He Leadeth Me

In this episode for the SEEK podcast, Jess and Chad Etzel team up to talk about the single life. Jess and Chad discuss:

• Is the single life a vocation?
• Why single people can often struggle with feeling like their lives will begin once they are married
• Is praying for a spouse a prayer of faith that Jesus will keep His promise, "ask and you will receive," or am I trying to force my will on God through my prayer?
• How you can "be the light" in your single years

Chad Etzel has worked for FOCUS for 6 years and currently serves in Staff Care as a Talent Coach. He is a Certified Professional Coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and hosts the "Catholic, Single, and Flourishing" podcast. You can listen to Chad's podcast here.

At the beginning of a new year, many people often reflect on their dreams for life and for the upcoming year. In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty joins Jessica to talk about life dreams and their role in the spiritual life. 

Fr. John Ignatius and Jess discuss:

• How our question should be: Does my dream align with what God desires for my life?
• St. Ignatius of Loyola's teaching on how God speaks to us through our desires
• How to know whether a dream comes from God or from your own human spirit

Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a former FOCUS national chaplain and now the parochial vicar at St. Bernadette and St. Mary Magdalene parishes in Denver, Colorado.

In this episode, liturgical expert Chris Carstens joins Jessica to talk about how the Christmas liturgy demonstrates 3 fundamental truths for praying the Mass throughout the year. Jess and Chris discuss:

• The Word became flesh: how the Word of the Father features prominently at Mass
• "Mary reflected on these things in her heart"- The Greek word for reflecting means "put together". Chris explains how we are "put together" with God through the objects, words, and actions of each Mass.
• The Divine Exchange- The prayers at Christmas often mention the "divine exchange", where God become Man so that man might become God.

Chris Carstens is the Director of Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, a visiting faculty member of the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL, and the Editor of Adoremus Bulletin. Chris lives in Soldiers Grove, WI, with his wife and children.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Creator of the Stars of Night. Alma Redemptoris Mater. All these classic hymns and more make up the liturgical sounds of Advent! In this episode, liturgical music expert Adam Bartlett joins Jessica to talk about how liturgical music can help us enter more deeply into the season of Advent.

Jess and Adam discuss:

• Why it is more appropriate to sing the Gospel at Mass than speak it
• How singing the Antiphons can help us anticipate the coming of Christ at Christmas
• Why different liturgical seasons have different sounds, and what we should listen for in the sounds of liturgical music during Advent
• How meditating on classic Advent hymns can deepen our experience of Advent

Adam Bartlett is the founder and CEO of Source & Summit, a liturgical publisher and digital platform that helps parishes elevate the liturgy. He is a composer, conductor, and teacher that has served as a parish and cathedral Music Director, seminary and graduate instructor, and as Sacred Music Collaborator with FOCUS.

You can check out Source & Summit here: Source & Summit and on Hallow here

Why is almsgiving a traditional practice to prepare our hearts for Christmas? Senior Director of FOCUS Mission Partner Development Mark Bartek joins Jessica to talk about the spiritual power of almsgiving.

Jess and Mark discuss:

• The 4 reasons St. Thomas Aquinas gives for work: 1) we work to eat 2) to prevent idleness 3) to become a master of your work field 4) so that you may give alms
• How tithing and almsgiving cause the believer to grow in trust in God's Providence
• How almsgiving can be offered for reparation of sin and as a form of intercessory prayer

Mark Bartek is the Senior Director of FOCUS Mission Partner Development. He has been with FOCUS for 18 years, and he and his wife Angie have 8 children.

In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty joins Jessica to talk about Advent as a season of preparation and hope. Fr. John Ignatius and Jess discuss:

• How the end time readings during Advent remind us that our time on earth is a preparation for Heaven
• The 3 Comings of Christ: the coming of Christ at Christmas, the second coming at the end time, and the coming of Christ each day to us in the Eucharist
• How to grow in hope this Advent if you have prayer requests you are hoping for that have not been answered yet

Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a former FOCUS national chaplain and now the parochial vicar at St. Bernadette and St. Mary Magdalene parishes in Denver, Colorado.

In this episode, Chad Etzel, host of the podcast "Catholic, Single, and Flourishing", joins Jessica to talk about how we can enter into the liturgical season of Advent. Chad and Jess discuss:

• The historical context of Advent's readings from the Book of Isaiah about proclaiming the "Good News" of the Messiah's birth
• Advent has traditionally been a penitential season. Is it still?
• Practical advice for how to prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus at Christmas

Chad Etzel has worked for FOCUS for 6 years and currently serves in Staff Care as a Talent Coach. He is a Certified Professional Coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and hosts the "Catholic, Single, and Flourishing" podcast. You can listen to Chad's podcast here

In 1997, readers voted that the greatest book of the 20th Century was "Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this episode, John Zimmer, FOCUS' Vice President of Apostolic Development, joins Jessica to talk about spiritual lessons we can learn from Lord of the Rings. This episode contains spoilers!

John and Jess discuss:

• Tolkien's emphasis on never losing hope, even in impossible circumstances
• The importance given to friendship throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the necessity of friendship in the Christian life
• Why Tolkien didn't have Frodo choose to destroy the ring at the end of the novels and what this can teach us about how God uses our failures and weaknesses

John Zimmer serves FOCUS as Vice President of Apostolic Formation. Since joining FOCUS in 1999, he has served in a variety of roles –including serving as a campus missionary, directing the national campus apostolate, overseeing the training and formation of staff, and leading the effort to bring the mission of FOCUS into parishes and non-campus environments. John speaks and teaches throughout the country on leadership, evangelization, and apologetics, and lives in Colorado, with his wife, Barbara, and four of their seven children.

It can be easy to become anxious about the turmoil present in the Church and in the world. In this episode, Fr. James Brent breaks open St. Paul's Second Letter to Timothy to show the Biblical answer to turmoil in our times. Fr. James and Jess discuss:

• Resentment against the mystical Body of Christ is never of the Holy Spirit
• How we must avoid listening to teachers who are filled with negativity towards the Church
• The importance of filling your mind with Scripture and living the Gospel without anxiety

Fr. James Brent, O.P., is a priest in the St. Joseph Province Dominican Friars. He is a professor at the Dominican House of Studies and a popular retreat master and preacher.

You can listen to Fr. Brent’s homilies at his soundcloud site here

Fr. James Brent joins us again to talk about Purgatory. November is the month dedicated to the Holy Souls, and Fr. James believes there is a crisis of faith in the truth of purgatory among the faithful today. Fr. James and Jess discuss:

• The current lack of faith in purgatory today
• Why souls in purgatory need our help
• How we can help souls in purgatory
• How indulgences can help souls in purgatory, and why some indulgences have a number of days attached to them

Fr. James Brent, O.P., is a priest in the St. Joseph Province Dominican Friars. He is a professor at the Dominican House of Studies and a popular retreat master and preacher.

You can listen to Fr. Brent’s homilies at his Soundcloud site here: Fr. James Brent on Soundcloud