The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.

On our debut episode of 2026 and the second season of “The Spiritual Life,” host James Martin, S.J., welcomes Trappist monk, poet and photographer, Br. Paul Quenon, onto the podcast. Br. Paul entered the Trappists in 1958 at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his novice master. Together they discuss:

- What it was like to have Thomas Merton as a novice master

- How a monastery can be like a montessori school, where playing with different elements and forms of prayer, leads to one’s own spiritual practice

- Responses to listener questions: how to do a spiritual reset at the beginning of a new year, how to build a personal relationship with God, and how to try to make sense out of tragedy.

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/01/01/new-year-prayer-james-martin

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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Fr. Jim introduces this special episode on "The Coventry Carol" which is part of a new season of the podcast, "Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols," from America Magazine, the Jesuit Review (AmericaMagazine.org).

Listen to more episodes including, "O Holy Night," "The Little Drummer Boy," and "Silent Night" on:

Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/hark

Episode description: Most Christmas carols celebrate the birth of Jesus. But not “The Coventry Carol." This song centers on a biblical horror: the “massacre of the innocents,” King Herod’s order to kill all male babies two years old and under in Bethlehem. It’s a lullaby sung by mothers to children who may not survive the night. In this podcast episode, host Maggi Van Dorn travels to Coventry, England, to trace how this centuries-old lament survived the Reformation, a devastating library fire and the 1940 bombing of Coventry Cathedral during the Second World War— and how it has served the city’s witness to grief and reconciliation.

Happy Advent and merry Christmas from Fr. Jim!

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On our Season One finale of “The Spiritual Life” podcast, Host James Martin, S.J., welcomes the incomparable researcher and storyteller, Brené Brown.

Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston, the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and the host of two award-winning podcasts. In 2024, she was named as the executive director of The Center for Daring Leadership at BetterUp. In this open and courageous conversation, they discuss:

How Brené became Catholic as a child and where she finds her spiritual home today

Brené’s own take on The Examen prayer and the twist she adds to the Our Father and Hail Mary.

How Brené  thinks about the connection between her research on fear, shame and vulnerability, and the person of Jesus we encounter in the gospels. 

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/10/28/brene-brown-james-martin-spiritual-life

We’re taking a couple months break, but will be back with Season 2 of “The Spiritual Life” in the New Year. In the meantime, be sure to check out America Media’s Advent podcast, Hark!: the stories behind our favorite Christmas carols, hosted and produced by Maggi Van Dorn. 

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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We’ve heard your questions about spiritual direction and have an episode that should answer (almost) all of them! To help us demystify the art of spiritual direction, host James Martin, S.J. speaks with Jesuit sociologist and trained spiritual director, Patrick Gilger, S.J., about:

What spiritual direction is and what it is not

What you can expect from a wise spiritual director

How spiritual direction helped both Jim and Paddy deepen their relationship with God and dislodge barriers to prayer

Where to find a good spiritual director 

Read: "How do you find a good spiritual director?" by Fr. Martin here: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/10/21/how-do-find-spiritual-director-catholic

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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Host James Martin, S.J., welcomes Br. Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit brother, astronomer and the former director of the Vatican Observatory, to “The Spiritual Life” podcast. 

With a Ph.D. in planetary science, Br. Guy has spent his career studying meteorites and asteroids, exploring the origins of the solar system, authoring more than 250 scientific publications and making science accessible to the public. Br. Guy has written several books exploring faith and science issues, and his most recent book is, “A Jesuit's Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science.”

This fascinating conversation covers:

The challenge of loneliness no matter your vocation

The notion of the “evil spirit” in Ignatian spirituality and analogies in science

The Big Bang and why we shouldn’t base our theology off current scientific understandings

How being a scientist influences Br. Guy’s prayer life and where he sees God most clearly

Five lessons learned as director of the Vatican Observatory: https://www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus/2025/09/11/vatican-observatory-guy-consolmagno

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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Host James Martin, S.J., welcomes bestselling author and award-winning playwright, TV writer/producer, and filmmaker, Adriana Trigiani onto “The Spiritual Life” podcast. Adriana is a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books of fiction and nonfiction. Her latest novel is The View From Lake Como. This big-hearted conversation spans:

Adriana’s Italian-Catholic family roots

Her personal connection to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother

How she encounters the Holy Spirit in her creative writing and prayer

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: "There’s more than one way to appreciate the Eucharist"

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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Host James Martin, S.J., welcomes Fr. Isaac Slater, OCSO, a Trappist monk, poet, and author of “Do Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World”  to “The Spiritual Life” podcast. 

This contemplative conversation includes:

The positive effects silence can have on our prayer lives

Why we judge other people and how to stop

How to create an environment that is more conducive to prayer, without becoming a monk

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/30/james-martin-isaac-slater-spiritual-life-judgement

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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Host James Martin, S.J., explores the mystical dimensions of the spiritual life with Mirabai Starr, an award-winning author, contemporary translator of sacred literature, and world-renowned teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialogue. 

They dive deep into:

- Daily practices that foster mystical experiences, including insights drawn from Mirabai’s latest book “Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life As Sacred Ground.”

- The role that death, loss and grief have played in shaping Mirabai’s spirituality and bereavement ministry

- The biographies of Catholic mystics, such as St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila 

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/23/what-is-mystical-experience

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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On “The Spiritual Life” podcast, James Martin, S.J., talks with comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan about telling jokes about the church and sometimes feeling like a fraud in the spiritual life.

Together, they talk about:

- Jim’s journey through agnosticism and back to the Catholic Church

- Feeling like a fraud and nurturing a healthy spiritual life

- What spiritual practices Jim turned to when his wife, Jeannie, was diagnosed with a pear-sized brain tumor. 

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/16/jim-gaffigan-james-martin-catholic/

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

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On “The Spiritual Life” podcast, Fr. James Martin, S.J., talks to fellow a Jesuit and synod delegate, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., who is the bishop of Hong Kong and was one of the 133 voting cardinals who elected Pope Leo XIV. He is renowned for his diplomacy and work fostering dialogue between the Catholic Church and China through educational outreach and cultural bridge-building.

Together, they talk about:

- Christian spirituality and Chinese culture

- The principle of inner freedom in Jesuit spirituality and its resonances in modern psychology

- How Cardinal Chow encountered God’s grace through his teenage battle with scruples and epilepsy

Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/09/cardinal-chow-james-martin-spiritual-life/

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected]

Become a subscriber today at: http://americamagazine.org/subscribe

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