God's Other Children with Bradley Malkovsky

What happens when a Catholic scholar spends decades inside the world's great religious traditions, not just studying them, but living among them? Professor Bradley Malkovsky of the University of Notre Dame has done exactly that. Raised without religion in upstate New York, Brad found his way to Catholicism through Thomas Merton, spent nearly a year in a remote New Mexico monastery, lived five years in India, completed a 10-day silent Buddhist meditation retreat where he wasn't allowed to pray, visited the restricted monastic peninsula of Mount Athos, and witnessed a miracle at a Muslim saint's shrine, all while raising a family and becoming one of the world's leading scholars of Hindu-Christian dialogue. In this conversation, Brad challenges Catholics to take Vatican II's Nostra Aetate seriously, a document he calls "the best-kept secret of the Catholic Church", and shares what 40 years of genuine interfaith encounter have taught him about God, holiness, and what it means to truly listen. In this episode: • How Thomas Merton led a non-religious dishwasher to Catholicism • What Nostra Aetate actually says about Hinduism (and what most Catholics don't know) • A 10-day silent Vipassana retreat and not praying for 10 days • Holy faces on Mount Athos and a hermit monk's simple message: "God is love" • Reincarnation vs. Christian resurrection: a fair comparison • A Muslim miracle Brad witnessed (and participated in) in Maharashtra, India • Is yoga compatible with Christianity? • How to cultivate a posture of listening without agenda 🎙️ Religion to Reality is a podcast about living an integrated life, and an interfaith monthly gathering held on the first Wednesday of every month. It's free, online, and open to everyone. 📬 Subscribe on Substack: https://religiontoreality.substack.com 🌐 Full show notes & resources: https://religiontoreality.org 🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast app, search Religion to Reality