He Leadeth Me

In this episode, Fr. Matt Book joins Jessica to take a walk through the Mass and explain its different rites and prayers. Fr. Matt and Jess discuss

• The introductory rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and concluding rites of the Mass
• How the different rites of the Mass mirror the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages of the interior life
• The beauty of the structure of Mass

Fr. Matt Book is the pastor of Light of the World Parish in Littleton, Colorado. In 2017, he completed a license in Sacred Theology with a focus on the sacraments at the Liturgical Institute of Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. Fr. Book is a founding member of the Companions of Christ, an archdiocesan association dedicated to promoting the fraternal life and mission of diocesan priests. Fr. Book has taught part-time at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary since 2017.

With the parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus encourages us to be persistent in prayer. Yet, there can be times when we wonder, “Should I continue to ask for what I want, or should I pray ‘not my will be Yours be done’?'” In this episode, we will discuss

• Why God wants us to be persistent in prayer
• How the Father answered Jesus’ prayer in the Agony of the Garden
• How we should pray with faith

Jessica Navin is a FOCUS missionary serving on the Formation Team as Manager of Spiritual Formation. She is in her 11th year with FOCUS and resides in Denver, Colorado.

The Gospel of St. John teaches us that Jesus gave us "power to become children of God." The churches teaches us that we are God's beloved children, yet sometimes it can be difficult to take this teaching from head to heart.

Fr. James Brent, O.P., joins Jessica to talk about divine adoption and how we can learn to live out of this grace. Fr. James and Jess discuss:

• The early Church Fathers teaching on Divine Filiation, and their metaphor of an orphan being adopted by a king
• Why the faithful can struggle with believing that they are loved by God, and how internalizing this truth transforms someone's spiritual life
• Fr. James offers advice for how listeners can claim their divine adoption and live out of it

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: https://soundcloud.com/james-dominic-brent-o-p 

How can I grow in my spiritual life and become a saint? Fr. John Ignatius gives us one of his top recommendations: get a spiritual director.

In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius and Jessica discuss:

• How a spiritual director can help you overcome your spiritual blind spots
• How a spiritual director can help you discern God's will for your life
• The difference between spiritual direction and counseling
• Fr. John Ignatius' answer to the question, "Does everyone need a spiritual director?"

Fr. John Ignatius is a priest of the Miles Christi religious order and a FOCUS National Chaplain.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Hollcraft returns to talk about roadblocks to vocational discernment and how God overcomes them. Dr. Hollcraft and Jess discuss:

• Can broken family backgrounds be a roadblock in vocational discernment?
• What is the role of healing in the discernment process?
• How does someone know if they are ready to discern or if they should pursue more healing?
• What advice do you have for someone who is experiencing "vocational stagnation"?

Dr. Joseph Hollcraft is the Director of the Avila Institute's High Calling Program, an online program which offers men discerning the priesthood spiritual, intellectual, and human formation to assist them as they discern God's will. Dr. Hollcraft is also the author of the book "Unleashing the Power of Intercessory Prayer."

To learn more about the High Calling Program, please visit their website: https://avila-institute.org/high-call/

How do I know if I am in the Dark Night of the Soul or if I just have dryness if prayer?

The Dark Night is a metaphor used by St. John of the Cross to express ways that God purifies a soul and brings it deeper into union with Him. In this episode, Fr. Pier Giorgio, OCD, returns to talk with Jessica about the writings of St. John of the Cross related to the Dark Night. Jess and Fr. Pier Giorgio discuss:

• What is the Dark Night of the Soul?
• What is the Dark Night of the Senses?
• What are signs that a person might be experiencing the Dark Night?
• How can a person tell the difference between the Dark Night vs. dryness in prayer vs. depression?

Fr. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite Friar and the Managing Editor of the Institute of Carmelite Studies Publications. He currently studies Language, Literature, and Translation at UW-Milwaukee.

How can I go deeper in prayer?

In this episode, Fr. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, joins Jessica to talk about the 4 Waters of Prayer that St. Theresa of Avila writes about in her autobiography. Jess and Fr. Pier Giorgio discuss:

• St. Theresa's analogy of watering a garden and the 4 "waters" of prayer she describes
• How God moves a soul from active to more passive prayer
• The prayer of recollection
• How a soul can cooperate with God to receive contemplative prayer

F. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite Friar and the Managing Editor of the Institute of Carmelite Studies Publications. He currently studies Language, Literature, and Translation at UW-Milwaukee.

What makes a person a saint?

Msgr. James Shea, President of the University of Mary, joins Jessica to talk about FOCUS alumna Michelle Duppong, who passed away from cancer in 2015. The Diocese of Bismarck recently opened an investigation into Michelle's life of holiness, which could eventually lead to her canonization. Jessica and Msgr. Shea discuss:

• What does it mean that the diocese has opened an investigation into Michelle's life of holiness?
• When a diocese begins the investigation process to declare someone a saint, what are they looking for? What does it mean to be a saint?
• Why could Michelle Duppong be a saint?

To read more about Michelle Duppong, please see this article: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/focus-missionary-on-the-road-to-sainthood-bismarck-diocese-opens-inquiry-for-michelle-duppong

Msgr. James Shea is the President of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is also a member of the FOCUS Board and a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Joseph Hollcraft, Director of the Avila Institute's Higher Calling Program, to ask him questions about vocational discernment.

Questions include:

* How do you know if God is calling you or if it's just your own mind?
* What tips do you have for how to pray about your vocation?
* Can I discern the priesthood and marriage at the same time?

The Higher Calling Program is an online program which offers men discerning the priesthood spiritual, intellectual, and human formation to assist them as they discern God's will. To learn more about the program, see their website: https://avila-institute.org/high-calling/ 

After converting to Christianity at the age of 13, Fr. Doug Grandon devoted his life to bringing others to Jesus, and eventually answered God's call to become a missionary in communist Yugoslavia.

In this episode, Fr. Doug shares lessons Jesus taught Him during his discernment to become a missionary and later when he risked arrest to proclaim the Gospel in a communist country.

Join us next week as Fr. Doug shares with us Part II of his conversion story: his conversion to Catholicism!

Fr. Doug Grandon is a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver and a FOCUS National Chaplain.