In this episode we have a conversation with Katherine Becker, author of  “The Dating Fast: 40 Days to Reclaim Your Heart, Body, and Soul”.  Katherine is wonderfully articulate in describing her experience with “fasting” from the dating scene and how others can benefit from the practice.  The books description really does describe it best:

The endless cycle of boyfriends and breakups got to be exhausting–emotionally and spiritually. When a friend introduced Katherine to the idea of the “dating fast,” she rediscovered her joy for life. You don’t have to “kiss dating good-bye,” but a forty-day, Scripture-based retreat from the fray works wonders. Romantic love isn’t dead, says Katherine, but you have to know where to look for it.

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You can find the book here

Be sure to visit Katherine’s website

“In order to be truly ready for a romantic relationship, you must first love and respect yourself. Katherine Becker’s forty-day dating fast is an excellent tool for self-reflection to understand yourself better and grow in love, confidence and faith. Following this fast will better prepare you for relationships, and is a solid step toward a fulfilling life, with or without a spouse.”  —Anita A. Chlipala, MA, MEd, LMFT, Relationship Reality 312, Inc.

Prayer of Saint Bernadette

“Let the crucifix be not only in my eyes and on my breast, but in my heart.O Jesus! Release all my affections and draw them upwards. Let my crucified heart sink forever into Thine and bury itself in the mysterious wound made by the entry of the lance.”

Prayer to St. Bernadette

O Saint Bernadette, who, as a meek and pure child, did eighteen times at Lourdes contemplate the beauty of the Immaculate Mother of God and received her messages, and who afterwards wished to hide yourself from the world in the convent of Nevers, and to offer thyself there as a victim for the conversion of sinners, obtain for us the grace of purity, simplicity and mortification that we also may attain to the vision of God and of Mary in Heaven. Amen.

 

The Life of St. Bernadette and the miracle of Lourdes

Emily Stimpson is a delight to talk with and her book “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of StayingSane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right” is a great subject to discuss!  With style and class, and a great big portion of honest hopeful heart sharing, Emily crafts a work that is a must for all Catholic women, not just the single girl.

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Filled with humor and reflection, as well as practical insight, it is “steeped in the Church’s teachings on the feminine genius, marriage, and theology of the body, The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide dishes with both wit and wisdom on some of the most pressing questions single women face: vocation, dating, sex, finances, work, depression, and more.” Not to missed, and must be passed on to others!

You can find the book here

Also visit EmilyStimpson.com

“Emily Stimpson has written a book that manages to be light-hearted about the serious subject of singleness for Catholic women, but is still full of practical, nitty-gritty suggestions for growing through difficulties. Always uplifting, “The Catholic Girls Survival Guide for the Single Years,” offers timeless truths that help women see beyond current circumstances to grasp the bigger picture of life as a beloved daughter of God. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a single Catholic woman—or anyone who wants to learn how to love single women better. I don’t know of another book that does what this book does for single women—it’s simply outstanding! Kimberly Hahn, Author “Life-Giving Love”

Episode 11 Beginning to Pray:  “Heaven in Faith”  Day 6 Prayer 1 – “To approach God we must believe”

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Dr. Anthony Lilles is a Catholic husband and father of three teaching Spiritual Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. He  teaches spiritual theology and spiritual direction to transitional deacons, and the spiritual classics to the men who enter the Spirituality Year, a year of prayer in preparation for seminary formation.  He is the author of the “Beginning to Pray”  catholic blog spot.

From “Heaven in Faith: Day 6 Prayer 1” found in The Complete Works vol 1:

19. “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.”  That is our great act of faith, the way to repay our God love for love; it is “the mystery hidden” in the Father’s heart, of which St. Paul speaks, which, at last, we penetrate and our whole soul thrills!”

 

For other episodes in the series visit the Discerning Hearts page for Dr. Anthony Lilles

This the text we are using to discuss “Heaven in Faith” you can find it here and order from the Carmelite Sisters

 

We would like to offer heartfelt thanks to
Miriam Gutierrez for providing for us “the voice” of Blessed Elizabeth for this series

[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“

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff discusses the freedom that comes from forgiveness. It can be very difficult to for us to forgive, but not for God.  How can we forgive those who have really hurt us…emotionally and physically.  How is this forgiveness a matter of justice…we forgive for we have been forgiven.  What is an unjust wound?  How does this all connect to the Divine Mercy?

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

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff discusses to be truly alive in joy and happiness we have to forgive. Forgiveness is always a choice and in that is joy. We shouldn’t put conditions on our forgiveness…that can be a challenge for some, but it is necessary. We need to take the person where they are…we don’t love them because they have changed, but we love them where they are at. We can become slaves to our resentments. Resentments, hatred, bitterness, retaliations harden our hearts and destroy us. Allowing the love of Jesus to penetrate our hearts we are freed. We can not perfectly forgive, it is grace from the Father that allows to enter into that forgiveness.

The transformation of resentments is a key:

For ourselves

1. To name them, the painful moment or event
2. To look inside as to why and to what it touched so deeply within me
3. To allow yourself to feel fully the depth of impact of the pain
4. Talk to yourself about the experience and then begin to journal or share it with another
5. Choose what will bring peace, joy, relief and tranquility
6. To cling to continuation of pain brings anxiety, anger, turmoil and desolation

For another

1. Listen to the painful experience
2. Don’t talk to them out of their pain, don’t try to fix the situation for them
3. Offer them a choice to continue in the pain or begin to move out of the pain; to continue in the pain gives the power over to the one they resent and diminishes your own power

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

Episode 3 Praying with Scripture: Christian Contemplation and Mediation in the Ignatian tradition w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Gallagher continues to discuss the differences and benefits of meditation and contemplation – the cornerstones of Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual practice.

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For other episodes in the series visit The Discerning Hearts “Praying with Scripture” page

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life:  The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”.

For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit  his  website:   frtimothygallagher.org

 For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

 

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff reflects on the true meanings of happiness and joy.  What does it really look like?  How can we live a life of happiness and joy?  Msgr. Esseff discusses the beatitudes and forgiveness and the keys to a proper understanding.

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

USCCA6- Episode 6- Man and Woman in the Beginning

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 6:

It is Jesus Christ who frees us from Original Sin and our own actual sins.  By Baptism, we share in the redemptive act of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, are freed from Original Sin, and are strengthened against the power of  sin and death.  We are reconciled to God and made members of his holy people, the Church.

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 Sharon Doran and Chuck Adams  for their vocal talents in this episode.

[powerpress]  Msgr. Esseff reflects on Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter message.  The more we aware of our death, the more we are aware of the resurrection!  In a time were the darkness seems to be spreading, Christ is the brightest light of Truth shining shining in our times!  We are called to be bearers of the light to the world.  How do we do that?  It is not “I” who will do it…but Christ who will accomplish the will of the Father through our surrender to Him.

 

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

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff calls us to deeply ponder the role of the Blessed Virgin Maryduring the Passion of Christ, but also in our own lives as well.

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

 

Episode 10 Beginning to Pray:  “Heaven in Faith”  Day 5 Prayer 2 – “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood, remains in Me and I in him.”

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Dr. Anthony Lilles is a Catholic husband and father of three teaching Spiritual Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. He  teaches spiritual theology and spiritual direction to transitional deacons, and the spiritual classics to the men who enter the Spirituality Year, a year of prayer in preparation for seminary formation.  He is the author of the “Beginning to Pray”  catholic blog spot.

From “Heaven in Faith: Day 5 Prayer 2” found in The Complete Works vol 1:

18. ….”The first sign of love is this:  that Jesus has given us His flesh to eat and His blood to drink.”  “The property of love is to be always giving and always receiving.  Now this love ” of Christ is “generous.  All that He has, all that He is, He gives; all that we have , all that we are, He takes away.  He asks for more than we of our ourselves are capable of giving.”

 

For other episodes in the series visit the Discerning Hearts page for Dr. Anthony Lilles

This the text we are using to discuss “Heaven in Faith” you can find it here and order from the Carmelite Sisters

 

We would like to offer heartfelt thanks to
Miriam Gutierrez for providing for us “the voice” of Blessed Elizabeth for this series

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff offers this special reflection on Good Friday.

From Vatican Radio:  [powerpress = “Vatican_Radio”]

Monsignor Philip Whitmore brings us a musical meditation on the fifth sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary: : “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo Spiritum meum . Into your hands , O Lord I commend my spirit . In St Luke’s account of the Passion , these words from Psalm 31 were the last that Jesus spoke before his death on the Cross….listen to them in a setting by Thomas Tallis.”

Also in this meditation music by Joseph Haydn , Francis Poulenc and Johann Sebastian Bach.

A programme produced by Veronica Scarisbrick .