Our Lord Jesus preached peace, harmony, and love for our neighbor and all mankind. We are to actively work towards a world that embodies those values. However, our current reality makes this message complicated. While we are still called to love our neighbor and work toward peace, we cannot ignore the danger posed by pure pacifism on the nationstate level. How do we balance the seemingly competing needs of defense and brotherly love? Fr. Hightower joins Nicholas to approach this subject with a sober mind and respect toward the various perspectives concerning this pertinent topic.

Catholicism, while absolutely grounded in being a universal Church, has many beautiful variations throughout the world. In the United States, few have captured the imagination and heart of the nation like Irish Catholicism. Steeped in ancient lore and rich in history, the story of Irish Catholicism is as fascinating as it is tragic and triumphant. On this Sunday before our Church celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, Nicholas sits down for an extremely educational conversation with historian Allen Noonan to talk about Irish Catholicism.

There have been many councils in the history of the Church that have shaped our faith. From doctrine to rites, they have covered a breadth of topics. However, few councils have matched the importance of the Council of Trent and Vatican II. Both made sweeping changes that took decades to fully implement and made an impact that is still being considered today. What happened at these councils? Why were they so important and what meaningful changes did they make? Fr Hightower joins Nicholas to examine the Tale of Two Councils.