St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai leads us in a time of reflection and prayer to check up on our spiritual health. He explains that when we are spiritually healthy, we are grateful and cheerful. But when we are not, even the smallest thing drives us crazy.

All those times when we're kind of irritable, restless, disconcerted, really worried about how things are going to turn out, what people might say, that's a sign we need a checkup and we need to get more spiritually healthy.

Our spiritual health will come, he explains, if we are men and women of prayer; if we are men and women who turn prayer into a real dialogue with God. Prayer puts us in contact with God, with our purpose and meaning, and therefore has the profound effect of giving us hope. There is nothing more essential for us than hope, to live by hope. We can't really live without hope. We can't even pray without hope.

The hope that comes from our prayer is also a reminder that we're never alone-- that's how some of the great saints survived. Prayer doesn't have to be a super perfect, forceful, or calm concentration. Prayer is a correspondence and dialogue with Our Lord.

As St. Josemaria Escriva says, “Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian has. Prayer must make us effective. Prayer must make us happy. Prayer gives us all the strength we need to fulfill God's commands" (The Forge, no. 439).

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In our meditation of the week, Fr. Javier del Castillo reflects on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and how she helps us to rise up to Heaven in our daily lives. For St. Josemaria, the Assumption or the Dormition of Our Lady played a vital role in his life as a young boy in Barbastro, Spain. St. Josemaria’s devotion to Our Lady became so great that he wished to “rise up” to Heaven with Mary by clinging to the tassel of her cloak in an effort to bring a piece of Heaven to Earth.

Fr. Javier invites us to look to Mary who teaches us that the essence of bringing Heaven to Earth lies in our ability to rise above challenges and adversities. By following her example, we can forgive even the unforgivable, serve others selflessly, and rise above our own tiredness and hardships. Mary's life exemplifies humility and the power of faith, showing us how to bring Christ's presence into our daily actions. As we emulate Mary's virtues and focus on the needs of others, we can transform our lives and actions, creating a piece of Heaven on Earth.

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In today’s podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the charity of God as “fuel” that enables us to seek holiness in the ordinary moments of everyday life. Our receptivity to God’s grace increases as we continue to strengthen our relationship with him through prayer and the sacraments. The grace we receive fills our life and will overflow into our relationships with one another, leading those we encounter closer to Christ.

As St. Josemaria explains: “Charity is not something we ourselves build up. It invades us along with God’s grace, ‘because he has loved us first’. We would do well to fill, to saturate ourselves with this most beautiful truth: ‘If we are able to love God, it is because we have been loved by God.’ Ask God boldly for this treasure, for the supernatural virtue of charity, so that you may practice it even in the smallest details” (Friends of God, no. 229).

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In this final meditation of our 3-part series on St. Josemaria's homily, Getting to Know God, Msgr. Martin Schlag reminds us that to truly know God is to love him more deeply. As we grow in friendship with Christ and recognize ourselves as beloved children of the Father, we are invited to become contemplatives in the midst of our daily lives, allowing God's love to transform every thought, action, and relationship. 

Msgr. Schlag encourages us to establish a spiritual plan of life to deepen our prayer and to respond generously to the Father by loving him above all things. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• Growing in friendship with God 
• Loving God with an undivided heart 
• Holiness through daily fidelity 
• Responding to the Father's love 
• Establishing a spiritual plan of life 

Read the full text of St. Josemaria’s homily, “Getting to Know God”, online here. 

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In this second meditation of our series on St. Josemaria's homily, Getting to Know God, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on St. Josemaria's invitation to move beyond simply knowing about God to truly knowing him through prayer, recollection, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As our relationship with God deepens, we begin to see the world, and ourselves, through his eyes. 

Fr. Eric encourages us to cultivate a faithful interior life, remain attentive to God's presence throughout the day, and grow in the loving friendship that is at the heart of the Christian life. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• Growing in friendship with God 
• The gift of prayer 
• The Holy Spirit's guidance 
• Living in God's presence 
• Deepening the interior life 

 Read the full text of St. Josemaria’s homily, “Getting to Know God”, online here. 

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In this first meditation of our three-part series on St. Josemaria's homily Getting to Know God, Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to rediscover the foundational truth of the Christian life, that we are beloved children of God. As St. Josemaria reminds us, “We are children of God and we can talk things over with him and spend time with him, just as trustingly as a son does with his father” (Friends of God, no. 145). 

Msgr. Dolan invites us to pray with the simplicity of spiritual childhood, entrust our worries to the Father, and rediscover the peace that comes from living as his beloved sons and daughters. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• Becoming like little children before God 
• The Father's faithful love 
• Trust over anxiety 
• Prayer rooted in confidence 
• Remembering who we are in Christ 

 Read the full text of St. Josemaria’s homily, “Getting to Know God”, online here. 

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In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on God's plan for human love and the vocation of marriage as a reflection of Christ's love for his Church. Drawing from Scripture and the example of the Holy Family, we are reminded that authentic love is rooted in self-giving, sustained by grace, and centered on Jesus Christ.  

Fr. Peter invites us to renew our commitment to loving others out of love for Christ, to cultivate friendships and family life rooted in prayer, and to seek the spirit of Nazareth in our daily lives. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• God's plan for human love 
• Marriage as a reflection of Christ's love 
• The Holy Family as our model 
• Self-giving and sacrificial love 
• Keeping Christ at the center of every vocation 

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In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the witness of the early Christian martyrs, whose courage and fidelity helped spread the faith throughout the world. While most Christians today are not called to shed their blood for Christ, we are all called to be martyrs in the original sense of the word: witnesses who make Jesus Christ present through our lives.  

Drawing from the teachings of St. Josemaría Escriva, Fr. Peter invites us to embrace the "martyrdom of the ordinary" through daily self-giving, fidelity in prayer, and love for those around us. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• The witness of the early Christian martyrs 
• The meaning of martyrdom today 
• Daily self-giving and sacrifice 
• Making Christ present through ordinary life 
• Love as the mark of a disciple 

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In this meditation for the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects personal freedom as the capacity to love. Drawing upon a simple aspiration St. Josemaria learned as a child— “Yours am I, I was born for thee. What is it, O Jesus, you want of me?”—Fr. Donncha explains how St. Josemaria’s spirituality was shaped by a docility to the Holy Spirit which allowed him to see that ordinary Christians can become saints through their daily work, relationships, and responsibilities. 

Through prayer and reflection, we are encouraged to deepen our awareness of our identity as children of God and to discover new ways of loving and serving him in the ordinary circumstances of life. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• Our identity as beloved children of God 
• Holiness in ordinary life 
• The sanctification of work 
• Freedom fulfilled through love 
• Sharing the spirit of St. Josemaría with others 

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In this meditation, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on the anxieties and distractions that often disturb our peace. Through the Gospel account of Jesus calming the storm, we are reminded that true security comes not from controlling our circumstances, but from trusting in Our Lord who remains with us in every trial.  

Msgr. Dolan invites us to slow down, focus on what is truly important, and develop habits of prayer and recollection that help us remain calm in the midst of life's challenges. 

Listen and reflect on: 

• Facing anxiety with faith 
• The importance of a Plan of Life 
• Remaining present in daily life 
• Finding peace amid distractions 
• Trusting Christ in difficult moments 

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