🤝 What if the most countercultural thing a Catholic can do right now is stay friends with people he or she disagrees with? Jonathan Lewis leads The Communion Project, a brand-new initiative from the Paulist Fathers (the first Catholic men's religious order founded in America) that names toxic polarization for what it is: a sin. He sits down with Liv Harrison in Napa to talk about why difference isn't the enemy, and why an unlikely friendship between Tim Busch and Fr. James Martin had people writing in like they'd finally caught their breath.

We also get into the Thanksgiving-table test, why "it's okay" is not the same as "I forgive you," and what swipe culture is doing to how we treat each other. This one's for you if you've ever muted the family group chat, and for anyone who wants to find their way back to each other in The LIVing Room.

Guest Bio:

Jonathan Lewis leads The Communion Project, a new initiative founded by the Paulist Fathers to address toxic polarization in the Catholic Church. He previously spent about five years as a director of religious education for two parishes. He is currently building out The Communion Project's podcast, resources, and a first-ever invite-only retreat for Catholic media leaders. He lives just outside Washington, D.C., with his wife and their three young children.

In This Episode

00:00 First Time in Napa + What Is The Communion Project?

01:00 The Paulist Fathers: America's First Catholic Men's Order

02:00 Fr. Isaac Hecker, Hecker Flour, and America's OG Seeker

03:00 Rebranding "Toxic Polarization" (Because Nobody Wants to Talk About It)

05:00 Polarization Is a Sin, but Difference Isn't

06:00 Tim Busch, Fr. James Martin, and Friendships Nobody Expected

08:00 The Oxygen-Mask Response (and the Pushback)

09:00 The 10-Year Dream: Your Trump-Voting Uncle at Thanksgiving

11:00 Check What Comes In: Truffle Fries, Fox, CNN, and a Media Fast

13:00 Capitol Hill Mass: Both Parties in the Same Pews

14:00 Jonathan's Family: 10 Years Married, Three Kids

16:00 Why "It's Okay" Isn't Enough: Teaching Kids "I Forgive You"

17:00 Accountability, Real Apologies, and PR Apologies

20:00 Dr. Becky's Good Inside and The Anxious Generation

22:00 Swipe Culture, Ghosting, and How Tech Forms Us

24:00 Inside the Invite-Only Catholic Media Retreat

26:00 Mary, Mother of Communion, and Meeting Mary as a New Dad

28:00 A Vatican II Prayer and Galatians 5 on a Wedding Band

30:00 How We Can Pray for Jonathan

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