16 January 2022 | Second Monday in Ordinary Time | Menlo Park, Calif. Although I’m away on retreat this week, I’m delighted to share this pre-recorded conversation with Fr. John Plass of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, in which we discuss the particular challenges faced by young people today and the wisdom offered by the Carmelite masters on living the spiritual life in our busy, modern world. Don’t miss this one! Opening music: “Simon Ioannis,” communion antiphon for the Third Sunday in Easter...

9 January 2022 | Baptism of the Lord | Menlo Park, Calif. Speaking to you all once again from St. Patrick’s Seminary on this happy feast, I am very excited to share a conversation I’ve been “saving up” with Dr. Nina Sophie Heereman! This week, allow us to introduce our mutual friend and co-disciple of St. Thérèse: Marcel Van, the “pocket saint” of Vietnam. Opening music: “Baptizatur Christus,” Benedictus antiphon for the Baptism of the Lord, sung by the Schola des Moines de l’Abbaye de...

4 January 2022 | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton | Roseburg, Ore. Happy New Year! In this episode, which I recorded a few days ago back home in Roseburg, I share about my first (and hopefully only) Christmas as a deacon, my preparations for my last semester of seminary, and my word of the year for 2023. Opening music: “Vidimus stellam,” communion antiphon for the Epiphany of the Lord, sung by Bros. Stefan Ansinger and Pier Giorgio Galassi, OP, 2023. All rights reserved. --- Send in a voice...

26 December 2022 | St. Stephen the Deacon | Menlo Park, Calif. Merry Christmas, one and all! On this very special holiday episode, I share a little Christmas carol by G.K. Chesterton and a lively and delight-full discussion of Dickens’ Christmas Carol with Rachel and Boze of the DCRC. God bless us, every one! Opening music: “Chesterton Carol,” written by G.K. Chesterton, composed by Mark Nowakowski, sung by Vos Omnes Virtual Choir, 2020. All rights reserved. --- Send in a voice message:...

19 December 2022 | Fourth Monday in Advent | Menlo Park, Calif. This week, I share some thoughts from a recent discussion on authenticity and relatability. Are they virtues, and if so, how do they fit into our moral life and pastoral work? We continue to prepare for Christmas with the Carmelites, reading St. John of the Cross’s beautiful “Romances on the Incarnation.” Finally, Rachel and I discuss Barnaby Rudge, discussing the passions that give rise to mob violence and the role of fathers...

12 December 2022 | Our Lady of Guadalupe | Menlo Park, Calif. Christ’s peace be with you! In the midst of the busiest season of the year, we could all use a little break to contemplate something beautiful and discuss the deeper meaning of things. This week on the podcast, I wanted to pause and give you just that gift. We read a beautiful poem by St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, then enjoy a lovely conversation with Rachel on Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop and the themes of martyrdom, memory, and...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, December 11, 2022, the Third Sunday in Advent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, December 4, 2022, the Second Sunday in Advent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

This homily was given at St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, CA on Friday, December 2, 2022, the First Friday in Advent. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

28 November 2022 | First Monday of Advent | Menlo Park, Calif. At the beginning of this new year of grace and mercy, I share some little ways I’m trying to combat the spirit of busyness and live into the spirit of Advent rest. In our Carmelite segment, Dr. Nina Sophie Heereman of St. Patrick’s Seminary joins the podcast to share her testimonies of St. Thérèse and some practical counsel for hearing and living the will of God. You don’t want to miss this one! Opening music: “Alma redemptoris...

This homily was given at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Roseburg, OR on Friday, November 25, 2022, the Thirty-fourth Friday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

21 November 2022 | Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Menlo Park, Calif. I’m back from my classmate’s diaconate ordination (the last of our class to be ordained!) with some thoughts on the virtue of “unassuming authority,” as the Rite of Ordination calls it. In this week’s Carmelite conversation, Daniel and I conclude our series on the dark night of the soul with some personal testimonies and closing reflections. Opening music: “Christus vincit,” arr. Martin Baker, sung by the Choir...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, November 20, 2022, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

14 November 2022 | XXXIII Monday in Ordinary Time | Menlo Park, Calif. This week, recording in a brief break between classes, I share what it’s been like to practice saying Mass and hearing confessions, and beginning to prepare for priestly ordination! Daniel Murphy joins us again to share his insights on the dark night and the gift of faith. Opening music: “Kyrie,” Mass for Voice Voices, composed by William Byrd, sung by the Choir of Christ Church, Oxford, 2010. All rights reserved. ---...

This homily was given at Byzantine Divine Liturgy at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, November 13, 2022, the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

7 November 2022 | XXXII Monday in Ordinary Time | Menlo Park, Calif. This week, amid the falling leaves that mark the changing of the seasons, we discuss transitions: the “dark nights” of the senses and the spirit, and the active and passive movements, in the theology of St. John of the Cross. In the Dickens segment, Dcn. Matthew, Rachel and Boze continue last week’s discussion of Oliver Twist through the theme of memory. Opening music: “Gratias agimus tibi,” 4th movement of “Gloria in D...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, November 6, 2022, the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

31 October 2022 | Vigil of All Saints | Menlo Park, Calif. I may not have managed to get it up by 6:00, but I’m delighted to be back this week with a new episode of In Your Embrace podcast! This Hallow’s Eve, we join the founders of the Dickens Chronological Reading Club to discuss Oliver Twist: how lost souls find a home, how hospitality can be a double-edged sword, and just why this novel is tremendously compelling and relevant for readers today. Plus, what is the dark night of the soul,...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, October 23, 2022, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

17 October 2022 | St. Ignatius of Antioch | Menlo Park, Calif. This week, I share my experiences teaching my first confirmation class of the year, and some thematic resonances between Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites and Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge. In our latest Carmelite conversation, Daniel Murphy returns to discuss some of the basic virtues and dispositions necessary for progress in prayer, and shares one tip for beginners who want to set out into the deep. Opening music: “Ave Maria,”...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, October 16, 2022, the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

10 September 2022 | XXVIII Monday in Ordinary Time | Menlo Park, Calif. As its first season draws to a close, let’s return this week to Amazon’s Rings of Power: the highs, the lows, the reasons I’m cooling on the show, and why I’m still holding out hope for a surprising conclusion. We also welcome back friend of the podcast Daniel Murphy to discuss the distinctive Carmelite “style” of prayer and how it stands as a sign of contradiction to certain modern tendencies in spirituality. Opening...

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, October 9, 2022, the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

This homily was given at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, South San Francisco, CA on Sunday, October 2, 2022, the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

26 September 2022 | Ss. Cosmas and Damian | Menlo Park, Calif. We’re four and a half years old, and this is our one hundredth episode! This week, I share some new things I’m trying for better sleep and intentional rest, and some thoughts on the commandment to rest on the Sabbath. Rachel and I discuss the themes of friendship and fatherhood in the Pickwick Papers, including celibate love and the motif of the benevolent bachelor. Finally, we rejoin the Prophet Elijah in the cave and consider...