Picture the plot of your favorite romantic comedy: guy meets girl, drama drama drama, and then FINALLY, at the movie’s climax, what you’ve been waiting for...THE KISS. How is this comparable to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist? Find out in this episode of joyinhope!

To see some ABSOLUTELY AMAZING Eucharistic miracle stories, check out these three links!!!

https://churchpop.com/2015/06/28/5-ex...

http://www.therealpresence.org/euchar...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oogJ-...

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XXqBWBY-Nw

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

In our last episode, this young woman shared her struggles with anxiety and how the Lord has helped deliver her from this. This week, she returns to talk about the importance of overcoming anxiety from a spiritual standpoint.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00PT94d6ucg

For some great resources on Lectio Divina (Divine Reading, or praying with Scripture), check out the following two sites! The first is a step-by-step guide to this practice by Pope Benedict XVI, and the second comes from a simple blog post on the subject.

https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net...

https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resou...

Finally, if you're seeking SPECIFIC Scriptures to pray with, The Bible App (YouVersion) is a great place to go. They provide Bible plans on all sorts of subjects: anxiety, fear, love, etc. Download it with the following link! (Note: This is not a Catholic app, more of a non-denominational Christian one, so I advise Catholics to read meditations with a grain of salt and to make sure that the content is in line with the Church. I also recommend setting the "Version" to New Revised Standard Version Catholic Interconfessional!)

https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-...

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

Join us as one young woman bravely shares how she suffered with anxiety for years. She shares how it all started, her slow but steady recovery, and how she can look back and recognize God's hand at work through it all.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSw_TqOwLGo&t=360s

To check out the AMAZING homily by Fr. Simon Baker, OSB, that I reference in this video, go to this link and watch from 22:30 onward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs71e...

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

Lent: What is it? How do we do it? HELP!

According to the website Faith Central, which quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Lent is "the liturgical season of forty days which begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with the celebration of the Paschal Mystery (Easter Triduum). Lent is the primary penitential season in the Church's liturgical year, reflecting the forty days Jesus spent in the desert in fasting and prayer (540, 1095, 1438)." To go to this website and learn more about what Lent IS, click on the link below:

http://www.stevencwelsh.com/faith/Cat...

To do "penance" means to tell God you're sorry for the sins you have committed and how you have otherwise failed to do good and glorify Him by your life and therefore do things in order to make up for these wrongs. The Catechism states three ways that Scripture and the Church Fathers say "above all" can express penance (CCC 1434). These ways are 1) fasting 2) prayer and 3) almsgiving, which in turn help us to get right with 1) ourselves 2) God and 3) others.

In this episode, I also offer 3 tips for "how to do Lent right," which are:

1) Pray months in advance about what your Lenten promises should be, that way Lent doesn't sneak up on you!

2) Choose things that are relevant to YOU (i.e., don't just fast from chocolate because your mom is or from social media because all of your friends are).

3) Do NOT give up a certain kind of food or drink if it's secretly a diet for you. Glorifying a certain body image does NOT glorify God, though if you are TRULY fasting from something(s) of this sort for spiritual and/or health-related reasons, that can be legit (just be wary, because that's a fine line, I know...I've been there). God calls us to perfection of our SOULS, NOT of our bodies.

And know that IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START A LENTEN PROMISE!!! Even if we're over halfway through the season of Lent and you haven't made any Lenten promises, send up a quick prayer TODAY, asking the Lord to inspire you with what you can do for the remainder of this special season to get right with 1) yourself 2) Him and 3) others.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEkTa9Sx0pA&t=117s

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

COVID. It's all anyone is talking about right now. So...let's talk about it! Specifically, let's talk about how we can respond as Christians.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE9qgGYuZeA&t=69s

If you're interested in praying an Act of Contrition, go to this site:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/prayers...

If you'd like a helpful resource when going to Confession (or simply for a great Examination of Conscience or other awesome prayer outlets), download the Laudate app! (Link below.)

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/laudate...

Finally, to hear a priest's take on how Catholics should respond to the coronavirus pandemic, check out this fantastic video by Fr. Mike Schmitz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTP5P...

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

Did you know that there are actually two degrees of sin? Find out what they are in today's episode, where I'm joined by friends Luke and Daniel.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJGVvFTR1PI&t=213s

Shout out: Luke ALSO has a YouTube channel, which you can check out using the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4i...

To learn more about holy water and its potential to forgive venial sin, check out this article!

https://catholicexchange.com/effects-...

To watch Fr. Mike Schmitz from Ascension Presents discussing the sin of taking the Lord's name in vain and what makes it a mortal sin in particular, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT10M...

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

"If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

I don't know about you, but I've heard this phrase plenty of times in my life - sometimes, even directed toward me. And it is just the WORST. Why? Because it makes me doubt God's goodness and whether or not He truly wants me to be happy.

Join me (and my friends Madison and Alivia) as we unpack this saying on today's episode of joyinhope!

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjHyjUOcKHU&t=618s

Note: At one point in the video, I reference St. John Paul II's "Letter to Artists." What I meant to quote from this letter was the line, "Beauty will SAVE the world." What I ended up saying was "CHANGE" the world. #humility It's also worth noting that John Paul actually seems to be quoting someone else when he says this in his letter. Regardless, it is an AMAZING resource, and I encourage you to check it out using the link below!

http://www.vatican.va/content/john-pa...

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

Christ calls us to be "in the world" but not "of it." What does that mean, and how do we live that out? Find out in this episode!

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ck6jPme5cA&t=37s

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

When someone hurts us or someone we love, we can be tempted to seek revenge. Yet, this is not the attitude Christ commands His disciples to have in the Gospel of Matthew (5:38-39). Learn what this call is and how it applies to modern-day Christians in this episode of joyinhope.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1iC_dESE2w&t=304s

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].

"Then Jesus said to all, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me'" (Luke 9:23). What does it really mean to take up the Cross of Christ and even to die for Him? Find out on this episode of joyinhope.

This podcast originated as a YouTube video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvcJakyy3YA&t=38s

To support financially and for more joyinhope, visit https://linktr.ee/joyinhope.

To schedule a speaking event, email [email protected].