Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…
From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
What touched your heart in this time of prayer?
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
St. Leo the Great – The Doctors of the Church: The Charism of Wisdom with Dr. Matthew Bunson
Born: Tuscany, Italy
Died: November 10, 461 AD, Rome, Italy
Dr. Matthew Bunson and Kris McGregor explore the life, teachings, and contributions of Pope St. Leo the Great. They discuss Leo’s background, his significant influence on the papacy, and his role in defending orthodox Christian doctrine amid turbulent times.
Pope St. Leo lived during a period of upheaval within both the Church and the Roman Empire. Notably, he confronted heresies that questioned Christ’s divinity and humanity, such as Arianism and Nestorianism, which led to ongoing debates over Christ’s nature. Leo’s “Tome,” a key theological document, clarified the Church’s stance on Christ’s dual nature as both fully human and divine, shaping the Council of Chalcedon’s doctrine in 451 AD. This affirmation became central to Christian Christology and reinforced the Virgin Mary’s title as Theotokos, or “Mother of God,” which had been confirmed in earlier councils.
Pope Leo’s theological insights and firm defense of the faith earned him the title “Doctor of the Church” and established his legacy as a “Great” saint. His contributions, particularly regarding the papal primacy and the nature of Christ, continue to influence Catholic teaching and underscore the importance of spiritual and doctrinal leadership within the Church.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How does Pope Leo’s boldness in confronting both Attila the Hun and the Vandals inspire us to act courageously in defending our faith and values?
In what ways can we, like Pope Leo, respond to theological and cultural challenges to our faith with clarity and conviction?
How does Pope Leo’s affirmation of Christ’s full humanity and divinity shape our understanding of who Jesus is and our relationship with Him?
What does Pope Leo’s role in affirming the primacy of the Pope teach us about the importance of Church unity and obedience to spiritual authority?
How might Pope Leo’s deep personal holiness and spiritual influence inspire us to cultivate our own sanctity and positively impact those around us?
How can we follow Pope Leo’s example of striving for peace and reconciliation in our communities and personal lives?
In what ways does Pope Leo’s theological clarity at the Council of Chalcedon encourage us to seek and proclaim truth, even when it requires perseverance and effort?
How does the Council’s affirmation of Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God) deepen our devotion to her and understanding of her role in the mystery of Christ?
“Aware of the historical period in which he lived and of the change that was taking place – from pagan Rome to Christian Rome – in a period of profound crisis, Leo the Great knew how to make himself close to the people and the faithful with his pastoral action and his preaching. He enlivened charity in a Rome tried by famines, an influx of refugees, injustice and poverty. He opposed pagan superstitions and the actions of Manichaean groups. He associated the liturgy with the daily life of Christians: for example, by combining the practice of fasting with charity and almsgiving above all on the occasion of the Quattro tempora, which in the course of the year marked the change of seasons. In particular, Leo the Great taught his faithful – and his words still apply for us today – that the Christian liturgy is not the memory of past events, but the actualization of invisible realities which act in the lives of each one of us. This is what he stressed in a sermon (cf. 64, 1-2) on Easter, to be celebrated in every season of the year “not so much as something of the past as rather an event of the present”. All this fits into a precise project, the Holy Pontiff insisted: just as, in fact, the Creator enlivened with the breath of rational life man formed from the dust of the ground, after the original sin he sent his Son into the world to restore to man his lost dignity and to destroy the dominion of the devil through the new life of grace.
This is the Christological mystery to which St Leo the Great, with his Letter to the Council of Ephesus, made an effective and essential contribution, confirming for all time – through this Council – what St Peter said at Caesarea Philippi. With Peter and as Peter, he professed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. And so it is that God and man together “are not foreign to the human race but alien to sin” (cf. Serm. 64). Through the force of this Christological faith he was a great messenger of peace and love. He thus shows us the way: in faith we learn charity. Let us therefore learn with St Leo the Great to believe in Christ, true God and true Man, and to implement this faith every day in action for peace and love of neighbour.”
Dr. Matthew E. Bunson is a Register senior editor and a senior contributor to EWTN News. For the past 20 years, he has been active in the area of Catholic social communications and education, including writing, editing, and teaching on a variety of topics related to Church history, the papacy, the saints and Catholic culture. He is faculty chair at Catholic Distance University, a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and the author or co-author of over 50 books including The Encyclopedia of Catholic History, The Pope Encyclopedia, We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, The Saints Encyclopedia and best-selling biographies of St. Damien of Molokai and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
All Shall Be Well: A Journey Through Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love with Kris McGregor
Episode 13: The Anent Reflections, Part One — Mercy, Wrath, and Peace
Summary:
In this episode, we begin Julian of Norwich’s Anent reflections, a meditative pause in her Revelations of Divine Love. Instead of recounting new visions, Julian turns inward to contemplate the truths already revealed to her. These reflections open a contemplative space filled with theology and spiritual insight, helping us see what God has shown her more clearly.
We explore Julian’s teaching on God as unchanging Truth, Wisdom, and Love, and how our souls are created to share in those very attributes. We also reflect on her striking claim that there is no wrath in God — only goodness and mercy. Julian teaches that our judgment is distorted by sin, but God’s gaze remains fixed on the soul as He created it, whole and beloved.
Julian then introduces five inner movements of the soul: enjoying, mourning, desire, dread, and sure hope. Each one reveals a layer of the soul’s journey with God and helps us understand how grace is at work, even in moments of struggle.
Finally, we hear her deep assurance that God’s mercy never ceases. No matter how often we fail, fall, or fear, His gaze of love never turns away. In God’s sight, the soul that belongs to Him has never died, nor ever shall.
Full Julian of Norwich Quotations Used in Episode 13:
From Revelations of Divine Love, Long Text, Chapters 41-43, trans. Grace Warrack, Methuen & Co., 1901 (PDF edition).
Truth, Wisdom, and Love
“Truth seeth God, and Wisdom beholdeth God, and of these two cometh the third: that is, a holy marvellous delight in God; which is Love. Where Truth and Wisdom are verily, there is Love verily, coming of them both. And all of God’s making: for He is endless sovereign Truth, endless sovereign Wisdom, endless sovereign Love, unmade; and man’s Soul is a creature in God which hath the same properties made, and evermore it doeth that it was made for: it seeth God, it beholdeth God, and it loveth God. Whereof God enjoyeth in the creature; and the creature in God, endlessly marvelling.” (Ch. 44)
God’s Judgment and Ours
GOD deemeth us [looking] upon our Nature-Substance, which is ever kept one in Him, whole and safe without end: and this doom is [because] of His rightfulness [in the which it is made and kept]. And man judgeth [looking] upon our changeable Sense-soul, which seemeth now one [thing], now other,—according as it taketh of the [higher or lower] parts,—and [is that which] showeth outward. And this wisdom [of man’s judgment] is mingled [because of the diverse things it beholdeth]. For sometimes it is good and easy, and sometimes it is hard and grievous. And in as much as it is good and easy it belongeth to the rightfulness; and in as much as it is hard and grievous [by reason of the sin beheld, which sheweth in our Sense-soul,] our good Lord Jesus reformeth it by [the working in our Sense-soul of] mercy and grace through the virtue of His blessed Passion, and so bringeth it to the rightfulness.” (Ch.45)
God Is Not Wroth
“For I saw truly that it is against the property of His Might to be wroth, and against the property of His Wisdom, and against the property of His Goodness. God is the Goodness that may not be wroth, for He is not [other] but Goodness: our soul is oned to Him, unchangeable Goodness, and between God and our soul is neither wrath nor forgiveness in His sight. For our soul is so fully oned to God of His own Goodness that between God and our soul may be right nought.” (Ch. 46)
The Five Workings of the Soul
“For I felt in me five manner of workings, which be these: Enjoying, mourning, desire, dread, and sure hope. Enjoying: for God gave me understanding and knowing that it was Himself that I saw; mourning: and that was for failing; desire: and that was I might see Him ever more and more, understanding and knowing that we shall never have full rest till we see Him verily and clearly in heaven; dread was: for it seemed to me in all that time that that sight should fail, and I be left to myself; sure hope was in the endless love: that I saw I should be kept by His mercy and brought to His bliss. And the joying in His sight with this sure hope of His merciful keeping made me to have feeling and comfort so that mourning and dread were not greatly painful.”(Ch. 47)
The Working of Mercy
“Mercy is a sweet gracious working in love, mingled with plenteous pity: for mercy worketh in keeping us, and mercy worketh turning to us all things to good. Mercy, by love, suffereth us to fail in measure and in as much as we fail, in so much we fall; and in as much as we fall, in so much we die: for it needs must be that we die in so much as we fail of the sight and feeling of God that is our life. Our failing is dreadful, our falling is shameful, and our dying is sorrowful: but in all this the sweet eye of pity and love is lifted never off us, nor the working of mercy ceaseth.” (Ch. 48)
Where God Appears, Wrath Has No Place
“For I saw full surely that where our Lord appeareth, peace is taken and wrath hath no place. For I saw no manner of wrath in God, neither for short time nor for long; for in sooth, as to my sight, if God might be wroth for an instant, we should never have life nor place nor being. For as verily as we have our being of the endless Might of God and of the endless Wisdom and of the endless Goodness, so verily we have our keeping in the endless Might of God, in the endless Wisdom, and in the endless Goodness. For though we feel in ourselves, frail wretches, debates and strifes, yet are we all-mannerful enclosed in the mildness of God and in His meekness, in His benignity and in His graciousness. For I saw full surely that all our endless friendship, our place, our life and our being, is in God.” (Ch. 49)
Mercy and Forgiveness: The Soul Never Dies
AND in this life mercy and forgiveness is our way and evermore leadeth us to grace. And by the tempest and the sorrow that we fall into on our part, we be often dead as to man’s doom in earth; but in the sight of God the soul that shall be saved was never dead, nor ever shall be.” ” (Ch. 50)
Scripture Featured
(Translations used: Revised Standard Version [RSV-CE] )
(Zephaniah 3:17)
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
(1 Samuel 16:7)
“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
(James 1:17)
“Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
(Exodus 34:6–7)
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.”
(1 Peter 1:8–9)
“Though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.”
(Psalm 42:1–2)
“As a hart (deer) longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7)
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
(Hebrews 10:23)
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
(Luke 1:54–55)
“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”
(Lamentations 3:22–23)
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
(Ephesians 2:14)
“For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.”
(John 11:25–26)
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (CCC 27)
“The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.” (CCC 2563)
“God is infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.” (CCC 1)
“The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners.” (CCC 1846)
“There are no limits to the mercy of God.” (CCC 1864)
“By revealing himself to Moses, God reveals that he is rich in mercy and fidelity. God is Love. His very being is Love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.” (CCC 214, 221)
“By his death Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life.” (CCC 654)
Teachings of the Saints
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross:
“The deeper one is drawn into God, the more one must go out of oneself; that is, one must go to the world in order to carry the divine life into it.” (Essays on Woman, “The Separate Vocations of Man and Woman According to Nature and Grace”)
St. John of the Cross:
“In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.” (Sayings of Light and Love, 64)
St. Augustine of Hippo:
“The wrath of God is not a disturbed feeling of His mind, but a judgment by which punishment is inflicted upon sin.” (City of God, XV.25)
St. John Chrysostom:
“When you hear that God is angry in the Scriptures, do not suppose that God is subject to some passion. Such expressions are condescensions, teaching us that His acts of punishment are the consequence of our sins.”(Homilies on Genesis, 6:6)
St. Faustina Kowalska:
“Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me—clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.” (Diary, 50)
St. Teresa of Ávila:
“Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing; God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices.” (Poem: Nada te turbe)
St. Gregory of Nyssa:
“For it is not when we begin to exist, but when we are joined to God, that we truly live.” (On the Soul and the Resurrection)
Reflection Questions for Prayer
Julian insists that wrath has no place in God. How does this challenge the way you may have imagined His response to your sins or failings?
She teaches that mercy never ceases and that God’s gaze of love never leaves us. Where in your life do you most need to trust this truth?
Julian ends by assuring us that in God’s sight, the soul He loves never dies. How might this hope shape the way you endure trials and sorrow in this life?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, You who are endless Truth, Wisdom, and Love, draw us into Your peace, where wrath has no place and mercy never ceases. When we fail, lift us with Your pity; when we fall, keep us in Your forgiveness; when we fear death, remind us that in You we live forever. Let us rest in Your unchanging goodness, until the day we see You face to face and rejoice with You in the fullness of love.
St. Gertrude the Great Novena – Day 5 – For the Grace of Compassion, especially for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
St. Gertrude was given a vision by Jesus of a golden table adorned with luminous pearls, each representing a prayer for the Souls in Purgatory. Let us join our prayers to this offering, trusting in God’s infinite and divine mercy. May St. Gertrude aid us in lifting our prayers for the holy souls, enveloping them in the love and compassion of Christ. May she intercede for us for the intention we bring to this novena.
We join St. Gertrude in a prayer she composed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory:
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the Universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.
Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…
From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:7-10
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal immediately”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”’
What touched your heart in this time of prayer?
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
Foundation of Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Fr. Timothy Gallagher explains that true discernment begins not with decision-making techniques, but with a spiritual foundation rooted in knowing God’s love. Drawing from St. Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings, he reflects on 1 John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.” Fr. Gallagher shares two conversion stories—Michael, a college student who encounters God’s mercy and love in a desperate moment, and Catherine, a young woman whose experience of God’s tender presence awakens a desire to respond in love. These encounters reveal that the ability to seek God’s will arises naturally from the awareness of being loved by Him.
Fr. Gallagher explores how this love forms the heart of discernment: it is a relationship of trust and communion of wills between God and the person. Referencing John Henry Newman, each person has an irreplaceable mission in God’s plan—“God has created me to do Him some definite service.” Like Jeremiah and Mary, every person is uniquely called from eternity. When one grows in prayer and faith, that love deepens into readiness to say, “Whatever You want, Lord.” This openness marks the true disposition needed for discernment, where love and freedom unite to follow God’s personal call.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
How have I personally experienced the truth that “we love because He first loved us”?
When have I most deeply recognized that I am loved by God without condition?
How does knowing God’s love affect the way I approach important decisions in my life?
In what ways might fear or self-reliance hinder me from trusting God’s loving will?
What helps me grow in awareness of God’s presence and affection in daily prayer?
Can I identify a time when I, like Michael or Catherine, sensed God inviting me into deeper relationship?
How does the idea that God has created me for “some definite service” shape my sense of purpose?
What unique gifts or circumstances in my life reveal my irreplaceable place in God’s plan?
Am I willing to say to God, “Whatever You want, Lord,” with a free and peaceful heart?
How can I nurture greater openness and love so that my discernment becomes a true response to God’s invitation?
From The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions:
“Three Times in which a Sound and Good Choice May Be Made
The first time is when God Our Lord so moves and attracts the will that, without doubting or being able to doubt, the devout soul follows what is shown to it, as St. Paul and St. Matthew did in following Christ our Lord.
The second time is when sufficient clarity and understanding is received through experience of consolations and desolations, and through experience of discernment of different spirits.
The third time is one of tranquility, when one considers first for what purpose man is born, that is, to praise God our Lord and save his soul, and, desiring this, chooses as a means to this end some life or state within the bounds of the Church, so that he may be helped in the service of his Lord and the salvation of his soul. I said a tranquil time, that is, when the soul is not agitated by different spirits, and uses its natural powers freely and tranquilly.
If the choice is not made in the first or second time, two ways of making it in this third time are given below.”
Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org
Santa Gertrudes de Helfta Museu de Arte Religiosa de Puebla (México) – Foto: Francisco Lecaros
St. Gertrude the Great Novena – Day 4 – For the Grace of Right Intention
St. Gertrude asked Jesus for fewer distractions in her days to have more time for prayer. The Lord answered her, “If I took pleasure only in spiritual exercises, I would have reformed human nature after Adam’s fall so that it would not need food, clothing, or other things. I require only that your will be directed to me with a right intention”. St. Gertrude mastered the Benedictine call to balance the active and contemplative life. Her dialogue with the Lord teaches us that sanctity lies not in tasks but in intention. We pray for her guidance to discern daily God’s will. May she also intercede for the intention we bring to this novena.
We join St. Gertrude in a prayer she composed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory:
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the Universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.
Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.
Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”
Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…
From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’
What word made this passage come alive for you?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’
What did your heart feel as you listened?
What did you sense the Lord saying to you?
Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Obstacles are sure to come, but alas for the one who provides them! It would be better for him to be thrown into the Sea with a millstone put round his neck than that he should lead astray a single one of these little ones. Watch yourselves!
If your brother does something wrong, reprove him and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, “I am sorry,” you must forgive him.’
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’
What touched your heart in this time of prayer?
What did your heart feel as you prayed?
What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.
The Feast of St. John Lateran – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff
Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran, calling it a reminder that the Church is not a building but the living Body of Christ. He traces the biblical understanding of the temple from the Old Testament to Jesus, whose pierced side poured forth blood and water—the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist—through which the faithful are united to Him. Each baptized person becomes a living stone in the spiritual temple founded on Christ. Msgr. Esseff recalls a mystical encounter in St. John Lateran where Christ revealed the power of divine love flowing from His Sacred Heart, urging him to teach this love to the world. Thus, we shouldn’t be relying on worldly powers or comfort: such dependence is a spiritual decay.
There is a need for authentic witness, especially for younger generations. Many youth long for challenge and genuine examples of holiness, not comfort or compromise. Renewal begins in families through sacrificial love between husband and wife, parents and children. Every Christian, he says, is called to manifest Christ’s love daily through charity and courage, becoming a light amid cultural darkness.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
How do I understand my identity as a living temple of God rather than just a member of an institution?
In what ways can I let the love flowing from Christ’s Sacred Heart transform my daily actions?
What “marketplaces” in my own heart need cleansing so that God may dwell more fully within me?
How does my participation in the Eucharist unite me more deeply to Christ and His Church?
When faced with cultural opposition, how can I draw strength from the witness of the early martyrs?
Do I rely more on worldly comfort and security or on God’s providence and grace?
How am I nurturing sacrificial love within my family or community?
What example of faith and courage am I offering to younger generations seeking authenticity?
How can I live each day as part of Christ’s mission to bring light into the world’s darkness?
What concrete step can I take this week to let Christ’s love flow through me to someone in need?
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 to bring the Good News to the world, especially to the poor. 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. Gertrude the Great Novena – Day 3 – For the Grace of Holy Counsel
St. Gertrude, at only 30 years old, became the leader of her monastery. For more than 40 years, she guided her community with love and wisdom. May she inspire us to listen deeply to God’s voice and discern His will for our lives. May she intercede for us with our intention for this novena if it be in alignment with the will of the Father.
We join St. Gertrude in a prayer she composed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory:
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the Universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.
Wednesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
“Aware of the historical period in which he lived and of the change that was taking place – from pagan Rome to Christian Rome – in a period of profound crisis, Leo the Great knew how to make himself close to the people and the faithful with his pastoral action and his preaching. He enlivened charity in a Rome tried by famines, an influx of refugees, injustice and poverty. He opposed pagan superstitions and the actions of Manichaean groups. He associated the liturgy with the daily life of Christians: for example, by combining the practice of fasting with charity and almsgiving above all on the occasion of the Quattro tempora, which in the course of the year marked the change of seasons. In particular, Leo the Great taught his faithful – and his words still apply for us today – that the Christian liturgy is not the memory of past events, but the actualization of invisible realities which act in the lives of each one of us. This is what he stressed in a sermon (cf. 64, 1-2) on Easter, to be celebrated in every season of the year “not so much as something of the past as rather an event of the present”. All this fits into a precise project, the Holy Pontiff insisted: just as, in fact, the Creator enlivened with the breath of rational life man formed from the dust of the ground, after the original sin he sent his Son into the world to restore to man his lost dignity and to destroy the dominion of the devil through the new life of grace.
Tuesday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
Foundation of Discernment – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
Monday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
