February 2021

BBFA5 – The Renunciation of Satan & the Profession of Faith – Baptism: Born from Above w/ Deacon James Keating

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Episode 5 -Baptism: Born from Above– The renunciation of Satan on the part of parents and godparents and their profession of faith…what does this mean? What are we called actually to do?

Deacon Keating takes a careful look at the Baptismal Rite and offers prayerful reflection and insight to help us live out the faith and nurture the domestic church.

From the Baptismal Rite for Children:

94. The celebrant questions the parents and godparents:

Celebrant: Do you reject Satan?
Parents and Godparents: I do.

Celebrant: And all his works?
Parents and Godparents: I do.

Celebrant: And all his empty promises?
Parents and Godparents: I do

95. Next the celebrant asks for the threefold profession of faith from the parents and godparents:

Celebrant:
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth?
Parents and Godparents: I do.

Celebrant:
Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
rose from the dead,
and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
Parents and Godparents: I do.

Celebrant:
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting?
Parents and Godparents: I do.

The celebrant and the congregation give their assent to this profession of faith:

Celebrant:
This is our faith.
This is the faith of the Church.
We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All: Amen.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

More episodes of Baptism: Born from Above with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Deacon Keating is also the author of:

You can find the book here.
(A great gift for clergy)

From the book description:

Deacon James Keating’s book Abiding in Christ: Staying with God in a Busy World is a how-to-pray resource. This book helps readers to find a quiet space wherein they can be present to God and offers suggestions of how they can be more open to God s movement within them.

Ep 2 – Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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David Torkington, author, and narrator of this work

Episode 2: A man who speaks with Authority

It is James Robertson’s first meeting with Peter Calvay. James describes his initial impressions and admits to some misgivings and doubts that a hermit who had separated himself from the world could ever fully understand his predicament. He considers cutting his visit short, but when Peter begins to speak about the spiritual life with confidence and conviction, James is left in no doubt that here indeed was a man who spoke with authority. Peter leaves James with his memorable words, “Knowledge will never change anyone decisively and permanently for the better, but the experience of being loved will.”

You can find more episodes of the series here: Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit w/ David Torkington page

You can find the book here.

David Torkington, the author of Wisdom from the Western Isles has re-edited and abridged the work for broadcast; he is also the narrator. The book was published originally as three separate books: Peter Calvay – Hermit, Peter Calvay – Prophet and Peter Calvay – Mystic. We begin with the first part, The Hermit but including some passages from Peter Calvay – Mystic so as to give an overall view of the spiritual journey for listeners.

David Torkington is an English Spiritual Theologian, author and speaker, specializing in Prayer, Christian Spirituality, and Mystical Theology. Educated at the Franciscan Study Centre, England, he served as Dean of Studies at the National Catholic Radio and Television Centre, London. He was an extra-mural lecturer in Mystical Theology at the Angelicum, the Dominican University in Rome, and has received invitations to speak to Religious, Monks, Diocesan Priests and laypeople from all over the world, including Equatorial Africa, where he gave three prolonged lecture tours speaking on Christian prayer.

Visit his website: www.davidtorkington.com

The author of the popular Peter Calvay series, his books include Wisdom from the Western Isles, Wisdom from Franciscan Italy, Wisdom from the Christian Mystics, Prayer Made Simple (CTS), and How to Pray by Our Sunday Visitor. His books have been translated into 13 different languages.

SJ2 – Joseph and His King – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 2 – Joseph and His King – “St. Joseph and His World”

In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor explore the various religious and political figures prevalent in Israel at the time of St. Joseph. Chief among those leaders is the infamous figure of King Herod the Great.

An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:

In Judea at the time, there were three dominant factions to pit against each other.

The Sadducees, the descendants of Zadok, were the clerical caste, from whom the high priest had formerly been chosen. They were wealthy and largely materialist in their approach to religion. They disbelieved in angels and the afterlife. They recognized only the five books of Moses, the Torah, as Scripture.

The Pharisees were a lay movement that emphasized the meticulous observance of the Law. They supplemented the statutes of Moses with other regulations based on customs and oral tradition. They recognized as authoritative, in addition to the Torah, the Prophets, the Psalms, and sacred writings of Israel.

The Essenes were a group of pious separatists, founded probably when the Seleucids deposed the legitimate high priest and replaced him with his brother. They considered themselves the keepers of the traditional, priestly, sacrificial faith, and they awaited a messiah (or perhaps two messiahs) who would restore the integrity of Israel’s religious institutions. The Essenes had a contemplative community in the Judean desert.

Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 22). 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.