From the first post:

Fr. Peter gives an introduction to his theological series on Bl. John Duns Scotus in the context of a remedy for the modern crisis of faith, philosophy and culture in the world and in the Church.

Scotus on Wikipedia, New Advent

Duns Scotus’s Oxford by Gerard M. Hopkin’s

Google of Dunston, England

The post Fr. Peter – Golden Thread #1 – Introduction to Bl. John Duns Scotus first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Watch this video by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, FI, STD as he gives a short biography of Mother Mary of Agreda and how her Marian theology, which is so often portrayed as being opposed to Vatican II, is actually very much in line with it, anticipating the Council by 300 years.

Fr. Peter highlights a new book on this subject, Venerable Mother Agreda and the Mariology of Vatican II by Enrique Llamas, OCD, STD of the International Pontifical Marian Academy, which has been published by the Academy of the Immaculate. A heated discussion on this topic is being carried on at Mark Shea’s blog under the post “… skeptical that … ‘Mary suffered no birth pains'”. A comment by Sandra Miesel of Crisis Magazine about halfway down the comment stack started it off.

PDF samples of our new book are available online: the Table of Contents and Foreward (pp i-xii)

English translations of Mother Mary of Agreda’s works can be purchased from Tan Books.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Golden Thread #2 – Ven. Maria of Agreda and Vatican II first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner continues his series The Golden Thread on the theology of John Duns Scotus. Here he gives a broad introductory view of the difference between religion and secularity. He explains how Scotus affirms the capacity to perform secular acts, which are morally neutral, and thus simple pleasures are not a sin. Most people would then say, “let’s live our whole life this way.” But Scotus also says such a life cannot lead to happiness. He then discusses why God enables us to do secular acts and how this sheds new light on the famous moral tests in the Bible, Adam and Eve in the Garden and The Rich Young Man in the New Testament. He addresses, concupiscence, original sin, the difference between the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil vs. the Tree of Life, between contentment and happiness, between living to do God’s will vs. striving for new experiences and between human autonomy vs. obligation and so the true meaning of freedom.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter – The Golden Thread #3: Why a Worldly Life does not Lead to Happiness? first appeared on AirMaria.com.

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Using the ever-present highway signs, “Buckle-up, Its The Law,” Fr. Peter Fehlner, F.I. springs into the subject of obligation and freedom according to the teaching of Bl. John Duns Scotus. These signs demonstrate the paradox that the more independent we get from God, the more arbitrary law becomes, the more buckling-up we must do and so the very freedom we seek is lost and along with it our very personhood. Freedom, in the sense of autonomy from God, is not what makes us true persons, but rather love, and love is never more pure than when loving God. And loving God involves being thankful to God for creating us and redeeming us on the Cross. Using the old version of “thank you,” which is, “much obliged,” he makes the connection between love and obligation and thus between obligation and being a true person.

He covers law, obligation, freedom, secularity, communes, license, conscience, synderisis, pragmatism, the difference between contentment and happiness. Whew! all in less than ten minutes. So buckle-up! You’ll need it with this one…

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter – The Golden Thread #4: Obligation, Freedom and Being a true Person first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Update: Notes and Explanations have been added. See the viewing page.

Using Christmas and the adoration of the magi and shepherds as a starting point, Fr. Peter outlines the key to Christian thinking according to John Duns Scotus, that is, contemplation of Truth. This is opposed to the modern mentality that says ‘I can’t believe unless I can analyze it.’ It is Mary who makes it possible for finite creatures like us to see the infinite God, for in the person of Jesus, Truth is made flesh. And in adoring our Lord, Mary and St. Joseph teach us to think like Christians and so enable us to be happy.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter – The Golden Thread #5: Scotus and the Key to Christian Thought first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Is the world our friend or enemy?

In this 6th show in his series, The Golden Thread, Fr. Peter Mary Fehlner discusses the Church’s relation to the world in the light of the Second Vatican Council. He points out that the source of much of the widely varying interpretations of the Council which have caused so much confusion to the faithful is the multitude of different meanings of the word “world.” Fr. Peter clarifies these meanings and in this way helps us to see that Vatican II did not represent a break with past teaching. He also talks about the relative and absolute meanings of the words “autonomous” and “secular” and whether our dependence on God is predicamental or transcendent. All in the light of the theology of the Marian Doctor, Bl. John Duns Scotus.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter – The Golden Thead #6: The Church and Her Relation to the World first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Peter continues his discourse on the thought of Bl. John Duns Scotus. Scotus’ thoughts on the freedom of the will aren’t as shaky as some contemporary theologians would have us believe. He did not follow the heretical teachings of William of Occum. Scotus distinguished between the perfect will of God and the imperfect will of man, and we must be aware of this distinction when we attempt to compare God to ourselves. The basis of our personhood, our freedom, and our dignity lies in our will, and freedom itself is not license: it is the ability to guard and foster virtue, and it was never accomplished so perfectly in a human being as it was accomplished in Mary. Listen to this fascinating talk given by the master of Scotus and the Mother of God.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter – The Golden Thread #7: Scotus on the Human and Divine Will first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Golden Thread #8 – The Condition of Our First Parents – Adam & Eve ( 10min) >>> Play

In today’s culture, the question continues to be asked regarding the condition of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Fr Peter Damian Fehlner answers this from the mind of the Church.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fr. Peter Damian – The Golden Thread #8: The Condition of our First Parents – Adam & Eve first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our viewers from the US! We have much to be thankful for here at AirMaria, but most especially because today, Wednesday November 23, 2016, the eve of Thanksgiving Day is the tenth anniversary of the very first video post on AirMaria! It was done by Fr. Peter Fehlner with his theology series the Golden Thread on Blessed John Duns Scotus. This was before the official launch of AirMaria which was on the following feast of the Annunciation on March 25th 2007. The name was not even decided yet as you can see from the logo on the set which says FITVN for Franciscans of the Immaculate Television Network. As you know we went with AirMaria instead. At the time we were thinking of starting this we hadn’t even heard of YouTube and our first video came out about when YouTube was bought by Google. So this was cutting edge for its time and the rest is history.
And what a rich history it has been with over ten thousand posts on our website and over seven thousand videos just on Air Maria with most of them posted on YouTube and many other sites as well with cumulative views in the tens of millions.
We give thanks to God and to everyone for their continued interest both in being avid viewers on AirMaria and in donations and prayers. May God reward you all.

From the first post:

Fr. Peter gives an introduction to his theological series on the John Duns Scotus in the context of a remedy for the modern crisis of faith, philosophy and culture in the world and in the Church.

Outline of Script

Scotus on Wikipedia, New Advent

Duns Scotus’s Oxford by Gerard M. Hopkin’s

Google of Dunston, England

The post Happy Thanksgiving 2016, 10th Anniversary of First AirMaria Video first appeared on AirMaria.com.

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner to his eternal reward, this morning May 8th, 2018. After a fall and a stroke. God rest his soul. Please keep him your prayers.

As small tribute we upload this video to YouTube and reposted it to AirMaria. It was the first in his theological series, The Golden Thread, and was the first video ever uploaded to AirMaria.com way back in November, 2006. In the coming days we will post any other videos from him that we might have in our archives.

Farewell Fr. Peter! You were a great example, mentor and a friend to so many of us in the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate and beyond. You will be dearly missed. May we meet again.

From the original post:

Fr. Peter gives an introduction to his theological series on Bl. John Duns Scotus in the context of a remedy for the modern crisis of faith, philosophy and culture in the world and in the Church.

Scotus on Wikipedia, New Advent

Duns Scotus’s Oxford by Gerard M. Hopkin’s

Google of Dunston, England

More on Fr. Peter

Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner’s WikiPage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fehlner

Play Lists for Fr. Peter on Youtube:

Golden Thread: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4yt8M6JTBpqdcEhOjmT41X8

Mariae Advocatae: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4xZgtrlezNE-yswNFOQ_2vK

Defense of Vatican II: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4xRKIWr9I0yjhoq-tmvmSgu

Fatima: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4wWd7m8XvGoRb3VKfMr6E5r

Homilies: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4y1N-VctQhPXMHMVnV-ksnj

Notre Dame Symposium: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4wr1Arok1siiE9p1IG3s_0E

Other Conferences: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejh_e0-LN4xFfQDYED7Grdv8nvQ_8k1B

The post Passing of Fr. Peter – Golden Thread #1 – Introduction to Bl. John Duns Scotus first appeared on AirMaria.com.