Season 2 Episode 18: On Belonging

In this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony dive into the profound human need for belonging. Amidst a culture often troubled by loneliness, the team explores the distinction between what belonging actually is versus the subjective feeling of "belongingness."

Drawing from the extensive research found in the Amoris Christi publication, From Loneliness To Communion: A Path to Belonging for Young People, this conversation examines how young people navigate their search for a home in the world today. From the beauty of deep friendships to the necessity of finding purpose within a community, we discuss how authentic relationships serve as the ultimate antidote to isolation.

https://www.amorischristi.org/belonging-book

Credits:

Audio Video - Iva Mulloth, Isaiah Thomas

Studio Manager: Josh Thomas

Editing & Social Media: Joseph Abraham - https://www.josephaabraham.com/

To know more about Amoris Christi visit - https://www.amorischristi.org/

Season 2 Episode 17 - On Wonder and Awe

In this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony discuss the importance and joy of wonder. In a culture that prizes productivity and measurable results, wonder can seem impractical or without value in itself. Yet they explore how wonder is often the driving force behind progress, creativity, and human advancement. The conversation reflects on the challenges that stand in the way of the wonder and the desire for control. They consider how wonder is not childish or naïve, but a higher form of human activity that opens the mind and heart to deeper understanding. They also discuss practical ways to cultivate wonder in daily life and why recovering a sense of awe may be essential for living fully and meaningfully in the modern world.

Season 2 Episode 16: Fear

In this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony explore how fear can prevent us from becoming the fullness of who we are created to be. They reflect on the need for a healthy relationship with fear, examining the common fears many people experience and the crippling, stifling effects it can have when left unchecked. The conversation carefully distinguishes between a healthy fear that can protect and orient us rightly, and a destructive fear that paralyzes growth, freedom, and trust.

References

St.John Paul II to young people - Do not be afraid - https://youtu.be/VZyfXHyqn0s?si=BwzZW3RCdBCAmfYt

Albert Bandura - https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-efficacy.html

Season 2 Episode 15 - Time Management

In this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony reflect on time management not simply as a practical skill but as a window into the deeper orientation of our lives. They explore why so many people struggle with managing time, how our relationship with time reveals more than just how we organize a daily schedule, and what fruit emerges when time is approached in a healthy and intentional way. The conversation frames time as a gift entrusted to us, emphasizing the Christian calling to be good stewards of time without allowing our schedules to dominate or define us.

References:

Franklin Covey Mission Statement Builder — build a personal mission statement to anchor your life and priorities: https://msb.franklincovey.com/personal/

Mary Powathil Fine Art — (artistic resource referenced) https://marypowathil.com/

Credits: Audio Video - Iva Mulloth, Isaiah Thomas

Studio Manager: Josh Thomas

Editing & Social Media: Joseph Abraham - https://www.josephaabraham.com/

To know more about Amoris Christi visit - https://www.amorischristi.org/

Season 2 Episode 14 - On Gambling

In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Anthony interview Chris as they explore the topic of gambling. Against the backdrop of the rapid rise of online gambling, especially among young people, the conversation examines why gambling has become so attractive to the younger generation and the significant personal and social consequences that follow. Together, they reflect on the Church’s teaching on gambling, the psychological and spiritual dynamics that make gambling harmful, the particular vulnerabilities of young people, and the complex challenges of addiction.

References

Addiction & Grace - Gerald May

Leo XIV, “Video Message of the Holy Father for the 7th National Conference on Addictions” (November 7th, 2025).https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/07/251107c.html

Exposing the Gambling Epidemic - Coffeezilla

Cheddr - TikTok of Sports Wagering

DraftKings Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026) - Business of Apps The Polymarket Effect: How Prediction Markets Are Beating The Experts

The Fed - Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2024 - May 2025 - Overall How gambling motives are associated with socio-demographics and gambling behavior - A Finnish population study - PMC

Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review | Journal of Gambling Studies | Springer Nature Link

How betting brands are quietly taking over esports sponsorships

Illegal casinos are using Roblox to draw children into online gambling | Science, Climate & Tech News | Sky News

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2411- 2413

Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica II-III,Q.168

Francis de Sales,Introduction to Devout Life, Chapeter XXXIII

American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (1994), 615. Discourse in the mental health community on the definition and scope of addiction was common in the 2000s as well. See for instance Nancy M. Petry, “Should the scope of addictive behaviors be broadened to include pathological gambling?” in Addiction (vol. 101, 2006): 152-160 Michal Privara and Petr Bob, “Pornography Consumption and Cognitive-Affective Distress” in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (vol. 211, ser. 8, 2023): 641-646.

World Health Organization, ICD-11: International Classification of Diseases, 11th ed. (2022), sv. “Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder.”

Season 2 Episode 13 - The Vocation to Transcendence & the Civilizing Force of Transcendence

In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Anthony are joined by their good friend Fr. Jose Lopez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami and a faculty member at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Florida. Together, they explore the origins of transcendence and what we mean by transcendence. Drawing on the earliest moments of human civilization, they reflect on how the human search for meaning has always been marked by openness to the divine and by a response to transcendence. The conversation then turns to why modern culture often resists or shies away from transcendence and how, as Christians, we are called to reclaim it by engaging reality more deeply. This conversation is based on Fr. Jose Lopez's paper and class, The Origins of the Transcendental Vocation and Its Civilizing Force.https://www.seektruth.one/2025/09/03/transcendental-vocation.html

References

Dunbar Number - Why we can only maintain 150 relationships - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191001-dunbars-number-why-we-can-only-maintain-150-relationships

What makes Humans Different ? Fiction & Cooperation - Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/what-makes-humans-different-fiction-and-cooperation-180953986/

The Four-Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferris

Buffered & Porous Self - Charles Taylor - https://tif.ssrc.org/2008/09/02/buffered-and-porous-selves/

C.S.Lewis Trilemma on Jesus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis%27s_trilemma

Pope Gregory XVI calls railroads - 'roads to hell' - https://paleofuture.com/blog/2023/5/17/the-pope-who-banned-the-telegraph-street-lights-and-railroads-as-the-roads-of-hell?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Pope Francis - The Church can't be a museum - https://www.reuters.com/article/world/pope-says-church-cant-be-museum-must-be-open-to-change-idUSKCN0RZ0PP/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Season 2 Episode 12 - Navigating Stress 

In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Anthony explore the topic of stress from both scientific and Christian perspectives. They examine stress at a biological level, highlighting how stress can often be a healthy and necessary response rather than something purely negative. The conversation addresses common misconceptions about stress, while also unpacking its harmful effects when it becomes chronic or unmanaged.

Drawing from medicine, psychology, and faith, they offer practical ways to navigate stress in today’s fast-paced world and reflect on how Christianity reshapes our understanding of stress, suffering, and resilience.  

References:

Autonomic Nervous System - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/

Chronic Stress - https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/stress-disorder, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

Effects of Chronic Stress - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5137920/

4-7-8 Breathing - https://health.clevelandclinic.org/4-7-8-breathing

What makes the heart so special - https://www.seektruth.one/2026/01/07/heart-organ-center.html

Season 2 Episode 11 - Seeing Things Through & Making Decisions

As we begin a New Year, we sometimes make new resolutions. In this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony discuss the art of making decisions and the challenge of seeing them through. They explore how each of us arrives at decisions, the inner dynamics involved in choosing, and the common obstacles we face along the way. The conversation then turns to what happens after a decision is made: how we continue moving forward, what often stands in the way of perseverance, and how to navigate the challenges that arise as we strive to see things through.  

Dunning-Kruger Effect - https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/dunning-kruger-effect

The Burden of Freedom - Dostoevsky - https://dostoevskys.substack.com/p/the-burden-of-freedom-fyodor-dostoevsky?source=queue

Roman Slave Epictetus - https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/epictetuss-freedom-669680dc8c3b

Credits: Audio Video - Iva Mulloth, Isaiah Thomas
Studio Manager: Josh Thomas
Editing & Social Media: Joseph Abraham - https://www.josephaabraham.com/
To know more about Amoris Christi visit - https://www.amorischristi.org/

Season 2 Episode 10: On Suffering with Dr. Kristin Collier

In this episode, Fr. Thomas and Anthony are joined by Kristin Collier, MD, FACP, to discuss suffering. Kristin shares her own personal encounter with Christ and how it shaped her understanding of suffering. She reflects on the need for physicians to care for mind, body, and soul, and how modern medicine can often reduce the human person to the physical body alone. Drawing on her experience, Kristin explains how a holistic, Christian approach to suffering can lead to better patient outcomes. She also discusses how our view of suffering influences end-of-life care. Together, they explore how the Christian understanding of suffering offers true hope through the person of the Risen Christ.

References:

Lucy Grealy - Autobiography of a Face - https://a.co/d/221Jdib

Dame Cicely Saunders - St. Christopher's Hospice - https://www.stchristophers.org.uk/about/damecicelysaunders/

Narrative Medicine - Columbia University - https://sps.columbia.edu/news/bridging-science-and-storytelling-narrative-medicine-alums-mission-humanize-health-care?program_id=406

On Euthanasia - Kristin Collier - https://www.michigandaily.com/opinion/op-eds/michigan-medicine-should-remember-its-best-not-its-worst/

Religio Medici - https://thelampmagazine.com/issues/issue-32/religio-medici

About our guest - Kristin Collier, MD, FACP

Kristin M. Collier, MD, FACP is an associate professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Michigan where she serves as the director of the University of Michigan Medical School Program on Health, Spirituality and Religion. She is also an associate program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the University of Michigan where she oversees the primary care track. She received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed her internship, residency, and chief residency at The University of Michigan Hospitals. Her academic interests are in the overlap of spirituality, religion and medicine and her peer reviewed work has been published inhigh-impact journals such as JAMA Internal Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and the British Medical Journal. She also has had writings published in Notre Dame’s Church Life Journal, Theopolis, America Magazine, Public Discourse and the New York Times. She is also a wife and the proud mother of four sons.

Credits: Audio/Video - Iva Mulloth, Isaiah Thomas

Studio Manager: Josh Thomas

Editing & Social Media: Joseph Abraham - https://www.josephaabraham.com/

Season 2 Episode 9: Life Hacks vs Grace with Lindsay FullermanIn this episode, Fr. Thomas, Chris, and Anthony are joined by Christian fitness expert Lindsay Fullerman to discuss how we approach health and wellness. They explore the world of “bio and life hacks” and how these trends impact our physical and spiritual well-being. Lindsay shares from her own experience what the Christian journey toward health and wellness looks like, highlighting the essential role of grace in every step of that journey and how a holistic view of the human person - of mind, body, and soul is essential in our journey to wellness. About our Guest - Lindsay Fullerman:Lindsay has a background in health, wellness, and theology. She has a Master's degree in Theology and is certified in the Theology of the Body. She also has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology, a minor in Sports Administration, and certifications in Strength and Conditioning, Sports Nutrition, and Pn2 Coaching. She worked as a fitness athlete and strength coach before founding Full of Grace Wellness. She also serves as a Health and Wellness Advisor at two different institutions. https://fullofgracewellness.com/Credits: Audio/Video - Iva Mulloth, Isaiah ThomasStudio Manager: Josh ThomasEditing & Social Media: Joseph Abraham - https://www.josephaabraham.com/