“To many, Fantasy, this sub-creative art which plays strange tricks with the world and all that is in it, combining nouns and redistributing adjectives, has seemed suspect, if not illegitimate. To some it has seemed at least a childish folly” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in his classic essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” He goes on to insist: “Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make.”
In short, Tolkien is saying that the fantastical—stories of elves and dragons and magical staffs—are not escape hatches from this world but rather invitations to delve deeper into the truth of our own reality.
Today’s guest tests that hypothesis—and, in my humblest of opinions, proves just how right Tolkien was. Rose John Sheffler is a Catholic writer who has been telling stories her whole life. She’s written a delightful volume of Biblically inspired fairy tales called “Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold.”
Her book invites us into the world of Erith where we meet characters we know from the Bible but…different. Still—and, as you’ll hear—the truth of these stories, the values and the hopes that they point to, are familiar and likely resonate with what lies deep in your own heart.
If you want to learn more about Rose’s work or get a copy of her book, visit rjsheffler.wordpress.com.
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“To many, Fantasy, this sub-creative art which plays strange tricks with the world and all that is in it, combining nouns and redistributing adjectives, has seemed suspect, if not illegitimate. To some it has seemed at least a childish folly” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in his classic essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” He goes on to insist: “Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make.”
In short, Tolkien is saying that the fantastical—stories of elves and dragons and magical staffs—are not escape hatches from this world but rather invitations to delve deeper into the truth of our own reality.
Today’s guest tests that hypothesis—and, in my humblest of opinions, proves just how right Tolkien was. Rose John Sheffler is a Catholic writer who has been telling stories her whole life. She’s written a delightful volume of Biblically inspired fairy tales called “Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold.”
Her book invites us into the world of Erith where we meet characters we know from the Bible but…different. Still—and, as you’ll hear—the truth of these stories, the values and the hopes that they point to, are familiar and likely resonate with what lies deep in your own heart.
If you want to learn more about Rose’s work or get a copy of her book, visit rjsheffler.wordpress.com.
Pope Leo XIV's First Four Months with Christopher White
AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast
46 minutes 41 seconds
2 months ago
Pope Leo XIV's First Four Months with Christopher White
It’s hard to believe, but Pope Leo XIV just passed the four-month mark of his papacy. That’s more than a full season. After the incredible amount of press coverage here in North America reacting in shock to the election of a pope originally from Chicago, the media frenzy quieted quickly and starkly. It’s fair to say Pope Leo doesn’t have a big, splashy personality, and add to that all the wild political headlines in the months since his election, it’s not surprising that Pope Leo has receded from the spotlight a bit. That’s probably a good thing; celebrity culture and Catholic culture don’t go all that well together anyway. But Pope Leo has certainly been busy despite fading from the headlines, filling his days with meetings and setting about the work of governing the church.
At this point in his papacy, we thought it was worthwhile to check in on these four months, and today’s guest is among the most qualified people on the planet to talk about it. Christopher White is the associate director for strategic initiatives and senior fellow of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, and he’s also the author of the recent book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,” published by Loyola Press. Before Chris started his job at Georgetown this past summer, he spent four years as the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. He lived in Rome and spent his days meeting with Vatican sources and attending big papal events. He visited more than 20 countries with Pope Francis as part of the press corps. He is one of most astute and thoughtful church observers and commentators.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Chris about these first months of Leo’s papacy and what we might want to be looking out for in the months ahead. We also talked about life as a Vatican reporter and what it’s like to cover an institution that is also your own spiritual home. We think you’ll learn a lot from Chris about Pope Leo’s priorities and how the institutional Church operates.
"Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy": https://bookshop.org/p/books/pope-leo-xiv-inside-the-conclave-and-the-dawn-of-a-new-papacy-christopher-white/a5f501d1c6a575db?ean=9780829459470&next=t
Chris' page at the Georgetown Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life: https://catholicsocialthought.georgetown.edu/people/christopher-white
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AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast
“To many, Fantasy, this sub-creative art which plays strange tricks with the world and all that is in it, combining nouns and redistributing adjectives, has seemed suspect, if not illegitimate. To some it has seemed at least a childish folly” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in his classic essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” He goes on to insist: “Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make.”
In short, Tolkien is saying that the fantastical—stories of elves and dragons and magical staffs—are not escape hatches from this world but rather invitations to delve deeper into the truth of our own reality.
Today’s guest tests that hypothesis—and, in my humblest of opinions, proves just how right Tolkien was. Rose John Sheffler is a Catholic writer who has been telling stories her whole life. She’s written a delightful volume of Biblically inspired fairy tales called “Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold.”
Her book invites us into the world of Erith where we meet characters we know from the Bible but…different. Still—and, as you’ll hear—the truth of these stories, the values and the hopes that they point to, are familiar and likely resonate with what lies deep in your own heart.
If you want to learn more about Rose’s work or get a copy of her book, visit rjsheffler.wordpress.com.
