Day 2 – Silence – 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 2 – Silence

“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62.5 RSV

Silence is the doorway through which the listening heart begins to hear God. Advent invites us into a quieter interior space, not by removing every sound, but by creating room within the soul where God’s presence can be received. Silence is not emptiness. Silence is a posture of readiness.

In the spiritual life, the greatest obstacles to hearing God often come not from the outside, but from within. Thoughts run ahead. Worries circle. Interior noise fills the mind. Silence teaches the soul to slow down, release the clutter, and rest in the presence of the Lord who speaks gently.

Sacred silence is not the absence of activity. It is the presence of attentiveness. It teaches the heart to lean in. It helps us let go of control so grace can soften the places that have become tense or hurried. Silence honors God’s desire to speak in a personal and intimate way.

The discerning heart learns that silence is not something we create. It is something we enter. It is the humble space where God waits for us.

Journey with the Saints –

St. John of the Cross

“The Father spoke one Word, which was His Son, and this Word He speaks always in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul.”
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99

St. John of the Cross teaches that God speaks His Word within the depths of the silent heart. He reminds us that silence is not a technique. It is the environment of intimacy. Only in silence can the soul receive the One whom the Father continually pours out.

For John, silence purifies the heart’s attention. It clears away the noise that distorts our vision and helps us recognize Christ’s gentle inspirations. In silence, we are not trying to make something happen. We are consenting to God’s presence. Silence frees the heart to listen with love rather than effort.

John of the Cross learned that silence is not emptiness. It is communion. It is the place where the soul rests in the truth that God is already near.

Reflection for the Listening Heart

Today invites you to notice your inner landscape. Where is there noise inside you. Where do your thoughts run quickly. Where does worry or distraction pull your attention away from God. Silence is not about pushing these things aside. It is about letting them settle so the heart can remember who is with you.

Listening begins when the interior noise quiets enough for Christ to be received. Even a few seconds of genuine silence can open a space for grace to enter. Ask the Lord to help you listen in that silence, not with strain, but with trust.

Ask yourself: Where is God inviting me into a deeper quiet today. What would it look like for me to enter silence instead of resisting it.

A Simple Practice for Today

Set aside one intentional moment of silence today. Sit or stand quietly, slow your breathing, and simply say, “Here I am, Lord.” Let your mind settle without trying to control it. Return to that quiet later in the day by pausing for a single slow breath and saying, “Lord, I receive Your peace.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, draw my heart into silence. Quiet the thoughts that pull me away and soften the places that feel restless or crowded. Teach me to enter the stillness where You wait for me. Speak Your Word into the silence of my soul and help me to listen with love. Amen.

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

Citations for Day 2

Psalm 62.5 RSV
St. John of the Cross, The Sayings of Light and Love, 99

AR#2 – To Be Loved and To Receive Joy – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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AR#2 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

We want everything accomplished right away. God only knows that accomplishment follows one thing after another. He knows that it takes time for us to learn what it means to be human, to be those who are loved so deeply by His most Sacred Heart, His mother, and the saints. He knows that it takes time for us to understand that His love, and the reception of His love, is the very origin of our joy. During Advent, we ask even with more fervor, to receive this love. And we ask for the grace to release this joy, especially through the intercession of the saints and the Blessed Mother.

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

Day 2: The Gift of Christ in Each Other – From the writings of Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

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Day 2: The Gift of Christ in Each Other

“I saw that it is the will of Christ’s love to be put into the hands of sinners, to trust Himself to men, that He may be their gift to one another that they may comfort Him in each other, give Him to each other. In this sense the ordinary life itself becomes sacramental, and every action of anyone at all has an eternal meaning.”

Commentary: Houselander reflects on Christ’s profound willingness to entrust Himself to us, even in our brokenness. This divine humility allows us to share Christ’s love with one another, transforming our daily actions into a form of grace. By seeing each interaction as an opportunity to give and receive Christ, our ordinary lives take on a sacramental quality, where every act holds eternal significance. For Catholics, this resonates with the call to see God in every person, making each encounter a moment of communion with Christ. This perspective deepens our understanding of what it means to live a sacramental life, where our love for others becomes an expression of our love for Him.

Personal Reflection: Today, think about how you can see Christ in the people you meet, especially those you may struggle with. How can you be a gift to them, offering Christ’s love through your actions? Let each interaction become an act of faith, bringing His presence into the world.

Houselander quote from: Caryll Houselander, A Rocking Horse Catholic by Caryll Houselander (2013) Paperback

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

Image © Trinity Icons / Joseph M. Malham
Image used with permission
To purchase your own copy, visit Trinity Icons

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

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Monday 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 St. Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’

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:

When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’

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:

When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’

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.

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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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

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

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 2 – Silence

Journey with the Saints –

St. John of the Cross

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

AR#2 – Advent Reflections with Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

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

Monday 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.

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

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

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

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

St Cyril of Jerusalem
The twofold coming of Christ