What God is Not

Today's episode is a recording of the talk Mother Natalia gave at the SoCal Byzantine Retreat Day in March. Mother Natalia talks about the promises God makes to us and that He fulfills His promises. She uses the scripture of the day for the feast of the Annunciation to link the promises in the  Annunciation to the promises made in the Old Testament, and then talks about ways we can see God's promises to us in our lives.

References:
Luke 1:26-38
The Year of Grace of the Lord

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Today Fr. Michael talks about shame, the causes of it and what we can do to prevent it. We talk about how Jesus approaches us in our sin, looking to cover our shame but not hide our sin, and how we can use that same approach with ourselves and others we encounter. We have practical discussion about "shaming" others, and how that can be problematic when we do not know the entire story.

References:
How to Profit From Your Faults by Joseph Tissot
Talk by Fr. Stephen Freeman

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This week Fr. Michael talks about how we're all called to live authentic Catholic lives, striving for salvation of souls and not necessarily "checking the Catholic boxes". He specifically talks about how parish priests and monastics can help the laity in this regard, and how the needs of parishes differ from one parish to the next.

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Father Michael and Mother Natalia recorded this episode live in California! On today’s episode they talk about the longing Israel had for God to fulfill His promises, and how we also have desires God longs to fulfill. Our aches and His promises are gifts.

References:
Watch it Live!

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This week Mother Natalia continues with her topic of goodness from her last episode, and uses a homily as a jumping off point to talk about gifts. The homily followed the reading about Noah and the flood, and talked about how Noah and the people in the Ark were waiting for the gift of land to be able to live. Mother Natalia also talks about the difference between gifts and the giver, and how we can have attachments to the gifts instead of the giver.

We also have a listener suggested mini topic and talk about Mark 3:28-30.

References:
Word from a Poustinik: Goodness
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It by St. Theophan the Recluse

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This week Fr. Michael is joined by special guest, Fr. Nathan Symeon. Fr. Nathan and Fr. Michael walk through the readings for that Sunday and talk about the themes they're hearing in the readings which they use for a homily.

References:
Married Priesthood
Leaning In (episode on fasting)
Hebrews 11: 24-26, 32-40, 12:1-2
John 1: 43-51

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This week Mother Natalia reflects on goodness and our inherit goodness given to us from God. She talks about the ways in which we are less than human when we do not choose the good and the ways that our free will is supposed to help us choose the good.

References:
Therapy of Spiritual Illnesses by Dr. Jean-Claude Larchet
Eyes to See
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis
Christy by Catherine Marshall

Live Recording Details:
When: March 26th, 4 PM PST
Where: Proto-Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Sherman Oaks, California
Please email us to RSVP: [email protected]

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Today we're joined by special guest  Pauline Meert. Pauline is the co-founder of Sophia Montessori Academy in Denver, Colorado. Pauline gives some practical suggestions of engaging kids in church, how our expectations should change for the children based on their age, and why we should bring our kids to church.

References:
Mass Chaos - previous episode on Catholic Stuff You Should Know
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Contact Pauline:  [email protected]

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This week Mother Natalia talks about ways she's encountered God and His joy, despite going through a very hard time in her life. She talks about her grandmother's funeral and how that impacted her and her family, and she vulnerably talks about her prayer life and her candid prayers.

References:
SoCal Byzantine Catholic Day Retreat
Natalia - Movie about Mother Natalia's Life Profession

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In today's episode Father Michael reflects on homilies for our pre-Lenten gospels, Zacchaeus Sunday and the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. The homilies are ones he's given as well as homilies given by other priests.

References:
Byzantine Gospel Reflections
Searching for the Searcher - previous episode on Zacchaeus
Fr. John Kachuba's Last Homily for Meatfare Sunday

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