Crash Course Catholicism

Paul and Mary Magdalene were not part of the twelve apostles, but they WERE two incredibly important figures in the early Christian church. They were also both just completely awesome. 

In this episode, we wrap up our discussion of the apostles with the stories of Saints Paul and Mary Magdalene. 

Donate via PayPal
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• The Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 9, 22, 26
• Pope Benedict XVI:
  • Addresses on the Apostles
  • The Apostles
  • Paul of Tarsus
  • St Paul's New Outlook
  • St Paul and the Spirit
  • St Paul and the Church
• The Catholic Encyclopedia:
  • St Paul
  • St. Barnabas
  • Pharisees
  • Mary Magdalene
• Catholic Answers
  • Why did God Change Saul's Name to Paul?
  • Who is Mary Magdalene?
• Encyclopedia Britannica, How did St Paul the Apostle Die?
• St. Paul Centre, Was Mary Magdalene a Former Prostitute?

Who were the apostles? What were their lives like? What do we know about them? In these episodes, we unpack the lives of the apostles (plus a couple of bonus extras). Today, we continue with Matthew and John.

Donate via PayPal
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• John 1
• The letter of Jude
• Pope Benedict XVI: 
  • Addresses on the Apostles
  • The Apostles
  • Thomas the Twin
  • Bartholomew 
  • Simon and Jude
  • Judas Iscariot and Matthias
• Catholic Answers: 
  • The Gospel of Thomas
  • How Doubting Thomas Proved Christ's Divinity
  • Why isn’t the Gospel of Thomas in the Bible?
• The Catholic Encyclopedia, 
  • St. Thomas the Apostle
  • St. Simon the Apostle
  • Nathanael

Who were the apostles? What were their lives like? What do we know about them? In these episodes, we unpack the lives of the apostles (plus a couple of bonus extras). Today, we continue with Matthew and John.

Donate via PayPal
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• The Gospel of John
• Matthew Chapter 9
• Mark Chapter 3
• Luke Chapter 5
• Pope Benedict XVI: 
  • Addresses on the Apostles
  • The Apostles
  • John, son of Zebedee
  • John, the theologian
  • Matthew, the tax collector
• Catholic Answers:
  • Who Wrote John’s Gospel?
  • Who Wrote the Gospels?
  • The Heresiarch Cerinthus: the Odd Man Behind St. John’s Gospel
• The Catholic Encyclopedia:
  • St. John the Evangelist
  • St. Matthew
• Credit song: "My Heart With You" by The Rescues

Who were the apostles? What were their lives like? What do we know about them? In these episodes, we unpack the lives of the apostles (plus a couple of bonus extras). Today, we continue with four apostles: Andrew, Philip, and the two Jameses.

Donate via PayPal
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• John Chapter 1
• John Chapter 6
• John Chapter 12
• Acts Chapter 12
• Luke Chapter 9
• Acts Chapter 15
• Pope Benedict XVI: 
  • Addresses on the Apostles
  • The Apostles
  • "Andrew, the Protoclete"
  • "Philip the Apostle"
  • "James the Greater"
  • "James, the Lesser"
• The Catholic Encyclopedia:
  • "St. James the Greater"
  • "St. Philip the Apostle"
  • "St. Andrew"
  • "St. James the Less"
• Aleteia, "Why was St. James called a 'son of thunder'?"
• Catholic Answers, 
  • "Who was James the 'brother' of Jesus?"
  • "Was Mary the Aunt of James and John?"
  • "Who Are the Twelve Apostles, and What Happened to Them?"

Who were the apostles? What were their lives like? What do we know about them? In the next few episodes, we're going to unpack the lives of the apostles (plus a couple of bonus extras), beginning with this episode on Simon Peter.

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• Pope Benedict XVI's Addresses on the Apostles
• Pope Benedict XVI. The Apostles
• Catholic Answers, "What Was Up With Peter's Wife?"
• The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Peter, Apostle, Saint"
• Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren, David R. Hess. Jesus, Peter & the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy
• Rod Bennet. These Twelve: The Gospel Through the Apostles' Eyes
• Mike Aquilina. The Apostles and Their Times
• Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, Simon Called Peter

In this life, are we supposed to suffer or to be happy? Why does God allow us to suffer? Is suffering compatible with joy?

In this episode, we explore the mystery of suffering.

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• Colossians 1:24
• John Chapter 16
• Galatians Chapter 2
• 2 Corinthians Chapter 4
• Psalms 3, 22, 77, and 88.
• Pope St. John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris
• St. Edith Stein, The Science of the Cross
• C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed. 
• C. S. Lewis on the Problem of Pain.
• Catholic Answers, "Hope Through Suffering"
• Raniero Cantalamessa, The Power of the Cross
• Miguel Monge, Blessed Be Pain!
• G. K. Chesterton, The Ball and the Cross
• "Why Haven't You Healed Me?" The Chosen
• Fr Mike Schmitz, "Why Doesn't God Heal Everybody?"
• "Believing in a God Who Allows Evil"
• "If I’m Suffering, Is It Better to Never Have Been Born?"
• "The Meaning of Suffering"
• Lisa Cotter, "How to Suffer Well"
• Scott Hahn on the Value and Meaning of Suffering
• Bishop Barron, "Why Is Life So Full of Suffering?"
• "Should Suffering Shake Our Faith?"
• "Why Does God Allow Suffering?"
• "Why Did Jesus Have to Die the Way He Did?"
• "Bishop Barron Comments on Stephen Fry, Job, and Suffering"
• Credit song: "It'll Be Alright" by Cody Francis

Did Jesus always know that he was God, or did he acquire that knowledge at some point during his childhood or adolescence? Were there things that Jesus didn't know when he was on earth? Did he know what was going to happen in the future? Was Jesus ever tempted to sin, or to despair?

In this episode, we discuss the incredible mystery of the hypostatic union: Jesus as fully God and fully human.

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

• Psalm 22
• Luke Chapter 2
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 456-483
• Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi
• Pope Benedict, Jesus of Nazareth
• St. JPII, Redemptor Hominis
• Michael Gorman, Aquinas on the Metaphysics of the Hypostatic Union
• Catholic Answers: 
• "Did Jesus Know He Was God as a Child?"
• "Christ's Beatific Vision at His Conception"
• "Why Have You Forsaken Me?"
• "Is it true that Jesus didn’t know what would happen to him?"
• "How Much did Jesus Know?"
• "Did Jesus Lose His Temper?"
• "Could Jesus Have Sinned? Absolutely Not!"
• The Catholic Encyclopedia: 
• "Knowledge of Jesus Christ"
• "Temptation of Christ"
• St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Third Part.
• John O'Connell, "The Human Knowledge of Christ"
• Fr. William Most, The Consciousness of Christ
• St. John of Damascus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (Book III)
• Pope St. Leo the Great "Sermon 21"
• Msgr. Charles Pope, "Did Jesus always know He was God?"
• Ascension Presents, "The Astounding Reason Jesus Cried Out “My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”"
• Fr. Thomas Joseph White: "What does the hypostatic union mean in Christ?"
• The Thomisti

Every. Single. Mass. Is a miracle. Eucharistic miracles remind us of that fact.

In this episode, we discuss four amazing incidents, three of which occurred in the last thirty years. In each of these miracles, a communion host transformed into human tissue: specifically, into tissue taken from a living human heart that was in agony. Each of these miraculous hosts has been rigorously scientifically tested, often by scientists who had no idea where the samples they were testing had come from. These stories remind us of the loving and true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:
Carlo Acutis' website: The Eucharistic Miracles of the World
The Miracle of Lanciano
The Miracle of Buenos Aires
The Miracle of Tixla, Mexico
The Miracle of Sokolka, Poland
Pints with Aquinas: "Scientific EVIDENCE for Eucharistic Miracles? w/ Fr. Terry Donahue"
Ron Tesoriero, The Eucharistic Miracle of Buenos Aires.
EWTN: The Lanciano Miracle: Unveiling the Eucharistic Mystery
Aleteia, The stunning Eucharistic miracle of Sokolka
Joan Carroll Cruz, Eucharistic Miracles: And Eucharistic Phenomena in the Lives of the Saints

Pope Francis has just announced that Blessed Carlo Acutis is going to be the first millenial saint. Carlo Acutis was an ordinary teenager who died suddenly at the age of 15. He was known for his love of God, and in particular for his love for Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. Carlo loved soccer, animals, nutella, gaming, and coding. His exhibition on Eucharistic miracles is still touring the world, and his website is still available today.

In this episode, we discuss the life of Carlo Acutis, as part of our two-part series on Eucharistic miracles.


Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:
Carlo's website on Eucharistic Miracles
Official website for Carlo Acutis
Will Conquer, A Millenial in Paradise: Carlo Acutis
Aleteia, Interview with Antonia Salzano - Blessed Carlo Acutis's Mother
Antonia Salzano Acutis , My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother
EWTN Documentary on Carlo Acutis

If the point of my faith is to set me free, why are there so many things I *have* to do as a Catholic? What should I do when I feel like I'm doing things because I have to and not because I want to? What's the difference between being free and doing whatever I want?

In this episode, we discuss interior freedom.

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2
Support us on Patreon!
Contact the podcast: [email protected].
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

References and further reading/listening/viewing:

Galatians 5:1
The Catechism of the Catholic Church pt.1731-42
Pope John Paul II, USA Homily, 1995
Pope Leo XIII, Libertas
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Free Will
The Catechism in a Year, Eps. 234 and 235
Ascenscion, "What True Freedom Looks Like"
The Thomistic Institute, "Freedom (Aquinas 101)"
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae: II.i Q.13
Fr Mike Schmitz, "Freedom and its Consequences"
Bishop Robert Barron  "What is the True Nature of Freedom?"
Fulton Sheen, "Freedom"
Jacques Philippe, Interior Freedom
Julio Dieguez, He Knows Not How