The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Episode 305 - On Comparison and Insecurity Have you ever looked at someone else's gifts, vocation, prayer, family, or life and suddenly felt like you weren't enough? In this episode, the friars talk about the very human struggle of comparison and insecurity. Whether it shows up in ministry, community, relationships, social media, or the hidden places of the heart, comparison can quietly pull us aw...

Episode 304 - Knicks in Five What if the joy of victory is meant to teach us something deeper? In this episode, the friars take a very Poco a Poco turn, from celebrating the Knicks' championship win to reflecting on what sports, fandom, loyalty, and shared joy can reveal about the spiritual life. Behind the fun, the emotion, and the city-wide celebration is something profoundly human: the desire t...

Episode 303 - Borrowing Peace What if peace isn't something you have to create on your own? In this episode, the friars reflect on the gift of "borrowing" from Jesus. His peace, His confidence, His mercy, His steadiness, especially when our own hearts feel overwhelmed, anxious, or shaken. Like a child borrowing calm from a loving parent, we're invited to bring our storms to the One who is never ov...

Episode 302 - Intimacy with Jesus: Ask, Seek, Knock Have you ever done all the Catholic things but still felt distant from Jesus? In this episode, the friars speak to the person who believes, prays, goes to Mass, tries to live faithfully, and yet still wonders why prayer can feel dry, disconnected, or more like duty than relationship. They explore what it means to move from simply doing the right...

Episode 301 - Seen, Known, Understood by God Have you ever tried to explain what you're carrying and felt like nobody really got it? In this episode, the friars talk about the deep human desire to be seen, known, and understood, and the pain that comes when we feel missed, dismissed, or alone in our experience. Whether it's suffering, leadership, race, vocation, family life, or the hidden weight o...

Episode 300 - Words and the Word ft. Fr. Gregory Pine, OP Have you ever thought about how much power your words actually carry? In this special 300th episode, the friars are joined by Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, to talk about words, speech, and the deeper invitation behind how we communicate. Drawing from his book Training the Tongue, Fr. Gregory reflects on how our words are not just sounds or informat...

Episode 299 - Winning Summer What does it actually look like to rest well? As summer begins, the friars talk about how to enter a season of more space, flexibility, and rest without drifting into idleness. Whether it's summer break, vacation, weekends, or simply a change of rhythm, these moments can become a real gift, but only if we bring Jesus into them. In this episode, they reflect on the diff...

Episode 298 - How Does Jesus See My Sin? Have you ever felt like your sin says more about you than God's mercy does? In this episode, the friars reflect on how we experience our own sin and how easy it is to fall into shame, discouragement, anxiety, or self-condemnation. They explore the difference between healthy sorrow for sin and the kind of shame that begins to define us, isolate us, and keep...

Episode 297 - When One Door Closes... What do you do when the plan you had suddenly falls apart? In this episode, the friars reflect on the role of closed doors in discernment, those moments when something we hoped for, planned for, or tried to control simply doesn't happen. A missed flight, a changed plan, a lost opportunity, a relationship that doesn't unfold the way we imagined… sometimes reali...

Episode 296 - Revelation of the Resurrected One Have you ever wondered why it can be so hard to recognize Jesus, even when He's right in front of you? In this episode, the friars reflect on the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus, moments where those closest to Him don't recognize Him at first. From Mary Magdalene in the garden to the road to Emmaus, they explore the mystery of how the risen Lo...

Episode 295 - Who Did It Better? Does it sometimes feel like the people who mess up the most end up closer to God? As the friars wrap up their reflections on the Prodigal Son, they wrestle with a real and honest question: Did things actually turn out better for the one who left than for the one who stayed? In this episode, they unpack the tension between comparison and truth. While the younger son...

Episode 294 - Be Merciful As Your Father Have you ever wanted to forgive, but just couldn't seem to get there? This week, the friars reflect on the call to "be merciful as your Father is merciful" and the real, often slow journey of forgiveness. They unpack the tension of holding pain while still being invited into mercy and how forgiveness isn't something we force, but something we receive and gr...

Episode 293 - Older Son (Spiritual Sense) Have you ever been hurt by someone and struggled with what forgiveness is supposed to look like? In this episode, the friars revisit the older son in the Prodigal Son story, but now through a deeper, spiritual lens. Not just what he did, but what he felt. The loss, the frustration, the sense of being overlooked, and the real difficulty of being invited int...

Episode 292 - Older Son (Literal Sense) Have you ever felt frustrated, overlooked, or distant, even though you find yourself doing the "right" things? In this episode, the friars dive into the older son in the Prodigal Son story, not symbolically at first, but simply as he is. His words, his reactions, his position in the family. And what starts to emerge is something deeply human: a struggle with...

Ever feel like God is inviting you back to something, but you're not quite sure how to step into it? After time away, Fr. Angelus returns, and the conversation picks up right where grace has been quietly at work. There's a sense of homecoming here, but also a deeper invitation to listen, to trust, and to respond to what the Lord is doing beneath the surface. In this episode, the friars reflect on...

Episode 290 - The Father's Banquet Have you ever struggled to receive love that you feel you don't deserve? As the Lenten journey through the Prodigal Son continues, the friars turn to one of the most striking moments in the parable, the Father's banquet. What should be a moment of pure joy is, for the son, also deeply uncomfortable. After everything he's done, he's not just welcomed back, he was...

Episode 289 - An Unfading Mercy Do you ever feel stuck confessing the same sins over and over again? Continuing their reflection on the Prodigal Son, the friars explore a powerful truth: God's mercy isn't a one-time moment, it's something we encounter again and again. Like a path worn into the ground, the Father continually goes out to meet His children, never tiring, never holding back. In this e...

Episode 288 - The Father's Embrace What do you expect to find when you finally turn back toward God? Continuing their Lenten journey through the Prodigal Son, the friars arrive at the turning point of the story, the moment the son returns home. Expecting rejection, punishment, or distance, he instead finds something completely unexpected: the Father running toward him with compassion. In this epis...

Episode 287 - The Necessary Consequence of Sin Have you ever looked at your life and quietly thought, "How did I end up here?"? Continuing their Lenten reflection on the Prodigal Son, the friars look at the hard truth: sin always leads somewhere. What begins as freedom and excitement ends in isolation, shame, and a loss of dignity. The son who demanded his inheritance finds himself alone in the pi...

Episode 286 - Give Me My Inheritance Have you ever wanted God's gifts, but not the relationship that comes with them? Continuing their Lenten journey through the Prodigal Son, the friars reflect on the bold and painful demand: "Father, give me my inheritance." They explore the deeper movement beneath those words, the desire to take control, to live on our own terms, and to separate blessing from b...

Episode 285 - From Son to Orphan How does a beloved son end up living like an orphan? As Lent begins, the friars enter deeply into the parable of the Prodigal Son, not starting with the return, but with the rupture. What happens in a heart that makes someone walk away from home? What wounds, doubts, shame, or disappointments lead us to take our inheritance and try to live without the Father? In th...

Episode 284 - Signs of Hope Is it still possible to hope when so much feels heavy, confusing, or broken? In this episode, the friars take an honest look at the state of the Church and the world and refuse to stop at discouragement. They talk about suffering, darkness, and the temptation to despair, but also about the quiet, real ways God is at work bringing renewal, healing, and new life. From fam...

Episode 283 - Franciscan Jubilee What do we do when the Church invites us to slow down and then calls us to go deeper? In this episode, the friars reflect on the newly announced Jubilee Year of St. Francis and what it means not just for Franciscans, but for the whole Church. They share why this moment feels like a continuation of grace rather than a reset, an invitation to keep living the Jubilee...

Episode 282 - Human Stuff Why are the most ordinary parts of life often the hardest to navigate? In this episode, the friars lean into the everyday realities we all deal with: conflict, communication, expectations, and the awkward moments we'd rather avoid. From navigating tough conversations to managing unspoken expectations and misunderstandings, they talk honestly about how "human stuff" can qu...

Episode 281 - A Pro-Life Examen Have you ever felt overwhelmed or unsure about what being "pro-life" actually looks like in your everyday life? Rather than focusing on politics or arguments, this conversation centers on discipleship: prayer, sacrifice, courage, and small, concrete steps that flow from the Gospel. It's an invitation to examine our hearts with humility and let God show us where He's...