He Leadeth Me

In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola guides retreatants to have intimate prayer with the accounts of the Last Supper and Passion of Jesus. 

In this episode, Fr. Paul Kallal joins Jessica to talk about how St. Ignatius' meditations can help us to pray with Christ's Passion during the Triduum. 

Fr. Paul and Jessica discuss:

• The grace Ignatius encourages retreatants to ask for when praying with the Passion is sorrow and compassion because the Lord is going to His suffering for my sins
• What if you don't feel as much sorrow and compassion for Jesus as you wish you felt?
• Self-condemnation and other pitfalls people can fall into when they pray with the Passion
• Fr. Paul's advice for listeners as they enter into the Triduum

Fr. Paul Kallal is a priest in  the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. Currently he serves as Vocation Director and resides in the house of formation in Boston Massachusetts. Fr. Paul entered the Oblates in 2013 as a Postulant, made first vows in August 2015, it was ordained to the Priesthood on August 15, 2020.

Fr Paul is passionate about Ignatian Spirituality and leading individuals through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola.  He loves a good workout and after Jesus in the Eucharist, coffee is the most important substance in life.

How do I know if my prayer is God speaking to me or just my imagination? Does God give words in prayer? 

These are common questions people ask when they begin to engage in Ignatian prayer or learn about charismatic gifts and "words" from the Lord. Jessica and Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty discuss these questions and more! Jessica has been involved with the Charismatic Renewal Movement for 13 years and Fr. John Ignatius has led directees in imaginative prayer through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola for over 30 years. 

Fr. John Ignatius and Jess discuss:

• Teaching from St. John of the Cross in how to respond to words from God in prayer
• How your human imagination cooperates with God in prayer
• Advice on how to listen to God more deeply

Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a priest with the Archdiocese of Denver. He is also a popular speaker at SEEK and a former FOCUS national chaplain.
 
 If you would like to listen to Fr. Ezratty's talks at SEEK, you can find them here: seekreplay.com

Sometimes spiritual warfare is subtle. Do you recognize it in your own life? 

In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty joins Jessica to talk about 3 subtle forms of spiritual warfare. Fr. John Ignatius and Jess discuss:

• Thinking that every difficult circumstance is spiritual warfare is actually a tactic of the enemy
• Temptation is the most common form of spiritual warfare
• An often unnoticed form of spiritual warfare is the temptation to do something good that draws us away from God's will

Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a priest in the Archdiocese of Denver. He is a popular speaker at SEEK and a former FOCUS national chaplain.

Is there someone you are struggling to forgive? In this episode, Jessica breaks down the forgiveness process. Here's what you'll discover:

• What forgiveness is and is not
• How to know if you've truly forgiven
• The 4 stages of forgiveness
• Advice on how to pray when there's someone you need to forgive

This episode is based on the book, "Forgiveness is a Choice" by Dr. Robert D. Enright. You can buy the book here.

Jessica Navin serves FOCUS as Sr. Manager of Spiritual Formation. She has been with FOCUS since 2011 and lives in Denver.

Scripture tells us, "God is close to the brokenhearted" (Ps 34:18). In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty joins Jessica to talk about praying when you have a broken heart.
 
 Jess and Fr. John Ignatius discuss:

• How to relate your suffering to God without letting it consume your prayer life
• Fr. John's thoughts on the common question: What can I hope for? Should I hope that God will give me the relationship that I desire?
• What to do if you are angry at God for letting you go through a breakup
• Fr. John's recommendations on Scriptures to pray with 

 Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a priest with the Archdiocese of Denver. He is also a popular speaker at SEEK and a former FOCUS national chaplain.
 
 If you would like to listen to Fr. Ezratty's talks at SEEK, you can find them here: seekreplay.com

Life is busy, and this has a huge impact on the spiritual life. In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty joins Jessica to talk about how we can use our busyness to lead us to God.

Jess and Fr. John Ignatius discuss:

• How busyness impacts the spiritual life
• Why God sometimes asks us to give up good activities so that we can be less busy and bear more fruit in the activities that remain
• How we can use busyness to bring us to God rather than away from Him

Fr. John Ignatius Ezratty is a priest with the Archdiocese of Denver. He is also a popular speaker at SEEK and a former FOCUS national chaplain.

If you would like to listen to Fr. Ezratty's talks at SEEK, you can find them here: seekreplay.com

Lent is approaching fast! Are you ready? In this episode, FOCUS Sr. Regional Director John Merkle joins Jessica to give advice on how to make this Lent as spiritually fruitful as possible.

Jess and John discuss:

• How to challenge yourself without becoming self-reliant
• John gives advice for fasting, silence, and experiencing deeper contrition
• Jess recommends going on dates for Lent and begging for prayers

John Merkle has been a missionary with FOCUS for 13 years, currently serving as Senior Regional Director for Europe and the East Area. He and his wife Meredith live in Florida with their four children who were born in Colorado, Ireland, Austria, and Florida.

In this episode, Kim Zember, founder of Overcome Ministries and Unforgotten Faces, joins Jessica to talk about same-sex attraction and the spiritual life. Jess and Kim discuss:

• Kim's personal journey with same-sex attraction
• The importance of viewing God as a loving Father
• How people with same-sex attraction can bring their desires and struggles to God in prayer
• How to approach the sacrament of confession
• How people can support their friends and family members with same-sex attraction

Kim Zember shares her personal testimony of a continued journey of surrendering her same-sex desires to Jesus in pursuit of the greater love she has found in Him. Through her personal testimony she helps give others insight into how to love those around them who identify within the LGBTQ community and also gives hope and direction to those who may have same-sex attraction or struggle with their identity. She loves sharing God the Father's heart with everyone and strives to be totally transparent, to help others know they are safe to do the same, not only with God but with one another. 

When Kim is not at home in Atlanta, Georgia, she is most likely found serving and playing with her 500 + children at her 'home-away-from-home' in Ethiopia through her ministry Unforgotten Faces.

Kim has appeared on countless programs such as Pints with Aquinas, The Lila Rose Show, Conversations with Jackie & Bobby, Ascension Presents, Encounter Ministries, EWTN, TBN, CBN, Catholic Answers, 700 Club and much more.

You can buy Kim's book "Restless Heart" here
You can check out her websites here: Overcome Ministries and Unforgotten Faces

What was it like to be discipled by Servant of God Michelle Duppong? 

In this episode, Sr. Gianna of the Resurrection Heinemann joins Jessica to share about her time in college when she was discipled by Michelle Duppong. Sr. Gianna and Jess discuss:

• As a student, Sr. Gianna was struck by Michelle's simplicity and her desire to win souls for Christ
• How Michelle was a spiritual mother to souls as a missionary and during her sickness
• How Michelle overcame discouragement in her missionary work and in her illness
• Sr. Gianna's reaction when she heard that the diocese opened the investigation into Michelle's Cause of Canonization 

Sr. Gianna of the Resurrection Heinemann is a member of the Community of the Carmelites of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. She has been a member of the community for 14 years. Before she joined religious life, she was a student at South Dakota State University, where she was involved with FOCUS and discipled by Servant of God Michelle Duppong.

You can learn more about the Carmelites of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles here
You can learn more about Servant of God Michelle Duppong here

In this episode, Joan Watson from Verso Ministries joins Jessica to talk about how a pilgrimage can renew your spiritual life. Joan and Jess discuss:

• How pilgrimages are a microcosm of the entire spiritual life
• Spiritual lessons you can learn on pilgrimage
• The traditional practice of making a pilgrimage once a year to the Church where you were baptized

Joan Watson is the Pilgrim Formation Manager at Verso Ministries. She is in charge of forming pilgrims intellectually and spiritually before and during their pilgrimages. Joan has worked for Catholic apostolates for 17 years, including the Nashville Dominicans, the Diocese of Nashville, and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. She is also a speaker and writer and hosts two podcasts: In Via, about pilgrimage, and Joan's Take on The Chosen.

You can check out Verso Ministries here.