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A Podcast for college students and young adults in general, where we discuss faith and spirituality from a Catholic perspective.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 03, 2021
Thursday Jun 03, 2021
In this episode we discuss the impact faith can have in a person’s life, and in the life of the whole Church. I invite a guest, Matthew Zahn, to talk about the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati, his virtues and some aspects of his spiritual life.
Born in Turin, Italy on April 6, 1901, Pier Giorgio had a great faith from his youth. Two main pillars of his spiritual life were a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist, and a great love and veneration for the Blessed Virgin Mary. He wanted to devote his life to bring Christ to those around him, particularly the poor. While he came from a wealthy family, Pier Giorgio lived a simple life, with great detachment (spiritual poverty) and whatever he could, he gave it to the poor.
He loved the outdoors, particularly, mountain climbing, and would invite his friends first to go on outings, and then to pray in church.
At the age of 24, just before his planned graduation from college, he contracted poliomyelitis, and died soon after, on July 4, 1925.
We also talk about two miracles performed through his intercession.
Recommended BOOKS on Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati:
- A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati, Luciana Frassati, Ignatius Press, 2001. link: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Beatitudes-Pier-Giorgio-Frassati/dp/0898708613
- Letters to His Friends and Family, Pier Giorgio Frassati, Alba House, 2009. link: https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Friends-Family-Giorgio-Frassati/dp/0818913053
- The Soul of Pier Giorgio Frassati, Robert Claude, Spiritual Books Assocation, Inc. (New York)
- YouTube video on the amazing cure of Kevin Baker: (4) GIORGIO: A Modern-Day Miracle Story - YouTube
Prayer to request a grace through the intercession of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati
"O merciful God,
Who through the perils of the world
deigned to preserve by Your grace
Your servant Pier Giorgio Frassati
pure of heart and ardent of charity,
listen, we ask You, to our prayers and,
if it is in Your designs that he be glorified by the Church,
show us Your will,
granting us the graces we ask of You,
through his intercession,
by the merits of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen."
(IMPRIMATUR, 1932 +Maurilio Cardinal Fossati, Archbishop of Turin)
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
To do the Spiritual Exercises visit: https://www.mileschristi.org/spiritual-exercises/
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Thursday May 27, 2021
Thursday May 27, 2021
Some characteristics of our Catholic Faith: In this episode we address some consequences that are derived from a correct, Catholic understanding of what FAITH is. Faith is an act of our intelligence, moved by our will and by the Grace of God, by which we accept all the truths that God has revealed and the Church teaches as revealed by God (see St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 2, 9; and 1st Vatican Council, Dei Filius 3). The main reason why we accept these truths is because we accept the witness and authority of God, who cannot be deceived nor deceive us.
As a consequence, it is clear that our faith is a gift of God; besides, the act of faith should be freely made; it should be “certain”; it should be complete—or integral—, without “picking and choosing” some truths and leaving out others. If both are correctly understood there shouldn’t be an opposition between faith and science, or between faith and reason. Faith is universal, in other words, it is for all men, and it should be embraced by all men. It is all-encompassing, in the sense that there should be no area of our life that is not affected by our faith.
All the concepts discussed can be found in the Catechism, #142-184.
At the end, we discuss what to do to persevere in your faith, and we look at the amazing story of John Henry Newman’s conversion to Catholicism. He is a canonized saint who converted from Anglicanism.
St. John Newman said, “This I am sure of, that nothing but a simple, direct call of duty is a warrant for any one leaving our [Anglican] Church… The simple question is: Can I (it is personal, not whether “another”, but can I) be saved in the English Church? Am I in safety, were I to die tonight? Is it a mortal sin in me, not joining another communion? (Apologia, 208)
LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT (poem)
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Meantime, along the narrow, rugged path,
Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith,
Home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.
Poem by St. John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Host: Fr. Patrick Wainwright, a priest of the Miles Christi Religious Order.
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order’s site is www.mileschristi.org
To know what are the Spiritual Exercises retreats, and to see the dates and locations for our upcoming retreats in the US, visit https://www.mileschristi.org/spiritual-exercises/
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Thursday May 20, 2021
Thursday May 20, 2021
What does it mean to have Faith? What is the Catholic meaning of Faith? There are so many ways in which the word “faith” is used that it can almost mean anything you want!
The Catholic meaning of faith can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #150.
“Faith is the supernatural virtue which is necessary for salvation. It is a free gift of God and is accessible to all who humbly seek it. The act of faith is a human act, that is, an act of the intellect of a person - prompted by the will moved by God - who freely assents to divine truth.” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church #28).
As St. Thomas Aquinas says it in his Summa Theologica: “Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.” (S.Th. II-II, 2, 9. You can also see the Vatican Council I, Dei Filius #3.)
All the concepts discussed can be found in the Catechism, #142-184.
The main reason why we believe: we believe in the truths revealed by God through Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is God. (Catechism #156).
Because of this, it is reasonable to look for signs that indicate that indeed, it is God that has spoken through Jesus Christ. We call these signs “motives of credibility” or “reasons to believe”. (fulfillment of prophecies of the Old and New Testament; the miracles performed by Christ and the saints, the holiness of the teachings of Christ and the Church; the growth of the Catholic Church throughout the world; the permanence of the Catholic Church throughout the centuries (in spite of persecutions and interior heresies); and the holiness of a multitude of saints.
We discuss the life and the heroic martyrdom of St. Polycarp, in the year 155, who was the Bishop of Smyrna and direct disciple of St. John the Evangelist, and how his perseverance in the face of such terrible torments was a witness to his heroic faith in Jesus Christ, whom he received through the witness of St. John the Evangelist.
LINKS to Miracle obtained through St. John Newman’s intercession:
February 2019: https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2019/02/19/miracle-attributed-to-blessed-john-henry-newman-has-local-ties
Host: Fr. Patrick Wainwright, a priest of the Miles Christi Religious Order.
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order’s site is www.mileschristi.org
To know what are the Spiritual Exercises retreats, and to see the dates and locations for our upcoming retreats in the US, visit https://www.mileschristi.org/spiritual-exercises/
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Thursday May 13, 2021
Thursday May 13, 2021
Join our conversation with Tim and Peri Rose Force, who have dedicated the last four years to serve the Catholic student community at “The Grotto” (that is, the Catholic Newman Center at Hillsdale, MI, part of the local St. Anthony Parish).
We talk about Peri Rose’s conversion from the Church of the Latter Day Saints (LDS, a.k.a., Mormons) to Catholicism, how they met and decided to get married.
We discuss the unity and indissolubility of marriage as established by God between a man and a woman, and elevated by Christ to the dignity of a Sacrament. This sacrament provide God’s graces and help, and it is like a safeguard of the family, society, the husband-and-wife relationship, and the well-being of the children. These are all benefits are unavailable when there is simple cohabitation or “living as a couple”. We address the benefits of a sacramental union in God versus the hook-up culture model.
You can read more about the sacrament of Marriage in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 1601 through 1666
Tim and Peri Rose have been ministering to college students at “The Grotto” in a unique way for the past four years, and share their experience of God’s grace, vulnerability and community life.
Finally, we ask them some questions so that they can share their wisdom about marriage and college life with our young adult audience, especially those still in college.
Recorded on site, with a “mobile studio” in the Force’s kitchen!
Find out more about the Miles Christi Spiritual Exercises that Tim talks about, all the dates and locations (in the USA and Canada) here: Spiritual Exercises | Miles Christi
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Gear used:
- Mic: ATR 2100-XLR (x1), SE Electronics V7 (x2) Dynamic Microphones.
- Headphones: AudioTechnica ATH-M20x.
- Recorder: Portable ZOOM H6
- Software: Adobe Audition
Thursday May 06, 2021
Thursday May 06, 2021
In this episode we welcome Fr. Matthew Maxwell. We will discuss in detail the meaning of the Sacred Tradition of the Church, the Sacred Scriptures, and the role of the Magisterium of the Church.
Apostolic Tradition: Jesus Christ did not write a “text book” to transmit the revealed truths to all men, but instead established His Church on St. Peter and the Apostles, and entrusted to them the responsibility of passing on all those truths (the “Deposit of Faith”) to all generations through history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Sacred Tradition is the transmission of the Deposit of Faith by the Apostles to their successors “by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received.” (Dei Verbum 7)
Sacred Scripture: Some of the Apostles, and their immediate disciples put into writing—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—what they gathered from the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Sacred Scripture contains and transmits infallibly everything that God wanted to communicate to men about the truths necessary for salvation. The Canon of Scripture is the entire list of books recognized by the Church as “inspired” by God. (Dei Verbum 11)
The Magisterium of the Church is the “teaching authority” given by Christ to St. Peter, the Apostles and their successors. The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ" (DV 10). The Church puts forth the teachings of Christ through dogmas, symbols of Faith, Encyclicals, Documents of Councils of Bishops (like the Council of Trent, or the Second Vatican Council) and Catechisms.
After discussing these points, Fr. Matthew will give us the story of how he discerned his call to be a Priest in Miles Christi, and some other fun facts!
All these topics can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 74 to 141.
Besides, one of the Church Fathers, Tertullian, witnesses clearly to the truth of the Apostolic Tradition as a source of revelation, in one of his writings, which you can find in the Second Reading of the Office of Readings for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James (May 3). The quote is from his “Treatise On the Prescription of Heretics” (Cap. 20:1-9:21,3; 22,8-10: CCL 1, 201-204). It can be found here: https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/tradition-of-the-apostles-tertullian/
Email us at info@forcollegecatholics.org with any feedback, shout-outs, or questions you might have!
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Gear used
- Mic: Shure MV7 Dynamic Microphone & ATR 2100-XLR
- Recorder: ZOOM H6 Portable Recorder
- Software: Adobe Audition
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
In this episode we discuss how the Fullness of God’s Public Revelation came through Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. (Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum, 2)
He passed on the "Deposit of Faith" to the Apostles. This was transmitted in the Church, to future generations in two ways, through Tradition and The Sacred Scriptures. God granted the Holy Spirit to assist the Church in faithfully preserving intact that Deposit of Faith, and in correctly interpreting the Scriptures and Tradition through her Magisterium.
All this can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 74 through 79 (link).
The fact that all Catholics must firmly believe that Jesus Christ established only one Catholic Church as the only means of salvation is clearly stated in the document “Dominus Jesus”, number 16. All Catholics must firmly believe that the Lord Jesus will never abandon His Church.
All Catholics must also believe that there is a continuity between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church.
The document can be found here: Library : Dominus Iesus (On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church) | Catholic Culture
OR in the Vatican Website (link).
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Gear used:
- Mic: Shure MV7 Dynamic Microphone
- Software: Adobe Audition
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
Thursday Apr 22, 2021
In this episode we discuss first how God created the world from nothing, and how he continues to maintain the world in its being. This action of God implies that He provides the means for each being to obtain its purpose in this world.
However, the reality of EVIL is a stumbling block for many to accept that a good God could have created this world. With our guest, John Dejak, we look at the life and writings of a great priest, Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J., to understand a bit more how to accept the reality of evil in our world, while using it to give greater glory to God and bring about good in the world.
John speaks about the life of Fr. Ciszek, and gives us some insights into his spiritual life, in the midst of the terrible sufferings he endured while a prisoner in the Soviet Union, and even after that, while he lived in America during turbulent times.
Apart from “With God in America”, Fr. Ciszek is the author of “With God in Russia” and “He Leadeth Me”, which we highly recommend you to read, if you want to have some profound insights as to how endure sufferings in a saintly way.
All the principles discussed here, about creation, Diving Providence and evil, can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 299 through 314.
John Dejak helped edit and compile one of Fr. Ciszek’s book, “With God in America”, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.com/God-America-Spiritual-Legacy-Unlikely/dp/0829444548
Please visit the Fr. Ciszek, S.J., Prayer League website: www.ciszek.org - This is the organization that promotes Fr. Ciszek's Cause of Canonization. There you can get prayer cards, books, etc.
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Please check our silent Spiritual Exercises retreats at the Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Gear used:
- Mic: Shure MV7 Dynamic Microphone
- Recorder: ZOOM H6 Portable Recorder
- Software: Adobe Audition
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
In this episode we discuss how God has chosen to reveal Himself to man. He did so first of all at the beginning of time, to Adam and Eve.
However, after the fall, He also revealed Himself to Abraham, and his descendants. He did so gradually, little by little throughout the centuries. This revelation reached its culmination in Jesus Christ. Jesus established the Catholic Church, giving her the mission to protect that “deposit of Faith”, and transmit it faithfully to the different cultures and societies throughout history.
The fact that Jesus Christ (the Word of God made flesh) is the only mediator between God and Man, the only Revealer of the Father, and that He established only one Church—the Catholic Church—is stated in the document “Dominus Jesus”, signed by Card. Ratzinger, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is a document worth reading!
The complete document “Dominus Jesus” can be found here: Library : Dominus Iesus (On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church) | Catholic Culture
We also discuss what are “private revelations” and their roll in the history of the Church.
Podcast Website: www.forcollegecatholics.org
Miles Christi Religious Order www.mileschristi.org
Intro music from www.pond5.com
Recorded at the Miles Christi Family Center, South Lyon, Michigan
Gear used
- Mic: Shure MV7 Dynamic Microphone
- Recorder: ZOOM H6 Portable Recorder
- Software: Adobe Audition
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
Thursday Apr 08, 2021
In this episode we discuss the existence of God, what obstacles one could find in accepting His existence, and what rational ways we have of showing that God exists.
We welcome a guest, Fr. Paul De Soza, who is a priest of Miles Christi living in San Diego.
After addressing the different reasons why many Catholic young people tend to doubt—and sometimes deny—the existence of God, we take a bird's-eye view of the different ways of demonstrating (not in the sense of natural sciences) the existence of God, using as starting points the world and the human person.
You may want to read the section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which talks about this (numbers 31-38).
Regarding the proof of God’s existence starting from the world around us, if you like a more philosophical explanation, you can read the section of a book by Etienne Gilson, The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, Part 1, Chapter 3; Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1956. There he addresses the “Five Ways” of demonstrating the existence of God of St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Thomas addresses the first of these “ways” to prove God’s existence in the Summa Contra Gentiles 1,13. You can find it here: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/ContraGentiles1.htm#13 . There is his own summarized version of all the five ways in the Summa Theologica, 1PstP Part, q.2, a.3.
Fr. Paul then shares some of his life experiences and how he was able to discern that God was calling him to the Priesthood in Miles Christi.
Visit our website at www.forcollegecatholics.org
Check out our upcoming silent retreats in our website: www.mileschristi.org
Gear used:
- ATR 2100 USB dynamic microphone
- SHURE MV7 dynamic microphone
- ZOOM h6 portable recorder
- Adobe Audition software
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
Thursday Apr 01, 2021
In this episode I discuss how every human being is created by God with an inherent capacity to know and love God. This gives all men their GREATEST DIGNITY. Our Creator instilled in us that capacity and a desire to know and love Him, which cannot be fulfilled by any other created being except by God. This is why, as St. Augustine said in his Confessions (book 1, chapter 1) that “You have created us, oh God, for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
And while we can know and love God, and therefore think and speak about God, we should always remember that He is infinitely greater than any thought, concept or image that we can form in our minds about Him. What we know about Him is much less than what we do not know about Him.
St. Thomas says that “concerning God, we cannot grasp what he is, but only what he is not, and how other beings stand in relation to him.” (Summa Contra Gentiles Bk.I, ch.30. You can find more online here: Thomas Aquinas: Contra Gentiles: English (isidore.co))
In this episode I share a vision of God that St. Thomas Aquinas had toward the end of his life, after which he could not continue writing. (Source: Santiago Ramirez, Introducción a Tomás de Aquino, Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, Madrid, 1975.)
As St. Paul says: “eye has not seen, and ear has not heard (…) what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor 2:9-10).
Visit our website at www.forcollegecatholics.org
The intro and outro music is from www.pond5.com