This week I did something a little different on The Sacred Page Podcast. Here we look at the historical and religious roots of the Olympics. The topic was discussed in a recent USA Today article.I'm currently teaching a graduate course on Liturgical Theology and so I've been doing a lot of work in the study of worship. Here I share some thoughts from the course.In this episode I look at Jesus' role as a prophet--a much overlooked aspect of his ministry. In addition, I look at the role of "prophetic acts", other first-century Jewish figures, and, for good measure, the Last Supper.Best-selling author and patristics expert, Mike Aquilina, comes on the show to discuss a new book he recently co-wrote with Christopher Bailey, The Mothers of the Church: The Witness of Early Christian Women (Huntington, Ind.: Our Sunday Visitor, 2012).Mike Aquilina, Executive Vice President and Trustee of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is a widely recognized Catholic author and lecturer. Aquilina’s books include the best-selling, The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers (2nd ed 2006); Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians (2003) co-written with Dr. Scott Hahn; The Mass of the Early Christians (2001); What Catholics Believe: A Pocket Catechism (2000); The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions (2000); and A Pocket Catechism for Kids (2001). He is also the author of Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas (2002), The Way of the Fathers: Praying with the Early Christians (2000), Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life (2007), Signs and Mysteries (2008) and is co-author of Weapons of the Spirit: Selected Writings of Father John Hugo, along with St. Paul Center colleague, David Scott. His most recent book is Take 5: On the Job Meditations With St. Ignatius (2008). All of Aquilina’s books are published by Our Sunday Visitor Books.
His ongoing research is concerned with early Christian community and worship. He is past Associate Editor of Scripture Matters, the bulletin of The Institute of Applied Biblical Studies and past Editor of New Covenant, a Catholic spirituality magazine, and The Pittsburgh Catholic, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, National Catholic Register, Child and Family and elsewhere.
Aquilina has also co-hosted, along with Dr. Hahn, several popular series on scripture and theology airing on the Eternal Word Television Network. He and his wife Terri live in the Pittsburgh area with their six children.
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of John the Baptist. Why was he so important? Here we talk about his role in the New Testament.
