American Papist has posted a 40 year celebratory post for Humanae Vitae, and has included a debate between Dr. Janet Smith and Dr. Charles Curran about contraception. Dr. Smith dominates the debate, having utterly dismantled every lame argument Curran proposes in her opening statement.
Since Dr. Smith is the speaker who really opened my eyes to the Catholic take on things, I was really looking forward to the debate - and I wasn't disappointed. Even if you're not a big debate fan, you should give these a listen:
[Listen to Part One] - Dr. Smith and Fr. Curran give their presentations and rebuttals.
[Listen to Part Two] - They ask each other questions, and take more from the audience.
If you're just plain set on not liking debates, here are links to her talk "Contraception: Why Not" - absolutely a must listen, regardless of your position on the matter.
Ok...not really. Again. I have a post with the same title a few posts down which claims the same thing, but Jeff Miller was kind enough to point out to me that it wasn't Dr. Hahn's "new" book, but rather one of his more recent. I got confused.
Fortunately, Chris Cash (the host of the Catholic Spotlight) came to the rescue. He writes:
"[Benjamin Wiker's interview] is an interview with his co-author about his latest book. Scott did not want to do the interview himself, he said that Ben was much more knowledgeable on the topic than he was and he has 3 deadlines he was trying to meet. I will let you know when I get him on again. I did have an interview with Kimberly that will post on monday at CatholicSpotlight.com, if you are at all interested in her new book, Graced and Gifted."
Oh, in case you don't know, Dr. Hahn's (and Dr. Wiker's (Bio)) new book is called "Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God". You can read excerpts from it here at Amazon.
But if you're only planning on listening, here's a direct link to the Catholic Spotlight interview of co-author Dr. Benjamin Wiker. If you like what you hear, please vote for them at Podcast Alley - and feel free to vote every month to help them get their show in front of more people.
UPDATE: here's a link to Dr. Wiker's website - just FYI. Thanks to his site, I'm glad to give you the Emmaus Road Publishing's three part interview of Dr. Hahn (for reals this time!) and Dr. Wiker via YouTube. If you would like to convert the YouTube to .mp3 to listen on your way to work or whatever it is you do, here's a program for download which will do it quickly and easily (which is what I use) or a website which will do the same.
Here are a couple of versions of the Ave Maria. I'm particularly fond of the neo-trad version called "Ave Maria XXI Century" - hauntingly beautiful. Found the first two here. Do give them a listen.
Ave Maria Bach Gounoud (Coro San Marco) (3:11) Date added: 06/16/04 - an interesting piece with a cappella rather than instruments for background music
Scott Hahn began his career in ministry as a Presbyterian minister out to show Catholics the error in their ways, but his biblical and historical detective work led him to the conclusion that the Catholic church was the historical church of the bible. In 1986, Dr. Hahn joined the Catholic church and has since come to be known as ‘Luther in Reverse’ due to the large number of protestant pastors and bible scholars who have followed him on the journey home to Rome. The tape of his conversion story ‘A Protestant Minister Becomes Catholic‘ is one of the most circulated and listened to Catholic audios over the past 20 years. He is currently a Professor of Theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is the founder and director of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
In our interview, Scott talks about the legacy of John Paul II, his favorite Saint, and his new book, Reasons to Believe. He discusses the need for a pope as well as why Christ had to die for our sins. He also touches future books that he is currently working on, Ever Ancient, Ever New, a Catholic Bible Dictionary, and a revision of his doctoral dissertation.
So I got the following e-mail the other day, and I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed. First, it's better than most of what I hear on Christian radio day-in day-out (particularly Tara's vocals). Second, I'm doubly impressed at the quality coming from a group of Cath-a-holics not yet legally able to throw back a cold one. Here's the skinny:
I wanted to send you a message regarding my catholic/christian band named Full Armor. Full Armor is unique in the fact that it is made up of 6 young catholics, ranging in age from 15-20. Full Armor writes and records all original music. [We] were recently honored to play at the pope's youth rally in yonkers in front of 25,000 people....I would love for the band to gain some exposure through your website. The band's website is www.fullarmorband.com
So, yeah, color me impressed. I'm not going to deep-link to their audio because I think you should all go to their site - but you should know there are 10+ tracks available for free download. You should go get them while they're still free. ;0)
Oh, and if you're in the NY/NJ area you ought to try and catch a show. Check their schedule for a list of upcoming appearances.
Thought you'd be interested in some talks by philosopher and advisor to the Pontifical Council for Culture John Haldane that I came across via a Google search.
Brothers Christopher Hitchens (notorious atheist and author of God is not Great) and Peter Hitchens (Christian theist) debate. While I don't so much care for his theology (or lack thereof), I can't help but find Christopher Hitchens funny - so I'm looking forward to this.
Oh, and in case you didn't know or couldn't guess, the guy on the left in the photo is the atheist, the guy on the right is the theist.
Fr. Frank Pavone from Priests for Life has made the following videos which are quite instructive as to what happens in an abortion. This is a must watch for anyone who talks about "lumps of tissue" or "not human until X". It's one thing when you're abstractly philosophizing, and something else when you see what's actually going on.
WARNING: While not bloody or gruesome, the following videos DO describe what happens in an abortion.
Found this while working on a reply to some wonderful folks about why the sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist cannot be described as "physical" in the Church's eyes. Hope you enjoy:
Fr. Hardon, who was Blessed Mother Teresa's spiritual director, was asked by Sister Fredrick to give a talk on the definition of Transubstantiation to the Missionaires of Charity who were preparing for their final vows in Calcutta India in 1997. This audio is a half hour extract from that talk which is a response to a question: What do you mean by this statement, "The physical property of Christ's human nature is present in the Holy Eucharist?" on 11/29/97 Class #3 on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the document "Mysterium Fidei".
The USCCB alerted me to a site which appears to be leading the way in compiling the WYD '08 audio - MyCatholicVoice. Here is some audio from WYD '08, as given by MyCatholicVoice (listen free, download for about a dollar each):
I've given some of these a listen. They're not my favorites (well...perhaps the Pater Noster below - quite good!), but they're better than most of what I listen to at the typical Sunday Mass here in the States.
We have released a parish version of the official Mass Setting commissioned by George Palmer. The official Mass Setting will be performed during the major WYD08 Masses.
The mass setting is for parishes to learn and perform in the lead-up to WYD08. This will also help parishes to familiarise themselves with the official Mass Setting when it's performed for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the hundreds and thousands of youth in July.
A score and recording of the Parish Setting is available [here]. The recording is by the choirs of St Ignatius College, Riverview and Loreto Kirribilli with organist Christine Moriarty and conductor Noel Debien. The recording includes the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen and Agnus Dei and was engineered by Jonathan Palmer.
The spirit of the Mass is Rejoicing, with the congregational parts in the Parish Setting identical to those that will be performed by the cantor, choir and organ at the Opening and Final Masses of WYD08.
The Parish Setting is designed for performance by a parish cantor or unison choir with congregation.
The score is downloadable and may be reproduced for teaching purposes and performance within a parish. A separate version of each movement is also available for inclusion in parish service sheets.
The opening keynote address at the June 22, 2008 Catholic New Media Celebration from Fr. Leo Patalinghug of Grace Before Meals. Presented by SQPN.com. Check out SQPN.com for more great videos and audio.
Marcel LeJeune at Aggie Catholics writes about a wonderful pro-life video series entitled Being Human.
The Coalition for Life, a locally-run pro-life organization that has been very successful (and is a partner in the fight against abortion with St. Mary's), has completed the second episode of Being Human. The first episode was the best thing ever aired on EWTN and the second looks to be just as good. It airs on July 25 at 5:30pm CST and it kicks off the next push for 40 Days for Life on a broader national scale. A pro-life movement started by Aggie Catholics.
Here is a preview:
Watch the program and support the wonderful 40 Days for Life program.
As some of you may know, for the past year I've been working on an evangelization training project as my master's thesis at the Augustine Institute, where I just graduated from. Along with developing a door-to-door model, I've also developed an extended, more fleshed-out presentation which I've been giving to Catholic groups, as part of the New Evangelization, to ensure Catholics themselves hear and understand their own gospel message.
I just made an mp3 recording of the current extended talk, about an hour long, and uploaded it onto my blog. It is based on the fruit of a ton of research, and I think it's a beautiful, unusual and compelling presentation of our faith. The shorter versions we've done door to door and the talks I've given have really captured people's attention, and I'm really interested in getting this longer version out there and getting feedback on it. I was hoping some of you would like to link to it, so your readers know about it and can listen to it if they want to!
An hour is long, and I know you're all busy, but if you have time to hear it I'd love your feedback too! Here's the link.
I don't know who these folks are, but I stumbled on a site hosting their talks so I decided to post them. It's a gamble, but we'll see if it pays off. In any case, I couldn't find the seventh deadly sin (Envy, btw) in their talks but I was able to find the other six. If they turn out to be any good, I'll post some more -- of course, you could always just beat me there and just get them yourself if you're impatient. Heh.
UPDATE: Apparently these priests are SSPX schismatics. Just so ya' know.
UPDADED UPDATE: The SSPX bishops are no longer formally excommunicated...they're just not in full communion yet.
Vatican Radio recently featured an interview with Dominican Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, a New Testament professor at the École Biblique in Jerusalem. He's one of the world's most renowned scholars on the letters of Saint Paul, and the author of around half a dozen books on the apostle's life and work.
I had the privilege of meeting Fr. O'Connor back in 1996 while I was a seminarian studying in West Jerusalem. My classmates and I attended a lecture he gave at the École Biblique about the Way of the Cross. I had known of him by way of his excellent guide to the holy sites in Israel entitled The Holy Land, which, happily, has just been updated this spring. It was an exceptionally helpful supplement to the materials in my Biblical Archaeology class. The thing that most impressed me about Fr. O'Connor when I met him was that he has not only the mind of a great scholar, but also the heart of a great lover. When he described the narrow streets of Jerusalem down which Jesus carried the crossbeam -- streets so narrow that at times Jesus would have had to walk at an angle to clear the walls -- Fr. O'Connor began to weep. Here was a man who had probably delivered this lecture, or variations on it, dozens of times, but it had not failed to move his heart.
Back to the Pauline year interview: An MP3 version of the audio is available here: Spotlight on Paul (6/25/08)
I always find it instructive to learn other countries' culture of death struggles to help give context to our own. To that end...I found the following audio file on the new blog Semper Vita, the Family Life International blog of New Zealand:
"Last Sunday Radio New Zealand ran a comprehensive report on abortion laws in this country, which explores the recent High Court ruling about the unlawfulness of many abortions in NZ.
"The report is quite interesting as it gives a basic history of how the law came into being, and it even involves an interview with a retired certifying consultant who explains how he justified signing off abortions on the grounds of mental health even though he felt uncomfortable about doing so.
"It also features an interview with a woman who had an abortion and now regrets it."
The March 30, 2008 episode of Sunday Night Live (on the Eternal Word Television Network). Hosted by Fr. Benedict Groeschel with guest Fr. John Harvey and Fr. Paul Check: The Courage Movement. Duration: 56 minutes.
Actually, the guy who did the engineering for this song, John Tanner, also engineered the Violent Femmes’ album, “Violent Femmes”. And the present song is brought to you by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, which is also pretty sweet. So here's the lowdown:
“Come Holy Ghost/Enkindle” begins with a ’summons’ to Sydney, played on an Aborigine Didgeridoo. Just as Catholic youth from around the world will bring their own culture and gifts to Sydney, it incorporates different rhythms, from Catalonian to Congolese, and instruments from around the world. Some include an accordion from Germany, electric guitar and dulcimer from the United States, kalimba from Angola, a saz, or lute from Greece, shaker from Peru, rain stick from Guatemala, harp from Ireland, trumpet from Mexico.
In deference to Pope Benedict XVI’s favorite composer, it even includes a brief passage from Mozart’s ‘Rondo Alla Turca’. Also, there’s a bit of Gregorian Chant.
In Mark’s Gospel, the Greek word Kataluma designates a “Dining Room” where the Last Supper takes place (and, some suggest, the same room where Pentecost occurred). More commonly, it describes the ‘breaking up or reprieve of a journey’. In this instance Kataluma designates the occasional coalescence of Milwaukee area musicians and creatives: John Tanner, Sue Bruk, Bob Monagle and Mark Kolter, who fashioned the transglobal approach to the hymn “Come Holy Ghost/Enkindle”
So yeah...it's something unlike everything else. Or really, it's a lot of everything combined to make something special. Which is sorta' like Catholicism, which incorporates various cultural elements to make something truly 'catholic'.
From the Michigan parish priest Fr. Rob Johansen come some wonderful recordings from the annual Church Music Association of America (CMAA) Sacred Music Colloquium in Chicago last week. Be sure to check out his site for some pictures from the event and relevant lyrics.
Palestrina's Tu Es Petrus ("You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church..." Matthew 16:18-19):
(Recording by Carl Dierschow, edited and optimized by Fr. Johansen)
"This was just one of the liturgies that week! And, musically speaking, it was perhaps the most "low-key" of all the liturgies. For real magnificence, I'll have another post up soon with photos and recordings of the Solemn Pontifical Vespers from the Friday evening of Colloquium week. " - Fr. Johansen
There's a blog out there you're all probably at least passingly familiar with - Catholic Dads - which exists to help Catholic dads serve each other, fighting shoulder to shoulder in the battle to protect our families. If you're a Catholic dad (or mom or son or daughter), do give their site a browse.
In any case, they made a post right up my alley. Here it is in its entirety:
This blog is dedicated to bringing you free orthodox Catholic audio. If you have a tip or would like to report a broken link, please e-mail me by clicking the link above.
"Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ."
Rom 10:17(DRV)
If you see a product review on this site it's because the Catholic Company is giving me stuff to do it. They don't ask me to be kind, but I do get stuff. FYI.
American Papist has posted a 40 year celebratory post for Humanae Vitae, and has included a debate between Dr. Janet Smith and Dr. Charles Curran about contraception. Dr. Smith dominates the debate, having utterly dismantled every lame argument Curran proposes in her opening statement.
This blog is dedicated to bringing you free orthodox Catholic audio. If you have a tip or would like to report a broken link, please e-mail me by clicking the link above.
"Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ."
Rom 10:17(DRV)