Course Description

While many of us have pre-conceived ideas about what makes someone a good Christian, how can we know if our ideas are correct?  In his work What it Means to be a Christian, Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, writes eloquently and persuasively about how one can live as a serious Christian in today’s secular world. He talks in-depth about the true meaning of faith, hope, and love—the love of God and the love of neighbor. 

He also discusses at length the crucial importance of a lived faith, for the believer himself as well as being a witness for our age, and striving to bring faith in line with the present age that has veered off into rampant secularism and materialism. He passionately encourages the reader to practice a deep, abiding Christian faith that seeks to be at the service of humanity.

In these talks, Simone offers short lectures on each of Pope Benedict's three sermons that make up his work What it Means to be a Christian.

Hours of Instruction:  1.5

ICT Fellow Simone Rizkallah, MA

Before discovering her passion for the Faith and the call to evangelize, Simone worked in marketing, communications, media, radio and her first love, theatre. Her graduate degree is in Theological Studies with an emphasis in Systematic Theology from Christendom College. She has worked at the parish level, for both youth and adult formation at St. Ambrose parish in Annandale, Virginia and taught high school seniors moral theology and Church History and chaired the Theology Department at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona. She also served at Endow, an apostolate for women dedicated to cultivating a New Feminism according to the vision of Pope St. John Paul II. You can find her thoughts on the prophetic value of Church documents on The Endow Podcast from 2020-2023. Currently, Simone is Deputy Director of Education at the Philos Project, a frequent guest on Catholic Answers Live, and a faculty member of the Avila Institute. As a first generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, Simone has a particular interest in matters of religious freedom, culture and the Eastern roots of the Faith. She currently hosts the Beyond Rome podcast which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their Hebraic and Near Eastern Christian Roots. You can find her talks and publications on culturalgypsy.com.

Course Curriculum

Available in the Course Dashboard after Registration

    1. Welcome - from Simone

    2. Reflection Questions for Online Sessions

    3. Video - Intro

    1. Handout 1: What It Means to Be a Christian - First Sermon

    2. Video

    1. Handout 2: What It Means to Be a Christian - Second Sermon

    2. Video

    1. Handout 3: What It Means to Be a Christian - Third Sermon

    2. Video

About this course

  • Free
  • 9 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content