CLJ2 – The Epicenter – Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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CLJ2 – The Epicenter – ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.

An excerpt from Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting:

The Epicenter

“In today’s Gospel we have our dear Lord’s shivering words about the house built on sand, which looked so good, standing there. Everything was going along all right. But then some winds came, and then some rain came. And that good-looking house fell because it was built on sand. Jesus says in those terrible words, which always cause a shiver to go down the spine, “The rains came and the winds came, and that house fell. And, oh, what a fall it had!” We have falls in our lives, in our spiritual lives, and sometimes they are very bad. The trouble is that we had built something on sand.

And then, of course, our dear Lord talks about the other house: it also looked good. It was good, because it was built on a rock. He says that the winds came and they beat against that house. If these were sentient houses, we couldn’t claim that this house didn’t feel the wind, and the other one did. No, it felt the winds. The winds and rain beat upon this house, too. And it also suffered; it also had to endure the impact of the untoward. But this house stood firm because it was built upon a rock.”

Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C., (1921-2006) was for more than forty years the abbess of the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Roswell, New Mexico. She became recognized as an authoritative voice for the renewal of religious life through her many books, including A Right to Be Merry, But I Have Called You Friends, and Anima Christi. To learn more about Mother Mary Francis and the Poor Clare Nuns of Roswell, NM visit their website at https://poorclares-roswell.org

Discerning Hearts is grateful to Cluny Media whose permission was obtained to record these audio selections from this published work.

CLJ1 – Right Nutrition – Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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CLJ1 – Right Nutrition – ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.

An excerpt from Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting:

Right Nutrition

“Jesus took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves. . . . All ate and were satisfied (Mt 15:36, 37).”

“We all know in daily experience in this blessed Advent season that there are such rich viands spread out before us in the liturgy that one hardly knows where to linger. One thinks, “This must be the theme of my prayer today”, and then the next responsory comes, and then this reading comes, and then this lesson comes. In a beautiful, provocative homily by Saint Bernard at Matins we read a wonderful phrase: “Feed on goodness.” We should, spiritually, watch what we are eating. Now, each of us has full command over what our thoughts feed upon. There is a great thrust in our times about right nutrition. There is finally a reaction against the eating of junk foods, which not only provide no nourishment but do great harm to the physical system. Reputable doctors are saying that we are what we eat. Sometimes people deliberately feed themselves on wrong foods, junk foods, which taste good at the moment, please the palate at the moment—but give no nourishment for the body’s growth and sustenance, and little by little work destructive havoc on the body. We can do this spiritually as well. “Feed on goodness.” How can we live a spiritual life, how can we be the force that we are called to be in the Church of God, beginning with the local church of our community, if our diet is very destructive, if, instead of feeding on goodness we feed on self? Do we sometimes feed our thoughts on impatience, feed them on self-pity? Do we feed on irritability? Do we feed on grudging giving? Do we feed on selfishness, instead of feeding on goodness? Saint Bernard says, “Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither.” We must remember to eat our bread, to feed on goodness, or our spiritual life will wither. It really will.”

Discerning Hearts is grateful to Cluny Media whose permission was obtained to record these audio selections from this published work.

Ep 7 – A Sister of St. Thérèse: Servant of God, Léonie Martin – Bearer of Hope w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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A Sister of St. Thérèse: Servant of God, Léonie Martin – Bearer of Hope with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Episode 7

In this episode, Fr. Gallagher shares some of the letters that Léonie wrote to her sisters later in her life which reflects her perception of herself during earlier years.

Then we hear of Léonie’s first attempt to enter into religious life as told by her sister, St. Therese. The Martin family visits Alençon with Marie so she may visit her mother’s gravesite for the last time prior to her entrance into the Carmelites of Lisieux. Léonie goes to the Poor Clare Monastery that she used to visit with Zélie. To the surprise of her family, they find that she has been accepted into the Poor Clare novitiate. This is rather a shocking development to the family members. Will this be something that will work out for Léonie?

Fr. Gallagher says, “Léonie’s life holds a very important story because she was the forgotten one; she was the one who was in the last place; she was the one who was less gifted than the others. Today we would call her a ‘problem child,’ and we’ll see that she certainly was the source of great anxiety to her parents, especially to her mother, Zélie, who loved her dearly.”

As a child, Léonie suffered from severe illnesses and physical maladies that would plague her entire life. She also struggled with understanding social clues and interactions and behaving appropriately. Conventional educational models of the day failed to meet her particular needs, and she was labeled “developmentally delayed.” Yet those who knew her well described her as having a “heart of gold”.

Who was Léonie and what were her struggles? Why has her cause of canonization begun? Father Gallagher, along with Kris McGregor, answers these questions and explains why Léonie is “a bearer of hope” in this landmark series.

Marie

Pauline

Céline

St. Thérèse

St. Louis Martin

A resource used for this series

Images in this post of the Martin/Guerin family are used with permission from the Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux website for strictly non-commercial use. We encourage you to visit the website for more information on this remarkable family.

For more series Fr. Timothy Gallagher podcasts visit here

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

Episode 10 – The Day Is Now Far Spent – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

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“In the twenty-first century, totalitarianism has a more pernicious face. Its name is the idolatry of complete and absolute freedom.”

This discussion is part of the FORMED Book Club—an online community led by Fr. Joseph Fessio and Joseph Pearce that reads and discusses a different book each month. Go to formedbookclub.ignatius.com to sign up for free!

You can find the book here

Robert Cardinal Sarah calls The Day Is Now Far Spent his most important book. He analyzes the spiritual, moral, and political collapse of the Western world and concludes that “the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril.”

A cultural identity crisis, he writes, is at the root of the problems facing Western societies. “The West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows and does not want to know who made it, who established it, as it was and as it is. Many countries today ignore their own history. This self-suffocation naturally leads to a decadence that opens the path to new, barbaric civilizations.”

While making clear the gravity of the present situation, the cardinal demonstrates that it is possible to avoid the hell of a world without God, a world without hope. He calls for a renewal of devotion to Christ through prayer and the practice of virtue.

IP#281 Vivian Dudro - Meriol Trevor's "Shadows and Images" on Inside the Pages 1 — Vivian Dudro

Episode 3 – The Day Is Now Far Spent – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

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We continue our exploration of Robert Cardinal Sarah’s “The Day Is Now Far Spent”—a tour de force response to the present darkness in the Church.

From the New York City skyline to the meaning of the word “Modernism”. We continue our discussion of Robert Cardinal Sarah’s “The Day Is Now Far Spent”.

You can find the book here

The Mystery of This Present Moment – a special conversation with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. and Kris McGregor Podcast

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During this podcast, Deacon Keating will offer his insights on “the mystery of this present moment.”

Here a few of his comments:

Deacon Keating:

So, the wisdom of the Saints comes back to us again and again. Of course, in good times we never listened to the saints because we got this. And in bad times, we’re suffering so much, that a lot of times they can’t get their wisdom through to us because of our pain. So, it’s quite paradoxical. But the wisdom of the Saints is this, that throughout our life, no matter what we’re experiencing in suffering or enjoying, we should always be sloughing off the excess of our days, any idols that we are drawing artificial consolation from. We should be seeking Holy communion, no matter whether we’re in good times or bad times.

So, when bad times come or when good times come, everything is calculated toward reality and peace because we have been suffering the coming of Holy communion throughout our entire life. So, when people don’t have this Holy communion during bad times like we’re in right now, we can panic and we can start grasping at straws, and thinking that everything is over and ending. Anxiety then becomes our normal state. So, again, the saints would counsel us when this horrible virus passes, if we could just remember not to go back to being normal Americans, but to go back to Him and get our equilibrium set, and the substance of our interior life set. So that when the next reminder that everything on this planet is not forever, when that next reminder comes, we’ll have less panic and more peace because we will have been living for a while then in Holy communion.

Further in the conversation:

The reason there’s so much fear is that we are acknowledging that death is real. Again, most of our popular culture is a mask keeping us from ever thinking about death. Now there are all these masks that have dropped, death comes to the fore and it’s not something we want to rebel in or say, “Let’s look at this and some type of McCobb way.” But we’ve known as believers, that death has always been the enemy. Now we see it. We see the enemy, we’ve been afraid of the enemy.

Again, we’ve been afraid of the enemy because our Holy communion isn’t stronger enough, with our Holy friend, Jesus Christ. The deeper that friendship grows with him, the more we can confront death in peace. Without panic, without fear. Of course, there’ll be sadness, it will be mourning. But the sadness in the mourning is over the good things of life, the panic and the fear is over that which we have created in ourselves. Which is a habitual stance of isolation from God. That’s what he’s gently trying to say to us. This death has always been here. Your limit and your finitude have always been part of your life. Stop masking it and let’s look at real life. It’s okay to look at it, with me. That’s why I came so that you would not be alone when you look at it, that’s what we call salvation.

You’re looking at it from the stance of communion with him. That’s how the Saints die in joy and in peace. So push against the fear and choose a career. That would be the theme of this imposed retreat, I would say.

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

Check out the many series from Deacon James Keating Ph.D. by this Discerning Hearts podcast page

We now enter into Holy Week – Daily Spiritual Counsel Through This Time of Pandemic – Msgr. John Esseff Podcast

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Msgr. Esseff reflects on the reading for the Monday of Holy Week 2020. He also speaks of Sr. Gertrude, superior of the Missionaries of Charity Contemplative Sisters in Bronx, NY., and her death recently from complications from Covid-19. He helps us enter the mystery found in Holy Week 2020.

Gospel JN 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

Used with permission. Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Global Pandemic and Our Spiritual Response – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff Podcast

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Msgr. Esseff addresses the global pandemic of the coronavirus and COVID-19. He offers wise spiritual counsel to guide us through the uncharted waters lay before us. This day many will not be able to go to church and receive the Eucharist. What does that mean? What can your response be to this moment? This is an opportunity for this madly extroverted world of ours to STOP, turn around, and encounter in contemplation God who is before us waiting.

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Mother Teresa. 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 St. Pope John Paul II. 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.

Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: Conference 3 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast Seminar

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Conference 3 – A Spiritual Program – Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Conference talk 3 from the Discerning Hearts Seminar/Retreat held online late spring 2020 with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Letters of Venerable Bruno Lanteri to his spiritual directee, Gabriella Solaro della Margarita

2. Madame,

I would like to use this opportunity of the departure [from Turin] of Monsieur your son for some profit, but I do not know of what I should speak: Should I praise you for your fidelity to God?

Ought I chide you? I do not know at all. So I will take a sure course and that is to counsel you to begin each day, abandoning the past to the Lord’s mercy and the future to his divine Providence. In the meantime, reflect each day that you are entrusted with a mission by the good God. In regard to your temporal affairs, never let anything trouble you, and the same with respect to your faults, taking care to counteract them immediately by an act of love of God. Be attentive to practice the virtues of patience and gentleness; you can make a special examination concerning this in the evening and at midday.

Do not forget meditation, at least for a quarter of an hour, frequently raising up your heart to God throughout the day. Remember spiritual reading as well, if it be but a single page. Finally, do not fail to receive communion at least two or three times a week. I beg you to inform me about all these things, praying to the good God that he assist you in carrying them out.

It may be that I will come myself to learn how you are doing. It would be a great consolation for me, and I hope for it all the more since my eyes, which continually grow weaker, will not permit me to dedicate myself to other occupations that might hinder me from coming, as happened last year.

I do not have time to remain longer with you in this letter as I would desire, and so I conclude by recommending myself to your holy prayers, and blessing you, having the honor of being,

Your Servant and Father in Jesus Christ, Fr. Bruno Lanteri, Turin, July 4, 1808

Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Bruno Lanteri — Venerable Bruno Lanteri

The image of Our Lady of Consolation referred to by Fr. Gallagher

Visit the “Begin Again: The Spiritual Legacy of the Venerable Bruno Lanteri with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Discerning Hearts podcast” for more episodes of this series

For books on the life and teachings of Ven. Bruno Lanteri:

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

Please visit the site dedicated to Ven. Bruno Lanteri for more information and prayer requests

Prayer to Obtain Graces by the intercession of Ven. Bruno Lanteri

Heavenly Father, you filled the heart of your servant Bruno with a living and active faith. Grant that our lives be guided by that same faith, and, through his intercession, give us the grace of which we have so great need… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Jesus, uncreated Wisdom, through the hope in your merits and in your Cross, infused into the heart of your servant Bruno, and through the zeal he showed in teaching your goodness and mercy, grant us the same ardor and the grace for which we fervently ask… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Holy Spirit, fount of charity, through the love for God and neighbor that you enkindled in the heart of your servant Bruno, grant also to us that, living far from sin, in charity and justice, we may be worthy of the grace we humbly seek and gain the joy of heaven… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

And you, Virgin Mother of God and our Mother, obtain from the Lord the beatification of your servant Bruno, who all his life loved you as a loyal son and zealously sought to lead others to you, and obtain for us through his intercession the grace that with great trust we ask of you… Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

RN33 – “Economic Life” in the Compendium of Social Doctrine Chap 7 part 1 with Deacon Omar Gutierrez podcast

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Episode 33- Regnum Novum: Bringing forth the New Evangelization through Catholic Social Teaching with Omar Gutierrez – We continue the study of the “Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church” Chapter 7 – What is “economics” and why does the Church have a role in how it is lived out? Who are the poor? How are we called to live out our Catholic faith in the area of the “economy”?

CHAPTER SEVEN
ECONOMIC LIFE

I. BIBLICAL ASPECTS
a. Man, poverty and riches
b. Wealth exists to be shared

328. Goods, even when legitimately owned, always have a universal destination; any type of improper accumulation is immoral, because it openly contradicts the universal destination assigned to all goods by the Creator. Christian salvation is an integral liberation of man, which means being freed not only from need but also in respect to possessions. “For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (1 Tim 6:10). The Fathers of the Church insist more on the need for the conversion and transformation of the consciences of believers than on the need to change the social and political structures of their day. They call on those who work in the economic sphere and who possess goods to consider themselves administrators of the goods that God has entrusted to them.

II. MORALITY AND THE ECONOMY

We live at a very special time. The confluence of many things has brought forth the clear need to be able to articulate the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church in a way that is accessible and applicable. This is not to be an effort where high-minded theories are to be bandied about. Rather, this is a time of opportunity wherein we can apply the Social Doctrine to the concrete so as to bring about a New Kingdom, a Revolution. – Omar G.

Also visit Omar’s “Discerning Hearts” page Catholic Social Teaching 101