Catholic Culture Audiobooks

"But, if some shall disobey the words which have been spoken by Him through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in no small transgression and danger." This letter is the only extant work by St. Clement of Rome, a 1st-century successor of St. Peter said to have been consecrated by Peter himself.  According to Johannes Quasten, Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians is “the earliest piece of literature outside the New Testament for which the name, position, and date of the author are historically attested.” It illuminates the origins of several Christian doctrines, including those of apostolic succession, Petrine primacy, and the papal office. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/ Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1608 Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

“The unseen God alone was their Comforter, and this invests the scene of their suffering with supernatural majesty, and awes us when we think of them.” This episode features a sermon first given by St. John Henry Newman on the Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr, in which he reflects on martyrdom and the early church martyrs. Links Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon4.html SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"The uproar in the stadium was such that nobody could be heard at all." An authentic, firsthand account of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom on February 22, 156. Among other things, the account attests to the veneration of saintly relics by early Christians. The letter puts forth a clear defense of the veneration of saints as distinct from the worship rendered solely to God. The account is as moving now as it was when the Christians at Smyrna first wrote it. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/ Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1627 Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"The letter of Ignatius sent to us by himself and all the others we have here we send you... and from them you will greatly profit." St. Polycarp was the 2nd-century Bishop of Smyrna. Though he is known to have composed numerous letters, his Letter to the Philippians is the only one that has survived.  In this letter, Polycarp insists on the value of closely studying the letters of St. Paul and of St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose letters Polycarp had sent to the Philippians along with this letter. Mike Aquilina on St. Polycarp: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-st-polycarp-and-social-network/ Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/ Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1626 Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.catholiculture.org/getaudio  Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"Copy the ways of God in speaking to each as an individual person... Not every wound is healed by the same salve." This episode features a letter written from one to saint to another: St. Ignatius’ letter to St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Alongside Ignatius of Antioch and Clement of Rome, Polycarp is regarded as one of the chief figures among the Apostolic Fathers. Unlike other letters written by St. Ignatius and addressed to an entire Church community, this letter represents a personal correspondence from one early bishop to another. Polycarp so valued this letter, in fact, that he later had it copied in its entirety and sent to the Philippians. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/ Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1634 Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.catholiculture.org/getaudio  Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"We crowd these all up into one day; we mingle together in the brief remembrance of an hour all the choicest deeds, the holiest lives, the noblest labors, the most precious sufferings, which the sun ever saw." Happy Solemnity of All Saints! Today's reading is of a sermon from St. John Henry Newman’s Anglican period, given while he was vicar at St. Mary’s of Oxford on the occasion of the Feast of All Saints. Newman was renowned for these sermons, and congregants would flock to University Church of St. Mary’s to hear him preach. His sermons from this period remain among the greatest Christian discourses of all time. Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume2/sermon32.html Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

Explore the teachings of The Didache, emphasizing love's power and selflessness. Delve into moral foundations that contrast genuine faith with hypocrisy. Discover early Christian prayers tied to the Eucharist and their significance in worship. Learn guidelines for apostles and the importance of community discernment and support. Finally, grasp the necessity of vigilance in faith against false prophets, ensuring readiness for the return of the Lord.

"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another." One of the prayers most commonly associated with St. John Henry Newman comes directly from this excerpt of St. Newman’s Meditations and Devotions, entitled Hope in God, Creator. It was written less than two years after his conversion to Catholicism. Links Full text: www.newmanreader.org/works/meditations/meditations9.html SUBSCRIBE to Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-culture-audiobooks/id1482214268 SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter http://www.catholicculture.org/newsletter DONATE at http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

"Artists are constantly in search of the hidden meaning of things, and their torment is to succeed in expressing the world of the ineffable. How then can we fail to see what a great source of inspiration is offered by that kind of homeland of the soul that is religion?" Today, in honor of the feast of St. John Paul II, we take a brief departure from Newman and the Fathers to bring you his Letter to Artists. Karol Wojtyla, as he was known prior to his election to the papacy, was an artist himself. A poet, a playwright, and an actor who co-founded and performed with one of the most important Polish theater troupes of the last century, Wojtyla left behind an artistic legacy often overlooked for his many contributions elsewhere. With Letter to Artists, however, it seems clear that St. John Paul remained an artist at heart his whole life. Slightly abridged. Full text: https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes. Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

The Letter to the Romans is perhaps the most well-known of St. Ignatius' letters, and the most striking. In it, St. Ignatius implores the Church at Rome not to intervene in his impending execution. Translation courtesy of Catholic University of America Press: https://www.hfsbooks.com/books/the-apostolic-fathers-walsh-grimm-marique/ Alternate Translation at CatholicCulture.org:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1631 Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.