The truth had more value than security and prestige.  He stressed a life of virtue.  His life would emphasize that both the habits of knowledge, along with  the habits of  virtue, lead to the birth of the habit of right judgement in our lives.  Boy now there is the key isn’t it.  We can have knowledge…we can have virtue…but are the two truly united, “married” so to speak, to bring about in our hearts and our minds, right judgement.  Look around the world today, is there the practice of  “right judgement’?  Sound complicated? Not really, it’s at the heart of true and proper discernment.  And that’s why Blessed John Henry Newman is a vital saint for today’s world.

One of the best books I’ve ever read on the teachings of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman was “Progressive Illumination”.  And one my favorite discussions on his life was with Fr. Edward Ondrako OFM Conv.  What’s great about Fr. Ondrako is that not only thinks “Newman”, he prays “Newman.  And he shows us how it brings us all to the heart of Christ.

Take a listen to the conversation Bruce and I had with Fr. Ondrako on the Spirit Morning Show

 

 

A wonderful book on Blessed John Henry Newman is “Progressive Illumination” by Fr. Ondrako

An anti-pope (and a great liturgist…it figures doesn’t it) who is considered a father of the Church and a saint.  God’s great mercy knows no bounds!  How does someone who was a self proclaimed pope (and considered the first anti-pope in Church history) become a saint? The story of St. Hippolytus is a fascinating one.  A greek-speaking priest who who lived in the late 100’s – early 200’s; his writings on the Eucharistic liturgy are some of the most beautiful of all time.  Check him out Mike Aquilina’s great blog The Ways of the Fathers   
 

And take a listen as we talk about St. Hippolytus with Mike   

 

 

St. Maximus the Confessor lived approx. 500 years after Hippolytus.  He is one of last fathers of the Church  and is consider one of the first of her doctors.  A beautiful writer and homelist he said this once:  

The sun of justice, rising into the clean mind, reveals Himself and the reasons of all that He created and will create.

Love defeats those three: self-deception, because she is not proud; Interior envy, because she is not jealous; Exterior envy, because she is generous and serene.

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are inside our hearts hidden.

Faith without love does not act in the soul the illumination of the divine knowledge.

When the mind receives the ideas of things, by its nature is transformed according to each and every idea. If it sees the things spiritually, it is transfigured in many ways according to each vision. But if the mind becomes in God, then it becomes totally shapeless and formless, because seeing Him who has one face it comes to have one face and then the whole mind becomes a face of light.- taken from Speech on Love

He too, like St. Hippolytus, suffered a martyrs death.  St. Maximus the Confessor, a remarkable man who Mike Aquilina tells us about. 

Mike Aquilina’s excellent book “the Fathers of the Church” is a great introduction to the First Christian teachers.

It’s important I think to hear the stories of these great thinkers of the Church, who when the time came in a crazy world, had the courage to speak truth and surrender to God’s great love…if they can do it, why can’t we?

St. Clare of Assisi…how I love her so.  Cofoundress of the Order of Poor Ladies, or Clares, and first Abbess of San Damiano; born at Assisi, 16 July, 1194; died there 11 August, 1253.  I can’t even begin to describe the effect St. Clare has had on my life.  My relationship with her goes so deep that any words I could come up with would not honor her as I wish I could.

Instead, why not enter into her life’s story by listening to one of the best storytellers I know…Sr. Joan Mueller.  She is enthralling!!! 

The best DVD I have ever seen on the life of Clare and Francis is (and I’ve seen them all) the newest distributed by Ignatius Press. Clare is protrayed as a woman in love with Christ, not a starry-eyed hippy pining over Francis.  And she gets equal time…finally. This film is perfect!

If you ‘d like to see her life summed up in a quick read try here.
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I should share this little story of my own.  In 2007, I had a chance to visit Assisi…I just wanted to be near St. Clare.  I didn’t plan it, but my hotel ended up being right across the street from St. Clare’s Basilica (it seems wrong to call it a street, it’s width is so small).  Really early one morning, I just couldn’t sleep so I got up and began walking around outside of the Basilica.  No one was out, all the shops closed, the sun was just coming up.  On a whim I thought I would see if the doors of the church were open (thinking to myself  of course they wouldn’t be), but to my surprise they opened.  So I entered.  No one was around.  I saw steps leading down to a lower level.  I stepped over the rope blocking the entrance (boorish American that I am) and walked down.  The path led down to an area that had a display of relics, like clothing and other items (I assumed they were Clare’s) and then I turned around and saw something incredible…the crypt of St. Clare.  It stopped me in my tracks, so much so that I had to remind myself to breath again.  I quietly walked over to the enclosure grates that blocked off getting any closer.  I knelt down, and I just started to weep…I just couldn’t help it.  It was so quiet, it was such a gift.  I began to pray. I brought to St. Clare all the petitions I held so deeply in my heart.  And when that was done, silence filled the space. After about 10 minutes, out of nowhere, I could here the sound of the Poor Clare Sisters in the distance chanting their morning prayers.  I knelt at that spot, for a good 30 minutes or so, all alone with St. Clare.  I then got up, praised God for this special moment and left the basilica.  She’s been with me, in a special way, ever since.  St. Clare, pray for us.

     

The issue of marriage is more than just a “religious” one…the institution of marriage and it’s destruction has societal and economic ramifications that many don’t realize. It  is so much bigger than just two people getting together because they want share a space.  

“Discerning Hearts” will now begin to offer educational pieces which I hope will help strengthen our balanced understanding of the Church’s position on marriage.  It’s a tough issue to talk about with family, friends, and co-workers…educating ourselves will be a key to a loving, understanding, and truth-filled response.

To begin, here is Brad Wilcox, one of the contributors of “The Meaning of Marriage” discussing with Bruce and myself how marriage got to this point.

I was a junior in high school when Pope Paul VI died…was it really 32 years ago?  Wow.  It makes me sad to think it took so long for me to really appreciate and understand his legacy.

[powerpress url=”http://discerninghearts.com/Morning_Show/Karl_Schultz_Pope_Paul_VI.mp3″]Download (right click & choose “Save Link As”)
To really enter into his legacy, take a listen as Bruce and I discuss our late Holy Father w/ Karl Schultz, author of “Pope Paul VI: Christian Values and Virtures”, :

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J. S. Bach died on this date 260 years ago.  I just couldn’t let the date pass without a small tribute to the great talent the Lord blessed him with.  From the “Sanctus” in the Mass in B minor, to the Toccata and Fugue in D minor…oh you name it, who can possibly pick from his legacy a favorite?  But I have to say, it always makes me sigh when I hear “May Sheep Safely Graze”, so for all you lambys out there a little reflection:

Also here is a conversation Bruce and I had with R. J. Stove on the importance of Western Classical Music

Sometimes you just smile through an entire interview wishing it wouldn’t end…that’s what it is like talking with Joan Wester Anderson.  What a truly lovely woman!  She seems to have a very special mission for the Father in Heaven – to make known the glory of those special messangers of the Lord, the Holy Angels of God, and to relate the heavenly miraculous moments which occur in  the everyday around the world.  Joan is a beautiful story teller both in print and on the air.  I know you will enjoy our conversation….[powerpress]

Visit Joan’s website at http://joanwanderson.com/
It’s really inspirational!

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Here is another conversation with Joan on the Angels

 

Today is the feast of one of my favorite “sister” saints, St. Praxedes.  I found out about her when I went a pilgrimage a couple of years ago to Rome led by Scott and Kimberly Hahn and Mike Aquilina.  It is believed that she, and her sister St. Pudentiana, were the daughters of St. Pudens (from 2 Timothy 4:21).  She and her sister are remembered as saints of true mercy. 

They lived in those early years of the Church, at a time of  extreme Christian persecution. They hid Christians in their homes and visited the imprisioned.  They even gathered the bodies of the dead after they were brutalized in the Coliesuum, and hid them in a well until they could be properly buried.  St. Praxedes is often depicted in art with a sponge soaked in blood; recalling how they cared for the precious blood of the martyrs after their awful executions. Their heoic virtue during these horrific years was so great that almost 2000 years later we still remember them.

Their home was one of the first “house churches” in Rome.  It is named after her sister, St. Pudentiana.  Later another church was built and dedicated to St. Praxedes.  Both are located near St. Mary Major in Rome.  Click on the pictures to have a better look…

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Here is one of the reports from that 2007 Rome pilgrimage where we talk about St. Praxedes and St. Pudentiana…what fun that was   

It’s always great fun to talk with Dr. Benjamin Wiker.  Intelligent and disarming, Dr. Wiker has a way of helping us see past the sound bite of the day to the heart of the matter…to the heart of the Church…to the heart of Truth.

Do you think you know what it means to be a “conservative”?  Do you really?  Read this first, and then let’s talk….

Visit Dr. Benjamin Wikers’s site:  www.ameaningfulworld.com

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Here are just some of the conversations Bruce and I have had with Benjamin:

Dr. Benjamin Wiker 10 Books That Screwed Up the World.mp3
Dr. Benjamin Wiker Darwin Myth.mp3
Dr. Benjamin Wiker Meaningful World .mp3
10-04-07 – Dr. Benjamin Wiker – Reason.mp3

The author of  “The Path to Rome” died on this date in 1953.  Helaire Belloc, what a life, what a legacy…what a man; you have to wonder if G.K. would be the figure remebered today without Belloc’s role in his life. 

Joseph Pearce wrote the best biography (and a grand romantic tale it is) of Belloc’s life; it’s entitled “Old Thunder”.  Take listen to Joseph  talk about this extraordinary man…

Check out Joseph’s “Discerning Hearts” page here

We love St. Benedict…his rule, his life, his medal, his sister….

Ok, today is Sunday and his day gets trumped, but don’t let that stop you from praying in a special way with this GREAT saint!!!!!   Many of you know that Bruce and I are Benedictine Oblates (along with Dorothy Day and Walker Percy…what inspiring company, wow).  

Here is the interview  we had with Fr. Dan Lenz OSB about this great saint, so today raise a glass of wine to St. Benedict, break some bread and have a listen

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer is one of the most courageous men I know.  He proves that ones again with the release of his book “Exorcism and the Church Militant”.   It is a subject that we shouldn’t fear.  Why is it we are afraid to talk about this?  No one would question the need to talk about tornados and to actually have drills to warn of their arrival and the ways to seek protection; of course we do this, it’s common sense.  And yet with this very real spiritual reality, we hide it away, thereby giving the evil one WAY too much power in the darkness.  Fr. Euteneuer helps us to “flip on the light” of Christ and the teachings of the Church,  to reveal the triumphant victory of the Almighty over the forces of darkness.

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Click here to purchase Fr. Euteneur’s new book online at  http://www.exorcismbook.com/

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For another Fr. Euteneuer interview in the Spirit Mornings Show archives

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For other discussions on exorcisms on Spirit Mornings:
Matt Bagilo “The Rite”

Fr. Fortea “Interview with an Exorcist”

It just doesn’t get much better!  Wow, to be able to have a good sit down chat with Dr. Scott Hahn…what a blessing!  Especially when it’s about topics he loves.  It becomes faith formation rolled into evangelaztion, added with good does of joy and humor.  In this case, our conversation centers around his new book “Many Are Called:  Redicovering the Glory of the Priesthood”!  It’s fantastic…every domestic church should have this in their library.  And Dr. Hahn is ALWAYS a blast to speak with and listen to, what a gift for us all!

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Click here to purchase Dr. Hahn’s new book online at  http://www.scotthahn.com/new-releases.html

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Other Dr. Scott Hahn interviews in the Spirit Mornings Show archives:
Scott Hahn 01-25-07.mp3
Scott Hahn EWTN 25 Segment.mp3
10-02-07 Scott Hahn – Hour 1 Segment 1.mp3
10-02-07 Scott Hahn – Hour 1 Segment 2.mp3
10-02-07 Scott Hahn – Hour 2 Segment 1.mp3
10-02-07 Scott Hahn – Hour 2 Segment 2.mp3
Scott Hahn 07-07-09.mp3
08-04-09 Scott Hahn.mp3
Scott Hahn Signs of Life.mp3

Many, Many, MANY of you have asked for these, so here are just some of them….have fun

Just click the shiny faces below