Vici Mundum

What is the role of philosophy in the life of a Catholic? Austin's long-time friend, Rory O'Donnell joins the show to discuss this question. Rory is currently working on a PhD in Philosophy from Marquette University, and he joins Austin and Ken to give us some insight into the philosophical history of Christianity and why it matters to your life. 

Fr. Stinson talks on Mary, her Assumption and why she is such a help to overcoming sin.

For the next 54 days, we will be posting audio content on the Vici Mundum Show for the #BreakTheChains campaign. There will be a daily episodes published featuring short reflections and every 4th day will be a testimony talk. 

Don't worry, the normal Vici Mundum Show will still air every Friday as planned. Join us in this prayer campaign for people around the country and world to break the chains of sin and isolation!

"So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together bone to its bone." (Ezk 37:7) 

What makes preaching good and who should be doing it? Deacon Anthony Ferguson joins the show to talk with us about the importance of preaching. When we preach, the laity or clergy, the Holy Spirit comes and preaches through us, and guides us to share the truth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must be emboldened, through the sacrament of our baptism, to preach the Good News.

Fr. Cassidy Stinson from the Big Tree shared a tweet that went viral. So, the Vici Mundum Show and the Big Tree teamed up to #BreakTheChains. Here is Fr. Cassidy's tweet which summarizes this week's episode:

"Hey. We need to talk about something.

Pornography.

I knew this before I became a priest, but now it’s become all the more clear to me that this is an absolute scourge for so, so many of us, spiritually and psychologically.

And you know what? I’m tired of it.

I’m tired of seeing so many souls caught in shame and isolation and despair.

I’m tired of the wounds it inflicts on our culture, on relationships, on families.

I’m tired of the way it makes our media, which ought to be vehicles of beauty, into cesspools of spiritual corruption.

I think we do a good job of supporting each other when we’re open about that struggle, but we can do more.

Specifically, I think we need to be praying FOR everyone currently suffering from the addictions and habits of using pornography - and for everyone caught in that industry.

So, here’s what I think we should do.

We should pray, and sacrifice, and encourage one another in working to heal these wounds.

We need to be praying *together* for this cause, because if you aren’t personally struggling with this, I promise: many of your closest friends are.

Honestly, it would be a beautiful sign of Christ’s triumph to use the media that have become an occasion of sin for so many people to offer our intentions for their healing.

I’ll be sharing my own daily prayers to #BreakTheChains of pornography, and I’d love for you to join me.

And, if you’re caught in the darkness of sin or addiction, know that we’re praying for you.

Don’t be afraid to return to Christ.

Don’t be afraid to go back to Confession.

Don’t let despair win.

The mercy of Jesus Christ is stronger than death, and it is always there for you."

Ken White poses the question, "why read spiritual books?" to Tina and Austin. This launches a discussion on the fruits of reading spiritual books, and even includes a list of favorite books at the end of the podcast. Don't have a lot of time to read? Don't worry, there's a book for you, too. 

Sometimes we put obstacles in our way so that we do not have to look at Our Lord. Deacon Dave Reaves joins the show and shares his thoughts on why we try to control our relationship with the Lord. When we can't control the outcome of God's will, we get fearful, and that's when we can desire to put an obstacle in front of God.

Why do we find it so hard to trust in the Lord sometimes? Sometimes when we think about trust, we think we are only supposed to trust in the big decisions. What about the small ones? Austin, Ken and Tina break open this topic and they bring it down to the practical, including the steps we need to take in order to more fully trust in God.

Ken and Austin talk about a characteristic so often found in our culture today, but one that our Bishops actually call the church into action to fight against... that is the idea of self-reliance and individualism. The guys break open this idea with stories and ways that we can see it play out in our lives today. They even talk about why it might be bad for us. All this and more on this week's episode!

Also, happy 4th from the Vici Mundum Studio!

Josh Wells, recent convert, retired marine and past employee of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, joins the show to talk about conscience. How do we build a good conscience, what tears it down, and how do we examine it? Turns out, the Catholic faith has some good tools to help us out with this.