Institute of Catholic Culture

We are living in a time of worldwide challenge to the truths of God which Jesus Christ revealed when he came to us “in the flesh.” Spiritual warfare has existed in every generation but is especially intense now and, through social media, is more apparent than ever before. The duty of Christians is to take the initiative in this confrontation by being “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” This requires the honest willingness to understand the Faith, to live it, and to articulate it.

"[T]hese are the days of vengeance, that all things that are written may be fulfilled. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles. And then they will see the Son of Man coming upon the cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand."- Luke 21:20, 22, 24, 28This lecture was given at two different times and locations. The resources are listed as such.

“O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High … O Lord, and leader of the House of Israel … O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples … O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel … O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.”

Many Catholics are aware that there were a number of Jewish groups at the time of Jesus–the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and so on. But what did these groups believe? What were their hopes? On what did they agree–and disagree–with Jesus? This lecture explores these Jewish groups and their relationship with Our Lord.

Many in our culture today point out the truth of Jesus’ magnanimous mercy, but they presume that Jesus’ mercy does not demand conversion from sin. To understand authentic Christian mercy, the mercy that Pope Francis spoke of in his now famous exchange with reporters in 2013, one must distinguish between Divine Mercy, which calls for true conversion, and the diabolical deception of moral relativism.

"Th[e] demand for freedom in human society chiefly regards the quest for the values proper to the human spirit. It regards, in the first place, the free exercise of religion in society."- Dignitatis Humanae

Today there is much talk in our Church about the coming Jubilee Year. But what exactly is a Jubilee Year? Why are we celebrating the Jubilee now, and what is it supposed to accomplish? In this lecture, we will discover why this year is different from all others and, if celebrated according to God’s instruction, will be a year of renewal and restoration for the entire Church.

Plato’s critique of corrupt political orders is fundamentally a moral indictment of the citizens. His views of society and the common good express basic insights shared by the great Christian tradition of moral and political thought. This lecture gives points for self-examination regarding how we contribute to the common good of our society. This lecture was given at two different times and locations. The resources are listed as such.

Today there is much talk in our Church about the coming Jubilee Year. But what exactly is a Jubilee Year? Why are we celebrating the Jubilee now, and what is it supposed to accomplish? In this lecture, we will discover why this year is different from all others and, if celebrated according to God’s instruction, will be a year of renewal and restoration for the entire Church.

Pope Francis has referred to our contemporary social dysfunction as a “throwaway culture.” Abortion, euthanasia, fetal tissue research, and gun violence are human examples of the nexus between the culture of death and the throwaway culture. In this lecture we examine how Church teaching addresses these anti-human impulses and presents a grander vision of human life and existence.