In this episode, Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses the deep devotion Ven. Bruno Lanteri had for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was a deep relationship of love between Ven. Lanteri and Our Lady. Fr. Gallagher offers what a Marian devotion can bring to the spiritual life. He goes on to say that there is something safe about turning to the Blessed Mother in our struggles which is deeply rooted in our Catholic tradition.
Episode 7 The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Ignatian Wisdom of the Examen Prayer.
Fr. Gallagher continues to discuss the fifth step – RENEWAL – which is how we move forward after our encounter with God in our prayer.
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”.
As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J. 1909 in the public domain)
METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN
It contains in it five Points.
First Point.The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received. Second Point.The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out. Third Point.The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen. Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults. Fifth Point.The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.
In this lecture, Sharon completes our journey through the book of Romans. The over-arching theme in this section is the universality of salvation through Jesus Christ. Taking us back to Genesis, Sharon focuses on the election of Israel as God’s chosen people. The children of promise, the offspring of Abraham and Sarah, become the nation of Israel. The children of flesh, the offspring of Abraham and Hagar, become the nation of Islam. Yet, as predicted by the prophets Hosea and Isaiah, only a remnant of Israel will be justified through faith in Jesus while the gentiles will be welcomed into covenant with God through faith in Christ. Sharon teaches us about the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which is also known as the feast of first fruits. The birth of the Church occurs with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the first Jewish Christians are the first fruits of the new covenant. Using the imagery of an olive tree, Sharon also shows us how the nation of Israel is cut off due to their hardened hearts and lack of belief in Christ. Yet the roots remain holy and the gentiles are grafted into these roots to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. Even more, righteousness is offered to ALL nations provided they have faith in Jesus; the children of promise (Israel) and the children of flesh (Islam) can be grafted into these holy roots and bear fruit for the kingdom of God through the righteousness of faith in Jesus Christ.For the audio-only version of this podcast
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to:www.seekingtruth.net
“True comfort comes when iniquity is pardoned.” With these words, Sharon begins the first of three lessons covering Paul’s monumental work, the book of Romans. One of the overarching themes of this book is that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are pardoned for our sins. Paul begins his letter with the bad news: we are dying in our sins. But then, he delivers the good news: Jesus Christ provides a way out of sin. Sharon emphasizes that in order to fully understand Romans, we have to know that Paul is addressing the tension between the Jewish and Gentile Christians of Rome, explaining that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ and not through adherence to the laws of the old covenant. Another theme of Romans is the obedience of faith, which is beautifully illustrated through the story of Abraham, whose faith continued to grow throughout his entire life. To be righteous, (that is, in right relationship with God), we must have faith in his only son, Jesus. Furthermore, Sharon teaches us of the importance of worship. When we fail to worship our Creator and, instead, worship the creation, we fall into idolatry, which invariably leads to sexual immorality.
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to:www.seekingtruth.net
In this episode, Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses the importance of the “spiritual struggles” in the life Ven. Lanteri. Outwardly, he was faced with a hostile secular climate. He also experienced tremendous physical struggles, as well as an inner resistance to certain virtues. Prayer, meditation, reflection and study became a remedy for Ven. Lanteri. Fr. Gallagher reflects on the tremendous gift of this spiritual program for us and how it can transform our lives today!
Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.
Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.
O Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.
Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to our prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints. Amen.
In this episode, Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses the importance of a “spiritual program” in the life Ven. Lanteri and how we can benefit from one as well. Venerable Bruno Lanteri was also a gifted confessor, beloved by the people of the area for his spiritual guidance and availability. Fr. Gallagher reflects on the tremendous gift of grace that is found in the reception of this sacrament.
This study examines Acts chapter 17 in conjunction with Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians, the earliest New Testament letters. Beginning with a historical overview of the city of Thessalonica, Sharon examines Daniel 9, demonstrating the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy delivered to Daniel by the angel Gabriel to come in 490 years. The same angel Gabriel announced the conception of John the Baptist to his old father Zechariah as the one who would herald the way of the long awaited Messiah. The Angel Gabriel is the same angel who declared to Mary that she would bear the anointed one, the Messiah, a 490 day time period from conception to presentation in the temple. By outlining the true Messianic kingship of Jesus, Sharon goes on to show how Paul could not ignore the lordship of Jesus Christ. He felt an incredible urgency to spread the message of the Christ, willing to endure incredible sufferings for the sake of the Gospel. Paul and his fellow disciples, “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) as they traveled from city to city, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. The life of the Church recapitulates the life of Christ, who through His death and resurrection had all ready turned the world upside down. Paul is up against a tough crowd of Jews in Thessalonica. While many of the Thessalonians do not accept the gospel message, some of them do, along with Greek Gentiles and several leading women. The Beroean Jews are more receptive to Paul’s message, testing his preaching daily against the Old Testament scriptures and holding fast to what they find to be true. The jealous Jews from Thessalonica pursue Paul to diminish his ministry in Beroea, and to avoid death he swiftly left by sea to Athens, the intellectual Mecca of Greece. In Athens, many philosophers are curious about his message but most find Jesus to be nothing more than a curiosity. Sharon exhorts us to action, emphasizing that the Word of God must transform us, making that longest journey: the 18 inches from head to heart, provoking us to internalize Christ, propelling us to evangelize and transform the world around us.
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to:www.seekingtruth.net
40. “It seems to me that the attitude of the Virgin during the months that elapsed between the Annunciation and the Nativity is the model for interior souls, those whom God has chosen to live within, in the depths of the bottomless abyss. In what peace, in what recollection Mary lent herself to everything she did! How even the most trivial things were divinized by her! For through it all the Virgin remained the adorer of the gift of God! This did not prevent her from spending herself outwardly when it was a matter of charity”
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.
This reflection was given by Deacon James Keating during the “The Light Shines in the Darkness” Insititute for Priestly Formation 2016 Advent Retreat at Christ the King Church, in Omaha, NE on December 2016. Deacon Keating was joined by Fr. Mauritius Wilde OSB. This if the first of two talks.
Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha.
This reflection was given by Deacon James Keating during the “The Light Shines in the Darkness” Insititute for Priestly Formation 2016 Advent Retreat at Christ the King Church, in Omaha, NE on December 2016. Deacon Keating was joined by Fr. Mauritius Wilde OSB. This if the first of two talks.