[powerpress]  A few years ago, Bruce and I had the blessing of having a very special conversation with Fr. Michael Scanlan about “The Truth About Trouble: How Hard Times Can Draw You Closer To God”.  Fr. Scanlan’s wisdom is extraordinary…he knows how to pastor us through hard times, because he has suffered it, but he also knows that it is through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus that in the end all will be well.  He talks about the cancer of discontent, which is so dangerous to our spiritual lives.  Fr. Scanlan also describes how the devil desires to use trouble to turn us away from God.  We should realize that when that is happening and recognize, believe or not, that trouble isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us…it is actually a pathway to purification…be not afraid!  What a gift Fr. Scanlan is to us all!

You can find it here

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff reflects on the dangers of doing “good work” without having the depth of the contemplative prayer that unites us to Christ in doing the will of the Father.  He offers insight primarily from the teachings found in the letter from St. James Chap 1:

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.  – NAB

As well as the Gospel of Mark Chap 7:

He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.” – NAB

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton.  He was ordained on May 30th 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA.  Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to Blessed Mother Teresa.    He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world.  Msgr. Esseff encountered St.  Padre Pio,  who would become a spiritual father to him.  He has lived in areas around the world,  serving  in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by Bl. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor.  Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute.  He continues to  serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.   

To obtain a copy of Msgr. Esseff’s book byvisiting here

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building a Kingdom of  Love”

“Holiness for Everyone: The Practical Spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva” is fantastic book which offers a path to living out holiness in our everyday lives.  Eric Sammons breaks open St. Josemaria’s teachings and presents useful steps at the end of each chapter to  foster incorporation of those daily disciplines into our spiritual practice.  Wonderful food for the journey.

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You can find the book here

From the description:

Strive for your own personal holiness as you implement your daily plan to:
–Be a Contemplative in the Midst of a Busy World
–Live a Life of Prayer
–Recognize the Presence of God
–Make a Plan of Life
–Make Your Work a Way to Heaven

Holiness for Everyone will inspire you as it sets your feet on the path to sainthood.

“Eric Sammons shows that St. Josemaria has recovered the most powerful truth of classic Christianity and restated it in a way that is compelling for men and women of our time.”
—From the Foreword by Scott Hahn

Show 12 ” Building a Kingdom of Love” – Why do those who trust in God sometimes suffer? Msgr. Esseff then addresses the issue of trust in the Lord as an expression in our faith…even when it’s hard

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Msgr John Esseff offers the following prayers.  Be sure to visit his website:  www.msgrjohnesseff.net

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

FORGIVENESS PRAYER

The following prayer covers most of the significant areas of forgiveness. Often, such a prayer will bring to mind other areas that need forgiveness. Let the Holy Spirit move freely and guide your mind to persons or groups that you need to forgive. This is especially useful before confession.

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask today to forgive everyone in my life. I know that You will give me the strength to forgive and I thank You that You love me more than I love myself and want my happiness more than I desire it for myself.

Father, I forgive Your for the times death has come into my family, hard times, financial difficulties, or that I thought were punishments sent by You and people said “It’s God;s will,” and I became bitter and resentful toward You. Purify my heart and mind today.

Lord, I forgive MYSELF for my sins, faults and failings, for all that is bad in myself or that I think is bad, I forgive myself. For any delvings in superstition, using ouija boards, horoscopes, going to seances, using fortune telling or wearing lucky charms, I reject all that superstition and choose You alone as my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.

I further forgive myself for taking Your name in vain, not worshipping You by attending church, for hurting my parents, getting drunk, for sins against purity, bad books, bad movies, fornication, adultery, homosexuality. You have forgiven me, today I forgive myself.

Also for abortion, stealing, lying, defrauding, hurting people’s reputation, I forgive myself.

I truly forgive my MOTHER, I forgive her for all the times she hurt me, she resented me, she was angry with me and for all the times she prefered my brothers and sisters to me. I forgive her for the times she told me I was dumb, ugly, stupid, the worst of the children or that I cost the family a lot of money. For the times she told me I was unwanted, an accident, a mistake or not what she expected, I forgive her.

I forgive my FATHER. I forgive him for any non-support, any lack of love, affection or attention. I forgive him for any lack of time, for not giving me his companionship, for his drinking, arguing and fighting with my mother or the other children. For his severe punishments, for desertion, for being away from home, for divorcing my mother or for any running around, I do forgive him. (more…)

Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J. has such an incredible depth of knowledge and experience, that it is gift to discuss any topic with him, but it is especially wonderful to reflect with him on “the language of the liturgy.”  In this episode we discuss 2 books published by Ignatius Press, “Benedict XVI’s Reform” by Msgr. Nicola Bux and “The Voice of the Church at Prayer” by Fr. Uwe Michael Lang.  We discuss the primacy of place the Sacred Liturgy holds in our lives and the importance of offering it worthily.  Fr. Fessio helps us to understand the history of the reform, especially in its expression through our language.  We also discuss  the importance of elevating our understanding and action as opposed to “dumbing it down”.  We also look at the important role the use of Latin plays in enhancing the sense of the sacred in our sacramental expression.  Msgr. Bux’s book does an incredible job of closely examining the nature of  liturgical reform nurtured by Pope Benedict XVI, while Fr. Lang’s book offers a fascinating history of the language used in our celebrations.  Not just for scholars, these works offer invaluable insight into the heart of the liturgy we participate in.

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You can find it at ignatius.com

Nicola Bux is a priest of the Archdiocese of Bari and a professor of eastern liturgy and sacramental theology. He has studied and taught in Jerusalem and in Rome. He is a consultor to the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for the Causes of Saints and consultant of the international Catholic theological journal Communio. He was recently named a consultor to the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.

It also can be found here

Uwe Michael Lang, a native of Germany, is a priest of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in London. At present, he is a staff member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and teaches at the Pontifical Institute for Christian Archeology and at the Master’s program in “Architecture, Sacred Art and Liturgy” at the UniversitÀ Europea di Roma. In September 2008, he was appointed a Consultor to the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. His book Turning Towards the Lord (2nd edition, Ignatius, 2009), with a preface by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, has been published in several languages. Most recently, he has edited and contributed to the volume The Genius of the Roman Rite: Historical, Theological and Pastoral Perspectives on Catholic Liturgy (Hillenbrand Books, 2010).

[powerpress] I had the opportunity to speak with Msgr. Esseff, who  is conducting a spiritual retreat for the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity in Sydney, Australia.  He shares with us the teachings from the first day, which is on the principal and foundation of prayer as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Msgr. Esseff begins by reflecting on the Awe of God and the difference between “being” and “becoming”.  He shares a special memory of an experience that helped him to understand this which occurred when he was a young boy on his grandfather’s farm.  Many years later, he would learn this was a basic teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas on the nature of God and creation.  God is being and creation (including man) is becoming.

With that foundation, Msgr. Esseff proceeds to teach us that all of our are becoming therefore because mankind has a soul and has the capacity for reflection, we have the power to glorify God.  That is the first call we have, to glorify God.  To often we focus on our selves and what serves our needs.  St. Ignatius would say, that instead when faced with a decision or direction, each human being is called to discern, to ask whether if this is what God wants or is this is what I want.  The key is to take ask the Father “What do you want us to do?”  This is discernment at its basic level.

To obtain a copy of Msgr. Esseff’s book byvisiting here

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building a Kingdom of  Love”

Mark Shea once again gives us an outstanding resource to grow in our Catholic faith!  This time its with “The Heart of Catholic Prayer:  Rediscovering the Our Father and the Hail Mary”.  Mark takes great care and time with varied sections of each prayer and helps us to deeply reflect on the mystery contained within them.  Both meditative and catechetical, what we will find is a treasure house of grace, which if pondered deeply, will unite us closer to the heart of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Outstanding!

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You can find Mark’s book here

To learn and understand the Our Father and Hail Mary is to learn the deepest contours of the Church’s interior life, for both are prayers that come from the Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church. 

Experience the ordinary truths of the Faith that the Church has always taught, but in ways which will generate a spark of recognition in the contemporary mind. Upon completion of this book, you will never recite either of these prayers in the same way again.

Stephen J. Binz is a Catholic biblical scholar, psychotherapist, popular speaker, and award-winning author of more than thirty books on the Bible and biblical spirituality.  “Learning to Pray with Scripture” is another volume in the excellent “Lectio Divina” series brought to us by Our Sunday Visitor.  In it Stephen uses the actual prayers of Sacred Scripture to help us enter a deeper relationship with God through our own prayer.  This series is outstanding, and absolute MUST for those seeking a great guide to this ancient prayer form!

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You can find this book here

This study shows the way that various characters in the Bible prayed and what they can teach you about prayer. It also delves into various types of prayer and what you can learn from them.

Every chapter leads you forward through a sequence of:

• Listening – Reading Scripture with expectancy, trusting that God will speak His Word to us through it
• Understanding – Seeking to comprehend the meaning of the text, encountering God there and being changed by that encounter
• Reflecting – Linking the truth of the Scriptures to the experience of faith in the world in which we live
• Praying – A dialogue with God: we listen to God, then we respond in prayer
• Acting – After prayerfully listening to God through a passage of Scripture, we should be inspired to make a difference in the way we live

USCCA9- Episode 9- Receive the Holy Spirit

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 9:

The Holy Spirit is dynamic, transforming our bodies into temples of God and  our souls into dwelling places for Christ.  Sometimes called the Paraclete, a term that describes him as adovcate and consoler, the Holy Spirit wants to fill us with inspiration and encouragement

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha. 

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of  relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Omar Gutierrez, Teresa Monaghen, and Bruce McGregor  for their vocal talents in this episode.

In “7 Keys to Spiritual Wellness,” best-selling author Joe Paprocki provides a prescription for spiritual health based on the rich wisdom of Catholic Tradition.

The Saints have taught us repeatedly that our souls can get spiritually sick and die as well.

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Joe’s new book focuses on the root causes of spiritual sickness. Each chapter identifies a specific threat to the health of our souls and offers strategies for beating that virus.

His keys to spiritual wellness are:

1. Seeing Yourself as You Really Are
2. Actively Seeking the Good of Others
3. Thinking Before Acting
4. Holding on Loosely
5. Recognizing and Setting Limits
6. Channeling, Not Repressing, Your Desires
7. Unleashing Your Imagination

You can find the book here

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff begins a series of reflections on Divine Mercy and it’s importance in the life of the Church today.  He exhorts us to remember that it is not about something that occurs outside of ourselves, but that the spirit of the Divine Mercy lives in us by virtue of our baptism and through our participation in the sacraments.  And we are called to assist Jesus to reaching out to our brothers and sisters, in Him, with Him, and through Him.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website:  “Building A Kingdom Of Love“

This is excellent overview of Prayer as taught by the Catechism of the Catholic Church…check it out…then pray!

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff offers a teaching on the 3 levels of the heart.  He begins by looking at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, then moves to the examination of the layers of our hearts. In understanding of this is vitally important to appreciate how we make decisions and pray…if we are in our own will or God’s will.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website:  Building a Kingdom of Love

It’s always a delight to talk with Bert Ghezzi, especially about Jesus.  In his new book, “Discover Christ: Developing a Personal Relationship with Christ” co authored with David Nodar, Bert tackles many of the big questions:

What is the meaning of life?
—Why do I need a savior?
—Why is the Resurrection important?
—What does it mean to believe and belong?
—Why does Jesus matter?

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This is wonderful book to read if your are seeking a closer relationship with the Lord or to pass on to someone you know who is on that quest.

You can find the book here