Who are you when you strip everything else away? Before your job, your relationships, your achievements, and your possessions, what makes you you?

JPII argues that the question "Who am I?" is one of the most fundamental human questions. Through his experience of original solitude, Adam discovers that he is not just another animal, or a passive part of Creation. He is something else: a child of God.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Jesus points us to Genesis to understand the true meaning of marriage and human sexuality
• What it means to be created in the image of God
• What the original human experience was like, prior to the Fall
• What John Paul II means by "original solitude"
• How Adam discovers his uniqueness among the rest of creation
• Why the question "Who am I?" is fundamental to human experience
• Why the world can't give us our identity
• Why our relationship with God is our first and fundamental relationship
• What original solitude can teach us about identity, silence, and prayer today

This episode is part of our series exploring St John Paul II's Theology of the Body. In the next episode, we'll continue through Genesis and explore the other two fundamental experiences of original man: original unity and original nakedness.

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This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

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In this episode, we continue our series on St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways by exploring his Third Way: the Argument from Contingency.

Aquinas begins with a simple but profound observation: the things we encounter in the world don't have to exist. You exist, but you could have failed to exist. The same is true of trees, mountains, planets, stars, and everything else we encounter in the created world. Philosophers describe things like these as contingent beings.

But if everything were contingent, i.e. if everything depended upon something else for its existence, then what ultimately explains why anything exists at all? Aquinas argues that contingent beings must ultimately depend upon a Necessary Being: a reality that does not receive its existence from anything else and cannot fail to exist.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What "contingency" means in philosophy
• The difference between contingent and necessary beings
• Why things in the world don't contain the reason for their own existence
• Why a collection of contingent beings cannot ultimately explain itself
• Aquinas' argument for the existence of a Necessary Being
• Why the Argument from Contingency does not require the universe to have a beginning in time
• How Aquinas' Third Way differs from the Argument from Motion and the Argument from Efficient Causality
• How Aquinas' first three Ways point towards the same ultimate reality from three different starting points

This episode is part of our series exploring St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways and the classical philosophical arguments for the existence of God. The First Way begins with change and leads us to an Unmoved Mover. The Second begins with efficient causality and leads us to a First Efficient Cause. And the Third begins with contingent existence and leads us to a Necessary Being.

Whether you're interested in philosophy, Catholic theology, apologetics, metaphysics, or the relationship between faith and reason, I hope these episodes help make Aquinas' thought more accessible and encourage you to explore his arguments for yourself.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

Donate via PayPal: ⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2⁠

Support on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest⁠

Contact: ⁠www.caitlinwest.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/⁠

In this episode, we explore St Thomas Aquinas' Second Way, also known as the Argument from Efficient Causality. This is a classic cosmological argument for the existence of God.

Aquinas begins with a simple observation: everything we encounter in the world has a cause. Houses are built by builders, paintings are painted by artists, and trees grow from seeds. But if every cause depends on another cause, where does the chain ultimately begin? Aquinas argues that there must be a First Efficient Cause that gives existence and causal power to everything else.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What an efficient cause is
• Why nothing can be the efficient cause of itself
• The difference between temporal and hierarchical chains of causation
• Why Aquinas rejects an infinite regress of essentially ordered causes
• Peter Kreeft's "borrowed book" analogy
• How the Second Way differs from the Argument from Motion
• What Aquinas means by a First Efficient Cause
• Why this argument points toward God's existence without yet establishing every Christian belief about God

This episode is part of our series on St Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways and the classical arguments for the existence of God. Whether you're interested in philosophy, Catholic theology, apologetics, metaphysics, or the relationship between faith and reason, I hope these episodes help make Aquinas' thought more accessible and encourage you to explore these remarkable arguments for yourself.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2

Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest

Contact: www.caitlinwest.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

In this episode, we explore St Thomas Aquinas’ First Way, also known as the Argument from Motion. This is one of the most influential philosophical arguments for the existence of God.

Building on our introduction to cosmological arguments, we unpack Aquinas’ reasoning step by step. What does he mean by “motion”? Why does every change require a cause? And how does observing change in the world lead Aquinas to conclude that there must be an Unmoved Mover upon whom everything else depends?

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Thomas Aquinas means by “motion”
• The difference between potentiality and actuality
• Why nothing can move itself from potential to actual
• How chains of simultaneous cause and effect differ from causes stretching through time
• Aquinas’ distinction between primary and secondary causes
• Why an infinite hierarchical series of causes cannot explain change
• The meaning of the Unmoved Mover
• Why Aquinas’ First Way is a philosophical argument for God’s existence, and not yet a complete proof of every Christian belief about God

This episode is part of our series on St Thomas Aquinas’ Five Ways and the classical arguments for the existence of God. Whether you’re interested in philosophy, Catholic theology, apologetics, metaphysics, or the relationship between faith and reason, I hope these episodes help make Aquinas’ thought more accessible and encourage you to explore his arguments for yourself.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating through the following links:

Donate via PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2

Support on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest

Contact:
www.caitlinwest.com

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https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

How is artificial intelligence changing war, and what does the Catholic Church have to say about it?

In the final part of our series on Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, we explore Chapter 5 and the conclusion of the encyclical, examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping warfare, global conflict, and the pursuit of peace.

Pope Leo argues that the digital revolution is transforming the nature of war through cyberattacks, information manipulation, autonomous systems, and AI-assisted military decision-making. Yet he also offers a profoundly hopeful alternative: the call to build a "civilisation of love" rooted in justice, charity, dialogue, and the dignity of every human person.

In this episode, we discuss:

* How AI is changing the nature of modern warfare

* The dangers of autonomous weapons and AI-driven military decisions

* The dangers of reducing human beings to statistics and "collateral damage"

* The rise of a "culture of power" and the normalisation of conflict

* How algorithms and social media can fuel polarisation and division

* Pope Leo's reflections on Just War Theory in the modern world

* Nuclear deterrence, disarmament, and international cooperation

* The ethical principles that should govern AI in warfare

* What Pope Leo means by a "civilisation of love"

* Five practical ways Christians can become peacemakers in the digital age

* Why Jesus Christ, and not artificial intelligence, is the model of perfect humanity.

This is the final episode in our chapter-by-chapter journey through Magnifica Humanitas. Whether you're interested in AI ethics, Catholic Social Teaching, theology, philosophy, international relations, or the future of technology, I hope this series has encouraged you to read the encyclical for yourself and reflect more deeply on what it means to remain fully human in the digital age.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2

Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest

Contact: www.caitlinwest.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

How do we know that God exists? Can reason lead us to God?

In this episode, we begin a new series exploring one of the most famous arguments for the existence of God: St Thomas Aquinas’ cosmological argument.

Before diving into Aquinas’ First Way, we take a step back and look at the big picture. What exactly is a cosmological argument? How does it work? And why did Aquinas think that observing the ordinary world around us could lead us to the existence of a First Cause or Unmoved Mover?

In this episode, we discuss:

• What a cosmological argument is
• Why we often reason from visible effects to invisible causes
• Aquinas’ observations about change, causation, and contingent existence
• The difference between temporal and hierarchical causes
• What Aquinas means by a First Cause or Unmoved Mover
• Why Aquinas is not yet trying to prove every Christian belief about God
• How this overview prepares us for Aquinas’ First Three Ways

This is the first episode in a series unpacking St Thomas Aquinas’ arguments for the existence of God. Whether you’re interested in philosophy, theology, apologetics, or simply wrestling with life’s biggest questions, I hope these episodes help make Aquinas’ thought more accessible and encourage you to explore these remarkable arguments for yourself.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating through the following links:

Donate via PayPal:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2

Support on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest

Contact:
www.caitlinwest.com

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https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

In Part 4 of our series on Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, we explore Chapter 4, which describes how artificial intelligence is reshaping truth, work, and freedom.

Pope Leo warns that AI is not simply changing the tools we use. Instead, it is transforming the way we seek truth, the way we work, and the way we exercise our freedom.

In this episode, we discuss:

* How AI is amplifying disinformation and blurring the line between truth and opinion

* Why Truth is a common good and not a tool for power

* The importance of education, critical thinking, and digital sobriety

* Why work is so important for humans

* How AI should support human work rather than replace the human person

* How digital technologies can weaken our freedom

* The hidden human cost of AI, including exploitation, modern slavery, and digital colonialism

This is Part 4 of our chapter-by-chapter journey through Magnifica Humanitas. Whether you're interested in AI ethics, Catholic social teaching, philosophy, technology, or the future of humanity, I hope these reflections encourage you to read the encyclical for yourself and discover the Church's hopeful vision for placing technology at the service of the human person.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

This podcast relies 100% on the generosity of viewers. If you have found these episodes helpful and would like to support the future of Crash Course Catholicism, please consider donating via the following links:

Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6WSCLFHLCDXH2

Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/caitlinwest

Contact: www.caitlinwest.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/

Conversion doesn't always happen in a single blinding moment of clarity. Sometimes, like drops of water slowly filling a glass, conversion to the Catholic faith is the result of countless conversations, experiences, and quiet moments accumulated over many years.

In today's episode, I speak with Lucinda -- a teacher and Cambridge graduate -- about her journey to the Catholic Church. Through conversations with friends, encounters with Evangelical Christians and faithful Catholics, and even a visit to Auschwitz, Lucinda gradually came to understand and embrace the Catholic faith.

Lucinda's conversion story is a powerful reminder that every small act of kindness, every thoughtful conversation, and every example of faithful living can shape another person's search for truth in ways we may never see.

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