Sharing the Faith with Dr. Tom Neal

Dr. Tom Neal talks with theologian Dr. Jordan Wood about St. Maximus the Confessor and how his vision of Christ and creation can reshape how ordinary Catholics see their daily lives. They discuss how work, family, and life in the world—lived with virtue—can become a real participation in Christ’s presence and the transformation of the world.

Dr. Tom Neal reflects on the spirituality of marriage and family, drawing especially from Pope Francis’s "Amoris Laetitia" to show how ordinary family life—its joys, wounds, and daily demands—becomes a path of sanctification and mystical growth. He then offers practical guidance on cultivating prayer in the home, highlighting the parents’ witness, daily intercession for children, and the creative use of sacramentals to root children’s imaginations in a living relationship with God.

Dr. Tom Neal speaks with Chris Vander Woude about the life and heroic death of his father, Tom Vander Woude, Sr., a humble husband, father, farmer, and pilot whose daily faith prepared him for the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life to save his son with Down syndrome. They discuss Tom’s impact on his family and community, the emerging cause for his canonization, and the alleged miracles and devotions that have followed his witness.

Learn more about Tom Vander Woude, Sr. and the canonization process:
https://tvwguild.org/

In this solo episode, Dr. Tom Neal reflects on the people who have most shaped his life, especially a formative middle school tutor, exploring how genuine listening, compassion, and willing “the good of the other” shaped his Catholic faith and his approach to listening and supporting others.

Dr. Tom Neal welcomes back Mandie DeVries to explore mystagogy and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. They dive into how children—and adults—are gently led into the mysteries of the faith through signs: baptismal light, candles, the gestures of the Mass, the stories of scripture, and the very structure of the liturgy itself.