Catholic-Link Podcast

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss what idle talk is and how it can harm us and our relationship with God. As Catholics, we believe words have power: e.g. the Word became flesh, God's word, etc. Today's discussion reflects on James 1:26 that states, "If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion i...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the importance of creating a sacred space for prayer and contemplation. We know that each space has a certain vibe. The decorations in the space generate the vibe and put us in a specific mindset. The same is true for our prayer. To have a space dedicated to prayer that has sacred images puts us in the proper mindset. The...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the recent comment of Pope Francis that says that all religions are pathways to God. Some people were upset at this comment, but fail to recognize the tradition of the Catholic Church in this area. Fr. George appeals to the Early Church Fathers where they encountered non-Christian cultures and had to evangelize to them fr...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss some of their thoughts about homilies at Mass and how we are to respond to them. They first offer advice to priests and deacons. When writing a homily, a priest or deacon should keep in mind what they want to say. What is the big take away the congregation should have? The next advice for preachers is to be oneself. Authe...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss short visits to the Eucharist in our routine. Some people may struggle to do a Holy Hour. This sometimes feels daunting and unattainable. However, Fr. Rob and Fr. George encourage us to make short and simple visits to the Blessed Sacrament on a regular basis. These visits can be five minutes or less and include simple mem...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the use of veils in Church. Many are familiar with the veils that some women wear during Mass. Fr. Rob points out that it is more popular in his parish recently. He, then, infers that it is a more common trend in the Church as a whole. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss veils and why some may choose to wear them or not. St. P...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss Mary's proper role in the Catholic Faith and our faith lives. It seems like the median between two extremes comes up again here. In order for us to come to Christ through Mary's intercession, we must properly understand her role and the role of the persons of the Trinity. Fr. Rob shares two opposing extremes of how people...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss what our proper attitude towards tradition and traditional liturgies should be. The Traditional Latin Mass and other traditional liturgies are strikingly beautiful. However, there is a danger to inordinately focus on the externals. Virtue is, again, finding the medium between two extremes. At any Mass we go to, we must un...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the Olympics Opening Ceremony that depicted the Last Supper in a blasphemous way. Fr. George and Fr. Rob explore ways that we can respond to when an injustice occurs. Find the median between the two extremes: unprovoked fury and unmoved by anything. They also analyze that they are not surprised by the Olympics, but are sh...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss how and why some of the Psalms ask God to enact God's justice on his enemies. They explain how the Psalms are prayers. In some of these Psalms, the Psalmist asks God to enact his justice on those who offend God and hurt the people of Israel. This reminds us today that the Church, the new Israel, has enemies too. Jesus sai...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the Assumption of Mary as a foreshadowing of our resurrection. They discuss how the Assumption defined and why. Next, they reflect that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, body and soul, is a foreshadowing of what we are to expect in God's new creation. The New Testament points to a new Heaven and a new...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George share their experiences from the Eucharistic Congress. Father George attended and reflects on some of the formative encounters and joys of the event. Fr. Rob shares an insightful reflection from a parishioner who attended. This parishioner saw how the body of priests were different from the beginning and the end. The priests at t...

Update: Since the recording of this episode, Pier Giorgio Frassati has begun a SAINT! In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob, Fr. George, and Fr. Michael Niemczak discuss Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati. They emphasize how Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati lived a seemingly ordinary life, but did everything God put in his life, making it holy. Frassati had great devotion to the Holy Eucharist and...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Conrad talks about all things baseball as related to the Faith with special guest, Ed Condon, D.C. Bureau Chief for Catholic News Agency. Baseball is the National Pass Time, where people go to engage in leisure in the Summertime. Some innovations in the game present a problem that strikes at the core of what baseball is. Baseball brings humans toge...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob discusses the devotion of the Brown Scapular. Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the brown scapular. She promised that no one who wore it would suffer eternal fire. Fr. Rob discusses how one can live a life similar to a Carmelite and wear the brown scapular. As a child, Fr. Rob didn't understand the devotion to the Carmelites. Ca...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the need to encourage our priests. They also discuss how to approach a parish priest about difficult or confusing situations in the parish. They offer a reminder that priests studied the Faith for at least nine years in seminary. Therefore, they can offer nuance, depth, and experience that can help inform difficult situat...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They reflected on the scripture passages where Mary's heart referenced. Mary pondered the mysteries of Christ's infancy in her heart. Simeon prophesized that a sword will pierce her heart. Fr. Rob and Fr. George explained that we too are to ponder the works of God in our hearts. We can look a...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George share consoling information about the Devil and demons. They share that demons cannot read your mind and they cannot read your soul. The Devil's and the demons' goal is to make one dislike God. All of their tactics distract us from our relationship with God. They can even lead us to hyperfocus on things that are good to distract...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And how it combats the heresy of Jansenism. Jansenism began in the early 17th century and emphasizes our sinfulness and imperfection over the free love and grace of God that redeems us. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus emphasizes that God loves us. With a human heart bec...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss modesty as a understanding of the median and of time and place. Modesty is a virtue which means that modesty involves finding the median between two extremes. Modesty also encompasses many areas of life from clothes to behavior. St. Thomas Aquinas focuses on behavior and politeness. Fr. Rob and Fr. George distinguish that...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss how one can pray with Scripture. Fr. Rob shares the Benedictine method, commonly known as Lectio Divina for scriptural prayer. Lectio Divina is Latin for Divine Reading. In Lectio Divina, one chooses a short passage and meditates and contemplates what stuck out to them. Fr. George shares the Carmelite method where one rer...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the role the Holy Spirit plays in the Sacraments. More specifically, Fr. Rob focuses on the role of the Spirit in Scripture readings during the Sacraments. They emphasize the impact having a personal view of Scripture can have. One can use scripture to pray and understand that God speaks to them through the Scriptures and...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the Solemnity of Pentecost. The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave the Apostles and other disciples new courage. Famously, all the Jews from around the known world understood the Apostles despite the language barrier. Fr. Rob and Fr. George compare this event to the Tower of Babel in Genesis. Without a desire to kn...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss thoughts about Christian TikTok and social media at large. Fr. Rob recovered from COVID and spent a lot of time on TikTok and he shares some of what he found. He encourages social media users to understand that not everything on the internet is true. Fr. Rob discusses how living the Gospel faithfully is more important tha...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the role of the Holy Spirit within the economy of salvation. As Pentecost approaches, it is important to address this person of the Trinity's role in salvation. Fr. Rob and Fr. George distinguish the ultimate Fruits of the Spirit with the accidental gifts of the Spirit. While one may have particular charisms associated wi...