The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

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**The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal**

Join Fr. Innocent, Fr. Angelus, Fr. Pierre Toussaint, and Fr. Mark-Mary, priests of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, each week to discuss authentic faith in today’s world as they share stories and wisdom from years of prayer, community life, and work with the poor.

It all comes back to this: finding deep friendship with Jesus. Seeing him work in our lives everyday. Through topics as varied as mental health, the confessional, and NYC neighbors, the Poco A Poco Podcast is here to accompany all pilgrims as they walk step by step, little by little, poco a poco on their pilgrimage to the Father’s house.

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are a Catholic religious order founded in the South Bronx, NY. Learn more or subscribe to their updates at www.franciscanfriars.com

Latest Episodes:

A New Vision Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Episode 93 - A New Vision, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 4 of 8)

There's a simple test of whether a conversion is authentic: do you treat people differently, particularly the poor?

Does your spiritual life get reduced to "me"? Or to an exodus from caring about yourself at all?

Your prayer is measured in charity. The quality of your Holy Hour can only be measured by how you love people when you leave your Holy Hour. It's not only about your experience.

The end of all formation, of any vocation, is self-gift. The end is the cross—the mystery of loving Jesus and loving like Jesus.

Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. bornoffirebook.com/

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. Monthly donations are particularly helpful for our future planning. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

Optimizing Confession Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

Episode 92 - Optimizing Confession, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 3 of 8)

Going to confession regularly can become routine—a checklist—instead of what it can be: an encounter with God.

Examine not only your sins, but also the one you've sinned against; the Lord.

Because there's a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. You receive forgiveness; you're reconciled with a person. This shift in approach can shift what you receive from a sacrament that's not only about forgiveness but also about healing.

Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

Healed By His Wounds Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

Episode 91 - Healed By His Wounds, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 2 of 8): Chapter 3

Remembering your sin can be uncomfortable. But it's not about the sin—remembering your sin is remembering God's mercy. It's going back to Jesus's presence at that moment, and to the way he changed it. Remembering that is the start of understanding your conversion more deeply, and to living your conversion more sustainably. A conversion based solely on feelings just doesn't last.

After all, we don't graduate from being poor; from being one who is saved, from needing a saviour. Being poor is a permanent posture of the disciple.

There's only one place our sin makes sense: at the foot of the cross. Take the crucifix off the wall and bring it close. Study it. Spend time with it. Make the sacrifice of Christ personal. Does his suffering matter to you?

Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

The Spark of Conversion Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

Episode 90 - The Spark of Conversion, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (1/8): Introduction, Chapter 1

There's a reason that this book is required reading for all CFR postulants. It's intense, and we're ready to get into it in this series.

Because it's all about Jesus. And conversion is at the heart of the daily experience of saying "yes" to Jesus.

Conversion isn't something that happens "out there"; it's not a personal project or a formation program. There's nothing abstract about it. It's a real encounter with the living person of Jesus Christ, and realizing we must turn away from ourselves and towards Christ. It can be terrifying, but we have to make a decision to allow Jesus in and change our lives.

A life of fidelity starts with the spark of conversion drawing us near to Jesus, and then us choosing to stay near to him, despite any temptation to remain in other things.

Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

Ending The Year Well Dec 29, 2021

Show notes

Episode 89 - Ending the Year Well

Our last episode of the year… a time that often means reflecting on the last year and looking forward to the next one.

As you look back on 2021, there are probably loose ends—struggles, situations—that haven't been resolved. It's easy to wish that everything would just make sense, but sometimes it just doesn't. And looking forward to 2022, well: it can be hard to know what is in store.

There's great mystery in it all. But we have a great model in sitting before mystery: Mary, Mother of God.

Mary experienced incredible mystery in her life, and throughout it all, she sat before this mystery and pondered these things in her heart. Like Mary, we have the chance to trust the Lord and say "yes" to the new year, even without knowing what is to come or fully understanding the last year.

There's a lot we don't know… but we know that God loves us. And as long as we're with him, it's going to be ok.

Starting next episode, we'll be going through Conversion by Fr Haggerty. https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

Imaginative Prayer (Advent 2021) Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

Episode 88 - Imaginative Prayer (Advent 2021)

Maybe you've heard about the nativity scene plenty, and seen it depicted endlessly. Do you really think you've entered as deeply into that mystery as you can? There's more! The Holy Spirit is never exhausted.

It's the same with all of Scripture. This isn't a collection of abstract ideas; these are stories of real people, and these stories can bring us into real relationship.

How can these stories become personal? A type of lectio divina emphasized by St Ignatius of Loyola: imaginative prayer. Meditating on Scripture this way, using human imagination and with God's grace, can lead to encountering these stories on a different level.

Put yourself in the nativity scene. Pray with Mary and Joseph and the wise men. Let God reveal more to you.

This is the final episode with Finding Your Place in the Advent Story from Ascension Press. Check it out here: https://ascensionpress.com/collections/rejoice-finding-your-place-in-the-advent-story

Starting in the new year, we'll be going through Conversion by Fr Haggerty. https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx

The Resourcefulness of God (Advent 2021) Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

Episode 87 - The Resourcefulness of God (Advent 2021)

Fourth Week of Advent

The Lord doesn't need a perfect moment to do what he does. He can use—and has used—all the secular events and moments in history to bring about his plan. The detours and decisions and even things that feel like inconveniences—he'll work with it all.

And it's not that he's just done this once or twice… it seems to be his method. God works through the stuff. It's all very incarnational.

Never doubt that any situation is beyond God's reach.

Right now, we're going through Advent with Finding Your Place in the Advent Story from Ascension Press. Check it out here: https://ascensionpress.com/collections/rejoice-finding-your-place-in-the-advent-story

Our Father is Faithful (Advent 2021) Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

Episode 86 - Our Father is Faithful (Advent 2021)

Third Week of Advent

As a people and a Church, we have a common patrimony and inheritance of promises kept. Over time, salvation history involves real people and real stories—God breaks into history.

Think Elizabeth and Zachariah. Simeon. Anna.

We are part of this story, living in salvation history. We must remember that God has been faithful to us, and use that memory to stay. God can't fulfill his promises to us if we leave.

The saints we look to had their own struggles and their own trials, and the Lord was faithful to them. It was a faithfulness that satisfied something in their own lives, but there's also a way in which it bore fruit such that we're recipients of the fruitfulness of these people. There might be something that the Lord's doing in our lives that is also going to be fruitful for other people we meet. Other people will inherit this.

We're going through Advent with Finding Your Place in the Advent Story from Ascension Press for the next few episodes. Check it out here: https://ascensionpress.com/collections/rejoice-finding-your-place-in-the-advent-story

Give God Time (Advent 2021) Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

Episode 85 - Give God Time (Advent 2021)

Second Week of Advent

God doesn't make empty promises. But for many people… there are promises they won't see fulfilled in their lifetimes. In receiving his promises, we also have to receive his timeline.

What does it look like to let God take his time? Start with stillness; sit in it; talk to him about it; think about when God has fulfilled his promises in your life. He hasn't abandoned you before, and he won't abandon you now.

Start off with what we know is true. Either the Father is good, or he's not. Either the Father is present, or he's not. We have to evangelize ourselves with the truth that is more real than suffering.

Hope for a Hard Life (Advent 2021) Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Episode 84 - Hope for a Hard Life (Advent 2021)

First Week of Advent

The lived experience of most people is: life is hard. We're still in this valley of tears. We live it, but might not be relating it in a way that's helpful… we just drag it around.

Enter: Advent. A season of hope and of promises fulfilled. Expectant hope, with confidence that the Lord is good and is at work for our good in our lives—the ultimate hope of heaven and of tears being wiped away.

Whatever you're experiencing—God's coming. God's response to our struggle is the gift of himself. He doesn't promise to solve any problem now and make everything okay, but he promises to give us himself. He wants us to experience peace here and now, not only in the future.

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