The Thomistic Institute

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Could God Weep or Feel Pain? Christ's Assumption of Human Suffering for Our Sake I Prof. Paul Gondreau Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Paul Gondreau explores whether God could truly experience human emotions and suffering by examining Christ’s full humanity, the Church’s response to heresies like docetism and monophysitism, and the Aristotelian-Thomistic understanding of human nature and passions.

This lecture was given on March 7th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Paul Gondreau is professor of theology at Providence College, where he has taught for 26 years. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, doing his dissertation on Christ's full humanity (Christ's human passions/emotions) under the renowned Thomist scholar Jean-Pierre Torrell. He specializes in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas and has published widely in the areas of Christology (focusing on Christ’s full humanity and his maleness), Christian anthropology, the moral meaning and purpose of human sexuality and sexual difference, the biblical vision of Aquinas' theology, the theology of disability, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the priesthood, and the Catholic vision of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

This project/publication was made possible through the support of Grant 63391 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Keywords: Animal Nature, Aristotelianism, Christology, Concupiscence, Council of Chalcedon, Council of Constantinople, Docetism, Gospel of John, Incarnation, Monophysitism

God on a Cross: The Meaning of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus I Fr. Thomas Petri, O.P. Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

Fr. Thomas Petri explores the profound meaning of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, emphasizing humanity’s original condition and ultimate end, the consequences of sin, and God’s redemptive plan culminating in the Incarnation.

This lecture was given on April 10th, 2025, at University of Scranton.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Father Thomas Petri, O.P. is the President of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, where he also serves as an assistant professor of moral theology and pastoral studies. Ordained a priest in 2009, he holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from The Catholic University of America.

Keywords: Abraham, Divine Providence, Ethics, Incarnation, Jeremiah, Original Sin, Pentecost, Philippians, Redemption, Suffering

Is Anything More Tortuous than the Human Heart? I Prof. Steven Jensen Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Steven Jensen analyzes the complexity of the human heart by distinguishing the interplay between emotions and will, drawing on Aquinas and Aristotle to explain how passions like love, desire, sorrow, anxiety, guilt, vainglory, and pride shape human behavior and moral decision-making.

This lecture was given on September 6th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Steven J Jensen, who holds the Bishop Nold Chair in Graduate Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, teaches in The Center for Thomistic Studies. His fields of research include bioethics, moral psychology, the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, human nature, and natural law. He is the author of several books, including Living the Good Life: A Beginner’s Thomistic Ethics and The Human Person: A Beginner’s Thomistic Psychology.

Keywords: Aristotle, Emotions and Will, End-of-Life Ethics, Human Passions, Moral Psychology, Virtue Ethics

Pope John Paul II's Salvifici Doloris I Prof. Gina Noia Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Gina Noia explores Catholic teaching on medical treatment decision-making, focusing on how suffering, prudence, and the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means inform ethical choices in end-of-life care, euthanasia, and palliative care, as illustrated by real clinical cases

This lecture was given on March 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Gina Maria Noia, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Providence College. She received her PhD in Theology and Health Care Ethics from Saint Louis University. She has served as a clinical ethicist for OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, IL and St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and she is published in Christian Bioethics and the Journal of Moral Theology. Outside of academia, you’ll find her spending time outdoors with her (philosopher) husband, Justin Noia, PhD, and their vivacious children.

Keywords: Bioethics, End-of-Life Ethics, Euthanasia, Medical Treatment Decision Making, Ordinary and Extraordinary Means, Palliative Care, Prudence, Samaritanus Bonus

Suffering and End-of-Life Care I Prof. Gina Noia Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Gina Noia explores Catholic teaching on end-of-life care, suffering, and medical treatment decision-making, highlighting the nuanced distinction between morally obligatory and optional treatments within the Catholic ethical tradition.

This lecture was given on March 8th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Keywords: Catholic Bioethics, Catholic Moral Teaching, End-of-Life Care, Ethical and Religious Directives, Euthanasia, Medical Decision-Making, Ordinary and Extraordinary Means, Palliative Care, Prudence, Samaritanus Bonus

The Wedding Supper of the Lamb I Prof. Paul Gondreau Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Paul Gondreau explains how the Mass, as the perfect form of human worship, unites sacrifice, thanksgiving, and fellowship by making present Christ’s atoning sacrifice as the Lamb of God, thus joining earthly and heavenly liturgy in a cosmic event.

This lecture was given on April 25th, 2025, at University of North Texas.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Keywords: Abel’s Sacrifice, Book of Revelation, Davidic Covenant, Eucharist, Incarnation, Jewish Passover, Lamb of God, Melchizedek, Sacrifice of Isaac, Gospel of John

Corpus Christi and the Mystery of the Eucharist I Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Fr. Innocent Smith explores the origins and theological significance of the Feast of Corpus Christi, emphasizing how liturgical tradition, scriptural foundations, and figures like Saint Juliana of Liège shape the Church’s understanding and celebration of the Eucharist.

This lecture was given on October 25th, 2024, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. entered the Order of Preachers in 2008 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2015. From 2015 to 2018, Fr. Innocent served as parochial vicar at the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena in New York City. From 2018 to 2021, he lived in Munich while completing a doctorate in liturgical studies at the University of Regensburg. From 2021 to 2023, Fr. Innocent served as Assistant Professor of Homiletics at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore. In 2023, he joined the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception.

Fr. Innocent’s teaching and research interests include liturgy, homiletics, sacramental theology, ecclesiology, and sacred music. His S.T.L. thesis, “In Collecta Dicitur: The Oration as a Theological Authority for Thomas Aquinas,” explored the importance of the liturgy as a source for scholastic theology. His monograph Bible Missals and the Medieval Dominican Liturgy focuses on medieval manuscripts of the Bible that also contain liturgical texts for the celebration of Mass.

Keywords: Christian Liturgy, Corpus Christi, Dei Verbum, Eucharist, Incarnation, Liturgical Year, Mystery of the Eucharist, Saint Juliana of Liège, Acts of the Apostles, First Corinthians

Aquinas the DJ: Tradition and Invention in the Corpus Christi Liturgy | Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Fr. Innocent Smith explores how Thomas Aquinas creatively blended tradition and innovation in composing the Corpus Christi liturgy, drawing on earlier hymns and melodies to craft enduring Eucharistic music that deepens theological understanding.

This lecture was given on February 11th, 2025, at Cornell University.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Keywords: Corpus Christi Liturgy, Eucharistic Theology, Hugh Of Saint Cher, Innovation in Liturgy, Jacques Panteleon, Juliana Of Cornillon, Liturgical Music, Pange Lingua, Tradition And Innovation, Venantius Fortunatus

Is the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in "Accordance with the Scriptures"? I Prof. Gary Anderson Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Gary Anderson examines how the Christian practice of adoring the Blessed Sacrament is deeply rooted in the scriptural tradition, particularly through the Old Testament themes of God's indwelling presence in the tabernacle and the dual spiritual practices of visual contemplation and sacrificial offering.

This lecture was given on February 7th, 2025, at Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Professor Gary Anderson is the Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology at Notre Dame University. Prof. Anderson has won numerous awards including most recently grants from the American Philosophical Society, Lilly Endowment and the Institute for Advanced Study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prof Anderson’s is well known for his books Sin: A History and Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition (Yale University Press, 2009 and 2013). His newest book, That I May Dwell among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative appeared in 2023. Some recent articles include: “To See Where God Dwells: The Tabernacle, Temple, and the Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition;” “The Roman Church as Casta Meretrix;” and “God Doesn’t Break Bad in the Old Testament.”

Keywords: Adoration, Eucharistic Theology, Exodus, Indwelling Presence, Levitical Priesthood, Old Testament Interpretation, Psalms, Tabernacle Narrative

My Lord and My God: Understanding the Incarnation | Prof. Bruce Marshall Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

Prof. Bruce Marshall examines the fundamental Christian doctrine of the Incarnation, explaining how the New Testament and Catholic tradition affirm that Jesus is truly God in the flesh, as confessed by Thomas in the Gospel of John and articulated in the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon.

This lecture was given on April 7th, 2025, at University of Tulsa.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.

About the Speaker:

Bruce D. Marshall is Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University, and in 2023 he held the Aquinas Chair in the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome. He is the author of Trinity and Truth and Christology in Conflict, and at present he is completing a book entitled The Primacy of Christ: Faith, Reason, and the Cross. Marshall has written extensively on the doctrines of the Trinity, the person and redemptive work of Christ, the Eucharist, the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions, and the relationship between faith and reason. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from Yale University, and is a past President of the Academy of Catholic Theology.

Keywords: Chalcedonian Definition, Christology, Gospel of John, Incarnation, St. Thomas the Apostle, Nicene Creed, Scripture

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