Episodes

  • A Particularly Good Farewell
    May 30 2023

    In their final "Particular Good" episode, Charles and Heather Hughes-Huff review most all the episodes they have done over the years - from Zena Hitz and Jordan Wood, to Jason Blakely and Matt Kuhner, among many others . A huge thanks goes out to each guest who joined them to discuss particular topics and goods therein.

    Stay tuned this fall for more of St. Bernard's podcast!

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    15 mins
  • Faith and Reason through Christian History with Grant Kaplan
    Mar 21 2023

    Charles talks with Grant Kaplan about his new book Faith and Reason through Christian History: A Theological Essay. Kaplan's book covers an extraordinary breadth with clarity and verve. Each section surfaces the complexities of several crucial thinkers in clear, generous treatments. Kaplan resists imposing any sort of overarching narrative on the scope of his project, but he also resists a bland descriptiveness: his own intellectual judgments are incisive and charitable.

    External Links:

    Faith and Reason through Christian History: A Theological Essay (CUA 2022)

    St. Bernard's School of Theology & Ministry

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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Divine Scripture in Human Understanding with Joseph K. Gordon
    Mar 7 2023

    In this episode, Charles talks with Joseph K. Gordon, Ph.D. about his book Divine Scripture in Human Understanding, which is a systematic theology of Christian Scripture. Joe draws on Henri de Lubac and Bernard Lonergan to propose a theology that accounts for traditional Christian exegesis, modern historical-critical methods, and postmodern concerns.

    External Links:

    Divine Scripture in Human Understanding: A Systematic Theology of the Christian Bible by Joseph K. Gordon

    Certificate in Catholic Biblical Studies at St. Bernard's School of Theology & Ministry

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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Beyond Measure: St. Bernard of Clairvaux with Fr. Isaac Slater, OCSO
    Feb 21 2023

    Charles and Heather talk with Fr. Isaac Slater, a Cistercian Monk of the Strict Observance, about his book on St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Beyond Measure: The Poetics of the Image in Bernard of Clairvaux. Along the way, they also talk about the monastic life, attention, and Weil and Murdoch.

    External Links:

    "Beyond Measure: The Poetics of the Image in Bernard of Clairvaux" by Fr. Isaac Slater, OCSO

    "The Mystical Theology of St. Bernard" by Etienne Gilson

    Abbey of the Genesee

    St. Bernard's School of Theology & Ministry

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    48 mins
  • The Stories of J.F. Powers
    Feb 7 2023

    Danny, Heather, and Charles discuss stories "The Forks" and "Look How the Fish Live" by the 20th-century writer J.F. Powers, whose first novel, Morte d'Urban, won the 1963 National Book Award for fiction. Powers applied his gentle satire to a wide range of fictional worlds, but it best known for his stories about the domestic lives of priests. Flannery O'Connor wrote of Powers "Powers and I are, I suppose, the only two young writers in this country who are well thought of and connected with the Church. We both have the same kind of horns." (23 Dec. 1958, HB 309-310).

    External Links:

    The Stories of J.F. Powers

    St. Bernard's School of Theology & Ministry

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    53 mins
  • Iris Murdoch's "The Bell"
    Jan 24 2023

    In this episode, Charles and Heather discuss Iris Murdoch's philosophy and literature. We talk about her philosophical work The Sovereignty of Good, her novel The Bell, and the relationship between her philosophy and her art.

    External Links:

    "The Bell" by Iris Murdoch

    "The Sovereignty of Good" by Irish Murdoch

    St. Bernard's School of Theology & Ministry

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    56 mins
  • Alice Munro's "The Bear Came Over the Mountain"
    Jan 10 2023

    Charles, Danny, and Heather talk about Alice Munro's extraordinary short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" and Alice Munro's craft. Munro, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2013, writes rich stories that delve deep into human nature. In this episode, we talk about her use of time and structure, the very human tensions in the story itself, and the role small decisions have in shaping lives.

    External Links: The Bear Came Over the Mountain by Alice Munro

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    51 mins
  • Flannery O'Connor's ”Everything That Rises Must Converge”
    Nov 29 2022

    Charles, Danny, and Heather discuss Flannery O'Connor's short story "Everything That Rises Must Converge" with an eye to O'Connor's role as a between-the-councils Catholic writer, an ear to the story's portrayal of envy and love, and a dash of Hans Urs von Balthasar to taste.

    External Links:

    “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor

    “Some Aspects of the Grotesque in Southern Fiction” written and read by Flannery O’Connor

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    49 mins