Mike Aquilina shares with us the story of St. Agnes.
A young girl who would help to break open the hearts of many, so that grace could pour in.  She was “a lamb for Christ”.  Mike also discusses the challenges to life, including the “ancient” practice of abortion.
wiki – According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the Roman nobility born c. 291 and raised in a Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve or thirteen during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on 21 January 304.
The Prefect Sempronius wished Agnes to marry his son, and on Agnes’ refusal he condemned her to death. As Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, Sempronius had a naked Agnes dragged through the streets to a brothel. Various versions of the legend give different methods of escape from this predicament. In one, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. In another the son of the prefect is struck dead, but revived after Agnes prayed for him, causing her release. There is then a trial from which Sempronius excuses himself, and another figure presides, sentencing her to death. When led out to die she was tied to a stake, but the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his swordbeheaded her, or, in some other texts, stabbed her in the throat. It is also said that the blood of Agnes poured to the stadium floor where other Christians soaked up the blood with cloths. and
The daughter of Constantine I, Saint Constance, was also said to have been cured of leprosy after praying at Agnes’ tomb.
A prayer to St. Agnes
Let us gain courage for our own battle
by honoring the martyrdom of the glorious virgin Agnes.
St. Agnes, vessel of honor,
flower of unfading fragrance,beloved of the choirs of Angels,
you are an example to the worth of virtue and chastity.
O you who wear a Martyr’s palm
and a virgin’s wreath,
pray for us that,
though unworthy of a special crown,
we may have our names written in the list of Saints.
 


St. Agnes, a lamb for Christ with Mike Aquilina

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Episode  9 – A Brief Reflection on Prudence
In this final episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and the virtue of prudence
An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:
The prudent way—the way of St. Joseph—begins with self-knowledge. People cannot see reality clearly as long as they have those planks in their eyes. They cannot have radical openness to reality if they harbor fears of the truth.
In his discussion of prudence, Pieper warns of something called falsification of memory. He sees this as the great destroyer of the sense of reality. People tend to mythologize their days. They make themselves out to be heroes. They make their adversaries and rivals out to be villains, just because they want the same things. It is hard not to see life in this way. But there is no doubt that it is a falsification of memory—and it is corrosive to our sense of reality.
The Christian tradition offers remedies for this. A good spiritual director will not permit his charges to hold on to this kind of thought. He will humanize the rivals they demonize.
Anyone can cultivate that attitude, too, by means of a daily examination of conscience and regular confession. Reality is something that must be faced squarely, deliberately, consciously, with the means God has provided—first, the inner reality of one’s self and then the reality of the world.
Joseph can be misunderstood, as prudence is misunderstood. His silence can be mistaken for passivity, but it is not.
Joseph is the prudent man whose thoughts correspond to reality, and whose actions flow from those thoughts. He is the image of God and yet a model for every Christian. He is the one who keeps the constant company of Jesus Christ.
Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (pp. 75-76). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page

You can find the book on which this series is based here.
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:
Roots the Faith
<a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/mike-aquilina/the-resilient-church-the-glory-the-shame-the...

SJ9 – A Brief Reflection on Prudence – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast


Episode  8 – Handing on the Passover
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and the role he had in Jesus’ religious formation.  Also, Mike offers a deeper insight on the scene popularly known as “the finding in the Temple.”
An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:
A father has no idea what his son will make of the lessons of boyhood—the small and large skills passed from one generation to the next. It was Joseph who taught Jesus how to conduct the Passover seder. It was Joseph who showed him how to bless the bread and break it—how to bless the cup and share it. It was Joseph who taught him to make thanksgiving by means of the Haggadah, the ancient story of salvation. It was Joseph who read the poem that predicted the night of the messiah.
It was Joseph who gave Jesus the fundamental form that would later come to be filled by the Eucharist.
Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 70). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page

You can find the book on which this series is based here.
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:
Roots the Faith
The Resilient Church
Villains of the Early Church


SJ8 – Handing on the Passover – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

﻿
Episode  7 – Joseph and His Work
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and his family’s trade as a carpenter and the holiness found in “work.”
An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:
He was a silent man. And one of his titles in modern devotion draws further attention to his silence: St. Joseph the Worker. The Catholic Church remembers St. John of Antioch as “Golden Mouth” (Chrysostom) and St. Peter of Ravenna for his “Golden Words” (Chrysologus). But we remember Joseph for getting things done. Among all who have labored, in all of human history, he is the one known as “the Worker.”
In the Gospels, Joseph’s identity is bound up with his relationships and his labor. He is the son of Jacob. He is the husband of Mary. He is the earthly father of Jesus. He is the companion of angels.
He is a son, a husband, a father. And he is a tekton—a craftsman, an artisan. An ancient tradition tells us more specifically that his craft was carpentry, a trade in which he apprenticed his son Jesus. When people were astonished at Jesus’ teaching, they asked: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Mt 13:55).
Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 59). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page
 

You can find the book on which this series is based here.
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:
Roots the Faith
The Resilient Church
Villains of the Early Church


SJ7 – Joseph and His Work – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast


Episode  6 – Flight from Herod
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.
An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:
The warning came in a dream: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). Joseph had been asleep. It was late in the night, and even the roads in town were barely navigable for the darkness. Beyond the town, there was not a glimmer of light.
They had no time to prepare. Packing for maximum speed, they could carry few possessions with them. They would have to make the journey with little more than the clothes they wore and the divine baby in their arms.
This could not be delayed till morning. Mary and Joseph had spent the whole of their lives in a land ruled by Herod. They knew no other world. They had never seen another world. They knew that Herod would act swiftly, decisively, and effectively. Every despot in the Mediterranean region was capable of murderous cruelty. The Persians were notorious for it; and the Romans were every bit their equal. History showed that the Hasmoneans, too, had been inclined to slaughter and exemplary public torture. But Herod was efficient, and he did not allow himself or his forces to fail.
Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 53). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page
 

You can find the book on which this series is based here.
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:
Roots the Faith
The Resilient Church
Villains of the Early Church


SJ6 – Flight from Herod – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast


Episode  5 – Joseph and His Angels
In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and his interactions with the Angels.
An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:
The great difficulty in sketching the character of Joseph of Nazareth is that Scripture never shows him speaking. He never says yes or no. He never makes a nod or gesture. And not only is he never shown to speak, the Gospels never show a single human being speaking to him—not even his wife or son.
No humans speak to him; but four times, an angel speaks to him.
Christian tradition makes much of Mary’s Annunciation. The Church commemorates it by a feast day and dedicates a daily prayer to it (the Angelus). But Joseph’s “annunciations” are also worthy of scrutiny—certainly for what they reveal about him, but also for what they reveal about angels. The Gospels present almost every episode in Joseph’s life as an encounter with an angel.
Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 43). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page
 

You can find the book on which this series is based here.
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:
Roots the Faith
The Resilient Church
Villains of the Early Church


St. Agnes, a lamb for Christ with Mike Aquilina

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