Deacon James Keating Archives

WOM3 – The Paschal Mystery – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Paschal Mystery – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore how the Paschal Mystery and the Eucharistic liturgy are inseparably united. The Mass is not merely about attendance or obligation but about making oneself available to be taken into Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. True participation requires an interior openness—allowing Christ to shape our hearts and draw us into communion with both Him and others. Rather than reducing Mass to duty, fellowship, or a fleeting emotional experience, he invites listeners to see it as an intentional, interior response to the presence of God breaking into time.

Conversion is a gradual process. Everyone comes to the Eucharist at different stages of their spiritual journey, carrying joy, grief, or indifference. We need to bring our authentic state—whether delight or sorrow—before God, trusting that Christ works within those realities. Mass is both personal and communal: it reverences each individual’s encounter with Christ while drawing the community together in communion. Our identity flows from the Eucharist, where Christ gives us Himself and plants the seed of resurrection within us—a gift that sustains us through life, death, and into eternity.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

How do I prepare my heart to be truly available to Christ when I go to Mass?
In what ways do I sometimes reduce the Eucharist to an obligation rather than an encounter with Christ?
Am I attentive to my interior disposition at Mass, or do I approach it on autopilot?
How open am I to letting Christ take me into His life, death, and resurrection during the liturgy?
Do I bring both my joys and sorrows honestly before God in the Eucharist?
How do I recognize and respect that others in the community may be at different points in their spiritual journey?
In what ways do I allow my emotions—or lack of them—to determine my participation at Mass?
Do I see the Mass as both a personal encounter with Christ and a communal act of worship?
How do I live out my Eucharistic identity in daily life beyond the church walls?
What steps can I take to deepen my intentional presence at the Eucharistic liturgy each week?

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

WOM2 – The Centrality of the Eucharist – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Centrality of the Eucharist – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating

Deacon James Keating reflect on the Paschal mystery as the triumph of Christ over death and evil, not only as a past event but as a living reality. Fear of death shapes human behavior in profound ways, yet Christ’s resurrection liberates us from that fear, planting within us the “seed of the resurrection.” When we allow Christ’s life to take root in our hearts, hope becomes part of our identity, enabling us to see death as a passage into fulfillment rather than an end. This truth is made present in the Eucharist, where we receive Christ’s own obedience and love for the Father, equipping us to confront struggles, temptation, and cultural passivity with courage and vitality.

Tthe Eucharist is participation in Christ’s self-offering. By entering Mass with honesty—acknowledging our sins and weaknesses rather than hiding behind appearances—we open ourselves to transformation and strength for daily battles against sin and despair. True worship draws us into communion with God, pouring out in acts of charity toward others. Keating warns against reducing Jesus to a distant historical figure or treating Mass as a mere ritual; instead, it’s an encounter with the living Christ whose presence empowers us for holiness. The Paschal mystery calls us into a life of honesty, sacrifice, and reciprocal love, where God’s gift of himself to us moves us to give ourselves away for others.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

How does Christ’s victory over death change the way I view my own mortality?
In what ways do I allow fear—of death, failure, or loss—to diminish the fullness of life God desires for me?
Do I see the Eucharist as a living encounter with Christ, or do I reduce it to a routine ritual?
How honestly do I bring my sins and weaknesses before God when I participate in Mass?
What prevents me from fully cooperating with God’s grace to become “fit for heaven”?
How am I called to carry my cross daily in imitation of Christ’s obedience to the Father?
Do I approach Mass with the desire to be transformed, or with rationalizations that hold me back?
How can I allow God’s gift of himself in the Eucharist to bear fruit in acts of charity toward others?
Where in my life am I tempted to seek fulfillment in “stuff” rather than in communion with the divine?
How is the Holy Spirit inviting me to pour myself out in trust and love, as God pours himself out for me?

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

WOM1 – The Eucharist and Moral Living – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Eucharist and Moral Living – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explores how the Eucharist is central to the Christian life, shaping both conscience and spiritual formation. Dcn. Keating describes the Mass as the intimate meeting place where minds are renewed, hearts are healed, and access to God’s own life is offered as close as one’s parish church. He likens growth in appreciating the Eucharist to marriage—initial understanding is limited, but with time, deeper dimensions of love and commitment unfold. As spiritual maturity develops, the Mass becomes not an obligation but a deep desire, with daily participation seen as a joy rather than a burden. The Eucharist can be viewed as the unfolding of “the way of mystery,” a lifelong, step-by-step journey into God’s redemptive love, where sacraments are encounters with Christ acting in the heart.

The Paschal Mystery is God’s astonishing generosity in sharing His own happiness with humanity through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Redemption is God’s healing of humanity’s wound of distrust, restoring friendship and communion with Him through the sacramental life. This union is not achieved all at once but unfolds gradually, with human cooperation in grace being the drama of life. Keating highlights the Trinity’s eternal communion of love and God’s profound desire to dwell with humanity, even calling us friends through Christ. The Eucharist reveals both God’s lordship and His intimate friendship, grounding discipleship in gratitude, trust, and awe before the mystery of divine love made present in bread and wine.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

In what ways has my understanding of the Mass grown or matured over time, like a marriage deepening in love?
Do I approach the Eucharist as a precious gift, or do I sometimes take its accessibility for granted?
How am I being called to prepare more intentionally before receiving the Eucharist?
What does meditating on the Paschal Mystery reveal to me about the purpose of my life?
Where in my life do I still struggle to trust God’s providence, and how might the sacraments heal this wound?
How do I respond to God’s desire for communion with me in my daily choices?
In what ways does Christ’s invitation to friendship change the way I live my discipleship?
How do I experience the drama of redemption—continuing to surrender to grace—in my own spiritual journey?
What practical step can I take this week to cherish the Eucharist more deeply?

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD6 – The Oasis of Lent – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Oasis of Lent – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss various aspects of marriage, spirituality, and the role of Christ in relationships. Life is a continuous response to God’s love, with the ultimate fulfillment found in heaven.

While perfection may not be attainable, continual growth in yielding to Christ leads to spiritual improvement over time.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Understanding Continuous Growth: How does Deacon Keating describe the concept of life as a continual response to God’s love? What does he emphasize regarding the attainment of perfection?
Perfectionism in Relationships: What are the dangers associated with perfectionism in relationships, according to Deacon Keating? How does he suggest overcoming these challenges through spirituality and prayer?
Importance of Intercessory Prayer: Why does Deacon Keating underscore the significance of intercessory prayer within marriage? How does he envision spouses supporting each other’s spiritual development?
Sacramental Marriage as a Vocation: What parallels does Deacon Keating draw between sacramental marriage and Christ’s sacrificial love on the cross? How does he advocate for thorough spiritual preparation for marriage?
Prioritizing Relationship with God: According to Deacon Keating, why is it essential for couples to prioritize their relationship with God in marriage? How does he emphasize the transformative potential of Christ’s love in relationships?

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“Moral conversion occurs in ordinary experience when we hit a wall or break through one. In other words, moral conversion can be ignited when we reach our limits and experience failure or finitude, or it can be ushered in when we transcend our limits and go beyond the self. We transcend the self by falling in love and/ or following the prompting of conscience at the cost of our own ego.

The traditional disciplines of Lent— prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, as well as communal worship— aim at fostering or preparing a person to welcome such limiting or breakthrough experiences. Most importantly, we are prepared to receive the truths known in these experiences, since we can rarely, if ever, orchestrate them. More than likely, we are taken up into such experiences, and our preparation beforehand can enhance our acceptance of the truths they carry.

(In regards to communal worship) …We usually imagine worship as a break in our secular lives, or sometimes even an obstacle to achieving other goals. With this attitude, worship is sometimes simply seen as “time out” from what is really important. Without denying the importance of secular realities for the laity, could we look at worship in another way? Worship is not an obstacle to daily living; it is not time off from more vital realities. Worship is, in fact, the great doorway into all that is both secular and holy. It is our way into real living. In worship, we find the great integration of the simple, ordinary, and plain (people, bread, wine, words) with the holy and transcendent (paschal mystery, incarnation, grace, transformation, salvation). The call of the laity is to carry into each day of work and domestic commitment the truth that the ordinary and the holy are not opposed. Only sin and the holy are opposed. Lenten worship services help us bring this truth to the world.

The more we come to see the presence of Christ in worship as a presence that permeates our being in the world, the more we will hunger to participate in worship as the source of our moral witness in everyday life. The Eucharist primarily is our participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, which is his self-offering to the Father, both in his life and upon the cross, and is also the Father’s response in raising him from the dead. Christ came to us; he came to dwell upon Earth and take on created goodness so that all in creation that is not good (sin) may be transformed by his presence, by grace. We too, in communion with him through the grace of the sacramental life, fill the ordinary world with his presence and become witnesses to this salvation through virtue and grace cooperating in moral activity.”

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

SC-5 – The 12th, 13th, and 14th Stations – Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating

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Episode 5 -Stations of the Cross: Reflections with Deacon James Keating – Deacon Keating guides us through the 12th station (Jesus dies on the Cross), the 13th station (Jesus is taken down from the Cross and laid in the arms of His mother), and the 14th station (Jesus is placed in the tomb) along the Way of the Cross.

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 Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” 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.

CTD5 – Leaving the Desert – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Leaving the Desert – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore Lent’s significance, urging introspection and acknowledgment of sin. Deacon Keating highlights society’s loss of this sense, attributing it partly to psychology’s influence.

This reminds us of personal responsibility and freedom in recognizing sin; especially cultural desensitization to sin, emphasizing intentional conscience formation through spiritually grounded fellowship. They advocate for gentle yet firm engagement on moral issues to foster genuine community within parishes.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Lenten Self-Reflection: How can you deepen your introspection during Lent to identify areas of sin in your life?
Responsibility and Freedom: Reflect on how you balance acknowledging external influences with taking personal responsibility for your actions.
Desensitization to Sin: How can you guard against societal desensitization to sin, especially in media and cultural norms?
Intentional Conscience Formation: In what ways can you intentionally cultivate a spiritually grounded fellowship to form your conscience?
Engaging on Moral Issues: How can you engage in conversations about moral issues with both gentleness and firmness, guided by love?
Fostering Community in Parishes: What steps can you take to foster genuine community within your parish, where faith is shared and nurtured collectively?

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is, for many Catholics, a most daunting prospect. This sacrament has been the source of many jokes, composed perhaps by persons seeking to reduce the level of stress they feel regarding one of its main components: naming personal sin.

The naming of one’s own sin to oneself and to a priest is self-revelatory to the point of evoking anxiety. Initially, it can be true that some level of apprehension may accompany this sacrament, but over time with regular celebration of this form of worship, anxiety diminishes. Most positively the sacrament of reconciliation promotes truthful self-knowledge regarding sin in the context of Christ’s saving presence. Once someone experiences both the naming of sin and the reception of God’s mercy in this sacrament, he or she actually begins to celebrate this sacrament and see it as a great gift from Christ and his 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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

SC-4 – The 9th, 10th, and 11th Stations – Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating

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Episode 4 -Stations of the Cross: Reflections with Deacon James Keating – The Stations of the Cross – one of the most powerful devotionals alive in the heart of the Church. Reflecting and deeply meditating on the Passion of the Christ, Deacon Keating guides us through the 9th station (Jesus fall a 3rd time), the 10th station (Jesus is stripped of His garments), and the 11th station (Jesus is nailed to the Cross) along the Way of the Cross. For other episodes in the “Stations of the Cross” series click here

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 Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating Ph.D.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” 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.

CTD4 – The Desert of Sin – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The Desert of Sin – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss the concept of the “Desert of Sin”: the idea that sin, while providing some form of consolation, ultimately leads to spiritual emptiness and turmoil.

Dcn. Keating emphasizes the importance of patience in the process of personal and spiritual transformation, particularly in dealing with others who may not share the same level of spiritual fervor. He warns against the temptation to become impatient or frustrated when others do not respond as expected, stressing the need to trust in God’s timing for their conversion.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Reflection on the Desert of Sin: How do we recognize the mirage of sin in our lives and understand its inability to provide true fulfillment? How can we invite Jesus into our “desert” of sin to offer us real life?
Patience in Personal Growth: Reflect on the virtue of patience in your spiritual journey. How can impatience hinder our own progress and potentially lead to despair? How can we cultivate patience with ourselves and others as we strive for spiritual maturity?
Living Virtuously in Response to God’s Love: Consider the idea that receiving God’s love should naturally lead to loving God in return through virtuous living. How can we demonstrate our love for God through our actions and choices in daily life?
Role of Saints as Models of Holiness: Reflect on the lives of the saints as mirrors of hope. How can studying their examples help us understand the path to holiness and deepen our own relationship with God?
Embracing Joy through God’s Love: Explore the concept of joy as a result of receiving God’s love. How does this joy differ from superficial happiness, and how can we experience it more fully in our lives?

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“Any moral conversion, if it is to be real, must work its way into our minds and hearts. The conversion we undergo is one that transforms our entire person, and so our thought processes, habits, perceptions, and affections all become realigned to a new way of seeing good and evil Patience with ourselves, as well as with ohters who are also in the midst of conversion, becomes the key virtue to cultivate. God knows we are on the right track once we embrace such a conversion, and so being gentle on ourselves is not a sign of laxity or weakness of will, but a sign of wisdom.

Of course, the start of a moral conversion can be dramatic and jumpstart a change, but over the long haul of life, the heart of a person must be fully cooperative; otherwise, the person will not adhere to the moral truth for long.”

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

SC-3 – The 6th, 7th, and 8th Stations – Stations of the Cross with Deacon James Keating

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Episode 3 -Stations of the Cross: Reflections with Deacon James Keating

The Stations of the Cross – one of the most powerful devotionals alive in the heart of the Church. Reflecting and deeply meditating on the Passion of the Christ, Deacon Keating guides us through the 6th station (Veronica wipes the face of Jesus), the 7th station (Jesus falls a 2nd time), and the 8th station (Jesus encounters the women of Jerusalem) along the Way of the Cross.

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

CTD3 – Waiting in the Desert – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Waiting in the Desert – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating

In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss Lent as a time of vulnerability to God’s mercy, emphasizing bringing sin into Christ’s light for liberation. They contrast morality’s true freedom with sin’s chains and highlight Christ’s presence in our struggles.

Deacon Keating gives us of a message of hope, reassuring listeners that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and mercy.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

Lenten Focus: How does Deacon Keating suggest shifting focus during Lent from a mere “to-do list” approach to one of vulnerability and openness to God’s mercy?
Recognizing Sin: According to the podcast, what is the significance of bringing hidden truths and sins into the light of Christ during Lent?
Morality and Freedom: Describe the relationship between morality and true freedom, as discussed in the episode.
Christ’s Presence: How does Deacon Keating emphasize Christ’s accompaniment through the Lenten journey, drawing parallels with Jesus’ experience in the desert?
Message of Hope: Summarize the final message of hope conveyed by Deacon Keating in the conclusion of the episode.

An excerpt from “Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion”:

“The ancient image of Lent as a time of withdrawal is relevant to the formation of conscience if we perceive that our consciences have been inordinately attached to anemic sources of influence. Christians are called to transform the world of culture, work, and politics according to the truths learned through Christ in the Church. It is a powerful and dignified calling. Lent affords us a good opportunity to repent of those habits, attitudes, or behaviors that reflect a preoccupation with the secular. Thus devoid of the religious, we are then called to eagerly respond to our faith and imbue the secular with religious and ethical meaning. To do less than this is to render our baptisms impotent and meaningless.”

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.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page