Made for Love
A Catholic podcast from the USCCB asking the important questions about the call to love.
Episodes
Jose Pulido knows what it takes to evangelize men and to drive men to evangelize others. He's done it in his ministry At the Service, and he knows how scripture can help make it happen. Later, (21:10) Kara joins to get a jump on the upcoming Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer by looking back at Inception and its overlooked emphasis on the role of objective reality in truly loving relationships.
We're back with the rest of our conversation with Jason Evert on his book Male, Female, Other? and how it can help us approach gender theory and those who experience gender discordance. Then (19:35), Kara joins to finish talking about Pixar's Inside Out.
Jason Evert of the Chastity Project joins to discuss his new book Male, Female, Other?, which addresses the current state of gender theory in our culture. He goes into great detail about how to address the problems in the ideology, but more importantly he provides insight into how to lovingly speak and listen to someone struggling with gender discordance, not as an advocate, but as a child of God. Later (18:55), Kara joins in advan...
Does God need us? Why would he create us (or anything) if he didn't? How is God's relationship with us and with the world different than any other religion's account? How does it change the way we love? Bishop Robert Barron, head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and Word on Fire, discusses how the Christian distinction answers all of those questions and more.
Our conversation on human ecology continues with Dr. Jennifer Frey, who dives deeper into the mind of the Church and the work of the Institute for Human Ecology. Then (19:15), we celebrate Mother’s Day with Kara by talking about Lady Bird. The prestigious 2017 movie has a surprisingly nuanced take on family life and love-related wounds, without turning its nose up at Christianity.
When talking about humanity's relationship with nature, John Paul II used the phrase "human ecology". Benedict XVI used a similar phrase. So did Francis. What do they all mean by it? Dr. Jennifer Frey, of the Institute for Human Ecology and a philosophy professor at the University of South Carolina, helps unpack this theme in the Church's recent tradition. Kara hops in to talk about Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (20:25) and its ba...
Happy Easter! We're back with a shorter episode during the Easter Octave, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sleepless in Seattle! Kara and Andrew complete their coverage of the Nora Ephron-Meg Ryan romcom trilogy. Destiny takes a hand, or does it?
The addictive danger to our families from pornography is far too great to ignore, which is why Amanda Zurface of Covenant Eyes is here to help. She talks about how communities and families can guard against these risks, and how parishes can do the same, with Safe Haven Sunday. Then, Kara joins (18:00) to chat about the recent AI/chatGPT news developments, through the lens of the film Her (2013), directed by Spike Jonze. Could an ad...
When you think of your soul leaving your body, what image comes to mind? If it's a ghostly duplicate of your physical body, boy do we have a show for you. Dr. Therese Scarpelli Cory joins from Notre Dame's philosophy department to examine how that view has some unintended side effects for our sense of self, how to improve on that view, and what it has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. Then, Kara joins to finish our Osc...
Why do we feel more isolated than ever? How do kids from smaller families have a harder time forming connections later in life? What do people mean when they talk about identity, using phrases like "it's who I really am"? Mary Eberstadt discusses answers to those questions, her new book Adam and Eve After the Pill Revisited, and the unfolding impact of the Sexual Revolution. Later (32:00), Kara joins as we continue our run-up to th...
Our coverage of the National Eucharistic Revival continues with Sr. Alicia Torres, managing editor of the Eucharistic Revival's newsletter, who shares how her relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist animates her calling as a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist. Later (18:45), Kara Bach joins as we attempt to wrap our minds around Everything Everywhere All at Once. This Academy Award front-runner has a lot to say about a lot (as the...
Kara and Andrew devote an entire episode to Titanic on the 25th anniversary of the film's long run in theaters, which happens to coincide with director James Cameron's new film, Avatar: The Way of Water. The aquatic adventure from 1997 has quite a bit more to offer for reflection on the call to love, however. As is unavoidable when talking about this movie, the conversation gets emotional.
We are kicking off the new year with a look at the Eucharistic Revival! Fr. Craig Vasek gives us the scoop on this growing movement to restore faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Then (27:35), Kara Bach joins to talk about Steven Spielberg's Oscar-contending autobiographical family drama, The Fabelmans.
We're ending the year by celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Muppet Christmas Carol! Kara and Andrew wax theological about this all-time classic, which builds in surprising ways on Charles Dickens's original 1843 novella. According to this version of Scrooge, love is the only thing sillier than a Merry Christmas. How's that working out for him?
What did Aquinas say about marriage? How does he reveal the true nature of marriage as we live it out today? Did he get everything right, and if not, how do we approach it now? Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, joins to answer those questions and more! Then, Kara joins (22:30) to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Casablanca and how world events impact the call to love.
Kara and Andrew finally complete their quest to review season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! Most of the story is not original to Tolkien and was produced by a company whose practices diverge considerably from the Gospel. So why does the show quote almost directly from scripture and the moral theology of Thomas Aquinas with strange regularity? Why is divine providence hinted at more heavily than in the Lord of the ...
Canavox's Lucas Fennell joins to talk about what we can learn about friendship and its impact on fatherhood, drawing from his years of experience working with teenage boys and incarcerated men. Then (25:10), Kara and Andrew finally start their coverage of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Now that season 1 is complete, we can finally talk about it, but will we fit everything into one episode? (No).
We're celebrating 100 episodes by celebrating the movies! Deacon Steven Greydanus of Decent Films joins to offer some perspective on our approach to film, declining religious themes in Marvel movies like Thor: Love and Thunder, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, plus a plethora of recommendations!
Dr. Andrew Sodergren brings his psychological expertise to the podcast to help us tackle questions surrounding the development of men and women. This fascinating look includes Attachment Theory, questions about gender discordance and dysphoria, and how to treat people with those experiences compassionately and truthfully. Then (36:55), Kara joins to mark the onset of Fall as is commonly done: by talking about You've Got Mail.
Experts in medicine, psychology, philosophy, and theology recently collaborated on a new book, which comprehensively outlines a coherent view of the human person. Dr. Paul Hruz, one of the medical contributors to Sexual Identity: The Harmony of Philosophy, Science, and Revelation, joins to talk about the book and what exactly are the factors of biological sex. Later (22:55) Kara joins to celebrate Hobbit Day, and put up with Andre...
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