Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

Episode 4 – Extraordinary Activity – Put on The Armor – 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 turn to the subject of extraordinary demonic activity and the Church’s response to it. Dr. Thigpen explains the distinctions often made between infestation, oppression, obsession a...

William Shakespeare  – Merchant of Venice and King Lear – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce In this episode of The Great Works in Western Literature, Joseph Pearce and Kris McGregor explore William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and King Lear, two plays that continue to challenge readers with their profound moral, philosophical, and spiritual depth. Pearce explains that Th...

In Place Of Relativism…Healing Consequences – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB and Kris McGregor reflect on the healing purpose of consequences within Christian community life. Drawing from Chapters 23–30 of the Rule, especially Chapter 27 concerning the care o...

Flight from Herod – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor explore the historical and practical realities surrounding the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, inviting listeners to imagine daily life in a world without modern conveniences. Travel in that era was slow, risky, and uncertain, especially under the threat of Herod’s violence. Joseph, drawing on his expe...

A Need to Share – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V. Fr. Timothy Gallagher explores the experience of spiritual dryness in prayer, highlighting it as a potential sign of growth rather than failure. Using the story of a father and son, Fr. Gallagher illustrates how unresolved burdens, such as past sins or secrets, can hinder intimacy with God. God desires us to bring...

Instead of circling around one’s self, hospitality – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB and Kris McGregor reflect on Chapter 53 of the Rule and the profound call to hospitality. St. Benedict teaches that every guest is to be welcomed as Christ Himself, a striking...

Gretchen Crowe – Praying the Rosary with St. John Paul II on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Gretchen Crowe discusses her book Praying the Rosary with St. John Paul II, which grew out of her earlier work on the relevance of the rosary in modern life. She explains her desire to bring readers into a closer connection with St. John Paul II’s deep Marian devotion and his love for the rosary, drawi...

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide – 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 be heard d...

Joseph and His Angels – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina explores the four angelic visitations to St. Joseph in Matthew’s Gospel, presenting them as unusually sustained encounters that guide Joseph’s decisions at critical moments. Within the Jewish religious world of the time, rich with awareness of spiritual beings, these appearances would have seemed natural and meaningf...

Growth – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V. Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor explore the spiritual challenges faced during prayer, using Cathy's journey as a case study to illustrate how prayer evolves over time. Cathy initially experiences deep spiritual consolation and healing by using reflective and imaginative methods of Ignatian prayer. However, as her pr...

Episode 3 – Temptation – Put on The Armor – 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 continue their reflection on the Christian’s ongoing struggle with temptation. Even though Satan has already been decisively defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the sp...

C.S. Lewis – The Pilgrim’s Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason, and Romanticism – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce In this episode of The Great Works in Western Literature, Joseph Pearce and Kris McGregor explore C.S. Lewis’s often-overlooked work The Pilgrim’s Regress, a rich allegorical journey that reflects Lewis’s own path from atheism to Christian fait...

Instead of leaning on others, standing on one's own feet – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, and Kris McGregor explore the wisdom behind Chapter 69 of the Rule, which cautions against defending another within the monastic community. At first glance, this teachi...

 Marriage Amid The Madness – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor explore how the Holy Family reveals a deeply relational understanding of Christian life, where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph form a true spiritual household into which all are drawn. They reflect on the contrast between Herod’s corrupt, collapsing life and the quiet faithfulness of Mary and Joseph,...

Forms of Dryness – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V. Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor examine the struggles and remedies in the spiritual life, focusing on dryness in prayer. Through stories like Paul's father, who struggles with confusion and distraction as he begins praying with scripture. Learning how to meditate effectively, preparing in advance, and usin...

Living the Resurrection and Becoming Christ’s Witness – Building a Kingdom with Msgr. John Esseff In this Third Sunday of Easter reflection, Msgr. John Esseff focuses on the Church’s journey from Easter to Pentecost, highlighting how the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel readings reveal a community transformed by the resurrection. The early Church becomes a living witness to Christ, moving from...

Herman Melville – Moby Dick  – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce In this episode of The Great Works in Western Literature, Kris McGregor and Joseph Pearce explore Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, a towering work of American literature that moves far beyond a simple sea adventure into a profound meditation on the human soul. Pearce reflects on Melville’s life, noting how the author s...

Episode 1 – "Why does God allow evil" – Put on The Armor – 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 deepen the conversation by reflecting on St. Paul’s call in Ephesians to “put on the armor of God.” Dr. Thigpen explains that spiritual warfare is not reduced to a few prayers o...

In place of idleness, work – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, and Kris McGregor reflect on Chapter 48 of the Rule and the teaching that “idleness is the enemy of the soul.” While modern culture often leans toward constant activity, St. Benedict offers a deeper...

Prosperity and It's Price – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina explores the broader world Joseph lived in, including the complex figure of Herod the Great—an accomplished but deeply troubled ruler whose achievements brought prosperity while his paranoia and cruelty alienated his people. He also explains the challenge of reconstructing Joseph’s life due to limited direct reco...

I Feel Alone – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V. Fr. Timothy Gallagher illustrates the struggles in the process of discernment with Kathy’s story, a woman who, after experiencing spiritual closeness with God, is confronted by a deeply buried pain triggered during prayer. Kathy feels abandoned by God, prompting her to stop praying and isolate herself emotionally. Gui...

In this episode of Inside the Pages, Kris McGregor speaks with Mike Pacer, author of Mercy and Hope, about the transforming power of God’s mercy and the deep Christian call to live in hope. Drawing from his own spiritual journey, Mike reflects on how many Catholics grow up with a sense of guilt, shame, and the feeling that God’s love must somehow be earned. In response, he offers a deeply biblical...

Ginny Kochis – Quirky Catholic Kids: Navigating Neurodivergence with Faith and Joy on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor In this heartfelt episode of Inside the Pages, Kris McGregor speaks with Ginny Kochis, author of Quirky Catholic Kids: Navigating Neurodivergence with Faith and Joy, about the challenges and graces of raising neurodivergent children in Catholic families. Drawing from her own li...

Episode 1 – "Know Your Enemy" – Put on The Armor – A Manual for Spiritual Warfare with Dr. Paul Thigpen, Ph. D In this opening conversation of Put on the Armor: A Manual for Spiritual Warfare, Kris McGregor and Dr. Paul Thigpen begin by addressing a truth too often ignored in modern Christian life: the reality of spiritual warfare. Dr. Thigpen explains that many people live unaware that a battle f...

Living in Community – the benefits for all of society – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B In this episode of The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World, Kris McGregor and Fr. Mauritius Wilde, OSB, reflect on the essential role of community life in the Benedictine tradition. Drawing from Chapter 1 of the Rule, St. Benedict distinguishes between diff...