Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Three: Listening Through Trials, Weakness, and Silence DAY 15 – Confusion “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” Proverbs 3.5 RSV Interior confusion is one of the most painful trials in the spiritual life. I...

The 3rd Sunday of Advent – The  Joy of Christ’s Coming – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff In this Third Sunday of Advent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff proclaims the joy of Christ’s coming and the deep mystery of Jesus dwelling within those who are baptized. Drawing from the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew, he reflects on the signs that reveal the Messiah: the blind see, t...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 14 – Dryness “O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.” Psalm 63.1 RSV Dryness is one of the most common and most...

Our Lady of Guadalupe – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a decisive moment of renewal for the Church, set against the turmoil of 16th-century Europe and the vast conversion that followed in Mexico. He situates Mary’s 1531 appearance to Juan Diego within salvation history, drawing connections to the woman clothed w...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 13 – Surrender “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3.5 to 6 RSV Surrender is the qui...

Episode 7 – Valentinus – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor explore the figure of Valentinus, an early second-century teacher whose ideas became one of the most significant challenges to the young Church. Valentinus built an exclusive movement that claimed access to hidden teachings unavailable to ordinary Christians, rejected the true incarnation by tr...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 12 – Interior Movement “I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel. In the night also my heart instructs me.” Psalm 16.7 RSV Interior movement is the gentle way God guides the listening heart. It is subtle....

Mystical Experience and Consoling Prayer – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating explains how God draws the heart toward himself through ordinary prayer and through growth out of serious sin. He describes “consoling prayer,” the simple joy and peace one begins to notice when turning to God—often after the hard early work of conversion, repentance, and regular prayer. Ov...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 11 – Guidance “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it." Isaiah 30.21 RSV Guidance is one of the most tender ways Christ speaks to the heart. He does not force. He does no...

Trusting God in Vocation Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor talk about discerning one’s vocation, especially marriage. Fr. Gallagher notes that many already sense a natural orientation toward marriage, but still must prayerfully discover whom God is inviting them to marry. He descri...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 10 – Peace “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14.27 RSV Peace is not something the wo...

The Immaculate Conception – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff On the the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Msgr. Esseff reflects on the significance of the Immaculate Conception of Mary within the broader plan of salvation history. He uses Genesis, Ephesians, and the Gospel of Luke to show us God's eternal plan to reconcile humanity with Himself through Jesus Christ. Humanity...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 9 – Courage “Wait for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27.14 RSV Courage is the grace that strengthens the heart to follow Christ even when the path feels...

The 2nd Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff In this Advent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff turns to the figure of John the Baptist and the call to repentance that prepares the way for the Lord. He explains that John stands at the culmination of Old Testament prophecy, announcing the arrival of the Messiah and cal...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 8 – Hope “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10.23 Hope is the quiet strength that anchors the heart in God’s promises. It is a theologica...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ DAY 7 – Trust “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3.5 to 6 Trust is the foundation of re...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart DAY 6 – Conversion “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4.17 Conversion is not a single moment. It is a continual turning toward God. Advent teaches this ongoing movement of the heart. Convers...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart DAY 5 – Stillness “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46.10 RSV Stillness is the interior calm that allows the soul to recognize God’s presence. It is different from silence. Silence quiets the environment...

Episode 6 – Marcion – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss the second-century figure Marcian, a wealthy shipbuilder who tried to use his fortune to reshape Christianity according to his own ideas. Marcian believed that the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Christ were entirely different, and he rejected the Old Testament as the work...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart DAY 4 – Openness “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3.20 RSV Openness is the willingness of...

The Internal World and External Presence of God – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating explains that experiencing God’s love begins with grace. God reaches the heart through intellect and affection, but many miss these moments because they are distracted or constantly driven by ego. Silence allows us to perceive God’s presence—whether through beauty, acts of kindness,...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart DAY 3 – Desire “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42.1 – 2 RSV Desire is the movement of the heart that draws us toward Go...

Understanding Marriage and Priesthood – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Timothy Gallagher presents the Catholic understanding of vocation, focusing first on marriage. The call to spousal love and family is woven into human nature itself, as God created men and women for self-gift and life-giving love. When lived through the sacr...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart DAY 2 – Silence “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62.5 RSV Silence is the doorway through which the listening heart begins to hear God. Advent invites us into a quieter int...

The 1st Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff On the First Sunday of Advent, Msgr. Esseff shares two deeply moving testimonies that reveal the power of love, faith, and the kingship of Christ. The first story follows a Christian couple who defied medical advice to abort their "defective" child, trusting instead i...