God as 'That Tremendous Lover' in The Hound of Heaven Artwork

Mystagogy

In a tradition that dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, many newly initiated Christians were prepared for lives of faith through a formation with spiritual, liturgical, and communitarian dimensions. This period of formation was called mystagogy, a word which, in Greek, means "leading through the mysteries." Our program of mystagogy will have four primary goals: 1) To break open Magisterial teaching on the lay state (selections from Vatican II as well as letters/encyclicals from recent popes) as well as classic spiritual texts to build a thoughtful, practical devotional life; 2) To introduce the various spiritual charisms in the Church (i.e. Dominican, Carmelite, Franciscan, Salesian, etc.) so that they may develop a personal program of spirituality rooted in the uniquely Catholic legacy; 3) To deepen the prayer life through study, communal prayer, the practice of meditation, Mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours; and 4) To establish a fully Catholic life and mission, including a formation in the art of the Church, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and the commitment to a specific personal work of service.

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Mystagogy

God as 'That Tremendous Lover' in The Hound of Heaven

October 10, 2022 • Barbara Nicolosi Harrington • Season 2 • Episode 1

We begin our fall series with the work that G.K. Chesterton called, "the greatest poem ever written in modern English," namely, Francis Thompson's devastating piece, "The Hound of Heaven." J.R.R. Tolkien credited this work with having a significant influence on his masterpiece trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, noting that the poem is "one of the most profound expressions of mature spiritual experience." Dorothy Day was also strongly impacted by Thompson's poem writing: "It is one of those poems that awakens the soul, and recalls to it the fact that God is its destiny."

Here is a copy of the poem to read.

Or, you may prefer listening to it in audio version.

Also, here is a modern, animated adaptation that might help you into the work.

Slide presentation

The music in the introduction and close of this podcast is provided by George Sarah.

This program of mystagogy is hosted by the Adult Faith Programs at Saint Stephen Martyr Church in Chesapeake, Virginia.

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Intro:

Hello and welcome to the second series in the Mystagogy program, hosted by the Adult Faith Programs at Saint Stephen Martyr Church in Chesapeake, VA.

For those of you who might be new to the Mystagogy podcast: What is mystagogy? There is a tradition going back to the earliest centuries of Christianity that involved the preparation of newly initiated Christians for ongoing lives of faith. This period of formation, designed to deepen their spiritual, liturgical and community life, was called mystagogy, a word which, in Greek, means "leading through the mysteries."

This program is being developed and taught by Barbara Nicolosi Harrington, a university professor of screenwriting, cinema, Great Books and theology.

While the first series of the program focused on prayer as the underpinning of Catholic discipleship, in this second series - starting today - Barbara and her guest speakers will break open some of the most beautiful works of art, story, music and poetry that have come down to us through the ages in the Church.

The series begins with two presentations on the work which G.K. Chesterton called "the greatest poem ever written in modern English," -- that is, The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson.

Outro:

Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Mystagogy podcast.

The music for the podcast is provided by George Sarah. Learn more about his music over at GeorgeSarahMusic.com or by following the link in the show notes.

Until next time, be well and God bless.

People on this episode

Barbara Nicolosi Harrington

Host