Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show

What is prayer? In this episode we discuss what prayer is and how it fits into the spiritual life, again using the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism argues, using Augustine's writings, that prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. Join us today in our discussion as we continue this conversation about the Catechism's statements about prayer and its role in the life of the Catholic Christian. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

What is prayer? In this episode we discuss what prayer is and how it fits into the spiritual life, again using the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   The Catechism argues that prayer is the human being's innermost communication with God. Using the writings of Therese of Lisieux, the Catechism describes prayer as “a simple look turned toward heaven.”   Join us today in our discussion as we continue this conversation about the Catechism's statement about prayer and its role in the life of the Catholic Christian.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode122/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

Is prayer necessary? In this episode we discuss how and why prayer fits into the spiritual life.   The Catechism argues that Holy Spirit leads the Christian into spiritual freedom. Absent the Spirit's lead, however, the Christian easily falls back into the slavery of sin.   Within the Christian life, therefore, prayer is of utmost necessity. Prayer becomes the line of communication with the Trinity. To cease to pray is to sever that line of communication.   To avoid this scenario, the Catechism encourages the Catholic to continue in their commitment to pray.   Join us today in our discussion as we continue this conversation about the Catechism's statements about prayer and its necessity in the life of the Catholic Christian.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode121/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Join us today in our discussion as we continue this conversation about the Catechism's statement about Jesus' role in interceding on behalf of his people.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode120/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

Many people often ask today: Does prayer work? In today's episode, we continue our discussion on the topic of prayer asking this important question: “Does prayer work?” And, if so, how does it work?   Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as our guide, which relies on the modern work of Catholic New Testament scholarship, we continue our discussion of prayer by discussing the historical foundations of prayer, namely, the history of early Christianity. We note that in the modern era, the historicity of Jesus' person and work have come under fierce scrutiny with some critics alleging that the Gospels are mostly fabricated accounts with little of any connection to the historical Jesus.   Pope Benedict XVI was acutely aware of these challenges and sought to address them in his three volumes on the life of Christ.   Join us today in our discussion as we continue this conversation about the Catechism's statement about prayer.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode119/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

How Does One Enter Contemplative Prayer? - CHSS 118   In today's episode, we continue our discussion the topic of contemplative prayer.   Contemplative prayer often brings up ideas of Cistercian monks and other religious deeply engaged in prayer. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church suggests that a deep life of prayer is far more accessible to the Christian than one would imagine.   In this episode we talk about the basic question: How does one enter contemplative prayer?   Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as our guide, which relies on the work of St. Theresa of Avila, we continue our discussion of contemplative prayer by discussing the practical demands of entering contemplative prayer.  We note that as Catholic Christians we need to make time to create the space for entering contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is simultaneously a gift and a determined choice.   The Catholic Christian holds these tensions together and continues to seek God in contemplative prayer.   Join us today in our discussion as we continue the conversation on contemplative prayer.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode118/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

In today's episode, we discuss the topic of contemplative prayer.   Contemplative prayer often brings up ideas of Cistercian monks and other religious deeply engaged in prayer. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church suggests that a deep life of prayer is far more accessible to the Christian than one would imagine.   In this episode we talk about the basic question: What is contemplative prayer?   Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as our guide, which relies on the work of St. Theresa of Avila, we discuss the nature of contemplative prayer. St. Theresa defined contemplative prayer as: “Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.”   Join us today in our discussion about contemplative prayer.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode117/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

In today's episode, we discuss the idea that prayer is a mystery. As Catholic Christians, we rarely hear the idea that prayer is a mystery. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer using this very notion of prayer as a mystery. In using this type of language, the Catechism encourages us to understand that prayer requires is not something entirely in our control but rather requires God's initiative and assistance to the human soul. Prayer is not something that can be done solely by human agency but requires God's leading and continuous support. Join us today in our discussion about prayer as a divine mystery.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode116/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

In today's episode, we discuss the idea that prayer is a battle.   As Catholic Christians, we rarely hear the idea that prayer is a battle. But the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer using this very metaphor of prayer as a battle. In using this type of language, the Catechism encourages us to understand that prayer requires genuine effort on our part.   Prayer is not something that can be done halfheartedly but requires continuous and intentional effort.   Join us today in our discussion about prayer.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode115/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

In today's episode, we discuss various erroneous notions of prayer.   As Catholic Christians, we can oftentimes hear various ideas about prayer that seem to have very little to do with our experience of prayer. From inducing a mental void to regarding prayer as an unimportant task, Catholics are often faced with notions of prayers that conflict with the Church's understanding of this very activity.   Join us today in our discussion about erroneous notions of prayer.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode114/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

In today's episode, we discuss the nature of prayer as a school for spiritual growth.   As Catholic Christians, we can oftentimes think about prayer mostly in its petitionary dimensions. That is to say, we often approach prayer as an opportunity to make known to God our needs, concerns and hopes.   In this episode, however, we encourage our listeners to go beyond this dimension of prayer. We invite our listeners to think about prayer and its ability to become a school for growth in holiness and a school for a deeper commitment to God and neighbor.   Prayer affords us the opportunity to reflect upon our complete need for God. This opportunity presents itself most especially when our prayers go unanswered.   It is especially in these moments that we are presented with the opportunity to think about what God is trying to teach us. We can use the opportunities of unanswered prayer to ask ourselves such questions such as: What does God want me to learn in this period of life? How can I help others who are facing similar obstacles?   In sum, prayer affords us an enormous opportunity for personal spiritual growth. Join us today in our discussion about prayer and the spiritual life.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode113/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

US Catholic Exceptionalism - CHSS 112   In today's episode, we look at the question of US Catholic exceptionalism, which is the idea that the concerns, perspectives and priorities of the US Catholic Church are or should be the most important concerns, perspectives and priorities for global Catholicism.   In this episode, we discuss the varieties of concerns facing Catholic communities across the globe. In light of the catholicity of our church, we encourage Catholic Christians to gain perspective on our experiences as US Catholics by thinking more about the challenges facing Catholics across the globe.   This more universal outlook will help US Catholics gain perspective on the variety of their experiences here in the US Catholic Church.   Join our discussion on evaluating our experience as US Catholics in light of the experiences of Catholics in other parts of the world.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode112/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

Acedia and its Remedies - CHSS 111   In today's episode, we continue our new series on the common temptations against prayer by looking at the phenomenon of acedia. As our point of departure, we use the Catechism of the Catholic Church's treatment of this distinct challenge.   Acedia is defined as a form of spiritual melancholy. This spiritual struggle, the Catechism argues, can emerge as a result of presumption, that is, the idea that God must act according to one's preconceived ideas of how God should act, usually in a way favorable to one's desires.   The Catechism maintains that Catholic Christians can overcome this temptation to prayer through the virtue of humility. This virtue aims to give the Christian an accurate sense of who they are as God sees them, thus guiding them away from presumption.   Humility does not mean inaction, passivity or indifference. Instead, humility invites the Christian to spiritual vigilance, temperance and asceticism. Humility teaches the Christian to never assume a positive spiritual outcome without any personal effort or, ultimately, reliance on God.   Join our discussion on we can overcome the temptation to spiritual melancholy through the virtue of humility.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode111/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

In today's episode, we begin a new series discussing some of the common temptations against prayer. As our point of departure, we use the Catechism of the Catholic Church's treatment of this challenge. The first reason we discuss is the problem of the lack of faith. After defining the Catholic understanding of this term, we ask why people struggle to have faith in our age and, more importantly, how to overcome such struggles. We talk about the fact that the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are interconnected. An abundant spiritual life depends on all of these virtues functioning well together. Join us how we can overcome temptations in prayer through an increase of faith, hope and charity.   Join us as discuss how we can overcome temptations in prayer through an increase of faith, hope and charity.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode110/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)            

In today's episode, we discuss the value of prudence for today's world. Prudence has become a very important virtue in the context of the current global pandemic. Due to the quick spread of SARS-CoV-2, most people across the global have been met with the encouragement to social distance and to operate with much more caution. Health officials have voiced such warnings to the public with the goal of slowing the spread of the virus. Covid-19 poses many challenges to everyone from the need for socialization to the threat of hospitalization and even death. In the face of these challenges, one could ask: How does the virtue of prudence function in this new context? What does it mean to even be prudent in the first place?   In this episode, we discuss these and related questions. Join us as we discuss the role of prudence in modern society.  

In today's episode, we discuss the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, which is celebrated on August 15th.  How does this feast connect to important Catholic beliefs on the value of the human person in their entirety, which means both their spirit and body? In addition, we discuss the Ark of the Covenant, the Resurrection, death, and the deeper meaning behind Luke's description of Mary as "full of grace."   Join us as we discuss The Feast of the Assumption of Mary.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode108/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

What is the Beatific Vision? When explaining the Beatific Vision to students in a short sound bite, a common initial response is one of disappointment. But is it really as boring as they may think? We explain why it is a place we want to be, and how to use examples of everyday things to illustrate its incredible beauty.   Join us as we discuss the beatific vision.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode107/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)    

What Mindset Should Catholics Have About the World? - CHSS 106   In the face of the various challenges facing Western Christianity today, some Catholics have adopted one of two mindsets.   The first mindset could be likened to a fortress. The fortress mindset would say that the Catholic Christians need to do everything in their power to keep themselves unaffected by the challenges of the modern by closing themselves off from culture as much as possible. To this end, those who adopt the fortress mindset would say that it is important for Catholics to restrict themselves to reading solely Catholic books and to avoid non-Catholic ideas and literature as much as possible.   The second mindset could be likened to a café. The café mindset would say that Catholic Christians need to expose themselves as much as possible to non-Catholic literature and ideas. This perspective would insist far less on the need to read Catholic books before engaging the ideas of the current culture as much as possible. This approach would manifest itself in a classroom where students are entirely unacquainted with a Catholic perspective(s) on the Life Questions.   Within these polar extremes, the Second Vatican Council in its document Lumen Gentium proposed that Catholic Christians should be thoroughly acquainted with their faith as well as being firmly committed to engaging modern culture. To achieve both objectives, the council presumed that Catholics would be well versed in their faith while being simultaneously well acquainted with the positions of non-Catholic movements and thinkers.   In today's episode, we discuss the importance of not only reading good Catholic authors such as the Fathers and Doctors of the Church but also the importance of engaging the ideas of those outside the Catholic faith. We discuss the precedents set in this regard by these great thinkers of the Catholic tradition who distinguished themselves by meeting both tasks.   We illustrate this principle set forth by the Second Vatican Council by briefly discussing the contributions of the great doctors of the Church, famous teachers down through the history of Catholic Christianity. Scholars such as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Robert Bellarmine are remembered to this day precisely because they had a great grasp of the faith and the ideas of other thinkers outside their theological tradition.   A study of these and other influential authors is an excellent starting point for thinking about these Life Questions in the context of the modern world.   Join us as we discuss the ideal to which Catholic Christians should strive in their engagements with the modern world.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode106/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

In the Western world today, some Catholics find it difficult to feel confident in their faith. Whether at work, school or home, Catholics may encounter much opposition for their beliefs.   In the face of such challenges, how does a Catholic maintain confidence in their faith?   In today's episode, we discuss the importance of reading good Catholic authors such as the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. These authors devoted much time to answering the great Life Questions (e.g., Does God exist?; Are certain actions evil? etc.).   Instead of reinventing the wheel, Catholics would do well to consult the writings of these famous Catholic authors.   Accessing their thoughts is critical for Catholics who wish to better understand the rationale for their various beliefs and practices. By reading their writings, Catholics can better understand the types of reasons early thinkers in their tradition brought to these questions.   One of the first sources Catholic should study is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. When reading this source, readers should pay close attention to the authors cited. Usually, the Catechism quotes or references statements from Augustine and Aquinas.   A study of these and other influential authors is an excellent starting point for thinking about these Life Questions.   Join us as we discuss the ways Catholics can maintain confidence in their faith. https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode105/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Empathy can be loosely defined as the ability to experience the world as someone else.  This ability to exercise empathy is essential for figuring out the reasons for another person's actions, beliefs, and statements. Often in the public domain, we encounter interpretations of others' statements and actions that lack empathy. In today's episode, we discuss the importance of empathy for understanding our own faith and others.  And we look at how Aquinas was perhaps the best example of someone who exercised empathy in order to strengthen one's faith. https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode104/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)      

Everyone is a historian. Some people, however, are better at history than others. But everyone must do history. No one is free to not have to do history.   Wherever we go or whatever we do, we are faced with various histories. Whether conscientious of these histories or not, we engage with people, events and institutions which have their own histories.   In this episode, Mary and Erik Estrada discuss how Catholic Christians can use historical context in order to better interpret the events and artifacts of the past.   This ability to use historical context to understand the past can also be very helpful for understanding one's spiritual life. When better grasping our Catholic history, we can more easily comprehend the Church's reasons for its teachings, spiritual practices and ascetic disciplines.   We explain that a good sense of history is also critical for understanding our neighbors. At times, our neighbors come from different ethnic and religious traditions. In order to understand our neighbors and their religious traditions better, it is necessary for Catholics to develop get a good sense of religious history.   Join us as we discuss the importance of historical context for our spiritual life.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode103/   Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Context is king. Every time we engage a piece of media, we are asked to make sense of it. What does it mean? Context pervades every piece of media we consume. Whether viewing short video clips or reading an excerpt from a long speech, each piece of media emerges from a much broader context. Context is essential for obtaining a better interpretation of a given medium. However, relatively few people think about context in the abstract much less its importance in shaping how we interpret various media. In this episode, we talk about the existence of context, the various places we encounter context, and how to situate various pieces of media within their broader contexts.   Join us today as we discuss the importance of context for interpretation.  https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode102/

Interpretation is easy to miss. Every time we go to mass, we hear an interpretation of various biblical texts. But interpretation is critical. Nearly every piece of media we engage (e.g., videos, articles and books), primary sources aside, contain numerous interpretations of various types of data. Whether we read brief tweets or watch hour-long videos on the web, the chances are that much of what we consume contains interpretations. Interpretation is indeed everywhere. However, relatively few Catholics think about interpretation in the abstract much less its importance in shaping how we see the world. In this episode, we talk about the existence of interpretation, the various places we encounter interpretation, how to differentiate good interpretations from bad ones and the Catholic Church's relationship to the interpretation of Scripture. We note that the Catholic Church stands in a unique relationship to the interpretation of Scripture, as the community commission by Jesus to teach, speak and administer the Sacraments to the world. Join us today as we discuss the importance of interpretation.  https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode101/

We have looked at the lives and works of many doctors and saints, as well as explored the teachings and practices of our faith. It has been a wonderful experience, and we discuss the key takeaways we have gleaned from the Catholic spiritual tradition in 100 episodes of our podcast. Join us today as we discuss our reflections on 100 episodes. 

Spirituality is often presented and understood as a pursuit that involves just one's self and God.  In today's episode, we explore the role friendship has in Christian spirituality. The concept of friendship is actually a foundational one for the Christian life. So important, in fact, that not only does Christ talk about it, but our ultimate goal in life, as we will see as we look at the Bible and the writings of various saints, should be in pursuit of friendship.  The relationship between spirituality and morality is explored in light of what friendship really means, and how friendship with God undergirds all of this discussion. Join us today as we discuss the role of friendship in spirituality.    The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

What purpose does moderation serve spiritually? Do Catholics still practice mortification today?  How is moderation related to temperance and self-control?  And how does moderation free us for greater goods? Join us as we discuss moderation and how it manifests itself in external and internal practices in Catholic spirituality. 

In this episode, Mary and Erik Estrada discuss the Trinity as the source of the spiritual life. We use as our point of departure one of Augustine's sermons. In this sermon, Augustine takes issue with the ideas of Celestius. As a popular student of Pelagius, Celestius defended the idea that human beings were in no way affected by sin of the first parents. Instead, all wrongdoing is primarily the result of the human will and not some defect in human nature. Thus, the solution to the human plight lies in the firm resolve of the will to do go and to develop good habits.   Augustine and the North African Episcopate took issue with Celestius' ideas, condemning his teachings around 411. This sermon of Augustine's is the product of this long debate with the teachings of Celelstius. In response, Augustine insisted that the human soul stands in need of God. By itself, the soul is incapable of raising itself toward the Highest Good, which is God. In the process of explaining these ideas, Augustine imparted much spiritual value to his audience.   Join us as we discuss Augustine's thoughts about the ultimate source of our spiritual life.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode97/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode97/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

In this episode, Mary and Erik Estrada discuss five practical tips for increasing spiritual growth. Join us as we discuss these key spiritual habits.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode96/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

In this episode, Dr. Estrada discusses the analogy of faith and its use down through history. Join us as we discuss this integral theme to Catholic thinking. The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

In this episode, Mary and Erik discuss some recent events in their lives and the spiritual significance of parenthood in general and motherhood in particular.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode94/   Please note that Mary and Erik will be hosting a Zoom meeting this coming Thursday, May 13, 2021 (8 PM EST). The topic of discussion will be St. Margaret of Castello. We look forward to having a conversation with our audience.   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Saint Margaret of Castello was recently canonized by Pope Francis in April of 2021. Born blind and with other health ailments in Italy in the late 1200s, she was shunned and eventually abandoned by her parents. We'll talk about her story and why she is an extraordinary testament to faith, grace, and God's love. Join us this week as we discuss the life and contribution of St. Margaret of Costello. https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode93/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/Margaret-of-Castello/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagecom/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)    

A frequent theme in the Gospels is the temptation of triumphalism. At various points in Jesus’ ministry, his audience sought to make him a king or to construe him as a political revolutionary. In John’s gospel (ch. 6), for example, after feeding the multitudes, the author notes that crowds sought to make Jesus a king.   In response to this continual temptation, Jesus resisted such attempts. He even challenged these offers to make him as an earthly monarch by emphasizing the challenges involved in following him.   Jesus throughout the Synoptic Gospels made periodic recourse to the phrase “unless you pick up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”   These appeals were meant to discourage, among other things, any temptation to triumphalism among the disciples of Jesus.   Such temptations to triumphalism even made their way among the inner core of Jesus’ followers. The Gospels record various instances of the disciples either seeking self-aggrandizement or seeking to dissuade Jesus from the sufferings of the cross.   To the present day, the temptation to triumphalism persists even in the church. It is very easy for Catholic Christians to be tempted to gloat over those who oppose the Catholic faith.   We discuss the dangers in triumphalism for any genuine Christian spirituality. A triumphalist position stands against the very heart of the Christian’s commitment to following the pattern of Jesus’s life, who described himself as being “meek and humble of heart.”   In this episode we discuss various questions such: What is the difference between triumphalism and genuine confidence in the faith? Why should Catholic Christians avoid triumphalism? How can Catholic Christians today avoid the temptation to triumphalism?   Join us this week as we discuss the role of triumphalism in the Christian’s spiritual life.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode92/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/Temptations-of-Triumphalism/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)   Music provided by Pond5.

Some people ask: Why did God allow that? Or, How long is God going to take to answer my prayers?   In this episode we discuss the questions: Why at times does God allow things not to happen on our timetable? And, why does God at times defy our expectations?   To address these questions, we discuss one of the early homilies in the pontificate of Pope Francis. In this sermon, Pope Francis discuss the various objectives God may have in not answering our prayers immediately.   Using various the examples of various biblical characters (i.e., Abraham, the Leper and the Good Thief), the pope invites Christians to consider the ways in which God is at work in their lives in a manner they do not always expect. Often, it is in the least likely places and in the least likely ways that God is at work in their lives. In light of this fact, the pope encourages Christians to consider the patience of God in inviting human beings to turn to Him, even at the very end of their lives.   The patience of God is often not something people think about. However, when people view their lives from God’s vantage point, they begin to see that God has other goals in mind in allowing them not to obtain things on their timetable or in the manner they expect.   Join us this week as we discuss the role of patience in the Christian’s spiritual life.     https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode91/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/Lessons-Patience-Christian-life/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)   Music provided by Pond5.  

The question is often asked: How did Christianity change the Roman world? And, in what ways was the Roman world different after the advent of the Christian faith?   In this episode, we discussed the various ways from ethics to law that Christianity impacted the lives of people across the Roman Empire. We note that in many respects, the Roman Empire, despite its great cultural achievements, also posed many limitations on the lives of many people, especially those on the margins of society.   In a time where there is much misinformation spreading about Christian history, it is important for every Catholic Christian to know the history of their Church and the impact their religion had on the existing cultures.   These little-known of facts of early Church history will help inspire confidence in the accomplishments Christians have achieved on behalf of all peoples. Join us this week as we discuss the positive impact of the Church on Western civilization.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode90/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/Ways-Christianity-Changed-World/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

Each year, Christians across the globe celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this episode, we discuss the following questions: What does the resurrection mean for each human being? What bearing does the resurrection have for each person’s life? How do we make the resurrection real to us near two millennia later? What are the most important considerations to bear in mind when thinking about the resurrection?   Join us as we discuss these and other important questions related to one of the most important events in the history of the Christian faith.

Every year near the end of Lent, Catholic Christians celebrate Holy Week. The Church invites the members of Christ’s body to reflect on the deeper theological meaning of this period in the liturgical calendar.   The Easter season most especially invites us to think about salvation history and especially its climax in Christ’s Paschal mystery. The Paschal mystery is a special theological phrase that refers to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.   Despite the grandeur of these events, it is often easy to lose sight of Easter’s meaning and its great significance for our lives. With the busyness of life, Catholic Christians can quickly forget the purpose of this liturgical season and these sacred days in the liturgical calendar.   In this episode, we invite listeners to think more deeply about the theological meaning of Easter, namely, God’s decisive victory over sin in his Son, Jesus. To guide us in this discussion, we have chosen one of the sermons of Augustine on the passion of Christ.   Augustine invited his audience to see in the passion the hope of glory and a lesson in patience. Augustine, like his contemporaries Hilary and Ambrose, viewed the Christian life as a journey.   In this respect, the passion of Christ was not only a promise of God’s fidelity but also an encouragement to Christians to continue in their daily striving toward the kingdom of God.   Join us this week as we discuss Augustine’s reflections on the meaning of the cross for the Christian’s spiritual journey.   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode88/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/Augustine-Meaning-Cross/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

Catholic and Protestant Christians often use the same theological terms such as “faith,” “grace” and “salvation.” But do they understand these terms in the same way?   In this episode, we take some time to think critically about the meaning Catholic theologians have assigned to this term “faith.” We note that Augustine and Thomas Aquinas understood faith to be a theological virtue. By referring to this virtue as “theological,” they understood faith to be a virtue that most directly connects the Christian to God.   Faith, hope and love, both scholars believed, were given to the soul at baptism, the critical moment of the person’s incorporation into the Church, the Body of Christ. With God’s help and with personal initiative, the Christian thereafter exercises each of these theological virtues. Throughout the Christian life, these theological virtues could be increased, decreased and even eliminated.   The theological virtue of faith, according to Augustine and Thomas Aquinas who followed him, means “to think with assent.” Faith assents to divine revelation.   In addition, these two thinkers likewise understood love to be a desiring of the good for someone else.  Love leads the Christian to take positive action in the world.   The question of the loss of the theological virtue of faith has proven to be a point of contention between Protestant and Catholic Christians. In the show, we talk about how Catholic and Protestant Christians address the question of post-baptismal sin as it relates to the virtue of faith.   The medieval Scholastic theologians divided sins into two broad categories. First, there were sins against faith such as apostasy, heresy and idolatry. These types of sins most immediately led to the loss of the theological virtue of faith. Second, there were sins against morals. These types of sins harm the moral virtues such as justice, temperance and temperance.   In most instances, post-baptismal sins are against morals. Because of this, there is a loss of the theological virtue of love. In instances where the theological virtue of love has been lost, it is necessary for Catholics to restore this theological virtue. Sins against morals usually do not require a restoration of the theological virtue of faith. Although sins against morals can eventually lead to a diminution and eventual loss of the theological virtue of faith, the primary effect of sins against morals is a loss of the theological virtue of love.   In order to restore the theological virtue of love, Catholics need to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and do penance for their sins. In this episode, we talk about why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important for Catholic spirituality, especially in light of the problems posed by post-baptismal sin.   Join us this week as we discuss faith, post-baptismal sin and its remedy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode87/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/faith-hope-love/   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Catholics are often asked: where is that in the Bible? In this episode, we discuss the principles that guide Catholic thinking about what should and should not be done in Church. Join us this week as we talk about Catholic spiritual practices and their historical-theological roots.

Many Catholics have observed the practice of Lent without asking themselves: What is the purpose of this season in the liturgical year? In this episode, we briefly outline some of the major goals the Church has outlined with respect to the practice of Lent.   The purpose of Lent is to remind Catholics that our spiritual life is a journey toward an eternity of fellowship with God. With all the busyness of life, it is easy for Catholics to forget this most fundamental of truths.   Aware of this challenge, the church encourages its members to continually remember their final destination. An entire season in the liturgical year commonly referred to as Lent is meant to deal with this persistent challenge.   The season of Lent is designed to help Catholics recall not only their final destination with God in eternal life but also their mortality. Preparing the members of the Church to have a good death is one of the major goals of the season of Lent.   Rather than allowing death to take Catholics by surprise, the Church builds in this annual reminder about the final destination of our journey which passes through the transitory passage of death. An entire season is occupied with recalling the solemn reminder: “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”   The season of Lent occupies such a central place in the liturgical year because the Church wishes to prepare its members for an eternity with God. Their journey back to God is a perilous one. Because of this reality, an entire season of the liturgical year has been designed in order to assist Catholics with their journey.   During this season of the liturgical year, the Church encourages its members to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church encourages its members to practice works of mercy and acts of mortification in order to strengthen their spiritual lives.   Join us this week as we discuss Lent and its important place in the liturgical year. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode85/ https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/goals-of-lent/   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Why do Catholics invest so much time and effort in the celebration of the Sacraments? In this episode, we briefly outline some of the differences between the Protestant and Catholic worlds with regard to beliefs and practices concerning the Sacraments.   One of the things non-Catholic Christians immediately perceive in their initial impressions of the Catholic Church is the centrality of the sacraments. They notice that from week-to-week Catholic services always include the celebration of the Eucharist.   Although normal for many Catholics, such regularity in the celebration of the Eucharist is anything but normal for many non-Catholic Christians. This weekly celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist may come as a surprise to many Protestant Christians.   The practice of frequent communion can be startling because the Eucharist in some Protestant traditions is celebrated once a month or perhaps even less frequently than that. Furthermore, the Eucharist is sometimes celebrated on a Sunday or Wednesday evening service. At these services, the entire congregation may not be present but perhaps only a certain percentage of a given community.   In this episode, we talk about why the Sacraments occupy such a central place in Catholic liturgies. We briefly discuss the fact that at every Catholic worship service, ecumenical gatherings aside, the Eucharist is celebrated. We also note that some Sunday liturgies even have a baptism of an infant placed in the service itself.   So, what accounts for this stark difference in sacramental practice? If one could put the answer as concisely as possible, one would have to say that the answer is salvation.   In this episode, we talk about the Catholic belief in the central role of the Sacraments in the salvation of the Catholic Christian. This one belief about the salvific efficacy of the Sacraments accounts for the great importance accorded to the Sacraments in the Catholic Church. It also explains why the Sacraments are celebrated with such frequency.   In the end, the differences between Catholic and Protestant practices surrounding the Sacraments emerge largely as a result of differing belief structures. The Catholic view is dominated by belief about the roles of Sacraments in the process of salvation. The Protestant worldview about salvation, broadly construed, depends far less on the salvific efficacy of the Sacraments and far more on the faith of the Christian.   Join us this week as we discuss the Sacraments and their central place within Catholic liturgy and spirituality. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode84 https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/importance-Catholic-sacraments/   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

Last week we discussed one objection to free will, which suggests that it may have been better if God did not create people with any freedom. During that discussion, we touched on original sin.   This episode discusses critical questions related to this topic: What is original sin? What is a common misunderstanding of the teaching of original sin? Can we explain why some may bristle at this misrepresentation of what original sin is?   We then explore how closely connected original sin is to free will and to the work of Jesus, the sacraments, and the Church.   Original sin is not a personal fault. Rather, it is a condition that all people are born with. We are weakened and wounded by it.   We see this in our struggle to choose good, and our need for constant grace or help from God. Part of the mission of the Church is to help Catholic Christians grow towards our union with God and enjoy a life to the full in Christ.   We also touch on infant baptism and the different ideas proposed for how to understand the effects of original sin.    Join us this week as we discuss original sin and its impact on human freedom. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode83 https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/original-sin-free-will-and-salvation/   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review

What role does free will play in the spiritual life?  The entirety of the Scriptures presuppose human freedom. From the creation of Adam to the creation of the new heavens and the new earth, the Scriptures assume that human beings have the ability to choose between right and wrong, to obey or not to obey.   In this episode we talk about the centrality of human freedom in nearly every dimension of human experience and especially the spirituality of the Catholic Christian. We ask the general question whether it would have been better for God to create human beings with no freedom and thus incapable of doing wrong or to create human beings with freedom and thus the possibility of choosing evil.   We are not the first to address this question. From the beginning of church history, various scholars have raised this question about human freedom as it relates to the morality of human acts.   Augustine ranks among the most famous of the early church thinkers who grappled with this complex question. Augustine stated that without freedom, human beings would be neither worthy of praise for good actions nor worthy of blame for evil actions.   We note especially that for Augustine as well as for the majority of Catholic theologians down through the centuries, true freedom consists in choosing higher goods. We note that for Augustine sin always involves an improper choosing of lower goods over higher ones.   Human freedom is one of the defining characteristics of human nature. When human freedom is removed, human beings cannot fully actualize their nature. Jesus claimed that those who make a practice of sin become slaves to sin. Choosing to do wrong slowly takes away a human’s freedom over time. By contrast, choosing to do the good increases a person’s freedom.   A proper understanding of human freedom is critical for a proper understanding of the spiritual life. Join us this week as we provide a preliminary introduction to this question about human freedom and its impact on morality. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode82 https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/human-freedom-and-consequences/ The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

The authors of the New Testament frequently tried to help the early followers of Jesus understand their new identity as the most important facet of their personal existence. Throughout the Pauline Epistles, for example, one finds the Apostle Paul addressing the various followers of Jesus in different parts of the Roman Empire as “saints” or those who are in Christ. Paul even refers to followers of Jesus, whether Jewish or Gentile, as the “Israel of God.” The authors of the New Testament prioritized the question of identity precisely because they believed that the true citizenship of all members of the church was first and foremost in the heavenly kingdom. They all believed that after death, Christians would inherit the eschatological kingdom as a direct result of their belonging to the body of Christ. The major concern in this life, these authors believed, was to stay true to this commitment of belonging to Christ’s body, namely, the Church. There were many challenges in the ancient world that potentially prevented the followers of Jesus from following through with this commitment until the end of their lives. For this reason, the apostles laid a heavy emphasis on identity in order to keep the saints focused on the goal of the Christian life, namely, to enjoy communion with God and the saints both now and forever. These efforts at reinforcing identity were no accident. Rather, the authors of the New Testament deliberately invoked titles such as saints, sojourners and the twelves tribes of Israel dispersed abroad in order to help the followers of Jesus reconceive their identity precisely in response to the various challenges facing Christians at different times and in different places for the first-century world. These New Testament authors believed that assisting the recipients of their letters with this critical question of their new identity in Christ and as members of the body of Christ would greatly assist them in navigating the difficulties of their commitment to the faith. Aware of the power of identity in general, Paul and the other apostolic writers began their lengthy letters with these pointed reminders. These authors were acutely cognizant of the fact that identity is one of the most powerful dimensions to human existence. One of the fundamental motivators of human action is the desire to stay consistent with one’s identity. Professionals in various fields, for example, will often introduce themselves according to their professions such as “I’m a lawyer,” or “I’m a counselor.” These are concise but potent introduction because they reference the guild to which a person belongs. Such brief identity designations say much about people’s vocations and priorities in this world. In a similar manner, the authors of the New Testament make frequent recourse to the question of identity. They were acutely aware of the need to help the new and even seasoned members of the Church recognize their dignities and the responsibilities as members of Christ’s body. In view of such a recognition, the authors of the Gospels, the Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles inspired their listeners to act in new and even countercultural ways. Recognizing the importance of our Catholic identity is essential in the modern world. Like their early Christian forebears, contemporary Catholic Christians are faced with similar challenges of pluralism, internal challenges to the faith and the question of prioritizing competing identities (e.g., ethnic, professional and religious) as their primary center of identification. In the face of these challenges, Catholics should identify first as Catholic Christians and then according to their other forms of identity (e.g., national, professional, regional etc.) Join us this week as we provide a preliminary introduction to this question about Catholic identity. To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode81 https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/identity-in-Christ-basis-of-Christian-identity/ Sincerely, Mary Estrada and Dr. Erik Estrada   The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

How do we live a life that is led by the Holy Spirit? Paul tells us in Galatians that rather than just checking off a list of moral obligations, we are to live by a new paradigm.  And this paradigm has as its foundation nothing other than God, who is the source of all that is good and beautiful.   A person who is led by the Holy Spirit, and who has God's love as their foundation, will manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control in their lives.  The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Join us this week as we provide an initial overview of the fruits of the Spirit and spiritual life.  To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode80 Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

CHSS 79: The Fruits of the Spirit: An Overview   What are the fruits of the Spirit? And, why did Paul encourage the Christians of Galatia to “walk in the Spirit?” (Gal 5:25)   In this brief episode, we provide a brief overview of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians 5:22-23.   We not only identify what the fruits of the Spirit were, but we also discuss why exactly Paul included a discussion of these fruits. We note that Paul discussed the fruits of the Spirit in light of his longer conversation about the relationship between Christians and the Mosaic law.   Paul’s discussion about the fruits of the Spirit was nested in a historic controversy among Jewish and Gentile Christians over the proper Christian disposition toward the Mosaic law. Instead of using the Mosaic law as a primary reference for their moral conduct, Paul maintains, Christians should use the Spirit as the compass for their moral life. Rather than relying on a written law as the primary compass of a moral life, Paul’s maintained that none other than God the Holy Spirit establishes for believers in Jesus their spiritual direction.   Although innovative, this new proposal created a problem: How does one know if one is actually living one’s life according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit? A person could justify all sorts of activities, one could object, according to the supposed dictates of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is not bodily present, one can theoretically attribute all sorts of activities to the prompting of the Spirit. This created a true conundrum.   Anticipating this objection, Paul not only explicitly rejected the notion that a Christian could use their freedom for lawlessness (Gal 5:13) but also succinctly identified the characteristics of the Holy Spirit’s operation in a human life (Gal 5:22-23). The Spirit does indeed provide parameters for a person’s moral life.   We devote a good portion of this episode to discussing the hallmark of the fruits of the Spirit, namely, love. Paul deliberately began his list of the fruits of the Spirit with this key virtue, knowing that all the others depended in one way or another on love. In the end, Paul identified love as the litmus test of the Spirit’s work in the lives of Christians.   Join us this week as we provide an initial overview of the fruits of the Spirit.  To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode79 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)   https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/the-fruits-of-the-spirit-an-overview/  

CHSS 78: Beauty in Catholic Spirituality   Catholics are at times told by their non-Catholic neighbors, friend and co-workers that money should never be used for building large churches or for obtaining works of art to be placed in the sanctuary. That money, some critics of the Church argue, should instead be allocated entirely to those experiencing poverty.   These objections raise various questions of great importance surrounding the relationship between money, art and beauty. Should Catholics ever invest any money in making their worship spaces more beautiful? What is the purpose of beauty in buildings or artwork in the Church? What is the balance between the allocation of money for worship spaces and the care of the poor?     These are important questions that Catholics frequently face from others who do not share their faith commitments. But they are important questions to ask because they invite those discussing these matters to think more deeply about the purpose of the Church as a whole and the purpose of beauty in Catholic spirituality in particular.   In this episode we discuss the purpose of beauty in Catholic spirituality and especially in the worship service. The primary purpose of the Catholic services is to worship God. One of the best ways for people to connect to God is through the path of beauty. God is beautiful and is even Beauty Itself. Beauty is one of the most powerful ways to foster a deeper spirituality.   Catholics also believe that human beings are made up of body and soul. Human beings first experience the world through their bodies, through the human senses. Human beings experience the world through the sense of sight, taste touch and smell. Through these senses, human beings can come to a deeper understanding of the world around them. The senses are an excellent vehicle through which human beings can learn something not only about the world around them but also about God. God has left in creation traces of his own self. Traces of God’s power, majesty and beauty remain in the creation. Through the senses, human beings can access those traces of God’s presence and through them, their minds can be lifted to God.   On the basis of these core convictions, Catholics believe that the members of the Church can indeed use beauty as a means to worship God. For this reason, Catholics have used such things as music, massive cathedrals, sacred images and other tangible entities that elevate the soul in the worship of God.   Catholics are not new in adopting material entities in the worship of God. The precedent for using created matter is none other than the Old Testament. Therein, the people of Israel used material entities such as a temple, psalms and even sacred oils were used as a means to honor and worship God. From the days of the patriarchs to the present, beauty has served as one of the primary means for bringing people into a stronger connection with God.   Join us this week as we discuss the various benefits that beauty can offer in the fostering of a deeper Catholic spirituality.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode78 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

If we had to choose just the single most important difference between Catholic and Protestant worldviews, it would have to be the understanding of the Church. The Catholic worldview is rooted in the conviction that the Church is first and foremost the body of Christ. Many other conclusions follow from this most important of conclusions.   On the basis of this core conviction, Catholics believe that membership in the church is integral to the spirituality of the Catholic Christian. For it is through the Church, the body of Christ, that one comes to have a relationship with Jesus, the head of the Church.   In this episode, we discuss the practical implications of this teaching which finds its expression in the Catholic belief in the communion of saints. A belief in the communion of saints finds its expression in the veneration of the saints, the request of prayers from the saints, and the assistance that the members of the Church militant can provide to the members of the church in purgatory. All of these teachings are connected to a core conviction that Christians are interconnected in the body of Christ.   This episode gives special attention to the idea that the sufferings of the members of Christ’s body can benefit the spiritual well-being of other Christians. The Apostle Paul often expressed his belief in this teaching in a variety of ways from praying for the recipients of his letters to expressing his conviction that his personal sufferings were for the spiritual benefit of the various communities he had founded (Col 1:24). These spiritual benefits, he believed, would aid the early recipients of his letters, and presumably subsequent generations of Christians in those same communities, in their path to attaining eternal life. Even though separated by hundreds of miles from these congregations, Paul believed that his sufferings on behalf of the faith would accrue to the spiritual benefit of other members of Christ’s body. The principle supporting this belief was the conviction that all the members of the body are interconnected and because of this connection mutually support each other through their virtuous actions.   We also discuss the question whether our spiritual sufferings, even for the wrongs we have committed, can benefit the body of Christ? We answer in the affirmative. We note that it lies within God’s providence to make all things work together for good for those who love God and were called according to God’s purpose (Rom 8:28). Catholic Christians should not lose heart as a result of their personal failures but rather should use such occasions as spiritual lessons to to avoid future sin and instead to push forward to a greater love for God and neighbor.   Join us this week as we discuss the various spiritual truths that can be accrued from a correct understanding of the nature of the Church as the mystical body of Christ.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode77 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

As we begin a new year again, many people are making resolutions. At this time of year, people often make various types of health and wellness resolutions from going to the gym daily to losing a certain amount of weight by the next year. The new year is a unique opportunity to start afresh. With the calendar reset, people often look to the new year to make critical decisions about how to improve their physical well being.   Although the new year has become synonymous with health resolutions, we often do not think of the new year as an opportunity to make spiritual resolutions. By spiritual resolutions we mean concrete decisions to improve our spiritual well-being. Why is this?   In this episode, we discuss some reasons why people do not make spiritual resolutions. In modern Western society, we are often tempted to think that progress in the spiritual life is simply automatic just as physical growth is automatic in children and adolescents. But this is not the case in the spiritual life.   To counter this trend, we encourage our audience to make resolutions for improving their spiritual well-being. We discuss the various types of resolutions Catholics can make in increasing their spiritual growth. From the daily recitation of the Rosary to daily spiritual reading, we suggest practical ways that Catholics can greatly enhance their spirituality by the next year.   Above all, we encourage Catholics to decide to formulate reasonable and attainable goals such as reading for 10 to 15 minutes a day. By writing these goals down and reviewing these goals periodically, Catholics can gain more confidence in attaining their spiritual goals. These measures, we believe, will help Catholics gain much ground in their spiritual lives.   Join us this week as we discuss the various things we can do as Catholic Christians to increase our spiritual growth.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode76 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Last week we discussed the challenges to the message of Christmas, which is the message of God’s intervention into history to save humanity through the Paschal mystery of Jesus.   In this episode we discuss the various cultural challenges to the announcement of this good news, more formally referred to as the “Gospel.” Among other things, we discuss how the contemporary cultures undermine in various ways the proclamation of this message from relativism to materialism.     These various philosophical and cultural ideologies in one way or another challenge the necessity of either believing in God or conforming one’s moral life to the teachings of Jesus. Rather than emphasizing the centrality of God in human life, these ideologies set in their place a whole range of alternative priorities from self-fulfillment to the creation of an earthly utopia.   In light of these idelogies, Catholics are faced with a large array of questions: Is the message of Jesus true? What difference does Jesus make to human life? Why should one conform one’s life to the moral teachings of Jesus?   In light of the significance of these questions, it is important for Catholics to be fully aware of these cultural challenges and their impact on the ways Catholics and many others are encouraged to see the world. When aware of these cultural challenges, Catholics can better assess their influence and respond accordingly.   Join us this week as we discuss what spiritual lessons we can learn from identifying and responding to some of the major challenges to the proclamation of the Gospel.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode75 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)  

What is the meaning of Christmas? In this episode, we discuss the meaning of Christmas in these rather challenging times.   The world in 2020 has seen numerous challenges to say the least. Living in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, many are asking themselves: What is the promise of Christmas? Some are even tempted to ask: Is Christmas merely a distraction from the gravity of the situation?   In this episode, we discuss the original challenges facing Judaism at the time of Jesus’ birth. We note among other things, that first-century Judaism was beset by religious rivalries, differences of view concerning politics and religion and the phenomena of sectarianism and political revolutionaries and the overarching dominance of the Roman Empire. Within those challenges, Jesus was born to bring salvation to humanity.   The purpose of Christmas is first and foremost soteriological. That is, Jesus came in order to affect the salvation of the world. Proclaiming this message to the world has been the central mission of the Church since its inception.   Although the Church has largely viewed its mission in terms of the salvation of souls, definite challenges to this perspective have arisen in recent decades. Various critics from within the walls of Christianity and outside have claimed that the insistence on salvation has only served as a ploy to distract others from the Church’s true mission to bring utopia on earth. These criticisms seek to undo the longstanding Catholic view of Christmas and its bearing on the salvation of humanity.   Join us this week as we discuss what spiritual lessons we can learn from the message of Christmas.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode74 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)

Who was Our Lady of Guadalupe? In this episode, we review the history of the December 1531 apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego.   In early December 1531, Mary is said to have appeared on at least four separate occasions to Juan Diego. These apparitions left as a relic of their validity the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is still preserved today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.   Among other things, we note that this image was an important catalyst for the conversion of millions of indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica and beyond.  The image had encoded within it various pictographs, which presented themselves as a direct message from heaven for the peoples of Central Mexico. The image of Mary on Juan Diego’s tilma indicated that the true God had become incarnate in the virgin’s womb. Some early modern historians have argued that many indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica who were able to read the appeal of this image decided to convert to Catholicism. They in turn spread the message about this image to others and presented themselves for initiation into the Catholic faith.   In her statements to Juan Diego, Mary disclosed that she was indeed the mother of the oppressed peoples in the area and that it was her intention to convert them to the Christian faith. She spoke to Juan Diego in his native tongue and expressed to him her care for him and his dying uncle. Her central request of a basilica being built in her honor has had an enormous spiritual significance for the lives of millions of Catholics across the Americas and, indeed, the world.   We also discuss in this episode the relevance of this apparition for the 21st century, which some have described as an age of unbelief. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has various inexplicable features (e.g., the absence of paint strokes, the survival of the image to the present day, the image of micro figures in the eye of the image) which still require much explanation to the present day.   Join us this week as we discuss what spiritual lessons we can learn from the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.   To comment on this show or to provide feedback, please navigate to https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/episode73 The Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Newsletter Sign-up for the Catholic Heritage Spirituality Show Stay in touch with us! Join our newsletter: https://catholicheritagespirituality.com/podcastnewsletter/ iTunes (click iTunes > Ratings and Reviews > Write a Review)