Bede There, Done That

Lilia and Jake Masters

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CHRISTIANITY
UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Bede There, Done That

Lilia and Jake talk about Catholic history, from saints to holidays and other random tangents. Join us as we explore different topics from almost 2,000 years of history and counting.

01/09/2022

Episode 10: The Bombing of Nagasaki & Catholics of Urakami

Episode 10: The Bombing of Nagasaki & the Catholics of Urakami Brief Chronology: 1549 - St. Francis Xavier arrives in Japan; Nagasaki eventually becomes heartland of Japanese Christianity 1587 - Persecution of Japanese Christians begins. 1865 - Hidden Christians reveal themselves at Nagasaki and are promptly persecuted. 1925 - Original Immaculate Conception Cathedral finished in Urakami 1930 - 1936 - St. Maximilian Kolbe in Nagasaki 1933 - Japanese takeover of Manchuria 1934 - Conversion of Takashi Nagai after living with Moriyama family, descendants of leaders of the Hidden Christians of Nagasaki 1937 - Beginning of Sino-Japanese War 1941 - Aug. 14 - St. Maximilan Kolbe dies at Auschwitz; Dec. 7 - Japanese attack on Pear Harbor leading to U.S. entry into WWII 1945 Night of March 9-10: Firebombing of Tokyo, killing approx. 80 to 100,000 May 8 - Germany surrenders Aug. 6: First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, killing approx. 70,000 Aug. 9, 11:02 AM: Second atomic bomb dropped on Urakami valley area of Nagasaki, killing approx. 30,000 Aug. 15: Japan surrenders 1951 - Death of Takashi Nagai 1958 - Reconstruction of cathedral in Urakami 1981 - Pope John Paul II visits Japan Summary: We discussed the story of the dropping of an atomic bomb on the historic Catholic area of Urakami in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 at 11:02 AM. The bomb exploded extremely close to the area where the Immaculate Conception Cathedral stood, and where Catholics were gathered in preparation for the upcoming Feast of the Assumption. The cathedral was reduced to ruins which burned through the night. Catholic priests and nuns, as well as about two thirds (about 8,000) of the city's Catholics perished in the bombing, in which approximately 30,000 people total were killed instantly. Ironically, the commander and pilot of the B-29 bomber which dropped the atomic bomb was an American Catholic, Major Charles Sweeney (then only 25 years old), who professed to never regret the bombing. Those who survived faced many struggles - they were stigmatized as irradiated persons, called hibakusha; they faced local pressure to leave the devastated cathedral in ruins as a peace memorial; they experienced "survivor guilt"; and struggled with traumatic memories of losing family and homes. Although the writings of Dr. Takashi Nagai explained the bombings as providential, many Catholics felt dissatisfied with his views . These different perspectives began to be shared after Pope St. John Paul II's 1981 visit to Japan, in which he spoke of the evils of atomic warfare and stated at Hiroshima, "War is the work of humanity; war is destruction of human life; war is death." (Dangerous Memory, p. 75). Survivors took this message to mean they did not need to accept uncritically Nagai's sacrificial theory of the bombing. Among the survivors we discussed were: • Dr. Takashi Nagai - He was a radiologist working in a hospital at the time of the bombing. He was diagnosed with leukemia shortly before the bombing due to his exposure to radiation in his work and nearly died of his injuries after rallying the survivors from the hospital to help the wounded in and around Nagasaki. He eventually returned to Urakami with his two young children to live in a hut where he wrote the first book allowed to be published providing an eyewitness account of the bombing, The Bells of Nagasaki. Nagai used proceeds from the book to plan cherry trees throughout the city. He is controversial for his theory that the bombing of Nagasaki was providential and provided an acceptable burnt offering of the good and innocent to God for the sins of mankind in waging World War II. He has been designated a "Servant of God," meaning he has an open sainthood cause. • Brother Ozaki Tomei (Tagawa Koichi) - A Franciscan monk who was working in an underground factory at the time of the bombing. He was haunted by his turning away from helping others in the immediate aftermath of the bombing as he desperately

1h 7m
06/04/2021

Episode 9: The Virgin of Guadalupe & St. Juan Diego

*Episode 9: The Virgin of Guadalupe & St. Juan Diego * Brief Chronology: Early 1300s - Marian apparition and founding of shrine for Virgin of Guadalupe of Extremadura in Spain 1474 - Cuauhtlatoatzin ("Eagle that Speaks"), later known as Juan Diego, is born at Cuautitlan in the Texcoco Kingdom. 1521 - Conclusion of Spanish conquest of the Mexica ("Aztec") empire in central Mexico 1531 - December 9th through 12th - Apparitions of Blessed Virgin Mary to Juan Diego; appearance of image of Virgin of Guadalupe on Juan Diego's tilma on December 12. 1545-48 - The Nican Mopohua, recounting the apparition story in the native language Nahuatl, likely written. 1548 - Juan Diego dies. 1666 - Formal investigation of the tilma and apparition story by the Church 1795 - Acid spilled accidentally on the tilma during cleaning of its frame. 1810 - Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe used as banner of the Hidalgo rebellion. 1921 - Bomb explodes in flower display in front of the tilma, but does not harm the image. 2002 - Canonization of St. Juan Diego on July 31. (Based mainly on Appendix B of Our Lady of Guadalupe, cited below). Summary: We discuss the Virgin of Guadalupe (Feast say December 12) and St. Juan Diego (Feast day December 9). Just as millions of northern and western Europeans left the Catholic Church as a result of the Protestant Reformation(s), millions of Native Americans entered the Catholic Church. One witness reported that by his count as many as nine million baptisms occurred in Mexico in the space of about 15 years in the early 16th century. The flood of conversions came after the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the cloak (the "tilma") of an Indian named Eagle that Speaks, baptized as "Juan Diego." Over time the image has become iconic and ubiquitous in Mexican Catholicism. But hasn't modern science probably debunked the "miraculous" image on the tilma by now? Listen to our discussion of this vivid, unique Marian apparition and why it is something you need to know about. We also discuss how the Church generally evaluates Marian apparitions and private revelation. Sources and Further Reading: • Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love by Carl Anderson and Eduardo Chavez (Image, 2009) - Includes the Nican Mopohua in an appendix. • Mexican Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition Across Five Centuries by D.A. Brading (Cambridge University Press, 2001). • Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas (Simon & Schuster, 1993). • A Still, Small Voice: A Practical Guide on Reported Revelations by Fr. Benedict Groeschel (Ignatius Press, 1993). Documentary: Guadalupe: A Living Image (2009) Music Credit: *Special Thank You to Paul Spring for allowing us to use his song "Itasca" from the album Borderline EP (2014)!

49 min
11/15/2020

Episode 8: Nicholas Black Elk: Lakota Mystic and Servant of God

Show Notes : Image Credit: "Nick Black Elk" by Jake. Music Credit: *Special Thank You to Paul Spring for allowing us to use his song "Itasca" from the album Borderline EP (2014)! Episode 8: Nicholas Black Elk, Lakota Mystic and Servant of God Brief Chronology: 1863 - Black Elk born. 1865 - End of U.S. Civil War. 1866 - Battle of the Hundred Slain / the Fetterman Massacre, in which Black Elk's father is wounded. 1872 - Around this time, at about age 9, Black Elk experiences his great vision. 1876 - Battle of the Little Bighorn; Black Elk, about age 12, kills a soldier. 1877 - Crazy Horse killed. 1886 - 1889 - Travels to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. 1890 - Sitting Bull killed; Massacre at Wounded Knee on Dec. 29. 1892 - Black Elk marries Katie War Bonnet 1899 - Birth of son Benjamin Black Elk, who will become important for interpreting Nicholas Black Elk's legacy. 1904 - Conversion to Roman Catholicism; he is baptized Dec. 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas. 1906 - Marriage to Anna Brings White, mother to Lucy Looks Twice 1907 - Black Elk begins travelling as a catechist. 1930 - Interviews with John G. Neihardt which will become the basis of Black Elk Speaks, published in 1932. 1936 - Black Elk begins managing Duhamel Indian Pageant. 1945-46 - Interviews with Joseph Epes Brown which will become basis for The Sacred Pipe, published in 1953, after Black Elk has died. 1950 - Death of Nicholas Black Elk on Aug. 17, followed by a vivid display of the northern lights. Summary: In this episode we discuss a modern candidate for sainthood, Nicholas Black Elk (ca. 1863-1950). Black Elk was a Lakota Sioux medicine man whose journey took him from traditional Lakota religion and the Ghost Dance movement to Roman Catholicism. He was probably born in 1863, at a time when his people, the Lakota, still lived independently hunting buffalo on the Northern Great Plains, in what is now the Dakotas and Montana. He relates the story of the first few decades of his life in Black Elk Speaks, a book written by and formed out of a series of conversations with a Nebraskan poet, John G. Neihardt in the early 1930s. Included in the book are his memories of Crazy Horse, the battle of Little Big Horn, meeting Queen Victoria as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, the Ghost Dance movement, and witnessing the tragic massacre of Lakota civilians at Wounded Knee. And that was only the first part of his long life. Black Elk's life was full of prayer and intense religious questioning. He experienced visions from a young age and eventually became a medicine man. After marrying a Catholic, he eventually converted and became a catechist and missionary, travelling and speaking across the country. At the same time, he passed on Lakota traditions by sharing his life experiences and knowledge with Neihardt (Black Elk Speaks) and anthropologist Joseph Epes Brown (author of The Sacred Pipe), as well as performing traditional dances for tourists. His legacy and claims about his personal religious beliefs remain controversial. Scholars continue to debate whether he continued to believe traditional Lakota religion alongside Christianity, was a sincere orthodox Catholic who rejected the traditional past, and how he reconciled different belief systems and chapters of his life. Two clarifications/corrections to the episode - We checked again on the Two Roads chart and are still unclear on the exact story of its origins, but you can learn more about it in Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala by Steltenkamp. Also, the speech by Benjamin Black Ellk and separate comments by Benjamin Black Elk's nephew concerning the practice of Christianity alongside traditional religion were connected in the retelling in our conversation, but would best be understood (and parsed out) by reading/listening to them in context in the sources below, the documentary Walking the Good Red Road and the first chapter of Black Elk Lives. Finally, a disclaimer: this episo

1h 14m
05/31/2020

Episode 7: Celibacy: From the Apostles to Lateran II

*Image Credit: *"Marriage," Detail from a 14th century manuscript originating in Catalonia, Spain, available online from the British Library, Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. (Public Domain) Music Credit: *Special Thank You to Paul Spring for allowing us to use his song "Itasca" from the album Borderline EP (2014)! Episode 7: Celibacy - Summary: In this episode we discussed the history of celibacy in the Church, from Jewish roots in 1st century Palestine up to the Second Lateran Council in the high middle ages. Celibacy in some form seems to exist in the apostolic and early church. So too did the ordination of married men. The debates are what the situation looked like: was celibacy required for all priests after ordination, even married ones? Did married priests separate from their wives, live Josephite marriage with them, or continue to have sexual relations with them? How did it come to the point that different parts of the Church developed different practices? The Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient historians show that some members of the Jewish sect known as the Essenes practiced celibacy. The Levitical priesthood also abstained from sexual relations with their wives during their service in the temple. The New Testament must be understood in this context, where sexual continence and even a more monastic form of celibate life were already known. As we stated in the episode, we tried to carefully limit our theological discussion. But for your reference, here are some of the key Bible passages to be aware of: • 1 Samuel 21:4-5- David and his men eat the bread of the presence, having assured Ahimelek the priest that they have "kept themselves from women." • Luke 4:38-39 - Jesus heals Simon Peter's mother in law. This episode indicates Peter was married at some point, but it is unknown if he was a widower or still married. • Matthew 19:12 - "For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others--and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." • Matthew 19:29 - "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." • Philippians 4:3 - Paul asks his "yoke mate," to help resolve a conflict between some Christian women named in the letter to the Philippians. Some see this as a reference to Paul's wife. • 1 Corinthians 7:8 - "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." • 1 Timothy 4:3 - Paul tells Timothy that prohibiting people from getting married is a sign of false teachers. • 1 Timothy 3:1-2 - Paul tells Timothy that overseers (bishops) should be, "husband of one wife." Some church fathers see this as a negative criteria; in other words, bishops must not be husband of more than one wife, since remarrying may have suggested a lack of sexual self-discipline in their culture. Celibacy in the early Church seems to have been connected with the Eucharistic celebration, not the ascetic ideals of monasticism which emerged a little later. This being the case, the practice may ultimately be traceable back to the Jewish roots of Christianity and is not as likely to be derived from sects that were against marriage or despised the body. Church fathers drew parallels between the Old Testament high priests, priests and Levites, and the bishops, presbyters, and deacons of the New Testament. That said, we have to largely infer the practice of the early church in the 2nd and 3rd centuries indirectly. Based on the statements of local councils in the 4th century, as Jesuit scholar Christian Cochini explains, it seems that the likely expected practice was for priests t

50 min
02/09/2020

Episode 6: Holy Dirt, Posadas and Other Catholic Traditions

Episode 6: Holy Dirt, Posadas, and More Catholic Customs - Show Notes Image Credit: "Vow Gift to the Virgin of the Candelaria '[the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos], Image and license info available at the website of the National Museum van Wereldculturen and Wereldmuseum, The Netherlands. (image dimensions modified). Episode Summary: We revisit the topic of holy dirt from our Bede episode again and have a more informal conversation on the history of some Catholic customs. Some of these customs are backed by solid tradition, while others are more controversial. We discuss the interplay of fact and legend, the possible pre-Christian roots of some traditions, and whether any of these cross the line into superstition. We are sure there is much more to learn and understand about each of these traditions, so please take our speculations with at least a small grain of salt this time around. For example, one correction to the episode: the Virgin of San Juan de Los Lagos is a statue/figurine and was not originally connected with an apparition per se, but rather a famous healing credited to the Blessed Virgin Mary. All that said, we hope this discussion is thought provoking. Here are some customs and beliefs we discussed: • Posadas and devotions to baby Jesus in Mexican culture • Food, such as obleas (Latin American candy based on communion wafers) • Devotion to St. Christopher, patron saint of safe travels • Burying a St. Joseph statute to sell a house and possible origins (for example, St. Andre Bessette) • More sacred dirt - eating the dust from San Juan de los Lagos; St. Helena's use of dirt from Jerusalem at Santa Croce in Rome; and the story of Naaman from the Old Testament (see 2 Kings 5:17). Sources Books: • A History of the Church in 100 Objects by Mike Aquilina and Grace Aquilina (Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2017). • The Catholic All Year Compendium: Living Liturgically for Real Life _by Kendra Tierney (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018). • _The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Vroagine - Includes the traditional story of St. Christopher and many, many other saints. (Available online from Fordham University). Articles Online: • "Night Adoration Growing among Hispanics" (Denver Catholic, Dec. 7, 2013) • "Geofagia: por que hay gente que no puede parar de comer tierra" by Josh Gabbatiss (BBC News Mundo, July. 13, 2016) • "El Bable: Geofagia: La 'tierrita' de San Juan y la extrana costumbre de comer tierra" (El Bable, Jun. 12, 2013). • "Mexican Christmas Traditions" by Dante Arias (Xcaret Blog, Dec. 21, 2016). • "St. Christopher" (New Advent Catholic Encylcopedia) • "Whatever Happened to St. Christopher? Is He Still a Saint?" (Catholic Straight Answers) • "Did the Church declare that St. Christopher is a myth?" (Catholic Answers) • "The Sellers' Saint" (Washington Post, Oct. 6, 1990) • "Saint André Bessette: Montreal’s Miracle Worker" by Brother Andre Marie (Catholicism.org, Oct. 25, 2004) Intro Music Credit: *Special Thank You to Paul Spring for allowing us to use his song "Itasca" from the album Borderline EP (2014)!

39 min
08/03/2019

Episode 5: The Venerable Bede & Early English Church History

Episode 5: The Venerable Bede - Show Notes Image Credit: Folio 5r from the Codex Amiatinus (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, MS Amiatinus 1), Ezra the scribe. [Public Domain] Available at Wikimedia Commons. Brief Chronology (most dates are approximate): • 410 - Goths sack Rome • 431 - Mission of Palladius to Ireland (probably close in time to Patrick's mission) • 449 - Vortigern invites Angles and Saxons to Britain as mercenaries • 563 - Columba reaches Iona in Scotland • 597 - Augustine reaches Kent, beginning mission to the English • 604 - Death of Pope Gregory the Great • 627 - Conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria • 664 - Synod of Whitby • 673 - Bede's birth near Jarrow in Northumbria • 674 - Wearmouth (St. Peter's) founded by Benedict Biscop • 680 - Bede becomes oblate at Wearmouth • 681 - Jarrow (St. Paul's) founded • 692 - Bede ordained a deacon at age 19 • 702 - Bede ordained a priest at age 30 • 703 - Bede writes his first works • 710 - Ceolfrith's letter to the Picts concerning Easter • 716 - Ceolfrith leaves Jarrow for Rome with the Codex Amiatinus • 731 - Bede completes his Ecclesiastical History of the English People • 734 - Bede's letter to Bishop Egbert, dated Nov. 4 • 735 - Bede's death on May 25 • 794 - Vikings attack Jarrow • 1899 - Bede is declared a Doctor of the Church Summary: As discussed in our St. Patrick episode, Britain struggled after the Roman military left. Germanic tribes called the Angles and Saxons soon took advantage of the situation, perhaps after originally being invited as mercenaries to protect the Britons left behind by the Romans. The Pagan Angles and Saxons forced the Christian Britons toward the western side of Britain (Wales and Cornwall now) and carved out several new kingdoms for themselves in the south-eastern part of Britain, such as Kent, Mercia, and Northumbria, to name only a few. The conversion of the newcomers did not get well underway for another century and a half, which is the story Bede tells in his Ecclesiastical History. Although Anglo-Saxon England seems to have been unstable and often violent, Bede himself lived a quiet life as a priest and scholar at the monastery of Jarrow from a young age until his death. He was probably born about 673 close to Jarrow, located in the northern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. He was sent to Wearmouth at age 7 to be educated. The monastery of St. Peter at Wearmouth had been founded relatively recently by a nobleman named Benedict Biscop, the community's first abbot, who travelled to Rome several times in his life and was enthusiastic about implementing what he learned there. Probably Bede left Wearmouth with Ceolfrith and others when the associated monastery of St. Paul was founded at Jarrow. A plague seems to have swept the community at some point in Bede's childhood, leaving only the abbot Ceolfrith and a child (possibly Bede himself) well enough to chant the Psalter. Later in life, when Ceolfrith left Jarrow for a pilgrimage to Rome, Bede compared Ceolfrith to Eli, the priest to whom Hannah entrusted her child Samuel (Bede in this analogy). Ceolfrith died on the journey, but his gift to the pope, the Codex Amiatinus, survives to the present day. It was a rare single-volume version of the Bible created by Bede and his fellow monks. Bede was ordained a deacon at the age of 19, then a priest at 30. He may never have ventured outside of his native Northumbria. (Ward, Give Love and Receive the Kingdom, ch. 2). He seems to have corresponded with people throughout Britain, gathering local information for his history of the English church. Bede left behind a numerous books, including his landmark Ecclesiastical History of the English People, as well as other historical works and Biblical commentaries. In his Ecclesiastical History, completed in 731, he tells the story of how Roman Britain became Anglo-Saxon England, then how the Anglo-Saxons came to b

45 min
03/18/2019

Episode 4: St. Patrick: History, Mystery & Myth

Episode 4: St. Patrick - Show Notes Brief Chronology (most dates are approximate): • 390s - Birth of Patrick • 397-398 - Augustine writes his Confessions • 400-410s - Patrick is kidnapped, sold into slavery in Ireland, and escapes after 6 years • 406 - Rhine River freezes and barbarians invade Gaul • 410 - Goths sack Rome • 431 - Mission of Palladius to Ireland (possibly followed by or related to Patrick's mission) • 449 - Vortigern invites Angles and Saxons to Britain as mercenaries (according to Bede) • 461 - Death of Patrick (traditionally March 17) (See the "Time Line" included as an appendix in St. Patrick of Ireland by Philip Freeman, which gives a more extensive chronology of the fall of Rome and events in Patrick's lifetime.) Summary: When Patrick was born in the late 4th century, his native land of southern Britain was still a Roman province, but the western Roman Empire was crumbling fast. No one actually knows where Patrick’s family estate or the nearby village Bennavem Taburniae that he mentions was, except that it must have been close to the sea in western Britain. In his Confessio, Patrick says his father was a deacon in the Church named Calpornius and that his grandfather Potitus was a priest. Patrick’s name (really Patricius) means “Patrician” - as in upper class, noble. (Freeman, Ch. 1) St. Patrick left behind two letters in Latin, but in everyday life he may have spoken a lost Celtic language similar to modern Welsh. His medieval biographer Muirchú records him saying a possibly Old British word, "Mudebroth!", perhaps meaning "By God's judgment!" once when he was irritated (see Freeman, Ch. 1). Like St. Augustine, Patrick was not one of those saints who got off to a great start. He alludes to a great sin from his teenage years that he is always very vague about and that comes back to cause controversy for him later. He admits that he does not take religion seriously in his youth. That changes when Patrick gets captured by Irish raiders near his home sometime in the early 400s. There were probably thousands of people (including many Christians) taken captive in this period of Roman decline and sold to work on farms in Ireland. (Freeman, Ch.2) After Patrick was enslaved, he was sold and put to work watching sheep, perhaps in northwestern Ireland, which was lonely and physically miserable work since it meant spending lots of time outside in the cold and rain. Cold and alone, Patrick started to rediscover his Christian faith, praying night and day. Finally, he hears a voice telling him it is time to escape. Trusting in God, he just walks away one day and heads for the faraway eastern coast. He sails with a crew of pagans to either Britain or (possibly) Gaul. In any case, the crew unexpectedly ends up someplace so bleak that he describes it as a “desert” and they almost starve to death. One sensational theory is that it might be Gaul in the year 407, when the barbarians flood the western empire. (Cahill p. 104). But it seems just as likely, if not more so, that they found themselves on an unfamiliar shoreline in Britain far from their intended port due to some accident (See Freeman, Ch. 3). The pagans challenge Patrick to make his God save them, so Patrick prays and a herd of pigs crosses their path. Eventually Patrick returned to his family in Britain, but as time passes he dreams that he is being called back to Ireland. He dreams that someone named Victoricus (a fellow captive?) comes with letters for him, one of which is inscribed "voice of the Irish." The letters cry out for him to return to Ireland. No one knows exactly when Patrick finds his way back to Ireland as a missionary. Traditionally the year is 432. The reason this date is given, according to Thomas O’Loughlin, is that it puts Patrick one year after the supposedly short-lived mission of a bishop named Palladius, who was sent to the Irish by Pope Celestine in 431. Phillip Freeman speculates tha

55 min
02/01/2019

Episode 3: St. Thomas More: Renaissance Statesman & Martyr

Episode 3: St. Thomas More - Show Notes Corrections or clarifications on a few point are provided below in the Summary. Also, since this discussion went long, we have divided the recording into three parts, separated by short breaks: • Part 1: Early Life (beginning to 35:40) • Part 2: Beginning of the Reformation (35:40 to 57:06) • Part 3: Martyrdom (57:06 to end) *Special Thank You to Paul Spring for allowing us to use his song "Itasca" from the album Borderline EP (2014)! Brief Chronology: • 1478 - Birth of Thomas More • 1485 - Battle of Bosworth Field (end of Plantagenet and beginning of Tudor dynasty) • 1490-92 - More is a page in Cardinal Morton's household • 1504 or 1505 - Marriage to first wife, Jane Colt, mother to More's four biological children • 1511- Death of Jane Colt and marriage to second wife, Alice Middleton • 1515 - More writes Utopia (published 1516) • 1517 - Martin Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses (starting Protestant Reformation) • 1525 - Peasants' War in Germany; William Tyndale translates New Testament • 1527 - Rome sacked by Charles V's army • 1529-1532 - More is made Lord Chancellor • 1533 - Marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn • 1534 - More is imprisoned in Tower of London • 1535 - Trial and execution of Thomas More • 1935 - Canonization by Pope Pius XI Episode Summary: This was a long conversation, but we hope you get a lot out of good information from it! Thomas More was (probably) born February 7, 1478 in London, England. His childhood was a unstable time for England: the final years of a civil war between rival branches of the ruling Plantagenet family called the Wars of the Roses. Thomas More would become an important official under the new Tudor dynasty, especially under Henry VII's son Henry VIII. More studied grammar, logic and rhetoric from a young age and was eventually sent to Oxford and the Inns of Court to study law. He also spent some years as part of the household of Cardinal Morton, which may have helped shape him spiritually. More's family came from a middle class background: his grandfathers were a baker and brewer. His father John More was sent to study law and eventually became a judge. However, the family seems to have been targeted by Henry VII after a young Thomas More opposed a tax in parliament that the king wanted. (+ Correction to the episode: the tax was related to posthumous knighting of Arthur and a dowry for Princess Margaret's marriage to the king of Scotland). After Henry VII's death, More found favor with his son Henry VIII and eventually More rose to the high position of Lord Chancellor, technically the highest judicial post, but which also included other duties at the king's discretion. Both before and after becoming Lord Chancellor, More was responsible for suppressing what were then considered heresies (Protestantism), a fact which has made him controversial for modern scholars. The Reformation is traditionally reckoned to have begun with Martin Luther posting his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517. The reformation spread to the rest of Europe and started to take on new forms. In England it was viewed as a dangerous sequel to the Lollard movement. Henry VIII's government, fearing sedition and social chaos, violently suppressed the Protestants. More was the highest lay official in this government and vehemently opposed to the Protestants' attack on tradition. Six people were executed for heresy during his time in office and many protestant books were seized and burned. During this period More wrote books against the ideas of Luther and Tyndale, who had ironically been influenced by the ideas of More's friend Erasmus. (+ Another correction to the episode: the Bible text that Zwingli and other reformers liked, which Jake butchers is," The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." - John 6:63). Nonetheless, More was moderate in his response to his son-in-law William Rope

1h 25m
12/05/2018

Episode 2: Getting to Know Us

Episode 2 - Show Notes In our second episode, we take a step back from history to discuss our faith, education, and plans for the podcast. You will learn the random ways we discovered our love of history: with Lilia her interest in history began with learning about Vlad the Impaler (Dracula); and with Jake it started with a trip to a colonial history museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Our faith and interest in history grew at the University of Dallas, where we met each other while studying abroad in Rome. We hope this podcast will help others learn about Catholic history along with us. Join us next time as we discuss St. Thomas More. References: University of Dallas - the Rome program https://udallas.edu/rome/index.php St. Bede the Venerable - A patron saint of historians and a Doctor of the Church, who we reference in the podcast's name. He was a Benedictine priest who lived his life in prayer and study in the late 7th/early 8th century in Anglo-Saxon England. He is most famous for writing The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which is a foundational work of church history. Eusebius of Caesarea - The important early church historian who set down the history of the church from Jesus to Constantine in his Ecclesiastical History. He also preserved fragments of many texts that are now lost. He lived in the 4th century and was a bishop of Caesarea. One reason his is not considered a saint is that he may have been, at least for a time, sympathetic to the Arian heresy. Raid on Deerfield - This was the famous attack on Deerfield, Massachusetts during Queen Anne's War that Jake learned a little about during a childhood visit, sparking an interest in Native American history. (Correction to the podcast: Deerfield was subject to this one famous raid, not multiple attacks) Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Fine example of 1990s vampire culture. Credit for Intro song: "Itasca" By Paul Spring from Borderline EP Album Former Credit for Intro song: Indie Rockin' 6.1 by mareproduction from https://freesound.org/s/352549/

32 min
11/30/2018

Episode 1: Dia de Los Muertos

**Episode 1: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - Show Notes *Episode Summary * In our first episode, we talk about Día de los Muertos, Mexico's unique take on All Souls and All Saints Days. We discuss the pre-Hispanic history of the holiday and whether it is truly Catholic (we say Yes!). Our sources are listed down in the next section, especially the book The Skeleton at the Feast by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer. Here is a quick summary of what we covered in this episode: Many traditions now connected with Day of the Dead go back to Mexico's Native American roots. The Aztecs believed "the nature of life was strictly governed by the need to propitiate the gods." (Skeleton at the Feast, page 28). The Aztec god who ruled the underworld was named Mictlantecuhtli and depicted as a skeleton. The Aztecs celebrated two month long festivals called the "Little Feast of the Dead" and the "Great Feast of the Dead" in the summer. Practices such as decorating altars with flowers and food offerings go back to these festivals. When the Spaniards arrived, they brought Catholic missionaries with them, especially the Franciscans. The Catholic missionaries tried to win converts partly by transferring some aspects of the Aztec holidays over to similar Christian holidays. This is how the summertime feasts of the dead ended up transferred to November 2, All Soul's Day. Attending mass, tolling of bells, and prayers for the souls of the dead were added to the Day of the Dead celebration. However, the holiday continued to be celebrated differently in the Native American countryside versus the more Mestizo urban areas. So, was the Catholic conversion of this holiday complete and authentic? Listen to the podcast to hear what we thought! The images of playful, laughing skeletons (calaveras in Spanish) that are connected with Day of the Dead have a rich history of their own. Images of skulls and skeletons go all the way back to the pre-Hispanic past in Mexico and can be seen in surviving Aztec books, such as the Codex Borgia. The skulls were updated by the influential early 20th century engraver José Guadalupe Posada (see The Skeleton at the Feast, pages 125- 127 for famous examples). There is even a visual reference to Posada's famous engraving La Catrina in the 2017 Disney/Pixar movie Coco. Other symbols connected with Day of the Dead include the family ofrenda, an altar where mementos and pictures of loved ones are placed; flowers, especially marigolds; elaborately cut paper banners (see Skeleton at the Feast, page 32 for an ancient example); and sweets such as pan de muerte. Sources: The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer (University of Texas Press, 1991) - This is the book we were mainly discussing in the episode whenever we talk about "the chapter" we read or what "they " told us about Day of the Dead. This is highly recommended for understanding the history of Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead in Mexico: Through the Eyes of the Soul by Mary J. Andrade (La Oferta Review Inc., 2002) - We did not discuss this book directly , but it includes bilingual text and many colorful photographs of how Day of the Dead is celebrated in different parts of Mexico. *Cover Art Credit: * *Calavera de la Catrina (Skull of the Female Dandy), from the portfolio 36 Grabados: José Guadalupe Posada, published by Arsacio Vanegas, Mexico City, c. 1910 [Public Domain] *Children's books: * The Festival of Bones [El Festival de las Calaveras] by Luis San Vicente (Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso, Texas, 2002) Holidays, Festivals & Celebrations: Dia de Los Muertos by Ann Heinrichs, Illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole (The United States of America by The Child's World, 2006) Dia de Los Muertos by Roseanne Grennfield Thong, Illustrated by Carles Ballesteros (Albert Whitman & Company, Chicago, IL, 2015) *Movies: * Coco (Disney and Pixar, 2017) The Book of Life (Reel FX, 2014)

42 min

10 Episodes

5

out of 5

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Lilia and Jake talk about Catholic history, from saints to holidays and other random tangents. Join us as we explore different topics from almost 2,000 years of history and counting.

Creator

Lilia and Jake Masters
Years Active

2018 - 2022
Episodes

10
Rating

Clean
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© 2024 Lilia Masters
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