Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Where have I encountered Christ “in the least of my brethren”?

Seek—Make an effort to see Christ in the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, or imprisoned. Try to reach out to those no one else notices.

Knock—Meditate on Romans 2:13-16

It is not listening to the Law but keeping it that will make people holy in the sight of God. For instance, pagans who never heard of the Law but are led by reason to do what the Law commands, may not actually ‘possess’ the Law, but they can be said to ‘be’ the Law. They can point to the substance of the Law engraved on their hearts – they can call a witness, that is, their own conscience – they have accusation and defence, that is, their own inner mental dialogue…on the day when, according to the Good News I preach, God, through Jesus Christ, judges the secrets of mankind.

What are the secrets of your life that will be brought to judgment? How can you be more of a doer rather than just a listener of the Law of God?

Transform Your Life—

Expect to meet Christ daily, first in the bread that is broken at Mass and then in the people who cross your path. See nothing as chance but everything as somehow fitting into the mysterious plan of God.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-6 1st Monday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—What temptations do I find it hardest to resist? How might this reveal God’s intended purpose for you?

Seek—Reject sin. Learn to see in your temptations a perversion of God’s plan for you. Try to discern what it is that God might be calling you to do by looking at the areas of your life where you are most tempted.

Knock—Meditate on Numbers 22:32-33

And the angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why did you beat your donkey three times like that? I myself had come to bar your way; while I am here, your road is blocked. The donkey saw me and turned aside from me three times. You are lucky she did turn aside, or I should have killed you by now, though I would have spared her. ‘Balaam answered the angel of Yahweh, ‘I have sinned. I did not know you were standing in my path. However, if you are angry with me, I will go back.’ The angel of Yahweh answered Balaam, ‘Go with these men, but only say what I tell you to say.’ So Balaam went with the chiefs sent by Balak.

How does Balaam’s donkey differ from the prophet with respect to discerning the path God wanted them to take? Are you more like the donkey or the prophet?

Transform Your Life—Sometimes we live as though God does not see us, yet we know that God is always present, whether or not we acknowledge him. Look over your life and try to see where God has revealed himself at various moments in your life. Then move confidently into the future, assured of God’s providential care for you.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-5 1st Sunday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—How does viewing Jesus as my savior from death help me to face head-on the deaths of loved ones and even my own death?

Seek—Fast from passing judgment on anyone today. Realize in this little dying to yourself, you are opening yourself to see others as God sees them.

Knock—Meditate on Revelation 1:17-18

When I saw him, I fell in a dead faint at his feet, but he touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of the underworld.

Imagine Jesus touching you with his right hand and lifting you up from your death. What other areas of your life are dominated by death rather than the life of Christ  Ask Our Lord to free you from all death.

Transform Your Life—Do not shy away from death. Attend the funerals of loved ones and use the experience to engage your faith in Christ. Pray for others, ask the saints to pray for you, seeing in them living examples of the promise of Christ to save us from death.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-4 Saturday after Ash Wednesday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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HOW MUCH WE NEED JESUS

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—How greatly do I feel the need for Christ in my life?

Seek— Practice fasting before your reception of the Eucharist. Also find special times to fast before high points in the Christian year and during high points in your own life so that you may always remain focused on your need for Christ. Try doing more than is required by the Church.

Knock—Meditate on Revelation 22:17, 20

The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’. Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come’. Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free. The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.

What did Jesus say about two or more gathering in his name?

Transform Your Life—Foster and keep before you the need that you have for Jesus. Make your constant prayer to Jesus one of entreating him to come, to be present, inviting him to be a part of your life.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-3 Friday after Ash Wednesday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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THE INVITATION OF JESUS

Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Do I fear the cross of Christ, or do I embrace it?

Seek—Place a crucifix in a prominent place in your home. Look upon this sign of our salvation upon rising and before you retire for the night, asking Christ to help you to “take up your cross” and follow him.

Knock—Meditate on Philippians 3:18-21

I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ.

They are destined to be lost. They make food into their god, and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things.

For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.

What are you living for?

Transform Your Life— Believe in the gospel and experience the liberating effects of taking up your cross and following Jesus. Make your life one that will not be spent looking backward in regret for all the good that you did not do—focus on the good that you can do right now!

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-2 Thursday after Ash Wednesday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Am I living my life in fear of death or in anticipation of eternal life in Christ?

Seek— Try to focus on Christ as the motivation for all of your actions throughout the day. Be conscious of whom you are trying to please in all that you do.

Knock— Meditate on Genesis 3:19.

“You are dust and to dust, you shall return.”

How does Baptism wash away original sin? What is the purpose of recalling that, without Christ, we are all living to die? How does the cross of Christ defeat death?

Transform Your Life—Make the cross of Christ your banner of hope. See in the victory of Jesus’ cross a life-changing invitation to overcome all the evil forces that try to keep you from being who God has created you to be and to drive you away from your true purpose in life.

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format. 

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

The post PoC-1 Ash Wednesday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

The Power of the Cross Daily Lenten Reflections begins Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026

The post The Power of the Cross Daily Reflections appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Is life a series of “gifts” from God or tragedies?

Seek—Encounter the empty tombs of life with the expectation that they are signs of the Risen Christ.

Knock—Meditate on 1 John 4:18–19.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because he first loved us.

How do you view the events of your life, as God punishing you or as God showering you with gifts? Is your image of what God is like from the way Jesus reveals God to us or from some other source?

Transform Your Life—Accept the cross whenever it presents itself to you in daily life. Do not flee from it. Do not shrink from it, but embrace it in the name of Jesus. Learn from it, be enlightened by it, find in it the key to living a fruitful life. Think of this every time that you sign yourself with the cross.

The author of “The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ in Your Life“, Michael Dubriuel, passed away in 2009.  His wife, author Amy Welborn, has made his book available as a free e-book! We HIGHLY encourage you to download this exceptional work!

“The Power of the Cross” is available as a free e-book here

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

The post PoC-46 Holy Saturday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Do I feel “lucky” to carry the cross that God has given me?

Seek—Keep the cross of Christ before you at all times. Let it be a reminder of Christ’s forgiveness for you when you feel sorrowful for your sins. Let it be a sign of God’s love for others when you are tempted to judge. Let it be a light that you can share with those whose lives you touch.

Knock—Meditate on 1 Corinthians 12:26–27.

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Do you think of yourself as a part of Christ’s body? What changes are necessary for you to make in order to act as a member of the body of Christ rather than as an individual follower of Jesus?

Transform Your Life—Realize the difference that embracing the cross of Christ makes in your life. Learn to see the world in a new way and to see what Jesus meant when he said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

The author of The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ in Your Life, Michael Dubriuel, passed away in 2009.  His wife, author Amy Welborn, has made his book available as a free e-book! We HIGHLY encourage you to download this exceptional work.

The Power of the Cross is now available as a free e-book,

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

The post PoC-45 Good Friday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

Ask—Am I willing to do small things for Christ?

Seek—Volunteer to do a task that no one wants to do, a menial or unpleasant one, all the while uniting yourself with the Passion and death of Jesus.

Knock—Meditate on Philippians 2:5–8.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Paul says that we should have the mind of Christ, and Jesus told Peter that he was thinking like men and not God. How is having the mind of Christ different than the thoughts that we are apt to naturally have about life issues? Do your thoughts clash with the gospel message? Are you trying to be like the god you imagine, or the God Jesus revealed by his cross?

Transform Your Life——Seek to follow the example of Christ in all that you do. Be solicitous for the care of others. Learn the truth that in dying to self you are born into eternal life.

The author of The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ in Your Life, Michael Dubriuel, passed away in 2009.  His wife, author Amy Welborn, has made his book available as a free e-book! We HIGHLY encourage you to download this exceptional work.

The Power of the Cross is now available as a free e-book,

Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.

The post PoC-44 Holy Thursday: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.