Revival

I decided to join in on the fun and do my own movie review of the Odyssey and share the spiritual and Christian themes I found in the movie. Perhaps I'll be a movie critic next, who knows! If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out.

In this episode, I discuss a wide array of topics from how to hear God's voice in prayer, the three things necessary to begin to hear His voice, why it's an absolute necessity to periodically put our phones down, and the friendly reminder that God is good and trustworthy.

Check out my latest (& latest) episode where I discuss my candid thoughts on why I'm a Catholic, what I think Catholics and Protestants can learn from each other, the new Spiderman movie, and more hot take thoughts that came from my brain in the middle of the night. #John17

In this episode, I discuss my present ponderings on what it means to be a child of God and the recent influence of St. Edith Stein upon my life.

The title says it all!

In this episode, I reflect on Easter Sunday's Gospel, my Lenten journey, and what it means now that we are in this Easter season!

"Take heart, it is I, have no fear." How often does Jesus tell us to not be afraid? To be courageous? In this episode, we discuss the virtue of courage through the lens of the psalms, Matthew's Gospel, and Romano Guardini's book, Learning the Virtues that Lead You to God.

Yippee, it's the start of Lent! Let's talk about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and the great things that God wants to do for us if we say yes to entering into the desert with Him this Lenten season.

What is the necessary prerequisite disposition needed to become a disciple of Jesus? In this episode of Revival, we discuss what it means to abandon ourselves to God and His transforming work in us, as well as how this abandonment can prepare us to more deeply enter into the season of Lent.

What does it mean to truly praise God? When should we praise Him and how? Is praise based on feelings or something more? In this episode, we talk about what it means to forget ourselves and to praise God, even amidst difficult circumstances.

What's up everyone! This is a special bonus episode where I share my thoughts on dating apps, vocations, and what it means to hope in Jesus.

Today is one of my favorite feast days! In this episode, we talk about Jesus Christ as the Shepherd-King, the importance of remembering our death, reflecting on this past liturgical season, and preparing for the First Sunday of Advent!

In this episode, we move to the second problem of cosmology, providence and freedom. Does God's knowledge of our decisions impede our ability to make free choices? In this episode, we answer this big question!

In the next several episodes, we discuss the four problems of cosmology, in other words, how do we explain major questions involving God and His relationship with the cosmos? In this episode, we tackle creation and evolution.

Today is my third favorite day of the year, and in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux's feast day, I share about the doctrine of her Little Way of Spiritual Childhood. We can all be inspired by St. Therese to become holy and to never be discouraged on the path to sanctity!

Who is God? How do we describe Him to others? How does knowing who He is and His attributes affect our daily lives? In this episode, we highlight the attributes of God, we talk about who He is as Blessed Trinity, and how we can grow in deeper relationship with Him.

P.S. Were you able to answer the question in this title's episode after listening?

Yes, I was gone for three weeks on sabbatical, and it was awesome! In this episode, I share ponderings from those three weeks, some insights into today's feast day, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and the most important thing we can and should be doing as Christians right now (and always!)

The Year of Apologetics continues with one of our most pressing questions. If God exists, then why does evil exist as well? Why would an all-good, all-loving, all-powerful God permit evil? Want to know the answer? Check out this episode to find out!

Have you ever wondered what the true meaning of the Mass is? Or felt like you're just passively engaging in it? In this bonus episode, I discuss the meaning of the Mass and how we as Catholics can enter more fully into it! (Live from St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.)

Special thanks to Father Jon Fincher for sharing his teaching materials with me for this talk and podcast.

8 days of walking with Jesus in Eucharistic Processions across Long Island followed by a Eucharistic Congress on Pentecost Sunday. Are you even kidding me?? I had to give you guys all the deets!

Uh oh, watch out! We are stepping into the big leagues. Join me this episode as we outline five simple arguments for the existence of God. Want to read more? Check out Peter Kreeft's books: Handbook of Catholic Apologetics and Fundamentals of the Faith.

This week's episode, we continue our discussion on faith and its relationship with reason. Here's the deal, God revealed Himself to all of humanity, are you going to choose to believe in that truth? That's what we tackle in this episode! This is what it means to have faith, to say, "Yes! I believe!"

This podcast continues to be greatly assisted by the writings of Peter Kreeft, particularly from his books, Handbook of Catholic Apologetics and Catholic Christianity.

In this episode, we begin discussing how important reason is to our faith and especially to apologetics. Peter Kreeft teaches us about the important relationship between the two from his book, Handbook of Catholic Apologetics.

A Year of Apologetics continues! In this episode, we discuss the concept of "belief" with the help of the big-brained holy man, Cardinal Ratzinger. Do you believe? Do your beliefs give you meaning and purpose? Or do you attempt to manufacture your own meaning? In this episode, we talk about all of the above! Check out Ratzinger's amazing book, Introduction to Christianityif you want to follow along with me on this intellectual and apologetical journey.

You may have noticed that our Western World doesn't appear to uphold Christian values anymore and even seems to be hostile to Christians and Christian beliefs. Why this change? If the Western World isn't Christian anymore, what is it that modern man is believing? In this episode, we dive into those beliefs and how to understand them against the true narrative of the Gospel and Salvation History.

This episode's ideas come from the brilliant book, Religion of the Day by the University of Mary.

We continue the journey of learning how to be effective apologists in this Year of Apologetics. Here are the 7 habits to know, love, and practice so you can share your faith joyfully and charitably!

In this episode we wrap up our discussion on what NOT to do when engaging in the sacred battle of apologetics. We continue to learn from Mark Brumley's amazing book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics. Learn about those habits that must be avoided when engaging in apologetics so you can be the effective apologist and disciple that God desires you to be!

Let's begin! In this episode, we discuss three key principles for what not to do when engaging in apologetics. These are common pitfalls which harm the work of apologetics itself. Tune into this week's episode to learn what those are as you and I make the journey of becoming God's humble, joyful, and zealous apologists.

Check out Mark Brumley's book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics and read for yourself if you want to become a pro!

It's here, and I'm so excited! We are embarking on a year of apologetics! In this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of apologetics, the proper dispositions and tools needed for this sacred and awesome work, and a miniature lesson on logic. Are you ready??

Want to learn and read along with me?

1. The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics: Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Explaining and Defending the Faith by Mark Brumley

2. Fundamentals of the Faith: Essays in Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft

3. Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli

Join me this week as I dive into the readings for this upcoming Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent!

This episode, we discuss how to prepare our hearts for the season of Advent. Taking a little peak at Psalm 27:14 for inspiration, we discuss the role of waiting in the Christian life and especially during the season of Advent. This episode, I list three key ways to help us get ready for this awesome liturgical season!

This episode, we conclude our series on masculinity and femininity which reaches its ultimate fulfillment in marriage. In this episode, we discuss the degradation of marriage, the serious error in the claim that sexuality and marriage are malleable, and the glorious truths that man is made in God's image and likeness and the communion of man and woman reveals the Triune God! Pulling from two key passages from Scripture and Cahall's book, The Mystery of Marriage, we bring this series home in an exciting conclusion.

In this episode, we continue our series on what it means to be made man and woman. We discuss femininity and the three things that make the female heart come alive. We look yet again to Genesis 2:18-25 and the Mystery of Marriage, but then look to Wild at Heart's complementary book Captivatingas well. This episode offers great insight to men who want to receive knowledge and understanding about women.

In this episode, we dive into what it actually means to be masculine! We look back to Genesis 2:18-25 and Cahall's writing, The Mystery of Marriage. This episode offers deeper insight into masculinity based on John Eldredge's book, Wild at Heart, and offers women practical advice on how to respect and uphold the masculinity of men around them.

In the previous episode, we chatted about why we should evangelize. But, where do we start? How do we evangelize within an increasingly secular culture? This week, we look to the example of the Biblical figure Bartimaeus for inspiration and are also encouraged to become culture changers and builders! Join me this week as we dive into where the Church invites us to begin as missionaries through the writings of Evangelii Nuntiandi and Lumen Fidei.

Show Notes:

How do we cultivate the garden of our interior lives and the virtue of faith?

1. Uproot and keep out the weeds. (Lies from the enemy, ideologies of secular culture, worldly noise, distraction, inattention and restlessness.

2. Nourish your interior life with the water of the sacraments.

3. Strengthen your interior life with the light of truth.

4. Prune by seeking to live virtuously.

5. Set aside intentional time to work, rest, and play in the garden of your interior life.

In this podcast, we discuss two of the prevailing counter-narratives on human sexuality from our culture. But, we also discuss the good news, that God made humans male and female! We discuss what it means to be created with equal dignity, with differences, and yet complementary. We learn about these fundamental truths of human sexuality from Perry Cahall's book, The Mystery of Marriage.

Today we continue our discussion on how we as Christians ought to respond to our increasingly secularized culture. The Church teaches that to be true evangelists, we must be witnesses of the faith, but we must also explicitly proclaim the Gospel. How do we do that, and where do we begin? Check out this week's episode to learn more.

Show Notes:

How do we bear fruit and work for the transformation of the culture?

1. Cultivate a disposition of discernment. Ask God how He wants you to live mission and how your time should be oriented toward fulfilling the Great Commission.

2. Cultivate friendships. Culture is based on friendship!

3. Proclaim the Gospel!

4. Get involved in your parish, especially a small group. Small groups centered on Christ, friendship, and a common mission are effective and fruitful!

5. Be part of the evangelizing community. Hand onto others what you have received.

6. Continue fostering a missionary disposition.

Today, we tackle one of my favorite topics, evangelization! This episode, I discuss the two main reasons why we should evangelize, reasons why we don't partake in evangelization, and we look at Pope Francis' awesome writing, Joy of the Gospel.Now, let's get out there!

This episode, we discuss a few reasons why we should read and pray with Scripture, as well as some practical tips on how to do it. Check out Father Wilfrid Stinissen's book, The Word is Very Near You,for a more in-depth study.

"God speaks his word to me personally when he allows me to come into existence. I exist because God continuously whispers my name, says who I am" (11).

Join me this week as we conclude our study on St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church. Material is derived from Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux by Rev. Francois Jamart, OCD.

**This will likely be my final episode that is close to an hour in length. Revival will no longer be airing on St. Michael Catholic Radio because like St. Therese, I am quite little and need to revert back to shorter episodes which are more spaced out. Please keep me in your prayers as I enter into a short break from podcasting!**

Join me this week as we study St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church. Material is derived from Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieuxby Rev. Francois Jamart, OCD.

We discuss the life of St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church, using the book, 35 Doctors of the Churchby Christopher Rengers.

This week, we discuss the Holy Spirit and who He is from Father Wilfrid Stinissen's book, The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love.

This week we discuss solitude from Henri Nouwen's book, The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence.

Join me this week as we study discipleship with the help of Guissani's book, Christ, God's Companionship with Man.See also John 1:35-42.

Join me this week as we discuss how to invite Jesus into our days with the help of the book, Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: The Wisdom and the Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri by Father Timothy Gallagher.

In this episode, we discuss the Lord's Prayer, particularly the lines, "Our Father" and "Thy will be done." Material is derived from Pope Benedict XVI's book, Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration.

In this episode, we are discussing the chapter on friendship with God from John Cuddeback's book, True Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness.See also John 15:1-17.

This week, we dive into Frank Sheed's popular work, Theology and Sanity,and discuss his thoughts on the topics, the insufficiency of man and the sufficiency of the Church, and what these mean.

Check out my second episode on marriage which features two of the Catholic Church's brightest theologians, Alice and Dietrich von Hildrebrand. In this episode, we explore their book, Marriage: The Mystery of Faithful Love.

In this week's episode we discuss the chapter, Why Make a Holy Hour, from Fulton Sheen's book, The Priest is Not His Own.Though the book is written to and for priests, I offer commentary for applying Sheen's principles to the laity.

A discussion on Genesis-creation, God as the God of the covenant, the Fall, and sin's impact on the world-through the mind of St. John Paul II in his series of Lenten meditations in the book titled, A Sign of Contradiction.

Join me as we discuss the virtue of kindness from Lawrence Lovasik's book, The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time.

We conclude our series on spiritual warfare finishing up our discussion on the weapons and armor we are equipped with for spiritual battle.

From the Manual on Spiritual Warfareby Paul Thigpen.

We continue with part two of our series on spiritual warfare with a discussion on knowing our weapons! All commentary is based on the book, Manual on Spiritual Warfare.

Part one of Revival's next series on spiritual warfare from the Manual on Spiritual Warfare by Paul Thigpen.

We are jumping into Season Four with a reflection on my first ever mission trip and pilgrimage to Mexico City! In addition, we discuss how to grow in love for God and our neighbor through the help and advice of a Saint pal! 

To conclude our series on Henri Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal Son,we discuss the astounding love of the Father and how to remain within His house! 

We are continuing with Part Two of our series on The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen with a discussion on the elder son. 

Part One of the series on Henri Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal Son. 

A commentary on the extraordinary book, Searching For and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe. 

A commentary on believing in & worshipping the Lord in the Holy Eucharist. 

From the book, Eucharistic Meditations: Extracts from the Writings and Instructions of St. John Vianney.

A commentary on beginning & persevering in the life of prayer.

From Peter Kraft's book, Prayer for Beginners. 

A commentary on the person of Jesus-His nearness to humanity, and His desires to heal and transform us.

From Romano Guardini's book, Meditations on the Christ: Model of All Holiness. 

A commentary on how to work for peace, combat anxiety, and be present to the abundant life that God has to offer.  

From the first three chapters of the book, A Mind at Peaceby Christopher Blum and Joshua Hochschild. 

A discussion on surrender and abandonment to God, particularly in union with Sunday Mass. 

From the book Into Your Hands, Father by Wilfrid Stinissen.

Revival is hitting the radio waves in T-town! 

From St. Augustine's Confessions. 

For more information on the advent wreath: 

https://www.catholiccompany.com/magazine/the-advent-wreath-tradition-meaning-5924

Content from Pope Pius XI's Encyclical, Casti Connubii,"On Christian Marriage." 

My apologies for any audio hiccups! 

 Tune into this episode of Revival to hear practical advice from St. Francis De Sales on prayer and  how internet use and social media negatively impact the interior life.  Excerpts from St. Francis De Sales' writing,Introduction to the Devout Life.

It never gets old! We have to hear the Good News. Here it is, my friends! May your hearts be transformed and awakened anew to the message of salvation. 

From To Believe in Jesus by Sister Ruth Burrows

See also Isaiah 53 & Psalm 22

From Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's book, The Spirit of the Liturgy. 

From G.K Chesterton's book, The Catholic Church and Conversion.

From the chapter titled "Evangelism" from Peter Kreeft's book, Catholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn From Each Other? 

Today, we are joined by our friends St. Matthew, Flannery O'Connor, Bishop Robert Barron, and St. Peter Damien! 

From St. John Henry Newman's meditation titled, "Jesus Christ, Yesterday, and Today, and the Same Forever." 

From Michael O' Brien's, The Sabbatical.

The Gospel According to Matthew,2: 1-12

P.S.-My friends, you are first and foremost beloved children of the Father, but you are made to encounter Him through the transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty!! Intake what leads you to our Beloved Father! 

Today, we discuss God's incrediblelove for us through the writing of philosopher and theologian, Peter Kreeft. 

From the introduction and chapter one of Kreeft's book, The God Who Loves You,"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." 

From Romano Guardini's Book, Learning the Virtues that Lead You to God. 

From Father Wilfrid Stinissen's book, Eternity in the Space of Time. 

Follow this link to the article on and transcription of the 1969 radio broadcast by Father Ratzinger, "What Will the Church Look Like in 2000." 

https://ucatholic.com/blog/the-lost-prophecy-of-father-joseph-ratzinger-on-the-future-of-the-church/