Of Human Life and the Theology of the Body: An Island of Sanity in the Post-Sexual Revolution Chaos

Mystagogy

We begin the summer with the brief but seminal encyclical by Pope St. Paul VI, Of Human Life (Humanae Vitae). Promulgated in July 1968, the work has proven to be prophetic in so many realms as to modernity’s assault on the family and the true nature of sexuality. We will discuss why the work shook the Church and the world and explore the amazing “why” behind the most ignored and vilified, yet central Catholic Church teaching for our time. We will also consider keynotes of Po...

About Podcast

In a tradition that dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, many newly initiated Christians were prepared for lives of faith through a formation with spiritual, liturgical, and communitarian dimensions. This period of formation was called mystagogy, a word which, in Greek, means "leading through the mysteries." Our program of mystagogy will have four primary goals: 1) To break open Magisterial teaching on the lay state (selections from Vatican II as well as letters/encyclicals from recent popes) as well as classic spiritual texts to build a thoughtful, practical devotional life; 2) To introduce the various spiritual charisms in the Church (i.e. Dominican, Carmelite, Franciscan, Salesian, etc.) so that they may develop a personal program of spirituality rooted in the uniquely Catholic legacy; 3) To deepen the prayer life through study, communal prayer, the practice of meditation, Mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours; and 4) To establish a fully Catholic life and mission, including a formation in the art of the Church, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the commitment to a specific personal work of service.