Read. Pray. Write.

IN THIS EPISODE Finding God's Grace in Music

Guest Eddie Cotter, Jr., missionary and Irish traditional musician, discusses how music as a form of prayer can “reach places in the soul” that spoken words cannot. Below he provides an original composition, performed by The Kells, that can be used for audio divina.

THE KELLS FATIMA 2017 v 1.8 vox FX UP (2)

WRITING PROMPT    In an effort to live out the advice of Blessed Fr. Solanus Casey to be “faithful to the present moment” so as not to frustrate God’s plan for our lives,” listen to the Fatima song above and then just sit in silence for a few moments. Was there a particular phrase, instrumental or lyrical, that resonated with your heart? Might it be God’s voice?Now free write any insights or inspiration that followed your silence.

About the Guest

Eddie Cotter Jr. is a missionary, Irish traditional musician, songwriter and Cofounder & Executive Director of the Dead Theologians Society, a Catholic apostolate for teens and young adults with more than 500 chapters in the U.S. and abroad. Cotter, also the director of youth ministry at St. Patrick’s Church in Columbus, Ohio, works to inspire the youth of today to become the saints of tomorrow.

IN THIS EPISODE Judith asks God to save those without hope.

The Book of Judith tells how the Jewish people were delivered “by the hand of a female.” Before she confront her enemy, Judith turns to God, the source of her strength, in prayer and lament.

WRITING PROMPT    Take a moment to think of those in your life who might be considered lowly, of little account, weak, or in despair. It could be a a friend who is newly single, a neighbor struggling to care for a sick child, a co-worker who appears to have it all but is without hope.  Write down one simple act of kindness you can perform to show each of these acquaintances that your God can be their savior through your example.  Send a text, a dinner invitation, cookies delivered to their home or just listen sympathetically to whatever they need to talk about. But don’t stop there: keep them in your prayers as Judith did.

IN THIS EPISODE The Face of Jesus in the Poor

Painter Joe Anastasi, a retired advertising executive, reads Richard Rohr on prayer. Anastasi prays over and paints formal portraits of the homeless he meets in his volunteer work because he wants others to respect their stories.  

WRITING PROMPT    Iconographer Fr. William Hart McNichols once wrote “We are formed by what we gaze at.” These days we gaze at screens, of smartphones and televisions, which form us into consumers. But when we gaze at an icon and are formed by it, we can become a radiant presence of divine energy, a holy light in a darkened world. Open yourself to the humanity of Joe Anastasi’s portraits displayed above. Write about what qualities you see in them that reflect the face of God. Courage? Humility? Compassion? Then contemplate how what you see will change you in your daily activities today. How have you been formed so you can become a conduit of the God of Life? 

Joe Anastasi works with the homeless through the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Columbus, Ohio. He is a retired advertising executive who felt called to capture the hope and dignity of the people he serves at local shelters by painting their portraits and sharing their stories. He often lectures at local parishes and raises thousands of dollars for agencies that support the poor. His story and more of his artwork is featured in the June 2019 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine.

IN THIS EPISODE Queen Esther's Prayer

The Book of Esther tells a story of the deliverance of the Jewish people from an enemy by Esther and Mordecai, commemorated by the Jewish festival of Purim. In her desperate plea, Queen Esther recognizes that only the Lord can help relieve our deepest pain.

WRITING PROMPT    Imagine yourself in the Bible scene with Esther as she fasts and prays in advance of confronting the king who wanted to destroy her people. Think about a person in your life against whom you hold some rivalry or enmity. What “persuasive words” would the Lord put in your mouth to “turn his or her heart.” What words would turn your heart to forgiveness?  

IN THIS EPISODE The Attraction of Joy

Guest Derya Little shares how witnessing the joy of Christians was the primary impetus for her conversion from Islam to Catholicism. She reads from St. Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortion, Gaudete Domino (On Christian Joy).

WRITING PROMPT    Christ found daily joy in the lilies of the field, in the man who find a lost treasure, in a father embracing his prodigal son,  the woman finding her lost coin, in little children coming to him, in a marriage ceremony.Take a moment to write down three ways you experienced joy today. How was each moment a gift from God? Write ways you might share that joy with others as a witness to your faith.

About the Guest

Born and raised in Muslim Turkey, Derya Little, rejected her family’s Islamic faith and became an atheist. During a stormy adolescence, she tried to convince a Christian missionary that there is no God. But because of the joy she saw in Christians, she was converted instead. During her doctoral studies in England, she entered the Catholic Church.She now is an evangelizer, blogger, podcaster, and author of a memoir and young adult novels. This is the article she references in the interview: expressing her joy about her membership in her “weird and wonderful” church. 

IN THIS EPISODE Setting Things Right

In Isiah 1: 18-20, the Lord reminds us that His mercy is infinite, but we have to be willing to accept his forgiveness through obedience. Date posted: April 10, 2019

WRITING PROMPT    Guilt can be paralyzing. Often the hardest person to forgive is ourselves. But in this passage from Isaiah, God reminds us that we have to be receptive to mercy, what Pope Francis calls the “second name of love.”  We need to accept mercy in order to receive “the good things of the land.”Think of someone you know who, as evidenced by their self-destructive behaviors, anger, or distance from others, needs to be reminded that God’s mercy is whiter than even the most “crimson” sin, bigger than the deepest guilt.  Write a letter to that person telling them why they are worthy of God’s love and forgiveness–even if that person is yourself.

IN THIS EPISODE Ritual, Mystery and Beauty in God's Creation

Poet & essayist Dick Hague explores amazement, wonder and solitude in nature as a form of prayer.

To read the texts discussed in this episode, visit links at the left. 

WRITING PROMPT    Whether you find yourself in the city or in the wilderness, find an aspect of nature that you can study and focus singular attention on for a few moments: a flower, an insect, a landscape, a cloud shape. Empty yourself of all other thoughts and relax into a moment of praising this piece of God’s creation before you.  Begin by describing your subject, but then meditate about what this wonder means, what connection it makes to a memory, a moment, or a theme in your life. Attend and adore the perfect beauty of what is before you, ending with this simple prayer: “wow.”

About the Guest

Richard Hague is a native of Steubenville, Ohio, author of 19 collections of poetry and prose, including his most recent. Studied Days: Poems Early & Late in Appalachia. He has been awarded the Weatherford Prize in Poetry, Poetry Book of the Year from the Appaalchian Writers Association, and his Milltown Natural: Stories & Essays From A Life was a National Book Award nominee. He has been a Finalist for The Bechtel Prize from Teachers & Writers, the AWP Award in Creative Nonfiction, The Pablo Neruda Prize from Nimrod, The Iowa Prize in Nonfiction, and a Bob Costas Writing Award. He is currently Artist-in-Residence at Thomas More University. 

IN THIS EPISODE Finding the True Self: Praying with Thomas Merton

Filmmaker & writer Cassidy Hall shares a text by Thomas Merton about the search for true self through humility. She tells how these words inspired her to redirect her vocational path, seek out silence and solitude, and be true to herself in God.

To read the texts discussed in this episode, visit links below. 

WRITING PROMPT    Within us there is an inner, natural dignity.  An inherent worthiness that can be called the True Self, the soul, the unconscious, deep consciousness, or the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though it does not need words to define itself, try to express with a few phrases one unique, radiant quality you possess. It might shows itself best when you are silent, in gratitude and in love with God.  What ballad or poem would tell the story of your True Self that shares its beauty?

About the Guest

Cassidy Hall is the author of Notes on Silence, a filmmaker on the documentary feature: In Pursuit of Silence and her directorial debut: Day of a Stranger, a short film about Thomas Merton. She co-hosts the Encountering Silence podcast and is Secretary of the International Thomas Merton Society. Cassidy holds a Masters degree in Counseling and is currently pursuing her MDiv in Indianapolis. Cassidy’s writing has been published in the Convivium Journal, The Thomas Merton Seasonal, and has been featured on The Huffington Post, Patheos, and the National Catholic Reporter

IN THIS EPISODE Awareness of Death Leads to Hope

Guest Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, “the Twitter Nun,” explains how remembering our death on a daily basis helps us “move through the cross,” toward hope and resurrection. Date recorded: February 27, 2019 

RESOURCES     To learn more about the texts discussed in this episode, see the links at the left and here: Luke 9WRITING PROMPT (from the Memento Mori Journal, Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble) “Facing fears with trust: Remembering one’s death can cause one to confront some serious and understandable fears. … One might find that after some time, memento more actually ends up relieving some anxiety in your life. However, it is also important to remember that God often gives grace when it is needed and no sooner, so focusing on our fear is not always helpful. Journaling helps to alleviate anxiety, especially when we bring our worries to prayer as well.” Write about one anxiety your are experiencing now. Then hand that fear over to Christ by putting it at the foot of the cross and writing “In the name of Jesus, I renounce the fear of ___.” Finish by imagining how your life can be different with God’s grace and without that anxiety.

About the Guest

Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP has a skull on her desk as a memento mori, a reminder of her inevitable death. The ancient practice of remembering death, recommended by Scripture, many Church Fathers, and countless Saints has changed her life. She tweets about memento mori @pursuedbytruth. She is the author of Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Journal and Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Lenten Devotional.

IN THIS EPISODE Lectio Divina Illuminated

Host Jean Kelly explains what to expect from the podcast by giving an example, using a text by Fr. Anthony DeMello, of the 4-step process of reading as a form of prayer. Date recorded: Jan. 15, 2019 

  

To read the texts discussed in this episode, visit links at the left, as well as “An Avid Reader? Consider the Practice of Lectio Divina,” by Jean Kelly, U.S. Catholic, April 2019. 

WRITING PROMPT    Novelist and short story author Flannery O’Connor once wrote “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” One way to think through a painful experience is to free write. So if you are going through a difficult experience now or have in the past, answer the following question in a prayer journal or computer document so you can refer to it at a later point:“If I can step back from my experience and not blame others, what can I learn? Where can I grow and change in a way that is healthy, in a way that helps me detach from the outcome of something negative in my life?”

About the Host

Jean Kelly believes in the power of stories, both hers and others, to give hope, build faith, and improve communities. Her essays and feature articles have been published in local, regional and national publications and websites. She often explores in her work the intersections of faith, intellect, and writing and reading as forms of prayer. As a faculty member at a small liberal arts university in Ohio, Jean puts faith in action through community-based research and service learning projects with her students.