Catholic Theology Show

Latest Episodes:

J.R.R. Tolkien and the Catechesis on Creation w/ Joseph Pearce Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

How can creation be good when sin and evil exist? Today, Dr. Dauphinais and Catholic scholar Joseph Pearce discuss The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, hearkening to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s call for a “catechesis on creation.” They unpack how the role of music in Middle Earth’s creation story grants insight into God’s continual work of unfolding the harmony of creation, inviting us to participate in it through our creativity, and providentially operating amid the discordance of evil.

Resources:

Read the section on creation in the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Learn more from Professor Joseph Pearce on his website
Take Professor Pearce’s FREE short course on The Genius of J.R.R. Tolkien from The Pursuit of Wisdom by Ave Maria University

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A Catholic Approach to Fertility w/ Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

What is Catholic bioethics and how should it guide our approach to fertility and infertility? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a Catholic priest, neuroscientist, and writer, discuss the proper relationship between faith and science. They address themes such as whether the Church should be involved in scientific conversation, while focusing primarily on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and its challenging moral consequences.

Resources:

Learn more about why IVF is wrong and other contemporary moral problems from Fr. Tad’s bioethics videos

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Learning to Pray with Saint Bonaventure w/ Fr. Rick Martignetti Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

What does it mean to perfect our love for God? In this episode, Dr. Dauphinais sits down with Fr. Rick Martignetti, Franciscan priest and director of campus ministry at Ave Maria University, to discuss his book Perfect Love, a collection of reflections on prayer inspired by Saint Bonaventure. Fr. Rick speaks about what the Seraphic Doctor can teach Christians today about prayer, contemplation, and love for God.

Resources:

Perfect Love: Forty Stories and Reflections Inspired by Saint Bonaventure’s De Perfectione Vitae by Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFM
Hidden Beauty: Reflections on Saint Bonaventure’s Tree of Life by Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFM

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Leaf by Niggle w/ Joseph Pearce Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

What truths about the world and human experience can short stories reveal? In today’s episode, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Catholic scholar Joseph Pearce look at Leaf by Niggle, J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story filled with profound themes of beauty, creativity, the gift of time, and the afterlife.

Resources:

Learn more from Professor Joseph Pearce on his website
Sign up for Professor Pearce’s FREE short course, The Genius of J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Pursuit of Wisdom by Ave Maria University

Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!

Get more information about Ave Maria University!

A Foretaste of Future Glory w/ Fr. Romanus Cessario Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

How does Christ work in the Church through the Sacraments? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais converses with Fr. Romanus Cessario, Adam Cardinal Maida professsor of Theology at Ave Maria University, about his latest book entitled The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Fr. Cessario looks at each of the seven sacraments, their reality and unchanging nature, and how they continue Christ’s saving work in the souls of men.

Resources:

The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church by Fr. Romanus Cessario
Related episode: The Sacraments | Friendship with Christ with Dr. Roger Nutt
From the Catholic Theology Show archives: What is Truth? | Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas with Fr. Romanus Cessario

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C.S. Lewis and the Laws of Nature w/ Fr. Joseph Fessio Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Are miracles likely and believable? In today’s episode, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Fr. Joseph Fessio, founder and editor of Ignatius Press and founding provost of Ave Maria University, unpack Miracles by C.S. Lewis. Their conversation provides insight into this challenging apologetic work which makes an argument for God's existence by discussing the wonders that God works and their place in the laws of nature.

Resources:

Ignatius Press website
Catch our previous episode with Fr. Fessio: G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and God’s Creation

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The Wisdom of Fairyland w/ Joseph Pearce Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

Can myths and fairy stories help us to better understand reality? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Catholic academic Joseph Pearce discuss J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay On Fairy Stories. Guided by Tolkien’s work, their conversation explores the rationality of story, the actual definition of myth, and the transformative effect that fairy worlds have on our hearts and minds.

Resources:

From the Catholic Theology Show archives: The Theology of Tolkien | The One Ring and Redemption with Joseph Pearce

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Understanding the Angels w/ Dr. Mark Miravalle Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

God and His holy angels exist but so does Satan – how can this be? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Dr. Mark Miravalle, Chair of Mariology at Ave Maria University and Franciscan University of Steubenville, for a brief exploration of angelology. Their conversation clarifies what we can believe about angels and demons amid today’s confusing extremes of empiricism and the occult, and what authentic doctrine on the angels can teach us about the created order.

Resources:

Catch the previous Catholic Theology Show episode with Dr. Miravalle: Why Do We Need Marian Consecration?

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Aiming for Virtue and Athletic Victory w/ Alan Webb Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Is there a connection between perseverance on the playing field and in the spiritual life? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais shares a conversation with Alan Webb, Ave Maria University’s track & field coach and former American record holder for fastest mile. Drawing on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and of creation, Coach Webb shares how “the logic of sports is the logic of life” as we rely on Christ’s grace to strive towards discipline and excellence.

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Walker Percy and the Crisis of Meaning w/ Dr. Justin Bonanno Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Have we irrecoverably lost the true meanings of words and symbols? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais is joined by Dr. Justin Bonanno, assistant professor of Communications at Ave Maria University, for a conversation about his new book, Walker Percy and the Crisis of Meaning. Dr. Bonanno shares how Percy’s creative and philosophical inquiry into the dilemmas of human existence intends to reestablish wonder by revivifying language and symbols.

Resources:

Walker Percy and the Crisis of Meaning by Justin N. Bonanno
Read the first 30 pages of Dr. Bonanno’s book on Google Books here
Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy
The Message in the Bottle by Walker Percy
Signposts in a Strange Land by Walker Percy

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Get more information about Ave Maria University!

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