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Discerning Hearts – Catholic Podcasts — Christianity
Discerning Hearts – Catholic Podcasts

Dedicated to those on the spiritual journey!!!

Copyright: Discerning Hearts © 2010-2020 All Rights Reserved.

Latest Episodes:

SJC1 – The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 21, 2024

The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty

In this introductory episode, Father Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the spiritual depth and teachings of St. John of the Cross and his role as a “Master of Contemplation.” St. John of the Cross is portrayed as a mystic and poet whose writings lead believers to a deeper union with God.

St. John’s insights, such as those in his poetry and writings like the Spiritual Canticle, were often birthed from profound suffering, including his imprisonment. This hiddenness of God—where He seems absent but is present in a concealed way—forms a central theme. The longing for God in prayer, even in silence and dryness, is a means of growing in spiritual depth, aligning with John’s teaching that God uses such longing to draw souls closer to Him.

His teachings on love and detachment resonate in the lives of saints like St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Calcutta, who lived out his call to love in small, selfless acts. Contemplative prayer isn’t a technique but a relational journey toward God, requiring a stripping away of distractions and desires. St. John’s suffering in prison also became a crucible for spiritual beauty, producing poetry that communicates profound truths about God’s presence and longing for the soul.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Hiddenness of God in Prayer: How have you experienced God’s presence as both hidden and mysteriously near in your prayer life?

Longing for Union with God: In what ways can you embrace the longing for God as a central part of your spiritual journey?

Learning from Suffering: How can the trials in your life, like St. John of the Cross’s imprisonment, become opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper intimacy with God?

The Call to Contemplative Prayer: How can you move beyond methods and activities in prayer to focus on cultivating a quiet, loving presence with God?

Living Love in Small Acts: How can you demonstrate love for God and others in small, selfless ways in your daily life, inspired by saints like St. Thérèse and Mother Teresa?

Detachment and Freedom: What desires or distractions might you need to surrender to grow in deeper union with God?

Finding God in the Ordinary: How can you better recognize and serve Christ in the hidden and ordinary moments of your day?

Reflecting on St. John’s Writings: How can the poetry and teachings of St. John of the Cross inspire a new depth in your spiritual life?

Here is the excerpt from the Spiritual Canticle by St. John of the Cross that Fr. Haggerty references in the podcast:

SONG OF THE SOUL AND THE BRIDEGROOM

I
THE BRIDE

Where have You hidden Yourself,
And abandoned me in my groaning, O my Beloved? You have fled like the hart,
Having wounded me.
I ran after You, crying; but You were gone.

II

O shepherds, you who go
Through the sheepcots up the hill, If you shall see Him
Whom I love the most,
Tell Him I languish, suffer, and die.

St. John of the Cross

III

In search of my Love
I will go over mountains and strands;
I will gather no flowers,
I will fear no wild beasts;
And pass by the mighty and the frontiers.

IV

O groves and thickets
Planted by the hand of the Beloved; O verdant meads
Enameled with flowers,
Tell me, has He passed by you?

Where have you hidden,
Beloved, and left me moaning?
You fled like the stag
after wounding me;

I went out calling you, but you were gone. This initial stanza of “The Spiritual Canticle” unlocks the bolt of a door, allowing us a first glimpse at the soul of Saint John of the Cross and his intense love for God. In these opening lines of a lengthy poem, we hear the agonized voice of a lover tormented by her solitude, in a terrible suffering after the departure of her Beloved. The piercing lament of the bride, wounded in the depth of her soul, is an image of the lover of God who seeks for his return after earlier enjoying his close presence. The mood of loneliness in the poem will shift over the course of its forty stanzas to a recognition of the Beloved’s presence even in his concealment. But for now, as the poem commences, the pain is strong and irremediable. Many of the stanzas of this exquisite poem, full of lush natural images, were composed by Saint John of the Cross without pen or paper, the stanzas kept in his memory, while he was locked in a windowless, six-by-ten-foot converted closet, with only a thin slit of light high up in a wall. That room served as a makeshift prison cell in the Calced Carmelite Friars’ monastery in Toledo, Spain, for nine months of his life, from December 1577 until August 1578. Only in the very last period of the nine months did he receive pen and paper from a sympathetic friar serving as his jailer and write down verses. He later recounted to Carmelite nuns that another important poem, “The Dark Night”, was completed before he left that prison cell.

Haggerty, Donald. Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation (pp. 18-19). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Haggerty’s Discerning Hearts page here

You find the book on which this series is based here.

The post SJC1 – The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SJC1 – The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 21, 2024

The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty

In this introductory episode, Father Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the spiritual depth and teachings of St. John of the Cross and his role as a “Master of Contemplation.” St. John of the Cross is portrayed as a mystic and poet whose writings lead believers to a deeper union with God.

St. John’s insights, such as those in his poetry and writings like the Spiritual Canticle, were often birthed from profound suffering, including his imprisonment. This hiddenness of God—where He seems absent but is present in a concealed way—forms a central theme. The longing for God in prayer, even in silence and dryness, is a means of growing in spiritual depth, aligning with John’s teaching that God uses such longing to draw souls closer to Him.

His teachings on love and detachment resonate in the lives of saints like St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Calcutta, who lived out his call to love in small, selfless acts. Contemplative prayer isn’t a technique but a relational journey toward God, requiring a stripping away of distractions and desires. St. John’s suffering in prison also became a crucible for spiritual beauty, producing poetry that communicates profound truths about God’s presence and longing for the soul.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Hiddenness of God in Prayer: How have you experienced God’s presence as both hidden and mysteriously near in your prayer life?

Longing for Union with God: In what ways can you embrace the longing for God as a central part of your spiritual journey?

Learning from Suffering: How can the trials in your life, like St. John of the Cross’s imprisonment, become opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper intimacy with God?

The Call to Contemplative Prayer: How can you move beyond methods and activities in prayer to focus on cultivating a quiet, loving presence with God?

Living Love in Small Acts: How can you demonstrate love for God and others in small, selfless ways in your daily life, inspired by saints like St. Thérèse and Mother Teresa?

Detachment and Freedom: What desires or distractions might you need to surrender to grow in deeper union with God?

Finding God in the Ordinary: How can you better recognize and serve Christ in the hidden and ordinary moments of your day?

Reflecting on St. John’s Writings: How can the poetry and teachings of St. John of the Cross inspire a new depth in your spiritual life?

Here is the excerpt from the Spiritual Canticle by St. John of the Cross that Fr. Haggerty references in the podcast:

SONG OF THE SOUL AND THE BRIDEGROOM

I
THE BRIDE

Where have You hidden Yourself,
And abandoned me in my groaning, O my Beloved? You have fled like the hart,
Having wounded me.
I ran after You, crying; but You were gone.

II

O shepherds, you who go
Through the sheepcots up the hill, If you shall see Him
Whom I love the most,
Tell Him I languish, suffer, and die.

St. John of the Cross

III

In search of my Love
I will go over mountains and strands;
I will gather no flowers,
I will fear no wild beasts;
And pass by the mighty and the frontiers.

IV

O groves and thickets
Planted by the hand of the Beloved; O verdant meads
Enameled with flowers,
Tell me, has He passed by you?

Where have you hidden,
Beloved, and left me moaning?
You fled like the stag
after wounding me;

I went out calling you, but you were gone. This initial stanza of “The Spiritual Canticle” unlocks the bolt of a door, allowing us a first glimpse at the soul of Saint John of the Cross and his intense love for God. In these opening lines of a lengthy poem, we hear the agonized voice of a lover tormented by her solitude, in a terrible suffering after the departure of her Beloved. The piercing lament of the bride, wounded in the depth of her soul, is an image of the lover of God who seeks for his return after earlier enjoying his close presence. The mood of loneliness in the poem will shift over the course of its forty stanzas to a recognition of the Beloved’s presence even in his concealment. But for now, as the poem commences, the pain is strong and irremediable. Many of the stanzas of this exquisite poem, full of lush natural images, were composed by Saint John of the Cross without pen or paper, the stanzas kept in his memory, while he was locked in a windowless, six-by-ten-foot converted closet, with only a thin slit of light high up in a wall. That room served as a makeshift prison cell in the Calced Carmelite Friars’ monastery in Toledo, Spain, for nine months of his life, from December 1577 until August 1578. Only in the very last period of the nine months did he receive pen and paper from a sympathetic friar serving as his jailer and write down verses. He later recounted to Carmelite nuns that another important poem, “The Dark Night”, was completed before he left that prison cell.

Haggerty, Donald. Saint John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation (pp. 18-19). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Haggerty’s Discerning Hearts page here

You find the book on which this series is based here.

The post SJC1 – The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Thursday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 21, 2024

Thursday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Thursday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN4 – Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 20, 2024

Episode 4: Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating explores the nature of heaven as a relationship with Christ rather than a physical place. Heaven begins now, insofar as we are “in Christ.” This communion, nurtured through prayer, sacraments, and repentance, is the essence of heaven. Sin disrupts this union, leading to unhappiness, but God works continuously through His grace, the Holy Spirit, and the sacraments to heal and restore us. Evangelization, therefore, is not about institutional growth but sharing God’s urgent desire for all to enter this eternal communion.

Each person will experience God’s particular love in a unique and fulfilling way, retaining their identity in the resurrection. Mystical experiences, accessible through deeper participation in the sacraments and prayer, provide a foretaste of heaven and shift our desires toward eternal values over earthly ones.

Trust in Jesus’ promises and attachment to Him through the Eucharist prepare us for the fulfillment of all desires in the eternal communion of love between God and His people. Heaven is not just a future hope but a present reality we are called to live now.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

What Is Heaven to You? Reflect on how you understand heaven as a relationship with Christ rather than a physical place.

Are You Living Heaven Now? Consider whether your current prayer and sacramental life reflect the call to begin living in communion with Christ today.

How Does Sin Affect Your Happiness? Examine how venial and mortal sins may disrupt your union with God and your pursuit of authentic happiness.

Do You Trust in God’s Promises? Reflect on your trust in Jesus’ promise of eternal life and how it inspires hope in your daily actions.

Are You Growing in Mysticism? Contemplate whether you are deepening your prayer life and sacramental participation to experience God more intimately.

How Do You Proclaim Heaven to Others? Evaluate how your life and actions evangelize the urgency of living in Christ to those around you.

Do You Recognize God’s Particular Love for You? Meditate on the personal and unique way God loves you, even now, as a foretaste of heaven.

What Earthly Attachments Do You Need to Relinquish? Identify areas of your life where earthly values may overshadow your desire for eternal communion with God.

How Do You Prepare for Heaven? Reflect on how your choices, virtues, and faith practices align with your journey toward full union with Christ.

What Does “Heaven Begins Now” Mean to You? Contemplate the ways you can live heaven today by embracing God’s love and sharing it with others.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1024 “This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed—is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN4 – Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN4 – Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 20, 2024

Episode 4: Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating explores the nature of heaven as a relationship with Christ rather than a physical place. Heaven begins now, insofar as we are “in Christ.” This communion, nurtured through prayer, sacraments, and repentance, is the essence of heaven. Sin disrupts this union, leading to unhappiness, but God works continuously through His grace, the Holy Spirit, and the sacraments to heal and restore us. Evangelization, therefore, is not about institutional growth but sharing God’s urgent desire for all to enter this eternal communion.

Each person will experience God’s particular love in a unique and fulfilling way, retaining their identity in the resurrection. Mystical experiences, accessible through deeper participation in the sacraments and prayer, provide a foretaste of heaven and shift our desires toward eternal values over earthly ones.

Trust in Jesus’ promises and attachment to Him through the Eucharist prepare us for the fulfillment of all desires in the eternal communion of love between God and His people. Heaven is not just a future hope but a present reality we are called to live now.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

What Is Heaven to You? Reflect on how you understand heaven as a relationship with Christ rather than a physical place.

Are You Living Heaven Now? Consider whether your current prayer and sacramental life reflect the call to begin living in communion with Christ today.

How Does Sin Affect Your Happiness? Examine how venial and mortal sins may disrupt your union with God and your pursuit of authentic happiness.

Do You Trust in God’s Promises? Reflect on your trust in Jesus’ promise of eternal life and how it inspires hope in your daily actions.

Are You Growing in Mysticism? Contemplate whether you are deepening your prayer life and sacramental participation to experience God more intimately.

How Do You Proclaim Heaven to Others? Evaluate how your life and actions evangelize the urgency of living in Christ to those around you.

Do You Recognize God’s Particular Love for You? Meditate on the personal and unique way God loves you, even now, as a foretaste of heaven.

What Earthly Attachments Do You Need to Relinquish? Identify areas of your life where earthly values may overshadow your desire for eternal communion with God.

How Do You Prepare for Heaven? Reflect on how your choices, virtues, and faith practices align with your journey toward full union with Christ.

What Does “Heaven Begins Now” Mean to You? Contemplate the ways you can live heaven today by embracing God’s love and sharing it with others.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1024 “This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity—this communion of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed—is called “heaven.” Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN4 – Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 20, 2024
Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Luke 19:11-28

While the people were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they imagined that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and afterwards return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds. “Do business with these” he told them “until I get back.” But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, “We do not want this man to be our king.”

‘Now on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in and said, “Sir, your one pound has brought in ten.” “Well done, my good servant!” he replied “Since you have proved yourself faithful in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities.” Then came the second and said, “Sir, your one pound has made five.” To this one also he said, “And you shall be in charge of five cities.” Next came the other and said, “Sir, here is your pound. I put it away safely in a piece of linen because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you pick up what you have not put down and reap what you have not sown.” “You wicked servant!” he said “Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew I was an exacting man, picking up what I have not put down and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest.” And he said to those standing by, “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “But, sir, he has ten pounds…”. “I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

‘“But as for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence.”’
When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

While the people were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they imagined that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and afterwards return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds. “Do business with these” he told them “until I get back.” But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, “We do not want this man to be our king.”

‘Now on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in and said, “Sir, your one pound has brought in ten.” “Well done, my good servant!” he replied “Since you have proved yourself faithful in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities.” Then came the second and said, “Sir, your one pound has made five.” To this one also he said, “And you shall be in charge of five cities.” Next came the other and said, “Sir, here is your pound. I put it away safely in a piece of linen because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you pick up what you have not put down and reap what you have not sown.” “You wicked servant!” he said “Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew I was an exacting man, picking up what I have not put down and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest.” And he said to those standing by, “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “But, sir, he has ten pounds…”. “I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

‘“But as for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence.”’
When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

While the people were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they imagined that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and afterwards return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds. “Do business with these” he told them “until I get back.” But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, “We do not want this man to be our king.”

‘Now on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in and said, “Sir, your one pound has brought in ten.” “Well done, my good servant!” he replied “Since you have proved yourself faithful in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities.” Then came the second and said, “Sir, your one pound has made five.” To this one also he said, “And you shall be in charge of five cities.” Next came the other and said, “Sir, here is your pound. I put it away safely in a piece of linen because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you pick up what you have not put down and reap what you have not sown.” “You wicked servant!” he said “Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew I was an exacting man, picking up what I have not put down and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest.” And he said to those standing by, “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “But, sir, he has ten pounds…”. “I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

‘“But as for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence.”’
When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

IP#506 Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. – A Year of Daily Offerings on Inside the Pages w/ Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 19, 2024

A Year of Daily Offerings by Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

In this episode of “Inside the Pages”, Fr. James Kubicki discusses his book, A Year of Daily Offerings: Giving Your Life to God One Day at a Time, which encourages believers to begin each day with a prayer of offering and reflect on how to live out the Eucharist in daily life.

Prayer is a response to God’s love and presence, which always comes first. Through brief reflections inspired by saints’ lives and writings, the book helps individuals integrate spiritual practices like discernment and examination, fostering a deeper relationship with Christ.

With challenges posed by modern distractions like technology, we must use discipline to prioritize spiritual growth, sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession, and the communal aspect of faith; rooted in the “communion of saints.”

This book provides practical, concise reflections to fit into busy schedules, serving as both a standalone spiritual tool and a complement to other devotions.

You can find the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:

Daily Offering Practice
How can I incorporate a daily offering prayer into my routine to dedicate my actions to God?

Responding to God’s Love
In what ways can I better recognize and respond to God’s love in my life?

Learning from the Saints
What aspects of a particular saint’s life inspire me to deepen my relationship with God?

Evening Reflection
How can I review my day to see where I encountered God and how I responded to His presence?

Discerning God’s Presence
Am I attentive to the movements of the Holy Spirit and the challenges God places before me throughout the day?

Managing Modern Distractions
What steps can I take to reduce distractions from technology and create more space for prayer?

Living the Eucharist
How can I make my daily life a reflection of the love and sacrifice I celebrate in the Eucharist?

Sacramental Life
How do regular participation in the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist, shape my spiritual journey?

Building Spiritual Discipline
What practical changes can I make to develop a more disciplined and consistent prayer life?

Communion and Community
How can I better embrace the communal aspect of my faith, both in the Church and in my personal relationships?

From the book’s description:

“A daily offering of one’s life to God is an indispensable practice for every serious Catholic. In this book, Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., a longtime spiritual guide on Relevant Radio, presents a 366-day experience of morning offerings for busy laypeople. This rich array of reflections, based on the liturgical calendar and inspired by Ignatian spirituality, will help you develop—or reinvigorate—the habit of beginning each day by sincerely offering it to Christ.

For each day of the year, Fr. Kubicki offers a meditation based on the saint of the day or liturgical calendar, an offering prayer, and a “Daily Word” to help you recall the offering throughout the day. Each day concludes with a review question, based on the daily theme, inviting you to make an Examen.

Making and living a daily offering, uniting our everyday experience with the life of Christ—in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—can help strengthen each of us to take up his daily cross and live a Eucharistic life.”

About the Author

Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1983. He was the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer from 2003 to 2017. He currently leads retreats and parish missions while serving as a spiritual director at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The post IP#506 Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. – A Year of Daily Offerings on Inside the Pages w/ Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

IP#506 Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. – A Year of Daily Offerings on Inside the Pages w/ Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 19, 2024

A Year of Daily Offerings by Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

In this episode of “Inside the Pages”, Fr. James Kubicki discusses his book, A Year of Daily Offerings: Giving Your Life to God One Day at a Time, which encourages believers to begin each day with a prayer of offering and reflect on how to live out the Eucharist in daily life.

Prayer is a response to God’s love and presence, which always comes first. Through brief reflections inspired by saints’ lives and writings, the book helps individuals integrate spiritual practices like discernment and examination, fostering a deeper relationship with Christ.

With challenges posed by modern distractions like technology, we must use discipline to prioritize spiritual growth, sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession, and the communal aspect of faith; rooted in the “communion of saints.”

This book provides practical, concise reflections to fit into busy schedules, serving as both a standalone spiritual tool and a complement to other devotions.

You can find the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:

Daily Offering Practice
How can I incorporate a daily offering prayer into my routine to dedicate my actions to God?

Responding to God’s Love
In what ways can I better recognize and respond to God’s love in my life?

Learning from the Saints
What aspects of a particular saint’s life inspire me to deepen my relationship with God?

Evening Reflection
How can I review my day to see where I encountered God and how I responded to His presence?

Discerning God’s Presence
Am I attentive to the movements of the Holy Spirit and the challenges God places before me throughout the day?

Managing Modern Distractions
What steps can I take to reduce distractions from technology and create more space for prayer?

Living the Eucharist
How can I make my daily life a reflection of the love and sacrifice I celebrate in the Eucharist?

Sacramental Life
How do regular participation in the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist, shape my spiritual journey?

Building Spiritual Discipline
What practical changes can I make to develop a more disciplined and consistent prayer life?

Communion and Community
How can I better embrace the communal aspect of my faith, both in the Church and in my personal relationships?

From the book’s description:

“A daily offering of one’s life to God is an indispensable practice for every serious Catholic. In this book, Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., a longtime spiritual guide on Relevant Radio, presents a 366-day experience of morning offerings for busy laypeople. This rich array of reflections, based on the liturgical calendar and inspired by Ignatian spirituality, will help you develop—or reinvigorate—the habit of beginning each day by sincerely offering it to Christ.

For each day of the year, Fr. Kubicki offers a meditation based on the saint of the day or liturgical calendar, an offering prayer, and a “Daily Word” to help you recall the offering throughout the day. Each day concludes with a review question, based on the daily theme, inviting you to make an Examen.

Making and living a daily offering, uniting our everyday experience with the life of Christ—in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—can help strengthen each of us to take up his daily cross and live a Eucharistic life.”

About the Author

Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1983. He was the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer from 2003 to 2017. He currently leads retreats and parish missions while serving as a spiritual director at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The post IP#506 Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. – A Year of Daily Offerings on Inside the Pages w/ Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 19, 2024

Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL14 – Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 18, 2024

Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor examine the struggles and remedies in the spiritual life, focusing on dryness in prayer. Through stories like Paul’s father, who struggles with confusion and distraction as he begins praying with scripture. Learning how to meditate effectively, preparing in advance, and using resources like Bible studies or guided reflections can help deepen one’s prayer life.

Spiritual dryness is natural, especially for beginners, and persistence is key. We must embrace the idea of “praying badly” as a necessary first step and to seek guidance through spiritual reading, retreats, or confession.

There is a value in spiritual companionship, whether through friends, confessors, or spiritual directors. Stories like Julie’s show how a spiritual friend can gently help identify distractions and encourage a return to effective practices. Even without a formal spiritual director, forming a network of support is crucial for sustaining prayer. Fr. Gallagher advises adapting prayer practices to individual needs, reflecting deeply on scripture, and using interruptions as opportunities to refocus on God. With patience, persistence, and proper formation, the struggles of dryness can lead to a richer, more fulfilling spiritual life.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Role of Formation in Prayer: How can you deepen your understanding of scripture and prayer practices to overcome confusion or dryness in your spiritual life?

Preparation for Prayer: Are you intentionally preparing for prayer, such as choosing a quiet time and space or reviewing scripture beforehand?

Addressing Dryness in Prayer: How do you respond to feelings of dryness or distraction in prayer—do you persevere or seek guidance?

Value of Spiritual Companionship: Who are the spiritual friends, confessors, or mentors in your life who can offer encouragement and guidance in your journey?

Seeking God in Distractions: How can you turn interruptions or challenges in prayer into opportunities to refocus on God?

The Importance of Persistence: Are you willing to embrace small struggles in prayer, trusting that God will bless your efforts as you grow in spiritual maturity?

Exploring New Resources: Have you considered using tools like guided meditations, retreats, or spiritual readings to enrich your prayer life?

Reflecting on Prayer Practices: What adjustments can you make to your daily routines to foster a more fruitful and consistent prayer life?

An excerpt from the chapter, “A Need for Formation”:

“Paul’s father’s dryness in prayer does not arise from any fault on his part. On the contrary, he is diligent in preparing and approaches his prayer with goodwill. It derives, rather, from a lack of formation in prayer. Signs of this abound. When Paul’s father begins to pray, he chooses the Rosary because he saw his parents pray it. He knows little about the Rosary beyond its mechanics and, understandably, is easily distracted when he prays it.

Paul’s father has never read the Bible. He has no formation in Scripture and, again unsurprisingly, struggles to comprehend it. When he tries to meditate, he encounters more questions than spiritual insight. He does not understand why given Gospel passages are chosen for given days. With good intentions but unwisely, he chooses a time and place that render prayer difficult. Most likely, if Paul’s father continues to pray in this way, his prayer will be dry. Even more likely, he will not persevere.

This will change when he receives formation in prayer. Bible study will help him to understand the texts and so permit them to nourish him spiritually. Parish classes on prayer; spiritual books about meditation; resources on the web; meetings with a spiritual director, if possible; conversation with Paul, who is more experienced in prayer — all this will prepare Paul’s father to meditate fruitfully. As his schooling in prayer deepens, his meditation will no longer be dry. The Rosary, too, understood as contemplation of Jesus, will be less distracted. Formation in prayer resolves this form of dryness.

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 96-97). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

An excerpt from the chapter, “Something Has Slipped”:

“In this experience of dryness, the issue is negligence regarding prayer. The solution is to reverse that negligence. We all have routines, times of day, ways of choosing material, places, and the like that we know help us to pray. When we are faithful to them, this form of dryness resolves.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 100-101). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL14 – Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL14 – Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 18, 2024

Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor examine the struggles and remedies in the spiritual life, focusing on dryness in prayer. Through stories like Paul’s father, who struggles with confusion and distraction as he begins praying with scripture. Learning how to meditate effectively, preparing in advance, and using resources like Bible studies or guided reflections can help deepen one’s prayer life.

Spiritual dryness is natural, especially for beginners, and persistence is key. We must embrace the idea of “praying badly” as a necessary first step and to seek guidance through spiritual reading, retreats, or confession.

There is a value in spiritual companionship, whether through friends, confessors, or spiritual directors. Stories like Julie’s show how a spiritual friend can gently help identify distractions and encourage a return to effective practices. Even without a formal spiritual director, forming a network of support is crucial for sustaining prayer. Fr. Gallagher advises adapting prayer practices to individual needs, reflecting deeply on scripture, and using interruptions as opportunities to refocus on God. With patience, persistence, and proper formation, the struggles of dryness can lead to a richer, more fulfilling spiritual life.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Role of Formation in Prayer: How can you deepen your understanding of scripture and prayer practices to overcome confusion or dryness in your spiritual life?

Preparation for Prayer: Are you intentionally preparing for prayer, such as choosing a quiet time and space or reviewing scripture beforehand?

Addressing Dryness in Prayer: How do you respond to feelings of dryness or distraction in prayer—do you persevere or seek guidance?

Value of Spiritual Companionship: Who are the spiritual friends, confessors, or mentors in your life who can offer encouragement and guidance in your journey?

Seeking God in Distractions: How can you turn interruptions or challenges in prayer into opportunities to refocus on God?

The Importance of Persistence: Are you willing to embrace small struggles in prayer, trusting that God will bless your efforts as you grow in spiritual maturity?

Exploring New Resources: Have you considered using tools like guided meditations, retreats, or spiritual readings to enrich your prayer life?

Reflecting on Prayer Practices: What adjustments can you make to your daily routines to foster a more fruitful and consistent prayer life?

An excerpt from the chapter, “A Need for Formation”:

“Paul’s father’s dryness in prayer does not arise from any fault on his part. On the contrary, he is diligent in preparing and approaches his prayer with goodwill. It derives, rather, from a lack of formation in prayer. Signs of this abound. When Paul’s father begins to pray, he chooses the Rosary because he saw his parents pray it. He knows little about the Rosary beyond its mechanics and, understandably, is easily distracted when he prays it.

Paul’s father has never read the Bible. He has no formation in Scripture and, again unsurprisingly, struggles to comprehend it. When he tries to meditate, he encounters more questions than spiritual insight. He does not understand why given Gospel passages are chosen for given days. With good intentions but unwisely, he chooses a time and place that render prayer difficult. Most likely, if Paul’s father continues to pray in this way, his prayer will be dry. Even more likely, he will not persevere.

This will change when he receives formation in prayer. Bible study will help him to understand the texts and so permit them to nourish him spiritually. Parish classes on prayer; spiritual books about meditation; resources on the web; meetings with a spiritual director, if possible; conversation with Paul, who is more experienced in prayer — all this will prepare Paul’s father to meditate fruitfully. As his schooling in prayer deepens, his meditation will no longer be dry. The Rosary, too, understood as contemplation of Jesus, will be less distracted. Formation in prayer resolves this form of dryness.

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 96-97). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

An excerpt from the chapter, “Something Has Slipped”:

“In this experience of dryness, the issue is negligence regarding prayer. The solution is to reverse that negligence. We all have routines, times of day, ways of choosing material, places, and the like that we know help us to pray. When we are faithful to them, this form of dryness resolves.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 100-101). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL14 – Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 18, 2024
Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

No One Knows The Day Or Hour – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 17, 2024

No One Knows The Day Or Hour – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the urgency of living a Christ-centered life as the liturgical year draws to a close. Drawing from the readings in Daniel and Hebrews, the inevitability of death and the hope of resurrection for those united with Christ. He contrasts the repeated sacrifices of the Old Covenant with the singular, perfect offering of Jesus, which provides eternal forgiveness and salvation. We ought to examine our lives for self-centeredness and idolatry, seeking repentance, trust in God’s providence, and reception of the sacraments.

The Gospel’s message that acts of love and service to others—feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, and caring for the vulnerable—are essential to living out faith authentically and preparing for eternal life.

Amid global unrest and personal trials, Christ’s constant presence and victory over fear and tribulation are a source of hope. Love is important as the essence of God and the key to heaven, transcending religious and cultural divides. By living with charity and selflessness, believers can find peace and unity with God.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Eternal Readiness: How am I preparing my soul to meet God and embrace the promise of eternal life?

Living Sacramentally: Do I fully appreciate the power of Christ’s one perfect sacrifice through the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist?

Acts of Love: How can I better serve Christ by loving and caring for the hungry, sick, and marginalized in my daily life?

Rejecting Fear: In what ways can I entrust my fears and anxieties to God amid personal and global challenges?

Authentic Faith: Am I living with self-centeredness or idolatry, and how can I redirect my heart toward God and others?

Universal Call to Love: How can I embody God’s love in my relationships, especially with those who are different from me?

Gratitude and Trust: How can I cultivate gratitude for God’s blessings and deepen my trust in His providence during uncertain times?

Gospel Mk 13:-24-35

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In those days after that tribulation
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

“And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’
with great power and glory,
and then he will send out the angels
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,
you know that summer is near.
In the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that he is near, at the gates.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.

“But of that day or hour, no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. Msgr. Esseff served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by Pope St. John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world, especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians, and other religious leaders around the world.

The post No One Knows The Day Or Hour – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Sunday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 17, 2024
Sunday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven. ‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven. ‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven. ‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Sunday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

From the Revelations of Divine Peace – St. Gertrude the Great from the Office of Readings – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 16, 2024
From the Revelations of Divine Peace of St Gertrude

Image is from SanctifiedSouls on Etsy; used with permission. Visit their shop for this image and more: etsy.com/shop/SanctifiedSouls

May my soul bless you, O Lord God my Creator, may my soul bless you. From the very core of my being may all your merciful gifts sing your praise. Your generous care for your daughter has been rich in mercy; indeed it has been immeasurable, and as far as I am able I give you thanks. I praise and glorify your great patience which bore with me even though, from my infancy and childhood, youth and early womanhood, until I was nearly twenty-six, I was always so blindly irresponsible. Looking back I see that but for your protecting hand I would have been quite without conscience in thought, word or deed. But you came to my aid by giving me a natural dislike of evil and a natural delight in what is good, and provided me with necessary correction from those among whom I lived. Otherwise I should now have to admit to doing my own will whenever the opportunity offered itself, living like some pagan in a pagan society, and never understanding that you, my God, reward good deeds while punishing evil. Yet you had chosen me to be specially trained to serve you. I was a child of five when I began to live in a convent surrounded by your most devoted friends.
`To make amends for the way I previously lived, I offer you, most loving Father, all the sufferings of your beloved Son, from that first infant cry as he lay on the hay in the manger, until that final moment when, bowing his head, with a mighty voice, Christ gave up his spirit. I think, as I make this offering, of all that he underwent, his needs as a baby, his dependence as a young child, the hardships of youth and the trials of early manhood. To atone for all my neglect I offer, most loving Father, all that your only begotten Son did during his life, whether in thought, word or deed. That sacred life was, I know, utterly perfect in all respects, from the moment he descended from your heavenly throne and came into this world, until finally he presented the glory of his victorious human nature to you, his Father. And now, as an act of thanksgiving, I praise and worship you, Father, in deepest humility for your most loving kindness and mercy. Though I was hurrying to my eternal loss, your thoughts of me were thoughts of peace and not of affliction, and you lifted me up with so many great favours. To these you added the inestimable gift of your intimate friendship, and in various ways allowed me to possess your Son’s own heart, that most noble ark of God united with the Godhead. You refused me no delight that could be mine. Finally, you drew me to yourself by your faithful promises of the good things you would give me from the hour of my death. So great are these promises that for their sake alone, even if you had given me nothing besides, my heart would sigh for you always and be filled with a lively hope.
Let us pray. Lord God, you made the heart of Saint Gertrude a dwelling-place of your love. Lighten our darkness so that, through her intercession, we may experience the joy of your presence in our hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Excerpts from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) © 1974, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The post From the Revelations of Divine Peace – St. Gertrude the Great from the Office of Readings – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 16, 2024

Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’

And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’

And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’

And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 15, 2024
St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson

Born: 1193, Lauingen, Germany

Died: November 15, 1280, Cologne, Germany

Education: University of Padua

Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor take a look at the life and legacy of St. Albert the Great, a Dominican theologian, philosopher, scientist, and mentor to St. Thomas Aquinas. Known for harmonizing faith, reason, and science, Albert saw the study of nature as a way to deepen understanding of God. He was instrumental in reintroducing Aristotle’s philosophy to the West and demonstrated how pagan thought could be reconciled with Christian theology; the compatibility of reason and faith. His vast contributions to natural sciences, including botany, zoology, and mineralogy, reflected his belief that studying creation reveals the Creator’s glory.

Albert’s life was marked by both intellectual brilliance and profound spiritual devotion, rooted in a mystical encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Renouncing his noble background to join the Dominicans, he embraced poverty and the pursuit of knowledge in service to God. His influence shaped scholasticism, the integration of philosophy into theological studies, and the education of future Church leaders like Aquinas. A trusted advisor to popes and a mediator within the Church, Albert’s legacy is one of wisdom, joy, and the unyielding pursuit of truth, making him a timeless model of harmony between faith and reason.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Harmony of Faith and Reason: How can you apply St. Albert’s example of harmonizing faith and reason in your own pursuit of knowledge and daily life?

The Call to Radical Discipleship: What aspects of your life might you need to surrender, as Albert did, to follow God’s will more fully?

Awe in Creation: How do you cultivate a sense of wonder and gratitude for God’s presence in the natural world around you?

The Role of Philosophy in Faith: How does studying philosophy or other intellectual disciplines deepen your understanding and practice of the Catholic faith?

Mentorship and Influence: Who has played a role in mentoring your spiritual growth, and how can you mentor others in their journey of faith?

Prayer as the Foundation of Knowledge: In what ways can you strengthen your prayer life to ensure that your intellectual pursuits remain rooted in your relationship with God?

Faith and Science in Evangelization: How can Albert’s approach to integrating science with faith inspire you to share the Gospel in modern contexts?

Joy in the Pursuit of Truth: How can you reflect the joy and enthusiasm of St. Albert in your efforts to share and live out the truths of the Catholic faith?

From Vatican.va, an excerpt from the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI

From the General Audience on St. Albert the Great

“One of the great masters of medieval theology is St Albert the Great.

The title “Great”, (Magnus), with which he has passed into history indicates the vastness and depth of his teaching, which he combined with holiness of life. However, his contemporaries did not hesitate to attribute to him titles of excellence even then. One of his disciples, Ulric of Strasbourg, called him the “wonder and miracle of our epoch”.

He was born in Germany at the beginning of the 13th century. When he was still young he went to Italy, to Padua, the seat of one of the most famous medieval universities. He devoted himself to the study of the so-called “liberal arts”: grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, that is, to culture in general, demonstrating that characteristic interest in the natural sciences which was soon to become the favourite field for his specialization. During his stay in Padua he attended the Church of the Dominicans, whom he then joined with the profession of the religious vows. Hagiographic sources suggest that Albert came to this decision gradually. His intense relationship with God, the Dominican Friars’ example of holiness, hearing the sermons of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, St Dominic’s successor at the Master General of the Order of Preachers, were the decisive factors that helped him to overcome every doubt and even to surmount his family’s resistence. God often speaks to us in the years of our youth and points out to us the project of our life. As it was for Albert, so also for all of us, personal prayer, nourished by the Lord’s word, frequent reception of the Sacraments and the spiritual guidance of enlightened people are the means to discover and follow God’s voice. He received the religious habit from Bl. Jordan of Saxony.

After his ordination to the priesthood, his superiors sent him to teach at various theological study centres annexed to the convents of the Dominican Fathers. His brilliant intellectual qualities enabled him to perfect his theological studies at the most famous university in that period, the University of Paris. From that time on St Albert began his extraordinary activity as a writer that he was to pursue throughout his life.

Prestigious tasks were assigned to him. In 1248 he was charged with opening a theological studium at Cologne, one of the most important regional capitals of Germany, where he lived at different times and which became his adopted city. He brought with him from Paris an exceptional student, Thomas Aquinas. The sole merit of having been St Thomas’ teacher would suffice to elicit profound admiration for St Albert. A relationship of mutual esteem and friendship developed between these two great theologians, human attitudes that were very helpful in the development of this branch of knowlege. In 1254, Albert was elected Provincial of the Dominican Fathers’ “Provincia Teutoniae” Teutonic Province which included communities scattered over a vast territory in Central and Northern Europe.

He distinguished himself for the zeal with which he exercised this ministry, visiting the communities and constantly recalling his confreres to fidelity, to the teaching and example of St Dominic.

His gifts did not escape the attention of the Pope of that time, Alexander iv, who wanted Albert with him for a certain time at Anagni where the Popes went frequently in Rome itself and at Viterbo, in order to avail himself of Albert’s theological advice. The same Supreme Pontiff appointed Albert Bishop of Regensburg, a large and celebrated diocese, but which was going through a difficult period. From 1260 to 1262, Albert exercised this ministry with unflagging dedication, succeeding in restoring peace and harmony to the city, in reorganizing parishes and convents and in giving a new impetus to charitable activities.

In the year 1263-1264, Albert preached in Germany and in Bohemia, at the request of Pope Urban iv. He later returned to Cologne and took up his role as lecturer, scholar and writer. As a man of prayer, science and charity, his authoritative intervention in various events of the Church and of the society of the time were acclaimed: above all, he was a man of reconciliation and peace in Cologne, where the Archbishop had run seriously foul of the city’s institutions; he did his utmost during the Second Council of Lyons, in 1274, summoned by Pope Gregory X, to encourage union between the Latin and Greek Churches after the separation of the great schism with the East in 1054. He also explained the thought of Thomas Aquinas which had been the subject of objections and even quite unjustified condemnations.

He died in his cell at the convent of the Holy Cross, Cologne, in 1280, and was very soon venerated by his confreres. The Church proposed him for the worship of the faithful with his beatification in 1622 and with his canonization in 1931, when Pope Pius XI proclaimed him Doctor of the Church. This was certainly an appropriate recognition of this great man of God and outstanding scholar, not only of the truths of the faith but of a great many other branches of knowledge; indeed, with a glance at the titles of his very numerous works, we realize that there was something miraculous about his culture and that his encyclopedic interests led him not only to concern himself with philosophy and theology, like other contemporaries of his, but also with every other discipline then known, from physics to chemistry, from astronomy to minerology, from botany to zoology.

For this reason Pope Pius XII named him Patron of enthusiasts of the natural sciences and also called him “Doctor universalis” precisely because of the vastness of his interests and knowledge.”

For more visit Vatican.va

For more from Dr. Matthew Bunson, check out his Discerning Hearts page.

Dr. Matthew E. Bunson is a Register senior editor and a senior contributor to EWTN News. For the past 20 years, he has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is faculty chair at Catholic Distance University, a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author or co-author of over 50 books including The Encyclopedia of Catholic History, The Pope Encyclopedia, We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, The Saints Encyclopedia and best-selling biographies of St. Damien of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

The post St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 15, 2024
St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson

Born: 1193, Lauingen, Germany

Died: November 15, 1280, Cologne, Germany

Education: University of Padua

Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor take a look at the life and legacy of St. Albert the Great, a Dominican theologian, philosopher, scientist, and mentor to St. Thomas Aquinas. Known for harmonizing faith, reason, and science, Albert saw the study of nature as a way to deepen understanding of God. He was instrumental in reintroducing Aristotle’s philosophy to the West and demonstrated how pagan thought could be reconciled with Christian theology; the compatibility of reason and faith. His vast contributions to natural sciences, including botany, zoology, and mineralogy, reflected his belief that studying creation reveals the Creator’s glory.

Albert’s life was marked by both intellectual brilliance and profound spiritual devotion, rooted in a mystical encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Renouncing his noble background to join the Dominicans, he embraced poverty and the pursuit of knowledge in service to God. His influence shaped scholasticism, the integration of philosophy into theological studies, and the education of future Church leaders like Aquinas. A trusted advisor to popes and a mediator within the Church, Albert’s legacy is one of wisdom, joy, and the unyielding pursuit of truth, making him a timeless model of harmony between faith and reason.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

The Harmony of Faith and Reason: How can you apply St. Albert’s example of harmonizing faith and reason in your own pursuit of knowledge and daily life?

The Call to Radical Discipleship: What aspects of your life might you need to surrender, as Albert did, to follow God’s will more fully?

Awe in Creation: How do you cultivate a sense of wonder and gratitude for God’s presence in the natural world around you?

The Role of Philosophy in Faith: How does studying philosophy or other intellectual disciplines deepen your understanding and practice of the Catholic faith?

Mentorship and Influence: Who has played a role in mentoring your spiritual growth, and how can you mentor others in their journey of faith?

Prayer as the Foundation of Knowledge: In what ways can you strengthen your prayer life to ensure that your intellectual pursuits remain rooted in your relationship with God?

Faith and Science in Evangelization: How can Albert’s approach to integrating science with faith inspire you to share the Gospel in modern contexts?

Joy in the Pursuit of Truth: How can you reflect the joy and enthusiasm of St. Albert in your efforts to share and live out the truths of the Catholic faith?

From Vatican.va, an excerpt from the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI

From the General Audience on St. Albert the Great

“One of the great masters of medieval theology is St Albert the Great.

The title “Great”, (Magnus), with which he has passed into history indicates the vastness and depth of his teaching, which he combined with holiness of life. However, his contemporaries did not hesitate to attribute to him titles of excellence even then. One of his disciples, Ulric of Strasbourg, called him the “wonder and miracle of our epoch”.

He was born in Germany at the beginning of the 13th century. When he was still young he went to Italy, to Padua, the seat of one of the most famous medieval universities. He devoted himself to the study of the so-called “liberal arts”: grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, that is, to culture in general, demonstrating that characteristic interest in the natural sciences which was soon to become the favourite field for his specialization. During his stay in Padua he attended the Church of the Dominicans, whom he then joined with the profession of the religious vows. Hagiographic sources suggest that Albert came to this decision gradually. His intense relationship with God, the Dominican Friars’ example of holiness, hearing the sermons of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, St Dominic’s successor at the Master General of the Order of Preachers, were the decisive factors that helped him to overcome every doubt and even to surmount his family’s resistence. God often speaks to us in the years of our youth and points out to us the project of our life. As it was for Albert, so also for all of us, personal prayer, nourished by the Lord’s word, frequent reception of the Sacraments and the spiritual guidance of enlightened people are the means to discover and follow God’s voice. He received the religious habit from Bl. Jordan of Saxony.

After his ordination to the priesthood, his superiors sent him to teach at various theological study centres annexed to the convents of the Dominican Fathers. His brilliant intellectual qualities enabled him to perfect his theological studies at the most famous university in that period, the University of Paris. From that time on St Albert began his extraordinary activity as a writer that he was to pursue throughout his life.

Prestigious tasks were assigned to him. In 1248 he was charged with opening a theological studium at Cologne, one of the most important regional capitals of Germany, where he lived at different times and which became his adopted city. He brought with him from Paris an exceptional student, Thomas Aquinas. The sole merit of having been St Thomas’ teacher would suffice to elicit profound admiration for St Albert. A relationship of mutual esteem and friendship developed between these two great theologians, human attitudes that were very helpful in the development of this branch of knowlege. In 1254, Albert was elected Provincial of the Dominican Fathers’ “Provincia Teutoniae” Teutonic Province which included communities scattered over a vast territory in Central and Northern Europe.

He distinguished himself for the zeal with which he exercised this ministry, visiting the communities and constantly recalling his confreres to fidelity, to the teaching and example of St Dominic.

His gifts did not escape the attention of the Pope of that time, Alexander iv, who wanted Albert with him for a certain time at Anagni where the Popes went frequently in Rome itself and at Viterbo, in order to avail himself of Albert’s theological advice. The same Supreme Pontiff appointed Albert Bishop of Regensburg, a large and celebrated diocese, but which was going through a difficult period. From 1260 to 1262, Albert exercised this ministry with unflagging dedication, succeeding in restoring peace and harmony to the city, in reorganizing parishes and convents and in giving a new impetus to charitable activities.

In the year 1263-1264, Albert preached in Germany and in Bohemia, at the request of Pope Urban iv. He later returned to Cologne and took up his role as lecturer, scholar and writer. As a man of prayer, science and charity, his authoritative intervention in various events of the Church and of the society of the time were acclaimed: above all, he was a man of reconciliation and peace in Cologne, where the Archbishop had run seriously foul of the city’s institutions; he did his utmost during the Second Council of Lyons, in 1274, summoned by Pope Gregory X, to encourage union between the Latin and Greek Churches after the separation of the great schism with the East in 1054. He also explained the thought of Thomas Aquinas which had been the subject of objections and even quite unjustified condemnations.

He died in his cell at the convent of the Holy Cross, Cologne, in 1280, and was very soon venerated by his confreres. The Church proposed him for the worship of the faithful with his beatification in 1622 and with his canonization in 1931, when Pope Pius XI proclaimed him Doctor of the Church. This was certainly an appropriate recognition of this great man of God and outstanding scholar, not only of the truths of the faith but of a great many other branches of knowledge; indeed, with a glance at the titles of his very numerous works, we realize that there was something miraculous about his culture and that his encyclopedic interests led him not only to concern himself with philosophy and theology, like other contemporaries of his, but also with every other discipline then known, from physics to chemistry, from astronomy to minerology, from botany to zoology.

For this reason Pope Pius XII named him Patron of enthusiasts of the natural sciences and also called him “Doctor universalis” precisely because of the vastness of his interests and knowledge.”

For more visit Vatican.va

For more from Dr. Matthew Bunson, check out his Discerning Hearts page.

Dr. Matthew E. Bunson is a Register senior editor and a senior contributor to EWTN News. For the past 20 years, he has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is faculty chair at Catholic Distance University, a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author or co-author of over 50 books including The Encyclopedia of Catholic History, The Pope Encyclopedia, We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, The Saints Encyclopedia and best-selling biographies of St. Damien of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

The post St. Albert the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Friday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 15, 2024

Friday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:26-37

Jesus said to the disciples:
‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.
‘When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples interrupted. ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to the disciples:
‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.
‘When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples interrupted. ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to the disciples:
‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed.
‘When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples interrupted. ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Friday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

BA6 - "Refuse to Accept Discouragement" - Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of Ven. Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher — TM5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Therese and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 14, 2024

Episode 5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Thérèse and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor explore the depth of spiritual encouragement on the correspondence between St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her cousin Marie during the summer of 1890; during a period when Marie was grappling with spiritual desolation and doubt.

At the heart of the letters is St. Thérèse’s response to Marie’s feelings of inadequacy, spiritual dryness, and failure in her attempts to live a fervent religious life. Thérèse reassures Marie, reminding her that human weakness is not a barrier to God’s love. Instead, it is through recognizing our nothingness that we can abandon ourselves to the infinite love and grace of Jesus. Thérèse likens Marie’s situation to a poor country girl being courted by a king, where the girl’s weakness is not a deterrent because the king (Christ) already knows and accepts it.

While Marie feels she is not seeing any fruit from her spiritual efforts, God still treasures these “little nothings” that console His heart. This also touches on sacrificial love, where Thérèse encourages Marie to give her heart fully to Jesus, reminding her of Christ’s own humility in becoming “poor” to love and unite with humanity, particularly in the Eucharist.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Acknowledging God’s Grace in Our Lives
How often do I recognize and thank God for the graces He gives me, even amidst my struggles?

Embracing Weakness as a Path to Holiness
Am I willing to acknowledge my weakness and entrust it to God, believing that He can work through it for my sanctification?

Surrendering Self-Reliance for Divine Strength
Do I, like Thérèse, abandon my self-concerns and surrender fully to Jesus, trusting in His infinite strength to guide me?

Finding Consolation in Small Acts of Love
Am I aware that even my smallest efforts to love God and others bring joy to His heart, even when I don’t see immediate fruit?

Uniting in Prayer through the Eucharist
How can I deepen my love for Jesus in the Eucharist and let that love strengthen my union with Him and others in my life?

Fostering Joy and Lightheartedness Amidst Trials
Do I allow the joy of Christ to shine through me, even when I am burdened by personal struggles, to uplift those around me?

Trusting in God’s Plan Beyond Appearances
How can I deepen my trust in God’s plan, especially when my outward circumstances or inner struggles make it hard to see His work?

About this Series

Fr. Timothy Gallagher reflects upon the enduring legacy of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, exploring how her life and spirituality, deeply influenced by her family and how it offers profound insights into everyday holiness. He examines the role of family and spiritual friendships in nurturing faith, the importance of compassionate care for others, and how Thérèse’s example can inspire listeners to seek sanctity in their daily lives. He also brings forth more details of the spiritual bond between the Martin and Guérin families, offering a model for fostering deeper connections within one’s own family and community.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post TM5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Therese and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

TM5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Therese and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 14, 2024

Episode 5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Thérèse and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor explore the depth of spiritual encouragement on the correspondence between St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her cousin Marie during the summer of 1890; during a period when Marie was grappling with spiritual desolation and doubt.

At the heart of the letters is St. Thérèse’s response to Marie’s feelings of inadequacy, spiritual dryness, and failure in her attempts to live a fervent religious life. Thérèse reassures Marie, reminding her that human weakness is not a barrier to God’s love. Instead, it is through recognizing our nothingness that we can abandon ourselves to the infinite love and grace of Jesus. Thérèse likens Marie’s situation to a poor country girl being courted by a king, where the girl’s weakness is not a deterrent because the king (Christ) already knows and accepts it.

While Marie feels she is not seeing any fruit from her spiritual efforts, God still treasures these “little nothings” that console His heart. This also touches on sacrificial love, where Thérèse encourages Marie to give her heart fully to Jesus, reminding her of Christ’s own humility in becoming “poor” to love and unite with humanity, particularly in the Eucharist.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Acknowledging God’s Grace in Our Lives
How often do I recognize and thank God for the graces He gives me, even amidst my struggles?

Embracing Weakness as a Path to Holiness
Am I willing to acknowledge my weakness and entrust it to God, believing that He can work through it for my sanctification?

Surrendering Self-Reliance for Divine Strength
Do I, like Thérèse, abandon my self-concerns and surrender fully to Jesus, trusting in His infinite strength to guide me?

Finding Consolation in Small Acts of Love
Am I aware that even my smallest efforts to love God and others bring joy to His heart, even when I don’t see immediate fruit?

Uniting in Prayer through the Eucharist
How can I deepen my love for Jesus in the Eucharist and let that love strengthen my union with Him and others in my life?

Fostering Joy and Lightheartedness Amidst Trials
Do I allow the joy of Christ to shine through me, even when I am burdened by personal struggles, to uplift those around me?

Trusting in God’s Plan Beyond Appearances
How can I deepen my trust in God’s plan, especially when my outward circumstances or inner struggles make it hard to see His work?

About this Series

Fr. Timothy Gallagher reflects upon the enduring legacy of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, exploring how her life and spirituality, deeply influenced by her family and how it offers profound insights into everyday holiness. He examines the role of family and spiritual friendships in nurturing faith, the importance of compassionate care for others, and how Thérèse’s example can inspire listeners to seek sanctity in their daily lives. He also brings forth more details of the spiritual bond between the Martin and Guérin families, offering a model for fostering deeper connections within one’s own family and community.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post TM5 – Path of Grace and Weakness – St. Therese and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Thursday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 14, 2024

Thursday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’

He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’

He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’

He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Thursday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN3 – Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 13, 2024

Episode 3: Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss the nature of purgatory, referencing saints’ mystical experiences to explore purification, suffering, and holiness. Saints like St. Catherine of Genoa offer images of purgatory that allow us to meditate on sin’s disruptive nature to the Body of Christ. This purification isn’t bound by time as we know it; rather, it’s a timeless encounter with Jesus’ love that cleanses us from the effects of sin.

There are common misconceptions, such as contrasting physical suffering with the profound, and that relational pain causes isolation from God and others. This relational suffering, which stems from choices that cut us off from communion, parallels the purgatorial experience, calling us toward God for healing. Purgatory is less about physical torment and more about the agony of purification needed to restore our identity in God’s love.

The sacrament of reconciliation is a profound opportunity to undergo purification on earth, preparing us for communion with God. True confession requires courage, as it involves confronting our sins and vulnerabilities openly with God, who meets us with unconditional mercy.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Purgatory’s Purpose – How does viewing purgatory as a relational purification rather than a physical torment change your understanding of its purpose?

Contemplating the Impact of Sin – Reflect on how even “small” sins disrupt the harmony of the Body of Christ and affect your own spiritual health.

Identifying Relational Pain – In what ways have feelings of isolation or confusion about your identity impacted your relationship with God and others?

Embracing the Sacrament of Reconciliation – How might regularly participating in the sacrament of reconciliation deepen your experience of God’s mercy and freedom?

Confronting Fear of Truth – What specific fears or rationalizations have kept you from fully admitting your sins to God in the sacrament of confession?

Learning from the Saints – Who in your life exemplifies holiness, and how can you look to them as a guide toward surrender and abandonment to God?

Trusting in God Through Suffering – How can embracing Christ’s Sacred Heart help you surrender fears about suffering or death and experience God’s peace?

Striving for Earthly Holiness – What steps can you take to start your purification process on earth, inspired by the examples of saints like Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN3 – Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN3 – Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 13, 2024

Episode 3: Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss the nature of purgatory, referencing saints’ mystical experiences to explore purification, suffering, and holiness. Saints like St. Catherine of Genoa offer images of purgatory that allow us to meditate on sin’s disruptive nature to the Body of Christ. This purification isn’t bound by time as we know it; rather, it’s a timeless encounter with Jesus’ love that cleanses us from the effects of sin.

There are common misconceptions, such as contrasting physical suffering with the profound, and that relational pain causes isolation from God and others. This relational suffering, which stems from choices that cut us off from communion, parallels the purgatorial experience, calling us toward God for healing. Purgatory is less about physical torment and more about the agony of purification needed to restore our identity in God’s love.

The sacrament of reconciliation is a profound opportunity to undergo purification on earth, preparing us for communion with God. True confession requires courage, as it involves confronting our sins and vulnerabilities openly with God, who meets us with unconditional mercy.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Purgatory’s Purpose – How does viewing purgatory as a relational purification rather than a physical torment change your understanding of its purpose?

Contemplating the Impact of Sin – Reflect on how even “small” sins disrupt the harmony of the Body of Christ and affect your own spiritual health.

Identifying Relational Pain – In what ways have feelings of isolation or confusion about your identity impacted your relationship with God and others?

Embracing the Sacrament of Reconciliation – How might regularly participating in the sacrament of reconciliation deepen your experience of God’s mercy and freedom?

Confronting Fear of Truth – What specific fears or rationalizations have kept you from fully admitting your sins to God in the sacrament of confession?

Learning from the Saints – Who in your life exemplifies holiness, and how can you look to them as a guide toward surrender and abandonment to God?

Trusting in God Through Suffering – How can embracing Christ’s Sacred Heart help you surrender fears about suffering or death and experience God’s peace?

Striving for Earthly Holiness – What steps can you take to start your purification process on earth, inspired by the examples of saints like Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN3 – Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 13, 2024
Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

TSP11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 12, 2024
Episode 11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor share reflections on the progression through the “mansions” of the soul described by St. Teresa.

The “seventh mansion” symbolizes an advanced state of unity with God, where spiritual battles diminish as the soul reaches detachment from earthly attachments, sin, and even subtle demonic deceptions. Here, humility and a profound awareness of one’s need for God become central to one’s life, fostering a deep, abiding reliance on divine grace rather than on personal willpower. While this level of holiness is rare, it remains an ultimate spiritual goal and a foretaste of heaven.

The idea of a “universal call to holiness” affirmed by Vatican II, makes this journey accessible to all—whether through monastic disciplines or daily life responsibilities, like those of a mother or even those with limited time for prayer can reach profound spiritual heights if they orient their lives toward God with discipline and trust.

Spiritual readings like St. Teresa’s are meant not merely for knowledge but for self-transformation, deepening one’s relationship with God. If we approach these writings with a purely intellectual focus, we risk developing a “critical spirit” rather than authentic growth in love and humility.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Understanding Spiritual Progress: How do you interpret the stages of the soul’s journey in St. Teresa’s Interior Castle as it applies to your own spiritual life?

Humility and Detachment: In what ways can you cultivate the humility necessary to detach from earthly attachments and recognize your complete reliance on God?

Embracing the Universal Call to Holiness: How does the concept of a universal call to holiness influence your understanding of your personal vocation?

Practicing Disciplined Prayer: How might you incorporate mental prayer more consistently, even amid daily obligations, to deepen your relationship with God?

Transforming Knowledge into Relationship: When you read spiritual books, do you seek to grow in relationship with God, or are you primarily acquiring knowledge?

Identifying and Addressing Root Sins: What recurring weaknesses or sins have you identified in yourself, and how might greater humility help you address them?

Responding to Truth with Action: How can you take the insights from spiritual readings and translate them into practical actions in your daily life?

Navigating Spiritual Deceptions: How do you discern and guard against the subtle deceptions that may arise as you progress in your spiritual journey?

Reflecting on Your Need for God: How often do you acknowledge your need for God, and in what ways can you reinforce this awareness in your life?

Commitment to Holiness Amid Challenges: How can you continue pursuing holiness despite suffering or challenges that may arise in your spiritual growth?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.

The post TSP11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

TSP11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 12, 2024
Episode 11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor share reflections on the progression through the “mansions” of the soul described by St. Teresa.

The “seventh mansion” symbolizes an advanced state of unity with God, where spiritual battles diminish as the soul reaches detachment from earthly attachments, sin, and even subtle demonic deceptions. Here, humility and a profound awareness of one’s need for God become central to one’s life, fostering a deep, abiding reliance on divine grace rather than on personal willpower. While this level of holiness is rare, it remains an ultimate spiritual goal and a foretaste of heaven.

The idea of a “universal call to holiness” affirmed by Vatican II, makes this journey accessible to all—whether through monastic disciplines or daily life responsibilities, like those of a mother or even those with limited time for prayer can reach profound spiritual heights if they orient their lives toward God with discipline and trust.

Spiritual readings like St. Teresa’s are meant not merely for knowledge but for self-transformation, deepening one’s relationship with God. If we approach these writings with a purely intellectual focus, we risk developing a “critical spirit” rather than authentic growth in love and humility.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Understanding Spiritual Progress: How do you interpret the stages of the soul’s journey in St. Teresa’s Interior Castle as it applies to your own spiritual life?

Humility and Detachment: In what ways can you cultivate the humility necessary to detach from earthly attachments and recognize your complete reliance on God?

Embracing the Universal Call to Holiness: How does the concept of a universal call to holiness influence your understanding of your personal vocation?

Practicing Disciplined Prayer: How might you incorporate mental prayer more consistently, even amid daily obligations, to deepen your relationship with God?

Transforming Knowledge into Relationship: When you read spiritual books, do you seek to grow in relationship with God, or are you primarily acquiring knowledge?

Identifying and Addressing Root Sins: What recurring weaknesses or sins have you identified in yourself, and how might greater humility help you address them?

Responding to Truth with Action: How can you take the insights from spiritual readings and translate them into practical actions in your daily life?

Navigating Spiritual Deceptions: How do you discern and guard against the subtle deceptions that may arise as you progress in your spiritual journey?

Reflecting on Your Need for God: How often do you acknowledge your need for God, and in what ways can you reinforce this awareness in your life?

Commitment to Holiness Amid Challenges: How can you continue pursuing holiness despite suffering or challenges that may arise in your spiritual growth?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.

The post TSP11 – The Battles of the Seventh Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 12, 2024
Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:7-10

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL13 – I Feel Alone- Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 11, 2024

I Feel Alone – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher illustrates the struggles in the process of discernment with Kathy’s story, a woman who, after experiencing spiritual closeness with God, is confronted by a deeply buried pain triggered during prayer. Kathy feels abandoned by God, prompting her to stop praying and isolate herself emotionally. Guided by her spiritual director, Fr. Reed, Kathy learns that she can openly share her pain and anger with God, drawing on examples from the Psalms and the Book of Job, where people express their raw emotions before God.

Through this honest dialogue, Kathy finds a path back to a real and growing relationship with God, learning that spiritual desolation can sometimes serve as a gateway to greater intimacy with Him. Fr. Gallagher emphasizes that while desolation may make us feel distant from God, the experience can deepen our relationship with Him if we remain faithful, seek guidance, and avoid making drastic changes to our spiritual practices.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Spiritual Desolation: How have you experienced feelings of isolation or distance from God, and how did you respond?

Seeking Guidance: Who are the trusted individuals in your life whom you could approach for spiritual guidance during times of struggle?

Expressing Raw Emotions to God: In what ways could you bring your true feelings of pain or anger to God in prayer, as Kathy learned to do?

Reflection on Consolation and Desolation: How can you recognize moments of consolation in your spiritual life, and how might they prepare you for future struggles?

Role of Patience and Perseverance: What small steps or practices could help you stand firm in faith during times of spiritual desolation?

Recognizing God’s Presence: How might you grow in awareness of God’s closeness, even when feelings of distance prevail?

Application of Ignatian Tools: Which of the Ignatian tools for resisting spiritual desolation resonates most with you, and how can you integrate it into your daily spiritual life?

Encountering Jesus in Your Pain: Reflect on a past pain or loss; how does the image of Jesus weeping with Lazarus’s sisters offer comfort in your own grief?

Freedom from Stagnation in Spiritual Life: Are there areas in your spiritual journey where you feel “stuck,” and how could sharing with someone help you move forward?

Embracing Growth Through Struggle: How can you view spiritual desolation as an invitation to deeper intimacy with God rather than as a setback?

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Feel Alone “:

“In a final form of spiritual desolation, Ignatius tells us, a person feels “as if separated from his Creator and Lord.” Cathy experiences this strongly in the weeks described: “All that closeness and warmth of God’s love? It’s gone like smoke. . . . I’m sitting in the kitchen as I write, and I feel like I’m here, and God is a million miles away.” I’m here, and God is a million miles away. I’m here, sitting in my kitchen, alone in my apartment, commuting to work, driving to pick up the children, sitting at my computer . . . and you are a million miles away, distant, remote.

Have you ever felt that? Yes, certainly, you have, and I have. Once more: no shame, no surprise; be aware, identify, reject.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (p. 89). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL13 – I Feel Alone- Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL13 – I Feel Alone- Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 11, 2024

I Feel Alone – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher illustrates the struggles in the process of discernment with Kathy’s story, a woman who, after experiencing spiritual closeness with God, is confronted by a deeply buried pain triggered during prayer. Kathy feels abandoned by God, prompting her to stop praying and isolate herself emotionally. Guided by her spiritual director, Fr. Reed, Kathy learns that she can openly share her pain and anger with God, drawing on examples from the Psalms and the Book of Job, where people express their raw emotions before God.

Through this honest dialogue, Kathy finds a path back to a real and growing relationship with God, learning that spiritual desolation can sometimes serve as a gateway to greater intimacy with Him. Fr. Gallagher emphasizes that while desolation may make us feel distant from God, the experience can deepen our relationship with Him if we remain faithful, seek guidance, and avoid making drastic changes to our spiritual practices.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Spiritual Desolation: How have you experienced feelings of isolation or distance from God, and how did you respond?

Seeking Guidance: Who are the trusted individuals in your life whom you could approach for spiritual guidance during times of struggle?

Expressing Raw Emotions to God: In what ways could you bring your true feelings of pain or anger to God in prayer, as Kathy learned to do?

Reflection on Consolation and Desolation: How can you recognize moments of consolation in your spiritual life, and how might they prepare you for future struggles?

Role of Patience and Perseverance: What small steps or practices could help you stand firm in faith during times of spiritual desolation?

Recognizing God’s Presence: How might you grow in awareness of God’s closeness, even when feelings of distance prevail?

Application of Ignatian Tools: Which of the Ignatian tools for resisting spiritual desolation resonates most with you, and how can you integrate it into your daily spiritual life?

Encountering Jesus in Your Pain: Reflect on a past pain or loss; how does the image of Jesus weeping with Lazarus’s sisters offer comfort in your own grief?

Freedom from Stagnation in Spiritual Life: Are there areas in your spiritual journey where you feel “stuck,” and how could sharing with someone help you move forward?

Embracing Growth Through Struggle: How can you view spiritual desolation as an invitation to deeper intimacy with God rather than as a setback?

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Feel Alone “:

“In a final form of spiritual desolation, Ignatius tells us, a person feels “as if separated from his Creator and Lord.” Cathy experiences this strongly in the weeks described: “All that closeness and warmth of God’s love? It’s gone like smoke. . . . I’m sitting in the kitchen as I write, and I feel like I’m here, and God is a million miles away.” I’m here, and God is a million miles away. I’m here, sitting in my kitchen, alone in my apartment, commuting to work, driving to pick up the children, sitting at my computer . . . and you are a million miles away, distant, remote.

Have you ever felt that? Yes, certainly, you have, and I have. Once more: no shame, no surprise; be aware, identify, reject.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (p. 89). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL13 – I Feel Alone- Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 11, 2024

Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 10, 2024
St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson

Born: Tuscany, Italy

Died: November 10, 461 AD, Rome, Italy

Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor explore the life, teachings, and contributions of Pope St. Leo the Great. They discuss Leo’s background, his significant influence on the papacy, and his role in defending orthodox Christian doctrine amid turbulent times.

Pope St. Leo lived during a period of upheaval within both the Church and the Roman Empire. Notably, he confronted heresies that questioned Christ’s divinity and humanity, such as Arianism and Nestorianism, which led to ongoing debates over Christ’s nature. Leo’s “Tome,” a key theological document, clarified the Church’s stance on Christ’s dual nature as both fully human and divine, shaping the Council of Chalcedon’s doctrine in 451 AD. This affirmation became central to Christian Christology and reinforced the Virgin Mary’s title as Theotokos, or “Mother of God,” which had been confirmed in earlier councils.

Pope Leo’s theological insights and firm defense of the faith earned him the title “Doctor of the Church” and established his legacy as a “Great” saint. His contributions, particularly regarding the papal primacy and the nature of Christ, continue to influence Catholic teaching and underscore the importance of spiritual and doctrinal leadership within the Church.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Pope Leo’s Courage and Leadership: How does Pope Leo’s boldness in confronting both Attila the Hun and the Vandals inspire us to act courageously in defending our faith and values?

Defending the Faith in Challenging Times: In what ways can we, like Pope Leo, respond to theological and cultural challenges to our faith with clarity and conviction?

Christ’s Dual Nature: How does Pope Leo’s affirmation of Christ’s full humanity and divinity shape our understanding of who Jesus is and our relationship with Him?

Role of Papal Authority: What does Pope Leo’s role in affirming the primacy of the Pope teach us about the importance of Church unity and obedience to spiritual authority?

The Impact of Holiness on History: How might Pope Leo’s deep personal holiness and spiritual influence inspire us to cultivate our own sanctity and positively impact those around us?

Peace and Mediation: How can we follow Pope Leo’s example of striving for peace and reconciliation in our communities and personal lives?

Enduring Legacy of Truth: In what ways does Pope Leo’s theological clarity at the Council of Chalcedon encourage us to seek and proclaim truth, even when it requires perseverance and effort?

The Virgin Mary’s Role: How does the Council’s affirmation of Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God) deepen our devotion to her and understanding of her role in the mystery of Christ?

For more on St. Leo the Great and his teachings

Leo the Great, Pope (c. 395-461)

Sermons

Letters

From Vatican.va, an excerpt from the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI General Audience 2008

“Aware of the historical period in which he lived and of the change that was taking place – from pagan Rome to Christian Rome – in a period of profound crisis, Leo the Great knew how to make himself close to the people and the faithful with his pastoral action and his preaching. He enlivened charity in a Rome tried by famines, an influx of refugees, injustice and poverty. He opposed pagan superstitions and the actions of Manichaean groups. He associated the liturgy with the daily life of Christians: for example, by combining the practice of fasting with charity and almsgiving above all on the occasion of the Quattro tempora, which in the course of the year marked the change of seasons. In particular, Leo the Great taught his faithful – and his words still apply for us today – that the Christian liturgy is not the memory of past events, but the actualization of invisible realities which act in the lives of each one of us. This is what he stressed in a sermon (cf. 64, 1-2) on Easter, to be celebrated in every season of the year “not so much as something of the past as rather an event of the present”. All this fits into a precise project, the Holy Pontiff insisted: just as, in fact, the Creator enlivened with the breath of rational life man formed from the dust of the ground, after the original sin he sent his Son into the world to restore to man his lost dignity and to destroy the dominion of the devil through the new life of grace.

This is the Christological mystery to which St Leo the Great, with his Letter to the Council of Ephesus, made an effective and essential contribution, confirming for all time – through this Council – what St Peter said at Caesarea Philippi. With Peter and as Peter, he professed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. And so it is that God and man together “are not foreign to the human race but alien to sin” (cf. Serm. 64). Through the force of this Christological faith he was a great messenger of peace and love. He thus shows us the way: in faith we learn charity. Let us therefore learn with St Leo the Great to believe in Christ, true God and true Man, and to implement this faith every day in action for peace and love of neighbour.”

For more visit Vatican.va

For more from Dr. Matthew Bunson, check out his Discerning Hearts page.

Dr. Matthew E. Bunson is a Register senior editor and a senior contributor to EWTN News. For the past 20 years, he has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is faculty chair at Catholic Distance University, a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author or co-author of over 50 books including The Encyclopedia of Catholic History, The Pope Encyclopedia, We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, The Saints Encyclopedia and best-selling biographies of St. Damien of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

The post St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 10, 2024
St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson

Born: Tuscany, Italy

Died: November 10, 461 AD, Rome, Italy

Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor explore the life, teachings, and contributions of Pope St. Leo the Great. They discuss Leo’s background, his significant influence on the papacy, and his role in defending orthodox Christian doctrine amid turbulent times.

Pope St. Leo lived during a period of upheaval within both the Church and the Roman Empire. Notably, he confronted heresies that questioned Christ’s divinity and humanity, such as Arianism and Nestorianism, which led to ongoing debates over Christ’s nature. Leo’s “Tome,” a key theological document, clarified the Church’s stance on Christ’s dual nature as both fully human and divine, shaping the Council of Chalcedon’s doctrine in 451 AD. This affirmation became central to Christian Christology and reinforced the Virgin Mary’s title as Theotokos, or “Mother of God,” which had been confirmed in earlier councils.

Pope Leo’s theological insights and firm defense of the faith earned him the title “Doctor of the Church” and established his legacy as a “Great” saint. His contributions, particularly regarding the papal primacy and the nature of Christ, continue to influence Catholic teaching and underscore the importance of spiritual and doctrinal leadership within the Church.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Pope Leo’s Courage and Leadership: How does Pope Leo’s boldness in confronting both Attila the Hun and the Vandals inspire us to act courageously in defending our faith and values?

Defending the Faith in Challenging Times: In what ways can we, like Pope Leo, respond to theological and cultural challenges to our faith with clarity and conviction?

Christ’s Dual Nature: How does Pope Leo’s affirmation of Christ’s full humanity and divinity shape our understanding of who Jesus is and our relationship with Him?

Role of Papal Authority: What does Pope Leo’s role in affirming the primacy of the Pope teach us about the importance of Church unity and obedience to spiritual authority?

The Impact of Holiness on History: How might Pope Leo’s deep personal holiness and spiritual influence inspire us to cultivate our own sanctity and positively impact those around us?

Peace and Mediation: How can we follow Pope Leo’s example of striving for peace and reconciliation in our communities and personal lives?

Enduring Legacy of Truth: In what ways does Pope Leo’s theological clarity at the Council of Chalcedon encourage us to seek and proclaim truth, even when it requires perseverance and effort?

The Virgin Mary’s Role: How does the Council’s affirmation of Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God) deepen our devotion to her and understanding of her role in the mystery of Christ?

For more on St. Leo the Great and his teachings

Leo the Great, Pope (c. 395-461)

Sermons

Letters

From Vatican.va, an excerpt from the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI General Audience 2008

“Aware of the historical period in which he lived and of the change that was taking place – from pagan Rome to Christian Rome – in a period of profound crisis, Leo the Great knew how to make himself close to the people and the faithful with his pastoral action and his preaching. He enlivened charity in a Rome tried by famines, an influx of refugees, injustice and poverty. He opposed pagan superstitions and the actions of Manichaean groups. He associated the liturgy with the daily life of Christians: for example, by combining the practice of fasting with charity and almsgiving above all on the occasion of the Quattro tempora, which in the course of the year marked the change of seasons. In particular, Leo the Great taught his faithful – and his words still apply for us today – that the Christian liturgy is not the memory of past events, but the actualization of invisible realities which act in the lives of each one of us. This is what he stressed in a sermon (cf. 64, 1-2) on Easter, to be celebrated in every season of the year “not so much as something of the past as rather an event of the present”. All this fits into a precise project, the Holy Pontiff insisted: just as, in fact, the Creator enlivened with the breath of rational life man formed from the dust of the ground, after the original sin he sent his Son into the world to restore to man his lost dignity and to destroy the dominion of the devil through the new life of grace.

This is the Christological mystery to which St Leo the Great, with his Letter to the Council of Ephesus, made an effective and essential contribution, confirming for all time – through this Council – what St Peter said at Caesarea Philippi. With Peter and as Peter, he professed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. And so it is that God and man together “are not foreign to the human race but alien to sin” (cf. Serm. 64). Through the force of this Christological faith he was a great messenger of peace and love. He thus shows us the way: in faith we learn charity. Let us therefore learn with St Leo the Great to believe in Christ, true God and true Man, and to implement this faith every day in action for peace and love of neighbour.”

For more visit Vatican.va

For more from Dr. Matthew Bunson, check out his Discerning Hearts page.

Dr. Matthew E. Bunson is a Register senior editor and a senior contributor to EWTN News. For the past 20 years, he has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is faculty chair at Catholic Distance University, a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author or co-author of over 50 books including The Encyclopedia of Catholic History, The Pope Encyclopedia, We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, The Saints Encyclopedia and best-selling biographies of St. Damien of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

The post St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Sunday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 10, 2024
Sunday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark 12:38-44

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’ He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’ He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’ He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Sunday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 09, 2024

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to John 2:13-22

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Dr. Anthony Lilles STD - Beginning to Pray 3 — Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Nov 08, 2024

“Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore” a prayer of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (translated by Dr. Anthony Lilles and offered by Miriam Gutierrez)

Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul: make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to overwhelm me, to invade me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you. I want to be completely docile, ready to learn all from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want always to fixate on you and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me to the point that I could not forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is rendered into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur

.

The post Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

holy_trinity — Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Nov 08, 2024

“Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore” a prayer of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (translated by Dr. Anthony Lilles and offered by Miriam Gutierrez)

Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul: make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to overwhelm me, to invade me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you. I want to be completely docile, ready to learn all from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want always to fixate on you and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me to the point that I could not forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is rendered into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur

.

The post Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

angel-praying-2 — Friday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 08, 2024

Friday

O LORD God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son, Jesus, did shed on this day,
upon the tree of the cross,
especially from His sacred hands and feet,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and particularly that soul for whom I am most bound to pray;
in order that I may not be the cause which hinders Thee
from admitting it quickly into the possession of Thy glory
where it may praise and bless Thee forever more.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Friday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 08, 2024

Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”
Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”
‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”
Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”
‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”
Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down straight away and write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat” was the reply. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”
‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Thursday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 07, 2024

Thursday

O LORD God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious body and blood
of Thy Divine Son Jesus,
which He himself
on the night before His passion
gave as meat and drink to His beloved apostles,
and He bequeathed His Holy Church
be a perpetual sacrifice and life-giving nourishment
of His faithful people,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and but most of all that soul
which was most devoted to this mystery of infinite love;
in order that it may praise thee, therefore
together with Thy Divine Son,
and The Holy Spirit,
in Thy glory forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Thursday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 07, 2024

Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Luke 15:1-10

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN2 – What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 06, 2024

Episode 2: What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore deep themes of Catholic theology around death, salvation, and the journey of purification, both in life and after death. Humanity’s fear of death often stems from the fear of isolation, as humans are created for communion with God and each other. Death brings an anxiety rooted in the dread of losing this communion. Purgatory is a continuation of this journey toward holiness. For those who die in God’s friendship but are still imperfect, purgatory allows for the purification needed to enter Heaven’s fullness—a process likened to a “fire” of love that cleanses and prepares the soul for eternal communion.

The Catholic belief that life on earth should be seen as an opportunity for ongoing repentance and purification, reducing the need for purgatory after death. Sin, especially mortal sin, can sever one’s connection to God, while venial sin does not fully break this bond, allowing hope of eventual communion. The Mass is the ultimate prayer of salvation, as it directly connects the faithful to Calvary and Christ’s redemptive love. The Mass is uniquely powerful for praying for deceased loved ones, as it is a touchpoint of divine grace where heaven meets earth. Catholics should continually pray for the deceased, highlighting the importance of love, community, and intercessory prayer in the Church’s understanding of salvation and eternal life.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Purgatory’s Purpose – How does viewing purgatory as a relational purification rather than a physical torment change your understanding of its purpose?

Contemplating the Impact of Sin – Reflect on how even “small” sins disrupt the harmony of the Body of Christ and affect your own spiritual health.

Identifying Relational Pain – In what ways have feelings of isolation or confusion about your identity impacted your relationship with God and others?

Embracing the Sacrament of Reconciliation – How might regularly participating in the sacrament of reconciliation deepen your experience of God’s mercy and freedom?

Confronting Fear of Truth – What specific fears or rationalizations have kept you from fully admitting your sins to God in the sacrament of confession?

Learning from the Saints – Who in your life exemplifies holiness, and how can you look to them as a guide toward surrender and abandonment to God?

Trusting in God Through Suffering – How can embracing Christ’s Sacred Heart help you surrender fears about suffering or death and experience God’s peace?

Striving for Earthly Holiness – What steps can you take to start your purification process on earth, inspired by the examples of saints like Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN2 – What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN2 – What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 06, 2024

Episode 2: What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore deep themes of Catholic theology around death, salvation, and the journey of purification, both in life and after death. Humanity’s fear of death often stems from the fear of isolation, as humans are created for communion with God and each other. Death brings an anxiety rooted in the dread of losing this communion. Purgatory is a continuation of this journey toward holiness. For those who die in God’s friendship but are still imperfect, purgatory allows for the purification needed to enter Heaven’s fullness—a process likened to a “fire” of love that cleanses and prepares the soul for eternal communion.

The Catholic belief that life on earth should be seen as an opportunity for ongoing repentance and purification, reducing the need for purgatory after death. Sin, especially mortal sin, can sever one’s connection to God, while venial sin does not fully break this bond, allowing hope of eventual communion. The Mass is the ultimate prayer of salvation, as it directly connects the faithful to Calvary and Christ’s redemptive love. The Mass is uniquely powerful for praying for deceased loved ones, as it is a touchpoint of divine grace where heaven meets earth. Catholics should continually pray for the deceased, highlighting the importance of love, community, and intercessory prayer in the Church’s understanding of salvation and eternal life.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Purgatory’s Purpose – How does viewing purgatory as a relational purification rather than a physical torment change your understanding of its purpose?

Contemplating the Impact of Sin – Reflect on how even “small” sins disrupt the harmony of the Body of Christ and affect your own spiritual health.

Identifying Relational Pain – In what ways have feelings of isolation or confusion about your identity impacted your relationship with God and others?

Embracing the Sacrament of Reconciliation – How might regularly participating in the sacrament of reconciliation deepen your experience of God’s mercy and freedom?

Confronting Fear of Truth – What specific fears or rationalizations have kept you from fully admitting your sins to God in the sacrament of confession?

Learning from the Saints – Who in your life exemplifies holiness, and how can you look to them as a guide toward surrender and abandonment to God?

Trusting in God Through Suffering – How can embracing Christ’s Sacred Heart help you surrender fears about suffering or death and experience God’s peace?

Striving for Earthly Holiness – What steps can you take to start your purification process on earth, inspired by the examples of saints like Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN2 – What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Day 9 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 06, 2024

Day Nine: For the grace to become the praise of the glory of the Holy Trinity

In the heart of the Holy Trinity, the music of eternal praise echoes without ceasing in an eternal “now.” The Son reveals to the Father His glory in the power of the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit the Father blesses His Son anew. This blessing is not a reality of the past or future, but of the eternal present. This means that this very moment we have together resounds with this canticle of love that the Three Divine Persons share with one another. The world came from this music and is directed to it – and the contemplative soul helps this mystery be realized.

The Praise of Glory. Saint Elizabeth believed that this was her vocation – the secret name that God had given her from all eternity. She believed that Saint Paul had revealed it to her.

In Ephesians, we learn that we have been predestined in Christ, the Beloved of the Father, for this great purpose. This is the Father’s plan of love for us. This praise of glory is what the Holy Spirit produces in us – if we will surrender ourselves completely to His Divine touch.

Saint Elizabeth sees us as musical instruments capable of joining in the Holy Trinity’s this great hymn of praise. This music is beautiful, but to produce it, the Holy Spirit must “tune” us first. This is painful. As long as we get caught up in internal emotional storms or else allow ourselves to be distracted by things that are not God’s will, we are out of tune. Conversely the more our interior life is in harmony with His mystery, the more beautiful the praise we are able to offer.

To ponder this is to begin to understand the last petition of Saint Elizabeth’s prayer to the Trinity – namely – she asks the Trinity to be buried in her so that she might bury herself in the Trinity. To be buried – this speaks about a death and being laid to rest. Saint Elizabeth understands the radical extent to which the Holy Trinity has given itself to humanity. Revealed in Christ crucified and buried in the tomb., the humanity of Christ makes known that God will hold nothing back to rescue us from death and to win our heart to join His eternal praise of glory. She sees her own heart as the tomb in which God has buried Himself. The death of Christ is always personal for her – “He gave Himself for me.”

To accept this gift in a personal way is to be caught up in the mystery of salvation. Just as Jesus was laid in the tomb on Good Friday, the Trinity can come into a soul and rest there in a new way – and the more it rests in the soul, the more that soul has the opportunity to rest in the Trinity. This feels like a total annihilation, but it is a radical identification with Christ’s salvific offering. Just as Jesus transformed His tomb into a sign of victory – He transforms hearts that accept his total gift of love on the Cross. If they will die to themselves, He will give them life. To believe in Jesus is to die to oneself in the Trinity, to be laid to rest in the Trinity, to be buried in the Trinity – in order that the mystery of the Holy Trinity through the life of Christ within might raise one up on high.

In this mystical death, the new life of Christ takes root in our souls.

He is the praise of the Father’s glory and when we die to ourselves, we allow His praise to swell up anew within us. The Holy Spirit “tunes’ our hearts by communicating the whole mystery of Christ into us and identifying all the inner movements of our hearts with the movements of Christ’s. Every thought is captive and every inordinate desire dies away, and our inner strength is perfected. The new desires and glorious thoughts of Christ Himself make it possible to praise the Father as the Risen Lord praises Him together with all of the heavenly hosts. Together, delighting the Heart of the Father anew, we have found a way extend the salvific work of Christ in our lives and in our communities – at a time when our neighbors most need a word of hope. Let us pray that the vocation of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity becomes our own vocation too – to be this praise of glory.

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 9 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Wednesday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 06, 2024

Wednesday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
of Thy Divine Son Jesus that was shed
in the streets of Jerusalem
while He carried on His sacred shoulders,
the heavy burden of the cross
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the richest in merits in thy sight;
so that having soon obtained the high place in glory to which it is destined,
it may praise Thee triumphantly and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Wednesday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 06, 2024
Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

TSP10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 05, 2024

Episode 10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor delve into St. Teresa of Ávila’s guidance for navigating spiritual experiences and potential deceptions. St. Teresa’s writings, particularly her work on the sixth Mansion in The Interior Castle, provide a framework for discerning genuine divine encounters from false or self-delusional experiences.

Authentic spiritual experiences foster an awareness of God’s greatness, humility, detachment from worldly things, and lasting spiritual transformation. True encounters with the divine inspire awe, deepen humility, and lead to a life oriented toward God’s will, rather than personal pride or recognition. This contrasts sharply with experiences that lead to self-aggrandizement or ungrounded mystical claims, which the Church often tests rigorously to verify authenticity.

Be aware of unchecked mysticism or self-appointed “spiritual teachers,” especially in today’s media age, where individuals might bypass critical guidance in favor of public recognition. We must root ourselves in the core teachings of the faith and engage in spiritual practices like mental prayer, seeking spiritual directors to help us grow in self-awareness.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Authenticity of Spiritual Experiences – How can you discern whether a spiritual experience is genuinely from God or influenced by personal desires?

Humility in Spiritual Growth – In what ways can you practice humility when sharing or understanding your own spiritual experiences?

Role of Obedience in Faith – How might obedience to the Church’s teachings and authority help deepen your spiritual journey and protect against self-deception?

Detachment from Worldly Desires – What earthly attachments could be hindering your relationship with God, and how can you work on letting go of them?

Importance of Spiritual Direction – Who serves as a spiritual guide in your life, and how can you ensure you’re seeking and heeding sound counsel?

Listening to the Saints – How can the example of the saints, especially in their tested and humble lives, serve as a model for your own faith journey?

Testing Spiritual Revelations – Are you open to testing spiritual insights and experiences according to Church teachings, or do you sometimes resist this scrutiny?

Compassion and Patience in Evangelization – How can you show compassion and patience toward others in their journey of faith, as Jesus did with sinners?

Sacramental Foundation for Holiness – How well do you rely on the sacraments and core Church teachings as the foundation for spiritual growth, rather than seeking extraordinary experiences?

Resilience in Faith – When your faith is challenged or your spiritual experiences are doubted, how can you remain resilient and grounded in your identity in Christ?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.

The post TSP10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

TSP10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 05, 2024

Episode 10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor delve into St. Teresa of Ávila’s guidance for navigating spiritual experiences and potential deceptions. St. Teresa’s writings, particularly her work on the sixth Mansion in The Interior Castle, provide a framework for discerning genuine divine encounters from false or self-delusional experiences.

Authentic spiritual experiences foster an awareness of God’s greatness, humility, detachment from worldly things, and lasting spiritual transformation. True encounters with the divine inspire awe, deepen humility, and lead to a life oriented toward God’s will, rather than personal pride or recognition. This contrasts sharply with experiences that lead to self-aggrandizement or ungrounded mystical claims, which the Church often tests rigorously to verify authenticity.

Be aware of unchecked mysticism or self-appointed “spiritual teachers,” especially in today’s media age, where individuals might bypass critical guidance in favor of public recognition. We must root ourselves in the core teachings of the faith and engage in spiritual practices like mental prayer, seeking spiritual directors to help us grow in self-awareness.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Authenticity of Spiritual Experiences – How can you discern whether a spiritual experience is genuinely from God or influenced by personal desires?

Humility in Spiritual Growth – In what ways can you practice humility when sharing or understanding your own spiritual experiences?

Role of Obedience in Faith – How might obedience to the Church’s teachings and authority help deepen your spiritual journey and protect against self-deception?

Detachment from Worldly Desires – What earthly attachments could be hindering your relationship with God, and how can you work on letting go of them?

Importance of Spiritual Direction – Who serves as a spiritual guide in your life, and how can you ensure you’re seeking and heeding sound counsel?

Listening to the Saints – How can the example of the saints, especially in their tested and humble lives, serve as a model for your own faith journey?

Testing Spiritual Revelations – Are you open to testing spiritual insights and experiences according to Church teachings, or do you sometimes resist this scrutiny?

Compassion and Patience in Evangelization – How can you show compassion and patience toward others in their journey of faith, as Jesus did with sinners?

Sacramental Foundation for Holiness – How well do you rely on the sacraments and core Church teachings as the foundation for spiritual growth, rather than seeking extraordinary experiences?

Resilience in Faith – When your faith is challenged or your spiritual experiences are doubted, how can you remain resilient and grounded in your identity in Christ?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.

The post TSP10 – The Battles of the Sixth Mansion – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Day 8 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 05, 2024

Day Eight: For the grace of possessing heaven already in this life by faith.
For Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, the veil between heaven and earth is thin. If we listen carefully with the ear of our heart, we can hear Mary share with us what she heard from Christ as He offered His great hymn of praise from the Cross. It is a canticle so beautiful, so exquisite, it reaches the very heart of the Father and fills the whole world with a salvific love. Through Mary’s presence in our agony, if we let her, Saint Elizabeth explains that the Mother of the Lord will teach us how to sing this same canticle– so that we can do something beautiful for God. She is with us to the very end. This is why Saint Elizabeth calls Mary “Gate of Heaven.”

As beautiful as this is, there are other canticles of praise that Elizabeth invites us to hear. She hears the 144,000 gathered around the throne of the lamb and she hears the elders who cry out “holy, holy, holy” as they cast down their crowns before the Risen Lord. The glory, praise, and silence of the saints echo in this life so that we too might know their joy. Saint Elizabeth wants us to hear this eternal hymn of praise and imitate it. A life lived in humility, simplicity, and recollection avails itself to such imitation – and when it does, heaven becomes present in this life by faith.

By faith, what is in heaven becomes present on earth. In the humble limits of the present moment and circumstances, we can participate in the great praise of glory that the angels and saints offer in heaven.

Heaven is not a remote or future reality. Heaven, even if hidden from our earthly eyes, is close by and present. It is present in the Mass. It is also present in everything – because by faith, everything and anything can become a sacrament that gives us God.

The love of heaven is present to us by faith. This is because faith makes us open to the presence of God dwelling in our souls. Wherever God dwells, there is heaven. The heaven of glory, with all the angels and saints, is present in our soul because this heaven is never separate from God. This means in the heaven of our souls where God dwells, the heaven of glory is already breaking in.

For the person of faith already implicated in the glory of heaven, nothing and no one is ever ordinary or commonplace. Every life event, no matter how small or large, how disappointing or joyful, is always a new opportunity for the soul to encounter the immensity of God’s love. The Trinity’s excessive love changes everything – even the most ordinary tasks become charged with new and everlasting meaning. This means that no one who believes ever really has an “ordinary” life – through faith, this passing life is opened to the greatness of eternity. Time for Saint Elizabeth is nothing other than “eternity begun and still in progress.”

In relation to the grace of living heaven by faith, Saint Elizabeth’s mission finds its footing in the great prayer of Jesus the night before He died. On that night, He offered his supreme prayer and his heart’s desire – that we might dwell where He dwells – the Son of the Father dwells in the Fathers love, and Saint Elizabeth is praying that we might realize Jesus’ divine dream and dwell with Him in this great love too. For this purpose, let us pray:

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 8 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Tuesday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 05, 2024

Tuesday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus
shed in His bitter crowning with thorns,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all,
particularly that soul which is in the greatest need of our prayers
in order that it may not long be delayed
in praising Thee in Thy glory,
and blessing Thee forever

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Tuesday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 05, 2024
Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:15-24

One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, ‘Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!’ But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along: everything is ready now.” But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.” Yet another said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come.”

‘The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” “Sir” said the servant “your orders have been carried out and there is still room.” Then the master said to his servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet.”’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, ‘Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!’ But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along: everything is ready now.” But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.” Yet another said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come.”

‘The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” “Sir” said the servant “your orders have been carried out and there is still room.” Then the master said to his servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet.”’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, ‘Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!’ But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along: everything is ready now.” But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.” Yet another said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come.”

‘The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” “Sir” said the servant “your orders have been carried out and there is still room.” Then the master said to his servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet.”’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL12 – I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 04, 2024

I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses St. Ignatius of Loyola’s insights on handling spiritual desolation with St. Ignatius’ rule to remain steadfast in spiritual practices during desolation and not make changes, using Beth’s experience to illustrate this. Despite feeling no fervor during a Bible study, Beth remains committed, a choice Ignatius encourages as a response to desolation. Recognizing these feelings as a natural part of spiritual growth can prevent discouragement.

Fr. Gallagher also touches on different desolation experiences. Returning to the character of Paul, Paul’s prayer life is subtly disrupted by doubts and comparisons, which cause sadness and diminish his peace, although he can still identify and manage these negative thoughts. Through Paul’s story, St. Ignatius’ counsel is used to recognize and reject discouraging thoughts that intrude during prayer, likening these to “cold air” moments that disturb a peaceful, loving space with God.

The use of Ignatian practices like the examen prayer to gain clarity in these struggles and the importance of knowing personal vulnerabilities in spiritual life. These insights from Ignatius aim to strengthen resilience, helping individuals to hold onto hope and joy in prayer despite ongoing spiritual challenges.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Desolation: How can you identify moments of spiritual desolation in your own life, similar to Beth’s experience, and resist the urge to change your routine?

Steadfast Commitment: When you feel unmotivated in spiritual practices, what commitments can help you continue faithfully, as Ignatius advises?

Awareness of Discouragement: Can you recognize the subtle ways in which thoughts of comparison or inadequacy, like Paul’s, affect your prayer life?

Using Spiritual Tools: How might the examen prayer or other Ignatian tools help you notice and counteract spiritual desolation?

Personal Vulnerabilities: What areas in your life feel most vulnerable to discouragement, and how can you turn them into places of hope, as Ignatius suggests?

Avoiding Comparison: How does comparing your spiritual journey to others diminish your sense of peace, and what steps can you take to embrace your unique path?

Recognizing God’s Individual Love: How does reflecting on God’s unique love for you help counteract feelings of sadness or inadequacy in prayer?

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Have No Fervor”:

“How should we understand Beth’s experience this Wednesday evening? We have no indication that Beth is at fault. She is faithful. She prepares and attends the class in her usual way. She does her best to participate — so well in fact, that none perceive her lack of enthusiasm. What, then, is Beth experiencing?

Having followed Ignatius thus far, we can guess the answer! This Wednesday evening, Beth experiences a form of spiritual desolation. She feels, to use Ignatius’s words, “totally tepid,” that is, completely without fervor as she performs a spiritual practice. In this form of desolation, we feel spiritually lukewarm, indifferent, unenthusiastic, without affect. When we pray, serve the Lord, live our vocations, take new steps in our spiritual lives, seek holiness, but find ourselves tepid and without fervor as we do these things, we are experiencing spiritual desolation. The adverb “totally” is again expressive.

Have you ever felt this form of spiritual desolation? Yes, certainly, we all have at times. Obviously, the enemy’s goal is that such tepidity cause us to question ourselves, to lose heart, to abandon these helpful practices. Beth responds well when she remains faithful, the right response for us as well.

Once again, no shame! No surprise! Be aware, identify, reject.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 76-77). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Feel Sad”:

“Before Paul — or we — can answer these questions, we need to identify the sadness he feels. Paul is faithful to prayer and has been for years. He loves it, and he feels its fruits. Though the sadness weighs on him, Paul does not let it stop him. In fact, he is progressing in prayer, as his increased awareness of his experience reveals. Paul now notes spiritual movements, even this undramatic, nonclamorous sense of sadness. He can identify the thoughts from which it originates. Paul’s sadness, then, does not derive from negligence on his part.

How, then, should we understand it? Paul experiences a form of spiritual desolation that Ignatius describes as finding oneself “totally sad.” Paul is not yet “totally” sad, but things appear to be moving in that direction.

Once again, no shame, so surprise; be aware, identify, reject. This sadness is distinct from the healthy — even if painful — sadness we feel at the loss of a loved one, the termination of a rewarding occupation, and the like.

This is a spiritual sadness with nothing healthy about it. It arises from lies of the enemy. He tells you that you should be ashamed to bring such “small” things to prayer — to the God who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and counts the hairs on your head (Luke 12:6–7), the God to whom everything in your life is important. The enemy tells you that you are not really praying — when, in reality, God is calling you to a simpler and richer prayer. The enemy tells you that you have stopped at the threshold of deep prayer — when you have only encountered the dry and distracted moments that all who pray faithfully experience. All this is from the liar and father of lies! The only fitting response is to unmask the lies and reject them.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 81-82). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL12 – I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SISL12 – I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 04, 2024

I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses St. Ignatius of Loyola’s insights on handling spiritual desolation with St. Ignatius’ rule to remain steadfast in spiritual practices during desolation and not make changes, using Beth’s experience to illustrate this. Despite feeling no fervor during a Bible study, Beth remains committed, a choice Ignatius encourages as a response to desolation. Recognizing these feelings as a natural part of spiritual growth can prevent discouragement.

Fr. Gallagher also touches on different desolation experiences. Returning to the character of Paul, Paul’s prayer life is subtly disrupted by doubts and comparisons, which cause sadness and diminish his peace, although he can still identify and manage these negative thoughts. Through Paul’s story, St. Ignatius’ counsel is used to recognize and reject discouraging thoughts that intrude during prayer, likening these to “cold air” moments that disturb a peaceful, loving space with God.

The use of Ignatian practices like the examen prayer to gain clarity in these struggles and the importance of knowing personal vulnerabilities in spiritual life. These insights from Ignatius aim to strengthen resilience, helping individuals to hold onto hope and joy in prayer despite ongoing spiritual challenges.

You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Desolation: How can you identify moments of spiritual desolation in your own life, similar to Beth’s experience, and resist the urge to change your routine?

Steadfast Commitment: When you feel unmotivated in spiritual practices, what commitments can help you continue faithfully, as Ignatius advises?

Awareness of Discouragement: Can you recognize the subtle ways in which thoughts of comparison or inadequacy, like Paul’s, affect your prayer life?

Using Spiritual Tools: How might the examen prayer or other Ignatian tools help you notice and counteract spiritual desolation?

Personal Vulnerabilities: What areas in your life feel most vulnerable to discouragement, and how can you turn them into places of hope, as Ignatius suggests?

Avoiding Comparison: How does comparing your spiritual journey to others diminish your sense of peace, and what steps can you take to embrace your unique path?

Recognizing God’s Individual Love: How does reflecting on God’s unique love for you help counteract feelings of sadness or inadequacy in prayer?

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Have No Fervor”:

“How should we understand Beth’s experience this Wednesday evening? We have no indication that Beth is at fault. She is faithful. She prepares and attends the class in her usual way. She does her best to participate — so well in fact, that none perceive her lack of enthusiasm. What, then, is Beth experiencing?

Having followed Ignatius thus far, we can guess the answer! This Wednesday evening, Beth experiences a form of spiritual desolation. She feels, to use Ignatius’s words, “totally tepid,” that is, completely without fervor as she performs a spiritual practice. In this form of desolation, we feel spiritually lukewarm, indifferent, unenthusiastic, without affect. When we pray, serve the Lord, live our vocations, take new steps in our spiritual lives, seek holiness, but find ourselves tepid and without fervor as we do these things, we are experiencing spiritual desolation. The adverb “totally” is again expressive.

Have you ever felt this form of spiritual desolation? Yes, certainly, we all have at times. Obviously, the enemy’s goal is that such tepidity cause us to question ourselves, to lose heart, to abandon these helpful practices. Beth responds well when she remains faithful, the right response for us as well.

Once again, no shame! No surprise! Be aware, identify, reject.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 76-77). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

An excerpt from the chapter, “I Feel Sad”:

“Before Paul — or we — can answer these questions, we need to identify the sadness he feels. Paul is faithful to prayer and has been for years. He loves it, and he feels its fruits. Though the sadness weighs on him, Paul does not let it stop him. In fact, he is progressing in prayer, as his increased awareness of his experience reveals. Paul now notes spiritual movements, even this undramatic, nonclamorous sense of sadness. He can identify the thoughts from which it originates. Paul’s sadness, then, does not derive from negligence on his part.

How, then, should we understand it? Paul experiences a form of spiritual desolation that Ignatius describes as finding oneself “totally sad.” Paul is not yet “totally” sad, but things appear to be moving in that direction.

Once again, no shame, so surprise; be aware, identify, reject. This sadness is distinct from the healthy — even if painful — sadness we feel at the loss of a loved one, the termination of a rewarding occupation, and the like.

This is a spiritual sadness with nothing healthy about it. It arises from lies of the enemy. He tells you that you should be ashamed to bring such “small” things to prayer — to the God who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and counts the hairs on your head (Luke 12:6–7), the God to whom everything in your life is important. The enemy tells you that you are not really praying — when, in reality, God is calling you to a simpler and richer prayer. The enemy tells you that you have stopped at the threshold of deep prayer — when you have only encountered the dry and distracted moments that all who pray faithfully experience. All this is from the liar and father of lies! The only fitting response is to unmask the lies and reject them.”

Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 81-82). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

To find more episodes from this series, visit the Struggles in the Spiritual Life Podcast

From the book’s description:

“Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.

All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.

With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.

In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.“

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

The post SISL12 – I Have No Fervor & I Feel Sad – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Monday – Praying Daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 04, 2024

Monday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all,
especially that soul which is nearest
to its entrance into Thy glory;
that, so it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come unto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Monday – Praying Daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Day 7 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 04, 2024

Day Seven – For the grace to become, like Mary, the “prey” of the Trinity – a soul consumed by love.

In the spiritual mission of Saint Elizabeth, the Virgin Mary, humble handmaid of the Lord, is the model of radical surrender to the Trinity. When we look to her, we see what it means to be the “prey” of the Trinity – a grace that we have been asking for throughout this Novena. When the Angel appeared to her, Mary responded: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, Let it be done to me according to your will.” Out of this humble “yes”, the Holy Trinity was able to bring to fulfillment the loving plan of salvation. This humble “yes” reveals a great spiritual truth for how God desires to work in every soul: God’s saving plan is always unleashed in the world through humble loving obedience to the Trinity.

For Saint Elizabeth, Mary’s obedient “yes” was more than a one-time event – Mary’s “fiat” reveals a continual attitude that she kept throughout her life, as she followed Jesus and stood before the Cross. This attitude was no mere human achievement. Mary’s constant awareness and readiness to respond with obedience to God was itself a work of the Trinity within her. Every act of surrender begets an even deeper act of surrender. In this way, Saint Elizabeth describes the humble handmaid of the Lord as the “prey” of the Trinity. Every prayerful soul, according to Saint Elizabeth, should make this same humble offering and become the “prey “ of the Trinity.

Just as the Virgin Mary became the “prey” of the Trinity through her peaceful and recollected surrender, through our surrender to the Holy Trinity, we can learn to live in humble recollection in each moment. In both peaceful moments of silence and difficult moments of trial, the Lord is just as present to us – He never changes. We simply need to believe in His immense love and have confidence in Him. This means we must renounce every disturbance of worry, anxiety, self-pity, or despair that would interrupt our own “fiat” to the Lord.

Such prayer is difficult, but allowing Mary to show us how to be this humble and recollected is an important aid. Christ has saved her maternal presence for our sake – He wants us to know His Mother because she is ready to help us if we ponder her example. A soul recollected in God’s presence can become like Mary, abandoned to the Father, docile to the Holy Spirit, and devoted to the Son, When this happens, this believer has also become the “prey” of the Trinity – a soul consumed by love.

Let us pray

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 7 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 04, 2024

Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:12-14

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Catholic Devotional Prayers and Novenas - Mp3 Audio Downloads and Text 8 — Day 6 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 03, 2024

Day Six For the grace of living in the shadow of the Father
Jesus lived in the shadow of the Father. To be under this shadow is to accept a paradoxical mystery. In his humiliation, He was exalted. In his rejection, He was beloved. By His Wounds, we are healed. In His death, He became the source of life. Conversely, He humiliated the haughty and the proud who could not recognize Him. He declared the poor blessed, and the rich were not able to follow him. He held up the meek as conquerors, and the violent could not seize Him. He calmed storms but humbly accepted the kiss that betrayed Him. He saved others, but out of love for the Father, would not save Himself. It is in this shadow that Jesus gave Himself for us, and in this same shadow, we learn to how to give ourselves in love for Him.

Saint Elizabeth sees the shadow of the Father as a mystery that separates us from everything that might distract or impede our efforts to seek God by a wholly loving and simple movement of the heart. Sometimes being overshadowed in this way means embracing difficult and trying circumstances. Often it means having trust and confidence in God when we do not understand how or feel or even intuit that He is acting in our lives. The Trinity works at a level more fundamental than any state of consciousness, deeper than any feeling, higher than any understanding, beyond any intuition to sense or grasp. Saint John of the Cross, to whom Saint Elizabeth was devoted as a spiritual daughter, understood this secret place could only be entered by faith. Saint John of the Cross identifies the shadow of the Father with a mysterious darkness – and enchanting dark night in which love transforms by faith. In this night, God has the freedom to realize the plan of love that He has for each of us. The Father will detach us from every other support until we cleave to Him alone – allowing Him to transform us in the image of His Son. He wants us by faith to imitate His Son – who did everything with total trust and confidence in the goodness of the Father, even when that goodness seemed so hidden.

The spiritual mission of Saint Elizabeth encourages us to desire to live in the shadow of the Father, even though it is sometimes difficult to do so. She encourages this because she knows the joy and peace that one can find in this shadow – not only for oneself, but for everyone God entrusts to us. For this grace, let us pray

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is rendered into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 6 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Sunday - Praying daily for the Poor Souls — Sunday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 03, 2024

Sunday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the most forsaken of all;
and bring it to Thy glory,
there to praise and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

The post Sunday – Praying daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Sunday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 03, 2024
Sunday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Sunday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

The Poor/Holy Souls and Purgatory – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 02, 2024

The Poor/Holy Souls and Purgatory – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. John Esseff and Kris McGregor discuss the significance of All Souls’ Day and the theology of purgatory. The deep connection Catholics share with the souls in purgatory, who are part of the larger body of Christ. He describes his personal practice of praying for those he’s known who have passed, recalling their names and lifting them in prayer during Mass. The Church provides special graces on All Souls’ Day to pray for these “holy souls,” who yearn to be with God but require purification.

The process of purgation as a cleansing fire, likening it to the Sacred Heart’s fire that purifies the soul’s imperfections, drawing it closer to God’s perfect love. This fire is not only for the souls in purgatory but is present throughout the Christian life, in trials and sufferings that refine believers. He reflects on Jesus as an anchor for the souls, grounding them in hope and drawing them closer to heaven. Msgr. Esseff invites listeners to pray for the dead, encouraging them to recall and “remember” those they love, trusting in God’s mercy and the promise of eternal life.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Union with the Holy Souls: How can I deepen my relationship with the souls in purgatory through prayer and remembrance?

Understanding Purgation as Divine Love: In what ways do I see God’s purifying love working in my own life?

Embracing the Fire of the Sacred Heart: How can I open myself more fully to God’s love that refines and transforms?

Contemplating Life after Death: What beliefs do I hold about purgatory, and how do they shape my prayers for the deceased?

Reflecting on Baptism and Eternal Life: How does my baptismal identity anchor my hope in the resurrection and eternal life?

Offering Prayers and Sacrifices: What specific actions can I take today to pray for the souls in purgatory and support their journey to heaven?

Facing Death without Fear: How can I grow in trust and confidence in God’s love, freeing myself from fear of death?

Interceding for Family and Friends: Who in my life, living or deceased, needs my prayers, and how can I actively remember them today?

Living the Paschal Mystery: How am I experiencing the cycles of suffering, death, and resurrection in my spiritual journey?

Recognizing God’s Mercy for All Souls: How does God’s desire for everyone’s salvation influence the way I pray and hope for others, even those who struggled in life?

Reading 1 Wis 3:1-9

“The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. Msgr. Esseff served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by Pope St. John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world, especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians, and other religious leaders around the world.

The post The Poor/Holy Souls and Purgatory – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Saturday - Praying daily for the Poor Souls - Mp3 audio and text — Saturday – Praying Daily for the Poor Souls – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 02, 2024

Saturday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which gushed forth from the sacred side
of Thy Divine Son Jesus
in the presence of and to the great sorrow
of His most holy Mother
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all especially that soul
which has been most devout to this noble Lady;
that it may come quickly into Thy glory,
there to praise Thee in her,
and her in Thee,
through all the ages.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids
the remission of all their sins
that through our devout supplications
they may obtain the pardon they have always desired.
Who live and reign world without end…Amen.

Say the following prayers:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

For every day of the week

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Dr. Anthony Lilles STD - Beginning to Pray 3 — Day 5 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 02, 2024

Day Five – For the Grace of being overcome by the Fire of God’s Love

For Saint Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit is the consuming Fire of God’s Love. To fully offer oneself to the Lord, one needs to allow one’s whole existence to be set on fire by this Divine Love. This means a total offering of oneself analogous to the offering of holocaust proscribed in the Mosaic Law. Before Christ, such an offering would be completely consumed in the sacred fire before the altar of sacrifice. It was a sign of what God deserves from us, and with that acknowledgment, the people’s worship was deemed acceptable to the Lord. Christ’s offering of Himself on the Cross was the perfect fulfillment of this practice. Only it was not earthly flames that consumed His self-offering. Instead, He burned with the Gift of the Father’s Love and through this obedient love, opened up a pathway for us to render the Holy Trinity a hymn of praise so beautiful, God is utterly delighted by it.

Why should God be delighted by what we offer Him? It is because the Holy Spirit renews the mystery of the Word made flesh in us through our faith in Christ. The Word of the Father, the Radiant One, not only captivates the hearts of those who seek Him, but He is also the greatest delight of the Father. The Father delights in His Son because His Son communicates the truth about His love – and this is the Father’s glory. Born out of the silent fullness of the Father’s heart, the glory that the Word reveals makes all things new. When the Father spoke His Word into our humanity, He renewed humanity so that Christ’s humanity became the instrument to reveal the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit renews this whole mystery in us when we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by His coming into our hearts. When we accept what Christ has done for us out of love for the Father, the love with which Christ burned, burns in us. This fire purifies us of our attachments to sin and at the same time implicates us in the plight of those whom God has sent into our lives. In this way, we discover new liberty to give ourselves in love of God and our neighbor that we did not have before. It is the freedom of Christ – the One crucified by love. Through this Gift of the Holy Spirit, the Father even recognizes the beauty of Christ in us – a beauty that delights Him and a beauty that saves the world.

Saint Elizabeth understands that, in a certain sense, being overwhelmed by the Fire of the Holy Spirit extends the mystery of the Incarnation through our humanity – into the circumstances, relationships and events of our lives. The more we surrender our humanity to the love of Christ and die to our plans, the more vulnerable we are to this movement of Love at work in us.

The mission that Saint Elizabeth exercises from heaven is geared to the total transformation of our lives that the Holy Spirit accomplishes when we make ourselves vulnerable to His wholly simple and wholly loving movement in us. For this kind of openness, let us pray:

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is rendered into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 5 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

All Souls’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 02, 2024
All Souls’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

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IP#483 – Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages w/Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 01, 2024

Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Thomas Jacobi

How Saints Die: 100 Stories of Hope is more about how to live than how to die. With Ignatius Press editor, Thomas Jacobi, we discuss life and death, and the challenges of living a life which strives for holiness. We discuss how the saints are great beacons of hope for the world and our essential companions for the spiritual journey.

Thomas Jacobi will say in our conversation:

“Each Saint is a unique revelation actually of the personality of God, in Christ. Each Saint is so different and each saint reveals something new that we didn’t or couldn’t see before about Christ, about God. And that’s why it’s so important to get to know the saints. They reveal to us who God is in a fresh and exciting way. So I would encourage people to pick up this book for that reason.”

We would agree with Thomas!

You can find the book here

From the book description:

“Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari’s vibrant biographies of saints—from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska—have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.

What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. “I have recounted the death of many saints,” he writes, “but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Christian intuition: in the death of a saint, it is death that dies!”

With in-depth research and a flair for storytelling, Sicari brings before our eyes the gracious last hours of one hundred men and women—lovers and martyrs, thinkers and workers, ancients and moderns, old men and teens. Included are Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Thomas Aquinas, Josephine Bakhita, Jérôme Lejeune, Clare of Assisi, and many more. In each, a new shade of the divine light shines through.

Those seeking insight into the mystery of death and suffering will find in this book not only wisdom, but rich and realistic consolation.“

The post IP#483 – Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages w/Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

IP#483 – Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages w/Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast Nov 01, 2024

Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Thomas Jacobi

How Saints Die: 100 Stories of Hope is more about how to live than how to die. With Ignatius Press editor, Thomas Jacobi, we discuss life and death, and the challenges of living a life which strives for holiness. We discuss how the saints are great beacons of hope for the world and our essential companions for the spiritual journey.

Thomas Jacobi will say in our conversation:

“Each Saint is a unique revelation actually of the personality of God, in Christ. Each Saint is so different and each saint reveals something new that we didn’t or couldn’t see before about Christ, about God. And that’s why it’s so important to get to know the saints. They reveal to us who God is in a fresh and exciting way. So I would encourage people to pick up this book for that reason.”

We would agree with Thomas!

You can find the book here

From the book description:

“Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari’s vibrant biographies of saints—from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska—have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.

What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. “I have recounted the death of many saints,” he writes, “but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Christian intuition: in the death of a saint, it is death that dies!”

With in-depth research and a flair for storytelling, Sicari brings before our eyes the gracious last hours of one hundred men and women—lovers and martyrs, thinkers and workers, ancients and moderns, old men and teens. Included are Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Thomas Aquinas, Josephine Bakhita, Jérôme Lejeune, Clare of Assisi, and many more. In each, a new shade of the divine light shines through.

Those seeking insight into the mystery of death and suffering will find in this book not only wisdom, but rich and realistic consolation.“

The post IP#483 – Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages w/Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Teresa Monaghen…Pro Sanctity - The Universal Call to Holiness 1 — A Litany of Saints – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts Nov 01, 2024
A Litany of Saints for the Discerning Heart

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Saint Michael, pray for us.
Saint Gabriel, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, pray for us.
All you holy Angels and Archangels, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, Protector of the Church, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint Peter, pray for us.
Saint Paul, pray for us.
Saint Andrew, pray for us.
Saint James, pray for us.
Saint John, pray for us.
All you holy Apostles and Evangelists, pray for us.
All you holy Martyrs, pray for us.

Saint Stephen, pray for us.
Saint Lawrence, pray for us.
Saint Gregory, pray for us.
Saint Ambrose, pray for us.
Saint Augustine, pray for us.
Saint Nicholas, pray for us.
Saint Benedict, pray for us.
Saint Bernard, pray for us.
Saint Dominic, pray for us.
Saint Francis, pray for us.
All you holy Priests and Clergy, pray for us.
All you holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us.

Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Saints Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us.
Saint Agatha, pray for us.
Saint Lucy, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, pray for us.
Saint Cecilia, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, pray for us.
Saint Anastasia, pray for us.
Saint Clare, pray for us.
All you holy Virgins and Widows, pray for us.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen, pray for us.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
Saint Bridget of Sweden, pray for us
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us.
Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.
Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us.
Saint Jane de Chantal, pray for us.

Saint Claude de La Colombière, pray for us.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Saint John Henry Newman, pray for us
Saint Charbel Makhlouf, pray for us.

Saint Juan Diego, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.
Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us.
Saint Gemma Gilgani, pray for us.

Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, pray for us.

Saint Fautina Kowalska, pray for us.
Saint Maximillian Mary Kolbe, pray for us.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us.
Saint Andrea Bessette, pray for us.
Saint Gianna Berretta Molla, pray for us.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

Blessed Solanus Casey, pray for us.
Blessed Stanley Rother, pray for us.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us.
Venerable Bruno Lanteri, pray for us.
Venerable Fulton Sheen, pray for us.
Servant of God Leonie Martin, pray for us.
Servant of God Dorothy Day, pray for us.
Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty, pray for us.
All you Holy Saints, Blesseds, and Servants of God, pray for us.

Lord, be merciful. Lord, deliver us, we pray.

From every evil, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
From every sin, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
From the snares of the devil, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
From disease, famine, and war, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
By your Incarnation, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
By your death and resurrection, Lord, deliver us, we pray.
By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Lord, deliver us, we pray.

Be merciful to us sinners, Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer.

Guide and protect your holy Church, Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer.

That You are continually taking care of me, Jesus, I trust in you.
That not knowing the future invites me to lean on You, Jesus, I trust in you.
That You are with me in my suffering, Jesus, I trust in you.
That my suffering, united to Your own,
will bear fruit in this life and the next, Jesus, I trust in you.
That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked, Jesus, I trust in you.
That my life is a gift, Jesus, I trust in you.
That You are my Lord and my God, Jesus, I trust in you.
That I am Your beloved one, Jesus, I trust in you.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Amen.

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05-42th — Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 9 Nov 01, 2024
Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 9

composed by by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

My God! How was it possible that I, for so many years, have borne tranquilly the separation from Thee and Thy holy grace! O infinite Goodness, how long-suffering hast Thou shown Thyself to me! Henceforth, I shall love Thee above all things. I am deeply sorry for having offended Thee; I promise rather to die than to again offend Thee. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance, and do not permit that I should ever again fall into sin. Have compassion on the holy souls in Purgatory. I pray Thee, moderate their sufferings; shorten the time of their misery; call them soon unto Thee in heaven, that they may behold Thee face to face, and forever love Thee. Mary, Mother of Mercy, come to their aid with thy powerful intercession, and pray for us also who are still in danger of eternal damnation.

Say the following prayers: 1 Our Father… 1 Hail Mary…

The Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(State your intention(s) here while recommending yourself to the souls in Purgatory.)

Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Amen.

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Day 4 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcasts Nov 01, 2024

Day Four – For the grace to be captivated by Christ

In her prayer to the Trinity, Saint Elizabeth asks particular graces of each of the Divine Persons. From Christ, she asks to be captivated by Him. She refers to Him as the Radiant Star and asks for the grace to fixate on Him and to learn all from Him. She situates this petition within her awareness of her own inadequacies, voids, weaknesses and failings. She does not run from these struggles, but she also knows that she cannot overcome these on her own. She needs help – the help that comes from Christ alone. When we look to Him, it is not our failures that ultimately define us – instead, it is the love that He has for us that becomes definitive in our lives. If we allow the dynamism of His presence to draw our hearts to Him, rather than self-pity or despair, we find the strength to trust Him even as everything in our lives seems to be falling apart. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will lead us to the victory of good over evil in our hearts, our families and our communities. He is greater than every evil and He loves to reveal His strength in our weakness. When we come across that painful emptiness in which everything seems impossible, Jesus is present there too — ready to shine on us anew and to help us find our way once again.

In the spiritual mission of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, she knows how much it brings the Radiant Star great delight when we allow Him to be the light that shines in the darkness of our lives – and, when we ask her to help us find this light, it increases Saint Elizabeth’s joy to help us triumph. Let us pray:

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 4 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

All Saints’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Nov 01, 2024

All Saints’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post All Saints’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Day 3 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Oct 31, 2024

Day Three – For the Grace that makes our sins into a source of humility

Today we ask Saint Elizabeth to intercede for us against the temptation to be discouraged by our sins. It is possible to take sin too lightly, to not realize the great price that was paid so that we might live as sons and daughters of God. It is also possible to allow our awareness of sin to discourage us, even to the point of abandoning prayer. Saint Elizabeth is adamant that we should never abandon prayer, that even our awareness of sin can help us go deeper into the silence in which the Lord wants to heal and transform us. This is because she keeps her eyes fixed on “God, who is rich in mercy.”

Those who keep the mercy of God before them never grow tired of confessing their sins and deepening their life of conversion. Mercy is love that suffers the misery of another, and Christ has justified us by suffering the misery of our sin for our sake. He has rescued our dignity and given us standing before the Father by accepting the consequences of our sin out of love for us and dying for us. This is the reason that Saint Elizabeth refers to Christ “crucified by love.” As long as we keep our eyes fixed on this love, rather than discourage us, our sins can become occasions for gratitude to the Lord and confidence in the immensity of His devotion to us.

Saint Elizabeth says that the Lord has found a way to convert our sins into instruments of salvation. This does not diminish the horror that we should have for sin. It opens up, instead, a source of humility. We are a little more free from self-love when we accept how broken we are and how much we need God’s love. Less self-satisfied, we discover in our hearts a new openness to die to ourselves and to live the life that the Lord would have for us instead. Whenever we humbly repent of what we have done and turn with confidence to the Lord, He is ready to give us peace and help us to begin again.

In her mission, Saint Elizabeth wants us to plunge into humility before the mercy of God. She does not want us to be discouraged by sin, but with a simple movement of love and confidence to confess it, to feel sorrow over it, and to humbly work to repair the damage that we have done. Instead of being pre-occupied with personal failure or even the hurt we have caused, we must see how God is turning even our weakness into a new kind of wisdom. We must allow God to love us in this way. Saint Elizabeth explains, “Love rebuilds what you have destroyed.”

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 3 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

01-19th2-271x300 — Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 8 Oct 31, 2024
Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 8

composed by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

Oh my God! I also am one of these ungrateful beings, having received so much grace, and yet despised Thy love and deserved to be cast by Thee into hell. But Thy infinite goodness has spared me until now. Therefore, I now love Thee above all things, and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I will rather die than ever offend Thee. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory.

Say the following prayers: 1 Our Father… 1 Hail Mary…

The Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(State your intention(s) here while recommending yourself to the souls in Purgatory.)

Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Amen.

The post Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 8 appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast Oct 31, 2024

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.
‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:
‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.
‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:
‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.
‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:
‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN1 – Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Oct 30, 2024

Episode 1: Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore the Christian understanding of life, death, and the eternal destiny in light of Catholic teaching on the “last things” (heaven, hell, death, and the final judgment). Contemporary Catholics may struggle with these concepts, as the vocabulary and focus on eternal destiny have diminished, often overshadowed by preoccupations with everyday life.

It’s important for us to acknowledge death as a reality and mystery that ultimately gives meaning to life. Avoidance of death, often seen in euphemisms like “passing,” detracts from the full Christian understanding of life and resurrection. Keating highlights that clergy should guide people in facing death meaningfully, as this helps people better live in alignment with their faith.

A core element is the resurrection of the body, which Christianity views as essential to personal identity and continuity with life on earth. Contrasting this with Platonic ideas that view the soul as separate from the body, Dcn. Keating tells us that, in Christian teaching, body and soul are intertwined and will be united in the resurrection. The sacramental life, particularly the Eucharist, provides a connection to this eternal life, as Jesus himself says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Faith, hope, and love in Jesus draw Christians into eternal life, already beginning on earth.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Awareness of Eternal Destiny: How often do I contemplate my eternal destiny, and do I see its relevance in my daily life?

Understanding of Death and Resurrection: How comfortable am I with discussing death, and do I fully understand the hope that the resurrection of the body offers?

Connection to Heaven in Everyday Life: Do I recognize the continuity between my current life and eternal life, seeing hints of resurrection in moments of healing and reconciliation?

Respect for the Dignity of the Body: How do I value and care for my own body and those of others, especially the vulnerable, as a reflection of my belief in the resurrection?

Living the Sacramental Life: How am I staying connected to Jesus, especially through the Eucharist, as a way to experience and deepen my communion with eternal life?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

994 “But there is more. Jesus links faith in the resurrection to his own person: “I am the Resurrection and the life.”544 It is Jesus himself who on the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his body and drunk his blood.545 Already now in this present life he gives a sign and pledge of this by restoring some of the dead to life,546 announcing thereby his own Resurrection, though it was to be of another order. He speaks of this unique event as the “sign of Jonah,”547 the sign of the temple: he announces that he will be put to death but rise thereafter on the third day.548”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN1 – Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

SBN1 – Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast Oct 30, 2024

Episode 1: Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore the Christian understanding of life, death, and the eternal destiny in light of Catholic teaching on the “last things” (heaven, hell, death, and the final judgment). Contemporary Catholics may struggle with these concepts, as the vocabulary and focus on eternal destiny have diminished, often overshadowed by preoccupations with everyday life.

It’s important for us to acknowledge death as a reality and mystery that ultimately gives meaning to life. Avoidance of death, often seen in euphemisms like “passing,” detracts from the full Christian understanding of life and resurrection. Keating highlights that clergy should guide people in facing death meaningfully, as this helps people better live in alignment with their faith.

A core element is the resurrection of the body, which Christianity views as essential to personal identity and continuity with life on earth. Contrasting this with Platonic ideas that view the soul as separate from the body, Dcn. Keating tells us that, in Christian teaching, body and soul are intertwined and will be united in the resurrection. The sacramental life, particularly the Eucharist, provides a connection to this eternal life, as Jesus himself says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Faith, hope, and love in Jesus draw Christians into eternal life, already beginning on earth.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Awareness of Eternal Destiny: How often do I contemplate my eternal destiny, and do I see its relevance in my daily life?

Understanding of Death and Resurrection: How comfortable am I with discussing death, and do I fully understand the hope that the resurrection of the body offers?

Connection to Heaven in Everyday Life: Do I recognize the continuity between my current life and eternal life, seeing hints of resurrection in moments of healing and reconciliation?

Respect for the Dignity of the Body: How do I value and care for my own body and those of others, especially the vulnerable, as a reflection of my belief in the resurrection?

Living the Sacramental Life: How am I staying connected to Jesus, especially through the Eucharist, as a way to experience and deepen my communion with eternal life?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

994 “But there is more. Jesus links faith in the resurrection to his own person: “I am the Resurrection and the life.”544 It is Jesus himself who on the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his body and drunk his blood.545 Already now in this present life he gives a sign and pledge of this by restoring some of the dead to life,546 announcing thereby his own Resurrection, though it was to be of another order. He speaks of this unique event as the “sign of Jonah,”547 the sign of the temple: he announces that he will be put to death but rise thereafter on the third day.548”

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

The post SBN1 – Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Day 2 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast Oct 30, 2024

Day Two – For the grace to give our hearts to Jesus

Saint Elizabeth wants us to give our heart to Jesus, to enter into a prayer so deep and beautiful, that we hear Him ask for it. She invites us to hear the Word of the Father speak to our souls the way the Samaritan Woman heard Christ speak to hers. Our Lord wants adorers “in spirit and truth.”

For Saint Elizabeth, Jesus is the great Adorer, and he wants us to become what He is. When we look at how He adored the Father, we see that his prayer was not a good intention or a nice wish, but a lived reality. What Christ offered to the Father in the silence of prayer, He gave up on the Cross for our sake. His whole existence became an act of worship and spiritual sacrifice.

This means that to be an adorer in “truth,” we must also live out the truth in our actions. We must give Jesus the gift of our hearts not only in our words and intentions but our actions as well. Here, however, our weaknesses seem to hinder us. The truth is that God loves us, and He does so, even in the face of our sins. Christ-crucified lived in the love of the Father, even as He took on the consequences of our sins to show us that God’s love is greater than sin. Everything for Jesus was done out of love for the Father. For us to be adorers in truth, we must, like Christ, live in God’s love – until every decision, every action is carried out in that love, by that love, and for that love. Even in the midst of difficult trials, our actions must be Christ-like – just as Jesus Christ lived by complete confidence in the Father, we must live in complete confidence in Him.

How do we acquire this is childlike posture before the Lord? Saint Elizabeth wants to help us spend time in the silence of prayer. Trying to stay in this silence is difficult. We must face our tendencies to brood over injuries or else simply not deal with the interior pain that we carry. Silence wasted on such interior rancor is dangerous. Saint Elizabeth describes another kind of silence, and it this silence that we must seek in prayer by renouncing every thought or feeling or fantasy that is not worthy of it. Each renunciation deepens childlike confidence and trust. The greater this trust, the deeper the silence God guides us into. She describes this silence as allowing the Lord to sit us on His knee and caress us like a mother comforts her child — an image from Isaiah. Throughout the trials and difficulties in life, the silent and tender love of God surrounds us and is completely present to us. This is the same love that gave Christ the strength to die for us. Now the Trinity gently offers it to strengthen us, too. In the silence of prayer, we can hear and respond to God’s gentle invitation, “Give me your heart.”

The spiritual mission of Saint Elizabeth is to keep us in the deep silence in which we can hear this tender voice. So that she might help us give our hearts in the stillness of this immense love, let us pray:

O My God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely so as to be established in you as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to disturb my peace, nor make me depart from you, o my Unchanging One, but may each moment carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Pacify my soul, make it your heaven, your beloved abode, your resting place. May I never leave you there alone, but may I be entirely present, my faith completely ready, wholly adoring, fully surrendered to your creative action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I would like to be a bride for your heart. I would like to cover you with glory, I would like to love you… unto death. I feel my powerlessness, however, and I ask you to clothe me with yourself, to identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, to defeat me, to overwhelm me, to substitute yourself for me, that my life might be but the radiation of your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Healer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life listening to you, I want to be completely docile, ready to learn everything from you. Then, through all nights, all voids, all weakness, I want to fixate on you always and to remain under your great light. O My beloved Star, fascinate me so that I would not be able to forsake your shining light.

O Consuming Flame, Spirit of love, come over me until my soul is render into an incarnation of the Word; may I be for Him another humanity in which he renews His whole Mystery.

And you, O Father, bend over your little creature, cover her with your shadow, and see in her only the Beloved in whom You are well-pleased.
O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, Infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I loose myself, I surrender myself as prey. Bury yourself in me in order that I might bury myself in you, while waiting to contemplate in your light the immeasurable depths of your grandeur.

Amen

The Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is authored by Dr. Anthony Lilles S.T.D.

For the entire 9-Day Novena to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The post Day 2 – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

18-87th2-276x300 — Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 7 Oct 30, 2024
Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 7

composed by by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

God, Father of Mercy, satisfy this their ardent desire! Send them Thy holy Angel to announce to them that Thou, their Father, are now reconciled with them through the suffering and death of Jesus, and that the moment of their deliverance has arrived.

Say the following prayers: 1 Our Father… 1 Hail Mary…

The Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them. R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(State your intention(s) here while recommending yourself to the souls in Purgatory.)

Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Amen.

The post Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 7 appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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