Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

Day 2 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 2: Peace St. Francis, you were a true instrument of peace, not only in your actions but in your entire way of life. You lived out the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), reconciling enemies, healing divisions, and spreading the message of the Gospel. You understood that...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Five St. Therese you have said: “I know now that true charity consists in bearing all our neighbors’ defects–not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your heaven doing good upon the earth. Your trust in God was complete. Listen to my prayer; bring before G...

  Day 7 – The Celestial Choir of  Principalities – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 7 – The Celestial Choir of Principalities The PRINCIPALITIES are the first of the choirs most concerned with the earth and are traditionally declared to have the roles of caretakers over every nation,...

Day 1 – Trust in Divine Mercy – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart From the Diary of St. Faustina, 1578 – Jesus speaks to Faustina: “The graces of My mercy are drawn by one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them...

Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting...

Day 1 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 1: Simplicity St. Francis, you gave up everything to follow Our Lord more perfectly. In embracing holy poverty, you lived the Gospel in its most radical form, imitating the poverty of Christ Himself. You found in simplicity the freedom to love God with an undivided heart, rejecting the fleeting pleasures...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Four St. Therese you have said: “I am convinced that one should tell one’s spiritual director if one has a great desire for communion, for our Lord does not come from heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium; He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which He loves to dwell.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend y...

  Day 6 – The Celestial Choir of  Powers – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 6 – The Celestial Choir of Powers The POWERS have the task of defeating the efforts of the demons in overthrowing the world and are declared the awesome defenders of the cosmos against all evil and the mainta...

Friday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting t...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Three St. Therese you have said: “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your heaven doing good upon the earth. Your trust in God was complete. Listen to my prayer; bring before...

Day 5 – The Celestial Choir of  Virtues – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 5 – The Celestial Choir of Virtues The VIRTUES specifically preside over the elements of the world and the process of celestial life. Thus all heavenly bodies—from the stars and planets to the galaxies themselves—a...

 Thursday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanti...

When Jesus Seems Hidden: Prayer, Hope, Temptation, and Trust with Kris McGregor About This Episode What happens when we’re trying to remain faithful to God, but instead of peace we encounter darkness, fear, temptation, sadness, or a sense that Jesus has become hidden? In this episode of The Spiritual Journey for the Discerning Heart , Kris McGregor reflects on a powerful letter from St. Pius of Pi...

St. Padre Pio and the Healing of the Church – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff Msgr. John Esseff reflects on his encounters with Padre Pio, especially the suffering and rejection that marked the saint’s life. He recalls visiting him during the years when Padre Pio was silenced and confined to a remote monastery, accused of falsifying his wounds. In spite of this, Padre Pio r...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Two St. Therese you have said: “If I did not simply live from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient, but I only look at the present, I forget the past, and I take good care not to forestall the future.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your heaven doing good upon the earth. Your trust in God was complet...

Day 4 – The Celestial Choir of Dominations – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 4 – The Celestial Choir of Dominations The DOMINATIONS are called also the Dominions. The Dominations belong to the second triad, with the virtues and powers, and are ranked fourth overall among the angelic choi...

Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wantin...

Day 9 St. Padre Pio you have said: How fortunate we are to be slaves of this great God who submitted Himself to death for us.   Gracious God, you generously blessed your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit. You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of your Son, and as a stirring inspiration to many people o...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day One St. Thérèse, you have said: “I understood that every flower created by him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would no longer be enamelled with lovely hues. And so i...

    Day 3 – The Celestial Choir of Thrones – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 3 – The Celestial Choir of Thrones The THRONES belong to the first and highest triad of the heavenly host, standing just below the seraphim and the cherubim; this position makes them some of the most p...

 Tuesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wantin...

 Episode 2 – Teachings on the Title Statement and a look at the Issue at Hand – The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to a Greater Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Gallagher breaks open the meaning of the term “greater discernment of spirits” and examens the issue at hand when entering second-week rule discernment The...

 Day 8 St. Padre Pio you have said: Is it possible that you are never satisfied with yourself? Jesus loves you with a loving partiality in spite of all your unworthiness. He sends down a torrent of graces upon you, and yet you complain. It is about time this ended and you convinced yourself that you are greatly in the Lord’s debt. Hence, less complaints, more gratitude, and a great deal of thanks...

Day 2 – The Celestial Choir of Cherubim – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/.  O God,  +  come to my assistance R/.  O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 2 – The Celestial Choir of Cherubim The CHERUBIM are some of the most powerful and awe-inspiring of all angels, standing below only the seraphim in direct closeness to God; they thus are second only to their seraph...

The Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep...