Podcast appearances and mentions of saint augustine

December 7: Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor c. 337–397 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Milan and beekeepers A mighty bishop guides Augustine, admonishes an emperor, and leads his people If the noble Saint Ambrose had brought Saint Augustine into the Church and done nothing else besides, he would have done enough. Augustine's conversion was a slow boil. He was ripe for baptism when providence placed him and his mother, Monica, in Ambrose's orbit. In baptising Augustine, Ambrose harvested what the Holy Spirit had long cultivated. But Ambrose could be a mentor only because he had previously lived his own Christian drama, and because he was supremely prepared for leadership.Description automatically generatedAmbrose was a high-born Roman, educated in the refined classical tradition of his age. He is perfectly emblematic of so many scholar-bishops of the fourth and fifth centuries who witnessed Rome's slow fade and the subsequent Christian dawn. Christ first rose like the sun over Rome's ruined pagan temples in Ambrose's own lifetime. Ambrose's father was the governor of Gaul, and the family was well connected to fellow elites. Ambrose studied Latin, Greek, rhetoric, law, and the classics in Rome. He was a patrician but also a Christian, albeit unbaptized. At a young age he was noticed by powerful mentors who recommended him for crucial civil posts, and when only thirty years old Ambrose was appointed governor of two Northern Italian provinces. He was living in Milan, where the capital had migrated from Rome decades before, when his great moment came. And it is in Milan where Saint Ambrose is especially revered down to this very day. In 374 the Arian bishop of Milan died, leading to conflicts over whether his successor would be an Arian or an orthodox Catholic. Ambrose was a well-known and well-liked political figure who hovered in the Emperor's court, so he was sent to pacify the crowds in the church where the contentious episcopal election was to occur. When he spoke to the faithful about the need for a peaceful election, they called out "Ambrose for bishop.” He was stunned, refused the honor, and went into hiding. He eventually ceded to the demands of both the region's bishops and the Emperor and accepted the position. Ambrose was baptized, ordained into Holy Orders, and consecrated Bishop of Milan, where he would spend the rest of his days. Ambrose's asceticism and generosity increased his popularity. Augustine wrote that “great personages held him in honor.” This widespread esteem gave Ambrose a powerful voice with the emperor, whom he famously called to repentance after Roman soldiers committed a wanton massacre in Thessalonica. He also convinced the emperor, in lofty, elegant terms, to forswear support for pagan altars. Saint Ambrose came late to the study of theology, but his scholarly training enabled him to master it quickly. He wrote works deftly refuting Arianism, others expounding on the true nature of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and still others on the Sacraments, virginity, ethics, Sacred Scripture, penance, and the duties of the clergy. Although not as original a thinker as Augustine or Basil, Ambrose was the very model of an educated, teaching, preaching, active, governing bishop with a pastoral heart. In his Confessions, Augustine relates how he asked Ambrose about Rome's and Milan's different days of fasting. Ambrose responded "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are.” This sage advice may be the source of the adage "When in Rome, do as the Romans." Ambrose may also have been the first to promote antiphonal chant, in which each side of a church or choir takes turns in singing a text.  After twenty-two consequential years as a bishop involved in the highest matters of Church and Empire, and while in his mid-fifties, Bishop Ambrose died in Milan, where his remains are still venerated in a church dedicated to his honor. Saint Ambrose, your education, courage, and teaching became a model for bishops for many centuries. Help all bishops to have bleeding hearts, iron wills, and razor-sharp minds so that they can lead the faithful as successfully as you did.

Dr. Elizabeth Klein and Dr. John Sehorn, professors at the Augustine Institute, walk through the culture shaping, famous work of The Confessions of Saint Augustine. This classic of western literature has shaped thought for over 1,500 years and is a spiritual masterpiece reflecting man's relationship with God. Join these two patristic scholars as they help viewers learn how to read this classic text and draw from the riches of the spiritual life of doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine.

Jeff was back after two weeks of OSR, and he was raring to go! As you would expect, there was a lot of fishing and hunting talk...and we even got into a little - hold your nose - political talk because of the craziness surrounding lobster fishing up in Maine. But don't worry...there was plenty to laugh about, including Kirk's rooster impersonation!Here's your L.V. Hiers gear tip of the week: GrooveLife belts: Great deal on the best belts on the planet! (And they have our favorite color: camo!)www.groovelife.comHere's your Ring Power CAT tip of the week: Join us for our annual Christmas Extravaganza next Saturday LIVE at Ring Power in Saint Augustine!Here's your Kirbyco Builders Inc. cooking tip of the week: Fire and Smoke BBQ rub is ridiculously good!! Jeff used it on a prime Chuck roast from Cline's Custom Meats for Thanksgiving.https://www.fireandsmokebbq.com/product-page/six-corners-rub

Jeff was back after two weeks of OSR, and he was raring to go! As you would expect, there was a lot of fishing and hunting talk...and we even got into a little - hold your nose - political talk because of the craziness surrounding lobster fishing up in Maine. But don't worry...there was plenty to laugh about, including Kirk's rooster impersonation!Here's your L.V. Hiers gear tip of the week: GrooveLife belts: Great deal on the best belts on the planet! (And they have our favorite color: camo!)www.groovelife.comHere's your Ring Power CAT tip of the week: Join us for our annual Christmas Extravaganza next Saturday LIVE at Ring Power in Saint Augustine!Here's your Kirbyco Builders Inc. cooking tip of the week: Fire and Smoke BBQ rub is ridiculously good!! Jeff used it on a prime Chuck roast from Cline's Custom Meats for Thanksgiving.https://www.fireandsmokebbq.com/product-page/six-corners-rub

Dr. Elizabeth Klein and Dr. John Sehorn, professors at the Augustine Institute, walk through the culture shaping, famous work of The Confessions of Saint Augustine. This classic of western literature has shaped thought for over 1,500 years and is a spiritual masterpiece reflecting man's relationship with God. Join these two patristic scholars as they help viewers learn how to read this classic text and draw from the riches of the spiritual life of doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine.

November 25, 2022My sisters and brothers in the Lord,Welcome to Week 47 of Disciples Together on the Way! We've made it to Week 47! Only four weeks left in our entire program. We've made it to the final stretch. So, for that, I say WELL DONE! God bless you.If you've missed a week or two do not grow weary but start back up and pray that God give you the persistence to march on.For inspiration, we can look towards our friends the saints as examples of perseverance. We've spoken about Saint Monica and how she persevered in prayer for 17 years for the conversion of her son, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Other great examples of persistence are Saint Rita of Cascia and Saint Joseph, foster-father of our Lord.Saint Rita, who lived in 15th century Italy, showed heroic perseverance in her desire to enter the religious life despite being given in marriage to a very violent tempered man by her parents at the age of 12. After her husband died, she again took up her journey to enter the religious life and encountered many trials – yet she persevered and was ultimately allowed to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, Italy.We also see a great example of persistence in the life of Saint Joseph. Despite the many hardships he endured protecting and guiding the Holy Family whether it was the journey to Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, or the loss of the Child in the Temple, blessed Saint Joseph never lost trust in God. He always remained steadfast in his faith.So, in these final four weeks I encourage you to continue your journey down the path of discipleship always turning to the Saints for strength and guidance.For this week, our challenge will be to reflect on the previous eight weeks.The focus of the last several weeks has been the Saints and Corporal Works of Mercy. As a good disciple always does, spend some time in prayer thinking about how those challenges have gone. Were there challenges that came easily? Were there some that seemed more difficult to stick with? Ask the Lord to show you where you need to spend time cultivating the habit of a good disciple by revisiting one of the practices mentioned in these past eight week. Then, repeat that challenge again to begin to develop the habits of a devout disciple.Practice makes perfect! Let us continue on our path of discipleship with the encouraging words of Saint Catherine of Siena: “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”I'll be back with a new theme and a new challenge next week. Until then, may God bless you abundantly throughout this week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.Yours in Christ,+ Earl BoyeaBishop of Lansing

Saint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerVideo Version

November 11: Saint Martin of Tours, Bishopc. 336–397Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of France, soldiers, and conscientious objectorsHe gave away half of his cloak and then all of his life Many great and holy men and women are unknown to history because they lacked the one crucial ingredient to become well known—a biographer. Today's saint was one of the fortunate ones. A historian named Sulpicius Severus personally knew and interviewed Martin in the last years of Martin's life and put it all on parchment. In an age of few books, Sulpicius' Life of Saint Martin was a blockbuster. Over many decades and centuries, it slipped into the bloodstream of European culture until, by the medieval age, the Life was standard reading in all monasteries. Virtually every priest and monk in Europe was deeply familiar with the details of the life of Saint Martin of Tours.The typical biography of a saint for the first few centuries of Christianity worked from the back to the front, from death to life. The real drama was how the saint died, not how he or she lived. Tales of bloody martyrdom, solitary exile, starvation and exposure were as moving and unfortunate as they were common. The Life of Saint Martin told of Martin's adventures and heroism in living the faith, not just about his last few breaths. He was a saint for the new age of legalized Christianity. Martin of Tours died in his bed.Martin was born to pagan parents in present-day Hungary but desired to become a Christian from a young age. His father resisted his son's holy desires and obliged Martin to follow in his footsteps and serve as a soldier in Rome's Imperial Guard. Martin was serving in France when the most iconic moment of his life took place. Martin was slowly approaching the city gates of Amiens on horseback one cold winter evening. A half-naked man shivered on the ground, begging for help. No one stopped. No one helped. No one cared. So Martin, clad as a soldier, pulled the cloak from his back, drew his sharp sword from its scabbard, and sliced his cloak in two. The poor man's skeletal frame was covered with just half of the cloak. That same night, when Martin fell asleep, he had a dream. Jesus appeared to him clad in the cloak and said “Martin, still a catechumen, covered me with this garment.” Upon awakening, Sulpicius tells his reader, “Martin flew to be baptized.”Martin subsequently befriended one of the great men of Gaul of that era, Saint Hilary of Poitiers, who ordained him into minor orders. After various apostolic adventures, Martin was chosen the Bishop of Tours in 372. In his twenty-five years as bishop, Martin was zealous, and jealous, for the House of the Lord. He aggressively tore down pagan temples, which he understood to be dedicated to demons. He traveled incessantly and was untiring in evangelizing the people of the countryside of Gaul and in founding churches. Martin also developed a reputation as a miracle worker and prophet. He cured the eye problems of Saint Paulinus of Nola, Saint Augustine's good friend.By the time of his peaceful death, Bishop Martin of Tours had a well-deserved reputation for holiness. Devotion to Martin spread as Sulpicius' biography was copied and shared. Numerous churches were named in Martin's honor in every country of Europe. England had one hundred seventy-three churches dedicated to Martin of Tours in 1800. The Shrine over Martin's tomb was one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in all of Europe until France was riven by Reformation violence in the 1560s. In an interesting vestige of Martin's enduring historic importance, Martin's feast day in the Breviary is more fully elaborated with prayers and antiphons than almost any comparable saint on the Church's calendar.Saint Martin of Tours, your encounter with the beggar has fired the imagination of countless Christians. You were generous in every single way in living your faith. Through your intercession in heaven, assist us now to see Jesus in everyone, just as you did then.

November 9: Dedication of the Lateran BasilicaFeast; Liturgical Color: WhiteA venerable basilica is the mother of all churchesIn the eighth chapter of his Confessions, Saint Augustine relates the story of an old and learned Roman philosopher named Victorinus. He had been the teacher of many a Roman senator and nobleman and was so esteemed that a statue of him was erected in the Roman Forum. As a venerable pagan, Victorinus had thundered for decades about the monster gods, dark idols, and breathless demons in the pantheon of paganism. But Victorinus assiduously studied Christian texts and whispered to a friend one day, “You must know that I am a Christian.” The friend responded, “I shall not believe it…until I see you in the Church of Christ.” Victorinus responded mockingly, “Is it then the walls that make Christians?” But in his grey hairs, Victorinus finally did pass through the doors of a Catholic church to humbly bow his head to receive the waters of Holy Baptism. There was no one who did not know Victorinus, and at his conversion, Augustine writes, “Rome marveled and the Church rejoiced.”A church's walls do not make one a Christian, of course. But a church has walls nonetheless. Walls, borders, and lines delimit the sacred from the profane. A house makes a family feel like one, a sacred place where parents and children merge into a household. A church structurally embodies supernatural mysteries. A church is a sacred space where sacred actions make Christians unite as God's family. Walls matter. Churches matter. Sacred spaces matter. Today the Church commemorates a uniquely sacred space, the oldest of the four major basilicas in the city of Rome. The Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Rome and thus the seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.A basilica is like a church which has been made a monsignor. Basilicas have certain spiritual, historical, or architectural features by which they earn their special designation. Considered only architecturally, a basilica is a large, rectangular, multi-naved hall built for public gatherings. When Christianity was legalized, its faithful spilled out of their crowded house churches and into the biggest spaces then available, the basilicas of the Roman Empire. If Christians had met in arenas, then that word would have been adopted for ecclesial usage instead of basilica.The Laterani were an ancient Roman noble family whose members served several Roman Emperors. The family built a palace carrying their name on a site which in the fourth century came into the possession of the Emperor Constantine, who then turned it over to the bishop of Rome. An early pope enhanced and enlarged the basilica style palace into a large church, which, in turn, became the oldest and most important papal church in the eternal city. The popes also began to personally reside in the renovated Lateran palace. By medieval times, the Basilica was rededicated to Christ the Savior, Saint John the Baptist, and Saint John the Evangelist. The popes lived at the Lateran until the start of the Avignon papacy in present day France in 1309.With the Avignon papacy ensconced far from Rome for seven decades, the Lateran Basilica was damaged by fires and deteriorated so sadly that by the time the popes returned to Rome in 1377, they found the Basilica inadequate. An apostolic palace was eventually built next to St. Peter's Basilica on the Vatican hill and has been the seat of the successors of Saint Peter ever since. The Lateran Basilica retains its venerable grandeur, despite now being a baroque edifice with only a few architectural traces of its ancient pedigree. Beautiful churches are like precious heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next in God's family. Walls do not make us Christians, but walls do clarify that certain sacred rituals are practiced in certain sacred spaces and in no others. A family in its home. A judge in his court. A surgeon in her operating room. An actor on his stage. God on His altar. We come to God to show Him the respect He deserves. He is everywhere, yes, but He is not the same everywhere. And we are not the same everywhere either. We stand taller and straighter when we step onto His holy terrain.Heavenly Father, we praise You more worthily when we are surrounded by the holy images in Your holy churches. Through Your grace, inspire us to render You due homage in the houses of God where Your presence burns brighter and hotter than anywhere else.

Saint Athanasius ChurchContra Mundum SwaggerVideo Version

What is freedom? If we are free, why do we feel anxiety? How do I relate to the world? Saint Augustine of Hippo asked himself these questions around 400 AD as he wrote Confessions—indeed, as he lived his life. At various points in his life, Augustine was a Manichaean, a Platonist, an academic, a father, and a thief. He was on a quest for truth, an understanding of himself as an individual and a human being. Augustine wrote this text in his forties when he was a bishop. Formally speaking, it is a prayer, a confession to God, but it also an extremely influential philosophical text and one of the earliest ever autobiographies. Columbia Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan discusses the huge existential questions that Augustine tackled and the conclusions he drew that have influenced modern philosophy. Dhananjay Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the history of ethics, and he is currently writing a book on Aristotle's moral epistemology. See more information on our website, WritLarge.fm. Follow us on Twitter @WritLargePod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Who said old heads can't learn? Listen to my "cliff notes" version on how easy it is to start a podcast on Anchor with LeNard Rutledge, Coco Elysses' college band patna' in the percussion section at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, NC. #HBCU's in the house... --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

What is freedom? If we are free, why do we feel anxiety? How do I relate to the world? Saint Augustine of Hippo asked himself these questions around 400 AD as he wrote Confessions—indeed, as he lived his life. At various points in his life, Augustine was a Manichaean, a Platonist, an academic, a father, and a thief. He was on a quest for truth, an understanding of himself as an individual and a human being. Augustine wrote this text in his forties when he was a bishop. Formally speaking, it is a prayer, a confession to God, but it also an extremely influential philosophical text and one of the earliest ever autobiographies. Columbia Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan discusses the huge existential questions that Augustine tackled and the conclusions he drew that have influenced modern philosophy. Dhananjay Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the history of ethics, and he is currently writing a book on Aristotle's moral epistemology. See more information on our website, WritLarge.fm. Follow us on Twitter @WritLargePod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is freedom? If we are free, why do we feel anxiety? How do I relate to the world? Saint Augustine of Hippo asked himself these questions around 400 AD as he wrote Confessions—indeed, as he lived his life. At various points in his life, Augustine was a Manichaean, a Platonist, an academic, a father, and a thief. He was on a quest for truth, an understanding of himself as an individual and a human being. Augustine wrote this text in his forties when he was a bishop. Formally speaking, it is a prayer, a confession to God, but it also an extremely influential philosophical text and one of the earliest ever autobiographies. Columbia Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan discusses the huge existential questions that Augustine tackled and the conclusions he drew that have influenced modern philosophy. Dhananjay Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the history of ethics, and he is currently writing a book on Aristotle's moral epistemology. See more information on our website, WritLarge.fm. Follow us on Twitter @WritLargePod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What is freedom? If we are free, why do we feel anxiety? How do I relate to the world? Saint Augustine of Hippo asked himself these questions around 400 AD as he wrote Confessions—indeed, as he lived his life. At various points in his life, Augustine was a Manichaean, a Platonist, an academic, a father, and a thief. He was on a quest for truth, an understanding of himself as an individual and a human being. Augustine wrote this text in his forties when he was a bishop. Formally speaking, it is a prayer, a confession to God, but it also an extremely influential philosophical text and one of the earliest ever autobiographies. Columbia Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan discusses the huge existential questions that Augustine tackled and the conclusions he drew that have influenced modern philosophy. Dhananjay Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the history of ethics, and he is currently writing a book on Aristotle's moral epistemology. See more information on our website, WritLarge.fm. Follow us on Twitter @WritLargePod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

What is freedom? If we are free, why do we feel anxiety? How do I relate to the world? Saint Augustine of Hippo asked himself these questions around 400 AD as he wrote Confessions—indeed, as he lived his life. At various points in his life, Augustine was a Manichaean, a Platonist, an academic, a father, and a thief. He was on a quest for truth, an understanding of himself as an individual and a human being. Augustine wrote this text in his forties when he was a bishop. Formally speaking, it is a prayer, a confession to God, but it also an extremely influential philosophical text and one of the earliest ever autobiographies. Columbia Professor Dhananjay Jagannathan discusses the huge existential questions that Augustine tackled and the conclusions he drew that have influenced modern philosophy. Dhananjay Jagannathan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. His research focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and the history of ethics, and he is currently writing a book on Aristotle's moral epistemology. See more information on our website, WritLarge.fm. Follow us on Twitter @WritLargePod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

November 1: All SaintsSolemnity; Liturgical Color: WhiteHeaven is populated with holy people known to God aloneMartyrs were so revered in the early Church that their places and dates of death were sanctified by the candles, prayers, and votive offerings of the faithful, grateful for their witness. So many were the martyrs, though, that by the early fourth century it became impossible to solemnize each individually on the Church's crowded calendar. There thus arose, over centuries, and in different ways in different regions, the custom of commemorating the memory of all the holy ones on one specific day of the year. By the early eighth century, a Feast of All Saints was celebrated in Rome on November 1. The Feast was extended to the entire Church in the next century.The universal sanctoral calendar of the Catholic Church is like a saint's All-Star team. Only the most talented make the cut. There are many more canonized saints besides those on the universal calendar. Some saints are commemorated only locally or regionally, others are historically obscure, and still others did not give a sufficiently universal witness to merit inclusion on the Church's universal calendar. The Church defines a saint as a soul enjoying the Beatific Vision in heaven. So, besides the famous saints found on the universal calendar and the lesser-known saints not on that calendar, there are still many more souls in heaven not officially recognized as saints at all. These are the saints we celebrate in a particular way today.The Solemnity of All Saints commemorates all those holy men, women, children, martyrs, confessors, and unknown others who lived lives of such holiness that upon death they either entered directly into God's presence in heaven or duly purified their soul of every imperfection in purgatory before then advancing into His presence. All-Star saints such as Saint Augustine and Saint Francis of Assisi stand shoulder to shoulder in heaven with forgotten grandmas, quiet uncles, and unknown martyrs. These unrecognized but holy souls did not convert entire tribes, found religious communities, or have their bones crushed by the jaws of lions in the arena. Maybe they just kept their mouth shut when they had just the right words to humiliate a family member. Magnanimity. Perhaps they cooked dinner night after night for their family out of a sense of duty, while they gazed out the kitchen window, dreaming of another life far away doing greater deeds. Humility. Or maybe they refused to cooperate with an immoral boss and lost their job, never to recover financially, their dreams ruined for a principled stance. Fortitude.The dense population of heaven is unknown to us on earth, but not to God, the audience of One we should most desire to please. There are as many pathways to God as there are people, since God wants to make a project of each and every one of us. All the saints lived heroic lives in their own unique ways. Some were the steeple to the village, seen by all and inspiring others to greatness. But most saints had lower profiles. They were more like the squat stone blocks forming the church's foundation, silently holding up the entire structure. They received little notice or credit despite buttressing the entire building. Without their support, the church and all of its luster would collapse.Today we commemorate those silent and sturdy ones who, without cease and without complaint, buttressed the family, the marriage, the parish, the Church, the community, the faith. Among the communion of saints are some few illustrious citizens whose virtues sparkle on their special days. But today we honor, remember, and seek to imitate that broader population of heaven never raised to the public altars but who offered their lives in quiet ways to God. They received the Body of Christ and lived His teachings in an exemplary manner in season and out of season until all seasons converged and God called them back to Himself.All holy men and women, so close to us yet still so far, gather our prayers to yourselves and intercede in heaven on our behalf. May our holy desires be accomplished through that chorus of prayers you constantly present to the Father surrounded by all His angels in heaven.

Created things pull us outside ourselves. We fix our attention on objects, and so our mode of consciousness becomes objective. We assume that the pursuit of the external will, in return, bring us reward as the objects of our attention come to us. And yet, no matter how hard we try, the external cannot cross the threshold into our inner being and satisfy our real need. Possessions can go no further than an ephemeral caress of the ego. And this maddening tease drives us to toss aside one failed object for the next, leading us on an endless and fruitless pursuit. Saint Augustine awakened from objective consciousness, from his madding pursuit of created things, to discover that looking outside himself for meaning only drew him away from himself.  And the way back to himself was to yield to the divine call that comes only from within. Today, we turn our attention away from created things out there - letting go of objective consciousness - and look toward the treasure that lie within, where the Creator of all things calls to us. Source Scripture Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:33-34 Connect Twitter: @AwestruckPod Email: info@awestruckpodcast.com Extras The Awestruck Podcast musical playlist  (Apple I Spotify) Paradise Now - Tim Mackie of The Bible Project

October 18: Saint Luke, EvangelistFirst CenturyFeast; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of artists, physicians, and surgeonsA disciple of Christ gives the Church two foundational worksSaint Luke was one of the four Evangelists but not one of the Twelve Apostles. Like Saint Mark, Luke was not among that select group who walked step by step alongside Jesus as he journeyed through Palestine. Luke was more likely a disciple of Saint Paul, who mentions a Luke who accompanies him on his missionary journeys. Little is known with certainty of Luke's life. What is known is that he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles—over a quarter of the New Testament. The two volumes of Luke and Acts are foundational works for knowing Jesus Christ and the early Church. The third Gospel does not name its author and does not even claim to be an eye-witness account. But the earliest known manuscripts of the third Gospel are attributed to Luke, and even Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, writing in the late second century, names Luke as its author. Every one of the four Gospels has a unique perspective, is written for a specific audience, and relates certain details and stories the other Gospels do not. Saint Luke likely wrote for a non-Jewish crowd. He translates into the Greek language words that the other Gospels leave in their original language, a hint that Luke's readers were non-Jews who could not read Hebrew and Aramaic. Luke alone tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man who repents of having ignored him. To Luke alone do we owe our knowledge of the Incarnation. It is as if he is just behind the young Mary in the room when the Archangel Gabriel announces that she will be the Mother of God. Only Luke writes down the Virgin's Magnificat and gives us the scriptural basis for the "Hail Mary.” Yet in all of this, Luke himself does not appear. He must have been humble, because he recedes into the crowd while the whole cast of the Gospel climbs on stage.Luke's Acts of the Apostles is a diary of the very early Church. Acts is often told from a first-person perspective with the use of the word “we.” Without this journal there would be yawning gaps in our knowledge of the nascent Church. It is to Luke, especially, that we are indebted for our knowledge of Pentecost and the workings of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Luke is clearly on Saint Paul's missionary team and remains at the great evangelist's side until the bitter end. When Paul is imprisoned in Rome, with his beheading just over the horizon, he is abandoned by all his coworkers save one. From his prison cell, Paul writes "Only Luke is with me" (2 Tm 4:11).Saint Augustine writes in the Confessions that the present tense of past things is called memory. The past is not really the past, then, if we remember it accurately. Memory can be ill-used when it carries a grudge and blocks forgiveness, or when it doesn't let the past recede but allows it to invade the present so forcefully that no one is allowed to grow beyond their worst five minutes. Understood in a healthy way, memory makes the good past live again. When committed to writing, memory makes the past forever present for posterity. The written Gospels make Christ come alive. Their pages are not Christ in full, as no one can be reduced to just their documentary trace. But the Word made flesh, the Word alive today in heaven, was captured at a certain moment in time by the words of Saint Luke. Christians believe that the Gospels capture the essentials of the life of Jesus Christ which God desires the faithful to know. And when these Gospels are read in the light of the living Gospel of the Church and supplemented by the grace of the Sacraments, the witness of the saints, the governance of the hierarchy, and the teachings of the Catechism, we have all that we need to achieve heaven. The Evangelists make the original events of the life of Christ present today. Without these inspired records, God would not cease to be God, but He would certainly be less vivid to us living so many centuries after His Son became man.Saint Luke, your words preserving the life of Christ make Him knowable and lovable to the world today. Through your intercession in heaven, we ask that the riches of your Gospel, especially your words about the Blessed Mother, may inspire us to be more faithful disciples.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Ronni Kurtz to talk about his new book Fruitful Theology: How the Life of the Mind Leads to the Life of the Soul from B&H Publishing. Today, we talk about how theology can help reorient our entire life toward the fruit of the Spirit which leads to right living before God.Meet Dr. Kurtz:Dr. Kurtz earned his PhD from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently serves as an assistant professor of theology at Cedarville University. Before moving to Ohio, Ronni was a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri for seven years where he also taught theology at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. He is also the author of No Shadow of Turning: Divine Immutability and the Economy of Redemption.Resources:Fruitful Theology by Ronni KurtzNo Shadow of Turning by Ronni KurtzGod Without Measure by John WebsterThe Culture of Theology by John WebsterOn the Unity of Christ by Saint Cyril of AlexandriaOn the Trinity by Saint Augustine of HippoOn the Incarnation by Athanasius of AlexandriaOn God and Christ by Saint Gregory of NazianzusInstitutes of the Christian Religion by John CalvinThe Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

We're trying a new segment on the podcast where we walk with someone, letting the place inspire the conversation. Today we take a walk with historian Stan Rosenberg and talk about the history of science and faith, inspired by some of the buildings built in the 19th century at the University of Oxford that show the often blurry lines between the sacred and the secular. Then, the conversation moves back all the way to the 4th and 5th century with a discussion about science and faith in the mind and the times at Saint Augustine.

Our interview this week is with guest Tammy Harrow (All the Salt in the Sea, Red Adept Publishing, January 2022). We discuss the long gestation period this novel went through before Tammy started the querying process, her best marketing advice to beginning writers, why she has become a die-hard outliner, and the unique bucket list she just completed after working on it for two decades. Tammy Harrow is an international solo traveler, writer, and photographer. She's spent much of her life in the publishing industry, the first half in newspapers and more recently working for various Florida magazines. Every couple of months, she escapes to a new city or country in search of adventure. Along the way, she often finds interesting stories to share with the world. Tammy's work has appeared in Woman's Day, Budget Travel, Social, and Old City Life magazines, Bacopa Literary Review, and on CNN, MSNBC, and National Geographic. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. Tammy lives in historic downtown Saint Augustine, Florida, with her husband, freeloading cat, and disobedient dog. Her three children have flown the nest but still visit frequently. To learn more about Tammy, click here.  

Saint Augustine City Manager John Regan is in the studio with Mike Davis "This Evening" to discuss Hurricane Ian and it's aftermath.

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 459All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint JeromeMost of the saints are remembered for some outstanding virtue or devotion which they practiced, but Jerome is frequently remembered for his bad temper! It is true that he had a very bad temper and could use a vitriolic pen, but his love for God and his son Jesus Christ was extraordinarily intense; anyone who taught error was an enemy of God and truth, and Saint Jerome went after him or her with his mighty and sometimes sarcastic pen. He was above all a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from the Hebrew. Jerome also wrote commentaries which are a great source of scriptural inspiration for us today. He was an avid student, a thorough scholar, a prodigious letter-writer and a consultant to monk, bishop, and pope. Saint Augustine said of him, “What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known.” Saint Jerome is particularly important for having made a translation of the Bible which came to be called the Vulgate. It is not the most critical edition of the Bible, but its acceptance by the Church was fortunate. As a modern scholar says, “No man before Jerome or among his contemporaries and very few men for many centuries afterwards were so well qualified to do the work.” The Council of Trent called for a new and corrected edition of the Vulgate, and declared it the authentic text to be used in the Church. In order to be able to do such work, Jerome prepared himself well. He was a master of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Chaldaic. He began his studies at his birthplace, Stridon in Dalmatia. After his preliminary education, he went to Rome, the center of learning at that time, and thence to Trier, Germany, where the scholar was very much in evidence. He spent several years in each place, always trying to find the very best teachers. He once served as private secretary to Pope Damasus. After these preparatory studies, he traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ's life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to prayer, penance, and study. Finally, he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in the cave believed to have been the birthplace of Christ. Jerome died in Bethlehem, and the remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Reflection Jerome was a strong, outspoken man. He had the virtues and the unpleasant fruits of being a fearless critic and all the usual moral problems of a man. He was, as someone has said, no admirer of moderation whether in virtue or against evil. He was swift to anger, but also swift to feel remorse, even more severe on his own shortcomings than on those of others. A pope is said to have remarked, on seeing a picture of Jerome striking his breast with a stone, “You do well to carry that stone, for without it the Church would never have canonized you” (Butler's Lives of the Saints). Saint Jerome is the Patron Saint of: Librarians Scholars Translators Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

"This Evening" Col. Bill Dudley of the Veterans Council of St. Johns County is joining Mike Davis to discuss veterans' issues in Saint Augustine as well as upcoming events.

September 19: Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyrc. 300Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of NaplesAn early bishop martyr is honored due to an enduring miracle of bloodIn every lost corner and hidden valley of the Catholic world is a painting of the Virgin Mary that cries watery tears, a crucifix whose growing hair must be cut with scissors, a white host oozing drops of red blood, or a sacred pool whose baths make the blind see and the lame walk. Of all the miracles, wonders, and theological rarities that leave God's family in awe, the miracle of today's saint is one of the most astounding. Three times a year—on his day of martyrdom, September 19; on the day of his commemoration as Patron of Naples, December 16; and on the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, recalling the gathering together of his various relics—the blood of Saint Januarius liquefies.Since at least the 1300s, a small glass vial holding a deep-red, stable substance has been removed from a safe location and brought before the faithful in the Cathedral of Naples by a priest or bishop. The vial is placed near the other relics of Saint Januarius which rest under the altar. And then the drumbeat of prayers start. They sometimes continue for hours and sometimes for minutes. God is bidden, fuel is poured on the fire of faith, and the mysterious moment arrives. Spontaneously, the stable, solid, red substance is transformed into a liquid that splashes around the inside walls of the vial for all to see. The blood of Saint Januarius has come to life. The city of Naples fires a twenty-one-gun salute from a nearby castle to signal that the transformation has occurred.There is no explanation for how this happens. But it happens, happens often, and has happened consistently for many centuries. The proof is the outcome itself. That a solid substance liquifies cannot be debated. The liquified blood must be the starting point for speculation, not a presumption of magic or sleight of hand. That some things of God cannot be explained without the informed trust of faith is simply to state that believers did not make God up. He is not understandable. If He were, then He would fit conveniently into our tiny brains and thus not be God. But no faith is needed to accept this miracle. What happens is a fact.Little is known about the life of Saint Januarius. An extant letter from 432 mentions him as if he were already well known. It states that a nearby bishop, a friend of Saint Augustine named Saint Paulinus of Nola, had a vision of Januarius just before Paulinus died, and that Januarius was a bishop and martyr and a well-known member of the Church of Naples. It is believed that our saint was beheaded during a persecution under the reign of Diocletian, in the decade before Christianity was legalized in the early 300s. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the liquifying of Saint Januarius' blood is that it occurs for no specific purpose. No sick person is healed, no sacrament is celebrated, no bishop is elected. It is a divine folly. It occurs to edify, to entertain, and to inspire, as if religion were a theological sport, with God simply putting His talents on display for all to behold the spectacle from the pews, to gaze, mouth agape, at a wonder that can neither be explained nor be resisted.Saint Januarius, you died for the faith of the Church just as the Christian era dawned. May we follow your example of generous witness and stand astonished at the mysterious miracle that puts your name on so many lips so many centuries after you perished for Christ.

On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: Presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers, gathered today for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Thousands of mourners lined the streets while millions around the world watched the scenes from London. Affiliate Reporter for the Associated Press, Philip Crowther, takes us through the many remarkable scenes from the day and what stood out the most to him. And President Joe Biden flew back to Washington DC after attending the queen's funeral. Later, the president and Vice President Kamala Harris both sent out tweets supporting abortion access, with the vice president ripping “extremist Republicans in Congress” and the president doubling down on “codifying Roe.” UK Journalist and author who lives just outside of London, Fiorella Nash, joins to tell us more about the state funeral of the queen, whether there were marks of Christianity in the service and which Catholic leaders were present. Finally this evening, a course for the formation of new bishops has taken place at the Vatican. The purpose is to facilitate a collegial reflection on their ministry in the present context of the Church on a Synodal journey. Bishop Erik Pohlmeier of the Diocese of Saint Augustine in Florida, joins to tell us more about this course, how it was structured and how many participants there were. Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Get EWTN News Nightly delivered to your email: https://ewtn.com/enn

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Speaking to priests, religious sisters, and missionaries living in Kazakhstan, where Catholics make up less than 1% of the population, Pope Francis on Thursday said that God's power is made manifest when “we acknowledge our littleness.” “The Gospel says that being little, poor in spirit, is a blessing, a beatitude, and indeed the first of the beatitudes,” Pope Francis said in Nur-Sultan's Cathedral of Our Lady Of Perpetual Help on September 15. Kazakhstan is a majority-Muslim country home to an ethnically diverse minority of Catholics — an estimated 125,000 out of the Central Asian country's population of 19 million. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252297/pope-francis-tells-kazakhstan-s-small-catholic-community-being-little-is-a-blessing Discussing on the flight from Kazakhstan to Italy on Thursday the moral degradation of the West, particularly concerning the advance of legal euthanasia, Pope Francis said the region has taken the wrong path and that killing should be left “to the animals.” Pressed on the problem of euthanasia, Pope Francis said: “To kill is not human, period. If you kill — with motivation yes — in the end you will kill more. It's not human. Let's leave killing to the animals.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252304/pope-francis-the-west-has-taken-the-wrong-paths By a broad majority, members of the European Parliament on Thursday condemned the escalating repression against the Catholic Church and others in Nicaragua. The resolution, passed September 15, criticized the arbitrary “arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvarez” of Matagalpa and called “for his and others' immediate and unconditional release and the annulment of all legal proceedings against them.” Pope Francis on Thursday called for dialogue, saying: “There have been talks with the government; there is dialogue. That doesn't mean you approve of everything the government does or you disapprove of everything. It does not. There is dialogue and there is a need to solve problems.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252307/european-parliament-condemns-growing-repression-of-catholic-church-in-nicaragua-calls-for-release-of-bishop Today, the Church celebrates Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, martyrs. Saint Cornelius was elected Pope in 251 during the persecutions of the Emperor Decius. Cornelius decreed that apostates must be welcomed back and insisted that they perform an adequate penance. In 253 Cornelius was exiled by the emperor Gallus and died of the hardships he endured in exile. Saint Cyprian of Carthage is second in importance only to the great Saint Augustine as a figure and Father of the African church. He was a close friend of Pope Cornelius, and supported him both against the anti-pope Novatian and in his views concerning the re-admittance of apostates into the Church. He was martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Valerian. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-cornelius-pope-martyr-and-st-cyprian-bishop-martyr-596

September 16: Saint Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrc.200–258Memorial; Liturgical Color: RedPatron Saint of Algeria and North AfricaThe faithful soak up the blood of their beheaded bishopThe elegantly named Thaschus Caecilius Cyprianus was born in an uncertain year in that buzzing beehive of early Christianity known as Roman North Africa. His biography epitomizes that of many greats of his era: a classically educated Roman citizen of renown finds Christ as an adult, leaves behind his exalted civic status, trades Empire for Church, and places his gifts and reputation at the service of the people as a bishop of consequence. But because he lived in times of hot persecution, Cyprian's life did not come to a peaceful end like others with similar biographies, such as Saints Hilary, Ambrose, Augustine, or Paulinus of Nola. The mighty Bishop Cyprian was sentenced to death by a local bureaucrat. On the fateful day, he knelt in the burning sand and waited for the heavy Roman sword to lop off his head. Cyprian's cult of martyrdom sprang up instantly, even as the faithful, carrying white cloths, soaked up the holy blood that dripped from his torso. His name was soon placed in the Roman Canon, where it remains today, spoken from the altar and heard by the faithful at Mass in Eucharistic Prayer I.Cyprian was a big-hearted, well-educated “man about town” when, in his mid-forties, he was converted by the example and words of an old priest. He redirected his life, made a vow of chastity that astonished his friends, and even abstained from his greatest pleasure—the works of pagan authors. In all of Cyprian's Christian writings, there is not one single citation of these pagans whose style and thought Cyprian had so admired. Once converted, Cyprian's mind focused on Scripture and the growing canon of Christian theology, mostly that of his fellow North African Tertullian. Soon after his baptism, Cyprian was ordained a priest, and in 248, after first resisting the appointment, he was made the bishop of his home city of Carthage. His impressive bearing and refined education earned him deep respect among the faithful. His biographer, a deacon named Pontus, wrote about Cyprian precisely so that the great man would be known for the example of his entire life, not just his last few heroic moments. Under the persecution of the Emperor Decius (249–252), which so marked the life of the third-century Church, many Christians lined up at the office of their local Roman official to offer token worship to pagan gods and to receive a libellus, or small sheet, documenting their apostasy. Cyprian lost all his possessions in this persecution but avoided capture by going into hiding. He governed his diocese remotely through letters. He was also compelled to defend his flight against criticism levelled by bishops in both Rome and North Africa that he was avoiding martyrdom. Once the tide of persecution subsided, Cyprian returned to Carthage and was lenient but clear, like his contemporary Pope Cornelius, in reintegrating the lapsi back into the Church once they had performed a suitable penance.The roiling debate over how to pastorally respond to the lapsi divided the Church in North Africa, with some priests arguing no forgiveness was possible for idolaters, and others demanding that the lapsi perform onerous penances before they were received again into the fold. Cyprian responded to these divisions by writing a treatise on Church unity, arguing that the Pope's teaching on this matter must be obeyed: “There is one God, one Christ, and but one episcopal chair, originally founded on Peter, by the Lord's authority. There cannot be set up another altar or another priesthood.” Cyprian later clashed with Pope Stephen I over the validity of the sacraments performed by priests who had apostatized, a matter resolved after both mens' death in favor of the Roman position of leniency.Cyprian's fellow North African, Saint Augustine of Hippo, in Book Five of his Confessions, recounts how his mother, Monica, prayed in a shrine dedicated to Saint Cyprian in the port city of Carthage around 375 A.D. So, approximately one hundred and twenty years after Cyprian's death, his legacy was firmly established, fresh and alive, as it still is today.Saint Cyprian, you served the unity of the Church as a bishop, understood the beauty and necessity of the sacraments, and accepted death over apostasy. Inspire all bishops to be magnets, drawing the faithful toward Christ and the Church through their teaching and witness.

  Saint Augustine famously wrote that, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." This summarizes well what we might call a spirituality of divine love and the human longing for relationship. This Tuesdays with Merton presentation explores Thomas Merton's own contributions toward developing a spirituality of love, which surfaces as a recurring theme in his writing from his earliest journal entries and books until his untimely death. Drawing on Merton's wisdom, we may come to better distinguish for ourselves between 'true' and 'false' love in our own lives and spiritual journeys. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, is Professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology and Director of the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. He previously held the Dun Scotus Chair of Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. A columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, he is the author of fourteen books, including The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, Thought, and Writing, Catholicity and Emerging Personhood: A Contemporary Theological Anthropology, and his two latest are titled A White Catholic's Guide to Racism and Privilege and The Way of the Franciscans: A Prayer Journey Through Lent. He also recently co-edited the book The Human in a Dehumanizing World: Reexamining Theological Anthropology and Its Implications. He is co-host of The Francis Effect Podcast. See also a video of the presentation at the Tuesdays with Merton YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChblMM9VgwmVPwlmrv5uYpQ/videos  

Full Text of ReadingsTwenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 132All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint CyprianCyprian is important in the development of Christian thought and practice in the third century, especially in northern Africa. Highly educated and a famous orator, he became a Christian as an adult. He distributed his goods to the poor, and amazed his fellow citizens by making a vow of chastity before his baptism. Within two years he had been ordained a priest and was chosen, against his will, as Bishop of Carthage. Cyprian complained that the peace the Church had enjoyed had weakened the spirit of many Christians and had opened the door to converts who did not have the true spirit of faith. When the Decian persecution began, many Christians easily abandoned the Church. It was their reinstatement that caused the great controversies of the third century, and helped the Church progress in its understanding of the Sacrament of Penance. Novatus, a priest who had opposed Cyprian's election, set himself up in Cyprian's absence (he had fled to a hiding place from which to direct the Church—bringing criticism on himself) and received back all apostates without imposing any canonical penance. Ultimately he was condemned. Cyprian held a middle course, holding that those who had actually sacrificed to idols could receive Communion only at death, whereas those who had only bought certificates saying they had sacrificed could be admitted after a more or less lengthy period of penance. Even this was relaxed during a new persecution. During a plague in Carthage, Cyprian urged Christians to help everyone, including their enemies and persecutors. A friend of Pope Cornelius, Cyprian opposed the following pope, Stephen. He and the other African bishops would not recognize the validity of baptism conferred by heretics and schismatics. This was not the universal view of the Church, but Cyprian was not intimidated even by Stephen's threat of excommunication. He was exiled by the emperor and then recalled for trial. He refused to leave the city, insisting that his people should have the witness of his martyrdom. Cyprian was a mixture of kindness and courage, vigor and steadiness. He was cheerful and serious, so that people did not know whether to love or respect him more. He waxed warm during the baptismal controversy; his feelings must have concerned him, for it was at this time that he wrote his treatise on patience. Saint Augustine remarks that Cyprian atoned for his anger by his glorious martyrdom. His liturgical feast is celebrated on September 16. Reflection The controversies about Baptism and Penance in the third century remind us that the early Church had no ready-made solutions from the Holy Spirit. The leaders and members of the Church of that day had to move painfully through the best series of judgments they could make in an attempt to follow the entire teaching of Christ and not be diverted by exaggerations to right or left. Saint Cyprian is the Patron Saint of: North Africa Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Friends of the Rosary: Today, September 8, nine months after the December 8 celebration of the Immaculate Conception, is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Savior of the world's mother. St. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his wife St. Anne, by their childlessness. They began to devote themselves to prayer and fasting, wondering whether their inability to conceive a child might signify God's displeasure with them. It turned out that the couple was to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah. An angel revealed to Anne that all generations would honor their future child: "The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world." Mary's parents, along with the temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to God as a consecrated Virgin for the rest of her life, and enter a chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph. Saint Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. "She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley," he wrote. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation, and she has the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. We call upon the Blessed Virgin as "Cause of our joy", one of the most beautiful titles in her litany. Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • September 8, 2021, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Emotional episode today! At least for me.  We examine the Catholic Church's long history of sex scandals, including extremely troublesome recent coverups, how the priesthood came to be, whether or not celibacy is a realistic expectation, how the priesthood may entice pedophiles to join, and so much more. We'll examine the history of the church's views on sexuality. Why did they choose celibacy for priests? Does it have any scriptural basis? How does not allowing priests to have a sexual life (or at least forcing them to do so in secrecy) affect their psychological development/health? Mostly, we look into how long sex scandals within the church have been happening, how pervasive they are, and if they're going away anytime soon. Bad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation:  In honor of the passing of Jeff Burton from the Rizzuto Show aka the Rizz Show on 105.7 FM in St Louis, we are donating (amount tbd) to Jeff's charity of choice - Kids Rock Cancer. Through the proven healing power of music therapy, Kids Rock Cancer helps children combat feelings of anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and helplessness.  To find out more, go to www.kidsrockcancer.orgWatch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lWE3nGAxS0oMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

Saint Augustine said, "to fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him the greatest achievement."This is Tuesday Night at the Smith Home for Sunday September 11, 2022Includes highlights from Chloe Cole's story who at 15 years old agreed to let a "gender affirming" surgeon remove her healthy breasts. "Because of that decision I made when I was a kid, I will never be able to breastfeed my children in the future." Scripture: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14Psalm 511 Tim 1:12-17Luke 15:1-32link to Tuesday Night in the Smith HomePlease consider being a Sponsor! "The future of humanity passes by way of the family"--John Paul II. Thank You to Fred from Florida  who pledged $100 a month!!  And Dan from Illinois who pledged $25.00 a month!!  We are getting there! Glory Be To God.     The John Paul II Renewal Center 's goal was to raise $2500.00 a month to fund a new team member whose focus will be to support the culture of life by helping to support and educate parents and children.  We already have the person, a seasoned teacher who is ready to go...help us bring  her on board!Generous donors have  pledged $1,175 per month ...$1125.00 to go! So please consider any amount!                                                  Our Goal is now met when we have added:                                                   4 monthly donors @  $100.00 Month                                                   6 monthly donors @  $  50.00 Month                                                   21 monthly donors @  $  25.00 MonthUpdated  donor address:John Paul II Renewal Center902 S Randall RoadSTE C #296St. Charles, IL. 60174Support the show     Also listen to podcast #227: "Woke" Neo-Marxists are Destroying Our Children's Future and Taking Down Our Country.Or...#232: What is "Sex"? What is "Gender Identity"? What is a Human Being? With Dr. Susan Selner-WrightEmail me with questions!Contact Jack: BWYR Podcast is a production of the John Paul ll Renewal Center or email him at info@jp2renew.orgPlease share this with your friends and family!Don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter!!  JPll Renewal Center email listOSV TalksCatholic Talks to Get the Church TalkingListen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

September 3: Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctorc. 540–604Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachersA gifted nobleman serves Rome, becomes a monk, and then a consequential popeWhen your salad is awesome, your car amazing, and your internet connection is great, there's a problem. Overused superlatives diminish their own meaning and crowd the linguistic space reserved for things which are truly awesome, amazing, and great. Today's saint sent the large missionary party that trekked across Europe and converted Saxon England to Catholicism, establishing a culture that endured for almost a millennium. That's awesome! He wrote a theological work that was used for centuries by thousands of bishops to help them become more fatherly pastors. That's amazing! Gregorian chant is named after him; he is one of the four Latin Fathers of the Church; he was the first pope to use “Servant of the Servants of God” as a papal title; he alone preserved the memory of Saint Benedict with a biography; he made revisions to the content and structure of the Mass which are part of the liturgy until today; and he was the most impactful pope of the long span of centuries from the 500s to the 1000s. That's great! These accomplishments thus truly merit the title Great with which Saint Gregory has been justly crowned by history.Pope Saint Gregory the Great was born into a noble Roman family with a history of service to Church and empire. The family home was perched on one of Rome's seven ancient hills, the Caelian, which Via San Gregorio still cuts through today. His father was a Roman senator, although at a time when Italy was in decline and the imperial government was based in Constantinople. Gregory received an education in keeping with his class and became the Prefect of Rome, its highest civil position, in his early thirties. In 579 he was chosen by the pope as his emissary to the emperor's court in Constantinople, primarily to seek the emperor's assistance in protecting Italy from the Lombard tribes that had long ago overrun her.Gregory was elected the bishop of his home city in 590 and was thus obligated to abandon the quiet life of a monk, which he had been living with some friends for a few years in a small monastery near his family home. In numerous letters which have fortunately been preserved, Pope Gregory, soon after his election, bemoans the loss of his monastic solitude, peaceful recollection, and life of prayer. But he had only been a monk for a few short years. Gregory's skills as an administrator, honed in his long years of prior civil and church leadership, proved valuable when he sat on the Chair of Saint Peter. He drew into the orbit of papal authority the bishops of France and Spain who had, until then, been operating somewhat autonomously. He secured the allegiance of Italy's northern tribes to orthodox Catholicism, compelling them to abandon the counterfeit Arian Christianity they had held for centuries. And Gregory made the fateful decision to personally organize and promote the great, and highly successful, missionary journey of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to the Kingdom of Kent in England.Pope Saint Gregory the Great's legacy in liturgy, pastoral doctrine, and miracles left a deep mark on medieval Europe and beyond. The Council of Trent in 1562 mandated the suppression of votive Mass cycles for the dead or for any other need. But the Council Fathers made one exception: The Mass of Saint Gregory, a cycle of thirty Masses on thirty consecutive days for the release of a soul from purgatory, was not suppressed. Almost a thousand years after his death, Gregory's memory was too venerable to suppress. Gregory was an encourager of the encouragers, a bishop who modeled, strengthened, and explained how and why his fellow bishops should be fathers first and lords second.Pope Saint Gregory the Great, your example of holy leadership, of scholarly practicality, of balance between universal and local concerns, helps all Christians to weigh their many duties in a proper balance and to choose correctly what matters most to God and their own salvation.

In this episode, we celebrate the commemoration of St. Augustine of Hippo, discussing his life, legacy, and perhaps one of his most famous quotes: "our heart is restless until it rests in You."

We have a new mini-series for you! In this episode of GodPod, the home team begin a four-part mini-series on Theological Figures, beginning with Saint Augustine.

Full Text of ReadingsTwenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 126All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Augustine of HippoA Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41: Many people are familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo, sinner turned saint. But to get to really know the man is a rewarding experience. There quickly surfaces the intensity with which he lived his life, whether his path led away from or toward God. The tears of his mother, the instructions of Ambrose and, most of all, God himself speaking to him in the Scriptures, redirected Augustine's love of life to a life of love. Having been so deeply immersed in creature-pride of life in his early days and having drunk deeply of its bitter dregs, it is not surprising that Augustine should have turned, with a holy fierceness, against the many demon-thrusts rampant in his day. His times were truly decadent: politically, socially, morally. He was both feared and loved, like the Master. The perennial criticism leveled against him: a fundamental rigorism. In his day, Augustine providentially fulfilled the office of prophet. Like Jeremiah and other greats, he was hard-pressed but could not keep quiet. “I say to myself, I will not mention him/I will speak in his name no more/But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart/imprisoned in my bones/I grow weary holding it in/I cannot endure it” (Jeremiah 20:9). Reflection Augustine is still acclaimed and condemned in our day. He is a prophet for today, trumpeting the need to scrap escapisms and stand face-to-face with personal responsibility and dignity. Saint Augustine is a Patron Saint of: Converts to Christianity Printers Theologians Enjoy this lineup of patron saints! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine. Now days many Mothers are in distress from their children leaving the faith for empty promises of the world. Father Shares a prayer to Saint Monica for all the children who have wondered away from God.

August 28: Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor354–430Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of theologians and printersA psychologist, theologian, and working bishop is the greatest convert after Saint PaulThe mighty African Saint Augustine climbed the heights of thought, stood upright on their peaks, and turned toward Rome, and thus spread his long, deep shadow over the entire globe. As a Christian thinker, he has few equals. He is the saint of the first millennium. Augustine was born in the small Roman village of Tagaste, in Northern Africa, to a minor civil official and a pious, head-strong mother. Tagaste had no swagger. Its simple people were bent over from working the land since time immemorial. The great African cities hugged the Mediterranean coast, far from Tagaste, which was cut off, two hundred miles inland. When he was a boy, Augustine imagined what the far-off waves of the sea were like by peering into a glass of water. When he was twenty-eight, he descended from his native hills and sailed for Rome to find himself, God, and holy fame. When he returned to Africa many years later, it was for good. The hot-tempered young African had matured into a cool-headed spiritual father. He was now their bishop, lovingly and tirelessly serving the open, forthright townsmen that were his natural kin.It is challenging to categorize someone who is the founder of an entire genre or school of thought. No one knew what an autobiography was until Augustine wrote his Confessions. There was Caesar's Gallic War before, and there would be Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions later. And there is volume after volume now. All pale. Augustine wrote the Confessions as the Bishop of Hippo when he was about forty-three, covering his early life up to the age of thirty-three. It is not a great book due to its density of historical detail. The reader hungers for facts and is left unsatisfied. Whereas autobiographies are normally stuffed with people, places, and things, Augustine says almost nothing about his father, only mentioning his death in passing. He does not clarify how many siblings he has. It is often not clear when, or where, events occur. Augustine is clearly not concerned, in short, with his outward journey. It is the inner drama, the drama of the soul, that he wants to recount. The Confessions changes the answer to the perennial question “What really happened?” from the outside to the inside. Augustine is the author of the first “Story of a Soul.”Augustine is the world's first great psychologist. He does self-reflection and analyses ages before Saint Ignatius and perceives unconscious motivations centuries before Freud. The painfully self-aware, tell-you-everything, what-are-you-hiding, hyper-modern psyche of today is deformed Augustinianism. It took a long time for the future to catch up to him. Augustine does so many things first, does them better, and does them as a Catholic. With the historical details left to the side, he self-investigates his early childhood, his unsatisfied father-hunger, the emotional darkness caused by the death of friends, his enduring guilt for stealing some pears, his complex love for his mother, and how hard it is…how hard…to leave the woman he has loved for fifteen years. They have a child together after all. But Augustine must let her go. He must move on, and he does. She is the Confessions' mysterious character. He never even gives her name.Reading other great theologians, one knows almost nothing about them, their friends, or their personal thoughts or desires. Reading Augustine, you get the man in full. He is concerned with relationships, that of his to God and to his mother, and that of others to himself. He would start his personal letters with Dulcissimus concivis—My dearest friend. And he meant it. He was a highly educated scholar, a great letter writer who worked in the close orbit of the Roman imperial court, and a sophisticated thinker who most opened the intellectual path the Church would walk until the scholastics of medieval times introduced Aristotle to Christian thought.When Augustine turned his head from the beauty of the senses toward the holy beauty of God, his personal sensory privation was more than an absence. It was a total commitment. In the second phase of his life, Augustine placed the heavy cross of routine pastoral care on his shoulders. He became a working bishop and excelled at this role. This complex man, this highly fruitful, working intellectual, asked to be alone in his room when death finally came for him in his seventy-fifth year.Saint Augustine, may our own examination of conscience be like yours—continual, honest, and Christ-centered. You achieved a high level of self-awareness not for its own sake but to prune all sin from your soul. May we be as self-focused, and as God-focused, as you were.

We examine the conversion of Saint Augustine as he describes it in Books 8 and 9 of his Confessions.You can find the text online by clicking here. 

A very good morning to you, I greet you in Jesus' precious name. It is Thursday morning, the 25th of August 2022. And this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.“Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,And bend their bows to shoot their arrows - bitter words...”Psalm 64:3And then we go straight to Proverbs:“The truthful lip shall be established forever,But a lying tongue is but for a moment.”Proverbs 12:19And then that scripture that we all know so well, Psalm 119:105:“Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path.”Remember, what you say is what you get and when you speak bitter, negative, untrue words, it makes you unwell - It makes you sick. Saint Augustine said of his mother, whom he loved so much, she would never repeat what another said unless it would help - isn''t that beautifu? She would never repeat what another said, unless it would help. Jesus, our Lord, spoke life. He did not speak death and that is why wherever he went, crowds of people thronged to him like bees around a honey pot. Like never, ever before folks need words of affirmation, words of encouragement. Like Philippians 4:13:“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”Philippians 4:19Many years ago, in 2005, we had one of our early Mighty Men conferences on the farm. There were about 600 men squashed into a hall on Shalom farm. During a time of confession, men were coming up and confessing their sins in front of the boys, and obviously before the Lord Jesus. Things that they had done, that they were ashamed of and things that they had never done, that they should have. I remember, clearly, a policeman came up and stood in the front. He said, “I've never told my son that I loved him and that I believe in him.” At that moment, a big strong, young teenage boy came running up the aisle to his dad and the two hugged each other, with many tears flowing. That young man went back home, he went back to his school and he made the first team rugby squad. He then went on to play provincial rugby because his dad spoke words of love and life over him. Do the same today. Go out and speak life and not death.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

Fr. Mike shows us from our reading of Jeremiah that when we give our hearts and minds over to idols we become foolish. The way of man is not in himself, we need the Lord to guide and correct us. In Ezekiel, we read about the vision of the measuring of the temple and Fr. Mike shows us how the early Church Fathers would read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. Today's readings are Jeremiah 10-11, Ezekiel 40, and Proverbs 15:5-8. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Saint Augustine prayed, “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.” Important to our spiritual formation is knowing the “true self,” that is who Christ is forming us to be. In this message, Pastor Shannon explores what it takes to shed your “old self” while developing your “true self” in Christ.

Today's Topics: 1) Catholic 101: Father Edward Looney writes why we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus: “The name of Jesus was first spoken by an angel and is the cause of adoration by the heavenly court. Jesus' name is reverenced especially during Holy Mass, as the General Instruction of the Roman Missal instructs the Priest to bow his head at the mention of Jesus' Name.” https://www.simplycatholic.com/why-we-celebrate-the-holy-name-of-jesus/ 2) Catholic 101: What is blessed salt? It is one of the Church's sacramentals and has a rich history. “Salt is mentioned frequently in Scripture — in both Old and New Testaments. Saint Augustine mentions that blessed salt was used with catechumens — those preparing for baptism — a practice that continued until the liturgical revisions of the Second Vatican Council.” https://www.simplycatholic.com/what-is-blessed-salt/ 3, 4) Are blessed bells effective in spiritual warfare? https://www.ncregister.com/blog/an-exorcist-explains-why-the-devil-hates-bells-so-much Blessing of a bell (1908) https://broshlegaspi.org/blessing-of-a-bell/ Father Ripperger on exorcised bells https://osmm.org/store/exorcised-items

Full Text of ReadingsFriday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 417All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Jane Frances de ChantalJane Frances was wife, mother, nun, and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when she was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. Jane developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. At 21, she married Baron de Chantal, by whom she had six children, three of whom died in infancy. At her castle, she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was seriously engaged in various charitable works. Jane's husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep dejection for four months at her family home. Her father-in-law threatened to disinherit her children if she did not return to his home. He was then 75, vain, fierce, and extravagant. Jane Frances managed to remain cheerful in spite of him and his insolent housekeeper. When she was 32, Jane met Saint Francis de Sales who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director. After three years, Francis told Jane of his plan to found an institute of women that would be a haven for those whose health, age, or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation—hence their name the Visitation nuns—humility and meekness. The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of Saint Augustine. Francis wrote his famous Treatise on the Love of God for them. The congregation consisting of three women began when Jane Frances was 45. She underwent great sufferings: Francis de Sales died; her son was killed; a plague ravaged France; her daughter-in-law and son-in-law died. She encouraged the local authorities to make great efforts for the victims of the plague, and she put all her convent's resources at the disposal of the sick. During a part of her religious life, Jane Frances had to undergo great trials of the spirit—interior anguish, darkness, and spiritual dryness. She died while on a visitation of convents of the community. Reflection It may strike some as unusual that a saint should be subject to spiritual dryness, darkness, interior anguish. We tend to think that such things are the usual condition of “ordinary” sinful people. Some of our lack of spiritual liveliness may indeed be our fault. But the life of faith is still one that is lived in trust, and sometimes the darkness is so great that trust is pressed to its limit. Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is a Patron Saint of: Mothers Widows Wives Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

In this final episode of Season 11, we chat about our favorite parts of the last year's episodes and have a special announcement about what is coming next for the podcast. We discuss how there is a season for everything and how we are invited to not grasp onto the things that God entrusts to us, but to hold them loosely with a posture of trust and freedom. We also talk about taking time to be quiet and discern what the Lord has for us, what changes need to be made, and what to let go of. We pray that you have a wonderful summer filled with simplicity and moments to spend with Christ. Sister Miriam's one thing - Prudence - Choose Confidently, Live Boldly by Fr. Gregory Pine, OP  Heather's one thing - Heather's playlist - Only Jesus  Michelle's one thing -   Live Today Well - Creative God  Michelle's Summer Reading List    Mentioned on the Podcast:  Bryan Stevenson's Talk from Communion and Liberations's New York Encounter Searching for and Maintaining Peace Lenten Series   Discussion Questions:     What stood out to you in this week's podcast? How do you feel when changes occur in your life? Is it easy or challenging for you to let go of things you might enjoy to make room for something new that God has in store? Sr. Miriam said, “When we take the next right step, the Lord provides”. Do you believe that God will provide what you need if you make a change in your life for Him. Why or why not? What are some of the highlights from the podcast in season 10 and 11?   Journal Questions: Take some time to reflect, what is the Holy Spirit saying in your life right now? Are there some new things you need to say yes to and some things you need to say no to? What are some things that you're grateful for this past school year? How has the podcast over the years, taught you more about your own heart and your relationship with God? What are some things you want to never forget?   Quotes to Ponder: If there be among the gifts of God none greater than love, and there is no greater gift of God than the Holy Spirit, what follows more naturally than that He is Himself love….” (Saint Augustine)   Scripture for Lectio Divina: Ecclesiastes Chapter 3: 1- 7  For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.