This week Fr. Michael unpacks a theme he sees in the post-Pascha Sunday readings around people saying yes to Jesus immediately vs qualifying the yes or asking follow-up questions before saying yes. He talks about the reasons why we might not say yes right away, and how our human experience can get in the way of our desire to say yes.

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Mother Natalia talks about her recent poustinia, where she reflected on rest. Mother Natalia talks about taking to-do lists to pray while also trying to remember that prayer is relational and not something to fulfill check-boxes.

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week we’re joined by special guest Brother Simeon Miriam from the CFRs. Brother Simeon was imminently about to start an 8-day poustinia, so in this episode we talk a bit about poustinia, the nights of poustinia he helped start in NYC, a bit about how he became Roman Catholic, and the love of breathing with both lungs.

References:
The Way of a Pilgrim
The Philokalia
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Mother Natalia talks about imperfection and recognizing that we will always be imperfect, following a retreat she gave at Wyoming Catholic College. She and Fr. Michael talk about the externals of our prayer practice, both personal prayer and prayer during Diving Liturgy or Mass. They talk about how our relationship with Christ should grow and develop over time.

References:
From Christendom to Apostolic Mission by University of Mary
Scrupulosity and the Sacraments
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Mother Natalia talks about attacks of the devil that lead to despair. She vulnerably shares some personal examples, and talks about people in her life who encouraged her during these moments of despair. Mother Natalia shares some writings from St. John Chrysostom related to despair as a way to encourage and strengthen us.

Want to be a backstage listener? Become a patron on Patreon!

References:
On Repentance and Defeating Despair: Letters to Theodore by St. John Chrysostom

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Fr. Michael reflects on the names of Adam and Noah, how they're linked, and how they reflect the new Adam. Fr. Michael talks about becoming an altar and how we can live that out in our day-to-day lives.

Want to be a backstage listener? Become a patron on Patreon!

References:
The Beginning of Desire:  Reflections on Genesis by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Mother Natalia comes to us with some hot takes fresh off her poustinia. She talks about fear, love, vulnerability, and weakness. She talks about each of those in our relationship with God as well as our relationship with others. This episode is deep!

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week Fr. Michael talks about how to pray and providing suggestions to friends who ask for help in praying. He talks about how prayer methods (rote prayer, contemplative prayer, etc.) work differently for each person, but ultimately how important prayer is to our daily lives and relationship with God.

References:
The Art of Prayer by Kallistos Ware.
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives by Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

This week’s episode was recorded live at SEEK24. Fr. Michael and Mother Natalia are joined by Fr. Boniface Hicks. They talk about how our lives would change if we inherently knew that Jesus loved us. They talk about ways this is exhibited in daily life, in prayer, in the confessional. They also talk about a sticker that premiered at SEEK and how it came to be.

Thanks to SEEK for having us and to Spoke Street Media for recording this episode.

References:
Fawn and Flight with Kristin Molitor

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show

Today we conclude our series of the liturgies for Great and Holy Week. This week’s episode covers Great and Holy Friday, Great and Holy Saturday, and Pascha Sunday.

This is our 200th episode. We're so grateful to our listeners for your prayers and support!

Follow and Contact Us!
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
We're on YouTube!
Join our Goodreads Group
Fr. Michael's Twitter
Christ the Bridegroom Monastery
Our Website
Our Nonprofit

Send us a text

Support the show