Faith Talk with Anita: Join Me on the Journey

A man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is a critical question that I’m sure we would all like to have the answer to. Jesus does indeed answer the question, but he does so by offering us a very peculiar image to ponder. Please join me as I reflect on this important question and try to make sense of his strange notion.   Faith Talk with Anita You Tube videos: ⁠https://www....

This is a message I needed to hear! It is the gospel reading for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 29, 2024). In this Scripture story, Jesus teaches his apostles (and us) the lessons of humility and tolerance. Please join me as I reflect on Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9.   Faith Talk with Anita You Tube videos: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@FaithTalkWithAnita/videos   Follo...

Scripture scholars refer to the Book of Proverbs as “a guide for successful living.” In this Faith Talk I will share a few of my favorite proverbs and similar teachings from Jesus. Please join me as I look to these words for wisdom, resourcefulness, knowledge, discretion, and guidance.  Let us see what they may teach us, and how we might see them reflected in the teachings of Jesus. Foundational i...

My inspiration for this episode came from people who I have heard recently saying they don’t feel welcome in their churches because they feel judged by others. They feel as though they are viewed as less-than-ideal Christians because of the way they live their faith. My intention in this faith talk is to offer a bit of inspiration to all those people, with the help of Jesus’ words from Scripture a...

In this episode I share the wisdom of six holy women. I believe their voices deserve to be heard. I hope you will gain as much inspiration from them as I have. My source for this Faith Talk is the book, Women of Vision, An anthology of spiritual words from women across the centuries. Compiled by Dorothy Stewart.   Faith Talk with Anita You Tube videos: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@FaithTalkWithAnita/...

Throughout our lives we experience special events in which we feel God’s presence – those extraordinary events that we would call sacred. But those significant events of life are rare in the big scheme of things. Most of our lives are spent on ordinary, mundane activities. Things like cleaning, cooking, shopping, caring for loved ones, working, waiting in line, etc. So, I ask - aren’t the ordinary...

This Faith Talk is my reflection on a presentation Bishop Robert Barron gave about Origen of Alexandria (185 A.D. – 252 A.D.) and how he interpreted the Bible. Bishop Barron refers to Origen as “a man of the Bible.” In short, Origen believed that Christians should read the entire Bible Christologically – through the lens of Christ. And I agree. Clearly the Bible is the foundation of our Christian...

This Faith Talk is intended to be a personal faith reflection. The story of God’s call of the Prophet Samuel offers us three simple, yet significant faith lessons that I will focus on: First is the importance of the support he received from his family and his community. Second is the fact that he intentionally placed himself in God’s presence. And lastly, is his persistence in faith. I hope this p...

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” These words come from the call story of the Prophet, Samuel, in the Old Testament. They have recently become an important part of my daily prayer. I hope they will help you as you continue on your faith journey!   Faith Talk with Anita You Tube videos: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@FaithTalkWithAnita/videos   Follow me on Instagram:  https://www.instagram....

This is my reflection on the woman who touched the cloak of Christ and was healed. She had suffered for twelve years from debilitating hemorrhages. Doctors could not help her. Finally, she put all her hope and trust in Jesus of Nazareth and her life changed forever. Her encounter with Christ brought her healing and peace. I find this woman’s story to be extremely powerful. And I find her to be an...

“ The important thing that God seems to want to be doing in history is to create a community of compassion where people care about one another.” (Fr. Richard Rohr) I like this statement. When I reflect on the Church as a community of compassion I think of 3 levels of compassion: 1. A General call for all Christians to have compassion for all other humans. 2. Self-compassion. 3. Compassion on the p...

This Faith Talk was inspired by a few friends who find it difficult to remain faithful to the Church. In this episode I reflect on my own experiences with this issue. Can I live faithfully to the teachings of Jesus and at the same time accept and follow many of the teachings and guidelines put in place by the bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis? Can I reconcile much of what the bis...

In this Faith Talk I reflect on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, through the lens of the liturgical readings for the day. This is a significant feast day for Catholics because we believe that during the Mass, the sacrificial bread and wine become, through the power of the Holy Spirit, The Body and Blood of Christ. We believe Christ to be presen...

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” With those words, Jesus began his public ministry. Over the next 3 years he would proclaim the Kingdom through his words and actions. It is this proclamation of the Kingdom that our liturgical season of Ordinary Time is focused on. In this Faith Talk, I share Scripture passages, the words of Fr. Richard Rohr and Fr. Jan Larson, and my own thoughts on...

In this Faith Talk I reflect on the Feast of Pentecost – the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the first community of Christians – what many believe to be the birthday of the Church. But I don’t see Pentecost as just a Christian story. I see it as a universal story – intended for the whole world. I believe the Holy Spirit has been given to all! Please join me as I talk through my reasoning.   Fai...

This is the story of my visit to the Miraculous Staircase in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. I include incredible details about the staircase itself and the story of how it came to be (from the booklet, Loretto Chapel, the Miraculous Staircase , by Bill Brokaw). You can see my photos of the staircase in my You Tube video episode 102. I also include the words of the original Novena to St. Joseph th...

In this Faith Talk I reflect on the power of the funeral ritual (both religious and secular), by sharing my recent experiences. I believe there is great power in the simple act of gathering - to support one another, hold one another, share stories, laugh, and cry together. Catholics will remember that burying the dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy , which doesn’t mean to literally dig the...

Mysticism can be a foreign and quite often perplexing concept for many people. It seems abstract and completely outside of our personal experiences. It’s just not something that most of us have been encouraged to explore or even been exposed to. But I believe God has created all of us to be mystics. It is our common vocation. And it is possible for each of us to reach that spiritual height. In thi...

During the 40 days of Lent, we put our ordinary daily activities on hold as we pray, fast, and sacrifice in preparation for Easter. And then we celebrate the great Feast of Easter with wonder, awe, exultation, and joy. But where does that leave us in the days and weeks following the extraordinary event of Easter? Does that wonder and awe remain? Or do we simply slip back into our ordinary daily li...

Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, also known as The Triduum , are the three holy days that saved the world. More precisely, the 3 holy days ON WHICH God saved the world. In this Faith Talk, I reflect on the scripture readings for these holy days. I hope my reflection will help you enter more fully into these holy days so you can know Christ better and unite more deeply with him in his Pascha...

The Feast of Palm Sunday places us squarely at the edge of our Lenten desert journey and the beginning of our walk through Holy Week. It’s a pivotal event on our faith journey, just as it was for Jesus’ mission. In this Faith Talk I reflect on a few key details from the Scripture readings from the Palm Sunday Liturgy. If we heed the message, we will discover important truths which can move us forw...

In this Faith Talk I reflect on the notion of Surrendering to God. What does this mean to you? And what does it look like in your life? In my reflection, I use quotes from Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Richard Rohr, as well as passages from the Bible. My take-away is that surrendering to God is not giving up but opening ourselves up to God. Surrendering to God actually frees us! I also do a brief check...

The season of Lent brings many thoughts and images to our minds, including sacrifice, fasting, abstinence, and penance. But it seems to me that when we think of Lent, our first thought should be of LOVE! In this Faith Talk I share a few of the gospel readings from the first week of Lent, as well as the words of Bishop Robert Barron from his book, Lenten Gospel Reflections . I see a pattern in thes...

“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked this question of his first disciples, but I believe he also asks it of us today. It is one of the most fundamental, yet significant questions we will ever contemplate. How do you answer it? In this Faith Talk, I reflect on this crucial question. Please join me!   Faith Talk with Anita You Tube videos: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@FaithTalkWithAnita/videos   Fol...

In this Faith Talk I reflect on the notion of following Jesus, which is a primary liturgical message during the first week of Lent. It’s comforting knowing that we have someone who will lead us in the right direction. Someone who knows the way. Someone we can trust and depend on. My friends, Jesus is that someone. In this episode, I share gospel readings from the first few days of Lent and some co...