Catholic Courses

A Comprehensive Tour In this course, Father Kirby takes a look at the history and artwork of St. Peter's Square and Basilica through the light of faith. This comprehensive tour explains why St. Peter's Basilica was significant to the early Christians, and why it is still significant today. "Ecco Roma" Just as the ancient pilgrims exclaimed, "Ecco Roma" (Latin for "Behold Rome"), so too does this course begin with wonder at beholding the Eternal City. Aside from visiting Italy in person, this tour will take you as close as possible to experiencing the splendor of Rome, Vatican City, and St. Peter's Square. Beginning with the First Pope Rather than starting this tour with the Basilica's construction, Fr. Kirby begins with the basilica's namesake-St. Peter himself-as well as the origins of Christianity. With this great historical context of the first pope, one can come to more fully appreciate the treasures contained within Rome and within St. Peter's Square. A Tour for Our Times Given in light of the New Evangelization, this tour is not just a tour of Rome's essential history and its artistic masterpieces, but rather one that begs a certain spiritual awareness. St. Peter's is a sacred place, and its basilica is like a living catechism, inspiring us to ask ourselves profound questions and deepen our faith.

Join Joseph Pearce as he explores the great theological depth of the most popular work of literature in the twentieth century, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Despite the absence of any direct mention of Christ or the Catholic Church, Tolkien described his work as "fundamentally religious and Catholic." He was able to infuse his fictional world with theological orthodoxy through his creation of myth and a world order. Endowing his protagonists with Christian virtues, he also incorporated themes of grace and mercy. Tolkien's deep faith and creative philosophy emerge from the narrative as an unmistakable Catholic presence. The very foundation of Tolkien's Middle-earth, from its creation by Iluvatar, the one God, to angel-like Melkor's sinful rebellion, to the menacing presence of Sauron, the dark lord, supports Professor Pearce's argument for the Catholicity of the work. You'll learn of the symbolic greatness of the One Ring, understand the significance of Tolkien's choice of dates, notice the rich similarities between the Elvish waybread, lembas, and the Catholic Eucharist, and see how Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf act as Christ-figures. Over the eight lectures in the course, Professor Pearce highlights connections, symbols, and insights which will expand your reading of The Lord of the Rings. It is said that art holds the mirror up to life. This is the reason that art is "real" and fiction is "true." The Lord of the Rings has continued to endure as a masterpiece of literary genius because it puts human nature on display, revealing both man's greatest temptations, and his most glorious victories. Learn more and discover the wisdom of The Lord of the Rings with Professor Joseph Pearce.

In this course, Professor Joseph Pearce shows that Tolkien's own words about The Lord of the Rings being a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work" also apply to The Hobbit. Professor Pearce guides you through various life lessons discovered through an in-depth reading of The Hobbit: Bilbo grows in maturity, wisdom, compassion, self-sacrifice, and heroism over the course of his journey to the Lonely Mountain. At the end of the novel, Gandalf proclaims that Bilbo is no longer the hobbit he was, and we know that he is changed for the better. The meaning of life is to grow in virtue and holiness by learning the lessons of our adventures so that we can return "home" to God in Heaven. In The Hobbit, Bilbo is time and again protected and rewarded by "luck" or "good fortune." The "luck" present in The Hobbit is nothing other than the hand of providence and grace. In order to survive our life's journey like Bilbo, we need the supernatural assistance of grace and providence. Over and over again in the book, Tolkien presents characters who have fallen prey to dragon-sickness: pride and lust for gold or other material possessions. The Hobbit serves as a cautionary meditation on Matthew 6:21: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Tolkien's profoundly Catholic worldview allows us to transcend a simply literal reading of the story and discover its theological richness. Bilbo Baggins and his adventures can serve as a mirror for our journey through life. Even though we won't find ourselves traveling through goblin-infested mountains, chased by spiders, or threatened by trolls, we can see that virtue is only attained through grace by slaying the monsters and demons which try to prevent our passage into eternal glory.

You've followed Dante through the dreaded gates of Hell, to the arduous slopes of Mount Purgatory, and now, finally, to the transcendence of the Heavenly Court. With Dr. Anthony Esolen, you've travelled into the depths of the Inferno. You've witnessed the terrible hopelessness of Hell and the bitter punishments for sinners there. You've accompanied Dante and Virgil through the mysteries of Mount Purgatory where sinners are purged of all attachment to sin. Finally, together with blessed Beatrice, enter into the indescribable glory of Heaven. The Beatific Vision Dante imagines that Paradise consists of nine celestial spheres which surround the very Throne of God at the center. It is like a blossoming rose, each petal reveals further splendor and glory the nearer we come to the center. Yet, in a way, Dante's journey to God reads something like science fiction - after all, he and Beatrice travel through: • The Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn • The "Fixed Stars" - a region medievals imagined to contain all stars except the Sun • And finally, through the "Primum Mobile" - the sphere which causes the motion of all other spheres within it because it is moved directly by God In each astral location, Dante and Beatrice meet the blessed souls who enjoy the bliss of Heaven. Unlike Purgatory and the Inferno, which are arranged by different types of sin, Paradise is structured according to virtue. Each sphere is associated with one of the cardinal virtues - prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance - or one of the theological virtues - faith, hope, and charity. Poetry of the Highest Order Professor Esolen who has served as your guide through both the Inferno and Purgatory will guide you through the profound and elevated poetry of Paradise. An expert who has taught Dante to college students for more than twenty years, Professor Esolen is also the preeminent modern translator of the entire Divine Comedy from the original Italian. Dante can rightly be called the greatest poet who ever lived, because he chose for the subject of his epic poem the greatest subject ever conceived - namely, the whole purpose and end of man. Dante's imaginative genius gave us both astonishing human and theological insights and perhaps the most beautiful verse describing Heaven ever written. Discover the ineffable majesty of Paradise with Professor Esolen and complete the journey of all men who have conquered the self through the sufferings of Purgatory.

Father Alfred McBride, O.Praem., named one of the most influential religious educators of the 20th century by the Talbot School of Theology, explains that each Gospel has a unique emphasis. A truly faithful picture of Jesus must be gleaned from studying all four Gospels. • Matthew, the tax collector, was a shrewd observer of human nature. His Gospel focuses on Jesus the Teacher. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ teaches his disciples about the Kingdom of God. Matthew also describes how Christ founded Church life, beginning with his institution of Peter as the rock on which the Church would be built. • Mark's Gospel is the shortest, but is perhaps the richest in detail. Mark was a talented storyteller who gives us the picture of a resolute Jesus, who is determined to let people know the Good News. Mark shows that a true relationship with Jesus is deeper than that between a student and a teacher. Our calling, as Christians, is to become disciples of Jesus, who is our master––a master who sets us free in love. • Luke's Gospel reflects his friendly, humane, and trustworthy character. Without diminishing Christ's divinity, Luke shows us how to be intimate with the Son of God by helping us feel at home with the human Jesus. • John, the "apostle whom Jesus loved," enthusiastically gives us Jesus radiant with the light of his Resurrection. In John's Gospel, Jesus provides his self-description as light, life, way, truth, shepherd, and living bread. John expresses Jesus' remarkable ability to touch, not just to those in Capernaum, Galilee, and Jerusalem, but all of us in our present circumstances. Together, these four books give us a personal picture of Jesus as encountered by his friends. We do not have to fly to the heavens or roam the farthest reaches of the seas to find Jesus of Nazareth. According to "The Christ: A Faithful Picture from the Gospels," he is as near to us as our own heartbeat.

We Know What Happens in Hell... But What about Purgatory? Dante's Inferno revealed some titillating details about the punishments inflicted on sinners - but in a way, we already knew what happens to people in Hell. What we don't know is what happens to people who end up in Purgatory. In this second part of The Divine Comedy, Dante probes the mysteries of that strange and often misunderstood place between earth and Heaven. Climb the Mount Purgatory is a place to work through - no one gets stuck there forever. The souls in Dante's Purgatory must climb up seven terraces on Mount Purgatory before they can reach Heaven. On these terraces, Dante and Virgil find: • The prideful, who are forced into humility by heavy loads of stones on their backs • The envious, whose eyes are sewn shut to prevent them from seeing the goods of others • The wrathful, who climb through choking smoke that represents the blinding nature of anger • The slothful, who engage in ceaseless activity to overcome their former laziness • The covetous, who must lie face down on the ground for their attachment to earthly goods • The gluttonous, who must starve in sight of unreachable fruit hanging from trees above them • The lustful, who are purified by running through a wall of flame which represents God's pure love Along the way, they are cleansed from the stains of sin by punishments which are like, and yet unlike, those suffered by the sinners in Hell. Here, the suffering souls glorify God and rejoice in their suffering, because they know it prepares them for the eternal bliss of Heaven. A Real Place Virgil and Dante discover the astonishing spiritual reality of Purgatory as they climb through the terraces on Mount Purgatory. Dante created a poetic vision which might be the best imaginative representation of Purgatory ever written. While his poem might not reflect the actual nature of Purgatory, his insights can help us understand it better. Your Expert Guide A celebrated translator and teacher of Dante, Professor Esolen interprets and describes the rich theological insights discovered by Dante on his journey up the mountain. Join Dante, Virgil, and Professor Esolen to continue the journey begun in the Inferno which will culminate in the ineffable beauty of Paradise.