SeekingFaith

From Donna: This is the final episode of the Seeking Faith podcast for now. I started podcasting some years ago as a way to offer opportunities for spiritual growth and enrichment online and have loved every minute of it.  Fr. Philip and I spend this last episode reflecting on my imminent retirement (September 1st) from ministry after 37 years. Many thanks to everyone for faithfully following us each week. I always wanted to be on the radio so this podcast has been a sweet consolation for me at the end of my long vocation as Director of Faith Formation. I hope to continue recording, writing, and doing retreats and spiritual direction, simply outside the boundaries of the parish. If you wish to stay in touch with me, please email me: [email protected]. Although it is time to say goodbye, know I will always hold you in my heart. 

The Solemnity of the Assumption is an inspiring and beautiful insight into what eventually will happen to all of us. Where heaven meets earth, Our Lady represents exactly what Christ has promised to us; not only once, but just as often as our inner life grows old and jaded and dies. We are in the process of continual rebirth. 

In the first Book of Kings, Elijah the great prophet is world-weary. He sits down under a broom tree and sleeps to escape, only to be awakened twice by an angel who tells him to "get up and eat." Strengthened for the journey, he is able to walk 40 days to Mt. Horeb to receive a commission from God, like his predecessor, Moses. In John's gospel, Jesus, too, asks us to get up and eat of his very body and blood. This week, Fr. Philip and Donna discuss what it means to not only be nourished by the Eucharist but also to use that strength to be living bread for others.

This Sunday's readings are a continuation of last week's meditation on the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. In this podcast, Fr. Philip and Donna talk extensively about the Eucharist and how we are always hungering for more than bread; for the love flowing from and then flowing out into the world as we consume what we become: the Body of Christ. 

In the Scripture readings for this Sunday, the theme of God's overabundant love and care for us is clearly illuminated. Just as Jesus multiplies five barley loaves and two fish to feed a multitude, so also will he multiply our gifts in service to others. Fr. Philip and Donna discuss the many facets of this overabundance and how we can share it with the world.

Filled with compassion for their hard word, Jesus invites his apostles to rest a while. He also has deep pity for those who reach out and want to sit at his feet. The story in Mark's gospel could be the message for our lives today. Take some time, go into the fields with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and simply rest. 

In the Sunday Scripture readings for this weekend, we are given instructions on how to evangelize the world which involves taking very little for the journey and hitting the road. Fr. Philip and Donna play off of this theme both seriously and with great humor.  During this liberating summer, when many are hitting the road for vacations and visits, they ask us not to leave our faith behind but to take it to all the corners of the earth.

In both the Old and New Testaments, God's prophetic call comes through loud and clear but who is listening? To be a prophet in the modern world is never easy, requiring great sacrifice and courage.  In this week's podcast, Fr. Philip and Donna discuss discerning this call and responding to its ultimate challenges.

The familiar story of Jesus calming the storm after being awoken by the frightened apostles is a familiar one to most Christians. In this week's podcast, Donna and Fr. Philip reflect on the stormy weather of our lives and how much the image of Jesus asleep on a cushion may help us with the fear and anxiety about the storms in our own lives. 

The song title "Food Glorious Food" was selected by Fr. Philip as the theme for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ celebrated this weekend.  From the blood covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai to the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, we have been invited to share intimately in this mystery of sacred nourishment.  Fr. Philip and Donna discuss how the Eucharist gloriously changes not only our personal lives but also transforms the world when we remember what Jesus meant when he said, "this is my body; this is my blood."