Catholic Theology Show

What does it mean to perfect our love for God? In this episode, Dr. Dauphinais sits down with Fr. Rick Martignetti, Franciscan priest and director of campus ministry at Ave Maria University, to discuss his book Perfect Love, a collection of reflections on prayer inspired by Saint Bonaventure. Fr. Rick speaks about what the Seraphic Doctor can teach Christians today about prayer, contemplation, and love for God.Resources:Perfect Love: Forty Stories and Reflections Inspired by Saint Bonaventure’s De Perfectione Vitae by Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFMHidden Beauty: Reflections on Saint Bonaventure’s Tree of Life by Fr. Rick Martignetti, OFMHelp support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

What truths about the world and human experience can short stories reveal? In today’s episode, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Catholic scholar Joseph Pearce look at Leaf by Niggle, J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story filled with profound themes of beauty, creativity, the gift of time, and the afterlife.Resources:Learn more from Professor Joseph Pearce on his websiteSign up for Professor Pearce’s FREE short course, The Genius of J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Pursuit of Wisdom by Ave Maria University Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

How does Christ work in the Church through the Sacraments? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais converses with Fr. Romanus Cessario, Adam Cardinal Maida professsor of Theology at Ave Maria University, about his latest book entitled The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Fr. Cessario looks at each of the seven sacraments, their reality and unchanging nature, and how they continue Christ’s saving work in the souls of men.Resources:The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church by Fr. Romanus CessarioRelated episode: The Sacraments | Friendship with Christ with Dr. Roger NuttFrom the Catholic Theology Show archives: What is Truth? | Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas with Fr. Romanus CessarioHelp support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Are miracles likely and believable? In today’s episode, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Fr. Joseph Fessio, founder and editor of Ignatius Press and founding provost of Ave Maria University, unpack Miracles by C.S. Lewis. Their conversation provides insight into this challenging apologetic work which makes an argument for God's existence by discussing the wonders that God works and their place in the laws of nature.Resources:Ignatius Press websiteCatch our previous episode with Fr. Fessio: G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and God’s CreationHelp support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Can myths and fairy stories help us to better understand reality? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais and Catholic academic Joseph Pearce discuss J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay On Fairy Stories. Guided by Tolkien’s work, their conversation explores the rationality of story, the actual definition of myth, and the transformative effect that fairy worlds have on our hearts and minds.Resources:From the Catholic Theology Show archives: The Theology of Tolkien | The One Ring and Redemption with Joseph Pearce Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

God and His holy angels exist but so does Satan – how can this be? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Dr. Mark Miravalle, Chair of Mariology at Ave Maria University and Franciscan University of Steubenville, for a brief exploration of angelology. Their conversation clarifies what we can believe about angels and demons amid today’s confusing extremes of empiricism and the occult, and what authentic doctrine on the angels can teach us about the created order.Resources:Catch the previous Catholic Theology Show episode with Dr. Miravalle: Why Do We Need Marian Consecration? Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Is there a connection between perseverance on the playing field and in the spiritual life? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais shares a conversation with Alan Webb, Ave Maria University’s track & field coach and former American record holder for fastest mile. Drawing on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and of creation, Coach Webb shares how “the logic of sports is the logic of life” as we rely on Christ’s grace to strive towards discipline and excellence.Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Have we irrecoverably lost the true meanings of words and symbols? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais is joined by Dr. Justin Bonanno, assistant professor of Communications at Ave Maria University, for a conversation about his new book, Walker Percy and the Crisis of Meaning. Dr. Bonanno shares how Percy’s creative and philosophical inquiry into the dilemmas of human existence intends to reestablish wonder by revivifying language and symbols.Resources:Walker Percy and the Crisis of Meaning by Justin N. BonannoRead the first 30 pages of Dr. Bonanno’s book on Google Books hereLost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker PercyThe Message in the Bottle by Walker PercySignposts in a Strange Land by Walker Percy Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Is it possible to view suffering as a meaningful gift? Today, Dr. Michael Dauphinais speaks with Fr. Joseph Lugalambi, adjunct professor of theology at Ave Maria University. Fr. Joseph explains how our bodies—which are made for a communion of persons—have the capacity to suffer in a way that elevates us to a mystical union with God.Resources:Related episode: Is Theology of the Body Still Relevant? with Dr. Michael WaldsteinFrom the Catholic Theology Show Archives: Love in Recovery | Healing Women from Sexual Addictions with Rachael Killackey Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!

Why are the sacraments so prominent in Catholicism? Today, Dr. Roger Nutt, provost and professor of theology at Ave Maria University, returns to the show to converse with Dr. Dauphinais. Dr. Nutt elaborates on how the visible rites of the seven sacraments continually mediate Christ’s closeness and communion with us. In his book, General Principles of Sacramental Theology, Dr. Nutt delves into the seven sacraments as the divinely willed path to communion and friendship with God and humanity.Resources:General Principles of Sacramental Theology by Roger Nutt (Catholic Theology Show listeners receive 20% off at CUA press with code CT10)Listen to Dr. Nutt’s first episode on the Catholic Theology Show: Why the Church Needs Catholic UniversitiesEpisode 10 with Dr. Nutt: To Die Is Gain | All About Anointing of the SickAlso with Dr. Nutt: Season 1, Episode 15 The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVICOMING SOON: Dr. Roger Nutt’s free short course in The Pursuit of Wisdom series. See all available courses here. Help support this podcast and Our Lady's University by joining the Annunciation Circle!Get more information about Ave Maria University!