GWML#9 Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Scarlet Letter” – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce – Discerning Hearts

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Episode 9 – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce – Nathaniel Hawthorne

A key figure in the development of American literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne was also profoundly influenced by his ancestors and the Christianity that underscored their Puritan heritage. A literary classic, The Scarlet Letter presents a profound meditation on the nature of sin, repentance, and redemption, and how such Christian concepts may be integrated into American democracy.

Based on the Ignatius Critical Edition, this series examines, from the Judeo-Christian perspective, the life, the times, and influence of authors of great works in literature.

Joseph Pearce is currently the Writer-in-Residence and Visiting Fellow at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire. He is also Visiting Scholar at Mount Royal Academy in Sunapee, New Hampshire. He is also Visiting Scholar at Mount Royal Academy in Sunapee, New Hampshire. He is co-editor of the Saint Austin Review (or StAR), an international review of Christian culture, literature, and ideas published in England (Family Publications) and the United States (Sapientia Press). He is also the author of many books, including literary biographies of Solzhenitsyn, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and Oscar Wilde.

To learn more about the authors and titles available in the Ignatius Critical Editions

IP#312 Dr. Kevin Starr – Continental Ambitions on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

For the Audio only:

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What a delight to speak with Dr. Kevin Starr about “Continental Ambitions: Roman Catholics in North America: the Colonial Experience”! This volume is a beautifully massive work of “historical art”; so thorough and engaging, I couldn’t stop turning the pages! Dr. Starr is a master storyteller. It’s as though he has you on a high precipice overlooking a grand vista, and with the broad swipe of his arm, he points out all the personalities and movements shaping an ever changing view. And during our conversation, it was an absolute joy to hear the enthusiasm and love he has for history and for this particular subject. I simply cannot recommend this book more highly!

You can find the book here

“These accounts of a human drama heroic and villainous, saintly and sanguineous, are a feast for the historian and, more importantly, food for our generation starved of the story of its own past. The romantic whose knowledge is airbrushed and the cynic whose knowledge is cobbled together with clichés will jointly be challenged. For everyone, reading this book could be a transforming experience, and a delight as well.”
Fr. George Rutler, Author, He Spoke to Us: Discerning God in People and Events

“To see in one book the history of Catholics in the New World, its glories and its tragedies, is almost like reading a secret history of a lost tribe. Kevin Starr s magisterial narration of European Catholic presence in North America the Norse, the Spanish, the French, the English, plus a few others is a contribution of the first order to our understanding of the whole foundation of this land of the free.”
James V. Schall, S.J. Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University

GWML#12 Mark Twain and “Huckleberry Finn” – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce – Discerning Hearts

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Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, according to many critics and fond readers, the great American novel. Full of vibrant American characters, intriguing regional dialects and folkways, and down-home good humor, it also hits Americans in one of their greatest and on-going sore spots: the fraught issue of racism.

As Huck and Jim float down the Mississippi and encounter all manner of people and situations, and as Huck struggles mightily with his conscience concerning Jim, the novel strongly invites a moral and religious perspective.

Based on the Ignatius Critical Edition, this series examines, from the Judeo-Christian perspective, the life, the times, and influence of authors of great works in literature.

To learn more about the authors and titles available in the Ignatius Critical Editions

IP#220 Mother Dolores Hart O.S.B. – The Ear of the Heart on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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This is the best biography I have read in years! What a glorious testament to the fruitfulness of the Benedictine rule and how it transforms lives. Mother Dolores Hart brings to us a generous sharing of her life experience and the joy found in the peace and stability in the living with her monastic community. How could a woman walk away from “having it all”? Mother Dolores discovered the “pearl of great price”, and she found it by listening to the “ear of the heart”. An absolutely fantastic read and spiritually fulfilling work. A must read!!!! This conversation will go down as one of my favorites of all time!!! Thank you God!!!

You can find the book here
“What a joy to be in the company of Mother Dolores Hart. She is a compassionate narrator, from her childhood days, darkened by parental alcoholism, to her Hollywood career and her calling as a Catholic nun. Mother Dolores talks candidly about the difficulty of becoming a cloistered, Benedictine nun. The struggle with years of discipline and the rigorous farm work at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. We learn there was something in her deepest heart she sought.” — —-Pia Lindstrom, television journalist, daughter of Ingrid Bergman

“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.”
Saint Benedict

“Mother Dolores Hart is a remarkable woman with a remarkable story-one of love, devotion, and faith.”
—Maria Shriver, bestselling author of Just Who Will You Be?

GWML#22 – J.R.R. Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings” – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce

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“In brief, however, the power of Tolkien lies in the way that he succeeds, through myth, in making the unseen hand of providence felt by the reader. In his mythical creations or sub-creations, as he would call them, he shows how the unseen hand of God is felt far more forcefully in myth than it is ever felt in fiction. Paradoxically, fiction works with facts, albeit invented facts, whereas myth works with truth, albeit truth dressed in fancy disguises. Furthermore, since facts are physical and truth is metaphysical, myth, being metaphysical, is spiritual.”

–Joseph Pearce. “J.R.R. Tolkien: Truth and Myth.” Lay Witness (September 2001) —

GWML#5 Charles Dickens “Great Expectations” – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce – Discerning Hearts podcast

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Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce – Charles Dickens

St. Pope John Paul II described Dickens’ books as “filled with love for the poor and a sense of social regeneration . . . warm with imagination and humanity”. Such true charity permeates Dickens’ novels and ultimately drives the characters either to choose regeneration or risk disintegration. In Great Expectations, Pip — symbolic of the pilgrim convert — gains both improved fortunes and a growth in wisdom, but as he acquires the latter, he must relinquish the former — ending with a wealth of profound goodness, not of worldly goods.

by (George) Herbert Watkins, photograph,1858

That the Dickensian message was a Christian one is unmistakable. Reminiscent of an Augustinian model, one of reflection, conversion, and moral improvement, Pip undergoes an internal change that manifests itself in his profound contrition for his earlier deeds and his equally profound resolution to make amends. As we travel with Pip, we find that Dickens leads us to an acceptance of worldly limitations and an anticipation of final salvation.

Based on the Ignatius Critical Edition, this series examines, from the Judeo-Christian perspective, the life, the times, and influence of authors of great works in literature.

To learn more about the authors and titles available in the Ignatius Critical Editions

IP#309 Sally Read – Night’s Bright Darkness on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Poet Sally Read’s “Night’s Bright Darkness: A Modern Conversion Story” is breathtakingly beautiful! It is one of the best conversion stories I have ever read. She expresses so well what it is like to be captured by the net of mystery, and the struggle one has to understand the earthshaking, life-changing realization of your identity found through, with, and in Christ. Raised an atheist in England, Sally Read recalls compellingly her unexpected journey which led her to seek full communion with the Catholic Church (one of the last places she ever wanted to be). Her writing is exquisite! I love this book; I have no doubt it will remain one I cherish for a lifetime. Highly recommended.

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You can find the book here

From the book description:

Read confronts head on the burning question for God that every true Christian harbors:What do you want me to do? In an age of increasing secularism, and in the wake of disillusionment with the Catholic Church following disclosures of abuse, the book takes us to the core of what the Church is all about: Christ and the yearning to be near him.

Read’s book captures the ecstasy of first knowing God’s love and charts how it changes us. It is a testimony to the powerhouse of Christianity: love and the life-changing encounter with Christ.

Sally Read’s story is the best and liveliest account of a conversion for a generation. It is a story of divine grace as moving and unexpected as it is luminous and profound. There is not a wasted brush-stroke, not a blurred line. It is an absorbing story, a tale that will grip readers all the way through to the end.”
–Paul Murray, OP, Angelicum University; Author, T.S. Eliot and Mysticism

“Every story of conversion has the potential of conceiving another. Each gives witness to the work of grace. In this brilliantly written, candid, sometimes shocking unveiling by Sally Read, we see vividly the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit on a heart once impenetrably hard and shut off, but then opened and reborn by the merciful joy of our Triune God.”
–Marcus Grodi, EWTN Host, The Journey Home

ROF#4 – From the Scriptures to the Bible – Roots of the Faith with Mike Aquilina

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Mike Aquilina - Fathers of the Church and so much more... 5

Episode 4 – From the Scriptures to the Bible

Roots of the Faith – From the Church Fathers to You with Mike Aquilina, makes clear that just as an acorn grows into a tree and yet remains the same plant, so the Catholic Church is a living organism that has grown from the faith of the earliest Christians into the body of Christ we know today.

Pick up a copy of Mke’s book. You’ll find so much more and invaluable references and resources, as well

Also, visit Mike’s “Discerning Hearts” page for more audio downloads and information!

USCCA38 – The 6th Commandment: Marital Fidelity Part 1 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA38 Chapter 30 – Marital Fidelity pt 1

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 30:

The Catechism states that sexuality involves the whole person. “Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul. It especially concerns affectivity, the capacity to love and to procreate, and in a more general way the aptitude for forming bonds of communion with others” (CCC, no. 2332).

The Sixth Commandment summons spouses to practice permanent and exclusive fidelity to one another. Emotional and sexual fidelity are essential to the commitment made in the marriage covenant. God established marriage as a reflection of his fidelity to us. The vows made by the spouses at their wedding to be faithful to one another forever should witness the very covenant God has made with us.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) (2012-04-02). United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (Kindle Locations 5856-5861). United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Kindle Edition.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

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USCCA39 – The 6th Commandment: Marital Fidelity Part 2 – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

USCCA39 Chapter 30 – Marital Fidelity pt 2

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 30:

THREATS TO MARRIAGE The Catechism lists the following behaviors as acts that undermine the purpose and dignity of marriage.

Adultery is gravely sinful because it violates God’s call to a loving covenant of fidelity between a married man and woman. The act of adultery is an injustice to the wounded spouse. It weakens the institution of marriage and the stability of the family.

Divorce is contrary to the natural law for it breaks the promise “to which the spouses freely consented to live with each other till death” (CCC, no. 2384). Jesus clearly taught that God’s original plan for marriage excluded divorce (cf. Mt 5:31-32, 9:3-9; Mk 10:9; Lk 16:18; 1 Cor 7:10-11). Marriage is an indissoluble union. Jesus removed the accommodations for divorce that had been tolerated under the Old Law.

The couple may be allowed a separation in certain cases, such as when adultery is occurring or some type of abuse is present. A separation can be, at times, a prudent action to take. “If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense” (CCC, no. 2383). In such cases, a Catholic can still receive the Sacraments.

Cohabitation (an unmarried couple living together) involves the serious sin of fornication. It does not conform to God’s plan for marriage and is always wrong and objectively sinful. Cohabitation does not guarantee successful married life, as has been revealed in the painful experience of many, and is detrimental to future commitment.

Polygamy (having more than one spouse at a time) violates the understanding of the equal dignity that a man and woman bring to marriage and contradicts the unitive purpose of marriage.

Attempts to justify same-sex unions or relationships or to give them matrimonial status also contradict God’s plan—as revealed from the beginning both in nature and in Revelation—for marriage to be a lifelong union of a man and a woman.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) (2012-04-02). United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (Kindle Locations 5936-5951). United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Kindle Edition.

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.

[ezcc]