The Catholic Culture Podcast

John-Mark Miravalle is the author of a rather good popular introduction to the topic beauty, Beauty: What It Is and Why It Matters. He and Thomas converse on our moral obligation to delight in beauty, why we are moved by the combination of order and surprise, and the proper way to delight in the beauty of the human body. John-Mark closes the discussion with a moving reflection on the relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit. Links Beauty: What It Is and Why It Matters https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/beauty This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

In the new off-Broadway play Heroes of the Fourth Turning, playwright Will Arbery (son of two Wyoming Catholic College professors) offers a nuanced, accurate portrayal of the way conservatives talk to each other when progressives aren't around. The characters are instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent time among well-educated Catholic conservatives. The play has attracted positive attention from both secular and Catholic media. Is Heroes a zoological exhibit for progressives to gape at, or something deeper? Is it ultimately more unsettling to a perceptive Catholic viewer, for whom Arbery's troubled characters might function as an indictment of a Catholic conservatism that can be focused more on ideas and temporal concerns than on the reality of Christ? And if so, does the play itself recognize the nature of the problem? That is, does it deal substantively with its characters' Catholicism, or, like some of those characters, does it merely use certain Catholic ideas in the service of temporal political debates? Having seen Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Thomas Mirus and James Majewski discuss. Links Heroes of the Fourth Turning https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/heroes-fourth-turning/ C. C. Pecknold's review: https://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2019/10/01/an-extraordinary-play-that-challenges-progressives-and-conservatives-alike/ Rod Dreher's commentary: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher-tags/heroes-of-the-fourth-turning/ Theme music: "Franciscan Eyes", written and performed by Thomas Mirus. This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Indie rock trio The Duskwhales formed almost 10 years ago at a small Catholic high school in Virginia. Over that decade, four albums and three EPs, they have forged a distinctly melodic sound in contrast to today's joyless pop milieu. Their vocal harmonies hearken back to The Beatles and The Beach Boys, while their organ-heavy instrumentation (no bass player in their live shows) sets them apart from contemporary rock bands. In this 10-year career retrospective they discuss their musical output so far, the importance of their friendship and faith to their survival and continual artistic growth as a band, the loss of melody and retro clones in modern pop music, and more. You'll hear clips from their eclectic discography, including their new EP, Take It Back. The Duskwhales are Seth Flynn (vocals, guitar), Brian Majewski (keyboards, vocals), and Chris Baker (drums, vocals). All music used with permission. Links Buy The Duskwhales' music https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com Follow them https://www.facebook.com/TheDuskwhales/ Episode 5 on The Duskwhales' EP Hospital Dreams https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=5 Interview with The Duskwhales' Sorrowful Mysteries https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1473 Dr. Kurt Poterack on melody https://www.getprinciples.com/a-people-without-melody/ and rhythm in popular music https://www.getprinciples.com/the-rhythm-of-popular-music/ and McCartney's "Yesterday" https://kpoterackblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/yesterday/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

One of England's greatest composers, William Byrd is a fascinating and complicated figure of Catholic musical history. A musician in the Royal Chapel of Queen Elizabeth, he associated with the highest ranks of the Anglican establishment while writing music on the side for secret Catholic masses. In part two of this interview, singer and scholar Kerry McCarthy discusses the high level of amateur musicianship in Byrd's England, his attitude towards music as revealed in his writings, his approach to text-setting and relationship with contemporary poets, and Renaissance rhythm. An overview is given of more of the genres Byrd worked in, from keyboard and consort music to motets and Mass propers. In this episode you will hear the following pieces by Byrd (all used with kind permission from the groups named): Fantasia in A minor for keyboard, performed by Olga Pashchenko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DiebzF-UJ4 In nomine #5 for consort, performed by The Rose Consort of Viols on Byrd: Consort and Keyboard Music, Songs and Anthems https://www.amazon.com/Byrd-Consort-Keyboard-Music-Anthems/dp/B0000013UP Tristitia et anxietas, performed by Gallicantus on The Word Unspoken https://music.apple.com/us/album/word-unspoken-sacred-music/533746884?app=itunes&ls=1 Ave verum corpus, performed by Ensemble ZENE on Via Dolorosa https://www.highresaudio.com/en/album/view/pd88hj/ensemble-zene-bruno-kele-baujard-purcell-byrd-scarlatti-lotti-allegri-via-dolorosa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioBgfmzRLUE Links Part I of this interview https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=49 Kerry McCarthy, Byrd https://global.oup.com/academic/product/byrd-9780195388756?cc=us&lang=en& Olga Pashchenko https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfXOSSr0MB_fvePKrSfCQug The Rose Consort of Viols https://www.alisoncrum.myzen.co.uk/roseconsortweb/index.htm Gallicantus http://www.gallicantus.com/ Ensemble ZENE https://www.ensemblezene.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

One of England's greatest composers, William Byrd is a fascinating and complicated figure of Catholic musical history. A musician in the Royal Chapel of Queen Elizabeth, he associated with the highest ranks of the Anglican establishment while writing music on the side for secret Catholic masses. In this first of two episodes on Byrd, singer and scholar Kerry McCarthy sets Byrd in the context of the musical and religious upheavals of post-Reformation England. She discusses how he navigated English court circles as well as his secret Catholic activities, including his three masses. In this episode you will hear the following pieces by Byrd (all used with kind permission from the groups named): Fantasia #2 for consort, performed by The Rose Consort of Viols on Byrd: Consort and Keyboard Music, Songs and Anthems https://www.amazon.com/Voces8-Tapestry-BRUCKNER-BYRD-MONTEVERDI/dp/B006UTDFE8 Rejoice Unto the Lord, performed by The Rose Consort of Viols with Tessa Bonner on the same album Agnus Dei from the Mass for four voices, performed by VOCES8 on A Choral Tapestry https://www.amazon.com/Voces8-Tapestry-BRUCKNER-BYRD-MONTEVERDI/dp/B006UTDFE8 Agnus Dei from the Mass for five voices (Gesualdo Six) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFjvqNHgEY Links Kerry McCarthy, Byrd https://global.oup.com/academic/product/byrd-9780195388756?cc=us&lang=en& Interview with Barnaby Smith of VOCES8 https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=24 VOCES8 http://www.voces8.com/ The Gesualdo Six https://www.thegesualdosix.co.uk/ The Rose Consort of Viols https://www.alisoncrum.myzen.co.uk/roseconsortweb/index.htm This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

"Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands." These words of St. Paul in Ephesians 5 have been a continual source of discomfort to modern Catholics, and most priests would rather explain this teaching away or avoid discussing it altogether. For the faithful Catholic, however, treating Scripture and Church teaching as something embarrassing is not an option, nor is relativizing and redefining it into oblivion. Ephesians 5 is the crucial source for how marriage, so badly damaged by the Fall, has been redeemed and supernaturalized in the Cross of Christ. In this episode, Mary Stanford explains how we can understand and even come to love this teaching which so repels our egalitarian age. She brings to the table her study of Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body and the thought of Edith Stein, as well as decades of experience as a wife and mother. Links Mary Stanford's article "The Dynamic of the Gift: Authority and Submission in Christian Marriage" https://www.hprweb.com/2013/01/the-dynamic-of-the-gift-authority-and-submission-in-christian-marriage/ Some of the teaching sources mentioned in this episode: 1 Cor 11:3, Ephesians 5, Colossians 3:18-19, Timothy 2 and 3, Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 3:1-7 Pope Leo XIII, Arcanum divinae sapientiae, 1880 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4858&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1947264 Pope Pius XI, Casti connubii, 1930 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1947266 Pope St. John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3381&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1947268 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Many Catholics have worn the Brown Scapular at some point in their lives. Some of those people stopped wearing it for one reason or another. Others have continued to wear it but perhaps don't appreciate its true depth as a sign of consecration to Mary. Even less known is the fact that the Scapular is a miniature version of the Carmelite habit (which is itself Our Lady's habit); those who wear it are part of the Carmelite family, right back to the Prophet Elijah! In this show Fr. Justin Cinnante, a Carmelite friar, explains the Marian and Carmelite origins and dimensions of the Scapular as well as the promises associated with it. Whether you wear the Scapular, used to but don't anymore, or have never been enrolled in it, this episode will give you many reasons to love the Garment of Grace. Links Buy a Brown Scapular https://www.sistersofcarmel.com/brown-scapulars-brown-scapular-of-our-lady-of-mount-carmel/ Fr. Justin on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fatherjustinocarm/

Emma and Cecilia Black grew up in a large family that sang together constantly. Now these two sisters from Grand Rapids, Michigan, have made an album of folk songs for children. They want people to know that any family can start singing together, without special training or equipment. Here Emma and Cecilia, who record under the name Roundabout, discuss the ethos of folk music, which is about participation rather than consumption. They amusingly disabuse us of the notion that folk music is always squeaky-clean and wholesome. Finally, they touch on the problems with commercial children's music, in contrast to their album, Singsong Pennywhistle, which is engaging and accessible without being musically and lyrically dumbed-down. All songs used with permission from Roundabout. Links https://www.roundaboutfolk.com Buy Singsong Pennywhistle https://www.roundaboutfolk.com/music Folk music resources https://www.roundaboutfolk.com/why-folk

Thomas discusses his libertarian past, explains why he abandoned that political philosophy, and summarizes an article on the topic by the Catholic philosopher Edward Feser. Feser, himself an ex-libertarian who has written books on Hayek, Nozick and Locke, argues that the libertarian view of self-ownership and private property rights cannot be reconciled with classical natural law theory, and lays out a proper natural law theory of private property rights and taxation. Links The article https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-philosophy-and-policy/article/classical-natural-law-theory-property-rights-and-taxation/E5AF0E3F9E3B29FDFF940E4CAA728721 Feser's collected writings on why he stopped being a libertarian http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-road-from-libertarianism.html Feser on Hayek https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/hayeks-tragic-capitalism/ Episode 7: Inflation Is a Sin—Guido Hülsmann https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=7 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Dana Gioia is one of the greatest Catholic poets working today. In this interview he discusses how Catholic attitudes toward the arts have changed in recent generations, and the revival of interest in poetry in the culture as a whole. Dana reads a few of his poems, discusses how Catholicism has made his poetry "simpler, more emotionally direct, and more unabashedly musical," and even gives poets some tips on collaboration with musicians and composers. Dana and Thomas wrap up by discussing the role of the critic and highlighting a modern Catholic poet Dana thinks should be better known. Links The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/c4/Wiseblood_Essays_.html 99 Poems, New and Selected https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/99-poems Dana Gioia's website www.danagioia.com Dana reads his poems on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dDuuRPo6HXxn69LMLrwyw Jazz pianist Helen Sung and Dana Gioia discuss their album Sung With Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZWhKguBJGg This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Mr. Mehan's Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals (M5) is a book of poems intended as an introduction to the liberal arts for children, helping them to grow in self-knowledge, virtue, and the art of charitable rhetoric. It is written in the ancient form of the beast fable, with each of Matthew Mehan's twenty-six alphabetical poems accompanied by a beautiful oil painting by John Folley. In this interview Matthew discusses the book, the role of poetry in aesthetic, moral and spiritual education, and related topics such as the lost social art of memorizing and reciting poems. Links Sample and buy M5 https://www.mythicalmammals.com/ Online Great Books referral link (25% off first three months – use code catholicculture) https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Episode 27 with OGB founder Scott Hambrick https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=27 Learn more about OGB https://onlinegreatbooks.com/

Stephen Auth is a highly successful investment manager on Wall Street. In his spare time, he hails down strangers on the streets of Manhattan and convinces them to go to confession. Links Steve Auth, The Missionary of Wall Street: From Managing Money to Saving Souls on the Streets of New York https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/missionary-of-wall-street

Western governments and NGOs are pushing the Sexual Revolution on Africa, using strings-attached development aid. Of all the funds from Western nations going to "development" in Africa, the majority are for population control. Obianuju Ekeocha is raising awareness about this form of neo-colonialism in which rich Westerners force their anti-culture on African peoples, because for them a better Africa is one with fewer Africans. One organization, Marie Stopes International, is even performing abortions in countries where they are illegal. Links Watch Strings Attached https://www.amazon.com/Strings-Attached-Obianuju-Ekeocha/dp/B07N5DSSN7 Target Africa: Ideological Neo-Colonialism in the Twenty-First Century https://www.ignatius.com/Target-Africa-P2384.aspx Culture of Life Africa http://cultureoflifeafrica.com/ Connect the Dots With Obianuju https://www.youtube.com/user/COLAfrica https://twitter.com/obianuju

Tolkien is well known to have been concerned with the internal consistency of his fictional world, from geography to history to language. But he was also concerned with another sort of consistency: metaphysical consistency, not only within the work but between his work and reality (because he did not see the storyteller's task as providing an alternative to reality but an extension of it). Scholars have debated the nature of Tolkien's metaphysics; Jonathan S. McIntosh contends that the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas provides the most fruitful metaphysical lens with which to examine Middle-Earth. Links The Flame Imperishable: Tolkien, St. Thomas, and the Metaphysics of Faërie https://angelicopress.org/product/the-flame-imperishable/ Jonathan's Flame Imperishable blog https://jonathansmcintosh.wordpress.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Paul Jernberg is a composer of sacred music and director of the Magnificat Institute, which offers education in the patrimony of Catholic liturgical music. He tells Thomas about his career, including an interesting digression about gospel music and its relation to Catholic liturgy, the criterion of "noble accessibility" in liturgical music, and what Roman Catholic composers can learn from the ancient Eastern chant traditions. This episode contains selections from Jernberg's Mass of St. Philip Neri, used with permission. If you would like to hear more episodes with music throughout, please send Thomas feedback at [email protected]. Links http://www.pauljernberg.com/ Purchase the Mass of St. Philip Neri album http://www.pauljernberg.com/preview Magificat Institute of Sacred Music https://magnificatinstitute.org/ Paul Jernberg, "The Logos of Sacred Music" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=535 Jernberg on David Clayton's Way of Beauty Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5xpu6Ldr-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIAK-o5JIL0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NxbTo4BO4Q

The name of Garrigou-Lagrange has long been a byword for a fusty, rigid Thomism of days gone by, allegedly more concerned with centuries of accretions built up by scholastic commentators than with the original teaching of the Angelic Doctor himself. Only in traditionalist circles was his name still spoken with respect. But recent years have seen a wider reevaluation of this French Dominican priest and theologian, and a new translation of his work The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the Intellectual Life shows that Garrigou has been unfairly dismissed as a purveyor of airless theology. The translator of this work, Matthew K. Minerd, joins the podcast to discuss Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange's legacy and some of the book's central themes. These include mystery from on high and from below (not only spirit but also matter is mysterious), the importance of common sense for philosophy, the different senses in which we use the word "to be", the supernaturality of faith, and the eminence of the Deity beyond any of His attributes insofar as we know and name them by reason. Through all these topics it becomes abundantly clear that only by preserving the distinction between natural and supernatural can theology remain itself. Links Buy The Sense of Mystery: Clarity and Obscurity in the Intellectual Life http://www.emmausacademic.com/publications/2018/5/18/sense-of-mystery An excellent article on chastity by Matthew https://www.hprweb.com/2017/10/on-the-lowly-yet-vital-importance-of-chastity/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The young Italian sculptor Jago is best known to Catholics for his marble bust of Pope Benedict XVI, which the Pope himself awarded with a pontifical medal. Upon Benedict's resignation, Jago radically reworked the piece into its current form, Habemus Hominem. In this episode Jago discusses the meaning of marble, how he had to teach himself because his art professors opposed studying the great masters of the past, and his innovative use of social media as a new, decentralized form of patronage. Links Jago on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jago.artist Video of Jago transforming his bust of Pope Benedict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqVwRookYJ0 Article on Habemus Hominem https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/02/21/shirtless-statue-pope-benedict-causes-art-sensation-rome/

One of the core things that has gone wrong with our culture in the past several decades is the denigration of every virtue associated with the perfect woman, Mary. Gentleness, humility, (true) beauty and especially motherhood: these are all antithetical to the radical feminism that is now thoroughly mainstream. If modern women are rejecting the very model of womanhood, it's no wonder the data tells us they're miserable. What they have embraced instead is described by Carrie Gress as the spirit of anti-Mary. Carrie's new book, The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity, details how Satan has used women's malcontent as an entry point to completely devastate them and the culture they were meant to create and nurture. She dispels the illusion of the sisterhood, as early radical feminism was filled with backstabbing, mental illness, and unhappy women who hated not only men but each other. She argues that the misbehavior of so many women today is a defense mechanism due to the lack of unconditional love from their parents. Finally, she points women to Mary and her virtues as a way of finding contentment in the unconditional love of God the Father, and of rediscovering the feminine beauty that will be crucial to healing our culture's wounds. Links The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/the-anti-mary-exposed.html Episode 4 – The Marian Option – Carrie Gress https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=4 Carrie Gress http://www.carriegress.com/ Theology of Home (used to be Helena Daily) https://theologyofhome.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Abby Johnson was the youngest clinic director in Planned Parenthood history. After witnessing an abortion on ultrasound, she quit, became a Catholic, and founded And Then There Were None, an organization which has helped over 500 workers leave the abortion industry. We discuss the new film Unplanned, based on her memoir by the same name, and delve into the vicious cycle of moral blindness which enabled her to work in the abortion business. Links Unplanned movie https://www.unplannedfilm.com/ Unplanned book http://www.unplannedthebook.com/ Abby's Twitter https://twitter.com/abbyjohnson And Then There Were None https://abortionworker.com/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Michael Pakaluk has written a new translation and commentary of Mark's Gospel. Mark was relating very recent events, with details only an eyewitness (most likely Peter) would have mentioned. This earliest Gospel set the standard for what words and deeds of Christ would be included by the other evangelists, and reflected on by Christians until the end of the age. If these are indeed the memoirs of St. Peter "as told to" St. Mark, then, as Pakaluk says, all of the Gospels bear the mark of the Petrine ministry. Links The Memoirs of St. Peter https://www.regnery.com/books/the-memoirs-of-st-peter/ Michael Pakaluk at Catholic U https://business.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/pakaluk-michael/index.html

The quest for freedom in structure is fundamental to Catholic spiritual life (particularly during this season of Lent). It's also fundamental to musical improvisation. How can you be free and spontaneous without giving way to anarchy and sin, which lead to death? How can you be organized and disciplined without succumbing to the living death of rigidity? How can you make new music in the moment, with no predetermined composition, that nonetheless has order and beauty? And how can you do all this without taking yourself too seriously? Only the Holy Spirit makes these things possible. My friend Mark Christopher Brandt—improvising pianist, composer and spiritual writer—has spent his life pursuing these paradoxes in the confluence of life as a musician and life in Christ. We discuss his ongoing series of fully improvised albums, most recently the DVD Structure and Freedom, as well as his books of meditations for the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary. Links Mark's website http://www.markchristopherbrandt.com Structure and Freedom DVD https://markchristopherbrandt.com/structure-and-freedom-dvd.html Sunflowers and Roses (soundtrack album to Structure and Freedom) https://markchristopherbrandt.com/sunflowers-and-roses-album.html Mark's spiritual books https://markchristopherbrandt.com/spiritual-books.html 2017 interview about Mark's album The Nightingale https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-0-nightingale-mark-christopher-brandt/

For many people who have never been to Spain, their only image of the country may be the strange spires of Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudí. It is certainly the best-known building in Spain, despite still not being finished—and construction began in 1882! Indeed, Gaudí knew the building would not be completed in his lifetime, but was at peace with this, saying, "My client is not in a hurry." He was an ascetic with a deep devotion to the Holy Family, and there is an ongoing cause for his beatification with which my guest is involved. Links Images of Gaudí's works https://www.pinterest.com/ukiahyaya/antoni-gaudi/?lp=true Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí http://translate.google.com/translate?client=tmpg&hl=en&langpair=es|en&u=http%3A//www.gaudibeatificatio.com/ The Association's book on Gaudí and the beatification effort http://www.gaudibeatificatio.com/files/docs/GAUDI-BOOK.pdf

You may or may not know that I have a background in jazz piano (I wrote and performed the intro and outro music for this show, for example). In this album I introduce you to about ten of my very favorite jazz albums. This is an experimental solo episode, but don't worry, we'll be back to interviews next week. Links The main list: Charlie Parker, "Parker's Mood" (1948) (listen to this original version, not the overdubbed version from Clint Eastwood's depressing film Bird!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wa7El-k3jQ Best of the Savoy and Dial Master Takes (I mentioned the complete set in the episode but this is more approachable): https://www.amazon.com/Best-Complete-Savoy-Studio-Recordings/dp/B000067FUO/ "Koko": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okrNwE6GI70 Erroll Garner, The Complete Concert by the Sea (1958): https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Concert-Sea-Erroll-Garner/dp/B00ZJ5QXDO/ "I'll Remember April": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_aILGaLqyc Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto (1964): https://www.amazon.com/Getz-Gilberto-Stan/dp/B0000047CX/ "Desafinado": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So718wk426c Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin' at the Half Note (1965): https://www.amazon.com/Smokin-At-Half-Note-Remastered/dp/B0006VXF4G/ "Unit 7": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D12_468jvNk Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (1959): https://www.amazon.com/Kind-Blue-Miles-Davis/dp/B000002ADT/ "Blue in Green": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veDgWww1hIQ Bill Evans's liner notes: https://www.sfjazz.org/onthecorner/bill-evans-kind-blue-liner-notes/ Bill Evans, Alone (1968): https://www.amazon.com/Alone-VME-Bill-Evans/dp/B00006C79A/ "Here's That Rainy Day": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMa2VaV3Voo Miles Davis, Nefertiti (1968): https://www.amazon.com/Nefertiti-Miles-Davis/dp/B003O5MODY/ "Nefertiti": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHBIfBex7Ig Herbie Hancock, Speak Like a Child (1968): https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Like-Child-Herbie-Hancock/dp/B0007LLQ3W/ "Speak Like a Child": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNLWi-xAkE Chick Corea, Friends (1978): https://www.amazon.com/Friends-CHICK-COREA/dp/B01LVWGSGJ "Waltz for Dave": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNdowVQ9nxE Other albums mentioned: Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Bird and Diz (1950): https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Diz-Charlie-Parker/dp/B009R50YU0/ "Bloomdido": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MCGweQ8Oso Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Elis & Tom (1974): https://www.amazon.com/Elis-Antonio-Carlos-Jobim-Regina/dp/B0017YWG2S "Aguas de Março": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1tOV7y94DY Miles Davis, Miles Smiles (1967): https://www.amazon.com/Miles-Smiles-Davis/dp/B016QE48TM/ "Footprints": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62p-CXrYmf4 Herbie Hancock et al., Tribute to Miles (1992): https://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Miles-Various-Artists/dp/B000002MG7/ "Elegy": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_DJJyJ5Ogg Chick Corea, Three Quartets (1981): https://www.amazon.com/Three-Quartets-Chick-Corea/dp/B000003OZE/ "Quartet No. 2, Pt. 2: Tribute to John Coltrane": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQx96DsZXxA

While Tolkien's brilliance as a world-builder and storyteller is well-established, fewer people are aware of just how unique (and obsessive) his creative process was, or that he was a gifted visual artist. That is changing thanks to an unprecedented exhibition of Tolkien's personal items, manuscripts and artworks, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth, currently on display at the Morgan Library in Manhattan. John McQuillen, Assistant Curator at the Morgan Library, and Holly Ordway, author of the upcoming study Tolkien's Modern Sources, join me to discuss the exhibition, which sheds light on Tolkien's use of visual art to help him solidify his literary vision, the role his stories and artworks played in his family life, and (perhaps surprising to many who view Tolkien as a conservative fuddy-duddy) his willingness to draw on an eclectic range of sources, including distinctly modern ones, to enhance his creative expression. Links Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth at the Morgan (view selected images from the exhibition) https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/tolkien The exhibition book, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth by Catherine McIlwaine https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Maker-Middle-earth-Catherine-McIlwaine/dp/1851244859 Holly Ordway http://www.hollyordway.com/ Sheen Center for Thought & Culture https://www.sheencenter.org/ Past Tolkien-related episodes Episode 15: Online Education with The Tolkien Professor—Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=15 Episode 16: Extremely Specific Middle-earth Q&A with The Tolkien Professor—Corey Olsen https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=16 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Today there is more pressure than ever before on both women and men to embrace feminism. In her outstanding memoir, Into the Deep, Abigail Rine Favale gives a resonant account of her journey from an evangelical childhood to a Christian feminism which inevitably gave way to the secular, postmodern variety. This ideology gradually gutted her faith—a process interrupted by childbirth and a sudden and unexpected conversion to Catholicism. We discuss the feasibility of Catholic feminism, the danger of interpreting Scripture and doctrine through a predetermined ideological hermeneutic, facile uses of the word "equality", the totalizing nature of all ideology, the role of intuition in the spiritual life, and more. Links Buy Into the Deep: An Unlikely Catholic Conversion using discount code "DEEP" for 40% off https://wipfandstock.com/into-the-deep.html Recent articles by Abigail Rine Favale "Confessions of a Feminist Heretic" http://churchlife.nd.edu/2019/01/11/confessions-of-a-feminist-heretic/ "Sex and Symbol" http://churchlife.nd.edu/2018/06/19/sex-and-symbol/ "Hildegard of Bingen's Vital Contribution to the Concept of Woman" http://churchlife.nd.edu/2018/12/11/hildegard-of-bingens-vital-contribution-to-the-concept-of-woman/ Other articles Dawn Eden, "Eve of Deconstruction: Feminism and John Paul II" https://www.catholicity.com/commentary/eden/03324.html Thomas V. Mirus, "Should women be meek and mild like Mary?" https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1594 This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

This episode is not to be missed! There is an ongoing and much-needed revival of Jacques Maritain's philosophy of art. Accomplished poet Samuel Hazo makes a most valuable contribution to that revival with The World Within the World: Maritain and the Poet. He wrote the book 60 years ago, with a preface by Maritain himself (the only book about him to receive that honor), but it was only recently published. In this conversation, we go over some of the most important points in Maritain's thought on poetry; Dr. Hazo provides many an illuminating anecdote and off-the-cuff recitation of poems by himself and others to concretize ideas that might, to the non-artist, seem esoteric. Links https://www.samhazopoet.com/ Dr. Hazo's most recent books: The World Within the World: Maritain and the Poet https://www.amazon.com/World-within-Word-Maritain-Poet/dp/0996930574/ When Not Yet Is Now (upcoming poetry collection) https://www.amazon.com/When-Not-Yet-Samuel-Hazo/dp/0999513451/ The Pittsburgh That Stays Within You, Fifth Edition https://www.amazon.com/Pittsburgh-That-Stays-Within-You-ebook/dp/B077MNLR42/ This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Many people want to study the great books of the western world in a group setting, but are unable to study at a Great Books college like St. John's, and it's not easy to find people willing to commit to read and meet to discuss the books regularly. I was in that club until I found a new company called Online Great Books. It provides both the books and the people to discuss them with via video conferencing software, all on a schedule that normal, busy folks can keep up with. I want to let people in on the fun I've been having, so I invited OGB founder Scott Hambrick to join me on the show. OGB's latest enrollment period began on January 28th (the day before this podcast came out) and will stay open for about seven days. Get in there using discount code "catholicculture" for 25% off your first three months! Links Join Online Great Books via this referral link https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Learn more about OGB https://onlinegreatbooks.com/ Mortimer Adler's list of the Great Books of the Western World http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/gbww.html Online Great Books Podcast https://onlinegreatbooks.com/onlinegreatbooks-podcast/ The Underground History of American Education https://www.amazon.com/Underground-History-American-Education-Investigation/dp/0945700040/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Today's reading: C.S. Lewis, "Willing Slaves of the Welfare State" http://liberty-tree.ca/research/willing_slaves_of_the_welfare_state This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Fr. Basil Cole returns to discuss what he has been teaching the student brothers at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., in a course on the arts, contemplation and virtue. Links Episode 11: Music and Morals—Fr. Basil Cole, O.P. https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=11 Fr. Basil's dissertation, The Moral and Psychological Effects of Music: A Theological Appraisal https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=11968 Fr. Basil's articles at Catholic Culture https://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourcetype=1&catlabel=author&catid=85 Readings mentioned: Jacques Maritain, Art and Scholasticism https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/art.htm Josef Pieper, Only the Lover Sings https://www.ignatius.com/Only-the-Lover-Sings-P1873.aspx Pope St. John Paul II, Letter to Artists https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=988&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1905529 Pope Benedict XVI, Address to Artists https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9187&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=1905530 Pope St. Paul VI, Address to Artists http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19651208_epilogo-concilio-artisti.html Francis J. Kovach, Philosophy of Beauty https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Beauty-Frances-J-Kovach/dp/0806113634

Phil Lawler, Jeff Mirus, and Thomas Mirus discuss selections from their article rounding up their favorite books and other media of 2018. Links Article: The best books we read in 2018 https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1591

VOCES8 is a critically acclaimed a capella octet from the UK, focusing on medieval and Renaissance works as well as their own arrangements of modern pop tunes. This episode is an interview with the group's artistic director and countertenor, Barnaby Smith. We discuss the group's history and educational outreach, the creative challenges of chamber singing, and a few of the sacred works the group has recorded over the past decade. The following recordings are included in this episode with permission from VOCES8 (links are to lyrics): William Byrd (1538-1623), Vigilate from A Choral Tapestry, 2011 http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Vigilate_(William_Byrd) Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Corpus Christi Carol from Eventide, 2013 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi_Carol#Lyrics Anonymous French, Angelus ad Virginem from Equinox, 2018 http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/BVM/AngelusAdVirg.html Links Cluny Media, a new Catholic publisher https://clunymedia.com VOCES8 http://www.voces8.com VOCES8 music store http://www.voces8.com/shop VCM Foundation https://vcm.foundation/ Good article on William Byrd's Catholicism https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/03/a-double-life

Fr. Roger Landry returns to the show to talk about what the laity can do to address the abuse crisis. Along the way we discuss the concerns that might make even good bishops hesitant to remove bad priests, the spiritual tactics laity and priests alike must use to purify and heal the Church, the folly of choosing to be scandalized, and how to stay informed without losing one's interior peace. Previous episode with Fr. Roger on the abuse crisis: https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=19 Links https://twitter.com/FrRogerLandry Fr. Roger Landry, Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God https://amzn.to/2RGVW80 Fr. Roger Landry's National Catholic Register articles about the abuse crisis: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/truth-is-needed-to-free-the-church-from-sacrilege-of-clergy-scandal http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/how-to-stay-faithful-as-we-endure-and-confront-the-crisis http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/anchors-in-the-storm http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/spiritual-paternity-anger-lying-and-vulnerable-adults http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/what-to-do-about-corruption-in-the-church This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Bl. John Henry Newman was, among many other things, a lifelong teacher. Not only did he found the Catholic University of Ireland and England's first Catholic public school, he was a highly influential philosopher of education. In his collection of addresses titled The Idea of a University, Newman set forth his conception of liberal education, defending the essential place of theology among the university subjects and arguing against the growing utilitarian tendency to see education as nothing more than professional training. Paul Shrimpton, teacher at Magdalen College School in Oxford and author of The Making of Men, brings together the theory and practice of Newman the educator. Books mentioned: John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University: Read http://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/ Purchase https://www.clunymedia.com/product/the-idea-of-a-university/https://amzn.to/2REdkJB John Henry Newman's historical sketches relating to education: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/historical/volume2/index.html http://www.newmanreader.org/works/historical/volume3/index.html Paul Shrimpton, The Making of Men: The Idea and reality of Newman's university in Oxford and Dublin https://amzn.to/2Dsx28h Ian Ker, John Henry Newman: A Biography https://amzn.to/2D5Xzau

The new feature film Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, about the investigation, trial and conviction of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, has defied opposition from the film industry and the press alike to become an artistic and financial success, even briefly making it into the top ten in box office results. Writer Ann McElhinney discusses the film, her research process (including the disturbing experience of interviewing Gosnell himself), and the numerous obstacles the filmmakers faced in telling a story nobody wanted to see the light of day. At the beginning of the episode, Thomas also discusses the recent film about Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince (the Gosnell interview starts 10 minutes in). Links The film: http://www.gosnellmovie.com The book: https://amzn.to/2Rt20A5 https://twitter.com/annmcelhinney https://www.facebook.com/annmcelhinney/

The American Catholic painter Carl Schmitt (1889-1989) made fascinating innovations in the use of color. He wrote extensively on the artist's vocation, arguing for seeking holiness through practicing one's art rather than the other way around, and advocating the three virtues of poverty, humility and purity as a necessity for all artists to follow. He inspired artists in other media, like Hilaire Belloc and Hart Crane. He did all this while raising ten children. Andrew de Sa, the Creative Director at the Carl Schmitt Foundation, educates us about this artist who was content to paint in obscurity for God. Links Carl Schmitt Foundation https://carlschmitt.org/ Upcoming CSF Events https://carlschmitt.org/upcoming-events/ Andrew de Sa http://andrewdesaart.com/ Arlington Catholic Herald article about Andrew and the Foundation https://www.catholicherald.com/News/Local_News/Catholic_creators_to_share_methods/

The faithful have many questions about the ecclesiastical sexual abuse crisis: What did Church authorities do right in responding to the previous wave of scandals, and what did they fail to do? How could Theodore McCarrick, a serial abuser surrounded by rumors, rise to become one of the most powerful hierarchs in the Church? What is the connection between doctrinal infidelity and sexual infidelity by priests? How do priests living double lives justify remaining in the priesthood? Finally, how much truth is there to the claim that priestly sexual abuse is the result of clericalism? Links Fr. Roger Landry, Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God https://amzn.to/2RGVW80 Fr. Roger Landry's National Catholic Register articles about the abuse crisis: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/truth-is-needed-to-free-the-church-from-sacrilege-of-clergy-scandal http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/how-to-stay-faithful-as-we-endure-and-confront-the-crisis http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/anchors-in-the-storm http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/spiritual-paternity-anger-lying-and-vulnerable-adults http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/what-to-do-about-corruption-in-the-church This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Once included among the capital sins, acedia has been identified with both sloth and sadness. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, defined it both as "disgust with activity" and "sadness about spiritual good." Today's guest, RJ Snell, argues that acedia is the chief spiritual malady of our age, underlying the malaise, nihilism and despair so prevalent in the modern West. Links R.J. Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents: Metaphysical Boredom in the Empire of Desire https://amzn.to/2xTTBhQ Thomas's 2015 review of Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1307 Thomas's 2015 review of Nault, The Noonday Devil https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1283 Forthcoming book: R.J. Snell and Robert P. George, Mind, Heart & Soul: Intellectuals and the Path to Rome https://amzn.to/2zO9Uhk This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Many Catholics have become cynical about the possibility of changing the political landscape, but perhaps we've given up before we've really tried. It's not just about electing the right congressmen and nominating the right justices, it's about keeping them accountable. In this episode, former Virginia delegate Bob Marshall shares practical insights drawn from his encyclopedic knowledge of the American political tradition and from his own achievements in politics: for example, he was behind the Hyde Amendment which stopped abortion funding via Medicaid. He reminds us that "To render to Caesar, you have to know the structure of Caesar's world." Did you know that Congress has the Constitutional authority to decide what kinds of cases the Supreme Court may hear? What about the possibility of amending appropriations bills to render SCOTUS decisions like Obergefell unenforceable? Have you given real consideration to the fact that local politics is the foundation for everything else? If not, you'll want to listen to this episode. Links Robert G. Marshall, Reclaiming the Republic: How Christians and Other Conservatives Can Win Back America https://amzn.to/2xSQxlg Jeff Mirus's review of Reclaiming the Republic https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1565 Bob Marshall's recent articles for The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/author/robertgmarshall/ Msgr. John Sanders, the priest who played with Duke Ellington https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1575 Timestamps 2:41 Bob Marshall's political career and recent defeat 6:01 Why Bob wrote Reclaiming the Republic; natural law in the American founding 9:25 Catholics ought not withdraw from politics: Biblical precedents 13:25 Judicial branch is not the final authority on what is Constitutional; Congress's authority to decide what cases the Supreme Court can hear 23:32 The importance of educating your representatives 26:47 Bob's role in passing the Hyde Amendment; importance of the power of the purse 34:13 Appropriations bills can be used to keep bad Supreme Court decisions from being enforced 36:22 Our representatives avoid voting on the record so we can't hold them accountable 39:24 How to get your representative to go on the record 41:03 The oath of office—you can't fulfill it if you don't read the bills you vote on! 44:15 Anti-commandeering laws, by which states can refuse to enforce federal laws 48:47 Why you should vote in primary elections 50:41 "All politics is local": issues that affect people's daily lives 53:18 The importance of the precinct; door-to-door campaigning tips 57:45 The role of corporations in promoting immoral policies

In part two of my interview with Corey "The Tolkien Professor" Olsen, we discuss several extremely specific questions about Middle-earth, including: What is "magic" in The Lord of the Rings? Whogiddy-what is Tom Bombadil exactly? Do the good consequences of Eowyn's disobedience to Theoden justify her actions? Are orcs—possessing free will but seemingly evil by nature—metaphysically coherent? Links Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/ Mythgard Institute (Signum's free programs for the public) https://mythgard.org/ The Tolkien Professor Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tolkien-professor/id320513707?mt=2 Corey Olsen's website https://tolkienprofessor.com/ Timestamps Corey Olsen 2:06 The ambiguity of "magic" as used by different beings and races in The Lord of the Rings 12:13 Is Tom Bombadil God or a Christ-figure? What does it mean that "he is," and that he is "the Master"? Is Tom a Maia? West vs. east and resurrection in the barrow-wight episode 35:04 Does Eowyn's fulfillment of prophecy in slaying the Witch-King justify her abandonment of her duties to stay behind and rule/protect her people in the King's absence? Simplistic feminist misinterpretations of Eowyn; Rohan's vs. Gondor's cultural values 44:26 Eowyn's despair vs. Sam's; different kinds of hope; Sam's attitude towards his duty and the sense in which he lacks hope 59:38 More on Eowyn, Rohan's debased cultural values 1:07:02 How Tolkien developed in his concept of flat vs. round Middle-earth 1:09:17 Are orcs evil by nature? How can that be if they have free will? 1:15:22 What is the basis of the differences/superiorities/inferiorities among the races of Middle-earth, and how is it different from real-world racist theories? 1:26:16 This week's reading: J.R.R. Tolkien, "On Fairy-Stories" https://amzn.to/2Cgo9Pm This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Corey Olsen, aka The Tolkien Professor, started out putting his college lectures out in podcast form, and ended up founding an online master's program devoted to the study of imaginative literature: Signum University. We discuss Signum, the state approval process, the current advantages and prospects of online education, some differences between Tolkien and Lewis, and reading Tolkien with children. Links Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/ Mythgard Institute (Signum's free programs for the public) https://mythgard.org/ The Tolkien Professor Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tolkien-professor/id320513707?mt=2 Corey Olsen's website https://tolkienprofessor.com/ Timestamps Corey Olsen 2:38 Signum University approved by the New Hampshire Higher Education Commission 3:02 Scope of studies at Signum University: definition of imaginative literature; Tolkien at the center 5:54 A fundamental difference between Tolkien and Lewis 15:23 The process of getting an educational program approved by a state board 22:46 Corey's motivations to podcast: desire to communicate with more than a tiny academic audience, unfulfilled demand from people who want to study Tolkien seriously 28:43 Making online education more than just an efficient correspondence course: real-time interaction and community 33:14 Online education as an affordable alternative to bilking students and exploiting faculty 40:00 Signum's free programs for the public at the Mythgard Institute 47:04 How old should your kid be to read The Lord of the Rings? 52:38 Moralizing Tolkien vs. Lewis: how they lend themselves to different ways of reading with children 56:17 This week's reading: J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 250 https://amzn.to/2PLXhcs This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

What's it like to be both a priest and a professional actor? George Drance, S.J. is the artist in residence at Fordham University, where he teaches acting, a resident artist in La Mama's Great Jones Repertory Company, and the artistic director of Magis Theatre Company. We discuss his religious and artistic vocation, how people in the theater world feel about working with a priest, how to take custody of your career and choose your roles with integrity, Catholic vs. worldly ideas of success, and more. Links George Drance, S.J. Fordham faculty page https://www.fordham.edu/info/25064/theatre_full-time_faculty/10013/george_drance_sj/1 Magis Theatre Company http://www.magistheatre.org Timestamps George Drance, S.J. 1:52 Being both a Jesuit priest and a working actor 6:50 How Fr. George seeks God in his work 8:11 Working in experimental theater with Great Jones Repertory and La MaMa; the legacy of Ellen Stewart 14:25 Navigating the theater world socially as a priest; how theater people respond to Fr. George's priesthood 18:59 Dealing with the pressure to take compromising roles; taking custody of your career as a young actor 29:44 The advantage of having a personal practice as an actor 33:34 There's no shame in having a day job; rejecting worldly conceptions of success 35:51 The fascinating career of dramatist-priest Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681); his Life Is a Dream 42:27 Magis Theatre Company: actor training and reviving forgotten classics 48:02 Adaptation of The Odyssey for high school students 50:15 Magis's upcoming show, Miracle in Rwanda, based on Left to Tell by Imaculée Ilibagiza 53:50 This week's reading: Bl. John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University

The critical theorists and social justice warriors are trying to do to medieval studies what they've done to other disciplines, and if you don't get on board, you're a white supremacist. Over the past two years or so, the mob has targeted University of Chicago professor Rachel Fulton Brown, calling her a fascist, trying to intimidate her department into censuring her, and banning her from conference sessions. She joins me to discuss her ordeal, why even tenured professors are willing to stand up for unpopular truths, and the stakes of the battle for medieval studies. Links Rachel Fulton Brown's academic homepage http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/ Milo Yiannopoulos's essay "Why the Battle for Medieval Studies Matters to America" (profanity warning) https://www.dangerous.com/45111/middle-rages/ Rachel's fascinating Professional Self-Portrait http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/Professional%20Self%20Portrait.pdf Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought: Purchase https://amzn.to/2MPrGFf Read Chapter 2 https://issuu.com/columbiaup/docs/mary_and_the_art_of_prayer_ave_mari Timestamps 2:56 Rachel Fulton Brown 3:41 The initial blog post that made Rachel's colleagues angry 10:15 Rachel's friendship with Milo Yiannopoulos 15:19 The progressive witch hunt within medieval studies 28:25 The letter 1,500 academics signed attempting to get her department to censure her 34:40 Rachel's defenders in academia 36:49 Why even tenured academics fear the mob 41:23 Critical theorists coming from English literature into medieval studies 45:27 What will be lost if medieval studies is taken over by progressives: the study of Christianity 51:02 This week's reading: Bl. John Henry Newman This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Mike Aquilina has been a highly successful freelance writer for over three decades. He is best known for his popular books on the Fathers of the Church, but he is also a poet and has co-written songs with the well-known blues singer Dion. We chat about the process of collaboration (whether as a ghostwriter or a song lyricist), the trajectory of poetry over the past century, and more. Links Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com/ "New York Is My Home" (a song Mike co-wrote performed by Dion and Paul Simon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsVSLUOCGA A History of the Church in 100 Objects by Mike & Grace Aquilina https://catholicbooksdirect.com/product/a-history-of-the-church-in-100-objects/ The Fathers of the Church, 3rd Edition by Mike Aquilina https://catholicbooksdirect.com/product/the-fathers-of-the-church-3rd-edition/ "Hindu Traditions of St. Thomas" at Mike's blog https://fathersofthechurch.com/2007/05/21/hindu-traditions-of-st-thomas/ "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhjSzjoU7OQ Timestamps Mike Aquilina 2:29 St. Thomas Aquinas's Eucharistic hymns 5:27 Being a lyricist collaborating with a musician (Dion) 7:05 The fun of ghostwriting 9:18 Prose influences 11:18 Mike's eclectic career path 13:27 The modern idea of the artist; poetry in the past century 31:39 Life as a full-time freelance writer 32:46 Mike's work on patristics 35:18 Distilling the scholarship of experts for a popular audience 38:09 More on Mike's collaboration with Dion 40:24 Having his lyrics sung by Paul Simon 41:31 Chatting about favorite musicians and lyricists 50:18 "Thomas Christians" in India and early Korean Catholicism 53:52 This week's readings: Clement of Alexandria

Are music and morals connected? If so, what is the nature of that connection? Are certain musical sounds morally bad or good in themselves, or are they neutral? Could the influence of music on morality be of an indirect kind? Is there such a thing as a virtuous way of listening to music? Can music prepare us for the spiritual life? Do you have to be a good person to make beautiful music? I discuss these questions and more with theologian Fr. Basil Cole, O.P., an amateur jazz pianist who wrote his dissertation on the moral effects of music (not to be confused with another Fr. Basil who has also commented on the same subject!). Links Basil Cole, O.P. bio https://www.dominicanajournal.org/preacher-professor-and-author-extraordinaire/ Read Fr. Basil's dissertation https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=11968 Fr. Basil articles at CC https://www.catholicculture.org/search/resultslist.cfm?requesttype=docbrowseauth&resourcetype=1&catlabel=author&catid=85 Excellent article on the Rosary by Fr. Basil https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9226 Jeff Mirus's review of Music and Morals https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=510 Jeff Mirus's review of The Hidden Enemies of the Priesthood https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=253 Jeff Mirus's review of Christian Totality https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=842 Further recommended reading (not mentioned in episode): Elisabeth-Paule Labat, O.S.B., The Song That I Am: On the Mystery of Music https://amzn.to/2LemFYY Timestamps 3:16 Fr. Basil Cole interview 4:05 Fr. Basil's musical background 10:01 Refuting the claim that certain musical sounds are intrinsically morally bad or good 12:20 Common misapplication of Plato's theory of music 18:28 Does music imitate or express emotions? 20:05 Why certain personalities might feel threatened by musical creativity; the necessity of risk in art and the spiritual life 25:31 Why the philosophers have not understood music: it goes beyond reason and concepts 31:32 How good music teaches us to "rejoice rightly" 37:34 Music as school of contemplation 44:34 Beauty and morality: an indirect relationship; can music promote morality through happiness? 48:31 Temperance in listening to music 51:17 Is mediocre music morally degrading? 55:08 Using music to foster false identity and narcissistic sentimentality vs. true self-knowledge through contemplation 59:16 The vice of curiositas in music: music streaming tempts us to superficial musical gluttony 1:01:05 Curiositas: Over-analysis and musical snobbery 1:03:28 What Frank Serpico can teach us about music and integrity 1:06:38 Do you have to be a good person to make beautiful music? 1:10:50 What virtues does an artist need? 1:13:02 How to begin listening to music more deeply 1:15:47 This week's excerpt: Sirach 32:5

This episode is for anyone who believes he is called to found a Catholic apostolate, or anyone who is overseeing one already. In this second part of a two-part interview, CatholicCulture.org founder Jeff Mirus shares more lessons from his decades of experience founding several Catholic organizations. In the mid-80s he left Christendom College to start a publishing company. Then circumstances forced him to transition away from full-time apostolic work which, though painful at the time, providentially set the stage for him to return on more sustainable terms, leading to the present online apostolate. Links Part 1 of the Jeff Mirus interview https://www.catholicculture.org/podcast/index.cfm?id=9 Books mentioned Fr. William Most, The Consciousness of Christ Read online: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/getwork.cfm?worknum=215 Buy used: https://amzn.to/2N3Kgsy The Fr. William Most Collection https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/ Timothy T. O'Donnell, Heart of the Redeemer https://amzn.to/2zpGrMC Warren H. Carroll, The Guillotine and the Cross https://amzn.to/2uiShSL Jeffrey Mirus, Reasons for Hope https://amzn.to/2L0oaXs Jeffrey Mirus, The Divine Courtship https://amzn.to/2zzsdsL Dennis Larkin, A Walk to Rome https://amzn.to/2MXqkri Review of St. Katharine Drexel biography https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1266 Show Notes: Jeff Mirus interview 3:51 1:20 Summary of Part 1 3:50 Jeff leaves Christendom College to start a publishing company, Trinity Communications 5:54 Why Jeff doesn't like looking backwards 8:49 Getting Trinity off the ground using Christendom's mailing list 10:45 Jeff's two books, Reasons for Hope and The Divine Courtship 11:34 Efficiency of running a small company without a board of trustees and political battles 12:50 Some of the best books Jeff published: Carroll's The Guillotine and the Cross, Fr. Most's The Consciousness of Christ, Larkin's A Walk to Rome, O'Donnell's Heart of the Redeemer 15:37 Failure of Trinity as a publisher in 1991, Jeff's realization that he could not do apostolic work full-time 16:34 Jeff learns to program, begins computer consulting and online apostolate, Catholic Resource Network, work for EWTN 19:35 CatholicCulture.org's predecessor, PetersNet, begins in 1996—funded by computer consulting business 21:24 Trinity does all the programing for Phil Lawler's Catholic World News, then a separate company 23:16 Importance of making it so Jeff could be removed by other board members if he ever went against the Church 24:27 Why God forced Jeff away from full-time apostolic work in order to put him in a position where he could both support his family and serve the Church without overworking himself 25:33 Programming analogy: Elegant solutions to problems vs. using "brute force"; importance of standing back from problems and learning to delegate and work with a team 30:12 Differences between PetersNet and CatholicCulture.org 32:31 Ethos distinguishing CatholicCulture.org from other faithful Catholic websites when it started in 2003 35:56 Trinity buys Catholic World News in 2006; transition from funding via for-profit company to email-solicited donations just in time for 2008 financial crisis and dissolution of Trinity Consulting 43:19 CatholicCulture.org's reciprocal model of support; depending on Divine Providence rather than being an institution that exists to perpetuate itself 48:03 Future of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org: transitioning away from Jeff's leadership 50:01 Final advice for those doing apostolic work: "Unless the LORD builds the house, he labors in vain who builds it." (Psalm 127) 51:59 This week's excerpt: St. Katharine Drexel

This episode is for anyone who believes he is called to found a Catholic apostolate, or anyone who is overseeing one already. You may know Jeff Mirus as the founder of CatholicCulture.org, bu the has launched several other successful Catholic institutions as well. In this first part of a two-part interview he discusses how, as a young man witnessing a grave crisis in the Church, he set out to become a Catholic apologist. In the first few years of his career, he founded the interdisciplinary academic journal Faith & Reason and co-founded Christendom College. These experiences taught him valuable lessons about the situational, practical and personal problems of running an institutional Catholic apostolate. Links: Sigrid Undset, Catherine of Siena https://amzn.to/2uauGE3 St. Augustine, Confessions https://amzn.to/2u3pIc6 Faith & Reason Archives https://media.christendom.edu/faith-reason/ Christendom College https://www.christendom.edu/ Timestamps: Jeff Mirus Interview 02:46 Jeff's Catholic upbringing, early sense of calling to apologetics 7:32 College and first experiences engaging with and debating secular culture 10:38 The crisis in the Church, realization that a prescriptive approach to the faith will eventually fail without prayer and interior life 14:11 Desire to attain academic credentials in order not to be silenced by the cult of expertise 17:18 Funny encounters with the 60s revolution at Rutgers 24:11 Studying history at Princeton; professor who wanted to explain away medieval mysticism 28:32 Formative reading during grad school: Sigrid Undset's Catherine of Siena, St. Augustine's Confessions, Christopher Dawson, Dominican defenders of the papacy 31:59 The beginnings of lay apostolates in the late 60s and early 70s as clergy became increasingly unfaithful 36:58 Jeff founds academic journal Faith & Reason in 1975 38:57 Situational problem in the Church and practical problem of funding an academic journal 43:33 The importance of keeping faith with your audience 46:04 First encounter with Warren H. Carroll, leading to the founding of Christendom College in 1977; the state of Catholic colleges in the U.S. in the mid-70s 52:33 Practical problem: Making sure the Catholic mission is not compromised based on who exercises control of the corporate entity (in this case, dealing with the problem of an independent college board) 58:51 Dealing with disagreements between good people with dogmatic personalities 1:02:22 Early discussions at Christendom about student life and what the campus culture should look like 1:08:00 Jeff's responsibilities at Christendom 1977-83: member of both boards, Director of Academic Affairs, teaching apologetics, history, and various other subjects at short notice when another professor was missing, editing Faith & Reason, running Christendom Press, building up mailing list 1:11:23 Financial crisis at Christendom which required Jeff to be a full-time fundraiser for two years and precipitated a personal crisis 1:13:57 Personal problem: reliance on Holy Spirit rather than seeing oneself as a Catholic "machine" that can be put into higher gear at will 1:16:20 Beginning family Rosary as a way of putting family first and increasing discernment 1:22:47 Departure from Christendom College; decision to found a publisher called Trinity Communications 1:26:34 This week's excerpt: Noam Chomsky

Abriana Chilelli had to drive her children past a lewd strip club advertisement every day on their way home from school in downtown Denver. But instead of taking a fatalistic attitude and a detour, or worse, just accepting it, she got in touch with a city councilman and within days, the pornographic image was gone. We discuss her story and the lessons she learned about how we can still accomplish positive change in our communities, and the importance of teaching children the true meaning of their bodies. Links Abriana Chilelli https://twitter.com/AbrianaChilelli Book mentioned in interview: Good Pictures, Bad Pictures https://goo.gl/XHNJzn Book reviewed: A Bad Catholic's Essays on What's Wrong with the World by Marc Barnes https://amzn.to/2MZhQkl Sample essay https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/make-hell-hot-again Marc Barnes's website https://bad-catholic.com/ 1979 Wise Blood film adaptation https://amzn.to/2yJjd3N Timestamps 00:48 Book review: A Bad Catholic's Essays on What's Wrong with the World by Marc Barnes 7:59 John Huston's film adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood 9:46 Abriana Chilelli interview 10:50 The lewd advertisement on Abriana's commute home from her children's school 15:07 Her attempts to get it taken down, and final success with help from a city councilman 19:54 What she learned: Don't assume nothing can be done; the problem of Catholic fatalism and the need to be in the public square and build relationships 22:00 Thomas's frustration at lewd public service ads on the NYC subway 24:36 #MeToo and America's reckoning with the consumption of women's bodies 26:06 Tact and truth: communicating your complaint in a way that accomplishes something 30:53 Abriana's work as curriculum director for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Denver; how to teach children about the meaning of their bodies 34:20 How pornography influences gender ideology 36:03 This week's excerpt: Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, Ch. 4, p. 151 https://goo.gl/yLgtwU

It would not occur to most of us to imagine that monetary has a moral component. Catholic prelates are as silent about matters like fiat money, central banking and inflation and as are the secular ethicists. But the production of currency is not just a matter for the technocrats, and the Catholic tradition once had something to say on the topic. Economist Guido Hülsmann has combined the moral-economic analysis of the scholastics, particularly the 14th-century bishop Nicholas Oresme (who wrote that debauching the currency is worse than either usury or prostitution), with the insights of the Austrian school of economics in order to formulate an authentically Christian Ethics of Money Production for the modern age. Links: Guido Hülsmann's website http://www.guidohulsmann.com/ Jörg Guido Hülsmann, The Ethics of Money Production: Buy https://amzn.to/2lifyQT or read for free https://mises.org/library/ethics-money-production Thomas's series of articles on Prof. Hülsmann's book https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=694 Read Nicholas Oresme's De Moneta for free https://mises.org/library/de-moneta-nicholas-oresme-and-english-mint-documents Timestamps: 3:13 Interview with Guido Hülsmann Part 1: Money and Banking 3:51 Silence of Catholic social teaching on money production; using scholastic tradition, esp. Nicole Oresme, as a source 5:38 What is the "Austrian school" of economics and why would the Catholic mind find it compelling? 10:58 Competing definitions of money: commodity or sign? 14:54 Origin and evolution of banking; from simple money warehousing to fractional reserve 21:00 Varying origins of fractional reserve banking in Europe 25:10 Absence of legal and contractual clarity throughout the history of fractional reserve banking; attempts by states to keep banks from going bankrupt leading to the creation of central banks Part 2: Inflation and Its Consequences 34:53 Three unprecedented modern developments: the abandonment of precious metals, the imposition of fiat money, constant inflation 40:19 The first economist was a scholastic: Bishop Oresme on inflation and the debasement of coinage 48:56 Render to Caesar: does all money belong to the government? Oresme says governments may not alter previously existing moneys without the consent of the entire community 50:54 Inflation worse than usury and prostitution according to Oresme; deceptive practices by governments 54:01 Similar economic consequences of debasement of coinage and modern inflation: Enrichment of earliest recipients of new money at the expense of latest recipients 57:54 A uniquely modern recurrence: the business cycle as a result of fractional reserve banking 1:00:43 Central banks incentivizing commercial banks to irresponsible behavior leading to the 2008 financial crisis 1:08:26 Cultural consequences of inflation: a debt-based economy, borrowing and investment prioritized over saving, materialism and short-term thinking 1:12:45 This week's excerpts: Aristotle, Jean-Baptiste Say, Etienne Gilson

The Dominicans have just celebrated the 150-year jubilee of their ministry on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Fr. John Maria Devaney, O.P., host of the Order's Word to Life program on Sirius XM, takes me through the history of the Dominicans in NYC (which involves quite a bit of history of the city itself). From Rose Hawthorne to Andy Warhol, it is a fascinating and grace-filled legacy. Links Word to Life, Fr. John's Sirius XM radio show https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/word-to-life/id1416667926 Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph https://opeast.org/category/word-to-life/ The St. John Paul II Society https://www.stjohnpaul.org/ The Angelic Warfare Confraternity http://www.angelicwarfareconfraternity.org/ Book mentioned by Fr. John, Pioneer Priests and Makeshift Altars: A History of Catholicism in the Thirteen Colonies by Fr. Charles Connor https://amzn.to/2Mk6Iyo Timestamps 2:17 Father John's background and call to the priesthood 4:34 Parish missions: the beginnings of Dominican ministry in Manhattan in 1867; Catholic demographics in New York at the time 14:57 The second church of St. Vincent Ferrer that was built after the arrival of more Irish immigrants; Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs start a school 17:20 The English sisters who served poor immigrants and started the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill 21:07 Aside on Bishop John Hughes, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Dominican friars out West 26:38 The first two bishops of New York were Dominican 28:47 The gilded age of New York: opening the Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer and the Mission Church of St. Catherine of Siena 35:07 The story of Rose Hawthorne and her founding of a community of Dominican sisters to care for poor cancer sufferers (the "Hawthorne Dominicans") 41:54 Rose's cause for canonization and its importance in combatting assisted suicide; her connection to Sloan-Kettering and Dominican hospital work in NYC more generally 47:48 The vital role of Dominican nuns and sisters 49:44 The current St. Vincent Ferrer church built in Gothic style by the great architect Bertram Goodhue 52:02 The stained-glass Aristotle window; his importance to the Dominicans 56:15 Developments in the neighborhood since the 1950s 57:39 Andy Warhol's attendance of St. Vincent Ferrer 1:01:28 Catholicism in the public sphere and art circles in the mid-20th century 1:03:42 The Dominican mission of influencing NYC as a cultural hub today; the Dominican contribution to Catholicism in the US is devotional life 1:09:55 The Our Lady of Fatima statue at St. Vincent Ferrer which was sculpted by Fr. McGlynn under the direction of Sister Lucia, the piece of St. John Paul II's bloodstained cassock from when he was shot 1:14:48 The importance of the rosary to Dominicans and all Catholics 1:18:56 How Fr. Matthew Carroll got the sisters to wear their habits again 1:27:36 This week's excerpt: Pope St. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope

One of the most creative rock bands around today is Virginia-based indie rock trio The Duskwhales. Drummer/singer Chris Baker joins me to talk about their new EP, Hospital Dreams, a set of melancholic, folky acoustic songs he wrote while battling cancer. In this episode I also discuss the Metropolitan Museum of Art's controversial Heavenly Bodies exhibit, and give a couple of movie recommendations. Links Listen to and purchase Hospital Dreams on Bandcamp https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com/album/hospital-dreams My interview with The Duskwhales about their 2017 album Sorrowful Mysteries https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1473 Follow The Duskwhales on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheDuskwhales/ Timestamps 1:32 Heavenly Bodies exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Movie recommendations 12:34 Babette's Feast 15:28 A Quiet Place 19:41 Chris Baker interview (songs used with permission) 20:39 Song: "Hospital Dreams" by The Duskwhales 24:32 The story behind Hospital Dreams: Chris's cancer 27:41 Writing songs as a way of occupying time during chemo 28:42 Song discussion: "Hospital Dreams" 29:57 You can't spell the word "chemotherapy" without "mother": Mary in " All Her Wonder" and "Turn White" 32:20 The band's first time self-recording 33:56 Plans for a trilogy of albums 35:20 Keyboardist Brian Majewski's departure and return 36:10 Hospital Dreams cover art 37:23 Chris's ill-fated but diverting Twitter campaign 38:09 The Duskwhales' future 39:02 Music Chris is currently listening to; influences on Hospital Dreams 44:25 Weekly excerpt: Hans Urs von Balthasar

There is an easy, short, perfect and sure way to save our failing Western civilization that is often overlooked in the endless slew of books and articles penned by Catholic intellectuals: Turn to Mary. Carrie Gress's book The Marian Option: God's Solution to a Civilization in Crisis reminds us that in crisis after overwhelming civilizational crisis, Mary has saved the day when her children had the humility and simplicity to beg her for help. Our age is no different. In this episode, Carrie and I discuss The Marian Option, as well as her latest book, Marian Consecration for Children, the importance of women in the church, and the pernicious attempts by "Catholic feminists" to remake Mary in the image of Beyonce. Come, Holy Spirit! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us! Links: The Marian Option https://amzn.to/2IIYvSd Marian Consecration for Children https://amzn.to/2KHydju Carrie's blog, My Favorite Catholic Things https://myfavoritecatholicthings.com/ Helena Daily https://www.helenadaily.com/ Books on Marian consecration for adults: St. Louis de Montfort: True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin https://amzn.to/2IEn4zB Preparation for Total Consecration According to St. Louis de Montfort, Fr. Hugh Gillespie, S.M.M. https://amzn.to/2Lgqom1 33 Days to Morning Glory, Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, M.I.C. https://amzn.to/2KKnZ1Q Other books mentioned: The World's First Love, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen https://amzn.to/2IDocU9 Jesus and His Mother, Fr. Andre Feuillet (out of print) https://amzn.to/2s17cQA Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood, Carrie Gress https://amzn.to/2KJ7LGh Timestamps: Carrie Gress interview 2:55 Carrie's book panned by wacky individual 4:15 Origin of The Marian Option—nothing wrong with Benedict, but Mary is more powerful, central and directly relevant to contemporary challenges 9:17 The big picture of Mary's influence on world history; Mary's influence on the Battle of New Orleans 10:12 Little-known intercontinental links between Marian events; example: Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Reconquista, the conversation of Mexico and the Battle of Lepanto 15:26 Why the Marian Option is not just an option 17:15 How cultures flourish under Mary 18:41 Why Catholic intellectuals look to their own pet projects to save the West and not to Mary; hang-ups about private revelation; the limits of argumentation 26:01 Carrie's new book, Marian Consecration for Children; giving children a sense of their mission here and now 37:01 The influence of women on culture 40:15 The importance of women, feminine spirituality and the Church as feminine vs. modern "feminization" of the Church 47:10 The attempts by "Catholic feminists" to make their own Mary 53:54 "Equal" is not a useful word 55:09 Women are demonstrably unhappier under today's model of womanhood 57:30 Sts. John Paul II and Edith Stein on feminism 1:00:59 The dangers of trying to create Catholic versions of ideologies 1:02:48 Carrie's new content aggregate site for Catholic women, Helena Daily 1:07:00 Books on Marian consecration for adults 1:10:24 This week's excerpt: Ven. Fulton J. Sheen This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio