Lent begins this week with Ash Wednesday, a day on the Christian calendar that emphasizes our mortality. Christiana and Matthew talk about what this liturgical season can teach us about death. They also dive into New Orleans' famous group The Northside Skull and Bone Gang who have been waking the dead and impacting the living for over 200 years. Links to things they discuss in this episode: "The Beginning of Lent" at Christianity Today Andrew Peterson’s Resurrection Letters“Was it a morning like this?” by Jim Croegaert St. Louis cemetery No. 3 The North Side Skull and Bone Gang: The Atlantic film

Christiana and Matthew talk about the origins of Memento mori and why practicing Memento Mori can actually help us become more compassionate to those suffering across the world. They also share a few things that have made them remember their death. Links: Terror managment theory No small endeavor with Azim Khamisa and Amy Grant Cynthia Bourgeault Dorothy Day: Beauty Will Save the World by Kate Hennessy Christiana's IG account

From incorruptible saints of the Catholic Church to Diogenes the Cynic, Christiana and Matthew discuss the question that has been debated for centuries: Do the bodies of the dead matter? *Warning: Frank discussion of corpses and dead bodies. Links to things discussed in the podcast or *used in their research: Sister WilhelminaSt. Anthony of PaduaVideo: How to tell if your saint is corruptThe Body Keeps the ScoreThe Cult of the Beheaded by Elizabeth HarperMutilated, Mystic, Heretic by Christiana PetersonHorror Movie Mom by Jessica MesmanThe Changeling movie trailer*The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains by Thomas Laqueur

Christiana talks about the origins of Halloween and what Halloween might have to teach us about death. Links mentioned: SamhainThe Unreal Story of HalloweenThe Day of the Dead, Halloween, and the Quest for Mexican National Identity Mocking DeathAwakened By Death: Life-Giving Lessons From the Mystics

Why do people tend to avoid thinking about death in our Euro-western culture? Christiana and Matthew discuss some of these reasons and also why avoiding death increases our anxiety, our loneliness, and our fears. Here are some things they discuss in the show: 100 Ways to Avoid DyingWant to Avoid Death? Maybe Cryogenics Isn't CrazyDoubting Death: How Our Brains Shield Us From Mortal TruthThe Man Who Thinks He Can Live ForeverDeath Anxiety and Its Role in PsychopathologyJ.R.R Tolkien talking about Death

Christiana and Matthew set the stage for future episodes by talking about some of the ways our Euro-Western culture often avoids death, by introducing the idea of Memento Mori, and by discussing why they both think death is such a significant topic for Christians and for all of us. They'll also introduce themselves, explaining their motivation for exploring this weird and wonderful topic of death. Here are a few links for things mentioned in the show: Dark Pale by Jim Gaffigan on Amazon PrimeAwakened By Death: Life-Giving Lessons From the MysticsMystics and Misfits: Meeting God Through St. Francis and Other Unlikely Saints

Coming soon... Til Death Do Us Part, a podcast where a married couple talks about death.  Drawing on their work as an author and pastor, co-hosts Christiana and Matthew Peterson discuss how our culture often ignores death, the most mysterious of human experiences, and how looking more deeply at our mortality might also be life-giving.