AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The communion of saints is an integral part of the Catholic faith—and I don’t just mean in a theological sort of way. What’s the name of your parish? Chances are, it’s a saint’s name. Have you looked closely at that prayer card on your shelf? I bet there’s a saint attached to it. How about the stained glass windows or the name of the local Catholic school or that prayer you mutter when you’ve lost something? The communion saints is engrained in our daily lives, names and half-remembered stories that float just at the outskirts of our memory. It's understandable. There are a lot of saints. We all have our favorites, our go-to team for prayer and inspiration. But for every saint we know well, I’ll be there are dozens more we’ve never even heard of from places we probably can’t even find a map. All this to say, the lives of the saints—these great tales of mysticism, faith and works of justice—can be fuel for our spiritual lives for days and weeks and months to come, if we but take the time to delve into their stories. That’s why our friend Gary Jansen is back on the pod today. Gary’s the director and executive editor at Loyola Press. And he’s the author of so many books it’s hard to keep track—one literally dropped while we’re having this conversation. But today, Gary is here to talk about his encyclopedic book on the saints, aptly called "Saints, Angels and Demons: An A-to-Z Guide to the Holy and the Damned." And hey—if you like what you here, pick up Gary’s latest book, "The Healing Power of Pray the Rosary." One more thing: Lent begins next week. As part of our 40-day journey, we’re dropping a new and limited podcast series right here in this feed called The Work of Lent. Every Friday, you’ll hear me talk with a professional Catholic—someone who makes it their life’s work to work on Lent. These are conversations about vocation, about balancing the professional and the personal and ultimately, how all these things can and do conspire together at Lent to give us an opportunity to grow deeper in our spiritual lives and help others along the way. Get Gary's Books: "The Healing Power of Praying the Rosary" https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Praying-Rosary/dp/0829459006/ "Saints, Angels & Demons" https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Angels-Demons-Z-Damned/dp/0762484853/

Here are a couple questions for you: Do you believe in God? Why or why not? What evidence do you have to support your belief? What different types of evidence might one even consider? If we believe in an all-good, all-powerful God, why does God allow so much human suffering? And why is there something instead of nothing? Even before the Big Bang… what was there? And do human beings have a soul? Or are we just blood and guts and bones? These are some of the big questions philosophers have been wrestling with for as long as humans have been thinking about stuff. In particular, scholars interested in the philosophy of religion spend a lot of time with these big metaphysical questions. Our guest today is one of the foremost philosophers in the American Jesuit landscape: Doctor Eleonore Stump, who is the Robert J. Henle, S.J., Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University, where she has taught since 1992. Professor Stump’s specialties include medieval philosophy, philosophy of religion and metaphysics. Host Mike Jordan Laskey saw some great video interviews with Dr. Stump on a YouTube series called “Closer to Truth,” so he reached out to see if she’d talk about some of these big questions. They also discussed her perspective on the role of the Jesuit university today, especially in an era when the liberal arts like philosophy often find themselves on budgetary chopping blocks. Why should we study philosophy at all? We think you’ll enjoy encountering Dr. Stump’s towering intellect and her deep faith. Dr. Eleonore Stump: https://sites.google.com/site/stumpep/ Dr. Stump on "Closer to Truth": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azvb_P1ymmM&list=PLFJr3pJl27pI42ZODiz2En-hr9PIjibEu AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus www.jesuitmedialab.org/

It’s time for one of our favorite AMDG traditions: Our annual Christmas draft. It’s an idea we stole outright from the sportswriter Joe Posnanski’s podcast, so a tip of the Santa hat to him. For newcomers, this is how a Christmas draft works: First, host Mike Jordan Laskey picks a Christmas related category. This year, it’s Christmas objects. Some guests and Mike take turns selecting their favorite individual members of that category. It’s like a draft that the NFL or NBA sponsors. Once someone makes a specific pick, that option is off the board for everyone else. We do three rounds. This year, we two guests: Sister Bethany Welch, SSJ, and Father Marty Ngo, SJ. A nun, a priest, and a father of three walk into a podcast… the jokes just write themselves. We asked Bethany and Marty to introduce themselves at the top of the show, so I won’t say too much about them. But we think you’ll see why we invited them – they’re two people who are both deeply spiritual, immensely creative and just joys to be around. We’re grateful for their vocations. And we’re grateful to all you out there in AMDG land for spending some of your busy holiday season with us. All of us here at the Jesuit Conference wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2025. Sister Bethany Welch, SSJ: https://jesuitmedialab.org/how-this-catholic-sister-used-art-to-prepare-for-taking-vows/ Fr. Marty Ngo, SJ: https://www.jesuits.org/profile/martin-huynh-ngo-sj/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Often in the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we zero in on the “cannonball moment.” It’s the instant in Ignatius’ story when everything changes—even if the would-be saint hasn’t yet fully realized it. But even more important than that war wound is the eleven months that follow, that long, tedious period of recovery and reflection and reading. It’s then that Ignatius encounters a book on Jesus Christ, and through that book, the God of Jesus Christ, the God who had been loving him all along—and speaking to him through his desires and experiences. That’s the moment in the Ignatian tradition that best frames today’s conversation. Our guest is Jesuit Fr. Joe Tetlow, currently the director of Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Dallas, TX and the author of the new book, “Considering Jesus: The Human Experience of the Redeemer.” The title speaks for itself. Fr. Tetlow’s book is an opportunity to pray with Jesus’ own experiences, to see how those experiences speak to and inspire us. You’ll hear, too, how Fr. Tetlow’s own experiences shape his writing and retreat work—and can guide us in our own daily lives. You can get your own copy of Fr. Tetlow’s new book—or one of his many others—by checking out the links below. https://store.loyolapress.com/considering-jesus https://store.loyolapress.com/you-have-called-me-by-my-name https://store.loyolapress.com/always-discerning

“Lodge 49,” a comedy-drama TV series that ran on the channel AMC for two seasons, is about an ex-surfer named Dud (Wyatt Russell) who’s drifting through life after the loss of his father and the closing of his family’s pool supply store. He stumbles into a rundown old fraternal lodge belonging to a group called the Order of the Lynx. (Think of the freemasons or the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.) At the Lodge, he meets a luminous knight of the order named Ernie (Brent Jennings) who’s also a plumbing salesman. Ernie welcomes the much younger Dud with open arms. And so begins host Mike Jordan Laskey’s favorite onscreen friendship in television history, these two guys of wildly different backgrounds and personalities hanging out and having some truly wild adventures together. Because running alongside this story of friendship and community in the face of economic downturn and social erosion is the mysterious legend of the Order of the Lynx itself, which is centered on some sort of alchemical philosophy that may or may not be true. Mix all of its ingredients together and “Lodge 49” is one of the strangest, most beautiful works of art you can find on television or anywhere else. The wildly original creative mind behind “Lodge 49” is Jim Gavin, today’s guest. A writer, Gavin published an acclaimed collection of short stories called “Middle Men” in 2013 before making the transition to TV. Gavin grew up in an observant Catholic family and went to Catholic school all the way through his college years at the Jesuit Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Both the show and the book are shot through with Gavin’s Catholic imagination, calling to mind work by other Catholic and lapsed-Catholic authors like Walker Percy, Don DeLillo, and George Saunders as we meet wounded characters searching for meaning and mercy. Mike asked Jim about his Catholic background and its influence on his work. They also talked about the current writers’ strike in Hollywood, which Jim is participating in. Watch “Lodge 49” on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/lodge-49-5061e151-c887-4e29-9e13-c1b48e392123 Read “Middle Men”: https://www.amazon.com/Middle-Men-Stories-Jim-Gavin/dp/1451649347 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

As you probably know, the global Catholic Church is in the middle of a three-year synod process on the topic of synodality. The synod has featured thousands of listening sessions with the faithful all over the world, the biggest consultation process in the history of the church. Maybe you’ve been involved in one or more of these meetings yourself. One of the key themes that has emerged again and again in the reports on these meetings is women’s leadership in the church. Here’s how the document synthesizing the synod process in the United States puts it: “…there was recognition for the centrality of women’s unparalleled contributions to the life of the Church, particularly in local communities. There was a desire for stronger leadership, discernment, and decision-making roles for women – both lay and religious – in their parishes and communities. ‘People mentioned a variety of ways in which women could exercise leadership, including preaching and ordination as deacon or priest. Ordination for women emerged not primarily as a solution to the problem of the priest shortage, but as a matter of justice.’” And if you’re going to reflect on women’s leadership in the church, you just have to talk to Dr. Phyllis Zagano. Dr. Zagano is a scholar based at Hofstra University in New York and is one of the world’s leading authorities on the past and present of women’s leadership in the Catholic church. Host Mike Jordan Laskey invited her on the show to talk about her new book, titled “Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women,” which was just published by Paulist Press. They discussed the history of women serving as deacons in the Catholic Church, plus some ways the church might better empower women today. Learn more about Dr. Zagano: https://sites.hofstra.edu/phyllis-zagano/ Her new book: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Church-Catholic-Teaching-Synodality/dp/0809156539 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

Most of us probably don’t stop to reflect on our use of technology and how the devices and apps we use affect our lives and society as a whole. What is it doing to our brains and our souls that we reach for our smartphones mindlessly hundreds of times a day? What do we say on social media that I wouldn’t say in real life, and how does our behavior online make the world better – or, more likely, worse? Today’s guest, L.M. Sacasas, is an incredible thinker and writer who has devoted his career to asking big questions of our technology and what it’s doing to our communal life and individual lives. Sacasas has a great Substack newsletter called “The Convivial Society” that is host Mike Jordan Laskey’s favorite thing to read these days. Sacasas has this amazing ability to read and absorb scholars from the past like Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Hannah Arendt and the Jesuit literary theorist Walter Ong and apply their arguments to our very different media environment today. In this conversation, Sacasas shares his thoughts on AI chat-bots like ChatGPT and Microsoft’s new Bing and Google Bard. He and Mike also talk about social media and smartphones and artificial light and time and what countercultural roles faith communities might play in offering venues for incarnational, authentic community. Subscribe to “The Convivial Society”: https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/ Read L.M. Sacasas on Fr. Walter Ong, SJ: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-inescapable-town-square Listen to L.M. Sacasas’ interview on the Ezra Klein Show: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-lm-sacasas.html AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

In 2021, two Jesuits who had just been ordained priests were missioned to serve migrant communities on the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas. Soon after they arrived, Father Brian Strassburger and Father Louie Hotop agreed that there were so many incredible people and stories they were encountering that they just had to share them with the world through a podcast. They asked our communications team at the Jesuit Conference for help producing it, and the result has been one of the most inspiring podcast series you’ll ever hear. It's called the Jesuit Border Podcast and we are thrilled to be featuring one of their recent episodes here on our AMDG feed. In this episode, Fr. Louie and Fr. Brian shift from interviewers to interviewees. Asking the questions this time around is the great Jesuit author Fr. Jim Martin, who leads Louie and Brian through an Ignatian examen of their ministry in Brownsville over the past two years. It’s a fabulous interview with so much vulnerability and insight. Be sure to subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast wherever you listen. Jesuit Border Podcast, plus study guides: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/11/the-jesuit-border-podcast/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

For many of you listening, the idea of spiritual reading is probably a familiar concept. You might have a book or two on your bedside that you pray with each night: something on the lives of the saints or new insights into old spiritual practices. Next to that pile of spiritual books might be a bible, and each day you read a passage, slowly, prayerfully. It's not hard to look for the Holy Spirit at work in books you find in the spirituality section of your local bookstore. But what about in the other sections: fiction, sci-fi, romance and memoir? Is the Holy Spirit at work in those books, too? Our guest today, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, says yes – to a degree. Her newest book, “Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice,” challenges us to look at all our reading through the lens of spirituality. How is God inviting us deeper into our vocation, deeper into the mysteries of creation through the texts we spend our time with? Jessica is the inaugural Visiting Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She previously taught at the University of Dallas. She’s the author of several other books that explore this topic of saints, sinners and texts — both those considered holy and those less so. She speaks around the world on topics as varied as Russian novelists, Catholic thinkers and our topic today: a Christian approach to reading. As you listen to this conversation and reflect on your own reading habits, consider Ignatius of Loyola. He, too, provides us with a helpful approach to reading. Recall that during his recovery from his cannonball wound, he wanted to read books on knights and courtly romance. Instead, he was given what we would consider spiritual reading: a book on saints and one on the life of Christ. God spoke to Ignatius in part through these texts; they were pivotal to his conversion. Even so, Ignatius goes on to insist that God is to be found in all things — not only the spiritual and religious texts but every aspect of life. How might you approach your own reading through this Ignatian lens? What might God reveal? Learn more about Jessica's work at her website: https://jessicahootenwilson.com/ And check out her new book: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/reading-for-the-love-of-god/407190

Fr. Ed Dowling is a Jesuit priest you might never have heard of before. After hearing his story, you might find yourself wondering how this holy man isn’t more renowned. Thanks to a new book by Dawn Eden Goldstein, Fr. Ed is finally getting his due. Goldstein is the author of “Father Ed: The Story of Bill W’s Spiritual Sponsor,” which is the first biography of Father Edward Dowling, SJ, a Jesuit from St. Louis who became a close friend and spiritual mentor to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Although not an alcoholic himself, Fr. Ed had a deep understanding of the twelve-step program and its spiritual principles. He helped Bill Wilson overcome his depression and deepen his relationship with God. He also devoted his ministry to helping people in recovery from various addictions and afflictions, as well as promoting social justice and ecumenism. The book is based on extensive research and interviews Dawn conducted with people who knew Fr. Ed and Bill Wilson. It reveals the remarkable story of how these two men from different backgrounds and faiths forged a bond that changed their lives and the lives of millions of others. It also shows how Fr. Ed’s Jesuit spirituality influenced the development of AA and its legacy. Father Ed is an essential read for anyone interested in the history and spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous, the role of Jesuits in American culture, and the power of friendship and grace in overcoming personal struggles. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Dawn to share some of the most fascinating things she learned about Fr. Ed, and how his ministry might inform the church’s work with those in recovery today. Read an exclusive excerpt from the book about the time Bill W. met the St. Louis Jesuits at Jesuits.org/dowling. Dawn’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Father-Ed-Story-Spiritual-Sponsor/dp/1626984867 Follow Dawn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DawnofMercy AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus