Showing results by publisher "Learn25" in Religion & Spirituality

Beginning in the third century AD, pious men and women journeyed into the Egyptian desert, where they sought to be "alone with God alone." Known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers, they pursued lives of solitude and prayer in order to make offerings of themselves to God. They acquired great insight into the spiritual life, which has been passed down to us in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Now, you can discover the fascinating lives and works of such awe-inspiring figures as St. Antony the Great and St. Mary of Egypt.

In this fascinating series, the saints you’ll meet include a woman who didn't discover her true vocation until she was past sixty, a man who lived for years with a concubine and fathered an illegitimate son, a religious teacher and reformer who was repeatedly charged with heresy, three women who were wives and mothers before they became Sisters, and many more. The words of these great men and women may move you, but their actions will absolutely take your breath away.

The Desert Fathers - Christian monks in the ancient Egyptian and Palestinian wilderness - strove to understand the causes and remedies of human sin and were the first to categorize temptations under the headings of the "deadly sins". This course will draw on their wisdom to gain a better understanding of how each deadly sin conflicts with God's plan of creation, redemption, and sanctification.

Born in the fourth century, Saint John Cassian (AD 360 - 435) lived when tensions between the traditional and innovative peaked. A monk and theologian, Cassian made the Christian tradition relevant for the needs of his day in his spiritual works. Indeed, his spirituality remains essential today; he influenced Saints Benedict and Ignatius of Loyola, and his works continue to be read worldwide.

From mourning to discernment, from invitation to intimacy, and from community to the charge to go forth and witness, this work seeks a fuller understanding of the Eucharist through the story of the disciples on their way to Emmaus and calls us to experience the entire journey, to know that what we celebrate and what we are called to live are one and the same.

Perhaps the world’s leading expert on forgiveness research, Everett Worthington distills decades of wisdom into 15 life-changing lectures. The author or editor of more than 38 books on marriage, family, and forgiveness, Prof. Worthington received the Humanitarian Award from the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. Now you can learn to practice his groundbreaking REACH Forgiveness model through these 15 engaging lectures.

What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? How do we slake our thirst for justice in an unjust world? What do forgiveness and compassion look like in practice? Pursue these questions and more with Capuchin Michael Crosby as he unlocks the meaning of the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. Fr. Crosby has been teaching Catholics for 30 years, and his book The Beatitudes is cherished by the faithful worldwide.

The rarely heard sermons and reflective talks in this set attest to the depths of Thomas Merton’s brilliance. You’ll witness the evolution of Merton’s thought as he moved away from a narrow, cloistered mindset to an ecumenical and socially engaged outlook. This curated collection spans five years of his life and comprises four talks that showcase the themes close to Merton’s heart: the authentic Christian life, contemporary society, contemplation, Marxism, and the relationship of literature to religion.

Nearly eight years in the making, Mary: Mirror of God Who Sees, Hears, Cares, and Comes is neither “pious chatter” nor “frilly theology.” It is born, rather, of Fr. Crosby’s serious questions about Mary’s rightful place in Christian faith, his constant grappling with the “So what?” of effective preaching, and his insights into the importance that God desires Mary to have in our lives.

The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles are two parts of a single triumphant work. Each an epic work in its own right, together they proclaim the gospel message and narrate the gripping story of the Church’s early days. Using the metaphor of a double helix, Fr. William Burton asks you to imagine Luke’s gospel and Acts as a single account with many parallels or rungs connecting the two sides of the twisted ladder.

Join Fr. Richard Clifford, celebrated Harvard-educated scripture scholar, on a journey through the 46 books of the Old Testament. The Old Testament contains a wealth of wisdom, spiritual insights, and timeless stories. In this expansive course, you will explore the Garden of Eden, the reigns of King David and King Solomon, beautiful poetry, the wisdom of the prophets, and much more. Your guide, Professor Richard Clifford, SJ, a world-renowned and widely published scriptural scholar.

The four Gospels are foundational to Christianity. Yet Christian readers are often puzzled by the differences between the Gospels, preferring to harmonize the four into a single narrative. Now, this 24-part lecture course invites you to understand each Gospel's distinctive message. Along the way, you will examine theories about how the three Synoptic Gospels are related. You will also learn why the evangelists are symbolized by four living creatures: the man or angel, the lion, the ox, and the eagle.

Through this special 18-lecture course, explore a powerful four-fold ancient pattern found throughout life, Christian worship, and many revered spiritual exercises. This pattern appears to underlie the choice of four Gospels and their sequencing into the three-year Sunday reading cycles. The four Gospels, when read through this lens, move beyond separate accounts of Jesus to become a seamless spiritual guide for daily life.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is one of the most inspiring figures in Christianity: a Doctor of the Church, visionary mystic, powerful composer of hymns, artist, and philosopher. Now, you have the opportunity to know Hildegard intimately in this program on her life and spirituality.

From internationally acclaimed New Testament scholar Fr. Raymond F. Collins, essential listening for Christians, Catholics, and all who seek to understand scripture. Through this audio course, the capstone of Fr. Collin’s decades of teaching and scholarship, you’ll understand Paul’s Epistles like never before. Through 24 erudite and engaging lectures, you will gain new insights into the 13 letters attributed to Paul, the New Testament’s oldest texts.

This course will have a profound impact on your faith and thinking. Thomas Aquinas, OP (1225-1274), is one of world history's most influential thinkers. His works indelibly shaped Western thought and Christian belief, and his brilliant ideas continue to resonate in universities and churches everywhere. But his complex thought can often seem inaccessible to most of us. In this superb course, taught by an internationally known Aquinas expert, you will tour his towering thought while gaining powerful insights into your faith.

Are you or someone you know considering becoming a Catholic? Or perhaps you are involved with ministry and interested in knowing more about the history, theology, and process rites of baptism and initiation? This engaging audio course, taught by one of Catholicism's leading experts, is just what you need. Rev. Michael Witczak (Prof., Catholic University), an leading expert in liturgical history and the sacraments, will lead you through the scriptural origins, historical context, and practice of initiation rites.

You are invited to sit at the feet of a contemplative master. In the words of renowned theologian Fr. Lawrence Cunningham, Thomas Merton was perhaps "the greatest spiritual writer and spiritual master of the 20th century". With a poet's sensibility, an intellectual's inquiring mind, and a prophet's courage, Merton has captured the hearts of readers and listeners around the world.

Explore the rich spiritual world of Eastern Christian and its 2,000-year history of faith. Tracing their history back to the Apostolic Age, Eastern Christian churches keep alive ancient traditions. Their perspectives are fresh yet steeped in history, familiar yet unique. Now, this 12-lecture course offers you a glimpse into the living faith of the Eastern Christian churches and the early traditions that shaped all of Christianity, Eastern and Western.

Women have always been central to the faith. In the Bible, women have played vital and often surprising roles. To understand these remarkable women, we are honored to bring you one of our most highly regarded scholars and teachers, Professor Barbara Reid, OP, PhD. Professor Reid begins this series by exploring the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2, examining how God created male and female equally in the divine image.