AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

If you’re a long-time listener of this podcast, a student at a Jesuit school or a member of a Jesuit parish, then the term “Ignatian spirituality” is probably pretty familiar to you. You might consider Ignatian spiritualty to be the bedrock of all things Jesuit: something that just is and always has been. "Magis," "Contemplatives in Action," "Discernment" – we're tempted to believe St. Ignatius himself liked to use these words. Unfortunately, it’s just not so. Legendary Jesuit historian, Fr. John O’Malley, SJ, is today's guest, reflecting on a recent article he co-wrote with another Jesuit historian, Fr. Tim O’Brien. The article is called “The Twentieth-Century Construction of Ignatian Spirituality: A Sketch.” It’s exactly what it sounds like – a quick historical tour through Jesuit history, reflecting on how we ended up with spirituality we call “Ignatian” – and how it defers from – or at least, expands upon – what St. Ignatius originally said and did. Read the article here: https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/jesuit/issue/view/1173

One of the most disturbing elements of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was how much Christian imagery was on display. You don’t have to watch too many video clips to see hats and flags and shirts with Christian slogans printed on them. There’s video of a group chanting “The blood of Jesus is covering this place.” There are photos of Proud Boys kneeling in prayer. Guest Peter Manseau has been chronicling these images and stories on Twitter using the hashtag #CapitolSiegeReligion. It’s not a surprise Peter jumped into this project: He is the first-ever curator of American religious history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington. At a time when we can’t visit museums, he’s been taking the curation work online. He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about what he’s learned from this social media effort, and what American religious history can teach us about how we got to the present. In the second half of the show, they talked about Peter’s most recent book, "The Jefferson Bible: A Biography." It tells the fascinating story of Thomas Jefferson’s cut-and-paste job with the Gospels and how generations of audiences have responded to the work. Learn more about Peter: http://www.petermanseau.com/ The compelling essay inspired by his book in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/what-thomas-jefferson-could-never-understand-about-jesus AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

How are you using your free time? Do you have enough of it? Too much? Are you mainly using it to veg out? Or are you devoting time to growing closer to God and other people and promoting the common good? These are some of the questions that animate the scholarly work of today's guest, Dr. Conor M. Kelly. An assistant professor of theology at Marquette University, Conor is the author of the recent book “The Fullness of Free Time: A Theological Account of Leisure and Recreation in the Moral Life.” He talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about the different ways we use free time, what our faith has to say about leisure, some of the structural barriers that prevent people from having access to free time, and more. Reflect on how you're spending your free time with Conor's "Leisure Examen": jesuits.org/leisure Conor's book: http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/fullness-free-time And his recent America Magazine article on streaming: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/12/17/television-streaming-video-covid-free-time-239392 Previous, related episode of AMDG with Jon Malesic mentioned in this conversation: https://soundcloud.com/jesuitconference/an-ignatian-solution-to-burnout Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

Most New Year's Resolutions sputter out by February (if they make it that long!). In this episode, the insightful Jesuit spiritual guide Fr. John Dardis, SJ, shares three simple, doable things we can do to grow in our relationship with God this year. Plus, a reflection on what the Covid pandemic has uncovered and what a "new normal" might look like. Fr. Dardis is an Irish Jesuit who works in communications and apostolic planning for the global Society of Jesus at the Jesuit Curia in Rome. Learn more about the upcoming Ignatian Year: https://www.jesuits.global/2020/07/29/the-opportunity-of-the-ignatian-year-2021-2022/ Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

2020 brought us a pandemic, a reckoning on racial injustice and ongoing challenges to our democratic norms. How can pop culture help us process these events? And how did pop culture fail to prepare us? Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, returns to AMDG for a conversation on pop culture, storytelling and finding hope as we change the calendar year. There are a lot of stories to be told as we begin a new year -- and a lot of voices we need to hear from. This final episode of 2020 will help get those creative wheels spinning.

Fr. Peter Rožič, SJ, is the director of the Jesuit European Social Centre (https://jesc.eu/), based in Brussels, Belgium -- the de facto capital of the European Union. He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the pandemic year in Europe, the importance of forming young leaders with Ignatian values, and his colorful childhood and early inklings of a Jesuit vocation in his native Slovenia. Learn more about Fr. Peter: https://jesc.eu/peter-rozic-sj-appointed-as-new-director-of-jesc/ Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.

Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the final week of Advent. Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.

The Advent and Christmas seasons are most welcome this year. To celebrate the yuletide, two Christmas music fans from the Jesuit family join host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about their favorite seasonal tunes. Dr. Susan Bigelow Reynolds is a professor of Catholic Studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and has two degrees from Boston College. She’s also a top-notch singer and percussionist. Fr. Mark Mossa, SJ, is the director of campus ministry at St. Mary Student Parish at the University of Michigan. He’s also a writer and a hardcore pop culture aficionado. The three new friends took turns drafting favorite Christmas songs like in the NFL or NBA draft, ending up with a 12-song playlist – plus a bunch of honorable mention choices – that are sure to make the rest of the season merry and bright. And a bit melancholy. And maybe even a bit teary-eyed. Christmas has a lot of emotions even in a non-pandemic year. Learn more about Susan: https://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/reynolds-susan.html Learn more about Fr. Mark: https://www.stmarystudentparish.org/staff/fr-mark-mossa-s-j/ Don’t forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.

Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the third week of Advent. Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.

On Monday, the Vatican made a surprising announcement: Pope Francis is planning to visit Iraq next March, his first international visit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He will be the first pope to visit this majority-Muslim country and wants to make the visit what the Vatican called a “concrete gesture of closeness” to the people of Iraq, who have suffered through years of war and instability. As we look forward to Pope Francis’ visit, and pray it will be an occasion of bridge building between Christians and Muslims, it's a perfect time to feature this conversation with Jordan Denari Duffner, an acclaimed author and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue and Islamophobia. Jordan's books are "Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic" (2017) and "Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination," which will be released in the spring of 2021. She is also a Ph.D. student in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. She talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about Muslim-Christian dialogue and what we can all do to take a stand against Islamophobia and work toward understanding and peace. Learn more about Jordan's work here: https://jordandenari.com/ You can subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.