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Join one of America's leading theologians in exploring a question of timeless importance: What does it mean to lead a good life? Your professor for this provocative 24-lecture course is Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M. (PhD, Duke University), an award-winning author and professor of theology at Boston College.

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.

From Bud Lite and Ritalin to LSD and barbiturates, chemical substances alter our brains and behaviors in surprising ways. In 15 masterful lectures, this audio course takes you on a fascinating tour of the major categories of psychoactive drugs. As you explore the neuroscience and psychology behind these drugs, you’ll discover their benefits and risks. Like most thoughtful persons, you know how prevalent psychoactive drugs such as alcohol, antidepressants, cannabis, and opioids are in our society. Now is your opportunity to become a more informed friend, parent, or patient.

Is there other intelligent life in the universe, or are we all alone? Now you can explore this question through 17 compelling conversations with leading experts on extraterrestrial life. The prospect of alien intelligences has long captivated cosmologists, perplexed theologians, and provided rich fodder for science fiction writers. While we may doubt that the large-eyed, green-skinned figures of sci-fi films will one day descend to Earth in UFOs, it is far harder to reject wholesale the possibility that intelligent life - in some form yet unknown - exists.

For two millennia, the Christian tradition has developed tried-and-true methods for finding peace and dwelling in the presence of God. These time-honored practices have helped countless men and women lead more meaningful lives. But wielding the spiritual tools forged by our spiritual ancestors can be difficult amid the bustle of modern life.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John form an exquisite kaleidoscope that reflects the life and teachings of Jesus. Under the guidance of acclaimed biblical scholar Felix Just, SJ (PhD, Yale University), you will consider the different historical contexts, intended messages, and emphases of each evangelist.

Let the beauty of astronomy inspire your contemplation of creation. An Introduction to the Universe: The Big Ideas of Astronomy will give you a deeper appreciation of the sky and our ever-growing understanding of astronomy. Your guide for this journey through the cosmos is Dr. Guy Consolmagno (PhD, University of Arizona), a renowned astronomer and director of the Vatican's astronomical observatory. In his engaging lectures, you'll deepen your sense of joy as you gaze at the stars and planets.

Most scholars agree that the Gospel according to Mark is the earliest of the four canonical gospels. It is also the shortest, with swift dramatic turns throughout its fast-paced narrative. Because of its brevity, Mark's Gospel leaves many questions unanswered, and it has often been overlooked in the history of Christianity. As you will discover, though, Mark's Gospel is compelling in its combination of simplicity and sophistication. This audio course guides you through Mark's Gospel sequentially, offering you fresh insights and a deeper understanding of its overall shape.

More than ever, Americans are reclaiming our national identity based on the fundamental principles of America's founding. In this enlightening course, you will explore what defines us as Americans by looking at our founding documents: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This is the course you always wish you had taken when you were an undergrad. An engaging and gifted teacher, Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga passionately explores the founding principles that make America a great nation.

As an influential religious founder and model of poverty, St. Clare of Assisi left us with a legacy that is at once humble and immense. In this audio course, you will join an internationally acclaimed expert on the life and literature of St. Clare. Drawing on decades as a scholar and translator of St. Clare, Sr. Joan Mueller, OSC, PhD invites you to explore Clare's rich literary heritage. Through her remarkable writings, you will discover a window into the timeless wisdom of 13th-century medieval women.

A retreat with the Gospel of Matthew will enable you to spend prayerful time with Jesus Christ. Containing prayerful reflections, outstanding biblical scholarship, and an engaging presentation style, this audio retreat is brilliantly presented by Fr. Felix Just, SJ (PhD, Yale), an award-winning biblical retreat leader. His acclaimed conferences combine insightful examinations of Matthew's Gospel with three methods of biblical prayer: reflective meditation, imaginative contemplation, and centering prayer.

As with any great work of the literary imagination, the Confessions of Saint Augustine defies categorization. It is part spiritual autobiography, part theological meditation - but above all, it is one of the most superb masterpieces ever written. In St. Augustine's Confessions: The Arc of Conversion, you will join leading Augustine expert and award-winning professor James Wetzel in exploring this timeless work anew.

Discover the Book of Genesis anew in this brilliantly taught Bible study course. Genesis may be one of your favorite books of the Bible, but many of its stories can seem puzzling or foreign. How are we to reconcile the two seemingly different creation stories? And why would a supposedly benevolent God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? How is the bible’s first book relevant to our lives today?

Pope Francis is a pope of firsts: the first Jesuit, the first to take the name Francis, and the first pope from the Americas. His papacy has been marked by a style of simplicity, warmth, and an emphasis on the heart of the Gospel. In his opening conference in a retreat to the bishops of Latin America, Francis said, "What moves us most is the desire to thank God and to praise him." Like Pope Francis, we are all called to conversion, impelled towards the renewal of our faith.

Ten watershed dates forever shaped Israel's history and the development of Jewish and Christian identity. The Old Testament may seem vast and at times overwhelming to even the most dedicated. By grasping the significance of these 10 seminal events, you will better understand your faith and the traditions shared by billions. This unique course is full of gripping tales, though-provoking theology, engaging personal stories, and historical frameworks that make easy recalling and conveying the history of the Old Testament.

The Spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi invites you to learn from the Franciscan tradition of living the Gospel. In this inspiring course, you will look at the spiritual writings of St. Francis and his followers as well as how they put their beliefs into practice. Br. William Short's powerful yet accessible lectures deliver you the heart of the treasures from this "little poor man of Assisi".

At the end our lives, we look forward to eternal life. Now you can take a fascinating journey through eschatology, the theology of the Last Things. In these 12 lectures, you will join renowned theologian Dr. Peter Phan in encountering De Novissimis - the "Last Things". You will explore the realities that occur at the end of life (i.e., death and dying) as well as those that occur in the afterlife (i.e., judgment, purgatory, hell, heaven, the resurrection, and the consummation of the world).

Merton first looks at the "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy," which is, as Merton calls it, a work of supreme faith and the most important document on the liturgy in 1,600 years. He then explored the Vatican II's schemata on the religious life, which eventually culminated in the "Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life." Merton's lectures took place before this document was issued, so you will get a fascinating look at the inner workings of the church.

Since the age of the apostles, great scholars and lay Christians alike have reflected upon the meaning of Scripture, the nature of divinity, the call to discipleship, and countless other topics in our religious tradition. This practice, known as theology, is as important to Christian life today as ever. And yet, theology can sometimes seem remote from the everyday life of faith; too often, we view it as an obscure activity conducted in the ivory towers of academic life.

How do you understand Grace and sin? How are they spiritually connected? In the Western church, the understanding of grace, sin, and God's good creation has been shaped by theologians responding to the challenges specific to their times while using the resources of theology, philosophy, and personal religious experience. With the help of Father Brian McDermott, SJ, you will be able to address these and other questions as well as gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of God's grace.