What if the Incarnation wasn’t primarily about fixing our sin but about God’s extravagant desire to become one with all creation? What if beauty isn’t just something we admire—it’s the heartbeat of reality, calling us to slow down, receive gifts, and respond with hope in a fractured world? Franciscan friar and philosopher Blessed John Duns Scotus (1265/66-1308), known as the “Subtle Doctor,” is one of the most underappreciated major theologians throughout Church history. His complexity also makes him one of the most misunderstood. Scholars like Dr. Mary Beth Ingham have helped make his theology accessible to people all around the world. This episode explores four important theological insights from Scotus that can impact our approach to life and faith today:

• Scotus’s mystical vision of beauty as a transformative encounter with God’s abundant love (and why it’s a lifeline in our attention-overloaded, reactive culture).
• His profound take on free choice and thoughtful self-restraint—rooted in our innate dignity and perfect for today’s conversations on sustainability, poverty, and genuine freedom.
• The revolutionary Franciscan view of the Incarnation (the absolute primacy of Christ)—shifting the focus from sin at the center to God’s loving initiative at the heart of everything.
• The wonder of haecceity (“thisness”)—the unique, unrepeatable gift of every person, rock, leaf, and moment—and how it invites us to celebrate particularity in community.

Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ, is Professor Emerita in Loyola Marymount University’s philosophy department and is a former professor of philosophical theology at the Franciscan School of Theology. She holds a doctorate in medieval philosophy from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and has published widely on the thought of Blessed John Duns Scotus. Her recent publications include: Scotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor (2003), Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition (2009), and The Harmony of Goodness: Mutuality and Moral Living in John Duns Scotus (2012). In her current research, she argues that the spirituality of beauty is at the heart of the Franciscan intellectual tradition.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:05:58) Who was Blessed John Duns Scotus?

(00:16:37) First Insight: Mystical Vision of Beauty

(00:30:09) First Reflection: Beauty and the Beholder

(00:31:55) Second Insight: Free Choice and Thoughtful Self-Restraint

(00:47:28) Second Reflection: Covenant as a Pathway to Freedom

(00:49:10) Third Insight: A Franciscan Approach to the Incarnation

(01:04:59) Third Reflection: Psychological Implications of the Incarnation

(01:07:29) Fourth Insight: Haecceity (Thinness)

(01:13:04) Fourth Reflection: The Sound of the Genuine

(01:15:26) Final Thoughts

(01:18:17) Conclusion

The historic 1219 meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade is a powerful (and often overlooked) example of peacemaking and respectful dialogue between Christians and Muslims. While most people only know Francis’s side of the story, the Sultan’s openness and courage were just as important. Their surprising friendship still offers a hopeful model today for bridging deep divisions, reducing polarization, and having real conversations across religious and cultural lines.

Fr. Michael Calabria is a Franciscan friar at the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe and director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at St. Bonaventure University. With more than 40 years of experience in the Middle East and Islamic world, he first fell in love with the region as an Egyptology student doing archaeological work in Egypt (BA Johns Hopkins, MA Brown). After working as an academic librarian in New York, he joined the Franciscan Order in 1996, later earning divinity degrees and a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter in England. He has lived in Cairo multiple times, ministered in a leprosarium, and taught English at a Coptic Catholic seminary. Since 2003 he has taught Arabic and Islamic Studies at St. Bonaventure University, where he founded the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies. He is the author of the 2022 book The Language of the Taj Mahal, which explores the Qur’anic inscriptions on the monument, and has appeared in documentaries including The Sultan and the Saint (2016) and Islam’s Greatest Stories of Love (2025).

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:03:20) Historical Context

(00:09:37) Francis’ Arrival in Egypt and His Mission

(00:16:19) The Encounter with Sultan Malik al-Kamil

(00:23:20) Francis’ Counter-Cultural Approach

(00:27:15) The Sultan’s Impact on Francis

(00:31:29) Francis’ Legacy and Missionary Approach

(00:36:26) Bridging Faiths

(00:42:55) Lessons from History: Interfaith Dialogue and Vatican II

(00:45:12) This Story’s Relevance Today

(00:48:00) The Nature of Goodness: Understanding Faith Beyond Labels

(00:52:02) Religion, Conflict, and the Human Element

(00:56:03) The Enrichment of Faith: Learning from Other Traditions

(01:02:34) The Call to Open Hearts: Interfaith Dialogue in Action

(01:09:20) Conclusion

What does it mean to age with grace, to let go without losing hope, and to face life’s deepest losses with open hands? What does it mean to move toward spiritual maturity as life unfolds, and how can a spirituality of letting go help take us there? In this conversation, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser joins Off the Page to explore themes from his powerful new book, Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years, which was released on October 28, 2025. From the raw beauty of metanoia to the transformative power of passivity, Fr. Ron reveals how suffering, helplessness, and even death can become our greatest gifts—if we dare to live while we’re dying.

Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is a theologian, professor, award-winning author, and served as president of the Oblate School of Theology. He is known for his lectures, globally-syndicated column "In Exile," and his bestselling books The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:01:57) Spirituality of Aging

(00:03:46) Wisdom Years

(00:05:41) Insane for the Light: Story Behind the Title

(00:07:45) Getting Our Lives Together, Giving Our Lives Away

(00:12:53) Reflection No. 1: Seven Movements Toward Spiritual Maturity

(00:14:32) Giving Your Death Away

(00:15:58) Metanoia and Paranoia

(00:20:36) Pondering: Carrying and Transforming Tension

(00:27:27) How Pain Can Deepen Us

(00:34:59) Dark Nights of Faith

(00:38:37) “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

(00:42:57) When the Power Point Stops Working

(00:43:53) Reflection No. 2: Take On Your Higher Mind

(00:46:43) Understanding More By Not Understanding

(00:48:06) Activity and Passivity

(00:54:10) When You Feel Helpless

(00:58:16) Reflection No. 3: Activity and Passivity

(00:58:30) The Gift and Challenge of Passivity (Passion)

(01:03:50) When You’re Told You Don’t Have Much Time to Live

(01:07:07) A Creed for Giving Your Life and Death Away

(01:09:15) Conclusion