St. Francis of Assisi has for decades been depicted in illustrations, paintings, and even garden birdbaths as a saint with a love for animals. But he is not the only Christian saint associated with animals. In this series of lectures you will approach these stories as hagiography - that is, stories of the saints intended to edify, to communicate a spiritual meaning to their audience.

Life During Jesus' Time transports you to the world that shaped Christianity. In 12 lectures, you will navigate the streets Jesus walked, enter the temples the disciples attended, and explore the sociopolitical context in which they lived. Fr. Collins, a renowned New Testament scholar, leads you on this journey with wisdom and wit.

Every true period of renewal in the Church has been marked by a rediscovery of the person of Jesus Christ. The Second Vatican Council inaugurated such a rediscovery. It asked Christians to “return to the sources” - especially the New Testament and those early theologian-bishops known as “the fathers of the Church” - as a way of envisioning anew their faith in Jesus. A half-century later, Father Robert Imbelli pilots you through this mental safari into the unmapped regions of your imagination.

The sacraments are seven enduring pillars of the faith, triumphantly revealing Christ alive in the world today. And yet few truly understand these signs of God's grace. Now, you can transform your understanding of the sacraments with this powerful course. Insightfully taught by liturgical expert Dr. Daniel Van Slyke, The Seven Sacraments will deliver you to the heart of the Catholic faith. Its unique approach will enlighten, inform, and inspire you.

This brilliantly taught audio course will ignite your imagination and enrich your mind. In 12 illuminating lectures, award-winning professor and acclaimed historian Prof. Christopher M. Bellitto (PhD, Fordham University) makes medieval history both engaging and enlightening. Throughout history, humans have conjured images to understand their relationships with other Christians, the wider world, and God. For medieval men and women, those images came from Christendom, which was the air they breathed.

A leading Christian intellectual and a global citizen, Thomas Merton was known for his mission to understand and learn from other cultures’ worldviews and philosophies. Now, as you listen to these nine captivating talks on Chinese and Greek philosophy, your own interest in these ancient schools of thought, Eastern and Western, will be ignited.

Few events have affected the course of civilization as profoundly as the Crusades, a centuries-long period of violent conflict and competition between Islam and Christianity. The Crusades brought destruction and violence to the third monotheistic faith of Judaism as well. Resurfacing frequently in present-day political conversations about clashes between faiths and cultures, the troubling legacy of the Crusades is undeniable.

From the age of the apostles to Vatican II, the Catholic Church has evolved and invigorated itself. Now, you can take a riveting journey through Church renewal and reform. When we first encounter the words reform and renewal in talking about the Catholic Church, we might think of Vatican II and the idea of aggiornamento - "updating". But the history of reform is nearly as old as the Church itself; indeed, one of the constants in Church history is change.

St. John of the Cross is one of the most inspiring figures in the history of Christianity: a saint of profound faith, a compelling mystic, and an immensely gifted poet. Now, you can explore the life, teachings, writings, and reflections of St. John of the Cross.

How do we arrive at forgiveness? Because the road to forgiveness is personal, there is no absolute methodology or time frame. Rather, forgiveness is a highly individual and complex process. Forgiveness: Stories of Redemption draws from many sources that provide a framework for forgiveness.

In the final year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen wrote an account of the death of his friend Adam, a severely handicapped young man from L'Arche. In the story of Adam he found a way to describe his own understanding of the Gospel message. Adam could not speak or even move without assistance. Gripped by frequent seizures, he spent his life in obscurity. And yet, for Nouwen, he became his friend, teacher, and guide. It was Adam who led Nouwen to a new understanding of his faith and what it means to be Beloved of God.

This 12-lecture audio retreat provides a unique model of Jesus' life as a pattern for postmodern living. Jesus went through the various stages of human life, and by watching him we gain invaluable insights about ourselves. Explore Jesus' spirituality, firmly rooted in Revelation and nourished by constant prayer. As his postmodern disciples, we are called to embrace his principles of forgiveness and loving our neighbors.

Capuchin Fr. Dan Crosby, master retreat leader, invites you to look anew at Jesus' call to discipleship, and at what that call means for us in our lives. Enjoy these talks and gain fresh insight into scripture and the Christian life.

In Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Dr. Pitre takes listeners step-by-step from the Garden of Eden to the Book of Revelation to reveal how deeply biblical Catholic beliefs about Mary really are. Dr. Pitre uses the Old Testament and ancient Judaism to unlock how the Bible itself teaches that Mary is in fact the new Eve, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the new Ark of the Covenant.

Masterminded by Michael Christensen, PhD, and Rebecca Laird, MA, DMin, The Nouwen Trilogy compiles Nouwen’s unpublished homilies, interviews, classes, and speeches, as well as excerpts from his published writings. Available as an audiobook for the first time ever, Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit is part of this trilogy. These convenient audio sessions move you through the five classical stages of spiritual development: Awakening, Purgation, Illumination, Dark Night, and Unification.