Prayer and Spirituality – Messy Jesus Business

A Contemplation Episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Join Sister Julia in a special edition of Messy Jesus Business podcast as she reflects on what the darkness can teach us in Advent.

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With this episode, we're beginning our winter break. We'll see you again in late January! From all of us here, thank you so much for listening. Have a blessed Advent, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

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MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced, edited, and original music by Colin Wambsgans.

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Episode 77 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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You actually have to decide to believe... recognizing that just because you decided doesn't mean it comes easily, but you have to work at it."

-Br. Cyrus Habib, SJ

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Cyrus Habib, SJ. Cyrus tells Julia that though his previous life was full of accolades, including studying in England, going to law school in the U.S., and being elected to office in the State of Washington, it could leave him feeling empty. But certain parts of his experience, like helping underserved children or talking with spiritual leaders, would make him "feel this closeness of God." Cyrus talks about how praying the Examen helped him find "when I was being prophetic, which doesn't mean standing on a mountaintop... it's any time I'm living the gospel in a way that pushes me towards growth... and hopefully also leads the way for others." He also tells Sister Julia about his experiences with cancer and loss and how he hopes they can be "a part of holiness, when my wounds are open to your wounds, and we can actually [have] the wounds as a site of encounter."

Br. Cyrus Habib, SJ

ABOUT THE GUEST

Cyrus Habib is a Jesuit Scholastic, educator, spiritual director, and former politician who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Washington from 2017 to 2021. He is both the first and only Iranian American official to hold statewide elected office in the United States. He is a graduate of Columbia University, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

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Episode 75 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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Lord, help me to love just like you, ... in that prayer, I'm invoking God's grace."

-Fr Roger Lopez

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA, enjoys a conversation with Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. Fr. Roger talks about what drew him to the Franciscans once he decided to "take God off hold" and enter into the priesthood. "The invitation is to be 'lesser'... that's following the person of Jesus," he says. Later, Fr. Roger goes into how grace, freely given from God, can help us in acts of compassion and connection, some of them extraordinary. "With God's grace, being open to it, it's achievable," he explains. "When we're dealing with people we don't like, or information we don't like, that's where we have to ask God for help." This grace helps us connect, but it requires us to let go, Fr.Roger adds. "It's messy... but it's totally worth it."

Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Fr. Roger Lopez, O.F.M. is a solemnly professed priest with the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan Friars) of the newly established Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he serves as a Provincial Councilor full-time. His prior assignments were in secondary education, college campus ministry, and hospital chaplaincy, and he served as a youth high adventure chaplain, and in soup kitchens, street ministry, and RCIA.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

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A Special Episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Photo by Ales Maze on Unsplash

IN THIS EPISODE

For this special time of year, we present to you this Easter contemplation episode of Messy Jesus Business Podcast. Sister Julia shares some thoughts about the joy of the resurrection and reads from John 20:1-9. You can find the translation she uses here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20

We hope this short meditation can help connect you with the wonders of Easter and the Resurrection!

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Original music and sound design by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

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A Special Episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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Photo by Ryan Cheng on Unsplash

IN THIS EPISODE

During this sacred season of Lent, we invite you to pause and contemplate God's loving presence in the midst of the mess. As we offer our breath and our bodies to God, as we pray, fast and give alms — how might our Lenten practices allow others to be fed?

The Scripture in the mediation is Isaiah 58:5-12.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Original music and sound design by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

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Episode 66 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Father Carl Gales, pastor of Our Lady of Africa Catholic Parish in Chicago, Illinois. They discuss Father Carl’s journey into the Catholic Church and priesthood, his previous career as a concert pianist and the messiness of leadership and service in the Church. They explore the importance of managing expectations and one’s own temperament in service of the Gospel. Father Carl shares the creative and contemplative process that he utilizes to prepare to preach and invite the community to apply the teachings of Jesus to their lives. They also touch on how the Catholic Church could develop into a more inclusive Church that decenters whiteness. “The richness of Blackness needs to be acknowledged, affirmed, cherished, nourished and sustained by us all,” says Father Carl, emphasizing that Blackness is not an add-on. It is essential for each person and be their authentic selves within the Christian community.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Father Carl Gales, SVD, was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he began his musical studies. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It was there that he converted to Catholicism.

After working as a director of liturgy and music for several parishes, Father Carl began to discern the priesthood. In 2014 he entered seminary formation with the Society of the Divine Word. After missionary work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fr Carl professed Final Vows and was ordained into priesthood in May 2022. He is currently the pastoral administrator of Our Lady of Africa Parish in Chicago.

Our Lady of Africa in Chicago's Facebook page

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 64 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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"Sometimes it is at the prophetic edge you can see the Holy Spirit breaking through and allowing a new thing to happen” - Ellie Hidalgo

IN THIS EPISODE

In this episode of the Messy Jesus Business Podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Ellie Hidalgo, co-director of Discerning Deacons. They discuss Ellie’s journey into ministry and how she discovered the relevance of listening and storytelling in building the reign of God. They explore the relevance of the Catholic Church today and what it means to be an active member: "Being Catholic is not a passive thing."Ellie also shared about her journey to the Amazon and Bolivia to witness the leadership of Catholic women in remote places. Together she and Sister Julia explore how vital and relevant good listening is in building up the reign of God and fostering the strength of the Church, narrowing in on their shared enthusiasm about the upcoming synod and the power that listening to the people of God ought to have for all. Ellie notes that Christians are called to "Understand the power that listening has and what it does to unleash people’s gifts for ministry … unleash people’s hope, it helps stitch people’s lives back together, it helps us to not be afraid of entering into the messiness of people’s lives.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Ellie Hidalgo is co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project that engages Catholics in the active discernment of our Church about women and the diaconate. Ellie is active in the global synod process, helping to animate 350 sessions that reached 9,000 people in the listening phase. She has traveled to the Amazon region of Latin America to accompany women engaged in prophetic ministry. Ellie has a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and to St. Phoebe, who served as a deacon in our early Church, alongside St. Paul. She served for 12 years as the pastoral associate at Dolores Mission Church in East Los Angeles, a Jesuit parish known for its advocacy of immigrants, restorative justice ministries, faith-based community organizing, and for being the home parish of Homeboy Industries. Ellie graduated with a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola Marymount University and received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2020 she returned to Miami to live closer to her Cuban American family. In 2023 Ellie received the Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award from the Ignatian Solidarity Network and the St. John XXIII Award for keeping alive the vision of Vatican II from the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests.

Learn more about Discerning Deacons here: https://discerningdeacons.org/

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

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A Special Episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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IN THIS EPISODE

We're in between seasons on a break but are offering a special episode featuring five Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who are in the same community as Sister Julia.

Featured are Sisters Karen Kappell, Meg Earsley, Janet Fischer, Paulynn Instenes and Corrina Thomas.

Sister Julia asks each Sister three questions:-How did you know you were called to be an FSPA?-What does discipleship mean to you?-What is messy about being a modern Franciscan sister?

Learn more about the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration: www.fspa.org

Look for our new season to drop in September 2023!

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

LISTEN HERE:

A Special Episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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California Lilacs near Brown Mountain dam, La Cañada Flintridge, california. photo © Colin wambsgans

IN THIS EPISODE

For this special time of year, we present to you this Easter contemplation episode of Messy Jesus Business Podcast. Sister Julia will lead you through a some thoughts on what Jesus's rise from the dead means for us, and includes a reading from Matthew 28:1-10. You can find the translation she uses here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/28

We hope this short meditation can help connect you with the wonders of Easter and the Resurrection!

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Original music and sound design by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

LISTEN HERE:

Episode 62 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh.

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Afra Pourdad portrait

"Whoever is in front of us we are called to love." -Sister Christa Parra

IN THIS EPISODE

For this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh chats with an old friend, Sister Christa Parra, IBVM. Sister Christa shares her vocation story and how she became a Catholic Sister. Though she served in Peru before joining the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and went to Catholic Theological Union, her desire to serve people where they are led her to accompany the people at the US-Mexico border, specifically in Ciudad Juárez.

“I want to be able to live with the people and be involved in their daily lives, and to sit with them in their struggles and their joys," says Sister Christa.

Sister Christa also tells some of the tragic stories happening to women and refugees in Juárez (and a warning to listeners: many of these stories contain terrible violence and suffering). But always, Sister Christa tells us, the humanity of the people living there, Mexican and refugees, shines through. Also, Christa tells Julia that while she and her fellow workers give the refugees a chance to regroup before the next stages of their journeys, but they also form a community with each other and become a family.

Sister Christa adds, “When our families come to us all we can do is love them, provide them basics, and also to learn from [them] because our siblings teach us how to accompany.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sister Christa Parra is a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is part of an intercongregational intercultural community in El Paso, Texas and a third generation Mexican-American from a small border town in Arizona. A graduate of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, she earned a Master of Divinity and Certificate in Hispanic Theology and Ministry in 2016. She loves serving our brothers and sisters in Christ and presently does so through a pastoral accompaniment role at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

*To donate directly to Sister Christa and the IBVM's ministry in Ciudad Juárez:

https://ibvm.us/support-us/make-a-gift/general-donation

Under the "Designation Tab" choose Ministry FundUnder "Leave a comment" type "Migrant Ministry in Ciudad Juarez"

*To learn more about and donate to Annunciation House in El Paso go to: https://annunciationhouse.org/

*Facebook page for Casa Eudes in Juárez: https://www.facebook.com/micasaeudes

*Website for Centro Santa Catalina in Juárez: https://centrodesantacatalina.org/

*Sister Christa's page at Catholic Women Preach: https://www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preacher/christa-parra

*Sister Christa's speech at Catholic Theological Union's 2016 graduation ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qgzYaYL5v0

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. 

Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

LISTEN HERE: