St. Hildegard von Bingen Novena – Day 9
Sep 16, 2026
Show notes
Day 9
St. Hildegard you have said:
“A human being is a vessel that God has built for himself and filled with his inspiration so that his works are perfected in it.”
“Now, O son of God, set in the valley of true humility, walk in peace without pride of spirit, which, like a precipitous mountain, offers a difficult, or near-impossible, ascent or descent to those who attempt to scale it, and on its summit no building can be built. For a person who tries to climb higher than he can achieve possesses the name of sanctity without substance, because, in name alone without a structure of good works, he glories in a kind of vain joy of the mind.”
“Humility always groans, weeps and destroys all offenses, for this is its work. So let anyone who wishes to conquer the Devil arm himself with humility, since Lucifer fervently flees it and hides in its presence like a snake in a hole; for wherever it finds him, it quickly snaps him like a fragile thread.”
O glorious St. Hildegard, abbess of the order of St. Benedict and doctor of the universal Church, we now join in the prayer you taught us….
God is the foundation for everything This God undertakes, God gives. Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking. Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God. This body is supported in every way through the earth. Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
O God, by whose grace your servant Hildegard, kindled with the Fire of your love, became a burning and shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. St. Hildegard von Bingen, pray for us
Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
Sep 16, 2026
Show notes
Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth 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 7:31-35
Jesus said to the people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place: ‘“We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” ‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
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 people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place: ‘“We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” ‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
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 people: ‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place: ‘“We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” ‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
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.
Our Lady of Sorrows – When Love Encounters Loss | The Spiritual Journey for the Discerning Heart Podcast
Sep 15, 2026
Show notes
St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Sorrow, Longing, and Remaining Open to God with Kris McGregor
About This Episode
In this episode of The Spiritual Journey for the Discerning Heart, Kris McGregor reflects with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux on Our Lady of Sorrows and the deeper spiritual meaning of sorrow.
Sorrow reaches far beyond bereavement. It can arise when a relationship is wounded, health or independence changes, someone we love takes a painful path, a long-held hope is lost, or life unfolds very differently from what we expected. Sorrow enters wherever love encounters something precious that has been changed, wounded, separated from us, or placed beyond our reach.
Saint Bernard draws attention to one striking word in describing the Blessed Mother at Calvary: she grieved “intensely.” Mary knew the promises of God and trusted him completely, yet that faith did not remove the pain of watching her Son suffer. Her sorrow flowed from the depth of her love.
In this sense, sorrow can become “love realized.” The ache reveals that something or someone truly matters. The heart continues to love and therefore continues to long for communion when that communion has been interrupted.
Saint Augustine’s words that the human heart remains restless until it rests in God help illuminate this experience. Our deepest longing is for communion with the Lord, and every authentic human love participates in that desire. Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us to bring our longing to God rather than allowing loss to close the heart in despair or bitterness.
Mary also offers practical spiritual direction for circumstances we cannot control. There are times when love calls us to seek healing, reconciliation, protection, or change. There are other losses we cannot simply undo. At the Cross, the Blessed Mother cannot remove Jesus’ suffering. Her fidelity consists in remaining near him and staying receptive to God within something she cannot change.
For the discerning heart, this invites honest prayer. What has been lost? What has changed? What is the heart longing for? Rather than denying those desires, we can bring them to Christ and ask Our Lady to help us carry sorrow in a way that remains open to grace.
Even at Calvary, Jesus entrusts John to Mary. John does not replace Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin is not asked to forget what has been lost. Yet her vocation to love continues. In the same way, sorrow can profoundly change a life without placing that life outside God’s providence.
Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us to honor what has been lost while remaining attentive to what God is giving now.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Question
What does the word sorrow mean in your life right now? Is there a relationship, hope, ability, circumstance, or person whose loss or change has left an ache in your heart?
Saint Bernard emphasizes that Our Lady sorrowed “intensely” while continuing to trust God. Have you ever assumed that deep sorrow meant something was wrong with your faith? What does the Blessed Mother teach you about that?
If sorrow is love encountering loss, what does your sorrow reveal about what you love and what your heart is longing for? Can you bring that longing honestly before the Lord?
Is your sorrow allowing you to remain open to God, or are discouragement, bitterness, or despair beginning to close your heart? What grace might you ask Our Lady of Sorrows to help you receive today?
From the Office of Readings
From a sermon of St Bernard of Clairvaux
Our Lady of Sorrows
The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the prophecy of Simeon and in the actual story of our Lord’s passion. The holy old man said of the infant Jesus: He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted. He went on to say to Mary: And your own heart will be pierced by a sword.
Truly, O blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart. For only by passing through your heart could the sword enter the flesh of your Son. Indeed, after your Jesus – who belongs to everyone, but is especially yours – gave up his life, the cruel spear, which was not withheld from his lifeless body, tore open his side. Clearly it did not touch his soul and could not harm him, but it did pierce your heart. For surely his soul was no longer there, but yours could not be torn away. Thus the violence of sorrow has cut through your heart, and we rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in you has gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering.
Or were those words, Woman, behold your son, not more than a word to you, truly piercing your heart, cutting through to the division between soul and spirit? What an exchange! John is given to you in place of Jesus, the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in place of the master; the son of Zebedee replaces the Son of God, a mere man replaces God himself. How could these words not pierce your most loving heart, when the mere remembrance of them breaks ours, hearts of iron and stone though they are!
Do not be surprised, brothers, that Mary is said to be a martyr in spirit. Let him be surprised who does not remember the words of Paul, that one of the greatest crimes of the Gentiles was that they were without love. That was far from the heart of Mary; let it be far from her servants.
Perhaps someone will say: “Had she not known before that he would not die?” Undoubtedly. “Did she not expect him to rise again at once?” Surely. “And still she grieved over her crucified Son?” Intensely. Who are you and what is the source of your wisdom that you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary’s Son? For if he could die in body, could she not die with him in spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since his.
A Novena to St. Padre Pio – Day 2 – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Sep 15, 2026
Show notes
Day 2
St. Padre Pio you have said:
I implore you to be faithful and humble and always to keep the great Mother of God before your mental gaze, she who humbled herself more profoundly the more she was exalted. Never, ever be exalted at your virtues but repeat that everything comes from God, and give Him the honor and glory.
Gracious God, you generously blessed your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of your Son, and as a stirring inspiration to many people of your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio labored endlessly for the salvation of souls. Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease. Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts. With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass, inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio, we confidently beseech you to grant us the grace of (state your petition here). Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion, so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord, and one day rejoice in the Kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
St. Hildegard von Bingen Novena – Day 8
Sep 15, 2026
Show notes
Day 8
St. Hildegard you have said:
“People have within themselves struggles of confession and of denial… And in this struggle the question is: Is there a God or not? The answer comes from the Holy Spirit Who dwells in the person:
God is, and created you, and also redeemed you.
As long as this question and answer are in a person, the power of God will not be absent from him, for this question and answer carries with it penitence. But when this question is not in a person, neither is the answer of the Holy Spirit, for such a person drives out God’s gift from himself and without the question that leads to penitence, throws himself upon death. And the Virtues display to God the battles of these wars, for they are the seal that shows God the intention that worships or denies Him.”
O glorious St. Hildegard, abbess of the order of St. Benedict and doctor of the universal Church, we now join in the prayer you taught us….
God is the foundation for everything This God undertakes, God gives. Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking. Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God. This body is supported in every way through the earth. Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
O God, by whose grace your servant Hildegard, kindled with the Fire of your love, became a burning and shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. St. Hildegard von Bingen, pray for us
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
Sep 15, 2026
Show notes
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows – 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 2:33-35
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
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 the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
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 the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
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.
Greater Discernment: An Introduction to the Second Week Rules – Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Sep 14, 2026
Show notes
Episode 1 – Introduction – The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to a Greater Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
In this opening episode of The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, Fr. Timothy Gallagher reviews the foundation of the First Week Rules. He returns to the basic pattern of discernment: be aware, understand, and take action. He also revisits spiritual consolation and desolation, along with the practical rules that help us receive what is of God and reject the discouraging lies of the enemy.
Fr. Gallagher then turns to a new and more subtle challenge. In the life of St. Ignatius, genuine spiritual consolation and good, holy thoughts sometimes appeared at the wrong time. At Manresa, consoling spiritual illuminations interfered with needed sleep. Later, in Barcelona, similar consolations distracted Ignatius from the Latin studies required for priesthood.
These experiences opened Ignatius to a deeper level of discernment. A thought can be good in itself and still lead in the wrong direction. The Second Week Rules help us look not only at the apparent goodness of a spiritual movement, but also at where it leads and what its consequences will be. This episode prepares the way for the eight rules that guide this greater discernment.
Discerning Hearts Questions for Reflection and Study
Personal Reflection
How well can you recognize spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation in your own experience?
When a thought or spiritual experience seems good, do you also consider where it is leading you?
Can you recall a time when something good distracted you from something God was actually asking of you?
What do Ignatius’s experiences with sleep and his Latin studies teach you about looking at the consequences of spiritual movements?
How might the practice of being aware, understanding, and taking action deepen your discernment?
Group Reflection or Study
Why does Fr. Gallagher begin the Second Week Rules with a review of the First Week Rules?
What is different about Ignatius’s experiences at Manresa and Barcelona from the spiritual movements addressed in the First Week?
Why is it significant that Ignatius never doubts that the thoughts and consolations themselves are genuinely good?
What do the consequences of Ignatius’s consolations reveal about their true spiritual source?
How does this episode challenge the assumption that anything that feels spiritually consoling must necessarily be followed?
This series is based on Spiritual Consolation by Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Examples used by Fr. Gallagher in the first conference talk:
A Review of the First Set of Rules:
George: “This morning in the chapel, prayer was difficult. In spite of so many and fervent appeals to Christ’s love, there was no feeling in me of response from the Beloved. I then turned to Our Blessed Lady and said something like this – “Please ask your Son to grant me the grace to love Him more and more… This was said only a very few minutes before the end of the half-hour which had been arid. Suddenly I felt a very sweet touch which warmed my whole being and stirred me to feelings of deep and moving gratitude to the Beloved and to his Mother.”
William Kernan, My Road to Certainty: “I looked out of the train window to the California countryside which I was rapidly leaving behind me – the orange groves shimmering in the light of the late afternoon sun the little bungalows which appeared here and there for a moment and then were gone as the train sped on, and the mountains far out on the horizon… An upsurge of gratitude swept through me and warmed my heart, and I thanked God for His Providence and goodness that had kept me all the days of my life and which, I was sure, would keep me safe forever. I could go on thinking of tomorrow in terms of today. Something would always be the same in every tomorrow; something would be certain – God.”
Married man, 38 years old: I had had a serious knee surgery five months earlier, and things had been slowly getting better with my knee. Recently, however, it seemed worse. This day, I saw the doctor and returned discouraged by his report: If my knee did not improve, how would I ever do my work for the years to come? How would I meet my family’s needs? I had felt tired already on rising, but when I got back from the doctor’s, I felt stripped of all energy. In the evening, I usually pray Evening Prayer. This day, I felt so tired and discouraged that I never said it. When I tried to pray at the end of the day, the same thing happened: I was tired, discouraged, and afraid, and it was hard to pray. Somehow, God seemed very far away, and I felt alone. I wound up spending time on the smartphone that I didn’t really want to spend.
I slept poorly that night and rose with a sense that it would be hard to pray at all this new day. The fear and discouragement were still there. I asked the Lord to help me get through this and to help me live the day well. As usual, I went to Mass before work. Mass was helpful; the readings spoke to me: they told of God’s care for his people in distress: “In you the orphan finds compassion,” “I will love them freely” (Hos. 14:2-10); “I relieved his shoulder from the burden” (Ps 81), and of the great commandment to love God with all our heart (Mk 12: 28-34).
After Mass, overcoming some initial resistance, I said the Rosary on the way to work, and that too lifted my heart. In the late morning, I had a meeting with a client who was grateful for the help I had given him. That was an uplifting time, and afterward, I was grateful and thanked God for it.
Some of the series by Fr. Timothy Gallagher found on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts
St. Hildegard von Bingen Novena – Day 7
Sep 14, 2026
Show notes
Day 7
St. Hildegard you have said:
Don’t let yourself forget that God’s grace rewards not only those who never slip, but also those who bend and fall. So sing! The song of rejoicing softens hard hearts. It makes tears of godly sorrow flow from them. Singing summons the Holy Spirit. Happy praises offered in simplicity and love lead the faithful to complete harmony, without discord. Don’t stop singing.
O glorious St. Hildegard, abbess of the order of St. Benedict and doctor of the universal Church, we now join in the prayer you taught us….
God is the foundation for everything This God undertakes, God gives. Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking. Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God. This body is supported in every way through the earth. Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.
O God, by whose grace your servant Hildegard, kindled with the Fire of your love, became a burning and shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. St. Hildegard von Bingen, pray for us
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
Sep 14, 2026
Show notes
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – 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. John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.’
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 Nicodemus: ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.’
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 Nicodemus: ‘No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven; and the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.’
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.
A Novena to St. Padre Pio – Day 1 – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Sep 14, 2026
Show notes
Day 1
St. Padre Pio you have said:
Jesus keeps nothing for Himself of what is done for love of Him, and He will repay us very lavishly, Don’t let us make our happiness depend on enjoying wonderful health, or else we should be just like those foolish worldly people to whom it is not given to know the secrets of heaven…. Continue to love Jesus, and make an effort to love Him more and more, without wanting to know anything else He alone will steer us to the haven of salvation.
Gracious God, you generously blessed your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of your Son, and as a stirring inspiration to many people of your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio labored endlessly for the salvation of souls. Through his powerful intercession, many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease. Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts. With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass, inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio, we confidently beseech you to to grant us the grace of (state your petition here). Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion, so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord, and one day rejoice in the Kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
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Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
