Series Archives

HM-3 “A Handmaid of the Lord”: the Life and Legacy of Adrienne von Speyr with Dr. Adrian Walker

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Episode 3 – “A Handmaid of the Lord – The Assent” – “A Handmaid of the Lord”: The life and legacy of Adrienne von Speyr with Dr. Adrian Walker, Ph.D.

With Dr. Adrian Walker, we reflect on various aspects of Adrienne’s insight on the Mother of God as described in her book “A Handmaid of the Lord.” In part one of our conversation on the work, Dr. Walker reflects on the meaning of “The Assent.” We also explore “The Finding in the Temple” and “The Rejection” as events described by Adrienne in the book that helps deepen our appreciation and understanding of the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As a sheaf of grain is tied together in the middle and spreads out at either end, so Mary’s life is bound together by her assent. From this assent her life receives its meaning and form and unfolds toward past and future. This single, all-encompassing act accompanies her at every moment of her existence, illuminates every turning point of her life, bestows upon every situation its own particular meaning and in all situations gives Mary herself the grace of renewed understanding. Her assent gives full meaning to every breath, every movement, every prayer of the Mother of God. This is the nature of an assent: it binds the one who gives it, yet it allows him complete freedom in shaping its expression. He fills his assent with his personality, giving it its weight and unique coloring. But he himself is also molded, liberated and fulfilled by his assent. All freedom develops through surrender and through renunciation of liberty. And from this freedom within commitment there arises every sort of fruitfulness.

von Speyr, Adrienne (2012-03-09). Handmaid of the Lord (Kindle Locations 26-33). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

Adrienne von Speyr was a Swiss convert, mystic, wife, medical doctor and author of over 60 books on spirituality and theology. She’s inspired countless souls around the world to deepen their mission of prayer and compassion. She entered the Catholic Church under the direction of the great theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. In the years that would follow, they would co-found the secular institute, the Community of St. John.

Adrian Walker is an editor of the journal Communio, an International Catholic Review, who received his doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Dr. Walker has served as a translator for the English edition of Pope Benedict XVI’s, ” Jesus of Nazareth,” as well as numerous other theological works, including those of Hans Urs von Balthasar and Adrienne von Speyr.

Our series recorded at “Casa Balthasar,” a house of discernment for men located in Rome, Italy. The Casa was founded in 1990 by a group of friends and is directed by Rev. Jacques Servais, S.J.; Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) has been closely associated with the Casa Balthasar from the very beginning as its Cardinal Protector.

Many of Adrienne von Speyr’s books can found through Ignatius Press

LOH4-V4 – The Prayer of the Domestic Church – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 4 – The Prayer of the Domestic Church – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

From “GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS “, Fr. Gallagher discusses:

Chapter I-IV. Participants in the Liturgy of the Hours27….Finally, it is of great advantage for the family, the domestic sanctuary of the Church, not only to pray together to God but also to celebrate some parts of the liturgy of the hours as occasion offers, in order to enter more deeply into the life of the Church. [106]

For the audio podcast only:

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For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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

FW3- By His Stripes I Am Healed – Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt

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“By accepting the sufferings ‘offered’ by life and allowed by God for our progress and purification, we spare ourselves much harder ones. We need to develop this kind of realism and, once and for all, stop dreaming of a life without suffering or conflict. That is the life of heaven, not earth. We must take up our cross and follow Christ courageously every day; the bitterness of that cross will sooner or later be transformed into sweetness” (Fr. Jacques Philippe).

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Out now! My newest book with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers: Ignite, Read the Bible Like Never Before. Get a preview of the introduction and first chapter here.

Here’s the private Facebook discussion page for the Healing the Father Woundseries, if you want to join in the conversation with a little more privacy, as I do.

JPII’s Encyclical Letter, Dives in Misericordia, on God as Father

REFERENCES

“Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands” (Jn 19:1-3).

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Is 53:5).

“Jesus’ sufferings took their historical, concrete form from the fact that he was ‘rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes’ (Mk 8:31 ), who ‘handed him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified’ (Mt 20:19)” (CCC, 572).

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Franciscan* personality approach.

Listen (Receive the Word.)

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.

Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)

This week, I’d like you to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary specifically for your predominant fault. As you pray, ask God to reveal ways in which this fault interferes with your spiritual growth and causes destruction in your relationships and circumstances. What provokes your predominant fault? How have your most destructive eruptions been related to particular memories? What are those memories? Have you talked to God about those?

Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)

In your journal or on your journal page (get a free page to the right), write down your answers, and what you believe the Holy Spirit is saying to you through the mystery of Jesus’ Scourging at the Pillar.

Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

Abba, Father, lead me not into temptation, for my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

*LOVE the Word™ exercises vary weekly according to the four personalities, or “prayer forms,” explored in Prayer and Temperament, by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey: Ignatian, Augustinian, Franciscan, and Thomistic. These prayer forms correspond to the Myers-Briggs personality types.

USCCA7 – The Good News: God Has Sent His Son – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 7:

We ponder Christ’s person and his earthly words and deeds in terms of mystery. His earthly life reveals his hidden divine Sonship and plan for our salvation. His parables, miracles, sermons, and wisdom sayings help us “to see our God made visible, and so we are caught up in love of the God we cannot see” (First Preface for Christmas).

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 .

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Chuck Adams and Miriam Gutierrez for their vocal talents in this episode.

BTP-WP6 Chap 19 The Thirst of the Soul – The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray w/Dr. Anthony Lilles

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Dr. Lilles continues the discussion of the “Living Water”, as well as the nature of “spiritual thirst” and the Woman at the Well as described by St. Teresa of Avila. We also discuss the danger of spiritual gluttony and envy in prayer.

CHAPTER 19 –
Begins to treat of prayer. Addresses souls who cannot reason with the understanding.

Saint Teresa Painting Convento de Santa Teresa Avila Castile Spain.

For the audio recordings of St. Teresa’s “The Way of Perfection” you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics audio page

For other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Way of Perfection with Dr. Anthony Lilless

Anthony Lilles, S.T.D. is an associate professor and the academic dean of Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years he served the Church in Northern Colorado where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. Through the years, clergy, seminarians, religious and lay faithful have benefited from his lectures and retreat conferences on the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the writings of St. Elisabeth of the Trinity.

FW2- Arise, It Is Time – Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt

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By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange (CCC 221).

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Out now! My newest book with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers: Ignite, Read the Bible Like Never Before. Get a preview of the introduction and first chapter here.

Here’s the private Facebook discussion page for the Healing the Father Woundseries, if you want to join in the conversation with a little more privacy, as I do.

JPII’s Encyclical Letter, Dives in Misericordia, on God as Father

Catechism references

221 But St. John goes even further when he affirms that “God is love”:⁴⁴ God’s very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret:⁴⁵ God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.

Scripture references

Mar 14:36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Thomistic* personality approach.

Listen (Receive the Word.)

Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (Mat 26:38-40)

Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)

In Catholic tradition, Matthew 26:40 is the basis of the Holy Hour devotion for Eucharistic adoration. The tradition of Holy Hour devotion dates back to 1673 when Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque stated that she had a vision of Jesus in which she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I’d like you to participate in a holy hour of Adoration this week: “Watch and pray,” specifically for your woundedness. Where have you been sleeping through or distracting yourself from your agony? How can you enter into that agony, and give to others out of it, rather than “entering into temptation” to somehow run away from it?

Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)

In your journal or on your journal page (get a free page to the right), write down your answers, and what you believe the Holy Spirit is saying to you through the mystery of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden.

Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

Abba, Father, lead me not into temptation, for my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

LOH3-V3 – Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

LOH3 – The Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher from Discerning Hearts on Vimeo.

Episode 3 – The Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

From “CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY “, Fr. Gallagher discusses:

CHAPTER IV THE DIVINE OFFICE 83. Christ Jesus, high priest of the new and eternal covenant, taking human nature, introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. He joins the entire community of mankind to Himself, associating it with His own singing of this canticle of divine praise.

For he continues His priestly work through the agency of His Church, which is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for the salvation of the whole world. She does this, not only by celebrating the eucharist, but also in other ways, especially by praying the divine office.

84. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church’s ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father.

For the audio podcast only:

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For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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

Deacon James Keating Ph.D. – “Come Let Us Adore” Advent Reflection

The “Come Let Us Adore” talk given by Deacon James Keating on Saturday, December 9th at Christ the King Church for the IPF Advent Morning of Reflection.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha.

Here is the audio podcast, if you prefer:

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Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

FW1 – Abba, Father – Healing the Father Wound with Sonja Corbitt

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“To reflect on this mystery … is demanded by the pleas of many human hearts, their sufferings and hopes, their anxieties and expectations…Believing in the crucified Son means ‘seeing the Father,’ means believing that love is present in the world and that this love is more powerful than any kind of evil in which individuals, humanity, or the world are involved” (Dives in Misericordia, JPII).

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Out now! My newest book with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers: Ignite, Read the Bible Like Never Before. Get a preview of the introduction and first chapter here.

Here’s the private Facebook discussion page for the Healing the Father Woundseries, if you want to join in the conversation with a little more privacy, as I do.

JPII’s Encyclical Letter, Dives in Misericordia, on God as Father

Catechism references 233, 238, 2779

Scripture references

Mar 14:36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.”

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Thomistic* personality approach.

Listen (Receive the Word.)

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”

Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)

How do you feel about calling God “Abba”? What emotions arise at the thought of intimacy with Him? How do your relationships with your earthly mother and father distort your view of how God relates to you? Where are you afraid concerning your relationship to God the Father? Considering Jesus’s relationship to God as Abba, what does He teach you about the Father that you had not considered before?

Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)

In your journal or on your journal page (get a free page to the right), write down your fears, and what you believe the Holy Spirit is saying to you through this verse about God as your Abba:

This is what I think you are telling me about yourself…

My fears about my relationship with you are…

I need your help here…

Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

LOH2-V2 – Praying with the Psalms – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

LOH2 – Praying the Psalms – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher from Discerning Hearts on Vimeo.

Episode 2 – Praying the Psalms – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

From “Praying the Liturgy of the Hours”, Fr. Gallagher shares:

My psalter is my joy. —Saint Augustine

SINCE THE OLD TESTAMENT times when they were written, people of faith have loved the Psalms. Devout Jews turned to these one hundred fifty prayers in times of joy and sorrow, of peace and desperate need. Jesus knew, quoted, and prayed the Psalms; in him, the fullness of divine revelation, the Psalms acquired their deepest meaning. 1 The early Christians likewise prayed them and, when the persecutions of the first centuries ceased, gathered for this prayer in their churches.

For the audio podcast only:

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For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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

Many of Adrienne von Speyr’s books can found through Ignatius Press

Episode 4 – The Prayer of the Domestic Church – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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 other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

REFERENCES

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Franciscan* personality approach.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

For the audio recordings of St. Teresa’s “The Way of Perfection” you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics audio page

For other episodes in the series visit The Discerning Hearts “The Way of Perfection with Dr. Anthony Lilless

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Thomistic* personality approach.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

Episode 3 – The Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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 other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. This week’s LOVE the Word™ exercise is according to a Thomistic* personality approach.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

Episode 2 – Praying the Psalms – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

For more episodes in this series visit Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

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 other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Way of Perfection with Dr. Anthony Lilless