Heart to Heart: Faith Seasons Podcast

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again: Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus. By the third Sunday of Adv...

Matthew 17:9a, 10-13 …The disciples put this question to him: “Why do the scribes claim that Elijah must come first?”  In reply, he said: “Elijah is indeed coming, and he will restore everything.  I assure you, though, that Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him and did as they pleased with him.  The Son of Man will suffer at their hands in the same way.” The disciples then realiz...

Named Zoe Laboure at her birth in the Burgundy region of France in 1806, she was usually called Catherine, her Baptismal name. She was the 9th of 11 children. When she was only nine years old, her mother died. After the funeral, she went to a statue of Our Lady, kissed it and said, “Now you will be my mother.” Her father’s sister who lived a few miles away cared for Catherine and her sister after...

Isaiah 40:9-11 Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news!  Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God!  St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the 4th century, was a noted theologian and doctor of the church, who still influences Christianity today.  He is recognized as a saint not just in the Roman...

Today's Ornament of Grace for Wednesday of the second week of Advent is St. Monica. Isaiah 40:25-31 The Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though the young faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the...

Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent is Our Lady of Guadalupe. Zechariah 2:14-17 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!  See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord.  Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. Today is surel...

from Isaiah 29:18-19 On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.  The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1858, Katharine Mary Drexel’s mother died five weeks after giving birth, leaving Katharine and her older sister.  Her father, an ext...

Luke 3:3-6 ...as it is written in the words of Isaiah the Prophet: “A herald’s voice in the desert, crying, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, clear him a straight path. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be leveled. The windings shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth, and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.’” Isaiah, like all the prophets, certainly suf...

from Isaiah 41:13 For I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” Juan Diego, whose feast we celebrate today, belonged to the Aztec people. Born in what is today part of Mexico City, Mexico, in 1474, Juan was baptized when he was around 50 years old by one of the first Franciscan missionaries to the area. He was a devout convert. The fir...

Luke 1:26-28 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Upon arriving, the angel said to her: “Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” The Immaculate Conception Even though this lovely feast finds its way i...

Florence Nightingale is today's Ornament of Grace. from Matthew 7:24-25 “Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on rock. When the rainy season set in, the torrent came and the winds blew and buffeted his house. It did not collapse; it had been solidly set on rock. Anyone who hears my words but does not put them into practice is like the...

Isaiah 25:8-9 He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” St. Maria Goretti died a martyr’s death as an ele...

Isaiah 2:4-5 He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.  Born in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918, Nelson Mandela was the son of a local tribal leader.  He grew up taking part in the activities...

Today's Ornament of Grace for Monday of the first week of Advent is the Roman Centurion. from Matthew 8:5-11 As Jesus entered Capernaum, a Centurion approached him with this request: “Sir, my serving boy is at home in bed paralyzed, suffering painfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” “Sir,” the Centurion said in reply, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof.  Just give an or...

Today's Ornament of Grace for Sunday of the first week of Advent is the Archangel Raphael. Matthew 24:37-44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The coming of the Son of Man will repeat what happened in Noah’s time.  In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and being married, right up to the day Noah entered the ark.  They were totally unconcerned until the flood came...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 20:19-23 is by Fr. Sean Grismer. Father Sean was ordained a priest on June 4, 2016 for the Diocese of Rockford. He served as an associate at St. Mary in Huntley, St. Bridget in Loves Park, and will begin the role of Spiritual Director to Aurora Central Catholic High School this coming school year. He has led several parish missions and continues to lea...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 21:20-25 is by Sr. Sharon Zayac, OP. Sr. Sharon is a Dominican Sister of Springfield, IL. She has degrees in Secondary Education, Hospital Administration, and Earth Literacy. She is co-founder of Jubilee Farm, her congregation’s 164-acre eco-center, just west of Springfield, IL. She is a writer, speaker, retreat leader both in and outside of the U.S. f...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 21:15-19 is by Leah and Sean Reynolds. Leah and Sean live in Cincinnati, OH where they do marriage ministry, serve as CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) on behalf of children from troubled families, and enjoy retirement (and all the time it allows for family and especially grandchildren). Leah recently retired from nursing and Sean from full-tim...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 17:20-26 is by Susan Carson. Susan is a writer, speaker, spiritual director and Founder of Roots & Branches Network, a ministry creating safe space for transformational encounters with Jesus through listening prayer. Susan is the author of rooted (IN): Thriving in Connection with God, Yourself, and Others, and host of the rooted (IN).ten.tionally p...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on Acts 20:28-38 is by Fr. Terry Charlton, SJ. Fr. Terry, a Jesuit from Indianapolis, has worked in Nairobi, Kenya, since 1990. He is the Director of Mwangaza Jesuit Spirituality Centre and the Co-Founder, Chaplain, and Director of Development at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School, a fees-free school serving bright students from Kibera slum who are AIDS-aff...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 17:1-11a is by Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ. Father Mitch is a Jesuit priest, world renowned lecturer, spiritual director for over fifty Holy Land pilgrimages, respected scripture scholar, published author, and the host of EWTN's television and radio shows. He is also the President and Founder of Ignatius Productions, a Catholic media production apostol...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 16:29-33 is by the Very Reverend Esequiel Sanchez. Father Esequiel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago serving for the past 27 years serving in various capacities and parishes. He is currently the Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, as well as Dean for Vicariate I in the Archdiocese of Chicago. from John 16:29-33 The dis...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on Matthew 28:16-20 is by Emily Jaminet. Emily is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, podcaster, wife, mother of seven children, and the Executive Director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, found at www.welcomeHisHeart.com.  Her most recent book is Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart, Ten Ways to Strengthen More Loving Relationships. Emily can...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 16:23b-28 is by Dr. Terry Nelson-Johnson. Dr. Terry served on the faculty of the Loyola Academy Jesuit High School for eighteen years and is Founder of Soul-Play, LLC. He is Resident Theologian and Animator of Faith at Old St. Patrick’s Church, holds a master’s degree from Loyola University, and a Doctor of Ministry from the University of St. Mary of t...

Today's Season of Joy reflection on John 16:20-23 is by Fr. Richard Bollman, SJ. Father Richard is a Jesuit priest living in Cincinnati at Xavier University.  He works in retreat and spiritual ministry, and assists with worship at St. Robert Bellarmine parish where he was once pastor.  Ordained in 1969, he also served at the University of San Francisco, and as Director of the Jesuit Renewal C...