The Weight of Glory

Is Christian Hope Individualistic?

Clayton Emmer & Kale Zelden Season 1 Episode 9

My friend Kale Zelden and I reflect on paragraphs 13 through 15 of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope, which asks the question: Is Christian Hope Individualistic? This question leads to a wide-ranging conversation about the role of Christian community, and its importance in our initiation and reconciliation with God in the Church.

Show notes/resources:
Confession and General Absolution

"Party of Christ... or Church of Jesus Christ?" in Called to Communion, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, 1996

If you're enjoying this podcast, or wish to send along a question or friendly critique, drop me a note on Twitter @WeightOfGlory or send me an email at weightofglorypodcast@gmail.com. Also, please spread the word via your social channels. Most especially, I'd welcome reviews over at Apple Podcasts: that will help more people discover the show.

The music in the introduction and close of this podcast is provided by Dennis Crommett

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

 In this podcast, we explore themes present in The Weight of Glory, an essay by C.S. Lewis.

 In today's episode, my friend Kale and I reflect on paragraphs 13 through 15 of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical letter on hope, which asks the question: Is Christian Hope Individualistic?

 This question leads to a wide-ranging conversation about the role of Christian community, and its importance in our initiation and reconciliation with God in the Church.

 Our lives as Christians are intimately bound up with one another, as C.S. Lewis once noted in The Weight of Glory:

 "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations."

 That seems a fitting jumping-off point for continuing Benedict XVI's meditation on the character of Christian hope. 

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

If you're enjoying this podcast, or wish to send along a question or friendly critique, drop me a note on Twitter @WeightOfGlory or send me an email at weightofglorypodcast@gmail.com. Also, I'd appreciate it if you'd spread the word via your social channels. Most especially, I'd welcome reviews over at Apple Podcasts: that will help more people discover the show. There are links in the show notes to make it easier to contact me and to spread the word.

Until next time, be well and God bless.