Best Thomas V Mirus Podcasts (2025)

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5.11 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Arbiter of Christendom 23:14

1h ago23:14

23:14

St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines, and was one of the Church’s true mystics. He opposed the “intentionalism” of the heretic Peter Abelard with his quip: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” He also opposed an anti-pope, corrected a king, brokered peace in Eur…

1
196 - Theology of Hiking - Fr. John Nepil 45:56

1h ago45:56

45:56

Fr. John Nepil, priest and mountaineer, joins the podcast to discuss his book To Heights and Unto Depths: Letters from the Colorado Trail. Topics discussed include: The modern view of "nature" vs. God's creation A morally responsible approach to risk-taking The modern origins of hiking as a secular activity "Wilderness" vs. "garden" - Catholic atti…

1
Rule of St. Benedict | Ep. 3 - Work, Governance, and Conclusion 55:05

3d ago55:05

55:05

"Prefer nothing whatever to Christ. And may He bring us all together to life everlasting!" The Rule of St. Benedict is a foundational spiritual guide composed by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, around 530 AD. In this third episode, covering Chapters 39–73, Benedict details daily routines like meals and work, outlines hosp…

1
Fragmented sexuality in Malick's To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, & Song to Song 2:13:13

4d ago2:13:13

2:13:13

00:00 Introduction 12:44 Form 1:04:15 Themes 1:28:17 Moral problems 1:52:00 Favorite sequences After the artistic triumph of his magnum opus The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick had an unwontedly prolific period, releasing To the Wonder (2012), Knight of Cups (2015), and Song to Song (2017). In these films, known informally as the "Weightless Trilogy"…

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5.10 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Mellifluous Doctor 16:25

5d ago16:25

16:25

St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was born to be a knight, and grew up in a castle, but he chose to be a different kind of knight - a true prayer warrior - and he supported the invention of the Christian knight by endorsing the Knights Templar. He would be the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines. He was a strong ad…

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Rule of St. Benedict | Ep. 2 - Prayer and Community Life 37:22

10d ago37:22

37:22

"We believe that the divine presence is everywhere... But we should believe this especially without any doubt when we are assisting at the Work of God." The Rule of St. Benedict is a foundational spiritual guide composed by St. Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, around 530 AD. In the chapters comprising this second episode, Bene…

1
195 - The Most Influential Theology Book Nobody Reads - Philipp Rosemann 1:46:56

26d ago1:46:56

1:46:56

The standard textbook of theology in medieval universities was the Sentences by Peter Lombard (1095-1160), bishop of Paris. This collection systematically arranged the theological judgments of Scripture and the Church Fathers on various topics. For almost four centuries, those seeking higher credentials in theology had to study, teach, and comment …

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5.9 St. Anselm of Canterbury: Father of Scholasticism 28:50

28d ago28:50

28:50

St. Anselm (1033 - 1109 AD) was Abbot of the monastery of Bec, and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the first of the medieval scholastics, and the first real systematic theologian. His treatise, Cur Deus Homo brought together biblical and patristic themes related to salvation and the atonement to provide the Church with a comprehensive (up t…

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194 - The Church’s Hour of Testing – Fr. Donald Haggerty 56:58

1M ago56:58

56:58

A great spiritual master of our time, Fr. Donald Haggerty, joins the podcast to discuss his important new book, The Hour of Testing: Spiritual Depth and Insight in a Time of Ecclesial Uncertainty. He offers profound reflections on the ongoing, and perhaps future, crisis within the Church, with an eye to arousing an appetite for the greater spiritua…

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Rule of St. Benedict | Ep. 1 - Foundations of Monastic Life 40:02

1M ago40:02

40:02

"And so we are going to establish a school for the service of the Lord. In founding it we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome. But if a certain strictness results… do not be at once dismayed and fly from the way of salvation, whose entrance cannot but be narrow." In this first of five episodes, we begin The Rule of St. Benedict, a foundat…

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5.8 St. Anselm of Canterbury: Doctor of the Atonement 17:50

1M ago17:50

17:50

St. Anselm (1033 - 1109 AD) was Abbot of the monastery of Bec, and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the first of the medieval scholastics, and the first real systematic theologian. In many ways, St. Anselm is the bridge between St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Links To read Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo online: https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr…

1
Crucifixion darkness: Barabbas (1961) 56:05

1M ago56:05

56:05

Barabbas is an unusual specimen of the midcentury Hollywood Biblical epic, more spiritually searching (and edgier) than its peers. Starring Anthony Quinn as the criminal released by Pilate in place of Christ, Barabbas is based on a 1950 novel by Nobel winner Pär Lagerkvist (recently listed by Anthony Esolen among the greatest religious novels of th…

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193 - On René Girard -Trevor Cribben Merrill 1:24:19

2M ago1:24:19

1:24:19

Mimetic desire, scapegoating: if you've been hearing these terms thrown around lately, it's because the French Catholic philosopher René Girard (1923-2015) is having a renaissance, with powerful people like J.D. Vance and Peter Thiel citing his influence on their thought. Trevor Cribben Merrill, producer of the new documentary Things Hidden: The Li…

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5.7 St. Peter Damian: Monitor of the Popes 31:51

2M ago31:51

31:51

St. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) was an advisor to, and sometimes corrector of, Popes, Emperors, and Kings. Through his writings he was a reformer of the clergy, and the monasteries, especially calling out and confronting immorality among the clergy. He was a member of the first college of cardinals as we know it today, and took part in wrestling …

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St. Dionysius the Areopagite - On Minding One's Own Business 29:09

2M ago29:09

29:09

"It is not for Demophilus to set these things straight. For if the Word of God commands us to pursue just things justly... this must be pursued by all justly, not beyond their own fitness." This letter—historically attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite, a 1st-century convert of Saint Paul from Acts, but now considered the work of an anonymous …

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A holy fool: The Island (2006) 55:30

2M ago55:30

55:30

James and Thomas discuss a minor classic of religious cinema, the spiritually edifying (and humorous!) Russian film The Island, about a fictional Orthodox monk and “holy fool” who has special spiritual gifts, but remains racked with guilt over a terrible crime he committed in his youth. The Island can be viewed on YouTube (the subtitles are a diffe…

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5.6 St. Peter Damian: The Medieval Jerome 23:10

2M ago23:10

23:10

St. Peter Damian (1007 - 1072 AD) is another one of our lesser-known Doctors of the Church, and yet he was, in his time, a man who could give advice to the Popes, and call for reform in the clergy and in the monasteries. Known as a Catholic reformer (long before the Protestant Reformation), he confronted clergy immorality, simony and lay investitur…

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192 - Latin learning and classical Christian education w/ Ryan Hammill 1:34:26

2M ago1:34:26

1:34:26

Ryan Hammill of the Ancient Language Institute joins Thomas for a practical discussion about how to learn Latin, as well as the central place of the classical languages (Latin and Greek) in classical Christian education, and the various schools of thought in today’s classical Christian education movement. Links Thomas’s article about learning Latin…

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Terrence Malick and the Knights of Columbus: Voyage of Time (2016) 1:28:52

3M ago1:28:52

1:28:52

The Criteria crew continues its series on the films of Terrence Malick, jumping ahead to the experimental documentary Voyage of Time, which was co-produced by the Knights of Columbus! Voyage of Time portrays the history of the cosmos, the Earth, and the living creatures on it from the beginning of the universe to its end. The main point of the film…

1
Sicilian Pilgrimage with Mike Aquilina and Jim Papandrea 30:13

3M ago30:13

30:13

The Holy Father has proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee year, and pilgrims are already flocking to Rome to cross the thresholds of the major basilicas, and to visit the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. Original host of the Way of the Fathers podcast, Mike Aquilina, and current host of the podcast, James L. Papandrea, talk about jubilee and pilgrimage, and in…

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5.5 St. Gregory of Narek: Doctor of Mercy 26:24

3M ago26:24

26:24

St. Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003), was an Armenian saint: a monk, scholar, poet, and hymn writer. Praised as a saint by Pope St. John Paul II, who called by him the “great Marian doctor of the Armenian Church,” St. Gregory of Narek was officially proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015–one of the most recent additions to the list…

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191 - How the Church Invented Musical Notation - Christopher Page 45:34

3M ago45:34

45:34

The Christian West and Its Singers: The First Thousand Years, by the great English musicologist Christopher Page, covers the development of Christian liturgical music from its origins as an elaboration of the role of the lector to its flourishing in the monastic and cathedral singing schools of France, as Roman chant was spread across Europe. One o…

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St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 2. The Influence of Natural and Revealed Religion Respectively 36:47

3M ago36:47

36:47

"The philosopher aspires towards a divine principle; the Christian, towards a Divine Agent." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were isntrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimatel…

1
The Marx Brothers w/ James Matthew Wilson 1:17:37

3M ago1:17:37

1:17:37

Poet and philosopher James Matthew Wilson joins the podcast to discuss two films by the Marx Brothers (Duck Soup, A Night at the Opera). Wilson also reads one of his poems featuring allusions to the Marx Brothers, and talks about the letters written between Groucho Marx and T.S. Eliot. James Matthew Wilson, The Strangeness of the Good https://angel…

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5.4 St. Gregory of Narek: Patron Saint of Armenia 12:29

3M ago12:29

12:29

In the first episode on St. Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003), Dr. Papandrea introduces one of the newest additions to the list of Doctors of the Church. Gregory was an Armenian monk, scholar, poet, and saint, who was praised by Pope St. John Paul II. Links Listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Christianity in Armenia - The Way of the Fathers episode 3…

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190 - Fulton Sheen, Convert Maker - Cheryl C.D. Hughes 57:34

3M ago57:34

57:34

A new biography of Ven. Fulton Sheen gives special attention to his high-profile converts, but reveals many other interesting facets of his life as well. Author Cheryl Hughes joins to discuss Sheen’s at times shockingly direct evangelization methods, his outstanding television presence, his lifelong struggle with vanity and ambition, and the mistre…

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St. John Henry Newman - The Oxford Sermons | 1. The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospels 22:50

3M ago22:50

22:50

"The philosopher might speculate, but the theologian must submit to learn." St. John Henry Newman's Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England. In this collection of fifteen…

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"I am a human being": The Elephant Man (1980), w/ Andrew Petiprin 1:15:46

4M ago1:15:46

1:15:46

On the latest episode of Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast, Andrew Petiprin joins James and Thomas to discuss the late David Lynch's most uplifting film, The Elephant Man. The film is based on the real Victorian-era life of Joseph Merrick, a man who suffered terrible abuse because of his extreme deformities, yet whose human dignity was ultimately…

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St. Vincent Ferrer - On the Purification of Mary 38:15

4M ago38:15

38:15

“This present feast is one of the greater of the whole year... Because there are three grades of sanctity which we celebrate in this feast.” St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) was a Spanish Dominican friar, theologian, and renowned preacher known for his fiery sermons and missionary work across Europe. He was deeply devoted to calling people to repenta…

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5.3 St. Bede: The Father of English History 21:06

4M ago21:06

21:06

In this second episode on St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735 AD), Dr. Papandrea talks about the literary legacy of this Doctor of the Church. Bede is not only considered the “father of English history,” but also the “father of English education.” Although he is now most famous for his Ecclesiastical History of England, his contribution to the Churc…

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St. Francis de Sales - Introduction to the Devout Life | Full 9:28:30

4M ago9:28:30

9:28:30

"Be sure that wherever our lot is cast we may and must aim at the perfect life." Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results. Themes include: Pursuing…

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189 - St. Boethius, Stoicism and Neoplatonism - Thomas Ward 1:19:26

4M ago1:19:26

1:19:26

St. Anicius Manlius Severius Boethius's book The Consolation of Philosophy, which he wrote in prison while awaiting martyrdom around the year 524, is one of the single most influential works for medieval philosophy and theology. But Boethius also owed much to the pagan philosophy that came before him. Thomas Ward has just written a commentary on Bo…

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In a Lonely Place (1950) 46:05

4M ago46:05

46:05

James and Thomas discuss Nicholas Ray's thrilling 1950 film noir In a Lonely Place. In an outstanding, nuanced performance, Humphrey Bogart plays quick-tempered screenwriter Dixon Steele, who enters into a fast-moving relationship with Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) just as he is under suspicion for the murder of another young woman. The investigatio…

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Pope Benedict XVI - Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) | Part 2 55:38

4M ago55:38

55:38

“Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is possible, and we are able to practice it because we are created in the image of God. To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world—this is the invita…

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Thomas V Mirus Podcasts

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