Wed, Apr 7, 2021
We have a God who's always on the move, always pursuing. In our busyness, we're distracted - we miss things. We miss people. But God is constantly seeking, constantly encountering what is broken, and seeing the wholeness. Christianity is different: it's about God becoming Man and coming to us. He's looking for you. Let yourself be found. For the next few episodes, we're focusing on Habits for Holiness, a new book written by our own Fr Mark-Mary.
Wed, Apr 14, 2021
St. Francis is the rich young man who didn't turn away sad. God invited St. Francis, and his response was even more than his heart burning for the Lord - he was consumed. There was no going back. He became more like Jesus, but without being less like Francis. He became more like Francis; not losing himself in God, but finding himself in God. The unique man that he is in the eyes of the Father, not just repeating the works of other saints. Our hearts have such a capacity that we want more and more...which means that at some point, you leave behind some lesser goods. You develop a taste for a love that's greater, and that's a good thing. Francis didn't settle for anything less - and neither should you.
Wed, Apr 21, 2021
We're all really interested in what God can do for us; the healing, the restoration, the gifts of the Father. Are we as interested in committing to the long-term relationship that allows us to receive all of that? It's all too easy to spend the inheritance while overlooking the relationship. As sons and daughters of God, we're meant to live from the inside of Jesus' heart. Not as outsiders or coworkers or bystanders, but within, where we can experience being known and seen and loved by the Father. That's discipleship. Because life is demanding, and the only thing that makes your vocation and your ministry sustainable is through a receiving relationship with the Father. That relationship transforms you into an instrument of God. Without that relationship, it's just too hard. Be courageous in making time for prayer, for the Word of God - making time for the beloved.
Wed, Apr 28, 2021
You crave conversion and real change; to receive the healing and hope that God wants to give you. How does that lasting, long-term change happen? It happens when we accept some truth or let go of some lie. Each step forms our will, either strengthening it or weakening it. And the stronger our will, the more we'll be able to choose the good even when it's hard and resist the evil even when it's tempting. This change can start in an instant, but the long-term forming of the will happens slowly, over time, and over many, many choices - choices that might seem small, but matter. Deeply. Because we're not kids anymore. Choices have consequences and all those moments make up the battle for our hearts and our minds. Our lives. This is it.
Wed, May 5, 2021
Do you know anybody who wants to work out all of the time? Unlikely. But nobody who gets in that workout says afterwards, "That was a waste of time. Why'd I bother?" Even more with prayer. When you take the time, it's always, "I'm so glad I did that." Eternal perspective changes how you use your time. What are we made for? To live forever. Our decisions now have an effect on that. We're made to be fully alive starting now. When you grow in prayer, your heart grows in capacity. And you take that capacity-an expansive heart with deep desires-with you to heaven. Let God expand your heart.
Wed, May 12, 2021
It's key to commit to prayer; to schedule it and keep honor it through intention and discipline. But, then, how do we maintain prayer as an intimate relationship and not let it become a routine? The answer to one question: where's your heart in it? Going through the motions to get it done is not the point. You know...when you finish your prayer time, look up, and think what just happened? It's better, even, to do less with a whole heart than to try to do more while totally disconnected. Even if you're not in a good place to pray - tired, hungry, whatever - be honest about that and bring that to prayer. Because just like you can tell when somebody's totally checked out of a conversation (nodding, "uh huh, yup"), the Lord knows our hearts. He can tell. Talk to him instead about why you're distracted or angry or not in it; that's where he wants to be. Simply be still, and with your whole heart, say "Jesus, look at my heart."
Wed, May 19, 2021
Discipleship is a team sport. Family-both through our natural families, and our supernatural family through baptism-and communion with others is an essential ingredient to the Christian life. Not that it will be easy...it won't be. It is simple, but not easy. An encounter with family lived well is redeeming not because it's perfect, but because there's love and sacrifice in the midst of the mess. That's where healing is, especially if your experience of family has been painful in some way. And truly, if the mention of "family" is painful for you, know this: God wants to break through and redeem that. The bond through baptism is real and deep-this family is not second best; not a consolation prize. Blood is thicker than water, but grace is thicker than blood. "Lord, help me to see today how you're going to reveal yourself in my family."
Wed, May 26, 2021
We have some pretty strong feelings on this topic, and it shows in this week's episode. Passing through purgatory is the experience that prepares us for heaven. There's no greater insight into what purgatory is like than family life or community life. The most important thing you'll bring to your vocation - whether that's religious life or family life - is your capacity to be a man or woman of communion. This applies directly to mission, too. We can be obsessed with mission at the cost of communion, and that's when your mission will dry up because it's no longer connected to the vine. So what does it mean to be a man or woman of communion? What does a life like that look like? We get into all of it in this conversation.
Wed, Jun 2, 2021
Love your enemies, and love that one person who embodies every single one of your pet peeves and always seems to find the fastest way to most intensely annoy you. Each person's personality - our most and least favorite parts - is a gift, and it's all about how we receive the uniqueness of each person in his or her personality. Each trait speaks an aspect of God's heart. Accepting everyone as they are isn't always easy, but it's easier than being surprised and rattled every time they do that one thing over and over and over again. It's more than that, though; when we accept people, they have the freedom to be themselves. After all, unity is not uniformity. It's scary to give people permission to be themselves. Maybe the Lord is asking you to expand your heart to fit them in it.
Wed, Jun 9, 2021
As Christians, what does our free time look like? Do we prioritize the same things as the world? Is there any difference in how we spend our time and money and attention? Those who know Jesus live differently. In important things, and also ordinary, everyday things. We're talking about the kind of mindset that changes the most important thing about Friday from "End of the Work Week!" to "The Day Our Lord Suffered and Died For Us." It can be a struggle to feel like everything is ordinary... but God wants to encounter us in that ordinary and make it extraordinary.
Wed, Jun 16, 2021
Ever try to connect with the person right in front of you, but he or she is staring at a phone, totally preoccupied? You want to jump in and say, "Look up. Look at me!" How often are we those preoccupied people in prayer? We have to be real about attachment; whether we like it or not, our humanity is into stuff. In our weakness, we can get attached to stuff, which can serve us or not serve us. It's a burden. Instead, lean into the freedom of simplicity, at the service of intimacy. We only have so much emotional and spiritual energy throughout the day. After all, the lilies don't get up in the morning and have to pick out their nicest dresses. Can we give God our full attention by being less cluttered in our thinking or our environments?
Wed, Jun 23, 2021
In our world of wanting more and of endlessly upgrading, we have to get good at saying, "Okay, that's enough." There's a game of constant consumption and if we're not careful, it's going to take advantage of us. Don't get played. Simplicity isn't about getting rid of everything. It's saying "no" to things you need to say "no" to - creating a space where you're not controlled by things. How? A poverty check. A regular practice of examining everything to see what really needs to stay and what can go; a regular challenge to take an honest look at what we're clinging to and what we can let go of.
Wed, Jun 30, 2021
The fullness of the mission of Christ includes a heart for the poor. This is pretty central, actually, but somehow doesn't always get a lot of airtime. This isn't just something we do, but who we are. It's not just a Christian thing - this is being like Jesus. And even once that heart is developed and the desire is there, the how can be unclear. How do we live the Gospel this way? In this: examining our heart for the poor, and how to live this out in everyday life. How to love like Jesus.
Wed, Jul 7, 2021
To sacrifice is to make holy. Most of us are given enough suffering in this world that if we were to offer it fully and freely to the Lord, that would be enough. We need only to accept; well, the penances that life gives us. Any additional sacrifices - ones that we choose - should be chosen carefully, intentionally, after checking in with someone else, and always looking toward freedom. We sacrifice to seek always greater freedom to be totally given again to the Lord.
Wed, Jul 14, 2021
We're called to be prophets. Real, recognizable prophets in our day to day. How does that hit you? What does your life look like? Do people around you see it and think, "This guy's living it. He communicates in the depths of who he is that Jesus is alive and he's real and he's risen from the dead and this means something to us. He's a prophet." We have to live provocative lives; lives that provoke people to ask questions. We can't be shy about it. At the same time, we have to be the first to ask questions, always quick to be interested in someone, to genuinely listen in a way that makes him or her feel undeniably heard. In this, we discuss many aspects of living a prophetic life.
Wed, Jul 21, 2021
This starts a new series: The Heart of God. The Sacred Heart. This is a series about the goodness of God; not only the reality that he is, but that he is good, with a human face and a human heart that rejoices. A deeper encounter with his heart; that it may be the remedy that heals the wounds of our hearts.
Wed, Jul 28, 2021
Compassion: it means "to suffer with." Recall those times when you've been suffering, alone, and someone has come into that isolation with you. It's powerful. Now, don't skip the fact that God became man so he could suffer with us. God is the prodigal son's father, spending every day looking at the horizon with longing even though his son hurt him in such a concrete and direct way. Want to be a more compassionate person? It's really hard to love and accept others without first being able to love and accept ourselves. First, get to know God's compassionate heart for you, then you'll be able to show true compassion for others and have the grace to respond to a person in need.
Wed, Aug 4, 2021
Sometimes we need someone to fight for us, to respond forcefully to injustice in our lives. Jesus does this, as he did in the temple - He's not afraid to clean house. The Divine Physician heals us, though the medicine isn't always tender and gentle. The medicine that's needed is tougher, and the only way to remove obstacles and create space for him to heal. And doesn't that teach us a new approach to our sin? We should feel strongly about it, not accept a pattern of sin as "the way it is." Time to stop compromising or settling with our sin and reject it. Intensely. Some things are worth fighting for.
Wed, Aug 11, 2021
There's an intense vulnerability to letting people into your most tender moments. Allowing someone to witness a private, cherished part of life is no small thing, and being a witness to one of these moments is an honor. There's a particular part of Jesus's life for which we get to be these witnesses only a few times: his experience of prayer. In these rare instances, we are privileged to see him as he sees the Father look upon him with love and delight. Teach us to pray. When the disciples saw Jesus pray, that's what they asked him. They were totally captivated by the sight of him rejoicing in the presence of the Father. Scripture invites us to be witnesses to this only a few times, but Jesus constantly experienced the Father looking at him with love and delight. We can, too, if we look to the Father. Let the prayer of Jesus inspire you; let him teach you to pray.
Wed, Aug 18, 2021
Jesus always chose his words carefully. There was great meaning and intention behind each word, part of which we can only begin to understand by listening carefully. How much more, then, should we pay attention to Jesus's very last words? The ones he painfully uttered as he was dying on the cross? What do these words reveal about the heart of God? Jesus's whole life was about the Father's business, and his last words begin and end with "Father." Meditate on these words - let them tell you the truth about God, and about your relationship with him. Let Jesus restore you, a son or daughter, to the Father.
Wed, Aug 25, 2021
"Nobody has ever been for me like this before." That's the difference it can make to receive someone as gift. Jesus looked at the disciples and thanked the Father for the gift of them. He looked around at the faces of people he loved and received each of them and all of them as a gift. In their goodness and brokenness, even in times that didn't feel quite as much like gift. The Son is always receiving from the Father; the Father is always giving. And so for each of us. The Father always wants to bless us. During all the joys and the sorrows of our lives, our constant refrain can be "Father, they're your gift to me."
Wed, Sep 1, 2021
You see a different side of someone when you see what makes him or her cry. Seeing a person weep, and knowing why - the thing he or she cares about so deeply as to be moved to tears - is a deep insight. Lazarus. Jerusalem. Sin. Jesus weeps at these. That tells us something important, for a man who weeps in the face of suffering is a man who loves deeply, who is profoundly affected by what is happening. It's deeply personal. He's not far away or abstract. He wants to cry with us. He wants to mingle his tears with us. Think of your suffering; the situations that bring tears to your eyes for yourself or your loved ones, or even for those you've never met. Now, if you need to, pray against any idea of a disinterested or stoic God. Accept permission to grieve. Let the Lord weep with you.
Wed, Sep 8, 2021
Affirmation feels different when it's public, out loud and in front of everyone - as at the Baptism of Christ and the Transfiguration, where God audibly affirmed Jesus as his beloved Son. That affirmation becomes the foundation that allows Jesus to be free; to weep and be compassionate and angry, to be a revelation of the heart of God. The hearts of the sons and daughters of God long to hear the Father speaking a blessing over them - a blessing that allows them to flourish and give of themselves unto death. This authentic flourishing comes from the grace of knowing who they are. The Father is consistent in his message. Are we consistent in our response?
Wed, Sep 15, 2021
For 30 years, Jesus lived quietly in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph; his "hidden" years. Through his normal day-to-day living of going to school and having friends and putting in a hard day's work, Jesus made sacred the hidden space. That hidden space is where most of us live most of our lives - out of the public eye, going about our every day without much notice by others. Hidden from the world, but absolutely seen by the Father in that uniquely silent space that is set apart. In our busyness, we need to follow Jesus into that place with his Father. It's different than running away. It's not hiding from our problems...it's hiding with the Lord. It's a holy kind of hiding. What does this mean for the mission? During those private decades, Jesus knew his mission and was patient in waiting for it. He didn't rush. And so for us, Nazareth gives us permission to let the Lord lead; to let the Lord form us. It's okay that this takes time.
Wed, Sep 22, 2021
There are some virtues we can work on and grow in - but trust isn't like that. It's not your own project. You don't work on it directly, because it's the fruit of relationship with the Lord. If you want to develop more trust, focus first on that relationship; on conversion, on healing, on experiencing his goodness alive in you. Because the more you get to know God, the more you find that he is good and worthy of your trust. When you have a chance to trust him (you know the kind of moment), hear him speak gently to you through this line from Sr Faustina: "I don't want you to give you 'yes' to a set of circumstances, but to me."
Wed, Sep 29, 2021
Week 2 of a series on A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. Grace is in the present; there is no grace in the past or in the future. The challenge, though, is that we're all professional escape artists. We can get antsy and we don't know how to be present, which means we don't know how to receive God's grace. We've got to give up the hope of a better past-it has happened and there's nothing we can do about it. We also have to stop living in a fantasy future that doesn't exist-there's no grace there, either. Jesus is Lord of our lives; the past, the present, the future. Trust Him, and allow yourself to embrace today and all the grace he is waiting to give you here.
Wed, Oct 6, 2021
Week 3 of a series on A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., There are some sins that we just can't seem to shake-habitual sins that keep us coming back to the confessional over and over (and over) again. But no matter how consistent this sin seems, there's one who is more consistent: the Lord. His mercy and grace are greater than our sins and failings. Maybe you're discouraged. Frustrated. Worn down. That experience is real, but it's not who you are; it's not your identity. The truest, most real thing about your experience is his mercy. So don't settle for your sin. Don't believe that well, this is the way it's going to be. No. Return to the confessional, where the grace that's poured out is restorative to that specific wound, and begin again.
Wed, Oct 13, 2021
Week 4 of a series on A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., Trust is hard for everybody. The grace to trust-especially for the long haul-is always given to us by the Lord. There's always human effort in the spiritual life, but it's all gift; all grace. It can feel like we're never going to be able to trust; that we're so "bad" at trusting, particularly in the beginning, that we're just never going to be able to let go, no matter how badly we long to do exactly that. We think to ourselves, "I'm powerless." But here's the thing: he is not. There is someone looking back at us at every moment of the day. And through concrete experiences, sometimes very little ones, he invites us to trust. We've got to lean into those little moments of trust.
Wed, Oct 20, 2021
"I haven't believed enough that he is enough." That's what Br Angelo says as a guest on this, and how true is it for each of us? Even when we experience God's goodness, repeatedly and in big and small ways, it can be a struggle to keep believing that God is enough. He is LORD. He is enough, and we only have to give him permission to work. It sounds simple, but it can be tough when we've faced rejection in other areas of our lives. How do we believe? How do we find the courage and take the risk-to learn he always shows up? Surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. It can be a struggle, but while we might have many struggles, this is the right one.
Wed, Oct 27, 2021
Week 2 of a series on A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. Grace is in the present; there is no grace in the past or in the future. The challenge, though, is that we're all professional escape artists. We can get antsy and we don't know how to be present, which means we don't know how to receive God's grace. We've got to give up the hope of a better past-it has happened and there's nothing we can do about it. We also have to stop living in a fantasy future that doesn't exist-there's no grace there, either. Jesus is Lord of our lives; the past, the present, the future. Trust him, and allow yourself to embrace today and all the grace he is waiting to give you here.
Wed, Nov 3, 2021
A series on King David: Part 2 of 4 David is tender to his sheep, and also willing to fight for them. And he'll be the same in his future vocation-the way that he was shepherd is the way he will be king. As he fights Goliath, he reveals something to us about the heart of God: God will go to battle against our giants. Though David wasn't skilled or qualified like everybody else was, he was aggressive in his confidence before the Father. As if to say, "I am anointed, and now this anointing is bearing fruit." There's something about David going into battle without the armor. It's symbolic of his poverty and dependence. His attempt to wear Saul's armor and sword is our attempt to grasp an identity that isn't ours. If I could just be like that person doesn't work. David goes into it poor, and himself. So should we, in a way that allows the Lord to be powerful?
Wed, Nov 10, 2021
A series on King David: Part 3 of 4 David sinned when he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing; when he had pulled back from God's calling. We have to be careful of comfort and of being distracted because it leads to a place of being unfaithful. Instead, we have to keep moving forward in God's will, which can regularly take us to less comfortable places. We're called to lay down our lives-to endure the crosses of life and get to heaven. It's not easy... but God's faithfulness far outweighs our unfaithfulness. Remember: there are certain things the Lord does that he doesn't take back, like free will. The same is true with anointings. Keep choosing to do what you're supposed to be doing, and be faithful to the Father who is always faithful to you.
Wed, Nov 17, 2021
A series on King David: Part 4 of 4 Are we good at repenting? When someone notices our stuff and points it out... are we open to it? To repent wholeheartedly? Or do we hold onto it? We need help repenting and finding healing, so God constantly sends prophets to speak into the lives of his chosen people. David's a really good example of how to be formed; how to be led. Look at Psalm 51 for a model of repentance. The orientation is totally towards God; it's not about turning in on ourselves. It is God who creates a new heart in you. We can choose to make sure that repentance takes place in relationship with God, who loves us. Even in the repentance of Psalm 51, there's hope for restoration and reconciliation and a recognition that God is still a giver of good gifts. Let us repent well.
Wed, Nov 24, 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.
Wed, Dec 1, 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.
Wed, Dec 8, 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.
Wed, Dec 15, 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.
Wed, Dec 22, 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 of Finding Your Place in the Advent Story from Ascension Press.
Wed, Dec 29, 2021
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 a 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 okay.