The Liturgy Podcast from Spirit & Song

"The way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us." The Holy Family inspires our families to be holy.

"Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. For today a great light has come upon the earth." Good news! The birth of Jesus Christ brings much needed light into our world.

"When [the shepherds] returned home to tell everyone what they saw, all were astonished." Like the shepherds, let us return home from this morning liturgy and share the joy of Christmas with our families and friends.

"I proclaim to you good news of great joy: Today a Savior is born for us." We adore the infant who became our salvation. He is the Prince of Peace.

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" The Gospel of Matthew's carefully crafted genealogy of the Messiah is upended by divine intervention. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son of God was born of the Virgin Mary.

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Mary's tender and trusting faith inspires us as we journey from Advent to Christmas.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again: Rejoice!" In our Christian joy, we help prepare for the coming of Christ into the world.

"Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you." Through Mary, we are inspired to join her in saying "Yes" to God.

"The Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart." This Advent, let us look for ways to brighten our hearts with the light of Christ.

"Show us, Lord, your love, and grant us your salvation." Advent is our season of hope and quiet joy as we await the coming of Christ.

Jesus said to the Samaritan leper after his healing: "Stand up and go! Your faith has saved you." Our best way to say Thank You is to proclaim God's goodness.

"My kingdom does not belong to this world." Jesus is our King, but his reign is not over some expanse of territory on this earth. Instead, Jesus reigns in our hearts.

"The Lord said: I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction." In the darkness of our modern world, we cling to the hope and promise of Jesus Christ.  

"This poor widow, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." As members of the Body of Christ, we are both the ones who are thirsty, and the ones who offer drink.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself." A central teaching of Jesus, this is how the Kingdom of God becomes real in our world today.

"They cried out: Salvation comes from our God!" The saints are our role models as they lead us to Christ.

"Let hearts that seek the Lord rejoice!" Bartimaeus teaches us to seek Jesus confidently and follow him on his way of the Cross.  

"Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant... For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." Jesus teaches us the meaning of true greatness: through our service and care for other people.

"Fill us with your love, O Lord." Jesus challenges us to renounce the values of the world. That is how we will find the Kingdom of God.

"What God has joined together, no human being must separate." In today's Gospel, Jesus gives us his teaching on marriage and divorce.

"There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is with us." As disciples in service to others, Jesus calls us to a life of holiness.

"If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." The apostle James joins Jesus in teaching that there is no place for selfish ambition in the life of a disciple.

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." There is no resurrection glory without first suffering the pains of the cross.

"Like the deer that years for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God." Jesus invites us to take to heart his words to the deaf person in today's Gospel: "Be open!"

"The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord." In today's readings, Jesus and Saint James teach us that religion is not "obligation" but, rather, a compassionate heart.

Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?" Jesus concludes his teaching on the Bread of Life by calling us to faith. How do we respond?

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever." We might be more concerned on the here and now, but Jesus is focused on the eternal.

"Let us all rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honor of the Virgin Mary." The Assumption of Mary teaches us that if we are open to the Holy Spirit, God will do great things through us. With Mary, we will share in the risen glory of her Son.

"Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, who today were exalted above the choirs of Angels into eternal triumph with Christ." Through her Assumption, Mary shares in the Easter victory of her Son.

"Taste and see the goodness of the Lord." The Eucharist is Jesus' own life, given freely on the Cross so that we would share in his eternal life.

"The Lord gave them bread from heaven." Jesus is the Bread of Life.

"The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." In the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus revealed the loving, caring and lavish generosity of God.

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile..." Without prayer, our ministry runs the risk of being self-serving. We need time alone with Jesus. Listen to him!

"In him we were chosen so that we might exist for the praise of his glory." We are called to bring the Good News of Jesus to all. We cannot do this alone; we minister only within community - "two by two."

"He was not able to perform any mighty deed there. He was amazed by their lack of faith." Jesus knows rejection and understands our discouragement. May our faith be strong so that we, too, may accept rejection and rise with him to healing and new life.

"Do not be afraid; just have faith." God often does not answer prayers in the way WE want them answered. We need to trust God's wisdom and mercy.

"He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Quiet! Be still!' The wind ceased and there was great calm." We need to remember who is in the boat with us! Jesus has the power to calm our storms.

"The kingdom of God... is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth." The growth of God's kingdom begins with the tiniest seed: a small act of love.

"Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me." Today's Gospel is about the bond of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

"I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord." The Eucharist is Jesus' promise of eternal life, a covenant with us that was ratified by his blood.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..." Since we are created in God's image, every relationship of ours is an opportunity to reflect the divine love of the Most Holy Trinity.

"The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world . . ." The Holy Spirit takes us as we are and empowers us to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

"The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling within us." The Pentecost Vigil calls us to wait in hope for the Holy Spirit to renew our world.

"Father, I pray that they may be one as we also are one." We join Jesus in prayer as we await the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." At his Ascension, Jesus commissioned his disciples to go out and evangelize the world.

"As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love." A genuinely loving relationship is an encounter with God, for God is love.

"Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us." Easter joy! We are one with Jesus.

"The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia." Our Easter joy is revealed in the love of Jesus our shepherd.

"The Christ had to suffer and on the third day rise from the dead; in his name repentance and remission of sins must be preached to all the nations." Easter is a call to action for us to give witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Divine Mercy reminds us that our love for God is a call to love one another.

"The Lord is truly risen, alleluia." From the silence of the Empty Tomb emerges the Good News that we must proclaim to the world: Jesus is alive!