Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

St Benedict of Nursia, abbot Put Christ before everything   From the Holy Rule (Prologus 4-22; cap. 72, 1-12: CSEL 75, 2-5, 162-163) Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection; that he, who has honored us by counting us among his children, may never be grieved by our evil deeds. For we must always serve him with...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 20: Disarming AI In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s call to “disarm” artificial intelligence. The Holy Father is not calling for the rejection of technology, but for technological power to be freed from rivalry, secrecy, monopo...

   Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 9 – The Desire for Heaven «But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with His glorified body.» Philippians 3:20-21 Meditation The Martins always yearned for Heaven. Every moment of their life was oriented toward this ultimate goal. St. Thérèse speaks of Heav...

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 6 St. Bonaventure you have said: The Blessed Virgin brought forth that price by the holiness of Her prompt obedience. As everlasting foundations upon a solid rock, so the commandments of God in the heart of a woman. To found the Church, it was necessary to lay a foundation, namely, the commandments of God, and to place them in the heart of some person. This could...

O Mother of Fair Love, through your goodness, as your children, we are called to live in the spirit of Carmel. Help us to live in charity with one another, prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God’s people. (State your request here…) Recite the following prayers… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us...

Saturday 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...

G. K. Chesterton and The Man Who Was Thursday – Great Works in Western Literature with Joseph Pearce In this episode of The Great Works in Western Literature , Joseph Pearce and Kris McGregor explore G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare , one of the most imaginative and philosophically rich novels of the twentieth century. Through the adventures of Gabriel Syme, a poet recruited...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 19: What AI Can and Cannot Be In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching that artificial intelligence can imitate certain functions of human intelligence, while remaining profoundly different from the human person. The Holy Fa...

 Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 9 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: As there is a harsh and evil zeal which separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a virtuous zeal which separates from vice and leads to God and life everlasting. Let the monks, therefore, practice this zeal with most ardent love; namely, that in honor they forerun one another (cf Rom 12:10). Let...

   Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 8 – The Virgin Mary «When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.» John 19:26-27 Meditation Sts. Louis and Zélie had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. A statue of Mar...

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 5 St. Bonaventure you have said: “Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full...

When you gave us, Gracious Lady, the Scapular as our Habit, you called us to be not only servants, but also your own children. We ask you to gain for us from your Son the grace to live as your children in joy, peace and love. (State your request here…) Recite the following prayers… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Friday 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...

Listening to God’s Voice…Obedience – 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 one of the central themes of the Rule: obedience as the art of deep listening. Drawing from Chapter 5, St. Benedict teaches that obedience is f...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 18: When Efficiency Becomes the Measure In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s warning about the technocratic paradigm. The Holy Father teaches that technology is not simply a tool when it becomes the standard by which everything i...

Novena to St. Benedict – Day 8 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: If we do not venture to approach men who are in power, except with humility and reverence, when we wish to ask a favor, how much must we beseech the Lord God of all things with all humility and purity of devotion? And let us be assured that it is not in many words, but in the purity of heart and tears of compunction...

    Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 7 – Trials «Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.» Matthew 16:24 Meditation The holy couple had many trials—in raising their daughters, in sickness and in grief. St. Zélie told her sister-in-law, « So you see, my dear sister, everyone has troubles. The happiest are only those who are less unhappy. Th...

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 4 St. Bonaventure you have said: I confess before God that what made me love Saint Francis’ way of life so much was that it is exactly like the origin and the perfection of the Church itself, which began first with simple fishermen and afterward developed to include the most illustrious and learned doctors. You find the same thing in the Order of Saint Francis; i...

O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as your faithful children. May we always wear it with honor by avoiding sin and imitating your virtues. Help us to be faithful to this desire of ours. (State your request here…) Recite the following prayers… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Thursday 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...

Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart A 30-Day Journey with Pope Leo XIV’s  Magnifica Humanitas Episode 17: Justice That Begins with the Least Among Us In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart , we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching that social justice is a concrete way of following Jesus and remaining faithful to the Gospel. The Holy Father reminds us that Christ i...

Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 7 In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said: We believe that God is present everywhere and that the eyes of the Lord behold the good and the bad in every place (cf Prov 15:3). Let us firmly believe this, especially when we take part in the Work of God. Let us, therefore, always be mindful of what the Prophet says, “Serve the Lord with fear&#822...

  Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena Day 6 – Mercy «Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.» Luke 6:36 Meditation Sts. Louis and Zélie, aware of their own weakness, let the mercy of God transform them, and they tried to live it and pass it on in their everyday lives. Céline relates: « In her old age, Marie, our oldest sister, still remembered with regret, and even with tears, the sigh...

St. Bonaventure Novena Day 3 St. Bonaventure you have said: In beautiful things St. Francis saw Beauty itself, and through His vestiges imprinted on creation he followed his Beloved everywhere, making from all things a ladder by which he could climb up and embrace Him who is utterly desirable. If you desire to know … ask grace, not instruction; desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, no...

Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness. (State your request here…) Recite the following prayers… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be… Our L...