In this episode, we dive into one of the most urgent conversations of our time: faith and artificial intelligence, which Pope Leo XIV just explored in his groundbreaking encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas.” What does this new encyclical teach us about AI and what it is not? What does it teach us about how to navigate the age of AI and Robotics? How can wisdom from this encyclical help us harness AI for mission? Our guest, Edmundo Reyes, dives into all this and more in this episode of Franciscan Spirit.

Edmundo Reyes is an award-winning producer and recognized leader in marketing, communications, fundraising, and public relations. His career has been dedicated to advancing evangelization through digital media, technology, and storytelling. He is the founder of Digital Continent, a Catholic media company telling stories of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful to make Christ known and loved in the digital culture. He serves as founder and executive producer of several acclaimed projects, including:

• Seeking Beauty with David Henrie, a new documentary series on art, culture, and faith, available on EWTN+ and EWTN.com
• Real+True, a digital apostolate under the patronage of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization, which unlocks the beauty and truth of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to the next generation.
• Based on a True Saint, a documentary series presented by The Augustine Institute that tells the stories of modern and soon-to-be saints through firsthand testimony.
• Revive Parishes, an online formation platform equipping parish leaders with practical tools for mission.

His work has been honored with multiple regional Emmy Awards, Catholic Media Association awards, and national nominations. Previously, he served as Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit, where he led one of the most innovative communications teams in the Church and was twice recognized with the Father John Catoir Evangelization Award.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:25) Backstory: Faith & AI Project

(00:08:43) Reaction to Magnifica Humanitas

(00:12:21) How Do We Approach this Technology?

(00:15:35) Can AI Make Us More Human?

(00:20:55) Reflection No. 1

(00:28:02) Discerning AI

(00:43:22) Using AI to Slow us Down, Cause Friction, and Deepen Relationship

(00:54:34) Reflection No. 2: Becoming More Human

(01:00:28) Using AI For Mission, Attuning Our Hearts to Beauty

(01:09:17) Reflection No. 3: Beauty

(01:13:49) AI and its Impact on the Environment

(01:18:55) Structural Issues and Economic Interests

(01:23:39) The Desire to Be Known and Loved

(01:30:51) Conclusion

Longtime peace activist, priest, and author Fr. John Dear has been a leading voice for Gospel nonviolence for decades, drawing deeply from the examples of Jesus, St. Francis, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this conversation, Fr. John explores the inner and outer dimensions of violence and nonviolence, the radical call to surrender our will to the God of Peace, and what it truly means to live as extensions of God’s universal love in a world on the brink. He discusses his powerful new book, "Universal Love: Surrendering to the God of Peace," along with his Gospel commentary "The Gospel of Peace." Be sure to check out John’s work at BeatitudesCenter.org and his global podcast, "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," available on all major platforms and featured on the front page of National Catholic Reporter. Reflection segments throughout the episode are brought to you by Ela Milewska, the Director of Evangelization at the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:01:47) Understanding Violence and Nonviolence

(00:06:29) The Inner Dimensions of Violence

(00:11:05) Reflection No. 1: Violence is Forgetting Who We Are

(00:14:50) Surrendering to God's Will

(00:20:57) What Fr. John Learned From Archbishop Desmond Tutu

(00:26:33) Reflection No. 2: Working Through Resentment

(00:30:27) Not My Will, But Yours Done

(00:37:37) What Fr. John Learned from Henri Nouwen

(00:39:36) Political Dimensions of Nonviolence

(00:50:26) Reflection No. 3: They Want Us to Be Angry

(00:55:14) Historical Context of Nonviolence

(00:59:12) Urgency of Nonviolence in Today's World

(01:03:14) New Book: Surrendering to the God of Peace

(01:11:23) Conclusion

This episode contains a deeply personal and moving conversation with Father Mark Soehner, a Franciscan friar whose life has been shaped by decades of living the Gospel in community, among the poor, and through profound personal trials.

From his early rebellion and brief season of atheism, to discovering a God who doesn’t love us because we’re good—but makes us good because God loves us—Father Mark takes us through his journey into religious life. He shares stories of living with the homeless in Cincinnati, the healing power of brotherhood, and how the downward path of descent has continually drawn him closer to the heart of God.

We also walk with him through one of life’s darkest valleys: the murder of his sister and the long road of rage, grief, and forgiveness. And in a spirit of courageous honesty, Father Mark opens up about his recent diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s—and how he is learning, even now, to entrust every detail of his life into the hands of a humble, accompanying God. This is a conversation about expanding our view of God, embracing our full humanity, and daring to bring everything—our anger, our fear, our limitations—before the One who never leaves us.

Read "Becoming Church," an article Father Mark wrote in reflecting on this conversation.

Show notes are available here.

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Mark Soehner, OFM, is a Franciscan friar and priest with over four decades of pastoral, formation, and leadership experience in the Order of Friars Minor. Throughout his ministry, Fr. Mark has served in diverse settings including homeless shelters (St. Vincent Hotel in Dayton and Zacchaeus Friary), campus ministry at the University of Cincinnati, and parish leadership. From 1995 to 2008 he served as Pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit, guiding the community through significant change while also maintaining a licensed professional counseling practice (M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland). He has been deeply involved in Franciscan formation as a formator in Chicago and Cincinnati/Detroit, and served on the Provincial Council. In 2017 he was elected Provincial Minister of St. John the Baptist Province, and in 2023 was elected Vicar Provincial of the newly formed Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Known for his compassionate presence, commitment to those on the margins, and dedication to Franciscan life, Fr. Mark brings a wealth of wisdom, lived experience, and spiritual insight to conversations on faith, service, leadership, and community.

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(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:48) Childhood and Spiritual Background

(00:10:29) A Personal Faith: Evolving One's Godview

(00:20:11) Reflection No. 1: We Are God's Beloved

(00:21:39) When the Church is Alive

(00:24:45) Moses and the Burning Bush

(00:26:51) The Franciscan Way and the Path of Descent

(00:30:50) God's Poverty and Humility

(00:35:19) Reflection No. 2: The Path of Descent

(00:37:39) Bringing Our Full Selves to God and Our Community

(00:46:02) Being Converted by the Poor and Homeless

(00:50:16) Moving through Rage, Bitterness Toward Forgiveness

(00:58:27) Reflection No. 3: Being Vulnerable with God

(1:00:32) An Unknown Road Ahead: A Lifestyle of Surrender

(1:10:27) Trusting God's Embrace on the Path of Descent

(1:13:38) Final Words

(1:14:52) Conclusion

“Lectio Divina,” which means sacred reading, is one of the most ancient contemplative practices in the Christian tradition, dating back to the Desert Fathers and Mothers, who sought renewal away from the city in open desert spaces and relied on the Word for spiritual sustenance. What does it mean to root our lives in this kind of sacred reading? How does this reading extend beyond words? As many Franciscan theologians say, Creation is God’s “first book.” The Word is alive and active in sacred texts but also in and through the world around us. If the Word, the logos, the Universal Christ, is holding all things together, then all that is good and true and beautiful is constantly rising up in our world, in our lives, in the signs of the times, in our Bibles and liturgies, to be read and received.

Guesnerth Josue Perea is breaking open Lectio in a fun and unique way. Josue serves as Director of Black Lives and Contemplation for the Center for Spiritual Imagination and belongs to the Community of the Incarnation, a new monastic community which embodies and teaches engaged contemplative spirituality in response to what Father Bede Griffiths called “the universal call to contemplation.” Perea was part of the team that founded the AfroLatine Theology Project, and he was Executive Producer of the documentary "Faith in Blackness." His perspective has been featured in prominent publications such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, and USA Today, and his writing has been featured in Sojourners, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and numerous anthologies. A dedicated Brooklynite, he wholeheartedly believes that cultivating our inner lives through contemplative practice is instrumental for liberation, allowing us to embody Biggie's call to spread love "the Brooklyn way."

Show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:03:10) Spiritual Background

(00:15:52) How Contemplation Informs Vocation

(00:20:04) What is Lectio Divina?

(00:25:23) Reflection No. 1: The Simplicity of Lectio

(00:29:12) What's the Point of Lectio and Contemplative Practice?

(00:36:29) Howard Thurman and "The Sound of the Genuine"

(00:40:55) Slowing Down and Remembering How to Read

(00:45:40) Ritual and the Heart

(00:48:15) Reflection No. 2: Franciscan Lectio

(00:52:14) Ritual: Reading As If for the First Time

(00:57:44) Hip-Hop Lectio, Kendrick, and Peeling Back Layers of Mystery

(1:10:42) Reflection No. 3: Thich Nhat Hanh and the Universe Within a Sheet of Paper

(01:13:45) The Power of Slowing and Reading with the Eye of the Heart

(01:18:41) Final Thoughts and the Play of Lectio

(01:22:45) Conclusion

St. Francis of Assisi was many things. Peacemaker. Mystic. Contemplative. Prophet. But one of the things we seldom talk about is the fact he was a poet. His poem “Canticle of the Creatures” contains some rich theology and story but what about its beauty as a poem? What happens when we approach this iconic text not first as theologians or historians, but as poets? When we, too, slow down and name the world around us? When we, too, dare to find language for mystery?

Father Greg Friedman—Franciscan friar, longtime writer, pilgrim guide, and serious poet in his own right—shares how he approached the Canticle during a 2025 retreat for the Conventual Franciscans marking its 800th anniversary: not as a scholar, but as a fellow poet who has spent years in writing communities, learning the humility of observation, the power of naming, and the way a single well-chosen word can jolt us into wonder.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:01:45) Poetry Background

(00:05:14) Poetry and Spirituality

(00:07:02) Beauty of Naming

(00:13:46) Francis the Poet

(00:17:09) Per: A Dynamic Relational Word

(00:17:56) Reflection No. 1: Pathways to the Divine

(00:19:53) New Names: Brother and Sister

(00:25:18) Per and Multidimensional Words

(00:30:48) The Poem’s Popularity and Background

(00:38:01) Reflection No. 2: Surrender and Self-Emptying

(00:40:46) Sister Bodily Death, the Stigmata, and Letting Go

(00:53:36) Sun, Moon, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth

(00:59:16) Reflection No. 3: Art and the Incarnation: Expanding Our Image of God

(01:02:46) Final Thoughts and Praying with Each Element

(01:11:01) Conclusion

There’s a line from a John O’Donahue poem that goes like this: “I would love to live like the river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” What does it look like to be that free? To release the grip of control and trust in life’s unfolding? In this episode, Eunice Park embodies that river-like freedom in a radical way. For 50 months—over four years—she lived an itinerant, “wonky” life, moving every few days from convents and friaries to friends’ homes, often living out of a single bag with no fixed itinerary. Triggered by the loss of her father, a layoff during COVID, and a deep desire for rest and healing, Eunice stepped into a modern Franciscan journey that echoes the early days of Francis and his companions. Now back in one place and recalibrating to “normal” life, Eunice reflects on the profound lessons from her time on the road: the healing power of Franciscan spirituality in addressing guilt and shame cultures, the liberation found in the Franciscan emphasis on the Incarnation as an act of divine love rather than primarily a response to sin, and the surprising freedom that comes from embracing poverty of control. Through candid stories of convent beds, late-night kitchen raids, deep conversations with old ministry friends, and learning to receive hospitality, Eunice explores what it truly means to let ourselves be loved, to see ourselves as “pockets of joy” for others, and to practice openness in daily life. She shares how this journey revealed her own resiliency and tenacity while challenging her to release transactional mindsets and embrace mutuality in relationships. Whether you’re drawn to Franciscan theology, navigating ministry burnout, wrestling with self-worth, or simply longing for greater freedom and presence, this conversation offers rich wisdom on building community, choosing what we tether ourselves to, and living with open hands in a world that prizes control. Eunice J. Park is a spiritual life coach, retreat facilitator, multilingual kimchi maker, cultural critic, spiritual accompanist, cook, writer, crafter, musician, editor, hot-sauce brewer, and dinner party comic. Above all, she is a follower of Francis and Clare.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:02) Background

(00:10:47) Itinerancy's Call and Struggles in Ministry

(00:27:00) Reflection No. 1: Interrupting Patterns of the Heart and Mind

(00:29:54) Gifts of Itinerancy

(00:35:47) Understanding Franciscan Poverty

(00:38:44) Theology of Worthiness

(00:42:55) Reflection No. 2: Poverty of Control

(00:45:38) The Joy of Receiving and Community Building

(00:49:08) Allowing Oneself to be Loved

(01:02:17) Reflection No. 3: 'You Are a Little Pocket of Joy for Someone Else'

(01:04:44) Moving Beyond Transaction, Living Freely, and Knowing Yourself

(01:11:38) 'Is this Building Community?'

(01:14:45) Conclusion

One of the issues that has dominated the headlines in the United States is immigration and this administration’s approach to deportation. How do our Christian and Franciscan values serve as a guiding light in an issue that is complex and nuanced, yet at the same time crystal clear when it comes to human dignity and the importance of serving the margins? This episode's guest, Sister Suzanne Susany, OSF, of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, is an immigration lawyer who lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After a number of twists and turns in her career, Sister Suzanne attained a degree in law from Duquesne University in 2010. Sister Suzanne is on the front lines of immigration and deals first hand with migrants seeking refuge in the United States. In this candid conversation, Sister Suzanne shares her experiences as an immigration lawyer and the challenges she has faced the last two years. She shares how her Franciscan values animate her work and invites listeners to recover the soul of America as we approach its 250th birthday.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:04:33) Sister Suzanne's Franciscan and Legal Background

(00:11:39) Why Become an Immigration Attorney?

(00:13:53) If Our Immigration System had a Franciscan Heart

(00:19:46) Reflection No. 1: What is the Common Good?

(00:22:11) The Danger of Labeling

(00:28:13) Stories of Immigrants

(00:39:51) Reflection No. 2: Story as Spiritual Encounter

(00:43:21) Unprecedented Shifts in Immigration Law

(00:53:56) 2025: The Most Trying Year as an Immigration Attorney

(00:57:09) Why is this Happening?

(00:59:38) Reflection No. 3: America at 250

(01:03:16) ICE and Recovering the Soul of America

(01:11:09) Responding to Opposing Arguments

(01:19:17) What is Wrong with This Picture?

(01:23:39) America at 250 and the Brilliance of the Founding Fathers

(01:28:59) Looking Forward

(01:31:57) Conclusion

Murray Bodo, OFM, is a Franciscan priest and an award-winning author of numerous books, including the bestselling, Francis: The Journey and the Dream. He has had poems, stories and articles published in magazines and literary journals in the United States, England, and Ireland. A founding staff member of Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs, he led yearly pilgrimages to Assisi, Italy for over 40 years before retiring in 2020.

Father Murray recently wrote his 12th book of poetry, Brother Wind and Air: A Lifetime in Verse, which is the focus of this episode. This interview was recorded last April when this book was originally released, but when Franciscan Media discontinued its book line, people were no longer able to find the book and order it. That is, until now. The book can now be ordered exclusively through Ascension Press’s website. The themes of wind and air permeate this work, as Father Murray likens them to the divine breath that animates us all. No title could be more fitting, for Father Murray has spent a lifetime turning “momentary stays” into verse, breathing life into all who read.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:46) Why Write this Book?

(00:06:34) Poem No. 1: "Fountain Pen"

(00:12:52) Poetry as a Journey Into God

(00:17:34) Poem No. 2: "Thin Air"

(00:25:32) Poem No. 3: "Why I Write"

(00:32:43) Poem. No. 4: "Thunder and Rain"

(00:42:30) Poem No. 5: "Playing at Solar Eclipse"

(00:51:42) Poem No. 6 "An Illuminated Miniature"

(00:56:41) Poem No. 7 "Snow, Christmas Morning"

(01:08:37) Poem No. 8 "When We Were Meteors"

(01:11:11) Conclusion

What does it mean to live a life of true dialogue—not just talking, but deeply listening to the world, to other traditions, and even to unexpected voices like Bad Bunny? In this rich, free-flowing conversation, Father Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam., a Camaldolese Benedictine monk, musician, and current Secretary General of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue in Rome, discusses themes from his new book, Epiphanies of Nature and Grace: Twelve Meditations from a Life in Dialogue. Father Cyprian explores:

• How a chance encounter with Bede Griffiths decades ago sparked a lifelong journey into universal wisdom and interreligious encounter.
• Why real dialogue isn't two monologues crossing, but a humble openness to receive truth, beauty, and goodness wherever they appear—from ancient Taoist texts to modern pop spectacles.
• A theology of the Word (Logos) that bridges Christianity with other traditions, seeing manifestations of the divine in nature, culture, consciousness, and even the evolving spectrum of the human psyche.
• How grace builds on (but never destroys) nature, challenging rigid monocultures in religion, politics, and identity.
• The urgent call today: evolving our consciousness through contemplative practice to heal divisions, embrace diversity, and return to the sources so we can move forward together.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:02:39) Religious Order and Background

(00:04:42) What is Dialogue?

(00:08:45) Listening and Receptivity

(00:15:56) Reflection No. 1: Open to Receive

(00:18:22) Encountering Father Bede Griffiths: Universal Wisdom

(00:26:19) Father Bede's Lasting Impact: Body, Soul, Spirit

(00:33:47) A Theology of the Word

(00:41:44) Truth, Beauty, and Goodness: Reverse Evangelization

(00:48:42) Reflection No. 2: The Wealth of Nations

(00:52:05) Bad Bunny, Inculturation, and Echo Chambers in Politics Today

(01:01:44) Reflection No. 3: Bad Bunny and Unitive Consciousness

(01:05:24) Call to Action: Evolving our Consciousness, Going Back to the Sources

(01:11:02) May We Be Stonecutters

(01:12:50) Conclusion

Have you ever looked back on your adolescent and young adult years and wondered how those experiences formed your personality, conscience, ambitions, desires, and even insecurities? What did your ordinary jobs throughout these formative years teach you about yourself, God, and the world you were stepping into? As you stepped into young adulthood, what did you learn about the cruelty and goodness of the world? About being mean or kind? About who you wanted to become?

In this episode, Fr. James Martin, SJ — Jesuit priest, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most relatable voices in contemporary spirituality — sits down for a heartfelt, often hilarious, conversation about his new memoir, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest. Rev. James Martin is the founder of Outreach, editor at large of America Magazine, and host of The Spiritual Life Podcast. Fr. Jim is also the chaplain of Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report and is a frequent commentator for major news outlets, including CNN, NPR, and The New York Times.

Whether you’re spiritually curious, wrestling with your own calling, longing to understand yourself more deeply, or just craving a reminder that your story matters, this episode is for you. God meets us exactly where we are—flawed, funny, and still very much a work in progress.

The show notes are available here.

(00:00:01) Introduction

(00:03:16) Why Write This Book?

(00:04:58) Learning from the Past

(00:11:38) Reflection No. 1: How Memories Can Become Our Teacher

(00:16:17) Developing the Superpower of Not Caring What Others Think

(00:20:05) The Spiritual Practice of Memoir

(00:22:11) Navigating Guilt and Shame, Embracing Our Humanity

(00:26:41) The Connection Between Kindness and Being Comfortable in One's Own Skin

(00:29:16) Turning Point: Losing His Best Friend

(00:33:35) The Gift of Friendship

(00:36:06) Memoir as Spiritual Practice: Cultivating Gratitude

(00:38:55) What Does it Mean to Be Yourself?

(00:43:55) Reflection No. 2: Mining Desire and Discovering the True Self

(00:46:15) Finding One's Vocation

(00:53:00) The Book's Impact and Golf Stories

(00:57:51) Kindness and Working at the Ice Cream Inn

(00:59:58) Reflection No. 3: Kindness is Everything

(01:02:10) Kindness and Closing Thoughts

(01:05:27) Conclusion