The Art of Catholic with Matthew Leonard

In this episode of the Art of Catholic podcast, Matthew Leonard and author and professor Dr. Daniel Keating explore the astonishing Catholic doctrine of Deification.
🟠 Join Matthew on a MARIAN Shrines PILGRIMAGE to FATIMA, LOURDES, and SPAIN in 2026: https://www.206tours.com/cms/sos/marianshrines/
🟡 Watch Course 1 of the Science of Sainthood: INTRODUCTION TO REAL PRAYER for FREE:
No credit card required 
No cancellation
Just sign up and watch: https://www.scienceofsainthood.com
🟠 SUPPORT this podcast and Matthew's work to spread the Catholic faith: https://www.scienceofsainthood.com/donate
The conversation explores what Deification really means, and addresses questions such as:
How can we possibly become "gods"?
Is Deification in the Bible or Catechism?
What the Saints say about Deification
How Martin Luther & John Calvin believed in Deification
Does Deification blur the lines between God and man?
What are the major misunderstandings surrounding Deification?
However you imagine heaven to be, this podcast will open your eyes to an even deeper understanding of God's breath-taking love, and leave you awe-struck at all that he has in store for us.
Chapters:
00:00 Understanding Deification: An Introduction
02:50 The Doctrine of Deification Explained
05:38 The Mechanism of Deification
08:16 Scriptural Foundations of Deification
11:05 The Role of Sacraments in Deification
14:02 Deification in the Old Testament
16:52 Deification in the New Testament
19:47 The Relationship Between Deification and Suffering
22:33 Prayer and Deification
25:22 The Importance of Daily Prayer
28:03 The Role of Participation in Divine Nature
30:58 Eastern vs. Western Perspectives on Deification
33:35 The Transformative Power of Prayer
36:21 Conclusion: Embracing Our Divine Destiny

🔵 Join Matthew on a MARIAN Shrines PILGRIMAGE to Fatima, Lourdes, and more in 2026: https://www.206tours.com/cms/sos/marianshrines/
🟡 Watch Course 1 of the Science of Sainthood: INTRODUCTION TO REAL PRAYER for FREE: https://www.scienceofsainthood.com
🟠 SUPPORT this podcast and Matthew's work to spread the Catholic faith: https://www.scienceofsainthood.com/donate
It's a simple, yet profound question.
Is God a person or an idea to you?
Seriously, take a moment and think about it. 
Do you really see him as a person or is he some kind of ethereal idea floating up in the heavens?
For a lot of us - if we're being honest with ourselves - tend to think of him in non-personal terms. 
He's this force or idea up above. 
Yes, we talk to him on occasion. We ask him for things. We even praise him and receive him in the Eucharist.
But do we know him as a person?
And if not, how can we do that? How can we develop a truly personal, transformative relationship with the Lord?
Well, who better than to ask than a former hermit about how to truly commune with God?
Fr. Wayne Sattler - a former hermit and spiritual director for his entire diocese - is going to help us deepen our relationship with Christ on this powerful episode of the Art of Catholic podcast.
You do NOT want to miss it.
Taking a deep dive into the subject of his new book, Remain in Me and I in You, my wide-ranging conversation with Father Sattler includes:  
How to know God as a person, not just an idea
What really happens in contemplative prayer 
The crucial difference between agape love and eros
Why some people never attain higher prayer
What Christ really meant when he said, "Follow me"
The fundamental requirement for truly serving God
And much more!

Have you ever thought about the fact that God is wounded?
Yes, the Church teaches that God is impassable in his nature and cannot suffer.
But as the God-man, Jesus Christ suffered and died out of his great love for us and mysteriously carries these wounds into eternity.
And there's a sense that this divine vulnerability to wounds and suffering is still present by the loss of souls that Christ loves so fiercely.
It's a deeply fascinating and powerful topic that has a lot of implications for how we are to approach both God and the spiritual life in general.
And it's the topic of a scintillating conversation I had with with renowned spiritual theologian and author Father Donald Haggerty on this episode of the Art of Catholic podcast. 
Touching on a variety of topics from his new book, The Hour of Testing, my conversation with Father Haggerty uncovers his deep insights into:  
The breathtaking beauty of divine vulnerability
The mystical wounds of Christ
Developing pure receptivity in prayer
Why God conceals himself as we seek him
A powerful way to bring back family members to the Faith
Developing a thirst for souls
And much more! 
God bless!
Matthew

What lessons does a parish priest who battled the Devil (and won) have to share with us? Matthew Leonard is joined by author Kevin Wells who has published a great, very unique little book that shares the practical secrets of a holy life from St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars.
🔵 Join Matthew on a Marian Shrines PILGRIMAGE to Fatima, Lourdes, and more in 2026: https://www.206tours.com/cms/sos/marianshrines/
🟡 Start your spiritual transformation right now! Watch Course 1 of the Science of Sainthood: Catholic Mysticism & the Beautiful Life of Grace for FREE: - No credit card required - No cancellation - Just sign up and watch: https://bit.ly/3Rtps1r
🟠 SUPPORT this podcast and Matthew's work to spread the Catholic faith: https://bit.ly/3VmgZOO
▶️ Please like and SHARE this video by clicking the SHARE button!

Matthew Leonard is joined by author and professor John Mark Miravalle to discuss what beauty is - and why it matters.
🔵 Join Matthew on a Marian Shrines PILGRIMAGE to Fatima, Lourdes, and more in 2026: https://bit.ly/3KOesb3
🟡 Start your spiritual transformation right now for FREE with the Science of Sainthood: https://bit.ly/3Rtps1r
🟠 SUPPORT this podcast and Matthew's work to spread the Catholic faith: https://bit.ly/3VmgZOO
Given the joyful peal of St. Peter's bells still echoing around the world marking the election of our new Holy Father, it's the perfect time to talk about beauty.
After all, beauty is at the heart of everything Catholic.
God is beautiful.
Our Lady is beautiful. 
Our Church is beautiful.
I could go on...
But what is beauty? How can we define it? Do you know it when you see it? Is it even necessary for something to be beautiful if it is Catholic? Where does beauty fit into the everyday?
These are important questions deserving great answers...and we've got them in this episode of the Art of Catholic podcast.
Join Matthew and John Mark Miravalle, Professor at Mount St. Mary's Seminary and author of Beauty: What It Is and Why It Matters, as they discuss:
Why beauty is essential to truth
The crucial role of surprise in beauty
The difference between beauty and manipulation
Why beauty must be "felt"
The moral DUTY of beauty for Christians
Why "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is wrong
And much more!