Short one this week, because there aren't enough minutes in the day. The end of April and beginning of May are pretty crazy for me in terms of obligations and commitments. All good stuff, but just a LOT. So I didn't have time to work on an actual episode this week. Hopefully, this coming week will afford more time to prepare an actual episode. We'll see. So, until next week, God bless, know of my prayers for you, and please pray for me!

In this homily for Good Shepherd Sunday, I reflect on what it really means to imitate Christ as the Good Shepherd. While some are clearly called to lead others in the Church or in their families, all of us are called to lead ourselves in the quiet, unseen moments of daily life. It's about the weight of that responsibility, the importance of listening for the voice of Christ, and the challenge of choosing what is true, good, and beautiful when no one else is there to guide us. Ultimately, this is where imitation becomes real, and where we begin, by His sanctifying grace, to reflect the Shepherd we follow.

In Part Two of this series, I explore humility not as weakness, but as the hidden virtue behind courage, adventure, and a life fully lived. Building on my previous episode on fear of the unknown, I consider how pride makes us extremely risk averse through what many now call FOPO, the fear of people's opinions, while humility frees us to act without demanding control over outcomes. Drawing on the example of explorers, the idea of honor cultures, and the Norwegian concept of Dørstokkmila, or the doorstep mile (Episode #1), I reflect on why the hardest part of many worthy things is simply beginning, and how trust in God can give us the freedom to take that first step.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, I take some time to reflect on a familiar phrase that has started to feel a little incomplete to me. Is "fear of the unknown" really just one fear among many, or is it actually the foundation beneath most of what unsettles us?

In Part One of this two-part series, I explore how much of our anxiety is rooted not in reality itself, but in uncertainty, and how even Seneca observed that we often suffer more in imagination than in reality.

I also turn to the repeated words of Jesus Christ, who tells us again and again to "be not afraid," and I wrestle with what that really means when clarity never fully comes. In this episode, I begin to reframe fear, loosening a grip on control, and consider what it looks like to live with trust in the middle of uncertainty.

I will continue this conversation in Part Two next week.

On this Easter Sunday, I reflect on how easy it is to move through the Triduum with familiarity, knowledge, and even reverence, yet still miss the deeper meaning of what Christ has done for us. In this episode, I revisit my Holy Thursday homily, which centers on a simple but demanding question Jesus asks His disciples during the washing of the feet in the Gospel of John: "Do you understand what I have done for you?" As we celebrate the Resurrection, we are invited to move beyond knowing the events of our faith and toward truly understanding the love that is revealed through them.

In this episode, I reflect on something I have been contemplating for the past year, which is the idea that real learning follows a progression from wonder to information, from information to knowledge, and ultimately toward understanding. What I am increasingly convinced of is that most of us stop short of that final step, not only in education, but in how we live and how we relate to one another. This is important to think about, because I'm increasingly convinced that true understanding, especially in relationships, is synonymous with love.

Ultimately, this episode is an invitation for all of us to recover wonder, move beyond mere information and surface level knowledge, to pursue the kind of understanding that actually changes how we live and how we love God and neighbor.

In this episode, I take a hard look at what I call mindless passive consumption and how it has quietly become the default mode of our culture. I challenge myself, and you, to stop drifting through life and start living with real intentionality in mind, body, and soul. This is about more than habits, it's about the whole point of this podcast: purpose and perseverance. It is about choosing discipline over comfort, focus over distraction, and formation over convenience. Because the truth is simple, we are either being shaped by our choices or deformed by our lack of them. And if we are serious about becoming the saints God created us to be, then we have to start living intentionally.

In this episode of the Purpose and Perseverance Podcast, I reflect on the ancient command "Know thyself," the phrase carved at the entrance of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi that challenged visitors to examine their own hearts before seeking wisdom from the gods. Drawing from the insights of Socrates, the warning against hubris in Greek thought, the prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo, and the story of Jesus restoring sight to the blind man in the Gospel of John, I explore why honest self examination is so rare and yet so essential for living well. During Lent in particular, I challenge myself and my listeners to step outside of ourselves, confront our own blindness, and allow Christ to open our eyes so that we can see our lives, our weaknesses, and our calling more truthfully.

This week's episode is my homily from the Adoration Society Lenten Retreat at St. Thomas More Academy. The reflection was on the biblical pattern of redemption after rejection. From Joseph being betrayed by his brothers to Christ in the parable of the wicked tenants, Scripture reveals how God works through even the messiest moments of human sin and suffering. Lent invites us to ask a challenging question: will we harden our hearts - or allow God to transform our wounds into mercy, forgiveness, and new fruit in our lives?

Also, thanks to everyone who downloads and listens. We passed 1,000 downloads! I'm humbled that folks would allow these episodes to occupy some of the precious time in their lives each week!

Today's episode is a recording of my homily for the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Lenten Mission - "Praying With The Saints." It was honor to be invited by our Cathedral Rector, Monsignor David Brockman, to offer a brief reflection on my dear friend in heaven, St. Piet Giorgio Frassati.