Father Fessio in Five (by Ignatius Press)
Five-minute Catholic wisdom—or in Latin, “disjecta membra”—from Ignatius Press’ founder, editor, and priest, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., Ph.D., a student of Joseph Ratzinger and Henri de Lubac, a winemaker, a baker, and, at times, ”the most powerful man in the American Church.”
Episodes
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
20: PRAISE 101—What the Psalms teach us about happiness
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Most of us have forgotten how to praise and, therefore, how to be happy. Let's change that right now. How? The Psalms.
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
19: God Is a Treasure Hunter
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Thursday Aug 10, 2023
Jesus' parable of the treasure buried in the field: What is this treasure? Well, what if WE are that treasure, and God "sells all he has" to get US?
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
18: How Did Jesus Read the Bible?
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Thursday Aug 03, 2023
Confused about the Old Testament? The Son of God sure has an interesting solution!
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
17: When You Knock and the Door Won’t Open
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
Thursday Jul 27, 2023
We have all felt it: God isn't answering my prayers. But guess what. He IS—if we'd just open our eyes to see it.
Friday Jul 21, 2023
16: But You Can, in Fact, Be Perfect (Perfectionism, pt. 2)
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
"Be perfect"? According to the original Greek, this is possible only if we first know WHAT we are.
Friday Jul 14, 2023
BONUS: I Saw a Saint: My Years with Cardinal Henri de Lubac
Friday Jul 14, 2023
Friday Jul 14, 2023
In this emotional interview (from the FORMED BOOK CLUB Podcast), Father Fessio tells the story of his long-time mentor, the great Cardinal Henri de Lubac, S.J., whom John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have all cited as a major influence. De Lubac's cause for canonization is currently being opened by the bishops of France.
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
15: The Courage to Be Small
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Jesus does not want greatness. He wants smallness. Just ask John the Baptist—and Mary.
Friday Jul 07, 2023
14: Are You a Perfectionist?
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Join the club. But Jesus has an important message for the overachievers out there: learn to LOVE.
Friday Jul 07, 2023
13: We Found the Lost Ark
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
We've found the real lost Ark of the Covenant. It's been sitting right under our noses all these centuries.
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
12: How to Get Famous (in Heaven)
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Ask any celebrity: Famous people are the saddest on earth. Yet so many of us still long for fame. Here's the only way to get what you're REALLY looking for. (Hint: It isn't surgery.)
Monday Jun 19, 2023
11: Why We Get Married (and Receive the Eucharist)
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Monday Jun 19, 2023
It's better to be human than to be an angel.
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
10: The Riddle of Mary
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Ever hear of Angelius Silesius? This obscure mystic poet will let you in on a secret about Mary—and about how God works in all of us. (Yes, German can be beautiful.)
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
9: Can Math Get You Closer to God? (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 5)
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
The ancient Jews and ancient Greeks approached God through numbers. What can they teach us now?
Thursday May 25, 2023
8: Why We Obsess about Relationships (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 4)
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
"Matchmaking" shows abound. Teenagers wept over Taylor Swift's last breakup. Why? Ancient Hebrew secret: relation is everything—even for God Himself.
Friday May 19, 2023
7: When True Gods Collide (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 3)
Friday May 19, 2023
Friday May 19, 2023
Is God all-transcendent and mysterious, or is God close and loving? Just four short Hebrew words from Psalm 63 crack the code.
Thursday May 11, 2023
6: God Wrote No Vowels (Hebrew for Dummies, pt. 2)
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Imagine a language of only consonants. Rather, imgn lngg f nly cnsnnts. That's what God wanted for the whole Old Testament. Was He out of his Mind?
Friday May 05, 2023
5: God’s Music (in Mary)
Friday May 05, 2023
Friday May 05, 2023
There's nothing like the sound of voices reverberating in a big, empty church. But Mary's heart was even more resonant than that. Can you hear the Divine Harmony?
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
4: Would Mary Pray the Rosary?
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
The Rosary: Some live for it; some fall asleep to it. But for Mary, it was something far, far, far more real.
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
3: Hebrew for Dummies: Introduction
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם! Oh, you don't know Hebrew, you say? Well, it's what Jesus (and Mary) used to pray.
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
2: The God of Creativity
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
God makes things—constantly. And he loves it. Why don't we?
Monday Apr 24, 2023
1: Of Dogs and Men
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Yes, we are dumb as dogs—or dumber. But God wants to teach us.