The Pilgrim Soul

Adrianna, Giuli, and Sofi are joined by Paolo again for a final conversation about The Religious Sense. What does it mean to observe the “I” in action? Why does Giussani exhort us to live in the present moment as we seek answers to our ultimate questions? And how does this follow from his methodological premises about reason? If you’re following along with the text, we’re on Chapter 4. You can fin...

We’re back with a third episode on The Religious Sense. This time, we are covering “the impact of morality on the dynamic of knowing.” By this phrase, Don Giussani means that the embodied feelings that objects provoke in us condition our reason’s access to the truth. He suggests that the proper response is not to eliminate our feelings, but to order them to a love of truth. You can find the text i...

Join Adrianna and Sofi for a second episode on The Religious Sense. This time we’re discussing Chapter 2, in which Don Giussani introduces the idea of “reasonableness.” You can find the text in PDF form at www.scritti.luigigiussani.org or an audio recording of the chapter at Fr. Mike’s podcast www.tinyurl.com/562pncac . We’ll be back (with Giuli!) next month for Chapter 3. // Our media recommendat...

In this episode, Giuli, Adrianna, and Sofi talk about “realism,” a concept from Luigi Giussani’s book The Religious Sense. We are joined by a special guest, Sofi and Giuli’s father Paolo! If you’re following along with the text, we’re on Chapter 1. // Our media recommendation is the film The Truman Show. And the monthly challenge is to ask yourself why you live the vocation you live. If you are ma...

We are starting a new mini-series inspired by "The Religious Sense," a book by our spiritual father Don Luigi Giussani. In our next few episodes, we will be discussing Chapters 1, 2, and 3. If you'd like to read with us, you can find a PDF at www.scritti.luigigiussani.org (just make a free account!). Or if you prefer to listen, check out Fr. Mike's recordings on his podcast here .

In today’s episode Adrianna, Giuliana and Sofia consider simplicity. What is the simple truth of the Christian life? How can we discover every circumstance as a good for us? Where are we experiencing new life through cultivating simplicity of heart? // Our media recommendation is a page from Julian of Norwich’s Showings: the 10th revelation of the 24th chapter . In the spirit of accepting the grat...

This episode concludes a three-part mini-series in which we put some of you, our listeners, behind the mic. The episode was inspired by our gratitude for the rich friendship and Christian witness that the podcast has brought into our lives. Today’s guest is Kathryn Sheffield, a mother and lawyer based in Virginia. Kathryn shares about her conversion to the Catholic faith and the path of mission th...

This episode continues a three-part mini-series in which we put some of you, our listeners, behind the mic. The episode was inspired by our gratitude for the rich friendship and Christian witness that the podcast has brought into our lives. Today’s guest is Jessica Laenger, a medical student in Pensacola, Florida. Jess tells us about the early experiences that awakened the ultimate questions in he...

This episode kicks off a three-part mini-series in which we put some of you, our listeners, behind the mic. The episode was inspired by our gratitude for the rich friendship and Christian witness that the podcast has brought into our lives. Today’s guest is Fr. Matt Henry, a priest of the diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. Fr. Matt shares the story of how he moved from a “notional” to a real faith in Ch...

Join Giuli, Sofi and Adrianna for a conversation about the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life. How does the Eucharist reveal God’s method? What helps us overcome our sense of unworthiness to receive Christ’s love in this intimate way? How has the Eucharist changed us— especially as we face the crosses of life? // Our monthly challenge is to consider how you can participate in t...

Adrianna, Giuli and Sofi discuss the concept of “virginity” as a way of loving others according to their destiny: Christ. How does this account of virginity differ from others in the Church and the world? Where in our lives have we experienced the joy of virginal purity and integrity in our relationships? What helps us live the sacrifices demanded by this kind of love? // Our media recommendation...

Sofia, in conversation with Michelle Zaleski, explores what it means to be Christian on a college campus. This is a recording from the inaugural Communion & Liberation University Conference, which was hosted at Benedictine College. // We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠ . Our website is ⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodca...

Join all three hosts for a conversation about following Christ. How does the drama of this path unfold? What helps us say “yes” to His invitation during seasons of change and challenge? Who are we learning from as we strive to be with Christ instead of remaining with our attachments? // Our media recommendations are the writings of Servant of God Takashi Nagai, including "The Bells of Nagasaki" an...

Adrianna is back! In this episode, she and Sofia have a conversation about pain. How does Christ transform the otherwise meaningless experience of pain? What helps us discover His presence instead of remaining in despair, anger, or apathy? What have we learned from our pain, and whose examples do we want to follow in living it with the Lord? // Our media recommendation is Marc Chagall’s White Cruc...

This month, we are sharing with you a talk that Sofi gave to the Catholic Chaplaincy of the University of Cambridge. It was inspired by Pope Francis' urgent and insistent call for Christians to work for peace throughout the world. Drawing on her work as a developmental neuroscientist, she exposes the wounds inflicted by violence and proposes ways for us to collaborate in Christ's victory over sin...

Sofia hosts JD Flynn, co-founder of The Pillar, for a conversation about journalism. JD begins by explaining the needs of the Church that led him and Ed Condon to start this news outlet, particularly the need for reform and renewal that is free from ideology. Then he and Sofia talk about journalism as a vocation. Can working with the media be an exercise of the prophetic calling we receive in Bapt...

Sofia is joined by Fr. Mike Cairnes for a guest episode on living the memory of and desire for Christ. Fr. Mike starts by telling the story of how he fell in love twice, a first time that led him to nihilism and a second that definitively led him to the love of God. Then he and Sofia talk about the struggle against moralism, which is the suffocating reduction of morality into a set of rules. Fr. M...

Join all three hosts for a conversation about Mary, the Mother of God. What does it mean that Mary is our mother? How does an ordered veneration of Mary lead us to a deeper worship of the Triune God? And personally, how are we trying to follow her in obedience, virginity, and passion for the salvation of the world? // Our media recommendation is Caravaggio’s painting “Madonna di Loreto”, also know...

Adrianna, Sofia, and Giuli talk about the experience of the resurrection. What’s at stake in the Resurrection of Christ? What does the promise of new life have to do with our daily experiences of suffering, boredom, and the search for meaning? Where have we seen, in our own lives and in the world, evidence of the presence of the Risen Lord? // Our media recommendation is the dystopian novel The Ch...

Join Sofia and Adrianna in praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, guided by reflections from Father Luigi Giussani. We pray this Lent is a deepening into your own encounter with the Lord in the desert. We'll be back with an episode on April 10th for Easter and then resume our normal monthly episodes on May 1st.

Join Sofia, Adrianna, and Giuli for a discussion about the body. What does it mean that, in Romano Guardini’s words, there is no religion as materialistic as Christianity? How does God’s esteem for our embodiment change our gaze on ourselves and others? Can we learn to affirm Christ in our bodies? What do we do when faced with the fallenness or woundedness of our embodied nature? // Our media reco...

Giuli, Adrianna and Sofi dive into the topic of tradition. Why are we misguided when we instinctively reject authority as a limitation? Can tradition instead be something living that enhances our reason and freedom? How is tradition handed on from one person to the next, and how can we be authentic authorities of our tradition? // Our media recommendation is the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo...

Adrianna, Giuli and Sofi discuss restlessness. What does the experience of dissatisfied longing reveal about our hearts? How does contemporary society tend to anesthetize our restlessness? Where have we seen that our restlessness can become a path to discovering the presence of Christ, through prayer and companionship? // Our media recommendation is Josh Garrels’ song Ulysses, which you can find o...

Sofia, Adrianna, and Giuli talk about the cross. What does it mean to die to oneself in order to follow Christ? How is it possible that this is a path to our fulfillment and our joy - where do we see that the cross is a love story? What helps us say “yes” to this in our ordinary experiences of daily life? // Our media recommendation is Graham Greene’s novel The End of the Affair. And our monthly c...

Join Sofia and Adrianna in praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, guided by reflections from Father Luigi Giussani. Have a blessed start to the season of Advent, everyone. We'll be back with a regular episode on December 1st.