So you’ve decided that your spiritual life needs a boost and you want to find ways to get closer to God in your day to day life. One part of our life that gets overlooked when we are trying to make these kinds of changes is how we use the “in-between time” in our day. This is that time when we are on our way to work, or waiting for the bus. It can be the time when we are cleaning the bathroom or cooking dinner. The in-between time is when it is easy to ask Siri or Alexa to fill the background of our day with the white noise of Taylor Swift, or worse…
But used wisely, these few minutes can be put to good use, and one of the best ways to do that is to trade the Top 40 for a more Catholic listening experience.
Although you may not have access to a local Catholic radio station, EWTN radio or the Catholic Channel on satellite, all is not lost. You don’t need to dig out that one Matt Maher CD that you think might be behind your computer. If you have a smart phone, you have access to dozens of high quality podcasts. And while they vary in format, production values and content, with a little searching, you’ll likely find more than one that captures your interest. If you are looking for a place to begin, I recommend these 9 podcasts.
1. All Things Catholic
Dr. Sri is part of the new wave of Catholic Scripture scholars who are notable both for the depth of their scholarship and their comprehensibility for those of us without a background in biblical Greek. Dr. Sri’s podcast draws from scripture, traditional devotionals and history to tie together a variety of topics in short segments. Each podcast is about 20 minutes.
2. Divine Intimacy Radio
Dan and Stephanie Burke of SpiritualDirection.com focus largely on spiritual theology as understood by the Carmelite mystics with an Ignatian devotion to the daily examen. They deal with topics such as how to progress in the spiritual life, how to practice discernment and healing from traumatic pasts.
3. Theology of the Buddy
A group of four friends, Chris, Mike, Brooke and Julie raise a glass and toast the Mass as they discuss all things traditional. While the discussion usually centers around the Mass of All Time, they quickly and often stray into interesting nerdery, such as Halo, Star Trek vs. Star Wars and D&D that helps make you feel like you are sitting with them at a table sharing a drink and a pizza.
4. Aquinas 101
Fr. Gregory Pine O.P. and the Thomistic Institute have compiled a series of talks and lectures on the life of St Thomas Aquinas and why he is relevant to Catholics today. Fr. Pine is a frequent contributor to Pints with Aquinas.
5. Pints with Aquinas
Speaking of Pints with Aquinas, Matt Fradd hosts this podcast, where he asks if you could sit down with the Angelic Doctor over a pint of beer and ask him any one question, what would it be? Matt is a former NET missionary, apologist with Catholic Answers and uses the Summa Theologica to discuss modern questions in a philosophical context.
6. The Catholic Man Show
David Niles and Adam Minihan deal largely with topics of masculinity among Catholic men. Their format begins with sampling a libation then some interesting gear is discussed, such as ammo cans outfitted with supplies for spiritual warfare, and then the show’s topic is discussed. The show moves quickly from one topic to the next and has frequent guests.
7. The Bear Woznick Adventure
Bear Woznick is a champion surfer who focuses on the role of virtue in the spiritual life. He has a number of notable guests who join him in most episodes and he approaches his topics with a refreshing combination of frankness and gentleness. This is one to listen to while tinkering with your motorcycle.
8. Fr Mike Schmitz
These follow with the format of his videos from YouTube. Short, single topic discussions that really get to the meat of the issue at hand. Fr. Mike specializes in answering tough questions. He also wields a respectable beard.
9. Among the Lillies
Cameron Fradd addresses many issues affecting Catholic women with a good sense of humor and a foot planted in reality. She has interesting topics, guests and episode titles. If you need to find out what to do when life throws you a urine soaked curveball, this is the podcast for you.
BONUS: Forte Catholic
Host Taylor Schroll is known for his uproarious humor, but every podcast he shares brilliant nuggets of Catholic wisdom. Taylor’s style in Forte Catholic is witty and cheerful—also pretty loud (hence the name). His weekly always has a new guest and nobody really knows what’s going to happen.
