The secret to peace on earth starts at home, in the daily give-and-take of our relationships. Barb Heil unpacks the radical power of forgiveness to give us peace, to bless others, and to open our hearts to all God wants to give us. Listen for practical ways to recognize and let go of unforgiveness and enter the new year with a clean slate.
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Have you ever thought that Advent longing is just as much God longing for us as it is us seeking for him? Gayle Somers shares the surprising things she discovered about what the Incarnation meant to God as she studied the Old Testament through Catholic eyes (hint: our bodies matter!). She also suggests a new way to approach the manger at Christmas.
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“All the mysteries of our Lord” are wrapped up in the ancient prophecy of Isaiah, said St. Jerome. Understanding this Advent prophet will enrich your journey to Christmas as you meditate on the Mass readings—as Debora Holiday explains in this episode. Learn why and expect to rejoice!
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Each gospel presents the coming of Jesus differently, and Luke’s telling stands out as an eyewitness account from Mary. Who was she? What can we learn from the details Luke gives us? Listen as Lavinia Spirito helps us understand the paradox and the scandal of the incarnation and proposes one particular scripture to help keep our eyes on Jesus as we wait and prepare for Christmas.
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Do you know more about Jesus, than you know him, yourself? Who Jesus Christ is and why it matters is at the heart of Mark’s gospel, which is highlighted in the liturgy this year. In this episode, Sarah and Colleen Vermeulen talk about their favorite parts of Mark as they highlight its unique features and invite listeners to consider their response to his good news.
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Do you every wonder what it means that Jesus is king? Our democracy gives us no point of reference to understand royalty, and church and state are separate. In this episode, Debora Holiday traces the idea of kingship throughout salvation history to help us welcome Christ the King into our hearts and lives.
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The story of Ruth and Boaz in the Bible is far more than a love story. In this episode, Kelly Anderson explores its deeper significance and the way it reveals a theology of Woman as vehicle of God’s blessing; a theology of married love as mutual self-giving that leads to joy and blessing; and its powerful message that God can bring light and life into the darkest situations.
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Do you struggle with reading the Old Testament because of the violent passages in it, including places where God appears to condone, encourage, or even be responsible for that violence? Tamra Fromm offers a framework for reading those passages and considers them in the light of Christ's teaching.
Content warning: Mentions of disturbing violence portrayed in the Old Testament, including the rape and dismemberment of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19.
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When you are emotionally wounded, how do you find healing? After two divorces and suffering from relationships that never gave what she was seeking, Rose Sweet discovered the personal, persevering, powerful love of God. Listen as she tells her story and shares from scripture how God meets the five basic emotional needs of the human person — and gives three practical tips to help you move forward.
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Reading the book of Revelation may not be easy, but there is a blessing attached to it! Lavinia Spirito tells why it’s worth taking the effort and gives some suggestions for approaching the book so as to hear its good news and discover its practical implications for our lives.
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Do you ever find that a single word or phrase jumps out at you as you pray with Scripture, and wonder how to ponder it further? Allison Gingras, developer of Stay Connected Journals for Women, explains how she explores the meaning of individual words to come to a deeper understanding and connection to the Lord.
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If God’s word truly has the power to transform us, it will impact the way we treat other people—especially the poor and the marginalized, and even those we might not want to care for. Shannon Wimp-Schmidt, author of Fat Luther, Slim Pickin's: A Black Catholic Celebration of Faith, Tradition, and Diversity, dives into Catholic social teaching and shares what she has gleaned from Scripture about God’s heart for the poor and how that has impacted her personally.
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Are you looking for a way to pray with scripture? The “scriptural rosary” is a beautiful way to draw you deeper into the mysteries of the gospel and closer to Jesus and Mary. Susan Wallace tells how circumstances drew her into a relationship with the Blessed Mother and describes how praying the Scriptural Rosary helped slow down and deepen her prayer life. She and Sarah close the episode by praying a decade together, providing a model to follow.
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What keeps you from seeing the face of Jesus or hearing his voice? Pat Gohn describes how she found a deep connection with the “bent-over woman” of Luke’s gospel while she struggled to stand straight after cancer surgery. She tells how the woman’s experience with Jesus parallels our experience at Mass and suggests a way to prepare to receive his healing word more fully. She and Sarah reflect on the way Jesus seeks us out and calls us friends.
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Have you ever stopped to think about why Jesus called people who may have despised each other to be in his inner circle—and what effect that may have had on their ministry? Meg Hunter-Kilmer explains why she loves “Matthew the man” and how the radical power of grace transformed him and impacted the gospel that bears his name. Learn why we should care about all of the Old Testament references there, and why we might want to read a whole gospel when we hear it each Sunday at Mass.
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We can always turn to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows in sorrows of our own—but we can also learn from other women throughout biblical history who bore sorrow with patient endurance, who endured with love and strengthened their children in the faith. Katie Cavadini brings several of those women to life and talks with Sarah about how they lived out the mystery of love and can help us do so, as well.
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If you’ve ever felt like God has abandoned you, or if what you’re going through causes you to doubt his care: lean into that “desert”! Sonja Corbitt learned from Israel’s experience in the wilderness that God uses such times to help us grow in faith and find true rest in him. Tune in to gain a new perspective on troubles and learn to overcome negativity so you can experience fullness and peace.
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Three years ago, Colleen Vermeulen and her husband decided to do something radical: read “the real Bible with all its words” daily with their young children. Following a pattern based loosely on the Liturgy of the Hours, their family prayer time is now grounded in Scripture and is feeding the kids’ growing relationships with Jesus. Listen to this episode to hear how they did this and why. Colleen gives four practical tips for reading the Bible with children and shares advice on everything from facing the fidgets to helping kids hear God speak to them.
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Christine Kelly Baglow shares her journey through scripture and prayer to deeper faith and the discovery of her identity in God—a journey that gave her a heart for young people and led her into lay ministry at a Catholic school. She also bears witness to the living power of Scripture while unpacking Isaiah 43, which has particular meaning to her.
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Do you sometimes wonder if God can use even you? Imagining Mary in the Annunciation helped Patty Breen see the “both-and” of life—the beautiful and the difficult, sometimes messy side of things that God enters and transforms with his Spirit. In this episode, she tells of the value of Ignatian meditation on Scripture and shares how seeing the humanity of women like Martha, Bathsheba, and Mary Magdalene gives her hope in following God.
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