Draw Near

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This petition in the Our Father offers us both a challenge and an invitation. Each time we pray this, we acknowledge that we are forgiven and so we too must extend forgiveness. But how do we live this? In this episode Fred reflects on this petition and offers some advice from his own experience of finding forgiveness.

Check out our full episode on forgiveness here: As We Forgive

Detailed notes and discussion questions coming soon!

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This petition of the Our Father carries with it great meaning and depth. On one hand it is pointing toward the practical daily needs we all have and our dependence upon God. On the other hand, we also see great spiritual truths that should shape our relationship with God and with one another, as well as our role in helping to provide for the needs of others. What are these truths? What are we praying in this petition? What difference does it make? In this episode we will find out!

Detailed notes and discussion questions coming soon!

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred and/or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Continuing to dive deep into the Our Father, in this episode Fred takes a look at the petitions, "Thy Kingdom Come" and "Thy Will Be Done." How can the Our Father help us to direct our hearts toward him and better understand his will? How should these two sentences shape our daily lives, our relationships, and the way we approach the world in which we live? Find out on this episode!

Detailed notes and discussion questions coming soon!

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred and/or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

Like our podcast? Hit that “subscribe” button AND the notification button/bell to know when new episodes are posted! Give us a rating! Leave a review! Tell your friends! Even more, pray for us!

Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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To both grow in the life of prayer, and pray more fruitfully, it is important that we do take the time to reflect on what we are praying, and what those words mean. This helps our prayers to be offered to God with greater devotion and fervency. That said, in this episode we continue our discussion on the Our Father.

This week we will look at the line, “Hallowed be thy name." “Hallowed” can seem a strange and unfamiliar word to 21st Century ears, but it means, “to be made holy;” to be set aside to conform to God’s purpose. This does not mean we somehow make God holy; he is the source of his own holiness. But it does, among other things, remind us of that we hallow God’s name by giving honor, reverence, and adoration to God.

On one hand, we are asking that we recognize God’s name as holy and treat it as such in the way we live our lives. On the other hand, we are also asking that we would live in such a way that others would come to know and revere as holy, the name of the God we profess faith in, and pray to, in this very prayer. In this petition, we are acknowledging that we owe God reverence, and we are reminded that whether his name is revered and kept as holy by others is directly related to how we represent him in the world.

In Isaiah 52 and Ezekiel 36, the Lord laments that his name is blasphemed in the world because of the behavior of those who were to be his ambassadors in the world – his chosen people, Israel. Furthermore, St Paul declares that we are living letters of Christ to be read by all men (2 Cor 3:2-3). Finally, Jesus affirms, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). How much we need to be reminded of this constantly!

By virtue of our baptism, every one of us is called to a life of holiness and mission. Those two callings converge in this petition. Each one of us is called to share the joy of the Gospel and the love of Christ to a world so desperately thirsty for that love. How well we do this is directly proportionate to our pursuit of holiness and intimacy with Christ in our own lives. The Catechism makes this point very clear, “This work, then, is realized for us and in us only if his name is hallowed by us and in us” (CCC 2808). “Hallowed be thy name,” reminds us not only that this is our purpose, but also in this petition, we are praying that we would make God’s name holy in our lives; so that the world can see the face of Christ in us, and in how we live our lives. We give witness to God’s name and help to ensure that his name is hallowed by striving to do his will; being people of prayer; allowing his grace to animate our lives; seeking first the kingdom; being people of virtue; bearing witness to the love of God in the world (especially toward those who do not share the same values or opinions as us), and putting first our purpose in this life: to know him, love him, and serve him. We are called to do all that we can to cooperate with his will and ensure his name is praised and glorified; that others would come to know his love for all eternity through our witness.

Discussion Questions:

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred and/or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Many people know how to say the Our Father and learn it from an early age. We can recite it almost without thinking about it. But what do the words of this prayer really mean? Could it be that there is more significance in these words? Jesus Christ gave us this prayer. What is He teaching us in and through this prayer? What can reflection on the words we say so often in this prayer reveal about our relationship with God and how we are to draw near to Him? In this first part of a series on the "Our Father,” Fred begins to unpack, line by line, the profound meaning of this "most perfect prayer" - as St Thomas Aquinas called it - and answers some of these very questions.

Discussion Questions:

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred and/or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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Despite the title, this episode (and part two that will follow next time) really is a LIGHTHEARTED discussion on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.

Drawing on our desire to become saints (strive to be a saint and to hell with everything else), as well as our desire to help others become saints, this episode takes a different direction than listeners may expect. Reflecting on the Four Last Things and our own eventual death lead us to a greater intimacy with Christ, and it could do the same in your life! What value is there in such a discussion? What does Scripture reveal to us about death and how we are to live our lives in light of eternity? Listen as we answer these questions in Part 1 on Death and Judgement.

Where is Hell?

Ripperger links

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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We recently heard a question about us. Someone asked another friend, "why do THEY have a podcast?" Instead of assuming their intentions behind the question, we prayed with the question. "Why?" In this episode we share why 2 nobodies, sinners, introverts, friends... felt led to begin a podcast. What are we trying to accomplish? What is the future of Draw Near? We also wanted to welcome our hundreds of new listeners, share more of our lives with everyone and answer a couple of common questions we hear.

Why Draw Near?: To grow in holiness together. Quite simply, we want to help others to encounter Christ; to grow in relationship with Him. But, we also want to help others encounter Christ in one another, and grow in relationship with each other. We want to shine the light of Christ so that even when we stumble through the darkness, we do this together following after Christ; that we may be light to one another, encourage one another, and build each other up. With the help of the grace of God, we just want to become saints, and help others to do the same.

Listen to hear more about the future of Draw Near.

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Episodes mentioned:

Click to Donate to become a supporter/patron! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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With a recent Catholic movie hitting theaters, we thought we would throw our voices in the mix on whether it is worth watching. Yay of nay on Father Stu? Listen to hear a new take on the film... and for some feistiness!

Mentioned in this episode:

Click to Donate to become a supporter! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page. Book Fred or Kara to speak by visiting the Draw Near "booking page."

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Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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In this episode, we spend some time reflecting on the past few weeks and what the Lord has been speaking to our hearts and doing in our lives as we have moved through the end of Lent and into Holy Week. We also discuss the Netflix series, Cobra Kai, and examine some lessons we can draw from it in light of our faith. How does the redemption of Johnny Lawrence resemble our own? Listen to find out! Finally, Kara ends the episode with a prayerful meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries as we prepare for Good Friday.

Holy Week episode from 2021

Click to Donate to become a supporter! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page.

Like our podcast? Hit that “subscribe” button AND the notification button/bell to know when new episodes are posted! Give us a rating! Leave a review! Tell your friends! Even more, pray for us!

Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

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Having a spiritual director can be “trendy.” Nevertheless, there is great value in spiritual direction! We often need help in making decisions for ourselves in the light of faith and going deeper in our spiritual lives; in hearing the voice of the Lord and being accountable for what is or is not happening in prayer. So, who needs a spiritual director? When do we need one most? What can we do if we do not have one? In this episode we are joined by Sr. Fidelis Marie as we discuss the answers to all of these questions and share from our own experiences with spiritual direction.

Mentioned in this episode:

Fr Timothy Gallagher and Ignatian discernment

Click to Donate to become a supporter! Join the community by following the Draw Near Facebook page.

Like our podcast? Hit that “subscribe” button AND the notification button/bell to know when new episodes are posted! Give us a rating! Leave a review! Tell your friends! Even more, pray for us!

Draw Near Theme © Fred Shellabarger & Kara Kardell

Support Draw Near