In this episode, Kale and I discuss the final pages of The Abolition of Man. In a world allegedly without objective values, what conditions the conditioners? Chesterton’s idea of play and rules providing freedom; the reality that a value-free n

Stations of the Cross

Mar 19th, 2023 1h 6m

Today, I'm posting a special episode on The Stations of the Cross. What follows is a Stations of the Cross text I wrote in 2004, reflecting on the images Mel Gibson provided in his movie The Passion of The Christ. Each mediation also includes a

The Final Conquest of Man over Humanity

Jan 7th, 2023 54m 25s

Today, we begin discussing the final chapter of The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis. Topics include: slavery and freedom; the conquest of man over man; the flight from the reality of death; the world state as a surrogate for the Tao; eugenics, t

A Christmas essay

Dec 25th, 2022 12m 15s

C.S. Lewis, “Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus,,” God in the Dock (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), pp. 301-303.Barbara Nicolosi Harrington’s Mystagogy podcast (see mystagogy.net for supporting materi

Screwtape rejects the Tao

Aug 27th, 2022 1h 9m

My friend Kale Zelden and I finish discussing the second chapter of The Abolition of Man: “The Way.” We discuss the rebellion of the branch against the tree; whether authority can be interrogated from within or without the Tao; addressing moral

The Way

May 27th, 2022 1h 3m

My friend Kale Zelden and I begin discussing the second chapter of The Abolition of Man: "The Way." We discuss Innovators and Debunkers, the limits of instinct, and the indispensable role of the Tao.The Abolition of Man - C.S. LewisAfter Humani

Men Without Chests

Mar 27th, 2022 1h 35m

My friend Kale Zelden and I complete our conversation about the first chapter of The Abolition of Man: "Men Without Chests." We discuss debunking, the cultivation of just sentiments, the Tao, the poem Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, and

The grammar of The Green Book

Mar 15th, 2022 1h 16m

My friend Kale Zelden returns to the podcast to discuss with me The Abolition of Man, a collection of lectures on ethics that C.S. Lewis first delivered in 1943 at the University of Durham. Today's episode contains our opening conversation abou

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Season 2: Humanity and the Abolition of Man

Jan 10th, 2022 2m 8s

The second season of this podcast will be focused on the theme of humanity: Specifically, the topic of how to ground our humanity within a truly ethical framework. It's something to which C.S. Lewis gave close attention in a book titled The Abo

Judgment as a setting for learning and practicing hope

Sep 2nd, 2021 1h 22m

In today's episode, Kale Zelden and I complete our discussion of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on Christian hope. In the last major section of the letter, Benedict XVI speaks of the experience of judgment as a setting for hope. We pick

Prayer and suffering as schools of hope

Jun 30th, 2021 1h 5m

In today's episode, Kale Zelden and I resume our discussion of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on Christian hope. Specifically, we read and reflect on paragraphs 32 through 38: Settings for learning and practicing hope. Benedict XVI speak

The true shape of Christian hope

May 13th, 2021 21m 38s

Today's episode will cover paragraphs 24 through 31 of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope, which asks the question: what is the true shape of Christian hope? I had recorded a conversation about these paragraphs with my friend Kale Ze

The transformation of Christian hope in the modern age

Apr 26th, 2021 56m 12s

In today's episode, my friend Kale and I reflect on paragraphs 16 through 23 of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope, which asks the question: how has the concept of Christian hope been transformed in the modern age? More specifically,

Is Christian Hope Individualistic?

Apr 11th, 2021 55m 11s

My friend Kale Zelden and I reflect on paragraphs 13 through 15 of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope, which asks the question: Is Christian Hope Individualistic? This question leads to a wide-ranging conversation about the role of C

Faith-Based Hope and Eternal Life

Mar 27th, 2021 1h

My friend Kale Zelden and I continue our discussion of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope (Spe Salvi) -- specifically, we read and discuss paragraphs 4 through 12, covering the concept of faith-based hope in the New Testament and th

What is Faith-Based Hope?

Jan 23rd, 2021 41m 43s

Together, long-time friend Kale Zelden and I read Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope (Spe Salvi) and discuss the idea of faith-based hope. In today's episode, we break open the letter and unpack the first few paragraphs.Show notes/re

A Conversation with Kale Zelden

Jan 6th, 2021 1h 6m

My friend Kale and I discuss a broad range of topics, including: the self-conscious church; the church as an expert in humanity; self-exploitation and social media; and Catholic identity and liturgy.Kale's interview with Paul VanderKlay (Septe

Looking Forward with Hope

Jan 2nd, 2021 11m 16s

Beginning this month (January 2021), I'll be releasing several episodes that I recently recorded with a longtime friend of mine, Kale Zelden, as we engage in a close reading of a letter by Pope Benedict XVI on the theme of hope. This letter, en

Living in the Age of COVID

Nov 3rd, 2020 21m 59s

In the current pandemic, nothing is more evident than our diverse attitudes toward our vulnerability and the ephemeral quality of life in this world. The aversion to risk and the obsession with surviving at any cost have been thrown into very s

The Last Things

Jul 19th, 2020 1h 36m

In 2008, during a Holy Week RCIA retreat, I led a reflection on The Last Things -- death, judgment, heaven and hell. Rather than diving right into a discussion of things ultimate, I decided to provide some context, and some of that context came

The Meaning of Communion

Jun 20th, 2020 16m 31s

In this episode, I offer a reflection on Holy Communion -- the Body and Blood of Christ -- as it relates to life in the Body of Christ... quoting from not only C.S. Lewis, but also Pope Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est.I also include a renditio

The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

Jun 8th, 2020 40m 13s

Welcome to the Weight of Glory Podcast, an audio podcast designed to explore themes related to a sermon preached by C.S. Lewis seventy-eight years ago this week. The inaugural episode of the podcast is a reading of Lewis' essay.Music for the po

The grace of Pentecost, and loving the Church

May 31st, 2020 43m 52s

In honor of the approaching solemnity of Pentecost, I'm posting a special episode today on the grace of Pentecost and loving the Church. It's a presentation I recorded in Los Angeles back in 2008, when I had the chance to hear then-Father (and

The Shroud of Turin: What Scientists Discovered

Apr 9th, 2020 2h 15m

Jack Sacco, an engineer and writer by trade, interviewed a multi-disciplinary group of scientists who were given access to study the Shroud in 1978. This two-hour presentation summarizes the remarkable findings of that scientific research. The

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