August 2011

ST7- Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – “Born of Water and the Spirit”, John Chapter 3

Episode 7 – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran, hosted by Bruce McGregor. Ep 7 – “Born of Water and the Spirit”, John Chapter 3

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Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your every day life.

Episode 7 – John Chapter 3 Sharon and Bruce discuss what it means to be “born again”. The importance of being born in water and in the Spirit.

“Seeking Truth” is an in depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to: www.seekingtruth.net

St. John Eudes….It’s all about the heart!!!!!

St. John Eudes, the great disciple of the two hearts of Jesus and Mary….it is ALL about the heart!

He believed in the unity of the hearts of Jesus and Mary and wrote:”You must never separate what God has so perfectly united. So closely are Jesus and Mary bound up with each other that whoever beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus, loves Mary; whoever has devotion to Jesus, has devotion to Mary.”

We “heart” St. John Eudes!
May this great lover of the two hearts, pray for us!

IP#110 Thomas Craughwell – Saints Preserved on Inside the Pages

What is a relic? What are the categories? Why is this an important part of our rich Catholic tradition? But more than the clinic response to these questions, Thomas Craughwell once again points us to the power of grace found in the lives of the saints whose relics we venerate. I love his Tom’s work and talking with him about these extraordinary aspects of our tradition.

“Long before there were cameras and videos to record for posterity, relics had become the visible reminder of great, heroic and holy lives—remembrances of heroes of the faith. Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics gives an account of the lives of those heroes and provides renewed inspiration for Christians everywhere who face many of the challenges that were a part of the lives of the saints.” —Cardinal Donald Wuerl, co-author of The Mass and author of The Catholic Way

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Find out more about the book here

The Sacrament of Reconciliation – the gift of the healing that flows from the confessional – Discerning Hearts

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Msgr. Esseff discusses the Sacrament of Reconciliation. What is a “core wound”? What prevents us from being Christ in the world today? Who do we encounter in the confessional? What is the role of the Cross in the confessional? What does Jesus see from the Cross? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in revealing the “core wound”?

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

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

IP#109 Fr. Robert Barron – Catholicism on Inside the Pages

Fr. Robert Barron’s “Catholicism: a journey to the heart of the faith” is wonderful. A beautiful exploration of the Roman Catholic faith and it’s gift to the world and to culture.

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From randomhouse.com

What is the Catholicism? A 2,000 living tradition? A worldview? A way of life? A relationship? A mystery? In Catholicism Father Robert Barron examines all these questions and more, seeking to capture the body, heart and mind of the Catholic faith.
Starting from the essential foundation of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, life, and teaching, Father Barron moves through the defining elements of Catholicism – from sacraments, worship, and prayer, to Mary, the Apostles, and Saints, to grace, salvation, heaven, and hell – using his distinct and dynamic grasp of art, literature, architecture, personal stories, Scripture, theology, philosophy, and history to present the Church to the world.
Paired with his documentary film series of the same title, Catholicism is an intimate journey, capturing “The Catholic Thing” in all its depth and beauty. Eclectic, unique, and inspiring, Father Barron brings the faith to life for a new generation, in a style that is both faithful to timeless truths, while simultaneously speaking in the language of contemporary life.

Find out more about the book Fr. Barron’s website : wordonfire.org

St. Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint

On this date, in 1909, a remarkable woman died…Mother Mary MacKillop. Her story is almost as wild as the outback she grew up in. Born the oldest of 7 children, her parents sojourn to Australia alone would have been quite the tale. Taken as a whole, the life of St. Mary MacKillop should have been the “Australia” movie made recently, instead of that Baz Lurhman never-ending epic thing. Her life was filled with adventure, struggle, suffering, persecution (she was even excommunicated at one point, but later completely exonerated), joy, triumph, and, to be sure, a great deal of faith, hope and love.

She was foundress of the School Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (known affectionately as the Brown Joeys). She and her community were dedicated to the education of the poor. Think about that…Australia…late 1800’s…former criminal colony…poor…outback…wow, what a challenge (not to mention the big heavy brown habits). And of course, throw Pope Leo XIII into the story as well (St. Katherine Drexel and St Therese the Little Flower can tell you about him); now HERE is the movie that should be made! I wonder who could play her…maybe Emily Blunt. Anyway…she is Australia’s ONLY saint (recognized as a saint October 2010). Let’s pray for more…her homeland can use more right now. Acutally, we all could use more heroes of virtue right now. You can read more about her here.

It seems appropriate to honor her life with this production done by an Australian confirmation student. It’s a little hard to read sometimes, but I think it would make St. Mary MacKillop smile.

(and I think she would have smiled at the use of Beyonce too…reclaiming the temporal order. Way to go kid!)

CA-10 Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno episode 10 – Blessed John Newman part 1

Episode 10 – Blessed John Henry Newman – His life, time and influence

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In this episode Dr. Reno examines Blessed John Henry Newman. We discuss the significance of his conversion and effect on intellectual and spiritual thought in the 19th century and today.

“Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno” explores numerous facets of faith and reason in the life of the Church and the world. Grounded on the work of giants, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, Blessed John Newman, Blessed John Paul II, G. K. Chesterton, Blaise Pascal and Stephen Barr, Dr. Reno helps us to open our minds to make the journey to our hearts.

R. R. Reno is the editor at First Things: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life, and Professor of Theology, currently on leave from Creighton University. His theological work has been published in many academic journals. Essays and opinion pieces on religion, public life, contemporary culture, and current events have appeared in Commentary, and the Washington Post. In Fighting the Noonday Devil Reno suggests that putting ourselves at the disposal of what is real is what trains us for true piety. His other recent books include Genesis: Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible and Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” read by Flannery O’Connor

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Here is an absolute GEM!!!!! The “Happy Catholic” Julie Davis told me that an audio was available of Flannery O’Connor actually reading “A Good Man is Hard to Find” …and indeed there was (is…whatever). This was recorded shortly before her death of lupus at a talk given at Vanderbilt University. Take a listen to the “Master” in her own voice…priceless!

RC#7 – The Resilient Church with Mike Aquilina – Reformation Inside and Out

Episode 7– Reformation Inside and Out

The Resilient Church with Mike Aquilina, offers a fascinating look at the trials and triumphs of the Catholic Church over the past two thousand years. Fast-paced sketches of critical periods in church history give readers perspective on the challenges faced by the church today. Mike Aquilina does not shrink from the realities of the past, including badly behaved leaders and those who betrayed the Lord. Yet he also leaves us all with well-founded hope for the future: God remains faithful in every circumstance and fulfills his promise to remain with his church always. Hosted by Kris McGregor