Join Giuli, Sofi and Adrianna for an episode on baptism. Is it true that this is the defining event of our lives? How is baptism relevant to our every day? What are the marks of the new creature created in baptism, the one who belongs to the body of Christ? How can we grow in awareness of our baptism? //

Our media recommendation is Brideshead Revisited, a novel by Evelyn Waugh. And our monthly challenge is to renew your baptismal promises, and reflecting on what has been given to you in your baptism. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com or find us on Instagram at @pilgrimsoulpodcast. Our website is www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com. //

Other resources we mention:

• Fr. Luigi Giussani’s book Generating Traces in the History of the World
• Fr. Luigi Giussani’s book The Religious Sense
• The Rite of Baptism of the Catholic Church //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

This month Giuli, Adrianna, and Sofia had the pleasure of interviewing Bishop Erik Varden. Bishop Varden is a Cistercian monk and, since 2019, the bishop of Trondheim in Norway. We met with him to discuss his latest book, Healing Wounds, which is a prayerful exploration of the wounds of the crucified Christ. Bishop Varden invites a contemplation of the vulnerability of God in Christ—which leads to growth in compassion for Christ’s suffering, the wounds of others, and our own wounds. Through revealing the life that flows from Christ crucified, Bishop Varden challenges us to seek and receive the grace of healing. //

Bishop Varden's media recommendation is Dieterich Buxtehude’s cycle of cantatas Membra Jesu Nostri, specifically as conducted by René Jacobs with the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (YouTube). And his monthly challenge is to pray with the story of the healing of the man at the Sheep Gate (John 5:2-9), dwelling on Christ’s question “Do you want to be healed?” and reflecting on our implicit and explicit responses in various areas of our lives. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com or find us on Instagram at @pilgrimsoulpodcast. Our website is www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com. //

Other resources we mention:

• Bishop Varden’s blog, CoramFratribus
• A Fragment of Being, a conversation from the 2025 New York Encounter
• The Rule of St. Benedict
• Bach’s oratorio St. Matthew Passion //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

This month, Giuli, Sofi and Adrianna discuss compunction–a state of abiding sorrow for our sins. How can we distinguish compunction from what St. Paul calls “worldly grief”? What role does compunction play in our relationship with Christ? Have we seen this bear fruit, especially in hope and joy, in our lives? What practices help us beg for this gift from God? //

Our media recommendation is Antonín Dvořák’s arrangement of the Stabat Mater, as conducted by Philippe Herreweghe. The verse we highlighted is the “Fac ut ardeat cor meum” (Spotify and YouTube). You can find the text and translation here. And our monthly challenge is to pray with Peter’s denial of Christ (Matthew 26:69-75) and subsequent reconciliation on the shore of Galilee (John 21), asking for the gift of compunction. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com or find us on Instagram at @pilgrimsoulpodcast. Our website is www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com. //

Other resources we mention:

• Pope Francis’ homily for Holy Thursday 2024
• Irénée Hausherr’s work The Doctrine of Compunction in the Christian East
• Dietrich Von Hildebrand’s book The Heart
• A dialogue with Fr. Luigi Giussani from 1978 entitled “What is Christianity?”
• Luigi Giussani’s book The Religious Sense //

For Lent this year, we will be reading Bishop Erik Varden’s new book together. Please join us! You can order Healing Wounds now through Bloomsbury or Amazon. //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”