Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting...

Episode 7 – Know your Weapons pt. 2 – A Manual for Spiritual Warfare with Dr. Paul Thigpen, Ph. D In this episode of Put on the Armor: A Manual for Spiritual Warfare , Dr. Paul Thigpen and Kris McGregor reflect on the immense power of the sacraments in the Christian battle. Far from being optional devotions or familiar religious routines, the sacraments are concrete channels of divine...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 16: Responsibility at the Right Level In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching on subsidiarity and solidarity. These two principles help us understand how responsibility should be shared, how people should be allowed to part...

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother! (State your request here…) Recite the following prayers… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Our Lady of Mount Ca...

Holy Rule Novena – Day 6 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart, but always let it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; … and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: “Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine...

  Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 5 – Charity «I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.» John 13:34 Meditation The Martins were conscious of their duties to their neighbor, and the simplicity of their life made them attentive to the needs of others. Céline said, « If frugality prevailed in our home, then lavishness rule...

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 2 St. Bonaventure you have said: Three things are necessary to everyone regardless of status, sex, or age, i.e., truth of faith which brings understanding; love of Christ which brings compassion; endurance of hope which brings perseverance. No adult is in state of salvation unless he has faithful understanding in his mind, loving compassion in his heart, and endu...

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to...

The 14 Rules for the Discernment of Spirits – The First Week Rules as formulated by St. Ignatius of Loyola, Fr. Timothy Gallagher  with Kris McGregor Episode Seven: Rule Five – Never Make a Change in Time of Desolation Episode 7 -The Fifth Rule: In time of desolation never to make a change; but to be firm and constant in the resolutions and determination in which one was the day preceding such des...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 15: Gifts Meant for All In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching on the universal destination of goods. The Holy Father reminds us that the goods of the earth, including soil, water, air, and natural resources, are gifts fro...

Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 5 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: The second degree of humility is, when a man loves not his own will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carries out that word of the Lord which says: “I came not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent Me” (Jn 6:38). It is likewise said: “Self-will has its...

  Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 4 – Our Duties « We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do. » Luke 17:10 Meditation Louis and Zélie were entrepreneurs who successfully conducted their businesses independently of one another. Later, however, they worked together. It was said that Louis undertook « selling only objects of very good quality; he crafted and...

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 1 St. Bonaventure you have said: The life of God – precisely because God is triune – does not belong to God alone. God who dwells in inaccessible light and eternal glory comes to us in the face of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit. Because of God’s outreach to the creature, God is said to be essentially relational, ecstatic, fecund, alive as passionate l...

 Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting t...

Encountering Our True Selves in Christ – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff “He shall proclaim peace to the nations!”  Peace begins inside the hearts of each baptized Christian.  Do you know who you are?  Have you truly encountered Jesus? Gospel MT 11:25-30 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 14: The Common Good In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching that the common good flows from the dignity of every human person. The Holy Father teaches that dignity cannot remain only an idea. It must shape the way we live t...

Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 4 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes (cf Ps 35[36]:2), shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God has commanded, that he always consider in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins, and that life...

  Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 3 – Religious Practices « Rising very early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. » Mark 1:35 Meditation Sts. Louis and Zélie, « before the start of a very full day, often went to church at 5:30 in the morning. They both faithfully received Communion on the first Friday of every month. » According to the custom of th...

Sunday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 13: A Dignity That Cannot Be Earned In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching that human dignity cannot be earned, purchased, produced, or justified. The Holy Father warns against the dangerous idea that a person’s worth depe...

Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 3 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: Brothers, the Holy Scripture crys to us saying: “Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Lk 14:11; 18:14). Since, therefore, it says this, it shows us that every exaltation is a kind of pride… Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the...

   Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 2 – Family Life « Let the children come to Me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. » Mark 10:14 Meditation The Martin household knew all the joys and tribulations of normal family life. With their nine children, four of whom died at a young age, Sts. Louis and Zélie had the difficult task of helping each daughter t...

 Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 12: Created for Communion In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we enter Chapter Two of Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and reflect on the human person created in the image of the Triune God. The Holy Father teaches that Catholic Social Doctrine begins wit...

Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 2 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: What, dearest brothers, can be sweeter to us than this voice of the Lord inviting us? See, in His loving kindness, the Lord shows us the way of life. Therefore, having our loins girt with faith and the performance of good works, let us walk His ways under the guidance of the Gospel, that we may be found wo...