In times of difficulty and strife, it’s easy to feel hopeless. Sometimes it’s personal loss or tragedy, sometimes it’s climate catastrophe. Sometimes it’s the injustice meted out by authoritarian, extremist regimes. Sometimes it’s the weight of depression, anxiety, and trauma. Christian mandates to rejoice and be glad can feel ridiculous, even insulting, to those who see no cause for joy. When the weight of the world’s woes gets heavy, simply getting out of bed in the morning can be a chore. Hopelessness may seem like the most logical, realistic response to the state of humanity.

But aren’t Christians supposed to be hopeful? Technically, hope is a theological virtue. Hope is connected with faith and charity. So some Christians assume that hopelessness must be a sin, or at least a religious failure. It doesn’t help that some Catholics try to turn mental health issues into spiritual ones, even going so far as to claim that depression is caused by evil spirits.

So, what’s the difference between the virtue of hope, having hope for the future, and feeling “in a hopeful mood”? Are Christians required to be hopeful even in dire times? Is it a sin to be hopeless?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, Christine Valters Paintner discusses what it means to be hopeful in a world fraught with suffering. Paintner is a Benedictine oblate and the online abbess at abbeyofthearts.com, a virtual monastery integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. She is a poet and the author of more than 20 books on the spiritual life. Her newest book is A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness (Ave Maria Press).

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Paintner’s writing, in these links:

“Biblical figures struggled with mental health, too”
By Alice Camille
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202402/biblical-figures-struggled-with-mental-health-too/

“How your parish can help those suffering from depression”
By Jessie Bazan
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201804/how-your-parish-can-help-those-suffering-from-depression/

“No one can avoid suffering, but Jesus points a way to healing”
By Kevin Considine
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202309/no-one-can-avoid-suffering-but-jesus-points-a-way-to-healing/

“It's OK to despair and swear at God”
By Michael Leech
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/its-ok-despair-and-swear-god

“Learn to take your troubles to the Black Madonna”
By Christine Valters Paintner
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202204/learn-to-take-your-troubles-to-the-black-madonna/

“Exile is at the heart of the human experience”
By Christine Valters Paintner
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202308/exile-is-at-the-heart-of-the-human-experience/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Historically, nationalism has often turned out to be a bad idea. The most obvious examples of nationalism leading to atrocities include the Nazi regime in Germany and Benito Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship in Italy, but today’s geopolitical scene involves a variety of problematic nationalistic movements, including in India, Turkey, Brazil, and Hungary.

Even though nationalism frequently leads to violence or even genocide, people keep trying it. Perhaps the logic is something like “As great as MY nation is, maybe this time it will work!”

Here in the United States, nationalism has usually come with a particularly Christian flavor. Aside from the usual concerns associated with nationalism, this pairing of politics and religion poses unique challenges. Does it even make sense to combine a political ideology like nationalism with a religion like Christianity (especially Catholic Christianity, which is all about universality and solidarity across borders)?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, theologian and activist Jim Wallis discusses the nature of Christian nationalism, whether nationalism can ever be truly Christian, and how people of faith should respond to the resurgence of Christian nationalism in the United States today. Wallis is the founder of Sojourners and the author of 12 books, including America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America (Brazos). He is the inaugural chair and founding director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice.

You can learn more about this topic in these links.

“Any religion allied with nationalism is dangerous,” by Stephen Schneck
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202304/any-religion-allied-with-nationalism-is-dangerous/

“Christian nationalism distorts the faith, says Lexington Bishop John Stowe,” by Heidi Schlumpf
https://www.ncronline.org/news/christian-nationalism-distorts-faith-says-lexington-bishop-john-stowe

“How one evangelical leader uses the Bible to expose the ‘False White Gospel,’” by John Blake
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/us/evangelical-christianity-false-white-gospel-wallis-cec/index.html

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Every year at Halloween in the United States, amidst the usual vampires, witches, wizards, and superheroes, you may see a few costumes inspired by the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

If you aren’t familiar with this tradition, you might wonder about the significance of the floral crowns and beautifully painted skulls. Although the movie Coco recently brought Día de los Muertos into the public eye, Americans who are not of Mexican descent may still be confused about the celebration. Is this just how they do Halloween in Mexico? Or is Día de los Muertos the same as All Souls’ Day?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, scholar and educator Mathew Sandoval talks about the origin of this colorful and evocative tradition. Sandoval is a cultural historian and performance studies scholar whose research focuses on Día de los Muertos in history and popular culture. He is an associate teaching professor at Barrett the Honors College in Downtown Phoenix, where he teaches interdisciplinary seminars on art, culture, race, history, and activism. He also has a professional career as a performing artist, storyteller, poet, and filmmaker.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Sandoval’s writing, in these links:

“What is Día de los Muertos? An expert explains the holiday celebrating loved ones who have died”
By Matthew Sandoval
https://artscanvas.org/arts-culture/what-is-dia-de-los-muertos-an-expert-explains-the-holiday-celebrating-loved-ones-who-have-died

“Is Día de los Muertos the same as All Souls Day?”
By Joel Schorn
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201111/is-dia-de-los-muertos-the-same-as-all-souls-day/

“How ‘La Catrina’ became the iconic symbol of Day of the Dead”
By Matthew Sandoval
https://artscanvas.org/arts-culture/how-la-catrina-became-the-iconic-symbol-for-the-day-of-the-dead

“8 prayer practices to honor the dead on All Saints and All Souls Days”
By the U.S. Catholic editors
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202010/8-prayer-practices-to-honor-the-dead-on-all-saints-and-all-souls-days/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Every presidential election year, Catholics have the same debates: Which candidate is more in line with Catholic teachings? Is it a sin to vote for a certain candidate or support a certain party? What if none of the candidates reflect Catholic teaching? Various voter guides circulate, few of them the same.

And inevitably, election season also becomes the season of misinformation, as media personalities and influencers broadcast their own personal opinions under the label of “church teaching.” Stories abound of priests or religious leaders telling their congregations that they are obliged to vote a certain way or be in mortal sin. Catholics who take seriously both their faith practice and their obligation to civic engagement may feel overwhelmed, confused, and dispirited in the face of this. Some may wonder whether there’s even any point in voting at all. Others may decide not to vote because they dislike the idea of democracy. And still others may stay home simply because of ennui.

On this episode of the podcast, theologian and ethicist Meghan Clark discusses the question of whether Catholics have to vote, and how we ought to vote when we do. Clark is a professor of theology at St. John’s University in New York and author of The Vision of Catholic Social Thought: The Virtue of Solidarity and the Praxis of Human Rights (Fortress Press). In 2022, she was the assistant coordinator of the North American Working Group of the “Doing Theology from the Existential Peripheries” Project for the Migrant & Refugees Section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. She is a frequent contributor to U.S. Catholic.

Learn more about this topic, and read some of Clark’s writing, in these links:

“How should Catholics vote? A guide for faithful citizens”
By Bernard Evans
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202010/how-should-catholics-vote-read-this-guide-before-you-hit-the-polls/

“If you care about family values, vote for the common good”
By Kathleen Bonnette
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202410/if-you-care-about-family-values-vote-for-the-common-good/

“Government for the people needs to be for everyone”
By Meghan Clark
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202210/government-for-the-people-needs-to-be-for-everyone/

“Notre Dame peace scholar advises Catholic voters to use social teaching as guide”
By Catherine M. Odell
https://www.ncronline.org/news/notre-dame-peace-scholar-advises-catholic-voters-use-social-teaching-guide

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit https://claretians.org.

The social media trend of women who define themselves as “tradwives” has been growing for some time. You might be searching for a bread recipe or looking for crafts to do with your children, and suddenly you find yourself watching an Instagram reel featuring a young white woman in vintage 1950s clothing, standing in a beautiful kitchen, and talking about the joy of embracing traditional gender roles, not working outside the home, and submitting to her husband.

The tradwife aesthetic can be appealing, especially in our era of automation and late stage capitalism. And those who are ecologically minded might feel drawn to a lifestyle that looks more natural and simple, where women make their own clothing and prepare food from scratch instead of participating in globalized industrialization. But the tradwife trend isn’t just about the aesthetic. Nor are ecological concerns a top priority for most women who call themselves tradwives. So what’s the deal with the tradwives? Where did the trend come from, why is it so popular, and how should justice-minded Catholics evaluate it?

On this episode of the podcast, the hosts talk to Emma Cieslik about the tradwife phenomenon, its origins, and its ideological framework. Cieslik is a religious scholar and museum worker based in Washington, D.C. who studies the intersections of gender, sexuality, and Catholic material cultures. She serves as director for Queer and Catholic: A CLGS Oral History Project.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Cieslik’s writing, in these links.

“Catholic trad wives pose a formidable political and religious force”
By Emma Cieslik
https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/catholic-trad-wives-pose-formidable-political-and-religious-force

“The Truth About the Past That ‘Tradwives’ Want to Revive”
By Jacqueline Beatty
https://time.com/6962381/tradwives-history/

“Trad Wives Are Thriving in the Post-Dobbs Era”
By Morgan Jerkins
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/trad-wife-wives-nara-smith-estee-williams-dobbs-roe-escapism/

“I thought I hated feminism. What I actually hated was conservative women’s culture”
By Rebecca Bratten Weiss
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202305/i-thought-i-hated-feminism-what-i-actually-hated-was-conservative-womans-culture/

“Gender diversity has always been part of the church”
By Emma Cieslik
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202406/gender-diversity-has-always-been-part-of-the-church/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

To many practicing Catholics, terms like queer theology might seem overly academic or unhelpful. Does queer theology refer to theology done by and for people who are LGBTQ+? Is it focused primarily on arguing for inclusion of queer people and perspectives in the church? Or is it something arcane and academic, along the lines of queer theory? And why should people who don’t identify as queer care what it means at all?

Some might also be uncomfortable with the idea of breaking theology up into specific groups. If we’re all human relating to God, shouldn’t plain old theology be good enough for everyone? Why worry about feminist theology, ecotheology, and liberation theology, when one could just talk about God?

On the opening episode of the fifth season of Glad You Asked, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss discuss the topic of queer theology with guest Shannon Kearns. Kearns is an ordained priest in the Old Catholic Church and the author of In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey With Scripture (Eerdmans). He also has three more books forthcoming, including No One Taught Me How To Be A Man: What A Trans Man’s Experience Reveals About Masculinity (Broadleaf Books).

Kearns has also written multiple plays, and been awarded for his playwriting and screenwriting, including first place in the ScreenCraft Pitch competition and in the New Hope Film Festival.

You can read more of Shannon’s writing and check out his podcasts on his website (https://www.shannontlkearns.com/) and learn more about queer theology in the links below:

“Is queer theology compatible with Catholicism?”
By Caleb Murray
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202312/is-queer-theology-compatible-with-catholicism/

“Toward a theology of a queer God,”
By Ellyn Sanna
https://uscatholic.org/articles/202312/is-queer-theology-compatible-with-catholicism/

“We were never meant to survive,”
By Shannon Kearns
https://www.queertheology.com/we-were-never-meant-to-survive/

“Way of the cross is way of embodiment, something queer Catholics know well,”
By Maxwell Kuzma
https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/way-cross-way-embodiment-something-queer-catholics-know-well

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit https://claretians.org and https://myclaret.org.

Over the past two years, the Glad You Asked podcast has answered more than 50 of your top questions about Catholic history, scripture, and theology. Things like: Do dogs go to heaven? Do angels really have wings? And did Jesus have to die on the cross?

Hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss have spoken with dozens of teachers, theologians, activists, and other experts on these and others of the most-searched for queries about Catholicism.

Glad You Asked returns for its fifth season on October 4 with even more answers to your burning questions: What is Catholic nationalism? Should Catholics use AI? What is queer theology? And who can baptize a baby?

Tune in this season to hear experts answer these questions and more. Sign up for updates here, or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, an order of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

These days, when Catholics talk about someone being a saint, this usually has nothing to do with signs or wonders, but with a life of heroic virtue. Further back in church history, however, stories of the saints are often filled with anecdotes about the miraculous. Some stories tell of miraculous healings or rescues; others tell of saints levitating or flying through the air.

“Yes, but those were just legends,” people may say—but the Catholic Church does teach that miracles are real, and it still requires evidence of the miraculous as part of the process of canonization. So what are we to make of these older stories of saints levitating or performing miraculous or supernatural feats? Are the faithful required to believe these things happened?

On this episode of the podcast, guest Carlos Eire talks about the motif of levitation in Catholic hagiography. Eire is the T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University, and a historian of late medieval and early modern Europe. His most recent book, They Flew: A History of the Impossible from Yale University Press, explores miraculous events such as levitation in the era of transition to modernity. He has also written a highly acclaimed memoir about his experience as a child escapee from the Castro regime in Cuba.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Eire’s writing, in these links:

“Making sense of levitating saints,” by Carlos Eire
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/saints-levitation-bilocation-eire-miracles-history

“Historian sets his eyes on levitating saints in book ‘They Flew’,” by Patrick J. Hayes
https://www.ncronline.org/culture/book-reviews/historian-sets-his-eyes-levitating-saints-book-they-flew

“Your field guide to flying saints,” by Kathleen M. Carroll
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/your-field-guide-to-flying-saints/

“Why does the church require miracles for sainthood?” by Heidi Schlumpf
https://uscatholic.org/articles/201112/why-does-the-church-require-miracles-for-sainthood/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.
https://www.claretians.org/