The Discerning Hearts Blog Archives

ST-John Ep 29- John 14 – I am the Way, the Truth and the Life part 1- The Gospel of St. John – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 29 – John 14 – I am the Way, the Truth and the Life part 1

We continue our study of John’s Gospel with Chapter 14. This beautiful chapter has an abundance of nuptial imagery. God designed marriage as a way to image the Trinity. Just as life flows from the one-flesh union of man and woman, the life of the Holy Spirit flows from the union of the Father and Son, who are one.

From the beginning in Genesis, to the end in Revelation, the story of salvation is the story of the marriage between God and His people. To nullify the marital covenant between God and Israel, one of the parties needed to die. As we learn in Romans 7, through Jesus’ death on the cross, the marital covenant with Israel ends, freeing Christ to take a new bride, the universal Church. We learn, though, that in order for the wedding to take place, the bride must be pure and blemish free. As we learned last time, through Baptism we are purified of original sin, and through Reconciliation we are purified of the sins of our lives.

Returning to John 14, Sharon gives us a wonderful teaching about first century Jewish wedding customs, which helps us to better understand the rich symbolism found in this chapter. In ancient Palestine, extended families lived together in an expansive house called an insula. With each successive generation, the sons would build additional rooms to accommodate their own wife and children. After the wedding, the young bride would leave her own home and move in with the groom’s family. The groom’s entire family, especially the parents, had to be willing to accept the bride into the insula, and her virtue was valued even more than her wealth or beauty. The marital ritual began when the groom and his father journeyed to the bride’s home and negotiated the terms of the marriage, with the best man (aka the shushbin) acting as an intermediary between the two parties.

Once the terms were set, the couple was now officially betrothed, though not yet married. The son announces he will go and prepare a place for his bride, returning when all the necessary preparations were complete. The son would return home and prepare the insula for the arrival of his bride. The bride prepares herself for the return of the groom, but she does not know how long it will take for him to return. After the necessary construction is completed, the father gives his son permission to return for his bride.

On the day of the wedding, the return of the groom to his bride is announced with the blowing of the shofar horn. The shushbin stands by as the marriage is consummated, and then offers proof of the bride’s purity through the display of the marital bedding. Knowing this, we now have a much better understanding of Jesus’ promise to return to us after he prepares a place for us in his Father’s house. Jesus invites us into marital union with him, a blood covenant that was consummated with his death on the cross, the cup of acceptance of this New Blood Covenant that we drink from the chalice at Mass. The Holy Spirit, the shushbin, guarantees the purity of the Church, the bride of Christ by keeping her pure and blemish free through the sacraments.

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

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

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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

A Short Primer for Unsettled Laymen with Dr. Angela Franks pt. 2 – “Balthasar: Beauty, Goodness, Truth” Podcast

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A Short Primer for Unsettled Laymen with Dr. Angela Franks – pt. 2

With Dr. Angela Franks, we continue our discussion on the truth of the uniqueness of each person and the danger of the “-isms” of modernity to depersonalize and devalue humanity. Among other things, Dr. Franks speaks on Balthasar’s understanding of authority which provides a gift of unity for the Church and its members, as well as the receptivity of the Marian assent and the power of the Cross which enters into our daily reality. She also offers an insight on Balthasar’s stances’ on ecumenism and Biblical exegesis. How does the Christian interact in the body politic, is a question addressed, along with many others, in this conversation as well.

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:

Hans Urs von Balthasar addresses the critical issues that have been unsettling the Catholic laity since the Second Vatican Council. In a clear and readable manner, he focuses on the core elements of the faith: the Word of God; the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; the sacraments; the structure of the Church; and Mary.

Speaking plainly about the polarization within the Catholic Church, he also discusses the various ideological trends—such as liberalism, progressivism, and traditionalism—that have undermined the confidence and the unity of the faithful

“In this Primer, Balthasar addresses today’s faithful laity who feel that [the] solidity of the Church is shifting beneath their feet. He speaks to those who fear that the Church has done what she ought not to do: that she is in fact relaxing her demands in order to win favor, not from God, but from man. Into this situation Balthasar re-proposes the’form’ of Jesus Christ as revealed in his Church. This form is ‘only the whole’: the whole, concrete reality of Christ, conveyed within Catholic tradition. This form is ‘spun from three strands’ of Word, sacrament, and ecclesial authority. These three provide the Church with the ability to remain on course despite the winds blowing through history.”
— Angela Franks, Ph.D., From the Foreword

For more podcast episodes with Dr. Angela Franks discussing A Short Primer for Unsettled Laymen – A Short Primer for Unsettled Laymen Podcasts

For Audio and Text Excerpts from A Short Primer for the Unsettled Laymen – Audio and Text Excerpts

Ep 4 – Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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David Torkington, author and narrator of this work

Episode 4: Freedom demands discipline

James sits at the jetty awaiting Peter’s arrival for their third meeting. Peter takes up the theme of the importance of God’s love because only his love can change human beings decisively and permanently for the better. Learning to pray, learning to open ourselves to God’s love is like anything else: it needs practice, and it takes time. Peter emphasizes that there is no accomplishment of any worth that he knows of, that you can attain merely by desiring to have it. Freedom always demands discipline, and prayer is no exception to the rule.

You can find more episodes of the series here: Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit w/ David Torkington page.

You can find the book here.

David Torkington, the author of Wisdom from the Western Isles has re-edited and abridged the work for broadcast; he is also the narrator. The book was published originally as three separate spiritual novels: Peter Calvay – Hermit, Peter Calvay – Prophet and Peter Calvay – Mystic. We begin with the first part, The Hermit but including some passages from Peter Calvay – Mystic so as to give an overall view of the spiritual journey for listeners.

David Torkington is an English Spiritual Theologian, author, and speaker, specializing in Prayer, Christian Spirituality, and Mystical Theology. Educated at the Franciscan Study Centre, England, he served as Dean of Studies at the National Catholic Radio and Television Centre, London. He was an extra-mural lecturer in Mystical Theology at the Angelicum, the Dominican University in Rome, and has received invitations to speak to Religious, Monks, Diocesan Priests, and laypeople from all over the world, including Equatorial Africa, where he gave three prolonged lecture tours speaking on Christian prayer.

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.

SJ4 – Marriage Amid The Madness – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 4 – Marriage Amid the Madness

In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss Mary and Joseph’s marriage and his challenge with her pregnancy. They also discuss Mary’s need to visit her cousin Elizabeth, commonly referred to as The Visitation.

An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:

Commentators down the ages have proposed three approaches to this enigmatic passage: (1) the suspicion theory, (2) the perplexity theory, and (3) the reverence theory. Let us examine them briefly.

1. The Suspicion Theory. In this reading of the Gospel passage, Joseph suspects that Mary has been unfaithful. He is devastated, but his love for her remains so great that he cannot bear the thought of her facing public shame—or, worse, the death penalty, since adultery was a capital crime, punishable by stoning. He decides to divorce her, as the Law permitted, until an angel deters him from that course of action.

2. The Perplexity Theory. According to this theory, Joseph cannot understand what has happened. He does not believe Mary could be unfaithful. Yet her pregnancy is undeniable and subject to legal penalties. Since Joseph is a just man, he finds a solution that respects the Law, but protects Mary as well. The angel, in this reading, provides the information that Joseph lacks and helps him to make a plan for going forward.

3. The Reverence Theory. This third theory presents Joseph as a man overwhelmed by awe when he learns of Mary’s miraculous conception. From the beginning, he knows of God’s singular intervention: “she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit.” Joseph feels unworthy to be involved, and so he decides he will cooperate just long enough to protect Mary’s secret and then make a quiet exit. In this reading, Joseph’s first impulse is like St. Peter’s when he said to Jesus, “Depart from me!” (Lk 5:8), or the Centurion’s when he said, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Lk 7:6). The angel, however, persuades Joseph to put aside his fears.

Each theory has saints and doctors of the church among its proponents. St. Justin Martyr and St. Augustine of Hippo advanced the first; St. Jerome the second; and St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Josemaria Escriva the third.

Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 39). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page

You can find the book on which this series is based here.

Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.^[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.

Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com

Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:

Roots the Faith

The Resilient Church

Villains of the Early Church

IP#374 – Mary Dudro – Salt and Light: The Spiritual Journey of Élisabeth and Félix Leseur on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor Podcast

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What a delight to discuss Bernadette Chovelon’s Salt and Light: The Spiritual Journey of Élisabeth and Félix Leseur with the translator of the book Mary Dudro. This beautiful love story is filled with fascinating characters, panoramic landscapes, and a sweeping view of a time gone by that is nevertheless very much like our own. The tender relationship between an unbelieving husband and a faithful wife who trusts God completely is a compelling witness to the transformative power of love.

You can find the book here

From the book description:

Élisabeth and Félix Leseur began their life together in France as a carefree young couple with a bright future ahead of them. They were beautifully and compatibly matched, except for one major difference—Élisabeth was a devout Catholic, and Félix was a firmly decided atheist. As they faced the seasons of life together, their relationship was tested, and both were called to deep spiritual transformation.

Out of love for her husband, Élisabeth spent her life offering her many sufferings for the sake of his conversion. After her death, and in response to the profound love he encountered in her writings, Félix converted and offered the rest of his life to God as a Dominican priest.

This biography is a lovely narrative of their marriage and the transformative power of God’s love and grace in their lives. It also presents a charming picture of upper-middle-class French society at the turn of the last century. The cause for the canonization of Élisabeth Leseur has been opened by the Catholic Church.

BBFA6 – The Moment of Baptism – Baptism: Born from Above w/ Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 6 -Baptism: Born from Above – The child is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…what does this mean? The anointing with Sacred Chrism, the clothing with the baptismal garment, the baptismal candle…what is the significance of these signs? The need for discernment. The blessings of the mother, and the father, and the baptized child.

Deacon Keating takes a careful look at the Baptismal Rite and offers prayerful reflection and insight to help us live out the faith and nurture the domestic church.

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.

More episodes of Baptism: Born from Above with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Hearts” page

Deacon Keating is also the author of:

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

Deacon James Keating’s book Abiding in Christ: Staying with God in a Busy World is a how-to-pray resource. This book helps readers to find a quiet space wherein they can be present to God and offers suggestions of how they can be more open to God s movement within them.

Ep 3 – Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit with David Torkington – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 3: Knowledge alone is not enough – Experiencing Love

James has been waiting eagerly for Peter’s second visit. He asks Peter to explain what he meant when he said that there is all the difference in the world between knowing that we are loved, and experiencing being loved. Peter describes how the experience of human love can change a person for the better. But he takes the analogy further, describing how God’s love can change us permanently for the better. James is left with the conviction that he has now to learn anew how to welcome God’s love into his life and how to start again at square one, to begin again to learn how to pray”

You can find more episodes of the series here: Wisdom from the Western Isles: The Hermit w/ David Torkington page

You can find the book here.

David Torkington, the author of Wisdom from the Western Isles has re-edited and abridged the work for broadcast; he is also the narrator. The book was published originally as three separate books: Peter Calvay – Hermit, Peter Calvay – Prophet and Peter Calvay – Mystic. We begin with the first part, The Hermit but including some passages from Peter Calvay – Mystic so as to give an overall view of the spiritual journey for listeners.

David Torkington is an English Spiritual Theologian, author and speaker, specializing in Prayer, Christian Spirituality, and Mystical Theology. Educated at the Franciscan Study Centre, England, he served as Dean of Studies at the National Catholic Radio and Television Centre, London. He was an extra-mural lecturer in Mystical Theology at the Angelicum, the Dominican University in Rome, and has received invitations to speak to Religious, Monks, Diocesan Priests and laypeople from all over the world, including Equatorial Africa, where he gave three prolonged lecture tours speaking on Christian prayer.

Visit his website: www.davidtorkington.com

SJ3 – Prosperity and It’s Price – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Episode 3 – Joseph and His King – “Prosperity and It’s Price”

In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss in more detail the life and influence of Herod the Great. Then the conversation turns to St. Joseph. We learn more about his family background. Who was his father? What was it like to be a carpenter in those days? How old was St. Joseph at the time of his marriage to the Blessed Virgin Mary? What was the influence of the Essene community?

An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World:

An increasing number of scholars believe that the family of Jesus had contact with the Essenes. St. John the Baptist spent time in the desert and shared the movement’s emphases on asceticism and the coming age of the messiah. Mary and Joseph, too, approached their marriage in ways that seem to conform to Essene asceticism. Mary’s responses to the angel during the Annunciation make sense only if she had intended to observe lifelong virginity. Reviewing the evidence, the archeologist Bargil Pixner concluded that Joseph’s family “had strong ties with the Essene movement.”22 John Bergsma, in his book Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, arrived at a similar conclusion.23

Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 34). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

For more episodes in this series visit – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina page

You can find the book on which this series is based here

Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com

Other Mike Aquilina series’ found on Discerning Hearts:

Roots the Faith

The Resilient Church

Villains of the Early Church

Episode 2 – Chance or the Dance – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

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Thomas Howard tells us why poetry matters—part two of our series on Chance or the Dance?: A Critique of Modern Secularism. This and more in this week’s discussion of Chance or the Dance.

You can find the book here

Contrasting the Christian and secular worldviews, Dr. Thomas Howard refreshes our minds with the illuminated view of Christianity as it imbued the world in times pastshowing that we cannot live meaningful lives without this Christian understanding of things. An inspiring apology for Christianity, and a stirring critique of secularism.