The Discerning Hearts Blog Archives - Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

(State your request here…)

Recite the following prayers…

Our Father…

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

The post Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Day 2 – Discerning Hearts podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Matthew 10:1-7

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

 but deliver us from evil.

Amen

The post Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In this episode of Put on the Armor: A Manual for Spiritual Warfare, Dr. Paul Thigpen and Kris McGregor reflect on the immense power of the sacraments in the Christian battle. Far from being optional devotions or familiar religious routines, the sacraments are concrete channels of divine grace given to strengthen, heal, and protect the faithful. Dr. Thigpen explains how baptism delivers a soul from the kingdom of darkness and brings it into the kingdom of Christ, while reconciliation loosens the enemy’s grip through forgiveness and healing. The Eucharist places the believer at the heart of Christ’s victorious sacrifice, and confirmation deepens the power of the Holy Spirit within the soul for spiritual combat.

The conversation also highlights the grace of the anointing of the sick, matrimony, and holy orders, showing how each sacrament has a unique role in spiritual warfare. Whether strengthening the sick against fear and despair, fortifying marriage and family against division, or equipping priests and bishops to serve and protect the flock, the sacraments reveal that the Christian life is not lived alone or unarmed. Dr. Thigpen presents spiritual warfare not as a narrow subject limited to extraordinary experiences, but as a way of understanding the whole life of grace. This episode is a powerful reminder that the Church’s sacramental life is one of the greatest treasures given to believers in the struggle against evil.

A SPECIAL NOTE: We mourn the death of Dr. Paul Thigpen on February 24, 2026. He was a good friend, supporter, and contributor to Discerning Hearts. We will miss him deeply and will continue to share his ministry with gratitude and prayer.

Dr. Thigpen offers insights on the Manual for Spiritual Warfare, Chapter 4:

The weapon of the sacraments Christ has given the seven sacraments to His Church as channels of grace into our lives. That grace is powerful to transform us into the image of Christ and to see us safely home to heaven. No wonder, then, that the Devil hates the sacraments and tries to keep us from receiving them. They, too, are weapons of our warfare, each one with a special power to protect us and to send the demons away from us.

The “Manual for Spiritual Warfare” can be found here

Paul Thigpen, Ph.D., was the Editor of TAN Books in Charlotte, North Carolina. An internationally known speaker, best-selling author, and award-winning journalist, Paul published forty-three books in a wide variety of genres and subjects: history and biography, spirituality and apologetics, anthologies and devotionals, family life and children’s books, study guides and reference works, and fiction and collections of poetry and prayers. 

Paul graduated from Yale University in 1977, summa cum laude, with Distinction in Religious Studies and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He was later awarded the George W. Woodruff Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, where he earned an M.A. (1993) and a Ph.D. (1995) in Historical Theology. In 1993, he was named a Jacob K. Javits Fellow by the U.S. Department of Education. He has served on the faculty of several universities and colleges.

In 2008, Paul was appointed to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Advisory Council for a four-year term. He served the Church as a theologian, historian, apologist, evangelist, and catechist in a number of settings, speaking frequently in Catholic and secular media broadcasts and at conferences, seminars, parish missions, and scholarly gatherings.

The post POA7 – Know your Weapons pt. 2 – Put On The Armor – A Manual for Spiritual Warfare w/Dr. Paul Thigpen Ph.D. – Discerning Hears Catholic Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In this episode of Magnificent Humanity for the Discerning Heart, we reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s teaching on subsidiarity and solidarity. These two principles help us understand how responsibility should be shared, how people should be allowed to participate, and how our lives are entrusted to one another.

Pope Leo XIV teaches that subsidiarity honors responsibility at the level closest to the people affected. Families, local communities, parishes, teachers, caregivers, workers, and those closest to a need often carry knowledge that distant systems may miss. This principle matters in daily life, and it also matters in the digital world, where powerful platforms, algorithms, and institutions can make decisions that shape access, visibility, work, communication, and belonging.

Solidarity completes this vision by reminding us that no one is saved alone. Through the light of 1 Corinthians 12:26, this episode invites us to recognize that the suffering or flourishing of one member touches the whole body. A discerning heart asks where it may be taking over, where it may be withdrawing, and where the Holy Spirit is inviting shared responsibility, participation, communion, and love.

Selection from Magnifica Humanitas

Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas, Introduction, nos. 68, 70, and 73:

“The principle of subsidiarity stems from the very same understanding of the human person that has guided our reflection on dignity and the common good. If every woman and man is called to take ownership of his or her own life and to contribute to the formation of society, then social institutions must also respect and support this responsibility.”

“In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, decisions are made at the closest level possible to the persons involved, thereby fostering community life and avoiding people being presented with decisions that have already been taken.”

“Solidarity, then, is the concrete recognition that the future of each individual is connected to the future of all; indeed, ‘no one is saved alone.’”

1 Corinthians 12:26, RSV–Catholic Edition

Copyright © 2026 Kris McGregor. All rights reserved. No portion of this content may be reproduced, distributed, published, or transmitted in any form, including audio, print, or digital media, without prior written permission from Discerning Hearts®.

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O Beautiful Flower of Carmel,

(State your request here…)

Recite the following prayers…

Our Father…

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

The post Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Day 1 – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart, but always let it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; … and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: “Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven” (Lk 18:13)…

Having, therefore, ascended all these degrees of humility, the monk will presently arrive at that love of God, which being perfect, cast out fear (1 Jn 4:18). In virtue of this love all things which at first he observed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort, and as it were, naturally by force of habit, no longer from the fear of hell, but from the love of Christ, from the very habit of good and the pleasure in virtue. May the Lord be pleased to manifest all this by His Holy Spirit in His laborer now cleansed from vice and sin.  (Holy Rule 7)

Glorious Saint Benedict,

To you, I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries, and afflictions of life.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

The post St. Benedict Novena – Day 6 – Discerning Hearts podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

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«I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.» John 13:34

The Martins were conscious of their duties to their neighbor, and the simplicity of their life made them attentive to the needs of others. Céline said, « If frugality prevailed in our home, then lavishness ruled when it came to helping the poor. We went to meet them, we searched them out, we urged them to come home with us, where their needs were satisfied: they were given food and clothes and encouraged to do what is right. I can still see my mother bustling around a poor old man. I was seven years old back then, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. We were walking in the countryside when, on the road, we met an old man who appeared destitute. Mother sent Thérèse to give him some alms. He seemed so grateful that she entered into conversation with him. Then my mother told him to follow us, and we returned home. She prepared a good dinner for him; he was starving, and she gave him clothes and a pair of shoes… And she invited him to come back to us whenever he needed anything. »

If one of her workers fell ill, St. Zélie would visit her on Sunday, happy to provide her with anything she needed. She treated her maid the same way: « It happened that she spent three weeks, night and day, at the bedside of Louis, who had a very severe attack of articular rheumatism, and whom she did not wish to send to the hospital. »

And when St. Louis, for his part, « knows that, in the neighborhood, there are ill people whose conversion is urgent, we witness his eagerness in visiting them, and in asking the whole family to pray that the sick person might decide to receive the Last Rites. … [His wife] does her best to help him in this apostolate. »

Today, I will do something good for somebody—by a smile, a telephone call, a visit, or by giving alms…

Our Father…

Saints Louis and Zélie,

Saints Louis and Zélie, pray for us.

The post Day 5 – Charity – Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

St. Bonaventure you have said:

Three things are necessary to everyone regardless of status, sex, or age, i.e., truth of faith which brings understanding; love of Christ which brings compassion; endurance of hope which brings perseverance. No adult is in state of salvation unless he has faithful understanding in his mind, loving compassion in his heart, and enduring perseverance in his actions.

Dear St. Bonaventure

All-powerful Father,

The post St. Bonaventure Novena – Day 2 – Discerning Hearts podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Matthew 9:32-37

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’

What touched your heart in this time of prayer?

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

 but deliver us from evil.

Amen

The post Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Episode 7 -The Fifth Rule:

Episode Seven of The Discernment of Spirits: Setting the Captives Free focuses on Rule Five, one of the most decisive and practical rules in Ignatian discernment. Fr. Timothy Gallagher, in conversation with Kris McGregor, explains why this rule has the power to protect the spiritual life over an entire lifetime.

Rule Five is direct and uncompromising. In times of spiritual desolation, never make a change. The rule applies to any spiritual proposal that was in place before the desolation began. Prayer commitments. Retreat plans. Parish involvement. Spiritual direction. Even major vocational decisions. When desolation is present, change must wait.

Fr. Gallagher explains why Ignatius insists on this rule without exception. In spiritual consolation, the good spirit guides and counsels. In spiritual desolation, it is the enemy who guides and counsels. The thoughts that arise during desolation may feel convincing. They may sound reasonable. Yet they do not lead to clarity or peace. They lead away from it.

Through concrete examples, Fr. Gallagher shows how Rule Five works in daily life. A person feels heaviness in prayer and considers canceling a meeting with a pastor. Another feels discouraged and wants to abandon a retreat planned months earlier. In each case, the questions are the same. Am I in a time of spiritual desolation? Am I considering changing something that was decided before the desolation began? When the answer to both is yes, the response is firm. Do not change.

The episode carefully distinguishes spiritual desolation from non-spiritual desolation. Physical exhaustion, anxiety, or emotional strain may require practical changes, such as rest or balance. Yet even here, Ignatius’s wisdom often applies. Many discouraging thoughts still arise from desolation and must be resisted, not obeyed.

Fr. Gallagher explains that Rule Five does not mean changes are never made. Changes may be considered in times of peace, tranquility, or spiritual consolation. They must be made prayerfully and wisely. What Ignatius forbids is change during desolation, when judgment is clouded, and discouragement distorts reality.

To illuminate the rule, Fr. Gallagher draws on an image from J. R. R. Tolkien. He recalls the scene in which Frodo receives a small light with the words, “This will be a light when all other lights go out.” Rule Five serves the same purpose. When darkness presses in and everything urges change, this rule becomes a steady light that preserves freedom.

Fr. Gallagher concludes by returning to Ignatius himself. Even at the height of his sanctity, Ignatius experienced profound spiritual desolation. Thoughts arose urging him to abandon plans already discerned. Because he recognized desolation and remained firm, clarity returned. The discernment was completed. Peace followed.

Episode Seven presents Rule Five as a lifelong companion. It is a rule that saves the heart from confusion. It protects decisions made in grace. It becomes a steady guide when all other lights seem to fail.

DOS7-REV

Can you recall moments when discouragement urged you to abandon a spiritual commitment?

How do you recognize heaviness of heart in your own experience of prayer?

What spiritual proposals were in place in your life before recent struggles began?

How does knowing Rule Five change the way you interpret discouraging thoughts?

Where might firmness and fidelity bring freedom rather than rigidity?

Why does Ignatius insist that Rule Five admits no exceptions?

How do the examples in this episode help clarify the danger of change in desolation?

Why do discouraging thoughts often feel convincing during desolation?

How does the Tolkien image help illuminate the purpose of Rule Five?

How might this rule protect parish communities and leaders from burnout or retreat?

 The 14 Rules for Discerning Spirits –

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life:  The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”

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