The Burrowshire Podcast

It’s hard to stay joyful today. We’ve all noticed a rise of anxiety, anger, and bitterness, whether in ourselves or among friends. Our cultural climate is toxic, to say the least. Yet, we are called to be missionaries of joy, who spread the evangelium gaudium (joy of the Gospel). How do we do this? How do we develop and protect our joy? In this episode, Fr. Blake and Brandon explain how to root our joy in Christ, how to recognize the enemies of joy, and Chesterton’s and Tolkien’s advice on maintaining “joy without a cause.”

We are both from Orlando and grew up around Disney. It is part of our culture, as it is for many Millennials who grew up watching classic Disney films. Today we discuss the The Disney Renaissance (aka The Disney Decade), lasting from 1989-1999, and examine the religious themes of four Disney films: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

We have received several requests to do an episode on the sacred liturgy. We know it's always a hot-button topic in the Church, and for good reason. The sacred liturgy is incredibly important. So, in this episode we discuss what the liturgy is, how Vatican II reformed the liturgy, and why it's time to move past the liturgy wars. We also unpack many of today's liturgical debates concerning the Traditional Latin Mass, ad orientem, and more. Finally, we explore the role of liturgy in family life and how to cultivate a liturgical rhythm and environment in your home.

Brandon and Fr. Blake, both native Floridians, are proud of their home state, especially the sacred ground of St. Augustine. Founded in 1565, it's not only the oldest city in the United States but the site of the country's first recorded Catholic Mass. Even more, the so-called "sacred acre," home to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, also served as the place of martyrdom for several of the Florida Martyrs, whose cause for canonization has recently begun. Listen as Fr. Blake and Brandon share some of these incredible stories and why this great city of St. Augustine, bathed in Catholic history, is worth a visit.

On this Ash Wednesday, Brandon and Fr. Blake reflect on the holy season of Lent and offer advice on how to sanctify your Lenten season through spiritual reading, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

With the upcoming general election, it's good for us to reflect on the role of Catholics in the political sphere. Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss a Catholic approach to politics, why Christians should care about the common good, and how to react if your preferred candidate doesn't win in November.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a troubling figure for many Protestant Christians, but this is a relatively new phenomenon. In the early Church, Marian devotion was hardly debated and even the major Protestant reformers themselves, such as Martin Luther and King Henry VIII, wrote treatises defending Marian doctrines. In this episode, Brandon and Fr. Blake explore some of the key beliefs about Mary, her pivotal role in salvation history, and the revival of Marian theology during the last two centuries.

Christians are often divided on questions about movies, television, and video games. Where do we draw the line between good entertainment, worthy of our attention, and bad media we should avoid? What about movies or shows with excessive violence or sexuality? How do we discern which video games to play (or allow our kids to play)? Brandon and Fr. Blake offer several general principles while also discussing specific films, TV shows, books, games, and more.

Our culture is experiencing a crisis of masculinity. We're confused about what it means to be a man and because of that, we struggle to initiate boys into authentic masculinity. In this episode, Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss how to father boys and help them to encounter God, sharing plenty of practical tips.

The Second Vatican Council (aka Vatican II) was convened in 1962 by Pope St. John XXIII and lasted through 1965. It gathered all the bishops from around the world to produce 16 wonderful texts.

However, fifty years after its conclusion there’s still debate about what Vatican II taught and how the Council was implemented. In this episode, Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss what you need to know about the Council: why Vatican II was needed, a simple timeline, the key terms and people, what happened after the Council, the major controversies, and why the Council remains important today. They close with several recommended books on Vatican II to go deeper.

Note: At 28:52 , Fr. Blake refers to the "Council of the Magisteriums" but he meant "Council of the theologians."

The Bible is a complicated book. If you read or interpret it the wrong way, you'll quick go astray. In this episode, Brandon and Fr. Blake share some of the basic interpretative principles Catholics should use to understand Scripture, including recognizing the genre, using the "four senses," and reading the Bible from the heart of the Church.

We live in an age that does not know how to recognize and reconcile its woundedness. This explains why we lash out at others, why we seek false substitutes for God such as Netflix, food, pornography, and drugs, and why we avoid long periods of silent introspection. If we want to deepen our spiritual life, we must discern our wounds, asking Christ to name them and heal them. It’s the only path to freedom and the redemption of our personality.

The Catechism describes the family as a “domestic church” (ecclesia domestica), the first school of Christian life and a school for human enrichment. How can we excel in this school? How do we help our family members become holy? Brandon and Fr. Blake share tips from their own lives and from Fr. Blake’s ministry to young families.

In numerous studies, Millennials and Gen Z’ers mention “true friendship” as one of their most unmet needs. What is true friendship? What’s unique about Christian friendship? Brandon and Fr. Blake explore what ancient thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Augustine have said about friendship, and also explain how to develop deep friendships ourselves.

Video games are surging in popularity. There are over a billion gamers in the world, and the gaming industry is eclipsing the impact of social media, Hollywood, and live sports. It's the new digital frontier, especially for evangelization. But why are so many young people drawn to video games? What longings do these games fulfill? And how should Christians engage this increasingly important realm? Brandon and Fr. Blake, avid gamers and guides, take you on a tour of this exciting landscape.

Did you know there is one set of prayers that the Church recommends ALL Catholics pray, every day? It’s called the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church…and it’s not just for priests. Fr. Blake and Brandon talk about this transformative discipline, and how to overcome obstacles that beginners usually face. We also share some book recommendations and tips on how to get started with these prayers.

Few of us are geniuses, but all of us should be intellectuals. Brandon and Fr. Blake discuss the rich patrimony of the Catholic intellectual tradition and why we shouldn’t dumb down religion. They also offer tips on how to develop your own intellectual life.

One of the major themes of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) was the “universal call to holiness.” The Council Fathers urged all Catholics–not just priests and religious–to strive for sainthood. But what does it mean to be a saint in our time, to acquire holiness in the particular context we find ourselves in? Brandon and Fr. Blake discuss traits of our particular age which shape our pursuit of sanctity.

Welcome to the first episode of The Burrowshire Podcast! In this episode we discuss why we started this podcast, how it’s different than other podcasts, and what you expect on future episodes. We also share how we first met each other and became rapid friends.