Episode 30 – From Grim and Grumpy Souls, Good Lord Deliver Us
Dr. Regis Martin
Discerning Hearts is honored to host the reflections of Dr. Regis Martin. Filled with profound insights, wisdom, and joy, he is one of the most trustworthy guides one can have on the spiritual journey.
For years Regis Martin, STD, has been regaling audiences about the mysteries of God and Church, most especially his students at Franciscan University of Steubenville where he teaches theology. Author of half-dozen or more books, including The Suffering of Love(Ignatius, 2006),The Last Things(Ignatius Press, 2011), Still Point (Ave Maria, 2012), The Beggar’s Banquet(Emmaus Road, 2012), Witness to Wonder (Emmaus Road, 2017) his work frequently appears in Crises and The Catholic Thing.
“With love you may bring your heart to do whatsoever you may please. The hardest things become easy and pleasant, but without love you will find anything not only difficult but also impossible.” – John of Bonilla, OFM
We can achieve nothing in the spiritual life without creating quality space and time in our daily lives, for the prayer that gives us access to the same love that filled Jesus Christ and inspired everything he said and did.
This little book How to Pray –A Practical Guide to the Spiritual life by David Torkington, was published by Our Sunday Visitor. It was written for those prepared to restructure their daily lives to make time for the prayer where they can be transformed by the love that only God can give.
In the foreword to this new book from OSV, “How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life,” Sister Wendy Beckett wrote,
“There are no hideaways here, no excuses, but no alarming demands, either. Instead, Torkington seeks only to show us the truth, that truth that sets us free and convinces us that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden light. All we need is to understand and to choose. This book offers us the help we need to understand, and then the choice is ours.”
This is not your standard “prayer book” – it is not a compilation of Catholic prayers for you to just read. Rather, this is a series of 40 reflections on prayer intended to open you up to the transformation that is possible through prayer, through the love that God can give us through prayer.
Endorsement
“From here to eternity! For those drawn to contemplative prayer, David Torkington offers compelling clarity and common sense. Gentle kindness guides his practical counsel, and he is careful to help us see the solid principles in which he roots his insights. An authentic and reliable guard against counterfeits, his wisdom points to the heights and grounded-ness of the Catholic mystical tradition at a time when it is most needed.”
Dr. Anthony Lilles, STD: Associate Professor and Academic Dean of St John’s Seminary in Camarillo, as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the diocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years, he served the Church in Northern Colorado, where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.
Episode 25 Vatican II – Gaudium et Spes pt. 2 – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas
In this episode with Archbishop Lucas, we continue our conversation on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et spes (Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈɡau̯di.um et ˈspes], “Joy and Hope”), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council in 1965. It was the last and longest published document from the council and is the first constitution published by an ecumenical council to address the entire world.
Approved by a vote of 2,307 to 75 of the bishops assembled at the council, it was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965, the day the council ended.
22. The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come,(20) namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.
He Who is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15),(21) is Himself the perfect man. To the sons of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled,(22) by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too. For by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice(23) and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.(24)
As an innocent lamb He merited for us life by the free shedding of His own blood. In Him God reconciled us(25) to Himself and among ourselves; from bondage to the devil and sin He delivered us, so that each one of us can say with the Apostle: The Son of God “loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). By suffering for us He not only provided us with an example for our imitation,(26) He blazed a trail, and if we follow it, life and death are made holy and take on a new meaning.
The Christian man, conformed to the likeness of that Son Who is the firstborn of many brothers,(27) received “the first-fruits of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:23) by which he becomes capable of discharging the new law of love.(28) Through this Spirit, who is “the pledge of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14), the whole man is renewed from within, even to the achievement of “the redemption of the body” (Rom. 8:23): “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the death dwells in you, then he who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also bring to life your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).(29) Pressing upon the Christian to be sure, are the need and the duty to battle against evil through manifold tribulations and even to suffer death. But, linked with the paschal mystery and patterned on the dying Christ, he will hasten forward to resurrection in the strength which comes from hope.(30)
All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all men of good will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way.(31) For, since Christ died for all men,(32) and since the ultimate vocation of man is in fact one, and divine, we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God offers to every man the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery.
Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us(33) so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father(34).
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. Msgr. Esseff served 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. 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.
Episode 12 – The Gospel of Luke – Chapter 5 Part 2
“Let Your Nets Down for a Catch”
Duc in altum.” Put out into the deep water. These are the words that Jesus used to invite Peter to become his disciple. The call of Peter and the other fisherman disciples (Andrew, James and John) took place on the Lake of Gennesaret. Known also as the Sea of Galilee, this important fresh water lake was the location of many important events in Jesus’ ministry. Tiberius Caesar later renamed the lake and adjacent town after himself. The northern and eastern borders of the Sea of Galilee is the modern day Golan Heights, which is the Israeli occupied border zone between Israel and the surrounding countries of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Within the Golan Heights is the Mount Hermon mountain range, and at its base is found Caesarea Philipi, named after Herod Philip, the tetrarch of this region during the time of Christ. Caesarea Philipi is an imposing rock wall, into which was built a temple to the pagan god Pan. At the base of the rock was a deep hole named the Gates of Hades and from this hole flowed the headwaters of the Jordan River. With the Gates of Hades and the temple of Pan as a backdrop, Jesus declared that Peter would be THEE rock upon which He would build His church and the Gates of Hades would not prevail against it.
Many other important events occurred on or near the Sea of Galilee: Jesus walked on the water (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:16-24); Jesus calmed a storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25); a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11, John 21:1-6); the sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7); the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after the resurrection and Peter’s reinstatement (John 21).
In Luke 5:4, Jesus told Peter to “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Already fatigued from a long night of fruitless fishing, Peter obeyed this request despite knowing that catching fish in deep water during the middle of the day would likely fail. However, Peter and his partners caught more fish than their nets could hold, threatening to sink their two boats. The Church Fathers saw the two boats as representing the Jews and the Gentiles: Jesus came for all. Fully aware that he was in the presence of God, Peter fell to his knees, begging the Lord to leave. Peter was painfully aware of his sinful nature, yet the Lord chose this sinful man to lead his Church. Jesus told Peter, “Do not be afraid.” These words not only echoed the words of Gabriel to Mary and Zechariah, as well as the angels to the shepherd, but they also warned of an impending battle or mission. Jesus told Peter to be a fisher of men, but at Peter’s reinstatement, Jesus commanded Peter to feed and tend His sheep. Peter became the guardian of the flock, protecting it from the evil one who prowls about, looking to devour souls.
Jesus next cured a leper, who like Peter, fell to his knees in the presence of the Lord. In the Bible, leprosy is often seen as a metaphor for sin. When Jesus cured the leper, he instructed the leper to show himself to the priests, who alone could confirm the healing of the leprosy (as prescribed in Leviticus 13-14). Leprosy is contagious, putting the entire community at risk, forcing the leper to live in isolation. In the same way, sin puts others at risk, isolates us from the community and only the priest can declare a person to be free of sin.
Next Jesus cured the paralytic man, whose friends lowered him through the roof of a house to see Jesus, as the crowd kept them from entering it. The man came in need for a physical healing, yet also receiving a spiritual healing by Jesus’ forgiveness of sin. The four men who carried the paralytic represent the universal forgiveness of sin offered by Jesus.
Finally, we then learn the meaning behind the parable of the old and new wine skins. Jesus tells his followers that “no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” In biblical times, the skin of a lamb was sewn to create a bag, into which grapes, yeast and sugar were placed. As the wine fermented, the supple skin could expand and contract with the gases created during the fermentation process. Over time, the skins became brittle and could burst during expansion. The old skins represent the old covenant, while the new skins represent the new covenant poured out through the Holy Spirit. This new wine of the Holy Spirit must be poured into a new creation of Christ. The new skin is like the new garment of salvation we receive at our Baptism. At Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus, who could understand each other despite each speaking in his native tongue, leading observers to think that they were drunk from too much wine. In reality, at Pentecost, the followers of Jesus received the “sober intoxication” of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Jesus is calling us now to become a new creation, filled with the new wine of the Holy Spirit.
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more, go to www.seekingtruth.net
Episode 7 – Bread, Wine, and the Gift of Self – 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 Presentation of the Gifts (also known as the Offertory)
Take a moment and pray:
God, my loving Father, when the priest and servers prepare the altar and place the sacred vessels upon it, grant me the Heart of Jesus, our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Help me prepare to offer my life with all its joys and struggles to you as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing” in your sight.
Father, when the gifts are brought in procession, help me to present, with them, my life, my desire to grow closer to you, my family, my hopes, my fears, my concerns of health, the financial issues I face, and help me to offer all of this with Jesus in this Mass.
Father, when the priest says over the bread and wine, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you . . . the wine we offer you . . . ,” grant me a heart like that of Jesus, who offers himself in the form of bread and wine. I join the offering of my life with that of Jesus on the altar, and by your grace, I make this offering from my heart.
Father, when the priest washes his hands, I ask that you wash and cleanse me too. I ask for a heart made pure, a heart prepared to pray the Eucharistic Prayer, to live the Consecration, and to receive the Communion that will follow.
Father, when the priest says, “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty
Father,” help me to respond from my heart, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his holy Church.” Make my sacrifice, too, the offering of my life, acceptable to you.
Gallagher, Fr. Timothy; Gallagher, Fr Timothy . A Biblical Way of Praying the Mass: The Eucharistic Wisdom of Venerable Bruno Lanteri (pp. 57). EWTN Publishing Inc.. Kindle Edition.
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
Episode 29 – Three Data on Which Delight Finally Depends
Dr. Regis Martin
Discerning Hearts is honored to host the reflections of Dr. Regis Martin. Filled with profound insights, wisdom, and joy, he is one of the most trustworthy guides one can have on the spiritual journey.
For years Regis Martin, STD, has been regaling audiences about the mysteries of God and Church, most especially his students at Franciscan University of Steubenville where he teaches theology. Author of half-dozen or more books, including The Suffering of Love(Ignatius, 2006),The Last Things(Ignatius Press, 2011), Still Point (Ave Maria, 2012), The Beggar’s Banquet(Emmaus Road, 2012), Witness to Wonder (Emmaus Road, 2017) his work frequently appears in Crises and The Catholic Thing.
“When you stop falling you are in heaven, but when you stop getting up you are in hell.” – Peter Calvay, “The Hermit”
The measure of spiritual advancement can always be determined by the speed with which we turn back to God from the distractions, the temptations, or the sins that try to turn us away from him. However, this speed can only be maintained with help and strength from God.
This little book How to Pray –A Practical Guide to the Spiritual life by David Torkington, was published by Our Sunday Visitor. It was written for those prepared to restructure their daily lives to make time for the prayer where they can be transformed by the love that only God can give.
In the foreword to this new book from OSV, “How to Pray: A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Life,” Sister Wendy Beckett wrote,
“There are no hideaways here, no excuses, but no alarming demands, either. Instead, Torkington seeks only to show us the truth, that truth that sets us free and convinces us that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden light. All we need is to understand and to choose. This book offers us the help we need to understand, and then the choice is ours.”
This is not your standard “prayer book” – it is not a compilation of Catholic prayers for you to just read. Rather, this is a series of 40 reflections on prayer intended to open you up to the transformation that is possible through prayer, through the love that God can give us through prayer.
Endorsement
“From here to eternity! For those drawn to contemplative prayer, David Torkington offers compelling clarity and common sense. Gentle kindness guides his practical counsel, and he is careful to help us see the solid principles in which he roots his insights. An authentic and reliable guard against counterfeits, his wisdom points to the heights and grounded-ness of the Catholic mystical tradition at a time when it is most needed.”
Dr. Anthony Lilles, STD: Associate Professor and Academic Dean of St John’s Seminary in Camarillo, as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the diocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years, he served the Church in Northern Colorado, where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.
Episode 24 Vatican II – Gaudium et Spes pt. 1 – Why it Matters: An Exploration of Faith with Archbishop George Lucas
In this episode with Archbishop Lucas, we begin a conversation on the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et spes (Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈɡau̯di.um et ˈspes], “Joy and Hope”), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, is one of the four constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council in 1965. It was the last and longest published document from the council and is the first constitution published by an ecumenical council to address the entire world.
Approved by a vote of 2,307 to 75 of the bishops assembled at the council, it was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 7 December 1965, the day the council ended.
1. The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men. United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man. That is why this community realizes that it is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest of bonds.
2. Hence this Second Vatican Council, having probed more profoundly into the mystery of the Church, now addresses itself without hesitation, not only to the sons of the Church and to all who invoke the name of Christ, but to the whole of humanity. For the council yearns to explain to everyone how it conceives of the presence and activity of the Church in the world of today.
Therefore, the council focuses its attention on the world of men, the whole human family along with the sum of those realities in the midst of which it lives; that world which is the theater of man’s history, and the heir of his energies, his tragedies and his triumphs; that world which the Christian sees as created and sustained by its Maker’s love, fallen indeed into the bondage of sin, yet emancipated now by Christ, Who was crucified and rose again to break the strangle hold of personified evil, so that the world might be fashioned anew according to God’s design and reach its fulfillment.
3. Though mankind is stricken with wonder at its own discoveries and its power, it often raises anxious questions about the current trend of the world, about the place and role of man in the universe, about the meaning of its individual and collective strivings, and about the ultimate destiny of reality and of humanity. Hence, giving witness and voice to the faith of the whole people of God gathered together by Christ, this council can provide no more eloquent proof of its solidarity with, as well as its respect and love for the entire human family with which it is bound up, than by engaging with it in conversation about these various problems. The council brings to mankind light kindled from the Gospel, and puts at its disposal those saving resources which the Church herself, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, receives from her Founder. For the human person deserves to be preserved; human society deserves to be renewed. Hence the focal point of our total presentation will be man himself, whole and entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will.
Episode 11 – The Gospel of Luke – Chapter 5 Part 1
“Let Your Nets Down for a Catch”
Duc in altum.” Put out into the deep water. These are the words that Jesus used to invite Peter to become his disciple. The call of Peter and the other fisherman disciples (Andrew, James and John) took place on the Lake of Gennesaret. Known also as the Sea of Galilee, this important fresh water lake was the location of many important events in Jesus’ ministry. Tiberius Caesar later renamed the lake and adjacent town after himself. The northern and eastern borders of the Sea of Galilee is the modern day Golan Heights, which is the Israeli occupied border zone between Israel and the surrounding countries of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Within the Golan Heights is the Mount Hermon mountain range, and at its base is found Caesarea Philipi, named after Herod Philip, the tetrarch of this region during the time of Christ. Caesarea Philipi is an imposing rock wall, into which was built a temple to the pagan god Pan. At the base of the rock was a deep hole named the Gates of Hades and from this hole flowed the headwaters of the Jordan River. With the Gates of Hades and the temple of Pan as a backdrop, Jesus declared that Peter would be THEE rock upon which He would build His church and the Gates of Hades would not prevail against it.
Many other important events occurred on or near the Sea of Galilee: Jesus walked on the water (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:16-24); Jesus calmed a storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25); a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11, John 21:1-6); the sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7); the appearance of Jesus to his disciples after the resurrection and Peter’s reinstatement (John 21).
In Luke 5:4, Jesus told Peter to “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Already fatigued from a long night of fruitless fishing, Peter obeyed this request despite knowing that catching fish in deep water during the middle of the day would likely fail. However, Peter and his partners caught more fish than their nets could hold, threatening to sink their two boats. The Church Fathers saw the two boats as representing the Jews and the Gentiles: Jesus came for all. Fully aware that he was in the presence of God, Peter fell to his knees, begging the Lord to leave. Peter was painfully aware of his sinful nature, yet the Lord chose this sinful man to lead his Church. Jesus told Peter, “Do not be afraid.” These words not only echoed the words of Gabriel to Mary and Zechariah, as well as the angels to the shepherd, but they also warned of an impending battle or mission. Jesus told Peter to be a fisher of men, but at Peter’s reinstatement, Jesus commanded Peter to feed and tend His sheep. Peter became the guardian of the flock, protecting it from the evil one who prowls about, looking to devour souls.
Jesus next cured a leper, who like Peter, fell to his knees in the presence of the Lord. In the Bible, leprosy is often seen as a metaphor for sin. When Jesus cured the leper, he instructed the leper to show himself to the priests, who alone could confirm the healing of the leprosy (as prescribed in Leviticus 13-14). Leprosy is contagious, putting the entire community at risk, forcing the leper to live in isolation. In the same way, sin puts others at risk, isolates us from the community and only the priest can declare a person to be free of sin.
Next Jesus cured the paralytic man, whose friends lowered him through the roof of a house to see Jesus, as the crowd kept them from entering it. The man came in need for a physical healing, yet also receiving a spiritual healing by Jesus’ forgiveness of sin. The four men who carried the paralytic represent the universal forgiveness of sin offered by Jesus.
Finally, we then learn the meaning behind the parable of the old and new wine skins. Jesus tells his followers that “no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” In biblical times, the skin of a lamb was sewn to create a bag, into which grapes, yeast and sugar were placed. As the wine fermented, the supple skin could expand and contract with the gases created during the fermentation process. Over time, the skins became brittle and could burst during expansion. The old skins represent the old covenant, while the new skins represent the new covenant poured out through the Holy Spirit. This new wine of the Holy Spirit must be poured into a new creation of Christ. The new skin is like the new garment of salvation we receive at our Baptism. At Pentecost, the fire of the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Jesus, who could understand each other despite each speaking in his native tongue, leading observers to think that they were drunk from too much wine. In reality, at Pentecost, the followers of Jesus received the “sober intoxication” of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Jesus is calling us now to become a new creation, filled with the new wine of the Holy Spirit.
Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of “Seeking Truth.” An experienced Bible Study teacher, Sharon has a passion for scripture that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God’s Word and apply His message to your everyday life.
“Seeking Truth” is an in-depth Catholic Bible Study commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more, go to www.seekingtruth.net
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