Old St. Pat's Podcast

Is there anything you’re worried about right now? Chances are, there’s probably at least one thing on the list but the more important question is, can we be worried without letting it become all consuming?

Can we acknowledge the part of us that’s scared, concerned, or trying to figure everything out—and at the same time, stay grounded in God and in faith and still take a step forward?

Faith doesn’t mean we’ll never worry. The worry can be there. But it doesn’t have to be the part of us making all the decisions.

So we can acknowledge the worry, and we can also listen to the part inside that reminds us: God is here, I’m not alone, and I don’t have to figure everything out today.

And maybe that’s what spiritual freedom looks like—not being completely free from worry, but becoming free enough to trust that part that whispers God is with us in whatever we’re facing.

Today, Father Pat McGrath teaches us how to stand strong in our faith in a world filled with anxiety—both within us and around us.

Have you ever walked into a party with so much on your mind that you were physically there—but weren't really present? Maybe you were rehearsing what you wanted to say in your head while someone else was trying to tell you something important. Or you were so focused on getting noticed that you missed someone else quietly feeling left out. Or maybe you were so busy trying to impress the person in front of you that you didn't notice you were disappointing the person beside you. It happens to all of us. Sometimes our worries, our insecurities, our fears, or simply everything happening inside of us can take up so much space that we have a little less room for the people around us. And that's where humility comes in.

Humility isn't thinking less of yourself. It's simply becoming a little less focused on yourself—and a little more available to the people in front of you. Instead of immediately thinking, “How could they do this to me?” humility creates enough space to wonder, “I wonder what's happening for them?” And perhaps that's why Pope Leo has spoken about the Church as a “school of humility”—a place where we practice this together, learning to step outside of ourselves so we can encounter one another more deeply.

Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to enroll at the school of humility. Not to make ourselves smaller, but to become a little more open, a little more curious, and a little more available—to God, to one another, and to love.

Our human nature has a funny way of keeping score. We compare our pay, the number of likes on our post, our professional opportunities, our clothes, where we live —even the love we think we're receiving—and when something seems out of balance, we can hear that little voice inside say, “Hey…that’s not fair.”

And underneath that feeling of unfairness can be something even more tender: Maybe I’m falling behind. Maybe I’m not enough. Maybe they’re more valued than I am. Maybe I’m not loved as much. There’s a reason they say, “Compare and despair.” Because the more we measure ourselves against others, the harder it can be to recognize the extravagant love that is already being given to us. And perhaps that’s why God’s generosity can be so difficult for us to understand. God doesn’t love according to our earthly calculations of who deserves what. God’s mercy is bigger than our scorekeeping. His love is wildly generous. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to wrestle with that truth—and then take it one step further: having received God’s extravagant love and forgiveness, to then imitate that same generosity with others.

Have you ever noticed how the past can sometimes feel strangely present? Someone says something that hurt you ten years ago—and suddenly, there you are again. You can hear their voice, feel the sting, and remember exactly what happened. So how do we forgive when the hurt still feels so real?

Maybe forgiveness begins by turning toward the part of us inside that is still hurting and saying:

“I see you and you don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”

Because forgiveness isn't about forgetting, pretending it didn't happen, or putting yourself in a position to be hurt again. Forgiveness can have boundaries. It's saying, “What happened wasn't okay—and I'm still choosing love.”

When we can offer compassion to the wounded parts of ourselves, we can begin to loosen our grip, make room for healing, and even find greater compassion for the wounded parts of others. Because forgiveness isn't a single moment when we suddenly say, “I'm over it.”

It's a journey of remembering and releasing, protecting ourselves while opening our hearts again and discovering that the hurt doesn't have to define us.

Today, Father Jack Wall teaches us that if we want to know forgiveness, we must become forgiveness—and that means doing the inner work so that our hearts of peace and love can become bigger than the hurt.

It can be so easy—and so tempting—to think we know better. He should do this. She should do that. I’m right. You’re wrong. We can find ourselves wanting to correct someone’s choices, their thinking, or the way they’re living their life because we’re convinced we know how things should be. But when we focus on correcting, we leave very little room for conversation or connection. What happens when, instead of trying to correct the person in front of us, we choose to connect with them? We get to understand them a little better. To hear where they’re coming from. To see the story behind their perspective. And maybe even to discover that we have more in common than we realized. Today, Father Christopher Alt reminds us that connection can open the door to forgiveness and reconciliation—and that through God’s grace, we can become vessels of His love here on

If life is a dance, God is our ultimate dance partner. And the music playing over the speakers? That’s the Holy Spirit—keeping the rhythm, moving us along, filling the space around us. And the DJ selecting the tunes? That’s Jesus. Sometimes DJ JC puts on a song we absolutely love. And other times, we’re thinking, “Aw, man…this song is way too slow and depressing. Or way too fast and we can’t keep up!” But here’s the thing: God has the playlist. He knows the choreography. And He knows what comes next. He knows when to pull us close. He knows when to send us spinning. And He knows exactly when to catch us.

So maybe the question for us today isn’t: “Do I know all the steps?” Maybe it’s: “Do I trust the One leading me?” What if the thing you’re resisting right now—the surrender, the change of direction, the vulnerability, the letting go—is actually part of the choreography God is using to move you into a new place? What if the thing that feels like losing your balance is actually the beginning of your next beautiful move? So today, Father Foley reminds us: we don't necessarily need to understand the entire dance, we just need to learn to follow the lead of the One who knows the choreography.

Have you ever had one of those days that you planned down to the last detail?

You picked the right restaurant, made sure everyone could make it, and thought through the logistics, the timing, the weather—you even knew what topics of conversation you wanted to bring up…everything that needed to line up for the day to be fun.

And then… somehow, it just wasn’t.

And then there are those other days. You get a good night’s sleep. You eat a good meal. You meet up with friends. You have a general understanding of the structure of the day but you don’t have much of an agenda. You just let the day unfold—and somehow, you end up laughing harder, feeling more connected, and having way more fun than you ever could have planned.

You created space for joy, spontaneity, and connection—and fun became the byproduct.

In some ways, spirituality works a lot like that.

Sometimes we think we have to figure everything out. We have to pray the right way, understand the right things, have the perfect relationship with God, or somehow make ourselves more spiritual.

But what if we don't have to force it?

What if our job is simply to create space for God—and then let God do what God does?

Prayer. Meditation. Honest reflection. Simply paying attention to what’s happening inside of us.

These things don't necessarily produce some immediate, dramatic spiritual breakthrough. But they create the conditions for something to grow.

And sometimes, when we stop trying so hard to make something happen, we discover that God has been working all along.

Today, Father Michael Simone reminds us that wherever we are on our spiritual journey, we don't have to have it all figured out.

Con Te Partirò

Holy Is Your Name

The Prayer (Instrumental)

On a trip, it’s fun to have a good travel companion. Someone who makes the load feel a little lighter—physically and mentally. Someone who makes a playlist for the long drive, can laugh when plans change, and goes with the flow when the road takes an unexpected turn. Someone who handles the tired, stressful days with patience and grace. Someone who sees the best in you and somehow brings out the best in you, too. Because every good trip has its obstacles—wrong turns, delays, traffic, bad weather, and those moments when you wonder, Are we ever going to get there? And when those moments come, it helps to have someone beside you who says, Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. We’re in this together. Life is much like a long journey. Thankfully, we don’t have to travel it alone. We have our families, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and classmates—people who become our travel companions along the way. They’re the people who love us when we’re tired, overwhelmed, emotional, or simply having a bad day. They make an ordinary Tuesday a little more fun and bring some color to the days that feel gray. God knows this journey can be difficult, which is why he gives us one another. He doesn’t expect us to navigate every narrow, winding road of life by ourselves. We may look different. We may think differently. We may come from different places and have very different stories. But we are all traveling the same road. We are part of the same human family. So today, Father Tom Hurley asks us to reflect on what kind of travel companion we are—and reminds us that we can slow down, make room for one another, and trust that together, we can work this out.