Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Mother, I am yours now and forever. Through you and with you I always want to belong completely to Jesus.
“On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Two Turtle Doves …” which represent the Old and New Testaments, which bear witness to God’s relationship with all mankind. God’s relationship is begun in the New Testament in His covenant with Abraham and his Descendants and is fulfilled in the New Testament by the new covenant of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, who came to earth through Your Son Jesus Christ we thank You for the gift of your Son, Your new covenant that we may have an intimate relationship with You, and the gift of Your Word. As we exchange gifts, Father, let us recognize and bear witness to the fact that You have given the greatest gifts of all. Amen.
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”
Hark! Your sentinels raise a cry,
together they shout for joy,
for they see directly, before their eyes,
the LORD restoring Zion.
Break out together in song,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the LORD comforts his people,
he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will behold
the salvation of our God.
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.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
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.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A Partridge in a Pear Tree ….” The partridge symbolizes Jesus, the Christ. He is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless chicks.
Prayer: Oh Lord who sacrificed for us, so that we may live in the safety of the knowledge that our death is not the end but only the beginning, we rejoice! We rejoice in the knowledge that your heavenly city is awaiting us. We rejoice in the beginning of the season that brings all men together to fulfill your great commandment of love. We rejoice in the season of giving so that we might reveal Your love to all men through our generosity and your endless grace and sacrifice. Amen.
The crib showing the nativity, in all the cities and villages and Catholic homes of the world, is not only there to commemorate Christ’s first coming to earth, it is there as a symbol of Christ’s birth in us.
Christmas does not only mean that God became man and was born as a human infant on a certain night in Bethlehem, two thousand years ago; it means that, but it means equally that because of that, Christ is born in us today.
Christ is born in all the cities and villages, all the streets and homes of the world today. He is born in prosperous cities, lit up and noisy with pleasure, where, as in Bethlehem, His crying is not heard; He is born among the ruins of devastated cities, where few would recognize Him without His crown of thorns.
He is born in New York, Warsaw, Paris, London, everywhere where a single human soul repeats, even perhaps almost doubting it, Our Lady’s fiat: “Be it done to me”
Christ is not only born at Christmas, though it is at Christmas that we keep the Feast of the Incarnation. He is born day after day, in ever infant or adult as they are baptized, in every sinner who is sorry for sin and is absolved, in everyone in whom God’s grace quickens the supernatural life (which is the Christ-life) for the first or the millionth time.
Commentary: On this holy Christmas Day, Caryll Houselander leads us to see beyond the historical birth of Christ to its ongoing mystery: Christ is born anew in each of us today. The crib, displayed in homes and churches around the world, is a symbol not only of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem but also of His continuous birth in every heart willing to receive Him. This message invites us to recognize that Christ lives wherever a soul, like Mary, says “yes” to Him. Whether in places of joy or sorrow, prosperity or ruin, the miracle of the Incarnation is happening now, in our world and in our lives. Houselander reminds Catholics that every act of faith, every baptism, every confession, and every encounter with grace is a re-birth of Christ in us, a fresh arrival of His love.
Personal Reflection: As you celebrate Christmas, consider how you are invited to let Christ be born in your heart today. How can you, like Mary, offer a “yes” that allows His presence to take root within you? Reflect on the ways in which Christ can live through you in each moment, making His love visible in the world.
Quote taken from – Caryll Houselander The Passion of the Infant Christ, Sheed & Ward, 1949
On Christmas Eve, the grand sweeping journey of salvation history comes to an important epoch with the “yes” of a virgin named Mary. From that point, the world is transformed forever. Msgr. Esseff challenges all of us to identify the tendency or flaw that cripples us. Give whatever that is to God. Christ has the power to heal you and change you into the person you were created to be. He encourages us to allow the Father in Heaven to embrace and love us.
Discerning Hearts questions for reflection on this episode:
Understanding God’s Plan: Reflect on a time in your life when you felt that God was guiding you through a difficult situation. How did you perceive His presence and guidance during this time, and how has this experience influenced your faith and trust in God’s plan for your life?
Role of the Sacraments: Consider the importance of the sacraments in your Catholic faith. How do sacraments like Baptism, Confession, the Eucharist, and Confirmation strengthen your relationship with God? What personal transformations or experiences have you had through participating in these sacraments?
Living the Beatitudes: The Beatitudes are a central teaching of Jesus. Choose one Beatitude that resonates with you the most. How do you apply this Beatitude in your daily life, and what challenges and rewards have you encountered in trying to live out this teaching of Christ?
Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Reflect on a time when you found it difficult to forgive someone or seek forgiveness. How did you overcome these challenges, and what role did prayer, reflection, or the teachings of the Church play in this process? How did this experience impact your understanding of God’s forgiveness?
Personal Calling and Vocation: In what ways do you feel called by God to serve others and contribute to the Church’s mission? How do you discern your vocation or calling, and what steps are you taking to fulfill this calling in your daily life, whether through your career, volunteer work, family life, or community involvement?
When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?“‘It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his Kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
How small and gentle his coming was. He came as an infant. The night in which He came was noisy and crowded; it is unlikely that in the traffic of the travelers to Bethlehem the tiny wail of the newly-born could be heard.
God approaches gently, often secretly, always in love, never through violence and fear. He comes to us, as he Himself has told us, in those whom we know in our own lives. Very often we do not recognize Him. He comes in many people we do not like, in all who need what we can give, in all who have something to give us; and, for our great comfort, He comes in those we love. In our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, our friends and our children. Because this is so, we may not be content ever to love with only natural love. We must also love everyone with a supernatural, sacramental love. We must love Christ in them with Christ’s love in us.
It would be well if those seeking perfection ceased trying so painstakingly to learn how not to love and learnt instead how to love well.
Commentary: On this final day of Advent, Caryll Houselander brings us to the quiet, humble scene of Christ’s birth. She reminds us that His coming was unassuming—soft, hidden in the midst of a noisy, distracted world. God’s approach, she says, is never forceful but always gentle, finding His way into our lives through the people around us. He is in those who need us, those who challenge us, and those who love us. This final Advent reflection calls us to embrace a “sacramental love”—a love that sees Christ in others, even when it is difficult or unexpected, and responds with the tenderness of Christ’s own love.
As Catholics, we are reminded that loving well, as Christ loves, is the highest calling and the greatest way to welcome Him into our world. This Christmas Eve, let us commit to a love that is supernatural, one that transforms our relationships into holy encounters with Christ Himself.
Personal Reflection: As you prepare your heart for Christmas, take a moment to reflect on someone in your life in whom you may have struggled to see Christ. How can you choose to love them with a “sacramental” love today, opening your heart to God’s gentle presence in them? Let this love be your gift to the Christ child, welcoming Him into your life as He comes again in the quiet of Christmas.
Quote taken from – Caryll Houselander The Passion of the Infant Christ, Sheed & Ward, 1949
O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us to live eternal with You! Jesus, your nativity was not without purpose. Your purpose was to bring us to You. We pray that you will bring us to Life Eternal with you this Christmas.
Divine Infant,
after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem,
You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world
by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib,
which was in this way changed into a royal throne.
You graciously received those holy men
who were obedient to the Divine call
and hastened to Your feet.
They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace,
the Redeemer of mankind,
and the very Son of God.
Show us also Your goodness and almighty power.
Enlighten our minds,
strengthen our wills,
and inflame our hearts to know You,
to serve You,
and to love You in this life,
that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come.
Jesus, most powerful Child,
We implore You again to help us
with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts.
Divine Child, great omnipotent God,
I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession,
and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God,
for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena.
Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally
with Mary and Joseph
and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints.
Amen.
Image of God – Struggles in the Spiritual Life with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.
Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues the story of Bob to illustrate how the Ignatian spiritual exercises can reveal deeper wounds and foster healing. Bob experiences spiritual desolation while praying about sin and God’s justice, which evokes unresolved feelings tied to his critical relationship with his earthly father. With the guidance of a retreat director, Bob uncovers how he has projected his father’s image onto God. Through persistent prayer, especially with passages like Mark 1:11, Bob begins to see God as a loving Father, distinct from his earthly father, leading to transformative healing.
The podcast highlights the importance of perseverance in prayer, even amid dryness, and the critical role of spiritual direction in fostering growth. Bob’s journey demonstrates how engaging with difficult emotions in prayer can lead to profound encounters with God’s unconditional love, ultimately transforming not only his spiritual life but also his relationships. Father Gallagher encourages listeners to embrace spiritual struggles as opportunities for deeper intimacy with God, trusting that they can lead to lasting peace and renewal.
Understanding Dryness in Prayer: How do you perceive and respond to periods of dryness in your prayer life, and what might God be inviting you to learn during these times?
Identifying Projections onto God: Have you ever noticed yourself projecting qualities or expectations from human relationships onto your image of God, and how does this affect your prayer and trust in Him?
The Role of Spiritual Direction: How might regular spiritual direction or accompaniment help you navigate struggles in your spiritual life and uncover areas in need of healing?
Encountering God’s Fatherhood: In what ways does reflecting on Scripture, such as Mark 1:11, help you to experience God’s unconditional love as a Father, and how might this transform your relationship with Him?
Healing Through Persistence: What personal or spiritual growth have you experienced by staying with challenging themes in prayer, even when they feel difficult or unfruitful?
An excerpt from the chapter, “Image of God”:
“When Bob perceives that his image of God differs from the biblical image of God, his prayer ceases to be dry. He is now free to meet God as He is: loving, close, understanding, merciful, encouraging — the heavenly Father whom Jesus reveals to us. Through no fault of his own, Bob has absorbed an image of God as a demanding Father, quick to note faults, impatient, ready to criticize. Bob is not aware of this image, but it burdens his relationship with God, and so his prayer.
When he prays with Genesis 3, Bob focuses on “all the harm that came from” this sin and “the way their sin was punished.” The message of mercy in that same chapter (Gen. 3:15) and, above all, in the Cross do not speak to him, and his prayer leaves him uneasy. He describes Romans 7:14–25 as “Paul’s struggle about not doing the good that he wants but doing the bad that he does not want,” again overlooking the message of freedom with which the passage concludes (Rom. 7:25). When he tries to pray, Bob writes, “I’m unsettled, I’m distracted, and God seems distant. . . . I try, but nothing moves me very much. It’s discouraging. Maybe I’m not made for this.” Bob’s prayer is dry. His prayer changes when Bob realizes that God is different — more loving, warm, close — than his image of God had led him to believe.
Conversation with his director, prayer on biblical passages that reveal God as a loving Father, and his willingness — not without struggle — to share with God his experience of human fatherhood and the mixture of goodness and pain found in it, begin to set Bob free. Now he can meet his heavenly Father as God really is. Now a relationship based on a true image of the Father can develop. Now he knows himself to be a beloved son of this Father. Now his prayer is not dry.”
Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy ; Gallagher O.M.V, Fr. Timothy. Struggles in the Spiritual Life: Their Nature and Their Remedies (pp. 123-124). Sophia Institute Press. Kindle Edition. “
From the book’s description: “Here is a powerful, life-changing book that will help you understand and conquer the struggles you face in your spiritual life. It’s a book for those who love the Lord and desire holiness yet often feel adrift or stagnant in their search for spiritual growth.
All of us encounter valleys on our journey with the Lord — those periods of spiritual desolation that are a painful yet unavoidable feature of our prayer life. Spiritual desolation is as complex as we are, so understanding what is happening and responding to it properly are critical to reaching the heights of holiness.
With warmth and understanding, Fr. Gallagher carefully identifies in this book the various forms of spiritual and nonspiritual desolation and supplies the remedy for each. You’ll learn how to discern whether your struggles derive from medical or psychological conditions or whether those struggles are spiritual and permitted by the Lord for reasons of growth. In each case, you’ll be given the remedy for the struggle. You’ll also learn the forms of spiritual dryness and of the Dark Night — and how to respond to them.
In chapter after chapter, Fr. Gallagher presents a particular struggle as experienced by fictional characters and then provides the advice he gives to those who come to him for spiritual direction about that struggle. You’ll gain confidence as you journey through desolation, and you’ll learn to reject the enemy’s ploys to infect you with a sense of hopelessness.”
Did you know that Fr. Timothy Gallagher has 14 different podcast series on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts?
Visit here to discover more!
This Advent and Christmas season, Kris McGregor, Founder of Discerning Hearts, shares a heartfelt message of gratitude and hope for our listeners.
For over 14 years, Discerning Hearts has been blessed to provide free spiritual resources to millions of listeners in over 265 countries, rooted in the timeless wisdom of saints like St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
In this brief message, Kris reflects on the impact your generosity has had on lives around the world and shares how you can help us continue this vital mission.
Join us to hear:
Stories from listeners like Tom in Vancouver and Juan in Mexico City whose lives have been touched by this ministry.
How your support helps us keep all our content free for those seeking Christ.
An invitation to pray, fast, and support Discerning Hearts as we work to meet our year-end goal of $75,000.
Your prayers and generosity make all the difference. Let’s work together to bring Christ’s light to the world.
