Image courtesy of Zachary Lichter
By Zachary Lichter
The hosts of divine explanation, a half-hour podcast, spoke on this month’s CUA on Tap on Thursday, September 14. The podcast is hosted by five Dominican brothers: Fathers Patrick Briscoe, Joseph-Anthony Kress, Gregory Pine, Bonaventure Chapman and Jacob-Bertrand Jancyzk. Every Thursday they discuss all Catholic topics. These topics range from their perspectives on the study of contemplation to Saint Thomas Aquinas to fraternity. Their podcasts are available on various platforms including Spotify, PodBean and Apple, and video footage of each episode can be found at Youtube.
The evening began with Gabriel Aliaga, a second-year philosophy and pre-law student, who welcomed Father Aquinas Guilbeau, AUC University Chaplain, to lead everyone in prayer. Father Aquinas welcomed everyone to CUA on Tap and introduced the brothers and their podcasts. According to Father Aquinas, the Dominican friars began recording in 2019 and have special guests joining them. Previous guests included Bishop Robert BarronSister Bethany MadonnaFather Mike SchmitzSister Miriam James Heidland, and many other Catholic speakers. The five brothers guide the faithful during the times of Advent and Lent. They post Q&A sessions every Tuesday evening, which are also live-streamed. Godsplaining as a group has also held retreats in New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Father Patrick said this was their first live episode. They began the podcast by discussing how faith inspired their lives in college. Father Patrick asks Father Jacob-Bertand for advice on how to maintain his faith in college. He responded by recounting how his chaplain told him that people should learn about our Lord by spending time with Him by going to mass. Father Gregory said he didn’t sleep much in college because he was always worrying about what he needed. to do the next day. But he thought about his faith even though he couldn’t sleep. He found college more enjoyable if a person ate and slept well. Father Bonaventure said he was not originally Catholic, but went to vigil mass every Saturday and prayed the rosary once a week with a group of Catholics. On Sundays he went to a Presbyterian church. But he said he appreciated the Catholic faith, which led him to convert to Catholicism.
Father Joseph-Anthony says that middle school is the last time people meet at the same age. He concluded by saying that students should recognize the privilege of living in an environment that develops their faith. As people prepare to graduate, they should invest in these friendships, helping each other navigate the next phase of life as it relates to faith. Father Patrick’s advice was to find a good mentor. He explained how his mentor, a Dominican friar, would take care of his muscle memory and offer him wisdom.
They then moved on to the subject of their episode and Father Patrick asked, “What difference does Holy Communion make?” What are five ways the Eucharist transforms my life? Father Bonaventure said that adoration was crucial; so much so that he found a 24-hour worship chapel near where he worked at Barnes & Noble. After work, he would go to worship from 11 p.m. to midnight. There he saw that the Eucharistic presence was important because it is specific to the Catholic faith.
He then compared the Eucharist to a work of art, saying: “You do not judge the work. Work judges you.
As he placed himself in front of the Eucharist, he said: “You do not judge Christ. Christ judges you.
He then finished and said that he is judging you because he loves you and is asking us to change our lives.
Father Jacob-Bertrand spoke of the seven sacraments and divine grace. There is a certain kind of grace that enters into the Eucharist, and its primary effect is unity. When someone receives the Eucharist, they want to be unified with the Church and their brothers and sisters. The takeaway is the desire to belong, to assert myself, and to be with those who know me or are known. The Eucharist makes us feel known by Jesus by uniting us to his Body.
Father Bonaventure then speaks of Catholicism as a universal language. Even if you don’t know the language, you can still go to mass anywhere and receive the same Lord. It is the one thing you will unite with anywhere in the world. To answer the question, Father Joseph-Antoine said that the liturgy has played a big part in his life since high school. There are many different approaches to the Mass, and one of the secular approaches is the rise of the practice of magic, which has always been a critique of the Mass. Father Anthony clarified not to call the mass a “Hocus Pocus or Hokey Pokey.” make fun of the mass.” He added that the sacraments are a celebration of Christian mysteries. The sacraments tell you the result; we receive revelation when we receive Jesus Christ. The priest is not a manipulator and the mass is not entertainment; it is worship.
Father Joseph-Antoine emphasized that the Eucharist is the Body of Christ. Christ, who sacrificed his life on the cross to be with us in heaven. It is placed on the tongue to physically be with you and nourish you.
Senior Spanish politician and major Anthony Arreaga-Cacao ended the session with a Q&A podcast recording:
“I listened divine explanation before and I have always generally appreciated their brevity, conciseness and precision,” said Arreaga-Cacao. “I also really liked their banter with each other. I always thought it was very funny to hear them joke with each other. This one in particular, I enjoyed their unique perspective on the Eucharist and how, as you can see, they have so much love and passion for God in the Eucharist. And it was really infectious, I feel like you could really feel it across the room. Everyone smiled and listened.
Gabriel Aliaga, a second-year philosophy and pre-law student, also shared his thoughts in Thursday’s episode:
“I liked that!” » said Aliaga. “Lots of good information on how to love the Lord, especially in the Eucharist. This was the main talk on how the Eucharist transforms us. It was very fruitful and the questions were very good. I can tell that people were really listening and wanted to know more.