There is great spiritual value in being able to live in the present moment. Nevertheless, we all have various tendencies that get us stuck in the past or the future, and prevent us from living fully in the here and now. In this week's episode of Bonus Points, we're taking a Catholic approach to encountering God in the present moment.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

Did Jesus get pimples? Can the Pope own stocks? This week on Bonus Points, I'm taking questions from my seventh-period juniors. They're a creative bunch, and their questions are anything but boring. It's time for more Question & Astle!

On this episode, we discuss:

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

For many people, the only contribution that their faith life makes to their dating life is a set of rules. Does faith have more to say about dating than a set of "thou shalt nots"? On this Guest Speaker episode of Bonus Points, I'm joined by Catholic author and speaker Steve Pokorny as we discuss the joy of living a Christ-centered relationship. We talk about practical tips for intentional dating that is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. You don't want to miss this one!

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

Curiosity killed the cat...can it also kill your soul? St. Thomas Aquinas calls curiositas a vice that is opposed to the virtue of studiositas, or studiousness. In this episode of Bonus Points, we'll see what Aquinas says about curiosity and why it is a vice. More importantly, we'll talk about how to cultivate the virtue of studiousness.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

St. Teresa of Avila famously prayed, "from sour-faced saints, Lord, deliver us!" St. Thomas Aquinas not only called mirth a virtue, but said that a lack of mirth is a sin. In this episode of Bonus Points, we'll consider humor and jokes from a theological perspective. We'll see what Aquinas says about the virtue of humor, and look at some examples of Jesus' sense of humor. Finally, we'll ask a few questions about the moral implications of jokes. This will be a good one, no joke.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

God doesn't just want us to rest, he commands us to rest. But rest is a challenge for many of us. Genuine recreation can be difficult, especially when it is far more tempting to turn off our brains in front of a screen. In today's episode of Bonus Points, we'll talk about the biblical command to rest and how we can live it out in our own lives.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

Like it or not, work is a necessary part of life. But is it all bad? In this episode of Bonus Points, we'll compare common attitudes toward work with the Catholic Christian worldview. In the biblical understanding, work is neither an evil to be avoided nor the source of your worth. Rather, it is a way of being a co-creator with God, and a way of sanctifying the everyday.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

Sometimes, we think of the saints as superheroes: they live among us mere mortals for a time, but they're not really like us. It's easy to forget that the saints were people too, and they didn't always get it right. Today on Bonus Points, we're looking at four saints and blesseds who strayed very far from the life of virtue before experiencing a conversion. Remember: being a saint is about where you end up, not where you begin.

On today's episode:

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The world of Catholic liturgy can get complicated, especially when there are all sorts of unique objects with strange names. Today, we're talking about some of the most unique and the strangest. You probably won't see these at Mass on Sunday (but you might).

In this episode of Bonus Points, learn about:

UPDATE: A few hours after I recorded this episode, I found a great article about the penitential wand on Liturgical Arts Journal. Check out the link in the show notes for a more thorough historical background.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com

The Book of Psalms, also called the Psalter, is one of the most important collections in human history. For centuries, it has been the prayer book of Israel and the Church. At 150 psalm-chapters, it is the longest book of the Bible. It also appears in the Mass more than any other, with nearly every Mass containing most or all of a psalm. In this episode of Bonus Points, we'll talk about how to incorporate the psalms into your prayer life.

Website: https://www.BonusPointsPodcast.com