Laying a firm foundation for the Gospel of Luke will allow for a much greater appreciation of this incredible book, which is written in the unique literary form of the gospels: not a biography of Jesus but more of a "snapshot" narration of specific events in his life. We refer to Luke as a synoptic gospel, a term that means "of the same viewpoint," because Luke's account shares nearly three-quarters of the same material with those of Matthew and Mark. All three are seemingly derived from the same Apostolic outline of Jesus' life. Right from the outset he speaks of his desire to clarify the truth amidst various gospel accounts describing the story of Jesus. The only Gentile writer in all of the Bible, Luke writes in an elegant, well-educated Greek that is reminiscent of the best Greek of the Septuagint. He is also undoubtedly the author of the Acts of the Apostles. A humble man, one whom Paul referred to as the "beloved physician," Luke hailed from the great cultural and economic center of Antioch, a major early Christian city known as the great mother of churches (Col 4:14).

A masterful mid-first century historian, Luke's gospel is the product of his painstaking research during the many years in which he accompanied Paul in his travels. Relying on eyewitness and historical accounts from individuals who saw Christ and others who were then residing in Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor, he writes to Theophilus, "lover of God," which could refer to either a generic Christian reader or to a specific individual. Although some scholars date Luke's gospel later, the date of composition may have been earlier than 64 A.D. In either case, he writes to a Christian who has already received basic catechesis, attempting to instruct with greater surety the truth of the Christian message.

A convert himself, Luke expresses the depths of God's universal mercy, who "come[s] to seek and to save the lost" throughout the entire world and excludes no one (19:10). He stresses Christ's unique compassion for the poor, the broken-hearted, and the outcast and also focuses on Jesus' interaction with women, a rarity among Jewish literature of any time. Luke's unique infancy narrative, which contains several Canticles and the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, reflects a deep perspective on the Holy Family and the heart of Mary. And his many parables (Luke has more parables than any other gospel) project a picture of Jesus Christ which we can savor through prayerful reading.

When Todd Duncan, a 22 year-old cradle Catholic from Erie, PA, was growing up everyone thought him to be the model young parishioner who had a marked maturity in his faith. Todd thought so, too. Everything changed when he entered his first year at the Rochester Institute of Technology and realized that his Protestant friends had a much better grasp than he did on matters of faith, the Bible and even theology. But God's grace led Todd to true fellowship, to the St. Irenaeus Center and to a profound love of the Catholic Church.

Dick Graham, a cradle Catholic and president of the Rochester, NY Hibernian Society for Irish Americans, speaks on a subject very dear to his heart: Roman Catholic apologetics. Admittedly a former "BIC," or "Bible Ignorant Catholic," it was not until he had to defend his daughter's faith that he began to study apologetics. He discusses the history of Catholic apologetics and practical ways to study and also reminds us of the charge of St. Peter, who wrote in his first Epistle, "Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is within you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence."

Joseph Pearce was born the son of a fierce anti-Catholic in the late 1960s. Hear the story of how God's grace carried a young, uneducated "agnostic Protestant bigot" who was "racist to the core" into the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church.
Now a professor of English Literature at Ave Maria University and the author of 147 books, including notable autobiographies of 20th Century's greatest Catholic writers, his conversion is a story of providence triumphing over political anger, racial hatred and violence. While serving his first prison sentence for "publishing material likely to incite racial hatred" Pearce began to read GK Chesterton. He felt the "rug being pulled out from underneath his prejudices" because he could not defeat Chesterton's arguments in economics and theology. During a second prison sentence he began to pray, and from that point it was only a matter of time before he was brought into the Church.

Dr. RJ Stansbury's talk from the 2007 Chesterton Conference discusses the crucial role that monasticism played in the conversion of St. Augustine.

On October 6th, 2007 the Rochester, NY Chesterton Society held their annual conference, entitled "Conversion of Heart". David Higbee opened the day with this talk on the conversion of St. Paul.

The final prophetic words of the Old Testament.

A Broader Condemnation

Wherein God uses language you can't discuss in mixed company.

Malachi - The Refiner's Fire

Acquisition of the Holy Spirit.
This is the final session from the retreat.

Living in the Spirit.

A process, and a growth, and a transformation from glory to glory.

The conclusion of our retreat's first session (of three), this podcast continues the discussion of the role of the Holy Spirit.

Hidden in the depths of the Christian life a great treasure awaits us! Christ and His apostles pressed certain spiritual truths for a very important reason. They are the much needed medicine for what ails us and the Church today. This meditative, soul searching, and instructive retreat will be podcast in its entirety.

Episode 3 of 3.

Episode 2 of 3.

The first of three episodes that look at the reigns of Constantine and Theodosius and discuss the ever-relevant issue of Church and State.

A continuation of our look at the early Church.

The Journeymen group was originally conceived as a way to equip young men for service in the Church, and has since attracted men and women of all ages. Our 2007 series on Church History began with an overview of the period of the New Testament.

A departure from the usual lecture style, these sessions on how to study the Bible were conducted informally and with more discussion. Three basic and distinct operations in Scripture study were outlined:
1. Observation: What does the text actually say?
2. Interpretation: What was the passage intended to mean to God's people - spiritually?
3. Application: How does the basic meaning or spiritual principle apply to me or to my situation personally?

1 Peter 3 contains some extremely controversial passages. Here we cover in detail what it means for wives to be submissive to their husbands.

This episode picks up where the introduction left off. Christians are called not only to a living hope but are also called to be holy.

Every Christian is called to present suffering and future glory. This encyclical letter is as valuable today as it was in the first century.

These two talks were given at a St. Irenaeus community Men's Breakfast on May 12th 2007. We have an exhortation on prayer followed by the testimony of another one of our young men.

A study of the great Penitential Psalm.

It has been said that whoever wishes to repent should study the deeds of David. This unvarnished look at the life of David serves as the backdrop for next week's look at Psalm 51.

The importance of a true and honest personal assessment, with lessons from 1st Corinthians and Romans.

A look back on lessons learned from the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Thoughts from the final chapter of Hebrews.

Lessons from the Twelfth Chapter of Hebrews.

The great Faith chapter.

This discussion of Faith lays the groundwork for a study of Chapter 11.

Once for All: The finality and sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

A study of the Greek word diatheke, which can mean either will or covenant, opens up the second half of Chapter Nine to the reader.

The Old and New Covenants discussed. Taken from the beginning of Chapter 9.

The New Covenant of Jesus Christ is better than the Old Covenant because it is enacted on better promises. This lesson covers Chapter 8 of Hebrews.

The seventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews.

The sixth chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews.

A lesson on spiritual immaturity from the end of Chapter 5.

A lesson on Qadosh.

The end of the fourth chapter of Hebrews introduces the teaching that Jesus Christ is our High Priest.

Lessons from Hebrews and warnings from Numbers.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? In this episode we discuss some weighty passages from the beginning of chapter 2.

A lesson from the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is our divine key to understanding God's plan. This 2004 series will be podcast in its entirety, beginning with this informative introduction.