As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, marking the halfway point of the Advent season, we are prompted to approach the manger scene in haste as we seek to discover the good news of our Savior’s birth.

In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo draws upon the birth of our Lord in a lowly manger to illustrate our brokenness and need of a Redeemer. He explains the three kinds of concupiscence – lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life – and looks at how we can overcome these temptations with the virtues of purity and humility. Challenged by the gospel message, we can continue in our path to holiness as we join the shepherds and magi in preparing to welcome the Lord with purity of heart and joyful praise.

Download the 2020 Advent Devotional: Come, Let Us Adore

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St. Josemaria Escriva made many pilgrimages throughout his lifetime seeking opportunities to encounter God and praying for his conversion and of the whole world. Today’s podcast commemorates the 50th Anniversary of St. Josemaria Escriva’s pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City from May 15-24, 1970.

His pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on the Hill of Tepeyac, is recognized as the longest and one of the most important pilgrimages in his life. In this podcast, Fr. Javier shares historical insight to the pilgrimage and the lessons we can learn from St. Josemaria’s example of Marian devotion.

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Fr. Javier del Castillo continues our Advent podcast series reflecting on the call we receive at baptism to become a saint. In looking at the vocation of the twelve apostles, we see Christ choose ordinary men with defects and shortcomings to be instruments in the work of grace. Fr. Javier reminds us that the Lord works in all people through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Though we may notice our own individual shortcomings, if we are susceptible to the work of the Lord, we too can pursue our vocation and be instruments of grace in our daily life.

Download the 2020 Advent Devotional: Come, Let Us Adore

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan looks to the example of the Holy Family as a model of living out authentic virtue in every area of our lives. He reflects on the importance of being a witness to the love of Christ and shares practical examples of how we can create an environment at home that strengthens children in the fundamental areas of virtue: authentic piety, the use of technology, the need for silence, holy purity, and generosity.

St. Josemaria explains: “If a man fosters and cultivates the seeds of virtue within him, God will smooth out his path, and such a person will be able to become holy because he has known how to live as a man of good will” (Friends of God, no. 75).

Listen to the Day of Recollection for December 2020 online.

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Are you ready to open your heart to Jesus this Advent?

Fr. Javier del Castillo begins our Advent podcast series reflecting on St. Josemaria’s simple instruction for a fruitful and peaceful Advent: “Open your own hearts to Jesus and tell him your story” (Christ is Passing By, no. 1). To understand how Christ enters into the lives of His people, Fr. Javier reflects on key gospel figures whose encounter with the Lord opened their eyes to new horizons and provided a source of countless graces to say yes and to find true peace.

As we listen to this reflection, Fr. Javier helps us to open our hearts in conversation and prayer with Jesus and to allow Him to accompany us in our daily experiences in preparation for the celebration of His birth at Christmas.

To accompany your time of prayer and reflection, download our Advent Devotional ‘Come, Let Us Adore’. 

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As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the United States, Fr. Javier del Castillo reminds us in this meditation, as St. Josemaria Escriva often did, that we ought to thank God always by habitually making frequent acts of thanksgiving, acts of gratitude.

Fr. Javier explains: "We were never asked by God to come into existence. Everything we have – our talents, our virtues, even our defects – all have been foreseen by God, allowed by God, and given to us by God so that we can fulfill the single mission that we have received from before the foundation of the world."As we strive to maintain a constant spirit of gratitude in our lives we will realize that thanksgiving enlarges our hearts to receive even greater gifts from God.

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The Solemnity of Christ the King is a day to celebrate and remember that "Christ, true God and true man, lives and reigns. He is the Lord of the universe. Everything that lives is kept in existence only through him" (Christ is Passing By, no. 180). On this feast we also end the liturgical year and begin to prepare for Advent and Christmas.

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on St. Josemaria's approach to the spiritual life in which we must be open and willing to begin again. At the start of a new liturgical year, we are encouraged to look inward, assess our spiritual life, and identify the ways in which we can renew and strengthen our relationship with Christ.

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Are you attune to the voice of God and open to the plans he has for you?In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina reflects on the life of Mary and the pivotal moment in which she changed the course of history through accepting her vocation as the Mother of God. Following in her example, we too must seek to make room in our heart for the Lord. Fr. Leo reminds us that it is first at home in our daily life where we discover our vocation which then leads us to discover holiness in the midst of the world.

St. Josemaria explains: “God is calling you to serve him in and from the ordinary, material and secular activities of human life. He waits for us every day, in the laboratory, in the operating theater, in the army barracks, in the university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fields, in the home and in all the immense panorama of work. Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it” (Conversations, no. 114).

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan shares a reflection on the standard of holiness which St. Josemaria characterizes by the following three points: holy intransigence, holy coercion, and holy shamelessness. He explains that we must form our heart and mind according to the gospel message so that we will have a firm foundation when confronted with opposition.

We are encouraged to look to the example of the saints who were steadfast in seeking the truth despite facing opposing viewpoints. Inspired by their witness, we too can seek to attain the plane of sanctity through the ordinary moments of everyday life and be a reflection of Christ in the world today.

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The Church commemorates the faithful departed on November 2, praying in a special way for those in purgatory who remain in hope of entering the joy of heaven. In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of November, Fr. Javier del Castillo shares examples of how we can remember and honor loved ones who have passed away and encourages us to remain steadfast in praying for the holy souls in purgatory.

As we remember the faithful departed, we are reminded that life is a gift from God in which we will be held accountable for our actions at the conclusion of our earthly pilgrimage. Fr. Javier reminds us to take advantage of the time we have now to seek holiness each day and to love others with the heart of Christ.

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