory, comparisons to Bradbury and Chesterton [13:23] Wolfe's status in the world of sci-fi and speculative fiction [16:50] Sci-fi treatments of medieval characters, discussion of "Under Hill" [22:57] The nature and possibilities of "genre" fiction [32:03] Sandra Miesel's involvement in the sci-fi world, friendship with Gene Wolfe [35:21] Wolfe's unique and strange mind, wide reading and vocabulary, writing Sandra into his magnum opus [38:01] Wolfe's conversion to Catholicism and devotion to his wife, Catholics in the sci-fi world [40:04] Wolfe's magnum opus as Augustinian confession; the spiritual function of fantasy [46:00] Premise and themes of The Book of the New Sun [52:26] Sacramentality and treatment of symbols [spoilers here] [1:02:38] Sandra's work as a master costumer, its influence on Wolfe's invention of Severian [1:06:11] Sandra on Catholicism in Wolfe's writings, his esotericism [1:10:05] Wolfe's subtle allusions and puzzles [1:20:44] Wolfe's treatment of sexuality; torture and illicit pleasure as two sides of the same coin [1:27:58] Opening paragraph of "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" [1:30:52] Colorful anecdotes about Wolfe and other sci-fi legends; reflections on how the scene has changed Links Recommended starting point: The Best of Gene Wolfe https://www.amazon.com/Best-Gene-Wolfe-Definitive-Retrospective/dp/076532136X The Book of the New Sun in two volumes: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Claw-First-Half-Book/dp/0312890176/ https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Citadel-Second-Half-Book/dp/0312890184/ Read the short story "Under Hill" http://www.infinitematrix.net/stories/shorts/under_hill.html Wolfe's essay on Tolkien, "The Best Introduction to the Mountains" http://www.scifiwright.com/2011/05/gene-wolfe-on-jrr-tolkien-the-best-introduction-to-the-mountains/ Tolkien's letter to Gene Wolfe http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Letter_to_Gene_Wolfe#:~:text=On%207%20November%201966%2C%20J.R.R.,the%20footnote%20is%20in%20script. Interview with Wolfe dealing with his Catholicism https://www.gwern.net/docs/fiction/1992-jordan.pdf Sandra Miesel's "A Conversation with Catholic SF Writers" https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2009/08/10/a-conversation-with-catholic-sf-writers/ Two different (non-Catholic) podcasts which are quite helpful in exploring Wolfe's many and varied works: The Gene Wolfe Literary Podcast (https://www.claytemplemedia.com/the-gene-wolfe-literary-podcast) and Alzabo Soup (https://alzabosoup.libsyn.com/). Follow-up comments from Sandra Miesel: "A recent book to learn how the field operated in the Good Old Days is ASTOUNDING by Alec Nevla Lee. My novel was DREAMRIDER, later expanded as SHAMAN published by Baen Books in paperback (1989). I co-edited with Paul Kerry an academic book, LIGHT BEYOND ALL SHADOW on religion in JRR Tolkien's works. I co-edited with David Drake two anthologies about sf writers influenced by Kipling, HEADS TO THE STORM and A SEPARATE STAR. I edited or packaged books by Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, and Andre Norton. And how did I forget to mention my most successful publication, THE DA VINCI HOAX coauthored with Carl Olson?" Some other novels mentioned: By Gene Wolfe: Latro (series), The Urth of the New Sun, The Book of the Long Sun (series) Poul Anderson, The High Crusade James Blish, A Case of Conscience Frank Herbert, Dune This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus in The Chosen, the first multi-season TV series about the life of our Lord. He joins the podcast to discuss his approach to playing the God-Man, the spiritual impact of the series, its groundbreaking approach to funding and distribution—and his devotion to the Divine Mercy. Contents [1:10] The unique production, financing and distribution of The Chosen [10:01] Filming locations and research for the first season of the show [13:48] How Jonathan was cast, his preparation process [23:00] Story behind Jonathan's connection to the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy [32:23] Portraying the mundane physical actions of Jesus [38:27] Humor in The Chosen and depicting Jesus' sense of fun [41:40] Portraying Jesus' relationship with His Father [49:20] The show's use of flashbacks and Scriptural typology [56:52] The cast's religious diversity; the spiritual impact on the show on its makers and viewers [1:00:40] The forthcoming second season and growth of VidAngel Studios [1:03:55] Jonathan's work as an illustrator and his ideas for future pursuits Links The Chosen app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-chosen/id1473663873 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vidangel.thechosen&hl=en_US Follow Jonathan Roumie here: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanRoumieOfficial/ https://www.instagram.com/jonathanroumieofficial/ https://www.jonathanroumie.com/ VidAngel Studios https://studios.vidangel.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

It has become fashionable in traditionalist circles to blame all problems in modern theology on the so-called nouvelle théologie, including a range of thinkers such as Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Hans Küng and Josef Ratzinger. But this is based on a number of misconceptions: about the nature of the nouvelle théologie itself, and about the views held by some of these theologians. Nouvelle théologie is not a unified movement in which everyone held the same views. Some of the "new theologians" were radicals and modernists who wanted the Church to bow to the modern world. Some were orthodox men who wanted to revitalize theology by a return to the sources: the Fathers, Scripture, and St. Thomas (in his own words, not as filtered through the commentators). Others were harder to pin down. A broad-brush approach to the nouvelle théologie has resulted in injustices, perhaps as much to theology itself as to some good Churchmen whose reputations have been tarnished. Even Ratzinger has been dubbed a modernist by a certain trigger-happy trad celebrity. It's time for an intervention, and theologian Richard DeClue is here to bring some sobriety. Links DeClue's Views https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq3P-y0YV1V6owHdCRw4I3A Richard DeClue's blog, Sapientia Nulliformis https://declubac.wixsite.com/sapientianulliformis Episode 38: The Sacred Monster, on Garrigou-Lagrange https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-38-sacred-monster-matthew-k-minerd/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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Modern education treats the child as a blank slate, a malleable object to be formed according to the will of whoever has power over educational policy. Classical Christian education treats the child as a person made in the image of God, a mystery to be held in awe, and tends to the flowering of his already-given nature by leading him to wisdom and virtue. Andrew Kern, founder of the CiRCE Institute (Center for Independent Research on Classical Education), is one of the best guests Thomas has ever interviewed. In this episode he leads us through the profound basics of classical Christian education—offering a radically different view of the human person and of reality itself from that which predominates today. Contents [5:31] What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? [10:31] What is a classical education? It is simply a list of great books one must study? [15:58] Teaching "subjects" vs. the seven liberal arts [21:18] Using music to illustrate a number of ideas about classical education [28:20] The need for the art of rhetoric in a sophisticated political system like ours [31:04] The generative power of form [37:35] Respecting the "Holy of Holies" within the child—an image of God and a mystery [42:38] Each of the seven liberal arts has a form and skill, tending to wisdom and virtue [55:14] How mastering the liberal arts glorifies God [59:35] Classical education has no 'method' [1:09:39] The seven stages of a lesson [1:15:13] Services offered by the CiRCE Institute [1:23:09] How would a classical school teach "practical" skills like finance? [1:30:19] Practical concerns of parents hoping to educate their children classically Links Ask Andrew your own questions, live—Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 ET in May https://www.circeinstitute.org/ask-andrew-live Older Ask Andrew podcast feed https://www.circeinstitute.org/podcasts/ask-andrew CiRCE Institute https://www.circeinstitute.org/ Books recommended by Andrew: The best book on classical Christian education: Norms and Nobility by David Hicks https://classicalconversationsbooks.com/products/3s032 CiRCE's upcoming book edited by David Kern, including essays by past Catholic Culture Podcast guests James Matthew Wilson and Anthony Esolen (and a poem by past guest Dana Gioia): 30 Poems to Memorize (Before It's Too Late) https://www.circeinstitute.org/30poems C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image https://www.amazon.com/Discarded-Image-Introduction-Renaissance-Literature/dp/1107604702 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

St. John Henry Newman was involved in several art forms throughout his life. In literature, he was perhaps the greatest English prose writer of his time, and a highly skilled poet. In music, he was an accomplished amateur violinist, taught music to the boys at his school in Littlemore, and oversaw liturgical music as the head of an Oratorian community. In architecture, he commissioned a number of church buildings and was involved in controversies over the role of the Gothic in contemporary English Catholic church architecture. Though Newman never wrote a book on the topic of beauty, comments on beauty and the arts are sprinkled throughout his writings, sometimes in surprising contexts. In Unearthly Beauty: The Aesthetic of St. John Henry Newman, Fr. Guy Nicholls of the Birmingham Oratory draws these comments together for an overview of the role of beauty in Newman's life and thought. For Newman, the true purpose of earthly beauty is to draw us beyond itself to the higher and more real beauty of God. Contents [4:02] Synthesizing Newman's various comments on beauty into a coherent whole [4:57] Unearthly vs. earthly beauty, and the dangers of the latter according to Newman [10:49] Real vs unreal [14:46] A danger of art: severing noble sentiments from action [20:43] The problem with making morality a matter of good taste [23:18] How people were struck by Newman's personal beauty [31:00] Two formative experiences of beauty which Newman connected with Paradise: his sister Mary's holiness, and the Sicilian landscape [39:09] Newman's involvement with and views on church architecture [46:36] Newman the amateur musician; his views on the power of music [57:45] The importance of primitive music and art vs. "scientific" music and realistic art, especially in liturgy [1:03:43] The importance of music in the Rule of the Oratory; St. Philip Neri's practice of using entertainments to "allure" people to God [1:06:55] Difference between devotional and liturgical music; Newman's use of popular song and chant [1:12:58] Music in the Little Oratory under Newman; adapting to the needs of the local community (esp. the poor) [1:19:25] The origins of the musical genre "oratorio" with St. Philip's Oratory and other oratories of the time [1:23:13] Comparison and contrast between the experience of conscience and that of beauty Links Unearthly Beauty: The Aesthetic of St. John Henry Newman http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page190.html Fr. Guy Nicholls https://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/people/rev-fr-guy-nicholls-cong-orat/ Newman's sermon on "The Danger of Accomplishments": http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon30.html Image of Newman University Church in Dublin, founded by Newman for the Catholic University of Ireland and designed by John Hungerford Pollen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newman_University_Church#/media/File:Newman_University_Church_Interior,_Dublin,_Ireland_-_Diliff.jpg This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

A look back through the Catholic Culture Podcast archive. This episode contains highlights from: Ep. 11 - Music and Morals - Basil Cole, O.P. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-11-music-and-morals-fr-basil-cole-op/ Ep. 14 - Priest & Actor - George Drance, S.J. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-14-priest-actor-george-drance-sj/ Ep. 15 - Online Education with the Tolkien Professor - Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-15-online-education-with-tolkien-professor-corey-olsen/ Ep. 16 - Extremly Specific Middle-Earth Q&A with the Tolkien Professor - Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-16-extremely-specific-middle-earth-qa-with-tolkien-professor-corey-olsen/ Ep. 17 - A Civics Lesson for Catholics - Bob Marshall https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-17-civics-lesson-for-catholics-bob-marshall/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Stabat Mater, a medieval hymn that was long used as the sequence for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is now commonly sung between each Station of the Cross. This prayer, in which we ask Our Lady to help us experience the same sorrow and love with which she participated in her Son's Passion, has been set to music by many great composers. This episode explores the most famous and influential setting of Stabat Mater, completed by the 26-year-old Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) as he was dying of tuberculosis. An interview with leading Pergolesi scholar Francesco Cotticelli is combined with excerpts from the piece as recorded by La Nuova Musica (used with permission). Contents [2:11] The Stabat Mater text in the context of liturgy and Marian devotion [6:30] Pergolesi's bio and career [9:30] Aria from L'Olimpiade (used with permission from Lyubov Petrova) [17:37] Deathbed composition of the Stabat Mater [18:52] Pergolesi's place and innovations in sacred music of the time [23:07] First movement, Stabat Mater dolorosa [35:04] Second movement, Cuius animan gementem [40:32] Pergolesi's approach to text-setting: alternating between contemplation and action [43:20] Sixth movement, Vidit suum dulcem natum [50:35] Seventh movement, Eia, Mater, fons amoris [56:45] Musical characteristics of the baroque and galant styles [58:27] Ninth movement, Sancta mater, istud agas [1:11:44] Popular settings of the Stabat Mater before Pergolesi [1:12:49] Twelfth movement, Quando corpus morietur [1:17:20] The somber ending to the piece: hope amidst sorrow [1:20:30] Contemporary and later criticism of the piece for being too theatrical [1:23:11] Other interesting settings of the Stabat Mater Links Recording by La Nuova Musica (featured in this episode) http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#!/albums/2239 Also recommended: Recording by Concerto Italiano https://www.amazon.com/Pergolesi-Scarlatti-Stabat-Mater-Alessandrini/dp/B00CMSP1HU/ Website devoted to settings of the Stabat Mater https://www.stabatmater.info/ The text https://www.stabatmater.info/english-translation/ Lyubov Petrova sings Aristea's aria from Pergolesi's opera L'Olimpiade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_SsVAXMMqo La Nuova Musica http://lanuovamusica.co.uk/ Lyubov Petrova https://imgartists.com/roster/29757/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Timothy and David Gordon join the show to discuss their new book Rules for Retrogrades: Forty Tactics to Defeat the Radical Left. It's a reverse-Alinskyan playbook for conservatives and Christians who are sick of being outmaneuvered at every turn by the forces seeking the destruction of the Christian faith and the natural foundations of the social order. The Gordon brothers want us to stop falling for the left's tactics, which take advantage of the timidity, and false humility of today's conservative Christians, and start turning the radicals' own tactics against them as much as possible within the bounds of Christian morality. https://www.tanbooks.com/rules-for-retrogrades-forty-tactics-to-defeat-the-radical-left.html Contents [1:21] Remarks on the beginning of a dialogue [6:11] Egalitarianism as the beating heart of radical leftism [9:17] What is a retrograde? [12:45] "No truth is 'off-limits'": Don't censor your thoughts for fear of consequences or optics [21:05] Admission of sin's wickedness a prerequisite for mercy [23:01] "Always be on offense": why a defensive position leads to failure; it should fall to those who advocate wickedness to be on the defensive [28:21] "Risus est bellum": The best response to an absurd or evil claim could be laughter or rebuke rather than dignifying it with an argument [30:38] Virtue-signaling Christians who try to curry favor with the left by throwing retrogrades under the bus; mod-cons vs. militant mods [33:32] Ways that leftist conditioning affects even staunch conservatives [37:50] "Be coarse but never crass"—have "thick skin and a weak stomach"; how the hierarchy of virtues gives us moral perspective in politics (civility is relatively low on the virtue totem pole) [45:23] The degree to which Alinsky's tactics may be used against the left; the rules of swordsmanship vs. the ends for which you fight [50:57] Why prayer was not discussed in Rules for Retrogrades [55:38] "For radicals, the issue is never the real issue": ex., pushing maternity leave is a pretext to normalize being a working mother [59:46] The importance of the order in which the rules were arranged [1:01:34] "The root of cultural decay is feminism: end feminism to end radicalism" [1:07:00] Follow-up comments by Thomas on the importance of prayer This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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This episode features two young Catholic publishers who are doing cutting-edge work to preserve and carry forward the Catholic literary legacy, building on the accomplishments of the great Catholic writers of the 20th century in particular. The first guest is Joshua Hren, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wiseblood Books. Wiseblood's focus is on cultivating and publishing new works that maintain a high standard of literary quality and Catholic vision: featuring up-and-coming writers alongside established successes like Dana Gioia, Samuel Hazo, James Matthew Wilson, and Michael O'Brien. Besides introducing us to the Wiseblood catalogue, Joshua talks about his own fiction and non-fiction writing and his calling as an editor. He and Thomas discuss issues in Catholic fiction such the danger of a narrow preoccupation with modern neuroses, and flaunting the secular taboo of "cultural appropriation" (e.g., the idea that white authors cannot write black characters). The second guest is John Emmet Clarke, Editor-in-Chief of Cluny Media. This family business is preserving and reintroducing forgotten Catholic classics of the 20th century, bringing to the surface the submerged lineage of many of our favorite authors—republishing crucial writers like François Mauriac, Charles Peguy, and Romano Guardini. A recurring theme in both interviews is the influence of Flannery O'Connor. Wiseblood Books is, of course, named after her first novel, though that doesn't stop Thomas and Joshua from throwing some slight, friendly shade at her dominance over the discussion of 20th-century Catholic "literary" fiction. Meanwhile, John Emmet Clarke says that if she described the South she portrayed as "Christ-haunted", the Cluny catalogue could be said to be "Flannery-O'Connor-haunted" in a reverse sense, as they publish many authors who influenced her. Contents Joshua Hren [4:11] The upcoming Colosseum Summer Institute, a workshop for poets and fiction writers given by Josh Hren and James Matthew Wilson [9:25] The necessity of "cultural appropriation" in fiction [12:59] The mission of Wiseblood Books: "Wide-eyed for continuities of beauty and truth" [15:55] Using short-form publications to generate interest in the Catholic literary heritage [18:10] Dana Gioia's crucial support and encouragement [21:48] Michael O'Brien's writings for Wiseblood about the Apocalypse and sexual abuse [24:59] Wiseblood's newest novel: Samuel Hazo's If Nobody Calls, I'm Not Home [27:20] Wiseblood's residency program bringing promising works-in-progress to fruition [32:22] Apologia for the role of a fiction editor [42:43] Joshua's conversion and marriage story [50:41] Joshua's fiction writing: Stream-of-consciousness, poetic prose, people under pressure [1:05:30] Examining "Christ-haunted fiction" in his How to Read and Write Like a Catholic [1:13:43] The dominance of Flannery O'Connor in our awareness of 20th-c. Catholic fiction and the need to rediscover other great writers like J.F. Powers [1:18:24] Is there a narrowness to O'Connor's focus on uniquely modern neuroses? Contrasts with Tolkien and Manzoni John Emmet Clarke [1:26:18] The mission of Cluny Media: promoting the 20th-century Catholic literary tradition [1:29:46] The process of republishing out-of-print works [1:32:39] Showing the hidden lineage of well-known Catholic authors; Mauriac's fiction; writers who influenced O'Connor; Fulton Sheen [1:41:10] Scholarly works of Ven. Sheen [1:42:21] New works published by Cluny [1:44:09] Cluny's connections to the Dominican Order [1:46:18] A family business; looking to the past for directions for the future [1:49:06] Cluny's distribution partnerships with parishes Links Cluny has made a discount offer available to Catholic Culture Podcast listeners. To receive the discount code, sign up to their mailing list at this link and include "Catholic Culture Podcast" in the Affiliation tab of the form. http://eepurl.com/gNrNq1 All of Wiseblood's offerings are discounted if purchased directly from their website: http://www.wisebloodbooks.com Colosseum Summer Institute https://www.colosseuminstitute.com/summer-institute.html Wiseblood Books mentioned in this episode: Ryan Wilson, How to Think Like a Poet https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p97/How_to_Think_Like_a_Poet%2C_by_Ryan_Wilson.html Dana Gioia, The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/c4/Wiseblood_Essays_.html James Matthew Wilson, The River of the Immaculate Conception https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p96/The_River_of_the_Immaculate_Conception.html Michael D. O'Brien (contributor), Abuse of Sexuality in the Catholic Church https://www.divineprovidencepress.com/store/p10/Abuse_of_Sexuality_in_the_Catholic_Church_%28Shipping_Included%29.html Michael D. O'Brien, The Apocalypse: Warning, Hope & Consolation https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p93/The_Apocalypse%3A_Warning%2C_Hope%2C_%26_Consolation.html Samuel Hazo, If Nobody Calls, I'm Not Home: The Open Letters of Bim Nake

A look back through the Catholic Culture Podcast archive. This episode contains highlights from: Ep. 1 - A Working Actor's Working Faith - Tony Mockus, Sr. https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-1-working-actors-working-faith/ Ep. 2 - The Largest Civil Disobedience Movement in American History - Bill Cotter, Phil Lawler https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-2-largest-civil-disobedience-movement-in-us-history/ Ep. 3 - Native American Catholicism and the New Evangelization - Peter Jesserer Smith https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-3-native-american-catholicism-new-evangelization/ Ep. 4 - The Marian Option - Carrie Gress https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-marian-option-carrie-gress/ Ep. 5 - Hospital Dreams - Chris Baker https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-hospital-dreams-chris-baker/ Ep. 9 - How to Start an Institutional Apostolate, Pt. 1 - Jeff Mirus https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-9-how-to-start-institutional-apostolate-part-1-jeff-mirus/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

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. St. Henry Walpole was not the only martyr who wrote poems. The 16th and 17th centuries produced a number of men whose courageous faith was accompanied by prodigious learning and literary talent. St. Thomas More wrote poems while languishing in the Tower of London. Another Jesuit martyr, St. Robert Southwell, powerfully influenced the later movement of "metaphysical poetry", including the greatest Protestant poets of succeeding centuries—such as George Herbert and John Donne. The poetry of the English martyrs has been collected in an anthology called Lyra Martyrum. Benedict Whalen, the editor of the second edition, joins Thomas to discuss these authors, with Catholic Culture Audiobooks' James T. Majewski performing several of their works. Contents [2:08] The historical/literary/educational circumstances that gave us a period of martyr-poets [7:23] Their influence as poets in the succeeding centuries [10:26] St. Robert Southwell's Prefatory Epistle on the purpose of poetry [12:58] All the poets in the first edition of the anthology have since been beatified or canonized [14:29] The martyrdoms of the Jesuit Saints Edmund Campion and Henry Walpole [17:43] St. Henry Walpole, "Upon the Martyrdom of M. Edmund Campion" [30:23] The tradition of meditating on the Four Last Things [33:08] St. Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, "Meditation upon Heaven" [37:43] St. Thomas More's early poems written for courtly occasions [40:11] More's poems written in the Tower of London: "Lewis the Lost Lover" and "Davy the Dicer" [44:17] The theme of Fortune in medieval and Renaissance philosophy and poetry [47:12] The influence of Latin classics on English verse [49:16] More's influence on English prose [51:29] The life and work of St. Robert Southwell [54:36] St. Robert Southwell, "The Burning Babe" [59:39] "A Child My Choice" [1:05:27] Southwell's conceptual and sonic density: excerpts from "The Nativity of Christ" and "Look Home" [1:09:13] "I Die Alive" [1:12:52] "Mary Magdalen's Complaint at Christ's Death" [1:16:30] The remarkable story of St. Robert Southwell's martyrdom [1:26:10] The appendix of this edition of Lyra Martyrum Links Lyra Martyrum https://www.clunymedia.com/product/lyra-martyrum/ Benedict Whalen https://www.hillsdale.edu/faculty/benedict-whalen/ Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/audiobooks This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Thomas recently had the privilege of playing piano on the latest album by Catholic composer Mark Christopher Brandt. The Butterfly consists of a suite for string quartet and piano, plus two solo piano pieces. The suite, which uses the butterfly's transformation as an allegory of conversion, was described by the Catholic poet Dana Gioia as "fresh, inventive and alive". In this episode you will hear the beautiful Butterfly suite in full, followed by a no less beautiful conversation in which Thomas shares what he learned from Mark during this project, and Mark (as always) shares much wisdom about music and the Christian life, peppered with examples from his journey in both. Central to the conversation about music is the continuum of artists throughout history, and the deeper continuum for Christian artists: that our work transcends history because our first audience is the heavenly court, regardless of what welcome our art finds in this world. Contents [2:51] Accompanying text to The Butterfly [4:38] The Butterfly suite [21:09] Why Mark wanted another pianist (Thomas) to play on this project [23:22] Granting the string players more room for individual creativity than is usual in the classical world [28:06] What Mark taught Thomas in the studio: making a mistake is not a sin [36:54] Benefits of documenting the results of one's practice in order to move forward [41:59] The timeline of the album, spanning decades of Mark's journey as a composer [47:09] The historical 'continuum' of music and being a part of its progress [52:38] Mark's counsel for those beginning to study composition [1:02:41] Contemporary pop has lost its connection to what came before it [1:07:17] Christians who are joyful are misunderstood as being naive [1:12:52] When Mark first became aware of how following Jesus was transforming him Links Purchase The Butterfly: Physical copies https://markchristopherbrandt.com/the-butterfly---store.html iTunes https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-butterfly/1488059624 Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Mark-Christopher-Brandt/dp/B081K8Y1C7 Purchase the score and/or parts https://markchristopherbrandt.com/the-butterfly-scores-and-parts.html Previous interviews with Mark: Episode 33: Structure and Freedom in Music and in Christ https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-33-structure-and-freedom-in-music-and-in-christ-mark-christopher-brandt/ The Nightingale https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-0-nightingale-mark-christopher-brandt/ Other Resources Mark's website https://www.markchristopherbrandt.com/ Manassas String Quartet https://www.manassasquartet.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

After growing up immersed in feminism and a dissident parish that left her deeply unhappy, Melody Lyons found truth and healing in the fullness of Christ's teaching on man and woman. Yet after decades of no longer considering herself a feminist, she started describing herself as a "Catholic feminist" in order to find common ground with secular women. Melody has recently realized that this strategy is counterproductive. What's worse, today's "Catholic feminism", ostensibly designed to be compatible with the faith, is starting to look eerily similar the dissident old guard she grew up with. Melody joins the show to discuss her conversion, the deviant spirituality of feminism, and the renewed popularity of dissidents from decades past among young, female Catholic "influencers". She also explains how she found freedom in Pope St. John Paul II's writings on women, and how his scant rhetorical references to "true feminism" have been misinterpreted to justify the creation of a movement more rooted in secular thinking than in Christ. Melody's core message: The Gospel is sufficient. Contents [1:08] Melody's background and her work as a mother, blogger and speaker [2:11] The context out of which her blog post, 'Why I am No Longer a Catholic Feminist', arose [8:14] Melody's upbringing in a divorced, feminist household and dissident church [9:53] Feminism is not only political, it is inevitably spiritual [17:02] War of all against all vs. the claimed goal of equality [21:04] Melody's conversion to real Catholicism through her husband and St. John Paul II [29:23] Catholic feminists' attempt to co-opt the pro-life movement [35:24] The dangers of certain social media influencers [38:25] The failed attempt to find common ground between Catholic and secular feminists [41:58] The gradual subordination of faith to worldly thinking after Catholic feminism is adopted [44:30] Melody's response to the belief that feminism is necessary in our historical context [48:53] The bullying nature of feminism and its pressure on men [50:36] How men can positively influence the women in their lives [55:44] The response to Melody's post Links Melody Lyons, "Why I am No Longer A Catholic Feminist" https://www.theessentialmother.com/blog-2/why-i-am-not-a-catholic-feminist Melody Lyons on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theessentialmother/ Melody Lyons on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheEssentialM This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

This is a tribute to Christopher Tolkien, who passed away on Jan. 16, 2020. Without Christopher's decades of dedicated scholarship, most notably his editing and publication of The Silmarillion, our knowledge of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world and very real genius would be considerably disadvantaged. Tolkien scholar John Garth, author of the acclaimed biography Tolkien and the Great War, joins the show to discuss a father-son collaboration unique in literary history. Contents [5:36] How Christopher Tolkien helped John in working on his book [13:40] The significance of the chronology of the composition of J.R.R. Tolkien's works [16:31] J.R.R. Tolkien's lifelong work on The Silmarillion and the editorial problems posed by the different drafts left at his death [23:37] Christopher's childhood involvement with his father's writing [29:19] The input Christopher had on the chapters of The Lord of the Rings written during WWII [34:40] Christopher's return from the war and his involvement with The Inklings [37:01] The initial response to The Silmarillion; impetus to edit History of Middle-Earth series [43:17] J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis's forays into science fiction [47:47] What we learn from Tolkien's early drafts presented in The History of Middle-Earth [55:15] Christopher's academic career, separate from his father's writing [58:00] The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, and The Fall of Gondolin [1:00:19] John and Thomas's favorite posthumous publication from Tolkien, The Children of Húrin [1:03:10] Tolkien's exploration of his own creativity and flaws through his characters [1:06:01] Two recommendations for informed Tolkien fans looking to go deeper Links John Garth's obituary of Christopher Tolkien https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/20/christopher-tolkien-obituary John Garth's website http://www.johngarth.co.uk/ John Garth, Tolkien and the Great War https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Great-War-John-Garth/dp/0007119534 John Garth, Tolkien at Exeter College http://www.johngarth.co.uk/php/tolkien_at_exeter_college.php If you haven't read it yet, The Silmarillion https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544338014/ John's recommendations for "advanced" Tolkien study: The Monsters and the Critics and other Essays https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Critics-Essays-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/026110263X The Fall of Gondolin https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Gondolin-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/1328613046 Online Great Books discount link https://www.onlinegreatbooks.com/culture Episode 27: interview with OGB founder Scott Hambrick https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-27-always-wanted-to-study-great-books-heres-how-youll-actually-follow-through-scott-hambrick/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Modernity elevated pure, abstract reasoning as the only way to know about reality. Reason having disenchanted everything else, modernity then became disenchanted with reason. The ascendancy of reason over superstitious myths was viewed by the postmodernists as just another myth to be exposed. The postmodernists were right to see that the dictates of reason were not wholly separate from our lives, self-images and desires, but were colored by the stories we tell about ourselves. But they were wrong to conclude that reason is therefore inherently suspect. That's because human life really is imbued with an intelligible, narrative form, and we are capable of telling true stories about ourselves that reflect the actual story-form of our lives and history as a whole. Reason can function as a gloss on the story of creation. The mistake was thinking that it could ever be sealed off in a laboratory to begin with. It's time to go back to seeing our lives and history itself as the intelligible stories they really are: to set mythos alongside logos as an essential way of apprehending truth—and then to go beyond both as words dissolve in silent contemplation of the One who told the story before it began. This is the conclusion of a three-part interview with poet-philosopher James Matthew Wilson about his book The Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the Western Tradition. Contents [2:52] Recovering the role of storytelling in the perception of truth; the modern attempt to isolate reason from narrative [12:33] How Plato used stories not just as examples but to advance his argument and get at a comprehensive truth that reason reaches only partially and inefficiently [20:55] Story as the form and meaning of a human life [24:47] Modern abandonment of story as a means to truth; logos is crippled without mythos [30:42] Descartes' reduction of reason to a tool for the gaining of mastery over the world [33:45] The Jordan Peterson-Campbell-Jung archetypal approach as a "poor man's metaphysics" [38:29] Logos as a gloss on mythos [41:45] Postmodernist suspicion of reason as conditioned by narrative [44:05] The highest form of the intellectual life is silent prayer, not scholarship or analysis [49:10] Philosophy as a way of life; the invention of the "intellectual" as a noun [53:10] Practical takeaways: pray, ponder and play Links The Vision of the Soul https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Soul Goodness-Western-Tradition/dp/0813229286 James Matthew Wilson https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/ JMW Twitter https://twitter.com/JMWSPT This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

It's Podcast Week here at CatholicCulture.org, as we want to make more people aware of our audio offerings, particularly the two new podcasts we launched last October: Catholic Culture Audiobooks and Way of the Fathers with Mike Aquilina. Both of these shows have broken new ground in Catholic podcasting, which has so far largely stayed in the realm of talk shows rather than scripted programming. As more and more people in the United States and globally adopt podcasts as a source of entertainment and education, it's important that Christ be there to meet them. In this episode Thomas invites our other podcasters, voice actor James T. Majewski (Catholic Culture Audiobooks) and author Mike Aquilina (Way of the Fathers), to talk 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 Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/audiobooks/ Way of the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/way-fathers/ James T. Majewski https://www.jamestmajewski.com/ Mike Aquilina https://fathersofthechurch.com/ Episode 12 interview with Mike https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-12-career-in-poetry-prose-mike-aquilina/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

It is in the nature of Being to reveal itself to us, and in the natural realm this is done preeminently through beauty. Aquinas mentions radiance, clarity and proportion as beauty's three criteria. Proportion is arguably the most important in showing forth Being, as beauty reveals the plenitude of relations among all things: the relation of the parts of a thing, of the parts to the whole which surpasses them, of the whole object to all other things, and to its Maker. This is part two of a three-part interview with poet and philosopher James Matthew Wilson about his book The Vision of the Soul. [3:10] The nihilistic disenchanting force of rationalism and its infiltration of Catholic thought [10:47] Beauty as a transcendental property of Being, and the "synthesis of all the transcendentals" [18:50] Theodor Adorno on reason and beauty [22:53] Aquinas's tripartite formulation of beauty (radiance, clarity, proportion) illuminates the older definition of beauty as the splendor of form; an argument for proportion as most important [30:13] The pitfalls of Maritain's focus on radiance and clarity over proportion [35:31] The modernist experiment to find out the degree to which beauty could eschew a pleasant surface and still remain beautiful [40:29] Modernism as a movement for metaphysical realism in art Links James Matthew Wilson: https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/ JMW Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMWSPT The Vision of the Soul: https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Soul Goodness-Western-Tradition/dp/0813229286 A few of the artworks mentioned by James: The Dying Gaul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Gaul Seamus Heaney's poem inspired by The Dying Gaul https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57044/the-grauballe-man Laocoön and His Sons https://mymodernmet.com/laocoon-and-his-sons-statue/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

We've all heard the complaints about Catholic dating. Catholics have trouble with the concept of "casual dating" because they (rightly) see dating as oriented toward marriage but (wrongly) put all that weight on a single date. Some are perpetually "discerning" without ever really going anywhere. Women feel like if they don't find a spouse during their four years at a Catholic college, they've missed their chance. Some problems we share with the rest of the world: Men won't ask women out because they're timid or tranquilized by video games and porn. Women often feel they have to put on a persona, whether of a Jane Austen character or a "fierce" feminist (YAAAAS, SLAY QUEEN!). Matchmaker Emily Zanotti, known as the "Catholic Yenta", joins the show to discuss these and other pathologies of Catholic dating, and explains how she went from helping her friends find their spouses to handpicking matches for people across the country. Also interviewed is Eric Niehaus, creator of a soon-to-be-launched events app called Koin, which will allow Catholics to find and plan activities and events with other Catholics in their area. In a world in which Catholics often feel socially isolated, Koin aims to help us foster real-life community. Pt. 1: Emily Zanotti (Catholic Yenta) [2:55] How Emily found herself in the role of Catholic matchmaker [5:32] Why a matchmaker is in demand; problems with dating sites [6:47] How the matchmaking process works and Emily's role in follow-up [9:31] What information is useful to Emily in matching people; prayer as the basis of the process [12:23] Success rate so far, future expansion [15:03] What Emily has learned talking to Jewish and Hindu matchmakers [18:39] Common issues and complaints from the Catholic dating scene [23:34] "Perpetual discernment" and unrealistic expectations in the Catholic dating pool [28:35] Risk, security and the Disney princess syndrome [30:29] Male timidity and sloth exacerbated by video games, porn, and feminism [34:58] Why some women think they need to put on a persona when dating Pt. 2: Eric Niehaus (Koin) [42:20] The meaning of the name Koin and the need for a specifically Catholic events app [44:45] Planned growth of the platform, city by city [46:36] Challenges of getting a new social platform off the ground [48:47] Cultivating community both in pre-existing organizations and parishes and in the wider geographical area [50:51] How Koin aims to partner with and compliment parishes [54:06] Extending participation beyond the young adult bracket; the benefits of spending time with people who aren't your age [57:52] Overcoming social stratification among Catholics Links Catholic Yenta form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHOdPqLqQi5weQVnMqCWOZpBXUVxNKYD3Isgkf5oRsX63Kqw/viewform Emily Zanotti on Twitter https://twitter.com/emzanotti Koin http://www.meetkoin.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The devastation rationalism has wrought on modernity has yet to be calculated, because it is the air we breathe, often regardless of our professed beliefs. To take politics as an example: the modern left, disenchanted with the Enlightenment narrative of reason's supremacy, has, rather than restoring reason to its proper subordinate place in our vision of reality, instead become skeptical of all claims to truth. Lacking a foundation in truth, "critical thinking," that shriveled scrap of reason enshrined by academics, has not kept them from believing any absurdity one could name. Meanwhile, establishment conservatism has for decades shown little awareness or interest in what is beyond immediate political utility—rendering its occasional victories at the ballot box empty of much power to conserve. Nonetheless, a certain artistic-cultural vitality has typically been associated with liberalism. Only recently, when liberals have taken on the role of censorious schoolmarm, has the right begun to appear more creatively daring in its challenge of the status quo. But this association of creativity with subversion of society's dominant structures is itself a bequest of the liberal "tradition", whose increasing banality should warn those on the right that there is only so much mileage one can get out of exposing corruption and hypocrisy. It may be surprising to learn that conservatism began as a literary and aesthetic movement rather than a political one. This is the starting point for a contemporary classic of philosophy, James Matthew Wilson's The Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the Western Tradition. The conservatives, starting with Edmund Burke in his critique of the French Revolution, defended the old order on the basis of its beauty. Wilson follows them in claiming that Beauty is central to the soul's (and the West's) vision of reality. This is the first of three episodes exploring themes from The Vision of the Soul. In this episode, after giving an account of the roots of liberalism and conservatism, and showing the emptiness of liberal "freedom", "equality", and "critical thinking", Wilson lays out what he considers the six central insights of the Western (Christian Platonist) tradition, culminating in the contemplation of Being as our greatest excellence and happiness. [1:14] The core message and themes of The Vision of the Soul [3:36] Liberalism as anti-culture [8:15] Liberal freedom and equality are negative and contradictory principles [11:13] The self-perpetuating struggle against phantoms of inequality [14:15] The emptiness of contemporary conservatism exemplified by the second Bush administration; recovering conservatism's roots as a literary movement [18:53] Edmund Burke's critique of the French Revolution and utilitarian rationalism [24:16] Modern intellectuals since Hobbes have wanted to make reality less interesting and wonderful than it seems [29:13] Problems with rationalism and critical thinking as they are commonly understood [32:16] The six fundamental insights of the Western tradition; Christian Platonism [37:15] Beauty's oldest and deepest definition: veritatis splendor, the splendor of truth [41:05] The most excellent form of human life: contemplation of Being, realized in happiness/salvation as an end with no further ends beyond it [46:44] The difference between intellect and reason in relation to truth Links James Matthew Wilson https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/ The Vision of the Soul https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Soul-Goodness-Western-Tradition/dp/0813229286 James Matthew Wilson on Twitter https://twitter.com/JMWSPT This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Princeton University recently hosted and funded a very Catholic event as part of its annual Being Human Festival. It was a several-hour program dedicated to representations of St. Cecilia in poetry, painting and music, exploring how a conversation between these art forms can stir us to wonder and the contemplation of the Divine. The day's events included singing the Salve Regina and a dinner in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast it was. In the first part of this episode, Thomas and co-host James Majewski lead a roundtable discussion in which event organizer Joe Perez-Benzo, painter Andrew de Sa, and singer Emily de Sa look back at the event and its humanizing/evangelizing effects on participants. Joe explains how he was able to have an explicitly Catholic event funded by an Ivy League university, and offers suggestions as to how other Catholics can replicate this success wherever God has placed them. In part two, Andrew de Sa and poet James Matthew Wilson have fun reflecting on an unexpected occurrence in which one of Andrew's paintings inspired a poem by James, which in turn inspired Andrew's painting of St. Cecilia (unveiled at the Princeton event). The artists only became aware of this mutual inspiration after the fact. Part I Overview of the festival and the event's concept [4:32] The religious demographics of the event [12:33] The combination of poems and paintings holding audience attention [15:32] Singing in a secular space filled with sacred art and the dynamic of the visual elements in conjunction with song [18:15] Andrew's feelings around unveiling his new painting for the event [20:04] Joe's experience reading Latin classics at the places they describe or sites of their composition—ways of overcoming the modern isolation of works of art in a museum context [22:33] Singing the Salve Regina in "mixed company" [27:25] Getting the Princeton Humanities Council on board with the event, overcoming slight resistance [28:50] Advice for hosting similar events in public spaces or at home [36:38] The involvement of the Carl Schmitt Foundation [40:12] Emily de Sa and Ruth Swope perform 'Jesu Sweet' by Gustav Holst [46:00] Part II The providential influence between Andrew's paintings and James Matthew Wilson's poem [48:31] Holding oneself open to inspiration and associations which can make an artwork more dense with meaning [54:46] Theories of literary critics on the relevance of the artist's intention to the viewer's interpretation [57:17] Distinguishing art forms in order to unite them [1:01:40] Liturgy as the complete art from which the various art forms flow [1:05:44] Photos and video: Time lapse of Andrew de Sa painting his Flight into Egypt mural: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGRiLg2dTvc That painting inspired these lines in James Matthew Wilson's "Hasten To Aid Thy Fallen People": But every rising strain must strain indeed To lend the form to what in truth is light, And manifest peace as if it's a deed And give transcendence some arc of a flight. The purity of every saint Will be daubed on with sloppy paint, And what no thought may comprehend or say Must be taught in the staging of a play. Those lines inspired Andrew de Sa's painting of St. Cecelia, unveiled at the Princeton event: Joe Perez-Benzo helps tourgoers enter into the mystery of the Incarnation as James Majewski looks on: Emily de Sa and Ruth Swope perform Holst's Four Songs for Voice and Violin in the beautiful Princeton University Art Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYhryVUVlFI Final panel with Joe Perez-Benzo, Emily de Sa and Andrew de Sa: Links Poetry which inspired Andrew de Sa's St. Cecilia painting: http://studiodesa.com/book Andrew and Emily de Sa's website: http://studiodesa.com/ Andrew de Sa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajdesa/ James Matthew Wilson's website: https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/ Being Human Festival: https://beinghumanfestival.org/ John Dryden, Alexander's Feast: http://jacklynch.net/Texts/alexander.html Carl Schmitt Foundation: https://carlschmitt.org/ James Matthew Wilson, The River of the Immaculate Conception: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p96/The_River_of_the_Immaculate_Conception.html This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

This is a love letter to the great English Christmas carols, from "There Is No Rose" to "The Boar's Head". Did you know that not just any Christmas song is a carol? The true carol, in all its earthy splendor, is a distinctive product of the Catholic middle ages. Yet our forefathers didn't limit caroling to Christmas: they wrote carols for every season of the year covering the entire story of our Redemption, not to mention secular topics at times. This episode explores the origin of carols in England, their cultural meaning, and how they were suppressed by the Puritans and were revived in modern times. And of course, you'll hear a lot of great music throughout, ranging from historically informed performance to modern arrangements! Links Erik Routley, The English Carol https://www.amazon.com/English-Carol-Erik-Routley/dp/0837169895 Andrew Gant, The Carols of Christmas https://www.amazon.com/Carols-Christmas-Celebration-Surprising-Favorite/dp/0718031520 All music in this episode used with permission from the recording artist and/or label. Agincourt Carol, Alamire https://www.amazon.com/Deo-Gracias-Anglia-Alamire/dp/B008L1GZUO Nowell sing we both all and some, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2 Gabriel From Heaven's King, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2 A Virgin Most Pure, Stairwell Carolers https://www.stairwellcarollers.com/en/o-magnum-mysterium/ Coventry Carol, Harry Christophers and the Sixteen, available on the CORO record label at https://thesixteenshop.com/ Bedfordshire May Carol, Shirley Collins https://mainlynorfolk.info/shirley.collins/records/withinsound.html Remember O Thou Man, The King's Singers https://www.amazon.com/Remember-O-Thou-Man/dp/B073JZN754 Wassail (Gloucestershire Wassail, arr. Vaughan Williams), Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland4 Green Growth the Holly, Early Music New York—Frederick Renz, Director https://www.earlymusicny.org/a-renaissance-christmas My Dancing Day, Robert Shaw Chorale https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Angels-Christmas-Hymns-Carols/dp/B000003D0G Drive the Cold Winter Away, Owain Phyfe and the New World Renaissance Band https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/nwrb In the Bleak Midwinter, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2 Lullay My Liking (Holst), HSVPA Madrigal Singers (Houston, TX) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw81DCQ3HhI A Hymn to the Virgin (Britten), VOCES8 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077GC4QVT/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp There is no rose, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2 Thanks to all, but especially to Ross W. Duffin for his generosity with Quire Cleveland's back catalogue! Also recommended: A Waverly Consort Christmas: From East Anglia to Appalachia https://www.amazon.com/Waverly-Consort-Christmas-Anglia-Appalachia/dp/B000002SRK Other non-famous carols mentioned: Seven Virgins (The Leaves of Life); This Endris Night; Tempus adest floridum (Good King Wenceslas); Kingsfold (I heard the voice of Jesus say); The Cherry Tree Carol; Masters In This Hall; The Golden Carol; Snow in the Street; New Prince, New Pomp This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Terrence Malick's stunning new film, A Hidden Life, is about Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who was martyred for refusing to swear loyalty to Hitler. James Majewski joins Thomas to discuss the film. He reads excerpts from Bl. Franz's letters and prison writings, to see how well Malick's portrayal lives up to the real-life saint. The letters of Franz and his wife Franziska their deep devotional life, and testify to how much Franz's heroism owed to the sacraments and the support of some good priests who we do not see in the film. Links A Hidden Life trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJXmdY4lVR0 Franz Jägerstätter: Letters and Writings from Prison, ed. Erna Putz, is published by Orbis Books, a press that publishes a fair amount of heretical and dissenting material. The letters are well worth reading but we encourage you to buy a used copy rather than supporting that publisher. If you enjoyed this discussion, check out James and Thomas's other show, Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. http://catholicculture.org/criteria To hear James read more writings of the saints, check out Catholic Culture Audiobooks. https://www.catholicculture.org/audiobooks This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

James Matthew Wilson's new cycle of poems, The River of the Immaculate Conception, is a reflection on the history of the Catholic faith in the Americas, from Juan Diego to Elizabeth Ann Seton. Its title is the name given to the Mississippi River by the missionary Fr. Marquette. James reads four of the seven poems, explains their relation to the recent Mass of the Americas which inspired them, and discusses the challenges and delights of poetic form. Links Buy The River of the Immaculate Conception at Wiseblood Books https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p96/The_River_of_the_Immaculate_Conception.html Watch the Mass of the Americas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFoj3viHXnk JMW's website: https://www.jamesmatthewwilson.com/ JMW's recommended resources for aspiring poets: Colosseum Summer Institute https://www.colosseuminstitute.com/summer-institute.html James Matthew Wilson, The Fortunes of Poetry in an Age of Unmaking https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p82/The_Fortunes_of_Poetry_in_an_Age_of_Unmaking.html William Baer, Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Metrical-Poetry-Contemporary-Traditional/dp/1582974152 Timothy Steele, All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing: An Explanation of Meter and Versification https://www.amazon.com/All-Funs-How-Thing-Versification/dp/0821412604 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Modernity has attempted to do away with authority. It does this not most commonly by advocating anarchy. Rather, it justifies its own established powers in terms of a fictive self-rule, and purports to replace the arbitrary dictates of power--and much of what makes us human--with scientific rationality. But authority is necessary to human life, and not just as a medicine for weakness and evil. It arises from and serves what is noblest in us. The French Catholic philosopher Yves R. Simon made this case in A General Theory of Authority. With the help of Dominican friar Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, Thomas dives into this most enlightening book. Links https://twitter.com/FrAquinasOP Yves R. Simon, A General Theory of Authority https://www.amazon.com/General-Theory-Authority-Yves-Simon/dp/0268010048 Charles De Koninck, On the Primacy of the Common Good: Against the Personalists https://emmilco.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/de-koninck-common-good.pdf This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Having honed his skills translating Dante, Tasso and Lucretius, well-known Catholic cultural commentator Anthony Esolen has now published his first book of original poetry. The book-length poem The Hundredfold: Songs for the Lord is centered around twelve dramatic monologues set during and shortly after the time of Christ, complemented and illuminated by dozens of lyric poems and hymns. Links Buy The Hundredfold: Songs for the Lord https://www.ignatius.com/The-Hundredfold-P3358.aspx Books recommended by Anthony Esolen: Understanding Poetry by Cleanth Brooks https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Poetry-Cleanth-Brooks/dp/0030769809 Doorways to Poetry by Louis Untermeyer https://www.amazon.com/Doorways-Poetry-Louis-Untermeyer/dp/B000856E98 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The Western liberal democratic order is in crisis. If it collapses or significantly wanes in power, what will replace it? A long period of chaos and massive human suffering? Regressive authoritarianism? Or, reading the signs of the times, could we arrive at a synthesis which learns from liberalism's mistakes while preserving its best features? Today's guest is Jonah Bennett, editor-in-chief of a fascinating new online magazine called Palladium which is devoted to constructing what could be called the post-liberal synthesis. Palladium Magazine seeks to foster the perspective of a responsible elite, with high-quality, non-ideological coverage of everything from geopolitics to video-game addiction to the crisis in Ivy League institutions. Links Transcript of this podcast https://medium.com/@thejonahbennett/responsible-elites-podcast-transcript-7fb270681280 A few Palladium articles: "Towards The Post-Liberal Synthesis", Jonah Bennett https://palladiummag.com/2018/09/29/towards-the-post-liberal-synthesis/ "The Real Problem At Yale Is Not Free Speech", Natalia Dashan https://palladiummag.com/2019/08/05/the-real-problem-at-yale-is-not-free-speech/ "My Time On A Terror Trial Jury", Wolf Tivy https://palladiummag.com/2019/09/05/my-time-on-a-terror-trial-jury/ "The American Dream Is Alive In China," Jean Fan https://palladiummag.com/2019/10/11/the-american-dream-is-alive-in-china/ "The New Authoritarian Hungary That Isn't", Will Collins https://palladiummag.com/2019/05/06/the-new-authoritarian-hungary-that-isnt/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio