St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

"The first step to conversion is recognizing our own sins. God, in his Mercy, is always ready to forgive our sins, but He needs to find a repentant heart" (Fr. George Boronat). Join the St. Josemaria Institute each week of Lent as we open our hearts to Jesus and wonder at His love, especially as we listen to His word in Scripture and reflect upon and live the Lenten practices: prayer, fa...

"Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered" (Luke 9:28-29). Join the St. Josemaria Institute each week of Lent as we open our hearts to Jesus and wonder at His love, especially as we listen to His word in Scripture and reflect upon and live the Lenten practices: prayer, fasting,...

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2). Join the St. Josemaria Institute each week of Lent as we open our hearts to Jesus and wonder at His love, especially as we listen to His word in Scripture and reflect upon and live the Lenten practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. View...

As we begin a new season of Lent, Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection on the importance of connecting with the Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a season to look inward and assess what the Lord is asking us to deny, offer up , so that we can share in his self-emptying and experience the joy of everlasting life. St. Josemaria Escriva reminds us that “conversion is the task of a m...

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the role of marriage and family as catalysts in revitalizing Christianity in the world today.  Contemplating the gospel of the Wedding Feast at Cana (Jn 2:1-12), Fr. Peter explains the significance of the sacramentality of marriage which facilitates a bond of fidelity, love and self-giving between a husband and wife. Through this bond, the home is abl...

In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina reflects on the family as a school of love where we learn to use our freedom, and where we learn the meaning and value of life, sexuality, friendship, weakness, forgiveness and love. “Love is a powerful word,” says Fr. Leo, “and this is our legacy as Catholics… It is a treasure that we have received from Jesus Christ. Love is ultimately what brings people back to...

Is your family a happy family, filled with love and mercy? In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on what it means to be a family, following in the example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In this Year of the Family proclaimed by Pope Francis, “we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family unit… being founded on the love that always regenerates relationships, opening up horizons o...

In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of February, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on the importance of the Holy Mass in our daily life. He explains that in every Mass the healing work of Christ becomes present and effective in our world. Fr. Donncha offers encouragement for those times when we may not feel like going to Mass, for it is then when we absolutely need...

How can you create a family environment in which each person can thrive? In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan concludes our series, Marriage: A Christian Vocation , by reflecting on the virtues and ideals necessary to build up a strong, Christian family. Looking to the Holy Family as our example, Msgr. Dolan encourages all men and women to go about parenting in a thoughtful way, ready to invest the t...

Continuing our series, Marriage: A Christian Vocation : In this podcast, Msgr. Dolan reflects on safeguarding the holy sacrament of matrimony through the trials and temptations that may arise. He explains that couples are called to continually seek the good of the other and to give of oneself just as Jesus gave himself to the point of death for each one of us. St. Josemaria reminds us: “We would h...

Through June 2022, in union with the whole Church, the St. Josemaria Institute podcasts, reflections and programs will be celebrating the topic of the Joy of the Family . This month, we will begin with a three-part series from Msgr. Fred Dolan offering a deeper reflection on the sacrament of marriage as a Christian vocation. Msgr. Dolan begins this series by sharing considerations from Pope Franci...

In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of January , Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on our call to be sowers of peace and joy in the world today as we seek to lift up one another in charity. We see in Scripture that Christ comes to us as the good news of great joy , coming to Earth to save each person from sin. Fr. Peter reminds us that we are called to be an extension...

Do you have the aspiration, the desire, to give yourself completely to God? What is holding you back? In this podcast, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1), Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on our vocation as children of God and our calling to begin again as we give witness to the incarnate love of God the Father. Fr. Donncha explains: “The Lord wants to become incarnate i...

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family on December 26, marking the halfway point for The Year of the Family: March 19, 2021 - June 26, 2022. In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on keys themes from Amoris laetitia , an Apostolic exhortation on love in the family written by Pope Francis. This exhortation sets forth the goal for us and our families to resemble more and more closely...

To conclude our Advent series:  In this week’s podcast, Fr. Javier reflects on the last of the cardinal virtues: temperance. The holiday season, in particular, is a good time to reflect on this virtue as we battle the temptations of partaking in so many pleasurable things and activities all around us! Temperance, the “virtue which allows us to regulate those things that give us pleasure here and n...

Have you heard the good news of great joy? In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on the moment within the Christmas narrative when the angels proclaimed the good news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds. The shepherds saw this incredible appearance of God’s glory around them, and they were given a sign: not some strange, obtuse and complicated puzzle, but rather a simple sign of a baby lying i...

Continuing our Advent series: In this week’s podcast, Fr. Javier reflects on the virtue of fortitude, which allows us to overcome difficulties when we need to achieve the good. When confronted by evil and suffering in the world, or challenges in our daily lives, we can easily lose our peace and sense of reason. But, as Fr. Javier explains, it is possible to coexist with pain and suffering and not...

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, honoring the dogma that Mary was conceived without Original Sin. In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on the joy of this great solemnity in which we are encouraged to pray for an increase in our docility to the work of the Holy Spirit so that we may turn away from sin and allow the Lord to work through us as we w...

Continuing our Advent series: In this week’s podcast, Fr. Javier reflects on the virtue of justice, in which we are called to give each person his or her due, and how we must foster this virtue in our relationships with God, our neighbors, and ourselves. The virtue of justice challenges us to examine ourselves and see how we can improve on a personal and spiritual level. In doing so, we are able t...

The St. Josemaria Institute is pleased to share a new four-part series for Advent— Be Ready! — reflections on the four cardinal virtues and how they can help us prepare our hearts for Christmas. In this week’s podcast, the first of the series, Fr. Javier reflects on the virtue of prudence which lays the foundation for us to grow in practice of the three other cardinal virtues: justice, fortitude,...

What does Christ’s teaching by the Sea of Galilee, surrounded by crowds, teach us about the waves that rise up in our lives and our need to keep our eyes on Christ? In this podcast, Fr. Donncha invites us to meditate upon the Gospel scene of Christ along the Sea of Galilee in which he shows his desire to enter into our lives to dwell in constant communion, conversation, and love with us. He explai...

Are you seeking to draw near to Our Lord more each day? As heard in the Gospel for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, we encountered the endearing figure of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who had a poor reputation among his Jewish confreres, but nevertheless had a deep desire to meet Jesus. He overcame his shame and reached out to be close to Jesus who was passing by.  In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai...

Do you live each day with the urgency and desire to bring the gospel message into your work, family, and social relations? In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection on the value of living an ordinary Christian life in the middle of the world. He prompts us to reflect on the fading Catholic identity in the world today and challenges us to bear witness to the light of Christ in our ever...

In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of November , Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on fulfilling our divinely given mission. He explains that “this inspired life begins with the awareness that God dwells within us, that he is keenly interested in everything we do, and that he awaits our loving response all day long. The challenge is to maintain that vocation sense eve...

Is the Communion of Saints just a comforting idea ? Or a true and deeply consoling reality ?  In this podcast, as we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints (Nov. 1) and the Commemoration of All Souls (Nov. 2), Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on the importance of community in our faith journey as we pursue the goal of eternal life with Christ in Heaven. Through the sacrament of baptism, we are welcome...