Podcasts about franciscan school

What is the note you are being called to add to the great universal orchestra? Today Richard helps us unpack Chapter 12 of Eager to Love, "John Duns Scotus: Anything but a Dunce". Mike and Paul are then joined by Sr Mary Beth Ingham, who shares her journey of understanding Scotus. Ingham addresses the title of her book Scotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor, explaining its playful yet meaningful approach to making Scotus's complex ideas accessible. The three discuss the importance of individuality within the context of community, the Univocity of being as a bridge between human experience and divine understanding, and the significance of recognizing the dignity of each person's experience. The conversation culminates in a reflection on the mysticism of Scotus and why his teachings matter for us today. Sr. Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ currently serves as Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, California. Mary Beth is Professor Emerita, LMU Philosophy Dept and formerly Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology. She holds a doctorate in Medieval Philosophy from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland and has published widely on the thought of Franciscan Master Blessed John Duns Scotus. Her monographs include Scotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor (2003), Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition (2009), The Harmony of Goodness: Mutuality and Moral Living in John Duns Scotus (2012), and Understanding John Duns Scotus: Of Realty the Rarest-Veined Unraveller (2017). In her research, she argues that the spirituality of beauty, the via pulchritudinis, is at the heart of the Franciscan intellectual tradition.  Hosted by CAC Staff: Paul Swanson, and Drew Jackson Resources: Grab a copy of Eager to Love here. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Learn more about Sr Mary Beth Ingham's books, here.

Preaching for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Julia Louise Morrow offers a reflection on living with "holy envy" that allows us to see the Spirit at work in unexpected ways: "Our baptismal calling challenges us to live out this holy envy. Peter's words—“I see that God shows no partiality”—are as relevant today as they were then, challenging us to examine our assumptions and be open to the ways God is working beyond the borders we often impose. This doesn't mean abandoning our own faith but recognizing that the Spirit can move in ways we might not expect." Julia Morrow is a writer based in San Diego, California. She holds a B.A. in philosophy and theology from Wheaton College and is completing dual master's degrees in theology at the Franciscan School of Theology and in library and information science at San José State University. She researches how art enriches spiritual practice, particularly in its ability to illuminate theological truths for modern audiences. Visit https://catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01122025 to learn more about Julia, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Meghan Larsen-Reidy, offers a reflection sharing the expansiveness of God's love: "When we open our eyes to see the expansiveness of God's love in the people that surround us, we draw into a deeper relationship with the Divine. We cannot always anticipate the impact that each new relationship will have on our lives and vice versa. God is calling us to be open to the love that is waiting for us and to share that love with others. Our small acts of love may make an impact that we only hear about from heaven." Meghan Larsen-Reidy lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and four children. She currently works as a Campus Minister at three colleges in the Pittsburgh area. Meghan received a Masters of Arts in Teaching at the University of Portland and simultaneously did a service-teaching program. She currently attends the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego where she is getting her Masters of Theological Studies in Franciscan Theology. She attended Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame where she received a BA in Religious Studies and credits much of her success to the leadership opportunities she had at an all women's college. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/05052024 to learn more about Meghan, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

On this episode of #PTBA, Father Jim and Mike welcome The Franciscan School 7th grader, Lucas! Tune in to hear Lucas' experience at #TFSRaleigh and how he got onto #PTBA. 

Amber Blandford is an intuitive guide, Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath® Certified Practitioner, and registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). She holds 2 graduate degrees in spirituality from the Franciscan School of Theology and has completed The Resilient Heart™: Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Certification. When she worked as an end of life specialist for 7 years, Amber saw individuals transform through the presence of holistic support. This struck her and shifted her mission to help the living, truly live now—to experience the fullness of an intuitively informed and intentionally directed life. In 2016, Amber founded Joyful Spaces, LLC to help individuals align their space and soul through letting go and intuitive guidance. She leaned on her innate wisdom and directed her own healing when her mother, father, and brother died within 4 months in 2019, which confirmed her calling. Most recently, Amber's work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Insight Timer, and she was named one of Shondaland's JoyMakers. FREE PDF on Manifesting HOW TO MANIFEST ANYTHING IN 3 STEPS by Amber Blandford Your external world is a reflection of your inner thoughts and feelings. When you manifest, focus on what you want, rather than what you don't want. Imagine what you want to happen in the future instead of what you observe presently in your life. Then, add an important step–add juicy, wonderful, expansive feelings that are congruent with you having this desire. Really feel that it's here now for you. When you connect with having what you want like money, health, an amazing career, or wonderful relationships and unique opportunities, they will arrive in time. Try to have some fun with the process and create some compassion for yourself as you allow the universe to respond. Remember, it takes more than a day to grow a garden. Enjoy yourself while you wait. The Manifesting Method: 1. Write down your desires in the present tense. Ex: I am very happy; I love being at the beach with my friends; My career is so life-giving 2. Make a conscious effort for 2-3 minutes each day to feel like you already have the desired outcome in physical form. 3. Offer gratitude for these gifts from your heart center. Try this method and let me know how it is for you. May it be wonderful and full of ease! amber@joyfulspaces.org joyfulspaces.org insta: @joyfulspaces You can find out more about Amber at https://www.joyfulspaces.org/ www.myvillagewell.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michelle-francois-walsh/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michelle-francois-walsh/support

Join Dr. Patty Jimenez as she shares the joys of being raised with Franciscan values, translates theological terms and teachings into everyday language, and the creates spaces of belonging for young Latina woman raised in the United States. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/etFD7Z-4Vsw     From Patty Jimenez' interview: “When I returned to school I am reading Bonaventure, Scotus, and Francis and Clare's writings, I'm going, some of this stuff is pretty lofty.  But when I broke it down to the essentials of hospitality, of care for creation, this is what my family lived every day, especially the women in my family; it was really powerful to see that written theologically, to see that expressed and be like, oh yeah, this is us.”   Regarding moving between cultures: “I think first is to not make assumptions. It's really important to ask a lot of questions. Oftentimes people just kind of jump in based on what is on the surface level, but they don't really know what's behind it. … I've seen that happen over and over again in so many situations, making assumptions about other people without taking consideration about what we are doing or not doing that is causing what's happening.”   “When you deal with a lot of cross-cultural issues, oftentimes just feeling heard causes a shift. That's sometimes all people need, is to be heard.”   “We all belong. If we've ever felt that we didn't, it's usually because we haven't been adequately provided for or cared for. That has resonated for me as a Latina that's been raised here in the United States. And so I take a huge responsibility now of how do I create belonging for US born and raised Latinas. At times we have to, if we feel like, ‘hey, I don't belong', maybe it's the Spirit that's moving us to create spaces of belonging for others.”   Vernacular theologian: “How do you translate really lofty theological terms or teachings into everyday terms so that anyone can understand it? And so for me it's translated in what we Latina theologians or pastor ministers speak of la vida cotidiana, our everyday life.  And so how do we integrate it and speak in a language that is accessible to most people nowadays?”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Brother Ed Dunn and las Posadas at the Border: read about the impact of the San Diego and Tijuana border experience in Patty's life: http://www.ushispanicministry.com/la-posada-at-the-border/   Franciscan School of Theology: “There is a hidden treasure in Catholic Theology called the “Franciscan Tradition.” As Pope Francis reminds us, St. Francis of Assisi is a saint of peace, a saint of the poor, a saint respectful of each person's God-given uniqueness, and a saint with a great love for all God's creatures.” See: https://www.fst.edu/about/   Secular Franciscans: https://www.secularfranciscansusa.org/ . You may also find it interesting to listen to Carolyn Townes' reflections on being a Secular Franciscan in Episode 27, including links to further information at https://engagingfranciscanwisdom.org/walking-the-path-of-grief-and-loss-to-joy-as-a-lay-franciscan-episode-27   Francis and the Sultan: a contemporary telling of the story: https://cac.org/francis-and-the-sultan-2019-10-10/ . An original source: The Life of Saint Francis XX:57, by Thomas of Celano at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/672-fa-ed-1-page-231#ges:searchword%3Dsultan%26searchphrase%3Dall%26page%3D1    Wolf of Gubbio: read in The Deeds of Blessed Francis & His Companions XXIII, FA:ED, vol. 3, pp. 482-485 at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-deeds-of-blessed-francis-and-his-companions-1328-1337/2386-fa-ed-3-page-485   Restorative Justice: there is much information online. A sample description: “The three core elements of restorative justice are the interconnected concepts of Encounter, Repair, and Transform. Each element is discrete and essential. Together they represent a journey toward wellbeing and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience. Encounter leads to repair, and repair leads to transformation.” See: https://restorativejustice.org/what-is-restorative-justice/   Recetas: This initiative, founded by Patty, is dedicated to empowering Latinas to live joyous, well-balanced lives while deepening connections with themselves, their community, and their culture. Consider seven areas of wellness: emotional, environmental, personal, physical, professional, psychological and spiritual. See: https://recetonas.com . To see their shop: https://shop.recetonas.com . Handles for all social media: @therecetonas   Centering Prayer is a contemporary form of contemplative prayer. See: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/. Consider also a smart phone app called “Centering Prayer,” offered by Contemplative Outreach. You will find many regional websites online listing area centering prayer groups. For those who live in Minnesota, see: https://www.minnesotacontemplativeoutreach.org/groups.html   Vernacular Theology: “Bernard McGinn … coined the term Vernacular Theology. This form of theology focused on an audience of ordinary women and men who sought to find God in their daily experiences instead of the educated elite or the monks and nuns in the enclosure.”  Excerpt from Francis as Vernacular Theologian  by Dominic Monti, OFM: https://www.franciscantradition.org/images/stories/custodians/03_Francis_as_Vernacular_Theologian.pdf   Patty Catholic School photo   Patty Jimenez being confirmed in Mexico

Show Notes: Join former Franciscan Community Volunteer Nnedi Anoskie-Ogunu as she shares her learnings of what strengthens her connection with God and others, ranging from the place of welcoming communities to developing an interior spiritual life. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/z0QhmFbJ8Ss                                                                                                        From Nnedi's interview: “When I was in Nigeria, I was eager to come to the US because we'd seen all these images about the US and I was excited to experience all of it. But then when I came, it was much different from what I knew. … And then school, I faced some racism from teachers, administration, students. It was a very hard transition. That was rough. You're going through so many internal changes trying to figure out what your feelings are, and everyone is doing the same. So, we're all gonna bump into each other in very unhealthy ways.”   “I've always been drawn to community where I feel welcomed. Of course, when I was growing up in Nigeria, that was not a community that I chose, I was born into it. I was just part of it, right?    And as an adult, you're able to choose where you belong or where you find belonging, and I've been able to do that. And making it part of a spiritual practice was not something that occurred to me until I came to you all in Minnesota. The intentionality behind even our gatherings was something that has stayed with me. And those gatherings are what built our community, right?”   “It's very important for me to feel a sense of community with the people that I work with; the line of work that I'm interested in doing cannot be done without community. I'm very much into social justice, and I think that none of us can survive, can thrive without being, without having belonging anywhere. And part of the work that I do through “Faith and Public Life” is to create spaces and make sure that everyone feels a sense of belonging and not excluded because of things that are out of their control, you know, their skin color, how they pray, things like that.”   “I try to be mindful when I'm in community with other people, that someone may be showing up a certain way in my community, that there are stories there that I may not know.  It's up to us to continue to create safe communities, safe intentional communities, where they can bring their full selves.”   “I had been told almost all my life that I should be a nun. I think it's just because I had spiritual practice; I had a love for God and enjoyed things like that, so to them it meant to be a nun.  And I always wondered why it wasn't enough that I was a lay person, and that my love for God was evident - all of us should be living a life that is evident of our love for God and our love for one another. It gave me the opportunity to come and be with sisters, see what the life was like, and see if there was something that it stirred in me during my time there. And while I was there, I discovered that you all were normal people that loved life, loved one another. I think the first night there we played a game and that was the most peace I felt in a foreign place before, and I knew that I was in a right place. And since then there was such a strong welcoming. I didn't have to explain certain things, even though there were cultural barriers. There was still a willingness and openness to learning about me that felt like this was home, right?”   “For me, when I get to a certain point with my friends, with my relationships, I feel like it's almost transcended friendship, I will call them, I'll call my friends my sisters.  And so since my time with the Sisters of Little Falls, I call you all sisters. Not because of the title, but because I have also taken you as family in a way that I feel like you all have taken me as family.  So you all feel like my sisters and I just, I feel blessed to be part of this community; even though I'm far away, I still feel very much part of it.”   “Names are very, very important to me because mine has been part of my journey. And it's reflected like different stages of my life. When I was in Nigeria, I went by Nnedi. I knew myself as Nnedi. I knew myself as Nnedimma. That was, that was who I was, right. And then when we came to the United States, my parents really wanted me to assimilate. And they didn't want me to have a name that would "other" me further. And I started going by my middle name. So Nnedimma is my first name.  Annunciata is my middle name.  And it's shortened to Ann. … it's been years in the making of me contemplating wanting to change back to Nnedimma. … I truly have shed this skin that Ann was so uncomfortable in, … So now I'm getting to know Nnedima as an adult, as a woman who has really come into her own, also now as a married person.”   “Native American spirituality and Franciscanism have been a huge part of my spiritual life right now. … Franciscan spirituality can be practiced by anyone. … In my quest to be more in tune with Care for Creation, my primary focus is with God's people because I feel if we are good to God's people, and everyone has the things that they need to thrive and there's no exploitation of people, then there will be no exploitation of Mother Earth. “   “Franciscan spirituality is it invites you into the mess, and doesn't just leave you to figure it out, right? It doesn't leave you to struggle alone. It allows you to do it with community that can strengthen you, that can support you, that can love you.”   “In the Bible they refer to iron sharpens iron and I think that is what community is. You sharpen each other to become your fullest selves. And when we do that, I think part of the hardship that we're facing is that we're not living into who God has called us to be. We don't have an interior life that allows us to explore what it is we're meant to do in a safe space and live into it without holding back.”   “What is feeding my soul at this time is getting in touch with myself, with Nnedi, as an emotional person. I think I've struggled with that in the past, being able to express the full range of my emotions without holding myself back. … What that looks like is talking to God through journaling and being in therapy. Those have been key things that is allowing me to practice or to welcome God into my life and recognize that my emotions are also gifts from God, and not see them as a burden. So being able to work through that in therapy and to talk with Emmanuel, reflecting out loud, has been very important to my current experiences of spirituality.”   “I didn't realize this part about my spiritual journey, hoping that by exploring the full range of my emotions, I can become more connected to God. I didn't realize that until I started talking and articulating it and I'm like, yes, that is the hope that I have…that is what I'm pursuing, that connection with God, that connection with myself. I can't be comfortable with the humanness of God if I'm not comfortable with my own humanness.”   [Encouragement to others] “Be patient with yourself. I think sometimes I get so impatient with not seeing the progress that I expect to see at a certain time. There's no formula to this.  We're all stumbling and remembering that we're human. You deserve the grace that you extend to other people. So extend that same grace to yourself. Be patient with yourself and work on loving yourself; part of that is figuring out what makes you happy, what brings you joy, who brings you joy. So leaning into those things will help you remember who you are.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References added re: strengthening our connection with God: 1 Celano 43: “[Francis], living within himself and walking in the breadth of his heart, prepared in himself a worthy dwelling place of God.”   “Emotional Range and On-Going Conversion: Franciscan Joy,” a talk by Darleen Pryds, PhD. of the Franciscan School of Theology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etRlkWhlhg . Darleen has also been interviewed on this podcast, and has been a guest host as well. You can find these episodes by typing her name in the search bar of this website.   Accompanying photos:  Nnedi & Emmanuel Anosike-Ogunu, 2022 Nnedi's Grandma Josephine  Nnedi as a Franciscan Community Volunteer out on adventure with her group.                  

Join Garry and JoAnn as they reflect together on what it is to choose the path of transformation and not of transaction in relationships, sharing a trajectory of growth in relation to God and others as they seek to bring peace to the planet and one another. For a video version of this episode, see: https://youtu.be/FCHHS6ONP1s   From Garry and JoAnn's interview: Garry: “I come from a perspective at this junction in my life where I see everything as gift, that I didn't deserve, or wasn't entitled to, or there wasn't something I merited. It was purely gratuitous, God loving and manifesting God's self in creation. It seems to me that if we want to live in that image and likeness, we have to model that perspective as best we can in all our relationships. I certainly see that in our, my relationship to JoAnn, that who she is and the wonderful person that she is, has been gifted to my life to share and experience. There is a great sense of gratitude for that, but also a humility that, in the same way I didn't deserve to be born into this world; it was gratuitous. The same is true in relationship to another human being who, is on the same journey that I'm on. I have the opportunity to walk that journey in a spirit of love, that love constantly challenges us to let down our guard and open further and to love deeper and experience more completely all the gifts that God shares with us. It is incredibly humbling because it's the avenue by which as we move on our spiritual journey, we've been doing that together as a couple.”   JoAnn: “When we talk about choosing each other in marriage, it's true, I chose Garry, Garry chose me. But then in faith, we also believe that God chose us for each other. And when you have a gift mentality or modality, it's a different kind of way you receive. If you go and acquire something, that's different, but if you get something as a gift that has a receptivity to it that is completely different. It requires gratitude, openness and humility because the giver saw something in you that needed that gift. So I think that there's a whole receptivity in seeing another person in any relationship you have as being a gift to you in your life at that time, at that moment. And it makes a difference in how you interact. I think that idea of gift is a crucial kind of mindset.”   JoAnn: “Change is inevitable and some changes, I think, are the result of life circumstances. … There's a letting go and an embracing of what's next. And I really think that's part of the marriage journey and any long-term relationship. Letting go of what was and embracing what's next. Garry mentioned that continual conversion, which is rooted in an openness to be willing to let go of whatever barriers to spiritual growth you're harboring and allow God to do the work needed to change you. And that's part of that long-term marriage dance too. … We have a shared common trajectory in that we both want to grow deeper and deeper in relationship with God and with each other.”   Garry: “The idea of (being) naked before God, we're not as generous as naked beings in front of other human beings, cuz we don't wanna appear vulnerable or weak or flawed, so we guard ourselves. But in a marriage that's working, I think the other person serves as a mirror. There are parts that I need somebody who can mirror back to me that which I can't see, so that in seeing what I can't see, I might be able to grow through it, or love my way through it as I like to see it.”   JoAnn: “Transformation and relationship: You enter into the full unity, that's about relationship and God revealing God to us, and that means that it's transformational rather than transactional. … I think it's about revelation and relationship and not simply redemption. When I'm trying to tick off the boxes of doing all the right things to merit God's love, then I start watching other people and seeing if they're ticking off the right boxes too, and now I become judgmental. So it's better to be vulnerable and let God work whatever changes are necessary inside, being open to transformation and not worrying about if I exacted the right transactions this week.”   JoAnn: “Initially growing up, I thought that Francis was the easy Saint, because he's a nice guy who loves nature. Oh, that's great. I can follow that. But then I realized that Francis is pretty challenging because Francis … tries to love as God loves. That's a pretty challenging way to be—that's not the easy saint.”   Garry: “I do love that, but Francis didn't get it all right either; just like the rest of us don't get it all right. We try to find a model and a way of living our lives that will bring about the hope for fulfillment that we all desire. He helped open us to the idea of being willing to suffer on behalf of God, and especially suffer with those who are suffering in this world. We are called as Franciscans to reach out to those people as best we can to ease their suffering and to know that they don't walk in this world alone. Francis modeled that and was loved for that, and God worked through him because of that.”   Garry: “Then there's the huge challenge for all of us, whether it be you Sister Michelle or JoAnn or I, what is mine to do?  What is ours to do to help bring about God's desire for God's people?    And that would be his world as well, which he loves. There are so many beautiful things in creation; they were created out of that same love that created us out of love. So how do we encounter our world in a manner that we might be conduits for that transformation that JoAnn was talking about? And how do we heal this world, this time and space in God's wondrous creation? What is our role in bringing about both peace and restoration to our planet and that same peace and restoration to one another?”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: Qualities, attitudes and actions important for marriage and relationships to work: Drawing from the interview, Garry and JoAnn name continual conversion, gratitude, receptivity, humility, love, openness, mutual encouragement, common trajectory of growth in relationship with God and with others, shared vulnerability, choose path of transformation and not transaction in relationship, forgiveness, make room for other to be who they are, life-long learning, common spiritual yearning, poverty, suffer with the suffering, bring peace to the planet and to one another/others.   Continual Conversion in Franciscan Spirituality: Consider this video by Darleen Pryds, Ph.D. of the Franciscan School of Theology (FST), entitled: “Emotional Range and On-Going Conversion: Franciscan Joy,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etRlkWhlhg – video #35 of the Franciscan Vision Series (see below for general link).   Conversion, another meditation: Grows out of self-knowledge; we tend to like dramatic conversions like the story of St. Paul. For Francis (and most people), conversions may have dramatic events, but it is more a process or journey. As one's outward life becomes humbler and simpler, one's inner life becomes richer.             -Peace and Good through the year with Francis of Assisi, Pat McCloskey, OFM, cf. p. 67.   Why Did God Become Human? by Dr. Daniel Horan, OFM, John Duns Scotus professor of spirituality at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago: this video (#23) is from the Franciscan Vision Series; here's a link to the playlist of many fine explorations of Franciscan Spirituality, including #23:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhm41W5jlZZQtwlhsoiM37SGFMN7Kh5QR   Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.”   Franciscan Poverty: See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book “Poverty and Joy”: d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents   Canticle of the Creatures, by Francis: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-his-canticle ; the full text is at: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/related-documents/franciscan-documents/the-canticle-of-brother-sun-1225/569-ca-ed-1-page-392

This episode discusses the Franciscan School of Theology's emphasis on "Voluntarism," which means that they emphasize the human person's will over their intellect. We also discuss St. Bonaventure's idea of a Tripartite (Three-Part) soul containing Memory, Intellect, and Will; the concept of Univocity within the writings of Blessed John Duns Scotus; how all of these relate to the Franciscan understanding of human nature in relation to God; and we make comparisons between the Franciscan School and the Dominican (Thomistic) School. Our Website: www.catholicisminthecar.com If you wish to SUPPORT our work, you can visit: https://www.catholicisminthecar.com/support Podpage: https://www.podpage.com/catholicism-in-the-car/ Find Catholicism in the Car on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Audible, Amazon Music, Castbox, Radio Republic, Player FM, and Stitcher. Also find us on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCdyv4dtHnU4504ILGOQTg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholicism-in-the-Car-107936008608917 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicism.in.the.car/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/PZCatechesis Locals [In-Progress]: https://catholicisminthecar.locals.com/ View my blog at: https://www.parkerzurbuch.com/ Contact me via email at: parkerzurbuchcatechesis@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parker-zurbuch6/support

This episode continues our overview of the Franciscan School of Theology; particularly, focusing on why it has not been utilized much over the last 150 years. Also, I want to give a shoutout to Darrick Taylor, PhD who runs the podcast "Controversies in Church History." I learned a lot from his podcast on the Catholic Church in the 1800's, and I mention some of those facts in this episode! Check his podcast out at: https://churchcontroversies.com/ Our Website: www.catholicisminthecar.com If you wish to SUPPORT our work, you can visit: https://www.catholicisminthecar.com/support Podpage: https://www.podpage.com/catholicism-in-the-car/ Find Catholicism in the Car on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Audible, Amazon Music, Castbox, Radio Republic, Player FM, and Stitcher. Also find us on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCdyv4dtHnU4504ILGOQTg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholicism-in-the-Car-107936008608917 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicism.in.the.car/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/PZCatechesis Locals [In-Progress]: https://catholicisminthecar.locals.com/ View my blog at: https://www.parkerzurbuch.com/ Contact me via email at: parkerzurbuchcatechesis@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parker-zurbuch6/support

This episode begins an introduction to the Franciscan School of Theology within the Catholic Church, as well as discusses some of the various other schools of theology within the Church (Dominican/Thomistic, Augustinians, Jesuit/Suarez/Molinism, Carmelites, etc.). Our Website: www.catholicisminthecar.com If you wish to SUPPORT our work, you can visit: https://www.catholicisminthecar.com/support Podpage: https://www.podpage.com/catholicism-in-the-car/ Find Catholicism in the Car on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Audible, Amazon Music, Castbox, Radio Republic, Player FM, and Stitcher. Also find us on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCdyv4dtHnU4504ILGOQTg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholicism-in-the-Car-107936008608917 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicism.in.the.car/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/PZCatechesis Locals [In-Progress]: https://catholicisminthecar.locals.com/ View my blog at: https://www.parkerzurbuch.com/ Contact me via email at: parkerzurbuchcatechesis@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parker-zurbuch6/support

This video gives a brief overview of the life, philosophy, theology, major works, and writing style of Blessed John Duns Scouts. Our Website: www.catholicisminthecar.com If you wish to SUPPORT our work, you can visit: https://www.catholicisminthecar.com/support Podpage: https://www.podpage.com/catholicism-in-the-car/ Find Catholicism in the Car on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Audible, Amazon Music, Castbox, Radio Republic, Player FM, and Stitcher. Also find us on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCdyv4dtHnU4504ILGOQTg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholicism-in-the-Car-107936008608917 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicism.in.the.car/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/PZCatechesis Locals [In-Progress]: https://catholicisminthecar.locals.com/ View my blog at: https://www.parkerzurbuch.com/ Contact me via email at: parkerzurbuchcatechesis@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parker-zurbuch6/support

See the original video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao36zloM_IY This video gives a general overview of the various schools over theology in both the Eastern and Western Catholic Church -- but mostly of the Western Catholic Church. We then focus especially on the Franciscan School of Theology and St. Bonaventure. I give some reflections on his thought, writings, etc. Our Website: www.catholicisminthecar.com If you wish to SUPPORT our work, you can visit: https://www.catholicisminthecar.com/support Podpage: https://www.podpage.com/catholicism-in-the-car/ Find Catholicism in the Car on: Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Audible, Amazon Music, Castbox, Radio Republic, Player FM, and Stitcher. Also find us on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeCdyv4dtHnU4504ILGOQTg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Catholicism-in-the-Car-107936008608917 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicism.in.the.car/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/PZCatechesis Locals [In-Progress]: https://catholicisminthecar.locals.com/ View my blog at: https://www.parkerzurbuch.com/ Contact me via email at: parkerzurbuchcatechesis@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/parker-zurbuch6/support

Join Brent Anderson as he tells stories from his experiences in the Enchanted Mountains of the Alleghany River Valley, in rural Uganda, and in the challenges of health care in Sacramento. Brent opens up learnings gleaned from work with trauma, poverty, healing divisions, and equipping people with skills do dialogue across polarities, thus deepening relationships and strengthening communal resilience.   From Brent's interview: “As a chaplain…. I learned so much more about the movement of Spirit in and through the lives of my patients that were experiencing it in such a practical way. You know, from the powerful ways the Spirit moves in our vulnerability and our pain, and also what really is mattering to people; many graced moments of "the ordinary".  But I was also present to the utterly extraordinary. I got to hear over a hundred first-hand near-death experiences. As people would recount these vivid encounters when they reached kind of that brink of death and then have this experience of this luminous divine healing light, or encountering past family members. … The ministry was like an extreme sport. It was the extremes of trauma and the extremes of grace. Sometimes in the exact same encounter.”   “The area of town where our clinic and hospital are is an area where there's a lot of poverty where people have significant social challenges, higher rates of traumatic upbringings, and that also does include human trafficking. This clinic team, feeling the horror of the reality of human trafficking, wondered if they could do something more about it. And so fast forward … to just two years later, this team had successfully established the nation's very first medical home for human trafficking survivors; it's a key part now of a multi-agency process that wraps survivors with the kind of multiple layers of support. They found their passion in service and went on to literally write the book in trauma informed care for survivors of human trafficking. … Our physicians, our nurses, our medical assistants all coalesced around this ministry. And this medical home model for survivors of human trafficking is now being replicated nationwide.” “For me, the most important part of spiritual direction is Franciscan presence. It's so core to the work. The inner quiet and the prevalent attention creates spaciousness to welcome the soul of the other. I think of it as Franciscan hospitality, but at the level of soul. … I think that's the power of Franciscan presence in spiritual direction that helps people be open to the healing and the integrated work of the Spirit.”   “I think the Franciscan values of active peacemaking and tending in an integral ecology contains the wisdom that our world needs right now to bridge the divides that we have today. I'm stunned that all of our children go through an education system where they learn about science and history and math and a foreign language, but they never learn the language of the heart and how to deeply listen to the soul of another human being. And while trained chaplains and spiritual directors do this with Franciscan presence on a professional level, I think we'd live in such a more connected and loving place if even a critical mass of us had some training in how to hold this kind of space for each other.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References: St. Bonaventure University: https://www.sbu.edu/ and Mount Irenaeus Franciscan Mountain Community: https://mountainonline.org/   Franciscan School of Theology (FST): https://www.fst.edu/ ; FST was previously in Berkeley, part of the Graduate Theological Union: https://www.gtu.edu/schools-and-centers#schools   Alleghany River and the Enchanted Mountains: https://enchantedmountains.com/page/about ;  for some comic relief in this substantial conversation, rope swing over a river: https://datagenetics.com/blog/september42014/index.html   Semester at Sea: https://www.semesteratsea.org/   Spiritual Exercises, Jesuit 30-day retreat: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/09/jesuit-101-the-spiritual-exercises-the-heart-of-the-jesuits/   Greccio, the story of the first live nativity, initiated by Saint Francis, in Greccio Italy, 1 Celano 30:84-87: https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-saint/the-life-of-saint-francis-by-thomas-of-celano/695-fa-ed-1-page-254   “If you want peace, work for justice” – a quote by Pope Paul VI. An introductory article that links to the original text and further resources: https://www.catholicjournal.us/2011/08/04/if-you-want-peace-work-for-justice/   Millennium Villages: https://www.millenniumpromise.org/millenniumvillages    World Health Organization Global Fund: an article re: HIV and health systems https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2021-who-and-global-fund-sign-cooperation-agreement-to-scale-up-hiv-tb-and-malaria-interventions-and-strengthen-health-systems   Child mortality from easily preventable disease: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/children-reducing-mortality   History of Leprosy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_leprosy ; an exploration of Saint Francis' doing penance, showing mercy with lepers: https://friarmusings.com/2012/11/09/francis-of-assisi-a-period-of-crisis-embracing-the-leper/   Near-Death Experiences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience     CommonSpirit Health (formerly Dignity Health) Human Trafficking, trauma response, training resources:  https://commonspiritpophealth.org/programs-tools/violence-human-trafficking/   Wendy Barnes: https://www.dignityhealth.org/hello-humankindness/human-trafficking/survivor-led-and-survivor-informed and her book: “And Life Continues: Sex Trafficking and My Journey to Freedom”: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Continues-Trafficking-Journey-Freedom/dp/1502304171   Healing Divisions, founded by Brent Anderson: https://healingdivisions.org/ ; "Conflict to Connection: Science & Spirituality for Engaging Across Divides" Zoom retreat: https://healingdivisions.org/conflict-to-connection Healing Divisions Spiritual Direction Ministry:  https://healingdivisions.org/spiritual-direction ,   Spiritual Directors International: https://www.sdicompanions.org/ ; spiritual directors accompany individuals or groups in deepening their spiritual lives and their relationship with God. See interview with Teresa Blythe: https://youtu.be/b6l7UN9wxEg; for further exploration, listen to Sister Michelle at: https://40minutesoffaith.com/podcast/spiritualdirection

Join Franciscan Brother Adolfo Mercado as he tells of his journey from being raised as a cradle Catholic in a Mexican American family to his discerning life as a Franciscan friar, together with the evolving story of First Order Observant Friars in the US today.   From Brother Adolfo's interview: “One of the beauties of our Franciscan family is the diversity that we bring and just in the nomenclature of the communities and in the habits that we wear.   As a First Order OFM [Order of Friars Minor] or Observant, we consider ourselves to be the group that's directly connected to the St. Francis. We still follow the rule that Pope Honorious the Third approved for St. Francis. …   What I wasn't able to articulate when I was discerning, that now I can say comfortably, is the incarnational theology that the Franciscans bring to the church and that we bring to the world. The facility that we have in seeing Christ in the other is what I find really exciting. … What really resonates with me to my core as a friar is when I meet another human, I lead with love. And I start by honoring and appreciating the dignity in the other person. And I think that's what other people respond to. …   I remember a classmate of mine in the Novitiate who was really charitable and really soft, even though he was almost 20 years younger than me and reminding me to get to a language that was really people-centered. So not saying the homeless man, but the man experiencing homelessness. That real focus on the dignity of the human and starting with that. And when that's the foundation, when that's the platform that we begin our dialogue, our relationship, our interaction with another person, I think the world needs more of that now.”   For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.   References:   St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Sacramento, CA: https://www.stfrancisparish.com/   Vision Vocation Network: an online reference for those discerning a religious vocation, see: https://vocationnetwork.org/en/   Saint Barbara Province of Franciscan friars: sbfranciscans.org . Stages of Formation: https://sbfranciscans.org/be-a-friar/formation/stages-of-formation/ .   Franciscan School of Theology: FST.edu. FST is affiliated with the University of San Diego and association with the San Diego Diocese: Sandiego.edu   Cristero War: a video in time period English language: https://youtu.be/VGBGFS2rZdo; another perspective in 12-minute contemporary research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsqbcHNHoj4 .   Saint Toribio Romo: Adolfo writes: “My dad's family is from Jalostotitlán, Jalisco. Santo Toribio Romo, a priest who was martyred during the Cristero War, is also from Jalostotitlán. Family lore is we are distant relatives.” For an introduction to this saint, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toribio_Romo_Gonz%C3%A1lez .   Order of Friars Minor: The First Order OFM or Observant Friars international site: https://ofm.org/. While Adolfo is rooted in the Saint Barbara Province, the newly forming US Province is: https://usfranciscans.org/.   OFM Rule, now 800 years old: https://ofm.org/about/rule/. It begins: “The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity.”   Franciscan Poverty: sine proprio. See this introductory text by Brother Bill Short, OFM, in an excerpt from his book “Poverty and Joy”: d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net › 11001 › documents.   Casa Franciscana, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico: https://casafranciscanaoutreach.org/.   Adolfo's links to initiatives he has been connected to and recommends looking into: -Breakthrough Sacramento, working towards educational equity; see: breakthroughsac.org. -The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, promotes grass-roots international exchange; see: jetprogramme.org -Gente Unida, a human rights border coalition; see: genteunidasd.net

Sharon and David Hoover live in Joplin, MO. David holds a Masters in Theological Studies from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, California and Sharon holds a Masters of Counseling Psychology and a Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy from the California School of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Both are Spiritual Directors and teach in a Spiritual Direction training program offered by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, California. They lived in Orange County and worked for/with the Sisters of St. Joseph for many years. Sharon worked at Bethany, a transitional living program for homeless woman operated by the Sisters of Orange from 1999 until 2013. During her time there she served as the Case Manager and the Assistant Director. David was a member of the Spirituality team at the Center for Spiritual Development from 1999 until 2012. David's special interests are in prayer and spirituality and Sharon's are in peace and justice. Several years ago they formed Inscape Ministries through which they offer dramatic presentations on Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and St. Francis of Assisi; Storytelling events; and lectures and retreats on many other spiritual topics. After their jobs with the Sisters of St. Joseph ended, they volunteered at St. Camillus in Los Angeles where they served as the Pax Christi Southern California Regional Coordinators and worked closely with Father Chris Ponnet. In 2014 they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where they lived for four years. During their time there they were involved with the Trinity House Catholic Worker where Sharon served on the board. In the summer of 2017 they relocated to Joplin, Missouri in order to be closer to family as they begin the wind down of their lives. They are available for presentations and for individual spiritual direction via Zoom. You can contact them through their website: www.Inscapeministries.com

In this episode of the podcast I am once again joined by Dr. Maureen Day, professor of pastoral theology at the Franciscan School of Theology. We'll continue our discussion on Pope Francis's 2016 apostoloic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), and focus on the pastoral insights the document offers, and the complexities of modern family life.  In part two of our conversation we explore the following topics: Also a Document on Pastoral Theology - The Complexities of Family Life ~ ¶ 294, 297 - Better priestly formation ~ ¶ 202-203 - Accompaniment on the journey from the real to the ideal. The Infamous Footnote ~ ¶ 305 - The wave of divorce in the past 50 years. - Addressing "irregular" situations. - Discernment/Formation of conscious. Also check out Dr. Maureen Day's book from Paulist Press entitled - Young Adult American Catholics: Vocational Discernment in Their Own Words.

In this episode of the podcast we are joined by Dr. Maureen Day, professor of pastoral theology at the Franciscan School of Theology. We discuss Pope Francis's 2016 apostoloic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), and its theological and pastoral insights into family life and all the complexities of modern family life.  In the first part of our two part conversation we explore the following topics: The Diocese of San Diego's synod on marriage and family life following the release of Amoris Laetitia. Theology of Marriage/Family - Marital love modeled after God's love, Christ and the Church. ~ ¶ 121-122          - Husbands/Wives participate in God's creation ~ ¶ 29          - Marital life as a form of liturgy ~ ¶ 215          - Marriage and the Incarnation ~ ¶ 77 Denouncing Chauvinism - Wives as equals to their husbands ~ ¶ 54, 156​ Denouncing Individualism ~ ¶ 39, 156 You can also follow Dr. Maureen Day and her work at America Magazine.

This installment begins a short series of three episodes devoted to the life and work of the Franciscan, Blessed John Duns Scotus, a woefully under attended-to philosopher and theologian of the High Middle Ages. So we're going to try and remedy that in some small way here. Today we'll get something of an introduction to Duns Scotus by looking at some themes of his writing and thinking. We'll consider his working through the question of the Immaculate Conception, which at his time was a live and debated question. We'll also get a sense of him within the context of his Francsican way of life, with its particular emphasis on the experience of beauty. And there's no one better to start us off than today's guest, Sister Mary Beth Ingham, a Sister of St. Joseph, who is presently Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, as well as Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. Sister Mary Beth has written a number of works on Duns Scotus and the Franciscan tradition, including the book we'll discuss today, Scotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor, as well as Understanding John Duns Scotus, and the related Rejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition. Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ, Professor of Philosophical TheologyScotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor by Mary Beth InghamUnderstanding John Duns Scotus by Mary Beth InghamRejoicing in the Works of the Lord: Beauty in the Franciscan Tradition by Mary Beth InghamFour Questions on Mary by John Duns Scotus, trans. Allan Wolter, O.F.M.Franciscan Institute PublicationsSupport the show (http://patreon.com/curiouscatholicpodcast)

Preaching for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Sharon Chipman offers a reflection on our invitation to join the Trinity in the dance of life even in a time of pandemic: "We are being saved, and we are being called to save others in every possible way we can. Keep dancing my sisters and brothers. Follow the hesed steps of the Creator and Redeemer, and may the music, the rhythm, the kiss and the love of the Holy Spirit Be with you!" Sharon Chipman is a retired Lay Ecclesial minister who has served in Campus Ministry and Parish ministry for over 40 years. She earned her Masters of Divinity degree from the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, CA, and her MA in Theology from The Graduate Theological Union, also in Berkeley. Sharon has done much preaching over the years in retreat and liturgical settings. She has worked in a variety of ministry settings and with every age group from kindergarteners to seniors. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/06072020 to learn more about Sharon, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Preaching for Ash Wednesday, Karon VanAntwerp offers a reflection on accepting Lent's invitation to transformation: "May this Lent be a time of recommitment for us, as we say 'Yes' again to our baptismal call to be priests – and leaders of faith; to be prophets – ones who listen to God’s Word and announce it in our communities, our families and our world; and to be kings – ones who willingly and lovingly pour out our lives in service to those who are in need." Karon VanAntwerp Latham has worked in ministry for the Catholic Church for the past twenty years, serving as a campus minister, hospital and hospice chaplain, parish minister, retreat leader and currently as a high school theology teacher. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from the Franciscan School of Theology. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02262020 to learn more about Karon, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Welcome to Season 4 of the Campus Min Podcast, formerly known as the CCMA Leadership Podcast. We welcome in Dr. Maureen Day of the Franciscan School of Theology and one of the authors of the recently released study on Catholic campus ministry. You can read the study here: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catholic-education/campus-ministry/upload/19-051-Campus-Ministry-Report.pdf For more information on Dr. Day, visit: https://maureenkday.com/author/maureenkday/

The Secret of a Meaningful Life One of my favorite podcasts of all time, and one of the most frequently downloaded, was the live session with Daisy (podcast #79): “What’s the Secret of a Meaningful Life?” You may recall that Daisy and her husband, Zane, were looking forward with dread to the possibility of childlessness, since their efforts at pregnancy had so far failed, and Daisy was asking if she could possibly have a joyful and meaningful life without children. In today’s podcast we return to the same type of question from the other end of the spectrum. When we age and look back on our lives, and realize that our days are numbered, we may once again, "Have I lived a meaningful life?" Do you know how to answer this question? What, in your opinion, is the secret of a meaningful life? If the answer to this question is important to you, you might enjoy today’s podcast, which features, once again, two beloved friends and colleagues, Dr. Marilyn Coffee and Dr. Matthew May. Matt and I first treated Marilyn for intense depression, anxiety, and anger two years ago at the time of her unexpected and shocking diagnosis of Stage 4 non-smoker’s lung cancer. Marilyn was incredibly depressed and panicky, as you might imagine. If you are interested, you can listen to our initial treatment of Marilyn in podcast #49, “The Dark Night of the Soul.” One of Marilyn's concerns at that time was that she had lost her faith in God and had begun to doubt the existence of an after-life. She was intensely self-critical and ashamed, and was also extremely angry because she began doubting her spiritual teachers and thinking of them as frauds. These doubts were all the more troubling to Marilyn, since she’d been a devout Catholic for her entire life. In fact, she  even has a Master’s Degree in theology, along with several additional Master’s Degrees plus a PhD in clinical psychology! But now she was terrified by the prospect of her own death. During that initial treatment session, Marilyn overcome her fears, depression, and doubts, and ended up in a state of joy, and even laughter. This rapid transformation confirmed the basis of cognitive therapy, that our emotional pain results from our thoughts, and not from what is actually happening to us. And the thoughts that cause depression and anxiety will be distorted and cruel--I've often said that depression and anxiety are the world's oldest cons. Following that session, we were flooded with emails praising Marilyn. Oddly enough, many people said she was their spiritual hero. They said they were stunned and grateful her raw courage, testimony, and honesty. Now, it’s two years later. Sadly, Marilyn has just learned from her doctors that she’s had numerous metastases, and that her lung cancer has spread to the opposite lung, as well as to her bones, brain, liver, and lymph nodes. Marilyn is understandably paralyzed once again by overwhelming feelings of depression, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, and anger. Today’s podcast is based on our most recent session with Marilyn about two weeks ago. I have to warn you that the session may be sobering, and even a bit terrifying, but hopefully you will find it to be inspirational and helpful, because sooner or later, we’ll all have to share the prospect of facing our own inevitable death, and asking ourselves, “Have I had a meaningful life?” We scheduled this follow-up live therapy podcast for three reasons. First, we hoped to provide Marilyn with some relief from the devastating depression that had returned when she learned of her metastases. Second, we wanted to give you, and all of Marilyn’s many fans, an update on what’s happened in the past two years. And third, Marilyn wanted the chance to tell you about some of the positives in her life, since she so often mentions her failures, such as her bouts with alcoholism, and the fact that she never found a loving partner. Every TEAM session begins with T = Testing. You can see her scores on the Brief Mood Survey she filled out just before the session began. (link) All her scores reflect the most severe negative feelings a human being can experience. Marilyn has extraordinarily severe depression, anxiety, and anger, and her positive feelings are totally absent. Marilyn brought a partially completed Daily Mood Log to the session. If you take a look, you'll see all of her intensely Negative Thoughts and devastating feelings about the spread of her cancer.  During the E = Empathy phase, Matt, Rhonda and I gave Marilyn the space she needed to vent and describe her despair and feelings of terror. We did not try to help or cheer her up. Marilyn cried as she described her fear of dying alone, and vividly recalled a friend who died a horrible death from lung cancer 20 years ago. Marilyn says he could barely breathe, and fears a similar horrific fate. Marilyn cries, and confesses that she has not been able to cry up until now. She says she suddenly felt a spiritual presence being around Matt, Rhonda, and David. During the Empathy phase, Matt made many tender comments to Marilyn, shared his own profound sadness, and told Marilyn that joining us today is a gift to him, and to all of us. Matt and I asked Marilyn how we were doing in Empathy, in terms of understanding how she was thinking and feeling, and whether we were providing warmth, acceptance and support. She gave us high grades. When you listen, please notice that we didn’t do anything to try to help Marilyn, or to try to cheer her up. You can hear Matt simply paraphrasing much of what Marilyn had been saying, acknowledging her feelings, and sharing his own feelings of sadness and warmth toward Marilyn. After about 25 minutes of empathy, we moved on to the next phase of the session called A = Assessment of Resistance (formerly called Paradoxical Agenda Setting.) We started by asking Marilyn if she wanted any help with the problems she'd been describing, or if she needed more time to talk while we listened and provided support.  She said that she did want help. Since her remaining time was potentially short, she said she didn’t want to spend it in the misery of overwhelming depression, anxiety, worthlessness, shame, loneliness, hopelessness, and rage. Then I asked the Magic Button question—If we had a Magic Dial, and all of her negative thoughts and feelings would instantly disappear, with no effort at all, simply by pressing it, would she press the button? Marilyn immediately said that she WOULD press the button. Almost everybody says this. And it seems obvious. Why would anyone want to feel intense, relentless and overwhelming negative emotions? Matt, Rhonda, and David debated about whether or not the A = Assessment of Resistance would be needed, since it seemed like Marilyn was suffering so much that she would OBVIOUSLY want help. We decided to address the resistance, since whenever we’ve skipped it, we’ve usually regretted it. So just to be safe, we decided to do some Positive Reframing, and asked these two questions about each of the nine categories of intense negative feelings on Marilyn's Daily Mood Log, such as depression, anxiety, guilt, inferiority, loneliness, hopelessness, rage, and so forth. What does this negative feeling show about you and your core values that’s beautiful, positive and even awesome? What are some benefits of this negative feeling? How might it help you? Surprisingly, Marilyn came up with a list of more than 20 positives with some help from Rhonda, Matt and me. You can take a look at her Positive Reframing List. This process seemed to have a profound calming effect on Marilyn, just as it does on most people. I think one reason is that culture / society have trained all of us to think about our negative feelings as defects, or “mental disorders,” like the many that are listed in the DSM5. Positive Reframing turns all of this upside down, and makes you proud of your negative feelings. Paradoxically, this make it possible for you to get rid of the feelings quickly. We concluded with the Magic Dial, and asked Marilyn what she might want to dial her feelings down to, without getting rid of them completely, since they did have many benefits, and since they also reflected what was most beautiful about her. You can see the result of the Magic Dial on her Daily Mood Log, in the “% Goal” column of her table of negative emotions. For example, she wanted to dial her depression down to 10%, but thought that she'd want to keep the anxiety in the range of 20 - 25. But she said she'd be happy to dial the guilt and shame all the way to zero! After the A = Assessment of Resistance, which seemed to lift her mood considerably, we went on to M = Methods. After easily identifying the distortions in her thoughts, like All-or-Nothing Thinking, Self-Blame, hidden Should Statements, and more, Marilyn was able to challenge and crush her Negative Thoughts pretty quickly using the Paradoxical Double Standard Technique as well as Externalization of Voices. Two strategies seemed important—the Self-Defense Paradigm and the Acceptance Paradox. I emphasized the overlap between the Acceptance Paradox and Marilyn’s Catholic faith. It is the idea that you cannot, and not have to, earn your way to heaven through your good works. Christianity is based on the idea that we are not saved by our achievements or good work, but rather by the grace of God--which is simply the acceptance of our flawed nature. David emphasizes that these ideas are not exclusive to Christianity, but are woven into most if not all religions. During this phase of the session, Marilyn reflected on some of the experiences that she’s proud of, things she would like you to know about, like her trip to Nicaragua to attend seminary at the Franciscan School of Theology. During that time, she worked with the oppressed indigenous people in relocation camps following the bombings, and joined the Witness for Peace group.  She describes this as "one of the most transformative and spiritual experiences of my life." Many of you are probably not familiar with Marilyn's fairly extensive arrest record, which she is equally proud of! She explains: "During the 80s and early 90s, I was arrested several times for political protests, primarily at the Federal Building in San Francisco.  For example, I participated in a major non-violent prayful march at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.  Several of us were arrested and spent a month in jail (tents on the grounds of Santa Rita Jail.)" Marilyn also wants to know that she was "a damn good therapist." That's something I can attest to, having presented with Marilyn on many occasions, including our empathy workshop at one of the prestigious Evolution of Psychotherapy conferences in Anaheim, California. And still, all of her amazing accomplishments and contributions do not protect her, or any of us, from falling into a black hole of self-doubt and despair from time to time, and when Marilyn falls, the pain she inflicts on herself can be intense. You may notice that the Negative Thoughts on her Daily Mood Log today are very similar to the Negative Thoughts on her Daily Mood Log from two years earlier, during our first session with Marilyn. This confirms the concept of “fractal psychotherapy.” In other words, all of your suffering will be encapsulated in any one brief moment when you are upset. And when you suffer again in the future, it will be that same fractal--the same exact pattern of negative thoughts, distortions and feelings. This is really good news, because the methods that helped you recover initially will be helpful for you when you again fall into the black hole of depression. The goal of TEAM-CBT is NOT eternal happiness--no human being is capable of that! Rather, the goal is to understand and master the tools that will be helpful for you. One important teaching point is that Marilyn’s suffering, once again, does not result from her cancer, but rather from her self-critical thoughts, which are both cruel and distorted. She’s been telling herself that she is not religious enough, that she has lost her faith, and that her life has not been meaningful. Fortunately, these Negative Thoughts can easily be challenged and defeated, as you will hear on the podcast. The entire basis of cognitive therapy is a spiritual idea, that “the truth shall make you free.” Although this is a core Christian teaching from the New Testament (John 8: 32), it is an idea that’s embedded in many religions, including Buddhism, and probably in every religion. Toward the end of the session, Marilyn described inspiring moments when she feels the most spiritual and the most alive. It’s when she notices and profoundly appreciates the simple things in her life, like seeing a sliver of the moon in the evening when walking her dogs, watching a sunset on the beach at Santa Cruz, her first sip of latte in the morning or a bite of a delicious peach! Marilyn also described the intense mourning she feels for people throughout the world who are in poverty or pain. She also grieves for animals who are suffering, and feels devastated by the destruction of our natural resources, such as the rain forests in Brazil. You can see the final T = Testing . As you can see, she met or exceeded her goals for all of her negative feelings. You may be puzzled by the end of session rating for sadness and depression was "50%, but a GOOD 50%!" Sometimes, feelings of sadness and grief, once the distortions have been eliminated, are are the experiences that can wake us up, and provide the profound sense of meaning we are craving in our lives. The highest human experience, perhaps, is the compassion we sometimes feel for ourselves and others who are suffering. In fact, this may be the true meaning of spirituality. I call this feeling, "Sadness as Celebration," and hope to write and talk more about it in a future podcast.  At the end of the session, Marilyn said, “I feel light!” And gave us all big hugs. Will it last? Matt wisely suggests some terrific Relapse Prevention Training that you will hear when you listen to the session. Of course, it will be up to Marilyn--and to all of us--to pick up these tools and use them when we again fall into a black hole. This is also an inherently spiritual idea, and is based on the idea that we have the freedom to chose light or darkness. After the session, Marilyn emailed me and asked if I could include a few additional comments in the show notes. Here’s what she wrote: Greetings David, my dearest friend, Words cannot express my gratitude for you, Matt, & Rhonda - what special gifts you are. I hope the podcast was ok. I am deeply embarrassed because I forgot to express my gratitude and surprise from all the e-mails we received - the compassion and support was/is overwhelming. I hope I can give back! I could never had done this, if I weren’t for you & Matt - and your amazing & compassionate skills. I also forgot to mention that I probably will never get to New York or Ireland because of finances. I take one day at a time and try to be grateful for the small miracles. I go to Stanford next Tuesday. I will definitely be in touch. Thank you again. I also forgot to mention this - which is VERY important is that I am going through this process sober - not avoiding with alcohol. I am going to more meetings & speaking up. Thank you again. I cherish our friendship. With deep gratitude and love. dear friend, Marilyn Thank you, Marilyn, for this incredible gift to all of us! Matt, David, and Rhonda

Silicon Valley is the birthplace and playground of young entrepreneurs and there is a growing community of entrepreneurs that look beyond the profit and seek to be the changemakers of tomorrow. The Global Social Benefit Fellowship Program at Santa Clara University combines a fully funded summer field experience in the developing world with two quarters of academically rigorous research. The program applies compassion and social justice to real world problems, in the Jesuit educational tradition. In this episode, we learn more about this unique program, discuss impact investing, water filtration systems in Nicaragua, and the opportunities that can not only change a life, but change the world. [SPEAKERS] Aidan O’Neill, Senior, Economics Aidan is a senior Economics major who seeks to use the tools he’s learned at SCU to truly improve his industry or field of choice. His experiences abroad, both as volunteer and as traveler, instilled in him a passion for the poor jumpstarted by a microeconomics lecture where he learned that poverty is not a simple byproduct of capitalism, but rather a burden on the economy. His passion and his studies met, and as a result he looks forward to pursuing this issue even further. Keith Warner, OFM, Director, Education and Action Research Keith Douglass Warner, OFM directs Miller Center's education, fellowship, grants and action research activities. He is a practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition. He has designed and implemented innovative, inter-disciplinary educational programs that advance social justice and Catholic identity in higher education since he came to Santa Clara in 2004. He directs the Global Social Benefit Fellowship, which provides a comprehensive program of mentored, field-based study and research for SCU juniors within the Center's worldwide network of social entrepreneurs. With Thane Kreiner he designed the fellowship and wrote the grant that funds it. He also teaches in the Honors Program, School of Engineering, and Religious Studies Department. Keith is an active participant in the retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition, and on the Board of Regents at the Franciscan School of Theology.

“Poverty & Joy: The Franciscan Tradition” with Br. Bill Short, OFM at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on October 14, 2006. If you were unable to join us for our Mini-Retreat with Br. Bill, you can now listen to this is audio recording from the EVENING session. Taking his book, “Poverty & Joy: The Franciscan Tradition”, as a starting point, Br. Bill led a Mini-Retreat for our parish on Franciscan spirituality, reflecting on such themes as the Incarnation, poverty as a way to God, suffering and healing, and creation-humanity & nature-in harmony. Br. Bill Short, OFM is on the faculty of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. He is a scholar equally comfortable in the fields of spirituality, Christian history and the Franciscan tradition, as well as a popular leader of retreats and workshops. For more information on St. Francis of Assisi Parish, visit us at: http://www.stfrancisparish.com

“Poverty & Joy: The Franciscan Tradition” with Br. Bill Short, OFM at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on October 14, 2006. If you were unable to join us for our Mini-Retreat with Br. Bill, you can now listen to this is audio recording from the MORNING session. Taking his book, “Poverty & Joy: The Franciscan Tradition”, as a starting point, Br. Bill led a Mini-Retreat for our parish on Franciscan spirituality, reflecting on such themes as the Incarnation, poverty as a way to God, suffering and healing, and creation-humanity & nature-in harmony. Br. Bill Short, OFM is on the faculty of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. He is a scholar equally comfortable in the fields of spirituality, Christian history and the Franciscan tradition, as well as a popular leader of retreats and workshops. For more information on St. Francis of Assisi Parish, visit us at: http://www.stfrancisparish.com