Episodes

  • Introducing Season 4: The Imitation of Christ (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

    Introducing Season 4: The Imitation of Christ (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
    Sep 17 2025
    Fr. Mike Schmitz joins Fr. Gregory Pine for a special conversation about Season 4 of Catholic Classics! Beginning October 22, 2025, Fr. Mike will guide listeners through The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. Together, he and Fr. Gregory explore this spiritual classic's structure and central themes, highlighting why it has been of enduring value for Catholics throughout the centuries. To get your copy of the complete 30-day reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics Season Four of Catholic Classics: The Imitation of Christ is available for free exclusively in the Ascension App. To get started, download the Ascension App in the app store on your mobile device or visit ascensionpress.com/imitationofchrist
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    32 mins
  • BONUS: All About Saints of the First Monasteries (with Fr. Gregory Pine and Fr. Boniface Hicks)

    BONUS: All About Saints of the First Monasteries (with Fr. Gregory Pine and Fr. Boniface Hicks)
    Apr 22 2025
    A new "Catholic Classics" season with Fr. Mike Schmitz is coming this fall! In the meantime, Ascension has released a new book in the Catholic Classics series titled "Saints of the First Monasteries." Fr. Boniface Hicks, a contributor to the book, joins Fr. Gregory Pine to explore the key patristic texts featured in the book and the lives of early saints, including St. Anthony, St. Benedict, and St. Basil. They highlight the significance of monastic traditions and the profound spiritual lessons these saints imparted that remain relevant for living a holy life today. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    25 mins
  • Bonus Episode: Epilogue (Story of a Soul)

    Bonus Episode: Epilogue (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 29 2024
    As a conclusion to this season of Catholic Classics and to the life of St. Thérèse, Fr. Michael-Joseph provides an introduction to the epilogue of Story of a Soul. His introduction is followed by the reading of the epilogue. In the epilogue, we are given an account of the final months of St. Thérèse’s life. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    30 mins
  • Day 28: Union with God (Story of a Soul)

    Day 28: Union with God (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 28 2024
    What does one reflect on in the days leading up to death? In these last pages of Story of a Soul, St. Thérèse is also very near to the day of her death. She reflects on prayer being the source of all good. She writes about intercessory prayer and how the people entrusted to us can be our treasures. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph offer their final insights into the text and the life of St. Thérèse. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    28 mins
  • Day 27: Loving in Little Ways (Story of a Soul)

    Day 27: Loving in Little Ways (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 27 2024
    It can be challenging to let the small things go. For St. Thérèse, it was the small things that she saw as the greatest opportunities for love. She recounts in these pages several instances where she struggled with the behavior of fellow sisters in the convent. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph explain how St. Thérèse’s perception of herself was not necessarily scrupulosity, but an understanding of who she was and how God loved her still. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    33 mins
  • Day 26: The Simplicity of Prayer (Story of a Soul)

    Day 26: The Simplicity of Prayer (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 26 2024
    Not many people would describe prayer as something simple. However, the way in which St. Thérèse describes it conveys the possibility of simplicity in prayer. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph reflect on prayer as friendship with God and how prayer may not be easy, but it can be simple. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    35 mins
  • Day 25: The Depths of Charity (Story of a Soul)

    Day 25: The Depths of Charity (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 25 2024
    Love is not always easy. In fact, love can be very hard. In this final chapter of Story of a Soul, St. Thérèse is drawing near to the end of her life. As she does, she contemplates the mysterious depths of charity. She ponders what it means to love and how Christ loves through us. Fr. Jacob-Bertrand and Fr. Michael-Joseph discuss how each of us is called to live charity. They remind us that there is always an opportunity to love. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    32 mins
  • Day 24: Not Me, But Christ (Story of a Soul)

    Day 24: Not Me, But Christ (Story of a Soul)
    Oct 24 2024
    Are there people in your life that you struggle to get along with or even be around? St. Thérèse admits in her writings to there being sisters within the convent that she struggled to show charity towards. She uses these examples to reflect on Christ’s love acting within her. To get your copy of the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/catholicclassics or text "SOUL" to 33-777.
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    38 mins