Deep in Christ

On this episode, JonMarc Grodi and Kenny Burchard kick off a series of discussions on the significance of the crucifix as the primary image of Christian discipleship. What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus? JonMarc and Kenny look at this challenge from Our Lord in terms of what it must have sounded like to his followers in 1st century Jerusalem, and what it means for Christians li...

In this episode, JonMarc Grodi shares a reflection on the Theological Virtues to round out the various themes discussed this year.  The Theological Virtues — Faith, Hope, and Charity — are the supernatural virtues given by God that make relationship with Him possible and make our active lives as Christians fruitful. For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org .

On this episode of Deep in Christ, we’re reflecting on a favorite quote from G.K. Chesterton regarding the connections between our day-to-day active life and the time we spend “attending to the permanent things”. We’ll discuss some of the virtues and vices that are involved with the management of our “information diet” and how we can make sure that that we are filling our mind only with that which...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris conclude their study of the spirituality of the 12 Steps of Recovery. They discuss how our conversion and healing in Christ impel us to share our testimony with others. This is part of our Christian vocation, and also a part of what keeps our ever deeper conversion to Christ something permanent. For more episodes, visit deepinchrist.com .

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #11: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” They discuss different types of prayer, the journey of growing in relationship with...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with Step #10: “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." Moving into the first of the final “maintenance steps” of the series, JonMarc and Brother Rex discuss making an examination of conscience, and making repentance and reconciliation w...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with steps #8 and #9, which involve taking stock of one’s relationships and the ways we have caused hurt. These steps focus on authentic apology and reconciliation, not as a haphazard or one-time thing, but as an ongoing and proactive part of our Christian life. For more episodes...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #7: “Humbly asked (God) to remove our shortcomings.” This episode focuses a lot on humility as a keystone virtue the that separates the sinners who live in despair from the sinners who know and admit their faults and ask Jesus to heal them. It is through this humility t...

On this episode, JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #6 “We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” What does it mean to be “ready” and what do we do if we’re not? How do we increase our desire for healing and our trust in God, when we find ourselves precisely lacking in th...

On this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #5: We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. They discuss the connections between this step and the sacrament of confession, the value of accountability and vulnerability in close fri...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our lives. They discuss the connection between this and the previous steps with the examination of conscience, the sacrament of confession, and the sacraments in general, and how the 12 Steps can help us to be open...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs with step #3: “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” They discuss the ways in which we so easily compartmentalize our lives and allow Jesus only limited access, and how radical honesty can be the grounds for a deeper rela...

JonMarc Grodi and Brother Rex Anthony Norris continue their discussion of the spirituality of 12 Step recovery programs. Even for Christians who have been walking with the Lord for many years may discover that because they have never fully come to grips with their own fundamental woundedness (Step #1), they have not also fully embraced their need for God as the “higher power” that can “restore us...

JonMarc Grodi and Br. Rex Anthony Norris embark on an exploration of the spirituality of “12 Step” recovery programs popularized over the past century, examining the ways these programs reflect aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Step One is to "admit powerlessness” over one's destructive habits, and JonMarc and Brother Rex discuss how important it is to realize that it is ultimately Christ, an...

On this episode, host JonMarc Grodi and fellow CHNetwork staff member Seth Paine, a convert to Catholicism from Evangelical Protestantism, take some time to dig deeper into the way that the virtues touch on our relationship with and use of money as disciples of Jesus Christ. For more episodes, visit chnetwork.org .

In this second of a two-part discussion with guest Jacob Imam of NewPolity.com, we continue to dig into the virtues, more specifically those virtues that relate to our use of money and material goods. Examining these virtues (and their opposing vices) very quickly shows us the ways in which we have all allowed the cares and values of the world creep into and divide our hearts with regards to money...

In this first of a two-part discussion, JonMarc Grodi is joined by Jacob Imam, editor at New Polity, to share a bit about his conversion from Islam to Christ and the Catholic Church, as well as his journey to understanding the Virtues as a key to the New Testament worldview and the life of “putting on Christ.” (Gal 3:27) For more of Jacob Imam's work: http://www.newpolity.com For more episodes: ht...

In this episode, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi explore the place of rest and retreat in the life of the Christian, especially the Christian living an active and busy life in the modern world in which there are so many temptations to fill the spaces between activity with either more activity or a false sort of “leisure” that only makes life more fragmented. What is the true leisure that we need and w...

On this episode, Fr. Peter Grodi shares some reflections on the Holy Eucharist and the scandal of Christ’s exhortation to “eat my body and drink my blood.” The Jews of the time were scandalized and the Romans accused the early Christians of “cannibalism”. Were they — as well as present-day non-Catholic critics — correct in this accusation? JonMarc and Fr. Peter share and discuss their own spiritua...

On this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi discuss the spiritual battle and the power of prayer and sacrifice. Particularly with regards to how (and whether) we pray & “offer up” sacrifices, do we rely more on our own strength, or on God’s grace? What would it look like to put these in proper order, both for how we evaluate the problems and challenges we face and how we work to...

This week on Deep in Christ, coming out of a busy summer break, we’ll take a few minutes with our good sister in Christ, St. Edith Stein (feast day August 9th!) to consider contemplative prayer amidst a busy life, and how the peace and fruitfulness of the latter depends on our commitment to the former. Just as we need a Sabbath every week, we should be making and guarding a “Sabbath moment” every...

As a way of previewing the next "season" of Deep in Christ, brothers JonMarc & Fr. Peter Grodi take some time to reflect on their spiritual journeys and the nature of our walk with Christ as a journey of continual conversion. They look back on their own family's story of continual conversion, including their memories of what it was like to be small children when their father, Marcus Grodi, left hi...

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc Grodi wraps up the the study of the Cardinal Virtues, looking at how they establish a powerful framework and paradigm for understanding Our Lord ’s example. In His witness, and in the witness of the saints, we have ample testimonies of those who show us what it means to come to grips with what Jesus desires for us and is calling us to, and for more concre...

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi look at temperance with regards to one of our most common and basic human desires: food. We don’t “live to eat”, but God has indeed designed us to seek out and eat good food for the nourishment of our bodies and to “break bread” with others for the nourishment of our souls. Temperance is the habit of soul by which we submit our natural...

In this episode of Deep in Christ, JonMarc and Fr. Peter Grodi dig a little deeper into the fourth cardinal virtue of Temperance, which Aquinas describes as “serenity of spirit” arising from man’s inner order. Unlike the other virtues, Temperance turns inward toward man’s inner life of drives, desires, and passions. These powers of human nature are fundamentally good and purposeful, as they were c...