The Discerning Hearts Blog Archives

TM4 – Overcoming Scruples – St. Therese and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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BA6 - "Refuse to Accept Discouragement" - Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of Ven. Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 4 – Overcoming Scruples – St. Thérèse and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Timothy Gallagher and Kris McGregor continue their discussion on St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her close relationship with her cousin, Marie, through their letters. They explore a particular letter from Marie to St. Thérèse, written during a challenging period in Marie’s life wherein she is debating whether or not to join the Carmelite order.

Marie confides in St. Thérèse about her scruples, inner torments, and spiritual struggles, particularly around purity and her desire to enter the Carmelite order. This letter reflects Marie’s vulnerable spiritual state and her need for guidance and consolation. Thérèse responds with both empathy and wisdom, affirming Marie’s heartfelt struggles while gently guiding her to trust in God’s love and mercy, even in her moments of doubt.

A recurring theme is that of of spiritual direction, the importance of wise counsel, and the struggles inherent in spiritual growth. Fr. Gallagher connects these personal stories to the broader spiritual teachings of St. Thérèse, particularly her “Little Way”—a path that finds strength in weakness and trusts fully in God’s grace. Many of us may identify with Marie’s feelings of inadequacy and desire for reassurance, illustrating how timeless and relatable these spiritual struggles are. Together, they explore the value of seeking counsel from spiritually mature and experienced individuals who can offer clarity and encouragement on the journey of faith.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Trusting Spiritual Authority – How do I discern and trust spiritual guidance from those with experience and wisdom in the faith?
Struggles with Scrupulosity – When I am overly burdened by feelings of inadequacy or guilt, do I seek support and clarity, or do I allow these feelings to isolate me?
Transforming Weakness into Strength – Can I embrace my weaknesses as chances for growth, allowing God’s strength to work through them?
Seeking Consolation in God – In times of inner turmoil, do I turn to God for comfort, or do I seek distractions elsewhere?
Value of Spiritual Friendships – Are my closest relationships helping me grow spiritually, and am I willing to share my faith journey with them?
Handling Spiritual Dryness – How do I approach prayer and the sacraments when they feel dry or arid, and do I trust God is still present in these moments?
Living Out the Little Way – In what practical ways can I imitate St. Thérèse’s Little Way by offering small acts of love and sacrifice throughout my day?

About this Series

Fr. Timothy Gallagher reflects upon the enduring legacy of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, exploring how her life and spirituality, deeply influenced by her family and how it offers profound insights into everyday holiness. He examines the role of family and spiritual friendships in nurturing faith, the importance of compassionate care for others, and how Thérèse’s example can inspire listeners to seek sanctity in their daily lives. He also brings forth more details of the spiritual bond between the Martin and Guérin families, offering a model for fostering deeper connections within one’s own family and community.

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

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!

Day 6 – A Novena to St. Teresa of Avila – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 6: THE REALITY OF HELL

St. Teresa you have said

“A long time after the Lord had already granted me many of the favors I’ve mentioned and other very lofty ones, while I was in prayer one day, I suddenly found that, without knowing how, I had seemingly been put in hell…The fact is that I don’t know how to give a sufficiently powerful description of that interior fire and that despair, coming in addition to such extreme torments and pains. I didn’t see who inflicted them on me, but, as it seemed to me, I felt myself burning and crumbling; and I repeat the worst was that interior fire and despair.”

—Autobiography XXXII.1,2

Teresa experiences the vision described above within the context of God’s salvific action, both universal and personal, in order that she might understand the torments from which she was freed because of His mercy, and also to motivate her to realize her personal vocation of reform.

The theme of hell appears often in her writings, and underlines humanity’s gift of free will and its natural consequences. The redemption wrought by Christ is intended for all, and the Divine plan is that all should be saved, but this does not preclude one’s possibility to choose. Hell is the result of a lifetime of choices made of separating oneself from God through sin, resulting in the suffocating experience of being completely bound in the darkness of God’s absence, without freedom and without hope.

Not wanting to see others end like this, Teresa exercised her own free will, dedicating her life to participating in Christ’s own saving action via her life of prayer. May we, like Teresa, give thanks to God for the truths revealed to us about eternal life, for our redemption through Christ’s blood, and for the gift of free will that allows us to choose and love him freely. Let us also pray for all those who most need our prayers for conversion of heart today.

St. Teresa speaks to us today saying:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

O God, who through your Spirit
raised up Saint Teresa of Jesus
to show the Church the way to seek perfection,
grant that we may always be nourished
by the food of her heavenly teaching
and fired with longing for true holiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

St. Teresa, pray for us:
That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ.

reflection written by Fr. Emiel Albalahin, O.Carm. Used by permission via the Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani Please visit http://www.ocarm.org/en/

The prayer offered by Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor

Audio versions of the “Interior Castle” and “The Way of Perfection” by St. Teresa of Avila

Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

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Friday of the Twenty-Seventh 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 to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 11:15-26

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

IP#488 Anthony DeStefano – 30 Days to Your New Life on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Anthony DeStefano – 30 Days to Your New Life on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

In this episode of Inside the Pages, Kris McGregor interviews Anthony DeStefano about his book 30 Days to Your New Life: A Guide to Transforming Yourself from Head to Soul. Anthony DeStefano outlines how the book blends self-help strategies with Christian principles, aiming to provide a balanced approach to personal transformation. While secular self-help programs can be beneficial, they often fall short because they focus too much on self-reliance and neglect spiritual aspects.

This book guides readers through daily reflections over 30 days, starting with fundamental routines like tidying up and building momentum through small actions. This approach is meant to ease readers into lasting habits that foster both physical and spiritual well-being. The book moves through various levels of personal development, incorporating ideas like redemptive suffering and grounding one’s routines in faith practices. By combining spiritual disciplines with practical life skills, he aims to help readers face life’s challenges more resiliently, emphasizing that true peace and fulfillment require both effort and reliance on God’s grace.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Importance of God’s Role in Self-Improvement: How can you incorporate God’s guidance into your daily routines and personal development goals?
Balance of Prayer and Action: In what ways can you ensure both prayer and practical action are present in your approach to life’s challenges?
Personal Momentum in Faith: What small, consistent actions can you take to build spiritual and physical momentum toward positive change?
The Role of Suffering: How can you offer up your suffering and unite it with Christ’s, seeing it as a form of redemptive prayer?
Daily Prioritization of God: How can you make your first thoughts and actions each day a reflection of putting God first?
Physical and Spiritual Health Connection: What changes can you make to improve your physical health that will also positively impact your spiritual life?
Order and Discipline in Daily Life: How can you create a more ordered, stable daily routine that reflects a commitment to both work and prayer?
Seeing Mass as a Source of Grace: How does attending Mass help you connect to Christ’s sacrifice, and how can you better appreciate it as a source of strength?
Redemptive Power of Small Actions: What small, seemingly mundane actions can you offer to God each day to grow in holiness?
Sharing Faith-Based Self-Help with Others: Who in your life might benefit from an approach to self-improvement that includes spiritual principles, and how can you share it with them?

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

“Happiness. Everyone wants it, but not everyone has it–or knows how to get it. According to a recent Harris poll, only 1 in 3 Americans describes himself as happy. Researchers have dubbed this the “most stressed” of all generations, despite its economic prosperity and technological advances. Anthony DeStefano, bestselling author of A Travel Guide to Heaven and Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, addresses this problem head-on in his freshly rewritten book, 30 Days to Your New Life, by striving to bring the joy of Heaven down to Earth right now.

Many self-help books explore the subject of happiness, but one important ingredient always seems to be missing: God. In this no-nonsense, refreshingly direct book, DeStefano bridges the gap between personal development programs and Christian/Catholic spirituality. The result is a wake-up call to readers; an outcome-based motivational guide to living life to its fullest–and holiest. DeStefano’s practical, pull-no-punches, approach to popular theology has been described as “Tony Robbins meets Thomas Aquinas.”

With candor and simplicity, DeStefano presents an easy-to-follow framework for attaining lifelong peace and fulfillment, as well as (more importantly) eternal happiness in Heaven. The path proposed by DeStefano encourages consistent, purposeful and prayerful action on the part of the reader, and offers genuine hope to everyone, from ambivalent agnostics to engaged evangelicals to the most fervent of Catholics.

This is a book about getting results, about breaking out of self-delusion and taking small, practical steps to transform your life from head to soul. The author believes that as more and more people today struggle with depression and loneliness, self-help programs need to be less about “self-help” and more about “God’s help.” God, after all, is the Author of life. He knows what will make us happy–and what won’t.

DeStefano utilizes the best personal development tools available, but balances and corrects them with Bible-based, faith-filled, time-tested, sacramental, Catholic principles. No matter how terrible your circumstances may be or how many times you’ve failed to achieve your goals in the past, this book will work for you.”

About the Author: Anthony DeStefano is the bestselling author of over twenty-five Christian books for adults and children. His books have been published in eighteen different countries and twelve different languages and have been endorsed by The National Day of Prayer committee as well as many prominent religious leaders and mainstream celebrities. He has appeared on the 700 Club, Fox and Friends, CNN, Huckabee, and hundreds of other national and local media shows. He has also been the host of two television series on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), as well as a frequent guest on that network. A Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Anthony is an avid pilot and lives in New Jersey with his wife, Jordan.

Day 5 – A Novena to St. Teresa of Avila – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 5: HUMILITY

St. Teresa you have said

“O Eternal Father! How much this humility deserves. What treasure do we have that could buy Your Son? The sale of Him, we already know, was for thirty pieces of silver. But to buy Him, no price is sufficient. Since by sharing in our nature He has become one with us here below—and as Lord of His own will—He reminds the Father that because He belongs to Him the Father in turn can give Him to us. And so He says, “our bread.” He doesn’t make any difference between Himself and us, but we make one by not giving ourselves up each day for His Majesty.”

—Way of Perfection XXXIII.5

Teresa composed these words as she reflected on the words of the Our Father: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Her meditation on this phrase brought her immediately to Christ’s experience of the passion and its significance for her and her contemporaries. For her, Jesus is the foundation and model of humility in the spiritual life.

Humility plays an important role in interior progress, because through it we come to appreciate and understand the beauty of our souls and our limitations, to gradually cede control of our lives to God in faith and trust and develop a sensibility for perceiving and carrying out His will, to love others properly, and to accept and cherish the depth of the love God has for us.

So let us ask for the grace of humility, that we may grow in truthful relationship with God, ourselves, and others.

St. Teresa speaks to us today saying:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

St. Teresa, pray for us:
That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ.

reflection was written by Fr. Emiel Albalahin, O.Carm. Used by permission via the Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani Please visit http://www.ocarm.org/en/

The prayer offered by Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor

Audio versions of the “Interior Castle” and “The Way of Perfection” by St. Teresa of Avila

Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

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Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh 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 to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

IP#338 – Julia Marie Hogan – It’s OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Julia Marie Hogan – It’s OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Kris McGregor speaks with Julia Marie Hogan, a licensed clinical professional counselor, about her book It’s Okay to Start with You, which encourages readers to prioritize their well-being so they can fully participate in God’s calling for their lives. Hogan uses the metaphor of the airplane oxygen mask, emphasizing that taking care of oneself is essential before helping others, a principle rooted in understanding God’s love and seeing self-care as a discipline rather than an indulgence.

Critiquing superficial self-care trends and explores deeper self-care that incorporates mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects; she explains that authentic self-care is about maintaining a balanced life through practices like sleep, nutrition, and stress management. This is especially important in a society that values busyness, which can lead to burnout and detachment from self-awareness.

The book offers a structured approach, including reflection and discussion questions, making it versatile for individual or group settings. Self-care is a continual process of recalibration based on life’s seasons. For example, a person going through grief may focus on simple actions like sleep, nourishment, and prayer to help process their emotions. The book’s action plans encourage small, achievable goals, tailored to different aspects of self-care, helping readers gradually build sustainable habits.

You can find the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Self-Care as a Discipline: How can you reframe self-care in your life as a necessary discipline rather than an act of indulgence?
Embracing God’s Love Through Self-Care: In what ways can recognizing God’s love for you inspire a more authentic approach to caring for yourself?
Identifying Inner Criticism: What negative messages do you frequently tell yourself, and how can you begin to replace them with the truth of your worth in God’s eyes?
Balancing Service with Self-Care: How can you ensure that taking care of yourself strengthens rather than detracts from your ability to serve others?
Assessing Your Current Season of Life: What specific self-care practices are most essential for you in this season of life, given your current responsibilities and challenges?
Exploring the Role of Leisure: How can you incorporate leisure activities into your routine that truly restore you rather than simply distract you?
Cultivating Self-Compassion: How can understanding self-care as part of your spiritual journey help you to be gentler with yourself when you face challenges or shortcomings?
Revisiting Self-Care Practices Regularly: How might regular self-assessments help you adjust your self-care practices to better reflect changes in your life and spiritual needs?
Self-Care as Preparation for God’s Call: In what ways can caring for your mental, emotional, and physical health make you more open and responsive to God’s guidance?
Encouraging Self-Care in Others: How can you support and encourage those around you, especially family and friends, to embrace self-care as a reflection of their God-given dignity?

From the book description:

“Self-care is often misunderstood in our society. Far too many of us dismiss it as selfish pampering, and the results can be devastating for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Real self-care is anything but self-indulgent. It’s an essential discipline, rooted in the reality of who we are as God’s beloved children.

In It’s OK to Start with You, therapist Julia Marie Hogan, LCPC, makes the case for making self-care a priority beginning with reclaiming your own worth. Based on her practice as a therapist, she offers deep insights into the reasons why we neglect to take care of ourselves and provides needed tools to change our habits of thinking and acting so we can show up fully in our lives and relationships. With step-by-step instructions for building a tailored self-care plan, reflection questions, and note-taking space, this book is the ultimate guide to becoming the most authentic version of yourself.”

About the Author

Julia Marie Hogan is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Chicago. In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she leads workshops and writes on topics related to self-care, relationships, and mental health. She is passionate about empowering individuals to be their most authentic selves. You can find more of her writing online at Verily. She completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia.

Day 4 – A Novena to St. Teresa of Avila – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Day 4: THE SOUL

St. Teresa you have said

“It is that we consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many dwelling places. For in reflecting upon it carefully, Sisters, we realize that the soul of the just person is nothing else but a paradise where the Lord says He finds His delight…I don’t find anything comparable to the magnificent beauty of a soul and its marvelous capacity. Indeed, our intellects, however keen, can hardly comprehend it, just as they cannot comprehend God’ but He Himself says that He created us in His own image and likeness.”

—Interior Castle I:1.1

Teresa uses a variety of images to describe the soul, likening it to a beehive, a garden, and in this case, a castle. In doing so, she attempts to explain its innate fecund richness brought about through its creation.

Made in the image and likeness of God, our souls mirror the Divine in our natural interior profundity and in our capacity to do His loving and saving will. Moreover, our souls are where Christ resides and interacts with us, and desires to permeate with his light. The experience of God, therefore, is not something beyond the human experience, but intimately connected to it. Indeed, the work of personal transformation takes place in this interior environment

May we learn from Teresa how to appreciate and care for our souls, that we may radiate Christ to others and give thanks to God for making us his home.

St. Teresa speaks to us today saying:

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

St. Teresa, pray for us:
That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ.

reflection written by Fr. Emiel Albalahin, O.Carm. Used by permission via the Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani Please visit http://www.ocarm.org/en/

The prayer offered by Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor

Audio versions of the “Interior Castle” and “The Way of Perfection” by St. Teresa of Avila

Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

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Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh 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 to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 11:1-4

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:
‘“Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.”’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

TSP6 – Obstacles to Contemplative Spirituality – St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Episode 6 – Obstacles to Contemplative Spirituality – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Dan Burke and Kris McGregor explore spiritual growth through St. Teresa of Ávila’s fourth mansion in The Interior Castle. They discuss how God uses perceived absences to deepen our relationship with Him, removing consolations to cultivate selfless love. This “aridity” — where one might feel God’s presence less tangibly — is actually a time of spiritual purification. Burke emphasizes that while these moments can be challenging, they are essential to detaching from “mercenary love” (love driven by self-interest) and moving toward love that reflects God’s worthiness.

The enemy often tries to exploit these times of dryness by sowing doubt, attempting to make believers question past spiritual experiences. Saints like John of the Cross and Catherine of Siena encourage recognizing such trials as opportunities to grow in humility, reaffirming our dependence on God. He highlights the importance of maintaining spiritual virtues and a disciplined “rule of life” to resist temptations and strengthen virtues, much like keeping physical fitness.

Reflecting on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, especially regarding battling vices with corresponding virtues, they mention the importance of practices like fasting, which help one gain control over appetites and attachments, allowing for a more disciplined spiritual life. St. Teresa’s practical approach, such as avoiding spiritual pride and learning to respond to wandering thoughts in prayer with humility.

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

Understanding Spiritual Dryness: How can I embrace moments of perceived absence from God as opportunities to grow in faith and selfless love?
Recognizing the Enemy’s Tactics: In what ways might the enemy try to create doubt in my spiritual journey, and how can I guard against these thoughts?
The Importance of Virtues: Which virtues in my life need consistent reinforcement, and how can I establish daily practices to cultivate them?
The Role of Humility in Prayer: How can I respond humbly when my mind wanders in prayer, acknowledging my dependence on God?
Developing a Rule of Life: What specific spiritual disciplines or rules can I incorporate into my daily routine to strengthen my relationship with God?
Detachment from Consolations: How can I shift my focus from seeking consolations in prayer to seeking a deeper, more selfless love for God?
Striving for Union with God: In what ways is God calling me to deeper purification, and how can I open myself more fully to His transforming love?
Healing Through Awareness: How can I allow my wounds to become channels for God’s healing grace, rather than opportunities for the enemy to lead me astray?
Learning from the Saints: Which insights from St. Teresa of Ávila and other saints can I apply to my own spiritual struggles and growth?
Trusting in God’s Patience and Mercy: How can I more fully appreciate and rely on God’s ongoing patience, forgiveness, and love in my daily life?

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

“Have you ever considered that the devil is active in your prayer life? In the parish church where you attend Mass? In the lives and actions of people of goodwill all around you? The saints remind us of a key aspect of living the spiritual life that we are wont to forget simply because we can’t see it and because we have been conditioned by the media and popular culture to think the devil works visibly only in “bad” people or in extraordinary ways, as in the movies. And although demons are certainly capable of extravagant or extraordinary manifestations, their ordinary work flies under our radar because it just isn’t that spectacular, though it is deadly.

In fact, subtlety, illusion, and deceit are their preferred methods of attack. An invisible battle for souls is being waged in and around us without reprieve, and we remain ignorant of it to our peril. St. Teresa of Avila, great mystic and Doctor of the Church, is best known for her writings on the way God leads souls along the path to union with Him through prayer. What many do not know about St. Teresa is that she also observed the actions of demons working with militant force to lead even good souls astray in ways that might surprise you. She shares these experiences freely in her autobiography, which she was commanded to write under obedience to her spiritual director.“

Burke, Dan; Burke, Dan. The Devil in the Castle: St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul (p. 12). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 14 dioceses.

Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com.

In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church.

Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.

Episode 4 – Overcoming Scruples – St. Thérèse and Marie: The Story of Two Cousins with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

About this Series

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts? Visit here to discover more!

Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

Anthony DeStefano – 30 Days to Your New Life on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

You can find the book here.

Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

Julia Marie Hogan – It’s OK To Start With You on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

You can find the book here.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

From the book description:

About the Author

Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

Episode 6 – Obstacles to Contemplative Spirituality – St. Teresa, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul with Dan Burke

Discerning Hearts Discussion Questions

You can find the book here.

An excerpt from the book:

For more episodes in this series visit Dan Burke’s Discerning Hearts page here:

Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!