Jesus tells us in John 6 to “be not afraid.” This saying is difficult to accept when there seems to be so much to fear in raising a family in today’s world. But Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we should have confidence that His word can be trusted. On this episode, learn how we can place our trust in the Sacred Heart and consecrate our families to Christ.
We tend to glamorize the Nativity by portraying the manger scene with a rosy glow, but contemplating what the Holy Family faced in order to keep the Christ Child safe helps us remember how incredible Christmas truly is. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn suggests taking a new look at Christmas in order to enter into Advent more deeply.
Why can’t non-Catholics receive the Eucharist? Why do we call priests “father”? Why do we offer Masses and other prayers for the dead? On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn answers these and other common questions on the Mass. Whether you have some of these questions yourself or you want to better answer your non-Catholic friends, listen now to learn more.
Why did Jesus choose to institute the Eucharist under both bread and wine? At the Last Supper, Jesus was preparing the Apostles for His death. By instituting the Eucharist under a separation of bread and wine, He was signifying the separation of His Body and Blood on the Cross. Learn more about the connection between the Last Supper and Good Friday and what it says about the Eucharist.
It’s easy to see the role of the priest in the Mass, but what about the role of the laity? How are we called to participate in the liturgy? Understanding the Eucharist as a sacrifice, as the New Passover, reveals the essential role of every person in offering the most pure sacrifice of the Mass. Learn more in this second part of a four-part series.
What is the structure of the Mass? Why do we even call our liturgy “Mass”? As Scott Hahn points out on today’s episode, the Mass can feel like mindless routine if we don’t grasp the significance of what we’re doing. Listen to this first part of a series on how to get the most out of the Mass.
Confession can be a real stumbling block to so many both outside and inside the Church. But on this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn gives us a new way to think about Confession. He shares his own struggles with the sacrament and how, through the Bible and through personal experience, he came to embrace the need for the healing of Reconciliation.
What is chastity and how do we live it well? The modern world makes the virtue of chastity out to be unattractive and impossible. But Fr. Carter Griffin reminds us that chastity is really the capacity to love, and to love the way God wants us to love. Learn some practical ways to live out this beautiful virtue even amid difficulty.
Should married men be ordained priests? Is celibacy still important for the priesthood? The Amazon Synod has made celibacy a hot button topic—but what hasn’t been talked about is how celibacy builds up the Church and why it is a gift, not a burden. Scott Hahn and Fr. Carter Griffin challenge us to rethink celibacy—and fatherhood—on this episode.
How should we respond to our own suffering? On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn walks through the rich biblical background on hardship, looks at Mary as a model for redemptive suffering, and shares his own personal experience. Listen now for personal and practical ways we as believers can face our suffering.
The ancient Israelites never went into battle without the Ark of the Covenant—it heralded God’s presence among them and promised that God was watching over them. On this episode, Scott Hahn reveals that Catholics are also called to battle. We follow the Ark of the New Covenant and carry our own weapons—Mary and her Rosary.
We’ve all heard the common objections to the Catholic Church. We might even have friends who have fallen away because they weren’t given the tools to defend their faith. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn, himself a convert to the faith, helps us understand and answer these objections.
Think of Thomas Aquinas, and the first thing that comes to mind is usually the Summa Theologiae and dogmatic theology. But Aquinas was actually first and foremost a Scripture scholar. Scott Hahn explains what we can learn from this great scholar about placing the Word of God at the forefront of our lives.
What does the second coming have to do with the Mass and the Eucharist? For most Protestants today, the Greek word parousia in the writings of St. Paul conjures up an image of the second coming. But when St. Paul uses parousia, meaning “presence,” he’s really referring to Christ’s physical presence veiled in the Eucharist. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn opens the Scriptures for a fuller understanding of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist.
We’ve all heard the statistic that only 30 percent of Catholics in America believe in the Real Presence. But one statistic that came out of the recent Pew poll has been largely overlooked: most of the 70 percent of Catholics who believe the Eucharist is merely a symbol also believe that this is what the Church teaches. If this is true, we’re not just facing a crisis of faith, but a crisis of catechesis. What can we do to make sure more Catholics are taught the truth of what the Church teaches about the Eucharist?
What is the Liturgy of the Word? Why is it important? Why did it help Scott Hahn become Catholic? Here’s a blueprint on the Liturgy of the Word to help you get the most out of Mass.
When Scott Hahn began looking into the Catholic Church, he was urged on by one question: “How did a Roman execution come to be known as a sacrifice?” The more he studied, the more he realized that to understand Good Friday, we have to understand Holy Thursday and the Last Supper. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Dr. Hahn shares the story of how he came to discover that Scripture points ultimately to the Eucharist.
We might not realize it, but every Sunday at Mass we’re practicing typology—the Church has given us the lectionary as a key to connecting the Old and New Testaments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the readings for the Feast of the Assumption and their emphasis on the Ark of the Covenant. What might at first be surprising becomes clear when we read the Book of Revelation in light of the Old Testament to discover Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.
Priests are fathers and fathers are priests—a concept that is increasingly difficult to understand in a culture that devalues the role of fathers more and more with each passing day. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn and Rob Corzine, Vice President of Programs at the St. Paul Center, offer clarity on the often-overlooked connection between priesthood and fatherhood.
Over the past forty years, the Church has seen a profound renewal in scholarship and the faith. There has been an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, inspiring a springtime for Catholic life. And no matter how dark it may seem for the Church, the Holy Spirit is ever-present. On this episode of The Road to Emmaus, Scott Hahn and Ralph Martin discuss how the Holy Spirit desires to work in the Church today.
