Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce reflect on the dynamic depiction of the key characters written by Gertrude Von Le Fort. In particular, they reflect on the fall of Erdmuth becoming a bride of the false bridegroom. They also reveal the inner meaning of the imagery so masterly woven into the Wedding of Magdeburg.

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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce begin the third part of the Wedding of Magdeburg. They reflect on Von Falkenberg, who has now taken over the city and begins to genuinely love and respect Erdmuth, and yet still chooses to rule and eventually facilitate the destruction of Magdeburg. They end by discussing the wife of the Protestant pastor whose peace and maternal love reflect that of the Blessed Virgin.

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After meeting with General Tilly, Willigis has to sneak into the Magdeburg because he is barred from the city. He then discovers that Erdmuth has not waited for him and has rejected him because of her pride. Fr. Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph reflect on how much this novel is Gertrude Von Le Fort’s own reflection on her current situation in Mazi, Germany.

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Fr Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss General Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire’s response to wars of religion. They reflect on Gertrude’s words that Mary wins battles not with a sword in hand, but a sword in her heart. Then they conclude that the Church as the bride of Christ is called to suffer with Christ.

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Diving into the second part of The Wedding of Magdeburg, Willigis seeks to broker peace between Magdeburg and the Holy Roman Empire. But his bride, Erdmuth, leaves him for a Swedish general Colonel Von Falkenberg. Willigis meets with General Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire and the two have a debate about the reason for the war and how best to secure peace between their two forces.

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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce continue with part one of The Wedding of Madgeburg by discussing the protestant minister’s wife, whom they believe is the model Christian and spouse in this novel, and the adultery of Erdmuth. Vivian ends by pointing out that those in authority must respect authority; otherwise, the act of rebelling against a higher power leads to a much larger rebellion against anyone with authority.

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Starting with part one of The Wedding of Madgeburg, Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss one of the main themes of Gertrude Von Le Fort–the choice of being powerless before God. They highlight that every character has a choice to obey or disobey authorities that are often imperfect, wrong, or unlikeable.

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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss the first English translation of Gertrude Von Le Fort’s The Wedding of Magdeburg. While she is more well-known for her book Song of the Scaffold, The Wedding of Magdeburg is arguably her best work. This historical fiction takes place during the Thirty Years War and touches on three important relationships: (1) the relationship between the city and the Holy Roman Empire, (2) the relationship of a man and woman who are soon to be married, and (3) the relationship of the soul to God.

You can purchase a copy of The Wedding of Magdeburg here: https://ignatius.com/the-wedding-of-madeburg-wedmp/

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In this last episode on Everlasting Man, Father Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss Chesterton’s summary of the entire work. In particular, they highlight Chesterton’s reflections on the uniqueness of humans among God’s creation and how the nature of things reveal not only a final purpose but also a first cause–God.

*Note that there will be a one-week summer hiatus on 7/23/25, but the dynamic trio will return to discuss The Wedding at Magdeburg on 7/30/25.

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With the start of the fifth chapter of part two, Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro discuss Chesterton’s claim that Europe would be just like Asia if it were not for Christianity. They also reflect on Chesterton’s claim that Christianity is the answer to the problem of evil and superior to philosophy. Then they cover chapter 6, where Chesterton describes the five deaths of the faith where people expected that the Church would die with the culture, but instead it persevered.

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