The 1st Sunday of Advent – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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The 1st Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

On the First Sunday of Advent, Msgr. Esseff shares two deeply moving testimonies that reveal the power of love, faith, and the kingship of Christ. The first story follows a Christian couple who defied medical advice to abort their “defective” child, trusting instead in God’s providence. Their faith was rewarded with the birth of a healthy baby who grew into a successful firefighter.

In this first Sunday of Advent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff invites listeners into the season with a call to spiritual wakefulness. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, he explains Jesus’ warning that some will be united with him at his coming while others will be left behind. The key difference is union with Christ, a union formed through baptism, nourished by grace, and renewed through repentance.

Msgr. Esseff speaks about the early Church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the ongoing need for every Christian to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He warns that sin separates the soul from Christ and dims the light God desires to radiate through us. Advent is presented as a time to return to that light, confront the shadows in our lives, and seek healing through confession, prayer, and intentional spiritual discipline.

The episode also explores Advent’s connection to peace. Drawing from Isaiah, Msgr. Esseff prays for a world where nations turn weapons into instruments of cultivation, and where each person commits to the peace Christ brings. He shares personal experiences of confession, transformation, and encounters with families seeking deeper union with God.

As the episode closes, he encourages listeners to begin an Advent journal, undertake a sincere spiritual inventory, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of darkness that need grace. For Msgr. Esseff, Advent is the doorway to a renewed life in Christ, a season where hearts awaken, grace deepens, and the soul prepares to welcome the light of Christmas.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

What area of my life most needs the light of Christ as Advent begins?
Where have I allowed habits or attitudes to separate me from Jesus?
What specific action can I take this week to grow in holiness and peace?
How is God calling me to make room for deeper union with him this Advent?
What step toward reconciliation or virtue is the Holy Spirit prompting in my heart?

Gospel Matthew 27:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

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.

Day 1: Christ’s Dependence and Our Advent – From the writings of Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Caryll Houselander image used with permission from TRINITY ICONS

Day 1: Christ’s Dependence and Our Advent

“By his own will Christ was dependent on Mary during Advent: he was absolutely helpless; he could go nowhere but where she chose to take him; he could not speak; her breathing was his breath; his heart beat in the beating of her heart…. In the seasons of our Advent – waking, working, eating, sleeping, being – each breath is a breathing of Christ into the world.”

Commentary: Caryll Houselander reflects on the profound mystery of Christ’s dependence on Mary during Advent. By His own will, the all-powerful God chose to be utterly vulnerable and reliant on her. This self-giving humility exemplifies divine love and invites us to ponder how our own lives, in their simplest moments, might echo this mystery. Houselander suggests that in our daily activities, our “seasons of Advent,” each breath we take is an opportunity to bring Christ’s presence into the world.

Personal Reflection: Today, consider each task, each interaction, as a moment where you can breathe Christ into your surroundings. How might you, like Mary, be a vessel for His presence in the seemingly ordinary aspects of your life?

Houselander quote from: Caryll Houselander, Marie Anne Mayeski (1991). “A Rocking-Horse Catholic: A Caryll Houselander Reader”, p.73, Rowman & Littlefield

For more reflections, visit:
Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

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Image used with permission
To purchase your own copy, visit Trinity Icons

CLJ1 – Right Nutrition – Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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CLJ1 – Right Nutrition – ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.

An excerpt from Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting:

Right Nutrition

“Jesus took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves. . . . All ate and were satisfied (Mt 15:36, 37).”

“We all know in daily experience in this blessed Advent season that there are such rich viands spread out before us in the liturgy that one hardly knows where to linger. One thinks, “This must be the theme of my prayer today”, and then the next responsory comes, and then this reading comes, and then this lesson comes. In a beautiful, provocative homily by Saint Bernard at Matins we read a wonderful phrase: “Feed on goodness.” We should, spiritually, watch what we are eating. Now, each of us has full command over what our thoughts feed upon. There is a great thrust in our times about right nutrition. There is finally a reaction against the eating of junk foods, which not only provide no nourishment but do great harm to the physical system. Reputable doctors are saying that we are what we eat. Sometimes people deliberately feed themselves on wrong foods, junk foods, which taste good at the moment, please the palate at the moment—but give no nourishment for the body’s growth and sustenance, and little by little work destructive havoc on the body. We can do this spiritually as well. “Feed on goodness.” How can we live a spiritual life, how can we be the force that we are called to be in the Church of God, beginning with the local church of our community, if our diet is very destructive, if, instead of feeding on goodness we feed on self? Do we sometimes feed our thoughts on impatience, feed them on self-pity? Do we feed on irritability? Do we feed on grudging giving? Do we feed on selfishness, instead of feeding on goodness? Saint Bernard says, “Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither.” We must remember to eat our bread, to feed on goodness, or our spiritual life will wither. It really will.”

Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C., (1921-2006) was for more than forty years the abbess of the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Roswell, New Mexico. She became recognized as an authoritative voice for the renewal of religious life through her many books, including A Right to Be Merry, But I Have Called You Friends, and Anima Christi. To learn more about Mother Mary Francis and the Poor Clare Nuns of Roswell, NM visit their website at https://poorclares-roswell.org

Discerning Hearts is grateful to Cluny Media whose permission was obtained to record these audio selections from this published work.

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 2

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Day 2 – Novena to the Immaculate Conception

O God,
who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we beseech You that,
as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son,
You did preserve Her from all stain,
so too You would permit us,
purified through Her intercession,
to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son, who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, world without end.

Amen.

Day 2

O Mary, ever-blessed Virgin,
Mother of God,
Queen of angels and of saints,
we salute you with the most profound veneration
and filial devotion
as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception,
We thank you for your maternal protection
and for the many blessings that we have received
through your wondrous mercy
and most powerful intercession.
In all our necessities
we have recourse to you
with unbounded confidence.
O Mother of Mercy,
we beseech you now to hear our prayer
and to obtain for us of your Divine Son
the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena…

(State your intention here…)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception,
Mother of Christ,
you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth;
you have the same influence now in heaven.
Pray for us
and obtain for us from him
the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

The Immaculate Conception Novena page

The Twofold Coming of Christ – St. Cyril of Jerusalem from the Office of Readings

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St Cyril of Jerusalem
The twofold coming of Christ

We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.
In general, whatever relates to our Lord Jesus Christ has two aspects. There is a birth from God before the ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming, like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future.
At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.

We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
The Saviour will not come to be judged again, but to judge those by whom he was judged. At his own judgement he was silent; then he will address those who committed the outrages against him when they crucified him and will remind them: You did these things, and I was silent.
His first coming was to fulfil his plan of love, to teach men by gentle persuasion. This time, whether men like it or not, they will be subjects of his kingdom by necessity.
The prophet Malachi speaks of the two comings. And the Lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple: that is one coming.
Again he says of another coming: Look, the Lord almighty will come, and who will endure the day of his entry, or who will stand in his sight? Because he comes like a refiner’s fire, a fuller’s herb, and he will sit refining and cleansing.
These two comings are also referred to by Paul in writing to Titus: The grace of God the Saviour has appeared to all men, instructing us to put aside impiety and worldly desires and live temperately, uprightly, and religiously in this present age, waiting for the joyful hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Notice how he speaks of a first coming for which he gives thanks, and a second, the one we still await.
That is why the faith we profess has been handed on to you in these words: He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
Our Lord Jesus Christ will therefore come from heaven. He will come at the end of the world, in glory, at the last day. For there will be an end to this world, and the created world will be made new.

AR#1 – God’s Patience – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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AR#1 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

One of God’s attributes is patience. He suffers His own creation, as it comes to fulfillment in His love. The God that we worship is a God who truly loves us. And in this great love, He waits. He waits for us to respond to all that He has given us. And He doesn’t simply wait in a passive way. He keeps loving us, keeps directing His love toward our hearts to awaken them with a response. This is near the very core of what Advent is about. God-loving us so deeply, directing His love toward us, and Him sharing His life with us so that we might respond in kind. So that we might wait and receive, and then respond to His great love

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.

We highly recommend – The Eucharist and the Hope of Conversion with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. Discerning Hearts Podcast

Sunday of the 1st Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart

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Sunday of the 1st Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart

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 of Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.
‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

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: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.
‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

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: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left.
‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

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?

We thank you, Lord Jesus for this time with you.

Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God,

as we await the advent of Christ your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever

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.

Day 1 – Wakefulness – An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 1 – Wakefulness

“Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” 
Romans 13.11 RSV

Advent opens with the quiet invitation to wake up spiritually. This is the first movement of a listening and discerning heart. Before the soul can notice God’s presence or receive His guidance, it must become aware, attentive, and ready to hear.

Spiritual sleep is subtle. It appears in distraction, noise, divided attention, discouragement, or the slow drift of the interior life. The mind fills with tasks. The heart loses sensitivity. Without choosing to fall asleep, the soul grows dull and slow to notice the gentle movements of grace.

Wakefulness is not anxious vigilance. It is the calm attentiveness that love creates. When the heart loves, it desires to notice even the smallest approach of the Beloved. St. Paul urges Christians to cast off whatever clouds the inner vision so they can stand ready for the Lord’s coming.

To begin Advent is to choose wakefulness. It is the decision to open the ear of the heart and say, “Lord, I am here. I desire to listen.”

Journey with the Saints –

St. Benedict

“Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.”
Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 1

For St. Benedict, listening is an act of spiritual wakefulness. It is not passive or casual. It requires humility, interior quiet, receptivity, and a readiness to obey God’s movements. Benedict teaches that God speaks not only in moments of prayer, but in the simple, hidden details of ordinary life. Wakefulness helps the heart recognize these small invitations of grace.

Benedict also reminds his monks that listening comes before action. God initiates. God invites. God leads. The discerning heart responds by listening first. Wakefulness is the doorway to discernment because it keeps the soul attentive to the Lord who is always near.

The life of prayer begins when the heart says, “I am ready to listen You.”

Reflection for the Listening Heart

Today is about noticing. Noticing is the first gesture of true listening. Hearing happens automatically and without effort. It simply receives sound. Listening, however, is intentional. Listening chooses to attend. Listening turns toward the One who is speaking. Listening makes space for grace to enter.

We often hear without truly listening. We hear Scripture. We hear prayer. We hear the voice of conscience. Yet the heart may remain elsewhere. Listening requires presence. It asks the heart to stay awake to God’s quiet movements and to receive even the smallest whisper of His love.

Ask yourself: Where am I merely hearing God today, and where am I actually listening. What is Christ quietly placing before me that needs my attention.

A Simple Practice for Today

Choose one verse from today’s Scripture, even a single line, and sit with it for one quiet minute. Say, “Speak, Lord, I am listening.” Later in the day, pause again by stepping outside or standing at a window. Take a slow breath and say, “Lord, I am present to You.” Let both moments become intentional acts of wakefulness.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, awaken my heart. Clear the fog of distraction and stir the desire within me to listen to Your voice. Teach me to attend with the ear of my heart so I may follow You with love and trust. Come into the quiet places of my soul and make me ready for Your presence. Amen.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

Citations for Day 1

Romans 13.11 RSV
Rule of St. Benedict, Prologue 1

A Novena to the Immaculate Conception – Day 1

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Day 1 – Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Recite the following prayer for nine days from November 29 – December 7
(or at a minimum on the first and ninth days of the novena).

Prayer to be said each day of the Novena

Amen.

Day 1

O most Holy Virgin,
who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother,
immaculate in body and spirit,
in faith and in love,
look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession.
O most Holy Mother,
who by your blessed Immaculate Conception,
from the first moment of your conception
did crush the head of the enemy,
receive our prayers as we implore you
to present at the throne of God the favor we now request…

(State your intention here…)

Amen.

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

The Immaculate Conception Novena page

Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

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Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth 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 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

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:
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

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:
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

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 1st Sunday of Advent – A Call to Wake Up, Repent, and Enter the Light of JesusBuilding a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

For more reflections, visit: Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

CLJ1 – Right Nutrition – ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.

An excerpt from Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting:

Right Nutrition

Day 2 – Novena to the Immaculate Conception

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

St Cyril of Jerusalem The twofold coming of Christ

Sunday of the 1st Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart

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.

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

Week One: Awakening the Listening Heart

DAY 1 – Wakefulness

Journey with the Saints –

St. Benedict

Reflection for the Listening Heart

A Simple Practice for Today

Prayer

For more of the episodes of An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here

Day 1 – Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Prayer to be said each day of the Novena

For the complete 9 day novena visit the Discerning Hearts:

Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

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.

For more reflections, visit:
Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

St Cyril of Jerusalem
The twofold coming of Christ

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.

For more of the episodes of
An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here