Terra Firma, Part II (DIS) – The Secrets of Star Trek

Mirror, mirror! Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss the 2nd part of the two-parter, which asks whether it’s possible to be a kinder, gentler tyrant and if it’s more important to change oneself or to change the world. Plus the big reveal of a Trek favorite.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Randonautica and Randonauting (Paranormal Journeys with Your Phone?) – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

The Randonautica phone app promises to take you on a magical, mystery journey. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli explore whether there is anything paranormal about these random journeys or if it’s all just random chance. And Jimmy reveals the unexpected results of his own Randonautica trip.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

Mysterious Headlines

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Aaron Vurgason Electric and Automation at AaronV.com. Making Connections for Life for your automation and smart home needs in north and central Florida.

RosaryArmy.com. Have more peace. Visit RosaryArmy.com and get a free all-twine knotted rosary, downloadable audio Rosaries, and more. Make Them. Pray Them. Give Them Away at RosaryArmy.com.

Colchester Curry House, helping people make authentic Indian cuisine from the comfort of their own home. Find authentic Indian spice blends and recipes at ColchesterCurryHouse.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Weekly Francis – 16 December 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 9 December 2020 to 16 December 2020.

Angelus

General Audiences

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “God listens to the cry of those who invoke Him. Even our reluctant questions, those that remain in the depths of our heart. The Father wishes to give us the Holy Spirit, which inspires every #prayer and transforms everything. It is a question of patience, of supporting the wait.” @Pontifex 9 December 2020
  • “Everyone is called to contribute with courage and determination to the respect for the fundamental rights of every person, especially the ”invisible“: of the many who are hungry and thirsty, who are naked, sick, outcast or imprisoned.” @Pontifex 10 December 2020
  • “Accompanied by the Mother of Jesus on the journey towards Christmas, in these times that are difficult for many, let us make an effort to rediscover the great hope and joy brought to us by the coming of the Son of God into the world. #Advent” @Pontifex 11 December 2020
  • “Looking at the image of Our Lady of #Guadalupe, we see these three realities reflected: abundance, blessing and gift. God always gives Himself in abundance in His blessings.” @Pontifex 12 December 2020
  • “The current pandemic and climate change affect above all the lives of the poor. We must promote a culture that places at its center human dignity and the common good. For this reason the Holy See joins in the objective of net zero emission. Video Message” @Pontifex 12 December 2020
  • “The Virgin Mary silently awaited God’s Word of salvation; she welcomed it; she listened to it; she conceived it. In her, God became close. This is why the Church calls Mary a “Cause of our joy”. #Angelus” @Pontifex 13 December 2020
  • “I bless the statuettes of Jesus, which will be placed in the Nativity scene. When you pray at home, before the Nativity scene with your families, allow yourselves to be drawn by the tenderness of Baby Jesus, born poor and frail among us, in order to give us his love.” @Pontifex 13 December 2020
  • “To pray is to light a candle in the darkness. #Prayer rouses us from the tepidness of a purely horizontal existence, lifts our gaze to higher things, makes us attuned to the Lord, allows God to be close to us; it frees us from our solitude and gives us hope.” @Pontifex 15 December 2020
  • “#Prayer during the time of #Advent helps us to remember we are not more righteous or better than others, but that we are all sinners who need to be touched by God’s mercy. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 16 December 2020
  • “I ask God to inspire, in the hearts of all, respect for the life of our brothers, especially the most fragile and helpless, and to give strength to those who receive them and care for them, even when this demands heroic love.” @Pontifex 16 December 2020

Papal Instagram

Day of the Moon – The Secrets of Doctor Who

In the 2nd part of the season premiere, the Doctor and companions battle the Silence in 1969. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss the vast scope of this story over time, the clever ways they counter the Silence’s power, and the first hints at the bigger story arc involving Amy and her child.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Terra Firma I (DIS) – The Secrets of Star Trek

Who is the mysterious doorkeeper? Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss the strange entity who appears, the way the Mirror Universe changes the way the show plays out, and how Mirror Burnham is a much more interesting character.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Music and Grieving

After my wife, Renee, passed on from cancer in 1992—at the startlingly young age of 27—I did a lot of grieving.

One of the things that helped me through that process was listening to the music of two Christian recording artists.

I’ve mentioned them a few times on Catholic Answers Live when people call in who are dealing with personal losses, and I thought I’d blog about them in hopes that the information could be helpful to others.

I’m not impressed by a lot of artists, but I am by these two. They’re both very talented musicians and songwriters—and not just about grieving. Their music deals with a lot of situations from life and is well worth listening to whether you’re grieving or not!

Their names are Mark Heard and Billy Sprague.

Both artists are Evangelicals (or, I should say, Mark Heard was Evangelical; he passed just a couple of weeks before Renee did).

They both lost people, and this informs their work. They have a sense of the reality of suffering, but framed with a Christian worldview that emphasizes hope and redemption.

This combination—suffering, hope, and redemption—made their music very helpful to me.

It can still make me tear up—in a good way. (In fact, I did writing this post.)

Here are a few notes on the artists, as well as some of the albums that I listened to—and particular songs that I found helpful.

These were a comfort to me, and I hope they will provide comfort to others.

Whether you’re grieving or not, I recommend both these artists!

 

Mark Heard

Heard’s music ranges across a variety of musical styles (rock, country, zydeco) and is very thoughtful.

It is filled with powerful images, complex emotions, and subtle biblical references.

I’ve blogged about it—in connection with Renee’s death—before. You can read about that here.

Here’s a recording of Mark’s song Treasure of the Broken Land.

 

Billy Sprague

Sprague’s music also ranges across a variety of musical styles, but it is primarily rock and orchestral rock-oriented. It is clear that one of his major influences has been the Beatles.

His music tends to be more overtly Christian (e.g., Sprague will just come out and say “Heaven Is a Long Hello”—whereas Heard will allude to being reunited with our loved ones by mentioning “miraculous circumstance where the blind ones see and the dry bones dance”).

Here’s a recording of Billy’s song Press On.

 

Comparison

Sprague tends to be more explicit, whereas Heard relies more on allusions. Both the more direct and the less direct approaches are helpful in reaching and processing emotions.

Both artists have music that is very beautiful and can be emotionally powerful for a grieving person (or anybody).

Both also have music that contains of sorrow and hope. Heard’s helped me process feelings of sorrow a little bit more, while Sprague’s helped me feel hope a little bit more.

This made them both good for the different stages of grieving.

 

Mark Heard Discography for Grieving

Album: Dry Bones Dance (1990)

Key Songs:

  • Rise from the Ruins
  • Dry Bones Dance
  • House of Broken Dreams
  • Strong Hand of Love

 

 

Album: Satellite Sky (1992)

Key Songs:

  • Satellite Sky
  • Orphans of God
  • Language of Love
  • Treasure of the Broken Land

 

 

Billy Sprague Discography for Grieving

Album: Torn Between Two Worlds (1992)

Key Songs:

  • Heaven Is a Long Hello
  • Waiting for the Day
  • For the One Who Sleeps
  • You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down

 

 

Album: The Wind and the Wave (1993)

Key Songs:

  • Press On
  • A Way Back
  • The Blessing (of the Fleet)
  • The Sacred Journey

Carlos Castaneda: Godfather of the New Age (Death Cult?) – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

In the late 1960s, Carlos Castaneda claimed to reveal the drug-fueled, mystical teachings of a Native American sorcerer, launching the New Age movement. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli explore who Castaneda was and what he taught and the truth behind the mysteries surrounding him.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

Mysterious Headlines

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Aaron Vurgason Electric and Automation at AaronV.com. Making Connections for Life for your automation and smart home needs in north and central Florida.

RosaryArmy.com. Have more peace. Visit RosaryArmy.com and get a free all-twine knotted rosary, downloadable audio Rosaries, and more. Make Them. Pray Them. Give Them Away at RosaryArmy.com.

Colchester Curry House, helping people make authentic Indian cuisine from the comfort of their own home. Find authentic Indian spice blends and recipes at ColchesterCurryHouse.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Weekly Francis – 09 December 2020

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 17 November 2020 to 9 December 2020.

Angelus

Apostolic Letter

General Audiences

Letters

Messages

Motu Proprio

Speeches

Papal Tweets

  • “The first step of faith is to tell God that we need him, that we need him to be close to us. Thus, if we ask Jesus to come close to us, we will train ourselves to be watchful.” @Pontifex 3 December 2020
  • “Inclusion should be the “rock” on which to build programmes and initiatives of civil institutions meant to ensure that no one, especially those in greatest difficulty, is left behind. #IDPD” @Pontifex 3 December 2020
  • “To help our society to “build back better”, inclusion of the vulnerable must also entail efforts to promote their active participation. #IDPD Message” @Pontifex 3 December 2020
  • “Come, Lord Jesus, make our distracted hearts watchful. Awaken within us the desire to pray and the need to love.” @Pontifex 4 December 2020
  • “Just as before our birth, our loved ones awaited us, so now Love in person awaits us. If we are awaited in Heaven, why should we be caught up with earthly concerns? Why should we waste time complaining about the night, when the light of day awaits us?” @Pontifex 5 December 2020
  • “Conversion is a grace that we need to forcefully ask God for. We are converted to the degree in which we open ourselves up to the beauty, the goodness, the tenderness of God. Thus let us leave what is false and fleeting for what is true, beautiful and everlasting. #GospelOfTheDay” @Pontifex 6 December 2020
  • “I want to be close to all doctors and nurses during this time in which the pandemic calls us to be near all men and women who suffer. Thank you for drawing near to them, thanks for your tenderness, thanks for your professionalism in taking care of the sick.” @Pontifex 7 December 2020
  • “The uncontaminated beauty of our Mother is incomparable, but at the same time it attracts us. Let us entrust ourselves to her and say “no” to sin and “yes” to Grace once and for all. #Angelus” @Pontifex 8 December 2020
  • “150 years after the proclamation of St Joseph as Patron of the Catholic Church, I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own human experience.
    Apostolic Letter” @Pontifex 8 December 2020

Papal Instagram