Day 3 – Desire – An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 3 – Desire

“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
Psalm 42.1 – 2 RSV

Desire is the movement of the heart that draws us toward God. It is the spark within the soul that awakens, reaches, and longs for the One who created us. Advent deepens this desire. It teaches us to name what our heart truly seeks and to bring that longing into prayer.

Spiritual desire is not emotional intensity. It is the steady orientation of the heart toward the Lord. It is the recognition that only God can satisfy the deepest hunger within us. Desire is the beginning of conversion, because it turns the heart away from what cannot fulfill and toward the One who is our life.

God Himself places this desire within us. He stirs the longing for Him so we will seek Him. He awakens thirst so we will come to the living water. The discerning heart learns to trust this desire, because it is often the first sign of grace moving within the soul.

To desire God is already to be touched by His love. Advent invites us to let that desire deepen and to let it lead us closer to Christ.

Journey with the Saints –

St. Augustine

“Your desire is your prayer. If your desire is continual, your prayer is continual.”
St. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 37, Sermon 2, section 12

St. Augustine teaches that desire is the very heart of prayer. Prayer is not primarily words or thoughts. It is the upward movement of the heart that longs for God. When desire is alive, prayer is alive. When desire is steady, prayer becomes continual.

St. Augustine knew from his own restless journey that the human heart was created for God and finds rest only in Him. He reminds us that desire purifies and focuses the soul. It draws us beyond distractions and secondary loves, and it brings us into a sincere relationship with the Lord.

For St. Augustine, desire is a grace. It is God calling to God within us. When we follow that desire, we move toward the One who has already begun drawing us to Himself.

Reflection for the Listening Heart

Today invites you to notice the movements of your heart. What do you desire most deeply right now. Beneath the surface wants and passing feelings, what is the longing that keeps returning. God works in that place. He often speaks through desire before He speaks through clarity.

Listening to desire helps you recognize what God is awakening within you. Desire points to the places where Christ is drawing you closer or inviting something new. It helps you understand what your soul truly seeks, even when your circumstances feel confusing.

Ask yourself: What longing is rising in my heart today. How might this desire be a quiet invitation from the Lord.

A Simple Practice for Today

Sit quietly for a moment and ask, “Lord, place in my heart the desire that leads me closer to You.” Notice whatever surfaces. Later in the day, pause again and gently say, “Lord, deepen my desire for You.” Let both moments guide your heart toward Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You created my heart for Yourself. Awaken within me the desire that leads me to You. Purify my longings so they are rooted in Your truth and drawn by Your love. Teach me to listen to the movements of my heart and to follow the desires that bring me into Your presence. Amen.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

Citations for Day 2

Psalm 42.1 to 2 RSV
St. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 37, Sermon 2, section 12

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 4

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A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 4

O God,
who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we beseech You that,
as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son,
You did preserve Her from all stain,
so too You would permit us,
purified through Her intercession,
to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, world without end.

Amen.

O Mary, Mother of God,

endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception
with the fullness of grace;
unique among women
in that you are both mother and virgin;
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ,
we ask you to look down with a tender heart
from your throne and listen to our prayers
as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us
the favor for which we now plead…

(State your intention here…)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

The Immaculate Conception Novena page

AR#3 – Healing Disorderd Desires – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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AR#3 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

As human beings, we have disordered desires. One of our greatest disordered desires is to want things now, to be impatient, and to want things through our own efforts, without waiting or cooperating with God’s will. To wait and cooperate with God’s will, is to unleash the wonderful character trait of trust. To entrust all of our desires, and all that we wish would be fulfilled into the person of Jesus Christ, whose only desire is our goodness, our happiness, and our holiness. This Advent, let’s trust that God is thinking about us all the time and moving creation in such a way that all that is good will be given to us. Let us ask him to heal our desire to want things now. And to renew within us the desire to want only holiness, to want only what God wants for us, for he knows what is best.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

We highly recommend – The Eucharist and the Hope of Conversion with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. Discerning Hearts Podcast

DWG6 – Understanding Marriage and Priesthood – The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Understanding Marriage and Priesthood – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Fr. Timothy Gallagher presents the Catholic understanding of vocation, focusing first on marriage. The call to spousal love and family is woven into human nature itself, as God created men and women for self-gift and life-giving love. When lived through the sacrament, marriage becomes an expression of Christ’s love for the Church, reflecting the unity of bridegroom and bride described in Ephesians 5. The mutual care between spouses, their fidelity, and the lives they nurture become visible signs of Christ’s relationship with His people. To illustrate this, Fr. Gallagher shares personal stories and pastoral examples that show how everyday marriages embody this divine reality.

He then outlines how religious life and priesthood differ. These paths arise not from human nature but from a supernatural invitation: a call to give up marriage for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. Such a person feels both the natural goodness of marriage and a distinct interior attraction toward celibacy lived for God. Priests give themselves to the Church as their bride, and consecrated women give themselves to Christ, bearing spiritual fruit through service, prayer, and compassion. Whether in family life or consecrated life, vocation leads to the same core reality: offering oneself in love and generating life—either physical or spiritual—within the Body of Christ.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:

How does viewing marriage as a sacrament—rather than simply a life stage—change the way you understand love, commitment, and holiness?
In what ways have you experienced the natural desire for spousal love, family, or spiritual fruitfulness in your own life?
When you consider priesthood or religious life, do you notice any interior attraction or peace, even if it feels challenging to imagine?
How do the examples of saints like St. John Vianney or St. Thérèse help you see spiritual motherhood and fatherhood as real and life-giving?
What areas of your heart or personal formation might need healing so that you can better give and receive love in whatever vocation God desires for you?
How do you understand the spousal gift of self—whether to a spouse, the Church, or Christ—and how might that shape your daily choices?

From The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions:

“Three Times in which a Sound and Good Choice May Be Made

The first time is when God Our Lord so moves and attracts the will that, without doubting or being able to doubt, the devout soul follows what is shown to it, as St. Paul and St. Matthew did in following Christ our Lord.

The second time is when sufficient clarity and understanding is received through experience of consolations and desolations, and through experience of discernment of different spirits.

The third time is one of tranquility, when one considers first for what purpose man is born, that is, to praise God our Lord and save his soul, and, desiring this, chooses as a means to this end some life or state within the bounds of the Church, so that he may be helped in the service of his Lord and the salvation of his soul. I said a tranquil time, that is, when the soul is not agitated by different spirits, and uses its natural powers freely and tranquilly.

If the choice is not made in the first or second time, two ways of making it in this third time are given below.”

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

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 3

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A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 3

Amen.

O Blessed Virgin Mary,
glory of the Christian people,
joy of the universal Church
and Mother of Our Lord,
speak for us to the Heart of Jesus,
who is your Son and our brother.
O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception
did enter the world free from stain,
in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus
the special favor which we now so earnestly seek…

(State your intention here…)

Amen.

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

The Immaculate Conception Novena page

The Season of Advent – St. Charles Borromeo from the Office of Readings

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A pastoral letter by St Charles Borromeo
The season of Advent

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of his contemporaries; his power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share his power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.

The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.

In her concern for our salvation, our loving mother the Church uses this holy season to teach us through hymns, canticles and other forms of expression, of voice or ritual, used by the Holy Spirit. She shows us how grateful we should be for so great a blessing, and how to gain its benefit: our hearts should be as much prepared for the coming of Christ as if he were still to come into this world. The same lesson is given us for our imitation by the words and example of the holy men of the Old Testament.

Day 2 – Silence – An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 2 – Silence

“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62.5 RSV

Silence is the doorway through which the listening heart begins to hear God. Advent invites us into a quieter interior space, not by removing every sound, but by creating room within the soul where God’s presence can be received. Silence is not emptiness. Silence is a posture of readiness.

In the spiritual life, the greatest obstacles to hearing God often come not from the outside, but from within. Thoughts run ahead. Worries circle. Interior noise fills the mind. Silence teaches the soul to slow down, release the clutter, and rest in the presence of the Lord who speaks gently.

Sacred silence is not the absence of activity. It is the presence of attentiveness. It teaches the heart to lean in. It helps us let go of control so grace can soften the places that have become tense or hurried. Silence honors God’s desire to speak in a personal and intimate way.

The discerning heart learns that silence is not something we create. It is something we enter. It is the humble space where God waits for us.

Journey with the Saints –

St. John of the Cross

“The Father spoke one Word, which was His Son, and this Word He speaks always in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul.”
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99

St. John of the Cross teaches that God speaks His Word within the depths of the silent heart. He reminds us that silence is not a technique. It is the environment of intimacy. Only in silence can the soul receive the One whom the Father continually pours out.

For John, silence purifies the heart’s attention. It clears away the noise that distorts our vision and helps us recognize Christ’s gentle inspirations. In silence, we are not trying to make something happen. We are consenting to God’s presence. Silence frees the heart to listen with love rather than effort.

John of the Cross learned that silence is not emptiness. It is communion. It is the place where the soul rests in the truth that God is already near.

Reflection for the Listening Heart

Today invites you to notice your inner landscape. Where is there noise inside you. Where do your thoughts run quickly. Where does worry or distraction pull your attention away from God. Silence is not about pushing these things aside. It is about letting them settle so the heart can remember who is with you.

Listening begins when the interior noise quiets enough for Christ to be received. Even a few seconds of genuine silence can open a space for grace to enter. Ask the Lord to help you listen in that silence, not with strain, but with trust.

Ask yourself: Where is God inviting me into a deeper quiet today. What would it look like for me to enter silence instead of resisting it.

A Simple Practice for Today

Set aside one intentional moment of silence today. Sit or stand quietly, slow your breathing, and simply say, “Here I am, Lord.” Let your mind settle without trying to control it. Return to that quiet later in the day by pausing for a single slow breath and saying, “Lord, I receive Your peace.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, draw my heart into silence. Quiet the thoughts that pull me away and soften the places that feel restless or crowded. Teach me to enter the stillness where You wait for me. Speak Your Word into the silence of my soul and help me to listen with love. Amen.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

Citations for Day 2

Psalm 62.5 RSV
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99

AR#2 – To Be Loved and To Receive Joy – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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AR#2 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

We want everything accomplished right away. God only knows that accomplishment follows one thing after another. He knows that it takes time for us to learn what it means to be human, to be those who are loved so deeply by His most Sacred Heart, His mother, and the saints. He knows that it takes time for us to understand that His love, and the reception of His love, is the very origin of our joy. During Advent, we ask even with more fervor, to receive this love. And we ask for the grace to release this joy, especially through the intercession of the saints and the Blessed Mother.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

We highly recommend – The Eucharist and the Hope of Conversion with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. Discerning Hearts Podcast

Day 2: The Gift of Christ in Each Other – From the writings of Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Caryll Houselander image used with permission from TRINITY ICONS

Day 2: The Gift of Christ in Each Other

“I saw that it is the will of Christ’s love to be put into the hands of sinners, to trust Himself to men, that He may be their gift to one another that they may comfort Him in each other, give Him to each other. In this sense the ordinary life itself becomes sacramental, and every action of anyone at all has an eternal meaning.”

Commentary: Houselander reflects on Christ’s profound willingness to entrust Himself to us, even in our brokenness. This divine humility allows us to share Christ’s love with one another, transforming our daily actions into a form of grace. By seeing each interaction as an opportunity to give and receive Christ, our ordinary lives take on a sacramental quality, where every act holds eternal significance. For Catholics, this resonates with the call to see God in every person, making each encounter a moment of communion with Christ. This perspective deepens our understanding of what it means to live a sacramental life, where our love for others becomes an expression of our love for Him.

Personal Reflection: Today, think about how you can see Christ in the people you meet, especially those you may struggle with. How can you be a gift to them, offering Christ’s love through your actions? Let each interaction become an act of faith, bringing His presence into the world.

Houselander quote from: Caryll Houselander, A Rocking Horse Catholic by Caryll Houselander (2013) Paperback

For more reflections visit:
Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

The 1st Sunday of Advent – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The 1st Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

On the First Sunday of Advent, Msgr. Esseff shares two deeply moving testimonies that reveal the power of love, faith, and the kingship of Christ. The first story follows a Christian couple who defied medical advice to abort their “defective” child, trusting instead in God’s providence. Their faith was rewarded with the birth of a healthy baby who grew into a successful firefighter.

In this first Sunday of Advent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff invites listeners into the season with a call to spiritual wakefulness. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, he explains Jesus’ warning that some will be united with him at his coming while others will be left behind. The key difference is union with Christ, a union formed through baptism, nourished by grace, and renewed through repentance.

Msgr. Esseff speaks about the early Church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the ongoing need for every Christian to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He warns that sin separates the soul from Christ and dims the light God desires to radiate through us. Advent is presented as a time to return to that light, confront the shadows in our lives, and seek healing through confession, prayer, and intentional spiritual discipline.

The episode also explores Advent’s connection to peace. Drawing from Isaiah, Msgr. Esseff prays for a world where nations turn weapons into instruments of cultivation, and where each person commits to the peace Christ brings. He shares personal experiences of confession, transformation, and encounters with families seeking deeper union with God.

As the episode closes, he encourages listeners to begin an Advent journal, undertake a sincere spiritual inventory, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of darkness that need grace. For Msgr. Esseff, Advent is the doorway to a renewed life in Christ, a season where hearts awaken, grace deepens, and the soul prepares to welcome the light of Christmas.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

What area of my life most needs the light of Christ as Advent begins?
Where have I allowed habits or attitudes to separate me from Jesus?
What specific action can I take this week to grow in holiness and peace?
How is God calling me to make room for deeper union with him this Advent?
What step toward reconciliation or virtue is the Holy Spirit prompting in my heart?

Gospel Matthew 27:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. Msgr. Esseff served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. 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 Pope St. 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.

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 3 – Desire

Journey with the Saints –

St. Augustine

Reflection for the Listening Heart

A Simple Practice for Today

Prayer

For more of the episodes of An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 4

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

AR#3 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

Understanding Marriage and Priesthood – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 3

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

A pastoral letter by St Charles Borromeo The season of Advent

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 2 – Silence

Journey with the Saints –

St. John of the Cross

Reflection for the Listening Heart

A Simple Practice for Today

Prayer

For more of the episodes of An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

AR#2 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

For more reflections visit: Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

The 1st Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

A pastoral letter by St Charles Borromeo
The season of Advent

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

For more reflections visit:
Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts