September 2020

Christian Meditation with Dr. Anthony Lilles pt. 4 – “Balthasar: Beauty, Goodness, Truth” Podcast

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Section 3 – “Union” of Christian Meditation

With Dr. Anthony Lilles, we discuss section 3 of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Christian Mediation.

Balthasar: Beauty, Goodness, Truth is a series of conversations with noted theological scholars about the life and teachings of Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar who is considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century.

Find the paperback book here
Find the e-book here

From the book description:

While von Balthasar’s classic Prayer is unparalleled in its development of the Trinitarian, Christological, Mariological and ecclesiological dimensions of prayer, Christian Meditation is a short, readable and eminently practical guide to that form of prayer which God’s revelation in Jesus Christ has made indispensable: meditation on the word of God revealing the inner depths of God to man and–since it comes from God made man–the inner depths of man to himself.

In a treatment that is both fresh and profound, Balthasar describes the central elements of all Christian meditation, provides a guide for making the meditation and then points the way to the union that prayer achieves in the footsteps of Mary, within the Church and in and for the world.

“Consequently, Christian meditation is entirely trinitarian and at the same time entirely human. In order to find God, no one need reject being human personally or socially, but in order to find God all must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as they are in God’s sight.”
– Hans Urs von Balthasar

For more podcast episodes with Dr. Anthony Lilles discussing Christian Meditation – Christian Meditation Podcasts

For Audio and Text Excerpts from Christian Meditation – Audio and Text Excerpts

LFT-6 The Challenge of Moral Conversion – Listening For Truth w/ Deacon James Keating- Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Episode 6-Listening For Truth– The difficult stage in moral conversion, not only leaving the sin behind, but also leaving the community of people who desire to hold on to that sin. It might mean separating from family members, friends, etc, but the hope is that that may possibly follow if we hang in there in that witness of Truth. Also, life doesn’t stop in our suffering. Many will come who are attracted to the change. How we love those in need will indicate growth even in the crucifixion. The negative…we reject something, the positive…we embrace something.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a Professor of Spiritual Theology at Kenrick Glennon Seminary, in St. Louis, MO. He previously served as the Director of Theological Formation at the Institute for Priestly Formation located at Creighton University in Omaha, NE.

Listening for Truth leads men and women in a search for a fuller experience of God that begins in prayer, grows in the rediscovery of our spiritual being, and grounds itself in the truth of Jesus Christ. A presentation of the Christian life as an engagement of the whole person — body, mind, and soul — in the challenge of daily living.

The Need for Spiritual Direction – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff

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Msgr. Esseff reflects on why we need spiritual direction on the spiritual journey. What are the qualities of a good spiritual director?

Gospel MT 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
He said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterward changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.

ST-John Ep 21 – John 10 The Good Shepherd part 1 – The Gospel of St. John – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 21 – John 10: The Good Shepherd part 2

In this next chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus reveals two more “I am” statements: I am the gate, and I am the good shepherd. To help us better understand this beautiful imagery, Sharon teaches us about shepherding in Biblical times. Many of the great figures of the Bible were shepherds, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David. We recall the interesting story of Jacob who used his expertise in animal husbandry to breed a line of sheep that exists to this day.

Throughout scripture, we see a multitude of references to shepherds, and how a good shepherd protected his sheep, binding wounds, rescuing from danger, gathering together, seeking the lost. Psalm 23 is a wonderful example of imagery that describes the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep, a clear metaphor of our relationship with the Lord. The shepherd carried a rod to ward off predators or count sheep and a staff to draw his sheep close. As our shepherds, the Bishops carry a crosier staff, which is a visual reminder of their duty to provide the proper teaching necessary to ward off sin. The shepherd carried a horn filled with oil to soothe wounds and ward off insidious diseases. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and at the Chrism mass, the bishop breathes the Holy Spirit into the oil that will be used for anointing. Oil is also a reminder of the bishop’s duty to identify the prevalent sins of current times and treat these diseases quickly, preventing infection from spreading throughout his flock.

To help us understand Jesus as “the gate” Sharon teaches us more about the nature of shepherding. At night, the shepherd guided his flock into an enclosed pen and would sleep at the entrance, acting as the gate through which no predator or thief could enter. Jesus is the singular gate to the Kingdom, through which is the sure way to salvation. The shepherd would literally lay down his life to protect his flock, unlike the hireling who would abandon the sheep at the first sign of danger. The hirelings at the time of Christ were the corrupt Jewish leaders who conspired with the worldly powers to maintain their power and influence.

Sharon concludes with a history lesson that puts this in proper context. During the Greek occupation of Israel, a civil war broke out between Jews faithful to Mosaic law and the apostates who abandoned their faith to curry favor with the Greeks. Led by the Hasmonean’s, the faithful Jews were victorious over their unfaithful countrymen and also successfully drove out the Greeks. Building upon their success, the Hasmoneans forced conversion to Judaism upon the surrounding gentile nations. One of these nations was Edom, the descendants of Esau. A notable Edomite was Herod the Great, who married a Hasmonean princess, only to slaughter her remaining kinsmen, establishing a dynasty in servitude to the world power of Rome. The Sadducees, who followed only Torah and did not believe in the resurrection, came into existence during this period, and became a powerful influence at the time of Christ, only to fade into oblivion after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

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 everyday life.

For more in this series visit the Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran Discerning Hearts page

“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

Christian Meditation with Dr. Anthony Lilles pt. 3 – “Balthasar: Beauty, Goodness, Truth” Podcast

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Section 2 (continued) – “Making the Meditation” of Christian Meditation

With Dr. Anthony Lilles, we discuss section 2 (continued) of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Christian Mediation.

Find the paperback book here
Find the e-book here

From the book description:

While von Balthasar’s classic Prayer is unparalleled in its development of the Trinitarian, Christological, Mariological and ecclesiological dimensions of prayer, Christian Meditation is a short, readable and eminently practical guide to that form of prayer which God’s revelation in Jesus Christ has made indispensable: meditation on the word of God revealing the inner depths of God to man and–since it comes from God made man–the inner depths of man to himself.

In a treatment that is both fresh and profound, Balthasar describes the central elements of all Christian meditation, provides a guide for making the meditation and then points the way to the union that prayer achieves in the footsteps of Mary, within the Church and in and for the world.

“Consequently, Christian meditation is entirely trinitarian and at the same time entirely human. In order to find God, no one need reject being human personally or socially, but in order to find God all must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as they are in God’s sight.”
– Hans Urs von Balthasar

For more podcast episodes with Dr. Anthony Lilles discussing Christian Meditation – Christian Meditation Podcasts

For Audio and Text Excerpts from Christian Meditation – Audio and Text Excerpts

HR#27 “To contemplate the Holy Eucharist ” – The Holy Rule of St. Benedict with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B

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Episode 27- The Holy Rule of St. Benedict: A Spiritual Path for Today’s World with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B.,
Ph.D.

“To contemplate the Holy Eucharist”

From the Holy Rule of St. Benedict:

PROLOGUE

Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him from whom by the sloth of disobedience thou hast gone away.

To thee, therefore, my speech is now directed, who, giving up thine own will, takest up the strong and most excellent arms of obedience, to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King.

In the first place, beg of Him by most earnest prayer, that He perfect whatever good thou dost begin, in order that He who hath been pleased to count us in the number of His children, need never be grieved at our evil deeds. For we ought at all times so to serve Him with the good things which He hath given us, that He may not, like an angry father, disinherit his children, nor, like a dread lord, enraged at our evil deeds, hand us over to everlasting punishment as most wicked servants, who would not follow Him to glory.

Father Mauritius Wilde, OSB, Ph.D., did his philosophical, theological, and doctoral studies in Europe. He is the author of several books and directs retreats regularly. He serves as Prior at Sant’Anselmo in Rome.

For more, be sure to visit The Holy Rule of St. Benedict Rule with Fr. Mauritius Wilde O.S.B. Podcast Discerning Hearts page

LFT-5 The Reality of our Conscience – Listening For Truth w/ Deacon James Keating- Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Episode 5 -Listening For Truth– The Reality of Our Conscience. What it is and what it isn’t. The importance of proper formation…through the sacramental life, the Catechism of the Church and Sacred Scripture. “Follow the Truth” is the beginning of the conversation, not “follow your conscience” in order to make the sacred decision. Not to be passive but teachable is the goal. The Marian deposition is the the model for moral formation. Conscience is the judgement of the mind as it listens to the voice of Christ through the lives of the saints, the sacraments, the Catechism and Scripture in prayer.

“What was the wage earned? Heaven!” – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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“What was the wage earned? Heaven!”

Reading 2 PHIL 1:20C-24, 27A

Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Gospel MT 20:1-16A

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served as a retreat director and confessor to Blessed Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.

IP#347 Dr. Peter Kreeft on Symbol or Substance: A Dialogue on the Eucharist on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor podcast

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What an extraordinary conversation we are allowed to experience! Because of the pious imagination of master philosopher/apologist Dr. Peter Kreeft, we get to eavesdrop as three Christian spiritual masters ponder together the mysteries of the Christian faith. Anyone who picks up a copy of “Symbol or Substance: A Dialogue on the Eucharist with C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham and J. R. R. Tolkien” will indeed be in the “presence” of faith-filled transcendence.

You can find the book here

“We’ve all wished that we could be the proverbial fly on the wall. Peter Kreeft makes it possible in this wonderful book, which allows us to listen to an imaginary conversation between C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Billy Graham on the thorny topic of the Eucharist. Their imaginary presence enlightens our minds on the Real Presence.”
— Joseph Pearce, Author, Catholic Literary Giants

“For one riveting evening we are invited to eavesdrop on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Billy Graham. Rarely have I learned so much while being so entertained. Perhaps this book’s greatest achievements lie in Kreeft’s tender analysis of what unites the different churches, his gift of charitable listening, and his singular ability to illuminate.”
— Sally Read, Author, Night’s Bright Darkness: A Modern Conversion Story

Christian Meditation with Dr. Anthony Lilles pt. 2 – “Balthasar: Beauty, Goodness, Truth” Podcast

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Section 2 – “Making the Meditation” of Christian Meditation

With Dr. Anthony Lilles, we discuss section 2 of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Christian Mediation.

Find the paperback book here
Find the e-book here

From the book description:

While von Balthasar’s classic Prayer is unparalleled in its development of the Trinitarian, Christological, Mariological and ecclesiological dimensions of prayer, Christian Meditation is a short, readable and eminently practical guide to that form of prayer which God’s revelation in Jesus Christ has made indispensable: meditation on the word of God revealing the inner depths of God to man and–since it comes from God made man–the inner depths of man to himself.

In a treatment that is both fresh and profound, Balthasar describes the central elements of all Christian meditation, provides a guide for making the meditation and then points the way to the union that prayer achieves in the footsteps of Mary, within the Church and in and for the world.

“Consequently, Christian meditation is entirely trinitarian and at the same time entirely human. In order to find God, no one need reject being human personally or socially, but in order to find God all must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as they are in God’s sight.”
– Hans Urs von Balthasar