Podcasts about Maryknoll

January 18, 2026: May God's words be spoken, may God's words be heard.  Amen. Twelve years ago tomorrow, I celebrated the Eucharist here for the first time as your Rector.  It was January 19, 2014 at 10:30am.  I remember it well.  I knew way back then I had been called into something amazing – a new relationship with all of you.  And so, twelve years ago today I stood here by God's grace and nothing for me, and I pray for you, has been the same since. That is why the date of January 19th at 10:30am is something I will never forget.  It's the way it is with life altering events, right?  Folks remember the day a child was born, the first date we had with our spouse (and of course the day of the wedding itself – or we better!).  And, on a sadder note, the day a loved one died – their saint day, as we like to call it in the church, is a day each year that doesn't go unnoticed. We remember too moments that changed the country or the world – the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, WWII broke out, President Kennedy was shot, Astronaut John Glenn put his foot out onto the lunar surface, the Challenger spacecraft exploded, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the January 6th insurrection.  And, those who were around for it remember too when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “Dream” speech to the thousands gathered for the March on Washington for Freedom & Jobs…and where they were when they heard the terrible news that he had been assassinated. These moments changed us – challenged us – demanded something of us.  And we were never the same from those points forward.  And so when we hear in the second part of the gospel of John read today this story of people's first encounter with Jesus, it should not surprise us that the community that wrote this gospel noted something about it.  The gospel account says “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” …where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.  It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.  That's a kinda funny thing to write down, don't ya think?  What was so special about it being 4pm?  Something tells me it wasn't the first century version of “It's 5 o'clock somewhere.”  Clearly the community that wrote this fourth gospel knew that the lives of first disciples would be changed so much in that initial encounter with Jesus that they would never forget where they were and what time it was when it happened.  That is what call does.  It stops us in our tracks for a moment, and we are forever changed as we accept Christ's invitation to come and see. I suppose the question for each of us now is – do you recognize that moment for you and what will you do about it?  Because Christ is calling us to come and see in this life altering moment for our community and in this country.  As we watch ICE agents, sent by our President only into cities that did not vote for him, terrorize people regardless of citizenship status – wounding and killing children of God as they drag them without warrants out of their homes and businesses, shatter the windows of their cars with children inside, attack those who dare to peacefully protest with tear gas, pepper spray, and flash bombs, as well as using lethal choke holds (like the one that killed George Floyd) on those they detain. As this country fails to support those who are laying their life on the line for democracy in Ukraine, while the President imitates Putin, calling the US to invade Greenland, a sovereign territory of Denmark, and threatening NATO allies that have sent military and financial support to Greenland to prevent it. As we read the social media comments of people who think ICE agents have a right to abuse, kill, or deport people without due process because they are “illegals,” in a land where none of us are originally from here, save those of the indigenous tribes. As we find that our nation's highest court, in defiance of precedent and the US Constitution, affirms the right of ICE agents to target people based on the color of their skin, their accent or the language they speak, or their place of work. As we mourn the 32 killed by this administration ICE enforcement action in 2025, including Jean Wilson Brutus, who died while in custody at Delany Hall in Newark. As we hear our President refer to the countries these people come from as s-hole countries, while saying that we need more people from places like Norway – translation – he wants less people of color or Asian descent and more white people.  As we continue to wait for the Department of Justice to follow the law and release the files associated with the pedophile Epstein and stop protecting anyone who was involved in this horrific human trafficking of young girls for sex. As we hear over and over again the racist, misogynist, homophobic, and xenophobic garbage this President, his staff, and those who support him spew on a near minute by minute basis. I could go on and on and on…it's exhausting, isn't it? But in the midst of all of this – Jesus bids us to follow him as he goes to where he always stays – beside the vulnerable and afraid, alongside the oppressed and the lost.  This is a pivotable moment for every one of us as we stand amid this turning point in our nation.  We see, surely, what is happening.  The question for us is – will be follow Jesus when he bids us to come with him? It is a good question to consider as we celebrate the life of a man who did follow Jesus – followed him all the way to the cross – the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King's final Sunday sermon was at our own Episcopal cathedral in DC.  In that grand pulpit of Washington National Cathedral, King said this: “…Our experience [is] that the nation doesn't move around questions of genuine equality […] until it is confronted massively, dramatically in terms of direct action […] I submit that nothing will be done until people of goodwill put their bodies and their souls in motion and it will be the kind, the sole force brought into being as a result of this confrontation that I believe will make the difference […] On some positions, cowardice asks the question: is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right?  And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular. But [one] must do it because conscience tells [them] it is right.” (https://cathedral.org/blog/today-in-cathedral-history-mlks-final-sunday-sermon/) Folks, that time is now.  Jesus' call to us is now. And here's the thing – the passage in Isaiah about the prophet we heard this morning was telling us something perhaps we need to hear as we consider what Christ is asking of us.  Because in no less a way as was said about the prophet Isaiah, God is saying this to each of you now: “I formed you in the womb to be my servant, and I give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”  And that salvation, my friends, is the hope God has in mind for all of us – that beloved community where all are welcome, and no one is harmed. This is who you were formed in the womb to be – God's transformative agent, following Christ to where he abides – with the least, the last, the lonely, and the lost.  This is our faith, what we committed to in baptism.  And this is how we should honor the saints, like King, too. Because if we truly want to honor people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then we have to do more than attend breakfasts and recall his sermons/speeches – we must live as he lived, and be willing to die as he did. And if we truly want to follow Jesus, we must do more than go to church, pray, and read scripture – we must live as he lived and be willing to die as he did.  This past week, the Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, put it this way: “We are now engaged in a horrible battle that is eternal, that has gone on for millennia. […] and we are now, I believe, entering a time, a new era of martyrdom. Renee Good being the last of note of those martyrs. New Hampshire's own Jonathan Daniels, a man also of white privilege, stood in front of the blast of a sheriff in Haynesville, Alabama, to protect a young black teenager from a shotgun blast. He died and was martyred. We know of the women, the Maryknoll sisters, who stood alongside the poor and the oppressed in El Salvador and were brutally raped and murdered in the name of Jesus. [Archbishop] Oscar Romero, in a mass, called upon the death squads of El Salvador to lay down their arms or risk excommunication [and ] was martyred the next Sunday at the altar.  I have told the clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness. And I've asked them to get their affairs in order—to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable. And it may mean that we are going to have to act in a new way that we have never seen perhaps in our lifetime, except for these remote stories that I've just cited, to put our faith in the God of life, of resurrection, of a love that is stronger than death itself.” (https://www.nhepiscopal.org/blog) Amen Bishop!  Amen. “Now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” Not everyone can do this to be sure.  Those who care for others, like young children or aging parents, those who face physical, mental, or emotional challenges, and of course – the vulnerable themselves.  The rest of us though – we must make a choice and it is by no means easy.  Neither was it for Jesus, for Dr. King, or for any of the other martyrs of the church.  This does not mean we recklessly engage in violence, but it does mean we act not only on social media, but with our voices, our feet, our very bodies in the streets, in the halls of government, anywhere that children of God suffer – anywhere Jesus calls us to come and see. If we do this, if we follow Jesus, then King's words will come to be.  In the end of that sermon at Washington National Cathedral, he said: “So, however dark it is, however deep the angry feelings and the violent explosions are, I can still sing “We Shall Overcome.” We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. We shall overcome because Thomas Carlyle is right: “No lie can live forever.” We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is right: “Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.” […] With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. […] God grant that we would be participants in this newness and this magnificent development if we will, but do it. We will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day, the morning stars will sing together and the [people] of God will shout for joy.” And so, as we enter into our thirteenth year together amid these deeply troubling times, as we consider in our hearts the path that lay before us, I leave you with this from the epistle of St. Paul we heard this morning – that you may know my deep gratitude for all that you do in the name of Jesus, and be reminded of all that you have been given by God for the work that lay ahead.: St. Paul wrote: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind […and] He will also strengthen you to the end.” Amen. For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible): Sermon Podcast https://christchurchepiscopal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Sermon-January-18-2026-1.m4a   The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge January 18, 2026 The Second Sunday After The Epiphany 1st Reading – Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-12 2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Gospel – John 1:29-42 The post “Now Is The Time!” appeared first on Christ Episcopal Church.

Maryknoll Fr. James Kroeger, a longtime missionary and author, speaks with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates in this episode of Deacons Pod. Fr. Kroeger, who was a missionary in Asia for more than five decades, shares details about his life and ministry, and reflects on the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. Ordained a priest in 1975, he is the author of many articles as well as multiple titles from Faith Alive Books including "A Joyful Journey with Pope Francis: Exploring Twelve Pivotal Documents" and "Exploring Vatican II Treasures: Actors, Events, Insights." His new book is "Living in Joyful Hope: Insights, Models, Challenges." Maryknoll is the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America

Feast of Saint Stephen, First MartyrMatthew 10:17-22"For it will not be you who speakbut the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Brother will hand over brother to death,and the father his child;children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.You will be hated by all because of my name,but whoever endures to the end will be saved."

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass during the DayJohn 1:1-18    In the beginning was the Word,        and the Word was with God,        and the Word was God.    He was in the beginning with God.     All things came to be through him,        and without him nothing came to be.    What came to be through him was life,        and this life was the light of the human race;    the light shines in the darkness,        and the darkness has not overcome it.

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Mass in the MorningLuke 1:67-79“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;for he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,born of the house of his servant David."

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of AdventLuke 1:57-66Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,and he spoke blessing God.Then fear came upon all their neighbors,and all these matters were discussedthroughout the hill country of Judea.All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,“What, then, will this child be?For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

Monday of the Fourth Week of AdventLuke 1:46-56“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;my spirit rejoices in God my savior.for he has looked upon his lowly servant."

Friday of the Third Week of AdventLuke 1:5-25"After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fitto take away my disgrace before others.”

Thursday of the Third Week of AdventMatthew 1:18-25This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,but before they lived together,she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday of the Third Week of AdventMatthew 1:1-17Thus the total number of generationsfrom Abraham to Davidis fourteen generations;from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,fourteen generations.

Tuesday of the Third Week of AdventMatthew 21:28-32"When John came to you in the way of righteousness,you did not believe him;but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that,you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Monday of the Third Week of AdventMatthew 21:23-27When Jesus had come into the temple area,the chief priests and the elders of the people approached himas he was teaching and said,"By what authority are you doing these things?And who gave you this authority?"

Feast of Our Lady of GuadalupeLuke 1:26-38“Do not be afraid, Mary,for you have found favor with God.Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,and you shall name him Jesus.He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

Thursday of the Second Week of AdventMatthew 11:11-15Jesus said to the crowds:“Amen, I say to you,among those born of womenthere has been none greater than John the Baptist;yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Wednesday of the Second Week of AdventMatthew 11:28-30Jesus said to the crowds:"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest."

Tuesday of the Second Week of AdventMatthew 18:12-14Jesus said to his disciples:"What is your opinion?If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hillsand go in search of the stray?And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over itthan over the ninety-nine that did not stray.In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Fatherthat one of these little ones be lost."

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryLuke 1:26-38Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.May it be done to me according to your word."Then the angel departed from her.

Friday of the First Week of AdventMatthew 9:27-31When he entered the house,the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,"Do you believe that I can do this?""Yes, Lord," they said to him.Then he touched their eyes and said,"Let it be done for you according to your faith."

Thursday of the First Week of AdventMatthew 7:21, 24-27“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on themwill be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock."

Memorial of Saint Francis XavierMark 16:15-20Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:"Go into the whole worldand proclaim the Gospel to every creature.Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;whoever does not believe will be condemned.These signs will accompany those who believe:in my name they will drive out demons,they will speak new languages."

Tuesday of the First Week of AdventLuke 10:21-24Turning to the disciples in private he said,"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.For I say to you,many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,but did not see it,and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

Monday of the First Week of AdventMatthew 8:5-11When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobat the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 21:29-33"Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass awayuntil all these things have taken place.Heaven and earth will pass away,but my words will not pass away."

Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time - ThanksgivingLuke 17:11-19They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”And when he saw them, he said,“Go show yourselves to the priests.”As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed,returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him."

Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 21:12-19"You will be hated by all because of my name,but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 21:5-11While some people were speaking abouthow the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,Jesus said, "All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be lefta stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, MartyrsMatthew 10:17-22"When they hand you over,    do not worry about how you are to speak    or what you are to say.You will be given at that moment what you are to say.For it will not be you who speak    but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 19:41-44As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,he saw the city and wept over it, saying,“If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes."

Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin MaryMatthew 12:46-50And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,"Here are my mother and my brothers.For whoever does the will of my heavenly Fatheris my brother, and sister, and mother."

Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 19:11-28"He replied, 'I tell you,to everyone who has, more will be given,but from the one who has not,even what he has will be taken away.Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,bring them here and slay them before me.'"

Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 19:1-10When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of HungaryLuke 6:27-38Jesus said to his disciples:"To you who hear I say,love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 17:26-37"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,but whoever loses it will save it.I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;one will be taken, the other left.And there will be two women grinding meal together;one will be taken, the other left."They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"He said to them, "Where the body is,there also the vultures will gather."

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier CabriniLuke 17:20-25Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,Jesus said in reply,"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and MartyrJohn 17:20-26"Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,but I know you, and they know that you sent me.I made known to them your name and I will make it known,that the love with which you loved memay be in them and I in them."

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, BishopMatthew 25:31-40"Then the righteous will answer him and say,'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,or thirsty and give you drink?When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,or naked and clothe you?When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'And the king will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you didfor one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the ChurchMatthew 16:13-19"And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my Church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 16:1-8"And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.For the children of this worldare more prudent in dealing with their own generationthan the children of light.”

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 15:1-10The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 14:25-33Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,and he turned and addressed them,"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,wife and children, brothers and sisters,and even his own life,he cannot be my disciple.Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after mecannot be my disciple."

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, BishopJohn 10:11-16Jesus said:"I am the good shepherd.A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.A hired man, who is not a shepherdand whose sheep are not his own,sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,and the wolf catches and scatters them."

Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 14:12-14"Rather, when you hold a banquet,invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 14:1-6On a sabbath Jesus went to dineat the home of one of the leading Pharisees,and the people there were observing him carefully.In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?"

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 13:31-35"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how many times I yearned to gather your children togetheras a hen gathers her brood under her wings,but you were unwilling!Behold, your house will be abandoned.But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Preaching for the Solemnity of All Saints, Elvira Ramirez offers a reflection on living our call to holiness through our own gifts and circumstances: "Today, let us reflect on the particular gifts we have received and on the circumstances of our daily lives that invite us to mercy, love, justice, peace, and to holiness."Elvira Ramirez is executive director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners. She previously served as the executive director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Stockton, California for 15 years. And from 1982 until 1993 she served as a Maryknoll sister, primarily working with youth and young adults in Tanzania.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/11012025 to learn more about Elvira, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 13:22-30"And people will come from the east and the westand from the north and the southand will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.For behold, some are last who will be first,and some are first who will be last.”

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, ApostlesLuke 6:12-16Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,and he spent the night in prayer to God.When day came, he called his disciples to himself,and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,Simon who was called a Zealot,and Judas the son of James,and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 13:10-17Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.And a woman was there who for eighteen yearshad been crippled by a spirit;she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,"Woman, you are set free of your infirmity."He laid his hands on her,and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

The second installment in a two-part exploration of Simon(e) Weil for the ongoing Antifascist Christianity series and the Antifascist Woodshed project.  At the heart of the episode is Weil's terse, luminous definition of love—“belief in the existence of other human beings as such”—and Richard Gilman-Opalsky's unpacking of how that love rejects projections and demands the generosity of attention, shared joys and miseries, and a deprivatized ethic of care. Matthew contrasts this with caricatures of Weil as an ascetic or body-denier, arguing instead for a portrait of a neurodivergent activist whose stressed nervous system made hypocrisy intolerable and whose spirituality emerged from embodied encounters.  Weil presented a lot of scrambling data—gender nonconformity, ambivalent sexuality, eating and touch aversions, migraines and hypergraphia. Theological and philosophical commentators often pathologize or misread Weil, while sidestepping their autism. As for Weil's Christianity: it wasn't about churchly allegiance but an experiential, anti-hypocrisy faith that found Jesus in direct action and in taking liturgical symbols seriously enough to live them. For Weil, “this is my body” became a present-tense statement of antifascist solidarity: the breaking and sharing of bread and body as an F-you to the imperials, and a call to communal repair. Show Notes:Coles, Robert. Simone Weil: A Modern Pilgrimage. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2001. Fitzgerald, Michael. The Genesis of Artistic Creativity: Asperger's Syndrome and the Arts. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006. Gilman-Opalsky, Richard. The Communism of Love: An Inquiry into the Poverty of Exchange Value. Chico, CA: AK Press, 2020. Lawson, Kathryn. Ecological Ethics and the Philosophy of Simone Weil. New York: Routledge, 2024. doi:10.4324/9781003449621. McCullough, Lissa. The Religious Philosophy of Simone Weil: An Introduction. London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2014. Plant, Stephen. Simone Weil: A Brief Introduction. Revised and expanded edition. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008. Song, Youming, Tingting Nie, Wendian Shi, Xudong Zhao, and Yongyong Yang. "Empathy Impairment in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Conditions From a Multidimensional Perspective: A Meta-Analysis." Frontiers in Psychology 10 (October 9, 2019): 01902. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01902. Wallace, Cynthia R. The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of Religion. New York: Columbia University Press, 2024. Weil, Simone. The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties towards Mankind. Translated by Arthur Wills. With a preface by T. S. Eliot. Routledge Classics. London and New York: Routledge, 2002. Weil, Simone. Modern Classics Simone Weil: An Anthology. Edited and Introduced by Siân Miles. London: Penguin Books, 2005. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew begins a two-part exploration of Simone Weil—French philosopher, mystic, and antifascist activist—through the lens of autism, embodiment, and political courage. Following the earlier Antifascist Christianity Woodshed series on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this installment positions Weil as a kind of spiritual auntie to Greta Thunberg, whose uncompromising honesty, rooted in autistic perception, continues to disrupt fascist, capitalist, and liberal narrative. Matthew traces Weil's journey from childhood acts of solidarity, like giving up sugar during WW1, to her immersion in factory labor, revolutionary syndicalism, and frontline service in the Spanish Civil War. Weil's refusal of privilege and their lifelong impulse to take on suffering emerge as core features of both her philosophy and her autistic experience. They also stood up to Leon Trotsky, calling out Soviet authoritarianism long before its collapse. Weil can be understood not only through the posthumous notebooks and essays that editors and institutions reshaped into seventeen volumes, but through the lived reality of their embodied resistance. Their ideas remain striking: the notion of attention as the rarest form of generosity; the insistence that obligations come before rights; the practice of “decreation” as a release of ego in the service of love; and the “need for roots” as an antifascist alternative to blood-and-soil nationalism. Part 2 of this series drops Monday on Patreon, where Matthew goes deeper into Weil's autistic traits, their spiritual life, and how their philosophy continues to confront liberalism and fascism alike. Support us on Patreon to access Part 2 and the full Antifascist Woodshed series. Show NotesColes, Robert. Simone Weil: A Modern Pilgrimage. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2001. Fitzgerald, Michael. The Genesis of Artistic Creativity: Asperger's Syndrome and the Arts. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006. Gilman-Opalsky, Richard. The Communism of Love: An Inquiry into the Poverty of Exchange Value. Chico, CA: AK Press, 2020. Lawson, Kathryn. Ecological Ethics and the Philosophy of Simone Weil. New York: Routledge, 2024. doi:10.4324/9781003449621. McCullough, Lissa. The Religious Philosophy of Simone Weil: An Introduction. London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2014. Plant, Stephen. Simone Weil: A Brief Introduction. Revised and expanded edition. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008. Song, Youming, Tingting Nie, Wendian Shi, Xudong Zhao, and Yongyong Yang. "Empathy Impairment in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Conditions From a Multidimensional Perspective: A Meta-Analysis." Frontiers in Psychology 10 (October 9, 2019): 01902. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01902. Wallace, Cynthia R. The Literary Afterlives of Simone Weil: Feminism, Justice, and the Challenge of Religion. New York: Columbia University Press, 2024. Weil, Simone. The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties towards Mankind. Translated by Arthur Wills. With a preface by T. S. Eliot. Routledge Classics. London and New York: Routledge, 2002. Weil, Simone. Modern Classics Simone Weil: An Anthology. Edited and Introduced by Siân Miles. London: Penguin Books, 2005. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices