CTD2 – The Desert of Ordinary Life – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcasts


The Desert of Ordinary Life – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss integrating faith into daily life, warning against separating religion from ordinary activities. They stress the need for vulnerability in worship to avoid routine and self-centeredness.

Lent offers opportunities for spiritual growth, including reconciliation and stations of the cross. They lament the decline of shame and public judgment in society, emphasizing the community’s role in upholding moral truth. The Eucharist brings peace and transforms individuals, impacting society through witness.


Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

  1. Integration of Faith: How can we ensure that our faith is not compartmentalized but integrated into every aspect of our daily lives?
  2. Vulnerability in Worship: Reflect on times when worship has felt routine or self-centered. How can we cultivate vulnerability and openness to God during worship?
  3. Lenten Practices: In what ways can Lenten practices such as reconciliation and stations of the cross deepen our relationship with God?
  4. Decline of Shame: What are the implications of the decline of shame and public judgment in contemporary society for moral behavior and community life?
  5. Role of Community: How can communities uphold moral truth while respecting individual conscience and freedom?
  6. Transformative Power of the Eucharist: Reflect on the transformative power of the Eucharist in bringing peace and impacting society through witness.

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“The only location for God to interact with us is deep within the ordinariness of our days. We are called to cherish the ordinary day, not because of its routine or common features, but because within this daily forum God reaches us through others, through worship, charity, and our relational commitments. Our daily lives carry an invitation from God to become morally good and holy; it is the only medium through which this invitation can come. Cherish the days.”
– Keating, James  (2012-07-20).  Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.


Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD1 – The Desert of Consumerism – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcasts


The Desert of Consumerism – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss Lent as a spiritual oasis in life’s desert, where distractions of consumerism often obscure our deeper needs. Deacon Keating reminds us of Lent’s call to surrender to God’s providence, confront loneliness, and find simplicity.

He highlights how modern culture fosters busyness to avoid facing inner realities. Lent offers a chance to deepen relationships, encounter God, and break free from the cycle of distraction and emptiness.


Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

  1. Understanding Lent’s Purpose: How does Deacon Keating describe Lent’s intended purpose as an oasis in life’s desert of consumerism and routine?
  2. Reflection on Cultural Distractions: What insight does Deacon Keating provide regarding the distractions of modern culture and their impact on spiritual awareness during Lent?
  3. The Paradox of Surrender: Explain Deacon Keating’s perspective on the fear of surrendering to God’s providence and the discomfort it may bring.
  4. Embracing Simplicity: How does Deacon Keating propose embracing simplicity during Lent can lead to a deeper encounter with God and transformation?
  5. Confronting Loneliness and Pain: Discuss Deacon Keating’s view on the avoidance of loneliness and pain in modern society, and how Lent offers an opportunity to confront these realities.
  6. The Invitation to Deepen Relationships: According to Deacon Keating, how does Lent invite individuals to deepen relationships within the Catholic community and experience God’s healing presence?
  7. Breaking Free from Distraction: Summarize Deacon Keating’s message regarding Lent’s role in breaking free from the cycle of distraction and emptiness perpetuated by consumer culture.

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“Lent wants to remind us of our real identity. At first appearance a seeming “obligation,” Lent is actually a great gift. Are we brave enough to enter this desert, and then let it affect us so deeply as to turn us away from sin and false identities, turn us toward communion with the living God? The Church presents this season to us every year because it is hoped that this year will be our year to say “Yes” to Lent’s call to repentance. Lent should not be something we go through alone, but together. As the Hebrews wandered the desert for forty years, so we should enter Lent through the ecclesial community and share its challenges with brothers and sisters in Christ. Lent should not be what the elderly man in the barbershop characterized as “life as usual.” With our goal being moral conversion, let us now turn to see how God can facilitate that conversion when we take on a “lenten mind.”

Keating, James (2012-07-20). Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion (Kindle Locations 200-207). Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.


Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD2 – The Desert of Ordinary Life – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcasts


The Desert of Ordinary Life – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss integrating faith into daily life, warning against separating religion from ordinary activities. They stress the need for vulnerability in worship to avoid routine and self-centeredness.

Lent offers opportunities for spiritual growth, including reconciliation and stations of the cross. They lament the decline of shame and public judgment in society, emphasizing the community’s role in upholding moral truth. The Eucharist brings peace and transforms individuals, impacting society through witness.


Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

  1. Integration of Faith: How can we ensure that our faith is not compartmentalized but integrated into every aspect of our daily lives?
  2. Vulnerability in Worship: Reflect on times when worship has felt routine or self-centered. How can we cultivate vulnerability and openness to God during worship?
  3. Lenten Practices: In what ways can Lenten practices such as reconciliation and stations of the cross deepen our relationship with God?
  4. Decline of Shame: What are the implications of the decline of shame and public judgment in contemporary society for moral behavior and community life?
  5. Role of Community: How can communities uphold moral truth while respecting individual conscience and freedom?
  6. Transformative Power of the Eucharist: Reflect on the transformative power of the Eucharist in bringing peace and impacting society through witness.

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“The only location for God to interact with us is deep within the ordinariness of our days. We are called to cherish the ordinary day, not because of its routine or common features, but because within this daily forum God reaches us through others, through worship, charity, and our relational commitments. Our daily lives carry an invitation from God to become morally good and holy; it is the only medium through which this invitation can come. Cherish the days.”
– Keating, James  (2012-07-20).  Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.


Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD#1 – “The Desert of Consumerism” – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

Episode 1 -Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion – “The Desert of Consumerism”.  

Lent wants to remind us of our real identity. At first appearance a seeming “obligation,” Lent is actually a great gift. Are we brave enough to enter this desert, and then let it affect us so deeply as to turn us away from sin and false identities, turn us toward communion with the living God? The Church presents this season to us every year because it is hoped that this year will be our year to say “Yes” to Lent’s call to repentance. Lent should not be something we go through alone, but together. As the Hebrews wandered the desert for forty years, so we should enter Lent through the ecclesial community and share its challenges with brothers and sisters in Christ. Lent should not be what the elderly man in the barbershop characterized as “life as usual.” With our goal being moral conversion, let us now turn to see how God can facilitate that conversion when we take on a “lenten mind.”

Keating, James (2012-07-20). Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion (Kindle Locations 200-207). Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.

Deacon James Keating, PhD, the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha.

 

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD#2 – “The Desert of Ordinary Life” – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

Episode 2 -Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion – “The Desert of Ordinary Life”.  

 –The only location for God to interact with us is deep within the ordinariness of our days. We are called to cherish the ordinary day, not because of its routine or common features, but because within this daily forum God reaches us through others, through worship, charity, and our relational commitments. Our daily lives carry an invitation from God to become morally good and holy; it is the only medium through which this invitation can come. Cherish the days.

 Keating, James  (2012-07-20).  Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation.

 

 

 


Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

Ash Wednesday and Lent with Deacon James Keating

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss Ash Wednesday and our Lenten practice.

Deacon Keating is the Director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University.

Click here for more Deacon Keating

 

“Teach Us How To Pray” – Lent and the Importance of Fasting and Almsgiving in our Prayer – A series on prayer with Msgr. John Esseff Episode 4

Msgr-Esseff-2
Msgr. Esseff teaches the importance of the Liturgical year and in particular the season of Lent.  He also shares his experience of fasting in a desert found in Peru. From this he learned the importance of FASTING and PRAYER.  Msgr. Esseff challenges us to discern what the Father in Heaven is asking us to do this Lent through fasting, so we can purely and perfectly follow His Holy Will.  And he describes ALMSGIVING, and story from an experience he had with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Sisters.

fasting-and-almsgiving-300x230The Church prepares a spiritual retreat for all of us during Lent.  The Holy Spirit is transforming you in a radical way so that you become more like Jesus Christ…the day by day exercise of Morning Prayer, the Eucharist and Evening Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, and the other moments of contemplative prayer aids in the transformation…our ego decreases and Jesus increases in our minds and in our hearts.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building A Kingdom of Love”

Pray the Liturgy of Hours

Morning Prayer
Mid-morningPrayer
Mid-dayPrayer
Afternoon Prayer
Evening Prayer
Night Prayer
Office of Readings

BG10 Mark Hart the Bible Geek “Answers from the Word” – Lent and Prayer

Mark answers

Preparing for Ash Wednesday and reflecting on the readings…Fasting, Almsgiving and Returning to God. Also Mark talks of the importance of Prayer.

Mark Hart is an author, speaker, director and teacher, Mark’s work both written and spoken, is known across the country and world. While he serves as the Vice President of LIFE TEEN, he is known to tens ofthousands simply as the “Bible Geek ®” Mark passionately echoes the gospel to all he encounters. He is as deep as he is funny, and his love for his wife and daughters is second only to his immense love for Jesus
Christ.

Visit Mark at www.lifeteen.com

CTD#1 – “The Desert of Consumerism” – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts

Episode 1Deacon-James-Keating -Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion – “The Desert of Consumerism”.  

Lent wants to remind us of our real identity. At first appearance a seeming “obligation,” Lent is actually a great gift. Are we brave enough to enter this desert, and then let it affect us so deeply as to turn us away from sin and false identities, turn us toward communion with the living God? The Church presents this season to us every year because it is hoped that this year will be our year to say “Yes” to Lent’s call to repentance. Lent should not be something we go through alone, but together. As the Hebrews wandered the desert for forty years, so we should enter Lent through the ecclesial community and share its challenges with brothers and sisters in Christ. Lent should not be what the elderly man in the barbershop characterized as “life as usual.” With our goal being moral conversion, let us now turn to see how God can facilitate that conversion when we take on a “lenten mind.”

Keating, James (2012-07-20). Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion (Kindle Locations 200-207). Liguori Publications. Kindle Edition.

Deacon James Keating, PhD, the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha, is making available to ”Discerning Hearts” and all who listen, his series of programs entitled “Crossing the Desert”.

Crossing-the-Desert

IPF logo small ROHC#6 Deacon James Keating – Heart of Hope part 6 from Resting On the Heart of Christ

For more information on the “Institute of Priestly Formation” and for other material available by Deacon Keating, just click here

 

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page