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St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 4 – Discerning Hearts podcast

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 4

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St. Bonaventure you have said:

I confess before God that what made me love Saint Francis’ way of life so much was that it is exactly like the origin and the perfection of the Church itself, which began first with simple fishermen and afterward developed to include the most illustrious and learned doctors. You find the same thing in the Order of Saint Francis; in this way God reveals that it did not come about through human calculations but through Christ.

Dear St. Bonaventure
Cardinal, Bishop and Doctor of the Church,
you chose a life that embraced mortification and great humiliation.
Choosing to serve those individuals who were rejected and sick you risked illness for yourself.
You made your life a continuous prayer and spent hours meditating on the wounds of Christ.
Please pray for us that we may have a sincere and humble heart.
Pray that we may not lose sight of Jesus’ wounds and thus walk on the straight path to eternal salvation.

All-powerful Father,
may we who celebrate the feast of St. Bonaventure
always benefit from his wisdom
and follow the example of his love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

St. Bonaventure Novena Day 3 – Discerning Hearts podcasts

St. Bonaventure Novena Day 3

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St. Bonaventure you have said:

In beautiful things St. Francis saw Beauty itself, and through His vestiges imprinted on creation he followed his Beloved everywhere, making from all things a ladder by which he could climb up and embrace Him who is utterly desirable. If you desire to know … ask grace, not instruction; desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, not diligent reading; the Spouse, not the teacher; God, not man; darkness not clarity; not light, but fire that totally inflames and carries us into God by ecstatic unctions and burning affections.

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 2 – Discerning Hearts podcast

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 2

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St. Bonaventure you have said:

Three things are necessary to everyone regardless of status, sex, or age, i.e., truth of faith which brings understanding; love of Christ which brings compassion; endurance of hope which brings perseverance. No adult is in state of salvation unless he has faithful understanding in his mind, loving compassion in his heart, and enduring perseverance in his actions.

Dear St. Bonaventure
Cardinal, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church,
you chose a life that embraced mortification and great humiliation.
Choosing to serve those individuals who were rejected and sick you risked illness for yourself.
You made your life a continuous prayer and spent hours meditating on the wounds of Christ.
Please pray for us that we may have a sincere and humble heart.
Pray that we may not lose sight of Jesus’ wounds and thus walk on the straight path to eternal salvation.

St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 1 – Discerning Hearts podcast

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St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 1

St. Bonaventure you have said:

The life of God – precisely because God is triune – does not belong to God alone. God who dwells in inaccessible light and eternal glory comes to us in the face of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit. Because of God’s outreach to the creature, God is said to be essentially relational, ecstatic, fecund, alive as passionate love. Divine life is therefore also our life. The heart of the Christian life is to be united with the God of Jesus Christ by means of communion with one another. The doctrine of the Trinity is, ultimately, therefore a teaching not about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from everything other than God, but a teaching about God’s life with us and our life with each other.

All-powerful Father,
through the intercession of St. Bonaventure
we ask that you hear the intentions we hold in our hearts for this novena
may we always benefit from his wisdom
and follow the example of his love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

For the complete 9-Day St. Bonaventure Novena visit here

St. Benedict Novena – Day 3 – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Holy Rule Novena to St. Benedict – Day 3

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

Brothers, the Holy Scripture crys to us saying: “Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Lk 14:11; 18:14). Since, therefore, it says this, it shows us that every exaltation is a kind of pride…

Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the greatest height of humility, and speedily to arrive at that heavenly exaltation to which ascent is made in the present life by humility, then, mounting by our actions, we must erect the ladder which appeared to Jacob in his dream, by means of which angels were shown to him ascending and descending (cf Gen 28:12). Without a doubt, we understand this ascending and descending to be nothing else but that we descend by pride and ascend by humility. The erected ladder, however, is our life in the present world, which, if the heart is humble, is by the Lord lifted up to heaven. For we say that our body and our soul are the two sides of this ladder; and into these sides the divine calling has inserted various degrees of humility or discipline which we must mount. . (Holy Rule 7)

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

St. Anthony of the Desert Novena – Day 7 – Discerning Hearts Podcast

St. Anthony of the Desert Novena – Day 7

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Day 7

From the Sayings of St. Anthony of the Desert:

The brothers praised a monk before Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults, and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, “You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers.”

A brother said to Abba Anthony, “Pray for me.” The old man said to him, “I will have no mercy on you, nor will God have any, if you yourself do not make an effort and if you do not pray to God.”

Dear God,

St Anthony of the Desert accepted your call to renounce the world and to love you above all things.
He faithfully served you in the solitude of the desert by fasting, prayer, humility and good works.
In the Sign of the Cross, he triumphed over the devil.
Through his intercession, may we learn to love you better; with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, all our strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
St Anthony, great and powerful saint, intercede for us also for this special request (mention your request).
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen
St. Anthony of the Desert, pray for us.

For the entire 9-Day St. Anthony of the Desert Novena Mp3 audio and Text Page

The sayings of St. Anthony us, as translated by the late Sr Benedicta Ward SLG , are taken from her The Sayings of the Desert Fathers:

LORT3 – Frodo’s Quest: Embracing Life’s Challenges – A Lord of the Rings Spiritual Retreat w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Frodo’s Quest: Embracing Life’s Challenges – A Lord of the Rings Spiritual Retreat w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

In this episode, Father Timothy Gallagher discusses the spiritual and personal growth lessons that can be drawn from the character of Frodo in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Host Kris McGregor and Father Gallagher explore how Frodo’s journey and struggles with the responsibility of the ring mirror our own challenges in life.

Father Gallagher emphasizes that, like Frodo, we often feel ill-equipped for the tasks or challenges God places before us. Frodo’s initial reluctance and feeling of being ‘too small’ for such a perilous quest is a sentiment shared by many biblical figures and ordinary people alike. However, Gandalf’s role in Frodo’s journey symbolizes the presence of God’s grace, assuring us that we are never alone in our struggles and that we have been chosen for our tasks for a reason.

The conversation also touches upon the theme of free will and the importance of the choices we make. Gandalf’s faithfulness, in contrast to the betrayal of other characters like Saruman, shows the significant impact our decisions have in the world. The podcast highlights that while we may feel overwhelmed and unprepared for the challenges we face, with faith and support, we are capable of extraordinary things.

Overall, the episode delves into the deeper meanings behind Tolkien’s characters and narrative, drawing parallels between Frodo’s journey and our own spiritual and personal challenges, reminding listeners of the strength and heroism inherent in even the most ordinary of people.

He went to the window and drew aside the curtains and the shutters. Sunlight streamed back again into the room. Sam passed along the path outside whistling. ‘And now,’ said the wizard, turning back to Frodo, ‘the decision lies with you. But I will always help you.’ He laid his hand on Frodo’s shoulder. ‘I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear. But we must do something, soon. The Enemy is moving.’

There was a long silence. Gandalf sat down again and puffed at his pipe, as if lost in thought. His eyes seemed closed, but under the lids he was watching Frodo intently. Frodo gazed fixedly at the red embers on the hearth, until they filled all his vision, and he seemed to be looking down into profound wells of fire. He was thinking of the fabled Cracks of Doom and the terror of the Fiery Mountain.

‘Well!’ said Gandalf at last. ‘What are you thinking about? Have you decided what to do?’

‘No!’ answered Frodo, coming back to himself out of darkness, and finding to his surprise that it was not dark, and that out of the window he could see the sunlit garden. ‘Or perhaps, yes. As far as I understand what you have said, I suppose I must keep the Ring and guard it, at least for the present, whatever it may do to me.’

‘Whatever it may do, it will be slow, slow to evil, if you keep it with that purpose,’ said Gandalf.

Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings (pp. 61-62). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

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

Discerning Hearts Reflection questions for this episode:

Reflecting on the themes discussed in the podcast “Frodo’s Quest: Embracing Life’s Challenges – A Lord of the Rings Spiritual Retreat” with Fr. Timothy Gallagher, here are some study questions for reflection:

Relating to Personal Challenges: How do Frodo’s feelings of being ‘too small’ and unprepared for his quest reflect our own feelings when faced with life’s challenges? Can you recall a time when you felt similarly and how you overcame it?
Understanding God’s Grace: Gandalf’s role in Frodo’s journey is seen as a symbol of God’s grace. How does this compare to your understanding of God’s support in your life? Can you identify moments where you felt a similar form of guidance or support?
Free Will and Decision Making: In what ways do the choices made by Frodo and other characters in “The Lord of the Rings” mirror the importance of our own decisions in life? Can you think of a decision you made that had a significant impact on your life or on others?
Embracing the Unknown: Frodo accepts his quest despite uncertainty and fear. How does this relate to the way we, as individuals, are called to embrace our own life’s missions, even when the path is not clear?
Finding Strength in Ordinary People: The podcast highlights the heroism in ordinary people, like Frodo. How does this perspective change the way you view your own potential and the potential of those around you?
Reflection on Spiritual Growth: How do the themes and characters in “The Lord of the Rings” encourage you to reflect on your own spiritual journey? Are there specific aspects of your faith or spiritual life that resonate with Frodo’s journey?
Interpreting Gandalf’s Advice: Reflect on Gandalf’s statement, “I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear.” How can this be interpreted in the context of your own life challenges and the support you receive?
The Role of Community in Overcoming Challenges: Frodo’s journey is not a solitary one; he is supported by a community. How important is community in your spiritual life and in facing life’s challenges?

Here’s a brief summary of each timestamped section from the podcast:

00:00: Introduction to the episode featuring Father Timothy Gallagher discussing a spiritual retreat themed around “The Lord of the Rings”, hosted by Kris McGregor.
01:04 – 01:05: Father Gallagher responds to Kris McGregor’s welcome.
01:05 – 01:16: Kris McGregor sets the topic of discussion, asking Father Gallagher to elaborate on the character of Frodo from “The Lord of the Rings”.
01:16 – 02:19: Father Gallagher begins his analysis of Frodo, focusing on Gandalf’s revelation to Frodo about being chosen to possess the ring and the challenges it brings.
02:19 – 03:23: Discussion about Frodo learning there’s no easy way to destroy the ring, and the need for him to accept a difficult path as part of a divine design.
03:23 – 04:20: Father Gallagher elaborates on how Frodo’s feelings of inadequacy and reluctance reflect common human experiences when faced with daunting tasks.
04:20 – 05:30: Gandalf’s advice to Frodo is analyzed, emphasizing the notion that being chosen for a task is not due to inherent superiority but for fulfilling a specific role.
05:30 – 06:33: Comparison of Frodo’s situation with biblical figures like Gideon and Peter, highlighting the theme of humility and being chosen despite feeling inadequate.
06:33 – 07:29: Father Gallagher quotes from Corinthians to emphasize how God often chooses the seemingly weak or foolish for important tasks.
07:29 – 08:35: The discussion shifts to understanding one’s own strengths and using them, regardless of how inadequate they might seem, in fulfilling their calling.
08:35 – 09:36: The concept of individual freedom and divine support is discussed, with Gandalf’s assurance of help to Frodo serving as an example.
09:36 – 10:34: Gandalf’s role as an embodiment of grace and divine guidance is analyzed, along with the free will to choose one’s path.
10:34 – 11:42: Explanation of Gandalf’s origins as one of the wizards sent to Middle-earth, and his role in the larger context of the story.
11:42 – 12:42: Further exploration of the wizards in “The Lord of the Rings”, including Saruman’s betrayal and its consequences.
12:42 – 13:48: Examination of the various fates and roles of the five wizards sent to Middle-earth and their impact on the story.
13:48 – 17:12: The importance of Gandalf’s faithfulness and the broader implications of choices made by characters in the story are discussed.
17:12 – 17:53: Kris McGregor reflects on how the story of Frodo and Gandalf’s guidance offers insights into personal growth and the impact of our choices.
17:53 – 19:55: Father Gallagher continues discussing the consequences of choices made by characters in “The Lord of the Rings” and their parallels in real life.
19:55 – 20:57: The theme of mutual support and the importance of community in the spiritual journey is explored.
20:57 – 22:08: Frodo’s contemplation of his task and the realization that he may need to leave his home is discussed.
22:08 – 23:00: The podcast delves into Frodo’s acceptance of his journey, despite his fears and uncertainties.
23:00 – 24:04: Gandalf’s reassurance to Frodo about not being alone in his journey and the unexpected courage that emerges in challenging times.
24:04 – 25:00: Frodo’s sudden desire to find Bilbo and his internal struggle with the task at hand are highlighted.
25:00 – 26:09: Gandalf’s admiration for hobbits’ resilience and their ability to surprise even in difficult circumstances.
26:09 – 27:10: Tolkien’s description of hobbits and their characteristics is discussed, highlighting their unexpected heroism.
27:10 – 28:11: Analysis of hobbits’ small stature as a literary device to showcase the heroism of ordinary people.
28:11 – 28:24: Kris McGregor comments on learning about oneself through the characters of “The Lord of the Rings”.
28:24 – 28:29: Father Gallagher agrees, noting the rich applicability of the story to personal growth and understanding.
28:29 – 28:31: Closing remarks by Kris McGregor and Father Gallagher.

Day 1 – A Novena for the Annunciation – Mp3 audio and text podcast

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Day 1: Mary, Full of Grace

From the Gospel according to Luke 1:28

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David: and the virgin’s name was Mary. The Angel came to her and said, Rejoice, Full of Grace!

Let us pray:
Almighty Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we thank You for bestowing upon Your highly favored daughter all the graces to be Your Son’s Mother and to be the Mother of all. We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to be our redeemer and savior. Thank You for giving us the breath of life and the splendor of Your creations. We thank You, Father, our Lord, and our God, for Your infinite kindness and mercy. How good You are to us, your children. We praise you and worship you, with Your Son, Jesus Christ, and his Mother Mary, our intercessor. To You, we owe everything. We acknowledge humbly that without You, we are nothing. Receive our gratitude and our undying adoration and devotion. We will try to reciprocate Your loving kindness by obeying Your commandments, by loving our neighbors and by earnestly endeavoring to become more like Your Son. We shall continuously affirm Your lordship and celebrate Your goodness and kindness all the days of our life.
Amen.

Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your consent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as His humble child. Amen

BTP-IC26 – Sixth Mansions Chapter 6 part 3 – The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles Podcast

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In this episode, Dr. Lilles discusses the Sixth Mansions Chapter 6 part 3 of the “Interior Castle” which covers:

DESCRIBES AN EFFECT WHICH PROVES THE PRAYER SPOKEN OF IN THE LAST CHAPTER TO BE GENUINE AND NO DECEPTION, TREATS OF ANOTHER FAVOUR OUR LORD BESTOWS ON THE SOUL TO MAKE IT PRAISE HIM FERVENTLY.

1. The soul longs for death. 2. The soul cannot help desiring these favours. 3. St. Teresa bewails her inability to serve God. 3. Fervour resulting from ecstasies. 5. Excessive desires to see God should be restrained. 6. They endanger health. 7. Tears often come from Physical causes. 8. St. Teresa’s own experience. 9. Works, not tears, are asked by God. 10. Confide entirely in God. 11. The jubilee of the soul. 12. Impossibility of concealing this joy. 13. The world’s judgment of this jubilee. 14. Which is often felt by the nuns of St. Joseph’s. 15. The Saint’s delight in this jubilee.

For the Discerning Hearts audio recording of the “Interior Castle” by St. Teresa of Avila you can visit here

For other audio recordings of various spiritual classics you can visit the Discerning Hearts Spiritual Classics page

For other episodes in the series visit
The Discerning Hearts “The Interior Castle with Dr. Anthony Lilles”

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.

HR31 The Life of St. Benedict – “Easter Day” – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict w/ Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B

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“The Life of St. Benedict pt 2”

We continue our conversation on the life of St. Benedict by using the biography penned by St. Gregory the Great. In this episode, St. Benedict is visited by a priest on Easter Sunday morning in the cave and is called from his seclusion.

From the Life of Our Most Holy Father St. Benedict by St. Gregory the Great:

Now when it pleased Almighty God that Romanus should rest from his labors and that the life of Benedict should be manifest to the world for an example to all men, that the candle set upon a candlestick might shine and give light to the whole Church of God, our Lord vouchsafed to appear to a certain Priest living far off, who had to make ready his dinner for Easter Day, saying to him: “Thou hast prepared good cheer for thyself, and My servant in such a place is famished for hunger.” Who presently rose, and on the solemn day of Easter went towards the place with such meat as he had provided for himself, were seeking the man of God, amongst craggy rocks, winding valleys and hollow pits he found him hid in a cave. Then after prayers, and blessing the Almighty Lord, they sat down, and after some spiritual discourse, the Priest said: “Rise, and let us take our refection, for this is Easter Day.” To whom the man of God answered: “I know it is Easter because I have found so much favor as to see thee.” (For not having a long time conversed with men, he did not know it was Easter Day.) The good Priest did therefore again affirm it, saying: “Truly this is the day of our Lord’s Resurrection, and therefore it is not fit that you should keep abstinence, and for this cause I am sent that we may eat together that which Almighty God hath bestowed on us.” Whereupon blessing God, they fell to their meat. Their discourse and dinner ended; the Priest returned to his Church.

Father Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., did his philosophical, theological, and doctoral studies in Europe. He is the author of several books and directs retreats regularly. He serves as Prior at Sant’Anselmo in Rome. For more information about the ministry of the Missionary Benedictines of Christ the King Priory in Schuyler, Ne