Meeting God in the Everyday
Fr. Luke Doyle joins Catholic Women Now to talk about his first book, Priest in the Wild: Stories of Meeting God in the Everyday, published by Ascension. Fr. Luke explains that he didn't write the book to tell readers how to be holy, but to invite them into the countless ways Jesus approaches us in ordinary moments. He names "self-made aloneness" as one of the great lies of the spiritual life — the assumption that we're on our own for most of the day — and reminds listeners that everyone who seeks will find. Holiness, he says, is simply living life with God: more about trusting, listening, and receiving than achieving.
Childlike vs. Childish
Ministering at a large secular university, Fr. Luke sees young people crushed by a culture that says everything is permitted and nothing is forgiven — where identity gets reduced to a GPA, a body, or a social media metric. His response has been to teach them how to play in the Kingdom. Drawing on life as an uncle in a family of eight kids, he distinguishes childlikeness — trust, wonder, freedom, willingness to risk and to share — from childishness, the posture of "no" and "mine" and "I'll do it myself." He shares how a moment of prayer, framed by an unforgettable scene from Elf, awakened his own desire to be introduced to God the Father.
Why Love Plays Offense
One of the most talked-about chapters in the book comes from Matthew 16. Worn out from constantly defending the Church in a progressive campus environment, Fr. Luke brought his frustration to prayer — and Jesus pointed him to a single word: gates. Gates are defensive weapons. If the gates of hell will not prevail, then hell is the one playing defense. Love, by its nature, moves toward others. The Church isn't built to hold a line; she's sent on mission.
Mary, the GOAT — and the Serpent-Crusher
Fr. Luke tells the story of calling Our Lady "the GOAT" in an Assumption homily and the parishioner who came at him ready for battle. His point: no one has trusted, listened to, and moved with God better than His own mother. He also shares his lifelong fear of snakes and the comfort of an image found in nearly every depiction of Mary — her heel on the serpent. His shorthand for handing her our fears: pray and squish.
Spiritual Fatherhood and the Freedom of "Yes"
With refreshing honesty, Fr. Luke describes discerning his vocation while begging the Lord not to call him to the priesthood, fearing celibacy would be a "no" to intimacy and fatherhood. In prayer, Jesus asked him a question that changed everything: Is marriage big enough for your heart? Five years ordained, he describes walking into a room and being father to every person in it — young or old — as the fulfillment his heart was actually made for.
Lion Strength
Fr. Luke closes with Narnia. Aslan — the lion who is the Christ figure of the series — calls the fearful forward and tells them to press into his mane, listen to his heartbeat, and receive his strength. That, Fr. Luke says, is exactly what the sacraments do. Christ the Lion of the tribe of Judah breathes on us in Holy Communion and Confession and sends us out as lions and lionesses to renew His Kingdom. His closing prayer and blessing are worth hearing to the end.
Also in This Episode
Julie opens the show with truth, beauty, and goodness from a recent trip to South Africa — vineyards, three oceans meeting, and elephants caring for their own — and how encountering God's creation half a world away reveals the same Father at work.
Learn More
- Get Priest in the Wild from Ascension
- Learn more about Fr. Luke's ministry at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center
- Listen to past episodes of Catholic Women Now at IowaCatholicRadio.com
HASHTAGS
#CatholicWomenNow #IowaCatholicRadio #FrLukeDoyle #PriestInTheWild #AscensionPress #CatholicPodcast #FindingGodInTheOrdinary #CatholicFaith #Holiness #SpiritualFatherhood #KUCatholic #StLawrenceCatholicCenter #Narnia #LionOfJudah #BlessedVirginMary #CatholicWomen #EverydayFaith #Discipleship #CatholicBooks #Prayer
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