Chapter 8: Reconciliation – Reconciliatio (Reconciliation – How to Pray with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:59 — 4.9MB) | Embed

Chapter 8: Reconciliation – Reconciliatio (Reconciliation)

“When you come to prayer inspect your heart, so as to send your prayer pure to God, and carefully examine whether there is any obstacle to this.” – Abbot Macarius, the Egyptian

It is time to ask God to show us everything we have done or failed to do that has kept him out. It is this that prevents him from making his home within us as he promised on the night before he died. Then our prayer will rise from a pure and contrite heart.

You can find the book here.

This little book How to Pray – A Practical Guide to the Spiritual life by David Torkington, was published by Our Sunday Visitor. It was written for those prepared to restructure their daily lives to make time for the prayer where they can be transformed by the love that only God can give.

In the foreword to this new book from OSV, “How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life,” Sister Wendy Beckett wrote,

“There are no hideaways here, no excuses, but no alarming demands, either. Instead, Torkington seeks only to show us the truth, that truth that sets us free and convinces us that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden light. All we need is to understand and to choose. This book offers us the help we need to understand, and then the choice is ours.”⁠

This is not your standard “prayer book” – it is not a compilation of Catholic prayers for you to just read. Rather, this is a series of 40 reflections on prayer intended to open you up to the transformation that is possible through prayer, through the love that God can give us through prayer.⁠

Endorsement

“From here to eternity! For those drawn to contemplative prayer, David Torkington offers compelling clarity and common sense. Gentle kindness guides his practical counsel, and he is careful to help us see the solid principles in which he roots his insights. An authentic and reliable guard against counterfeits, his wisdom points to the heights and grounded-ness of the Catholic mystical tradition at a time when it is most needed.”

Dr. Anthony Lilles, STD: Associate Professor and Academic Dean of St John’s Seminary in Camarillo, as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the diocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years, he served the Church in Northern Colorado, where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.

Visit his website: www.davidtorkington.com.

The author of the popular Peter Calvay series, his books include Wisdom from the Western Isles, Wisdom from Franciscan Italy, Wisdom from the Christian Mystics, Prayer Made Simple (CTS), and How to Pray by Our Sunday Visitor. His books have been translated into 13 different languages.

SP8 – We Might As Well Dance – In Search of the Still Point with Dr. Regis Martin – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:59 — 4.9MB) | Embed

Episode 8 – We Might As Well Dance…

Discerning Hearts is honored to host the reflections of Dr. Regis Martin. Filled with profound insights, wisdom, and joy, he is one of the most trustworthy guides one can have on the spiritual journey.

For years Regis Martin, STD, has been regaling audiences about the mysteries of God and Church, most especially his students at Franciscan University of Steubenville where he teaches theology. Author of half-dozen or more books, including The Suffering of Love (Ignatius, 2006), The Last Things (Ignatius Press, 2011), Still Point (Ave Maria, 2012), The Beggar’s Banquet (Emmaus Road, 2012), Witness to Wonder (Emmaus Road, 2017) his work frequently appears in Crises and The Catholic Thing.

PS-6 The Communion of Saints – A Personal Plan for Holiness – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:28 — 2.9MB) | Embed

Episode 6 – The Communion of Saints

Join Teresa Monaghen, of Pro Sanctity, as she offers a “Personal Plan for Holiness”. Listen along with these short, but beautiful meditations which encourage us to continue on our journey as “saints in the making”!

Pro Sanctity Mission Statement

The Pro Sanctity Movement is a Catholic organization dedicated to promoting the universal call to holiness by seeking to address the needs of the mind with theology, the heart with spirituality, and the hands with ministry.

It is open to all, especially to those who wish to deepen their commitment to God and to share the message of holiness with others.

Learn more about Pro Sanctity at www.prosanctity.org

Also, you may wish to visit the Pro Sanctity Retreat Center in Fullerton, CA. Learn more at Pro Sanctity Movement West

FA4 – Thoughts at Rest, Dealing with Deprivation – Freedom from Anxiety with Sonja Corbitt – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:01 — 33.8MB) | Embed

Thoughts at Rest, Dealing with Deprivation – Episode 4 – Freedom from Anxiety with Sonja Corbitt

God is always leading us to the Promised Land of rest.

Rest is not simply inactivity.

Rest is not a luxury.

Rest is a discipline. Rest is a promise.

We dispose ourselves to receive the promise of rest through a disciplined desert process common to God’s people from the beginning. The biblical Exodus story is a map through this desert process, showing us the disciplines that offer “dew” – God’s renewing presence in the desert that leads us to the superabundance of rest in thought, emotion, body, and soul.

For other episodes in this series, visit the Discerning Hearts Sonja Corbitt page

Be sure to visit Bible StudyEvangelista webpage at: https://www.biblestudyevangelista.com

LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice.

Listen (Receive the Word.)

O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)

What’s your knee-jerk reaction to deprivation? Is it related to your go-to sin, your predominant fault? How will you deal with deprivation differently after listening to the show?

V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)

Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.

E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

Heavenly Father, I ask that Your love flow upon me. May the Blood of Christ cover all wounds and restore all in me to wholeness and life. May the fire from Our Lady’s heart now enter me and anoint everything with the Holy Spirit and blind Satan. May St. Joseph wrap me with blessings and peace, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen +

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

Click here for a written transcript of this episode.

Visit here for more on Sonja’s “LOVE the Word” journal

Also:

Chapter 7 – Adoration, Praise, and Thanksgiving – Adoratio (Adoration) – How to Pray with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:54 — 3.2MB) | Embed

Chapter 7 Adoration, Praise, and Thanksgiving – Adoratio (Adoration)

When we adore God a hidden highway is opened to the holiness of God. It enables his holiness to descend onto and into us as our homage rises to him. Peter Calvay (Hermit)

When the full impact of all that God has done for us begins to register in our inmost being, it is time to give him thanks over and over again for what he continually gives to us.

You can find the book here.

In the foreword to this new book from OSV, “How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life,” Sister Wendy Beckett wrote,

Endorsement

Visit his website: www.davidtorkington.com.

“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”– Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:37 — 18.4MB) | Embed

Join Msgr. Esseff as he reflects on the gospel for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary time.

Gospel Mk 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it.”

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. Msgr. Esseff served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. 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 Pope St. John Paul II. 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 40 – John 19 – Crucifixion and Death of Jesus pt 2 – The Gospel of St. John – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:38 — 21.0MB) | Embed

Episode 40 – John 19 – Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Part 2

The Gospel of John reaches a crescendo in Chapter 19: the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The cosmic battle between good and evil, life and death reaches its climax on the cross. The prince of light and life triumphs over the prince of darkness and death. Banished to a life of darkness with the fall of Adam and Eve, mankind is brought back into the kingdom of light as Jesus crushes the head of Satan. Yet, we are surrounded by a culture of darkness and death that can only be dispelled by Christ through the sacraments of the Church.

John’s Gospel is dripping with irony, especially during the trial and crucifixion of Christ. Pilate asks: “What is truth?” as he looks upon the source of all truth, Jesus Christ. Satan suppresses truth, and as we hear in Romans 1, the suppression of truth leads us to go against our very nature. Sharon then teaches us some facts about the torture that Jesus experienced. Crucifixion was the preferred method of execution used by the Romans in the first century. It was often preceded by flogging, which by itself could bring about the death of a victim. Jewish law forbids more than 40 lashes, but Roman law had no such restrictions. The shroud of Turin demonstrates that Jesus likely received more than 100 strikes with the whip, weakening him to the point he could not carry his cross unassisted. The victims of crucifixion experienced a slow, agonizing death, with asphyxiation as the ultimate cause.

Drawing from Matthew’s account, Sharon then teaches us about Claudia, the wife of Pilate, who warned him to have nothing to do with Jesus’ death. Returning to John’s account, Sharon highlights additional examples of irony. Pilate sits in judgment of Jesus, who is the final judge of the living and the dead. Also, the Jews proclaim they have no king but Caesar, which puts them in violation of the Lord’s prohibition against idolatry as the emperor was the focus of worship in Roman culture. The Jews crucify Jesus on the charge of blasphemy, yet they declare allegiance to the false god of the Roman emperor.

A final example of irony is Pilate’s inscription placed on Jesus’ cross: the king of the Jews. Jesus is truly the king of kings and Lord of lords. Sharon then gives us interesting teaching about Dismas, the “good thief” who joins Jesus in paradise on the day of the crucifixion. The hour of the crucifixion is the hour of a new creation. God is the universal Father, Mary the universal mother, and Jesus the universal brother of all humanity. The Holy Spirit is the universal language and John represents the universal priesthood established by Christ.

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

SP7 – The Lesson of St. Benedict – In Search of the Still Point with Dr. Regis Martin – Discerning Hearts Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:45 — 4.7MB) | Embed

Episode 7 – The Lesson of St. Benedict…

PS-5 Daily Spiritual Reading – A Personal Plan for Holiness – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:49 — 3.2MB) | Embed

Episode 5 – Daily Spiritual Reading

Pro Sanctity Mission Statement

It is open to all, especially to those who wish to deepen their commitment to God and to share the message of holiness with others.

Learn more about Pro Sanctity at www.prosanctity.org

Also, you may wish to visit the Pro Sanctity Retreat Center in Fullerton, CA. Learn more at Pro Sanctity Movement West

Episode 9 – In Defense of Sanity – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:19 — 26.5MB) | Embed

Families, homeschooling, and toll roads. We discuss three more essays by G.K. Chesterton from the collection In Defense of Sanity.

This discussion is part of the FORMED Book Club—an online community led by Fr. Joseph Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro that reads and discusses a different book each month.

You can find the book here

G.K. Chesterton was a master essayist. But reading his essays is not just an exercise in studying a literary form at its finest, it is an encounter with timeless truths that jump off the page as fresh and powerful as the day they were written. The only problem with Chesterton’s essays is that there are too many of them. Over five thousand!

For most GKC readers it is not even possible to know where to start or how to begin to approach them. So three of the world’s leading authorities on Chesterton – Dale Ahlquist, Joseph Pearce, Aidan Mackey – have joined together to select the best Chesterton essays, a collection that will be appreciated by both the newcomer and the seasoned student of this great 20th-century man of letters.

The variety of topics are astounding: barbarians, architects, mystics, ghosts, fireworks, rain, juries, gargoyles, and much more. Plus a look at Shakespeare, Dickens, Jane Austen, George MacDonald, T.S. Eliot, and the Bible. All in that inimitable, formidable but always quotable style of GKC. Even more astounding than the variety is the continuity of Chesterton’s thought that ties everything together.

A veritable feast for the mind and heart. While some of the essays in this volume may be familiar, many of them are collected here for the first time, making their first appearance in over a century.