The Cyndi Peterson Show - Inspiring Your Catholic Faith

What happened in Santarém, Portugal, more than 700 years ago—and why do pilgrims still come to see it today?

In this episode, Cyndi shares the remarkable story of the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarém, traditionally dated to the 13th century.

During a visit to Portugal, Cyndi traveled to the Church of St. Stephen—today known as the Church of the Holy Miracle—where the miraculous Host associated with the event has been venerated for centuries.

Cyndi recounts the story behind the miracle, what happened to the woman at the center of it, and what it was like to stand only a few feet away from the relic that has drawn generations of pilgrims to Santarém.

But Eucharistic miracles ultimately point beyond themselves to something even greater: what Catholics believe happens at every Mass.

The extraordinary sign at Santarém invites us to look again at the ordinary-looking Host and ask whether we truly recognize Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist.

We often tell God, "I surrender." But what does surrender actually look like when we have to live it?

In this episode, Cyndi and Aimee reflect on trust and surrender following the Hallow 40-Day Lenten Challenge—and on the Christian call to place our lives in the hands of God.

Surrender doesn't necessarily mean knowing exactly what God is doing or understanding where He is leading us. Often it means trusting Him in the middle of ordinary decisions, uncertainty, disappointment, and circumstances we cannot control.

Cyndi and Aimee also discuss insights from Chapter 12 of Fr. Walter Ciszek's spiritual classic He Leadeth Me and his experience of learning to recognize and accept God's will in the circumstances placed before him.

Surrender isn't something we accomplish once. It is a relationship of trust that we learn through prayer, one day at a time.

Perhaps the question isn't simply, "What is God's will for my life?" but "Can I trust Him with the life I have been given today?"

What if one of the simplest ways to love another person is simply to listen?

It's easy to hear someone's words while we're already forming our response, making judgments, offering advice, or thinking about ourselves. But truly listening requires something different: making room for another person.

In this episode, Cyndi and Aimee discuss judgment, mercy, and what Henri Nouwen beautifully describes as the "hospitality" of listening, drawing from his book Bread for the Journey.

What changes when we stop trying to fix someone and instead give them our attention? What happens when we become more interested in understanding another person than in being understood ourselves?

Loving our neighbor doesn't always require doing something extraordinary.

Sometimes love begins by becoming quiet enough to truly hear the person God has placed in front of us.

How do you forgive someone when the hurt is real—and you haven't forgotten what happened?

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian life, but it can also be one of the most difficult things Jesus asks of us.

In this recorded talk given at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Washington, Indiana, Cyndi explores what forgiveness really means, why God asks us to forgive, and what can happen when we continue carrying resentment, anger, and wounds from the past.

Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen. It doesn't mean calling something good that was wrong. And it doesn't necessarily mean that trust or a relationship can immediately be restored.

It means allowing God to begin freeing our hearts from what has been done to us.

We may not be able to change what happened. But with God's grace, what happened does not have to continue possessing our hearts.

The YouTube video referenced in the talk can be found by clicking here - or following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpSfVdPBiE&t=77s

Can we be awake to everything happening around us—and still be spiritually asleep?

Jesus gives a striking warning in Luke 21:34:

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life."

In this episode, Cyndi and Aimee discuss Fr. Paul Scalia's reflection Blessed Are the Woke of Heart and what it means to have a heart that is truly awake to God.

The danger isn't only obvious sin. Jesus specifically warns about the "anxieties of daily life"—the ordinary worries, distractions, and preoccupations that can gradually consume our attention and leave little room for God.

How do we recognize when this is happening? And how do prayer, vigilance, and turning our attention back to God awaken the heart again?

Perhaps the question isn't simply whether we're awake. It's what—or Whom—our hearts are awake to.

Resouces mentioned -

1.Sermons in Times of Crisis

2. That Nothing May Be Lost

Cyndi and Aimee catch up on their thoughts of Lent this year - focusing on the Hallow App's 40 day Lenten challenge on Fr. Walter Ciszek's story as related in his book - He Leadth Me.

To schedule Cyndi to speak to your group, contact Cyndi at [email protected].

Cyndi's book, Waiting for a Miracle: One Mother's Journey to Unshakable Faith can be purchased on Amazon.com or reach out to Cyndi at [email protected]for a copy.

Cyndi reflects on her Pilgrimage on The Portuguese Camino to Santiago De Compostela, Spain. The White Envelope Award winning essay and website are discussed as means to imitating the life of Christ and arriving at heaven.

To schedule Cyndi to speak to your group, contact Cyndi at [email protected].

Cyndi's book, Waiting for a Miracle: One Mother's Journey to Unshakable Faith can be purchased on Amazon.com or reach out to Cyndi at [email protected]for a personally signed copy mailed directly to you.

Join Cyndi on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land February 7 -20, 2024! Go to www.Cyndipeterson.com for information. Fr. Leon from Medjugorje is our Spiritual Guide. Experience all the Holy Sites where Jesus walked and worked his miracles. Definitely a trip of a life time.

In this episode of the podcast, Cyndi reflects on the interviews and posts presented by two exorcist. Fr. Carlos Martins and Msgr. Stephen Rossetti. The knowledge that when we live a life of grace and have Christ present in our hearts, we have no need to fear or be distracted from God by the devil.

Fr. Carlos Martins interview can be found here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnA_I7Yc3wg

Msgr. Rossetti's blog entry can be found here.

https://www.catholicexorcism.org/post/exorcist-diary-257-satan-be-afraid-of-us

Cyndi would love to speak for your group. To schedule her contact Cyndi at [email protected].

Cyndi's inspiring book, Waiting for a Miracle: One Mother's Journey to Unshakable Faith can be purchased on Amazon.com or at [email protected]for a signed copy.

Join Cyndi on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land February 7 -20, 2024! Go to www.Cyndipeterson.com for information. Fr. Leon from Medjugorje is our Spiritual Guide. Experience all the Holy Sites where Jesus walked and worked his miracles. Definitely a trip of a life time.

In this episode of the podcast, Cyndi shares St John Bosco's dream of The Snake and The Rosary. The power of the Rosary over evil and the restorative strength of Confession and Holy Communion are demonstrated.

Cyndi would love to speak for your group. To schedule her contact Cyndi at [email protected].

Cyndi's inspiring book, Waiting for a Miracle: One Mother's Journey to Unshakable Faith can be purchased on Amazon.com or at [email protected]for a signed copy.

For our loved ones to have Faith they need to hear the Word of God. To Achieve this Cyndi shares two great resources:

The Great Adventures Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles from Ascension Press.

God's Brave Boy, God's Glorious Girl by Emily Wilson.

Check out my website at www.Cyndipeterson.com for information on Cyndi's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in February 2024.

Cyndi would love to speak for your group. To schedule her contact Cyndi at [email protected].

Cyndi's inspiring book, Waiting for a Miracle: One Mother's Journey to Unshakable Faith can be purchased on Amazon.com or at [email protected]for a signed copy.