Ad Jesum per Mariam

Faith, Hope and Love. Hear what St. Paul and Jesus Says About Hope St. Paul articulates the groaning of creation. He speaks (the first reading is not included within this audio) of the connection between the creation and the fall of man. He speaks of the creation and fall of the universe itself. There is a longing for the manifestation of the children of God . . . that would be all of us! That’s o...

The Impact of All Saints and Our Own Spiritual Prayer Life The Feast of All Saints is a very ancient feast. Early in Christian history it was important to hear the story of early Christians who spilled their blood for the Lord. In Rome the Church was persecuted. The Church was unsure about the survival of any specific member, and therefore gathered below the Coliseum. As the faithful were killed f...

All Saints Day Means Something Different If We Realize How We Are All Created! Today we celebrate a great mystery. The Church celebrates today All Saints Day . . . in doing so, the Church celebrates the reality of holiness claiming human life. This is a remarkable thing. We celebrate not the exception, but the rule. We grow up thinking the saints are exceptional. They are not! They are the rule. W...

The Command to Love Our Neighbor Extends to the Dead Also! All Souls’ Day Reflections and What Jesus Tells Us! Jesus Tells Us What Love Really Is! Its impact on Our Spiritual Life! Love is the very essence of living in communion with God. In today’s Gospel, the Lord is asked what is the greatest of commandments. Out of all the commandments, Jesus tells us the two most important. And they both cent...

The Anguish of the Lord. The Lord Uses this Term on a Day Other than His Passion! Why? We are not used to hearing that statement from the lips of Jesus, especially on a day that’s not Good Friday. There is an anguish in my heart, an anguish in my spirit. I am in anguish that I have not yet done . . . what I have come to do. His desire is the giving of himself. It is the anguish, in fact, of love....

All Saints Day and Our Call to Holiness The Gospel is the famous Sermon on the Mount. It doesn’t begin with the Beatitudes. When Jesus saw the crowd, Jesus went up the mountain. He saw and moved away, and then sat down. His disciples then came to Him. He waited for those who would follow Him, and then he taught them! It may be subtle in this passage. But it is an aspect of the Lord in which we ref...

A Prayer Without Words: The Lesson Jesus, Martha and Mary Teaches Us Today! (TA) The readings today, at first glance, do not seem interconnected. The first reading is about Jonah and his warnings. The Gospel is the story of Martha and Mary. Yet there is a connection. Listen to the Homily for this insight. Jesus, Martha and Mary have a lesson for us! We know the story. Jesus comes to the house of M...

The Power of Persistence Prayer: The Secret to and the Depth of Asking, Seeking, and Knocking The Homily reflects on the connection between the instructions on prayer given by Jesus to his disciples and the importance of persistence and confidence in prayer. The Homily also emphasizes the need to root oneself in God’s word and will, highlighting the significance of understanding what to ask for an...

Our Lady’s and St. Dominic’s Message: You Matter in Infinite Ways (TA) Our Lady’s and St. Dominic’s Message: . . . On the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary the afternoon’s conference focuses on how the Rosary unites us. The talk focuses on the significance of the Rosary, with a particular emphasis on the teachings of St. Dominic and the role of the Virgin Mary in guiding individuals toward a deeper...

The Rosary is a Great and Mighty Thing Precisely Because it is Prayer With Mary On this Feast of the Rosary, the Church gives us three spiritual treasures. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles has the Church sitting around Our Lady. The Responsorial Psalm takes place earlier . . . at the time of The Magnificat. Lastly, the Gospel takes place at the Fullness of Time . . . the Annunciatio...

Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray: Why the Jonah Story is Also a Story about Prayer (TA) The Church puts before us two readings. The first is the conclusion of the Jonah story (not included within the audio). In the Gospel reading, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. Why does the Church present us with these readings? What does the potential destruction surrounding Jonah have anything to do wit...

In the Presence of the Angels, I Will Sing Your Praises Lord! When we gather for Mass, we stand with one foot on this Earth, and the other, in Heaven. Our liturgy and prayers in Church, are not merely our own! Our prayer at Mass participates in and unites itself to that unending jubilation of Angelic worship in Heaven. On the Feast of the Archangels, hear what it is we celebrate! Understand more a...

Why King Herod Couldn’t See Jesus and Its Implications for Us! Over the last several days we hear that the Israelites return home to Israel. The Persian king tells the Israelites to go home and build a temple to God. We hear, while they agree, the Israelites do return home, but do not immediately build a temple. They build homes for themselves to try to get things back to where they were before. H...

There Were Three Prodigal Sons, Not Two! What Each Tell Us for Our Spiritual Journey In the Gospel, we hear there were two Prodigal Sons. Yet, there were actually three! After hearing about the first reading (not included within this audio), we hear Jesus talk about the Prodigal Sons. First, understand there were actually three, and each influence on our own Spiritual Journey. Listen to this Medit...

Jesus’ Foretelling of Good Friday: Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son The Church established standards for Apostolic Service. St. Paul tells us of these characteristics in the first reading (not included within this audio). St. Paul tells us what a true calling really involves. Hear more within the Homily. In the Gospel we hear about the story of a young man who died. We hear about a funeral procession,...

The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary The celebration of the name of Our Lady is beautiful and complex. It is simple . . . the name of Mary. But it is also complex, because to understand this name, it requires considerable effort. If you read the letters of St. Paul, they are obviously written after the birth of Jesus. He says Jesus is born of woman, but he does not name the woman. He does not d...

How Did This Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Most Holy Cross Come About? What Do We Really Celebrate? One of the factors that gives rise to the Feast of The Exaltation of the Most Holy Cross, . . . . . . is an event that happened 1400 years ago. At that time Persian armies moved across Europe and Asia conquering many cities including Jerusalem. It was sport to capture the Christians and kill th...

Understanding the Righteousness of St. Joseph and Its Implications! This is how the birth of Jesus came about, says St. Matthew. Funny. St. Matthew begins with these words but does not start with the details. Matthew continues by speaking about Joseph, and his relationship with Mary. He speaks of the internal conflict that Joseph needed to work through . . . this is how the birth came about. St. M...

Lord, How Should I Show Mercy? In today’s Gospel, Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother. Jesus then responds. If one just focuses on this part of the story, it's possible to miss the real message behind what Jesus is saying. Listen to this Meditation Media.

Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law: An Example of Intercessory Prayer by the Faithful Today’s Gospel reading is like a bridge reading. We hear from St. Luke, Jesus left the synagogue, and we will soon be on the Sea of Galilee with Peter. Today’s reading, we are in Simon Peter’s house. Jesus knew Simon before today’s reading. Jesus is in the home of one that He knows. This is informative! We know tha...

No One Merely Has a Private Relationship with Jesus The Gospel reading today reveals Peter’s meeting Jesus, again. The Gospel reading begins and ends with an abundance. We do well to focus on the beginning abundance. The temptation is to focus on the abundance of fish caught. The Gospel reading begins with an abundance of people. There is a crowd pressing in on Jesus. Note the contrast. The readin...

Our Lady: The New Eve vs the Original Eve One of the ways the Church has considered and spoken about Our Lady is via a comparison. Mary has been referred to from ancient days as the New Eve. That is because St. Paul referred to Jesus as the second . . . or the New Adam. Whereas through the first Adam, death came into the world . . . the new Adam life comes to all of us. When speak of Adam, natural...

With Delight I Rejoice in the Lord: The Birth of Our Blessed Mother Mary The Gospel tells us of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, as well as the details on the birth of Christ. Before the Gospel, the chant repeated includes the verse: With delight I rejoice in the Lord. This is a strange verse, since much of the world’s joy, does not include delight. What really does that mean? On this day, the Cause...

God Gives Us Work To Give Mankind Its Dignity The Lord tells us do not worry! Do not worry about what you’ll eat . . . or drink . . . or wear. It’s tempting to say to the Lord, . . . that’s easy for You to say! When He tells us do not worry about tomorrow, it’s tempting to say . . . that’s great but You are the Son of God! For those of us who need to work for a living . . . we need to take care of...

If Today You Hear His Voice . . . These are the words we hear periodically at Mass. Indeed, the Church has repeated these words daily for well over a thousand years. Why are these words important? We hear within the Homily that the people of God have a hard time listening. Wow! But what if we do hear His voice? What if we do not? How do we listen to hear God? Hear more within this Meditation Media...