The week ahead – from 25 to 31 August

The Christmas feasts. The Holy Family. The Finding in the Temple. Episode notes.

The O Antiphons concluded. Christmas starts the night before. Which is more important, Christmas or Easter? Incarnation, rescue and love. Stephen (and Paul), John and the Holy Innocents. Episode notes.

Gaudete Sunday. The countdown to Christmas with the O Antiphons. Episode notes.

Echoes between the First Readings and the Gospel. The Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Guadalupe. Episode notes.

Advent and the new liturgical year. Cribs. Isaiah, rich food and wine. St Francis Xavier. The English Standard Version (ESV). New e-books. Some exercises for Advent. Saint Nicholas. Episode notes.

The end of Ordinary Time; the end of the world; how to read the Apocalypse. Christ the King; ourselves as kings. Episode notes.

The feasts of the four Roman basilicas; our reasons for fearing the gift of death. Episode notes.

Saints Martin of Tours, Margaret of Scotland, Elizabeth of Hungary and Albert the Great. Friar Julian, the lost Hungarians and the Mongols. More of the gift of death. Episode notes.

Saint Nuno Álvares Pereira. Saint Charles Borromeo. The gift of death. Episode notes.

All Saints, All Souls; Heaven, Purgatory, Hell and judgement. Episode notes.