Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

Episode 10 – Arius – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina explains how Arius, a priest from Alexandria, proposed a view of Christ that treated the Son as a created being rather than fully divine. This teaching spread rapidly because it sounded logical, was easy to repeat, and was promoted through memorable songs and slogans. Its success forced church leaders such as Alexan...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Five Receiving My Identity from the Father Scripture “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 Reflection Epiphany continues beyond Bethlehem. The child who was revealed to the nations now steps into public life. At the Jordan River, Christ stands among the people who have come seeking repentance and renewal. Jesus does not...

Steps in Spiritual Guidance – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues his teaching on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s discernment by explaining the second mode, illustrated through real-life vocational examples. In this mode, God’s will becomes known gradually through a repeated inner attraction experienced during t...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Four Placing My Life Before Christ Scripture “They offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 Reflection After the Magi kneel before the child, the Gospel tells us that they open what they have brought and place it before Him. Their response to Christ is not only interior. It becomes an offering. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh a...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Three A Willing Heart Before Christ Scripture “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3 Reflection As Epiphany continues, the Gospel shows that people respond to Christ in different ways. The Magi hear of His birth and rejoice. Others hear the same news and are unsettled. Some are disturbed. Some remai...

An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Two Receiving Christ in His Humility Scripture “When they saw the child with Mary his mother, they fell down and worshiped him.” Matthew 2:11 Reflection Epiphany now shows us not only that Christ is revealed, but how He chooses to be revealed. The Magi have followed the light given to them, and their journey leads them to Bethlehem. They do not find...

Day One Receive the Light of Christ Scripture “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1 Reflection Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning manifestation or appearing. It proclaims the making known of who Jesus Christ is for the salvation of the world. From the beginning, Christ is known within Israel by those who receive God’s revelation....

In this Christmas Day reflection, Msgr. John Esseff contemplates the mystery of the Incarnation as the defining act of God’s love for the entire human family. Drawing from Isaiah, the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Prologue of the Gospel of John, he proclaims that the Creator of the universe has entered human history as a child, born of the Virgin Mary, to bring salvation to all people. Msgr. Esse...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 26 – Christ Dwelling Within “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1.14 RSV Christmas reveals something astonishing: God not only comes into the world — He desires to dwell within ...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 25 – Adoration “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.” Psalm 95.6 RSV Adoration is the stillness of a heart that has recognized the nearness of God. It is...

Episode 9 – Diocletian – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina discusses the Roman emperor Diocletian, whose name became permanently linked to one of the most prolonged and systematic persecutions in Christian history. Unlike earlier rulers driven by instability or rage, Diocletian was a capable administrator who sought to stabilize an overextended empire through careful po...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 24 – Joy “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10–11 RSV Joy i...

Second Mode of 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 discuss the second mode of discernment according to St. Ignatius of Loyola. This mode involves a consistent attraction of the heart toward one option over a period of time, particularly during spiritual consolation. They examine an e...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 23 – Wonder “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1.41 RSV Wonder is the interior awakening that happe...

The 4th Sunday of Advent – The  Joy of Christ’s Coming – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff In this final Sunday of Advent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff and Kris McGregor turn to the mystery of the Incarnation through the Gospel of Matthew and the prophecies of Isaiah. The episode traces God’s faithful promise to send a Savior, moving from the darkness that followed the fall of Adam...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 22 – Mercy “His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.” Luke 1.50 RSV Mercy is the tenderness of God meeting the truth of who we are. It is not simply forgiveness, though...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 21 – Humility “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3.30 (RSV) Humility is the doorway through which Christ enters the heart. It is not self-humiliation, nor a denial of the goodness God...

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 20 – Love “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4.19 (RSV Love is the fullness of the listening heart. After days of trust, surrender, silence, and hidden fidelity, the soul is ready for t...

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 19 – Spiritual Desolation “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my help and my God.” Psalm 42: 5 (RSV) The jo...

Episode 8 – Celsus – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina Mike Aquilina discusses the second-century pagan intellectual Celsus, a formidable critic of early Christianity whose work unintentionally preserved valuable insight into the objections Christians faced in the ancient world. Celsus was a serious compiler of knowledge who treated Christianity alongside medicine, law, and agricultu...

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 18 – Fear “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 RSV Fear touches every human heart. We long for security, assurance, and answers. We want to know that we are safe and that...

The Gift of Grace – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating Deacon James Keating describes the spiritual journey from attachment to sin into a life shaped by Christ’s light. This shift usually begins through pain or restlessness that awakens a desire for something deeper. As a person moves away from sin and leans into virtue, the presence of Christ becomes clearer, forming the mind and heart...

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 17 – Suffering “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1.5 RSV Suffering is one of the most difficult inte...

Two Modes 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 teaching on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s three modes of discernment, focusing here on the first and second modes. The first mode is a clarity beyond doubting, in which a person receives an unmistakable certainty about God’s will that cannot be...

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 16 – Weakness “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12.9 RSV Weakness is one of the most vulnerable places in the spiritual life. It is...