It’s been the winter of non-stop sickness around here, so with germs on all our brains, we decided to unpack what the Church has to say about sickness and suffering and what we learn about ourselves when confronted with our own and other’s weakness.

Also, for those of you in or near Wisconsin, the Stapletons are traveling to Door County next week for the world premiere of their documentary film, The Inner Sea. If you are in the area, you can purchase tickets to see the movie on Saturday, February 15 at 5 pm. You can also follow their film and story on Instagram.

Show Notes:

Some of these documents and books we mentioned on the show. Others are important reads for anyone wanting to know more about the Church’s understanding of suffering

Salvifici Doloris by John Paul II

Salvifici Doloris (Endow Study Guide) by Emily Stimpson Chapman

Hope to Die by Scott Hahn and Emily Stimpson Chapman

God’s Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Rose Sweet

The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis

Making Sense Out of Suffering by Peter Kreeft

Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering by Megan Hjelmstad

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The Russians are on the march in Ukraine. The Chinese are rattling sabers in the direction of Thailand. The Middle East is …the Middle East. California is in flames. Snow is falling on beaches in Florida. And Tik Tok may or may not be going dark (please, God, please). Is it the end of the world? Or just another week on earth?

This week we’re talking about the end of the world and how Christians are called to prepare for whatever comes next.

Show Notes:

* “Every Man Should Be Able to Save His Own Life,” The Art of Manlines

* Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

* “Christians Die Defending Ark of the Covenant”

* “Sorry Indiana Jones, the Ark of the Covenant Is Not Inside an Ethiopian Church”

* German Boy: A Child in War by Wolfgang W.E. Samuel

* “How Not to Die in 2025” (Bari Weiss interviews Bryan Johnson)

* Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever (Netflix Documentary)

* Nick Cave on “Cynicism”

* The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher

* Catastrophe by David Keys

* The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukiyama

* Feminism Against Progress by Mary Harrington

* Everything is Broken by Bob Dylan

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We’re kicking off the New Year by talking about the importance (and pitfalls) of making resolutions, setting goals, and crafting a vision for the year. How, as Catholics, should we approach these things? And how, as Catholics, do we make sense of God having different plans for our year than our own?

Show Notes:

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1500: “Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death.”

Steubenville’s Nutcracker Village

On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs: Teaching, Writing, Playing, Believing, Lecturing, Philosophizing, , Singing, Dancing by Father James Schall, SJ

St. Thomas Aquinas on Smell (Summa, Prima Pars, Q. 91)

“Will Video Kill the Audio Star in 2025?”

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Sorry friends, we have all had various versions of the plague these last few weeks, plus Chris and Casey had mountains of finals to grade, so getting this last podcast edited has proven challenging. But we made it, 24 hours before Christmas, so as you finish your wrapping and ready your house for the great feast, you now have something to keep you occupied. It’s basically a bunch of Catholics, trying to remember the details of Bible stores, so Catholics be prepared to be impressed and Protestants be prepared for a good laugh.

We hope you all have the merriest of Christmases, and hope you enjoy this Christmas Carol from Kate and Casey (which full subscribers got to hear last week, before the rest of the world).

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Over the next two weeks, we’re talking about the heroes of the Christmas story, from the ancestors of Christ to Mary and Joseph, St. Nick, St. Lucy, St. Juan Diego, and John McClane. This week’s episode focuses on St. Nick—the man, the myth, the legend—and how we approach talking about him in our families (so if you’re listening with Santa loving little ones around, definitely use those earbuds!),

Show Notes

“How to Do Santa Without Lying to Your Kids” by Kendra Tierney

“Not Believing in Santa Claus is Like Not Believing in Jesus…or George Washington,” by Kendra Tierney

“Yes, Jesus Really Existed and He was Born on December 25,” Father Dwight Longenecker

“What’s Wrong with Santa” by Father Dwight Longenecker

The Wiggles Christmas Special

The Toronto gay mall santa serial killer

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Today, we’re discussing pressing questions like: should we play Christmas music during Advent? Listen and find out.

“Astrology, Politics, and Parenting, Oh My,” by Emily Chapman

The Simplest of Advent Retreats

Nicholas: the boy who became Santa

riu riu chiu by chanticleer

huron carol by the stapletons.

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This week, as the world cooks and cleans and barrels along highways to grandmother’s house, we’re talking about feasting—what it is, what it’s not, what the culture gets wrong with it, and what the Church gets right.

Show Notes

The Catholic Table: Finding Joy Where Food and Faith Meet by Emily Stimpson Chapman

Babette’s Feast

My 600 Pound Life

.

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Why does dating have to be so hard? What’s up with men in their forties dating women decades their junior? And is there any such thing as a single vocation?

We’re tackling all these questions and so, so much more this week, with the help Kate’s very lovely, very accomplished, and very single sister Clare. Come on guys, get with it.

Show Notes:

The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide to the Single Years by Emily Stimpson Chapman

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1658

The Dating Project

When Harry Met Sally

When Harry Met Sally 2 (The Vampire One)

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For the past few months we have been trying to think of a way to thank those of you who have signed up to become full subscribers to this podcast. As fun as it is to get together to record them, it also has become a part-time job for all of us, and the expense of upgrading equipment and finding the time to record a weekly episode, then do the editing an…

This podcast is late, late, late, and we are sorry, sorry, sorry. The blame falls solely on my (Emily’s) shoulders. I have had the most insane conflagration of deadlines and events the past two weeks, and that, combined with the normal work of mothering three small children and running a household, pretty much broke me. So, mea culpa, mea cupla, mea maxima culpa. As my penance I will unlock an essay I wrote a couple years back on parish switching and post it below.

All that being said, here is the much overdue latest episode, where we discuss the merits of parish shopping—why you might want to do it or not want to do it, when you should do leave when you should stay, and how we have all made those decisions over the years. If you are a canon lawyer, we ask that you kindly skip this episode, because we probably made about a dozen canonical errors regarding the nature of parishes and our obligations, and you will not be able to handle our lack of precisions. But hopefully nobody else is listening to us for canonically precise definitions of parishes. That’s what The Pillar is for!

Show Notes:

:A Faith Like Honey: On Parish Switching, Liturgical Living, and Helping Children Become Disciples” by Emily Stimpson Chapman

The Catholic Table by Emily Stimpson Chapman

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher

Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three in His Name

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