Second Live Listener Q&A

Marialis Cultus is an apostolic exhortation by Pope Paul VI issued on February 2, 1974. It aimed to promote a renewed and more relevant devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, within the Catholic Church. The exhortation emphasized the importance of integrating Marian devotions with the liturgical life of the Church and encouraged practices that reflect both the traditional reverence for Mary and a contemporary understanding of her role in salvation history. It also sought to address certain abuses and excesses in Marian piety, calling for a balanced approach that avoids both exaggeration and neglect of the Virgin Mary's significance.

Written between 413-426 CE, 'The City of God' is a response to pagan claims that the sack of Rome by barbarians was a consequence of the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors. Augustine argues that Christianity saved the city from complete destruction and that Rome’s fall was due to internal moral decay. The book divides humanity into two metaphorical cities: the City of God, characterized by devotion to God, and the City of Man, characterized by self-love. It also outlines Augustine’s theological interpretation of human history, from the Creation to the Second Coming of Christ, and critiques paganism and pagan philosophy while presenting the true history of the City of God.