The Weight of Glory

The Last Things

July 19, 2020 Clayton Emmer Season 1 Episode 3
The Weight of Glory
The Last Things
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

In 2008, during a Holy Week RCIA retreat, I led a reflection on The Last Things -- death, judgment, heaven and hell. Rather than diving right into a discussion of things ultimate, I decided to provide some context, and some of that context came from C.S. Lewis. In The Weight of Glory, Lewis observes that "we are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Music for the podcast has been provided through the generosity of Dennis Crommett. Check out his music over at DennisCrommett.com.

Resources:

The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

the upset of Easter, and the last things

on the passage through life

Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 988-1014; 1020-1050

Fundamentals of the Faith: Essays in Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft

Intro:

Hello and welcome to The Weight of Glory podcast. This is your host, Clayton Emmer.

The idea of this podcast is to explore the themes present in The Weight of Glory, an essay by C.S. Lewis, and maybe to explore some of his other essays.

I hope at some point to invite guests on to the podcast to share their insights. But in these initial episodes, I'm simply exploring some of the ways in which the thought of C.S. Lewis has intersected with my own life and thinking. 

Back in 2008, when I was still living in Los Angeles, I helped lead a retreat during the Easter Triduum for a number of young people in Hollywood who were preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil. On Good Friday, I was asked to lead a session of The Last Things -- death, judgment, heaven and hell. Rather than diving right into a discussion of things ultimate, I decided to provide some context, and some of that context came from C.S. Lewis. In The Weight of Glory, Lewis observes that "we are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

So without further adue, here's the podcast I recorded during that Easter Triduum retreat. Perhaps in this time of turmoil and uncertainty, it will provide a kind of compass for the larger journey of our human life, which is, in the end, a journey to the Father's house.


Outro:

Thanks for joining me for this episode of The Weight of Glory podcast.  The music in the introduction and very close of this podcast is provided by Dennis Crommett. Learn more about his music over at DennisCrommett.com or in the show notes.

Until next time, be well and God bless.