Way of the Fathers

The Empire faced a crisis in the year 9 A.D. Romans were not reproducing. They weren’t even marrying. Caesar Augustus recognized that this posed a dire threat to the Roman way of life—the empire’s cultural and intellectual heritage, and its homeland security. He made new laws to encourage fertility. He even proposed a pagan “theology of the body.” His successors made more laws. All failed, and eventually it was Christianity that restored and revived the Roman family and Roman world. Here’s the fascinating story of how it happened. LINKS Mike Aquilina, The Christian family’s radical roots https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-christian-familys-radical-roots/ Mike Aquilina, How young people shaped Christianity https://angelusnews.com/faith/how-young-people-shaped-christianity/ Mike Aquilina, The Church’s original social justice struggle https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-churchs-long-fight-against-abortion/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

John of Damascus, the last of the Fathers, was born into a world newly conquered. In the seventh century, many lands that were once home to Eastern Christianity, had fallen to the invading armies of Arab Muslims. John’s father and grandfather, both devout Christians, served as treasury officials for the Muslim caliphate. So John was able to provide a rare outsider’s view of Islam when it was new on the world scene. In Christian history he is known as the great defender of the practice of venerating images. In more than a millennium, his compact, complete treatises on the subject have never been surpassed. But his work includes much more: sermons, hymns, and a handy compendium of philosophy and theology. John’s life is a brilliant closing act of the Era of the Fathers. This is the final episode of season 1 of this podcast. Next time we meet, we’ll launch season two by exploring particular themes and stories from the time of the early Church. LINKS John of Damascus, Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Images https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/johndamascus-images.asp#PART%20I John of Damascus, Three Sermons on the Assumption https://ccel.org/ccel/damascus/icons/icons.i.vii.html John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Books I-II https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2857 John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Books III-IV https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2858 Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Isidore of Seville lived at a time when the memory (or fantasy) of a homogeneous Roman culture was rapidly fading. It was a time to gather the last of the classical harvest into the barns. The conquering “barbarians,” the Visigoths, had now been ruling in Spain for centuries. They were no longer foreigners. Rather, a new culture was forming, a “melting pot” of Roman and northern elements. A man of holy ambition, Isidore laid strong foundations for the medieval European culture that would follow. LINKS Isidore of Seville, The Etymologies https://sfponline.org/Uploads/2002/st%20isidore%20in%20english.pdf Isidore of Seville, On the Ecclesiastical Offices https://www.google.com/books/edition/Isidore_of_Seville/_YhkqmfNeIIC?hl=en&gbpv=1 Ernest Brehaut, An Encyclopedist of the Dark Ages: Isidore of Seville (biography, with a detailed critical appreciation of his works and partial translation of The Etymologies) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51511 Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Dive into the captivating life of Maximus the Confessor, a bridge between Greek and Latin Christian thought. His journey from imperial court to monastic life reveals the clash of theology and politics of his time. Learn about his bold stand against the Monothelite heresy and his enduring legacy in shaping key doctrines of faith. Discover how his writings continue to resonate today, influencing ecological ethics and spirituality while illuminating the path to becoming godlike in Christian life.

Explore the impressive life of Gregory the Great, a nobleman who became a monk and then a pope, reshaping the Church. Discover how he initiated profound liturgical reforms amid political chaos and illness. Learn about his mission to spread Christianity in the British Isles and his innovative approach to blending faith with local cultures. Gregory's legacy includes the iconic Gregorian chant, a symbol of his enduring influence on Christian practices that resonates even today.

Benedict was not the first monk to compose a rule for living in community — but he's certainly the most influential. He wrote the Rule that the Emperor Charlemagne would propose as guidebook for all monks in the West. Yet Benedict himself was self-effacing in the extreme, and he remains elusive for historians. Lately, he has emerged as a patron and model for people whose civilization could be entering a Dark Age. Know anybody like that? LINKS Benedict of Nursia, The Rule https://ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule/rule Gregory the Great, Life of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict https://ccel.org/ccel/gregory/life_rule/life_rule Mark the Monk (a disciple of Benedict), Poem in tribute to St. Benedict https://ccel.org/ccel/gregory/life_rule/life_rule.iv.html Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Forget the shamrocks. Pour the green beer down the sink, and drive the snakes from the Emerald Isle of your imagination. Listen up and encounter the real St. Patrick, author of two passionate, fascinating Christian works—deserving of a place with the Church Fathers. Patrick arrived in pagan Ireland in the fifth century, first as a slave and then as an itinerant bishop. By the end of his life, Ireland was a Christian nation. LINKS Patrick of Ireland, Confessio https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_english# Patrick of Ireland, Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/epistola_english# James F. Kenney, The sources for the early history of Ireland: an introduction and guide https://archive.org/details/sourcesforearlyh0000kenn Fr. Billy Swan, “‘I Am Patrick’ Is Perhaps the Best Film Yet on Ireland’s Greatest Saint,” Word on Fire, March 17, 2020 https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/i-am-patrick-is-perhaps-the-best-film-yet-on-irelands-greatest-saint/26861/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Peter Chrysologus is known as the “Doctor of Homilies,” and he always preached with brevity. Every word was golden. He was archbishop of Ravenna during that city's brief term as capital of the Western empire. His sermons rang like poems, rich with biblical insight and glimpses of ordinary life in a fifth-century urban center. LINKS Peter Chrysologus, a sermon in the Office of Readings https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=173 Peter Chrysologus, Sermon 148 http://www.liturgies.net/saints/peterchrysologus/readings.htm Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Peter Chrysologus, Sermon 148 http://www.liturgies.net/saints/peterchrysologus/readings.htm

Romanus the Melodist looms large from his lifetime in the sixth century. Today he is much sung and little known—at least with certainty. Beautiful legends have filled in the cracks of his biography. According to one, he was tone-deaf and non-musical when heaven granted him the gifts of composition and vocal performance. He went on to compose many verse homilies, kontakia, which are still sung in the Eastern churches today. Having lived in Homs, and then Beirut and Constantinople, he introduced Syriac forms and methods into Byzantine liturgical music.     LINKS Romanus the Melodist page at Hymnary.org https://hymnary.org/person/Romanus1?tab=texts Pope Benedict XVI on Romanus the Melodist https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=8216 Romanus on the Resurrection, sung performance https://youtu.be/XT-igWEsIh4 Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio  

Though prolific in his words and prodigious in his deeds, Leo was utterly self-effacing. Classically educated, he never quoted the classics. He preached with Gospel simplicity. He strove always to let Christ shine through his sermons and his letters. Yet he made history for three world-changing interventions. It was Leo who stopped Attila the Hun’s rampage through Europe. It was Leo who put a decisive end to the ancient heresies about the natures of Christ. And it was Leo who kept the barbarian Vandals from murdering the Romans and burning the city. Tradition calls him “the Great.” He earned the title. LINKS Leo the Great, Sermon LXXXII: on the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2206 Leo the Great, Letter XCV: to Pulcheria Augusta https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2158 Leo the Great, Tome of Leo Audiobook https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-leo-great-tome-leo/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio