What God is Not

This week we're joined by several special guests who participated in an escape room with Mother Natalia and Father Michael. Mother Natalia reflects on how they each reacted within the escape room (one of those haunted house type ones), and how the reactions tended to break down by gender lines. References: The Lament of Eve by Johanna Manley Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield Follow and Conta...

This week Mother Natalia and Father Michael are joined by two special guests, Mother Gabriella from Christ the Bridegroom Monastery and Natalie Bishay, a Coptic Orthodox since birth. Natalie shares some of the beauties of Coptic Orthodoxy, including their mentality of being servants and their process of electing men for the priesthood. Live Episode: We're excited to announce a live episode to...

This week Fr. Michael and Mother Natalia do a "reaction audio" of the canon for the Dormition of the Theotokos. They talk about the links back to the stories of the Old Testament, the paradox of Christian life that's talked about in the canon, and the overall beauty of the prayers.  Live Episode: We're excited to announce a live episode next Wednesday, August 24th. Proto-Cathed...

This week Fr. Michael uses Aristotle's writings to talk about the three types of friend in preparation for an article he's writing on friendship. He talks about the three types of friends, examples of how those friendships can be seen in action, and how we see friendship growing. References Wylde Works Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle Leaning In - Episode with Libby on Fasting Mere Chris...

This week we're joined by special guest, Fr. Travis! In today's episode, Mother Natalia reflects on Romans 12 where St. Paul describes the marks of a true Christian. Mother Natalia talks about some practicalities in interacting with others, those that are interested in our true Catholic selves and those that aren't. References Fr. Travis' Podcast: Outcast Catholic Romans 12: 9...

This week Fr. Michael recaps his recent time in the Holy Land where he was the chaplain for a 10 day pilgrimage. He talks about the areas they traveled, where the Lord spoke to him in prayer, and being inspired by the people he encountered on the trip.  Bridegroom's Banquet - the monastery's annual fundraiser is Saturday, September 10th. All details can be found here , including a link t...

This week Father Michael talks about the difference between men and women, the wholistic beauty of the human person, and how Mary epitomizes everything which is good and beautiful about women. It's an interesting one! References The Final Homily Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield The Face of God by Archbishop Joseph Raya The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander Bridegroom's Banquet - the mo...

This week Mother Natalia uses a reflection from Bishop John Michael Botean about work as her inspiration for today's episode. Mother Natalia reflects on work, both what it is and what it is not. She uses quotes from the Church Fathers to help our understanding, and gives practical examples of how to live a life more focused on God and less focused on work. References: The Endow Podcast Episod...

This week we're joined by Fr. Maximos of Holy Resurrection Monastery . Fr. Maximos talks about how "the East" defines involuntary sin, and what that can look like practically in the confessional. There's a great discussion about healing and presenting yourself to the divine healer in confession. References: Fr. Maximos' thesis Brief video, Fr. Maximos on Orientale Lumen Te...

This week Mother Natalia uses a homily given by Bishop Malesic of the Diocese of Cleveland as her inspiration for a topic. She talks about living in a society where there is always an opportunity to be photographed or videoed, and how that can remind us that all our actions are known by The One and will eventually come to light for all of us.  References: Video of ordination - homily starts around...

This week we're joined by special guests Libby and Sandy! They're both Roman Catholics who talk about embracing the Byzantine fast for the first time. We hear about their joys, struggles, and how they learned to integrate the fast with prayer. It's a worthwhile listen, especially while we're still in the Apostles' Fast. References: The Angelic Tradition by Father Ephraim T...

This week Mother Gabriella joins us to talk to us about leisure. She uses the book Leisure by Josef Pieper as her jumping off point, and talks about what leisure is and what it is not. We learn how to rest and how that's different than vegging out. It's a thoughtful conversation that will stick with you! References: Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper Into Great Silence Bridegr...

This week Mother Natalia talks about a book she's reading, The Diary of a Russian Priest, and inspiration she's received from it.  The discussion covers a variety of topics including wearing masks to hide our true selves, finding inner peace, vocations, and our conscience. References: The Diary of a Russian Priest by Fr. Alexander Elchaninov Poverty vs Destitution Eyes to See Previous vi...

We're back with part two of our "meet the parents" series. This week Fr. Michael interviews Mother Natalia's parents, Barbara and Dave. They talk about how both of them have benefited from Mother Natalia's vocation, and how they've left something behind but have gained so much more. References Father-son Michael The Face of God by Archbishop Joseph M. Raya Follow and...

This week Fr. Michael walks through three prayers said over adults who are entering the church who also are being baptized. Fr. Michael and Mother Natalia talk about the uniqueness of the prayers and how they call both the catechumen and the congregation to faithful living. We are reminded that Satan gets our sins! References: Catechumen Catherine Byzantine Baptism Follow and Contact Us! Follow us...

This week we have special guests! Bob and Marie O'Loughlin join us for an interview from Mother Natalia. Bob and Marie first introduce each other and we hear a little about how they met. Bob and Marie talk about what it was like when they knew Fr. Michael wanted to be a priest, the blessings they've received through his priesthood, and some of their memories.  It's a touching interv...

We're doing back to back episodes where Mother Natalia reflects on words she received while she led a poustinia with Wyoming Catholic. On this episode she talks about having an awareness of self.   References: Word from a Poustinik: Motherhood Poustinia by Catherine Doherty Follow and Contact Us! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook We're on YouTube ! Join our Goodreads Group Fr. Michael&...

We're doing back to back episodes where Mother Natalia reflects on words she received while she led a poustinia with Wyoming Catholic. This episode she talks about motherhood, the graces she receives from giving spiritual direction, and how God can work through any circumstance to reach us where we're at. References: Poustinia by Catherine Doherty Madonna House Catechumen Catherine Follo...

We're so excited to celebrate episode 100. We had a live recording where were joined by some listeners for vespers, dinner, and the recording. In this episode you get a bit of a behind the scenes look at "how the sausage is made" and then we dive into listener questions. Thank you so much for your support. We really appreciate it! Follow and Contact Us! Follow us on Instagram and Fa...

This week Fr. Michael uses the Letter to Diognetus (chapters 5 and 6) as a jumping off point for our episode this week, inspired by  Deacon Michael Hyatt's episode on this same topic. Fr. Michael talks about the paradox of being in the world but not of it. References: 40 Days with the Church Fathers Christ the Bridegroom Monastery's Typikon St Mary of Jesus Crucified - she was canonized...

This week we continue our "Meet the Nun" series with Mother Iliana! Mother Iliana talks about suffering and sickness, and how we encounter God in our suffering. She also talks about visiting the sick and how allowing others to visit you when you're sick helps them fulfill Jesus' command to visit the sick. Mother Iliana wrote a blog post about her reactions to the war in Ukraine...

This week Fr. Michael uses Isaiah 10:15 as a jumping off point to talk about recognizing God's hand at work in everything, even in the things that we're good at. Many times we're aware of the work God is doing in our life in relation to "bad things" or things we're working on, but we may not always be aware of the work God is doing in our life for things that come nat...

This week we're joined by Fr. Jeffrey Dufresne who gave a homily on sin that inspired Mother Natalia! Mother Natalia talks about sin as a sickness, how this sickness can spread to others, and how we can seek healing for our sin. References: The Calling of St. Matthew by Carravagio Follow and Contact Us! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook We're on YouTube ! Join our Goodreads Group Fr. M...

Trigger warning - some discussion on the realities of the Holocaust. This week Fr. Michael talks about having a personal relationship with Jesus after hearing a talk from Monsignor Shea at SEEK2022. He talks about obedience, sin, and death, and how those all impact a personal relationship with God. We've also got a mini-topic this week suggested from a patron on our Patreon group . This week&...

This week Mother Natalia walks through the differences between destitution and poverty following a homework assignment she gave one of her spiritual daughters. Mother talks about how poverty is the lack of any barriers between us and God, and how that should be our long-term goal. Mother Natalia talks about the poverty Adam and Eve had before the fall. Mother Natalia challenges us to approach the...