Connecting Scripture and Life

The OCIA Rite offers rites for adults and children, but what about our teenagers? Those ages 13-17 have different needs and questions. This podcast featuring Dayrin Perez, Lead Coordinator of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Fr. Juan Ochoa, Director of the Office of Divine Worship offers great wisdom from experience as a parent and as ministers to help catechists find practica...

The OCIA Rite adapts for Children ages 7-12 who have not been baptized. Often their parents are not Catholic or the child desires to enter into full sacramental participation with the Church. In this podcast with Deacon Douglas Zuniga, Coordinator of Elementary Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Los Angles and Fr. Juan Ochoa share their wisdom and insights about how we walk with children and parent...

Ash Wednesdays offers each of us the blessing of God's loving forgiveness. Jesus in his time in the desert shows us that we can resist the temptations of the world. Holy Scripture leads us along the narrow path and offers a road back when we stray. What greater gift is there than Lent, a time to concentrate our minds, hearts, and strength on the love God has for His people.

The minor rites of the catechumenate are beautiful prayers that help to free the minds of the catechumens and all who participate from the wiles of sin and temptation. Simple yet beautiful in the love for God and God's love for us. Please join Fr. Juan Ochoa, Fr. Chris Bazyouros, Adrian Aralar, and Leticia Perez who share their experience of OCIA and the rite's power to transform lives and hearts.

This is a powerful story of Israel gathering together at the foot of Sinai awaiting the Law of God. They have just arrived on the third new moon and a boundary has been set for them not to pass. Until now they have sought food and shelter, but here, at God's mountain they are gathered together to prepare for God to come down from the mountain after three days of purification. This chapter shows th...

The Rite of Calling to Continuing Conversion is for Catholics who were baptized as infants, but have not been catechized or fully initiated, and for those who were baptized into other Christian traditions. They are already part of the Christian community and in this rite are called to ongoing conversion that will last their lifetime. Please join us as we share the importance of this rite for those...

The Rite of Election at the Cathedral brings together literally thousands of people who desire to be part of the Sacramental life of the Catholic Church. To see them gathered together gives all of us hope that the Church is alive and well and ready to enter the world to love God with all our hearts, souls and might and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We see our mother Church reflected in those...

This is a song of prayer by Moses and the Israelites after God separated them from their Egyptian masters forever. It extols the steadfast love of God for His people. The language may be archaic but the deliverer, the savior, God, remains the same and love for his people is eternal, to the ends of the earth.

Fr. Pedro Lopez walks us through the history of what we know today as Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. He shows us the development of the process from our Jewish roots, through times of growth, waning, and revival. Please join us for this fascinating podcast that helps us to understand that OCIA did not start in 1972. It began with the birth of the Church herself. The same truth brought to...

Jonah is a mirror. Not just the character, but the whole book. We are at once Jonah, the sailors, and the Ninivites. We are asleep in the hold of the ship and running around tossing things overboard. We are obstinate then obedient, rabble rousing yet able to hear the voice of God and repent. The story of Jonah reflects our complex humanity. It is like an icon, the faithful being the point of vanis...

The change in the name from Rite to Order of Christian Initiation of Adults orients our hearts toward the process of becoming Catholic. The changes articulate that journey and clarifies steps and terms. What has not changed is the vision: “The Order of Christian Initiation…is designed for adults who, upon hearing the proclamation of the mystery of Christ as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts, cons...

This podcast begins with the parable of Good Samaritan in which the Church Fathers saw the foundation of our Sacraments. Fr. Juan Ochoa beautifully describes the life of the Church in her experiences of Grace. He show us how we are called to approach the sacraments with faith like the woman who touched the tassel of Jesus's cloak and was healed. Please join us for this excellent teaching about Fai...

In this second part of our conversation about the story of the prophet Jonah we contemplate the sailors and their process of conversion from desperately calling on their own gods that do not answer to sacrificing and making vows to "the Lord". Through these men and Jonah we see that people of different faiths can guide us to the Truth. Cast into the deep Jonah calls out to God in a gathering of ps...

The National Statutes guide pastors and teams through the OCIA process so that they might better guide the lives of Inquirers and Catechumens toward community worship and a habit of prayer, in Church teachings and living a moral life, and participation in works of charity and service. In other words - to a life configured to Christ. In this podcast Fr. Juan Ochoa and Barbara Murphy talk about the...

In part one of our dive into the Book of Jonah we talk a lot about the sailors who were thrust into the duel between Jonah and God. These were men of conviction and good will who came to understand what it truly means to fear God. What of Jonah? At this point in our story he has been tossed into the churning seas (SPLASH!). We wrestle with the motivation of Jonah. Did he ask to be thrown overboard...

Welcome to our new weekly podcast, Go and Make Disciples: Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The title is from Mathew 28:19, the Great Commission, to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. That is what OCIA is all about. OCIA draws us away from a program mindset of initiation toward an approach that embraces a s...

In this very special podcast we talk about God's promise to restore those who follow God's way and do not put other gods before HIm. These chapters are God's response to human lamentation at the destruction of the Temple and the misfortune that follows the loss of "pride". We hear God's lamentation for the loss of faith from his people. These chapters have much to say about us today, how the world...

The shepherds were the first to hear the word that the Messiah of God has been born into our world and in haste these humble laborers went to see the child in the manger. Then they went out to share what they experienced with others and were believed! Like those ministers of the word before us, we are shepherds of the message that a savior has been born, that light has come into the world. This ye...

“Another way to put it is ‘Blessed are you who allowed life to matter’…This whole story is a story of letting it be as beautiful as it is without any edge, without any masks, with just being present…especially if the point of Advent is to prepare ourselves for God…” Rabbi Jason Fruithandler Please join us for a deeply transforming homily from Rabbi Fruithandler and our reflections on Elizabeth, Ma...

Celebrate Mary's yes! This conversation ponders what sort of message Gabriel brought to Mary and her response. Reflections for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

The Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent is about the people asking what they need to do to receive God's mercy. To give away half of what they possess to someone who has none is the kind of mercy John the Baptist tells them they must have. He does not tell them to give away everything. They get to keep half their stuff! Will that be enough? Rabbi Fruithandler shares a beautiful prayer from the T...

The readings for Second Sunday of Advent are filled with joy and hope. They speak of God's promise that the valleys will be raised up and the mountains will be lowered and the winding road of our lives will be made straight through the Gospel that preaches the love of God, neighbor and self. It brings an increase in our love in all "knowledge and all perception". Join us in this conversation about...

Advent is the promise of God coming into the world, the promise of love fulfilled. Paul said to the Thessalonians: "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all..." This love for God and for each other will be the way we are able to raise our heads and find purpose and meaning in life. How do we find our way through the "roaring of the sea and the waves"? Abound in...

"Let everything that has breath give praise to the LORD! Hallelujah!" Psalms 145-150 are known as the Hallelujah Psalms. Through them the generations of faithful tell of God's patience, kindness and abounding mercy. "How good to sing praise to our God; how pleasant to give fitting praise!"

It is difficult to read a passage like the one in Genesis 34 and find God’s inspiration. It is a hard story to comprehend when we believe it to be the revealed word of God and yet struggle to find any hope in it. Catholics and Jews find this one particularly vexing and would just as soon skip over it. Because it is so difficult we confront it. Rabbi Fruithandler and Barbara Murphy wrestle with the...