Ep. 7: Science vs. Faith? How about both? (St. Albert Marie, O.P., Ph.D.)

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Dominican Sisters Open Mic — Ep. 7: Science vs. Faith? How about both? (St. Albert Marie, O.P., Ph.D.)
Date: March 11, 2026
Host: Sr. Miriam, O.P.
Guest: Sr. Albert Marie, O.P., Ph.D.

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the deep harmony between science and faith through the lens of St. Albert the Great, patron saint of scientists and philosophers, and through the scholarly and spiritual journey of Sr. Albert Marie. The conversation covers her vocational story, insights into St. Albert the Great’s thought, and the lived experience of integrating scientific curiosity with deep Catholic faith. Key themes include vocation discernment, sacramental theology, the integration of science and theology, and practical spiritual advice for growth in virtue.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sr. Albert Marie’s Vocation Story

• Early Discernment: Sr. Albert Marie describes how, as a teenager, she sincerely prayed about her vocation, sensing “whatever I did with my life, what would be most important would be my relationship with God.” (03:04)
• Family Support: Her parents were supportive, her mother viewing children as a gift from God to be offered back to His will (06:47).
  • Quote: “Mom especially had always emphasized that children are a gift from God and that means you have to let your children follow the path God has for them.” (06:47)
• Prayer Life: The family regularly prayed the rosary, which both unified them and fostered discernment.
• Vocational Uncertainty: She likens knowing she wanted to be a sister but not knowing which community to “saying, well, I want to get married, but I don’t know who.” (06:17)

Joys of Religious and Academic Life

• Daily Holy Hour: She cherishes beginning each day in adoration, even if it means waking at 5:00 AM (08:36).
  • Quote: “I don’t love the bell ringing at 5, but I love that where I go after the bell rings at 5 is to the chapel to spend that time with the Lord...” (08:50)
• Integration of Study and Prayer: For Sr. Albert Marie, teaching theology is deeply linked with her prayer life — sometimes, she brings her classroom content into her holy hour to prepare in the presence of the Lord (09:33).
• Academic Path: She discusses how her aptitude for theological study was recognized, and how obedience brought her to advanced studies she hadn’t initially planned.

Who Was St. Albert the Great?

• Life and Times: St. Albert lived through most of the 13th century, a key figure in the early Dominican order. He was a scholar, teacher (notably of St. Thomas Aquinas), scientist, bishop, and prolific writer (16:09–17:43).
• Science & Theology: He is renowned for classifying species and seeing God’s glory in all creation.
  • Quote: “All creation is theology for us because the heavens declare the glory of God.” (15:08)
• Personal Connection: Sr. Albert Marie, who grew up on a farm, felt a unique resonance with St. Albert’s appreciation for nature. She shares her own joy in observing birds, drawing on St. Albert’s writing that “they make the world beautiful ... like an ornament.” (19:32)

The Harmony of Faith & Reason

• Teaching: Her course “Faith, Reason, Revelation” at the University of St. Thomas aims to show students “how faith and reason are complementary and you don’t need to leave one behind to really fully embrace the other.” (01:52)
• St. Albert’s Example: St. Albert’s voracious intellectual curiosity ranged from theology to natural science — a model of holistic integration.

St. Albert’s Sacramental Theology

• Main Question: Why don’t the sacraments seem to have a greater or more immediate impact on us? (20:43)
  • Quote: “When we receive the sacraments, why don’t they have a greater impact on us?” (20:43)
• Grace and Human Nature: St. Albert teaches that while sacraments remove sin, they don’t immediately erase all its effects, reflecting God’s desire for us to grow gradually in humility and virtue (23:50).
  • Quote: “God could have made it that when we’re baptized, we are completely freed of all temptation or all disorder. But ... God in his wisdom didn’t. And that’s ... for humility.” (23:50)
• Gradual Growth: The process of sanctification mirrors natural growth: “Physically, you grow over time and your muscle strengthen over time. ... [Spiritually,] over time, we grow in grace and ... rooting vice out of our life always with ... sanctifying grace.” (25:34-26:00)

Practical Spiritual Advice

• On the Eucharist: Christ comes as “our spiritual food, to be with us, to enable us to grow,” not necessarily to perfect us in a moment (27:26).
  • Quote: “He comes to us as our spiritual food, to be with us, to enable us to grow and to strengthen us... you can only take in enough for that day, for that.” (28:04, 28:52)
• Advice for Listeners (Action points):
  • Be patient with gradual spiritual growth (29:53)
  • Practice looking back to see signs of growth and grace
  • Persevere even in frustrations; trust Christ’s presence and nourishment in the Eucharist

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you know Jesus, you know the who of religious life.” (06:17, Sr. Albert Marie)
• “All creation is theology for us because the heavens declare the glory of God.” (15:08, quoting St. Albert)
• “He comes to us as our spiritual food... you can only take in enough for that day.” (28:52, Sr. Albert Marie)
• “The Lord is there, but you need to be attentive to growth over time, not necessarily immediately.” (29:53)
• “He redeems us like people; we’re not rocks.” (26:00)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [01:52] Sr. Albert Marie’s teaching: integrating faith and reason
• [03:04] Her discernment and early experiences of prayer/vocation
• [06:47] Family’s response to her vocation
• [08:36] Joys of prayer and teaching in convent life
• [11:05] Academic journey and community support
• [14:24] Learning about and choosing St. Albert as patron
• [16:09-17:43] St. Albert’s role in the early Dominican order, academic and scientific legacy
• [20:43] On sacramental theology — why sacraments don’t immediately perfect us
• [23:50] St. Albert’s insights on baptism, humility, and growth
• [27:26] Practical Eucharistic theology: spiritual food and gradual change

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Speed Round Highlights (31:46–34:41)

• Favorite Liturgical Season: Easter — “We need the victory of Christ.”
• Hobby: Crocheting, even teaching students to crochet
• Favorite Game: Wingspan (“the birds are so pretty on it”)
• Influential Book: “Meeting Christ in the Sacraments” (Coleman O'Neill)
• Favorite Title of Mary: Cause of Our Joy
• Dinner with a Saint: St. Albert, would ask about integrating study and Dominican spirituality
• Peaceful Activity: Going for a walk, especially in nature

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Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, unhurried, and deeply reflective, blending gentle humor with rich spiritual and theological insight. Both sisters speak with humility, joy, and intellectual curiosity—fitting the Dominican tradition of contemplative study and apostolic sharing.

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Final Thoughts

This episode beautifully demonstrates that the Catholic tradition, modeled by St. Albert the Great and Sr. Albert Marie, sees no true competition between scientific inquiry and faith. Instead, all creation — from the details of bird species to the complex theology of sacraments — becomes a path to deeper wonder and love of God. Listeners are left encouraged to trust the slow work of grace, to be attentive to growth, and to cherish both reason and revelation in their journey.

Transcript

[A]

One thing that I found particularly interesting recently is he's interested in some questions of experience that I don't always expect medievals to be interested in. And he. He asked this question, when we receive the sacraments, why don't they have a greater impact on us? I think there's almost at the back of his mind the idea that if we were completely freed from all temptation, we might be like Adam and Eve in the garden again, and then we might do the fall again. Like, there'd be. There'd be this y worst, this worst challenge.

[B]

One of the great Dominican saints, St. Albert the Great. Hi, and welcome to Dominican Sisters open Mic. My name is Sister Miriam. I'm a sister of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. We'll be sitting down each week talking to sisters about all things Dominican. So welcome. And today we have as a special guest, Sister Albert Marie. And we will be talking about her patron saint, one of the great Dominican saints, St. Albert the Great. And just to give you a little bit of background information on our very own Sister Albert Marie. She's from Ontario, Canada. She entered the convent in 2005, studied at Ave Maria Systematic Theology, and earned a Ph.D. and she's currently teaching at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Welcome, Sister.

[A]

Thank you, Sister. So good to be here.

[B]

Yeah, thank you. What are you teaching right now?

[A]

Yeah, so this last semester, I taught a lot of sections of our freshman class, Faith, Reason, Revelation. That kind of introduces students into. As they enter a university curriculum, how faith and reason are complementary and you don't need to leave one behind to really fully embrace the other.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

And then this upcoming semester, I'm going to be teaching medieval theology at the seminary in Houston. And then sacraments for our master's program, or it's online, actually, online and in person. And then more Faith, Reason, Revelation for the rest of the freshmen.

[B]

Sister, I want to be in your classes.

[A]

They're fun. We have good students, a good discussion. Yeah.

[B]

Sister, I am excited to learn more about your patron Saint, Albert. I know you love him so much, but before we get to that, I thought it might be nice to hear a little bit about your. Your background and your pathway towards the religious life. So I think my main question for you is, did you think about being a sister when you were growing up and. And. And would love for you to share. How did the Lord make his will known to you?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So I. When I was a teenager, I was being told, you know, at school or in the parish, like, you should pray about what God wants you to do with your life. And I was pretty sincere kids, so I was like, okay, I'll say a prayer about it, you know?

[B]

So you did bring that to the Lord early on.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And then there was one day praying after Mass. I just received Communion. You could see our sort of community's charism there already. I just. Just received Communion, just had this strong sense of God's reality, like all those things you learn in theology class are real, and a sense of God's love for me and a sense of whatever I did with my life, that what would be most important would be my relationship with God. And that's not a vocation. Right. That's the universal call to holiness. That's still. That's for everyone.

[B]

Right. And you were in high school.

[A]

I was in high school at that time, yeah. But it was after Mass on Sunday, Just a normal Sunday Mass. Yeah. And then along with that, I sort of. I was processing that. It takes me time to process things sometimes. And then came the thought, you could be a sister, like, sort of as an invitation in addition to that. And that sort of. It's like, lord, if that's what you want, I'll do that. But of course, you know, you can't base your life on just like, one momentary experience. So that. That desire stayed with me. So I kind of went back to that as time went on. I know that still seems to be what the Lord wants, that I still have that desire.

[B]

Were you at that time having a pretty regular prayer life and going to the sacraments?

[A]

I was.

[B]

So.

[A]

So I was going to Mass every Sunday. And our family, we try and squeeze into Mass during Lent on weekdays, during Lent, so a little bit extra attending Mass. And I was going to confession maybe once a month.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So, yeah, So I was doing a lot of things that would sort of make me able to hear the Lord's voice. And I'd been asking, what do you want me to do with my life, Lord? I mean, when you're in high school, everyone asks you, what are you gonna do? What do with your life? Yeah, yeah. So that's questions on your mind. Right, Right. So.

[B]

And I'd presume you didn't know any sisters at that time or hadn't seen sisters.

[A]

I did know a few. So there was a Carmelite monastery that we would attend Mass at sometimes.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I. I was pretty sure I wasn't called there, but I did sort of have that witness, at least, like, that awareness, you know, And Then there were some sisters in Canada who took care of the elderly in nursing homes. Okay, so I knew about them and they were good sisters, but I didn't, didn't feel a call there.

[B]

Okay, so. So you finished high school and you did the next step. Then what most people choose, which is college.

[A]

That's right. And if I'd known what community God wanted me to join, I would have done it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But I didn't. I didn't know. I visited some different communities and it wasn't right. So. And the Lord clearly knows Dominicans are about education, so he clearly wanted me to.

[B]

So would you say, so when, the time, when you finish high school, you felt pretty certain that your vocation was to be a sister, but you just didn't know exactly where yet?

[A]

Yes, I found it a little awkward as a high schooler. I felt like it was like saying it, it's not identical to this, but I felt like this at the time, like saying, well, I want to get married, but I don't know who. Right. And it's not true because if you know Jesus, you know the who of religious life. But I didn't know where did you

[B]

tell people that you wanted to be a sister at that time?

[A]

If they really asked me a lot, but because I didn't have like the specific, I wouldn't always tell them.

[B]

Okay, but your parents knew.

[A]

They did, they did.

[B]

How did they react to that?

[A]

You know, really beautifully actually. Mom especially had always emphasized that children are a gift from God and that means you have to let your children follow the path God has for them.

[B]

That's so beautiful.

[A]

And we would pray the family rosary actually also daily. We would. Yeah, there's times when we liked it and times when we didn't. But that was, that was always, it was actually was good because even when there's conflict in the family, like that was always a peaceful moment.

[B]

Right. Okay.

[A]

So even during those teenage years, it always like a nice moment with the family, even if other things are a little turbulent. So. So we, we did, we did appreciate that. But. Oh, and we, we cycled through all different, like ways of trying to enter into the rosary. More like different meditations before the decades or little scripture verses before the Mary's and at one point the meditation for the presentation, the temple.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That was the theme of that, that, okay, children belong to God, you have to let them follow God's path. So, okay, so that was kind of in my mind and clearly converted my parents heart. They were, they were on, they were

[B]

open to the Lord's will for you in your life.

[A]

They were, they were. It was still, I think, a little hard for them when I entered, partly because I'm the oldest child. So, like the oldest child flying the nest and someone entering the convent, like, came together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I don't think they immediately knew how to sort of sep. Like the emotions of both. But then when as my siblings got older and started going on their vocations into their. What they were doing with their life, mom and dad were like, oh, yeah, all children leave the home, you know, so they're able to process that a little bit. But they were always supportive. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Sister, what do you love about the religious life?

[A]

Oh, there's so many things I think right now I'd say I do love how we start our day with Holy hour pretty much every day. Yeah. Are you Christic? Holy hour?

[B]

Even though we do have to get up at 5.

[A]

But it's true.

[B]

It's for the Lord.

[A]

I don't love the bell ringing at 5, but I love that where I go after the bell rings at 5 is to the chapel to spend that time with the Lord and sort of to start the day off that way.

[B]

Yeah, it's a beautiful. How? Well, one of the mottos of the Dominican order is to contemplate and give to others the fruits of your contemplation. So to begin the day before our Lord when we know we've. We have tons of things that's going to be coming our way. We're all teachers, and teaching can be very busy and hectic at times. But to start the day in front of our Lord and that hopefully we can then witness to the students that we teach during the day is a beautiful aspect of our life that I love too.

[A]

Yeah. And sometimes I'll just talk to the Lord in Holy hour, but sometimes I will if I know it's a lesson I need a little bit more light on also to bring the text or some of the theology that I'll be teaching that day, and I'll sometimes meditate on that with the Lord.

[B]

So, yes.

[A]

Sort of really directly getting some help or light on that. It really depends. But being a theology teacher is. Is a blessing in that way that can kind of sometimes integrate prayer and, and the teaching, and sometimes not. Sometimes you need to leave the teaching at school and just like, be with the Lord. Yeah, yeah. But there's times, there's times when you're like, oh, let me. Let me actually think about this so I can be more. Let me enter into it. More fruitfully before I have to talk about it with the students, which must

[B]

be such a gift for your students. I don't teach theology. I'm a science teacher. So I'm not really bringing it to my travel time so much where. Where I'm thinking of the content of Right. Science. But what a gift to be teaching theology and spend the time in front of the Lord. How enrich, enriched it must be by that time that you spend and what a gift to your students. So thank you for what you bring them.

[A]

Well, thank you. Yeah, yeah. I love how that works.

[B]

Sister, did you, you have a Ph.D. i do, which is awesome and amazing and I, I admire you for the gifts that God has given you in the intellectual life. Did you ever think you would get a PhD in your life when you were even like before the convent or even once you entered the convent?

[A]

Yeah. So when I was in college, so I went to college at Ave Maria College when it was in Michigan, and I knew some of my friends were headed on academic path after they graduated.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So I definitely knew that was a possibility that people followed and that I probably was capable of doing that. You have professors who give you feedback, you know, But I mean, I knew that the Lord was calling me to enter religious life and that was like so clear that the other thing, the suggestion to take more time or do graduate school or something, just. I knew it was a distraction and wasn't going to do that.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Although then it was a blessing. Once our community sent me to study, I was like, oh, those teachers also saw something that the Lord wanted. They were actually telling me something. They were reading God's will, but reading it several years down the line and it clearly much, much less important. Right. The vocation and serving the Lord is what is what's most important. So once I entered the convent, I didn't think I would be doing graduate school. And that was fine. Right. To bring the Lord's truth to where he wants you to bring it, that's what's most important. Right.

[B]

And I think it's a beautiful aspect of our community life that sisters have different gifts and we want to put those gifts to the service of our Lord for the purpose of helping people that love God. And so it's, it's beautiful that that was recognized in you and that you were sent, sent to, to complete those studies. Was, was it, I mean, was it difficult to go through that program or felt really natural for you given your aptitude for that kind of study? Yeah.

[A]

So I did my Master's and my PhD, like you said at Ave Mary University, when it was in Florida, the master's degree, I mean, it was challenging.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You're reading text especially. I remember my first semester reading Kant on the Trinity. And you're like. And he's really messed up on the Trinity. He's like, what is this? Right. Then it was really nice. We get to the part of the course where he read Augustine and then not messed up stuff, you know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So there were. There were challenging moments with certain wrestling with certain authors, but it wasn't. I had done academic work in college and was. It came pretty naturally to me.

[B]

And for your PhD work.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Could you explain what you. What you did for your work there?

[A]

Yeah. So there was definitely some coursework. But then for my dissertation, I translated a work by St. Albert the Great. So his work on the body of the Lord. And then I wrote sort of a theological analysis of the theology in that text for the. For the writing part of the. Yeah. And it's actually, it's published with Catholic University of America, Fathers of the Church, Medieval continuation series. It's a big mouthful. The title of that series just got out some parts.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, good.

[B]

So. So that takes us into St. Albert.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He did you. You translated this work. But did you know him when you first entered the convent and you took his name, your sister, Albert Marie? Did you know. How did you get to know who he was?

[A]

Yeah, so he was not on my radar at all before I entered the convent. But then when I was a postulant, that first year, I was learning about Dominican saints. You're really excited about a Dominican vocation, sort of delving into knowing more about the Dominican saints. So I read about him and I loved the fact that he promoted the study of theology and philosophy in the early order. So he had a little bit to do with the course of studies that the friars followed. And I loved that he saw God's glory in all of creation. There's a. There's a quote from him. What is it? He quotes the psalm, the heavens declare the glory of God. He says, all creation is theology for us because the heavens declare the glory of God. So that sort of bringing together study of theology, but also not having that be simply like your academic scholastic distinctions, which he was really good at, but also God's glory shining through all things like this is telling us about the world we live in and the presence of God that we live in. And I did grow up on a farm in Canada, so some of my early prayer life was Walking in the fields and sort of seeing. Meditating on the beauty of creation. So that kind of connected to me as well.

[B]

Yes. People might not be aware that he did science as well and he classified different species. He was very interested in knowing the natural world and, and had. Could see the Creator in the natural world. What other facts about St. Albert we need to be aware of?

[A]

Yeah, let's see. So when I tell people about when he lived, you can just sort of think about the entire 1200s.

[B]

So.

[A]

So he's born at the beginning of the 1200s and dies around 1280ish or

[B]

so, which was very early on in the establishment of the Dominican order.

[A]

Yes, so. So he didn't meet St. Dominic live, so sort of he's the next generation after that. So. And he, he had a little bit of university education before he entered. Actually. He'd been doing. He'd done some studies, so I kind of identified with that as well. He was probably in his 20s when he joined the order. So not super, super young.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But also there was like a wave of also university, university professors who got drawn into the order. And Albert wasn't that either. He was still a young man.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then he. Throughout his time in the order, he studied and taught. He taught at Paris for a while, University of Paris, and taught Thomas Aquinas there. And he taught at the Dominican Studium in Cologne as well. So he was in the German province some of the time. Paris and then back to the German province. So just teaching most of the time, although he served as provincial for a couple years. And I think the point there, they needed more people who could do academic work. So they're like taking them out of being superior. So he was able to go back

[B]

to academic work, probably pulled in many directions.

[A]

And then near the end of his life, he serves as a bishop for a few years, which is mostly known as a teacher.

[B]

He's known as a teacher. He also did writing and you had translated some. Can you give us a sense of how much he wrote?

[A]

Oh, a lot. I. It's interesting when people ask me questions about St. Albert's works, because I know, well, a little corner of his sacramental theology, but then there's all of his philosophy and then all of his work on the like, psychology and epistemology. And then there's all of his work on the natural sciences. There's, there's so, so much. I mean, it's actually quite funny. When I had first taken his name and I had learned Latin as a college student, my younger sister Was like, was at a good library and she's like, oh, I'll copy some of Albert's works in Latin and mail you some pages. You can like get to know your patron better. But she copied like some book about trees. I was like, oh, you didn't send me the theology. I'm like, oh, the trees. And this kind of tree as this kind of leaf. It was like so dear to her. But there's like, that's a part of his work I have. I love that it's there that he's not afraid of any type of knowledge. Right. It all comes from gods. You can explore and ask whatever questions and it will still, it will all in the end fit together. Even if you can't quite see how it all fits together.

[B]

Sister, I think there's many ways that you imitate your patron, your teacher and you also write, but I think you also go and observe the birds and the trees I see out there on retreat days.

[A]

I'm not really doing sort of scientific stuff studies of them, but I think birds are beautiful actually. So I was looking just a little bit about Albert's commentary on the book of Daniel a couple years ago. You know, there's that beautiful canticle with all the different things. Bless the Lord. Season rivers. Bless the Lord. There's like a moon.

[B]

Bless the Lord.

[A]

Exactly. Well, there's birds of the air. Bless the Lord. So I was like, what does he say about the birds? Cuz I like birds. And he, he says that the birds, I believe he says they sort of give us an image of like the life of prayer because they're like constantly like chirping to the Lord, but also that they make the, they make the world beautiful. They like, they're like an ornament making the world beautiful. And I was like. So that, that's actually, it's like, that's why I look at birds. They're beautiful. I like to see what they do and how they look.

[B]

And Sister, thanks for sharing that. I see you out there on a retreat and I'm just walking on the road, I'm just.

[A]

Yeah, doing your stuff. Yeah, no, if there's a bird, I like the woodpeckers and the blue heron and all the little tiny cute birds that get so fluffy because they're cold and trying to keep warm.

[B]

Yeah, that's great. So one of the areas that St. Albert has written about is to do with sacramental, that's theology. And I wondered if you could give us a kind of overview, some interesting meditations and points that he brings out about. About the sacraments and sacramental life.

[A]

Yeah, no, definitely. Yeah. I've recently been translating his work De Sacramentis, which is a early sacramental work. So he writes a later one, his commentary on the Sentences. But the sacrament section, that is just huge. So De Sacramentis is a little more bite size in order to translate. But yeah, there's a lot of really, really beautiful and interesting insights in there. One thing that I found particularly interesting recently is he's interested in some questions of experience that I don't always expect medievals to be interested in. And he. He asked this question, when we receive the sacraments, why don't they have a greater impact on us? Or like. And he's a medieval, so he's looking at the sacraments in terms of the sign and the cause. For him, that's. He's very. Sacraments signify grace and sacraments cause grace. He really likes that. That phrase.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So he's like, well, baptism, for example, we've got the washing, and that's like the washing away of sin. So it. Then we. By looking at the sign, we know what it causes. It causes the removal of sin. But he's like, but it doesn't completely remove all the effects of sin. Like, it removes sin. We're not guilty anymore. But there's still. Yeah, like the, The. The vice or sort of disorder is still there. Yeah. So kind of. And he. And he asked that about other sacraments as well. Like anointing of the sick. Right. It signifies the strengthening. So he's like, well, that strengthens our soul, but it doesn't strengthen our bodies. You know, we're still. Sometimes it does, but it doesn't always. Or, you know, penance, that's forgiveness of sin. Sort of the same question as baptism. And yet we'd still have some of the effects, some of the vices that we've grown into after.

[B]

I love that he's exploring this question, because I think this is a hu. Part of our humanity that we all wrestle with is, wow, I'm going to confession as a sister. We have the opportunity to go once a week, which is wonderful.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm going to confession once a week. And yet I'm still struggling in this area of sin. I'm receiving Holy Communion every day at Mass, which is such a blessing of our life, and yet I'm confessing this still. And we all struggle with that. We have these things that we're wrestling with. And sometimes it seems like for years, although it might be the case where you are healed of a certain area through the grace of the sacraments and that. And that does happen as well. But we have these areas where we're wrestling with it. So what is his response to. To this?

[A]

Yeah, and he, he addresses it in various places, like when he's talking about different sacraments. Let's see. Let me. Let me tell you about baptism first.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So there he says, well, God could have made it that when we're baptized, we are completely freed of all temptation or all disorder. But he says God in his wisdom didn't. And that's. There's a few reasons. Right. One of them, he says, is for humility. Right. That our whole relationship with God needs to be founded on humility, which is based on that metaphysical truth. Right. That God is the Creator and the Source, and it's in him we find our joy and we're the creator creation who looks towards the Creator. Right. So he says. And he's quoting Genesis when he's talking about the struggle with sin helping us grow in humility, which is interesting because I. I think there's almost at the back of his mind the idea that if we were completely freed from all temptation, we might be like Adam and Eve in the garden again, and then we might do the fall again. Like there'd be. There'd be this, yes, worst. This worst challenge.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

And part of the answer is Christological, right. That Christ. Christ didn't struggle with disordered desire, but Christ suffered from our sins. And there's sort of, as we suffer with the results of sin or the disorder of brokenness, sometimes it's not even our own sin, just like the disorder that's inherited with a human nature, you know, disordered by original sin, that we're. We're like Christ and share in. Share in what he's doing. And so partly that that is also an anthropological point, that God wants us to cooperate in receiving salvation. And I know as humans, we grow through time at least, and that God. This is not just Albert's idea. You see it in Hugh of St. Victor and Aquinas as well.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

That God works with us spiritually in a way that's parallel to how he's made our nature physically. So sort of physically, you grow over time and your muscle strengthen over time. And also relationships. Right. Because the sacraments are. They're not just about perfecting us, they're about our relationship with the Lord, but that we grow in these ways naturally over time. And God sort of beautifully and kindly fits the process of sanctification usually to sort of work in a similar way that gradually, over time, we grow in grace and grow in closeness to the Lord and grow in practicing virtue and therefore rooting vice out of our life always with the power and strength of the sanctifying grace and dwelling of the Holy Spirit received through the sacraments. That's always at the root there, but that we're not rocks. So he doesn't redeem us like rocks. He redeems us like people as to cooperate. I mean, a lot of us, it was a while ago when we were teenagers, but the process of going from like a middle schooler to an adult, that's like, like hard and dramatic and it's like emotionally dramatic. And you, like, need to learn all these things and your body's different. Like, there's, there's sort of you can cooperate in that. Well, or you can be like, isolate yourself and like, bring yourself into adulthood with some serious, serious wounds. Right. And that's sort of the, if you think of the hard process of growing through that, like, spiritually, there's something, something parallel, I think. Yeah.

[B]

So if you were going to give some spiritual advice to our listeners based on what, what you've just reflected on St. Albert's sacramental theology, what would you want to tell people?

[A]

Yeah, so I'd probably want to focus on the Eucharist. And I'd remind us that again, Albert says the, the sign of the Eucharist, the appearances of bread and wine, tells us about the grace because we receive Christ. Right. There's. We truly encounter him in the Eucharist, but we encounter him under the appearances of bread as food for us. Right. And that tells us how he comes to us in the Eucharist. Also, he doesn't come as the Lord returning in glory to definitively end all sin forever and judge the world. Right. He's going to do that. But that's not, that's not, that's not the way he comes to us in the Eucharist.

[B]

Right.

[A]

He comes to us as our spiritual food, to be with us, to enable us to grow and to strengthen us. So sometimes people, especially as they have more of a realization of the reality of Christ in the Eucharist, there can be a frustration, like, lord, this is you. How can I, like you articulated earlier, why am I not getting holier faster? And there can be a temptation to despair or give up or assume I. I'm not doing it right. It's always, okay, something wrong with me. Yeah. And it's always good to reflect. Like, where am I not Being generous, but, but the process is. But he comes to us as food. You know, you'd never be like, oh yeah, I just ate all the carbs I need for my whole life. Now I'm done eating. Right. You're like, no, you can only take in enough for that day, for that.

[B]

Oh, that's a great analogy. Yeah.

[A]

And that the Eucharist is meant to be like that. And if you don't receive communion every day, you still can make a spiritual communion. Ask the Lord to remain close to you and give you, give you grace. Um, and Albert will say that he recognizes people don't always receive communion every day, but they'll be like, but you need the Lord's spiritual nourishment, your daily bread every day. So I guess my advice would be. And yet sort of again, parallel to eating healthy food every day, you will, if you're vitamin deficient, you will over time get stronger and be able to do more and feel better. And so that the sacraments do work. The Lord is there, but you need to be attentive to growth over time, not necessarily immediately. Now the Lord can miraculously, you know, bring something about immediately, but often he's inviting us to become spiritual adults who grow in virtue by receiving and cooperating.

[B]

And there's a trust that goes into that as well. Just okay, the Lord knows. And sometimes I do think in hindsight you can see those things.

[A]

Yeah, it's really good to look back if you've, over a period of time, if you've been consistently praying and asking the Lord, look back and see how, where you have grown. And sometimes externally, there's just been so many challenges in your life that the growth is that you stayed faithful. Right. But if, if you're not being like, given a ton of extra external challenges, things are kind of stuck, stable externally. You should be able to see that interior, interior. And I mean, even if things are crazy externally, you probably grow interiorly, but you can't always tell cuz there's still like you're ju. Just hanging on, but you're hanging on in more difficult circumstances. So there is a deeper, a deeper courage and a deeper love there. But yeah, it's valuable to look back over time.

[B]

Maybe it's a good practice too if, if someone were feeling really frustrated or even despairing to look back and actually name what the things are where you can see the progress or the transformation or God's grace as a reminder and as an opportunity to give thanks for where the Lord is bringing you and that you're still in the process. And the Lord is still with you and guiding you.

[A]

No, that's beautiful. And that goes back to the humility we mentioned earlier, too. Right. To the part of the. That takes a process. It takes time. Helps us to rely on the Lord and be with the Lord because we're developing a relationship, not just being perfected ourselves. Yeah.

[B]

Sister, thank you for sharing these insights with us.

[A]

You're welcome.

[B]

I have loved talking about St. Albert the Great, and I didn't know a lot of this, so I hope to talk to you some more about it. Are you ready for the speed round?

[A]

Yes. Let's do the speed round.

[B]

Okay. Yes, she's ready. Let me just grab my sheet.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay. I'm not going to respond to your answers.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So you get to say whatever you want.

[A]

Sounds good. Okay.

[B]

Sister, what is your favorite liturgical season and why?

[A]

Easter. We need the victory of Christ, and I love being reminded of that. Yeah.

[B]

Do you have a hobby?

[A]

I do. I crochet. And actually I teach a intro. Freshman. Just little one credit class to, like, help the students integrate into life at University of St Thomas, where some of them learn how to crochet with me every week.

[B]

I actually didn't know that.

[A]

It's so fun.

[B]

Sister, what is your favorite game at the moment?

[A]

At the moment? Oh, Wingspan. I know. Isn't that stereotypical? But the birds are so pretty on it, and the strategy is still challenging. It's a bird game. Sister Mary Filomena plays it with me almost every Sunday on mission and Sunday afternoon. It's our little routine. It's so fun. Yeah.

[B]

What is a book, besides the Bible that has impacted your spiritual life, that you would recommend?

[A]

That I would recommend, Yes. I would rec. I would say that. Well, I love the Summa, but if I'm going to recommend a book, it's Coleman ONeills meeting Christ in the sacrament. Comments. It's just. Anyways, I could keep going, but that's good.

[B]

Okay. Titles of our. Our Lady. What's your favorite title and why?

[A]

My favorite title I love Cause of Our Joy. Again. This Think there's a need for greater joy in the world and the recognition that whatever circumstance you're in maybe even ties back to that experience. When I was in high school, that closeness with the Lord is what we need the most and is a source of joy in our life. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. What age group do you most enjoy teaching?

[A]

Oh, well, college students. That's where all my experience is. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. All ages of college students, they're all different, but I enjoy them all. Yeah.

[B]

If you could have dinner with any saint, what would. Who would it be and what would you ask them?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, probably. I would love to talk to St. Albert, and I'd probably just ask him about his works, what he thought was most important in his theology. Because I'm in the midst of, like, writing and translating his sacramental theology. Sort of like, why did he ask the questions that he asked about sacramental experience and how that fit into his life as a Dominican? I'd like to ask him about putting together that life of a university professor, an academic, and a Dominican and get some sense spiritual advice on that from him. Yeah.

[B]

Last one. Name an activity that brings you peace and refreshes your spirit.

[A]

Going for a walk, Especially when it's beautiful outside. Yeah, that. Definitely.

[B]

That does it. Sister, thank you so much for coming. You're welcome. I appreciate hearing your insights. We want to thank our audience for listening and we want to encourage you to.

[A]

If.

[B]

If you've listened to this podcast and found it helpful in your spiritual life, please feel free to pass it along. Perhaps you know a friend or a loved one that might benefit. And our hope is to help people to know and love our Lord. So thank you and be assured of our prayers for you. God bless you.