The week ahead – from 24 to 30 May

The Spiritual Reading page in Universalis. Saint Lidwina. Saint Elisha. Two anniversaries: G.K. Chesterton, and the birthday of Universalis. The story of the psalm-prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours. Episode notes.

Corpus Christi: ‘Eat my flesh’ and the Last Supper. The work of the Holy Spirit and how the feast of Corpus Christi was born. St Thomas Aquinas and transubstantiation. The power of the Body of Christ. The Sacred Heart: the birth of the feast of love, and what it does for us. Episode notes.

The “theological season”. The Holy Trinity. Ourselves as trinitarian creators: Idea, Act, and Life. The Liturgy of the Hours continued: the Office of Readings. Episode notes.

Pentecost and the Jewish Feast of Weeks. The Spirit bringing life to the Apostles and to us. “Go and teach all nations” and learning from them. Our hybrid Christian culture, both Jewish and Greek. Saint Philip Neri. The Holy Spirit and the Catholic Reformation. Compline, Psalm 90 and the wolves. Episode notes.

The days after Ascension: a lost and gloomy time. The unknown Advocate. Life without life. Days without salt. Getting a handle on the Spirit. Giving life to a creation; images of fire and electricity. Salvation history as re-wiring. Arianism and Pope St John I. Blessed Raphael Louis Rafiringa and Madagascar. St Christopher Magallanes and the politeness of martyrs. Bernardino of Siena. The Liturgy of the Hours continued: Terce, Sext and None. Episode notes.

The time after the Resurrection comes to the end: the Ascension approaches. Feet or sandals? Theo-drama, and the Ascension as drama. The Liturgy of the Hours continued: Vespers. Episode notes.

Fish shops and the Letter to Diognetus. The origins of the Liturgy of the Hours. A detailed walk through Lauds (Morning Prayer). Episode notes.

The first mention of Christians. The disciple Jesus loved and why his Gospel is different. How the Apocalypse nearly didn’t make it into the Bible, and why we should be glad it did. The importance of Saint Joseph the Worker. Episode notes.

The saints are back again! Mark; Justin (165); Ephraem, Marcellinus, Vincent, Domninus (4th century); Erkenwald and Egbert (7th century); Adalbert (10th century); Anselm (11th century); then back to George. ANZAC day and the secrets of the warriors. Episode notes.

Back to normal, but keeping up the Easter joy. The hands and the side: nothing abolished but everything healed. The same thing in our own lives. Dante, Lethe and Eunoë. What Thomas needed to know. Faith and reason are not opposites: a mathematical example. The first steps of the baby Church. The Easter Alleluias in Universalis. Episode notes.