Catholic Thinkers

This lecture reviews the four senses (levels of meaning) of the Sacred Scriptures: the literal sense (what the human author under divine inspiration intended) and the three spiritual senses (what the Holy Spirit intended not only by the words but also by the persons and the actions described), namely, the typological, the moral, and the anagogical senses.  The lecture then shows the use of these various levels of meaning in Veritatis splendor.

catholicthinkers.org

https://youtu.be/0jH7hQh9MVA

This lecture concentrates on the picture of Christ offered by the first chapter of the encyclical and the way in which it uses these insights about Christ for explaining the demands of morality.  In particular, it reflects on the Pope’s use of the Sermon on the Mount to show that Christ did not come to abolish any of the Commandments or to give them a minimalist interpretation, but rather to deepen our understanding of their full meaning.

catholicthinkers.org

https://youtu.be/bJzAtP3J4nw

This lecture explains and defends the position taken in Veritatis splendor that knowledge of Jesus Christ provides the necessary basis for answering moral questions not only for Christians but for everyone. It also discusses John Paul II’s reverence for the insights about morality that are present in other religions and wisdom traditions.

catholicthinkers.org

https://youtu.be/dS83kYs5QCM

This lecture examines the Preface to the encyclical. It sets forth the claims (1) that much of secular ethics finds no objective or absolute truths of morality and (2) that Catholic moral theology makes a sound case for holding that objective and absolute moral truths can be known both by revelation and by philosophical reasoning about human nature.  This lecture also provides an introduction to such terms as “human nature,” “human person,” and “natural law ethics.”

catholicthinkers.org

https://youtu.be/RnFww93qdBU

This lecture reviews the structure of the encyclical Veritatis splendor as a whole.  It begins with a chapter on the story of Christ’s encounter with the rich young man and explains how Catholic moral theology uses faith and revelation. The second chapter identifies and analyzes four erroneous trends in contemporary moral theology. The final chapter exhorts readers to put the insights of sound moral theology into practice, especially in the new evangelization and the cultivation of holiness.

catholicthinkers.org

https://youtu.be/iEkBvaOtbis

This series of lectures examines the context and content of Veritatis splendor, the encyclical by Saint John Paul II on fundamental moral theology. As is typical of the Catholic approach, Veritatis splendor attempts to integrate faith and reason by using both revelation and philosophical argumentation to answer the important questions of morality.

Accordingly, this lecture series examines the pope's use of the story of Christ's encounter with the rich young man to discuss some of the basic concepts of moral theology, and to honor Vatican II's call for moral theologians to use the Scriptures pervasively and not just to cite biblical passages out of context for the confirmation of ethical positions arrived at by other means.  

This series also reviews the insights of John Paul II about four major areas of concern: freedom and law, conscience and truth, the proper way to provide a moral analysis of a deliberate human act, and the role of teleology in moral matters.  These lectures call attention to the distinctions that Veritatis splendor makes between authentic and inauthentic notions of freedom, conscience, the moral object, and teleology.  

Finally, these lectures consider the pastoral dimensions of Veritatis splendor.  In particular it examines Pope John Paul II's reflections on holiness and martyrdom, in the service of the truths about morality. Throughout this series of lectures, there is an effort to define important terms, to show the patterns of the pope's arguments, and to bring out the significance of the encyclical's reflections for understanding the distinctively Catholic position in moral theology.

The opening lecture places the encyclical Veritatis splendor in the context of Pope John Paul II’s many accomplishments. It is an encyclical on fundamental moral theology, designed (1) to exemplify a reliable way in which to use scripture for moral theology, (2) to correct four erroneous tendencies frequent in contemporary works of moral theology, and (3) to show the biblical and philosophical roots of such important concepts as human dignity. 

https://youtu.be/boKYnM4EPp0

"Redemptor Hominis" is about Christ and the message of Mercy."

Pope Saint John Paul II was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.  A recent biographer has described him as one of the “freest” men who ever lived, having had a clear sense of his mission and role within his own particular moment in history from a very early age.  What animated this remarkable pope and saintly man?  This course  serves as an excellent introduction to the thought of Pope Saint John Paul II through a study of his first encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis, “The Redeemer of Man.” It provides a context for understanding the encyclical, a section by section analysis, and explains how this encyclical--which Dr. Hittinger calls John Paull II's "Mission Statement"--provides a unique and important vantage point from which to understand the life and thought of this great pope.

https://youtu.be/46e9iwFz-V0

"Redemptor Hominis" is about Christ and the message of Mercy."

Pope Saint John Paul II was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.  A recent biographer has described him as one of the “freest” men who ever lived, having had a clear sense of his mission and role within his own particular moment in history from a very early age.  What animated this remarkable pope and saintly man?  This course  serves as an excellent introduction to the thought of Pope Saint John Paul II through a study of his first encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis, “The Redeemer of Man.” It provides a context for understanding the encyclical, a section by section analysis, and explains how this encyclical--which Dr. Hittinger calls John Paull II's "Mission Statement"--provides a unique and important vantage point from which to understand the life and thought of this great pope.

https://youtu.be/QK4TtIJfb-U

"Redemptor Hominis" is about Christ and the message of Mercy."

Pope Saint John Paul II was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.  A recent biographer has described him as one of the “freest” men who ever lived, having had a clear sense of his mission and role within his own particular moment in history from a very early age.  What animated this remarkable pope and saintly man?  This course  serves as an excellent introduction to the thought of Pope Saint John Paul II through a study of his first encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis, “The Redeemer of Man.” It provides a context for understanding the encyclical, a section by section analysis, and explains how this encyclical--which Dr. Hittinger calls John Paull II's "Mission Statement"--provides a unique and important vantage point from which to understand the life and thought of this great pope.

https://youtu.be/7Fa_CMGDqXw

"Redemptor Hominis" is about Christ and the message of Mercy."

Pope Saint John Paul II was one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.  A recent biographer has described him as one of the “freest” men who ever lived, having had a clear sense of his mission and role within his own particular moment in history from a very early age.  What animated this remarkable pope and saintly man?  This course  serves as an excellent introduction to the thought of Pope Saint John Paul II through a study of his first encyclical letter, Redemptor Hominis, “The Redeemer of Man.” It provides a context for understanding the encyclical, a section by section analysis, and explains how this encyclical--which Dr. Hittinger calls John Paull II's "Mission Statement"--provides a unique and important vantage point from which to understand the life and thought of this great pope.

https://youtu.be/8VR7vUgkZu0