Inside Catholicphilly.com

When you walk down the street, how do you view those you encounter -- as potential adversaries, or as fellow human beings made in the image and likeness of God? Much of today's toxic social discourse comes from starting off on the wrong foot in our interactions, and forgetting our shared dignity as divinely created souls. Oblate Father Thomas Dailey of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary shares with Matt Gambino and Gina Christian of CatholicPhilly.com how it's possible to love even your enemies, once you look to Christ and his example -- and that is indeed a reason to lift up your heart.

Had enough of depressing headlines? It's time for some Good News with Oblate Father Thomas Dailey of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and Gina Christian of CatholicPhilly.com. In the first of a new podcast series that highlights hope, Father Dailey shares insights from his new book, "Behold This Heart: St. Francis De Sales and Devotion to the Sacred Heart" (Sophia Institute Press). Christ has poured out the riches of his love for each and every person, and that is indeed a reason to life up your heart.

Modern culture seeks to label people by "gender identity" and "sexual orientation." But human beings -- made in the image and likeness of God -- are far more dimensional and complex than their sexual inclinations. Father Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International, shares with producer Gina Christian how the God-given gift of sexuality enables us to realize "how we're made, and how we're called to love in imitation of Christ." Through the Courage apostolate, same-sex attracted persons can open themselves to God's grace, which empowers all the faithful to steward their sexuality through the virtue of chastity.

Each May, we celebrate Older Americans Month, a time to honor those who are farther ahead of us on life's journey. Seniors' wisdom, insight, and experience has become even more invaluable as the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Producer Gina Christian speaks with Carolyn Truxell, an older Philadelphian who survived a near-fatal bout with the deadly disease, and who emerged from its depths with greater faith -- and more ambitious plans for the future.

What makes life worth living, and death worth dying? Whom do we love more than ourselves, and why does it matter? Archbishop Charles Chaput sits down with CatholicPhilly.com editor Matt Gambino and producer Gina Christian to share insights from his new book, "Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living." Tune in to find out why the church is and isn't a democracy, what cancel culture really says about our society, and what's on Archbishop Chaput's to-do list once COVID restrictions are eased.

As humans, we instinctively run from, not toward, suffering. But embracing the cross with Jesus enables us to accept our weaknesses, and to move beyond them into eternal life, as Randy Kraft -- a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania -- shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com.

Finding everlasting life by dying to self seems impossible in a culture that values comfort, ease, and personal satisfaction. But Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross to give us a freedom that sin and death can never take away, as John Okpara -- a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania -- shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com.

"Love" is a word that is used for everything from food to football to family and friends. But in God's language, it means far more than we can possibly imagine, as Shane Flanagan -- a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania -- shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com. When divine love is lifted up as Jesus was on the cross, everlasting life triumphs.

Anger has become a way of life for many in recent years, with frustrations and fears boiling over in troubled hearts. Ricardo Martinez, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how Jesus' cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem modeled a healthy anger designed to bring peace, holiness, and eternal life.

Until the mid-eighteenth century, persons with disabilities were rarely provided with any formal education. Today, special education is a well-developed field that is gradually focusing more on what students can, rather than can't, do. Dr. Danielle Heeney, the new director of special education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, shares with producer Gina Christian why her field is ultimately based on the essence of Christ's teachings, which stress "honoring, valuing and treating every life with dignity and respect.”

In a hectic world, our hearts can become deaf to the voices of God and others. Phong Le, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, shares how the Transfiguration of the Lord stuns us into a beautiful silence where Jesus whispers his love -- drawing us closer to him and to those around us.

After a year of pandemic, racial reckonings, and social unrest, many feel as if they've been in a desert of suffering with no water in sight. Anthony Albanese, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, shares how Jesus is with us through it all, and how the kingdom of God is both already here -- and still to come.

Did Advent 2020 pass you by? After a year of heartbreaks and challenges, you might be tempted to rush the Christmas holiday that's only days away. But the final moments of Advent still offer many opportunities to slow down and to prepare for the Lord's birth in our hearts. Faithful from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia share with producer Gina Christian some of their insights for making the most of the time at hand.

As Hunger Action Month concludes, producer Gina Christian shares the voices of those who have depended on (or worked at) the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's pantries and food distribution sites, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although September is a time to refocus on hunger, for too many, food insecurity is a year-round reality, and one we are all called to change.

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's new Arise podcast series, Father Richard Owens, O.F.M. Cap., Father Eric Banecker, and Gina Christian present the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith to Catholics, fellow Christians, and all those who seek something more. Renowned Bible teacher, author and speaker Jeff Cavins shares with the Arise team why it's vital to create a "culture of Scripture" in order to face not only a pandemic and a time of social unrest, but life itself. (Music by Johnny Markin, taken from the "Instrumental Acoustic Hymns Project," owned by Essential Christian under the imprint Elevation, with an arrangement copyrighted by Music Services. For more information on the Arise Project, visit archphila.org/arise.)

Starting a new school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic requires detailed planning, a willingness to be flexible, and a determination to move students' education forward while keeping them safe. Producer Gina Christian speaks with I.H.M. Sister Maureen Lawrence McDermott, superintendent for secondary schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to discuss how this academic year will look in the classrooms of the 17 archdiocesan high schools and four schools of special education.

"Back to school" has come to mean something quite different during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for elementary school children who generally benefit more from in-person rather than virtual learning. Producer Gina Christian speaks with Andrew McLaughlin, superintendent for elementary schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to discuss how this academic year will take shape in the more than 100 archdiocesan elementary schools. (And here's a hint: uniforms will be required, whether you're at home or in the classroom.)

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's new Arise podcast series, Father Richard Owens, O.F.M. Cap., Father Eric Banecker, and Gina Christian present the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith to Catholics, fellow Christians, and all those who seek something more. Father Liam Murphy, Father Stephen Thorne, and I.H.M. Sister Kathleen Schipani discuss the spiritual lessons they've learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a deeper awareness of what it means to be the church when you can't physically be in church. They also share their favorite saints, and what they've been watching on Netflix these days. (Music by Johnny Markin, taken from the "Instrumental Acoustic Hymns Project," owned by Essential Christian under the imprint Elevation, with an arrangement copyrighted by Music Services. For more information on the Arise Project, visit archphila.org/arise.)

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's new Arise podcast series, Father Richard Owens, O.F.M. Cap., Father Eric Banecker, and Gina Christian present the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith to Catholics, fellow Christians, and all those who seek something more. Tucker Brown, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, shares how God called him from the medical field to the priesthood, and from healing bodies to healing souls destined for eternal life. (Music by Johnny Markin, taken from the "Instrumental Acoustic Hymns Project," owned by Essential Christian under the imprint Elevation, with an arrangement copyrighted by Music Services. For more information on the Arise Project, visit archphila.org/arise.)

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's new Arise podcast series, Father Richard Owens, O.F.M. Cap., Father Eric Banecker, and Gina Christian present the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith to Catholics, fellow Christians, and all those who seek something more. In the second of a two-part interview, Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez shares his thoughts on "setting a welcoming table" at church, "not staying too long inside yourself" and choosing hope over fear, both during a pandemic and always. (Music by Johnny Markin, taken from the "Instrumental Acoustic Hymns Project," owned by Essential Christian under the imprint Elevation, with an arrangement copyrighted by Music Services. For more information on the Arise Project, visit archphila.org/arise.)