Ascend - The Great Books Podcast

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski discuss the famous "Telemachy" or the coming of age story of Telemachus, Books 2-4 of the Odyssey.
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Check out our WRITTEN GUIDE to the Odyssey.
In this rich second episode of our 12-week Odyssey series, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Frank Grabowski dive deep into Books 2–4 — the Telemachy — exploring Telemachus’s powerful coming-of-age journey from a fatherless, disordered Ithaca to the ordered poleis of Pylos and Sparta.
They unpack how Homer paints a vivid picture of political decay: twenty years without an assembly, a missing generation of men, and suitors devouring the household while logos itself loses its force. Yet as Telemachus steps into his father’s seat and sets sail under Athena’s guidance (disguised as Mentor), we witness not only his maturation but a masterclass in what makes a healthy polis. The conversation shines especially when they examine the suitors’ impiety, the beautiful practice of guest-friendship (xenia), and the threefold piety it reveals — toward the gods, the city, and the family.
From Nestor’s sacrifices and storytelling to Menelaus and Helen’s double wedding feast, the episode is packed with insight, humor, and timely wisdom. Whether you’re reading the Great Books for the first time or returning to Homer with fresh eyes, this conversation will deepen your appreciation for the political, moral, and spiritual layers of the Odyssey.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Odyssey Study
06:18 Telemachus' Journey and Athena's Role
08:01 Political Instability in Ithaca
09:38 The Assembly and Telemachus' Leadership
15:48 Penelope's Dilemma and Guest Friendship
17:47 Xenia: The Importance of Hospitality
24:16 The Omen and the Suitors' Fate
30:37 Justice and the Role of the Gods
32:11 Mentorship and Guidance in Telemachus' Growth
39:45 Telemachus' Transformation and Epithet Significance
44:15 The Evolution of Characters in Homer
45:01 Telemachus' Journey to Maturity
47:42 The Role of Divine Guidance
48:38 Sacrifices and Natural Religion
52:56 Pylos: A Model of a Healthy Society
54:44 The Power of Prayer and Rhetoric
59:15 The Tragedy of War and Its Heroes
01:03:58 The Consequences of Choices in War
01:10:57 The Role of the Bard in Society
01:14:46 Foreshadowing and Sacrifice in the Odyssey
01:19:34 The Double Wedding Feast and Hospitality
01:22:08 Piety, Gratitude, and Debt
01:25:46 Reflections on War and Loss
01:28:12 Helen's Duality and the Nature of Free Will
01:29:10 Temptation and the Role of Wisdom
01:39:07 Menelaus' Journey and Wrestling with Fate
01:45:00 The Return to Ithaca and the Threat to Telemachus
Here are more videos from our 2024 study!
Book 2 of the Odyssey with Dr. Grabowski and Thomas Lackey
Book 3 of the Odyssey with Dr. Grabowski and Thomas Lackey
Book 4 of the Odyssey with Adam Minihan and Fr. Bonaventure, OP.

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos of Wyoming Catholic College and Dr. Frank Grabowski of Holy Family Classical School to discuss BOOK ONE of the Odyssey--one of the greatest texts in the Western canon.
Check out our NEW 12-WEEK STUDY OF THE ODYSSEY.
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Be sure to use our WRITTEN GUIDE to the Odyssey!
They explore why the epic opens with “man” (not rage, not a god), the meaning of polytropos (“man of twists and turns”), Telemachus’s urgent coming-of-age amid an absent father and predatory suitors, Athena’s masterful mentoring, and Zeus’ striking defense of human responsibility.
Along the way they illuminate Homer’s sophisticated anthropology, the poetic dialectic of Homer the philosopher, the haunting parallels with the House of Atreus, and why this ancient poem still speaks so powerfully to questions of masculinity, homecoming, virtue, and human greatness today.
Witty, learned, and full of “blood on the floor” interpretive energy, this conversation will leave you hungry for the next eleven weeks—and convinced that Homer is one of the greatest teachers you’ll ever encounter.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Great Books Podcast
03:39 The NEW Odyssey: A 12-Week Study
09:29 The Importance of Reading Homer
17:01 Exploring the Opening Lines of the Odyssey
30:14 The Man of Twists and Turns: Understanding Odysseus
35:28 Exploring Odysseus: The Complexity of a Hero
39:26 Justice and Fate: The Role of Aegisthus
42:28 Divine Intervention: Zeus and Human Responsibility
55:30 The Journey Home: Odysseus and Telemachus
01:03:12 Coming of Age: Telemachus's Transformation
01:05:37 Exploring Penelope's Role
01:11:44 Telemachus' Journey to Manhood
01:24:56 Reflections on the Odyssey
More Resources
Intro to the Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen (2024)
The Odyssey Book 1 with Dr. Frank Grabowski and Thomas Lackey (2024)
Do Christians Owe a Debt to Homer? The Ascent.
Understanding Homer as a Philosopher & Theologian. The Ascent.
Keywords
Odyssey, Homer, Greek Literature, Great Books, Philosophy, Mythology, Education, Homer's Teachings, Classical Studies, Odyssey Analysis Odyssey, Homer, fate, divine justice, Odysseus, Telemachus, Greek mythology, divine intervention, hero's journey, philosophy

For the first time since 2023, Ascend is reposting an episode--our introduction to the Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen (6.25.2024) in anticipation of our NEW 12-WEEK STUDY of the Odyssey starting next week!
We start BOOK ONE OF THE ODYSSEY next week!
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In this special introduction to Homer’s Odyssey, Deacon Harrison Garlick is joined by three distinguished guests: Dr. Patrick Deneen (Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame and author of Why Liberalism Failed), Dr. Chad Pecknold (Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America), and Dr. Richard Meloche (then President of the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture).
The conversation explores why the Great Books matter, why Homer’s Odyssey remains foundational to Western thought and theological formation, and key introductory themes in the epic (with a few light spoilers). Topics include the dynamic nature of the canon, Odysseus’s journey home as a meditation on human nature (neither beast nor god), the tension between fate and choice, temptations of forgetfulness or false immortality, and how a Catholic lens reveals anticipations of Christian truths like restlessness for our true home. The guests share personal stories of how they encountered the Great Books and reflect on the role of narrative in education and spiritual formation.
It’s a rich, accessible discussion that sets the stage for deeper dives into the Odyssey while connecting ancient pagan wisdom to Christian theology.
In this episode the panel discusses:
• The importance of the Great Books canon and why it remains vital
• Personal journeys into the classics (and how providence often leads us there)
• Key themes in the Odyssey: homecoming, beast-like forgetfulness vs. god-like immortality, fate and free choice, father-son relationships, and Odysseus’s very human flaws
• Reading pagan texts through a Catholic lens—seeing anticipations of Christian truth (restlessness for the City of God, the need for virtue and community)
• The role of great stories in theological and liberal education
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome and guest introductions
08:15 – How each guest discovered the Great Books
22:40 – Why read Homer? The foundational role of the Odyssey
40:00 – Major themes and introductory overview of the Odyssey (light spoilers)
1:05:00 – Odysseus as neither beast nor god – the need for the city
1:25:30 – Theological reading of pagan literature
1:45:00 – The dynamic canon and reading with Christian eyes
2:05:00 – Final thoughts and what’s next for Ascend
Join us as we read the Odyssey over the next 12 weeks!

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick explores one of the most striking features of Dante’s Inferno: why the poet places liars, flatterers, and the treacherous in the lowest circles of Hell — deeper than murderers, tyrants, suicides, and even blasphemers.
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We are reading the Odyssey over 12 weeks!
Why does Dante rank fraud and treachery as worse sins than violence? What is the spiritual harm of lying? And how is lying profoundly anti-Christ?
Deacon Garlick takes listeners on a deep but accessible journey through:
The architecture and purpose of Dante’s Inferno
The nature of truth and the teleology (purpose) of speech
Why sins against the soul are worse than sins against the body
The corruption of the intellect as the worst perversion of human nature
The profound theology of Christ as the Logos — the divine ordering principle of all reality

This episode will challenge you to take lying far more seriously and to see how every lie moves both ourselves and others farther away from Jesus Christ, who declares “I am the Truth.”
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Ascend The Great Books Podcast
04:13 Exploring Dante's Inferno: The Spiritual Harm of Lying
06:07 Understanding the Architecture of Hell
15:05 The Nature of Truth and Speech
20:26 The Consequences of Lying vs. Murder
24:24 The Nature of Lying and Its Consequences
30:52 Understanding Logos and Its Significance
Key Topics Discussed
Dante’s moral purpose in writing the Divine Comedy
The structure of Hell: sins of incontinence vs. sins of malice
Upper Hell vs. Lower Hell and the City of Dis
Why flattery appears lower in Hell than murder
St. Thomas Aquinas on truth: “the conformity of the mind to reality”
The purpose (telos) of speech: to convey truth and help others conform their minds to reality
Why lying is a perversion of speech and an attack on the intellect
The inverted hierarchy of the soul in Hell
Christ as the Logos (John 1) — the rational structure and ordering principle of all creation
How lying is an anti-Christ act that divorces the mind from reality and from Jesus Himself
The spiritual danger of breeding greater errors through falsehood

Notable Quotes / Insights
“Sins against the soul are always going to be more severe than sins against the body.”
“The corruption of the best is the worst.”
“Christ does not say ‘I have come to share a truth with you.’ He says, ‘I am the Truth.’”
“Every lie moves people farther away from Jesus Christ because you are divorcing the mind from reality.”

Keywords and phrases: spiritual harm of lying, Dante Inferno lying, is lying worse than murder, Dante Inferno flattery, why Dante puts liars in lower hell, spiritual harm of lying Dante, lying worse than violence, Christ as the Logos, logos theology lying, anti-Christ act of lying, Dante hell structure explained, truth and speech Catholic theology, why is lying worse than murder in Dante's Inferno, spiritual consequences of lying Catholic, Dante Inferno fraud vs violence, what is the spiritual harm of lying, lying as anti-Christ act, St Thomas Aquinas truth conformity of mind to reality, John 1 Logos and lying, Dante Inferno sins of malice, treachery in Dante's Inferno, flattery in Dante's hell, Dante Divine Comedy moral lesson, sins against the soul vs body, corruption of the intellect, teleology of speech, Catholic teaching on lying, Aquinas definition of truth, Inferno architecture explained.

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick takes a popular article from The Ascent, a top 100 substack in faith and spirituality, and does a deep dive on CS Lewis, Dante, and the problem of evil (theodicy).
Check out THE ASCENT - a top 100 Substack on Christianity spirituality.
Check out "The Hidden Meaning of Narnia's Endless Winter" Substack article.
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In this fascinating episode Deacon Garlick explores one of C.S. Lewis’s most striking images: the never-ending winter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Why is it “always winter but never Christmas”?
Far more than a chilly backdrop, Lewis uses the endless cold as a powerful allegory for evil itself. Deacon connects Lewis’ imagery to Dante’s frozen pit at the bottom of Hell in the Inferno, revealing how both Christian master-teachers portray evil not as an opposite of the good, but as a cold, lifeless privation—an absence of heat, motion, and life.
You’ll gain fresh insight into:
- Why evil is best understood as a “hole in the ground” or darkness without light
- How the White Witch’s power to turn creatures to stone mirrors the soul-freezing effect of sin
- The beautiful contrast of Aslan’s warm, life-giving breath (echoing John's Pentecost and the forgiveness of sins)
- The deeper Christian truth that goodness and being are convertible—evil pulls us toward unreality and non-existence
Deacon also shares why reading Narnia to children is such a gift: it trains young minds to love allegory, unlocks the four senses of Scripture, and cultivates a richer, more sacramental view of reality.
Warm, thoughtful, and packed with spiritual wisdom, this episode will leave you with renewed appreciation for Lewis, Dante, and the profound way great stories reveal eternal truths.
If you love C.S. Lewis, Dante, or want to understand the nature of evil more deeply, you won’t want to miss this one!
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Introduction & What’s New on Ascend
01:34 Welcome to Ascend: The Great Books Podcast
03:45 The Ascent Substack & Sister Publication
06:20 The Hidden Meaning of Narnia’s Endless Winter
08:10 Background Story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
11:30 Aslan as Christ Allegory & Benefits of Reading Narnia to Children
15:45 The Four Senses of Scripture (Literal, Allegorical, Moral, Anagogical)
20:10 Why Allegory Matters for Scripture and Reality
23:50 What Is Evil? – Introducing the Problem of Evil (Theodicy)
27:40 Evil as Privation of the Good (Augustine & Aquinas)
32:15 Freedom, Free Will, and the Origin of Evil
36:40 C.S. Lewis: Endless Winter as Allegory for Evil
40:20 The White Witch’s Power & Aslan’s Life-Giving Breath
44:10 Dante’s Inferno: The Frozen Pit of Hell
48:30 God as Love That Moves the Sun and Stars
52:00 Key Lessons: Evil, Being, and Goodness
55:20 Recap & Closing Thoughts
57:40 What’s Coming Next on Ascend
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