catholic prayer Archives

BKL#3 – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff – “The Gift of Nothing”

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Show 3 ” Building a Kingdom of Love” – “The Gift of Nothing.“

Msgr. Esseff begins by reading a passage from the book “The Gift of Nothing” by Patrick McDonnell. He discusses how we all think what we will need “something,” but Msgr. Esseff helps us to see what God desires for us to see “the gift of nothing.” What we desire deep down is intimacy. Msgr. Esseff offers how Jesus reaches out to us in Divine Love…the Bread of Life. The Eucharist offers intimacy, will we accept the gift?

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization established by 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 spiritual director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world. He is the President of the Board of the Pope Leo XIII Institute School of Exorcism.

The Desert Experience…

This video is quite lovely. Just remember the greatest temptations come when you’re at the end of your desert experience.

FG#1 Interior Freedom by Fr. Jacques Phillippe ep 1 – Fountains of Grace with Donna Garrett

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FG#1 – Interior Freedom episode 1 – Fountains of Grace: reflections on contemporary spiritual classics with Donna Garrett

Join host Donna Garrett, with Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, LC, as they discuss the spiritual classic “Interior Freedom” by Fr. Jacques Philippe a priest of Communaute des Beatitudes, an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right founded in France in 1973. The members of the Community, which has a contemplative vocation based on Carmelite spirituality, are actively engaged in the service of the poor and the proclamation of the Gospel.

Discussed in this episode, among other topics, from “Interior Freedom” page 12

Donna Garrett is joined in this particular series by Fr. Daniel Brandenburg, LC

“Human beings were not created for slavery but to be the lords of creation. This is explicitly stated in the Book of Genesis. We were not created to lead drab, narrow, or constricted lives, but to live in the wide-open spaces. We find confinement unbearable simply because we were created in the image of God, and we have within un an unquenchable need for the absolute and the infinitive. That is our greatness and sometimes our misfortune.

We have this great thirst for freedom because our most fundamental aspiration is for happiness; and we sense that there is no happiness without love, and no love without freedom. This is perfectly true. Human beings were created for love, and they can only find happiness in loving and being loved.”

For other episodes in this series click here “Fountains of Grace w/Donna Garrett”

You can find “Interior Freedom” here

IP#114 Michael Novak – Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Michael Novak is a shining witness of what occurs in the soul when the head makes the journey to the heart. What a gift he is to all of us and what a profound sage of wisdom…when he so gently speaks, I listen….we all should! In “Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation,” Michael, along with his co-author William E. Simon, Jr, establishes, in Part 1, of the book, the need for the lay vocation in the Church today. They chronicle that need with a national and global perspective. They also present how “living the call” looks in the lives of nine committed lay faithful working in parish life today.

Part 2 is worth its weight in gold! It outlines the absolute necessity of growth in the interior life of the laity. How essential it is to deepen the spiritual life. They give voice to the need to appreciate the desert experiences of our lives as opportunities for greater unity with Christ; such periods provide the fonts of grace which nurtures the work in ministry. For anyone who severs in a ministry of any kind, either as an employee or as a volunteer, if you pass this indispensable book by, you do so at your peril!

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Michael Novak’s website can be found here

You can find “Living the Call” here

“This is the book that countless Catholic laypeople have been waiting for as they ponder how to respond to Vatican II’s challenge to take more active roles in the life of the Church and to bring Christian principles to life in the secular world. It’s a gem of a book that speaks to laypeople in all walks of life and at all stages of their earthly journeys.”

Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University

IP#221 Dr. Scott Hahn – Consuming the Word on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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What a delight to be joined once again by Dr. Scott Hahn to share in a conversation about the delicious meal contained in our Sacred Scriptures. In “Consuming the Word: The New Testament and the Eucharist in the Early Church”, Dr. Hahn helps us to make an important paradigm shift in our contemplation of the Word of God. Not just words transmitted in the pages of a book, The Word is meant to be seen as an action of Love. That action is best related in the gift of the Eucharist. St. John Paul II asked Catholics to “base the New Evangelization on the Eucharist”. As Catholics, we know Christ as the Eucharistic Lord and that is how the early Church proclaimed him. Dr. Hahn reminds us that in the early Church there was no book that could be called the “New Testament”. That phrase was used to describe the Mass. Dr. Hahn will also go on to warn us of the dangers found in “intellectualizing the Bible, by recalling for us what St. Paul has said, “Knowledge puffs up, love builds up… It’s not love instead of knowledge, but knowledge ordered to love, because you can’t love what you do not know, but you can know and not love”. What an outstanding book, yet again, brought to us by Dr.Scott Hahn!

You can find the book here

“Scott Hahn has a well-earned reputation as a vivid guide to the Word of God. That skill is elegantly on display here. Consuming the Word is erudite and accessible, rich in content and lucid in style — an engaging read for anyone who seeks to better understand the profound interplay of Scripture, Liturgy and the role of the Church in Christian life.” Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia

“With words that are both accessible and erudite, Dr. Scott Hahn introduces us anew to the Eternal Word of the New Testament, a word that is given to us, not simply as a text in a book, but as the living and real presence of the Lord Jesus himself.” Very Reverend Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith

IP#77 Anthony DeStephano – Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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I love the book! “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life’s Most Difficult Problems” by Anthony
DeStephano is filled with a bazillion “ah-ha” moments…you knew that, but you didn’t know you knew that. Anthony has a wonderful way of breaking down daunting theological questions to easily understood basics in order to nurture a healthy prayer life. With all the “driven-life-Jabez-easy-answer” books out there, this is the one you should pick up and pass on to friends. Anthony, who is the executive director of Priest for Life, offers rock solid Catholic perspective, rooted deeply in the Scriptures, to life’s toughest challenges. Take a listen to the podcast and hear for yourself. Visit the 10 Prayers website

You can pick up the book here

“Anthony DeStefano has once again drawn his readers into the mystery of God’s love and invited us to reflect more deeply on our relationship with Him. In a simple yet profound way, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To offers insights, and indeed a practical wisdom, that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with personal prayer. I recommend this book to any and all who are searching for a fresh perspective on the meaning and value of a life of prayer, and, ultimately, for a more fulsome encounter with the Living God.”

Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino
President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Vatican

IP#3 Sr. Ann Shields – “To Be Like Jesus” on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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It was great to talk with Sr. Ann Shields, of “Food for the Journey”, about her new book “To Be Like Jesus – Inspiration From the Gospel of Luke” . In her maternal nurturing way she encourages us to “feed” on the great gift of God’s Holy Word.

You can find the book here.

From the book description:

God’s plan for your life is not as mysterious or unknowable as you might think. As Sister Ann Shields demonstrates in her probing reflections on the Gospel of Luke, the key to knowing what God is asking of you is to discover, first, who God is. If you are willing to spend time daily in his presence, ruminating on his word as it comes to you in Scripture, he will reveal himself and help you make the choices that conform to his will for your life.

To Be Like Jesus will enable you to distinguish God’s voice from the voices, noise and distractions of the world. As you let his word soak into your soul, you’ll find there the power to surrender to him and play your part in building his kingdom.

ST12 – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran – The Blessed Virgin Mary, “The Head-Crushing” Immaculately Conceived Handmaid of the Lord

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Episode 12 – Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran, hosted by Bruce McGregor. Ep 12 – The Blessed Virgin Mary, “The Head-Crushing” Immaculately Conceived Handmaid of the Lord

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.

Episode 12 – Sharon and Bruce discuss the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the new Eve! The sin-free woman who will crush the head of the serpent. Sharon breaks open Genesis chapter 2, the Gospel of Luke, Revelation 12 and the Old Testament teachings on the two other woman who are “blessed” and how this shines a light on our understanding of Mary!

“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

Litany of Loreto – text and mp3 audio download

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V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.
R. Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, [etc.]
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good Counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,

V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Spare us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
R. Graciously hear us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be freed from present sorrow, and rejoice in eternal happiness. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

IP#163 Vivian Dudro – Evelyn Waugh’s “Edmund Campion” on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

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IP#281 Vivian Dudro - Meriol Trevor's "Shadows and Images" on Inside the Pages 1 — Vivian Dudro

I love the writing of Evelyn Waugh…his prose are some of the best of our time, if not of all time. And when that talent is used to pen a biography of the heroic English martyr, Edmund Campion, a tremendous blessing has been given to all who glean it’s pages. What a story…what a life. We are joined once again by the wonderful Vivian Dudro to discuss this incredible work, as well as the life and times of this great saint.

You can find the book here

From the description:

Evelyn Waugh presented his biography of St. Edmund Campion, the Elizabethan poet, scholar, and gentleman who became the haunted, trapped and murdered priest as “a simple, perfectly true story of heroism and holiness.”

But it is written with a novelist’s eye for the telling incident and with all the elegance and feeling of a master of English prose. From the years ofsuccess as an Oxford scholar, to entry into the newly founded Society of Jesus and a professorship in Prague, Campion’s life was an inexorable progress towards the doomed mission to England. There followed pursuit, betrayal, a spirited defense of loyalty to the Queen, and a horrifying martyr’s death at Tyburn.