The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
Courage
Courage is the third attitude of a discerning heart. In Catholic discernment, courage means trusting Christ even when the path is uncertain. When fear threatens to hold us back, His words remind us: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” St. Teresa of Ávila teaches us to persevere in faith, showing that true courage rests not in ourselves but in God who never changes.
Scripture Reading: “But immediately he spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart, it is I; have no fear.’ And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’” (Matthew 14:27–29)
The disciples were in the boat when a storm rose against them. Waves crashed, the wind howled, and their hearts were filled with fear. In that moment, they saw Jesus walking on the water, but instead of comfort, their terror deepened — they thought they were seeing a ghost.
Into their fear, Jesus spoke words that cut through the chaos: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” With those words, He not only calmed the storm, but He gave His disciples courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Even saints felt trembling in the face of difficulty. Courage means moving forward in trust, even while fear is still present. It is choosing to fix our eyes on Christ rather than on the storm.
In the discerning heart, courage means letting go of our demand for certainty. We may not know how everything will unfold. The road ahead may be hidden. Yet if Christ is calling, courage moves us to step forward. Each act of trust, no matter how small, strengthens us to follow Him more faithfully.
Saint’s Teaching:
St. Teresa of Ávila knew well what it meant to face storms. She endured illness, criticism, misunderstanding, and many obstacles in her reform of the Carmelite order. Yet she pressed on with steadfast trust in God.
She encouraged her sisters with words that still speak to us today: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing; God never changes.”
Her courage was not loud or dramatic. It was rooted in the quiet conviction that God is faithful, that His presence is stronger than fear, and that He never abandons His children.
Guided Application Questions:
In what part of my life is fear holding me back from following God’s call? Bring that fear to prayer and hear Christ’s words spoken to you: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
How can I take one step forward in trust, even if I cannot see the whole path? Ask the Lord for the grace of courage, and act on one small step today.
When I hesitate, how can I remember to pray: “Jesus, I trust in You”? Offer that moment to God and move forward with confidence in His care.
Closing Prayer:
Almighty God, You strengthened St. Teresa of Ávila to trust You in times of trial.
Grant me the gift of holy courage to follow wherever You call.
Calm my fears with the words of Your Son: “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
Through Christ our Lord.
The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
Generosity
Generosity is the second attitude of a discerning heart. In Catholic discernment, generosity means giving ourselves to God without reserve, echoing Mary’s fiat: “Let it be to me according to your word.” Inspired by the radical joy of St. Francis of Assisi, this reflection invites us to let go of conditions and respond to God’s call with a heart that trusts His goodness.
Scripture Reading: “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” (Luke 1:30–31, 38)
At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel brings Mary a message she could never have imagined. She is told she will conceive and bear the Son of God. Her whole life will change in a moment.
Mary’s response is simple yet profound: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She does not ask for guarantees. She does not negotiate terms. She simply offers herself, completely and without reserve, into the hands of God.
This is the heart of generosity: a willingness to give ourselves to God’s plan, even when we do not fully understand it. True generosity is not only about giving possessions or time, but about offering our very selves. It means holding nothing back, trusting that God’s will, though sometimes mysterious, is always rooted in love.
In the discerning heart, generosity frees us. When we cling to control or keep parts of our lives closed off from God, we carry burdens He never meant for us to carry. But when we give ourselves wholly to Him, we discover a freedom and joy that only surrender can bring.
Saint’s Teaching:
St. Francis of Assisi is a shining example of this kind of generosity. Born into wealth, he renounced every privilege, not out of bitterness, but out of joy. He discovered that by giving up possessions, reputation, and comfort, he was free to live entirely for God.
Francis did not simply give things away; he gave himself away. His life became a continual yes to God, echoing the fiat of Mary. In him, we see that generosity is not loss — it is the discovery of life in abundance.
Guided Application Questions:
In what ways do I place conditions on my willingness to follow God’s will? Ask Him to make your yes more complete, and pray for the grace to surrender freely.
How can I practice generosity of heart today? Choose one small act of love — a kindness, a sacrifice, or an offering of time — and give it to God with joy.
When I pray, how can I echo Mary’s words: “Let it be to me according to Your word”? Repeat her fiat slowly today, asking God to make it true in your own heart.
Closing Prayer:
Lord God, You filled the Blessed Virgin Mary with grace so she could say yes without hesitation.
Grant me a generous heart that holds nothing back from You.
Through the example of St. Francis of Assisi, teach me to surrender everything in love.
May my life echo Mary’s fiat: “Let it be done to me according to Your word.”
Through Christ our Lord.
The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
Openness
Openness is the first attitude of a discerning heart. In Catholic discernment, this means learning to listen with trust — to receive God’s word not only with our minds but with the “ear of the heart,” as St. Benedict teaches. In this episode, we explore how openness helps us recognize God’s voice, let go of our own expectations, and enter prayer with faith that His will is always good. Guided by Scripture and the wisdom of the saints, this reflection invites us to begin the journey of the Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart.
Scripture Reading: “The Lord came and stood forth, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:10)
When Samuel first heard God’s voice, he did not recognize it.
He thought it was the priest Eli calling him.
But once Eli guided him, Samuel responded with the words that would shape the rest of his life: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
That short prayer shows us the heart of openness.
It is the attitude of one who knows that God is speaking, and who chooses to listen with trust.
Openness does not mean coming to prayer empty of cares.
We are invited to bring our joys, our struggles, our needs, and our gratitude before the Lord.
But in the discerning heart, openness means that after laying these things at His feet, we do not cling to our own answers or expectations.
We trust that His ways are higher than our ways, and that His word may surprise us.
To be open is to make space for God to act in ways we could not have planned.
It is to say, “Lord, I am ready for whatever You desire in this moment.”
This is the attitude of the heart that discerns well.
Saint’s Teaching:
St. Benedict begins the Rule with these words: “Listen carefully, my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.”
The “ear of the heart” listens differently from the ear of the body.
It is tuned not just to sounds, but to the movements of God in silence, in Scripture, and in daily life.
In the discerning heart, openness means cultivating this kind of listening.
Not selective, not distracted, but attentive, willing, and ready to respond with love.
Guided Application Questions:
Am I truly open to God’s voice, or do I only want Him to confirm my own plans? Ask the Lord to show you one place where He is inviting you to listen more deeply.
In what part of my life am I clinging to my own expectations instead of trusting God’s desire for me? Pray: “Jesus, I trust in You. Not my will, but Yours be done.”
How can I begin to listen with the “ear of my heart” each day? Try setting aside a few minutes of silence today, asking God to speak, then simply rest in His presence.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open the ears of my heart to hear Your word.
Grant me the grace to listen as Samuel did, and to answer You with trust.
Through the intercession of St. Benedict, may I grow in the desire to follow You faithfully.
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
All Shall Be Well: A Journey Through Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love with Kris McGregor
Episode 12: The Fourteenth Shewing — Prayer, Trust, and Union with God
Summary:
In this episode, Julian of Norwich reveals the mystery of prayer as the soul’s union with God. She shows that Christ Himself is the ground of every prayer, the One who awakens the desire to pray, gives the words we offer, and delights to receive them. Prayer is not about changing God, who is always love, but about allowing ourselves to be changed, drawn more deeply into His mercy and will. Julian teaches that even when prayer feels dry or unanswered, it remains precious to God, for it rests in His eternal goodness. Whether in need or in gratitude, prayer unites us to Christ and becomes a share in His eternal joy
Full Julian of Norwich Quotations Used in Episode 11:
From Revelations of Divine Love, Long Text, Chapters 41-43, trans. Grace Warrack, Methuen & Co., 1901 (PDF edition).
God the Ground of Our Prayer
“AFTER this our Lord shewed concerning Prayer. In which Shewing I see two conditions in our Lord’s signifying: one is rightfulness, another is sure trust. But yet oftentimes our trust is not full: for we are not sure that God heareth us, as we think because of our unworthiness, and because we feel right nought, (for we are as barren and dry oftentimes after our prayers as we were afore); and this, in our feeling our folly, is cause of our weakness. For thus have I felt in myself.
And all this brought our Lord suddenly to my mind, and shewed these words, and said: I am Ground of thy beseeching: first it is my will that thou have it; and after, I make thee to will it; and after, I make thee to beseech it and thou beseechest it. How should it then be that thou shouldst not have thy beseeching?”
(Ch. 41)
“Full glad and merry is our Lord of our prayer; and He looketh thereafter and He willeth to have it because with His grace He maketh us like to Himself in condition as we are in kind: and so is His blissful will. Therefore He saith thus: Pray inwardly, though thee thinketh it savour thee not: for it is profitable, though thou feel not, though thou see nought; yea, though thou think thou canst not. For in dryness and in barrenness, in sickness and in feebleness, then is thy prayer well-pleasant to me, though thee thinketh it savour thee nought but little. And so is all thy believing prayer in my sight. For the meed and the endless thanks that He will give us, therefor He is covetous to have us pray continually in His sight.” (Ch. 41)
“And also to prayer belongeth thanking. Thanking is a true inward knowing, with great reverence and lovely dread turning ourselves with all our mights unto the working that our good Lord stirreth us to, enjoying and thanking inwardly. And sometimes, for plenteousness it breaketh out with voice, and saith: Good Lord, I thank Thee! Blessed mayst Thou be! And sometime when the heart is dry and feeleth not, or else by temptation of our enemy,—then it is driven by reason and by grace to cry upon our Lord with voice, rehearing His blessed Passion and His great Goodness; and the virtue of our Lord’s word turneth into the soul and quickeneth the heart and entereth it by His grace into true working, and maketh it pray right blissfully. And truly to enjoy our Lord, it is a full blissful thanking in His sight.” (Ch. 41)
The True Understanding of Prayer
“OUR Lord God willeth that we have true understanding, and specially in three things that belong to our prayer. The first is: by whom and how that our prayer springeth. By whom, He sheweth when He saith: I am [the] Ground; and how, by His Goodness: for He saith first: It is my will. The second is: in what manner and how we should use our prayer; and that is that our will be turned unto the will of our Lord, enjoying: and so meaneth He when He saith: I make thee to will it. The third is that we should know the fruit and the end of our prayers: that is, that we be oned and like to our Lord in all things; and to this intent and for this end was all this lovely lesson shewed. And He will help us, and we shall make it so as He saith Himself;—Blessed may He be!” (Ch. 41)
“For prayer is a right understanding of that fulness of joy that is to come, with welllonging and sure trust. Failing of our bliss that we be kindly ordained to, maketh us to long; true understanding and love, with sweet mind in our Saviour, graciously maketh us to trust. And in these two workings our Lord beholdeth us continually: for it is our due part, and His Goodness may no less assign to us. Thus it belongeth to us to do our diligence; and when we have done it, then shall us yet think that [it] is nought,—and sooth it is. But if we do as we can, and ask, in truth, for mercy and grace, all that faileth us we shall find in Him. And thus signifieth He where He saith: I am Ground of thy beseeching. And thus in this blessed word, with the Shewing, I saw a full overcoming against all our weakness and all our doubtful dreads.”(Ch. 42)
Prayer Unites the Soul to God
“PRAYER oneth the soul to God. For though the soul be ever like to God in kind and substance, restored by grace, it is often unlike in condition, by sin on man’s part. Then is prayer a witness that the soul willeth as God willeth; and it comforteth the conscience and enableth man to grace. And thus He teacheth us to pray, and mightily to trust that we shall have it. For He beholdeth us in love and would make us partners of His good deed, and therefore He stirreth us to pray for that which it pleaseth him to do. For which prayer and good will, that we have of His gift, He will reward us and give us endless meed.” (Ch. 43)
“For when the soul is tempested, troubled, and left to itself by unrest, then it is time to pray, for to make itself pliable and obedient to God. (But the soul by no manner of prayer maketh God pliant to it: for He is ever alike in love.) And this I saw: that what time we see needs wherefor we pray, then our good Lord followeth us, helping our desire; and when we of His special grace plainly behold Him, seeing none other needs, then we follow Him and He draweth us unto Him by love. For I saw and felt that His marvellous and plentiful Goodness fulfilleth all our powers; and therewith I saw that His continuant working in all manner of things is done so goodly, so wisely, and so mightily, that it overpasseth all our imagining, and all that we can ween and think; and then we can do no more but behold Him, enjoying, with an high, mighty desire to be all oned unto Him,—centred to His dwelling,—and enjoy in His loving and delight in His goodness.” (Ch. 43)
Scripture Featured
(Translations used: Revised Standard Version [RSV-CE] )
(Romans 8:26)
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.”
(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.”
(Romans 12:12)
“Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
(Psalm 46:10)
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
“Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. It is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 258)
“Every joy and suffering, every event and need can become the matter for thanksgiving which, sharing in that of Christ, should fill one’s whole life: ‘Give thanks in all circumstances.’” (CCC 2648)
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or ‘out of the depths’ of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted. Humility is the foundation of prayer.” (CCC 2559)
“The Holy Spirit, the artisan of God’s works, teaches us to pray in hope. Conversely, prayer nourishes hope.”(CCC 2657)
“Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all.” (CCC 2697)
“Contemplative prayer is silence, the ‘symbol of the world to come’ or ‘silent love.’ Words in this kind of prayer are not speeches; they are like kindling that feeds the fire of love. In this silence, unbearable to the ‘outer’ man, the Father speaks to us his incarnate Word, who suffered, died, and rose; in this silence the Spirit of adoption enables us to share in the prayer of Jesus.”(CCC 2717).
Reflection Questions for Prayer
Julian teaches that Christ is the Ground of our prayer, the One who begins every petition. How does this change the way you see your own prayer — especially in times of dryness or discouragement?
She reminds us that God is “full glad and merry” in our prayer, even when it feels barren. Where in your life do you need to trust that your hidden, ordinary prayers are truly pleasing to Him?
Julian links prayer with thanksgiving, even in trials. How can you let gratitude shape your daily prayer, so that even weakness and suffering become occasions for praise?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, You who revealed to Julian that You are the Ground of our prayer, stir within us the desire to seek You always. When our hearts are dry or distracted, remind us that You delight in our prayer. When we feel weak, teach us to trust in Your strength. Draw us into thanksgiving, that every sigh and every song may rise to You in praise. Unite us to Yourself in love, until our prayer is fulfilled in the joy of seeing You face to face, where all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.
Fr. Basil Nortz – Holy Silence, Part 2 on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Fr. Basil Nortz and Kris McGregor continue their discussion the book Holy Silence: A Practical Guide to Recollection in God. It explains the significance of silence in deepening one’s spiritual life, particularly through the concept of liturgical memory, where the events of Christ’s passion and the Eucharist become present realities. He also highlights the necessity of interior silence, noting how distractions, internal conversations, and self-directed thoughts can hinder true prayer. Fr. Nortz stresses that silence enables a deeper union with God and facilitates a more attentive and recollected state in daily life.
The book covers various types of silence, such as the silence of judgment, self-love, emotions, and the will. Fr. Nortz discusses the importance of surrendering to God’s providence, embracing purification, and practicing humility, especially in an era of constant opinions and digital noise. He also addresses the role of sacraments, particularly confession and the Eucharist, in attaining inner peace. The ultimate goal of these practices is to cultivate a profound silence of union, where one experiences God’s presence beyond external circumstances.
“Fr. Basil Nortz masterfully builds upon the classic reflections of Sr. Marie-Aimée de Jésus, a nineteenth-century spiritual mystic and Carmelite nun, on the twelve degrees of silence. By cultivating these types of silence, you will find out how you can — even amid your busy days filled with chatter, commotion, and noise — listen to the voice of God.
In these profound pages you will find ways to overcome your fear of silence and discover:
Keys to obeying God’s will
Kinds of silence that are holy and kinds that are unholy
Ten tips on what to do — and what to avoid — to bridle your senses
Seven ways to guard your imagination and foster recollection
How to direct your emotions with reason and foster silence of the heart
Effective ways of responding to injustice
You will learn the one sinful attitude that cuts us off from the merciful forgiveness of God and will acquire ways to stop passing judgment against others. Additionally, you will learn the most important attitude that disposes us to God’s plans and allows us to enter into His love and converse with Him affectionately throughout the day. Moreover, you will find practical techniques for overcoming distractions in prayer and advice from the saints on methods of meditation to develop silence of the spirit.
Above all, you will glean how to maintain peace of soul and live free from anxiety and despair, regardless of temptations or life’s battles. By relying totally on God, you will fearlessly rise after falls and begin again. You will begin to see the loving hand of God in all things, contemplate the light of His presence, and “be still” in the silence of His love.
“Holy silence is what helps the soul acquire the strength necessary to bear the presence of the all-pure God, who is ipsum esse subsistens (subsistent being itself),” explains Fr. Nortz. “The intensity of that fullness, far from inspiring languid inaction, produces a vibrant joyfulness that St. John expresses in the book of Revelation in terms of the saints singing with full voice.” “
About the Author: Reverend Basil Nortz, O.R.C., is a priest in the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross. He graduated from Christendom College in 1986 with a B.A. in theology. His seminary studies were at the Insitutum Sapientiae in Anapolis, Brazil.
Fr. Basil Nortz – Holy Silence, Part 1 on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Fr. Basil Nortz discusses his book Holy Silence: A Practical Guide to Recollection in God, showing how silence is an active and positive disposition that opens the soul to God. Inspired by a 19th-century Carthusian nun’s list of 12 types of silence, he developed this framework over years of retreats and pastoral work. True silence is not merely an absence of noise but a means of deepening one’s attentiveness to God’s voice. Drawing from the wisdom of the saints, he explores different forms of silence, such as those of speech, body, senses, imagination, and memory. Each serves to protect interior peace and foster recollection in a world filled with constant distractions. Cultivating holy silence helps believers grow spiritually, recognize God’s will, and resist the unnecessary noise that can drown out divine guidance.
Fr. Nortz also discusses the role of angels in guiding the soul and the need for discipline in speech and media consumption. He warns against the dangers of defamation, excessive communication, and sensory overload while encouraging engagement with sacred art, quality literature, and uplifting music. Monastic wisdom, such as reciting the Sanctus before activities, provides practical ways to maintain awareness of God’s presence. By practicing silence properly, believers create an inner sanctuary where God dwells, leading to a deeper life of contemplation and union with Him.
How can embracing silence in daily life help deepen your relationship with God and strengthen your interior peace?
Which types of silence—speech, body, senses, imagination, or memory—present the greatest challenge in your spiritual journey, and how can you cultivate them more intentionally?
What practical steps can you take to limit unnecessary noise, whether from media, conversations, or technology, to create space for recollection and prayer?
How can greater discipline in speech, including avoiding gossip, detraction, and idle talk, reflect a deeper commitment to holiness and love for others?
How do the images, stories, and memories you engage with shape your spiritual life, and what changes might help purify your imagination and recollection?
In what ways can a stronger awareness of your guardian angel’s presence help you recognize God’s guidance and resist spiritual distractions?
How can surrounding yourself with sacred art, quality literature, and uplifting music draw your mind and heart closer to God’s presence?
What lessons from the Desert Fathers, Benedictines, and other spiritual traditions can be applied to modern life to foster a greater sense of recollection and devotion?
How does cultivating silence help you recognize God’s providence in the details of your life, rather than seeing events as random or dictated by fate?
What adjustments in your prayer life can help incorporate silence as an essential means of listening to God and growing in intimacy with Him?
“Fr. Basil Nortz masterfully builds upon the classic reflections of Sr. Marie-Aimée de Jésus, a nineteenth-century spiritual mystic and Carmelite nun, on the twelve degrees of silence. By cultivating these types of silence, you will find out how you can — even amid your busy days filled with chatter, commotion, and noise — listen to the voice of God.
In these profound pages you will find ways to overcome your fear of silence and discover:
Keys to obeying God’s will
Kinds of silence that are holy and kinds that are unholy
Ten tips on what to do — and what to avoid — to bridle your senses
Seven ways to guard your imagination and foster recollection
How to direct your emotions with reason and foster silence of the heart
Effective ways of responding to injustice
You will learn the one sinful attitude that cuts us off from the merciful forgiveness of God and will acquire ways to stop passing judgment against others. Additionally, you will learn the most important attitude that disposes us to God’s plans and allows us to enter into His love and converse with Him affectionately throughout the day. Moreover, you will find practical techniques for overcoming distractions in prayer and advice from the saints on methods of meditation to develop silence of the spirit.
Above all, you will glean how to maintain peace of soul and live free from anxiety and despair, regardless of temptations or life’s battles. By relying totally on God, you will fearlessly rise after falls and begin again. You will begin to see the loving hand of God in all things, contemplate the light of His presence, and “be still” in the silence of His love.
“Holy silence is what helps the soul acquire the strength necessary to bear the presence of the all-pure God, who is ipsum esse subsistens (subsistent being itself),” explains Fr. Nortz. “The intensity of that fullness, far from inspiring languid inaction, produces a vibrant joyfulness that St. John expresses in the book of Revelation in terms of the saints singing with full voice.” “
About the Author: Reverend Basil Nortz, O.R.C., is a priest in the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross. He graduated from Christendom College in 1986 with a B.A. in theology. His seminary studies were at the Insitutum Sapientiae in Anapolis, Brazil.
Fr. Quan Tran – The Imitation of Mary on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Fr. Quan Tran joins Kris McGregor to discuss his book The Imitation of Mary: Keys to Growth in Virtue and Grace and his ministry, Fullness of Grace. Drawing on Scripture and the saints, he distills twelve Marian qualities—beginning with humility and confidence in God—and shows how grace always invites a free, active response. Each chapter ends with short, concrete practices so the teaching becomes lived: conforming our will to God’s, cultivating sacrificial love (Aquinas’ “to will the good of the other,” elevated to agape), practicing self-forgetfulness and acceptance, and removing everyday obstacles to holiness (phone habits, unguarded media, poor boundaries). He urges steady prayer and deep union with the Lord, noting that the fruits of the sacraments—especially the Eucharist and Confession—depend partly on our interior disposition.
Fr. Tran presents Mary as mother and model who faced real trials yet responded with a continual “yes.” He addresses hesitation about Marian devotion by returning to Christ’s gift of His Mother and to her role in leading us closer to Him. The book, suitable for personal use or group study, synthesizes classic spiritual themes—abandonment to Providence, docility to God’s will—into a practical path for daily growth in holiness, one intentional choice at a time.
Where is pride subtly shaping my choices, and what concrete act of hidden humility could I do today?
In what situation do I need to place fresh confidence in God rather than in my own plans?
How am I practically living Mary’s counsel to “do whatever He tells you” in this season?
What grace might be “passing by my door” because I’m not responding promptly or wholeheartedly?
Where can I practice love as sacrifice—giving up time, comfort, or preference for another’s true good?
When have I chosen self-forgetfulness over self-focus this week, and what did it free in me?
Can I accept being unappreciated for doing good, entrusting the outcome to God?
How attentive and reverent is my disposition at Mass and Confession, and how could I prepare better?
What small, specific step would deepen my daily prayer and union with the Lord?
About the Book
“Our Lord is constantly pouring out graces upon mankind, yet only a few — those closest to His heart — know how to receive them. Sadly, countless graces are left unclaimed (likely many by you!) and are thus never allowed to further God’s will on earth.
How different our lives would be if we accessed God’s grace more intentionally!
Thankfully, God in His compassion gave us a perfect model for disposing ourselves to His graces and responding to them: the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In The Imitation of Mary, Fr. Quan Tran shows you how to imitate the twelve essential qualities of Mary in order to unleash a torrent of graces in your life. He explains that, like any gift, grace must be received, opened, and used. As you learn how, you’ll begin to acquire the temperaments, dispositions, and qualities that are most pleasing to God — and you’ll serve as a channel of God’s grace for others.
You’ll also learn:
The three major obstacles to living a life of faith
What to do if you experience a crisis of faith
The four levels of happiness — and how to acquire them
How it’s possible for you to merit an increase in graces
Seven ways you can cultivate a rich devotion to Our Lady
The difference between sanctifying grace and actual grace
The four effects that grace will have on your soul”
About the Author
Fr. Quan Tran is a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of Orange in California. Father Tran is currently a Parochial Vicar at St. Bonaventure parish in Huntington Beach. He is also the Secretary to the Pastoral Provision for Bishop Kevin Vann.
David Scott – The Love That Made Mother Teresa on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
In this episode, Kris McGregor and David Scott discuss his book The Love That Made Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa’s life reveals that God is love, not in abstract terms but through tangible works of mercy. Anecdotes highlight her care for the sick, the dying, and the forgotten, showing love expressed in small but profound acts. Scott notes that her childhood—marked by her mother’s openness to the poor—helped shape this vision, and her vocation was further clarified through her “call within a call.” Mother Teresa’s “little way,” akin to St. Thérèse’s spirituality, demonstrated how holiness is lived through daily acts of generosity rather than grand gestures.
The book explores her toughness and courage, her kinship with figures like Dorothy Day, and the hidden sufferings she endured, including spiritual darkness. Scott frames her witness as God’s response to a century dominated by ideologies that devalued the human person—she embodied a “revolution of love” that countered worldly powers. Her legacy continues through the Missionaries of Charity and her enduring example of Matthew 25 lived out: feeding the hungry, comforting the afflicted, and recognizing Christ in those most difficult to love. The takeaway is simple yet demanding: to “do little things with great love,” allowing even small sacrifices in everyday life to transform hearts and the world.
The countless sweet photos of her smiling at babies showed Mother Teresa to be a single-minded advocate for the poor. But she was a woman with a will whose strength has been matched by few souls in history. Mother Teresa broke death’s stranglehold on the poor of Calcutta, and she showed us how to conquer the sin and darkness in what she called the “slums of the hearts of modern man.”
Part biography and part spiritual reading, these pages bring to light little-known stories from Mother Teresa’s life that will help you to grow in your love of God. You will learn her approach to reading Scripture, what enabled her to persevere through agonizing nights, and the remarkable — some would say mystical — events that led her to start the Missionaries of Charity.
In considering Mother Teresa, her private visions, and her secret sufferings, David Scott has discovered scores of early episodes and chance encounters that point to later, larger meanings. These remarkable patterns, he suggests, show that Mother Teresa’s life was choreographed from above, as if a divine script had been written for her from before her birth.
In these pages, you will meet for the first time the Mother Teresa who challenged the ancient Goddess of Death and became the first saint of our global village. You will read her long-secret letters describing the dark nights of her soul. The woman you will meet is one that God Himself sent to you as a clear sign that despite pain and suffering in our lives and in our world, God’s good love will prevail . . . beginning in the slums of our hearts.
We are all called to holiness, and the saints are sent to us as “real life” examples of God’s love. With Mother Teresa as your guide, you’ll learn how to follow God’s call and find holiness in a world marked by the shadow of death and growing indifference to God. Indeed, you’ll learn how to be an everyday missionary of Christ’s love in the ordinary activities of your daily life.
About the Author
David Scott is the current Vice Chancellor of Communications in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and former Editor of Our Sunday Visitor. Scott has published several books, including studies of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and Dorothy Day. Hundreds of his essays and articles have appeared in journals and periodicals throughout the world, including the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, as well as National Review, Commonweal, Crisis, Inside the Vatican, National Catholic Register, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Beliefnet.com and elsewhere. Scott holds a master’s degree in religion and scripture from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Susan Conroy – Praying with Mother Teresa on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Susan Conroy reflects on her friendship with Mother Teresa, which began when she was 21 and traveled to Calcutta to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. She recalls the joy and peace that radiated from Mother Teresa’s presence, describing it as an encounter with holiness that overflowed into her own service among the poor and suffering. Susan highlights Mother Teresa’s humility, noting that despite global recognition and awards, she lived with deep self-forgetfulness, seeing herself only as a simple instrument in God’s hands. This humility revealed a profound truth about sanctity: greatness is found in becoming small, gentle, and surrendered to God’s will.
The discussion also explores the themes found in Susan’s book Praying with Mother Teresa, which shares the prayers and spiritual practices Mother Teresa lived daily. Mother Teresa taught that the first vocation of every person, including her own sisters, is to belong to Christ, and from that relationship flows the mission of serving others. She invites us to see their own “Calcutta” in family, home, and community, where acts of love, patience, and kindness are most needed. Through stories and insights, Susan conveys that Mother Teresa’s legacy is not merely admiration but imitation—living a mission of love rooted in humility, prayer, and closeness to Christ.
How does Mother Teresa’s humility challenge your understanding of true greatness before God?
Where do you notice “heavenly joy” arising in the midst of difficult or messy places in your life?
In what concrete ways can you “belong to Jesus” first, before any external service today?
Who in your home most needs your patience and kindness right now, and what will you do about it?
What would it look like to let God “write the story” while you remain a simple instrument in his hand?
Where is your “Calcutta” nearby—someone lonely, sick, or forgotten whom you can love this week?
How might you move from admiring holy people to imitating their virtues in daily choices?
After receiving Holy Communion, how will you allow Christ to shine through you in practical actions?
When did you last leave someone “better and happier,” and how can that become your daily habit?
Which moments at home reveal your “true colors,” and how can grace reshape them?
From the book description
Praying with Mother Teresa brings us into the heart of Mother Teresa’s prayer life! Author Susan Conroy, a personal friend of Mother Teresa, gives us a meditative look at Mother Teresa’s insights on suffering, joy, peace, humility, and poverty, and brings us right into the prayer life of one of the most beloved women of our time, Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Each prayer has been carefully, and prayerfully, selected for use in daily prayer. Mother Teresa gave Susan her blessing and approval to share these words and prayers with others “to bring them peace and joy too.”
About the Author
In the summer of 1986, 21-year-old Susan Conroy journeyed to Calcutta alone to help the Missionaries of Charity. She developed a personal friendship with Mother Teresa that lasted throughout the course of 11 years, until Mother Teresa was called home to God. Susan is the author of nine books, including bestselling Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love & Secrets of Sanctity, and lives in Portland, Maine.
All Shall Be Well: A Journey Through Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love with Kris McGregor
Episode 11: The Thirteenth Shewing (Part 3) —
Sin, Contrition, and the Tenderness of God’s Love
Summary:
In this episode, we are guided into a deeper into the closing chapters of the Thirteenth Shewing. Julian confronts the painful reality of sin, but also the astonishing way God transforms even our wounds into worship. She sees how contrition, compassion, and longing for God purify the soul and prepare it for heaven, and how shame is turned into joy. Julian insists there is no harder hell than sin itself, yet reminds us that Christ’s mercy always seeks to heal and restore. Through her visions, she teaches us to hate sin for love of God while endlessly loving the soul as God loves it. This episode concludes with Julian’s reassurance that we are kept securely in God’s mercy, called to live lives of repentance, prayer, and sacramental grace as we await the day when truly “all shall be well.
Full Julian of Norwich Quotations Used in Episode 11:
From Revelations of Divine Love, Long Text, Chapters XXXVII-XL, trans. Grace Warrack, Methuen & Co., 1901 (PDF edition).
The Universality of Sin and the Tenderness of God
“GOD brought to my mind that I should sin. And for pleasance that I had in beholding of Him, I attended not readily to that shewing; and our Lord full mercifully abode, and gave me grace to attend. And this shewing I took singularly to myself; but by all the gracious comfort that followeth, as ye shall see, I was learned to take it for all mine even-Christians: all in general and nothing in special: though our Lord shewed me that I should sin, by me alone is understood all.”(Ch. 37)
When Sin Is Turned to Worship
“Also God shewed that sin shall be no shame to man, but worship. For right as to every sin is answering a pain by truth, right so for every sin, to the same soul is given a bliss by love: right as diverse sins are punished with diverse pains according as they be grievous, right so shall they be rewarded with diverse joys in Heaven according as they have been painful and sorrowful to the soul in earth. For the soul that shall come to Heaven is precious to God, and the place so worshipful that the goodness of God suffereth never that soul to sin that shall come there without that the which sin shall be rewarded; and it is made known without end, and blissfully restored by overpassing worship.” (Ch. 38)
The Three Medicines of the Soul
“As long as we are in this life, what time that we by our folly turn us to the beholding of the reproved, tenderly our Lord God toucheth us and blissfully calleth us, saying in our soul: Let be all thy love, my dearworthy child: turn thee to me — I am enough to thee — and enjoy in thy Saviour and in thy salvation. And that this is our Lord’s working in us, I am sure the soul that hath understanding therein by grace shall see it and feel it.
And though it be so that this deed be truly taken for the general Man, yet it excludeth not the special. For what our good Lord will do by His poor creatures, it is now unknown to me.” (Ch. 39)
Hating Sin, Loving the Soul
“But now if any man or woman because of all this spiritual comfort that is aforesaid, be stirred by folly to say or to think: If this be true, then were it good to sin so as to have the more meed, or else to charge the less guilt to sin, beware of this stirring: for verily if it come it is untrue, and of the enemy of the same true love that teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love. I am sure by mine own feeling, the more that any kind soul seeth this in the courteous love of our Lord God, the lother he is to sin and the more he is ashamed. For if afore us were laid together all the pains in Hell and in Purgatory and in Earth, death and other, and by itself sin, we should rather choose all that pain than sin. For sin is so vile and so greatly to be hated that it may be likened to no pain which is not sin. And to me was shewed no harder hell than sin. For a kind soul hath no hell but sin.” (Ch. 40)
“And [when] we give our intent to love and meekness, by the working of mercy and grace we are made all fair and clean. As mighty and as wise as God is to save men, so willing He is. For Christ Himself is [the] ground of all the laws of Christian men, and He taught us to do good against ill: here may we see that He is Himself this charity, and doeth to us as He teacheth us to do. For He willeth that we be like Him in wholeness of endless love to ourself and to our even-Christians: no more than His love is broken to us for our sin, no more willeth He that our love be broken to ourself and to our even-Christians: but [that we] endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loveth it. Then shall we hate sin like as God hateth it, and love the soul as God loveth it. And this word that He said is an endless comfort: I keep thee securely.” (Ch. 40)
Scripture Featured
(Translations used: Revised Standard Version [RSV] )
(1 John 1:8–9)
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(Romans 5:20)
“Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
“Sin is present in human history; any attempt to ignore it or to give this dark reality other names would be futile.” (CCC 386)
“To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity’s rejection of God and opposition to him, even as it continues to weigh heavy on human life and history.” (CCC 386)
“There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer.” (CCC 605)
“Sin is an offense against God: ‘Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.’ Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it.” (CCC 1805)
“Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are at the same time reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins. This sacrament imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles.” (CCC 1422)
“The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which ‘binds everything together in perfect harmony.’ It is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and goal of their Christian practice.” (CCC 1827).
Reflection Questions for Prayer
Julian tells us that sin is “no harder hell” than itself, yet God keeps us securely in His love. How does this shape the way you see your own struggles with sin?
She urges us to endlessly hate sin but endlessly love the soul. In your life, what does it mean to hold that balance in relationships with others and with yourself?
Julian’s witness is that mercy, compassion, and longing for God turn wounds into worship. Where do you see God already transforming sorrow into joy in your journey??
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, You who revealed to Julian that all shall be well, teach us to hate sin as You do, but to love the soul as You love. Grant us contrition to be cleansed, compassion to be made ready, and holy longing to be made worthy of heaven. Keep us securely in Your mercy, and let every wound be healed into worship. May we walk in the hope of Your promise, until we are one with You forever.
The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
The Seven Attitudes of a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor
