"Here then we have a sign of Antichrist's appearance—I do not say of his instant coming, or his certain coming… still, so far as it goes, it is a preparation, a warning, a call to sober thought..."

This episode is the fourth in Newman's series of lectures on The Patristical Idea of Antichrist. In this final lecture, Newman focuses his attention on the persecution that is prophesied to attend the coming of Antichrist— a persecution which, the prophecies indicate, will be more terrible than any to have come before, and will only be cut short by Jesus's Second Coming.

As with any meditation upon the apocalypse, the end of this meditation is our own conversion: to chasten our attachment to this world, to be awake so as not to be deceived or seduced away from following Christ, to accept persecution for His sake, and to prepare for the day when we will stand before Him.

Links

The Persecution of Antichrist Full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture4.html

Pt. 3, The City of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-3-city-antichrist/

Pt. 2, The Religion of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-2-religion-antichrist/

Pt. 1, The Times of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-1-times-antichrist/

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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.

"As history testifies, the prosperity of the State and the temporal happiness of its citizens cannot remain safe and sound… where the very fountainhead from which the State draws its life, namely, wedlock and the family, is obstructed by the vices of its citizens."

Pope Pius XI's Casti Connubii contains truths about marriage forgotten even by many faithful Catholics. With this third installment, we finally conclude our reading of one of the greatest encyclicals ever written.

In the first episode, we heard Pius describe the nature of marriage, and of the wonderful law and will of God respecting it. In the second episode, we listened to Pius' strong rebuke of the errors and impending dangers to marriage, already evident in 1930, when this encyclical was promulgated. In this third and final episode, Pope Pius will propose the suitable remedies with which to counteract the many attacks on marriage and the family.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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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 family is more sacred than the State... men are begotten not for the earth and for time, but for Heaven and eternity."

Last week we began a three-part reading of Casti Connubii, Pope Pius XI's encyclical on Christian marriage promulgated in 1930.

In the first part, Pope Pius discussed the nature and the dignity of marriage, and described as well marriage's many benefits to family and society. In this second part, he addresses the errors and vices opposed to marriage.

Whatever the error, Pius observes that the fundamental principle animating it is the false notion that marriage is invented by man and is therefore subject to his will.

Pius addresses in detail the errors opposed to each of the three main blessings of marriage, which he outlined in the beginning of the encyclical as offspring, conjugal faith, and the sacrament.

In the end, Pius affirms that marriage's religious character arises not from any idea imposed by religion, but rather from its very nature. Marriage is sacred in its divine origin and its divine purpose, and has been raised by Christ to the level of a great sacrament of the Church.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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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.

"Matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed..."

Casti Connubii, or "of chaste wedlock", was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI on December 21, 1930, in response to the approval by the Anglican Communion's seventh Lambeth Conference of birth control for married couples.

Over 90 years later, this encyclical has lost none of its relevancy. In it, Pope Pius delivers a sweeping defense against the many threats to marriage that, sadly, are still prevalent today. Priests and catechists involved in marriage preparation, take note!

This reading of the encyclical in its entirety will be released in three episodes: the first part concerns the nature and the dignity of Christian marriage, as well as its many benefits to family and to society; the second part deals with the many errors and vices opposed to marriage; and finally, the third part covers the principal remedies to the problems afflicting marriage in the present day.

In this first episode, Pope Pius echoes and expounds upon St. Augustine's list of the three chief blessings of marriage: offspring, conjugal faith, and the sacrament.

Links:

Casti Connubii Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=3370

Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.

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.

"He has given to those who desire Him not only to see Him, but even to touch, and eat Him, and fix their teeth in His flesh, and to embrace Him, and satisfy all their love. Let us then return from that table like lions breathing fire, having become terrible to the devil."

St. John Chrysostom was born sometime in the years 344 - 354 AD. He developed great fame as a preacher, to which his earned moniker of Chrysostom, or "golden mouthed", attests.

Chrysostom's reputation eventually led to his reluctantly becoming the Bishop of Constantinople, the Christian capital of the time. There he set about a reform of the clergy and laity. Within a few years, Chrysostom's political and ecclesiastical enemies were arranging for his exile. In 407 AD and en route to the destination of his second exile, Chrysostom died.

St. John Chrysostom's body of work represents the largest collection of extant writings from among the Greek Fathers of the Church, with most of his works surviving in their entirety. Among these are included some treatises and many letters—but his collection of writing is largely comprised of sermons.

There are a total of 88 exegetical homilies by Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John. In this homily, Chrysostom breaks down John 6:41-52—a significant portion of what is known as Jesus' "Bread of Life Discourse". The result is not only an excellent verse-by-verse exegesis, but also a rousing sermon on the Eucharist, the Mystery of Faith.

Links

Homily 46 on the Gospel According to St. John Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2046

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 41—Chrysostom (Part 1) | Golden Mouth & Golden Mysteries: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-1-golden-mouth-golden-mysteries/

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 42—Chrysostom (Part 2) | Triumph, Tragedy & Glory: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/42chrysostom-part-2-triumph-tragedy-glory/

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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.

"What a wonderful rule of God's providence is herein displayed which occurs daily!—the Church sanctities, yet suffers with, the world—sharing its sufferings, yet lightening them."

In this third of four lectures on The Patristical Idea of Antichrist, Newman closely examines the role which the Roman Empire—and, perhaps, even the city of Rome itself—will play in the coming of Antichrist.

As with the first two lectures on the Times and Religion of Antichrist, what's refreshing about Newman's analysis in this lecture is the seriousness with which he takes the Old and New Testament prophecies about the Antichrist. Through a careful consideration of which aspects of prophecy have been fulfilled and which unfulfilled, Newman demonstrates how these prophecies do more than simply arouse our curiosity in a future event, but in fact edify us in the present.

Links

The City of Antichrist Full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture3.html

Pt. 2, The Religion of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-2-religion-antichrist/

Pt. 1, The Times of Antichrist on Catholic Culture Audiobooks: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-john-henry-newman-patristical-idea-antichrist-pt-1-times-antichrist/

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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.

"Whoever, then, appears in his own opinion to have comprehended the Sacred Scriptures, or even some part of them, yet does not build up with that knowledge the two-fold love of God and his neighbor, has not yet known as he ought to know."

De Doctrina Christiana, or "On Christian Instruction", is listed among Augustine's contributions to the Great Books of the Western World, alongside the Confessions and City of God. It is considered to be the most important early Latin treatise on scriptural interpretation and a foundational work for the field of Biblical hermeneutics. It ranks among the most important works of classical rhetoric, along with works by Cicero and Quintillian. Its fourth and final book was one of the very first works to be printed, only about one decade after the Gutenberg Bible.

De Doctrina Christiana is composed of four books. According to St. Augustine, the first three books "help to an understanding of the Scriptures, while the fourth instructs us how to present the facts which we have comprehended."

00:39 Part 1 (Book 1 with Prologue)

1:15:19 Part 2 (Book 2, Ch.1-18)

2:02:56 Part 3 (Book 2, Ch.19-42)

2:56:03 Part 4 (Book 3, Ch.1-23)

3:41:37 Part 5 (Book 3, Ch.24-37)

4:21:01 Part 6 (Book 4, Ch.1-16)

5:19:34 Part 7 (Book 4. Ch.17-31)

Links

Christian Instruction: https://verbum.com/product/120407/saint-augustine-christian-instruction-admonition-and-grace-the-christian-combat-faith-hope-and-charity

De Doctrina Christiana Full Text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3275

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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.

"Therefore, dear son, the first thing I advise is that you fix your whole heart upon God, and love Him with all your strength, for without this no one can be saved or be of any worth."

St. Louis IX became the King of France at the age of twelve. A kind husband, a father of eleven children, and at the same time a strict ascetic, Louis' conduct as king was that of a real saint. St. Louis' letter of advice to his eldest son, the later Philip III, reflects not only his saintly piety, but also his high ideal of kingship, and illustrates how a saint might act on the throne of France.

Links

Letter of St. Louis IX to His Son Full Text: http://www.christendomrestoration.org/uploads/9/0/2/6/9026344/letter-of-st-louis-ix-to-his-son.pdf

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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 beg, O Augustus, we do not battle. We are not afraid, but we are begging. It befits Christians to hope for the tranquility of peace and not to check the steadfastness of faith and truth when faced with danger of death."

Ambrose of Milan is considered among the four great Doctors of the Church, alongside Gregory the Great, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome. Ambrose is particularly remembered for having set the model for the Church's relationship to the state. He is famous for having said, "The emperor is within the Church, not above the Church."

In this letter to his sister, St. Ambrose relates events at Milan connected the Empress Justina's demand of a basilica for use by the Arians, and how the people rose up in opposition. It includes sketches of two addresses given by Ambrose: the first, comparing the Christian people's trials to those of Job; and the second, adapting the story of Jonah to the present circumstances and relating the joy of the people at recovering their church.

Throughout the letter, Ambrose makes clear the limits of the emperor's authority: "You have been given authority over public edifices, not over sacred ones."

Links

Way of the Fathers, Ep. 33—Ambrose of Milan, How the Church Regards the State: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/33ambrose-milan-how-church-regards-state/

Letters, by St. Ambrose: https://verbum.com/product/120426/saint-ambrose-letters

Letter to His Sister full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2073

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 expense is reckoned, the enterprise is begun; it is of God; it cannot be withstood. So the faith was planted: So it must be restored."

Edmund Campion was born on January 25, 1540, into an England awash with religious turmoil. Though he had been expected to become an apologist for the Church of England, Campion instead fled to France where he was reconciled with the Church and accepted into the Society of Jesus.

After he was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1578, Campion was chosen by his superiors to lead a mission back to England. Shortly after his clandestine arrival in London in 1580, Campion quickly set about composing the statement that would later become known as "Campion's Brag". According to some scholars, it is the earliest defense of the faith to appear in the English language during the Reformation.

Campion was eventually captured in 1581 and brought to the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned and tortured for four months. After a farce trial of bribed witnesses and false evidence, Campion was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. On December 1, 1581, Campion was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Links

Campion's Brag Full text: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/campions-brag-5297

Catholic Culture Podcast Ep. 69—Poetry of the English Martyrs | Benedict Whalen https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-69-poetry-english-martyrs-benedict-whalen/

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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.