Dante's Paradiso

Concluding our three-series on Dante, Fr. John and Fr. Jacob walk through the finale of Dante's Divine Comedy, the Paradiso. This "highlights reel" serves as an overview of the work for anyone every interested, but intimated by a poem of such stature. We hope it inspires a reading, as the poetry of Dante is truly inexhaustible. If you are interested in more, check out Fr. John's nine-part lecture series at Our Lady of Lourdes: https://www.youtube.com/@LourdesDenver/streams.

Fr. Jacob and Fr. Sean look at some of the compelling contemporary scientific evidence for the existence of God before discussing St. Thomas' 2nd and 3rd cosmological proofs. Join this discussion of causality, contingency, beauty and wonder at the universe and it's creator.

As the second installation of his three-part series, Fr. John offers an introduction and overview of the second canticle of Dante's Divine Comedy - The Purgatorio. He is joined by guest host Fr. CJ Mast, a fellow companion and long time friend. If you are looking for more on Dante, check out Fr. John's nine-part lecture series at Our Lady of Lourdes: https://www.youtube.com/@LourdesDenver/streams.

This week Fr. Jacob and Fr. John talk about the hinge pin of the liturgical year, Holy Week, the Triduum and the Easter Octave. Launching from the Easter season they discuss the liturgical year at large and how it all flow from and to the greatest of solemnities Easter!

This week Fr. Sean and Fr. John do a deep-dive introduction to the first canticle of Dante's Divine Comedy, The Inferno. Following the lecture series of Fr. John at Our Lady of Lourdes, they provide a comprehensive overview, the first of a three-week program from the podcast. To view the lectures at Lourdes by Fr. John, visit https://www.youtube.com/@LourdesDenver/streams.

Fathers Sean and Jacob reflect on the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, which were used as the instruments of Christ's Passion. In addition, they dive into the brutality of the sufferings that Christ experienced and then reflect on redemptive suffering.

In this week's episode, Fr. Jacob and Fr. John unpack one of the key features of Paul Kingsnorth's Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity. Understanding the modern world from the perspective of the "machine," the hosts draw us into a conversation about the inner logic of lent, and how to avoid making it an instance of machine-like faith.

This week Fr. Jacob and Fr. Sean reflect on the questions asked during the rites of marriage and ordination as a means to explore what it is we promise when we freely enter into marriage or holy orders. They explore these missional vocations and reflect on the missions we promise to carry out by entering them.

In this week's episode, Frs. Sean and John take a deep dive into two theological topics often untreated (and rarely ever in common) - sin and beauty. The reality of sin, itself a privation, offers a kind of "photographic negative" of the meaning of the beautiful. In a condensed form, Fr. John presents his research on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and Hans Urs von Balthasar, as well as arguing for the complementarity of their theological visions.

While searching for his notes, Fr. Jacob quizzes Fr. John on Augustine's Trinitarian Theology, and then he leads us through the writings of St. John the Apostle, his Letters, his Gospel, and The Book of Revelation with an eye toward the Trinitarian Theology in John. As they ponder the Trinity, Fr. Jacob and Fr. John close the episode by reflecting on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus found in the Gospel of John, chapter 17.