Podcasts about benedictine abbey

In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Fr. J. Augustine Wetta about his book Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem. The world teaches us to assert ourselves, to follow our passions, to speak up, talk back, “get yours,” don't let anyone stand in your way. But it doesn't really work. As Tyler Durden proclaims in Fight Club: “We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact.”In contrast to the world's and Fight Club's response (which we won't talk about), Fr. Augustine looks at the Rule of St. Benedict and his ladder of humility as a guide for real happiness and true self-esteem, which comes not from self-assertion, but from self-denial, selflessness, serving others, and not being a slave to one's own will and desires. We discuss Fr. Augustine journey from a lifeguard, surfer, and rugby player to a Benedictine monk, and some of his stories teaching high school students, and throwing himself into a rosebush. In his Rule for monks, St. Benedict explains that any progress toward holiness, happiness, and relationship with God and others must be grounded in humility. He describes humility as a ladder – with one side as the soul and the other as the body. …if we want to reach the highest summit of humility, if we desire to attain speedily that exaltation in heaven to which we climb by the humility of this present life, then by our ascending actions we must set up that ladder on which Jacob in a dream saw angels descending and ascending (Gen 28:12). Without doubt, this descent and ascent can signify only that we descend by exaltation and ascend by humility. Now the ladder erected is our life on earth, and if we humble our hearts the Lord will raise it to heaven. We may call our body and soul the sides of this ladder, into which our divine vocation has fitted the various steps of humility and discipline as we ascend. (St. John's Abbey) Fr. Augustine goes through each of the steps on the ladder of humility * Fear of God * Self-Denial * Obedience * Perseverance * Repentance * Serenity * Self-Abasement* Prudence * Silence * Dignity * Discration* Reverence The book is excellent. It is morally and spiritually serious and entertaining. I laughed out loud several times.Fr. Augustine offers apparently outlandish advice to to people struggling with anxiety, worry, and broken relationships* Don't speak up* Be someone's doormat* Don't follow your dreams* Put your worst foot forward And gives “homework” to practice each of the steps including:* Make no excuses next time you are reprimanded * Clean a toilet * Say thank you next time someone tells you something you already know * The next time you see something not done your way - leave it be if it worksIn addition to Humility Rules we discuss a number of topics including:· His book on decision making called , Pray, Think, Act: Make Better Decisions with the Desert Father· Joy cannot be grasped, but is the fruit of love and self-denial.· St. John Cassian and his writings on the eight vices – including the vice of self-esteem, and why focusing on ourselves prevents us from building good relationships and finding happiness.· Challenges of modern life, particularly the impact of digital distractions on mental health and spiritual well-being· The difference between contemporary meditation practices with traditional Catholic contemplative prayer.· The importance of cultivating an attitude of reverence and gratitude· The role of obedience in spiritual growth – and why it's probably not a good idea to throw oneself into a rosebush.· How chastity requires us to see others as persons and subjects, not objects for use· St. Benedict's rule on Silence, how silence increases mental clarity and attention to others, and the magnificent quote from Dom Paul Delatte OSB Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict“The fundamental purpose of silence is to free the soul, to give it strength and leisure to adhere to God.It delivers us from the low tendencies of our nature and of fixing us in the good.“Biography Augustine Wetta is a monk of Saint Louis Abbey in Saint Louis Missouri. He has two degrees in Theology from Oxford University, a BA in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations from Rice University, and an MA in English from Middlebury College. For twenty years, he has taught English, Classics, and Theology at the Priory School, in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he also coached rugby and served as Director of Chaplaincy.  In 2019, he was named a Portsmouth Institute Senior Fellow.  He writes for Our Sunday Visitor, and hosts a blog entitled "Disagreement" with Islamic social activist Umar Lee, and frequently appears on EWTN and Saint Joseph Radio.In 2014, he was awarded the Judson Jerome Poetry Award and the Bill Baker Award for Fiction at the Antioch Writers Workshop (the first author in the history of the conference to win both). In 2015, he was awarded the Taliaferro Award for Memoir Writers at the San Francisco Writers Conference, where he was also a finalist for the Emerging Writer Award.He is the author of several books: * Pray, Think, Act a book on decision-making based on the sayings of the Desert Fathers* The Eighth Arrow, a fantasy prison-break set in Dante's Inferno * Saving Grace, an illustrated children's book about a three-legged turtle.* Humility Rules: A 12 Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem which has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into five languagesThe son of an artist (Jean Carruthers Wetta) and a historian (Frank Wetta), Father Augustine was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1971, but grew up in Galveston, Texas. There he learned to surf and developed an enormous ego as a lifeguard on the Galveston Sheriff Department Beach Patrol. During this time, he also worked as a professional juggler (“The Flying Fettuccinne Brothers”) and as an archaeologist (at the Agora in Athens). He remains an avid surfer. In fact, if you Google “surfing monk” his is the first name that comes up—along with a news report about how he was nearly eaten by a shark. Themes/Chapters of the Interview* 00:00 Introduction to Father Augustin Weta* 03:07 Exploring Humility and Self-Esteem* 05:55 St. Benedict's Ladder of Humility* 09:13 Fr. Wetta's Journey to Monastic Life* 12:03 The Role of Self-Denial* 14:52 The Importance of Silence* 18:11 Art, Beauty, and Truth* 21:04 Fear of God and Genuine Self-Esteem* 30:06 The Struggle with Digital Distractions* 34:12 The Importance of Silence in Modern Life* 37:29 Meditation vs. Contemplation: A Spiritual Perspective* 41:39 Understanding Lust and Chastity* 49:00 The Role of Reverence in Spiritual LifeResources J Augustine Wetta: Humility Rules: St. Benedict's 12-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem J Augustine Wetta: Pray, Think, Act: Make Better Decisions with the Desert FathersPhilokalia Volume 1 - This is an amazing collection and it includes St. John Cassian on the Eight Vices Other Books related to the rule of St. Benedict Dom Paul Delatte, OSB —his Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict is long and detailed but incredibly impressive and deep. Honestly it is probably not worth it unless you Here is the quote on silence from Dom Delatte that I refer to in the episode and I use a lot - especially in thinking about cultivating silence, but also in our age of over-information. I also recommend a visit to a Benedictine Abbey if you can. I have not visited St. Louis Abbey, but I have visited Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma several times. You can learn more about them here and get CDs of their chanting if you are interested. Photo Credit: Courtesy Augustine Wetta OSB Get full access to The Moral Imagination - Michael Matheson Miller at www.themoralimagination.com/subscribe

In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Mother Delores Hart, who has now been a nun of the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut, for nearly 60 years. Learn about her remarkable journey from Award-winning actress and a fast-rising Hollywood star famous for having the first on-screen kiss with Elvis Presley, to contemplative nun. What made Delores Hart abandon the fame and fortune of Hollywood for the hidden life of simplicity in a monastery on the other side of the country? What was her path to discovering tranquility and joy? What advice does she have for listeners? Find out, on this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO. Listen to THE MENTORS RADIO podcast anywhere, any time, on any platform, just click here! SHOW NOTES: MOTHER DELORES HART, OSB: BIO: https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org/community-mdh.html BOOK: The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows, by Mother Delores Hart, O.S.B. with Richard DeNeut WEBSITE: https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org/

In this interview, Karel Pacovský discusses his on-going research into the daily lives of the Benedictine nuns of St George's Monastery in Prague Castle.  The monastery, founded around 970 exclusively for women, was the earliest monastic institution in Bohemia. It held an important position within the Bohemian state due to its physical location and the status and learning of its abbesses. Karel's research is based on a range of sources, including a book written for the nuns by their confessor, a monk from a near-by Benedictine Abbey of Ostrov, in the early 15th century. This book contains the rule of St Benedict, and the confessor's advice on various aspects of their life – how to manage their library, educate the young novice nuns, and how to conduct their daily life in accordance with their monastic vows. The book also contains reprimands which offer delightful insights into where and how the nuns were taking short-cuts in their religious life. This podcast is part of a series of interviews covering central Europe in the medieval period for MECERN and CEU Medieval Studies.

Friends of the Rosary, Today, August 15, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation for Catholics. In 1950, Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." Pius Parsch, in The Church's Year of Grace, wrote:  “Now, toward the end of summer, when fruits are ripe in the gardens and fields, the Church celebrates the most glorious "harvest festival" in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit that has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven." The celebration of the Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady. It was the "Memory of Mary." Its origin is traced to when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). On a hill near Mount Zion in Palestine was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep." The belief in the Assumption dates back to the apostles themselves. Mary expired in the presence of the disciples of Christ, and her tomb, when opened later, was found empty. The apostles concluded that the body was taken into heaven and transferred to the glory of eternity. The location of that empty tomb is today the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary, a place of pilgrimage on the edge of Jerusalem. In the seventh century, the feast was celebrated in Rome as the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God. Today, this solemnity day looks to eternity. It is not just the commemoration of a historical event. It also gives us hope to follow Our Lady when our lives are over. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠August 15, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, July 7, 2024 (EPISODE: 486) Licensed Image. Stock AI-generated image ID: 2462373915 - Jesus in the synagogue --Important information - This image was generated by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system. AI-generated image Contributor: Shutterstock AI Generator. Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, July 7, 2024 (EPISODE: 486) Readings for Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B FIRST READING: Ezek 2: 2-5 Ps 123: 1-2a, 2bc, 3-4. "Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy. " SECOND READING: 2 Cor 12: 7-10 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Luke 4: 18). Alleluia, alleluia! The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he sent me to bring the Good news to the poor. Alleluia! GOSPEL: Mark 6: 1-6 REFERENCES: FR. PAUL W. KELLY O'Flynn, S. (2002). Sunday seeds. Dublin: Columba Press. Gutiérrez, G. and Dees, C. (1997). Sharing the Word through the liturgical year. 1st ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books. Sandell, J. (2004). Seasons in the Word. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press. Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. (2012). [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies/Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to our weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: "Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL) Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA) "The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia). Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org. - "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John (Bill) Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. "Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020. - "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. [ Production - KER - 2024] May God bless and keep you.

In this episode of The Open Door (June 26),  panelists Jim Hanink, Christopher Zehnder, and Valerie Niemeyer discuss the role of spiritual direction. Just what is it? What is the ministry of the spiritual director? Our special and welcome guest is Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas. He is a priest of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma. Msgr. Gaalaas retired from parish work in 2022 at the age of 75. But “retirement” has led to “redirection.” He has worked as a spiritual director at Conception Seminary College in Missouri for the past two years. (Full disclosure: Monsignor has known Jim Hanink from the time they were fellow college seminarians at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas.) Msgr. Gaalaas spent his final four years in the seminary at the American College at the University of Louvain in Belgium. There he earned a bachelor's degree in Sacred Theology and a master's degree in Moral and Religious Sciences. Among the questions we'll be asking are the following. You moved from parish work to a Benedictine Abbey. Is there a distinctive Benedictine spirituality?Spiritual direction pairs a spiritual director with a person interested in direction. But how does the average Catholic, if there is such a creature, know whether to seek spiritual direction?What's the difference between spiritual direction and psychological counselling?How does one go about finding a spiritual director? What might one expect if one Google searched “spiritual direction near me”?How does one become a spiritual director? Who can become a spiritual director?Is a personal calling from God requisite for being a spiritual director?Do spiritual directors ordinarily have diocesan recognition?What sort of direction do spiritual directors themselves have?Might we say that the Holy Spirit is at the center of spiritual direction?What are some signs that spiritual direction is going well? Or is not going well?

I welcome Jean-Luc Sergent, a personal friend and Anglican priest with a heart for ministry in France, to share his journey of faith, unity, and hope in a secularized society. Jean-Luc shares insights on the cultural and religious landscapes of France in the last generation or so, emphasizing the importance of unity among Christians and the need for faith, love, and hope amidst challenges. I invited Jean-Luc to specifically highlight a series of songs sourced from the original song "The Blessing," which emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as a unifying force among Christians. The release of a new song in French, based on the ancient hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus", underscores the capacity of music to unite believers across cultural and linguistic boundaries, reflecting the universal impact of faith and worship. This is all happening this spring and summer, under the exciting news of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. As an Anglican priest with a ministry rooted in both France and England, Jean-Luc Sergent brings a unique perspective to the challenges and opportunities in cross-cultural ministry. His journey from Paris to London, the influence of his wife's Catholic background on their faith, and his call to ministry at 35 reflect the interwoven experiences that have shaped his understanding of ministry amidst cultural diversity. We discuss the importance of ecumenical unity between Protestants and Catholics in France as an essential step in bridging denominational divides and standing as a testament to the power of love and faith in a diversified faith landscape. This emphasis on cooperation highlights what happens when believers of different traditions come together to share a message of hope and love under the common banner of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jean-Luc provides a glimpse into the cultural and religious dynamics in France, highlighting the declining percentage of practicing Catholics and evangelicals. This shift poses a significant challenge in a secularized society where the Christian faith has faced marginalization. In this context, it is essential to develop a commitment to fostering unity and cooperation in witnessing about the love of God. Here are a few insights of wisdom I will take away from this conversation, and hope to learn to role-model better in the future: -        Seek unity in faith, love, and hope, especially in a secularized society. -        Embrace ecumenical unity between different Christian denominations for a greater witness of God's love. -        Be open to transitions and callings in life that may lead to unexpected ministry opportunities. -        Look for ways to create a positive impact in my community. -        Welcome the influence of the Holy Spirit and seek to align with biblical and Christian principles. -        Find inspiration and comfort in the Spirit of God, especially during challenging times. -        Journey in faith, while respecting the history, culture, and language of different Christian traditions. -        Ponder the significance of meaningful hymns and songs in providing consolation and blessings to others. -        Value collaborative efforts and movements within the church for positive change and revival. What about YOU? What did YOU take away from this conversation? I'd love to hear from you, so email us or DM us on social media! You have no idea how happy this would make me! CONNECT WITH JEAN-LUC SERGENT THROUGH IMPACT FRANCE Want to know more? Get involved? Specifically with The Blessing France and Jean-Luc: https://impactfrance.org/benediction/ More about Impact France, an amazing ministry: https://impactfrance.org/ MORE ABOUT THE BLESSING FRANCE (“LA BENEDICTION FRANCE”) La Bénédiction France wants people to encounter God and the unity of His people through music. Originally birthed from the 2020 pandemic lockdowns which popularized remote-ensemble worship music videos, La Bénédiction has continued to build on the spirit of its first project, the French version of “The Blessing”. The ministry has gone on to produce and release a video every year since then, and is producing its fifth in 2024. These exceptional-quality projects are not only a beautiful form of worship, but dismantle denominational barriers in the Christian world through the collaboration of talented singers and musicians from hundreds of churches and organizations. Accordingly, La Bénédiction lives out the calls of scripture to offer a sacrifice of praise to God (Heb 13:15) and to let Christian unity be a testimony to all (John 17:23). La Bénédiction also offers musical, artistic and cultural training to all to develop their skills while promoting Christian values. Finally, the ministry collaborates with other charitable and humanitarian organizations through service and organization of events to live out Christian principles of compassion and love of neighbor. Your generosity will allow La Bénédiction to continue to expand on its mission, letting people meet God deeply through soul-moving music, and equipping His people to work in unity to advance the Gospel more fully. Be sure to visit their YouTube channel to see all of their videos! Here: https://www.youtube.com/@LaBenedictionFrance VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS | IN ENGLISH (as read by Stephanie during the episode) Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, Vouchsafe within our souls to rest; Come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid And fill the hearts which Thou hast made. To Thee, the Comforter, we cry, To Thee, the Gift of God Most High, The Fount of life, the Fire of love, The soul's Anointing from above. The sev'n-fold gifts of grace are Thine, O Finger of the Hand Divine; True Promise of the Father Thou, Who dost the tongue with speech endow. Thy light to every thought impart And shed Thy love in every heart; The weakness of our mortal state With deathless might invigorate. Drive far away our wily Foe, And Thine abiding peace bestow; If Thou be our protecting Guide, No evil can our steps betide. Make Thou to us the Father known; Teach us the eternal Son to own And Thee, whose name we ever bless, Of both the Spirit, to confess. Praise we the Father and the Son And Holy Spirit, with them One; And may the Son on us bestow The gifts that from the Spirit flow! Amen. This song is a hymn to the Holy Spirit, composed by Rabanus Maurus in the 8th century. The text expresses gratitude for the Creator's visitation, inspiration, and protection of the soul. About the original author of this hymn (written in Latin): Rabanus Maurus (c. 776-856) or Hrabanus Magnentius Maurus, was born of noble parents at Mainz, and educated at Fulda and Tours under Alcuin, who is reputed to have given him the surname, Maurus, after the saint of that name. In 803, he became director of the school at the Benedictine Abbey at Fulda. He was ordained priest in 814, spending the following years in a pilgrimage to Palestine. In 822, he became Abbott at Fulda, retiring in 842. In 847, he became archbishop of Mainz. He died at Winkel on the Rhine, February 4, 856. This distinguished Carolingian poet-theologian wrote extensive biblical commentaries, the Encyclopaedic De Universo, De Institutione Clericorum, and other works which circulated widely during the Middle Ages. Again, make sure to connect with Jean-Luc and the whole project. Be sure to visit their YouTube channel to see all of their videos! Here: https://www.youtube.com/@LaBenedictionFrance We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B - 2024 (Episode:463) Readings for 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B FIRST READING: Lev 13: 1-2, 44-46 Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 11. "I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble and you fill me with the joy of salvation" SECOND READING: 1 Cor 10: 31—11: 1 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 7: 16). Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people. GOSPEL: Mark 1: 40-45 Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 2259208961 - Jesus Christ of Nazareth Touching a Leper to Heal Him - Illustration Contributor: Carolangoni ++++ References: HOMILY –- Fr Paul W. Kelly Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert.. (2009) [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 2259208961 - Jesus Christ of Nazareth Touching a Leper to Heal Him - Illustration Contributor: Carolangoni Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B (EPISODE:463 ) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You) Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: "Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL) Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA) "The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia). Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org. - "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. "Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020. - "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. [ Production - KER - 2024] May God bless and keep you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today on the podcast we replay a favorite episode withTory Baucum. Tory shares the story of how he went from an Anglican in Washington, DC to a Catholic in Kansas. He also shares what it looks like to seek the flourishing of those around us, no matter where we live.Tory is married to Elizabeth Tyndall Baucum and they have three daughters. In January 2020 he was appointed as the founding Director of the Benedictine Center for Family Life at Benedictine College, an apostolate of Benedictine Abbey. He was also appointed Research Professor of the Carter School of George Mason University where he collaborates with Rabbi Marc Gopin and Bishop Shannon Johnston in the Program of Spiritual Peace building.  

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation. In 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." This belief, dated back to the apostles themselves, became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God. In the early days of Christianity, the "Memory of Mary" was celebrated. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God. Centuries later, it would become the feast of the “Assumption of Mary.” From the beginning, it was clear that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated. Mary had died in the presence of the apostles and they buried the body in Jerusalem. But her tomb, when opened later, was found empty. Her body did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. The apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven. It was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The location of the empty tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage. Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot. All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. Her divine motherhood is celebrated both at Christmas and a week later, on January 1st, on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception, on December the 8th, shows her fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. This feast marks the preparation for her divine motherhood. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. It gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • August 15, 2023, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Alban, Patron Saint of all Torture Victims | June 22   St. Alban, was the first English Christian martyr. He lived in Verulamium sometime during the 3rd century when the Christians were suffering from the cruel persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus. Nothing is recorded about the early life of St. Alban. What we have gathered here is an account according to Venerable Bede, an English monk, scholar and theologian. Bede relates that Alban was not a Christian, but one day he met a Christian priest fleeing from persecutors. Alban kept the priest for some days in his house and watched him pray and meditate. He was so impressed that he decided to imitate the priest. Soon he decided to be a Christian and asked to be baptized. A few days later , someone informed the persecutors that the priest was hiding in Alban's house. When the soldiers pursuing the priest came to Alban's house, without the knowledge of the priest, Alban put on the priest's cloak and presented himself to the soldiers. He was immediately brought to the emperor and was ordered to offer sacrifices to the idols. But he refused saying “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.” in prayer in St. Alban's Enraged, the emperor sentenced him to be scourged and beheaded. As he was being led to execution, they came across a river and Alban prayed that they could cross the wide river. Immediately the water dried up and they crossed it on dry land. When they reached a certain point, Alban prayed that God would give him a drink for he was thirsty. Suddenly, water sprung up at his feet and he was able to drink. Then, one of the soldiers gave him a fatal blow and his head dropped to the ground. The soldier who killed him, however, also died with his eyes popping out of its head and fell off to the ground beside the head of Alban. Meanwhile Alban's head rolled down and on the spot where it stopped a spring of water gushed up. These miracles converted some soldiers. Today's St. Alban's Cathedral stands on this spot. After its destruction by the enemies of the Church the Cathedral was remodeled and improved. At 85 meters long, it has the longest nave of any cathedral in England. The present building is of Romanesque architecture with Gothic and 19th century arts. The present church officially called The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Albans and often referred as “the Abbey” is a church in England in the former Verulamium, now St. Albans. But there is a real Benedictine Abbey of monastic life founded beside it about 794 by King Offa. This Abbey still exists today, was remodeled and improved and other monasteries were established, including a monastery for nuns.  It is recorded that a part of the improved building was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1982. Today, there are several churches and schools in some parts of England built and maintained in memory of St. Albans, where they also keep some of his relics. The largest relic of this saint is his thigh preserved at St. Michael's Benedictine Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, which was transferred from St. Pantaleon's reliquary in the 1950's. St. Albans is venerated as the English Protomartyr. He is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on June 22 and he continues to be venerated by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Communions. Every year, during the weekend closest to his feast, St. Alban's Cathedral is host to a celebration called “Alban Pilgrimage” performed around the city of St. Albans, re-enacting Alban's martyrdom. Virtue: integrity, empathy, compassion, kindness, bravery, commitment and fortitude Prayer: “St. Alban, help us to imitate your faith to worship and adore the living God alone and reject the idols of our modern world.”          

Scott and Karl begin their discussion of Father Francis Bethel's biography that examines the life and thought of "cultural critic, university professor, and sometime cowboy," John Senior.  John Senior is the founder of Clear Creek Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. He is the author of both The Death of Christian Culture and The Restoration of Christian Culture. As Karl points out, this biography doesn't so much delve into the details of Senior's life but focuses on his ideas.  Scott says, "One of [Senior's] assumptions, and I think he's right, is that Proper Christian culture is the underpinning behind the real metaphysics that built the West and the metaphysics that tied, past tense, science to reality. Senior thinks we are getting away from being tied to the real world and that our metaphysics is busted." It's clear to see how John Senior is one of Scott's heroes. Tune in to the first half of the duo's discussion on the restoration of realism. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

The monk and poet Dom Sylvester Houédard (1924-92) used his Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter to fuse art and writing in concrete poetry. Born in 1924 he worked in Army Intelligence in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore during the Second World war and in 1949 he joined the Benedictine Abbey of Prinknash, Gloucestershire. Matthew Sweet looks at his life and art with guests Nicola Simpson, Rey Conquer, Charles Verey and Greg Thomas. Charles Verey is writing a biography of Dom Sylvester Houédard and jointly editing a book of talks given by Dom Sylvester in the context of Beshara, in the last years of his life. Nicola Simpson is editor of The Cosmic Typewriter, The Life and Work of Dom Sylvester Houédard (Occasional Papers, 2012) and curator of The Cosmic Typewriter exhibition and symposium (South London Gallery, 2012) and The Yoga of Concrete (Norwich University of the Arts, 2010). Her research interests focus on the influence of Zen and Vajrayana Buddhism on British Conceptual Art of the 1960s and 1970s. She has also worked on an online exhibition at the Lisson Gallery Greg Thomas is a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh studying concrete poetry. Rey Conquer writes on poetry and religion and lectures in German at the University of Oxford and researches the problem religious belief in art and literature poses to the secular imagination. Producer: Luke Mulhall

It's raining, it's pouring Old Nick is Snoring... Or seemingly having saucy phootshoots in remote chapels...exploring Abbotsbury in the rain, and searching out the ruins and remains of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter that didn't survive the dissolution but survive in various bits in walls, houses and indeed St Catherine's Chapel which is dry and I did two sketches with these strange people hanging around and waiting...as I left I realised the woman was in a black robe and while I was trying to dry one of my pieces in the doorway I heard all this demonic whispering and whistling from inside! So yeah I joke about Folk horror and all this stuff but it is there, even if it is seemingly cheesy Dennis Wheatley photoshoots by Spaniards.... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jaunt/message

Fr Xavier Perrin is the Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Quarr on the Isle of Wight. He is the author of 'In the School of Saint Benedict: Benedictine Spirituality for Every Christian' and today shares with us his wisdom on living St Benedict's spirituality in the twenty-first century.

This is dialogue on angels with Father Bede Griffiths, Rupert's principal teacher, and the only public dialogue they ever had. Recorded in Munich in 1992 at the Benedictine Abbey of  St Boniface on September 29, the feast of St Michael and All Angels. Father Bede, also known as Swami Dayananda, was a British-born priest and Benedictine monk who became a noted yogi in South India and was a part of the Christian Ashram Movement.Recorded in Munich at the Benedictine Abbey of St Boniface, on September 29th, 1992.

The 14th century writer THOMAS À KEMPIS may be best known for his most famous work, The Imitation of Christ, but now a new volume by TAN books they have uncovered an important work simply titled Humility, and the elevation of the mind to God.  My guest today is Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB a Catholic priest, and a monk of the Benedictine Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity, in New Norcia, Western Australia.  Father Nixon   has translated these works, making them available for the first time in the English Language.

Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Luke 4: 21-30 - Sr Magdalen entered the Benedictine Abbey at Jamberoo, NSW in 1996 and made her Solemn Monastic Profession in 2001. Since entering Sr Magdalen has studied for an MA (Theol.) which she completed in 2006 and has been certified in the formation of Prayer Companions program from Mary McKillop centre in North Sydney (1999). She has guided guests in spiritual direction for the last 21 years and has completed studies with the Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program, taught from BenetHill Monastery in Colorado USA, as ongoing formation in the area of spiritual direction. She is currently a member of the Global Online Benedictine Spiritual Direction Program team. Since 1998, Sr Magdalen has led retreats and regular weekly meditation and centering prayer sessions for retreatants. During this time of Covid 19, Sr Magdalen has offered reflections which are posted on our website and is developing and offering online retreats. Her Benedictine spirituality resonates within the perennial wisdom tradition and she is passionate about engaging in spiritual conversation which can explore the depths of our tradition and provide affirmation, encouragement and practical tips, for those engaged on the journey of contemplative spiritual exploration and practice. As chantress her love of music and song finds expression in the praise and prayer offered in the Divine Office and she is privileged to have the care of one of our dogs, beautiful Keira, our five-year-old German Shepherd.

Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin is a singer-songwriter as well as an academic. She has worked with the likes of celebrated Irish poets Seamus Heaney and Ciaran Carson and has sung and recorded with many Irish folk musicians. She has recorded her own original songs as well as uncovering in her research ancient songs and putting them to music. This is a wide ranging interview where we touch on both her music, her life and career as well as spirituality in Ireland. She also sang a few songs from some of her research and albums. This interview was recorded in the Holy Cross Abbey in Rostrevor. The monks from the Benedictine Abbey kindly let us use their church which is a perfect backdrop for Pádraigin's beautiful and poignant voice. Pádraigin is a national treasure and is another signpost to an Ireland that treasures it's mystical past but in a way that transcends sectarian and religious divides. Her work can be found at www.irishsong.com

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, August 22, 2021 (EPISODE:317) Readings for Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B FIRST READING: Josh 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b Ps 34: 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21 . “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” SECOND READING: Eph 5: 21-32 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 6: 63c+68c). Alleluia, alleluia! Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. You have the words of everlasting life. GOSPEL: John 6: 60-69 Shutterstock Licensed Image Credit: ID: 1991663219 -Jerusalem – June 26, 2015 – View of Jerusalem's cityscape through the Christian altar and stained-glass window the Sanctuary of Dominus Flevit (Roman Catholic church) at the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem, Israel. By Mltz References: Homily – fr peter Dillon Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of John Part I. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press. Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. . [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies/ Shutterstock Licensed Image Credit: ID: 1991663219 -Jerusalem – June 26, 2015 – View of Jerusalem's cityscape through the Christian altar and stained-glass window the Sanctuary of Dominus Flevit (Roman Catholic church) at the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem, Israel. By Mltz ++++++++ Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to our weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: "Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL) Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA) "The Psalms” ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia). Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org. - "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John (Bill) Kelly (1942-2017) - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. “Quiet Time.” Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020. - “Today I Arise” - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly. Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.  Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software  NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44  Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor [ Production - KER - 2021] May God bless and keep you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saint Boniface, Apostle of GermanySaint Boniface the Apostle of Germany, may not be well known in the United States, however he brought Catholicism to Germany.  He is greatly admired in Germany and other European countries.  He is venerated not only by the Catholic Church, but by the Lutherans, as well as the Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox.We've said this before, but when there is a crisis in God's Church, he raises up a powerful Saint to do the task.  In this instance, He chose a young man filled with the Spirit, from what is today known as Great Britain.  He sent him to what is today Germany to evangelize and convert the Old Saxons, the people of Germany who were Catholic but had lost their way.  And that was just the beginning.  Before his life was over, he had evangelized all of Germany, and had become Primate of Germany.  If that wasn't enough, when that was done, he went over to France to convert and bring back to the Faith those who had left.  But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  Let's start at the beginning. Boniface was born in Crediton in Devonshire, England in 675-680 and baptized Winfrid. His was a noble family.  He was given an early training in our Faith.  He felt a calling to the religious life at 5 years old.  His spirituality attracted the attention of various religious men, who suggested he study under the brothers and priests.  At 7 years old, he went to a monastery where he excelled in learning scripture, Latin and lecturing.  At 14 years old, he graduated to the next level, a Benedictine Abbey. Continued here Would you like to watch Catholic Videoson your TV, Computer or Phone?Well now you can do just that!Watch on Computer or any device www.bobandpennylord.tvSupport the show (https://bobandpennylord.store/pages/we-need-your-help)

Montserrat is a natural wonder, a rocky mountain range that rises from the plains of central Catalonia. It's a holy place, home to La Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat, and a Benedictine Abbey with a history stretching back one thousand years. Alan Ruiz Terol visits the Escolania de Montserrat, a 700-year-old boys' choir, and chats to Lorcan Doherty about what makes this place so special, for Catalans and visitors alike. 

A ghostly Franco visits an elderly man in the latest novel by Patrick McGrath. He joins historian Duncan Wheeler and the makers of a prize winning documentary Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, as Rana Mitter's guests for a discussion of the Spanish Civil War, the ghosts and silences that remain and how history is now being written. The Silence of Others, backed by Pedro Almodóvar and directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar has been screened at festivals across the world and has picked up many prizes. https://thesilenceofothers.com/ Duncan Wheeler is Chair of Spanish Studies at the University of Leeds and has published Following Franco: Spanish Culture and Politics in Transition. Patrick McGrath is the author of novels including Spider which was filmed by David Cronenburg, Asylum which was adapted by Patrick Marber and short stories collected under the title Writing Madness. His new novel depicting Francis McNulty, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, has the title Last Days in Cleaver Square. Producer: Ruth Watts On the Free Thinking website you can find past episodes with Rana Mitter discussing history and Pakistan, War in fact and fiction from World War I to African conflicts; What does a black history curriculum look like? and Deep Time and Human History. All episodes are available to download as Arts & Ideas podcasts. New Generation Thinker Anindya Raychaudhuri's postcard about aerial bombardment and the Spanish Civil War is on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p046wn7w Image: Valley of the Fallen from above which shows the Benedictine Abbey, near Madrid, Spain Credit: BBC/Craig Hastings

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B - Sunday, February 14, 2021 (EPISODE: 278) Readings for 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B FIRST READING: Lev 13: 1-2, 44-46 Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 11. “I turn to you, lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation” SECOND READING: 1 Cor 10: 31—11: 1 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 7: 16). Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people. GOSPEL: Mark 1: 40-45 Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 1193925694. Biblical vector illustration series, Jesus heals the man with leprosy. By rudall30 References: HOMILY – FR PETER DILLON PROLOGUE - Fr Paul W. Kelly Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert.. (2009) [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: "Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL) Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA) "The Psalms” ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers. Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia). Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org. - "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. “Quiet Time.” Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020. - “Today I Arise” - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick’s Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019. [ Production - KER - 2021] May God bless and keep you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Today on the podcast we welcome, Tory Baucum. Tory shares the story of how he went from an Anglican in Washington, DC to a Catholic in Kansas. He also shares what it looks like to seek the flourishing of those around us, no matter where we live.Tory is married to Elizabeth Tyndall Baucum and they have three daughters. In January 2020 he was appointed as the founding Director of the Benedictine Center for Family Life at Benedictine College, an apostolate of Benedictine Abbey. He was also appointed Research Professor of the Carter School of George Mason University where he collaborates with Rabbi Marc Gopin and Bishop Shannon Johnston in the Program of Spiritual Peace building.

Since the movie “The Wizard of Oz” there has been a train of movies, television shows, and Broadway musicals and plays, that continue to promote the virtues of the “good” witch. Is that even possible? In today's podcast we look at a story about a real witch to see what the Bible says about witchcraft and all things occult.  Arial photo of beautiful Subiaco Academy and Benedictine Abbey. in Subiaco, Arkansas.1 Samuel 28 – The Witch of Endor Deuteronomy 18:10-12 – the forbidden occult practices YouVersion The Bible App Multifaceted Bible with audio capabilities!Bible.Is Audio BibleSome podcast players will allow the hyperlink access embedded in the word "HERE". For those who don't import that function you can copy and past the full internet address listed below the reference. gwot.rocks home pagehttp://podcast.gwot.rocksTransform This City FacebookYou can help support this podcast by clicking here to access our secure PayPal link found on our website. Email us at gwot.rocks@transformthiscity.orgClick HERE for BibleProject on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/c/TheBibleProject/featuredClick HERE for BibleProject full slate of resources, including localized their localized channels in at least 18 languages, with over 2.8 million subscribers worldwide - https://www.tbp.xyz/languagesJesus-Plan of Salvation (a YouTube animated short). https://youtu.be/e-71IaDiUkYJESUS FilmThis full-length feature tells the story of Jesus and God's plan to redeem mankind to himself. The film is based on the Gospel of Luke, and has been translated into more than 1,600 languages and shown in virtually every country.You can watch it for free here: https://www.jesusfilm.org/watch/jesus.html/english.htmlor down load the movie for free. Also available in 1827 other languages!Thank you for listening! Please tell your friends about us! Listen, share, rate! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

  Today's episode is a beginning. It does not YET represent rigorous research, but only a skimming. My opinion at the beginning of this journey is a middle opinion. Call me a Shroud agnostic, at least for now. There are Shroud atheists out there that quickly and completely dismiss the Shroud. They may be right, but I'm not sure they've thoroughly researched their conclusions. Likewise, many faithful Shroud believers seemingly assume its real and don't really interact with some legitimate reasons for debunking. The fact is that there is pretty solid evidence on both sides, which probably explains why The Shroud still has its believers and detractors. This is not a religious issue for me - I am firmly convinced that Jesus rose from the dead with or without The Shroud, and even wrote a book about the resurrection of Jesus. (Easter: Fact or Fiction.) Why should I - a Baptist preacher who doesn't believe at all in the Roman Catholic concept of relics or icons,  do a long series on the Shroud of Turin? Protestants have taken two positions on the Shroud over the years. I can neatly frame those two positions by quoting from two of my heroes, Charles Spurgeon and C.S. Lewis: On the negative, anti-Shroud side, we have Charles Spurgeon:  Spurgeon on the Shroud: Do you not think, too, that some seekers miss comfort because they forget that Jesus Christ is alive? The Christ of the Church of Rome is always seen in one of two positions—either as a babe in his mother's arms, or else as dead. That is Rome's Christ, but our Christ is alive. Jesus who rose has “left the dead no more to die.” I was requested in Turin to join with others in asking to see the shroud in which the Saviour was buried. I must confess that I had not faith enough to believe in the shroud, nor had I curiosity enough to wish to look at the fictitious linen. I would not care a penny for the article, even if I knew it to be genuine. Our Lord has left his shroud and sepulchre, and lives in heaven. To-night he so lives that a sigh of yours will reach him, a tear will find him, a desire in your heart will bring him to you. Only seek him as a loving, living Saviour, and put your trust in him as risen from the dead no more to die, and comfort will, I trust, come into your spirit. C. H. Spurgeon, “A Gospel Sermon to Outsiders,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 23 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1877), 701–702. On the more open side and curious side, we have C.S. Lewis:  Dear Sister Penelope I am ashamed of having grumbled. And your act was not that of a brute—in operation it was more like that of an angel, for (as I said) you started me on a quite new realisation of what is meant by being ‘in Christ', and immediately after that ‘the power which erring men call chance' put into my hands Mascall's two books in the Signpost series which continued the process.102 So I lived for a week end (at Aberystwyth) in one of those delightful vernal periods when doctrines that have hitherto been only buried seeds begin actually to come up—like snowdrops or crocuses. I won't deny they've met a touch of frost since (if only things would last, or rather if only we would!) but I'm still very much, and gladly, in your debt. The only real evil of having read your scripts when I was tired is that it was hardly fair to them and not v. useful to you. I enclose the MS. of Screwtape. If it is not a trouble I shd. like you to keep it safe until the book is printed (in case the one the publisher has got blitzed)—after that it can be made into spills or used to stuff dolls or anything. Thank you very much for the photo of the Shroud. It raises a whole question on which I shall have to straighten out my thought one of these days. yours sincerely Clive Lewis C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, ed. Walter Hooper, vol. 2 (New York: HarperCollins e-books; HarperSanFrancisco, 2004–2007), 493–494. I note here that Lewis had the picture of the head of the Shroud of Turin framed, and it hung on the wall of his bedroom for the rest of his life. On this particular issue, count me with C.S. Lewis - at least for now. While I believe Spurgeon is correct in condemning Shroudish idolatry, or the worship of The Shroud, I think he was too hasty in his conclusion that The Shroud was an absolute fake. It certainly may be, but it would appear that Spurgeon's theological prejudice against the Roman Catholic church led him to dismiss the Shroud's genuineness as a possibility, rather than some scientific, theological or historical reason. Top Ten Facts about the Shroud of Turin:  1 Coins in eyes.  Perhaps the most compelling ‘fact' about The Shroud is not a fact in everybody's eyes. I've erased and retyped that sentence now twice, because it was a legit, “no pun intended.” line. Be that as it may, researchers have apparently discovered what may be coins in the place of the eye-sockets on the image of the man in The Shroud. (Because the image is so small, there is heavy debate about this ‘discovery.')  We are going to possibly spend an entire episode on this one issue, so I'm not going to go too deeply into it now, but the supposed coins at least appear to be first century coins - and there is some evidence - scant, but some - that Jewish people of the first two centuries were buried with coins in their eyes.   2. You've probably heard that The Shroud was carbon 14 dated and found conclusively to be a medieval hoax. That conclusion was highly debated in the 1980s, and has been ever since. More recently, data has surfaced that has cast more doubt on the original conclusion. Researcher Tristan Casabianca and his team were able to gain access to the raw data of the original 1989 dating, and found some significant issues. In a recent interview with the French “New Man” magazine, Casabianca says: “In 1989, the results of the shroud dating were published in the prestigious journal Nature: between 1260 and 1390 with 95% certainty. But for thirty years, researchers have asked the laboratories for raw data. These have always refused to provide them. In 2017, I submitted a legal request to the British Museum, which supervised the laboratories. Thus, I had access to hundreds of unpublished pages, which include these raw data. With my team, we conducted their analysis. Our statistical analysis shows that the 1988 carbon 14 dating was unreliable: the tested samples are obviously heterogeneous, [showing many different dates], and there is no guarantee that all these samples, taken from one end of the sheet, are representative of the whole fabric. It is therefore impossible to conclude that the shroud of Turin dates from the Middle Ages.”  As I mentioned at the beginning - I'm a Shroud agnostic at this point. I've heard various reasons to debunk the 1989 dating of the Shroud for years, and I've heard people confidently quote that dating as if that completely and utterly convinced them. I remain unpersuaded either way...at this point. 3.. The blood stains on The Shroud appear to be human blood. From Historycollection.co: Many skeptics regarding the Shroud of Turin's authenticity have long claimed that the image seen on the linen cloth is nothing more than a figure that an artist painted. In 1978, scholar John Jackson got permission from the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist to carry out tests to determine what kind of paint may have been used. What he found when he tested pieces of the cloth is that no binding or mixing agents were used in the color, meaning that it did not correspond with the known painting practices of the fourteenth century. In fact, what was used to create the image on the shroud wasn't paint at all. It was blood. Jackson's truly astounding find, though, was that it was human blood on the shroud. The blood type has been identified as type AB. Furthermore, there are two distinctive types of blood found on the cover: pre-mortem blood, the kind before a person dies, and post-mortem, which has undergone changes following death.  4.  The Shroud has withstood the rigors of time, and multiple disasters. This, of course, doesn't guarantee its authenticity, but it is curious. In 1503, the Shroud was displayed at Bourg-en-Bresse for Archduke Philip the Handsome, who was the grandmaster of Flanders. A contemporary account by a courtier that was present named Antoine de Lalaing writes about the 1503 display of the Shroud: "The day of the great and holy Friday, the Passion was preached in Monsignor's chapel by his confessor, the duke and duchess attending. Then they went with great devotion to the market halls of the town, where a great number of people heard the Passion preached by a Cordeilier. After that three bishops showed to the public the Holy Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and after the service it was shown in Monsignor's chapel." Of more interest to us here, Lalaing also mentions that the authenticity of The Shroud is seemingly proved  by its having been tried by fire, boiled in oil, laundered many times 'but it was not possible to efface or remove the imprint and image.' 29 years after Lalaing wrote this, the entire chapel that held The Shroud burned, and its protective case melted. The Shroud itself suffered little damage beyond some scorching and one small hole that was brought about by melted silver dripping through. 5. Whether you believe the Shroud is the true burial cloth of Jesus or not, all agree that the Shroud is very old and very fragile. Most cloth from hundreds of years ago has long since disintegrated, so to protect the Shroud from damage, it is kept inside a hermetically sealed box that is filled with 99.5 percent argon and .5 percent oxygen. Why argon? Well, if you remember your high school chemistry, then you might remember that Argon is a noble gas, and noble gases are largely inert, meaning that they don't react with many other elements. This means that decay and breakdown are much less likely6. The burial cloth of Jesus is indeed mentioned in the Bible.  Luke 23: 50 There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, 51 who had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God. 52 He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 53 Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed. Luke 24: 9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went home, amazed at what had happened. John 19: 40 Then they took Jesus' body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was a garden in the place where He was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation and since the tomb was nearby. John 20: 3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. It is quite significant that both Luke AND John mention the burial cloth of Jesus. Luke is part of what is called the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke. They are considered highly related and all three contain very similar wording and material in places, which have caused some to speculate that there was an earlier oral (or written) source that all three accounts drew from, sometimes that source is called ‘Q,' which stands for the French word Quelle (which means ‘what' in French, but can also mean ‘source.' John, however, is not usually considered to be derived from the Q source, so it is an additional layer of attestation that Jesus was buried in a linen cloth. 7. It is also mentioned multiple times by Early Church Fathers. For instance: ORIGEN (184-253 AD): “He wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and put it in a new tomb” where no one was buried, thus preserving the body of Jesus for its glorious resurrection. But I think that this shroud was much cleaner from the time it was used to cover Christ's body than it ever had been before. For the body of Jesus retained its own integrity, even in death, so that it cleansed everything it touched and renewed even the new tomb which had been cut from rock.  Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 300. HILARY OF POITIERS (310-367): Joseph of Arimathea, having asked Pilate to return Jesus' body, wrapped it in a shroud, placed it in a new tomb carved out from a rock and rolled a stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Although this may indeed be the order of events and although it was necessary to bury him who would rise from the dead, these deeds are nevertheless recounted individually because each of them is not without some importance. Joseph is called a disciple of the Lord because he was an image of the apostles, even though he was not numbered among the twelve apostles. It was he who wrapped the Lord's body in a clean linen shroud; in this same linen we find all kinds of animals descending to Peter from heaven.7 It is perhaps not too extravagant to understand from this parallel that the church is buried with Christ under the name of the linen shroud.8 Just as in the linen, so also in the confession of the church are gathered the full diversity of living beings, both pure and impure. The body of the Lord, therefore, through the teaching of the apostles, is laid to rest in the empty tomb newly cut from a rock. In other words, their teaching introduced Christ into the hardness of the Gentile heart, which was uncut, empty and previously impervious to the fear of God. And because he is the only one who should penetrate our hearts, a stone was rolled over the entrance to the tomb, so that just as no one previous to him had been introduced as the author of divine knowledge, neither would anyone be brought in after him. From Hilary's commentary on Matthew.  Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 300. BEDE: The vanity of the rich, who even in their graves cannot do without their riches, receives its condemnation from the simple and unassuming interment of the Lord. Hence indeed the custom of the church was derived, that the sacrifice of the altar should not be commemorated by wrapping the elements in silk, or any colored cloth, but in linen; as the body of the Lord was buried in clean fine linen Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 227. 8. Sadly, devotion to the Shroud (which might be idolatry...more on this later) has actually led to deaths. For example, in May of 1647 at a public showing of the Shroud, some members of the large crowd die of suffocation. What a terrifying way to go!  9. In September of 1939 at the dawn of World War 2, the Shroud is secretly taken to the Benedictine Abbey of Montevergine approximately 588 miles away. During the journey, the Shroud passes through Naples and Rome. The Shroud was returned to Turin in 1946, post war. In explaining the decision to move the Shroud, Father Andrea Cardin (the library curator at Montevergine) wrote, “"The Holy Shroud was moved in secret to the sanctuary in the Campania region on the precise orders of the House of Savoy and the Vatican. "Officially this was to protect it from possible bombing (in Turin). In reality, it was moved to hide it from Hitler who was apparently obsessed by it. When he visited Italy in 1938, top-ranking Nazi aides asked unusual and insistent questions about the Shroud." It should be remembered here that Italy was allied with Germany during WW2, but the Italians still sought to protect their most precious artifact from Hitler.  Interestingly, Father Cardin notes that the Nazis almost located The Shroud, "In 1943 when German troops searched the Montevergine church, the monks there pretended to be in deep prayer before the altar, inside which the relic was hidden. This was the only reason it wasn't discovered." 10. In 1898, Secondo Pia, an Italian photographer, takes the first ever photograph of The Shroud.  Just four years afterwards, in 1902, an agnostic professor of anatomy named Yves Delage wrote and presented a scientific paper (to the Academy of Sciences in Paris) that made a strong case for the Shroud not being a forgery, but a genuine medical artifact. Dr. Delage concluded that the image therein was likely the body of Christ. With that, I'll close this episode with a word from Shroud critic, and personal hero Charles Spurgeon:  Next to this, our faith most earnestly and intensely fixes itself upon the Christ of God. We trust in Jesus; we believe all that inspired history saith of him; not making a myth of him, or his life, but taking it as a matter of fact that God dwelt in very deed among men in human flesh, and that an atonement was really and truly offered by the incarnate God upon the cross of Calvary. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ to us is not alone a Saviour of the past. We believe that he has “ascended up on high, leading captivity captive,” and that he “ever liveth to make intercession for us.” I saw in the cathedral at Turin a very remarkable sight, namely, the pretended graveclothes of the Lord Jesus Christ, which are devoutly worshipped by crowds of Romanists. I could not help observing as I gazed upon these relics, that the ensigns of the death of Christ were all of him that the Romish church possessed. They may well show the true cross, for they crucify him afresh; they may well pray in his sepulchre, for he is not there, or in their church: and they may well claim his graveclothes, for they know only a dead Christ. But, beloved brethren, our Christ is not dead, neither has he fallen asleep, he still walks among the golden candlesticks, and holds the stars in his right hand.  AMEN.  C. H. Spurgeon, The Sword and Trowel: 1872 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1872), 150.

  Today's episode is a beginning. It does not YET represent rigorous research, but only a skimming. My opinion at the beginning of this journey is a middle opinion. Call me a Shroud agnostic, at least for now. There are Shroud atheists out there that quickly and completely dismiss the Shroud. They may be right, but I'm not sure they've thoroughly researched their conclusions. Likewise, many faithful Shroud believers seemingly assume its real and don't really interact with some legitimate reasons for debunking. The fact is that there is pretty solid evidence on both sides, which probably explains why The Shroud still has its believers and detractors. This is not a religious issue for me - I am firmly convinced that Jesus rose from the dead with or without The Shroud, and even wrote a book about the resurrection of Jesus. (Easter: Fact or Fiction.) Why should I - a Baptist preacher who doesn't believe at all in the Roman Catholic concept of relics or icons,  do a long series on the Shroud of Turin? Protestants have taken two positions on the Shroud over the years. I can neatly frame those two positions by quoting from two of my heroes, Charles Spurgeon and C.S. Lewis: On the negative, anti-Shroud side, we have Charles Spurgeon:  Spurgeon on the Shroud: Do you not think, too, that some seekers miss comfort because they forget that Jesus Christ is alive? The Christ of the Church of Rome is always seen in one of two positions—either as a babe in his mother's arms, or else as dead. That is Rome's Christ, but our Christ is alive. Jesus who rose has “left the dead no more to die.” I was requested in Turin to join with others in asking to see the shroud in which the Saviour was buried. I must confess that I had not faith enough to believe in the shroud, nor had I curiosity enough to wish to look at the fictitious linen. I would not care a penny for the article, even if I knew it to be genuine. Our Lord has left his shroud and sepulchre, and lives in heaven. To-night he so lives that a sigh of yours will reach him, a tear will find him, a desire in your heart will bring him to you. Only seek him as a loving, living Saviour, and put your trust in him as risen from the dead no more to die, and comfort will, I trust, come into your spirit. C. H. Spurgeon, “A Gospel Sermon to Outsiders,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 23 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1877), 701–702. On the more open side and curious side, we have C.S. Lewis:  Dear Sister Penelope I am ashamed of having grumbled. And your act was not that of a brute—in operation it was more like that of an angel, for (as I said) you started me on a quite new realisation of what is meant by being ‘in Christ', and immediately after that ‘the power which erring men call chance' put into my hands Mascall's two books in the Signpost series which continued the process.102 So I lived for a week end (at Aberystwyth) in one of those delightful vernal periods when doctrines that have hitherto been only buried seeds begin actually to come up—like snowdrops or crocuses. I won't deny they've met a touch of frost since (if only things would last, or rather if only we would!) but I'm still very much, and gladly, in your debt. The only real evil of having read your scripts when I was tired is that it was hardly fair to them and not v. useful to you. I enclose the MS. of Screwtape. If it is not a trouble I shd. like you to keep it safe until the book is printed (in case the one the publisher has got blitzed)—after that it can be made into spills or used to stuff dolls or anything. Thank you very much for the photo of the Shroud. It raises a whole question on which I shall have to straighten out my thought one of these days. yours sincerely Clive Lewis C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, ed. Walter Hooper, vol. 2 (New York: HarperCollins e-books; HarperSanFrancisco, 2004–2007), 493–494. I note here that Lewis had the picture of the head of the Shroud of Turin framed, and it hung on the wall of his bedroom for the rest of his life. On this particular issue, count me with C.S. Lewis - at least for now. While I believe Spurgeon is correct in condemning Shroudish idolatry, or the worship of The Shroud, I think he was too hasty in his conclusion that The Shroud was an absolute fake. It certainly may be, but it would appear that Spurgeon's theological prejudice against the Roman Catholic church led him to dismiss the Shroud's genuineness as a possibility, rather than some scientific, theological or historical reason. Top Ten Facts about the Shroud of Turin:  1 Coins in eyes.  Perhaps the most compelling ‘fact' about The Shroud is not a fact in everybody's eyes. I've erased and retyped that sentence now twice, because it was a legit, “no pun intended.” line. Be that as it may, researchers have apparently discovered what may be coins in the place of the eye-sockets on the image of the man in The Shroud. (Because the image is so small, there is heavy debate about this ‘discovery.')  We are going to possibly spend an entire episode on this one issue, so I'm not going to go too deeply into it now, but the supposed coins at least appear to be first century coins - and there is some evidence - scant, but some - that Jewish people of the first two centuries were buried with coins in their eyes.   2. You've probably heard that The Shroud was carbon 14 dated and found conclusively to be a medieval hoax. That conclusion was highly debated in the 1980s, and has been ever since. More recently, data has surfaced that has cast more doubt on the original conclusion. Researcher Tristan Casabianca and his team were able to gain access to the raw data of the original 1989 dating, and found some significant issues. In a recent interview with the French “New Man” magazine, Casabianca says: “In 1989, the results of the shroud dating were published in the prestigious journal Nature: between 1260 and 1390 with 95% certainty. But for thirty years, researchers have asked the laboratories for raw data. These have always refused to provide them. In 2017, I submitted a legal request to the British Museum, which supervised the laboratories. Thus, I had access to hundreds of unpublished pages, which include these raw data. With my team, we conducted their analysis. Our statistical analysis shows that the 1988 carbon 14 dating was unreliable: the tested samples are obviously heterogeneous, [showing many different dates], and there is no guarantee that all these samples, taken from one end of the sheet, are representative of the whole fabric. It is therefore impossible to conclude that the shroud of Turin dates from the Middle Ages.”  As I mentioned at the beginning - I'm a Shroud agnostic at this point. I've heard various reasons to debunk the 1989 dating of the Shroud for years, and I've heard people confidently quote that dating as if that completely and utterly convinced them. I remain unpersuaded either way...at this point. 3.. The blood stains on The Shroud appear to be human blood. From Historycollection.co: Many skeptics regarding the Shroud of Turin's authenticity have long claimed that the image seen on the linen cloth is nothing more than a figure that an artist painted. In 1978, scholar John Jackson got permission from the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist to carry out tests to determine what kind of paint may have been used. What he found when he tested pieces of the cloth is that no binding or mixing agents were used in the color, meaning that it did not correspond with the known painting practices of the fourteenth century. In fact, what was used to create the image on the shroud wasn't paint at all. It was blood. Jackson's truly astounding find, though, was that it was human blood on the shroud. The blood type has been identified as type AB. Furthermore, there are two distinctive types of blood found on the cover: pre-mortem blood, the kind before a person dies, and post-mortem, which has undergone changes following death.  4.  The Shroud has withstood the rigors of time, and multiple disasters. This, of course, doesn't guarantee its authenticity, but it is curious. In 1503, the Shroud was displayed at Bourg-en-Bresse for Archduke Philip the Handsome, who was the grandmaster of Flanders. A contemporary account by a courtier that was present named Antoine de Lalaing writes about the 1503 display of the Shroud: "The day of the great and holy Friday, the Passion was preached in Monsignor's chapel by his confessor, the duke and duchess attending. Then they went with great devotion to the market halls of the town, where a great number of people heard the Passion preached by a Cordeilier. After that three bishops showed to the public the Holy Shroud of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and after the service it was shown in Monsignor's chapel." Of more interest to us here, Lalaing also mentions that the authenticity of The Shroud is seemingly proved  by its having been tried by fire, boiled in oil, laundered many times 'but it was not possible to efface or remove the imprint and image.' 29 years after Lalaing wrote this, the entire chapel that held The Shroud burned, and its protective case melted. The Shroud itself suffered little damage beyond some scorching and one small hole that was brought about by melted silver dripping through. 5. Whether you believe the Shroud is the true burial cloth of Jesus or not, all agree that the Shroud is very old and very fragile. Most cloth from hundreds of years ago has long since disintegrated, so to protect the Shroud from damage, it is kept inside a hermetically sealed box that is filled with 99.5 percent argon and .5 percent oxygen. Why argon? Well, if you remember your high school chemistry, then you might remember that Argon is a noble gas, and noble gases are largely inert, meaning that they don't react with many other elements. This means that decay and breakdown are much less likely6. The burial cloth of Jesus is indeed mentioned in the Bible.  Luke 23: 50 There was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, 51 who had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God. 52 He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 53 Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed. Luke 24: 9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went home, amazed at what had happened. John 19: 40 Then they took Jesus' body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was a garden in the place where He was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation and since the tomb was nearby. John 20: 3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. It is quite significant that both Luke AND John mention the burial cloth of Jesus. Luke is part of what is called the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke. They are considered highly related and all three contain very similar wording and material in places, which have caused some to speculate that there was an earlier oral (or written) source that all three accounts drew from, sometimes that source is called ‘Q,' which stands for the French word Quelle (which means ‘what' in French, but can also mean ‘source.' John, however, is not usually considered to be derived from the Q source, so it is an additional layer of attestation that Jesus was buried in a linen cloth. 7. It is also mentioned multiple times by Early Church Fathers. For instance: ORIGEN (184-253 AD): “He wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and put it in a new tomb” where no one was buried, thus preserving the body of Jesus for its glorious resurrection. But I think that this shroud was much cleaner from the time it was used to cover Christ's body than it ever had been before. For the body of Jesus retained its own integrity, even in death, so that it cleansed everything it touched and renewed even the new tomb which had been cut from rock.  Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 300. HILARY OF POITIERS (310-367): Joseph of Arimathea, having asked Pilate to return Jesus' body, wrapped it in a shroud, placed it in a new tomb carved out from a rock and rolled a stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Although this may indeed be the order of events and although it was necessary to bury him who would rise from the dead, these deeds are nevertheless recounted individually because each of them is not without some importance. Joseph is called a disciple of the Lord because he was an image of the apostles, even though he was not numbered among the twelve apostles. It was he who wrapped the Lord's body in a clean linen shroud; in this same linen we find all kinds of animals descending to Peter from heaven.7 It is perhaps not too extravagant to understand from this parallel that the church is buried with Christ under the name of the linen shroud.8 Just as in the linen, so also in the confession of the church are gathered the full diversity of living beings, both pure and impure. The body of the Lord, therefore, through the teaching of the apostles, is laid to rest in the empty tomb newly cut from a rock. In other words, their teaching introduced Christ into the hardness of the Gentile heart, which was uncut, empty and previously impervious to the fear of God. And because he is the only one who should penetrate our hearts, a stone was rolled over the entrance to the tomb, so that just as no one previous to him had been introduced as the author of divine knowledge, neither would anyone be brought in after him. From Hilary's commentary on Matthew.  Manlio Simonetti, ed., Matthew 14-28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 300. BEDE: The vanity of the rich, who even in their graves cannot do without their riches, receives its condemnation from the simple and unassuming interment of the Lord. Hence indeed the custom of the church was derived, that the sacrifice of the altar should not be commemorated by wrapping the elements in silk, or any colored cloth, but in linen; as the body of the Lord was buried in clean fine linen Thomas C. Oden and Christopher A. Hall, eds., Mark (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 227. 8. Sadly, devotion to the Shroud (which might be idolatry...more on this later) has actually led to deaths. For example, in May of 1647 at a public showing of the Shroud, some members of the large crowd die of suffocation. What a terrifying way to go!  9. In September of 1939 at the dawn of World War 2, the Shroud is secretly taken to the Benedictine Abbey of Montevergine approximately 588 miles away. During the journey, the Shroud passes through Naples and Rome. The Shroud was returned to Turin in 1946, post war. In explaining the decision to move the Shroud, Father Andrea Cardin (the library curator at Montevergine) wrote, “"The Holy Shroud was moved in secret to the sanctuary in the Campania region on the precise orders of the House of Savoy and the Vatican. "Officially this was to protect it from possible bombing (in Turin). In reality, it was moved to hide it from Hitler who was apparently obsessed by it. When he visited Italy in 1938, top-ranking Nazi aides asked unusual and insistent questions about the Shroud." It should be remembered here that Italy was allied with Germany during WW2, but the Italians still sought to protect their most precious artifact from Hitler.  Interestingly, Father Cardin notes that the Nazis almost located The Shroud, "In 1943 when German troops searched the Montevergine church, the monks there pretended to be in deep prayer before the altar, inside which the relic was hidden. This was the only reason it wasn't discovered." 10. In 1898, Secondo Pia, an Italian photographer, takes the first ever photograph of The Shroud.  Just four years afterwards, in 1902, an agnostic professor of anatomy named Yves Delage wrote and presented a scientific paper (to the Academy of Sciences in Paris) that made a strong case for the Shroud not being a forgery, but a genuine medical artifact. Dr. Delage concluded that the image therein was likely the body of Christ. With that, I'll close this episode with a word from Shroud critic, and personal hero Charles Spurgeon:  Next to this, our faith most earnestly and intensely fixes itself upon the Christ of God. We trust in Jesus; we believe all that inspired history saith of him; not making a myth of him, or his life, but taking it as a matter of fact that God dwelt in very deed among men in human flesh, and that an atonement was really and truly offered by the incarnate God upon the cross of Calvary. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ to us is not alone a Saviour of the past. We believe that he has “ascended up on high, leading captivity captive,” and that he “ever liveth to make intercession for us.” I saw in the cathedral at Turin a very remarkable sight, namely, the pretended graveclothes of the Lord Jesus Christ, which are devoutly worshipped by crowds of Romanists. I could not help observing as I gazed upon these relics, that the ensigns of the death of Christ were all of him that the Romish church possessed. They may well show the true cross, for they crucify him afresh; they may well pray in his sepulchre, for he is not there, or in their church: and they may well claim his graveclothes, for they know only a dead Christ. But, beloved brethren, our Christ is not dead, neither has he fallen asleep, he still walks among the golden candlesticks, and holds the stars in his right hand.  AMEN.  C. H. Spurgeon, The Sword and Trowel: 1872 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1872), 150.

Andrew and Jesse connect on this weeks episode to discuss their connect to Santeria and the Orishas. We see how these traditions influence us, our world, and our magick. If you're enjoying the podcast so far why not check out our Patreon. For just a few dollars an episode you'll get special perks and Patreon only episodes! You can do so here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. Check out Jesse's store "Wolf and Goat" here, his podcast here, and his theatre work here.  Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew ANDREW: [00:00:00] Welcome to The Hermit's Lamp podcast. I'm here today with Jesse Hathaway, who . . . I have a hard time describing exactly who Jesse is. Jesse does all sorts of traditional magical traditions in [00:00:15] the ATR, as well as, you know, being an author and creator of magical products and a participator in a whole bunch of other traditions as well. So, I'm just going to hand it over to Jesse and say hey, how [00:00:30] how would you introduce yourself here?  JESSE: Hi. Wow. I think . . . You know, I'm not, I'm not a big fan of magical CVs as it is, but you know, I, summary-wise, [00:00:45] I guess, I'm an Olocha. I made Obatalá in the Cuban Lukumí Santería tradition. I am a Tata Quimbanda, which . . . I'm a practitioner of Brazilian . . . It's [00:01:00] an Afro-Brazilian sorcerers' tradition that is sometimes paired with Umbanda, or Candomblé. Sometimes people let it stand on its own. It's a Congolese-derived practice, and traditional [00:01:15] witchcraft has always been there for, you know, as long as I can consciously remember, into early teens and things like that.  But I study whatever interests me. It doesn't mean I'm initiated in all those things; it doesn't mean I'm practicing [00:01:30] all those things, but I have a passion for magical traditions, folk magic, folklore. I have a huge love of Mexican curanderismo, which is a familial background, although I did not go into that as a [00:01:45] practitioner. And I think also just . . . I'm a babbler, is probably important for my CV as well, that, you know, some of these things, like curanderismo, culturally, you never called yourself [00:02:00] that thing; that was something the community called you. So, I guess in some ways whatever people call me is whatever they call me, and they can come to me for what they come to me. And the main thing is that I'm just trying to do as much training with elders and keep things going as I can. But yeah. [00:02:16]  ANDREW: I think that's a really interesting point. You know? And maybe we can start with that. We . . . I mean, we were talking before we got on the line, right? And we were talking about, you know, these sort of questions of authority and [00:02:31] who gets to call oneself authority, you know, who's an expert in these traditions or an elder or even just, you know, an acknowledged practitioner, you know? And I think that this question of where [00:02:46] does the authority come from? And how does that happen sort of inside and outside of traditional practices is a really interesting point, right?  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: You know, for example, you're talking about, you know, being a curandero, [00:03:01] like, that's not a thing that you call yourself. That's what other people would call you if they're going to call you that, right?  JESSE: Yes.  ANDREW: I think that that's really fascinating, and I think that we see a lot of change [00:03:16] around that, where traditionally everybody lived in the same place, right? Everybody generally didn't move around that much and people probably saw a person in that practice grow [00:03:31] up, experience their training, they saw that they got the nod from other people who are acknowledged as that, and at some point, they started taking on their own, you know, practice, right? But in the Internet age, right, [00:03:47] that looks more like a good Instagram account, maybe? JESSE: (laughing) ANDREW: You know, maybe a nice website.  JESSE: Yeah.  ANDREW: You know, what . . . like, I'm curious what you think about those evolutions and those changes that are going [00:04:02] on around that.  JESSE: Yeah. I mean, the apprenticeship model, which . . . It's not a certificate model, right? It's something different, where you are under an apprenticeship, you are with the elder and [00:04:17] their clients see you training with their elder. You know, they . . . it's . . .The visibility is a very different thing. It's not just classes. It's not just, you know, herb walks, occasionally. You are the right hand [00:04:32] of that elder for a very long time. And they see you go from incompetence to competence to fluency, and you know, that kind of replacement for that elder if and when they pass is there. And [00:04:47] it's a very different model than what is done now.  But even within, I think, the kind of Internet age, of, you know, teachers have dozens and dozens and dozens of students. I look at the Brazilian model of a tahero, where [00:05:02] there is going to be one pai de the santo, who is the head, doing everything. They're doing all the initiating, thousands of people, but each person has a yake baba care [spelling?] that's taking care of their needs that is more individualized in that way. But still, it's . . . [00:05:17] you lose your individuality when you train, and that part is, that sacrifice is very difficult, I think, for a lot of our very Western Internet-friendly minds about promoting individuality. How different you are, how a certain . . . [00:05:32] You know, "I'm studying this tradition," and the tradition is studying you, is part of the thing that we forget too.  ANDREW: Well, and I think that it's part of the . . . part of the good training, you know, is learning how [00:05:47] to get out of the way and do the work, right?  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: You know? Like the . . . you know, I think about the elder Olochas that I trained with and spent time with, or am at ceremonies with, right? And certainly, if there's a [00:06:02] junior person there to put, to open in the coconuts or whatever, they're going to do that, they're going to be like, "Hey, go do that, go mop the floor, go whatever."  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: But also, if there's not, they're just going to grab the hammer and go, right? And, [00:06:17] you know, there are these funny things that come from that training and that experience. And, you know, opening coconuts is one of them. You know, I watched the people who are new, you know, in my house come and open coconuts, and, you know, I'm like, I always [00:06:32] look over like, "Oh, they're taking forever!" You know, not in a mean way, but just in a like, you know . . . And then, and that feeling of like, I can open a coconut in no time because I've done hundreds and hundreds of them now.  JESSE: Yep. ANDREW: And, those subtle things that you would, [00:06:47] you know, you would see being in the space with somebody else . . .  JESSE: Yes. ANDREW: Make that big difference, right?  JESSE: Mm-hmm. Even the way the way that we mopped the way that . . . we call it watering your elders, you know, just [00:07:02] the, you have to . . . in a good way, not . . . I don't mean that in a . . . But the idea of culturally, like, I'm . . . Those of us that are more on the introverted side, you know, it's a lot to go and say hello to everyone. It's a lot to enter a room and to each person say hello. [00:07:17] It can be exhausting before the ritual even starts. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: You know, you learn shorthands. Or you find ways to be able to enter into the social language that is needed to be able to access things. But, going around and asking everyone who's older [00:07:32] than you: "Do you want something to drink? Can I get you a coffee? Can I get you a water? Can I get you something?" Even if they say no, it's a lot, for whatever reason, that service-oriented side of things leaves . . . It works both ways in the sense that it allows people to introduce themselves to each other, in [00:07:47] a way that's not just small talk. But also, people see that you are trying to take care of people in the room, and make sure that everyone is comfortable.  And it's an interesting side of things that you know . . . That's [00:08:02] not a critique; it is a critique, but of the Internet culture basis or the book-learned culture of not realizing that the book is still your teacher and it's a one-sided conversation that you don't get to necessarily appeal to the author and ask for clarification, but you didn't [00:08:17] teach yourself. You learned from a book. You didn't teach yourself, because there's a language that you are relying on that is built on clichés and allegories and metaphors and things like that. So, there's, there's . . .  This idea of picking yourself up by your [00:08:32] bootstraps into a magical tradition is not quite necessarily the case even when you're doing it by yourself. And, and, if we believe that spirit is intervening, then spirit is also teaching us as well. And [00:08:47] how well we can refine that, our own inner ear, to listen to that, is also something there. In a community, you know, a community setting, people often ask in online groups, like what books can I read? Read the room, first, like [00:09:02] take the temperature of the room and listen, because, I mean, the best conversations happen at 2 a.m. after all the things are done for the day and the cook finally gets to sit down because the kitchen is shut. ANDREW: Sure. Or they're in there and you're talking to them instead of you know, rushing around. [00:09:17]  JESSE: Yeah.  ANDREW: And then they go, "Hey, come look at this thing that I'm going to do here," right? And even, even in the simplest of things like, you know, cooking the inyales right? Like just cooking the parts of the animals that go to the Orishas. There's all sorts [00:09:32] of stuff to learn about just even a simple thing like that, you know, and if you're engaged with the people and talking to them and have a relationship with them, then they're going to invite you in and be like, "Hey, you know, if you're looking for this, do this this way, or here's a good way to do it," [00:09:47] you know?  Otherwise, you're just, you know, you can do it and it will serve the job but you're missing big swaths of the teaching, right? It's always the thing that I'm really aware of in my, you know, in my position as somebody in Toronto, far [00:10:02] away from regular practice, right? My . . . my knowledge is good. You know, my . . . I mean, there's always things to work on, but my fluency and some of those little details, I'm well aware that it's not as strong [00:10:17] as it would be if I was living somewhere where I got to just work more often, you know, because you can never learn those things from a book. Nobody ever thinks to talk about that. You know? Right? Unless you're in the room with the person and then you're watching them, like, "Hey, what was that? Why'd you put that in there? I didn't see [00:10:32] anybody do this before,” you know?  JESSE: You know, you can read a book about running a marathon, but it's a very different thing to do it.  ANDREW: Right? JESSE: And we talk about that all the time, of like, you know, watching, if someone doesn't know how to mop, and they say they're an active santero. You're like "Hmm, maybe not." But [00:10:48] there's this side of it, of, there's so much, there's different types of knowledge and the modern age promotes one type of knowledge, which is the facts of the, the history of that type of thing that can be transmitted via literature [00:11:03] in that way, in the written word and it's an interesting side of things, but it's very different when the body knows it, when the, when the ways of learning in the body are different from the head. And even . . . [00:11:18]  So, it's an interesting side of, you know, really making sure if someone doesn't know how to do certain things, you train them and even, even, for example, my early years [00:11:33] as an Olocha. I come from a house of a lot of old elders. Like physically, they are more aged. And so even though I could be doing other things, they needed someone to lift the big water buckets and up [00:11:48] and down the stairs and do the heavy lifting and open the coconuts. So even though there were other tasks that I could be doing, I was doing the manual labor, because I was younger . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And able to do certain things that my amazing elder ladies could not. [00:12:03] And that's an interesting side of things too, because then they sent me out and like, you know, “Go to this house, and start studying with them a little bit here, and then come back and branch out,” so that I could get different experiences.  And I think one of the things that's very interesting with . . . In the history of Santería, [00:12:19] is just because the houses started working with each other, things got very homogenized very quickly, through public opinion, both in a good and a bad way. There are variances to the way things are done, but the variances between the houses are actually pretty small. [00:12:34] You know, there's kind of a liturgized homogenized way to do things that is acceptable. And when you vary too much from that, both out of tradition or vary too much from that out of lack of tradition or lack of knowledge, you kind of get [00:12:49] pulled back into what is the acceptable practice . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And that's an interesting side of it. So, it's actually preserved a lot through public opinion through the fact that there's seven different lineages represented in a room because you invite [00:13:04] those people to work because in the early days you didn't get a choice on who was coming to work cause you needed people. So, you got anybody, any santero that was in New York City.  ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: "Come, work this thing!" And so, new traditions kind of, or at least parallel traditions start aligning, they start [00:13:19] coming into a common practice and adaptations have to happen for the modern age. You can't do certain things the way that was done in Cuba or in Nigeria. So, it's . . . Those modifications happen, and elders make those decisions. [00:13:34] When one person makes those decisions, it can get a little crazy. But when a community comes together and says, "How do we resolve this problem? How do we take care of this? Then there's more options, I think. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. For sure. Well, and I think that goes [00:13:49] back to . . . It goes back to kind of a couple questions around that. One is for me, I think that where there are differences in lineage, it's important to know what they are. Even if they're small. It's interesting, where there are lineage [00:14:34] differences, that I think it's really important to become aware of those and know what they are, right? You know, I mean, we are initiated into a lineage, and therefore if our lineage does it a certain way, we should do it that way. And you know, [00:14:49] in these different times, where you go, might go to different houses and do things in different ways, I think that it's important to respect, you know, the way other people do it and also know that when you're in your home, you do it a different way, right? Or when it's your event. But [00:15:04] I think it also creates a lot of unnecessary dialogue and drama, and I think that we see this in all the magical communities, right? At least every one that I've ever been in, which is more than a few. It's this thing of "Well, [00:15:19] we don't do it this way. Therefore, it must be wrong," right?  JESSE: Yes. ANDREW: You know, "This is . . . this is not . . . I've never seen this; therefore, it must be wrong." And I think that, you know, it's such a such a sticky [00:15:34] topic, right? How do we understand what is tradition? What is traditional variance? How do we understand what is, what comes from experience, and what might be other groups' experience that we could integrate?  JESSE: Mm-hmm.  ANDREW: And how do [00:15:49] we . . . And how do we judge what is just, you know, manufactured garbage, right? JESSE: (laughs) ANDREW: To make a few bucks, you know? So. I don't know. What do you think? Give us, give us a guide here, give us some solid rules we can live by. JESSE: Because I'm the authority? (laughs) Authority of [00:16:04] that.  ANDREW: Yeah, I'm giving you all the authority right here. Community of one gives it to you, Jesse! JESSE: Yeah, yeah. I think, obviously reliable or people that you can [00:16:19] confide in and ask opinions on that . . . The chain of eldership is really important and it's not just for this. You know, I don't, I don't support the complete submission to elder guru style where it allows for physical abuse or emotional abuse and that way . . . That is a [00:16:34] model that does exist and has existed but there is a possibility of an elder and mentor elder and minor model that allows for accessing [00:16:49] opinions that can contextualize things based in the knowledge that they have that is more than your own. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: How do you, how do you modify? I think there's the side of it too, that's always interesting, [00:17:04] of when you don't recognize something, if you're secure in what you have, you don't attack the thing you don't know, you just look at it and cook. That's interesting. Let me see where this goes, and you have to wait. Gauge the point of when it seems off and [00:17:19] what is your agenda in making sure that it's correct or incorrect. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And that personal side of it, the, you know, this idea that there's objective . . . one tradition that was passed down from Adam and Eve, it gets a really, it doesn't serve us. And I . . . Certainly [00:17:34] within the ATRs, I mean, the differences between traditions, houses, the differences between Santería and Candomblé and different Orisha practices are huge. And at the same time, the [00:17:49] Orisha are very flexible in what they, what they say and do, and they're not going to sit there and nitpick, but there are ways, specifically, that the tradition has evolved, to make sure that Orisha comes, that Orisha is there, that is unique to each lineage, unique to each house, it has similarities [00:18:04] and commonalities and landmarks, you know, to . . . that are recognizable. But at the same time there's . . . I don't see elders get as upset about something that's off. [00:18:19] Just minorly off. They'll be like, "Oh, we don't do that," and don't worry about it because "come do it, we do it this way." ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: I see a lot of people who are younger, get really pissed off about keeping tradition intact. ANDREW: And I've talked to elders who talk about that's [00:18:34] how they felt when they were younger. Right? And be like, "Oh, when I was like 18, I was so mad about all these things. But now I'm like, well, I can see both sides, you know."  JESSE: Yeah. And it's the question of like, do you spend all the time stamping the thing out that you don't like [00:18:49] or do you spend time investing into the model that you feel is more correct and more profitable for people to follow? ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And, you know, fighting for what you want to see as opposed to what you don't want to see. And there's merits on both sides. I think, personally. [00:19:04] You know, when is it that we don't . . . We try not to innovate a lot of times in ATRs, right? Of like, you innovate through necessity only.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And, a temporary thing that you're still asking clarification on from elders or spirits [00:19:19] or things like this, but you try to innovate as little because otherwise it's not necessarily what you're practicing anymore. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: It's not recognizable. It's not recognizable. And has its own thing. Certainly. [00:19:35] Opinions change as you get older too, and you . . . More experience, it's not just older. What is the Chinua Achebe quote of "Old age is respected and wisdom is revered"? The same thing is similar in our models here of, like, you know, someone who has worked the room for [00:19:50] five years consistently at the foot of an elder is going to know more than someone who's 20 years old and has never worked the room, as much, or worked it once a year. Someone who births a lot of Orisha constantly or is taking a lot of clients is going to have a different opinion of how things function because they realize, [00:20:05] "I don't do it this way because it gets in the way of blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: Versus, if it's your first time giving, it's like a first-time child. You're going to make a bunch of mistakes. You're going to realize you might put a lot of effort into things that you won't necessarily do on the fourth child down . . . ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: Because important . . . and that practical [00:20:20] experience, you know, sometimes we just have to suffer through our own inexperience and be humble and keep going to elders and asking opinions and seeing, keeping our eyes open as to what is being done. And if we're in a solitary tradition where it's [00:20:35] less likely that we're going to have an elder who's going to speak to our direct needs, then learn from other things around you that you can, that you admire and can pull in. You know, it's really hard to reinvent the wheel constantly.  ANDREW: Well, I think it's . . . You know, I think it's really interesting because [00:20:50] when I . . . The first store that I read out of have a predominantly Afro-Caribbean clientele. JESSE: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: And, you know, so I was . . . Although I was getting involved in [00:21:05] the Orisha traditions and stuff at that point, I didn't have a ton of experience at all and, and I wasn't initiated as a priest, so it was just mostly my own development that I was focused on. But I, you know, I had done a ton of ceremonial work and you know, initiations [00:21:20] along all those lines, and one of the things that was really interesting was, I would end up having these conversations with you know, spiritual Baptist priests and, you know, other people, and they're like, "You really understand," you know, [00:21:35] whatever it was that they were doing, right? They would always say, "You really understand our tradition. You really understand this. You really understand the African mindset," or whatever, and I understand that they felt that that was true. But I think that what I knew was, what I [00:21:50] actually really understand is magic and I understand that there are generally fundamental things that are kind of true across the board if you're really engaged at a deep level and not, not sort of in the "there's only one faith" [00:22:06] or "there's only one source" or any of that kind of like, you know, Victorian colonial nonsense, right? JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: But in the sense that when you understand that spirits are real, and you have the capacity to genuinely speak with spirits and [00:22:21] you're going to work with materials, nature, candles, whatever, offerings. Then, then though the surface of those things, or the tradition and lineage piece changes those, there is a fundamental mindset [00:22:36] that, that's there, kind of around the world around those kinds of things. And once you get that, then you can relate at that place, right? Which is completely different than sort of going in and sort of saying, you know, as I've certainly seen other people do, "Well, [00:22:51] yeah, exactly, I know this tradition and the spirits gave it to me and therefore I am able to do this and that and whatever, it's like, no no, no. I know how to talk to spirits. And in fact, often even people, spirits of other people's traditions might lean in a bit through a reading and nudge me in [00:23:06] a given direction. But that's not the same as understanding their traditions or whatever, right?  JESSE: Yeah. Absolutely. The . . . I think that when we're talking about fluency, and magical fluency, we're talking about a practicality, as far as how [00:23:21] to utilize those things in everyday life, and that, that is something that is, I think, palpable when someone knows and can give practical advice, practical actions to achieve certain things, no matter the, no matter the tradition. And [00:23:36] certainly, when it's still theory in someone's head and less pragmatic, you can tell that too. There can be a struggle to articulate something. What are the next steps? And where do you go from here? And we can [00:23:51] talk about cosmology and philosophy which differ from person to person, let alone town to town, or tradition to tradition.  ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: And those finer points, but the practicality of it, that is, that's something different. You have to be somewhat fluent in order to give [00:24:06] good practical advice on how to move forward, and parroting something is, you know, you first learned by saying what you know, and going off of what you've seen, but the more you can expose yourself to, the more people's styles, you'll start to learn different ways of approaching things. [00:24:21] And certainly, I'm being reminded of a computer search parameter [00:24:36] recently. That was . . . The issue with diagnostic tools from computers or trying to diagnose illness and things like this, is that they're not programmed to look for something that isn't there.  ANDREW: Hmm. JESSE: And this is something that humans can still do very well in that . . . not [00:24:51] just looking for the problem out of the common, of the sets of things are there, but to have a revelation of what could still be needed by the person, not necessarily . . . You know, when someone comes for a reading, there, it's not just their conscious problems we're talking about. We're trying to look and [00:25:06] bring those things that are unconscious to the surface too, to see what is actually the root of something that needs to be addressed, and those things come from having a good foundation in the basics, in order to . . . You [00:25:21] know, you have to do primary colors before you start doing secondary colors and understanding what those things are. You can't mix secondary colors trying to get primary colors. You still have to know what that, that order is, and I think it's very similar in magic. You know, there's basic advice on things and [00:25:36] some people will give out the basic like, you know, here's an uncrossing. Here's a, here's a love drawing, here's a bend over type of working, and those are, those are set vocabularies and other people [00:25:51] might tell you to go light a candle at the base of this tree and the spirit is going to take care of it. And that's the model that they were using, and both are pragmatic in this sense, but I . . .  I wonder how much materialism [00:26:06] still enters in, the kind of Scientific Revolution atheist materialism that sneaks in because that is the paradigm as Westerners that we are raised in, you know, there's some variance in that and based on familial upbringing and religious upbringing. But the idea that spirit [00:26:23] is not necessarily tangible in the same way and it is actually affecting the materia to do the thing is a less popular model. And it's interesting now, like once you get introduced to the concept [00:26:38] of a charged statue or something like that, people want to put loads and everything in. They don't necessarily know what goes in it. They want to know, "Why, why do I put these things there? Am I putting this there to symbolize this?" Whereas in spirit-based traditions the spirit might possess someone, and it could put [00:26:53] anything it wants in that statue and breathe on it or splash it with whatever and now it's charged. It doesn't necessarily have a logic that we can understand as to why it picked that item to represent that thing because it's not representation. It's [having?] something and that is a battery of power that is being used. [00:27:08] Not, did you have all 732 exact ingredients . . .  ANDREW: Exactly. JESSE: To put in. That spirit could go for a walk and pull a clump of herbs and give you one of the most powerful baths you've ever had. Whereas if you try and duplicate it with those same herbs, it's not going to be the same, because you're not . . . ANDREW: Yeah. I was [00:27:23] talking with somebody in the store recently about . . . they were asking me where I get the crystals that I buy, and about the mining practices, you know, and I think that those, those are really important questions, you know, and the short answer is about [00:27:38] half of what I have, what I sell, I know, I know pretty clearly where it comes from, and short of, you know, hopping on a plane and going to the mine, I feel like the people I'm buying from, who are buying directly from the miners, [00:27:53] you know, I believe them, you know. It's the best we can do in this in this day and age, you know.  A bunch of the other stuff, I'm far less clear about where that comes from and, and you know, I would like to reduce that [00:28:08] amount, you know, to be clearer that there's no human rights violations and horrible environmental destruction and so on. But it's, but it's complicated and it's difficult and you know in this industry for sure, and in tons of industries. They [00:28:23] were asking me about the magical influence of where, of where something comes from and how it's handled along the way and all of these kinds of things, right? Is the stone that you know where and how it was [00:28:38] mined different than the stone where you don't?  And, and when I was talking with them about it, I mean, certainly I have my own political and social view on that stuff, which is, I think that the stuff that is harvested [00:28:53] with respect is always, is always better whenever we can manage it. You know, whenever I harvest things, I always harvest them with a lot of respect. And I think that that's a great thing. But I think that there's kind of a, also another question mixed in that, [00:29:08] which is, where does the actual magic of what you're doing reside, right? And in the context of a stone, right? Is it concretely in the minerals and the energy of that? And [00:29:23] I think that that's, that's part of it, you know, there there's really interesting crystal books that talk about the, you know, how the crystals form and how that magic, how the energy of that relates to their sort of fundamental crystalline structure that varies from different stones [00:29:38] and you know, you've got color and you've got different participations and all that kind of stuff. And what other things activate this, right?  JESSE:  Mm-hmm. ANDREW: And you know, there's the power of the thing in and of itself, but kind of as you're saying, there's also what the spirit might want, right?  JESSE: Yes. ANDREW: Like, you know, if I'm working with, you [00:31:37] know, one of my guides, and my guide says, you know, grab me, grab me a piece of iron pyrite and let's do this with it. JESSE: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: Certainly the . . . certainly the element is important, but the activation of that particular spirit through that element is [00:31:52] way more important in that equation, probably. You know, the actual force through which the spirit makes the change or consecrates that thing, you know, and consecrating a statue is a good example of that, right? You know. That is the force of the spirit making [00:32:07] something and putting it together and anchoring it. And then we get into . . .  And then sort of the third thing that I see which is related but not exactly the same which is you know, especially with things like plants and stuff like that, right? There is also the [00:32:22] living entity which is that plant in and of itself right and not necessarily just the specific one that you're working with, but the sort of deeper energy of a given, you know, a given plant in the world, you know, like [00:32:37] ayahuasca or other things. You know, people, you know often talk about that as an entity that wants to return to the world, but I think that that's actually fundamentally true of the bow trees in the front of my shop and, you know my crown [00:32:52] of thorns plant, and all of those things, and it knows I'm definitely, in the way that I'm working with them in the space, connecting with the collective entity of that plant, you know? And so, I think that this [00:33:07] this idea of how are we working and what are we doing is so interesting and I think it's something that people don't really see those distinctions. I don't hear them talked about, you know? JESSE: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: So, I'm curious what you think about them. JESSE: Yeah, [00:33:23] I . . . something that comes to mind. I have, as long as I've been crowned actually, so a dozen years, been working with an experimental Theater Company here in New York City called Dzieci. And it's [00:33:38] using theater as a tool to investigate something else. But that's [lost audio at 33:45?] is unique to each person. But we're talking about investigating the sacred through the tool Le Théâtre. Through the means of theater. [00:33:53] And this intentionality, this question of intentionality is quite interesting to explore. And a question that gets posed a lot by the director, and then as we start something, is when does [00:34:08] the ritual begin? ANDREW: Mm. JESSE: And, is it when you have the audience fully there and in a theater context and the play starts? Well, no, it started long before that with the rehearsal process and then again, when did it start before that? And the question is when you bring [00:34:23] it . . . You know, for me, the answer and it seems to be a common thought on this, is when you bring awareness to it. ANDREW: Mm. JESSE: And so, if I know that I'm doing an important ritual next week and every day I'm waking up going, "I'm doing this next week. What can I do today to manifest that more [00:34:38] smoothly and make sure?" Then making sure all your bills are paid and you know, the bag lunches are done for the day and everything, that becomes part of the ritual.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And there's this interesting question of intentionality, when you know that something is ethically harvested [00:34:53] and you're going to the store but you're in a tizzy and distracted going to the store and you're not present when you're picking up the crystal and you're putting it on the thing and you know, talking on the cell phone and looking at things. What are you doing to destroy the intentionality of that good harvest act?  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: I mean there's that side of it too, that's always interesting to me, of, [00:35:08] you know, you can have good ingredients prepared by bad chefs. ANDREW: Yep. JESSE: And you can get shitty ingredients prepared by expert chefs that still taste better. You can have ingredients, you can have a horrible angry chef prepare something masterfully because they know how to treat the [00:35:23] food and maybe they're compartmentalizing their emotion. Maybe they're not. They're . . . that missing ingredient of grandmother love that goes into the cookies: Does it make it taste better? Does it not? And you know, it is, I think for all of us, the question of intentionality is an interesting side of it [00:35:38] of what are we bringing to it? And how we contributing to these seeds? You know, I think, I like to look at things as seeds of potential . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And certain things allow them to mature and grow. The side of [00:35:53] it of looking at: What is it that that makes something work? What is it that allows something to happen? [00:36:08] I think anybody that can say definitively is selling something . . . ANDREW: (chuckles) And they probably have a great brand name trademark . . .  JESSE: Absolutely! ANDREW: Attached to it. Right?  JESSE: Yeah, I think the [00:36:23] exploration of that and the curiosity of that is what, for me at least, drives me to constantly keep practicing that you know that you can . . . Like you were saying earlier, that sometimes, you know, if there's someone there that can mop [00:36:38] the floor, open the coconut, there's a way to enter into that, where sometimes the task just has to get done and that person is learning it and they're going to make their mistakes. There's other times. I remember recently . . . We were short staffed at an Ocha ritual and I was the one on my hands and knees mopping, because normally would be someone else [00:36:53] and that's fine, because I'm usually assisting someone. But the . . . I had such pure joy in mopping the floor of just, like it was such an interesting thing of caretaking and, and kind of going into the trance of mopping, which was an interesting thing too, of still remaining present enough to know what [00:37:08] else was going on in the room, so that I'm not mopping something carelessly. ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  JESSE: But also, this balance of, I guess it is a little bit of Zen and the art of peeling potatoes. But also for those of us that get lost in our heads, to be present enough and aware [00:37:23] enough of what else is going on, so that if you know the something escapes, you know, whether it's a child, a chicken, or a potato rolling down the hallway, that you're able to notice it and catch it, not that the chick, child is rolling down the hallway, but I [00:37:38] . . . hopefully that metaphor still makes sense.  ANDREW: Yeah. Well, it's one of those things too. For me, I think one of the big differences between before making Ocha and after making Ocha. Or maybe [00:37:53] before receiving Orishas and after receiving Orishas is, when I work the tradition, whatever that is, I can feel the joy of the Orishas themselves, you know? JESSE: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: Like [00:38:08] when I tell them, like well I'm going to feed him something, and you know, I mean, that might be a sacrifice, but it might just be like, "I'm just gonna, you know, hey, I'm going to cook you this. I'm going to toast up all this corn for you," and you know, whatever. You can feel that energy, right? [00:38:23]  JESSE: Yeah.  ANDREW: And I feel like that energy extends to mopping the floor to you know, like all of these kinds of things, right? To, you know, even some of the less pleasant things like plucking, you know, plucking the chickens [00:38:38] after, or, you know wrestling with a ram that got out in the rain, or you know, whatever right? It's just like, it doesn't really matter, from my experience, you know, and maybe this is just me, but I think that it's part of this thing, because that, that service [00:38:53] to the spirits and their pleasure in it, you know, lifts up everything else. Right?  JESSE: Well, I think it's an interesting parallel too, of a . . .It would seem to me, at least the way that I understood [00:39:08] Greek myths and Norse myths presented to me as a child, even reading like Edith Hamilton. . .  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: They were very anthropomorphized, the gods. So, anthropomorphized that there wasn't . . . it was hard to imagine that they were appearing in nature. They just owned [00:39:23] nature. And it seems that, you know, as my understanding of these things matures that perhaps that is a kind of modern revamping of a lot of pagan ideology and pagan theology . . . ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: But I'm [00:39:38] in one of Matthery's books, I believe, he's interviewing a priestess of Yemayá, in Nigeria, and talks to her and, and she talks about other [00:39:53] people worship their deities. We do our deities. And that when she interacts with water in any conscious level, she is participating in Yemayá. That Yemayá is an act of mopping or washing a body or washing the self or cooking and that water itself has a respect [00:40:08] and a consciousness and that consciousness, for her, was named Yemayá.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: So, it was this concept and we talk about this, and the Spanish verb hacer does this very well, hacer tonto, you're doing something, you're making Santo, that when we participate in these [00:40:23] activities, we're actually participating in Orisha. Orisha is not a human. Orishas have incarnated as humans. But Orisha is as much the sound that the drum makes and gives us pleasure. Orisha is the flash of insight of a new idea. [00:40:38] Orisha is the feeling that we should go left and not right at this intersection, you know, there's things that are in the body that is not just in the head. The head leads it, of course, but it is broader and more experiential [00:40:53] and then the body becomes an extension of the head and the head grows because it is experiencing the world and I think there's something different.  You know, mopping, you are, you are participating in an Orisha act that is yes, you're finding the joy. But it was also that the deities of [00:41:08] water that are there, that bathing can become a sacred act again. Like when does the ritual begin; when you bring attention to it. And you could make everything about the spirits that you're serving, or you could make very little and only be like a Sunday religionist, as you know, we talk [00:41:23] about. You know, it's a controversial thing to talk about the lack of ability to have separation of church and state but religion is there to justify politic, it always has been, the concept of religion. Karen Armstrong goes into that and I promote her all the time, just [00:41:38] because I find her such a fascinating . . . She's an ex-nun that writes on religion and her book, Fields of Blood, looks at religion and violence. And she talks about that that individual religion and spirituality is a very different thing than organized religion that is sitting there trying [00:41:53] to justify the actions of people in power. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: Whereas the concept of religiosity or spirituality and those things . . . But what we do in our day-to-day is up to is each of us, but it's not just about going to church on Sunday, [00:42:08] promoting the separation of that, thinking that going to church on Sunday makes you a good person because you went . . . it's part of it. But how do you treat your family? How do you treat your co-workers? How do you treat the people around you? You know, how do you treat the land you're on? And this is a . . . It's not for everyone, because [00:42:23] it's very difficult to constantly be on in that mode. It takes practice. It's a muscle that you have to build and stretch. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And I do think that mopping, and carrying buckets of groceries up and down stairs, is a way of stretching [00:42:38] that muscle, or at least it can be when you present it in that way. If you're just bossing someone around, and say, "Go do this, go do this, go do this," they may not see that they're stretching a muscle.  ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: That's, you know, that's the thing too, is responsible training. You have to say, why are you doing this? Because if [00:42:53] we all stop to take out the trash, we can't do prepare for the ritual that has to happen. But if you, who cannot be on that side of the curtain or do and be in that room at that time, can take out the trash, then you've helped us do that ritual. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: It is [00:43:08] part of it. It's that way of, what was the thing where the man was . . . A president was going to look at the space program and asked the janitor who he was and what he did, and he said, "This is my name and I'm [00:43:23] helping build to send men into space," you know, that it was the responsibility or the contextualized importance of every single task in a temple.  ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: Very real thing. And if that person doesn't know, someone else is going to have to do it and hopefully take away [00:43:38] from that person balancing the books that day, but that's . . . it's an interesting thing. You see it in different religious communities. I'm friends with some nuns in Connecticut, at the Benedictine Abbey there, and it's so interesting to see, because they follow the Liturgy [00:43:53] of the Hours, their work spurts are two hours. They work really really hard for two hours, and they stop, change, and sing for a half hour to an hour depending on which what the liturgy is that day and then go back to work again. Though there's no warm-up [00:44:08] to working. They know they only have two hours, but they also don't rush. Which is like, "You're gonna do it, you're gonna get to work," and that's great. ANDREW: I think that that, also that dedication, right? Like they're gonna, they're gonna stop and sing, you know? It's like before [00:44:24] before I got married, my spirits, you know, my ancestors, in a mass, and a misa, were basically like, "We want you to go to church before you get married. We know you're not getting it in church. That's fine. But we want [00:44:39] you to go to a mass." And we were like, "All right," and so I went, and it was it was me and my partner and one other person in this massive, like, Anglican Church at 5 p.m. on a Friday night. And [00:44:54] I remember being there and it was very obvious that like, all the people in the congregation actually had no idea what to do because the priest was like, "Is anybody actually going to come up and take communion or should we just carry on," right? Like, oh, I didn't know this was the point, right? [00:45:09] Which is amusing, but it was also very obvious to me that if nobody had been there, he would have just done the mass.  JESSE: Yeah.  ANDREW: You know? And that like, that sort of devotion of, "We're going to stop and sing, [00:45:24] we're going to do this, we're going to do this thing." I think that kind of devotion is just astounding, you know, it's so wonderful.  JESSE: you're speaking to me very true to Dzieci. We do a piece every year around this time. We [00:45:39] just had our first performances of it, but, called Fool's Mass, which is based on the kind of feast of fools idea from the, from the early modern and medieval period. But it's a [00:45:54] bunch of fools who are have to do the Christmas Mass, even though the priest just died. The exploration. It's a buffoonery piece and it's, there are extreme elements of humor and tragedy in it. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: But the idea that this choir [00:46:09] comes together to sing and normally, you know, we play characters of different ability and, and function and, and responsibilities and some of us are troublemakers and other people are rule followers and what that chaos ensues, but [00:46:24] we know that there's songs that we sing and come together and there's something that's profound there in the in the silence and listening to each other as well. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: And the chaos breaks out again, and how do you do this? How do you . . . how do you continue? In what you know, even [00:46:39] if there's no leader, how do you . . . I always find it interesting, like the dynamic of a classroom when the teacher has to leave to take, to go to the bathroom or something like that? Like, does it function as the same? It depends on the . . . how the teacher has run faster a lot of times. But [00:46:55] it's a, it's an interesting side of things. Doing what you know, when you know to do it is still, lots of times we're like, "Oh, the authority figure's not here, I don't have to do it this way. I could do it this other way."  ANDREW: Exactly, right?   JESSE: And [00:47:10] you go, okay, what did I just lose and what did I gain from that? What was the actual benefit from not doing it the exact way I know how? And so many times I think that, you know, it can come up in our systems [00:47:25] of divination, right? That you have the tools, you know exactly what the problem is, and you're not using them.  ANDREW: Yeah.  JESSE: You know? There's nothing new here. There's no new problems. You know what, you know, every problem that comes up, you know exactly why it's there and you have the tools to fix it, but you're not doing it. So, what do you what [00:47:40] are you looking for here? You know, that's, that's an interesting thing too.  ANDREW: Yeah, I think it's such an interesting question, you know? Again, as somebody who's sort of far away from regular practice, you know, not having not having an extended community here, [00:47:55] you know, I've definitely, I've definitely run into this sort of angsty emotional piece. And I'm like, "Ah, I got nothing to do. I don't know what to work on. I got nothing to practice," or whatever, and this desire to learn more, right? And, and, [00:48:10] what I noticed at one point was, I was like, "Well, that's cool if there's more to learn and there's always more to learn," but also, how solid's your singing of Osain, [00:48:25] right? How solid is this piece? How about you, like, you know, make sure that you can, like, say the prayer for each of the Orishas, you know, the Oríkì, or learn a song for . . . There's often so much [00:48:40] in our immediate vicinity that we can tend to, and if we take that agency back to ourselves, right?  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: And that way of like, you know, well, what do we, what do we do when there is nobody else watching? Right. JESSE: Mm-hmm. ANDREW: I think it's . . . I think that that [00:48:55] is . . . That's where the real work is, right?  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: I mean, the rest of it is a bunch of work too and you know, not to dismiss it. But at least for me that real work is: I'm here. I'm doing this thing, whether it's, you [00:49:10] know, Orisha stuff or other stuff with my guides or you know, working on the cards or other projects. It's always that question of like: Okay, what do I need to do? How do I make myself do it? How do I do the stuff that doesn't seem glamorous but moves it all forward, [00:49:25] you know, and how do you find the joy with that, so you can sort of continue with devotion around it, you know, or faith, or those kind of old-fashionedy words, right?  JESSE: Yeah, and also the benefit of when you approach things in [00:49:40] that way, it only informs the other things you're doing. ANDREW: Mm-hmm.  JESSE: So, meaning, you know, you're going back to basics and finding new interesting things in them. Then it means that the possibility of you finding new ways and new depths to everything you're doing, because again, it's that muscle that you're stretching that is [00:49:55] developing a way of looking at the world, and, and aligning your feet to a new path. Perhaps it's the same path and you're learning it better, you know, it's nice to return to the things we know sometimes and realize that, oh gosh, there's a lot more here to examine. That [00:50:10] side of it. I know that's wonderful to be able to really examine what it [00:50:25] is that we know and develop the questions of ourselves of like okay, you think you know this for sure, and that's great, but what happens when you do it again? Do it one more time! ANDREW: mm-hmm. JESSE: I guess, for me, my background's, undergrad, is in theater [00:50:40] and doing things again is not a problem.  ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: Over and over and over. There is something of benefit when you have something so memorized. It allows for a new freedom in finding things [00:50:55] out. And it's not the same as reading the prayer, you know, there's a difference there. And what is it to do this and how you say it and what it opens your mind up to. It's like Catholic parallel of the rosary, that saying the prayers is just the bare minimum. Saying [00:51:10] the prayers of the rosary is the minimum. The visualization that is supposed to happen, because the prayers are by rote and coming out of your mouth, and your hand knows to feel for what beads it's saying. That you're actually envisioning mysteries as you're going through the rosary, is, that's level 2 and above, but [00:51:25] you know, if all you know is the prayers and that's what you do . . . ANDREW: Yeah. Well, and it's like, you know, watching, you know watching elders conduct ceremony, right? They're singing a song, they're doing a thing. They see somebody doing something they [00:51:40] shouldn't be and they don't even lose a beat and they're like, "Put the bucket of water down, blah blah blah blah," and they go right back to it, you know? And sometimes they even just sing it in the tune of what's going on, right? Which is always amusing. JESSE: Yes. Yeah, it is! (laughing) ANDREW: And, and that kind of fluency is just [00:51:55] you know, it's so profound. And it comes from that showing up and being present and having walked it so many times and all of that kind of stuff. Yeah. It's such a, such a fascinating thing to see in practice. And it comes out of this, [00:52:10] so much experience with it, right?  JESSE: Yeah. ANDREW: Like being on theater, you know, on stage, when the person you're across from like, says the wrong line, what do you do, right? JESSE: You don't shoot them the right line. You've got to . . . and successful theater something that is [00:52:25] a wonderful exploration is, making each other look good. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. JESSE: You know, in ritual there's so much correction in the way that things can happen. But how can you correct the person so that they are empowered to embrace this correction you're giving them because you get [00:52:40] flustered. And everybody's gonna respond to that differently. But you know, how can you make the person look good still and explain to them, "Hey, there's this better way, try it like this." ANDREW: Yeah. JESSE: And, and, and really, because then they're open to the critique. They're open to the correction. And they don't feel ashamed. But, there's [00:52:55] also, we have to get over our shame, too. Especially in the oral traditions, because you're going to be corrected in front of other people. ANDREW: All the time! JESSE: And, you know, there's, I remember thinking about the profundity of . . . you know, we talk about our attitudes when were younger and [00:53:10] things, and enter member serving Egun before a ritual once, and everybody's talking and really only the people up at the front right at the shrine are actually paying attention to what's going on, and it was frustrating, and "I can't believe people aren't paying attention!" And realizing like, I am so not present because I'm [00:53:25] so concerned with everybody not paying attention that I'm not paying attention either, and it was just the like, oh my God, it all works if one person is focused up front, the whole thing, the whole ceremony is approved if one person, one conscious act makes [00:53:40] it happen. And then it's like it's great if the whole room is aligned, it's great if everybody will be quiet and focus. Its great of what that is, but it also is humbling to realize how much profound change or acceptance or of a new trajectory can happen with [00:53:55] just one person focusing. ANDREW: Mm-hmm. For sure. JESSE: And being on point and on task and that's really beautiful.  ANDREW: Yeah. Well, maybe that's a good place to leave it. Go out there, folks. Be present! Listen, learn, and be kind to yourself and others, [00:54:10] you know, so we can all grow and expand and get wherever it is we're going to go with all of our magical practices. Yeah. Thanks for hanging out with me today, Jesse and being on here. I deeply appreciate it.  JESSE: My pleasure.  ANDREW: You've got all sorts of great [00:54:25] stuff going on online. People want to check it out. Where should they come and find you?  JESSE: The store I run is Wolf and Goat, so wolf-and-goat.com. You can type it without the dashes as well. We're on [00:54:40] Facebook as well. I do a podcast with Dr. Al Cummins, called Radio Free Golgotha intermittently. We're on Facebook as well. But RadioFreeGolgotha.com. If you're interested in Para theater and want to do some strange [00:54:55] explorations of self and the world around you through theater. DzieciTheatre.org DzieciTheatre with an R, E, dot org. ANDREW: Spelled just like it sounds. JESSE: Yeah. (laughs) It means [00:55:10] children in Polish. And, I'm sure there's many other things I'm forgetting. But generally, I'm around a lot online, and even more so, in the back alleys of New York, I suppose, so, it's, [00:55:25] it's a pleasure and thanks for having me on, Andrew.  ANDREW: Oh, thank you.      

Homily Twenty-first Sunday of the Year B - Sunday, 26 August 2018 Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b. Psalm 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” Ephesians 5:21-32. John 6:60-69. ++ References: Fr Paul W. Kelly Barclay, W. (1975). The Gospel of John Part I. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press. Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. . [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies/ +++ Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: “Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection” - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are. Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International commission on English in the liturgy. Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same. [{selected psalms } - ***Psalm verses are (also) taken from “The Psalms: A New Translation” ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.. **] Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg’s 1993 book “ Together we pray”. Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print). { “Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin” -published 2011, Composed and Sung by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski Featuring the….Gloria http://www.ccwatershed.org/chabanel/ ]]] ] COPYRIGHT @ 2018 CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/Ralph_Sherwin_Videos/ “Faith, Hope and Love” theme Hymn: Words, based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, set to original music © 1996 by Paul W. Kelly. For more details please visit http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au/ Contact us at paulwkelly68@gmail.com Production by Kelly Enterprises Resources. May God bless and keep you.

REFERENCES: FR. PAUL W. KELLY O'Flynn, S. (2002). Sunday seeds. Dublin: Columba Press. Gutiérrez, G. and Dees, C. (1997). Sharing the Word through the liturgical year. 1st ed. Maryknoll: Orbis Books. Sandell, J. (2004). Seasons in the Word. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press. Abbot's Homilies - Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. (2012). [online] Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert. Available at: https://christdesert.org/updates/abbots-homilies/ +++ +++ Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: “Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection” - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are. Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International commission on English in the liturgy. Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same. [{selected psalms } - ***Psalm verses are (also) taken from “The Psalms: A New Translation” ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.. **] Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg’s 1993 book “ Together we pray”. Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print). { “Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin” -published 2011, Composed and Sung by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski Featuring the….Gloria: http://www.ccwatershed.org/chabanel/ ]]] ] COPYRIGHT @ 2018 CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/Ralph_Sherwin_Videos/ “Faith, Hope and Love” theme Hymn: Words, based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, set to original music © 1996 by Paul W. Kelly. For more details please visit http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au/ Contact us at paulwkelly68@gmail.com Production by Kelly Enterprises Resources. May God bless and keep you.

Join Us in France Travel Podcast, Episode 196 On today’s episode, Annie and Elyse talk about the things they love about the Saint Germain des Près neighborhood in Paris. It's actually surprising to see how long it took us to devote an entire episode to Saint Germain des Près, and it only happened because we assumed that we had already done it! Saint Germain des Près is the area of Paris where both Annie and Elyse would love to live if they won the lottery. It's never going to happen, but a girl can dream, right? Come along and dream with us, we tell you tales of the oldest church in Paris, wonderful cafés, great shopping, and the wonderful artists of the 1920s who hung out there. If you’re interested in Saint Germain des Près, you should probably also listen to our other episodes about classic Paris neighborhoods: Episode 27 on Le Marais, and Episode 7 on the Latin Quarter. Episode Highlights with Timestamps [03:48] Saint Germain des Près is beautiful and very expensive part of Paris. The prices went through the roof there 60 or 70 years ago. [06:47] What do we mean when we say Saint Germain des Près? What are the boundaries? The definition is a bit amorphous and it depends on who you ask, but it includes a lot of the 6th arrondissement. [07:27] The word “près” means meadow, which it used to be, this is an old area of Paris. The tower of the Church of Saint Germain des Près was part of the oldest churches in Paris. [09:04] The Merovingian Kings established the Saint Germain des Près Abbey and it included a lot of land. [10:10] Definition of Early Middle Ages (500 to 1000), High Middle Ages (1000 to 1400), Late Middle Ages (1400 to 1500s), then came the Renaissance. [11:38] Merovingians made Christianity the official religion and funded Abbeys and Monasteries. [11:58] In Roman times, many people were literate, but in this period of the early Middle Ages, few people in France were literate, so it was vital to have Monasteries to keep literacy alive. [13:15] The Saint Germain des Près Church becomes a Royal Abbey in 558 and the necropole for French French Kings before Saint Denis. [14:04] They built the Saint Germain Church over the top of an old Roman Temple, which is something that happened a lot. [15:03] The Saint Germain des Près church is set a quarter to half mile away from the river in order to protect it from flooding. [16:10] The vital importance of relics in the Middle Ages, and the worship of relics as a driver of economic growth. [17:23] The Saint Germain area was raided and burned by the Vikings three times: in 845, 856, and 861. [17:50] When they rebuilt the church, they added the Romanesque tower in 990, and that’s still the one we see today. This is also the time when it became a Benedictine Abbey. [18:57] Benedictine Monks were always as the center of intellectual knowledge, and the area has retained its reputation of being the place for intellectuals. [21:05] The Procope, one of the oldest cafés in Paris where people like Diderot and Voltaire used to go argue about ideas. This was the beginning of café culture in Paris and is mostly super touristy at this point. [23:41] We’re not sure if they’d let you sit at a table at the Procope and write all day. [24:21] The Procope is also where the people who fomented the French Revolution sur as Danton and Marat hung out. [24:48] Rue Danton where Danton really lived is two streets away from the Procope. Back then the area was not fashionable or touristy. [25:13] You just have to walk these streets. Most are small narrow streets except for Boulevard Saint Germain des Près which has Haussmann buildings. [26:48] Worth visiting, the Delacroix Museum where he had his studio. [28:22] The Saint Germain des Près area is famous for book stores. A couple that are famous today are L’Écume des Pages and La Hune. [29:12] Several of the most prestigious French Publishing houses such as Gallimard and Seuil were also started in this area because it was always the book area. [29:35] Saint Germain des Près is the area where authors would hang out, lots of the famous ones you’ve heard of such as Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Simone de Beauvoir, etc. It must have been like in Midnight in Paris! [32:05] Jazz clubs opened in Paris in the 20s and were popular with French people. [32:34] The 1920 were paradoxical times: racism and prejudice were pervasive and yet there were vibrant communities of artists in Paris. Many had left their own countries to come to Paris where they could mingle. [35:40] Brasserie Lipp is also an interesting place where filmmakers used to hang out. [36:10] None of that is going on in Saint Germain today because it’s become too expensive. How the gentrification process worked in this neighborhood. [38:25] The Beaux Arts school is on rue Bonaparte and has been there for a long time. It gave a lot of prestige to the area. [41:19] Even rich French people mostly don’t patronize cafés like Deux Magots and Café de Flore because they know the prices are ridiculous. But the area has lots of little wonderful cafés that are more approachable and just as nice. [42:52] Also explore the church of Saint Sulpice, technically in the Odeon neighborhood, but a must-see in this area. [43:03] This is the church with the “gnomon” which can easily be missed if you’re not paying attention. [44:21] Saint Sulpice also has free concerts every Sunday morning. [44:52] Rue de Rennes is a big shopping street in this area, and so it rue Bonaparte. [45:46] The Saint Germain neighborhood is a great place to go buy food for your picnic, then head down towards the river and enjoy it. [48:34] At Saint Sulpice once a day you can go up to see the organ. Check their website to know what time. [50:14] Annie has seen some tour guides come into Saint Sulpice and spend 2 minutes and leave. It’s like speed dating except that it’s speed tourism! [53:42] This is a neighborhood where you will find unique clothes and things you won’t find in the big chain stores. [54:01] Great shopping streets in the Saint Germain des Près neighborhood: rue de Buci, rue de Rennes, rue Saint André des Arts. You could also visit the Bon Marché, the expensive department store. [56:56] Great neighborhood for walking, great neighborhood for looking around. [57:47] Despite what popular guide books recommend, both Annie and Elyse would much rather stay in the Saint Germain des Près or Latin Quarter area. Subscribe to the email extras and bonuses Ask a question or leave a voicemail comment: +1 801 806 1015 To learn about Join Us in France Tours, visit Addicted to France Click here to support the show when you shop on Amazon Show Merchandise including shirts, totes, phone cases and more! 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Shhhhhhh.......This week's episode is all about silence. Given that Conor has just returned from a five-day silent retreat at a Benedictine Abbey, we decided that this week it would be appropriate to speak about why silence is important in the Catholic life. As always, we hope you enjoy the Podcast! J+C+S+R    

As we continue our advent journey anticipating the birth of Jesus focusing on different characters of the Jesse Tree, today being Nehemiah (read Nehemiah 8-9: http://usccb.org/bible/nehemiah/8), we we are shifting that focus a bit as we begin a special period in our Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas. During this time we recite or chant the O Antiphons following the "Magnificat" during Vespers from December 17 through December 23. They are called the O Antiphons because each begins with the interjection, “O,” followed by a title for the Messiah given in the prophecies of Isaiah. You may be more familiar with the metrical paraphrase version of the O antiphons that make up the very familiar Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” but if we are not familiar with the actual texts of the antiphons we are missing a great deal of their meaning. While we do not have time in this brief reflection to read the Antiphons in their entirety, I encourage you to do so in your personal prayer time. The exact origins of the O antiphons are unknown but there is reference to their use by Roman Senator and Philosopher Boethius around 500 AD. The O Antiphons were especially revered by the monks at the Benedictine Abbey of Fleury which was founded in 640. They were used in liturgical celebrations in Rome by the eighth century. The seven titles for the Messiah given in the antiphons are: O Sapientia or O Wisdom O Adonai or O sacred Lord O Radix Jesse, O Flower of Jesse’s Stem O Clavis David, O Key of David O Oriens, O Radiant Dawn O Rex Gentium, O King of the Gentiles And O Emmanuel or O God with us Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Music Conservatory noted that the Benedictine monks arranged the antiphons in a particular order. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, which means, Tomorrow, I will come. Therefore, the Messiah, whose coming we have been anticipating during this Advent season and whom we have named in these seven Messianic titles, speaks to us, Tomorrow, I will come. So the O Antiphons bring intensity to our Advent preparation and bring it to a joyful conclusion with the birth of the Jesus. Musical credit: "O Holy Night" · Christine Westhoff · Timothy Allen Hark ℗ 2014 Christine Westhoff

Dr Simon Johnson is Director of Heritage at Downside Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey and school in Somerset, England. Established in the 19th century, Downside is home to one of the best collections of religious manuscripts in the world. A recent … Continue reading →