Beyond Sunday

In this episode, Nicole and Rakhi unpack how to address challenging, sensitive, or just plain mysterious topics with our kids by having fruitful conversations. They offer listeners an abundance of practical tips on how to effectively initiate and hold these conversations, in a way that will build a foundation of trust between us, as parents, and our kids. They also highlight the online tool, Compass, that parents can use to prepare for and support those kinds of conversations.

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(01:37) The episode begins with Rakhi wishing Nicole and her husband Russ a happy anniversary and they look to this Sunday’s celebration, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. They talk about the mysterious, life-giving nature of the Trinity. 

(06:48) They discuss the call we have as domestic churches to communicate the grace of the Trinity — the life shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They talk about the impulse we have as parents to find a simple formula or process to ensure our children remain faithful, but emphasize the importance of having fruitful conversations with them. They highlight the value in building a strong foundation of trust for our kids.

(09:16) They share how, as parents, we have to surrender our fears when it comes to raising children and how important it is to find a balance between spirituality and setting healthy, basic human boundaries with our children. They talk about how we need to express those boundaries, but also show our children that nothing they do will cause us to stop loving them; they also note how we can help our children understand that they don’t need to perform to earn our love.

(11:37) They direct listeners to Compass, a resource for Catholic parents, providing helpful information on a variety of topics parents will come across. They share practical advice on how to most effectively have challenging conversations about sensitive topics with our kids, emphasizing the importance of asking questions, employing active listening, being in a comfortable space, etc. 

(20:43) They also note that we can say when we don’t have the answer and/or reach out to other members of our community to weigh in on something. They offer some advice on how to best follow up on these kinds of conversations. 

(24:43) Nicole shares a time when she first asked her kids to share their thoughts on the Trinity and how meaningful their responses were. They discuss the importance of entertaining these conversations when  we are ready and in a good place mentally/emotionally to respond, and encourage listeners to find loving ways to postpone them, should they arise when they can’t effectively respond. 

(26:47) They remind listeners that they can invite other trusted adults to guide these conversations if their input would add value. They close the episode inviting listeners to use Compass as a tool to support and prepare for these conversations. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

In anticipation of the Feast of Pentecost, Rakhi and Nicole spend this episode discussing the ways they have encountered the Holy Spirit and invited their children to live a life with the Spirit, as well. They highlight language they use when discussing the Spirit with their children, and age appropriate ways they expect them to grow in relationship with him. They also offer encouragement to families to invite the Holy Spirit into their lives.  

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(01:23) Our cohosts open up this episode discussing what superpower they would want if they could have any. They transition into the reality that Pentecost is coming up and introduce the topic of discussing the Holy Spirit with our children. They talk about Confirmation and their own experiences of being sealed with the gifts of the Spirit though the sacrament. 

(08:45) Rakhi and Nicole discuss how the Holy Spirit has impacted their prayer and their lives, sharing how opening themselves up to the Spirit has led them into mystical moments. They share that introducing the Spirit to our kids can be challenging, but that keeping things simple can be effective. They share how they talk about the Trinity with their little ones. 

(12:08) They talk about how introducing the Holy Spirit to their kids as a sort of “superpower” can be helpful. They share how this can help their kids understand how different people relate and respond to the Holy Spirit in different ways. 

(15:06) Rakhi shares how her prayer with the Spirit has changed in different seasons of her life. She also shares a prayer of St. Augustine to the Holy Spirit that she likes to pray regularly, in order to invite the Holy Spirit into every aspect of her life. 

(19:32) They talk about how inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives can be a habit that we begin when we’re young, in order to develop that “muscle memory” of responding to the Spirit’s prompting in our lives, especially during adolescence. Nicole shares how she saw this play out when she spoke with a group of eighth graders preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

(23:48) They discuss how the Holy Spirit acting in our lives doesn’t depend on our abilities, but only on our posture of being present to the Spirit. They encourage listeners to ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their families and invite them to pray the prayer of the Holy Spirit found in this week’s 52 Sundays resource. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(02:12) Rakhi and Nicole open up this episode by talking about family mission statements. They highlight this weekend’s Gospel reading, which features the commissioning of the disciples and Jesus’ promise of sending the Spirit. 

(06:46) They talk about how the idea of a family mission can feel out of reach in the midst of the demands of parenthood. They define mission as being a family’s foundation, at the heart of what they do. They distinguish this type of mission from the call to a life of missionary service, but note how both are a response to doing what God has asked.

(11:27) Nicole cites a Guidepost 7 of Unleash the Gospel in which Archbishop Vigneron encourages families to invite others into their imperfect family life. She highlights where he invites families to reclaim Sunday and intentionally live out the Sabbath. 

(14:13) They talk about the different ways that families can communicate God’s love to the world in their own unique ways. 

(16:44) They dive into what it means to “reclaim Sunday” and make it feel different from the other days of the week. They talk about the power of food in liturgical life, limiting screen time, and trying to get chores done before Sunday. They also mention how they pray with their families on Sundays, in addition to attending Mass. They share the struggle but also the importance of creating boundaries around Sunday and faith formation opportunities for their children. 

(21:45) They talk about how their family mission creates their family culture. They talk about the intentionality required to build a strong family culture. They discuss what it means to be set apart and how living a family mission can set a family apart from the rest of the culture in a way that communicates God’s love. 

(25:02) They recommend that listeners seek out a saint to intercede for their family and lean on them to pray for them as they live out their mission. They remind listeners to use 52 Sundays to find practical tools to reclaim Sunday and unleash the Gospel as a family. They encourage listeners to look at the 7 challenges in Action Step 1.3 offered to families by Archbishop Vigneron in Unleash the Gospel, and to consider how they can incorporate them into their lives. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(00:46) Rakhi and Nicole start by wishing each other a happy Mother’s Day and sharing what they love about this holiday. They talk about the wisdom and care of grandmothers, in addition to mothers. 

(06:33) They share about their mothers and grandmothers, highlighting especially the role of grandmothers and older women. They emphasize the importance of an intergenerational presence in their kids’ lives. Nicole offers a word of thanks and encouragement to all grandparents listening. They also offer a word of encouragement to those parents whose adult children no longer practice the faith. 

(10:52) They discuss how grandparents, in addition to parents, display an image of God to their grandchildren, especially if they are sharing the faith with them. They describe their personal experiences with this. They thank the grandparents who have been helpful, loving, and supportive to families who bring their little ones to Mass. 

(16:28) They talk about the impact of people who live out the faith, highlighting the fact that faith isn’t always shared intellectually, but requires personal witness. 

(17:24) They return to the Gospel message for the weekend, emphasizing that Jesus won’t leave us alone or leave us orphaned. They share how consoling this message can be, especially when the journey of parenthood begins to feel lonely. They discuss the importance of traditions for their families and the link between family traditions and rituals and the sacramental life. 

(20:26) They offer a challenge to families listening to take a moment to thank a grandmother or important women in their lives, pray for a grandmother who has died, or ask for the prayers of a deceased grandmother.

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(01:33) Rakhi and Nicole have a nostalgic conversation about boy bands and open up with some fun trivia related to the Blessed Mother. They talk about how May can be a really busy season for families between the various life events that tend to happen this time of the year.

(07:01)  Rakhi shares a bit about her own personal devotion to Mary. Nicole shares how her relationship with Our Lady developed when she was pregnant with her oldest son. They discuss how they can identify with the human, maternal feelings that Mary must have experienced. 

(13:21) They identify three ways that people connect with Mary — Scripture and meditation, the rosary, and a Marian consecration — and begin to unpack each of them for families and parents.

(14:15) They talk about reflecting on Mary’s experience as a family, by inviting their children to think about how the holy family lived life day-to-day. They also share about leading their older children through lectio divinia with different Marian Scripture passages. 

(18:53) They talk about how the various Marian apparitions that have taken place reveal Mary as a mother to the whole world. 

(20:50) Nicole shares about her experience of praying the rosary with her family during Lent and offers some practical tips on how to introduce this practice to a family with little ones. 

(24:53) They talk about the consecration to Our Lady and share why some might have reservations about taking this jump. They highlight the Marian Consecration for Families by Colleen Pressprich as a great resource to use for those families feeling called to a Marian consecration.

(28:05) They offer encouragement to listeners to try a new Marian devotion during the month of May. They invite them to pray with their families in a way that honors Mary, whether it’s using Scripture and meditation, the rosary, or a Marian consecration. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by the PIME Missionaries. The PIME Missionaries are Catholic Priests and Brothers changing lives and sharing the merciful joy of Christ with those who need it most through the PIME Sponsorships at a Distance Program. Become a PIME Sponsor today and bring lasting change to the life of a child, youth, person living with disabilities, or seminarian. Learn about the impact that you can have at pimeusa.org/52sponsorships. 

(01:18) Rakhi and Nicole begin this episode with some fun rapid-fire questions about sounds and what they associate them with, as a way to set up the topic for this week’s episode, focusing on the story of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and the sheep hearing his voice. 

(06:31) They share some of their experiences as moms, how they have seen how their voices affect their children. They talk about how the voice of God is life-giving and convicting, not condemning and highlight how parents are the first image — or voice — of God that our children will experience. They share how this impacts the way they speak to their children, and share how words they heard as children still affect them. 

(11:54) They talk about anger and some of its nuances, especially when it comes to anger in parenting. They highlight how it should be a tool to bring us to light, not a reason to lash out. They also share how they try to help their children discern what they hear in the world. They note how God’s voice speaks truth, and talk about what song Jesus sings over their children. 

(16:59) They discuss how aligning our voices to God’s in how we speak to our children doesn’t mean we have to abandon our personalities, but simply allow God to funnel his message through us. 

(18:34) They highlight how important it is to try to speak in union with their spouse, when dealing with something challenging with our children, in order to avoid giving conflicting messages.

(21:24) Rakhi and Nicole also share how they return to God’s word when it’s difficult to hear his voice. They encourage listeners to take time this week to do an exercise in hearing God’s voice and inviting their children to do the same, in a way that is accessible to them.

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by OSV Catholic Bookstore, publisher of An Adoration Treasury for Young Catholics. Help your little ones spend meaningful time before Jesus in the Eucharist with this book featuring a multitude of prayers, hymns, meditations, and ways to pray before the Eucharist, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Use code “52SUN” for 20% off your purchase of this Eucharistic resource.

(01:23) Rakhi and Nicole start by talking about April 26th being Pretzel Day, the 52 Sundays pretzel recipe, and some of the possible religious significance of the pretzel. They talk about the upcoming Gospel of the Road to Emmaus and why they find this reading so powerful. 

(05:38) Rakhi emphasizes how powerful it is that Jesus so gently engages with the people on the road, who had lost all hope, not realizing the resurrection had taken place. She highlights how, as parents, we can follow his example when we see our children going in an unfavorable direction. Nicole notes the balance of our obligation as parents to raise our children in the faith, and how complicated their questions and challenges can become as they grow. She shares a story of how a dad she knows handled this balance with his toddler son who lied in an attempt to avoid going to Mass. 

(08:52) They talk about how they need to find ways to help their children know they can be honest about their struggles, while fighting the impulse to hold the posture of “I told you so.” Rakhi highlights the many opportunities to grow in patience and the humanity of our kids. The two discuss how important it is to lead authentically with our kids, being honest about when we’re struggling to do the right things, but choosing to work through the struggle. 

(13:43) They discuss the reality of being tempted to take our kids’ questions or resistance to the faith personally, when in reality, oftentimes they’re rooted in feelings or experiences that they don’t have language for. Nicole offers some practical advice on how to navigate this challenging aspect of parenting. 

(16:47) Rakhi notes how it can be helpful to have some alternative ideas in mind when our kids are resisting something like Mass (i.e., some different Mass times, liturgy styles, etc.) in order to better respond to what they need. They discuss how important it is to be aware of what other messages and ideas our kids might come across that lead to bigger faith-related questions and help our children discern truth, goodness, and beauty. They highlight the importance of a strong community in order to help influence their children, in ways that parents can’t.

(21:52) They note the end goal is to express unconditional love and to ensure that our children know they will be loved no matter what, even as tough conversations arise. They talk about how Jesus, especially on the road to Emmaus is such a strong model for this type of loving and parenting. They talk about how Jesus never stops pursuing our children.  

(26:18) They invite listeners to pray for good weather in Michigan and some of their experiences of going  on walks with their children. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by OSV Catholic Bookstore, publisher of An Adoration Treasury for Young Catholics. Help your little ones spend meaningful time before Jesus in the Eucharist with this book featuring a multitude of prayers, hymns, meditations, and ways to pray before the Eucharist, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Use code “52SUN” for 20% off your purchase of this Eucharistic resource.

(00:55) Rakhi and Nicole open up the episode discussing Divine Mercy Sunday and how they bring the celebration into their homes with fun recipes. 

(03:33) They offer a brief history of Divine Mercy Sunday and highlight its origins in St. Faustina’s revelations. They talk about their desires for mercy and how difficult it can be, at times, to trust in Jesus. 

(07:20) They talk about the temptation to control every aspect of life — especially when it comes to parenting — to uphold a “put together” outward image and how Jesus doesn’t want to encounter us in a polished image, but in our authentic selves. 

(11:43) They talk about how it can be tempting to project our human experiences onto our relationships with God, which can make it difficult to trust him. They highlight how we have to allow our inward selves to be transformed in order to surrender to true trust. They then highlight how our outward movements will come from our internal reality, which is why  we need to bring our innermost selves to Jesus.

(14:45) They talk about areas they’ve seen this play out in their own lives and even in their children. They then guide listeners through an imaginative exercise in which they can bring the weight they’ve been carrying in their lives and give it over to Jesus. They emphasize that this act of surrender requires the Holy Spirit, that it’s not something we can do on our own. 

(20:54) They describe how when we name our fears and surrender things to  Jesus, little by little, what we were once afraid of can be brought to the light and transformed. 

(23:40) They share a prayer of surrender by Servant of God Dolindo Ruotolo that is the center of the Surrender Novena. They encourage listeners to pray this novena, seeking deliverance from worry, spiritual attack, fears, etc. They talk about how Jesus comes to us in a posture of giving, that he wants to pour out mercy, but that in order to receive this mercy, we have to be open to receiving this gift. 

(26:26) They encourage listeners to seek a disposition of surrender through the Surrender Novena and by bringing the heavy parts of life to Jesus, and entrusting them to him. They also encourage them to invite their children into this practice of surrender, as well. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by OSV Catholic Bookstore, publisher of An Adoration Treasury for Young Catholics. Help your little ones spend meaningful time before Jesus in the Eucharist with this book featuring a multitude of prayers, hymns, meditations, and ways to pray before the Eucharist, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Use code “52SUN” for 20% off your purchase of this Eucharistic resource.

(01:17) Rakhi and Nicole celebrate the fact that Easter is nearly here and chat about the ways they are preparing to celebrate with baskets, gifts, etc. They introduce today’s topic of living in the resurrection and reflecting on how Lent has changed us. 

(05:13) They discuss the reality of how the resurrection is an invitation to be open to joy no matter how we feel. They talk about letting go of the emotion of joy and embracing the motion of joy by allowing the resurrection to affect the way they see the world. 

(07:59) Nicole shares a recent experience where her son was comparing himself to others and feeling a little down during a busy season of fun and exciting experiences, and how she helped him get out of that slump.

(12:01) They draw a comparison between that type of experience and the spiritual life: we can have highs and lows, and sometimes we compare ourselves to others and lose our joy. They highlight the need to not always look for what they want, but to live in gratitude for what we have. Nicole shares how she cultivates gratitude within her family and among her children. They also share how sometimes sorrow and joy commingle, and the need to practice gratitude even in difficult times. 

(16:04) They discuss how living with a sense of God’s abundance can be transformative and how they help their children find joy, even in the crosses that we bear. They discuss the ways we can model sacrificial love with joy for our children, just as Jesus endured the cross joyfully, out of love for us. 

(19:40) They note how our culture convinces us we should avoid discomfort at all costs, but how there is a grace and a growth that can come from being uncomfortable. They share how important it is to help our kids know that discomfort is okay, and we can still be joyful in the midst of discomfort. 

(20:19) They encourage listeners to enter into Easter with their families by sharing gratitude with one another and intentionally practicing gratitude.   

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by OSV Catholic Bookstore, publisher of An Adoration Treasury for Young Catholics. Help your little ones spend meaningful time before Jesus in the Eucharist with this book featuring a multitude of prayers, hymns, meditations, and ways to pray before the Eucharist, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Use code “52SUN” for 20% off your purchase of this Eucharistic resource.

(01:50) With Palm Sunday approaching, Rakhhi and Nicole discuss various aspects of celebrating Palm Sunday Mass as a family. 

(07:55) They discuss Holy week and the desire to make it tangible and real for their children, highlighting the sacramental nature of life in the Church, and the reality that we can encounter God through our senses. They discuss how our families, as domestic Churches, can create traditions and rituals to help enter into the celebration of Holy Week.

(10:36) They begin to offer suggestions on how to enter into Holy Week by talking first about the Palm Sunday liturgy, and then about making time to go to confession and adoration. They highlight that in Detroit, there are I AM HERE holy hours hosted throughout the season of Lent and the Solanus Casey Center offers confession all day Monday - Saturday.  

(13:04) Nicole shares her family’s tradition of “Spy Wednesday” during Holy Week, as a way to remember Judas’ decision to betray Jesus. 

(14:39) They share their love for Holy Thursday, remembering the institution of the Eucharist, and the washing of the feet. They share different ways they have entered into the celebration at home and at  Mass and what they’ve heard other families do.

(17:29) Moving into Good Friday, they share which experiences might be more advanced and require kids to be a bit older, but offer encouragement to families with little ones. They encourage families to do their best to emphasize the significance of what we celebrate. They describe how incorporating tactile experiences for our kids can be helpful. 

(20:23) Nicole shares how her family enters into Holy Saturday through quiet and preparation. 

(22:17) They discuss the Easter Vigil. Rakhi shares her experience of entering the Church at the Vigil, and Nicole shares her experience of her husband entering the Church at the Vigil. They highlight the sensory experience of the liturgy and how to plan to attend it with little ones, given how late it can run.

(25:48) They close the episode by challenging listeners to find a way to make Holy Week truly experiential and meaningful for their whole family. 

This episode of Beyond Sunday is sponsored by OSV Catholic Bookstore, publisher of An Adoration Treasury for Young Catholics. Help your little ones spend meaningful time before Jesus in the Eucharist with this book featuring a multitude of prayers, hymns, meditations, and ways to pray before the Eucharist, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Use code “52SUN” for 20% off your purchase of this Eucharistic resource.