Tower of Ivory

An introduction to the fifth book of the Bible.

A jaunt through the fourth book of the Bible.

Continuing with our series on the books of the Bible, the third book, Leviticus.

Here is a general introduction to the Book of Exodus with tips on how to read what happens within it.

This is a general overview of the first book of the Bible.

Last time we took a glance at secular culture and Catholic culture. In this talk, we go over how to rebuild Catholic culture by bringing Christ out into the world. Artwork: St. Christopher

This episode is all about relics, their biblical origins, and their Incarnational nature. Artwork: relic of the heart of St. John Vianney

A cross section of what a country priest sees as having happened among Catholic Culture in the Northeastern United States. Artwork: Vatican State Flag

Let's examine the tenants behind Jedi, Sith, and force philosophy and see what each gets right and gets wrong.

These are the talks I will be giving next year: January-The Anthropology of Star Wars. February-All About Relics. March-begin introducing each book of the Bible. Artwork: Our Lady of Sorrows

This episode will take a holistic approach and look at depression from the standpoint of its three different causes: physical, mental, or spiritual. It will give suggestions from a priest about different ways to begin the process of overcoming each.

This talk is a basic overview of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) and the dynamics at play within it.   Next Talk: Dec 6 on "Dealing With Depression" 

I take the reader through some philosophical thought on the human person and how their physical appearance is tied to their identity as being made in the image of God.  I then examine what the Bible, the Church, and a patristic father have to say about tattoos and body piercings.   Next topic: "The Holy Family" - November 15th at 6pm OLV Sheffield

This is an episode explaining how to approach any news or media consumption from a Catholic perspective. Artwork: "Flight to Egypt" by Jose Moreno. Next talk: Oct 20th 6pm, OLV Sheffield.

I go over some basic approaches to prayer and then discuss the eight best ways to pray during Adoration, when the Most Blessed Sacrament is exposed. Next talk: September 22nd at 18:00, Sheffield. Topic: "Jesus and the News"

This episode contains general tips on how to understand the Bible and read it with a critical yet faithful eye. This episode also contains a very general walkthrough of some of the more troublesome passages from the very first book of of the Bible, Genesis.   Next month's topic: "What to Do During Adoration" Date: Aug 25th 6pm in OLV church, Sheffield.

This episode gives an overview of the basic ebb and flow of discussion and how to engage with others and talk about our Catholic faith. Some good resources to help you expand your knowledge and grow deeper in your faith: The Catechism of Pope St. Pius X, "Summa Theologica" by St. Thomas Aquinas, the Ignatius Study Bible with commentary, "My Daily Bread" by the Society of the Most Precious Blood. Artwork: a stained glass window of St. John Cardinal Henry Newman.

There are more good things to come.

This episode explains the rights that Jesus Christ the King of the Universe has over His creation and their societies. We also cover a little bit about Church and state relations, always with the view of eternal salvation in mind. Artwork: detail from "The Last Judgement" triptych by Hans Memling Next Talk: May 19th at 18:30 on "Apologetics: How to Defend and Explain the Faith"

We go through some of the flawed thinking and presumptions associated with those who think people are a problem. Next Talk April 21st at 6:30pm: The Social Rights of Jesus Christ the King Artwork: "Let the children come to me."

A reflection on the mystery that is suffering and how mortification is an act of love.  Consolations and sufferings are both gifts from God, but of the two, suffering is a greater gift and accomishes more witin us.

READ THIS DESCRIPTION: I've heard from several of you that there are issues playing the episodes that I upload.  Step one is make sure you have internet access and are connected - otherwise none of the following will work.  There are a couple ways to access these talks, the first is through an app.  Most people use Apple Podcasts to tune in.  When you search "Fr. Frank Furman Tower of Ivory" you should see all of my previous episodes.  It might be helpful to "subscribe" or "favorite" the podcast which means you will be alerted when I upload the next lesson.   For those of you who use the app, when you find Tower of Ivory, you should see Mary at the top left and a description of the episode on the right side. Clicking on the picture of the episode you wish to listen to will almost always works: this should be the first way you try to play an episode. Sort of hidden in the description is a little play button - that is the one you should be clicking on.  The big red one at the bottom of the screen usually doesn't work.  If you click the small play button, the episode should start playing; if it does not, click on the back arrow at the top left and then click on the episode again, followed by the small play button one more time.  Now the episode should play within several seconds.   For those of you listening online, you should search "Fr. Frank Furman Tower of Ivory" and the first three links are apple, listennotes, and anchor.  Anchor is the website I use and you might have the best luck with that.  If you click on the link, it brings you to the Tower of Ivory homepage and gives you access to all old episodes.  To listen to an episode, click on the picture with the play button and it will bring you to the individual episode.  If you see gray waves moving over the episode, it means that it is downloading and the lesson is playing or just about to play.  If you have issues here, click back to the previous page and then try following the same steps to play an episode.   I hope that helps! If are still having problems, try another one of the websites or another application and do the same search, "Fr. Frank Furman Tower of Ivory" one more time.  

This is a walk through the 10 Commandments in five pairings that you might not be used to seeing them in, as well as the 8 Beatitudes.  Artwork: Holy Moses; Next talk March 17 at 18:30 Holy Family, So. Deerfield

Join me as I take listeners through some of St. John's meditations and homilies on the Eucharist with a few other saints thrown in to help.  I also offer questions for reflection to help the listener reflect on how he personally receives Holy Communion. Please excuse the audio overlay at the end. Artwork: altar and tomb of St. John Vianney in Ars, France.  Next episode: February 17, 2022 at 6:30pm. 

I am setting topics for next year and still have a couple openings.  Feel free to leave a question with a topic you want to suggest.   Jan – Patron Saint of Our Year of the Eucharist: John Vianney; Feb - Examination of Conscience – 5 pairs of Commandments; 8 Beatitudes; Mar - Myth of Overpopulation; Apr - Social Rights of Christ the King; May - Jesus and the News (borders and immigration); Jun – Apologetics: How to Defend and Explain the Faith; Jul – How to Talk about the Book of Genesis (and Bible in General); Aug – The Tridentine Mass Pt.1; Sep - The Tridentine Mass Pt.2; Oct - A Moral Evaluation of Tattoos and Body Piercings; Nov – TBD; Dec – TBD

This takes the listener through a general overview of transgenderism, the principles behind it, and how it undermines human nature by trying to dissolve biological sex and refashion it according to arbitrary will. Please pardon the interruption at 43 minutes.

How does the Church view homosexuality? What does the Bible have to say on the subject? These are two of the questions this podcast seeks to answer. Episode Art: Courage International - a Catholic apostolate offering support and guidance to those who wish to live out God's call to holiness with a proper understanding of sexuality. Also available on couragerc.org: EnCourage members work together to understand the experiences of their loved ones, and to respond to them with compassion. They know that it is possible to express love for someone even if we can't support all of their choices or actions.

Being married is not a green light to do whatever one pleases with one's spouse. This talk is about the Catholic Church's teaching on the true nature of conjugal chastity.

This talk presents a better approach to dating which will help everyone involved to understand both the proper purpose and way to date.

The Quran is meant to be read as a whole and is the primary source for Islam; if it is verbatim from Allah then no verse can be ignored. I take listeners through some passages in the English translation of the Quran and compare and contrast them to the Bible.  I also discuss different concepts that exist in each, such as 'peace' which means one thing to the Westerner but to the Muslim means submission to Allah.

In the first section, I cover the teaching, "outside the Church there is no salvation" and the different ways to be incorporated into the Church.   The second part about aliens uses the teaching from the first to understand the theological significance of extraterrestrial life in a couple different thinking exercises. 

This is a presentation by Jeremiah Patterson who speaks about how he formed and painted the main crucifix in Holy Family, South Deerfield.  Artwork: a picture of the actual crucifix as it is displayed today. 

I walk the listener through some different mediums of art and how Catholics use them to convey meaning and become an encounter with God. I say the name of the work before explaining it so you can look up pictures if you could not be here in person. Artwork: "La Pieta" by Michelangelo

Bishop Byrne talks about vocations: what one is and how God can pull a life together. Pray for holy vocations. Encourage and support young men to become priests and young women to become religious sisters. Artwork: "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Caravaggio

This is an explanation about how the Sacrament of Confession remits sin. It is also a reminder of the importance of Confession and how it has been a forgotten treasure which Christ gave to His Church. Artwork: The prodigal son

The dangers of euthanasia and the slippery slope once it is accepting.

The Catholic Church defends life and teaches what true love is.

St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!

Catholic information on the moral issue of abortion and how science supports conception as the beginning of life.

The basics in how to use Socratic logic and using right reasoning: have a premise that is correct, use facts and not opinions or emotions to back up your premise, and have a conclusion that necessarily follows (is dependant on) your premise.

7pm, Lower church, St Mary's, Westfield

The three stages of prayer and different models of prayer.

Advent food for thought and prayer. Given at Schonstatt's place of grace in Westfield.

St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 105, Articles 5-8

Last sentence: We need to conform our lives to the Church and learn to cooperate with God's grace; it is only then that we will become "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" and be able to live in the love and peace of God.

Details and examples of how to find what God wills for you and apply that knowledge to daily choices.

An introduction to the purpose of this podcast.