The Discerning Hearts Blog Archives

Chap 28 – The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus – Mp3 audio

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The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel

Chapter 28

Visions of the Sacred Humanity and of the glorified Bodies—Imaginary Visions—Great Fruits thereof when they come from God

For the pdf containing the complete text and footnotes click here

For other chapters of the audio book visit: The Life of Teresa of Avila (autobiography) audio page

The Life
St. Teresa of Jesus,
of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel.
Written by Herself.
Translated from the Spanish by
David Lewis.
Third Edition Enlarged

IP-SP1 Sr. Briege McKenna – The Power of the Sacraments on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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Sr. Briege McKenna O.S.C. is a tremendous blessing for all of us in the Church! “The Power of the Sacraments” is a beautiful work which helps us all to appreciate the gift of grace that flows through the sacraments. There is such hunger in the hearts of God’s children today for healing and peace. Sr. Briege, in her maternal nurturing way, helps us to see that the answer is right in front of us reaching out to us right now…He is Jesus Christ. “Miracles Do Happen” is her wonderful book recounting her miraculous healing and her call to mission to the world. It also expresses her great love and concern for the priesthood. Her insights are tremendous, her love for Christ and her bride the Church is a glorious witness and light to today’s world. She is truly one of the most inspiring persons I have ever encountered!

For more information:
St. Clare Sisters Retreat Ministry
P.O. Box 1559
Palm Harbor, FL 34682, U.S.A.
Office: #727-786-3821
Fax: #727-787-3741
Prayerline: #727-781-5906
www.sisterbriege.com
Click here to be taken to Sr. Briege’s website “St. Clare Sisters Retreat Ministry.”

IP#77 Anthony DeStephano – Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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I love the book! “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life’s Most Difficult Problems” by Anthony
DeStephano is filled with a bazillion “ah-ha” moments…you knew that, but you didn’t know you knew that. Anthony has a wonderful way of breaking down daunting theological questions to easily understood basics in order to nurture a healthy prayer life. With all the “driven-life-Jabez-easy-answer” books out there, this is the one you should pick up and pass on to friends. Anthony, who is the executive director of Priest for Life, offers rock solid Catholic perspective, rooted deeply in the Scriptures, to life’s toughest challenges. Take a listen to the podcast and hear for yourself. Visit the 10 Prayers website

You can pick up the book here

“Anthony DeStefano has once again drawn his readers into the mystery of God’s love and invited us to reflect more deeply on our relationship with Him. In a simple yet profound way, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To offers insights, and indeed a practical wisdom, that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with personal prayer. I recommend this book to any and all who are searching for a fresh perspective on the meaning and value of a life of prayer, and, ultimately, for a more fulsome encounter with the Living God.”

Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino
President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Vatican

IP#310 Sonja Corbitt – Fearless on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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No one swings the Sword of Truth quite like Sonja Corbitt; she is amazing! “Fearless: Conquer Your Demons and Love with Abandon” is a Catholic Women’s guide to spiritual warfare! We cannot recommend this book more highly as a balanced, thorough, and inspiring approach to the subject of “battling the enemy.”

You can find the book here

From the book description:

In Unleashed, Corbitt identified the spiritual wounds that reveal themselves through the harmful patterns and relationships in our lives. In Fearless, she offers scriptural tools that help us understand and conquer the demons of sin, Satan, self, and sloth. She helps us recognize the methods the devil uses to keep us enslaved, and she immerses us in a profound contemplation of love, which is the only possible weapon against the spirit of fear.

In this book, you will come to understand

the spiritual roots of fear, depression, and anxiety;
ways to “abide” in Christ and find freedom from fear;

signs of negative spiritual suggestion and influence in your daily life;

the deep, personal lies we believe that keep us slaves to fear;
specific truths about the limitations of Satan’s power and character;
the “pieces” of spiritual armor that protect us from fear; and
how to rest fully in God’s goodness and love.

Each chapter contains features that will make it a popular resource for personal and group study: review notes, an invitation to prayer, and a series of probing questions (called God Prompts) that encourage you to explore the content in a deeply personal way. Fearless offers encouragement to those who are anxious or fearful about the future and who seek a spiritual solution.

USCCA7 – The Good News: God Has Sent His Son – U. S. Catholic Catechism for Adults w/ Arch. George Lucas

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Archbishop Lucas offers insights on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults Chapter 7:

We ponder Christ’s person and his earthly words and deeds in terms of mystery. His earthly life reveals his hidden divine Sonship and plan for our salvation. His parables, miracles, sermons, and wisdom sayings help us “to see our God made visible, and so we are caught up in love of the God we cannot see” (First Preface for Christmas).

The Most Reverend George J. Lucas leads the Archdiocese of Omaha.

For other episodes in the visit our Archbishop George Lucas page

This programs is based on:

More information can be found here.

We wish to thank the USCCB for the permissions granted for use of relevant material used in this series.
Also we wish to thank Chuck Adams and Miriam Gutierrez for their vocal talents in this episode.

Christmas Day – The Advent journey comes to an end with Msgr. John Esseff

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Reading 2HEB 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe,
who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say:
You are my son; this day I have begotten you?
Or again:
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me?
And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says:
Let all the angels of God worship him.

The Gospel JN 1:1-5, 9-14

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.

IP#3 Sr. Ann Shields – “To Be Like Jesus” on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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It was great to talk with Sr. Ann Shields, of “Food for the Journey”, about her new book “To Be Like Jesus – Inspiration From the Gospel of Luke” . In her maternal nurturing way she encourages us to “feed” on the great gift of God’s Holy Word.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

God’s plan for your life is not as mysterious or unknowable as you might think. As Sister Ann Shields demonstrates in her probing reflections on the Gospel of Luke, the key to knowing what God is asking of you is to discover, first, who God is. If you are willing to spend time daily in his presence, ruminating on his word as it comes to you in Scripture, he will reveal himself and help you make the choices that conform to his will for your life.

To Be Like Jesus will enable you to distinguish God’s voice from the voices, noise and distractions of the world. As you let his word soak into your soul, you’ll find there the power to surrender to him and play your part in building his kingdom.

AR13 – St. Teresa of Avila and Trust – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

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St. Teresa of Avila said the following: “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God only has changed us. Patience gains all things, who as God, wants nothing. God alone suffices.” Here, St. Teresa is telling us, in bold and beautiful language, many of the things we cling to in this time will pass away. We are called to cling to one thing and one thing only: and that is that God alone suffices. God is the source of all that we need. God is the one who never forgets us. God is the one who gives us our deepest heart’s desire: and that is communion with Him. This Advent, let’s trust God. Let’s trust that He’s giving us all that we need, and that if we let Him love us to the depths of our heart, we will want for nothing, and that the result of such reception of love will be peace; a peace that no one can take away; a peace that no time can change. A peace that will never pass.

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., 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 “The Heart of Hope.”

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

IP#296 Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. – God So Loved the World pt. 2 on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

We continue with part 2 of our discussion with Fr. Spitzer….

For part 1 of our conversation visit here

In our conversation with Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., we enter into “God So Loved the World: Clues to Our Transcendent Destiny from the Revelation of Jesus“, which is the third installment of his “Happiness, Suffering, and Transcendence” series. Not only is Fr. Spitzer a brilliant theologian, but he has the heart of caring pastor who understands the needs of the questing minds of so many lost and wandering souls. With an extraordinary grasp of philosophy, theology and cosmology, he is able to take complicated concepts and mix them with joy, beauty, and a grace-filled enthusiasm without doing damage to the subject matter. In this volume, he addresses “What is LOVE”, “Who is LOVE”, and maybe in an even deeper way, “The why of LOVE”. Of course we know, “God is Love”, but God as a Father? God as a Son? God as Holy Spirit? How is the mind to grasp such penetrating Truth? And more importantly, how is the heart to perceive this eternal divine mystery?

We were able to meet with Fr. Spitzer for this discussion at his offices located at the Magis Center in Garden Grove, CA.

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You can find the book here

From the book description:

In this volume the brilliant Fr. Spitzer probes in detail the major question that if an intelligent Creator God – manifest in logical proofs, scientific evidence, and near death experiences – who is the source of our desire for the sacred, and the transcendental desires for truth, love, goodness, and beauty, would want to reveal himself to us personally and ultimately.

He then shows this is reasonable not only in light of our interior experience of a transcendent Reality, but also that a completely intelligent Reality is completely positive–implying its possession of a completely positive virtue – namely “love”, defined as agape.

This leads to the question whether God might be unconditionally loving, and if he is, whether he would want to make a personal appearance to us in a perfect act of empathy – face to face. After examining the rational evidence for this, he reviews all world religions to see if there is one that reveals such a God – an unconditionally loving God who would want to be with us in perfect empathy. This leads us to the extraordinary claim of Jesus Christ who taught that God is “Abba”, the unconditionally loving Father.

Jesus’ claims go further, saying that He is also unconditional love, and that his mission is to give us that love through an act of complete self-sacrifice. He also claims to be the exclusive Son of the Father, sent by God to save the world, and the one who possesses divine power and authority. The rest of the book does an in-depth examination of the evidence for Jesus’ unconditional love of sinners, his teachings, his miracles, and his rising from the dead. As well as the evidence for Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit that enabled his disciples to perform miracles in his name, and evidence for the presence of the Holy Spirit today.

The Spiritual Struggle and Remedy – Begin Again /w Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Ep. 5

The Spiritual Struggle and Remedy – Begin Again /w Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Ep. 5 from Discerning Hearts on Vimeo.

In this episode, Fr. Timothy Gallagher discusses the importance of the “spiritual struggles” in the life Ven. Lanteri. Outwardly, he was faced with a hostile secular climate. He also experienced tremendous physical struggles, as well as an inner resistance to certain virtues. Prayer, meditation, reflection and study became a remedy for Ven. Lanteri. Fr. Gallagher reflects on the tremendous gift of this spiritual program for us and how it can transform our lives today!

For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

You can obtain just the audio podcast if you would prefer