Tune in to the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast to fuel your prayer and conversation with God. On our weekly podcast we share meditations given by priests who, ...
In our meditation of the week: Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to reflect more deeply on the Nativity of Our Lord. “In the Incarnation,” he says, “God has come not only to unleash our power of loving and adoring God but also to give us a model on how to become more fully human.”Recalling a famous short story from 1906, “The Gift of the Magi,” Msgr. Dolan gives us the “antidote” to that attitude of commercialization that often accompanies the Christmas season. He helps us ponder the fact that what matters most is “the amount, the extent to which we love each other.” We are reminded that the greater our love, the greater our freedom. And so we want our love to remain open to absolutely everyone; we want the willingness to befriend others in imitation of Christ, who made friends with “tax collectors and sinners.”We pray and ask the Holy Family: “Do whatever it takes to give me that same degree of love [you have]. Help me to contemplate. Help me to develop the capacity to be still, to see that you, Jesus, are God. Help me to grow in love so that I can grow in freedom. Help me to grow in detachment so that I can be happy regardless of the circumstances. And help me to become a better and more understanding friend of all those around me.”View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!
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Fourth Week of Advent: Always Be Ready
In this meditation for the Fourth Week of Advent, Fr. Peter Armenio guides us in deepening our preparation for Christmas, the celebration of our transcendent God entering our world in the fullness of time, by reflecting on Jesus Christ as the ultimate source of peace and joy.St. Paul preached not that Jesus is peaceful but that he is peace; Isaiah calls him the Prince of Peace; and Jesus tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (John 14:27). God wants everyone to be recipients of this description of Jesus. This great joy is for all people and it fills all people with hope.Fr. Peter directs us, therefore, to ask God’s help to penetrate this definition of peace so that we can “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15).View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!
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Third Week of Advent: Rejoice in the Lord
In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the readings for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent also known as “Gaudete Sunday” or “Rejoice Sunday.”The very first description of Jesus in the Gospel is that he is “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Great joy always surrounds him and there is always a joyous reaction in the presence of Our Lord. Therefore, one tell-tale sign that we are in the right disposition for him to come to us is the prominent fruit of the Holy Spirit: joy.Fr. Peter explains that permanent, deep joy exclusively comes from Christ and is the fruit of a close relationship with him. Joy outside of Christ is just a good mood, a thrill, or a momentary pleasure. Our true joy comes from being that good soil where we habitually seek Our Lord with our whole heart.And, if we are lacking joy, this is the time to examine ourselves: Am I looking for Jesus with all my heart? Is he number one in my life? Do I want him to be number one?View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!
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Second Week of Advent: Prepare the Way of the Lord
In our meditation for the Second Week of Advent, Fr. Peter Armenio directs our attention to the metaphors of conversion found in the Gospel description of St. John the Baptist: “A voice of one crying in the desert, ‘prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'” We, too, want to be imitators of John the Baptist, “albeit in a flawed and imperfect way.” As Fr. Peter explains, “It’s not about my talents, my gifts, my skills; but it is about letting that Christ who lives in me through Baptism, to let him grow so he reveals himself […] through myself, being an imperfect vessel, but a vessel of Jesus Christ, nevertheless.”During these days of Advent, our calling is to “put on Jesus Christ” more intentionally so as to let his life and his love be revealed through us. Only in this way can we make Christ “real” to those who earnestly seek him. And, as St. Josemaria wrote, we have two points of entry available to us: “the Bread and the Word.” By constantly nourishing ourselves with Scripture and the Eucharist, we will be better equipped to abide in Him amid the busyness of our daily lives.View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!
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First Week of Advent: Conversion and Contrition
In our meditation of the week for the First Week of Advent, Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to use this season as a time of true preparation, not just for Christmas but for our eventual encounter with Jesus Christ. Advent is a call to conversion, urging us to go beyond small, surface-level changes and instead embrace the profound transformation that the Holy Spirit desires to work within us, reshaping us entirely to reflect Christ. With the help of Our Lady, we can grow in a contemplative spirit, learning to freely and lovingly seek God in all things and to see our lives through his eyes.View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!
Tune in to the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast to fuel your prayer and conversation with God. On our weekly podcast we share meditations given by priests who, in the spirit of St. Josemaria Escriva, offer points for reflection to guide you in your personal prayer and help you grow closer to God.The meditations are typically under 30 minutes so that you can take advantage of them during your time of prayer, commute, walk, lunch, or any time you want to listen to something good.The St. Josemaria Institute was established in 2006 in the United States to promote the life and teachings of St. Josemaria, priest and founder of Opus Dei, through prayer, devotions, digital and social media, and special programs and initiatives.