From the Friars (Catholic Christian Spirituality)

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. The Transfiguration prepared them for the Crucifixion. Jesus' life was not taken from him, rather he offered it freely in love for us. Listen to learn what this means for the trials and crosses in our lives.

In the Transfiguration Jesus reveals to us His glory, that He is not just a carpenter, a prophet or a holy man, but that He is God. But also the Transfiguration is meant to prepare the disciples for the events of Holy Week, where God allows himself to be handed over, mocked, spit upon and crucified. Hence, it is during Jesus' passion and death where we the heart of God is fully revealed to us.

The feeling of being abandoned by God is perhaps one of the most common human experiences. However, we must ask, is it true? Is it possible for God to abandon us? What God invites us to in those moments of darkness is not to despair but to mature faith. God allows us to experience these difficult moments so our faith can rest on nothing but God alone. Hence, the moments of darkness in our life can actually become our greatest blessings, provided we reach beyond what we can feel in faith to the Living God who can never abandon us.

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. How to be happy and why it is most important! Listen to learn more!

Podcast from Br. Gabriel Emmanuel Monahan and Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. Today's feast of the conversion of Saint Paul gives us a challenging example to never give up on anyone (God never does). As we prepare to attend the annual March for Life in Washington, we give thanks that Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade, is a pro-life Catholic, a modern day Saint Paul!!

The real question that every person asks in some form is not, “Does God exist?” but “Where does God exist?” Most of us start by looking “out there” for God as if God were some distant object that needed to be discovered. In reality, there is “no where” to go to look for God because he dwells inside of us. This is called in the Christian tradition, the Divine indwelling. This profound reality occurs at the moment of our Baptism. Baptism is not merely a social event, or a rite of passage for children to go through but it is a divine encounter. The Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, come to dwell in the baptized making them a “new creature.” The consequences of not realizing this truth in our life is literally a matter of life and death. If we don’t discover the presence of God within us then most likely we will spend out entire lives looking for something “out there” to console us, comfort us and bring us the peace we all desperately long for. This teaching of the Divine Indwelling reminds us that there is nowhere to go, God is already here, present inside of me. What I have to do, and what all true prayer is really about, is opening up to His presence. This reminds us that when we sit down in silent prayer we are not opening ourselves to a distant God, a “force or energy,” or some sort of “cosmic power,” but to the Living God-in “whom we live, move and have our being.”

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. Sometimes Jesus had to escape in a boat. What does this mean for us? Listen to learn more!

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. Catholic morality is so hard! Listen to learn more!

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. According to Webster Dictionary "surreal" was the word of 2016. It is used in the sense of responding to something bad that seems like a nightmare. 2017 needs to be a year of encountering the "real" - encountering God and others. Listen to learn more!

Podcast from Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR. Ordinary time focuses on the tried and true message of mercy. What we can learn from a few hilarious examples of seeking an extraordinary encounter with God. Listen to learn more!!