Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

I Try to Pray, but I'm So Discouraged – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V. Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor continue their conversation on struggles in the spiritual life, using the example of a spiritual struggle faced by a woman named Beth. After moving to a new city and starting a new job as a physical therapist, Beth encounters emotional and spiritual chal...

The Beatitudes as the Path to Joy and True Happiness – Building a Kingdom Love with Msgr. John Esseff In this episode of Building a Kingdom of Love, Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the Beatitudes as the true path to joy and happiness, drawing directly from the Gospel of Matthew. He explains that “blessed” does not mean successful by the world’s standards, but joyful in the deepest sense because one...

The Mass: the Universal Sign – Roots of the Faith with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina reflects on the Mass and the Eucharist as gifts rooted directly in the actions of Christ at the Last Supper and carried forward by the earliest Christian communities. Drawing from Scripture, especially Luke and Acts, “remembrance” in the biblical sense means entering into the saving event itself, not merely recallin...

Dr. Peter Kreeft – Practical Theology on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Kris McGregor speaks with Peter Kreeft about his book Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from St. Thomas Aquinas. He describes spending over a year immersed in the Summa Theologiae, discovering how deeply practical St. Thomas Aquinas’s theology is and how well it unites clear thinking with everyday moral and spiritua...

The Purpose of Life – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating reflects on why suffering exists without making it the goal of human life. He explains that suffering flows from the wounded condition of humanity in a fallen world, not from God’s original design. The true purpose of life is communion with God—sharing in the Trinitarian life of love and joy that God freely offe...

The Urgent Call of Jesus – Building a Kingdom of Love w/Msgr. John Esseff In this powerful reflection, Msgr. John Esseff speaks about the urgency of Jesus’ call to every human heart. Drawing from the Gospel of Mark, St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, and the story of Jonah, he reflects on the immediacy with which Jesus calls Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave everything and fol...

Sacred Conversations by Dr. Christopher Reed on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor In this episode of "Inside the Pages", Kris McGregor interviews Dr. Christopher Reed about his book "Sacred Conversations." Exploring the integration of faith into everyday interactions and emphasizes the importance of meaningful dialogue guided by agape love—selfless, Christ-like love. Dr. Reed shares how a pivota...

Witnesses to Tradition – Roots of the Faith with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina explores how the Church Fathers function as the hidden roots that nourish Christian faith across centuries. Though separated from modern life by culture, geography, and historical upheaval, the Fathers testify to a continuity of doctrine, worship, and moral life that has remained intact from the earliest generations. Thei...

The Suffering of Love – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating explains redemptive suffering as the practice of freely offering one’s physical, emotional, or spiritual pain in love for the good of another, uniting that suffering to Christ’s own prayer on the cross. Rather than becoming trapped in self-pity or displaced anger, suffering can be transformed into intercessory...

In this Discerning Hearts conversation, Kris and Bruce McGregor speak with Mike Aquilina about St. Anthony of the Desert and why his life became a defining witness for Christian monasticism. Drawing from St. Athanasius’ Life of Anthony, the discussion traces how Anthony’s radical response to the Gospel shaped generations. Though untrained and simple by worldly standards, Anthony listened attentive...

Gary Michuta – The Gospel Truth on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Kris McGregor speaks with Gary Michuta about his book The Gospel Truth: How We Can Know What Christ Taught, which examines how the teachings of Jesus were accurately preserved and transmitted. Michuta frames the Gospels like a careful investigation, looking not only at the written texts but also at the living Jewish community t...

Episode 12 – Nestorius – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina discusses Nestorius as a tragic and almost darkly comic figure whose early success as a learned monk did not prepare him for leadership in Constantinople. His rigid personality, discomfort with women, and obsession with linguistic precision shaped his rejection of the title Theotokos (“Mother of God”) for Mary....

What is Redemptive Suffering – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating explains redemptive suffering as the practice of freely offering one’s physical, emotional, or spiritual pain in love for the good of another, uniting that suffering to Christ’s own prayer on the cross. Rather than becoming trapped in self-pity or displaced anger, suffering can be transformed into inter...

The Peace of Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues his explanation of Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s third mode of discernment, focusing on what to do when clarity does not arise after weighing advantages and disadvantages through the “four columns” method. Using the example of a man discerning be...

Dr. Alexander Harb – The Kingdom of the Heart: Meditations from the Christian East on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Dr. Alexander Harb and Kris McGregor explore The Kingdom of the Heart: Meditations from the Christian East, his new book that gives both spiritual and theological insight into Eastern Christian spirituality through the lens of the Desert Fathers and the Philokalia. Dr. Harb dra...

Episode 11 – Julian the Apostate – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina recounts the rise of Julian the Apostate, a Roman emperor who came to power shortly after Christianity had gained legal standing under Constantine. Raised within the imperial family, Julian witnessed brutal violence carried out by relatives who publicly identified as Christian, an experience that shape...

Wednesday after the Epiphany – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart 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 deep within in your hea...

The Agony of Emotional Suffering – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating reflects on the deep reality of emotional suffering, especially loneliness, rejection, and isolation that cannot always be relieved by therapy or circumstance. He speaks of how such pain mirrors Christ’s own experiences of misunderstanding and abandonment, making it a place where intimacy with Jesus...

Three Modes of Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Father Timothy Gallagher continues his explanation of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s three modes of discernment by focusing on the third mode, used when neither immediate certainty nor a clear pattern of spiritual attraction has emerged. This approach relies on a calm, prayerful...

How Can You Be the Light of Christ? -The Epiphany – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the significance of the Epiphany, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. He begins by reflecting on the beauty of the stars and their symbolism as a guide. The Epiphany commemorates the manifestation of Jesus to the Gent...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Nine Living by the Light That Has Been Given Scripture “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go.” Matthew 2:13 Reflection Epiphany reveals Christ to the world. Over these days of prayer, we have seen that God makes Himself known freely and clearly. The Light is given. The Son is revealed. The Father’s saving work is made visible in history. The M...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Eight Receiving the Light That Is Given Scripture “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 Reflection Epiphany shows us that God does not hide Himself. He gives light freely. Christ is made known in the world, not cautiously or selectively, but generously. Yet Epiphany also reveals something sobering. The...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Seven When the Light Confronts the World Scripture “Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3 Reflection Epiphany reveals Christ as Light for the world. Yet the Gospel shows that this Light does not bring peace to every place it enters. When news of the Child reaches Jerusalem, the city is disturbed. Herod hears that a king has bee...

The Cross Conquers Evil – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating reflects on the cross as the sign of radical self-giving love that both attracts and frightens the human heart. The cross reveals humanity’s fear of surrender, rooted in the risk of love and the pain that often accompanies it. Jesus freely enters this place of fear and suffering, not to remove the human cond...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Six Allowing Christ to Reorder My Way Scripture “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” Matthew 2:12 Reflection After their encounter with Christ, the Magi do not simply return to their former path. Scripture tells us that they leave by another way. This detail is not incidental. It reveal...