Deep in Christ

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi look at temperance with regards to one of our most common and basic human desires: food. We don’t “live to eat”, but God has indeed designed us to seek out and eat good food for the nourishment of our bodies and to “break bread” with others for the nourishment of our souls. Temperance is the habit of soul by which we submit our natural human desires and drives — disordered, as they are, by original and personal sin — to reason and to grace, so that we can love God and neighbor better. By cultivating the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, we open ourselves to the necessary grace to order our desires in a way that honors God. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi dig a little deeper into the fourth cardinal virtue of Temperance, which Aquinas describes as “serenity of spirit” arising from man’s inner order. Unlike the other virtues, Temperance turns inward toward man’s inner life of drives, desires, and passions. These powers of human nature are fundamentally good and purposeful, as they were created by God, but they have been disordered by original and personal sin. Through Temperance — in the context of the other virtues of Prudence, Justice, and Courage — we discover how we are to properly work to restore this primordial order, and how we are to authentically “love” and care for ourselves not egoistically or self-referentially, but rather as an act of Justice and obedience to our creator. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi press on in their discussion of the Cardinal Virtues, looking now to Temperance, which Aquinas calls “Serenity of Spirit”. Temperance is often associated with the merely negative, restraining aspects of the practice of this virtue. But this emphasis can keep the focus too much on our own human efforts, rather than God’s grace, and also leave out a right vision of the point and purpose of Temperance: inner order, a serene spirit, and a heart more purified and open to total love of God. Join us as we kick-off this new study! For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

This week on Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi wrap-up the discussion of the virtue of Fortitude, looking at its "vital, moral, and mystical" levels in our life and turning to a practical discussion of how we can practice and grow. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

After spending time talking about how the virtue of Fortitude teaches us to endure, in this episode, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi look at how Fortitude equips us for right action, to be proactive and of singular purpose when facing difficulty. At times, Fortitude calls us to have the patience to bear our sufferings, but at other times, Fortitude means stepping forward in boldness and attacking evil where we encounter it. JonMarc and Fr. Peter also discuss how the virtue of Prudence helps us to discern when and how to employ these various aspects of Fortitude. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

“He who endures to the end will be saved.” -Matthew 10:22 JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi continue discussing the virtue of Fortitude, looking this week at the first of two main aspects: endurance and attack. Patient endurance of difficulty and evil is part and parcel of the Christian life. But there is a whole lot more to patience than we commonly think... For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

On this episode of Deep in Christ, hosts JonMarc Grodi and Fr. Peter Grodi continue discussing the virtue of Fortitude, or “courage”, the cardinal virtue by which we do the hard, right thing, even though it’s hard, because it is right. This week they look a little deeper at the ways in which courage is often tempted to — but must NOT— rely on itself for direction or strength. Courage must always refer back to true discernment of reality — and hence to the exercise of Prudence — in order to ensure that it is working toward the realization of the good (Justice) and not, in a moment of passion, merely pursuing selfish ends. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

On this episode of Deep in Christ, hosts JonMarc Grodi and Fr. Peter Grodi kick off a series of episodes about the virtue of Fortitude, also more commonly called “courage”. Fortitude is the cardinal virtue by which we do the hard, right thing, even though it’s hard, simply because it is right. Drawing from the work of philosopher Josef Pieper, they look at the fundamental connection between fortitude and human vulnerability (Angels can’t be brave!) and how Christian martyrdom elucidates the true nature of this crucial virtue. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

On this episode of Deep in Christ, Fr. Peter and I are back to finish up our discussion of the cardinal virtue of Justice, the habit of soul by which we readily recognize the web of relationships in which we live, order these relationships into a proper hierarchy, and then to act rightly in accord with each. Justice is “to give each his due,” beginning, of course, with what is due to God Almighty. In this episode we dig deeper into the order/hierarchy of justice, the “virtuous cycle” (how practice of any of the virtues strengthen and deepen the others), the spiritual (vs human) economy, and the holy sacrifice of the Mass. We’ve been having a great time discussing one of our favorite topics (virtue) and we hope you’ll join us for this next part of the discussion! For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.

On this episode of Deep in Christ, hosts JonMarc Grodi and Fr. Peter Grodi examine the next of the four cardinal (or human) virtues: Justice, which is the habit of soul by which we readily recognize the web of relationships in which we live, order these relationships into a proper hierarchy, and then to act rightly in accord with each. Justice is “to give each his due,” beginning, of course, with what is due to God Almighty. JonMarc and Fr. Peter will begin today to look at the nature of justice, to explore more the relationship between the theological and cardinal virtues, and to consider the demand of justice that we recognize and establish a right hierarchy of relationships and duties in our lives. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com.