Raising Saints, Forming Scholars

Welcome to today's episode, where we discuss all things “Theology of the Body.” We are joined by Evan Lemoine and Jasmine Lyle. Evan has been studying the Theology of the Body since 2002, when this deep and transformative teaching on human love and sexuality changed his life forever. Find out more about him here. Jasmine is our local TOB expert, teaching the wisdom of St. Pope John Paul II since 2001. We all explore how Theology of the Body is for believers and non-believers alike and practical tips on finding a suitable mate.

Join us for our conclusion of Augustine’s masterpiece as we take a quick tour of central themes in Books 10-13. Mrs. Martinez is joined by Ms. Marlena Galassi and Mr. Paul Krause. We discuss the questions that seekers of the truth have been asking for over a thousand years. How does Augustine view memory and time? Can these last books of The Confessions lead us to the healing of our own relationship with the past and pave a way for hope in the home God has waiting for us in heaven? Our wish is that our encounter with these last books give all of us fresh eyes in our conception of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Augustine’s earnest desire would be that we grasp nothing short of this! (Mrs. Martinez refers to James O’Donnell and his 3 Volume Commentary on the Confessions and the scholarship of Dr. Jeffrey Lehman from the Augustine Institute.)Our Contributors to Podcast Books 10-13Marlena Galassi holds a B.A. in Philosophy with a minor inArt History from Fort Hays State University. She is currently pursuing graduatestudies in the Liberal Arts program at St. John's College, Santa Fe. Marlena has several years of experience working as atutor and educational assistant in both private Catholic and public schools.Before joining Holy Child last year, she worked as an independent copy editorin the realm of Catholic and academic publishing. Over the past nine years, shehas been engaged in an intensive independent study of the Western canon,reading works ranging from the pre-Socratics, Aeschylus, and the ApostolicFathers, to Heidegger, Faulkner, and von Balthasar. Her transformative journeythrough the Great Books inspired her conversion to the Catholic faith in 2018. Marlena regularly leads reading groups focused onmajor works of Western philosophy, theology, and literature for graduate andundergraduate students at St. John's College. In her free time, she enjoysreading demanding books, exploring the natural beauty of New Mexico, cookingtraditional Italian cuisine, learning foreign languages, and volunteering for alocal cat rescue. She currently teaches at Chesterton Academy inAlbuquerque, New Mexico.Paul Krause is the Editor-in-Chief ofVoegelinView. He is a teacher, writer, podcaster, and the author of Muses of a Fire: Essays on Faith, Film,and Literature (Stone Tower Press, 2024), Finding Arcadia: Wisdom, Truth, and Lovein the Classics (Academica Press, 2023), and The Odyssey of Love: A Christian Guideto the Great Books (Wipf and Stock, 2021). Educated at Baldwin WallaceUniversity, Yale, and the University of Buckingham (UK), he is a frequentwriter on the arts, classics, literature, religion, and politics for numerousnewspapers, magazines, and journals. He currently teaches at Chesterton Academyin Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can follow him on Twitter: Paul Krause.

In this podcast we look at the role of baptism in the life of the Christian. We witness the passing of Monica, Augustine’s passion for the psalms and St. John Henry Newman’s understanding of the Development of Doctrine. We also borrow ideas from Sr. Prudence Allen as corrective for statements on domestic abuse. She reminds us that it is not until the twentieth century, with the Carmelite Age, that we have a full understanding of what she calls the “integral complementarity of woman and man.”These resources were used in our session- Newman on the Development of Doctrine and Sr. Prudence Allen , three volumes, The Concept of Woman.

Welcome to Book Eight: Tolle LeggeIn this podcast we take a deeper look at the relationships of imitation deeply embedded in the Confessions which lay the groundwork for Augustine’s dramatic conversion in the garden.

Welcome to Book Seven: Curiositas: Spiritual BlindnessIn this podcast we examine the intellectual struggles that continue to plague Augustine while his senses begin to open up to the beauty of his Lord, and yet, he is too weak to fully grasp God’s goodness. Will the torment ever end? Will he find the truth before he dies? Join us as we climb the ladder towards truth in Book Seven.

Welcome to Book Six: The Silence of GodIn this book, we enter into the paradox where God seems silent at times, but His presence never leaves us. How is silence a tool of teaching in this book? We find out by learning about Ambrose who is the key. Through this holy bishop, Augustine’s discovers the proper way to read Scripture taking us into the Golden Age of the Fathers and their guidance in moving beyond the literal sense into the spiritual senses of Sacred Scripture. Join us!

Welcome to Book Five: The Book of the Two FathersIn this book which we could call, “The Book of the Two Fathers,” we witness Augustine seeking a father and after seeing that Faustus has no answers, he catches a glimpse of Ambrose which will change his life forever. Another title we could give this book is “The Book of the Three Cities.” Listen to find out why!Furthermore, Augustine shares with us his struggle with faith and reason and his disordered desire to reduce knowledge to a type of mathematical certainty. This book speaks to the many struggles of modern man.

In this book, we look at Augustine’s fascination with Manichaeism, the death of his friend and how his wrestling leads to an examination of the meaning of words. In fact, his analysis of the structure of a sentence, in true Augustinian fashion, will reveal to us the meaning of time and eternity. While he teaches us about words, he also gives a lesson on how to position ourselves to view reality and experience true conversion. We will look at phrases like, “I turned my back to the light and my face to the things it illuminated.”

Book III- The Case for Classical EducationJoin us for our look at Book III where Augustine encounters the fundamental question: What is education? We will see that in his journey to Christ, he first turns to the pagan Cicero. We see the pattern of the early Church right here. We find the noble search for truth in the pagans and this thirst then is only satisfied by Christ Himself. This is why the classical model of education is the most suited for finding Christ.The book begins with Augustine following unholy loves in Carthage. While reading Cicero changes his mind, we have yet to see what will convert his heart. Whether it is grappling with lust or being seduced by the Manichees, Augustine is still unteachable by the end of this book. And yet, the suspense builds towards hope as we learn about Monica's famous dream and her conversation with the formidable Bishop Ambrose.Perhaps most importantly, we will see why this book on Augustine's early years confronts us with a question: How do we approach teaching and learning? As a liberal arts school, we deeply desire to know the answer and we find here as we move through the Confessions, a work like no other.Join our Intellectual Society! https://www.holychildnm.com/about/intellectual-formation

Join us for Book Two where we learn about the ways Augustine places his fall into sin with Old Testament imagery from Genesis and Job and New Testament visions of the sower, the field and the Prodigal Son. Why does he spend so much time discussing the theft of the pears? Augustine challenges us to ask: How am I listening to God’s voice? Where might my ears be closed? Find out about this and other events from his period of “adolescentia” in our look at Book Two.Would you like to gain access to group reflection questions for these episodes? Then visit our website or sign up with our intellectual society by clicking here https://www.holychildnm.com/about/intellectual-formation