In this podcast, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on how the universal call to adoration is the source of our happiness and the source of our true human flourishing and maturing. We can achieve our fullest human and spiritual potential insofar as we worship and adore God with our whole being and with our lives.

The universal call to adoration, to give all the glory to God, especially through our ordinary, secular, daily, and sometimes mundane/repetitive realities, in no way demeans the human person, but rather raises us up, embellishes all that we have, and enhances all that we are.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels (September 29), Fr. Donncha reminds us that the first function of the angels is to give glory to God. St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael are adorers of the Lord! It's not surprising that the saints, like St. Josemaria Escriva, would have great devotion to the Archangels, who stand before the throne of God and who kneel before the throne of God in adoration.

The Book of Job tells us that man's life on earth is a struggle or battle. There is, undoubtedly, a battle going on between good and evil. For all of us in the Church, the Archangels are our great allies. We're not alone in our battle. In our call to adoration, we are praying within the warmth, the company, the presence of a family, in communion with the Holy Church.

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In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina invites you to imagine inviting Jesus to dinner as he passes by you at home, your dorm, your office, your kitchen, or your desk. Would you welcome him and listen to him? Would you allow him to open your horizons and give meaning to your whole life? This was the way of St. Matthew (also called Levi) as we read in the Gospels.

Jesus was sending a huge message by passing by people at their jobs and at work. He is present, he is aware, and he really cares. But you must be humble enough to accept that your vocation means you inviting Jesus to meet you first, to talk to him, and to follow him.

Jesus says “follow me,” if you want to. The calling of St. Matthew reminds us that our vocation is a combination between our freedom and the grace of God--our freedom and his invitation--and that's the beauty of every vocation. In every vocation, there's a story to be told and to be unfolded. And, Jesus is happy to be creating that story together with the protagonist.

Our vocation is truly a treasure. But the principle and most important treasure of our life is our relationship with Jesus—-it's the treasure that we should rediscover every single day.

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on Our Lady, the Woman of Sorrows, and how contemplating her during the Passion of her Son and at the foot of the Cross helps all of our worries and sufferings to pass away.

Our Lady of Sorrows places us at her side before Jesus on the Cross to help us mature in our share in the mission of her Son. Bringing us to the Cross means helping us to face up to the difficulties of life, since learning how to deal with suffering is a major step in our personal growth. And, it means sharing in the mission of the redemption of Christ, which gives great depth to the purpose of our lives.

As we celebrate the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) and Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15), Fr. Fred invites you to also place yourself at the foot of the Cross:

• Ask yourself: How do I handle difficulties? Do I dig deeper to find its deeper meaning?
• Contemplate the great miracles of Jesus and see how most of them were messy.
• Consider: If we don't have the Cross, what are we left with?
• Ask for the grace of great serenity, joy, and efficacy in your mission to co-redeem with Christ.

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In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina helps us to prepare our hearts for the feasts of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8) and Mary's Holy Name (September 12). Her feasts remind us, like St. Joseph, that God is also telling us, “Do not be afraid to take Mary” (Mt 1:20). Mary is a wonderful reality that makes us want to do like St. Joseph, like St. John the Apostle, and bring her into our lives and into everything.

In human history, there is a deep line that divides it into two: before and after Jesus Christ. Because of divine providence, we happen to be in the afterwards of His birth and life; and that happened, in part, because of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is wonderful to think about the unity between Mary and Jesus: both hearts beating at the same rhythm, both eyes looking at the same people with the same love, both of them connected in a beautiful symphony of thoughts, loves, and desires. They both look at us individually, wanting to help us in every step we take and in every situation we live.

The connection that we have with Mary is very special. The good news is that it's not just for some people, it's for everyone, just like the love of God that precedes us.

So, on Mary's birthday, we unite ourselves to thank God for creating such a beautiful Mother, for pouring all His imagination, all His creativity in such a wonderful human being. And especially we want to say thank you for sharing His Mother with us, for giving us the possibility of calling her Mother, and to be adopted in such a wonderful family.

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In this podcast, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha offers a profound reflection on St. Josemaria Escriva as a great teacher of prayer to help us renew our awareness of the essential nature of prayer and how transformative it is.

In society, we tend to measure things by people's doings and achievements. But what ultimately gives value to any life is communion with Christ. Without prayer, nothing! With prayer, everything! Prayer produces the fine wine of Christian holiness in and around us. Prayer fills ordinary life with the greatness of God.

Our Christian faith teaches us that it is God who seeks man out. He does everything to seek us out and to win our hearts. Therefore, we don't want our prayer to be purely formal, routine, or superficial. We want our prayer to be a genuine conversation, an expression of love, and real communion.

To learn how to do this well, we have the example of Our Lady, because there is nobody who surpasses her in the life of prayer. She also reminds us that a person who prays, who seeks an encounter with Christ, leaves a deep, lasting, and somehow eternal imprint on history.

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on how the secret ingredient of contrition gives our spiritual life tremendous dynamism and keeps us joyful, youthful, and approachable because we no longer give excuses for our improper behavior and it restores our proper place in God's eyes.

Contrition plays an important role in helping us shake things up and renew our quest for holiness. Contrition also leads us to seek the Sacrament of Confession, which restores and rejuvenates our friendship with the Lord. We allow Jesus to enter our life and give us the grace to be freed from our tendency to simply do the things as we've always done them, simply because we've always done them that way.

To be a contrite soul is to recognize the heights to which we are called and the result is that we then fight harder to root out the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing true joy.

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In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and how this feast is a cause for joy and hope for all of us.

Whenever we see the Assumption depicted in art, it's always joyful and beautiful! Why? Because it is a reminder of the ancient teaching that Mary knew no corporal decay, but entered into Heaven and was received by God in body and soul. It fills us with peace to know that she is waiting for us and wants us to come to be with her Son.

The Assumption is a feast that we're encouraged to not let just pass us by without really, truly being affected in some deep way. One way to be affected is to enter into a deeper joy, regardless of our situation in life, as we contemplate that something really wonderful happened to Mary because she let herself be guided by God's Divine Logic.
 
We are sons and daughters of Mary-- St. Josemaria took this deeply to heart, and we should try to do this too. On this beautiful Feast of the Assumption, St. Josemaria reminds us that: "the supernatural value of our life does not depend on accomplishing great undertakings suggested to us by our overactive imagination. Rather, it is to be found in the faithful acceptance of God’s will, in welcoming generously the opportunities for small, daily sacrifice. If we strive to imitate Mary’s fidelity, God will surely do great things in us” (Christ is Passing By, no. 172).

Tune in to this podcast as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15th.

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In this podcast,  Fr. Peter Armenio reflects upon joy as the foundation for all evangelization and how living joy in our daily lives can lead others to encounter Christ, because He is joy.

The particular role of the laity in bringing Christ to the world, especially in the places we live and work, requires that we not only bring the truth of the Gospel to all those who we encounter, but that we always lead with joy and witness to the happiness found in our friendship with Jesus.

Fr. Peter shows that authentic joy is not artificial, but is a happiness which results from having the fullness of joy within you.  This joy is easily perceived by others and is fueled by our friendship with Jesus. 

In order to increase our joy, we can more intentionally abide with the Lord through the Eucharist, mental prayer, the rosary, the cross, and through our effort to love others.

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In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio leads us to listen and reflect on the Gospel and the meaning of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and how it continues to transform us today.

The Transfiguration of Jesus encourages us in our commitment to discipleship. When we commit to protracted prayer—deep, silent, concentrated prayer—we can see God through the eyes of our soul and heart.

The Transfiguration helped the apostles to trust in the Cross—the raw materials that make up our crosses—and to believe that there is no such thing as failure when we follow Christ.

Contemplating this scene and Jesus’ words (Mt 17:1-8), we begin to see Him, to take on His capacity for self-giving love, and we become more empowered to give of ourselves with the heart of Jesus.

Tune in to this podcast as we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6th.

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In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo shares a reflection on the Gospel scene in which Martha welcomes Christ into her home (Luke 10:38-42) and reveals to us the meaning of letting go and letting God into our lives.

In the Gospel passage, we notice Martha become caught up in the activity and details of serving Christ which inhibit her from fully enjoying the presence of Christ in her home. This theme is echoed in society today with a strong push for perfectionism in our work and at home.

To contradict this vice, Fr. Javier reminds us to identify the intention behind our work, so that we may glorify God in all that we do. Working with intention allows us to be receptive to the grace of the Holy Spirit and helps us to recognize the presence of Christ in the ordinary moments of everyday life.

Tune in to this podcast as we celebrate the feast of SS. Martha, Mary and Lazarus on July 29th.


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