Catholic Theology Show

What can G.K. Chesterton teach us about classical education, the Catholic faith, and the work of C.S. Lewis?In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Dale Ahlquist, president of the Society of G.K. Chesterton and the Chesterton Schools Network, to explore Chesterton’s enduring influence on Catholic thought, education, and literature.Ahlquist explains how classical education forms students in truth, goodness, and beauty, integrating the arts, philosophy, virtue, and the Catholic faith. He also discusses Chesterton’s ability to challenge modern assumptions through paradox, his conviction that existence itself is a gift, and why gratitude is essential to a joyful life.Resources:Knight of the Holy Ghost: A Short History of G.K. Chesterton by Dale AhlquistRelated Episodes:America’s 250th & What Chesterton Saw in America w/ Susan HanssenAn Introduction to Chestertonian Theology with Joseph Pearce | Ep. 21G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and God’s Creation w/ Fr. Joseph Fessio 

How can recovering a sense of wonder at creation lead us closer to Jesus Christ?In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Professor Christopher Thompson, Dean of Saint Paul Seminary, to explore “Green Thomism” and the Catholic vision of creation through the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. They discuss our modern “nature deficit disorder,” the intelligibility and beauty of creation, the effects of original sin, the distinction between human and animal death, and the relationship between ecology and Catholic moral theology.Professor Thompson also explains how creation can serve as a “window” toward God, why Catholics should not separate care for creation from their relationship with Christ, and how all of this ultimately comes together in the Eucharist, where bread and wine—fruits of creation and human labor—are offered back to the Father in Christ.Resources:The Joyful Mystery: Field Notes Toward a Green ThomismRelated Episodes:Finding God in Nature and in the Church w/ Fr. John Nepil | Ep. 191 The Summa for Beginners: God and Creation w/ Dr. Daniel Lendman | Ep. 163

What does the Catholic Church actually teach about justification? Why did it become such a major point of division during the Protestant Reformation?In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Michael Root, Emeritus Professor at The Catholic University of America and a former Lutheran, to explore the Council of Trent’s teaching on justification. They discuss faith, grace, baptism, the sacraments, good works, merit, and the Catholic understanding of how God’s grace transforms us from within.Dr. Root also shares his own journey from Lutheranism into the Catholic Church and explains how his study of Aquinas, grace, and human cooperation ultimately led him across the Tiber. Together, they explore how Catholics can recover the joy and confidence of justification, not by trusting in our own accomplishments, but by trusting in the grace of Christ, who continually works in us and brings His work to completion.Resources:Affirmations and Admonitions: Lutheran Decisions and Dialogue With Reformed, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic Churches Justification by Faith: Do Sixteenth-Century Condemnations Still Apply? Related Episodes:Aquinas and the Truth of Faith w/Fr. Michael Sherwin | Ep.141 The Summa for Beginners: The Sacraments w/ Dr. Roger Nutt | Ep. 166 

What can the ancient Christian tradition of the Middle East teach us about living the Catholic faith today?In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais welcomes Bishop Francois Beyrouti, Eparchial Bishop of Newton, to explore the history, beauty, and mission of the Melkite Catholic Church. From the early Christians of Antioch to the challenges facing Christians in a post-secular world, Bishop Beyrouti shares how the Church’s ancient faith remains deeply relevant today.The conversation explores the relationship between theology and evangelization, the importance of knowing and living the faith, the meaning of suffering, the beauty of the liturgy, and practical ways to grow closer to Jesus Christ. Bishop Beyrouti also shares his personal journey to the priesthood and the lessons he has learned from studying Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the living Tradition of the Church.Resources: Melkite Catholic Eparchy of NewtonRelated Episodes: Chastity and Mercy in a Secular World w/ Bishop Erik Varden | Ep. 125

How do we disconnect from distractions and discover intimacy with God? In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Matt Fradd, host of Pints with Aquinas podcast and author of Jesus Our Refuge, for a wide-ranging conversation about encountering Christ, Thomas Aquinas, prayer, spiritual growth, technology, community, and the struggle to live an authentically Christian life in a distracted age. He describes the history of his hugely popular Pints with Aquinas podcast and what it was like to bring it to The Daily Wire. Matt shares the story of his conversion, why St. Thomas Aquinas remains so relevant today, they discuss one of the great spiritual challenges of our age: distraction. From smartphones and social media to endless news and digital entertainment, modern technology can fragment our attention and weaken our experience of genuine community. Matt shares his experience of taking an extended break from his phone and computer and offers practical advice for recovering silence, presence, prayer, and attention and more on podcasting, and finding unity with God. Resources:Be Healed by Matt FraddShift My PhonePints with Aquinas on the Daily WireRelated Episodes:Faith, Politics, and Freedom of Speech w/ Michael Knowles | Ep. 138The Summa for Beginners Episodes on The Catholic Theology Show

What can the Gospel of Matthew reveal about Jesus, His Kingdom, and the Church He established?Dr. Edward Sri, author, theologian, Vice President of Formation at FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), and visiting Professor at Ave Maria University, joins Dr. Michael Dauphinais to explore the deeper structure of Matthew's Gospel and the connections it makes between Jesus, David's kingdom, Peter, and the authority Christ gives to His Church.This conversation also explores what Matthew reveals about the Christian life, including the Father's loving gaze, forgiveness, evangelization, the Sacraments, and Christ's promise to remain with His Church.Resources:The Gospel of Matthew by Curtis Mitch & Edward SriDr. Edward Sri’s WebsiteGod With Us: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew by Edward SriRelated Episodes:Understanding the Gospel in a Digital World w/ Dr. Edward Sri | Ep. 105How to Be Overwhelmed by the Gospel w/ Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P. | Ep. 199

How does the Shroud of Turin show the risen Christ? Hair falling to the shoulders, facial shadows from overhead light, and an unflattened back all point to a man lifted up, just as Jesus promised in the Gospel of John.This episode’s guest, Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, is a physician specializing in internal medicine, occupational medicine and public health. For more than forty years he has conducted a forensic study of the Shroud of Turin, focusing on the blood marks, anatomical details of the image, and their alignment with the Crucifixion and the Gospel of John. He is the author of several works on the Shroud, most recently, The Shroud of Jesus and the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed, and has contributed to the Ave Maria University Shroud of Turin exhibit.From the off-image blood mark that first convinced a skeptical physician to microscopic fibers, first-century dating evidence, and the three-dimensional sculpture now at Ave Maria University, this conversation weaves science, Scripture, and the mystery of the Resurrection. Related episodes:The Life of Christ (Aquinas) w/ Fr. Legge | Ep. 198I am the Bread of Life w/ Fr. Thomas Weinandy | Ep. 32

In this powerful episode of The Catholic Theology Show, host Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with author and scholar Joseph Pearce to uncover the astonishing courage and heroic fidelity to Christ and his Catholic Church of the English martyrs. Drawing from Pearce’s book Faith of Our Fathers: A History of True England, they bring to life the stories of saints such as Thomas More, John Fisher, Edmund Campion, Margaret Clitherow, Robert Southwell, and Nicholas Owen, ordinary men and women who chose Christ over comfort, freedom and even life itself.From persecution under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, to the hidden priest holes and secret Masses that kept the faith alive for three centuries, Pearce shows why these heroes represent the “true England.” You’ll also hear how their witness paved the way for the great Catholic revival led by figures such as St. John Henry Newman, and the timeless lessons of humility, fidelity, and the Cross that still speak to us today. May all the English Catholic Martyrs, pray for us! Related Episodes:Who Was St. Thomas More? W/ Dr. Travis Curtright | Ep. 19 That Hideous Strength w/ Joseph Pearce | Ep. 88

Thomas Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield with decades of priestly ministry and law expertise, offers a vivid look at faith lived boldly. He discusses how church law guides freedom, the sacramental meaning of marriage, the shift from cultural Catholicism to intentional discipleship, faith in public life, and how courage and hope sustain Christian witness today.

Join Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Dr. Scott Hahn, founder of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, for a rich, eye-opening journey through 1–2 Chronicles. These books pulse with God’s relentless love, revealing how He weaves covenant, kingship, temple, and liturgy into one sweeping story of salvation.Hahn and Dauphinais pull back the curtain on the history, and theological depth that make Chronicles the vital bridge between the Old and New Testaments. You’ll discover why these pages matter more than most people realize, and how they prepare the way for Christ. This conversation also marks the release of Dr. Hahn’s new book: Kingdom Come: Unveiling the Mystery of Salvation History, A Study of 1–2 Chronicles (co-authored with Celeste Fortenberry, Emmaus Road Publishing, mid-2026). Come ready to see Scripture with fresh eyes, and a fuller heart.Resources:Holy People, Holy Land' by Dr. Dauphinais and Michael Levering Related episodes:Catholics In Exile w/ Dr. Scott Hahn | Ep. 106▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80▶ Learn more about Ave Maria University: https://hubs.li/Q032PhpS0▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ FIND ANSWERS ON SOCIAL:▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE: https://youtube.com/@AveMariaUniversityFL▶ WEBSITE: https://www.avemaria.edu▶ INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/avemariauniv/▶ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/avemariauniv/Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought. We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.