Sacred Healing 12:30

Listen, Pharisee, the reason you're lonely, the reason you don't feel "chosen," the reason God hasn't thrown you a party (Parable of the Prodigal), is because you're full of judgments that block communion within yourself and between you and the Father, so that you can't feel comfortable enough with Him to even ask for a party. And if he threw you one now, in the state of Pharisaism you're in, you'd just condemn yourself for wastefulness and not deserving it.
As soon as we turn back to our inner child, as soon as we extend some sympathy, boundaries, and forgiveness - for ourselves and others - the Pharisee steps in to judge: "How dare you let yourself or them get away with that!"
Pharisaism is the wound of the world, because while the "sinful" have obvious evidence of their need for healing love, the Pharisee has his shit together, and therefore cannot see the dark, dead judgments inside himself that prevent healing communion.  

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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Did the Holy Spirit bring to mind a judgment that you've been projecting onto others or Him in this episode? Can you discern the contradiction underneath with Him?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, The Little Way of the Child. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – How the inner Pharisee steps into the Little Way process
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Unforgiveness and Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes; Catholics and Protestants; Pharisaism as anger at self and God
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Psychology 101 on judgments as projections; fear of God as projection of anger
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Seeing and accepting personality flaws (underneath behavior issues) without allowing them to rule; how judgments in our vocations are meant to help us "see" and experience ourselves, God, and others in communion
Transcript
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All of our spiritual and emotional issues stem from an unconscious unwillingness to acknowledge the darkness in ourselves. In order to resist conscious "seeing" and acknowledging and doing something about the ugly truths in ourselves, we project them onto others, we distract ourselves, and in doing so, we disown parts of ourselves and those parts begin their tyranny. When enough of us do this, our world becomes as disordered as we are inside.
It's through conflicts and suffering that enough emotion can break through, consciously, to alert us of what we are not seeing. Eden shows us that if we see and acknowledge it - whatever the darkness is - we can take it to the Holy Spirit to help us heal and order it properly. If Adam and Eve had done this, rather than allowing themselves to be distracted by what was easier and more attractive in the moment, they would have had the knowledge of good and evil without the suffering, because the evil was with them in the Garden the whole time; they just didn't notice or acknowledge it as such.
Matthew 18, the Beatitudes, and Old Testament Jacob as a case study, help us with proper healing and ordering: working through pop quizzes, "turning back" to acknowledge and rescue the inner child, setting good boundaries for ourselves and others, and forgiveness for all. 

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is tonight! You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Does looking at the Eden story from a psychological point of view help you understand why working through pop quizzes, "turning back" to the inner child, setting good boundaries, and forgiveness are so important to your growth and health? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, The Little Way of the Child. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – Review of Matthew 18 concepts, addition of the Beatitudes for understanding of the processes
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Adam and Eve; the "shadow" or darkness inside; Jacob and deceit; Jacob's pop quizzes 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – How the processes work for individuals vs. Christian brothers and sisters
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Forgiveness
Transcript
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I have so many updates!! I am so glad it is a new springtime and the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit is stirring within the Church and the world. He's stirring here too. Listen and explore the links below for all that is happening: 

social media and new discussion forum 
spiritual gifts podcast and conference (links below)
healing pilgrimages to Medjugorje and Holy Land for 2023
monthly Zoom meet-ups with me for Friends of the Show, and FOTS updates
Shalom TV series
prayer team
private consultations
self-paced course for healing

  






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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
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Rest is not merely inactivity. Although it certainly includes leisure, rest involves the entire human person, in thoughts, emotions, body, and soul. In this episode we explore what the Bible means when it commands us to observe Sabbath rest. 

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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Could a neglect of keeping a proper Sunday observance be contributing to your unrest? What small steps can you begin taking today to make your Sundays more restful for yourself and your family?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Heavenly Father, I ask that Your love flow upon me. May the Blood of Christ cover all wounds and restore all in me to wholeness and life. May the fire from Our Lady's heart now enter me and anoint everything with the Holy Spirit and blind Satan. May St. Joseph wrap me with blessings and peace, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen + (Prayer for Inner Healing, Deliverance Prayers for the Laity, Fr. Ripperger)
What we discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Loose ends
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  Rest includes the whole person: thoughts, emotions, body, and soul
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Worship/rest is part of natural law and the number one way we can begin experiencing rest in our bodies and souls 
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Worshipping properly, resting properly; next series
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It may seem like an oxymoron, but rest is a discipline.
The number one thing you need to know in battling anxiety is that it does not come from God. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control" (2 Tim 1:7). Anxiety is an attack of the enemy, therefore we must close the doors of vulnerability that our unresolved experiences in life have left open. What are those doors? This episode explores the open doors and how to close them once and for all. 
 










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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary. 

Because I wrote a special LOVE the Word® section for it, my listeners get the Ave Maria Press Notetaking Bible at a discount! Use code CORBITTBIBLE at this link, and get the imitation leather edition for $55 (I have this one) or the hardcover edition for $45.

Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)



Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
During the section of forgiving mom and dad, people with whom you have soul ties, self, and God, did a particular person or memory come to mind? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that?  
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Heavenly Father, I ask that Your love flow upon me. May the Blood of Christ cover all wounds and restore all in me to wholeness and life. May the fire from Our Lady's heart now enter me and anoint everything with the Holy Spirit and blind Satan. May St. Joseph wrap me with blessings and peace, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen + (Prayer for Inner Healing, Deliverance Prayers for the Laity, Fr. Ripperger)
What we discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Biblical rest as "one, peace, rest"--giving over, blissful relaxation--that "transcends" human understanding, meaning "to hold above, rise above, to be superior."
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  Simple biblical command is: do not worry. Have no anxiety. Worry = "to strangle, to choke." 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – The root of anxiety as demonic harassment; divine biblical law is to forgive until complete; soul ties
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Open doors: unforgiveness, soul ties, predominant fault
 
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In this episode we explore Old Testament Joseph's life, because in order to understand St. Joseph as patron of the Church, we must know something of his ancestor, OT Joseph, for whom he is named. Psalm 105 gives us a snapshot of OT Joseph, and a prophecy of NT Joseph:
"When he summoned a famine on the land, and broke every staff of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to instruct his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom" (Ps 105:16-22, emphasis mine).
 










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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary. 

Because I wrote a special LOVE the Word® section for it, my listeners get the Ave Maria Press Notetaking Bible at a discount! Use code CORBITTBIBLE at this link, and get the imitation leather edition for $55 (I have this one) or the hardcover edition for $45.

Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)



Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
One of my favorite things about OT Joseph is how he bore up under injustice and adversity and continued to operate in his gifts wherever he found himself. Ultimately, God used all of Joseph's sufferings as stepping-stones to something greater and to the benefit of everyone: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many should be kept alive..." (Gen 50:20). 

As you observe your own dysfunctional family relationships and circumstances, and the suffering there, can you discern an ultimate good toward which God might be moving all of you? In your family, is there one person who seems to be in the role of Joseph? 
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Lord, they may have meant evil against me, but You meant it for good (Gen 50:20). Help me to wait for your vindication, and as I wait, help me to forgive. Amen +
What we discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Why Sonja began studying St. Joseph 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  What St. Joseph wanted Sonja to know about him
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – OT Joseph, Genesis 37-40: from prophecy to the pit, from the pit to Potipher's, from Potipher's to prison
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Genesis 41-50: From prison to prominence
 
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Week 1 | Psalm 6



#letuspray

 


To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy anger,
nor chasten me in thy wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is sorely troubled.
    But thou, O Lord—how long?


4 Turn, O Lord, save my life;
    deliver me for the sake of thy steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee;
    in Sheol who can give thee praise?


6 I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief,
    it grows weak because of all my foes.


8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil;
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and sorely troubled;
    they shall turn back, and be put to shame in a moment.




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She's here!

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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.
Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)



Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
How does this psalm fit with what you've been seeing and hearing in the daily readings?
What do you sense He is calling you to this Lent?
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
What do you want to say to Him about that? Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy anger, nor chasten me in thy wrath. Amen +
What we discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Greek and Hebrew numbering, history of the penitential psalms and their prayer, the biblical meaning of penance and repentance
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  Old and New Testament understandings of repentance, Psalm 6 verses 1 and 2: biblical meaning of God's wrath and anger; verses 4-5, Sheol 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Psalm 6 verses 6-10: public vindication from God before enemies
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Sonja's highlights from the daily readings for this week as a call to a particular Lenten penance, nationally and personally
Other Resources
Create in Me a Clean Heart: 10 Minutes a Day with the Penitential Psalms, book by Sarah Christmyer

A "Spiritual Cleanse" with the Penitential Psalms
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I offered an update in the last segment of the last show summarizing our encore series on end times prophecy, and talked a little about the next series. 

Public revelation in Christ (Apostolic Tradition and Scripture) ALWAYS takes primary place in discerning end times events and prophecies. Not Marian apparitions, contemporary prophets, or fascinating modern predictions. 



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She's here!

Lent comes early this year! Get your 2021 LOVE the Word® Journal, available now. Preview the interior, get a free guide and journal page, and preorder for Lent, here. 


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.
Listen (Receive the Word via audio.)

Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming” (2 Thess 2:7-8). Amen, and hallelujah!

What is "the breath of His mouth"? 
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
What do you want to say to Him about that? Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Lord Jesus! Amen +
What we discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – News and updates
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  Summary of timeline 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Summary continued
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – What's next
Sonja's Important Eschatological Qualification
Catholic eschatology is what's called "speculative theology." This designation means little has been defined by the Magisterium concerning the end times, so the subject is open for speculation and development by Catholics seeking truth via Sacred Tradition (history) and Sacred Scripture. I attempt throughout the series to make clear what is public revelation and therefore part of the Deposit of Faith, and what is approved private revelation and not a matter of adherence.
Dr. Scott Hahn most recently put forth the liturgical and historical interpretation of the Book of Revelation without alleging that there is no end times application. Many non-Catholics hold to either this interpretation or an eschatological interpretation; the Church maintains that the proper interpretation is not either history or prophecy, but both history and prophecy, as biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature always is: there is usually more than one fulfillment of prophecy.
Because much of eschatology is a matter of speculative theology, we are free to ruminate and speculate.
Resources
How to read St. John’s Apocalypse, or the Book of Revelation
As History 

AD 63-64           St. Peter is crucified upside-down by Nero
AD 66                 Jewish revolt against Florus spreads throughout Judea in “Jewish War”
AD 68                 Nero commits suicide
AD 69                 Gospel of Mark written
       70                 Romans sack and burn Jerusalem, complete destruction of Old Covenant “world”
       73                 Jews at Masada commit suicide
       75                 Book of Hebrews written

Yes, we are at the end. But not the end, end. There are still quite a few events that Scripture tells us about that have not yet occurred.
But we are closer than ever before, as for the first time in history there is a global economic system coming online early this year, and because of Covid nations are cooperating in ways they never have before. But before the end, some glorious things will happen too.  

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Lent comes early this year! Get your 2021 LOVE the Word® Journal, available now for preorder. Preview the interior, get a free guide and journal page, and preorder for Lent, here. 
Study Audio


Apologies: Video is unavailable until I can stabilize my internet for uploading. Should be in a couple of days. 


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.
Listen (Receive the Word via audio.)
"Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Matt 24:45-51).
Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Using all your senses, try to imagine Jesus coming to your home as the Master of your household the way He says it will happen in this passage. What do you see as He comes to your house? What do you hear? What are your thoughts and feelings as He approaches? What does He find? What does He say to you?
What is the faithful servant supposed to be doing in this scenario of Jesus' Second Coming? What is the food He speaks of? What are the rewards and punishments spoken of here? Why is the wicked servant a hypocrite?
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief (Mark 9:24)! Amen +
Sonja's Important Eschatological Qualification
Catholic eschatology is what's called "speculative theology." This designation means little has been defined by the Magisterium concerning the end times, so the subject is open for speculation and development by Catholics seeking truth via Sacred Tradition (history) and Sacred Scripture. I attempt throughout the series to make clear what is public revelation and therefore part of the Deposit of Faith, and what is approved private revelation and not a matter of adherence.
Dr. Scott Hahn most recently put forth the liturgical and historical interpretation of the Book of Revelation without alleging that there is no end times application. Many non-Catholics hold to either this interpretation or an eschatological interpretation; the Church maintains that the proper interpretation is not either history or prophecy, but both history and prophecy, as biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature always is: t...

Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit. It makes the soul responsive to God in the contemplation of divine things. Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves. Built into wisdom is the element of love, which inspires contemplative reflection on these divine mysteries, rejoices dwelling on them, and directs the mind to judge all things according to their principles (Catholic Dictionary). Simply put, wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective. 


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LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.
L - Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)




O - Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What event or circumstance in your life do you need God's perspective on? What does God's promise of wisdom in James 1:5 tell you about that?
V - Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E - Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)

O God, Who instructed the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, Grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen +
Show Notes
Topics Discussed:
Plato and Thomas Aquinas, biblical "wisdom", St. Athanasius on wisdom
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – History of the O Antiphons, wisdom defined, Plato and Thomas Aquinas, cardinal virtues   
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Old Testament and New Testament uses of "wisdom", biblical personification of wisdom
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Three types of wisdom: the art of living, thinking deeply, and wisdom from God
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – St. Athanasius on wisdom; wisdom as seeing things from God's perspective
Resources
The art for the series is by The Homely Hours, available here. 
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Somehow I suspect you've either recently been in a conflict where you were corrected or have seen a need or opportunity to offer correction to another. If not, perhaps it's just around the corner. How about some guidelines from Jesus about that?

Because we are God's children, and He warns us sternly against "despising the little ones." After radical detachment, we have to "turn back" to rescue the lost sheep of our inner child, and the lost sheep in our original and church families when they are also our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Melanie D; Bruce R; Veronica W; Melinda M; Loren G; Tessa W; Lindsay B; Ann C; Carol S; Christina C; Vicki G; Anita C; Christin L; Emily P; Anne B; and Kevin G, for for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is super deep! You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Does a confrontation with someone loom in your life? Does having some guidance from Scripture help you navigate the issue? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, The Little Way of the Child. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – "turn back": 1) radical detachment, 2) pursue to the lost sheep, 3) correcting offenders 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – despise = "to think against"; Jesus' promise of His presence in the process of correction
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – personal examples of "fraternal correction"
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Church Fathers on fraternal correction
Transcript
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Using Matthew 18 as a touch point for discussion of the inner child is what we call using a "spiritual sense" of Scripture.

It's fascinating to me that Jesus emphasized His teaching in 18 and part of 19 by placing children before Him (remember that chapter and verse numbers were not in the original writings, but added for our convenience).

Like flesh and blood parables, children bookend His teaching on boundaries, and we learn that not only are healthy boundaries necessary to faith in dealing with one another in the family of God, but they're also necessary in human and faith development, too. 

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Melanie D; Bruce R; Veronica W; Melinda M; Loren G; Tessa W; Lindsay B; Ann C; Carol S; Christina C; Vicki G; Anita C; Christin L; Emily P; Anne B; and Kevin G, for for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our next Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is January 22 at 6:30 PM CST! You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Does learning something about the Stages of Faith development help to ease their inherent tension? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, The Little Way of the Child. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – holiday review, psychological/mythological idea that the way to full maturity is to recover childhood, shadow parts
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – procedural memory in the brain, "the saints were crazy," two senses of scripture and subdivisions
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – hierarchy vs. relationships, characteristics of children
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – stages of faith, "fasting" from destructive relationships, detachment
Transcript
Friends of the Show: Protected Content. Click Here to sign in

Separation anxiety is when someone fears being apart from or losing a person or other attachment figure, a place, or even an animal. Adults can experience separation anxiety, although it is more common in children. Learning necessary, healthy detachment from parents, relatives, friends, and trauma bonds provokes "separation anxiety," does it not? Severe SA can manifest in physical symptoms, such as nausea and headaches.
But separation anxiety is a normal part of both childhood development and adult relationship development. Although it can be unsettling, Jesus teaches separation is necessary for Christians - at least temporarily - in order to bring about the repentance and reconciliation of an offender. If the offender continues without repentance (changing direction), we must detach from ungodly "Christian" relationships, or else we fall into sin ourselves as enablers. Jesus shows us how. 

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Jaylen M; Rose G; and Monica M, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is epic! You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Tolerance is not patience, it is enabling sin, according to Jesus and interpreted by the Church Fathers. Has the Holy Spirit alerted you through this episode of a relationship with a fellow (professed) Christian in which you need to speak up and erect some boundaries? What do you want to say to Him about that?  
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, the little way. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – the purification of our hearts has to do with paternal and maternal images (CCC 2779); Thérèse of Lisieux's trauma; mother wounds and female physical issues
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – self- and interior-abuse; aggressive vs passive temperament; synopsis of Matthew 18; childlikeness, according to Jesus, means boundaries;  the difference between boundaries for Christians and non-Christians; Law as gift; guilt and shame; shame vs contrition; no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom 8:1 and Jn 3)
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the forehead as the seat of shame; Ex 28 HOLINESS TO THE LORD; 3 stages of boundaries; Holy Spirit is our wisdom and discernment as we "wrestle" with boundaries; overview of Matt 18; the Fathers on offenses against children and ourselves
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – "cutting them off" or no-contact; eyes, hands, and feet; Jesus seeks out the one who has been separated or "lost"
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Don't all of your issues seem to be exacerbated by the holiday season? We're spending increased amounts of time with people and/or family who may have wounded us or still do. We may feel pressured and obligated by Great Expectations for how things "should" be. Perhaps we labor under the financial burden such expectations add; the sometimes extreme changes in environment, sleep, and schedules at work and with travel that can cause burnout; the many occasions for over-stimulation for us or our kids; the sheer amounts and types of food; stifling grief while feeling forced to put on the happy face; sibling rivalries; inferiority complexes; self-medication and addiction triggers; seasonal depression and lack of sunlight; questions and insinuations from others about "where you are" in life. 
If all of that feels overwhelming to you, perhaps you can see why the holiday season causes your inner child to feel distressed and begin "acting out" in order to get your attention? 
And why all the guilt for simply wanting to hibernate until the whole season is over, or needing to limit exposure to the entire bit? What if the guilt is driven by a trauma bond? 
Here are six Ps for navigating the holidays and making them more peaceful and happy: Predict, Prepare, Plan, Priorities, Peace, Pivot. 
Here's the Anxiety Checklist referred to in the episode. 

Abusive behavior does not always involve tangible violence. Distinctions must be made between physical violence/abuse—traditionally, the most researched and detectable form—and emotional, or psychological, abuse. Emotional abuse is any nonphysical behavior or attitude that is designed to control, subdue, punish, or isolate another person through the use of humiliation or fear (Engel, 2002). . .
.
Emotional abuse can include verbal assault, dominance, control, isolation, ridicule, or the use of intimate knowledge for degradation (Follingstad, Coyne, & Gambone, 2005). It targets the emotional and psychological well-being of the victim, and it is often a precursor to physical abuse. . . 
.
Some types of physical behavior can be considered emotional abuse in that they represent physical violence (Marshall, 1996). Examples include: throwing objects, kicking a wall, shaking a finger or fist at the victim, driving recklessly while the victim is in the car, or threatening to destroy objects the victim values. Property damage is a form of emotional abuse considered “symbolic violence” (Engel, 2002) that results in serious psychological, social, and economic costs. Harm inflicted on victim’s pets can be emotionally abusive, causing suffering in both humans and animals (Faver & Strand, 2007).

Link to study, above.

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Lidia M; Carl O; Juana N; and Cheryl B (extra thank you!), for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study is tonight at 6:30 PM Central in the Community. You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Where did you identify instances of abuse in your life? Have you been an abuser? Where do you need better boundaries, either as one who has been abused or as an abuser? Spend some time talking with the Holy Spirit about a peace-plan for this holiday season. 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or,

Are you curious? What does your inner child's voice sound like?
This episode, perhaps more than any other I've ever done, has the power to change your life. Ask Little Therese for that grace.
When we protect and provide love and radical acceptance for our inner child, she glows and warms up inside. We have the inner freedom to breathe more easily and try new things. We know we can tolerate failure or mess ups. We can deal with minor amounts of guilt or shame without getting eaten up with fear. We don't get stuck desperately needing approval from others. Our inner child needs to find safety in the world so she can come out and play and be an active part of our life. It's the child parts that allow us to be creative and wondrous, as the psalmist says.
So let's do it. First, we need a few guide bumpers and a grounding technique in case we encounter emotions that threaten to take over. Next, we need to breathe and relax into our inner prayer space. Then we visualize. 
 

 

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Cynthia R, Cynthia C, Katy P, Joan R, and Jennifer S, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John is out of this world. You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
As you worked through the relaxation and visualization exercises, what did you notice in your mind, body, emotions, and memory? Were you surprised to realize through this show that your inner child is in distress? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, the little way. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – What to do if this "little" talk is too weird; importance of healing the inner child; how to know if your inner child is in distress
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Dorothy Day and Therese; the importance of fun and play; how to check in with your body and breathing in preparation for The Little Way Prayer
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – Grounding for panic and overwhelm; the need for patience and radical acceptance; preparing your environment for The Little Way Prayer
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – 3-2-1 Relaxation technique; The Little Way Prayer/Visualization Exercise; afterward
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Healing the heart is about memory and emotion. Whatever and wherever our painful memories and emotions from the past are, they influence our present and future through our inner child. Learning to love the demanding, controlling little you that still screams for attention and protection in your present and future can be challenging, but it is possible, and Jesus teaches it is necessary. 

"Unless you become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 18:3).

Sometimes your hurt is too early to recall, only feel, as in womb experiences or pre-verbal, pre-self-aware implicit memory. Can we reach that deeply? St. Thérèse Lisieux shows us a way, The Little Way. We become little again.

 

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Cynthia R, Cynthia C, Katy P, Joan R, and Jennifer S, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John is out of this world. You coming?

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
You have an inner child. I have an inner child. We all do. Your inner child has a super-sensitive "antenna" that has been picking up messages way before it was even self-aware or able to fully understand or process events and emotions, mentally and emotionally. Like little Thérèse, your inner child holds emotions, memories and beliefs from the past as well as hopes and dreams for the future. Does St. Thérèse of Lisieux's Little Way sound attractive to you so far?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
May it be done to me according to your Word. Amen +
Love Heals. Learn More.

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – Thérèse of Lisieux's early years through the trauma of her mother's death
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Christmas conversion, the "little victory"
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – The Little Way and the Little Flower
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – the convent and her love of and preference for Scripture
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

For us the Bible is a single book, but it's really a Book of Books. The Bible is a library of books, from "biblios," meaning books. These books were written at different times that are sometimes separated by millennia; by different authors with various writing styles, proficiencies, and personalities; to different audiences. Is it any wonder that it can be hard to read and understand?

This episode tackles the two Testaments, the genres of the Books, and the "who" of the Bible, so we have a basic understanding of how to approach each Book.
But more than that, the consistency of the Bible is one of its miracles. Part of its consistency is the "who" of the Bible. Who heals through Scripture, and who is being healed?

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Rodney J; Katherine K; Deb F; Kathleen F; Kristy O; nancy K and Jowella M, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! 

Our new Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John has just begun! You coming?
Click here for Charbel Raish of Parousia Media's Australian Tour highlight video, including Deacon Harold's events and a brief overview of Parousia's ministry.
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers - Dynamic Deacon https://deaconharold.com/

Parousia https://www.parousiamedia.com/

Join the Parousia mailing list at https://www.parousiamedia.com/mailing-list/

Parousia is committed to proclaiming the fullness of truth! If you wish to help us in our mission with a donation please visit our website here https://www.parousiamedia.com/donate/ to learn ways that you can contribute.

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Can you already see how a general overview of the Bible helps it make sense and draws one into relationship with the God Who is revealed there? What was the most surprising or impactful thing you learned from this episode? 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.)
May it be done to me according to  your Word. Amen +
It's Time for You to Be Loved

Connect
Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 
What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – updates on new name, refresh, and upgrades; how the John Bible study dovetails with Ignite series; Word, logos, shekinah, Moses and Old Testament in John and today's episode
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – explanation of many Catholics' view of the Bible; some history of how and why Bibles were once chained to the podium, or ambo
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – GELND; Pharisees' and Sadducees' approach to Pentateuch; remaining genres; I AM 
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – I AM will be with His people; person to person
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

No matter how well you know the Bible, Ignite will offer you something new, both as a hermeneutic and in its practical, personal approach to Scripture. The first chapter is Lectio Divina (meaning holy reading). It covers the ancient Christian practice of daily prayer with Scripture that we Baptist's called the "daily quiet time." We start with lectio divina in the book, because that's the usual way to learn to hear God speak in and through the Bible.
Nothing heals like God's Word, because only love heals, and there is no way to heal fully without an intimate relationship with the Healer, Jesus Christ, in which He pours His love into you and your suffering.


He does that, every single day, by speaking to you through the daily readings. The best way to begin healing is to hear God speak, experience His presence, and discern His will for your life through the daily readings of the Church. How?
Modeled on the Annunciation, the LOVE the Word® method invites Our Lady to guide each of us in her own personal prayer practice: L – listen, O – observe, V – verbalize, E – entrust. We learn how to LOVE the Word® like Mary, from Mary. She teaches us to interpret the word we hear and read through the landscape of our lives. 


Through my own practice of lectio divina, Mary shared with me her own love of and prayer practice with Scripture - an earlier form of lectio divina - and an acronym for her process called LOVE the Word®. In this episode I share it with you, along with Chapter One of Ignite, using the last three years' daily readings as a general guide, and the last week's daily readings as a specific guide. 
Click here for more on LOVE the Word®.

Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Pat L; Christina N; Suzanne H; Petra K; Julie B*; Patricia H; Rebecca S; Claudia P; Rosanne B; Mary Z; Suzanne JK; Natalie C; Patricia B; Jeannette H; Sarah F; Gabriela M; Rosemary W; Yolanda J; Rebecca M; Kathleen F; Marina S; Erin R; Chloe F; Carolyn McG; Brigitte E; and Michael W, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content! *Extra thank you!

Our new Monthly Meetup Bible study series on the Gospel of John for monthly Friends of the Show begins August 21st!
Click here for Charbel Raish of Parousia Media's Australian Tour highlight video, including Deacon Harold's events and a brief overview of Parousia's ministry.
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers - Dynamic Deacon https://deaconharold.com/

Parousia https://www.parousiamedia.com/

Join the Parousia mailing list at https://www.parousiamedia.com/mailing-list/

Parousia is committed to proclaiming the fullness of truth! If you wish to help us in our mission with a donation please visit our website here https://www.parousiamedia.com/donate/ to learn ways that you can contribute.

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What have you been receiving from God over the last three years - since, during, and after Covid and the election - in your LOVE the Word® practice? Come share it with us in the community, here.
If you do not have a LOVE the Word® practice, have you been plagued with anxiety and fear over the last three years and all the political and social upheaval?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.

Discernment of spirits used to solely mean "diagnosing" whether someone was led by the Holy Spirit or the enemy. But it's more complicated than that, isn't it? The same person, even holy people, can be influenced by both the Holy Spirit and the enemy.
Ignatius of Loyola compiled and systematized the Desert Fathers' tradition of discernment, so that now we understand "discernment of spirits" to mean deciding for oneself or another what must be attributed to the Holy Spirit, and what comes from one's own imagination or the suggestion of the enemy. Because St. Ignatius of Loyola's rules for discernment are so substantial, I have included a simplified version specific to discerning whether we are hearing from the Holy Spirit or not. (Copy, paste, print, and share!)


Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Sarah S; Michael T*; Sheila I; and Roger L, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in a monthly Bible study on the Book of Romans! *Whoa, thank you!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What decision are you trying to make right now for which you can use the Rules for Discernment to determine how the Holy Spirit is leading you? Are you also looking for His answer in your circumstances and in the daily readings?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 – what it means to pray "in Jesus' Name"; rules of life and faith in religious communities and for each of us; how the Holy Spirit reveals Himself in Scripture and teaches through the Church
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – the Church as the "pillar and foundation of truth," not the Bible (1Tim 3:15); "no Scripture is of private interpretation" (2Pet 1:20); the HS preserves the Church and us from error
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – love and obedience first: 1) Choose, 2) Deny Him nothing, 3) Remember the seasons; two types of HS inspirations; good and bad vs good and best 
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – rules for discerning the HS's voice
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

In this hour of all-but-universal darkness, we need a spiritual deepening that makes us really dare to live out the power of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Nothing less will save us or our world. This series is an invitation to step into the fire of the Burning Bush, a fire that burns without consuming, without scorching, without singeing; a fire that arrives on the wind, is fed by the wind, and rests upon the crown of each disciple, sending him out to light flames of love and light in our world. This fire and wind is the Holy Spirit.

O souls, created for these grandeurs and called to them! What are you doing? How are you spending your time? . . . You are blind to so brilliant a light and deaf to such loud voices. -John of the Cross

This series is not about the Charismatic Movement; it's not about tongues and miracles and healing. It's about a "still more excellent way" (1 Cor 13). Love, the POWER. The Mystery.
First, we'll explore the mystery. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God is mystery. The Son is God revealed, no longer hidden. The Spirit is God who is still concealed, the unfathomable depths of God, unreachable and incomprehensible. “The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God” (1 Cor 2:10). And "you know Him, because He dwells in you" (John 14:17).

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jessica S; Savana A; Katherine P; Yolanda J; Celeste C; Carmen L; Lynne A; Anna B; and Angelica A, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets tonight!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Our Mass, the highest form of prayer, begins with, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" from 2 Corinthians 2:13. What do you know about "fellowship" after this episode? What is the Holy Spirit inviting you to?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  dogma concerning the HS; wind and breath; the one who acts, but the act Himself; the Person of the HS
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – HS in OT and NT; creating power, revealing power, incarnation power, resurrection power
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the Person gift
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – the gift of love; fruit of the Spirit, agape and eros; koinonia
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

For this last, summary episode in the Angels series, I am offering the best concise 48-minute synopsis on angels and spiritual warfare I know of. Ha! The Bible shows us that the spiritual battle we are all engaged in is centered on fear versus faith. So please enjoy the first chapter of my book Fearless, without interruption.
Technical note: the podcast hosting service I use has not been working for over a week; this is why you did not get this podcast last week. I couldn't get it fixed between Holy Week, Easter, and Monday when my silent retreat began. As a work-around (it's still not working), I added the audio through the native player on my site, so it looks different. I should have it fixed by the next series in a few weeks. 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Morgan J; Monica H*; Savana A; Jessica S; and Elysia G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!*A special "thank you"!


LOVE the Word® is a method of praying with Scripture based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
I learned so much through researching and offering this series for you! What was your main takeaway? How about sharing it with us in community, here? I'll share mine with you too!
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Holy Archangels, pray for us. All you Holy Angels, pray for us. Angel of God, guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

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What We Discussed | Show Notes
John of Damascus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II Chapters 3-4
Catholic Encyclopedia, Angels
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, First Part Question 108
Dionysius the Areopagite, The Celestial Hierarchy
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  Fearless, Conquer Your Demons and Love with Abandon, Chapter 1, Sonja Corbitt
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  continued
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – continued
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – continued
Transcript
Get the Fearless book and/or audio book here.

This series probes what the Bible, the Catechism, Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and contemporary exorcists reveal about angels, their relationship to God, one another, and the human race. Episode 1 explores what it means to say angels are "spiritual and incorporeal beings" and the extraordinary powers and abilities they employ in their tasks.  

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Laura H; Alisa K; Robin N; Deborah B; Robin D; Carrie JH; Joanna C*; Silvia F; Dorothy G; Clara G; Jane M; Kim R; Christine Y; Genevieve M; Jamie R*; Marcie C; Jean A; MJO; Monica M; Gabriela M; Jill S; Kate H; Mary W; Michele Van W; and Norma C, for loving and lifting me! *A special “thank you” for your generosity! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Have you ever experienced angelic visitation or intervention? How do you know? If you've never said "hello" to your guardian angel, do so now, since he is with you this very moment.
What more do you want to know about angels? You might ask the Holy Spirit, directly, to teach you what you want to know throughout this series.  
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Holy Archangels, pray for us. All you Holy Angels, pray for us. Angel of God, guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer live streams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
John of Damascus, An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book II Chapters 3-4
Catholic Encyclopedia, Angels
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  The Catechism and Catholic Encyclopedia as the structural context for our exploration of angels; what the Catechism says about angels
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Biblical languages and their nuances for the word "angel;" messengers of God; when the angels were created; Genesis 1
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – John of Damascus on angels 
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – St. Thomas Aquinas on the angels' nature; what it means that they are "spiritual" and "incorporeal," or bodiless 
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

New around here? Welcome!
Woops! I just tripped myself trying to curtsy for you in my schlepping boots (seriously, the html keeps kicking out my left arrow, curtsy, right arrow). No problem. I’m more flaming Bible teacher than Southern belle anyway, hence the “evangelista” moniker. Yes, I made up a word, but it’s entirely applicable, since by definition an evangelist simply shares the good news of the Gospel from his own point of view. And honey I’m no “him,” but I always have a point of view, so I’m your evangelistaaaah.
Speaking of good news, isn’t holiness more domestic than cosmic (right?) — in the trenches of dirty bathrooms, fighting children, irritable spouses, the struggle to stop raging or overeating, crazy schedules, and overwhelming workloads? We’re all sweating and dirty with the effort to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength (Mark 12:30) – those people, duties, callings, and longings that break our hearts and make them sing, sometimes at the same time. But most times, we need to be loved "wholy" ourselves.
So my Bible study media resources are created with you in mind, always with an emphasis on healing and rest. Bites of spinach that taste like cake, to help you make a space in your busy heart and schedule for God to show you what it means to be authentically loved in all your heart, your mind, your soul, and your body, so that you can love that way too.
My message is simple: Jesus literally loves you to death; let Him. I found that impossible once, myself – due to a deep, raw father wound – but I can’t wait to show you what the Lord taught me in the Scriptures in the times I was hurting, guilty, enraged, lonely, discouraged, and exhausted.
How about we get started? Take a listen, below, and let’s find out where God wants to begin loving and lifting you through the Scriptures!

 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Deborah B; Robin D; Carrie JH; Joanna C*; Silvia F; Dorothy G; Clara G; Jane M; Kim R; Christine Y; Genevieve M; Jamie R*; Marcie C; Jean A; MJO; Monica M; Gabriela M; Jill S; Kate H; Mary W; Michele Van W; and Norma C, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!  *A special "thank you" for your generosity! 


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)
 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
 
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Next Series

It's Lent. It's time for you to be healed.

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Gratitude is the only thing that has been found to actually increase your baseline happiness, called dispositional happiness. Other things, such as self-medication, will cause a temporary increase in happiness, but then you return to the baseline. But over time gratitude increases dispositional well-being, or happiness, permanently!

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jennifer M; Deborah W; and Maureen G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Which of the strategies for practicing gratitude do you feel most drawn to? Can you implement each one? Is it surprising that God made thanksgiving good for us? What do you want to say to Him about that? 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Links to 198 studies on gratitude.
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  reviewing the difference between gratitude and thanksgiving; understanding dispositional gratitude and dispositional happiness 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – research findings on how and why gratitude affects happiness 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – more studies and their findings; strategies for practicing gratitude: saying "thank you," writing letters, gratitude journal
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Ignatius Examen, counting the steps, smile, reframing, random acts of kindness (love bombs); the meaning of charity; creation thanks God
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

According to the Scriptures, complaining and thanksgiving are both multipliers. Complaining multiplies scarcity, fear, futility, and purposelessness; while thanksgiving multiplies a few loaves and fishes to feed all who are present, with plenty left over.  

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Jannifer S, and Carolyn McK, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja in our Bible study on the Book of Romans!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Have you thought about how thanksgiving for what "little" you might have could actually be the catalyst for receiving more from God as a gift? What has the Lord said to you about that through this episode? 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  overview of NT prayers of thanksgiving in the Gospels and Paul 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Jesus' prayers of thanksgiving and what they brought forth
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – thanksgiving is not for God; what God desires from us in thanksgiving, and what happens when we are properly thankful, especially in suffering
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – an overview of "thanksgiving" in the Catechism
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Once, when wallowing in suffering and complaining to God, "Why me?", He answered me with, "Why not you?"
It was a sobering question that re-ordered my negative thinking toward thankfulness for all the terrible things I didn't have that I could. That was when I realized it can always be worse, a reality I remind myself of every time something "bad" happens. 
The Jewish practice of praying the Eighteen Benedictions, or The Amidah, taught them that everything in life is ultimately a gift - undeserved and unmerited - from the great Benefactor, Who is gift Himself. Such a practice of constant thanksgiving centers one's life on eternity and prevents the faith-killing entitlement that leads to futility, purposelessness, negativity, and finally hell. Because the truth is, everything is gift, and we don't deserve any gift whatsoever. 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Ashley L; Tina S; Holly A; Amanda S; Beth W; Peggy H; Glora C; G&H E; Mary S*, Mary P; Jennifer A*; Anita C; Elizabeth P*; Diana R*; Debby F; Dawn M; Maria H; Theresa H; Stella V; Kerry K; and Christina S, for loving and lifting me! *A special "thank you" for your generosity! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets January 9!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
The familiar Mass prayer, "Blessed are You, Lord God of all creation, through Your goodness we have received this bread to offer..." is a traditional prayer of blessing over a meal. Do you say a blessing over your meals? Always? In public? What is the Holy Spirit saying to you about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our families and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessings throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior, through Whom all blessing from You is possible. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Previous episode on the Our Father
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  Jewish prayers of thanksgiving, or blessing; The Amidah, or Eighteen Benedictions
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – life is all blessing
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the biblical connections between gratitude and humility, ingratitude and futility and purposelessness
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – the biblical connection between gratitude and wisdom and rest
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Gratitude is a worldview, but is it a secular worldview or a sacred one? If gratitude is so obviously good for us, emotionally and physically, why are we so ungrateful? And why are Christians who have so much to be grateful for as negative and as physically unhealthy as the godless?
Biblical gratitude helps us return our hearts to the eternal. Living in the midst of so many evils, temptations, and sins, the problem becomes losing sight of the eternal, of becoming distracted. Gratitude helps us focus properly, and that’s why it heals.
In this episode, we look at the etymology of the word gratitude, "the three benes," the differences between the secular and sacred views of gratitude, and the number one reason why we should be grateful. 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Cheri M, Sheila H, and Frances P, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: Our Bible study on the Book of Romans meets January 9!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)

 
O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Do you seek the Lord "diligently"? Do God's words to Abram, "I am your exceedingly great reward" fall flat for you in the face of your suffering? What do you want to say to Him about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for all of the graces and blessings You have bestowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage; our food and shelter; our health; the loves we have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Savior. Amen. +
It's Time for You to Be Healed

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community  for healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:00-12:00 –  secular and sacred views of gratitude; the problem with Cain's offering
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Old Testament and New Testament evolution of the concept of thanksgiving; the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin language roots of the term "gratitude"
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the three benes
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – God's "goodness" to Abram; the number one reason to be grateful
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Perhaps we think back to the Garden of Eden and imagine how glorious it would be to live like Adam and Eve in Paradise before the fall, with our souls clear and free and full of light, and in full and immediate control of the appetites of the body. Or we try to imagine our lives without the darkness and difficulties of the suffering we have personally endured? What kind of healthy, happy person "might have been"?
What if the elevation of the human person in Christ is actually BETTER than it would have been if sin and suffering had never entered the human picture? What if you, yourself, are becoming BETTER through the healing of your personal suffering, in Christ, than you would have been if you had never experienced that suffering?

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Chloe F; Noreen C; and Ester L, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: We're studying the Book of Romans!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Is the Holy Spirit inviting you to consider your personal suffering differently? Is it too hard to even imagine that He could elevate you ABOVE what your potential would have been without that suffering?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Tell Him everything in your heart right now. 
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Precious Blood of Jesus, flow through me. Mary, Mother of Divine Love, take the Precious Blood of Jesus to the throne of God, the Father, and offer it in sweet humble adoration, then send it back flowing by the Holy Spirit as a healing of body, mind, heart, and soul. Grant me complete and total healing as I cooperate with you, Lord Jesus, in the healing of my soul and body as you direct. Amen. +
Get Healed Already!

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Join me in the Sacred Healing community, where I'm offering healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Suffering, its meaning and purpose as personal and apostolic purification in John Paul II's Salvifici Doloris 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Creation, angels, the Garden and sinlessness, the soul's full, immediate control of the body
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – The disorder of soul and body at the Fall, and loss of control of the body; restoration and elevation in Christ and proper hierarchy of the human person
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – O happy fault!, "grace builds on nature," "where sin abounds, grace superabounds," and the implications
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

It's hard to impossible to be physically healthy when you hate your body. Media, trauma, disease, pregnancies, abuse, ageing, bullying - how a person perceives her appearance and feels in his body directly impacts his or her physical health. What is the truth about your body?
"The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit . . . For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honour since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day" (CCC 364-365). 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Patty K; Michele F; Donna H; Mary L; Carlene G; Kathy B; Elaina C; Christine D; Suzette S; Deb F; Katrina H; Leslie A; Barbara S; John P; Casey M; and Linda P, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: We're studying the Book of Romans!

September's Monthly Bible Study Meet-up for Friends of the Show is September 19 at 7:00 PM CDT. 

LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What events or relationships in your life affected your body image? Have you talked to God about that? Do you see your body at all differently after this episode?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Tell Him everything in your heart right now. 
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Go Deeper in Your Healing

Connect
Join me in the Sacred Healing community, where I'm offering healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Outline of the new series, biblical emphasis on the body for salvation
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – Christian view on human person as spirit and matter, "woven veil" in the OT tabernacle and the body as a veil for the Spirit of God in the Holy of Holies of the soul
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – heresies from church history regarding the body; Gospel of the Body; Incarnation, Assumption, and Resurrection
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – physical healing in the Bible and throughout church history, Veritatis Splendor on what one does in the body affects the soul and vice versa
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Unity, permanence, holiness, reverence, glory: "For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church" (Eph 5:29-32).
This is where I get to tell you some wonderful news from here on the home front about the Catholic Evangelista apostolate. The next series, Somata, on physical healing begins September 12!


Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show, Norma C; Natalie C; and Chris G, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: We're studying the Book of Romans!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Has the Holy Spirit brought to mind a way you are thankful for your spouse or community? What can you do to show them your appreciation and gratitude? What do you want to say to Him about that?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Tell Him everything in your heart right now. 
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Connect
Take the next step in your healing journey. Join me in Sacred Healing, where I'm offering healing prayer livestreams, Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you experience deeper healing. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – Catholic Encyclopedia on Ephesians 5:22-33
Minutes 12:01-24:00 – final thoughts on cherishing one another in marriage and other vocations
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – next series is on physical healing
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – news from home and ministry
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

So you're needy? You were created to be needy. In fact, you were created with an abyss of neediness because your neediness was meant to be satisfied. You were created to be cherished. 
Adam and Eve were created needy: they needed food, water, work, and intimate relationship before sin ever entered the Garden. The tragedy of sin was that it separated Adam and Eve from the Source that was meant to satiate their neediness. But Jesus restored our connection to the Source. So embrace your neediness, direct it properly, and you will grow out of leeching and/or stoic behaviors that prevent you from fully satiating the neediness that otherwise eats you alive. 

Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show Ann T; Amarys R; Mariann H; Michele T; Jessica J; Mary C; Fidelis L; Peggy P; Susan D; Martina MacD; Tracy D; James McN; Ellen C; Linda D; Mary McJ; Peggy H; Hannah C; Michelle M; Susan G; Rebecca H; and Amy B for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: We're starting our Bible study on the Book of Romans this week!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Where do you turn when you feel needy and weak? Have you noticed that your tendency to grasp outwardly for love is driven by feelings of abandonment, rejection, and or worthlessness? What happened during your Emmanuel Moment? 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Connect
I am no longer on Facebook. Join us in the new community forum, where we're talking about spiritual gifts, daily LOVE the Word takeaways, healing, caregiver support, and lots more. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – general outline of the Cherished series, the biological need for love, neediness in the Garden
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  satiate, not substitute; the pain of separation and judgment 
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – embracing neediness and weakness, leech vs. stoic, Emmanuel Moment
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – the limbic system and how it relates to music, art, prayer, meditation, emotion, healing; Mary shows us how to experience being cherished
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Sandwiched between St. Paul's sermon on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and his correction of abuses of sign gifts in chapter 14, is perhaps the most beautiful treatise on love ever written. Should you have all the "best," most visible gifts, should you know and understand everything there is to know and understand, should you be martyred -- none of it profits you nor anyone else a thing, if not rooted in love.
If the subject of spiritual gifts is new to you, the process of discerning your gifts may be confusing or overwhelming. What a comfort to realize we ultimately only need to "do" one thing: abide in love. 
So, what is love, really?

Take the spiritual gifts inventory quiz and learn about the gifts. 



Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show Sania K; Monica J; Trena W; Cyndy Mc; Joene M; Barbara O; and Mary C, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja: We're starting our Bible study on the Book of Romans next month!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)


O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What is the most impactful thing you have learned throughout this series on spiritual gifts? Are your spiritual gifts beginning to manifest more clearly? Have you drawn closer to the Holy Spirit? Perhaps this prayer by St. Bonaventure can help draw you more deeply into the love of the Holy Trinity: "Holy Spirit, I love you; Holy Spirit I invite you; Holy Spirit I expect you." Come Holy Spirit!  
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Connect
I am no longer on Facebook. Join us in the new community forum, where we're talking about spiritual gifts, daily LOVE the Word takeaways, healing, caregiver support, and lots more. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – fanning our gifts into flame (1 Tim 4:14, 2 Tim 1:6)
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  St. Paul addresses abuses of sign gifts; 1 Corinthians 13
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – defining "love," agape = treating others better than they deserve when it's in their best interest
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – renewing the church
Resources
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Pope Paul VI

On the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, Christefideles Laici, Pope John Paul II
Fruitful Discipleship, Sherry Weddell

Iuvenescit Ecclesia, The Relationship Between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts
in the Life and the Mission of the Church, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Transcript
Click here for a transcript of the show.

Now that you've taken the quiz, listened to the talks, and read a little about your gifts, what's next?
First: a warm welcome to new listeners and a sincere request to you to stay subscribed through Pentecost. St. Paul says we, the church, are the answer to renewal for the Church and the world (Eph 4), and you need a community in which to grow and discern your spiritual gifts in power and effectiveness. I hope you and I might even become friends. So give yourself the gift of God's word from the "one table" of the Scriptures and the Eucharist (CCC 103), and listen for the next several weeks. Please.
Below is my closing audio and video message from Saturday afternoon at the Spiritual Gifts Conference, in case you missed it. In it, I offer you a path forward and next steps to continue your discernment.
This week you have time to catch up on any of the episodes from the Spiritual Gifts Podcast Series you may have missed, and next week I'll give you the stats on the quiz over the 12K who registered and took it; we will begin looking at the categories of spiritual gifts -- Equipping Gifts | Service Gifts | Sign Gifts -- exploring the gifts individually, and ways they can be clustered. If you had questions about differences in this weekend's gift quiz results and others you have taken, the podcasts in the remainder of this series will help clear up your questions, as we dig deeply into the the nuances between the gifts and how the differences help us distinguish between gifts that are otherwise similar, such as leadership and apostleship. Click the picture below to get the previous shows in the spiritual gifts series.

Take the spiritual gifts inventory quiz and learn about the gifts here. 



Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show Josie O'R; Deirdre E; Suzette S; Maria L; Therese F; Claire & Z; Jill D, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)



O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
Where are you confused about your gifts? What did you learn about them over the weekend? Do you lack opportunities to use your gifts? What do you want to say to the Holy Spirit about that? 
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Bible Study Evangelista is on the Laudate app!


Connect
I am no longer on Facebook. Join us in the new community forum, where we're talking about spiritual gifts, daily LOVE the Word takeaways, healing, caregiver support, and lots more. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – A path forward and next steps for discerning your spiritual gifts 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – 
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – 
Resources
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Pope Paul VI

On the Vocation and Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World, Christefideles Laici, Pope John Paul II
Fruitful Discipleship, Sherry Weddell

Iuvenescit Ecclesia, The Relationship Between Hierarchical and Charismati...

Grace [charis] is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us. But grace also includes the gifts [charismata] that the Spirit grants us to associate us with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and in the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church. There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning "favor," "gratuitous gift," "benefit." Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2003).


Take the spiritual gifts inventory quiz and learn about the gifts here. 



Thank you to my newest Friends of the Show Sherrie T; Katherine B; Denise M; Vicky L; Meg K; Elizabeth H; Mary O'D; Kathy R; Vanessa B; Rachel M; Kathy J; Beth L: Sarah R; Patricia J; Jennifer C; Bronwyn B; Kate A; Apryl B; Katherine C; Cheryl K; Barbara Ann S; Jennifer J; Christina A; Nancy K; Christine W; Elizabeth C; Gabriela M; Denise S; DeeAnna G; Joan T; Tommi W; Kim G; Melissa H; Beth K; Kathleen N; Brie C; Janice B; Theresa T; Teran G; Sarah K; Lisa C; Robyn M; Maria I; Denise M; Fidelis L; Margit C; Natalie W; Jane S; Joan R; Christian K; Ed P; Mary F; Karen A; Michelle S; Jennifer C; Rosemarie B; Miriam F; Dianne; Miryam B; Regina S; Meredith P; Julie S; Vicki G; and Cordelia N for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content and monthly meet-ups with Sonja!


LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja’s method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.  
L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)




O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
What has the Holy Spirit said to you through this episode on spiritual gifts? Do you know or have an idea of what your gifts are? What do you want to say to Him about this show?
V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin.
E | Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of Your love, and there shall be a new creation, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. +
Bible Study Evangelista is on the Laudate app!


Connect
I am no longer on Facebook. Join us in the new community forum, where we're talking about spiritual gifts, daily LOVE the Word takeaways, healing, caregiver support, and lots more. 

What We Discussed | Show Notes
Overview:
Minutes 00:12:00 – The call is to everyone: "Why do you stand here idle all day?" (Matt 20:3-4); you have a "totally unique contribution" to make to the Church's mission 
Minutes 12:01-24:00 –  Charismata are not the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive in baptism; St. Paul's exhortation on spiritual gifts and his description in 1 Corinthians 12
Minutes 24:01-36:00 – gift passages: Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4, and 1 Corinthians 12; seven gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive at Baptism and Confirmation are for your sanctification, while the spiritual gifts build up the Church
Minutes 36:01-48:00 – Equipping gifts, Service gifts, Sign gifts
Resources
Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Pope Paul VI