AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

There’s a stereotype out there that Catholics don’t know much if anything about the Bible. If you have a question about a specific book or verse from Scripture, better to ask a Protestant.

Why is this a stereotype? And is it a fair one? Or do those of us who are Catholics perhaps know more about the Bible than we think we do? These are some of the questions at the heart of Michael Peppard’s book “How Catholics Encounter the Bible,” which was published in 2024 by Oxford University Press. Michael is a professor of theology at Fordham University, and this book is a true joy to read – host Mike Jordan Laskey learned something on almost every page. It’s scholarly but also incredibly readable for non-experts. In this wide-ranging conversation, Michael and Mike talked about the lectionary, early Christian sculpture, Bruce Springsteen and so much more.

To go along with the episode, we’re running an excerpt of the book about the Biblical imagination found in the rosary and in St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises up at Jesuits.org. So after you listen, head to https://www.jesuits.org/stories/what-the-rosary-and-st-ignatius-spiritual-exercises-have-in-common/ to read the excerpt.

Dr. Michael Peppard: https://www.profpeppard.com/

“How Catholics Encounter the Bible”: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/how-catholics-encounter-the-bible-9780190948696?cc=us&lang=en&#

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

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Two Jesuits. Real life. Real faith.

Today's episode: Nighttime! There’s something about nighttime that loosens the soul. In the quiet, defenses drop, memories surface and prayer shifts. Fr. Eric and Fr. Damian talk honestly about being night owls, about what darkness reveals, and about how surrender often happens when everything else goes still. The night isn’t empty, it’s inhabited.

About the show:

Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.

This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.

Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.

During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.

You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/societyofjesus

In the life of a Catholic, there are set times when we pray for and with the Pope. At Mass, during the prayers of the faithful, for example. There’s that one bead on the rosary where we say an Our Father for the pope’s intentions. There are feast days when we are called to hold the pope in prayer in a special way. But often, these calls to prayer can feel rote, distant, hasty.

What if there’s another way to pray with the pope? What if you could know exactly what the pope’s prayer intention was for any given month? What if this invitation to prayer was one of depth, intimacy and an ongoing encounter with Christ?

You may be familiar with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. You may even know it by an older name: the Apostleship of Prayer. Under Pope Francis, this Jesuit apostolate took on a renewed mission, becoming a Pontifical Work — still entrusted to the Society of Jesus — and shared ever more widely through digital media and the pope videos. Now, under Pope Leo, the work continues.

As you’ll hear from today’s guest, Fr. Cristóbal Fones, a Chilean Jesuit who now serves as the international director, Pope Leo is excited and eager to get the word out about this unique network of prayer. This isn’t just about reciting Our Fathers and Hail Marys — though that’s important. This is about uniting our hearts to the suffering Christ so present in our world. This is about practicing a spirituality that is concerned for those who are suffering by lifting up and naming specific instances of need around the world.
Fr. Cristóbal was a great guest; we had a really engaging conversation not only about the Pope’s Worldwide Network, but about the nature of prayer and the hopes of this American pope.

Learn more about the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network by visiting the global site: popesprayer.va.

And the North American site: popesprayerusa.net.

Here’s an exciting announcement: We here at the Jesuit Media Lab have a brand-new podcast we’re producing. It’s called Two Jesuits Talking. (As you can tell, we are not trying to be subtle with the show title.)

The two Jesuits in question are Father Damian Torres-Botello and Father Eric Immel, both priests from the USA Midwest province who are also close friends. We’re working with Damian and Eric to make a conversation-based show about spirituality and faith that doesn’t take itself too seriously. We’re aiming for deep and funny, human and surprising, warm and accessible. And we’re also hoping that two Jesuit friends sharing stories and reflections with each other in this sort of laid-back forum will be a way to pull back the curtain on Jesuit life a little bit, helping all of us who aren’t Jesuits learn more about their life of faith and service.

Each Saturday in Lent, we’ll bring you a new episode of Two Jesuits Talking right here on the AMDG feed. Today, we have the first-ever episode for you. Our regular AMDG episodes will continue to drop on Wednesdays.

Also, if you want to watch Fathers Damian and Eric instead of just listening to them, Two Jesuits Talking is a video podcast, and you can find it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxQTtosZfI&t=1s

After Easter, our plan is to move Two Jesuits Talking over onto its own audio feed, but you don’t have to worry about that for now. We’ll let you know when that happens and where to find it. In the meantime, during Lent, enjoy getting to know Fr. Eric and Fr. Damian a little bit, and I think you’ll find out quickly why they’re two of our favorite Jesuits around.

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Cameron Bellm, a writer who works at the intersections of creativity, spirituality, mysticism and activism, is the editor of our Jesuit Media Lab Lenten email series: "In Praise Of: Daily Lenten Letters of Recommendation for the Spiritual Life." In the series, more than 30 writers fix their attention on where they have found God at work in their lives, often in small, everyday places and moments: the library, the act of making pesto, a gifted knife, a fireplace and dozens more. Each essay is accompanied by an original piece of art painted by either Allison Beyer or Erin Buckley, two of our multi-talented community members.

In this episode kicking off the Lenten season, Cameron joined hosts Mike Jordan Laskey and Eric Clayton to discuss the project and why focusing on the quality of our attention this Lent, seeking God laboring in our lives and in the world, might be a suitable way to approach the liturgical season. Then all three podcasters discussed how their views of Lent have evolved over the years and the important human truths the season reveals.

You can get "In Praise Of" in your inbox every weekday in Lent by subscribing for free here: https://mailchi.mp/jesuits/in-praise-of

Cameron Bellm:
https://www.cameronbellm.com/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/