What does God say is perfect prayer?

November 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

How are we to pray?

So often, we think, because of the way we were taught, that prayer is “talking to God.” And while that is true, we also need to be silent and listen to him and be with him.

Words to Catherine

God’s words to Catherine of Siena: “You see then, that perfect prayer is not arrived at through many words, but through affection or desire, when the soul raises itself to me, knowing itself and my mercy, seasoned one with the other.  Thus, the soul will practice mental and vocal prayer together, for even as the active and contemplative are one, so are they.”  God further goes on to explain vocal and mental prayer, vocal being the type of prayer we say aloud or in our mind, while mental prayer is prayer without words, for being united with God.  He also explains that “mental prayer is reached by exercise and perseverance”  and that vocal prayer, practiced persistently, will lead to “perfect mental prayer.”

Learn more about different types of prayer when you sign up for my newsletter. 

Advent Season

Advent begins on December 3, 2023, and ends on December 24, 2023. It is a mere 22 days. Instead of trying to fill it with all the things, consider lighting your Advent wreath or a candle, reading the daily Gospel and then sitting in silence for 15 minutes a day. God desires to fill you with his grace and blessings; give him the time to do that for you.

Pray More Advent Retreat

Learn more about the retreat and sign up to join us!

 

 

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God Reaching Out & Breaking Through

September 22, 2023 by Leave a Comment
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Glimmer or God?

I’ve been hearing about ‘glimmers’ on social media lately. I’ve seen a few memes. And while I liked the thought of a glimmer as opposed to a trigger, I wasn’t happy with the advice to look for the glimmer.

You see, to me, a glimmer is not about looking for something good, but it is God breaking through, reaching out to offer us hope, grace, a bit of pat on the back that says, “I’ ‘m here for ya!” from the Lord.

Finding and Seeing God

What the world and pop culture call glimmers, I say, they are from God. God loves us so much that he does reach out to us. But we ran around in a noisy, fast-paced world where we don’t pause often enough to say thanks for the good things that come our way.

  • No red lights on the way to work.
  • Your favorite song on the radio.
  • A call from a friend.
  • What’s on your list?

 

This notion of looking for God each day comes from St. Ignatius of Loyola. I may have mentioned him a time or two before.  This week, our Not Lukewarm challenge is to answer the question, “Where did I see God today?”, every night.

And if you are interested in learning more about Ignatius and prayer, sign up for my newsletter to receive 4 Ways to Pray with Scripture and learn about a new offering on the Spiritual Exercises coming up soon.

 

 

 

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Better, with God

May 12, 2023 by 1 Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Micro Changes

Small changes can help us change our habits. Changing our habits leads us to better outcomes. We can break big changes or shifts into small segments and increase over time. We do not have to do it all at once. This can set us up for failure, rather than success.

You are the average of the five habits you repaet most.  James Clear

Scripture  

The Ten Commandments are all great foundations for good habits! Read Exodus 20 for God’s instructions.

Put God first, don’t swear, go to Church on Sundays, honor your parents, be faithful, don’t lie – all good habits for living your life in way that honors God and others, and yourself.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. Luke 16:10

Day by Day

The song, If You Want Your Dream to Be…(San Damiano Song) By Donovan really fits well here, so please excuse the 70s throwback to my youth. This is not the scene I describe in the podcast, but the song itself.

If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginnings, greater ends, heartfelt work grows purely.

If you want to live life free, take your time, go slowly. Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy.

Day by day, stone by stone, build your secret slowly. Day by day, you’ll grow too, you’ll know heaven’s glory.

If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginnings, greater ends, heartfelt work grows purely. If you want to live life free, take your time go slowly.

In prayer, ask God where and how you can be better.

Would you like to discuss how to be better? Interested in joining us for the Pentecost Novena? Get in touch with me here.

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Where does our True Identity come from?

December 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What is our true identity?

“We cannot be truly happy until we are truly free, and we to know who it is that we truly are if we are to be truly free.”
Habits of Freedom, pg 20

Eve

As in adam and Eve, she engages in a ‘what if ‘ conversation with the snake. She speculates. Wonders. Thinks about what if? Instead of focusing on now and engaging in conversation, aka, prayer, with God.

We do the same thing. Making time for God each day will give us an intimate relationship with him. It keeps us on an even keel and able to handle our lives better.

Jesus’ Baptism

In Luke 3:21-22,

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened
 and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
God the Father is well pleased with Jesus. He is well-pleased with you too!
This week, pray and meditate with Luke 3:21-22. Hear what the Father says to Jesus and listen to what He has to say to you.
If you’d like to read and discuss the Sunday Mass REadings, join us on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm (ET). You can sign up here to receive the link. 

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Habits of Freedom; Holy Indifference

November 25, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

We are continuing our series of Habits of Freedom: 5 Ignatian Tools for Calming Your Mind and Resting in the Lord by Christopher S. Collins, SJ.

God often calls us out of our usual to get our attention. In the scripture, we see him call people to the desert, recall the Israelites in the desert after leaving Egypt and Jesus there for 40 days before he begins his public ministry.

He also uses suffering to draw us closer to him. The desert, suffering – both are ways that we turn and rely more fully on God than in other times.

St. Ignatius teaches us to have a “holy indifference” in that no matter our circumstances, we choose to turn to God.

Discernment

Discernment is an ongoing and daily process. It asks us to look each day at where we have been, what we have done, and where we have encountered God. This is our Examen. A time to reflect on our day, with the help of the Holy Spirit and ask for help for the next day.

Allow your life to be disrupted

Fr. Collins makes this point about how we can be disposed to receive grace: “putting my self into unknown, uncertain, somewhat insecure circumstances has a way of disposing me to receive something greater that I could have expected.” (pg. 10)

It is good to allow our lives to be disrupted for, with and by God. “Allow ourselves to be displaced, decentered. To be opened up to something different. And then to allow the Holy Spirit to move, to act, to allow the Word of God to be spoken and heard by me, by us.” (pg.15)

This week, take some quiet time to think about a time when your life was disrupted. What happened? How was the situation resolved? Where was God in it? What did you learn?

Would you like to banish the lies that hold you back from freedom in Christ? Receive a free guide from me to help!

 

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You are Enough

September 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Fine Line

There is a fine line between true, good, and holy desires and grasping for more. Our world tells us that we are not enough or maybe too much; that we need to do more, be more, and have more. Always striving for an ideal that is beyond reach. That is not of God.

Scripture

The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite,
but the belly of the wicked is empty. Proverbs 13:25

The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite,
but the belly of the wicked is empty. Proverbs 23:4

Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Phillipians 2:6

What do we need to live?

Most of us have enough. We may not realize it because we have bought into the world telling us we don’t have enough. More is better. Not really; more stuff means more time spent caring for things rather than caring for others.

This week spend some time making a list of all that God has given you. Your gifts and talents, family, friends, all that is enough in your life, both personally and materially. Let me know how it goes.

Interested in talking about your spiritual life? Take a look here for more information.

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We can trust God!

August 12, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What does trust mean?

What does the word trust mean? “A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.”

We have belief in God.  He is reliable. He is truth. His ability is above all, as is His strength. We can trust Him. Yet we falter at times.

The Word

Look at this verse from Sirach 2:10:

“Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his fear and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?”

Where has God been in your past?

Look at your own life, not past generations, and see where God has been there for you. Often we don’t see it at the time, but when we look back, we see how He protected us or saved us from making a mistake.

For our challenge, look back on your life and think about all the times and situations where you see God. If you are so inclined, write them down. It is your personal story of salvation, your spiritual adventure!

 

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Simple & Ordinary

August 5, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

A few weeks ago I interviewed Rachel Balducci about her new book, No Such Thing as Ordinary and we talked about how oftentimes, we are waiting to do something big and important for God and miss what is in front of us.

Reminder from God

I have lots of insomnia lately and so the middle of the night is time for prayer and deep conversation with God. He reminded me of a few things, in particular, that he uses the ordinary things of life to help and sustain us.

As an example, there is Elijah, beaten down and afraid after his encounter with Jezebel. He wanders off, whining and complaining. God sends an angel to him and encourages him to sleep and when he wakes up gives him food and drink. Then he sleeps again to prepare himself for the next journey. He goes to the mountain of Horeb and there meets God.

Again, God was not in the dramatic weather but in the quiet.

“He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;  and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. ” 1 Kings 19:11-12

In the Ordinary

It is a reminder, isn’t it? Stop looking out there and look inside. Yourself. Your home. Look to what is reasonable, a nap, a snack, time with God.

Living Not Lukewarm is not about setting out each day to accomplish a great list of tasks that bring hundreds to Jesus. It is about doing what is in front of us, relying on Jesus to lead us and fully entering into the task at hand.

Whatever your tasks are this week, do them with the same zealousness as Elijah did what the LORD asked him to do!

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Essential Worship Questions

June 25, 2021 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Who needs worship?

Is it God or us? God does not need our worship. We need to worship him. It makes us more inclined to give him honor and reverence and awe. It reminds us to love God above all other people and things.

What are we to worship?

We are meant to worship the creator, not the created. Romans 1:28 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

How are we to worship?

We are meant to come and worship God filled with the SPirit and honestly, not trying to hide anything from him. John 4:4 says, “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

 

Ask yourself the question, how am I going or entering into worship? If there have blocks or things you are trying to keep hidden, ask God to remove them so you can be free in your worship of him.

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The Prayer of Silence

April 30, 2021 by Leave a Comment
A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

What is prayer?

Prayer is time with God. A conversation. A lifting of our mind and heart to him.

There are different types of prayer

We can pray with others or by ourselves. There are vocal prayers, often those we have memorized. We can pray those aloud or inside our mind, but there are words involved either way.

Contemplative prayer is quiet. There are not many words.

How to pray in silence?

Put yourself in a quiet place, free of distractions.

Close your eyes and ask the Lord to be present with you.

Breathe. In your mind, picture God looking at you or open your eyes and look at an image that focuses you.

Tell God briefly what is on your mind.

And then sit quietly, if thoughts come to mind, let them go.

When you are done, thank God for his presence.

You may come away with answers or a sense of peace. Answers may come at another time. Try not to worry if you are doing it right, know that any time we give to God like this helps us become the person he created.

Try contemplative prayer this week. Start with 10 minutes a day and see what happens.

 

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