Dr. R. Jared Staudt argues that the problem of our time is acedia, a spiritual sloth manifested through frenetic activity and distraction. He proposes leisure, defined as the freedom to engage in our highest human actions, as the solution to this problem. The talk explores the nature of leisure, its relationship to contemplation, and how it can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves, reality, and ultimately, God.

This lecture was given on February 29h, 2024, at University of North Texas

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About the Speaker:

Dr. R. Jared Staudt servers as Director of Content for Exodus 90 and an instructor for St. John Vianney Seminary. He earned his BA and MA in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas and his PhD in systematic theology from Ave Maria University, writing his dissertation on the virtue of religion in St. Thomas Aquinas's thought. He has taught at the Augustine Institute and the University of Mary and has authored and edited many books including How the Eucharist Can Save Civilization and The Beer Option: Brewing a Catholic Culture Yesterday & Today. Dr. Staudt has worked in various capacities in Catholic education, as a catechist, professor, administrator, associate superintendent, and founder of schools. As a Benedictine oblate, he works to foster the renewal of Catholic culture by helping Catholics to live out their faith more robustly. He works from his homestead in rural North Carolina, where he and his wife, Anne, homeschool their children.