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On this week's show, John Meyer, Executive Director of the Napa Institute, explains the critical mission of this unique organization in today's Catholic Church. The Napa Institute seeks to examine, with a spirit of charity, intellectual rigor, and fidelity to the magisterium, the most critical issues faced by Catholics in the culture. They accomplish their goals through conferences, experiences, and symposiums, inspiring attendees to deepen their relationship with Christ and with each other. For more information on the Napa Institute, please visit http://napa-institute.org. Check out all of our book and movie picks at Lisa's Amazon Page. For Lisa's speaking schedule visit www.LisaHendey.com. Send your feedback to [email protected] or connect with Lisa on social media @LisaHendey.

In today's Gospel, we find out that we need a dishonest steward to help us grow in the spiritual life.

To read this week's readings, go to: usccb.org

Do you ever feel like you are never good enough? You strive and strive. You make the tough choices. You practice virtue but can’t find the joy of obedience you have been promised? What have we been missing all along? I have got a podcast for you!

Sometimes there are books that just pierce the heart. Sometimes there are authors that instantly connect to readers. For myself, this is the book and this is the author. I could not wait to interview Colleen and dig, all the more, into what it looks like when our needs to be perfect in the eyes of the world and even in our spiritual lives become toxic and downright debilitating. Please do not miss this episode – and share it with a friend. It is time we seek God’s version of perfection — not the world’s.

Jimmy Akin, senior apologist at Catholic Answers, selects from weird and wacky questions submitted via the internet and tackles them head on in this episode of “Weird Questions.” If you have a mysterious, fantastic, or otherworldly query, please email it to [email protected].  

Questions Covered:

02:01 - I was reading the news recently and was a bit overwhelmed with all the bad news. Somewhat unconsciously, I said “Jesus, we need you” and that triggered my question. What does Jimmy think the world would be like now if Jesus’ incarnation had still not happened? All other things the same, where would we be without Christ’s teachings and the Church to have guided us the last few millennia? 

06:50 - Is the Holy Grail worthy of any more reverence or veneration than the average chalice used at mass, since they both hold the Precious Blood of Our Lord? 

12:17 - Hypothetically, if invented, would the Church say that use of a transporter (or “beaming up”) be equivalent in immorality to suicide and/or human cloning? 

16:44 - Is almond milk bad for the environment? 

22:21 - Will we have couples with our resurrected bodies? From Genesis it appears humans are built to be couples; we can see companionship throughout our existence. Also, would clergy & religious orders who have resurrected bodies be able to have a companion in the next life, or is everything what we see now in place will be in the future? 

28:58 - Could there possibly be a “Good God” and a “Bad God” – equal in power – who each played a role in the OT, NT, and sure, even today? 

32:55 - If we do evangelize species on other planets that are asexual, could they become priests given that they would not strictly be male? 

34:12 - Suppose we do have space colonies, if the second coming occurs then, will they continue? If there is a bishop and no cardinal out there who would pick the next Pope? If there is only one Cardinal or Bishop does he get it automatically? 

41:24 - Why is it specifically forbidden for Catholics to be Freemasons? 

46:00 - Regarding Our Lady of Fatima – why hasn’t the Church made her requests (First Saturday devotion & daily Rosary) mandatory/obligatory? 

48:22 – What does the Church say about playing the Lottery? 

49:45 - Related. If you have an ounce of Lourdes water in a 10 oz. bottle, and add 9 oz. of tap water, then shake it up, does the whole thing become Lourdes water? Can this technique be used ad infinatum? 

52:11 - Was Jesus dead all-day Holy Saturday and just waiting to come out on Sunday?

Noelle Mering and Dr. Carrie Gress discuss their latest book, Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday.

Questions Covered:

12:57 - I have observed over the years that when a feminist woman challenges women in the home, no one stands up to her. Is this because women want to be out of the home, deep down? 

17:32 - Are you promoting what Therese the Little Flower taught? She said to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. Also, how is social media affecting moms at home? My wife is a homeschooling mom. 

22:37 - I was a stay-at-home mom, but the problem is that our society doesn’t support it. I would not advise women to stay home now. It is not affordable if you’re doing it on your own and sometimes you don’t even get to have your kids with you. 

33:20 - Have Noelle and Carrie had years where the home life was just not as beautiful? My life is cluttered and chaotic right now, but I see lots of moms who seem to have it together.  

52:17 -   How do you deal with “the mean girls”. It seems that there are so many around. As a grandma, it brings back so much resentment. My girls went through the same thing. 

Resources Mentioned:

Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday

Lindsay’s husband, John, joins the show as the couple celebrates their tenth wedding anniversary. Lindsay and John have been serving in a marriage prep ministry within their diocese, and today John discusses a quote he brings to the table each time. 

From St. John of the Cross, “Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.” 

Lindsay and John talk about these words within the context of marriage, as well as in the broader context of Christian living. How do you live charity without being a doormat? What is true charity to the other and how does it testify to trust in God’s love and mercy? 

Happy tenth anniversary, Lindsay and John!

To suggest a quote or a guest, follow the show on Instagram, @quoteme_podcast, or contact Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review wherever you find your podcasts, and tell a friend. 

Until next time, God bless you!

Elena Bird, opera singer and director of sacred music at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Stirling, New Jersey, is our first guest! 

Elena explains how a line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has influenced her as a singer. In the play, Helena says of Hermia, “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” In Elena’s life, it was her voice teacher saying the same of her in a time when she thought she had nothing left. 

The discussion leads to a powerful conversation on the intersection of creative work, motherhood, and serving the church. What is true humility? How does it allow us to live our vocations to the glory of God? 

Learn more about Elena and her upcoming shows on her website, elenatbird.com.

To suggest a quote or a guest, follow the show on Instagram, @quoteme_podcast, or contact Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review wherever you find your podcasts, and tell a friend.

Until next time, God bless you!

Author Lindsay Schlegel launches her podcast, Quote Me, with words that have made a significant impact on her family as they strive to live out the Catholic faith.

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; 

watch your words, they become your actions; 

watch your actions, they become your habits; 

watch your habits, they become your character; 

watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

― Lao Tzu 

Lindsay approaches the quote through the lens of her lifelong faith. She discusses how her husband has used it in the marriage prep ministry they serve and how her young sons have memorized it, simply from having it displayed in their home.

You can find Lindsay’s book, Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God, wherever books are sold (Amazon affiliate link used here).

To suggest a quote or a guest, follow the show on Instagram, @quoteme_podcast, or contact Lindsay at her website, LindsaySchlegel.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review wherever you find your podcasts, and tell a friend.

Until next time!

One day I received a letter from a gentleman in Illinois. “I thought that someone might be able to use this story,” he wrote, “and so I sent it to you.” Thus began one of those connections God establishes to multiply his grace and mercy.

In his letter, Patrick described a difficult time in his life. “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.” It was the only prayer Patrick could say. He had forgotten all the other prayers he had learned as a boy. This one short plea to God, however, had become his lifeboat in a sea of disappointments and misery. It was a simple prayer, simple and desperate.

The seven months in which Patrick uttered this prayer almost with every breath were not easy ones. They were marked by divorce, loss of a beautiful home, business failure, and loneliness. Patrick couldn’t understand why his life had turned so sour. He continued to say, “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you,” though it seemed such a contradiction. Where was this God who could change things? Why hadn’t God intervened? Was Patrick being punished—and, if so, what terrible thing had he done to deserve all this? The questions kept coming as fast as Patrick could say his prayer. They were not questions of anger; they were questions of wanting to understand, wanting to communicate with the only One who could help him.

In this podcast we follow Patrick's story, and the words of Jesus to him and to all of us.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST? HERE ARE 4 WAYS TO GO DEEPER…

God has amazing ways of knocking on people's hearts, awakening desires, arousing questions, provoking an unexpected spiritual fire. If you have enjoyed this article, and are ready to embark on a sustained spiritual journey, here are 4 ways you can join me on the journey. You can learn more about them at touchingthesunrise.com.

Join my private Facebook Group and walk the road of healing with a great group of people. I offer a half-hour live spiritual conference here Tuesday evenings at 7pm EST.

Sign-up for my letter Touching the Sunrise. I write a letter a couple times a month from my heart to yours to support you along the way.

Explore my books: Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach; Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life's Disappointments; Just a Minute Meditations Deeper Trust and Inner Peace.

Become a part of the HeartWork Community, a place where you can ask the hard questions and find a path to a life that is free, fulfilling and fruitful.