Ave Maria in the Afternoon Segments

As Christians, it’s easy to be lured by the prospect of casting aside the culture and the sinful world, and to simply fend for ourselves. But the Scriptures call for the baptized to engage the culture, to bring about the transformation of the culture, so that our vocations intersect with our occupations for the sake of sanctifying the entire world for Christ. Charlie Self has moreGuest InfoDr. Charlie Self is an author, adviser, pastor and professor with more than 40 years of experience connecting Faith and the Common Good. He is the author of several works including Flourishing Churches and Communities (published by Acton) and his new co-authored work, Life in 5-D: A New Vision of Wholeness. He is the visiting professor of church history at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Visit him at drcharlieself.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

We devote hours and hours each week to our work – often spending more waking hours there than anywhere else. What if we approached our work as a vocation, regardless of what that work might be? We explore a theological vision of work and vocation with Scott Rae.Scott’s Recommended ReadingsBaker, Bruce, “Entrepreneurship as a Sign of Common Grace,” Journal of Markets & Morality 18:1 (2015): 81-98. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/works/34/Ballor, Jordan, and Victor Claar, “The Soul of the Entrepreneur: A Christian Anthropology of Creativity, Innovation and Liberty,” Journal of Ethics and Entrepreneurship (Spring 2016): 117-131. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2749195Clark, Catherine, and Christian Harrison article, “Entrepreneurship: An assimilated multi-perspective review,” Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (2018), 6-29.Gregg, Samuel, “Entrepreneurship isn’t enough,” Acton.org (May 13, 2009). https://acton.org/pub/commentary/2009/05/13/entrepreneurship-isn%E2%80%99t-enoughHandy, Charles, “What’s a Business For?, Harvard Business Review, December 2002:49-55.Pearcy, Anthony, Entrepreneurship in the Catholic Tradition (Lexington Books, 2010).Willard, Dallas, “The Business of Business,” Renovare, https://renovare.org/articles/the-business-of-businessGuest InfoScott Rae, Ph.D., is a professor of Christian ethics as well as dean of the faculty at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Dr. Rae's primary interests are medical ethics and business ethics, dealing with the application of Christian ethics to medicine and the marketplace. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

Jérémy Doku is living a soccer player’s ultimate dream: he’s playing in the FIFA World Cup. But this week he set that dream aside, leaving his team so he could be present for the birth of his son. Sadly, his decision was met with some blowback. Critics accused him of abandoning his duties, and one television personality went as far as to claim that fathers play no role in the delivery process. Marcus looks at what this shows about our culture’s understanding of family and vocation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

Immigration policy is one of the most hotly contested topics of our age. Daniel Di Martino joins us to examine immigration policy through the lens of human dignity, solidarity, and ordered love, weighing the duties nations owe to their citizens and migrants alike.Guest InfoDaniel Di Martino is a Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a PhD candidate in Economics at Columbia University. His research focuses on immigration, especially selection, assimilation, and highly skilled immigration. Born and raised in Venezuela, Di Martino experienced the terrible consequences of socialism firsthand. After leaving Venezuela for the U.S. in 2016, he dedicated himself to explaining how socialism destroyed his homeland, advocating for its freedom, and stopping this ideology from ever being implemented in America and elsewhere. Di Martino has appeared on Fox News and CNN, and written for USA Today, National Review, City Journal and New York Post, among others.Visit his website here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

When entrepreneurship is rooted in principle, it can be both a creative calling and a path to human flourishing. Andreas Widmer looks at how integrating faith, work, and culture transforms business from a transactional enterprise into a force for lasting prosperity.Further ReadingThe Art of Principled Entrepreneurship: Creating Enduring ValueThe Pope & The CEO: John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss GuardGuest InfoAndreas Widmer is the founder and director of the Art & Carlyse Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at The Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business where he loves to teach and mentor students to find their true calling. Previously, Andreas helped lead high-tech companies, bringing more than one hundred leading-edge technology products to market and also led several organizations focused on enterprise solutions to poverty. He is a former member of the Swiss Guard serving under Pope John Paul II and author of the book The Pope and the CEO, which describes the ten lessons he learned from the late pope about leadership and the centrality of the human person in work. His latest book, The Art of Principled Entrepreneurship Andreas argues that we have lost sight of the human person as the center of the economy, and that investing in employees is in fact the only opportunity with infinite returns.biggest accomplishment in life is building a great marriage together with his wife, Michelle, and his biggest joy is seeing the character of their teenage son, Eli, develop and grow. He can be reached at andreas-widmer.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

In today’s readings, we can see how God preserves His people in their faithfulness, because walking the narrow path of covenantal obedience and moral living is a crucial component of covenant life. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Thomas More. At his execution, he proclaimed that he died “The King’s loyal servant – but God’s first.” Marcus reflects on what this lesson means for us today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

Marcus looks at today’s First Reading from the Second Book of Kings and the consequences of when the children of Israel sinned against God. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

We are excited to be broadcasting again from Acton University in Grand Rapids. Is there a moral case for capitalism? Consumerism is an appalling spectacle. Free markets may be efficient, but are they fair? Aren’t there some things that we can’t afford to leave to the vicissitudes of the market? Fr. Robert Sirico joins us to discuss the conference and defending the Free Market. Further ReadingDefending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free EconomyGuest InfoRev. Robert A. Sirico is president emeritus and the co-founder of the Acton Institute. In that capacity, he lectures at colleges, universities, and business organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad. His writings on religious, political, economic, and social matters are published in a variety of journals, including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the London Financial Times, the Washington Times, the Detroit News, and National Review. Fr. Sirico is often called upon by members of the broadcast media for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern, and has provided commentary for CNN, ABC, the BBC, NPR, and CBS’ 60 Minutes, among others. He is the author of many books including Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

Every one of us has been equipped perfectly for a purposeful life. True joy and authenticity come from wholeheartedly living that life. We talk about it with Andrea LaFountain, who shares the work she is doing with Truth First Ministry.Truth First websiteGuest InfoAndrea LaFountain is a neuroscientist, theologian, speaker and author. She is Adjunct professor of Psychology at Divine Mercy University and the founder of Truth First Ministry This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

There are some encouraging numbers on fatherhood in America. Recent research shows that dad are spending nearly four times the number of hours their grandfathers spent with their kids, and that parenting time for fathers has been trending upward for decades. In the words of one study, today’s dads are becoming “the parents their fathers never were.” But there is a cloud to this silver lining – a major reason for the change is that fewer men are becoming dads in the first place. Brad Wilcox has more.Further ReadingAmerica’s Great Dad DivideGet Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save CivilizationFollow Brad on XGuest InfoBrad Wilcox is a sociology professor at the University of Virginia and a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. He is the author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us not to store our treasures on earth, but to store them up in Heaven, for were our treasure is our heart will be as well. What treasure occupies our deepest affection? What rival loyalties do we have within us for our devotion? What resentments do we have that remain unsolved? Or what spiritual blindness is clouding the way we live spiritually? Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

The US has been in a steep fertility decline for nearly two decades, and a new study may shed some light on one of the causes. The study used mobile coverage maps cross-referenced with fertility data to conclude that the release of the iPhone, the first modern smartphone, is associated with an accelerated decline in fertility that has continued to the present day. Marcus looks at the numbers.Further ReadingSmartphones and Fertility: Studies Suggest a Link — and Complex Implications This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com