Jesuitical

This week, Zac and Ashley discuss the spiritual and liturgical elements of protest movements with Nathan Schneider. Nathan wrote a feature article for America marking the 10-year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring protests, entitled, “Our world is ripe for revolution. 10 years after Occupy and the Arab Spring, what have we learned?”Our Guest: Nathan Schneider, a reporter and professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.Sings of the Times:  Catholic Church leaders react to Derek Chauvin verdict in killing of George Floyd Why did the Biden administration have to be reminded of its commitment to refugees? The Nuns are going to the border Related Links:  Our world is ripe for revolution. 10 years after Occupy and the Arab Spring, what have we learned? Who was Ben Salmon and why should he be considered for sainthood? What’s on tap: AbsintheSubscribe: Apple Podcasts / Spotify  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ashley and Zac discuss the intersection of Christian purity culture and racism with Flora X. Tang. Flora wrote a piece for America in the aftermath of the Atlanta killings of eight people, including six women of asian descent, entitled “Purity culture, racism and the violence against Asian women in Atlanta”. Our Guest: Flora X. Tang, doctoral student in Theology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where she studies post-traumatic sacramental theology. Sings of the Times:  Pope Francis accepts resignation of US bishop for the first time under new sex abuse protocols Archbishop Hebda prays for peace following police shooting of Daunte Wright Related Links: Purity culture, racism and the violence against Asian women in AtlantaWhat’s on tap: Live Free or Die, from Death & CoSubscribe: Apple Podcasts / Spotify  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stina Kielsmeier-Cook had a plan. Or more accurately, she thought God had a plan: She would marry her college sweetheart, and their shared love for Jesus and radical Christian commitment to serving the poor would anchor their marriage in something real and eternal. But a couple of years into their marriage, her husband, Josh, lost his faith, and now Stina is navigating an increasingly common reality: mixed-faith marriage.We talk to Stina about her new book, Blessed Are the Nones: Mixed-Faith Marriage and My Search for Spiritual Community, in which she grapples with the challenges (and opportunities) of sustaining a marriage, raising kids and nourishing her own faith life in a new state of “spiritual singleness.” Along the way, she meets women saints, Catholic nuns and religious “nones” who point the way to a reimagined Christian community for an increasingly secular world. In Signs of the Times, the influential (and controversial) Vatican II theologian Hans Küng has died at 93 and a look back at the Vatican’s Easter Triduum.Links from the show: Hans Küng, influential Vatican II theologian censured by John Paul II, dies at 93Cardinal: Too many Catholics don’t understand that some church teachings can actually changeDon’t call Dorothy Day a saint. But a ferry? Sure.Stina’s book: Blessed Are the Nones: Mixed-Faith Marriage and My Search for Spiritual CommunityThe Great Courses Plus (Get a month of unlimited access for free!)Subscribe to America Join our Patreon community.What’s on tap?Ginger Shrub cocktail  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does an all loving God allow evil and suffering in the world? The theodicy isn’t just a problem for popes and theologians—at some point in any believers life it’s a question that seizes and stops a prayer in the throat.Yet we try to offer inadequate answers all the time: God only gives us what we can handle. This is a test. Everything happens for a reason. Push any of these responses a bit, and the unraveling begins.Perhaps the only real answer is in asking the questions. In poetry. In prayer. Joe Hoover, S.J., America’s poetry editor, is out with a new book O Death, Where is Thy Sting?, which is a meditation on all of this and more. In this week’s show, Zac and Ashley sit down with Joe to talk about suffering—fitting for Good Friday. Links from the show: Joe’s book: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?The Great Courses Plus (Get a month of unlimited access for free!)Subscribe to America Join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Father Casey Cole, a Franciscan priest and popular YouTuber, has pulled off what few before him have: garnered a massive Catholic following while remaining faithful, truthful and, above all, charitable on social media. We talk to Father Casey about how he deals with internet toxicity, generational differences among Catholics and whether St. Francis would be on Twitter if he were alive today. In Signs of the Times, the Loyola Ramblers (and their 101-year-old chaplain Sister Jean) are back in the NCAA tournament and heading to the Sweet 16. Plus, Pope Francis has appointed Juan Carlos Cruz—a sex abuse survivor, advocate and gay man—to the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors.  This episode of Jesuitical is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Sign up for The Great Courses Plus and get an entire month of unlimited access to thousands of video and audio courses from the world’s best professors by visiting http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/jesuitical.As always, thanks for listening. You can support the media ministry of America and unlock unlimited access to all our articles with a digital subscription for less than $1 per week. Subscribe here. And to get all that plus bonus content from Jesuitical, become a member of our Patreon community.Links from the show:Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago’s #1 fan, returns to March Madness fully vaccinatedPope Francis names Juan Carlos Cruz, prominent abuse survivor and whistleblower, to Vatican panelJuan Carlos Cruz: the survivor who changed the pope’s mind on sex abuseBreaking in the Habit YouTube ChannelBreaking In The Habit | Reflections of a Friar in Training Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Arbery’s 2019 play “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” was praised by viewers from across the political spectrum for its nuanced depiction of Catholic conservatives in the Trump era. While Donald Trump is no longer in the White House (or on Twitter), 74 million Americans voted to give him a second term, and debates about how his supporters will affect the Republican Party and the country have only intensified since the attack on the Capitol. We talk to Will about his play, the Jan. 6 insurrection and learning to listen across our cultural divides.   In Signs of the Times, we bring our colleague Michael J. O’Loughlin to discuss the Vatican’s controversial statement banning blessings for same-sex couples. Plus: the Jesuits pledged to raise $100 million to benefit the descendents of enslaved persons owned and sold by the Society of Jesus, and March Madness returns.  This episode of Jesuitical is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Sign up for The Great Courses Plus and get an entire month of unlimited access to thousands of video and audio courses from the world’s best professors by visiting http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/jesuitical.As always, thanks for listening. You can support the media ministry of America and unlock unlimited access to all our articles with a digital subscription for less than $1 per week. Subscribe here. And to get all that plus bonus content from Jesuitical, become a member of our Patreon community.Links from the show: Vatican, with Pope Francis’ approval, says priests cannot bless same-sex couples‘It just hurts’: Catholics react to Vatican ban on blessings for same-sex couplesHow ESPN’s Joe Lunardi invented bracketologyInterview: Did playwright Will Arbery predict the storming of the Capitol in ‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’?A visit to the rural Catholic college that has 171 students, 12 horses and zero textbooks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The numbers don’t lie: Young people are less religious than previous generations—at least in the ways we have traditionally understood that dynamic. But behind the numbers lies a fascinating web of stories about how young people find and discover meaning. One of the most important factors: relationships.We discuss a groundbreaking report, “The State of Religion & Young People 2020: Relational Authority,” published by Springtide Research Institute, with Springtide’s executive director, Josh Packard. The report’s insight is essential for anyone who works with young people in any capacity. In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq. It was moving and historic, but will it cause an uptick in cases of Covid-19? We also look at the fascinating story of Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun, who is already a Medal of Honor recipient. Is sainthood next?This episode of Jesuitical is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Sign up for The Great Courses Plus and get an entire month of unlimited access to thousands of video and audio courses from the world’s best professors by visiting http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/jesuitical.As always, thanks for listening. You can support the media ministry of America and unlock unlimited access to all our articles with a digital subscription for less than $1 per week. Subscribe here. And to get all that plus bonus content from Jesuitical, become a member of our Patreon community.Links from the show:  Inside the Vatican: In Iraq with Pope Francis A Kansas priest’s quest to canonize a Korean War hero The State of Religion & Young People 2020: Relational Authority Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One year into a global pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted the routines and relationships of millions more, we would all do well to take a moment to take stock of where we are—mentally, physically, spiritually. Tracy G is here to help you do just that. A self-described “wellness artist” and host of the podcast “She’s Beauty & The Beast,” Tracy is overflowing with wisdom and advice for staying not just sane but grateful when it seems like so much is beyond our control.We ask Tracy about adapting to pandemic life, how to keep “self-care” from becoming self-indulgent and how plants can serve as a really useful metaphor for friendships (really).In Signs of the Times, several U.S. bishops have released statements that could lead to confusion among Catholics about whether it is morally permissible to take the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. Zac and Ashley discuss: Can too much nuance get in the way of effective communication? Plus, Pope Francis is making a historic visit to Iraq, March 5 to March 8. We share a clip from Inside the Vatican’s deep dive into the trip which answers the question: Why is the pope so set on going to warzone amid a global pandemic? This episode of Jesuitical is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Sign up for The Great Courses Plus and get an entire month of unlimited access to thousands of video and audio courses from the world’s best professors by visiting http://thegreatcoursesplus.com/jesuitical.As always, thanks for listening. You can support the media ministry of America and unlock unlimited access to all our articles with a digital subscription for less than $1 per week. Subscribe here. And to get all that plus bonus content from Jesuitical, become a member of our Patreon community.Links from the show:‘Pastorally dangerous’: U.S. bishops risk causing confusion about vaccines, ethicists sayInside the Vatican: Nobody at the Vatican wants Pope Francis to go to Iraq right now. Why is he so set on going?Pope Francis in Iraq: Everything you need to know about the historic tripWe remember them: Covid-19 prayer service from America MediaTracy G’s WebsiteTracy G’s Audio Vision Board: Forced to Flow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian Pete Holmes discusses the spiritual insights of deeply admired spiritual figure Father Richard Rohr. Topics include exploring childhood perceptions of God, consciousness and self-reflection, the potential harm of micromanaging, breaking free from rigid structures in spirituality, and admiration for Richard Rohr and other spiritual figures.

Father Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest and author, discusses the difference between "Jesus" and "Christ," dangers of tribal religion, and approaching Lent during this unusual season. He also explores Franciscan spirituality, reframes original sin and corporate sin, and explores structural sin and spirituality beyond organized practices.