Xt3 Podcast: Lent Reflections 2014

Today is Holy Saturday. Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour, has been put to death and buried in a tomb - and we as His faithful wait with anticipation for His Resurrection. Can you imagine what it would have been like for the Apostles, Christ's friends and family, and for His Mother Mary during this time? It is never easy to lose a loved one - we all experience sorrow when it comes to the death of those we love. Listen to today's reflection with Sister Anthony Mary, on how we can conquer sorrow and despair, and find hope!

Hear how a seminarian approaches the season of Lent. Jacob Saal is a seminarian in the Archdiocese Brisbane and in this Lenten reflection he talks about how he tries to give more of himself in service of others during the Lenten Season.

Every month, the Holy Father presents a prayer intention for Catholics all over the world to join him in prayer. In January this year, the very first prayer request from Pope Francis for 2014 was a prayer for Christian unity: "That Christians of diverse denominations may walk toward the unity desired by Christ". With this in mind, Xt3 sat down with Fr Yousef Fanous from the Coptic Orthodox Church, to discuss how we as Christians can work towards unity.

"This Lent I give up negative thoughts about myself. When I look in the mirror I will see the person Jesus sees; A temple of the Holy Spirit; A child of God; A part of the Body of Christ. When I look in the mirror I will not highlight the flaws. I will thank God for life." It is si important to see the beauty within our selves, and to value our lives as part of the Body of Christ. Take a look at today’s Lenten feature for more!

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children... For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23:28-31) As we follow Christ’s journey in these final days before his Passion and Death on the Cross, we come across some very strong female characters in Scripture, who were not afraid to show their support for Christ. Who were these women? What are their stories? Why did they follow Christ to the Cross? In today’s feature we discuss the legacy of the incredible women of the Passion in the latest episode of Xt3’s Women of the Bible podcast!

What is confession? Why does the Church encourage Catholics to go to confession during Lent? How can I go to confession if it has been a long time? In today’s podcast, Christian Stephens from the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame, and Fr. Brendan Purcell, Catholic Priest and Philosophy Lecturer, join Monica Doumit, the Coordinator of Catholic Talk, for a conversation about Confession, especially during the season of Lent.

The season of Lent is a practice for Easter. It is a training time for Christians. So what’s your spiritual fitness plan? Extra prayer? Extra fasting? Extra almsgiving? Are you ready to take on this challenge? Even though Easter is fast approaching, it is time to "say yes" to God and really give until it hurts in these last days of Lent. How? Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, Bishop of Parramatta, has a few suggestions in this podcast.

1 April has become known as "World Atheist Day" - so in today’s feature, we are going to look at the meaning of atheism, arguments for and against the existence of God, and examine some of the reasoning on modern day "celebrity" atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Peter Singer. Christian Stephens from the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame, and Fr. Brendan Purcell, Catholic Priest and Philosophy Lecturer, join Monica Doumit, the Coordinator of Catholic Talk, for a conversation about Atheism in this podcast!

We are all called to live the season of Lent in accordance to our vocation and position in life. Every week during Lent, Xt3 will feature a different Lenten reflection recorded by people serving different vocations in the Church - priests, seminarians, married couples... this week we are putting the spotlight on a priest!

Every Lent, we are called to "give alms" - which means giving some time to serve others who are less fortunate. This could mean giving money to a charity, feeding the poor, visiting the lonely, or raising awareness of the suffering of others in the community. Today we are putting a spotlight on the suffering of refugees in our community. Have a listen to a discussion with the Catholic Immigration Office for the Archdiocese of Sydney, and let us pray for migrants and refugees today!