Series Archives

BWPM 3 – A Heart Filled with Praise – A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V. Podcast

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Episode 3 – A Heart Filled with Praise- A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

We continue our conversation with Fr. Gallagher discussing the encouragements given by Venerable Bruno Lanteri in regards to a biblical way of praying the Mass. In this episode, Fr. Gallagher reflects on the Gloria

Glory to God in the highest (raise your heart on high; let it express joyful praise of God),

and on earth peace to people of good will (ask for God’s peace on this troubled earth).

We praise you (pause simply to recognize God’s love and goodness),

we bless you (pronounce his name with love and reverence; bless him for his works of love),

we adore you (lift your heart in reverent and joyful adoration of his love, his goodness),

we glorify you (express your love for God, glorify him with your heart, your words, your life),

we give you thanks for your great glory (thank him for his saving work in the world and in your life),

Lord God, heavenly King (welcome him with love as Lord, as King in your life),

O God, almighty Father (open your heart to the love and power of our heavenly Father),

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son (turn now to Jesus, our Lord, the beloved Son in whom the Father takes delight),

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father (“Behold, the Lamb of God” [John 1:36]: see the divine Lamb; behold him; draw near to him with confidence),

you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us (ask with confidence for the mercy that takes away sin);

you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer (“Everyone who asks, receives” [Matt. 7:8]; present your prayer with trust in his promise);

you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us (“Therefore he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them” [Heb. 7:25]; ponder these words).

For you alone are the Holy one (acknowledge the unique holiness, goodness, and love of Jesus),

you alone are the Lord (“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” [Phil. 2:10–11]: profess him as the Lord of your life.),

you alone are the Most High (“you alone”: give him this special, unequalled place in your life, in your heart.),

Jesus Christ (the Son, our Savior), with the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Consoler), in the glory of God the Father (our loving Father in heaven). Amen.

Gallagher, Fr. Timothy; Gallagher, Fr Timothy . A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri (pp. 39-40). EWTN Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.

You can find A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass here

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org

For other Discerning Hearts Fr. Timothy Gallagher Podcasts visit here

AT10 – Loving the Excommunicate – Atonement with Dr. Margaret Turek and Evan Collins – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

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Loving the Excommunicate – Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology

Discerning Hearts presents a series of conversations between Dr. Margaret Turek and Evan Collins about her book, “Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology.”

You can pick up a copy of the book here:

An excerpt from the book:

“As if anticipating a too-narrow interpretation of the words “our” and “us” in these New Testament texts and the enveloping commentary, the Catechism immediately adds: “At the end of the parable of the lost sheep Jesus recalled that God’s love excludes no one: ‘So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish’ (Mt 18:14). He affirms that he came ‘to give his life as a ransom for many’; this last term is not restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique person of the redeemer who hands himself over to save us (Mt 20:28; cf. Rom 5:18–19).”35 With unmistakable consistency, from paragraph no. 50 through no. 618 and beyond, the Catechism interprets the biblical testimony as refraining from placing restrictions on God’s love for sinners. Instead, it avows the universal scope of “the Father’s plan of divine salvation” in sending his Son as atonement for the sins of all, for the sake of all, for love of all.”Turek, Margaret. Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology (pp. 128-129). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

From the book’s description:

“This book presents the chief insights concerning the mystery of atonement in the works of four theological guides: John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Norbert Hoffmann.

The author argues for the central importance and perennial value of a theology of atonement, even as she explains the modern aversion to it. The book’s central aim is to deepen our understanding of the biblical claim that God shows himself to be love precisely by sending his Son as atonement. “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10).

The book develops a compelling vision of atonement as a process that originates from and is engendered by God’s own power to love. This vision not only takes account of the gravity of sin and its consequences but also provides a clear illumination of the wholly gratuitous, radically forgiving, passionate and powerful nature of God’s redeeming love for mankind. Distinct from the majority of theological accounts of atonement, which focus almost exclusively on the role of Christ, this book highlights the role of God the Father in the atoning mission of the Son.”

Episode 14 – The Spirit of the Liturgy – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

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What is a “rite,” and why are there so many? Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro untangle the meaning of different liturgical styles with the help of Joseph Ratzinger’s “The Spirit of the Liturgy.”

You can find the book here

In honor of its fortieth anniversary (1978–2018), Ignatius Press presents a special Commemorative Edition of one of the most important works written by Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy.

This edition includes the earlier classic work with the same title by Servant of God Romano Guardini, a book that helped Ratzinger to “rediscover the liturgy in all its beauty, hidden wealth and time-transcending grandeur, to see it as the animating center of the Church, the very center of Christian life.”

Considered by Ratzinger devotees as one of his greatest works, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the liturgy will help readers to deepen their understanding of the”great prayer of the Church”. The cardinal discusses fundamental misunderstandings of the Second Vatican Council’s intentions for liturgical renewal, especially about the priest’s orientation of prayer to the Father, the placement of the tabernacle in churches, and the posture of kneeling.

Other important topics are the essence of worship, the Jewish roots of Christian prayer, the relationship of the liturgy to time and space, sacred art and music, and the active participation of the faithful in the Mass.

BWPM2 – O God, Be Merciful – A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass w/ Fr. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V. Podcast

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Episode 2 – O God, Be Merciful – A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.

Take a moment now to ponder the tax collector’s prayer (Luke 18:9–14). Consider his heart: his sincerity, his openness, his contrition, his desire to change, and his trust in God’s mercy. Pray for a heart like his. Then, with his same sentiments, slowly pray these words:

I confess to almighty God (the God whose infinite love and mercy we know)
and to you, my brothers and sisters (before whom also we accept our responsibility),
that I have greatly sinned (humble recognition, like the tax collector),
in my thoughts and in my words (how I have thought of others and how I have spoken),
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do (my actions and my omissions),
through my fault, through my fault (I accept my responsibility), through my most grievous fault (and accept it again with a humble heart);
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin (my heart lifts as I ponder her tender love),
all the Angels and Saints (my heart lifts further as I contemplate the multitude of angels and saints who love me),
and you, my brothers and sisters (I ask this, too, of those present here with me),
to pray for me to the Lord our God (with confidence, I ask for the prayers of all these). * * *

Now, with a heart like the tax collector’s, pray the following words. Pause briefly at each invocation. The biblical verse cited may assist this meditation. As you pray, feel the healing grace of the God who is “nothing but mercy and love” (Saint Thérèse): Lord, have mercy.

(“Lord, you are good and forgiving, most loving to all who call on you” [Ps. 86:5].)
Lord, have mercy. (“With the Lord is mercy, with him is plenteous redemption” [Ps 130:7].)
Christ, have mercy. (A prayer to Jesus from the heart: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean” [Matt. 8:2].)

Christ, have mercy. (Again, from the heart: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” [Mark 10:47].)
Lord, have mercy. (“God, who is rich in mercy . . . brought us to life with Christ” [Eph. 2:4–5].
Our God is rich in mercy.) Lord, have mercy. (“Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy” [Heb. 4:16].)

Pray these invocations in this way, with these sentiments, when you are at Mass.

Gallagher, Fr. Timothy; Gallagher, Fr Timothy . A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri (pp. 34-35). EWTN Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.

You can find A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass here

For other Discerning Hearts Fr. Timothy Gallagher Podcasts visit here

HSE9 – The Reasons for Spiritual Desolation – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J. – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

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The Reasons for Spiritual Desolation – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

Fr. Anthony Wieck and Kris McGregor continue this series centered around the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Fr. Wieck discusses reasons we often fall into desolation.

An excerpt from the conversation:

“A critical piece of the discernment of spirits is this toggling back and forth from one side to another, between consolation and desolation. Now, this is a really critical insight of Saint Ignatius. So helpful. Imagine there’s two angles at which we serve the Lord, either through consolation on one side and desolation from the other side, so consolation or desolation. In consolation, so he defines his terms very well, thankfully, he calls it an interior movement in which the soul is inflamed with love of its creator and Lord. And therefore, it can love everything on the face of the Earth and the Lord, kind of like the principle of foundation, all things are created to the praise, reverence, and service of God. I should use them insofar as they help me to praise, reverence, and serve God.

So in consolation, I feel inflamed with the love of God, I want to grow in the love of God. I’m so grateful to be alive. I can, he says, “even shed tears from love,” love of my Lord, perhaps even from sorrow from my sin, so that would be in consolation, spiritual consolation we’re speaking about. Spiritual consolation, I might be sorry for my sins, or the passion of Christ, what he’s done for me. I’m amazed by that. Everything leads towards the praise, reverence, and service of God, though. Note that direction, that direction, so in spiritual consolation, I feel buoyant. “I feel an increase,” he says, “in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. I’m growing in the love of the Lord,” so wonderful experience. There’s an interior joy in me. I’m more and more attracted to heavenly things, and to the salvation of my soul. I’m feeling peace from our Lord. That’s a wonderful experience.”

Fr. Anthony Wieck is a Jesuit priest of the Central & Southern province. Sixth of nine children, raised on a farm in Oregon, Fr. Anthony began religious life in 1994, spending his first five years of formation in Rome, Italy, studying at the Casa Balthasar and the Gregorian. The former was under the watchful patronage of Pope Benedict XVI (then-Card. Joseph Ratzinger). Fr. Anthony currently acts as retreat master at the White House Jesuit Retreat in St. Louis, Missouri. He also offers spiritual direction at the St. Louis diocesan seminary for 25 future priests there.

AT9 – The Divine Love of Atonement – Atonement with Dr. Margaret Turek and Evan Collins – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

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The Divine Love of Atonement – Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology

Discerning Hearts presents a series of conversations between Dr. Margaret Turek and Evan Collins about her book, “Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology.”

You can pick up a copy of the book here:

An excerpt from the book:

“Since the patrogenetic structure of the process of redemption is a major theme of this book, we will pause briefly to showcase the emphasis that the Catechism places on the Father’s “universal redeeming love”. In the section entitled “Jesus Died Crucified”, the Catechism develops a line of instruction that leaves no doubt as to the nonrestrictive scope of the Father’s redeeming love for human beings: “By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: ‘In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins’ (1 Jn 4:10). God ‘shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us’ (Rom 5:8).”34 As if anticipating a too-narrow interpretation of the words “our” and “us” in these New Testament texts and the enveloping commentary, the Catechism immediately adds: “At the end of the parable of the lost sheep Jesus recalled that God’s love excludes no one: ‘So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish’ (Mt 18:14). He affirms that he came ‘to give his life as a ransom for many’; this last term is not restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique person of the redeemer who hands himself over to save us (Mt 20:28; cf. Rom 5:18–19).”35 With unmistakable consistency, from paragraph no. 50 through no. 618 and beyond, the Catechism interprets the biblical testimony as refraining from placing restrictions on God’s love for sinners. Instead, it avows the universal scope of “the Father’s plan of divine salvation” in sending his Son as atonement for the sins of all, for the sake of all, for love of all.”Turek, Margaret. Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology (pp. 128-129). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

From the book’s description:

The Good Shepherd and St. Pio – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

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Msgr. Esseff reflects on the readings from the 4th Sunday of Easter, and in particular, Our Lord’s teachings on the role of the Good Shepherd. At the end of this episode, Msgr. Esseff offers a prayer with St. Padre Pio for healing.

Prayer for Healing

Beloved Padre Pio,
Today I come to add my prayer to the thousands of prayers offered to thee every day by those who love and venerate thee. They ask for cures and healings, earthly and spiritual blessings, and peace for body and mind. And because of thy friendship with the Lord, He heals those thou doth ask to be healed, and forgives those thou forgiveth.

Through thy visible wounds of the Cross, which thou didst bear for fifty years, thou wert chosen in our time to glorify the crucified Jesus. Because the Cross has been replaced by other symbols, please help us to bring it back in our midst, for we acknowledge it is the only true sign of salvation. As we lovingly recall the wounds that pierced thy hands, feet and side, we not only remember the blood thou didst shed in pain, but thy smile, and the invisible halo of sweet-smelling flowers that surrounded thee, the perfume of sanctity.

In thy kindness, please help me with my own special request:

[mention here your petition, making the Sign of the Cross]

Bless me and my loved ones. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Pio

O God, Thou didst give Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, Capuchin priest, the great privilege of participating in a unique way in the Passion of Thy Son, grant me through his intercession the grace of . . . [name your request] which I ardently desire; and above all grant me the grace of living in conformity with the death of Jesus, to arrive at the glory of the resurrection.

Glory be to the Father . . . [three times].

St. Catherine of Siena – Passion for Truth: Beginning to Pray w/ Dr. Anthony Lilles

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Episode 22 – Beginning to Pray: St. Catherine of Siena

From Dr. Anthony Lilles’ “Beginning to Pray” blog site:

Catherine of Siena – Passion for Truth

She is an important figure for those who see a rediscovery of prayer as the force of renewal in the Church. Because she put her devotion to Christ first, she found herself with a spiritual mission to help restore the life and unity of Christ’s body. Some of her efforts met with a little success. But as she approached her death at the age of 33, her lifetime of effort in building up the Church seemed to be in vain. Corruption, scandal, cowardice – and most of all indifference – seemed to infect the Church even more. (For more on her life, go to http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03447a.htm.) Yet she never lost hope and she persevered in prayer. This is because she understood the love and mercy of God.

She was uneducated, but in 1377, by a miracle, she learned to write. Even so she retained secretaries to whom she dictated most of her thoughts. Her master work on the spiritual life is known as the Dialogues. These are conversations between her soul and God the Father. God the Father reveals his deep love for his Son and his plan to build up the Church. One of the beautiful aspects of this conversation is the Father’s explanation for how each soul can come to know Jesus.

Christ is the bridge to the Father and we cross this bridge by allowing our hearts to be pierced by what the Lord has done for us. The passion of Christ reveals at once the truth about who God is and who we are in his sight. For her, among the greatest blocks to the spiritual life is ignorance. Knowledge of God and knowledge of self go hand in hand in progressing toward spiritual maturity. But the knowing is not simply an intellectual trip. It as the kind of knowing informed by the loving affection of a real friendship. The friendship she describes in tender terms evokes the deepest joys and sorrows all at once.

The gift of tears, so central to early Dominican spirituality, is a beautiful part of this description. She presents those holy affections as the only proper response to the great love revealed in Christ crucified. These tears move us away from sin and into the very heart of God. She describes this as a journey that begins with kissing the feet of Jesus and entering into his wounded side. For her, intimacy with the Lord is always through the Cross and informed by a profound gratitude and humility.

One other beautiful feature of her spirituality is her understanding of virtue. This understanding is not quite classical in that she goes beyond the generic definition of a virtue as a good habit. Instead, she addresses a problem that is related to life in the Church. She notices that different Christians excel at different virtues. One might have a special aptitude for the art of getting on with others and is a special source of justice in the community. Another may be especially able to enter into the heart of someone enduring great difficulty and brings to the Church a particular awareness of mercy. Still another might have a profound gift of prayer. The question she takes up is why has the Father given different gifts to different members of the Body of Christ.

In the Dialogues, the Father explains to her that He has distributed his bountiful gifts in this way so that each member of the Body of Christ must rely on all the other members and at the same time each member bears a particular responsibility to support the Body of Christ commensurate to the gifts he has been given. In other words, his has distributed his gifts in a manner that disposes us to love one another. And the Father is counting on this mutual love, this genuine fellowship. It is part of His plan that as we cross Christ the Bridge we enter into communion with Him not merely individually, but together as a family.

The family of God requires a new kind of love, a love which only God can give us. A beautiful foundation is laid for what will later be understood as a “call within a call,” that particular mission each one is entrusted with in the eternal loving plan of God. On one hand, answering this call involves some suffering – just as Mother Theresa in our own time discovered. But those who endure this would not have it any other way. There is a certain joy and fullness of life that one discovers when one generously embraces the loving plan of the Father. The possibility of this joyful fulness makes Catherine’s message to the Church dynamically attractive.

For those beginning to pray, Catherine sheds light on the importance of truth, devotion to Christ and the life of the Church. These things organically hang together in her vision of the spiritual life so that growing in prayer goes beyond the merely therapeutic: it opens up the possibility of fully thriving, of living life to the full.

For other episodes in the series visit the Discerning Hearts page for Dr. Anthony Lilles

Episode 13 – The Spirit of the Liturgy – Fr. Joseph Fessio S.J., Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce FBC Podcast

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Rock music: is it good? Father Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro continue to unpack Pope Benedict’s analysis of music in ”The Spirit of the Liturgy.”

You can find the book here

In honor of its fortieth anniversary (1978–2018), Ignatius Press presents a special Commemorative Edition of one of the most important works written by Joseph Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy.

HSE8 – The Two Standards: Christ or the Enemy – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J. – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

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The Two Standards – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

Fr. Anthony Wieck and Kris McGregor continue this series centered around the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This episode focuses on the standards of Christ versus the standards of the Enemy.

An excerpt from the conversation:

“So Satan always is trying to tempt Jesus to focus on himself, and Jesus instead is constantly focused on the Father. His center is always on the Father. He’s eccentric. From and center, his center is always away from Himself in the Father. He’s a man in love. This is the son of God made flesh. You and I will only find ourselves in being in love. So all right. So that’s the temptation of Satan. And so creature comforts, by the way, in religious life, there’s a lot of temptations for little ways of taking a trip or maybe pocketing some money or things like that. Poverty, St. Ignatius says is the bulwark of the religious life.

So it’s the protecting bulwark of the religious life. And that will be the first to be attacked by Satan. It’s the first to go, pocket money on the side. People may give me, entitled to do certain things with money sent my way. We’ve seen some good priests in religious recently, very popular ones that have first fallen, allowed poverty to kind of be broken down, and then one thing leads to another, and then unfortunately, we read about them in the papers. It’s so sad and scandalous.

But that’s the common way Satan works with us. So we do have to watch all kinds of things like my wardrobe. Do I keep allowing new things to be brought in there, or do each time I add something, I subtract something also? Am I living a certain simplicity of life? That’s the invitation, not to keep needing more and more things to live a higher and higher standard of living. That’s the danger.”