The Extraordinary Story with Tom Hoopes

So Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose, and Jesus conquered. After going through the Gospels, what else is left to say? “How to Buy Drugs From Desperate Panicked Criminals With Guns” is one of the essays I wrote at the University of Arizona before I dropped out and had to restart my life. I wrote it about the experiences I had leaving my home at age 16 and encountering some of the worst of what America in that time and place had to offer. I have been telling the Extraordinary Story of Jesus Christ and I have been sharing struggles I had in my faith life. This week I start to tell the tale of how the blood Jesus shed on Calvary got to my ancestors in El Salvador, and Mexico, and Kansas. Because while I get that Jesus Christ was alive 2,000 years ago, in the year 0-something AD, what difference does that make in the year 2000-something “C.E.”? That is what will come next in Jesus Christ's Extraordinary Story. Holy Week episodes to check out: Why Did Jesus Have To Die? | S4 E1 Jesus' Triumphal Entry on a Donkey | S4 E2 The Agony in the Garden | S4 E12 Why Jesus Carries the Cross for Us | S4 E15 Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

The life of Jesus gets strange on this episode of The Extraordinary Story. According to some prominent religious art, this is the episode where he flies into the sky. And according to snake handlers, this is the episode where he gives us all sorts of crazy powers. But I want to show how it doesn't have to seem so strange after all, and then finish my evidence for the resurrection with the most powerful evidence of all.  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

In this episode of The Extraordinary Story, I want to share with you the story of a scholar who poked holes in the resurrection story — and then I want to let you know how I fill those holes in. If you've been following this podcast from the beginning, you know that there's a long gap between season two and season three. That's because I went on a journey, an intellectual journey, as the work of one honest Christian scholar made me question a lot of what I had taken for granted about the resurrection. Today I present to you evidence for the resurrection. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Remember when you made that crazy promise to God where you said you'd do anything for him? Remember, you laughed it off later as too enthusiastic and figured he laughed it off too. Well, Peter finds out the hard way that no, he didn't laugh it off. We will look at the second to last resurrection appearance in the Gospels today, and see the apostles who are supposed to be fishers of men. Go back to just fishing and wind up catching God himself.  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus had a busy day after he rose from the dead. We are still right there with him on Easter evening as he visits the Twelve Apostles. Or 10 anyway: Judas was gone and Thomas couldn't make it. Jesus gives surprising evidence of the Resurrection and helps the Apostles understood exactly why this all happened this way. Then Thomas shows up …   Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

It's Easter afternoon and two disciples are leaving town in a hurry in the wake of Jesus's death.  There are some very strange features to this story. Why don't they recognize Jesus? Why does he do such a strange miracle? This episode asks these questions and shares one hot take on a longstanding mystery: Who was the unnamed disciple headed out of town with Cleopas? It all adds up to a story tailor made for 21st century skeptics.   Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Today we will be looking at the first people to encounter the risen Jesus, which happened to be women. We will talk about how this was awkward for the first disciples, but kind of great for us today. We'll start to notice also how different the different people's encounters with Jesus after the resurrection were, and ask for the first time, but not the last, why? We will also note the surprising details of Mary Magdalene's encounter with Jesus. And I will give my personal theory on whether or not Jesus met his mother after the resurrection.    Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus died on Good Friday. He was in the ground on Holy Saturday, but now it's Sunday morning. Now we get to the good part, the triumph, the redemption. There are a number of resurrection experiences to talk about, but we'll start early on Easter morning at first light, when Mary Magdalene, then Peter, then John saw the inside of the tomb. What they saw changed everything.    Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

The Lord is dead. Jesus bowed his head and breathed his last in the previous episode of The Extraordinary Story. But now, even before he is sealed in his tomb, astonishing things begin to happen. The Gospel of John shares a surprising detail that echoes back to the Samaritan woman at the well and passed back through salvation history all the way to Eden. Then when Jesus is buried, his power that shook the earth pushes his children up and out of the depths of sin and into the streets of Jerusalem. What will it mean for us?  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

We come at last to the big culmination of Jesus's earthly ministry. The goal of his life. The event he has set his face like flint toward. The event he has been marching forward to reach: the crucifixion. No one expected the Messiah to die on the cross. But we will look back and see that the signs were there in the Old Testament, left there like windows through the walls of the maze looking to the cross — the ladder, up and out. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Today on the extraordinary story, we will walk with Jesus up the hill of Calvary carrying a cross, and ask again, "Why did Jesus have to die?" Paul says he did it to save us from the wrath of God. How is that okay? And then we will see what happens when Jesus takes up the cross of our sin and it knocks him down. Why is it that the Son of God Himself has to walk such a terrible road? And why do we have to take up crosses to follow him?  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Today we will hear the famous words of Pontius Pilate as he presented Jesus Christ for his accusers to see. "Ecce Homo," translated to, "Behold, the man." His words tap into the heart of who Jesus Christ is and who we are. As they reach back to the origins of the human race. But we will also hear him say words that reach forward to the very end of the human race. "Ecce Rex Vester," translated to, "Behold, your king." But frankly, it's hard to see a king for the ages in the small town carpenter, crowned with thorns and bleeding from a severe flogging, standing before people who are demanding that he die. Is it delusional to look at this suffering figure and think you are looking at the king of everything? Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

We will see Jesus Christ get arrested in this episode, and then we'll follow him as he's tried first by his own people, the Jewish leaders, and then by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate. We will ask and answer the question, why was Jesus silent before his accusers so often? And what was Pilate's wife's dream? And if Judas is in hell, what might be his greatest regret for all eternity? But most importantly, we will see Jesus reveal more about His kingdom that he came to establish.    Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus continues his epic project of re-edenizing the world, this time in a literal garden, but not the garden of Eden - the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane means "oil press." And we see Jesus here in the Mount of Olives, being crushed like a grape in the fingers of Satan for our sins. We will see what the greatest failure of the apostles was, and how we can make up for it a little, and we will see the remarkable things St. John Paul II and Saint John Henry Newman say about the sufferings of Jesus Christ in his agony in the garden. 

Today we're going to look at the institution of the Eucharist and the institution of the priesthood and the foundation of the whole sacramental system. Here is where Jesus Christ brings the life of God in eternity and unites it with our lives here in the maze. Here is where God makes us his family, so that we can live in a new way, starting now and lasting forever. Everything that's happened in the story to this point has led up to this moment, and this is what he has spent the last days of Holy Week preparing us for.  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus has been saying, "My hour has not yet come." Today he'll say, "My hour has arrived." It is Holy Thursday, and on this great and ominous night filled with huge moments in salvation history. The first thing he chooses to do is wash the feet of his apostles. Now, why did he do that? And why is it significant that Judas left right after he did that? And what does it mean for us when washing feet is no longer quite the thing it apparently was back then? We'll find out this week on The Extraordinary Story. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

It's Wednesday of Holy Week, the day before the big days. The chief priests hold a special meeting. They want to find a way to arrest Jesus without alarming the crowds of people in Jerusalem. It's hard because Jesus knows their plans and is steering clear. They're stuck and they can't find a way. And then there's a knock on the door and a man is ushered into the room. He asks, how much will you give me if I hand him over to you? We will review why Judas would want to betray his master, and it's important that we do, because it's the same reason you and I may want to betray him also. 

The veil drops and we see the Kingdom of Christ for what it is. Angels and thrones and icons all around us. And we ourselves for what we are. Either sheep seeing the true worth of our neighbor or goats. We also get to see some sweet payback when Jesus, tired of the Pharisees trying to trap him, verbally traps them instead.  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

This week on the extraordinary story. Jesus stages an intervention for the Pharisees. And for me, too. In a way, we will discuss the seven woes of the Pharisees and a surprising hero who is the opposite of what they are.  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

In this episode of The Extraordinary Story, we are with Jesus during the last week before his death, where we learn how two challenges from his opponents provoked Jesus to share wisdom that has changed the course of history. We will discover who asked him to pay taxes, and why his answer addresses the fundamental problems of alienation in the world today. We will also address what it means to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."  Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

As Jesus faces his imminent death in the final week of his earthly life, he reveals that the end goal of history is marriage. We'll learn in what way Jesus considers his relationship with us a marriage, why we wont be married to our spouses in heaven, and how to fight the darkness that threatens to swallow us whole while we wait for the wedding. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes. Click here to see all episodes of The Extraordinary Story Listen to “The Extraordinary Story with Tom Hoopes” wherever you listen to podcasts: click here for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or Podbean.  

As the incarnation of of Son of God approaches its most dramatic moment, Jesus urgently decides to... tell some stories. In this episode, we'll learn why the stories Jesus tells in the last week of his life actually are very urgent, and why Jesus focuses here on stories about work. Along the way, we'll learn what kind of "boss" God is, what kind of work he expects us to do, and what's at stake if we fail. Learn More The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes. Click here to see all episodes of The Extraordinary Story Listen to “The Extraordinary Story with Tom Hoopes” wherever you listen to podcasts: click here for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or Podbean.

We return to Jerusalem on the morning after Jesus's triumphal entry as he curses a fig tree. We'll learn why he did such a strange thing, why he insisted to Greeks that he himself was a grain of wheat, and what all of this reveals about the Garden of Eden - and ourselves. This episode is all about the “nature logic” of the Gospel, and the way the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is woven into the very fabric of the cosmos. In this episode You have to die before you can live. Jesus' paradoxical teaching about the "grain of wheat" may seem strange at first, but as St. Cyril of Alexandria, Pope Benedict XVI, and Larry Chapp point out, it's written all over the natural world for us to see plainly, foreshadowing the redemptive suffering of Jesus on the cross and echoing the eternal life and love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:00 Introduction 01:02 Reading of Matthew 18: Jesus Curses the Fig Tree 01:41 Why is Jesus hungry? 02:31 The importance of a fig tree in the Gospel 03:42 God is working to restore paradise for all creation 04:41 The Garden of Eden and gardens in the Gospels 07:12 God is the gardener of salvation history. Examples in the Old Testament 08:27 Jesus' action is foreshadowed by the prophet Ezekiel 09:44 It was “not the season for figs” but God expects fruit anyway 10:11 Jesus teaches about the “dying seed” 12:19 St. Cyril of Alexandria and the “analogy of nature” 13:21 Cardinal Ratzinger explains the “mystery of the dying grain” 14:41 Larry Chap and the mystery of redemptive suffering 15:11 Reading of John 12 - “He who loses his life will save it” 16:43 Suffering on earth is an image of the inner life of the Trinity 17:17 Jesus “leaned obedience through what he suffered” 19:24 The Fathers of the Church took the Gospel's “nature logic” seriously 20:43 St. Clement of Alexandria: The Word of God is the pruning knife of the soul 22:20 Reading of Luke 13: Jesus' parable of the master's vineyard 23:46 Application of the parable 24:19 Conclusion Learn More For more content from Benedictine College, visit media.benedictine.edu The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

This week, we follow Jesus in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and discover the raw power of Jesus alone on a donkey. We'll learn why a donkey is a more kingly steed than a chariot. We'll learn what it means that God's kingdom is "already, but not yet." And we'll learn what the wrath of God looks like from God's perspective. In this episode: Today's episode begins the story of the single week that changed all of history. It is a story about a conqueror who commanded no army, had no weapons, and made no attempt at self-defense - a conqueror who did nothing but teach, and pray, and suffer, and die. 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Jesus is no ordinary worldly conqueror 02:50 John 12:12-19 - Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem 03:58 Previous “triumphal entries” of Jerusalem's conquerors 04:26 Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the Temple of Solomon 05:41 Alexander the Great enters Jerusalem 06:52 Jesus enters the city on a donkey 07:14 What does the donkey mean in prophecy? 09:00 Other theories about the donkey 09:31 The Kumran Community theory 09:47 The donkey points us towards Jesus' identity and mission 11:06 The Triumphal Entry is a fulfilment of Christmas prophecy 11:45 Jesus is ‘the prophet' Moses foretold 12:17 The Kingdom of God is “already, but not yet” 12:47 Jesus' entrance is like VE Day from World War II 13:53 Bishop Robert Barron: “God rules through his viceroys” 14:17 We are under the lordship of the True King in Christ 15:53 Jesus and the repentant thief 16:42 The Festival of Booths and its relevance to the triumphal entry 19:30 The Cleansing of the Temple 20:10 Jesus wants to restore the temple to its Edenic significance 21:11 God's wrath and Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the temple 23:17 Jesus intends to restore all of our ‘temples' as well 24:03 Conclusion The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to transform it into a path to Him, today and always. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.  

Welcome back to The Extraordinary Story, a podcast about the life of Christ. Season Four will guide us through the final week of Jesus' life as he approaches the ‘hour' for which he came: death on a cross. But Tom Hoopes has done some thinking during the break, and returns with a fresh perspective to share with us about why all of this even matters in the first place.   In this episode:   Why does Jesus need to die at all? Is God just so angry at humanity that he needs to kill his Son to calm down? (Spoiler: He's not.) We'll learn about Tom Vander Woude's heroic death and how it reveals a deep truth about Jesus's sacrifice. In addition, we'll get a glimpse at the big picture of salvation history, how Christianity changed (and changes) everything, and why the “Our Father” is God's game plan to bring back Eden, forever.   0:00 - Introduction 2:55 - The death of Tom Vander Woude 6:32 - Tom Vander Woude's life and death models Christ's sacrifice 9:22 - What does Jesus' death really accomplish? 10:14 - Is God the Father thirsty for blood? 11:30 - Jesus took our place in the sewage to push us out of it 13:49 - Christ experienced every type of suffering for us 15:49 - The “Our Father” prayer is a blueprint 18:35 - “Thy Kingdom Come” and the covenants in Scripture 18:58 - God plans to restore Eden 20:26 - The Gospel, revisited 21:54 - What is “The Sign of Jonah”? 24:05 - The explosive growth of early Christianity 25:27 - How Christianity radically reshaped the whole world 27:05 - The irony of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy 28:53 - Summary and conclusion   Learn More:   Tom Vander Woude's Legacy: https://media.benedictine.edu/you-pull-ill-push-tom-vander-woudes-legacy A Father's Sacrifice (Focus on the Family): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im9_iAQhd5E

Jesus is back at dinner again with Martha, her sister Mary, and Lazarus. There's a growing sense of doom in the air. It's the feeling we all know too well - that something is about to go terribly wrong, and we're not sure what. Mary takes out a jar of ointment, and everyone would have been impressed when they saw it, because it was worth a year's wages all on its own. They are even more astounded when she pours the whole thing out on Jesus's feet. Suddenly, the hidden menace they felt all along takes on a face and a voice as Judas Iscariot himself speaks up. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus has been headed to Jerusalem: determined, relentless, and unstoppable. He has been telling anyone who would listen that he is going there to die, but no one is listening. Just before they reach the top of the Mount of Olives with a view of Jerusalem he stops to tell them a strange parable. This week Tom Hoopes dives into the Parable of the Talents, which shows us God's attitude towards our spiritual efforts. If we let it, this parable can change our lives by teaching us faithfulness to the generous God who has given us all we have, and inspiring in us diligence to work hard for His Kingdom. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus is headed to Jerusalem and nothing is going to stop him- certainly not on the rough and dangerous Jericho Road. A multitude joins Jesus on the path, and as they proceed to Jericho a crazed voice calls out to him: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" In the city, a little man hangs out of a tall tree staring at him. And suddenly, Jesus isn't so unstoppable after all. In this episode, Tom Hoopes focuses on the healing of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, and the conversion of Zacchaeus, the prominent tax collector. Through each story, Jesus reveals that his plan to save humanity includes the healing of each one of us whom he encounters on the road. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

"They are going to kill me," Jesus told his disciples. It was his third great prediction of how it was all going to end: "We are going to Jerusalem where they will condemn me to death." At this moment James, John, and their mother decided to approach Jesus and demand places of honor in the Kingdom. Jesus's response was not what they were expecting. In this episode, Tom Hoopes unpacks Christ's instruction to his disciples to "take the lowest place" and explores its relevance to our Christian witness, our daily suffering, and our relationship to an all-powerful God who took the "lowest place" for us and calls us to join Him there. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus is devastated. His friend is dead. He is crying. He stands before Lazarus' tomb and cries out. Was his voice startlingly strong, or broken with the pain that had finally reached a fever pitch? We don't know how he said it, but we do know what he said: "Lazarus, come forth." In this episode, Tom Hoopes explores Jesus' relationship with the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Lazarus' death and raising shows us what it means to be a friend of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the Resurrection and the Life. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Pope Benedict XVI said, "The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness." We're going to explore just that in this episode as we read the story of the Rich young Man, which is a hinge story in the gospel. One of the big important turning points in the gospel. And we'll even touch base with Ted Turner before it's done. So stick around for that. We're reading from the Gospel of Mark. This particular gospel is one of the ones that shows up in all three Synoptic gospels. It's in Matthew. It's in Luke with slight variations, some of which will note. But we're going to go back to our old friend Mark to read the story of the rich man. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus has told us all along how loving and caring our Father is and how terrible sin is. But in the parables of the Persistent Widow, and  the Pharisee and the Publican, He casts God as uncaring and indifferent in the parable anyway. Then he shows us an unrighteous, righteous man and a righteous sinner. He wants to do is powerfully put across how sovereign, majestic and other God is. But that's not what I'm going to talk about. I'm actually going to talk about some very practical ideas about prayer that come out of these parables and then touch on narcissism and then, just for fun, share some common Catholic phrases that show that we have deeply imbibed these lessons. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

The Pharisees try to trip Jesus up by asking him about divorce and marriage. Jesus answers in words that have caused a lot of trouble ever since. "Where God has joined together, let no man put asunder." So we're going to look at divorce and marriage today. I'll try to make the case that what Jesus did here was actually a very freeing thing. I'll even give the surprising words of a priest at my daughter's wedding. So stick around for that. Plus, the one thing that every couple must do. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

God is so unfair. Jesus tells three parables today, and each one shows God being unfair. What is up, for instance, with the shrewd steward who cheats his boss and then gets praised for it? What's up with a rich man who enjoys food and drink like you and I do? And Jesus doubles down and then quadruples down on the torment he deserves for eternity. Then there are the laborers. Some slave all day in the hot sun. Some just barely do any work at all. And they all get exactly the same wage. Making Jesus. What? Some kind of socialist? We'll also look at a smart guy who says there is no hell for precisely the sorts of reasons we're outlining here. And then we'll get real for a bonus minute. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes. Listen to more great content from Benedictine College.

Today in three Parables of Divine Mercy, including the big one, The Prodigal Son. I always think I know about the prodigal son already. When I hear someone about to talk about the prodigal son. If that's what you're thinking, just wait. I always get more out of hearing the same thing again and I have a couple of things that I think amount to a new take on the prodigal son, including one that I thank God for giving me. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.  

Today we will hear Jesus, the loving Savior, the Good Shepherd, the Lord who calls us friends, talk all about hell. "Will few be saved?" someone asks him. His answer raises issues that resound to our day. Why is there a hell at all? Why would guide make a world in which people He loves end up in hell? And what about non-Catholics? Where will they end up? If they aren't saved, why did God make them? And if they are saved, then what's the point of Jesus? We will get to all of these questions, plus the recommendation from Jesus, Mary and Pope Francis that you talk to your children about hell. But do not miss the end, where we talk about the great hope that Jesus offers! The great hope, greater than you may have imagined. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Take a long look at the grass and birds and flowers, and relax. Jesus contrasts two worldviews. One is the worldview of Mammon, the false God of wealth. The worldview that traps us in a technological bubble as anonymous wage slaves worried about our bank accounts. The other worldview is the one where we are the billionaire children of the King of the universe who gives us everything for free, pouring beauty, truth and goodness on us from our waking moment until the middle of the night. But it all starts with taking a long look at grass and birds and flowers. And relaxing. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus is on his relentless road to Jerusalem. He uses the road as a school of discipleship. He warns that wealth and selfishness will dog us every step of the way. Gospel: Luke, 12 The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Christ tells us how to behave when we have set our hand to the plow and how to treat our families. In this episode we consider the paradoxes of Jesus. We learn that the only destruction Jesus commands is the destruction of your paradigm. That love and sentimentality are very different things. And the only fire Jesus wants to set is the fire of love. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus sends out seventy disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and he tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan to answer a lawyer's trick question. The mission of the seventy and the story of a robbery victim both reveal the Church's "secret weapon" - laypeople who evangelize and minister to the world's lost and wounded. The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Jesus publicly announces that he is the "Good Shepherd," but this does not mean that he is a friendly farmhand. The Pharisees know this, and they attempt to silence him. If Christ is the Shepherd, who are the sheep who "know his voice?"  The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.    

Jesus gives sight to a man who has been blind from birth. This miracle brings Christ into further conflict with the Pharisees. We were all like the man born blind - lost in the maze of the world until we meet Jesus. When the blind man encounters the Lord, everything changes for him. Will we be like him, or like the Pharisees who are so entangled in their own egos they cannot see the works of God? The Extraordinary Story is a podcast about the life of Jesus Christ, who entered the maze of our world to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. The Extraordinary Story is produced by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.

Parental Advisory: This episode addresses contemporary sexual problems and behaviors. Listener discretion advised. Religious leaders bring before Jesus a woman "caught in the act of adultery." They expect to trap Jesus in a moral dilemma with no solution. How does Christ respond the woman entangled in sexual sin? How does he react to the religious leaders? How does Jesus encounter us today, who are embroiled in a culture of sexual vice and addiction? Join us for the Extraordinary Story, a podcast about the life of Christ. The Extraordinary Story is brought to you by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.  

Christ travels from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, where the he declares that he himself is Living Water. What is the Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths) and why does Christ choose it as the occasion to make this announcement? What is it about calling himself "water" at this feast that makes the scribes and Pharisees want to kill him? What is the significance of this Revelation in the Temple for our own lives today? Join us for The Extraordinary Story, a podcast about the life of Christ. Jesus Christ, God Himself, entered the confusing maze that is our world to show us who we are and to give us his Cross as a ladder up and out. Brought to you by Benedictine College in Atchison, KS; written and hosted by Tom Hoopes.  

What is sin, and why does Jesus make such a big deal about it? How should we respond to our own sin and the sin of others around us? In this episode of The Extraordinary Story, we dive into several teachings of Christ that focus on themes of sin and forgiveness. From Peter's famous question, "How many times should I forgive my brother?" to the "Parable of the Unforgiving Steward," Tom Hoopes illustrates how these stories in Scripture are timely guides for us today as we navigate the maze of sin in the world and in our own lives.

What is it about children that Jesus wants us to imitate? Many of us remember our childhood selves and ask: "What happened to that person full of wonder? What happened to my childhood dreams?"  In this episode of The Extraordinary Story, we dive in to Matthew 18 and discuss how God, the source of endless surprise and joy, can help us to "become like a child" once again. The Extraordinary Story is written and hosted by Tom Hoopes, and brought to you by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

In this episode, Tom Hoopes examines the story of the boy with a demon in which Jesus puts on a master class in what it takes to cast out demons through faith, hope and love.

The Extraordinary Story returns. In our first episode of Season 3, Tom Hoopes discusses The Transfiguration.

In the season two finale, Tom Hoopes is joined by his editor and producer, Michael Coy, to reflect on a full year of The Extraordinary Story. Topics include the origins of the podcast, favorite episodes, and hopes for the future of the church.

Today we are going to talk about Mark's Midpoint. It's the turning point in the Extraordinary Story that Mark is telling about Jesus Christ. Before, Jesus was a mystery man, after this he says who he is plainly and that means he must suffer and die.

In this episode, Peter correctly answers Jesus's question "Who do you say I am?" and in reply, Jesus gives St. Peter a role of shocking prominence in his Church. How can such supreme authority be given to Peter? And how could it apply to so many weak popes that followed? And does it really apply also to Pope Francis?