Why St. Robert Bellarmine Still Matters Today | Ryan Grant

About this sermon

Discover the extraordinary life, holiness, and intellectual legacy of St. Robert Bellarmine, the great Jesuit cardinal, Catholic apologist, and Doctor of the Church who answered the challenges of the Protestant Reformation. In this special 200th episode of The Resistance Podcast, Steve Cunningham is joined by author and translator Ryan Grant for an extensive conversation about one of the greatest defenders of the Catholic faith. Recorded in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Bellarmine’s death, this episode explores his childhood, Jesuit vocation, preaching, scholarship, episcopal ministry, remarkable charity, and profound spiritual life. Ryan explains how Bellarmine mastered Scripture, the Church Fathers, Greek, Hebrew, philosophy, and theology before producing his monumental Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith. These writings systematically defended Catholic teaching on Scripture and Tradition, the papacy, the Church, the sacraments, justification, grace, purgatory, and the value of good works. The conversation also examines Bellarmine’s conflict with King James I of England, his involvement in the Galileo controversy, his unexpected placement on the Index of Forbidden Books, his service as Bishop of Capua, his refusal to seek the papacy, and his friendship with St. Francis de Sales. Above all, this episode reveals that St. Robert Bellarmine was not merely a formidable scholar. He was a deeply humble and charitable priest who devoted his intelligence, authority, and material possessions to the salvation of souls and the service of the poor. 📚 Discover Ryan Grant’s translations and books from Mediatrix Press: https://mediatrixpress.com/?wpam_id=9 St. Robert Bellarmine, pray for us. 00:00 Introduction and Episode 200 01:30 The 400th Anniversary of Bellarmine’s Death 03:07 Childhood, Family, and Jesuit Vocation 09:07 Education, Preaching, and Early Ministry 20:07 Teaching and Theological Contributions 28:02 Controversies in Leuven and Return to Rome 41:07 Answering the Protestant Reformation 52:33 Biblical Scholarship and Hebrew Studies 57:02 Conflict with Pope Sixtus V 01:00:14 Bellarmine and the Latin Vulgate 01:09:00 Cardinal Bellarmine’s Poverty and Charity 01:21:12 Bellarmine as Bishop of Capua 01:27:01 Refusing the Papacy 01:32:05 Conflict with King James I of England 01:44:03 Galileo and the Relationship Between Faith and Science 01:59:03 Final Years, Canonization, and Spiritual Legacy 02:02:35 Ryan Grant’s Bellarmine Translations 02:05:01 Why St. Robert Bellarmine Still Matters 02:12:07 Final Reflections on Bellarmine’s Holiness 02:14:29 Friendship with St. Francis de Sales 02:16:47 Books, Resources, and Closing Remarks More on Bellarmine here https://onepeterfive.com/bellarmine-musician/ #SaintRobertBellarmine #CatholicHistory #DoctorOfTheChurch #JesuitSaint #CatholicApologetics #CounterReformation #CatholicSaints #CatholicTheology #ChurchHistory 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴