Today, we read CCC, 2838 - 2865 and discuss the last three petitions of the "Our Father" - forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. It's the qualifier on forgiveness - forgive us AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS - that can (and should!) stop us in our tracks this week. Lord, please give us the grace to forgive others as we hope that you forgive us, and then please help us to be open to your forgiveness. Also... this ends our study and discussion of "The Catechism...

Today, we read CCC, 2803 - 2837, and we discuss the first four petitions of the "Our Father." Jesus Christ accomplished his saving work - through his suffering, death, and resurrection - once and for all. It's done. Nothing needs to be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. So, what's our role here...? We can allow that saving work to... save us... and we can help others to... allow it to save them, too. Each time that we pray the "Our Father," we ask God to bring that...

Today, we read CCC, 2759 - 2802 and begin to discuss the "Our Father" line by line. It's easy to take so many dimensions of our Catholic Faith for granted because we often hear these teachings again and again, pray these prayers again and again... So, let's stop and (re)consider for a moment the following: God did not HAVE to create us. God did not HAVE to send His Son/come to suffer and die for us. God does not HAVE to reveal Himself to us and continue to be in relationship with us and teach...

Today, we read CCC, 2725 - 2758, and - buckle up - we discuss "the battle of prayer." Simultaneously inspiring and terrifying, the Catechism details some of the reasons why we don't pray (or don't pray well) and how - by the grace of God - we can attain a better prayer life. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2683 - 2724 and continue our discussion of prayer. First, we talk about praying through the intercession of the saints in Heaven whose prayers for us are "their most exalted service to God's plan", and then we chat about being intentional in setting aside time for and being faithful to daily prayer - "pray at specific times, consciously willing it". As human beings, we are body AND soul, and, so, our lives depend on the daily sustenance of that which feeds our spirits -...

Happy Advent! Today, we read CCC, 2623 - 2682 and discuss, first, how the present moment is where Heaven meets Earth, and, second, how we can establish a "death insurance policy" by praying the "Hail Mary" each day, asking the Blessed Mother to be with us NOW and at "the hour of our death." The readings of Advent remind us that each and every one of us will die and stand before the Lord, and it is only NOW, in the present moment, that we can respond to His grace and allow it to transform us....

Today, we read CCC, 2598 - 2622 and discuss formulaic, or rote, prayers. Oftentimes, Catholic Christians get a bad wrap for praying the same, prescribed prayers again and again and again... as though we're boring or lacking in creativity as we pray them. It can be quite helpful and quite a good thing to have prayers "at the ready" when we're setting out on our prayer journey or when we're tired, stressed, distracted, etc. Prayer is prayer, and God doesn't need us to be fancy, as though He's...

Today, we read CCC, 2558 - 2597 and start the fourth and final part of the Catechism which discusses prayer. At every moment of our lives, we have the opportunity to chat with God, He who created and continues to sustain the universe. In the words of St. Thomas More, that's not a bad audience! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2514 - 2557 and discuss the 9th and 10th Commandments: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" and "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods." In working to root out and be strengthened against the wounding sins of greed and envy, let's strive for the medicines of generosity and gratitude. Come, Lord Jesus! Heal us of the hurts of the sins that we commit, and give us the grace not to commit them again! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2464 - 2513 and discuss the 8th Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." The truth points to reality - something that is independent of us, something that we don't determine. When we recognize truth and live in accord with truth, we receive the blessings of truth - peace and joy. Who doesn't want a little more of that in one's life?! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2401 - 2463 and discuss the 7th Commandment: "Thou shall not steal." This commandment "requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property." Sooo, share that which we own with everyone...? Yup. Aaaand, it's okay for me to privately own things and share them with my family and friends...? You got it. The beauty of the Catholic "both/and" approach strikes again! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2360 - 2400 and finish our discussion of the 6th Commandment. Two dimensions of today's discussion include, on the one hand, avoiding having children through the use of contraception, and, on the other hand, trying to achieve pregnancy through a variety of fertility procedures. We chat about what these human acts do to marriage, family, and the lives of children. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2337 - 2359 and discuss the 6th Commandment: "You Shall Not Commit Adultery." The virtue of chastity is often viewed as repressive... boring... and just. not. fun. In reality, the virtue of chastity - after having fallen apart, thanks to Original Sin - puts the pieces of our humanity back together. "Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being." Who doesn't want a little inner...

Today, we read CCC, 2292 - 2336 and finish discussing the implications of the 5th Commandment. We also begin talking about the 6th Commandment, and the Catechism starts the discussion of it with a declaration that men and women are "different but complementary." What a great segue into thoughts on... Barbie?! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2258 - 2291 and discuss the 5th Commandment: "You shall not kill." On this episode, we discuss legitimate defense, abortion, capital punishment, end-of-life circumstances, and suicide. God is with us in each of these situations, helping us to choose love and life. For the novena prayers, visit: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/mary-undoer-knots-novena This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2232 - 2257 and discuss the fourth commandment: "Honor your father and your mother." It is through marriage and family that we can - as children of our mothers and our fathers - receive the gift of life, the gift of faith, and the gift of ongoing formation. That formation - that sanctification and, God willing, salvation - comes through "self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery" and through "generous and tireless [forgiveness of] one another..." What a blessing and...

Today, we simply read CCC, 2196 - 2231, continuing to make our way through the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Next week, we'll continue our reading with the regular commentary on the first half of the episode. Thanks for persevering through this awesome work! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2168 - 2195 and discuss the Third Commandment: Keep Holy the Sabbath. There are two dimensions to this commandment - resting from servile labor and going to church. Both actions are a "protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money." In obeying this commandment, we put aside our to-do lists for one day (Guess what? The list will still be there on Monday...), and we enjoy the beauty of creation as we deepen our relationship with God and others. Who doesn't...

Today, we read CCC, 2110 - 2167 and discuss the Second Commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." The name of God - and the name of every person - is an icon of the greater reality... The name of God, the name of Jesus Christ, points to an all-holy being, and, so, to say the name cavalierly - or disrespectfully - is to degrade the being, the person, whom that name represents. On the other hand, to speak lovingly and admiringly of God is to love and admire God...

Today, we read CCC, 2083 - 2109 and discuss the first commandment. The Catechism approaches this teaching through a discussion of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity and their defects. Sometimes it's easier to understand a concept by viewing it through the lens of its opposite... I might think of myself as faithful, hopeful, and charitable, but then - when I read about sins against faith, hope, and charity - I might realize, "Oh, shoot... I'm doubtful... I'm presumptive... I'm...

Today, we read CCC, 2052 - 2082 and discuss the freedom - and the abundant life - offered to us through the Ten Commandments. Often viewed as confining, restrictive, and cramping, the Ten Commandments are - in reality - "the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin." Why look down at the metaphorical small screen of life when we can, instead, look up and experience the openness, the expansiveness, of a life that breathes in more, sees more, and realizes more?! This podcast is...

Today, we read CCC, 2030 - 2051 and discuss the five precepts of the Church. Like well visits for our souls, these basics of the moral life - "the very necessary minimum" of living out our faith - keep us connected to the life of grace. They are set in place for us so that we can't stray too far for too long. Thank you, God, for that! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 1987 - 2029 and discuss grace. "The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it" (CCC, 1999). Grace is one of those theological terms that we often use but have a hard time imagining... Is it like gold glitter falling down from Heaven into our souls...? Is it a radiant light that is placed within us by God and then emanates out into the world...? Is it a...

Today, we read CCC, 1949 - 1986 and discuss the moral law, that which is "at once firm in its precepts, and, in its promises, worthy of love." God makes every man and every woman for beatitude, and the moral law helps us to get there. But who wants to change his or her life and leave that nice, warm, comfy space of what we know and love...? By paying attention to the Scripture passages we dislike... the laws we hate... the teachings against which we rail... we gain insight into the areas of...