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If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling after watching a news video, this episode of The Patrick Madrid Show is your spiritual guidance. Be Watchful, Not Paranoid Patrick and Producer Cyrus explore what it means to discern the signs of the times without falling off the deep end into anxiety or conspiracy theories. Yes, we live in crazy times. Yes, there are real threats. Yes, AI can deepfake the Pope now. But that doesn't mean we need to panic. Don’t Believe Everything You See on the Internet Patrick talks about how we're bombarded with fakes and frauds, especially on social media. Be discerning. Check your sources. Here’s how: -Go to Vatican News for real updates from the Church -Stick with trusted Catholic sources like Relevant Radio -Don’t share shocking news until you’ve verified it How to Not Freak Out When the World Is Burning (Spiritually Speaking) Cyrus reminds us: “Go to confession. Get right with God.” That’s the spiritual equivalent of taking out insurance and installing a fire alarm. If you’re in a state of grace, you’ve got nothing to fear. This world isn’t our home. Like St. Teresa of Ávila said: “All things are passing. God never changes.” If you’re still worried? Just remember Padre Pio’s quote: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Don’t believe every headline or deepfake -Stay smart: check sources, especially on Church news -Be ready: Go to Confession, receive the Eucharist, stay rooted in Christ -Remember who wins in the end (Jesus) Pray hard, scroll wisely, and keep your soul squeaky clean. We’ve got work to do, but we’re not doing it alone. Stay faithful, not fearful.

Soren Kornegay is the pastor at Christ the King in Savannah Georgia. https://www.ctksavannah.com

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." Today, Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Mr. Thomas Lackey and Mr. Adam Minihan to discuss how to read the Bible like Jesus, St. Paul, the Early Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Dante!There are four senses: literal, allegorical, moral, and anagogical. The guys explain Divine Authorship, Dante's thesis that you read his Comedy like you Scripture, and then explain each sense and give examples.Check our thegreatbookspodcast.com for resources on the Iliad, Odyssey, Dante's Inferno, and more!Summary: St. Jerome states, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (CCC 112). In other words, we come to know the reality of Jesus Christ by reading Holy Scripture. Yet, what if we read the Bible incorrectly? If the Scriptures are a source of knowledge about our Lord, would not a wrong reading of the text twist our understanding of Christ? We, especially as moderns, are always in danger of distorting the Gospel to meet our own ideological standards. As Bishop Konderla teaches, “We are called to measure ourselves against the teaching of Christ and His Church, not our own imaginations or standards.” He continues, “We must receive the Jesus Christ who came two-thousand years ago, not create a ‘Jesus' who meets the fashions and fads of this age” (God Builds a House, 6). If we are to discipline ourselves to receive Jesus—and not manufacture a “Jesus”—then a vital part of that reception is a proper understanding of how to know Christ in Holy Scripture. How then does the Church teach us to read Holy Scripture?In the 1300s, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote a letter to his patron, Lord Cangrande della Scala, regarding how one should read the Divine Comedy. His answer was simple: you read the Comedy the same way you read the Bible. In summary of Sacred Tradition, Dante explains that there are four senses or ways to read Holy Scripture: literal and three spiritual ways, i.e., allegorical, moral, and anagogical. These four senses were also taught by St. Thomas Aquinas (STI.1.10) and are contained in the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC” 115-19). They represent the time-tested wisdom of the Church on how to come to know and love Jesus Christ through the Holy Scriptures.Let us examine each “sense” of biblical interpretation, how it relates to the others, and how they all draw us into a deeper relationship with our Lord.The literal sense of Scripture is also known as the “historical sense.” St. Thomas notes the literal sense is the meaning the author intended. For example, Dante gives the simple illustration of the passage: “When Israel went out of Egypt.” He observes, “If we look at it from the letter alone it means to us the exit of the Children of Israel from Egypt at the time of Moses.” The literal is simply the intended, historical meaning of a text. It is important, however, to interpret the literal correctly, because “all other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal” (CCC 116). Similarly, Aquinas states that the spiritual sense of Scripture—allegorical, moral, and anagogical—is “based on the literal and presupposes it.” The importance of the literal sense of Scripture as foundational to all other senses emphasizes how vital it is that Catholics read commentaries that are faithful to the magisterium. Like a broken foundation of a home, a slanted literal sense can distort the greater spiritual senses built upon it.The allegorical sense is the first of the three types of the “spiritual sense.” In the...

Like St. Thomas, Each Of Us Have A Call To Faith In The Risen Jesus Who Is Present In The Eucharist.

Have you ever felt like a failure in your faith journey? So did St. Peter. In today's Holy Week reflection, Fr. Jonathan Meyer explores the bold love, crushing denial, and ultimate redemption of Peter—the rock on which Jesus built His Church.   With relics in hand and a heart full of encouragement, Fr. Meyer invites you to reflect on your own spiritual walk: your dreams, your failures, and the unshakable hope that Jesus has for you.   ✝️ “Do you love me?” Let this question echo through your Holy Week.   #HolyWeek #StPeter #FrMeyer #CatholicFaith #RiseUp #LentReflection #YearOfHope

In this episode of Fatima Today, Barb Ernster and Katie Moran continue their discussion on St. Jacinta's example of sacrifice and suffering, especially during Lent. They explore how St. Jacinta and St. Francisco embraced small sacrifices with love to help save souls and grow closer to God. Learn how we can follow their example by offering up our own sacrifices, like fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, to deepen our spiritual journey this Lent.

Father Hudgins' homily: Strong Like St Joseph

In what ways do you not live like Jesus?  Dave Buehring of Lionshare looks at ways we often do things that the world around us does, and he points us to live in ways that Jesus would, even on this St. Patrick's Day.  As for St. Patrick, who was he?  What was his story.  Carmen helps us know him better! Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here

Fr Josuha Whitehead says our mission centres on being a vibrant community that helps people encounter Jesus. St Joseph exemplifies this through his unwavering love and honour. Like St. Joseph, we are called to become foundations of love for others and fulfill our baptismal commission to make disciples by exercising the virtues of love and honour

This week we welcome Devin Schadt into the pew to discuss the importance of authentic fatherhood, and how embracing the example of St. Joseph can and will transform your life. Devin Schadt is the co-founder of The Fathers of St. Joseph, an apostolate dedicated to the renewal of authentic fatherhood. He is also a host on The Catholic Gentleman podcast. Devin reflects on his faith journey, describing his wayward youth and how God reached him at his lowest point. He explains the four pillars of Josephian Fatherhood—silence, woman, children, and charitable authority—and how they are invaluable tools of sanctity for all fathers and husbands. Check out Devin's new daily Lenten devotional here: https://shop.stewardshipmission.com/products/jesus-way Find more about Devin's apostolate, The Fathers of St. Joseph, here: https://fathersofstjoseph.org/ Listen to The Catholic Gentleman podcast here: https://catholicgentleman.com/ Launch a Life Changing Group for Men in Your Parish! ⛪️ http://www.justaguyinthepew.com Learn more about our pilgrimage: Walk in the Footsteps of St. Paul in Greece and Turkey with John

Msgr. Roger J. Landry Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, New York February 20, 2025   To listen to an audio recording of this talk, please click below:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/2.20.25_St._Frances_Cabrini_Hero_of_Hope_1.mp3   The outline for tonight’s talk was:  The Jubilee of Hope A response to a time of growing despair The Witness of Heroic Hope in St. […] The post Becoming Heroes of Hope like St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Giving Reason for the Hope Within Us, Shrine of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, New York, February 20, 2025 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

This week Mother Natalia talks about ruptured relationships and the hurt that comes in that rupture. She talks about offering up relationships to the Lord, recognizing that healing in the relationship may not come in this life, and the desire to have union with everyone in heaven. She links this to Saints Stephen and Paul, who did not have a great relationship on this life, but now through union with God, have an amazing relationship in heaven.Special thanks to Kyle and Drew from Catholic Creator Conference for letting us use their studio while at SEEK. Check out their YouTube pages too! Kyle's Page and Drew's PagePilgrimage:We're going on pilgrimage! You can find all the details including dates, itinerary, and cost at the 206tours website. Want to hear this directly from Fr. Michael and Mother Natalia? Check out our announcement video.Follow and Contact Us!Follow us on Instagram and FacebookWe're on YouTube!Join our Goodreads GroupFr. Michael's TwitterChrist the Bridegroom MonasteryOur WebsiteOur NonprofitSend us a textSupport the show

Listen to today's podcast... Ever wondered who St. Nicholas was? There once was a young boy named Nicholas, who was born during the third century. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need. Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!      Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating St. Nicholas Day: We could all stand to be a little more like St. Nicholas.  Here is a boy, whose world dramatically changed when his parents died.  He could have let this beat him down. He could have drowned in self-pity.  Instead, he relied on his faith and did whatever he could to help those who were even less fortunate then himself.  Let's get good at turning life around and focusing on what we have, and less on what we have lost or don't have. Today, we have the image of Santa Clause and we give gifts to the people we know and love.  But what about our giving to those less fortunate then ourselves? We are donating less each year. The average annual amount per donor is less than $500 with the median amount under $150. With the economy the way that it is, the demand within most charities has increased while their donations have decreased.  Make a difference in the lives of someone less fortunate than you.  It doesn't take a lot to have a huge impact. In 1998, my youngest son was due to arrive on Christmas Day.  We decided that boy or girl, their name would honour St. Nicholas as he was our blessed gift.  Nickolas arrived safely on December 22. If you like today's resiliency tips, let me know. Don't forget that you can find more tips for building resiliency, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com #mentalhealth #hr

In this segment from the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. continues the series connecting Advent to the Eucharist and focuses on the connection between the Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, and the Eucharist.Fr. Frank connects St. Joseph to the Eucharist and how he adored the Lord Jesus incarnate in the womb of Mary and beyond. Like St. Joseph, we are called to adore Jesus in the Eucharist and bring others to have encounters with the living Christ.Christmas is the "most wonderful time of the year”: trees are trimmed, presents wrapped, and the chilly air signals the coming season of festive warmth. But did you know we're not really ready for Christmas without first observing a "little Lent?" Advent is one of the highlights of our liturgical year. Every year, at the end of the summer, I begin to yearn for colder days. Then autumn rolls around with the beautiful changing leaves, pumpkin pies, and the days seem to go by quicker and quicker (no thanks to Daylight Saving Time!). Then, just after Thanksgiving, we run right into Advent. Each year, it feels like we are sprinting to get to the holiday season and run right through Christmas and New Years. This year, though, I want to be more intentional about celebrating the joy of Advent and run an Advent Marathon, instead of my usual sprint.Notes:Learn more about Advent hereView Eucharistic Revival ResourcesRead Ad Infinitum blog posts on Advent Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Columbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan Monday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina September 23, 2024 Prov 3:27-34, Ps 15, Lk 8:16-18   To listen to an audio recording of today's homily, please click below:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/9.23.24_Homily_1.mp3   The following points were […] The post Hearing and Radiating like St. Pio of Pietrelcina, 25th Monday (II), September 23, 2024 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

Hour 3 for 8/27/24 Drew opened the show revealing with St. Faustina said about praying for conversion (:47). Then, Patti Maguire Armstrong discussed how to pray like St. Monica (18:33). Callers shared their stories (30:26) of praying for loved ones (39:00). Finally, Bree Solstad shared her story from porn star to Catholic convert (43:47).  Links:  https://pattimaguirearmstrong.com/ https://x.com/BreeSolstad

8/27/24 6am CT Hour - Suzanne Bilodeau/ Sr. Mary Teresa Bettag   John and Sarah chat about weather, Babe Ruth jersey and peaches.   Suzanne encourages listeners to have persistence in prayer for our children just like St. Monica.   Sr. Mary Teresa explores how easy it is to argue about a great many things in life but how hard it is to argue about the beauty of the world around us that we are drawn to.

In this episode of Creations Paths, host Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing Druid, delves into the concepts of the queenship and motherhood of Mary. Charlie explores the significance of Mary in Christian tradition, explaining how she serves as a substitute and stand-in for humanity, emphasizing her role in salvation history and her embodiment of divine feminine power. From Mary's Fiat to her presence as the Queen of Heaven, this video examines her profound impact and importance. Charlie discusses the paradigm shifts in modern, post-modern, and metamodern perspectives on faith and how Mary's queenship counters patriarchal instincts. The episode also touches upon the personal devotional impacts of Mary and how she serves as a source of healing and balance in faith practice.Tips or Donations here: https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett patreon.com/cedorsett Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/ For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/ Social Connections: BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/Transcript:[00:00:00] Charlie- New: Salve Regina. Hail holy queen mother and queen blessed Mary mother of God, mother of the church, mother of us all, queen of our hearts. Yes today, we're going to be talking about the queenship of Mary and the motherhood of Mary. Why would a metamodern anarchist like me be all down for calling anybody a queen. Let's talk about that. On today's Creations Paths. Intro. [00:00:27] Charlie- New: Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I'm a non-binary scifi fantasy writer. I'm also a practicing Druid as is my husband, Brian. Today we're going to be talking about the motherhood, the queenship of Mary. This is I think a hard one for modern folk. Harder for post-modern folk and. I think dirt simple for Metta modern folk. [00:01:01] Brian - New: Ah, the progressions. [00:01:02] Charlie- New: The progression, how the paradigms do shift. So might be confused by those three labels and don't worry. it's fine. a Modernist is somebody who believes in grand unifying ideas. A post-modern is all about deconstruction and tearing those ideas back into there little bitty pieces in a Metamodernism, just kind of dances. Through it all. [00:01:24] Brian - New: about the journey or the dance. [00:01:26] Charlie- New: Its about the journey. It just oscillate back and forth between the grand idea and the deconstruction of it. Here I am sitting here. I pray the Salve Regina, I often. will call out to the queen of heaven, to the queen of our hearts, to the queen of mercy. There's so many wonderful titles that Mary, has. Yet, if you were to tell me that I had to bow to an actual earthly queen, I would laugh at you unless I was at some kind of a ball or something. [00:01:54] Brian - New: Then she going to have to prove herself. [00:01:56] Charlie- New: she going to have to make it work. Why does it matter to us? in this. Day and age to talk about the queenship of Mary. Well, one. As we've talked before and we'll probably always be talking about. When it comes to Mary, Mary is the substitute, the stand in for us in these stories. She is the first who gave that beautiful Fiat. When she said, yes. So that the son of God could be born into the world. She is the one who proclaimed the gospel that the high will be thrown down and their Thrones will be scattered and that the lowly will be brought up. She is the one who was there through all of the. Mysteries of Christ's life. She is the one who was taken into heaven. She is the one who became one. With the father, as Christ is with the father. And is the matrix from whom we are all formed. Mary is so central. To the heart of the faith. If you came from a Protestant upbringing, This may seem. Foreign to you. I know it was when Brian and I first got together because. I have been a Marianist since I was about 16. [00:03:07] Brian - New: When first exposed to these concepts, I was like, what's the point? Like. If you got God, you got Jesus. Aren't you good. Isn't it all? I think. you did two things. One. When you pointed out, that could be good and for some of them that is all they need. That is great and wonderful. But for others, they might not feel. Worthy or they might not feel deserving. Of grace. Of being in the presence of God. Sometimes it's easier to go to the mother. And to be cradled and held by the mother. mothers tend to be non-judging and accepting. And then you handed me saint Louis de Montfort's book and said, read this. Sent me on my way. Which was very fascinating. Read. Pretty fascinating time, but. Not for this episode. [00:03:54] Charlie- New: Well, and he called it right. He did call her a secret of Mary. Is the secret of Marry. Come to your faith. Faithful one. Let me tell you the secret of Mary. As hard as the secret known to, but a few right. Mary is so core to all of this because she is the one who formed Christ. She formed. Jesus. She is the mother. Of Christ. And as such, if we are the body of Christ, she is our mother. But also as the mother of Christ, she is the one who forms us. She is the one that makes us. Who and what we are is Paul. Says she's the heavenly Jerusalem. When thinking about her and her place in the economy of salvation, she is. The pinpoint she's the startup. Yeah. She brought. The holy one, she brought Christ into the world. With her queenship. why should that matter? [00:04:46] Charlie- New: Well, one. I think it's very important to highlight the queenship of Mary. Because it fights against the. Patriarchal instincts of the Imperial church. That even when they want to call her a queen. We'll try to sideline her in many, many ways. And that she. And we, they tried to take her family away. They tried to do all kinds of things. To try to keep her from living in the fullness. That she does. Mary's queenship. Reminds us. Of the power of the feminine. The absolute power, that is there. We often talk about the kingdom of God. I know that there've been people who have tried to move away from that term. Matthew Fox has tried to move away from the term, a lot of, uh, Christian leaders of. Tried realm or. Matthew Fox likes to say queendom. Of God, which. It's just a word that. I don't know. Jingles in my brain in a strange way. If we were to look at the way that these words have been traditionally used. Cause. I think it is important to have a sense of continuity. She is the queen of the kingdom. She stands there. To me. Mary is the answer to the question that the sons of Zebedee ask Jesus, who will sit at your right hand. Oh, Mary. And to me, Jesus answers this question, the first shall be last. And the last shall be first. The one who shall be first will be the servant of all. Mary does not have a prominent role throughout the gospels. And is. Absent. To the point where a lot of people forget that she was there. And you have to point out. No, she's right there. She's right there. Through the entire story, but in her humility, she is. Doing her job, everything. My son tells you do it. She's always pointing. To the Christ. It's only afterwards. Where she is able to take her real true and proper place. Where we see. The role that she plays. I'm not saying that all of us need to just fade into the background. Though, if you're going to be like, Uh, shadow broker. Who's bringing good about into the world. Fade into the background. Make the good things happen. But the story, at least at that time was not about her. Now it is. Like I said that. The story is about Mary start very, very early on. From the Purdue week, Ben gallium. Telium of James. That spends a lot of time on her childhood and her parents. Anne and Joachim. Through to the door mission of Mary that tells us about her assumption into heaven for the first time. Mary becomes the center of the story very quickly in Christian history. And has remained in this primacy. Place. It's because. We need. That mother. Because the Imperial church. Robbed us of a. Maternal God, which by the way, is found throughout the Christian tradition. And the. scriptural one as well. As just a side note. I love giving people the revelation of divine. Knowing. And of divine love for the first time. By Julian of Norwich because when they see the phrase of mother Christ, For the first time, it just kind of shatters their expectations. And when you remember that this woman is a Saint in the Episcopalian and Catholic, like every church claims her. She uses the phrase mother Christ. We had a lot in that book actually. Because the divine feminine has always been there. But it gets hidden. Like Mary. Was it. This pivotal person. In the history of our faith. She raised. The Christ child. She was there when they fled into Egypt and she was there when they came back. She's the one that would have instilled his morals and ethics and to him as he's growing up. And yet we don't get to see. Hardly any of that. In scripture. By stressing that this unseen. Character. Is our queen. Because Queens are. majestic. They're powerful. It reminds us one. When we think about our own families. How very often. It was our mother and sisters and whatnot who kept everything flowing. Moving smoothly. Unseen by our hands you just woke up and there was breakfast cause. I don't know. You were a child and didn't think about where the breakfast came from. It was just there on the table when you got up. Now your mom got up before you and made that breakfast. Maybe. not all mothers. But you get the gist of what I'm trying to say. Power. It's not always loud. This is the other thing I love about the idea of the queenship of Mary. When we think of the kingship of God. You get images of like a Cecil B DeMille movie, god on the top of the mountain. Moses. These are my 10 commandments. It was booming voice coming down from heaven. We forget that we're told that the voice of God is. A whisper. It's a still small voice. It's a Russel. Leaves in the wind. It's a subtle voice. It's not this. Booming voice. In fact, when we actually read the story in. Exodus of them receiving the 10 sayings. It says, the voice of God was on the mountain and the people saw it. Which is a very interesting turn of phrase. Because they saw the voice, they didn't hear it. They saw the voice. It was a powerful image. We give this very. Strong vocal voice. Then when we think about. The queen. Especially with Mary, like I said, with her seeming absence yet. Ever presence in the gospels. It reminds us to listen for that actual real voice of God. That quiet. Still small voice of God that. Like what the experience of Elijah. God, wasn't in the fire, God wasn't in the earthquake. God, wasn't in the wind. But after all these three things, There was a still small voice. That's where we find the voice of God. That's where we find it in Mary. Mary is such an ever pervading presence in our lives. Queen of the angels queen of our hearts. These are not just words that I say because they're written in the litany somewhere. This is my experience of Mary. When I say I became a Marianist when I was 16. That's because. I was raised Baptist. I've talked about this bit, but I didn't convert to Catholicism. adulthood. I wasn't raised with Mary. Mary. Wasn't a part of my childhood. I found her. I found the secret of Mary. It gave me meaning and purpose. Like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. When I thought about her. My heart. Warmed up. It brought me to life in a way that very few other thoughts had. It gave me meaning and purpose. Gave me something to strive for. When we say in the prayers, our life, our sweetness here below. That's Mary. Now there are thousands of words and pages written. About her, but when you look at the scripture, she's here, she's there. She doesn't have that profound presence. But she's there in all of it. Throughout the whole thing. That loving presence of that sweet divine mother. Guiding us and leading us. Ever forward. I love calling out to. Our queen. [00:11:59] Brian - New: It's also through Mary that. I find. Healing in the imagery of the kingdom of heaven. I know a lot of people nowadays. Bristle. At that term, as you pointed out earlier, But it is through Mary. As queen. We realize it puts things back into balance. It moves away from the falsehoods of misogyny. The false hoods of the significant figure in history that the one person that does. Man. Man history. Falsehoods and Mary helps to heal that because then you realize it's a king and a queen. It is in a way, going back to the time of judges. Which the old Testament. God said was the better way to have things. Anyhow, it's a council. It's not just this one dictation on high. That's not voice. It's the loud voice and the quiet voice. It's both together. It's the. action that you see. And the action that you don't see. [00:12:56] Charlie- New: It brings us back to the Elohim to God and. Cause the truest sense that divine counsel, that. True unity that said, let us make man in our image. And then he made them. Male and female. in unity and harmony and altogether. In one. That really is. The heart of what's missing and a lot of modern faith and a lot of modern practice. I have a very strong devotion to Mary. It's rivaled only by my devotion with Bridget. And if you've ever studied the prayers. Of our ancestors. Mary and Bridgid are almost always. Invoked together. In fact. It said that Bridgid. They say, this is about the saint, but I feel like this is more true of the goddess. was the foster mother of Jesus that she was the handmade. She was the midwife. That helped. Mary give birth to Jesus. And of course St. Bridget of Kildare could not have done that. But Bridgette could have done that. It's Bridget has always been and always will be. Like all the faces of God. So we see them together. When you see them together. Something magical happens because it erodes this idea of competition. It erodes the site idea of there being anything. Any vine for the attention or affections of the king. Mary is there. Bridget is there? Jesus is there. We are there. we don't have to fight about it. We don't have to beg to be seen. Because we are. personally like the terms king and queen for God. And Mary, just for one other reason. Because that's where the kingdom is. The kingdom of God is not of this world. By remembering that my true queen, my true king is not of this world. It makes it easier not to set up a queen or king in this world. So on this day, when we're remembering the queenship of Mary. I recommend maybe. watch Sister Act again. Right before we started this podcast, I played the salvia Regina. From the sister act soundtrack to get us. Ready. For this episode. Maybe watch one of my favorite movies. the song of Bernadette, which is about. Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette Soubirous. When she had the visions of Mary. love that movie so much. It's also a good movie. If you've never seen Vincent Price play anything, but in a horror movie. He still plays kind of the villain of the movie, it's an interesting role. That is not what I've come to expect to see as a Vincent Price would be. He's very good at it. Go out and. Just listen to nature. The queenship of Mary is everywhere. When we think about may, which is the traditional month where we celebrate Mary. So many of the songs invoke the lilies of the field and the flowers and the birds and the butterflies. That nature, because. The love of our divine mother. Is the most natural thing. I think I should just take just a moment. Cause I keep saying our divine mother and I know people that are coming from Protestant. Upbringing may have a problem with that. Mary is the mother of God. If you believe that Jesus has God. Mary is Jesus's mother. They're four by the transit of property. Mary is the mother of God. It's in the book. Whether there was a god. Before. Is a stupid question that gets asked by people that aren't really thinking, and they're just wanting to cause problems. Of course there was a god before. But Mary. Made that God. Mary. Is the vehicle through which Christ. That same cosmic Christ. That. Created everything and holds the universe together. Through Mary, that Christ came into this world. We meet him in the form of Jesus Christ. [00:16:51] Brian - New: When going back there was the Shekinah. Kina Shekinah. There you go. Thank you. [00:16:57] Charlie- New: have feelings about how Mary relates to the Shekinah, but that's a whole bag of worms, Mary as the lost princess. I really in my heart of hearts, believe that. I don't believe that anyone else has to believe that, but yes, in my heart of hearts, Yeah, Mary is the presence of God. The sweet. Shekinah the. The tent that covers us and holds us and one family. I guess 100% in my heart of hearts. I believe that. And for that alone makes her the queen. [00:17:27] Brian - New: the wind that supports us by day and the. Pillar, flame that lights our way and protects us. Our path at night. In the darkness. [00:17:36] Charlie- New: If you're into. More traditional things. Open up a prayer book. Say a rosary. Say a litany. Beautiful lit news. Just say the Regina Caeli. [00:17:47] Brian - New: For the Druids out there just take a moment today. Go outside. Sit under a tree. Sit in the mother's embrace. No, that we're all worth it. Raul. We're all. Okay. No matter how dark we are. We're all good. Some level. Mom always gives us a hug no matter what. Or how filthy we come in from playing outside. [00:18:06] Charlie- New: She is. Like the prayer says our life, our sweetness here below. Oh, Maria. This is a much more devotional episode than I thought it was going to end up being. But. It's hard for me to talk about Mary and not just. Break out into just extolling her brilliance and her virtues and just my absolute love and admiration for her. She has answered our prayers. With felt her presence in our darkest times. She she is with us. She cares for us. She is our mother and our queen. And I hope that. If you've. You've had those experiences too. And if you haven't. We fly to your patronage. Holy Mary mother of God. Never hasn't been known that anyone. Who has flown. Two, your. Who has asked you if anything has ever been turned away, empty. It's an old prayer. And it's a prayer that is still in use today because it is still true today. So this, this has helped you and you think that, you know, somebody else who would like it, please share that helps us. Grow. If you haven't already like us or. Subscribe or follow or. Leave a review or whatever you could do on wherever you're listening to the sounds of our voice. It really does help us out a lot. If you have any questions instead of https://www.creationspaths.com/ and you can either put them in the chat over there, or you can. Comment them on the bottom of this episode. Let us know what you think. You can also comment over on YouTube or Spotify. We get to see those as well. If you have a few dollars that you can pass our way. You always sign up for a membership. Really helps us out a lot. Helps us keep. This podcast coming to you also. We're going to be doing some classes and not too distant future. And. The those who have. Joined the membership are going to get access to those early. So. Just so, you know, They're there. There's some treats coming. Anyhow. Yeah, wholly queen and thrown the ball. May the grace of Mary. Our queen and our mother. He with you now and forevermore. Amen. Amen. Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Friends of the Rosary, Today is the Memorial of St. Benedict (480-547), who founded the monastic life, rule, and wisdom in Christianity. St. Benedict's intercession can release our faith. His medal reminds us that we are protected by Christ's power. It's one of the oldest and most honored medals used by Christians. It's also a "devil-chasing medal," as it has power against evil. The reverse side of the medal carries the Vade retro Satana ("Begone, Satan!") formula, which Christians have used to ward off evil since the 15th century. The formula is sometimes carried as part of the rosary but is also found individually. Catholics are not permitted to perform exorcisms, but they can use the Saint Benedict Medal, holy water, the crucifix, and other sacramentals to ward off evil. The Saint Benedict Medal in the middle of a Celtic Cross is believed to be a powerful tool against evil influences. Like St. Benedict, we seek the kingdom of God first, while we praise the Lord and integrate Christian values as we journey together. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Benedict, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠July 11, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

What can you learn from the life of St. Peter? Dr. Edward Sri shares this special episode while on location in Rome, Italy at the Basilica of St. Peter. He provides an overview of some of the significant architectural aspects of the square and the basilica. He also looks at the life of St. Peter to help each of us understand how to approach Jesus and allow him to heal us. Snippet from the Show Trust that God can change you like he changed St. Peter. For full shownotes, visit Ascensionpress.com/Allthingscatholic, or text ALLTHINGSCATHOLIC to 33-777 for weekly shownotes sent to your inbox.

Fr. Roger Landry St. Andrew Church Newtown, Pennsylvania May 30, 2024   https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/5.30.24_St._Andrew_Newtown_1.mp3     The post Bringing People like St. Andrew to the Eucharistic Jesus, St. Andrew’s Church, Newtown, PA, May 30, 2024 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

4/23/24 7am CT Hour - William Albrecht/ Martha Fernandez-Sardina   John, Glen and Sarah chat about campus unrest, latest on the Trump trial and the glory of Table Tennis. William lists and refutes several of the common objections people have to the Catholic Faith. Martha shares how we can and should love like St. Joseph and stay still instead of jumping the gun.

Jay Aruga tells a short story in the life of St. Catherine of Siena where she prayed so hard to save the life of a person who hates her. What lesson can we get from that? This is from her life story from the book below: https://www.amazon.com/Life-St-Catherine-Siena-Accomplishments/dp/0895557614 - - -  The Sentinel Ph:  Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSentinelPh  - - -  You can help SUPPORT THIS PODCAST thru:  Shopee – Arugaan Online Shop: https://shopee.ph/jagaruga  Buying me a coffee thru: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thejayarugashow  GCASH: 09204848046  - - -  Today's Sponsor:  Hallow - Try Hallow's premium contents for FREE: https://hallow.com/jayaruga  - - -  Socials:  Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jagaruga  Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay.aruga  Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJayArugaShow  Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JayAruga  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thejayarugashow/message

In this clip from Annie's conversation with Hans von Spakovsky, Hans gives his thoughts on how to regrow dangerous cities and how it starts with refunding the police.

When seeing green isn't great!  Clint and Jim explore the sin of envy. The Post Sunday Blues: A Preaching Postmortem is where you can go backstage with Liberti Church Collingswood's sermons! Email us your thoughts via postsundayblues@gmail.com.

Amin, Tray, Big Jerv, Jason and Juju are back with friends of the show Glasses Malone and Chase N. Cashe to discuss why black people like St. Patrick's Day so much and Tray wonders if it's white peoples 'freeknik'. WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: Youtube.com/countthedings1 Produced by John Jervay - https://twitter.com/johnjervay Sign up for The Athletic: TheAthletic.com/dings Support us on www.patreon.com/countthedings Find us: www.countthedings.com Social: @countthedings @bommpodcastq Facebook: www.facebook.com/countthedings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like St. Patrick's snakes, someone is banished from the island.

Eric Brown spends most of his time designing beautiful buildings and doing urban plans for his firm, Brown Design Studio. But, when you get him away from the desk, you find someone with a good sense of history, and an understanding of how to get things done. We partnered up together in Savannah to help create the Savannah Urbanism Series (a guest lecture series), host CNU 26, and create the Savannah 2033 Plan for greater downtown.With all of Eric's many accomplishments, he's a good person to talk with when we try to understand the bigger landscape of change and cities. So, we cover a lot of ground including the role of the business community in planning historically, what all is going on in Savnanah, and what he's seeing with new, greenfield development. He talks a bit about his project Selah, in Norman OK, as one example.Find more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Transcript:Kevin K (00:01.346)Welcome back to the messy city podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg Got my good buddy Eric Brown with me today. Eric is architect urban designer man about town Savanian What what else should I have on your resume here?Eric (00:22.818)Probably my best accomplishment, which is being a father.Kevin K (00:25.718)There you go, there you go. All right, well, I'm in that with you now as well, although I was a little later at the party than you, but it's a pretty awesome responsibility and I know Nick's a great kid, so congratulations on that.Eric (00:41.494)You haven't seen him in a while. He's six foot one now.Kevin K (00:45.142)Jesus, it's taller than me? That's not possible.Eric (00:47.982)He's a, he's still grown too. He's a big boy. He's going to be a big boy. And, uh, you also haven't seen ace the wonder dog.Kevin K (00:57.418)Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been a couple of years since I've been back. Although watch out rumor is we're gonna make a trip back this year, so I'll let you know. So I wanted to, there's a lot of things Eric and I talk about and there's any number of directions we can go with this hour today, but I do wanna hit a couple of things specific to like what stuff that you work on and some things that we did years ago.Um, Eric and I were kind of partners in crime in Savannah, um, really trying to, um, bring more discussion about new urbanism and, and better long-term planning, uh, to the city. And that may seem like a strange thing because Savannah is famous for its planning, uh, and its built environment. But like a lot of cities in the last several decades, um, it's really just been kind of the default.same stuff that you see everywhere, other than the historic district. So one of the things that Eric and I kind of put our heads together on was to get a group together and do an updated master plan of sorts for the greater downtown area of Savannah. We did this in 2018. We called it the Savannah 2033 plan. And...We called it 2033 because not just because it was like 15 years was a nice round number away, but really because 2033 is the 300th anniversary of the founding of Savannah. Savannah is actually older than the United States as a country. So it felt like a great benchmark for us to give. And I flew the coupe a few years ago, so I haven't been in touch in Savannah with every...as much of what's going on, but I wondered, Eric, if you could talk a little bit about that plan and effort and any legacies from that and what might be going on today, sort of good, bad, or indifferent, regards to thinking about planning in downtown Savannah.Eric (03:11.402)Um...That's a good question. And you know...I'm gonna kind of circle back to that answer in a second. But, you know, we also, you know, you and I also kind of had our little CNU group here, brought the Congress here in whatever year that was. But, you know, as part of that CNU group, we did a series of...Urban Speaker Series. You know, we had Mayor Riley, we had Deiru Tadani, we had Rick Hall. Um, we had, yeah, we had a, um, you know, the top talent and, you know, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few on there. And.Kevin K (04:01.738)Chuck Morrone, yeah, Joe Menard goes there, yeah.Eric (04:14.634)you know, when I'm really kind of proud of our efforts, you know, even after all these years.Eric (04:23.242)because people still talk about that. You know, they still talk about those. And, you know, if you were listening to you and I back in 2018 or 17 or whenever that was, we were doing those, 19. You know, our mission, what we told everybody our mission was is to raise the bar of discourse and education here on urban planning matters and.You know, I got to say buddy, congratulations, because it took a while to sink in, but we did it. You know.Kevin K (04:56.175)Well, things move a little more slowly in Savannah, right?Eric (04:58.938)Absolutely they move slow.Kevin K (05:01.586)Although, honestly, they move slowly everywhere. So, what are you gonna do?Eric (05:07.531)But I've seen the effects of some of those. And I think.You know, we've given people the vocabulary and in some cases, passion to go deal with some of these issues. Some of our elected officials, some of our staff members. And so I just wanted to kind of tell you that, you know, all those efforts that were pretty much thankless at the time are still somewhat thankless. But, you know, we did do it. We had an effect on that. So.I'm real proud of you and our efforts on there. So I wanted to throw that out there. There's some significant changes coming that I really can't mention. I don't think it's appropriate to mention right now. But when they do occur, you'll be shocked and you'll know exactly how much of an effect we had.Kevin K (05:54.046)That's great to hear.Eric (06:17.038)exciting to see if that does come to fruition. And everyone out there in podcast land, cause I've talked to other senior groups about doing this or those grassroots education efforts, they are thankless, just they're important though. It's really the most important thing I think you can do as a local group. So hammer away at that stuff, cause it does bear fruit.But back to your planning question, you know that master plan...Eric (06:57.246)was really good work. That our team.you know, just did some really amazing work in a very short time for what we were doing.Kevin K (07:08.89)on a shoestring too. I mean, we did that on a ridiculous budget.Eric (07:10.51)Oof.Yeah, yeah, we did. Um, but.Kevin K (07:17.078)I mean you and almost – you and basically everybody else donated huge amounts of time or else it never would have gotten done.Eric (07:24.47)Well, you know, again, I think it's kind of the same thing. You know, we did get, you know, city council to adopt that guide.You know, I don't know that they have ever gone back and looked at it since then. Um, but it has. Spurned off and affected a lot of things. You know, the tide to town has been a success here, which is, you know, kind of linking up, um, some bike trails with some of our canals Savannah's got a lot of canals, um, and waterways.and kind of tying all those together so that you can really get somewhere substantial on a bike that's in a nice interesting setting, you're not sharing the road with automobiles. So that's just, they just got more funding for their next phase. It's very, it's a huge success story and that's probably the biggest one that came out of that effort. You know, there'sThere's continuing work with the Civic Center, which is one of the focal points of that plan. And the work we put in there is a good kind of milestone, I think, to judge the future work by.Eric (09:00.246)And the Waters corridor has finished up and it looks really nice. I just went, I was over there the other day. And so, you know, those efforts kind of helped that area a little bit, which was part of the East side charrette as well from the Congress.Kevin K (09:21.13)Yeah. You know, one of the things we used to talk about, Eric, it kind of may help people to have some context to know that this was basically a planning effort that we put together that was outside City Hall. We worked kind of through the remnants of Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, but we also went out and raised money privately andand pieced it together. And that was something like, you and I used to talk about that all the time, how, I wonder if you could just expand on this, you know, that one of the frustrations we have is that in so many cities, the business community and people who ought to know better about development and, you know, things that would work well, at least financially in a city.the business community largely has kind of stepped away from being involved in planning and we used to just, that's something we kind of wrung our hands about all the time. Even in a great historic city like Savannah that was often the case, but clearly cities all over the country, you know, it's just been a sea change in how people think about that. And I wonder if you could kind of share some of your thoughts on that.Eric (10:43.033)Yeah, so...You know, I'm a big history buff, history fan, as it relates to planning, but just in general. And, you know, when you look at some of the great plans that have been done.Eric (11:05.366)plan for San Francisco, the plan for Chicago, heck, even the 1815 plan for Manhattan. You know, it wasn't the city of Chicago didn't do that plan. It was the business community that wrote Dan Burnham and Unlimited Check to go get it done, make us a world-class city.And San Francisco did the same thing.It's because the business community needed a competitive city to be competitive in an emerging national market, you know, and never in our history until probably, I would guess, posted.post-war or maybe probably during the depression that started where you had you started to rely on government agencies to do that.you know, because there was no planning profession prior to 19 something, 1912, maybe. Um, and so that's interesting. Um, again, how we used to do it. And, you know, not, I sound like an old man, get off my lawn kind of thing, but, um, you know, it worked and it, those were beautiful plans and they've stood the test of time. They've built magnificent world-class cities.Eric (12:31.282)Chicago is a top three, top five US city, however you want to rank it. San Francisco same. So, you know, you know, so where's our business community? What's the question you and I kind of asked ourselves over some beverages, I think one or two nights and you know, it's.It's different. It's different now. And I don't think we realized this at the time, but you know, let's say in 1893, you know, the business community in Chicago and you had some national, you know, obviously Sears was based, I think Sears was based out there at the time. And you know, you had some national companies, but you know, businesses were for the most part locally owned.Eric (13:30.042)So you had the department store that was locally owned. It wasn't a Macy's yet. It wasn't a Woolworths yet. There were locally owned businesses that did things, steel mills, building cars or mufflers or whatever it was. And all that's gone. Literally that whole class of independent businessmen.that are locally based and care about where they actually are and where they live and how their kids are going to view all this. Those guys are gone and they're replaced with global.corporate MBA dipshits that just care about stock price. And so they're running a global company out of somewhere. And it's real hard to get them to do anything other than for the PR work. And raising funds for CNU, I think we've got a taste of that. But what was interesting is Delta's based out ofAtlanta Chick-fil-A is based out of Atlanta. And so they were willing to fund some efforts in their home market they perceived it as. So we got lucky with a few of those. But Gulfstream here is one of our few major businesses in Savannah. And they do a ton in the community. They do. But they don't gives**t's about the planning work here. It's just not on their radar.Eric (15:18.166)You know, so I think that.that whole shift is something to be cognizant of. And you have to find kind of that civic leadership somewhere else. And by all means, if you have a local-based business, then lean on them. They're just not that prevalent like they used to be. Before we relied on the city.You know, here we have obviously tourism groups that are interested in the planning. So, you know, they provide some of that leadership, right or wrong. And...Eric (16:07.678)I think you have to, you know, as a...You know, as like what we were doing is basically, you know, guerrilla warfare, you know, I always viewed it as, you know, working outside the system as the system isn't getting it done. You know, we were trying to model our efforts on, you know, what some of the great planners before us, Daniel Burnham, and them were doing and engage that business community. And, you know, we found some success here.And so for people that might be trying that same thing, I would do some research into where some of the capital or trusts are in your city. Those are usually good sources for funding efforts to do stuff like this.Kevin K (17:04.594)Yeah, I was thinking about like, even here in Kansas City, we had a great City Beautiful Plan like a lot of American cities did, starting sort of 1880s and all the way through the 1910s. It's interesting that there's a couple of great books that talk about how the creation of the Parks and Boulevards plan here. There was a core group of local business people, including the newspaper publisher that basicallytown and lobbied for that thing to happen. They hired a famous landscape architect at the time, George Kessler, who was an Olmsted disciple. And they basically went around and lobbied to make sure it would happen. And over 100 years later, that's as big a part of what the city is known for as anything for people who come here and see it. And you can see the Parks and BoulevardKevin K (18:02.814)I mean, that's pretty common all over the place. I think you make a great point too about just like the local civic leadership in like, do you ever think about that like in your, compared to your native Ohio? So Eric grew up in Ohio and you know, Ohio is interesting because let's say, you know, 70, 80 years ago, there was unbelievable wealth and industry and local leadership and great cities that were built.As a result, great architecture, but it's probably suffered as much as any place with a lot of those companies becoming part of what you describe. They all eventually got absorbed and combined and merged or dissolved. And there's not as much of that local civic leadership as there probably was.Eric (18:56.934)No, it's not. You know, all those rust belt cities. Pittsburgh's actually probably the best example of a city that was able to pivot quickly, in part because they have a variety of higher learning institutions there that really help them become a research center in many ways and survive the shift away from making steel.Eric (19:25.955)and you know.Cleveland in 1920 was a top five city. It was number four or five city in America in terms of population. And it fell off a cliff there. I mean, it's still a big city, but it's a skeleton of itself. Everybody lives in the burbs, mostly.You know, they don't make, Cleveland never made cars or they made some steel, but they made a lot of the stuff that went into cars, mufflers, transmissions, engines, um, all sorts of that stuff and some steel. But I'll, you know, a lot of that's gone. Not all of it, but most of it.Eric (20:14.026)But you know, I think.Eric (20:18.334)I think those grassroot efforts to find better planning and better design work and expecting better.I think it needs to start with somebody in the community. If that business community is not there, then maybe it's a neighborhood association or downtown association or somebody needs to start it. And I think just follow that path of educating and doing some demonstrative projects, which I know you've done both in Kansas City and-time here in Savannah, you know, just showing how you can, nobody knew what a parklet was. You know, after that, I did one and, um, you know, COVID kind of opened that box and in many places.Kevin K (21:06.385)So we just went out and did one.Eric (21:17.778)I think it's just, but you're fighting uphill guerrilla warfare, but it's actually easier that way because you don't have to answer anybody. You just kind of do what you do. And so I really enjoyed that time we were doing that stuff here.And you know, we just met, a couple of us met again here in the fall. You know, we're going to pick up on some of that again, which is somewhat falling off the radar here. I just haven't had the same time that I had when you and I were doing it.Kevin K (21:54.73)Yeah. And Savannah also is, I guess it's kind of unique when you think about it because it's got, they're probably more like multi-generation families and people who are really invested in the place than there are in other cities in the country. We had a lot of luck with like realtors and other people who also cared about real estate value. But there definitely were, there are.some of those still legacy families that give a damn about the place and what it's changing into for better or worse. I think probably a lot of cities have that, but it felt like maybe some of those older southern cities, Savannah, Charleston, Beaufort, where it used to be, might have a little more of that than other places.Eric (22:46.226)Yeah. Yeah, no, I agree. You know, this, this whole topic is really almost worth.Eric (22:55.147)a CNU sub-chapter or, you know, boot camp for guerrilla warfare or something.Kevin K (23:01.508)Ha haEric (23:03.574)You know, how, how to affect change in your local city. That would be actually an interesting session to do. Cause I get asked a lot on stuff.Kevin K (23:16.914)Yeah. Well, and you've also done it not just in Savannah but in Beaufort. You were there with like what, 14 years? Yeah. Something like that. All right.Eric (23:24.082)I don't remember yet, a long time. No, more than that actually, but because I'm getting old now. But yeah, and you know.Kevin K (23:31.736)HeheheEric (23:36.866)There's, you know, once you start waving the flag, people come out of the woodwork and say, yeah, you know, that's a good point, or I agree with that, or, but, you know, you got to, somebody's got to light the fire.Kevin K (23:51.651)Yeah.So what else is happening in Savannah these days? What are you seeing from a development or a design standpoint? I know when I left town and since then, there's been a lot more, I guess what we call, large-scale development east of downtown and a little bit on the west of downtown. And then we had a lot of discussions about, how do you make incremental?change and make some of that missing middle stuff easier in the older neighborhoods? What are you seeing these days? Is it kind of gradual change? Does it feel like things are moving faster or what?Eric (24:35.596)Um...Eric (24:39.702)No, it's there's, you know, if you drive over the bridge into Savannah from South Carolina, you know, I did it the other day and I don't know, there were 13 cranes, you know, the amount of cranes in the air is always a good judge of what's going on. And, you know, we are in that stage where.We kind of are coming out of a stage where we couldn't build hotels fast enough anywhere.And they've kind of run out of downtown space, although not entirely.actually they two of the biggest buildings you knowjust sold to hotel companies that are going to convert them back. The one building used to be a hotel that sits on Johnson Square. That's going to be converted back to a hotel, so we're losing all that office space. And the one East Bryant building, which is the tallest building in Savannah, was just bought. It's going to be at Ritz Carlton.Kevin K (25:42.58)Okay.Kevin K (25:54.63)Oh wow, that's quite an upgrade. It was a great building.Eric (25:57.59)Well, yeah, it's a great building. It's just, you know, it's displacing. We're losing two of the major office buildings downtown. Um, and you know, there's a ton of hotel buildings still going on. Um, there's a couple on their construction. I can see out my window here. Um,And the other thing is the large apartment building that takes up as much, you know, it's as much of a Texas donut as you can fit on whatever site you're on. So there's probably.Eric (26:37.558)six, seven of those going on in various parts of town right now. And some just finished, some just finished up. There are several kind of over by the bridge. There's a lot on upper Montgomery Street that are either built or coming online. That whole area is kind of marching southward. There's a couple of infill ones over by where I live. There's two right, right by my.Eric (27:09.858)And you know they're just they're huge big buildings and the ones inside the historic district you know have enough of a review process. I was walking by the one the other day and you know it's got a really nice brick to it. It's got nice windows you know but the all the you know all the details are kind of crappy. You know theThey made them put brick lintel up there, but it's fake. You know, it doesn't overhang the masonry at all. So, you know, all that little stuff that we kind of gripe about, you know, that stuff's not a hundred percent, but you know, the building forms okay and the materials are okay. But then you look at the ones that are outside that district and holy s**t, it looks just like the fourth war in Atlanta or, you know.any big city is that nameless, shitty architecture.the crazy colors and the rain screen b******t and the ins and outs and the balconies and all sorts of just, you can just see that those fall apart within 10 years. So we're getting some of that, you know, wherever they can do it, they try that. Thankfully, historic district kind of protects us from that to some degree. These are the same issues, you know, Charleston faced as well.We're usually about seven years behind whatever Charleston's going through.Eric (28:50.647)And but you know, it's especially during COVID.You know, all the downtown real estate in a span of 18 months doubled in value, doubled and had already, you know, I'll be here 10 years.Eric (29:10.527)in October.Eric (29:15.514)And you know everything's over four times of what it cost when I first moved here. Coming up on five times. So, you know, there's...Kevin K (29:27.182)It was already kind of at a high basis by then, at that point, honestly.Eric (29:34.376)It's, you know, coming up on, you know, residential stuff in my neighborhoods.Eric (29:46.622)eight, nine hundred bucks a foot. Something like that, you know?which is pretty expensive.Kevin K (29:56.786)Yeah, that's the understatement.Eric (30:00.987)You know and so that's kind of what's going on here. You know it's really filling in and you know theMidtown District, which is south of the Historic District, south of Forsyth Park, that continues to thrive.Eric (30:26.07)you know, some businesses, mostly food and beverage stuff opening up. And, you know, that neighborhoods, which is your old neighborhood, that's, that's also seen a similar, you know, bump in value, you know, which was a lot more affordable back in the day. It's even be hard pressed to find something, you know, under a million bucks up there now or something close to that.$800, $900, $800, $900. And tons of people, especially during COVID, they flocked here, man. There's so many people that cashed out of, my old neighbors were from Brooklyn. Sold whatever they had in Brooklyn, paid cash for whatever and put money in their pocket. So it's so cheap compared to those kinds of places.Still, still is.But yeah, it's a big jump in population here. And it's been interesting, because it's a big jump in.Eric (31:39.586)people living, so that's good. And then, we're still overrun with our, and most people I'm sure won't know that, but Savannah's got a hellacious take rate for Airbnbs, short term rentals. I've never come across anywhere that has any sort of ordinance like the one we have. It's 25% non-owner occupied.Kevin K (32:00.33)HeheheEric (32:09.226)by ward, which is our neighborhood system, if you will. So that doesn't include the owner-occupied ones or the illegal ones. So just the economics on that math drives a lot of... A lot of the Victorians were picked up as Airbnb investments by holding companies. I mean, they would sell without even looking at them just because they can do the math, right?Kevin K (32:39.286)I keep wondering when that bubble's gonna burst. Feels like it's bursting nationwide in different places, the Airbnb bubble, but Savannah, Charleston, those cities are so popular. I don't know.Eric (32:52.49)Yeah, the tourism numbers here are ridiculous for a city of this size, honestly. And with the last round of hotels online now and more coming, it's really overrun with tourists. It just wasn't designed to have as many people as we have here. So it's like, you need reservations now to go get dinner. It's like Manhattan.It's hard to roll in unless you find a neighborhood joint. There's a few left. You can just roll in and you happen to know somebody and you get dinner. Otherwise, there's her standing in line for some of these dumb restaurants. It's like.Kevin K (33:35.498)Hmm. Yeah, that's a new thing.Eric (33:37.975)this.Kevin K (33:38.998)So I also want to talk a little bit about how your practice has changed over the years and like what all you're doing today. Eric's firm is Brown Design Studio. He's an architect. He's done architecture and urban design and urban planning but probably heavier on architecture. And I'm curious like – so you've been doing this a couple of years now? And –You know, obviously a lot has changed from when you initially started doing like new working in new urbanist communities and doing the architecture you're doing. What do you see in today that what if anything is kind of different about your approach and what you're working on, who your clients are, that sort of thing?Eric (34:30.783)Um, that's like, you know, that's a good question.I think, and this is our 26th year in business. So we've survived a couple minor meltdowns and one major one, but our whole focus, we don't do anything that's not, that wouldn't be classified as new urbanism, whether it's infill work or.Greenfield work or something in between. So, you know, we're not like local architects doing whatever comes in the door locally. You know, we work solely in New Urbanist projects, you know, across North America and a few other spots. But that's what we continue to do. And so, you know, not much has changed.In that regard, that's always what our mission was. And we're still on our, it's like the Starship Enterprise, we're on our 26th year mission to help build healthy, walkable places. And it's worth it. It's been a fun challenge. So we continue to do that. We have long-term relations with a lot of, most of our clients are developers. And we have...You know, we have some long-term relationships that, you know, we're here when they need us. They know what we do and, you know, what we're good at, what we're not good at. Um, so that's, that's our, that's our core. That's our core right there.Kevin K (36:19.658)Do you find yourself doing more infill these days as opposed to greenfield stuff or is that not the case?Eric (36:31.054)Um, no, it's, you know, we always, we've always done, you know, because something that plugs in a new urbanist community also plugs in an older urbanist community. You know? Um, and so those always went hand in hand for us, but you know, to, to the heart of your point, yeah, after, you know, definitely after, you know, when the market came back in 2012, 13, whatever 14, you know, um,Definitely we're doing a lot of smaller infill projects. Some of them are pretty random. We'll get a call from a guy in Michigan somewhere that wants to do six townhouses on an urban property his parents owned or something. All sorts of stuff like that all over the place. And some bigger projects, there's still some bigger projects kind of plodding along.we were able to do.Eric (37:34.562)project in Oklahoma, outside Norman, in between Norman and Oklahoma City. That's pretty interesting, a greenfield project. It's big, 720 acres. We did that planning work about three years ago and last year we just got some finished vertical architecture done. So we're continuing to work on that project that we're real proud of.which is called Salem. And it's been fun, you know, doing the land plan, you know, internally. A lot of times we work with some other land planners. So this one we did in-house and then you know with some other team members, but it's been real fun, real rewarding and then you know delivering the architecture to build it out. That's keeping us busy as well, you know that project.But yeah, we've always somehow been known for our missing middle work. We were doing that before anybody knew what to call it, before Dan had invented that term. And so that's still one of our bread and butters. We're still known for that somehow.Eric (38:55.714)done a lot of multi-family projects, continue to do those a lot, a lot of townhouses. And what's interesting is I finally got...Eric (39:08.054)You know, over the years, and I'm sure you've done this as well, you know, where you, you want to take a garden apartment guy and get him to do what we want him to do, right? And I've failed. I failed probably. I'm probably, I'm now like one in 17. So I've got one that I got to actually do it. Um, that's not totally true, but, um, this was a big, you know, 350 unit.project and we got him to build it out of, you know, four, six, eight and 12 pack units. And it's under construction right now. So that was interesting. I think that's going to be a good case study going forward because his rent, you know, I'm anxious to see how his rents compete. It's in a, it's in a, you know, a decent walkable community.So I'm interested to see how the financial case study works out.Kevin K (40:13.557)Where's that one?Eric (40:14.942)That one's in Bluffton, actually, which is across the river in South Carolina. Near for people who don't know it's near Hilton.Kevin K (40:16.842)Okay, cool.Eric (40:25.425)Um.Kevin K (40:27.476)How have the conversations changed with builders and developers since the early days of doing this stuff? Did you have to do a lot more arm-twisting early on with some of your early clients? Is it an easier sell now to do the kind of work that you want to do?Eric (40:50.27)Well, no, it's not. It's the same cell. However, you know, I'm not the smartest guy, but I eventually learned to stop chasing those clients. So, you know, I don't waste my time with them. If you want to do something else, you know, have fun. Here, I'll give you some names of people to call. You know, we can't help you. Um, because I don't give a s**t. You know, if you want to go do some five-car garage, houses somewhere, go have fun.Um, but, you know, so we only take on projects that, you know, are in line with our vision, our mission. And, you know, that that's just what I learned to do, you know, be selective about, you know, who we're going to work for, because we don't want to do everything. We only want to do, you know, something that helps our, our mission, which is, you know, building great communities. And, um, if we're, you know, in alignment,When people do call us, we're gonna run through a wall for them. And we believe in what we do every day. And so I guess I got smarter is what happened.Kevin K (42:02.292)I remember a lot of those conversations too. I got, my God, we went through trying to convince so many crappy builders and developers to do something better.Eric (42:12.31)And what was your, you know, and I did the same thing, man. Um, we were both young, you know, I have similar backgrounds and, you know, had young companies and were young men. Dumb young ideals that you probably put, you know, what was your, what was success rate on?Kevin K (42:14.378)there.Kevin K (42:24.259)Yeah.Oh, almost zero. Yeah.Eric (42:28.726)Yeah, it's like me with these apartment guys. I finally got one, a big one to do it. You know, we've done lots of little ones, but to get a 350 unit thing, that was a big win, but it took me 20 some years to do it. So that's not a good use of my time. But I think what's interesting.Kevin K (42:45.311)Yeah.Eric (42:56.014)is in my, you know, my, my victory that I'm kind of patting myself on the back about there with the apartment, they wouldn't have come to me.if they didn't get rejected prior, because it was, they had to conform with a form, form-based code that we have in the right. And so that's how, you know, otherwise they would have just happily built their normal shitty garden apartment. You know, so that code reform is still critically important.you know, part of our world. Cause you really, you know, convincing someone, you know, to do what we would term the right thing versus, you know, what they're planning on doing. It's a low percentage win rate for anybody. I don't care how good you are, you know, as a closer or whatever, but, and it's just, you know, it's a waste of all of our time and efforts cause it burns you out cause you lose so much.Kevin K (44:00.979)Yeah.Eric (44:01.954)And, you know, I think our efforts would be better spent into, you know, guerrilla warfare to get the codes changed so that these developers now have to start doing the right thing. And then.Kevin K (44:12.698)Yeah, and nurturing like other younger developers who want to do something different, helping bring them along.Eric (44:23.254)Yeah, for sure. Um, you know, but a lot of these projects, you know, are still the big boy, you need $40 million in capital to tackle and you know, those, those guys, you know, I love the small income stuff. We do a lot of that. Um, but you know, it's like, you're talking about the market share of like a Bugatti versus, you know, Volkswagen or something.Kevin K (44:30.098)Yeah. Yep.Kevin K (44:51.902)Yeah.Eric (44:52.374)You know, you got to change Volkswagen. You got to change the mass market.And so I think that guerrilla warfare into code reform at a local level is something that we don't advocate enough for, which goes way back to our start of our conversation. So I think that's, if I could do something besides outlawing traffic engineers.Kevin K (45:07.358)Yeah.Eric (45:22.814)That would be one of the things is push us on this code reform where everybody's working off some type of form-based code.Kevin K (45:32.166)Yeah. Well, it's interesting because even after working in that world for almost 30 years or whatever, we've seen some good efforts with code reform and some good efforts with regulatory reform but there are a lot of days where it feels like we've made zero progress depending on where you're working.Eric (45:56.)It is, you know, it's and I've.You know.Eric (46:03.734)Like the analogy is...Eric (46:08.27)You're.You know, somebody's spending all sorts of time and effort to build stuff downtown here. Great. And we're trying to, you know, expand downtown even, which is a, which is an awesome thing that we're able to do here a little bit, you know, expand your urban core. Meanwhile, you know, out in our suburbs are happily building, you know, Costco's and targets and all sorts of b******t subdivisions. And it's like.Eric (46:40.502)You know, we don't learn. And we don't learn. And some of the strong town stuff makes so much sense when you look at how the life cycle of those suburbs. And it's funny because poolers now, after spending all sorts of money on all sorts of great police stations and city halls and all this stuff, now all of a sudden, they've got funding that's different.Eric (47:10.847)It's just so funny because you know they're hitting that seven year curve on a lot of stuff.Eric (47:18.358)But, you know, I guess that's just, you know, it's just frustrating that the, the conventional model is still building, you know, what, 90% of our built environment here easily. And, um, you know, I guessKevin K (47:31.986)Yeah. Easily. Yeah.Eric (47:40.526)You know, I've just kind of almost accepted it. It's like almost you have to let that happen before you can come back and fix it in maybe 30 years or urbanize it in 30 years. It's almost like, you know, the old patterns of.development where you would build, you know, one story buildings down on Main Street. And then all of a sudden it made sense to somebody build a two story building and made more money than everybody tore down the one story buildings. And you just have to maybe go through that process, I guess. I don't know.Kevin K (48:14.198)Yeah, I mean, it's such a machine. All that stuff is such a – I mean, so you have to envy it. It's an incredible machine. The efficiency of it is amazing. It makes a ton of money for people if you get your timing right in the market. Of course, you could lose a ton of money if you get your timing wrong. But yeah, I like –I always think about like, I make the military analogy. So if you're somebody who cares about traditional urban planning, it's like we fight hand to hand combat in our older neighborhoods and we're really excited when we're in a battle or two. In the meantime, it's like the enemy is carpet bombing, you know, everything outside the older neighborhoods just at will and we kind of willfully ignore it. But yeah.It will continue on I think as long as it can continue on, it seems to.Eric (49:16.246)Well, you know, we're...were how many, you know, it's the expected lifestyle. You know, there's no more generations. There's very, you know, very few percentage of people that have not been raised in the suburbs. Yeah, so it's the normal and, you know, driving, you know, 25 minutes to.Kevin K (49:34.43)Yeah, exactly. It's been like four generations now, yeah.Eric (49:44.75)go to your super Kroger or whatever, or a grocery store, is normal for us.Kevin K (49:51.706)Yeah. That's like, so like the last thing I wanted to ask you is, I mean, so you just mentioned you've, you're working on this Greenfield project in Oklahoma. And I know, I know you well enough to know that you've worked, you still work on some other Greenfield projects here and there. But, but by and large, it seems like I might have the wrong impression about this. I fully admit that I could be wrong about it. You're more plugged into the, this world than I am, but it seems like there's a whole lot less.of those Greenfield New Urbanist projects going on than there were say 20 years ago across the country. I don't know. I guess I wonder, do you think that's wrong or right? If that's the case, what's going on? I think we all thought that once Seaside and all those projects and then Kentlands and once they were all 10, 15 years old.and people saw how cool they were that we would see like an explosion of these around the country and that clearly hasn't happened.Eric (50:55.65)Not exactly. And I think you're, you know, I think you're right. Our, I think our expectations 20 years ago that we were going to change the machine or if not the machine, at least the, my thought was always you would show the market there alternatives.Kevin K (51:18.678)Admittedly, we were like naive and idealistic. I mean that was also part of it.Eric (51:23.67)Well, you know, I'm still kind of that same naive, idealistic person in many ways, which is both pro and cons. But, you know, I think...Eric (51:40.466)I think these projects.Eric (51:46.102)have shown people.that there are alternatives to living in the cul-de-sac, conventional neighborhood world.Eric (52:00.358)And I think that if you look at the market research, it shows you the prices in Ketlin's, the prices in ION, the prices in Norton Commons is significantly higher than its competitor that's a conventional thing right next door or right down the road.Eric (52:30.076)But it also takes 10, 15 years to do something like that. And meanwhile,You know, most of the development work is.Eric (52:45.398)you know, it's easier to go to a D.R. Horton and be done in three, four years, five years. You're done. Right. And the landowner got their money in the first year.They didn't get as much money as they could have, but they got it the first year and they're out. They're on to the next thing.You know, and I think there's just a perfect storm of all these variables there. Those are some of them, you know, the time investment that it takes. I think, you know, we've all, UI has stolen most of the good ideas of the new urbanism that they can make sense of on a spreadsheet, right? And they've thrown all the other stuff away. So they, you know, they have,co-opted some things from us, but you know, UIs, those folks are developing most of the stuff here, you know, not the Urban New Urbanist group, NTBA is a fantastic group that I really enjoy spending time with.Eric (53:56.066)You know, those are developers that are in one, two, three, four places, you know, for 10 years, 15 years, or, you know, you can only do so much. Even the bigger, more sophisticated ones. You know, meanwhile, these other guys are just, you know, knocking down 10,000 houses a year.Kevin K (54:22.686)Yeah, and while I think we kind of recognized how hard it was to do those first TNDs 30 years ago, and I think it's gotten a little easier, it's still incredibly hard. Everything about it is incredibly hard, and you really have, it's kind of a unique personality of a developer who wants to take that on and push for it, because you're gonna be fighting, even today, you're still gonna be fighting so many battles.to just execute even a mediocre T&D.Eric (54:56.626)And, you know, I think there's, you know, there's still a lot of Greenfield work. I think you're seeing a little bit of, you know, obviously no one, not many projects survived 2008. And so, you know, you didn't see many come back on.It took a long time for them to come back online. And in some places, our sailor project, which has virtually very little regulatory oversight, it took three years to get vertical, which is unheard of anywhere else. Most places are still in their entitlements in year three. It takes you five years to come out of the ground. Most places.Eric (55:45.89)You know, it's just a long investment. And, you know, again, the ULI guys are typically...A lot of those guys have to answer to the capital.And the capital is not that patient generally. You know what I mean? They gotta have a plan to move so much dirt or lots or whatever it is. And they just can't wait into something for 10, 15 years, it's hard. I think for that group to understand that. And I guess, you know, that's.Kevin K (56:04.233)Mm-hmm.Eric (56:25.858)you know, maybe something that we have never solved is how do you engage that industry in a different way. And, you know, you remember back to the New Urban Fund that was supposed to show them how to do it. Um, that didn't quite work.So I don't know, you know, it's that.Eric (56:47.362)I, you know, I'm a market guy. So the market guys believe the market's going to kind of tell you what to do. And, you know, they're going to go the easy route, but they're going to put in the big pool and all the stuff that helps them increase their sales rate and all that kind of stuff. And, you know, it is what it is.But the people who do, you know, trail with outside Atlanta, they're doing great. They're killing it. You know, so whenever we do these, you know, Norton Commons continues to kill it.They just dominate the market. Once, once you do it, you can do it right. We haven't been able to set up the machine in most cases, you know, the industry to, to continue that it's always been kind of a family or one-off or. You know, very few of these have been done by corporate folks, I guess, just like watercolor that there's been a few, but, you know, they quickly went back to selling pine forest or whatever they were doing before that.Kevin K (57:54.102)Yeah, exactly. Like St. Joe Company did watercolor and water sound and stuff and they own so much land and I think they – it seems like they've kind of gone away from that back to a hybridized version of what they were doing before.Eric (58:08.574)Yeah, and it's, so I don't know, man. I, you know, I do think, you know, if you, if you look around, there's also a lot of smaller projects that we don't really hear about. You know, if you call up Mike Watkins or somebody like that, Mike, Mike's extremely busy and that's what he's working on. You know, he's working on these a hundred acre little projects that he's, you know, nailing and, you know, we do a lot of work with Mike andTom Lowe and those guys. There's a lot of smaller projects that just you aren't gonna hear about. And they're never gonna be, you know, we've done some DPZ. We've got a DPZ project that's stuck entitlement in the entitlement process that we're set up to do some of the architecture on. But you know, it's year four.Kevin K (58:42.536)Interesting.Eric (59:00.394)So they'll call us when they need us, but there's not as many getting the limelight that we used to get. And I, you know, I just had this conversation with Rob Studeville, who used to do one of my favorite things, which was write the New Urban News. I love getting that magazine every month. Remember? Um, so it was good to catch up with him about that, but he, you know, he had those same thoughts and, um, you know, I just don't think maybe as a movement, we're communicating what we're doing very well with.Kevin K (59:15.936)Mm-hmm.Kevin K (59:29.534)Yeah.Eric (59:30.13)other. You know, nobody knows about my Salem project. It's probably one of the bigger ones. You know, Mike doesn't, you know, Michael shares stuff, you know, when he needs one of us to come in and help him on stuff. I don't know what they're doing.I don't know what DPZ or Dover Cole is doing, unless we're working on a specific project with them. So we really don't share as much as we used to.Kevin K (59:57.67)Yeah, I think that's a great point. You know, it's like another, we could do a whole other hour sometime on how CNU itself has changed and gotten away from a lot of the practical side of just building great communities. And I think a big part of that is we've lost, we're not talking to each other about who's doing what. And we used to actually have a running list of all these places all over the country. I don't think that even exists anymore.Eric (01:00:25.798)I don't think that's a priority anymore.Kevin K (01:00:27.558)No, it doesn't seem to be.Eric (01:00:30.434)But you know, I think.Eric (01:00:34.282)you know, that, that CNU group.has gotten away from communicating and with each other our successes. Cause that's a large, cause it kept you going. You know, we'd all go back to our little hometowns after seeing you and you feel, I would feel renewed and re-energized. And, um, you know, I would, I would love getting New Urban News in the mail. And I would, whatever I was doing, I would stop and sit down and read the thing. Cause it was great to hear about, you know, some new exciting stuff or some new projects.And ironically, in an age where it's very easy to communicate these days, you know, we don't. We don't pat ourselves on the back. We don't share our success stories.Kevin K (01:01:21.242)It's kind of like seeing you never evolve and communication wise we never evolved past the email to serve.Eric (01:01:28.53)No, you're right. You're exactly, you're 100% about that. The most painful way to communicate that's ever been invented, I think.Kevin K (01:01:29.618)Kind of hilarious. Yeah.Kevin K (01:01:36.864)No doubt.Eric (01:01:38.114)except maybe the group text, I don't know.Kevin K (01:01:42.697)Yeah. Eric, I think we'll wrap it there. It's been about an hour. What are your, what's your favorite spots in Savannah? Your favorite hangout spots these days.Eric (01:01:53.902)Hmm, that's a good question. Depends what my mood is. But, you know, I've got a...I've got a couple of establishments, you know, two blocks from my house that you're most likely to find me in one of those three places. You got, you know, the most famous dive bar in the world, Pinky's.Kevin K (01:02:16.159)Mm-hmm.Kevin K (01:02:19.914)Mm-hmm.Eric (01:02:23.642)There's a place called Savoy, which is run by the people who own Pinkies. And I think that wasn't there when you were here, was it? So that while you were here, it was this kind of shitty wine bar that nobody ever wants. So it's in that space in the Drake Tower. And it's, you know, you go in there and it's 95% locals, 90% something like that. So, you know, I hang out there and then, you know, over by the...Kevin K (01:02:32.05)I don't think I don't remember it now.Kevin K (01:02:37.57)Oh, yeah, yeah. OK.Eric (01:02:53.198)Perry Lane Hotel. There's some stuff there. Those are my hangouts these days.Kevin K (01:02:59.454)All right, so anybody listening, if you're in Savannah, you know where to find Eric, buy him a drink and talk about all this stuff and much more and find out what he's up to. So it's been great to catch up with you. I'll get my butt down there to Savannah one of these days soon so we can dive a little deeper and do the off-color stuff.Eric (01:03:25.17)Okay, good. I don't think you have to censor anything. So I was on my best behavior. But, you know, I, again, just want to reiterate, I think it's great that you're doing this. This is a great way to communicate with folks. Again, we need to do kind of more of this stuff. And, you know, I think just to reiterate earlier, you know, we accomplished a lot here, man. So I'm proud to.Kevin K (01:03:30.11)Not this time, yeah.Eric (01:03:54.606)have had you here as a Superman to my Batman or whatever, whatever you want to term it. So I miss you.Kevin K (01:04:00.29)Thank you.As long as it's not Batman or Robin.Eric (01:04:07.158)I don't want to see you in tights. That would not be a pretty sight, but miss you here, buddy. I appreciate you.Kevin K (01:04:10.305)Nobody.Thanks very much. I definitely miss you, Miss Savannah. I need to find myself there more often. So good to talk to you. See you.Eric (01:04:22.466)All right, buddy. Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

December 27, 2023   Today's Reading: John 21:20-25Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 51:17-52:12; Matthew 2:1-12This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  Merry Third Day of Christmas!Happy Feast of St. John!  John is one of the Twelve.  Apostle.  Evangelist.  The one bearing witness about these things.  Or as he originally said it in Greek, the one martyring about these things.  To be a martyr is to be a witness.  Normally we use that word to talk about those who bore witness to Christ by being killed for Christ and the faith that He has given.  It is said that St. John is the only apostle who died a natural death; Jesus spared him the violence of being physically martyred.  And yet, his life and ministry for the decades that followed Jesus' resurrection and ascension were full of a witness through John's preaching and celebrating of Christ's sacraments. The world is full of darkness.  And not just the darkness at this time of year, with later sunrises and earlier sunsets.  Sin, death, and the devil are always trying to surround us and fill us with cold and darkness, doubts and fears, to keep us away from Jesus.  The Beloved Disciple witnesses Christ to us, and reflects the Light of the World (John 8.)  Jesus scatters the darkness, radiating His Gospel light, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5.)Christ cast the bright beams of His light by forming John and the other apostles in faith, proclaiming His Law and His life-giving Gospel.  And they, in turn, witnessed.  Martyred.  They reflected the bright beams of Christ's light to all who heard His Word in their preaching and writing.Daily, the devil tries pulling you back into the darkness, overwhelming you so you feel alone and cut off from the Light of the World.  Like St. John in his elderly years, after the other apostles had all been martyred, you might even feel like you alone are left, and you're surrounded by those who are against Christ.  But Jesus has rescued you and given you new birth from above (John 3), claiming you as His own.  You are not alone.  Jesus has sent the Comforter and has overcome the world for you (John 16.)Jesus has overcome any hurt, heartache, overwhelm, and  darkness.  And He gives His saving Gospel to you through St. John (and the other prophets, apostles, and evangelists that He inspired.) Through the witness of St. John and these men moved by the Holy Spirit, Christ gives light to you and the world. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Merciful Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon Your Church that we, being instructed by the doctrine of Your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may come to the light of everlasting life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy SPirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. -Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.

St Joseph was ready because he always was. He lived ready to fulfil the instructions of the Angel. He was faithful. He is the man of Advent. Being close to him these days will helps us live Advent as we should.

Gospel Discussion Questions: Advent Week 3- Year B ~ John 1:6-8, 19-28 What is the message or story? What is the Good News in this passage? What verse, image or message spoke to you most in the readings? What gives you joy? What steals your joy? What can help you live a more joyful life?  Who helped you to come to know the Lord as a child and as an adult?  How can you point others to Christ? Have you been able to do that recently?  When were you baptized?  Who baptized you?   What is John saying when he declares he is unworthy to untie Jesus's sandals? How is your Advent season coming?  How would you answer the question, “who are you?” What might be one way that you can act on this Sunday's reading?

Even though he lived centuries ago, St. Nicholas is a model for all of us. Brenda and Pat tell you how you can be like St. Nick on today's Second Cup.Subscribe to the Morning Blend on your favorite podcast platform.Find this show on the free Hail Mary Media App, along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more.Look through past episodes or support this podcast.The Morning Blend is a production of Mater Dei Radio in Portland, Oregon.

Listen to today's podcast... Ever wondered who St. Nicholas was? There once was a young boy named Nicholas, who was born during the third century. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need. Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!      Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating St. Nicholas Day: We could all stand to be a little more like St. Nicholas.  Here is a boy, whose world dramatically changed when his parents died.  He could have let this beat him down. He could have drowned in self-pity.  Instead, he relied on his faith and did whatever he could to help those who were even less fortunate then himself.  Let's get good at turning life around and focusing on what we have, and less on what we have lost or don't have. Today, we have the image of Santa Clause and we give gifts to the people we know and love.  But what about our giving to those less fortunate then ourselves? We are donating less each year. The average annual amount per donor is less than $500 with the median amount under $150. With the economy the way that it is, the demand within most charities has increased while their donations have decreased.  Make a difference in the lives of someone less fortunate than you.  It doesn't take a lot to have a huge impact. In 1998, my youngest son was due to arrive on Christmas Day.  We decided that boy or girl, their name would honour St. Nicholas as he was our blessed gift.  Nickolas arrived safely on December 22. If you like today's resiliency tips, let me know. Don't forget that you can find more tips for building resiliency, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com #mentalhealth #hr

11/28/23 7am CT Hour - Martha Fernandez-Sardina/ Laura DeMaria John, Glen and Sarah chat about the hostages in Israel/Hamas conflict, abortion law for Texas at the Supreme Court and Poptart Bowl. Martha shows how the story of St. Andrew and his "come and see" attitude about Jesus can inspire us to live the same way. Laura explains that indeed, despite what the culture does, Advent is a season of patience and preparation for the Season of Christmas which extends past the actual day.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Columbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist October 18, 2023 2 Tim 4:10-17, Ps 145, Lk 10:1-9   To listen to an audio recording of today's homily, please click below:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/10.18.23_Homily_1.mp3   The following text guided today's homily:   Today, on the feast of St. Luke […] The post Making Known, like St. Luke, the Glorious Splendors of Christ’s Kingdom, Feast of St. Luke, October 18, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

More than a third of food grown in the U.S. goes uneaten. Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Harvest Public Media Reporter Eva Tesfaye digs into current zoning laws in places like St. Louis, where urban composting sites are beginning to pop up. The owners of New Earth Farm, John and Stacey Cline, share why they started their composting business in 2020.

10/3/23 7am CT Hour - Martha Fernandez-Sardina/ Harry Kraemer John and Glen talk about the topics of the day and baseball. Martha talks about the great ways in which St Francis evangelized and how we can imitate that today. Harry shares tips on how to form the habits that will lead to success in life.

Most of us have a few sins from our past that haunt us. Some of us have recurring sins that we just cannot break free from. Like St. Paul, we… The post Against Reason first appeared on Broken Door Ministries. The post Against Reason appeared first on Broken Door Ministries.

As much as I tried to pretend there wasn't, there is a God-shaped hole in my heart. There simply is no answer that philosophy or theory or modern science or socialism or witchcraft or astrology or Buddhism or free beer can offer that fills this God-shaped hole in the heart. There is only a person that can fill that hole. The problem and the solution are both odd. In the last post, I talked about our need for certainty, and the “secret knowledge” that is often on offer for us. But most “secret knowledge” rejects God and the source of all pain and suffering, which is sin. The “problem of pain” is the all-time number one driver of sending people into the arms of ideologies offering solutions, but they are all fool's gold. They offer all the answers on paper, but when put into practice, cause far more issues than they solve. We don't need to make sense of every last thing once we come to rest in faith. We don't need every last answer. Continuing to pursue the goals of reason still go on, but we don't salivate and lust for the answers to come, to fill in the big picture and bring about an earthly utopia, because we already have the answer. Via the Holy Spirit, we already know the ending. We get certainty through God's will, not our own. The best part of this is that we don't have to know all the answers any longer, because God knows. What's odd about this whole “surrender to win” idea is that we get certainty by inheritance from God. While we don't know God's will, we know he is good and loving and alive in this world, and that in the end he wins. Even the progressives like to say, “Love wins,” and they are correct, but not in the way they think. Yes, love wins in the end because God is love, and God wins. And when you surrender to God, you win, because he wins. When you surrender, you are suddenly on the winning team and you just follow God's lead. You no longer feel angry about the rules because you bask in his love. Sure, surrender means imposing limits on the self, but paradoxically this brings ultimate freedom because you no longer have the bondage of self and the onslaught of desires to contend with. You hand over the desires to God, because those thoughts never brought peace, only problems. He takes all the problems away if you ask. When you offer yourself up to him, he blesses you, just as you bless God with your life and actions. When you fight against God, he wins. You might say that when you are disobedient, he kneels you. You cannot fight with God forever. You can certainly wrestle with him, but eventually it becomes exhausting. There is no idea or argument or award or pleasurable activity in this world that could provide what I was seeking. In the end, no intellectual pursuit came close to a solution, and it wasn't for lack of effort. The left and right side of politics do absolutely nothing to solve this problem. They just give us all an excuse to kick the can down the road, to avoid the biggest question. Neither side will solve the ultimate problems or bring about any lasting peace. They are mirrors of the same restless mania, trying to win in Washington just as professors and theologians and pundits are trying to win our hearts and minds by reason in universities. The reality of politics can be seen in the online hellscape of continuous wrath. The millions of people squabbling think that rooting for their side gives them a sense of control, while their interior lives and personal relationships are in disarray. This desire for certainty and control is rampant today, particularly because a society of people that have every physical need satisfied now looks to satisfy spiritual needs, but in the wrong places. Partisan politics is an escape from the self for those that cannot surrender to God and find peace. Because we want answers, we try to find it in competition, in politics and in sports. Like drinking and sex, politics and sports provide an escape for those who suspect they are lost but don't want to admit it. What I didn't see coming is that faith exceeds reason. We've spent hundreds of years trying to tell ourselves that reason exceeds faith, partially due to the great leaps of science but also because of the failures of those who profess faith to emulate Christ, but I am convinced that we must lead with faith. Yet it's difficult to tell anyone that today, unless they have made the turn themselves. All of the other ideas and sciences and ideologies fail simply because they cannot solve that problem. They are the wrong tool, the wrong material, the wrong instructions. What is not “born of the spirit” cannot fix spiritual problems. Ideas may guide us toward behavior and doing good actions in this world, but they cannot bring about the interior conversion of the heart that Jesus can bring. They may highlight our sins, as they should, and guide us toward God, but they cannot sustain us because they purposefully try to pretend God doesn't exist. Having tried and sampled these alternative worldviews, particularly the ones without God, I found that the Christian worldview is the only one that makes sense and the only one that works, for the same reasons that Dorothy Day discovered. I went down the other road, only to find Jesus at the end of it. But it's not only Dorothy Day that found faith in this unexpected way. G.K. Chesterton and St. Augustine are two others who had a gift for articulating this path. They too found what Dorothy Day did. They came to accept one truth that makes all other arguments moot, just as have billions of other people have done. The problem with Christianity, if you are doing battle with it in your mind and trying to knock it down, is not that it has the best argument. If you come to know Christ, it is the only argument that fills the God-shaped hole in your heart. Nothing else makes sense once Jesus enters your life, because somehow he makes complete and total sense of everything. This is extremely annoying to people who haven't experienced it. Christianity is the best argument of all for living real life, and it is a strange yet beautiful paradox. In order to appreciate the physical realities and emotional struggles of this world that seem to have explanation, you must assent to the spiritual mysteries beyond this universe that cannot be explained. Like any good convert, I now love looking for connections in the Old Testament. I enjoy spiritual reading and - why not - looking for references that lead to the Cross. But that alone is not the cause of belief. It is not the arguments made on paper in the end. I can't pile up enough evidence and suddenly turn on the light of faith. That's not how it works. I believe that Christianity is the best argument, but not because of the Gospels, or the surrounding Old Testament and letters of St. Paul, or the tradition of the church fathers, or the history of the saints. Sure, those provide compelling evidence, but they can also turn people away, depending on how you read them. All of those texts (aside from the Old Testament) did not exist when Jesus was first resurrected. Furthermore, very few people could even read, and if they were lucky they heard someone read from the scrolls from time to time. In my post-conversion life, I am all in on reading the Bible as God's Word, from cover to cover, but I didn't arrive at that belief through argument or decision alone. More importantly, none of the first Christians, not a single one, had anything beyond the Old Testament scriptures to base their belief in Christ upon. There was nothing written down in the form of a Gospel for some years. The letters of Paul possibly came first and we can see vibrant communities springing up all over. There were no New Testament scrolls to unravel and read, no cross referenced Bibles, no study guides, no Catechism, no recorded sermons. There was only word of mouth and the power of his name. The founder of the religion wrote nothing down. Something lit his followers on fire in a way that cannot be described. I would say that the event cannot be repeated, but that would be false; the same fire springs up daily all over the world. It has never stopped catching fire since that day in the upper room when the apostles were baptized by the tongues of fire some seven weeks after the death of Jesus.To get to God I arrived by reason and lived experience. But to get to the next level, I arrived by meeting Jesus Christ, the person. The fully human and fully divine person that walked the earth is what somehow reached me. The problem with Christ is that if this person calls you, life is never the same. That is how the argument keeps winning, by changing minds. Life cannot be the same once the fire starts because nothing looks, smells, tastes, or feels like it did before. This is not like stumbling across a good book that brings awareness to some fact of the world, some injustice, some unfairness. This is being jolted to life spiritually and having a new life infused into you. When your soul is brought back to life, it starts drinking from the vine of God, chugging grace like a college student at spring break. Warning: this rebirth can be painful initially, like physical birth. (Pace yourself, don't drink too fast. Drink one water for every one wine.) The reality of this power of Jesus, the person, is told by time itself. It cannot be ignored or denied. You may argue about Christians misusing his name, you can argue about the devil quoting scripture for his purposes, and I would agree with you in some of those arguments. But the fact is this: the Christian religion would have died long ago if it were only a good argument. There have been many “good” ideas throughout history, but we don't build cathedrals for those ideas. We build jaw-dropping churches that produce no economic output whatsoever so that we can worship a man, a poor man, one who died with nothing, naked on a cross! Putting the idea of “truth” aside for a moment, if an idea or argument doesn't win hearts and minds, it cannot last. So clearly there is a good argument in Christianity. If it was total nonsense, it could not have lasted. But there is something greater than just the words of an argument. There are many good books and models on how to live life. Marcus Aurelius wrote a great book on how to live life, but there is no one tithing to the Marcus Aurelius society today or handing out pamphlets at the airport about why you should give your life to Marcus Aurelius. Christianity is not just a series of arguments. Jesus is the argument. A quote in Acts of the Apostles from a rabbi named Gamaliel is telling, because this Jewish leader tells his fellows to let the Christian fad play out. Why? Because he's wise. He knows that a cause will die out on its own if it's not from God. Gamaliel refers to some long-forgotten movement started by a guy named Theudas, but this Theudas “…was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.” He urges his peers to let this Christian novelty just play out, like how rolling your jeans or wearing Zubaz pants and Hypercolor shirts bloomed and faded in the 1990s. Zubaz pants and Hypercolor shirts were not from God, and so they both died out. Both were hideous actually. For something more recent, consider fidget spinners or Crocs or Heely shoes. Gamaliel said of these wacky Apostles of Jesus, “…if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:34-39) That is why it never dies. Because it's more than an argument. It's more than a feeling. It's more than a fad. It's not from this world. The Holy Spirit is not of human origin. The truth that Christ represents cannot be rebutted or refuted. Once the spirit turns a non-believer into a believer, there is no turning back on the second conversion, or the re-birth spoken of by Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3. This is why the apostle Peter states the famous line, saying what everyone knows who has come to put their entire life and trust in Jesus. Jesus asks if Peter and the apostles will leave him, and Peter replies, matter of factly: “To whom else would we go?”To whom else would I go? That is the billion dollar question. Peter is basically saying, “I've found what fits into this giant, gaping God-shaped hole in my heart, so I'm done looking.” Sometimes I wonder why I took so long to get to where Peter is. It's like I was wandering around the beauty of Creation and pouring liquor in my mouth, saying, “I wonder what could possibly fit this enormous void in my life?” How strange it all is in hindsight. When I'm hungry I eat food; when I'm thirsty, I drink water; but when I was yearning for God, I looked everywhere else. I tried it all. All of it. For the converted, the same answer applies. Once you land on the truth of Jesus, you realize that you are done searching. There is rest. There is peace. There is love. There is certainty. That is the answer to why faith overrides reason for believers. That is also the reason the religion does not die. Because those who believe know that there is nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, the actions of many believers can drive others away, but don't let it. Yes, there are crazy Christians, but there are crazy people in all walks of life and political parties and ideologies. Don't lock yourself out of trying just because your uncle or co-worker is a hypocrite. (Always recall that Jesus hated hypocrites worse than prostitutes and tax collectors!) This stubbornness of believers does produce a maddening state for those on the other side of the fence. Non-believers come with their wares, offering pleasure in this life, a life free from the guilt of sin. But whatever they are selling is second-best. It's day-old bread. Jesus is the bread of life, the fresh bread. There is no person or idea or argument that can replace him. The most difficult thing is making sense of this to other people who think you have lost your marbles, but they will never understand it unless they are turned by the spirit. The gift does not come to everyone. Peter knows that no other person or ideology can fill the void in him, so his answer speaks the full truth. He has already looked elsewhere. He may not know exactly how Jesus is God, but he knows that Jesus is God and that's all that matters. That alone is the entire argument. No powerpoint presentation needed, no notes, no talking points, no objection handling. The Apostles' Creed sums up the entirety of the Bible, the tradition, the beliefs, and the reasons why. Those words can't bring the spirit, but it's the best summary of what people believe. The followers of Nietzsche or Karl Marx or Michel Foucault or Richard Dawkins are the modern version of the followers of Theudas. In another hundred years there will be new names, new ideologies, new quirks, new fads, and who will be argued about alongside those new names? It will be the same name: Jesus. He will still be known by all. He will still baffle thinkers and anger intellectuals and bring joy to billions of simpletons like me. Everything else is a replay. We've seen these shows before. The new academic arguments are not new. The latest theories and ways of looking at the world have been tried already. Found wanting, they were discarded. But we will try them again, and again. We insist on it, because we must attempt to define our universe and destiny. Every generation yearns to be free of God, and every generation fails. The reality is this: these ideas have been dug out of the freezer and thawed out, then re-packaged ideas with new branding, kind of like what happened with consumer applesauce over the past twenty years. Applesauce manufacturers swapped out clumsy jars for single-serving squeeze packs. Consumer sales skyrocketed because the squeeze packs were fun for kids and perfect for school lunchboxes. But regardless of the delivery, when applesauce reaches your mouth, it's still just applesauce. Yes, the container has a Disney character or a QR code (with a chance to win!), but it's still only applesauce inside. The container doesn't change the substance. The payload is apple slurry-goo, the same as it was in the old jar. The same happens with the many repackaged rebellions against God. We can call it paganism or atheism or positivism or Epicureanism or Stoicism or Jainism or humanism or wokeism, but it's all the same applesauce in the end, because these ideas all reject the idea of one true God, a most high God, and that is why all of these things eventually grow tasteless. Worse, unlike applesauce, these rebellions contain nothing nourishing for the body or the soul. Each generation tries to convince itself that this time the idea is something different. The ancient people already saw all of the things we are seeing today, they just didn't have a TV or phone to watch it on. In our desperate efforts to be powerful or cool, we all become weak and lame. I learned the hard way that the boring way of life is not the pursuit of faith and holiness. The ultimately boring way of life is this constant searching for something, this constant rebellion against God. Life in Jesus just looks boring but it is the one source of true, authentic joy. He remains through all of these generations like a rock, a solid foundation of unending hope. He is unchanged and unphased, while the self-exalting educated classes of each generation lives and dies over and over again, falling over themselves, jockeying for position, like toddlers in an unsupervised daycare center. There is a different type of knowledge in Jesus that exceeds all of the learning of the great philosophers and political thinkers and military leaders and scientists of human history. Despite numerous attempts to crush the faith, it returns. This is not disputable. Faith in Jesus may die in one place, but it grows elsewhere, like magic, almost as if there were some kind of holy spirit bringing it to people around the world. Like dandelions in American yards, homeowners try in vain to kill this unwanted weed, but it cannot be killed, for even if you kill the local dandelions, or a million dandelions, the seeds have already spread far and wide, and the minute you stop killing the plants, within a year or two the dandelions will have returned in full. The idea cannot be killed. It can be stifled and those who have the idea can be murdered or silenced, but the idea of Jesus is something that cannot be contained or stopped. Communism and fascism killed over 100 million people in the 20th century. Many of those killed were Christians. Yet the life of Christ still inspires people and draws them back. Like St. Thérèse of Lisieux said to Jesus, quoting Song of Songs: “Draw me and we will run.” This rebirth in faith comes from something beyond our understanding. It brings a complete and sincere adherence to Christ out of joy, not by argument or coercion. God only needs to call his followers and they come. How? I don't know. But now I don't need to know every detail. The mysteries I place in God's hand. The Divine Mercy image has the quote, “Jesus, I trust in you.” That's the cure. I am more interested in the idea of “religious truth,” since that is what the Bible speaks most to me, and it's easy to forget that if I forget to trust in God. I'm more interested in the mystery of interior conversion, because that is the part of Christianity I missed when learning about faith. Based on how many people in recovery meetings for addiction talk about how they formerly understood God, a lot of people missed the whole idea of “interior conversion.” God doesn't need to make lengthy arguments or offer worldly incentives. Even those who don't believe can just utter the words, “Draw me, we will run,” or say, “Come Holy Spirit,” and the movement toward faith can begin. It's so simple that it seems absurd to those who don't believe. The seed of faith is planted where it is wanted and requested, and often it is planted where it is unwanted and unrequested. For some of us, we seem to have no choice in the matter (as was the case for myself). Other man-made ideas like feudalism or positivism or communism or humanism must be propped up with tremendous effort, but as soon as the driving force falters, the energy fades and the movement dies. But with Jesus, the energy continues, always sustained, because it does not come from man. The energy comes from God. He is the vine, the living water, the Bread of Life, the way, the truth, and the life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.whydidpetersink.com

Fr. Roger J. Landry St. Peter’s, Joffa, Israel Pilgrimage of Passages for Catholics with Columbia Students May 22, 2023   To listen to an audio recording of this homily, please click below:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/5.22.23_Jaffa_Homily_1.mp3   The outline for today’s homily was: Two scenes of Peter in Jaffa. First is Peter doing what Jesus did in healing. […] The post Growing like St. Peter As Disciples and Apostles, May 22, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

When you go to a Wedding or a Baptism you receive a "favor" or in Greek a "martyrika".  This means that you witnessed this wonderful event!  Well for us, we are blessed to have Saints, who in every generation, are witnesses of Christ to the world. Yet who is St. George? What did he do to be martyred for Christ? How can we be like him? Listen...

Like St. Mary of Egypt, let us refuse to let anything keep us from confronting our personal brokenness with brutal honesty as we take up our own crosses in faithfulness to the Savior Who offered up Himself on the Cross for the salvation of the world. He alone is our hope and the Victor over death.

Meanwhile… Turf battles over space for Pickleball courts have erupted nationwide, England's new king is opting for a cruelty-free coronation, Stephen is excited about a fragrance that makes you smell like Ireland, an Australian beer that's been banned for having too much alcohol, and the new Pokémon Sleep app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody likes a grumpy saint. You could be the most pious person walking the face of the Earth. But if you're a spiritual curmudgeon, then you're kinda missing the whole point. Because God wants you to HAVE FUN! Like St. Teresa of Avila once said, “A sad nun is a bad nun.” In fact, having fun is so important that there's a virtue for it! So in this episode, we talk about how fun fits into the spiritual life: - Why it saves you from getting spiritually lukewarm. - How much is too much. - Three ways to exercise your “fun muscles.”

We explore our Gospel today through the lens of its protagonist, St. Joseph. Though the text is filled with details about Jesus and Mary, several of those details can in fact fill out our perception of Jesus' father. We discover, for example, that St. Joseph, though a humble carpenter, is rightful heir to the throne of David and that, for example, his plan to divorce Mary quietly could have placed his own reputation in danger. These and other details paint a portrait for us of a man who is unabashedly faithful to God and completely in love with his wife and son.

Summary:  In this episode, Dr. Peter brings together what we have been learning about receiving love in the story of Susanna Lead-in:  There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored. The reader of today looks for this motion, and rightly so, but what he has forgotten is the cost of it. His sense of evil is diluted or lacking altogether, and so he has forgotten the price of restoration. When he reads a novel, he wants either his sense tormented or his spirits raised. He wants to be transported, instantly, either to mock damnation or a mock innocence.”  Catholic Novelist Flannery O'Connor Intro.   I have been doing a lot of podcast lecturing.  Dense programming, lots of information.  Like Episode 99.  Not a bad thing.  But I want you to really take in what I'm offering at a bones level.  To possess it at the felt level, to be that familiar with it.  Not just head knowledge.  Whole self knowledge.   So I am going back to another way of learning, one I haven't emphasized enough.  Stories.  Today, I am going to tell you a story.  A story about receiving different kinds of love.  Why? Here's why.  In the words of Edward Miller tells us.  “Stories are our primary tools of learning and teaching, the repositories of our lore and legends. They bring order into our confusing world." Our primary tools for teaching and learning.  And it's true.  We teach our children in their earliest years through stories and experiences.  Not through lectures.   I am Peter Malinoski, clinical psychologist, passionate Catholic, co-founder and president of Souls and Hearts and soulsandhearts.com, and I am very pleased to with you as  your host and guide in this Interior Integration for Catholics podcast, episode 101 to be your storyteller, to tell you a story.  This episode is titled A Story about Receiving Different Kinds of Love -- a story we can all related to.   Prepping for the Story  Ways to Listen Listen to the Story  Listening to yourself as you listen to the Story.   What is going on inside Listen to your own parts Can pause the audio  Reflective space  What are your noticing  What are you resonating with in the story, what is impacting you.?  What are you rejecting   Parts -- Episode 71 A new and better way of understanding myself and others.   Needs  Primary Conditions for Secure Attachment Felt sense of safety and protection -- have to go through the valley of shame, fear, anger, grief  Feeling seen, heard, known and understood -- have to tolerating being in relationship, being present.   Feeling comforted, soothed and reassured  Feeling cherished, treasured, delighted in  Feeling the other has your best interests at heart   Integrity Needs My need to exist and survive  My need to matter  My need to have agency  My need to be good  My need for mission and purpose in life   Resistance to Being Loved from IIC 99  Limited vision and lack of imagination, leading to a refusal to be transformed by God We don't understand God's love The Costs of Being Loved by God Poor God images Poor Self images -- Shame Refusal to be vulnerable, to be exposed, to be revealed to God.  Lack of courage. Anger at God -- rebellion Cautions -- could be evocative for you -- parts of you may really connect in various ways.  I want you to take care of your self and your parts as you listen to the story.  If you need a break, take a break.   The Story -- Hero's Journey outline  The Ordinary World Susanna -- 40 year old married mother of three -- Brown hair, warm brown eyes, and easy smile, she laughs at your jokes -- the kind of person that you immediately felt comfortable with.  Open and engaging with other people, was well read, and could talk about your interests.  Socially adept, she coordinated making meals for local women who had babies.  Had a sense that she had suffered in her life and understood something about suffering.  And that was true Life wasn't always easy for Susanna Grew up in Culpeper, VA, 75 miles west of Washington DC, oldest of four children, all girls.  Named Susan.   Mother -- quiet, introverted - an interior designer turned homemaker.   Father -- extroverted, warm, gregarious high school teacher - taught algebra, geometry and trigonometry at Culpeper County High School  -- great sense of humor, gratifying, and a pretty easy grader, students loved him and he really liked being a popular teacher.  Strong sense that father had favorites among the daughters, and she wasn't one of them   When Susan was age 16, her mother divorced her father -- his affairs, excessive drinking Mother devastated.  Really wanted her daughter to understand.  Susanna was cold.   Read the divorce decree "Irreconcilable differences"  And she was so angry  At an emotional level, Susan repudiated both Mom and Dad.  Not understanding, not wanting to understand.   Decided to go by "Susanna" -- three reasons Devoted to the Chronicles of Narnia -- The last book of the series, The Last Battle.  Aslan says "Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia."  Given to nylons, lipstick, and party invitations -- she didn't seem serious  any more.   Susan was her given name -- she wanted different name, but not too different  In the Bible, in Daniel chapter 13, Susanna was the beautiful, faithful wife of Joakim.  She refused to be blackmailed into adultery by two respectable men of high stature in the community, two judges, who just happened to have also be voyeurs, peeping-Toms.  Susanna preferred death by denunciation rather than compromise her moral principles, and was saved by a young boy, Daniel, whose clever cross-examination of the accusers revealed them to be liars.  Susanna was a real heroine in her eyes, someone to be emulated.   Shuttling back and forth between parents, who were drifting from the Faith. Mom pursued an annulment got it, and remarried the summer after Susanna's graduation from high school.  Susanna refused to be in the bridal party, refused to go to the wedding.  Like many teenagers in this position, Susan rebelled.  But not by using alcohol, drugs or sex.  Susan rebelled by becoming more Catholic --  Went to Christendom college, it was close, it was Catholic.  She was determined to make a new life there.  Leave the old life behind.  Came home to see her parents as little as possible, focused on her sisters when she did come home.  Very uncommunicative with Mom and Dad.   Christendom is where she met Brett, who eventually became her husband.   Mathematics major, got into computer programming.  Very introverted, not very social.  Not socially awkward, exactly, but not at all inclined to parties and large groups.   Home based -- independent contractor.   High income Fantasy Role playing Games.   Children 16 year old Savannah, her oldest -- now driving and asserting her independence.   13 year old Trevor -- athlete, mechanically talented, liked woodworking  10 year old Micah -- still really cute and cuddly with Mom, starting to play volleyball and very into play dates with her friends.   The Call to Adventure Had been a freelance writer, mostly for Catholic publications, small but dedicated following. Made a little money.   Fr. Brownlee, the pastor asks her if she would consider being the assistant for ministry outreach at their suburban mega-parish.  Part time position.   Ray de la Cruz, the director for ministry outreach needed and assistant, just 10-15 hours per week, a lot of writing and some event planning, event management.   Fr. Brownlee, the pastor, love to have you on board, consider it -- Office at the parish, near the parish grade school, close to her two youngest kids.  A fit for her charisms.   Refusing the Call to Adventure She has a comfortable life, deciding not to do it.  Likes her home.   Brett starting to have some odd heart problems.  High blood pressure for years, stress of hitting deadlines.  Not doing as well.  Strange bodily symptoms, heart racing, no biological causes found.  Sometimes off of work for a week at a time, income not so stable.   Gnawing anxiety about that -- his father and grandfather had both died young.  She wasn't confident that she could handle the family finances if he died or became incapacitated.  Pushing it out of her mind.   Conflict increasing at home, especially between Trevor and Brett.   Need for human contact, writing getting lonely.  Brett not very good company right now, irritable, sad.    Maybe she does have something to offer.  Kids are more independent now, very busy.   Meeting the Mentor Ray, the director of ministry outreach -- really dynamic guy, lots of positive energy.  Brought in six months ago to revitalize the ministry outreach and find ways to really reach people, bring them more alive in the Faith.   Lots of initiatives across the different demographics of the parish.  Just needed a little help.   Susanna didn't know him well.  But from her vantage point, she did appreciate how he motivated people, how he stayed on his message of getting people to pray, to spend time with the Lord.  The Eucharistic Adoration chapel at the parish had been pretty moribund, but now it was lively, and teenagers from the youth groups were regularly taking hours in front of the Lord, even her daughter Savannah.  Ray was direct, straight-talking and had just come from significant success as an assistant VP in a mid-size marketing firm, but now was looking for more meaning and purpose in his life.  He was 38, had a few years in diocesan seminary, discerned out, and had never married.  He was doing an amazing outreach with the Latino community in the parish as well.   In the initial interview with Ray about the position, Susanna felt uplifted and supported.  She sensed that Ray was interested in her life, her background.  He discussed how he wanted to craft the position around the person -- around her -- capitalizing on her strengths, gifts, charisms, and not trying to fit her to some procrustean bed of a rigid position description.  And he really wanted to make sure that the position, if she took it, fostered her spiritual life.  "We have a start-up spirit here, not your same old parish corporate Catholicism" he said, laughing.  He was a fan of Dynamic Catholic and Matthew Kelly, had his books handy, Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic was his favorite book, he told her.  So much in there we can learn to put in practice here.   Let me think about it.  Give me two weeks.  "OK, Susanna, you have two weeks.  Take all the time you need.  I'll be praying for you.  Just don't forget about me, OK, get in back in touch when you are ready."   If I am going to step back out in the world, I would want the position to support my spiritual life, foster my prayer life, help me toward holiness.  I would want someone in my corner, Susanna thought.  Someone who really had my back, someone that would advocate for me, some who understood me.  I need that.  If I start working outside our home again, I would need a supervisor who actually cares about me as a person not just what I can do for them.  Then with just a little twinge, a feeling she couldn't quite identify, the next thought came.  Someone like Ray.  She corrected herself.  Mr. De la Cruz.   Crossing the Threshold Ten days later she came back to the parish offices met  Ray and Fr. Brownlee in Ray's office and said, I'm in, but here's the caveat.  I want to try it for 90 days, see how it goes -- family life, how this sits with Brett, it's been a long while since I've been working in the world.   All right, Ray said, his face lighting up.  Let's do this -- and no worries, Susanna, this parish isn't the world,  You'll be working in the Church, not the world.  Fr. Brownlee shook her hand and smiled.  Have Martha onboard you with all the employment paperwork, she'll walk you through all that tedium.  I will let you and Ray figure out the details about how to work together, I trust you both, I have to go, financial reports for the Archdiocese are waiting.  You know how to reach me if you need something.  God bless.   Let's start with prayer, said Ray.  And without waiting for her to answer, he prayed out loud, thanking God for the parish, for Fr. Brownlee, for the outreach work, the work of evangelization, for the beauty of the day, and for Susanna joining the staff, bringing all her gifts and talents and her whole being to the team.  Then he made the sign of the cross.   All right, Ray said again, let's shake on the deal.  He held out his hand and she shook it, and felt a ripple of electricity surges up her arm as he gave her a quick squeeze before releasing.  She felt excited, was she really happy?  She hadn't sensed such an uplift in a long time.  I must have gotten older than my years somehow, she thought to herself.  She smiled warmly at him and he laughed again and asked "what's your schedule for today?   Test, Allies, Enemies The next six month seemed like a whirlwind to Susanna.   She absolutely embraced the parish work. Her confidence rose week by week.  Ray was able to find just the right growing edges for her, to really stretch her but not overwhelm her.  They read passages from Matthew Kelly's book "The Dream Manager" and brainstormed together about her professional development.   Susanna did most of the planning for the eighth grade retreat, and her son Trevor said that all his friends at school thought it was the best retreat ever.   Susanna connected with Martha, the parish administrative assistant and Sharon, the school principal, who also took an interest in her and appreciated her eating lunch with the students including Trevor and Micah on occasion.   And she made a lot of mistakes, there was a steep learning curve for Susanna.  Ray laughed them off with one or more of his inexhaustible supply of quotes.   For the eighth grade graduation supper, Susanna caused great commotion with a caterer -- Susanna had made several errors in placing the order and then alienated the caterer in her frantic attempts to force everything to work out.  Multiple different entrees had to be prepared in an emergency, the food quality suffered and worst of all, all Trevor's classmates knew it was Susanna's fault.  The caterer complained about Susanna to the pastor and the auxiliary bishop.   Susanna felt terrible, ashamed, and guilty.  Ray wasn't fazed by it at all. He just quoted the business magnate Richard Branson  who said "You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over."   That was so refreshing for Susanna, who ever since her parents' divorce had been so focused on not making mistakes.  She began to realize that she saw her parents' divorce as a huge mistake, she never wanted to make a mistake like that, and the best way to avoid making such a huge mistake was to make no mistakes at all.  She began to feel more free, like the world was a little more spacious.   At Ray's insistence, Susanna had dispensed with calling him Mr. De la Cruz after the first meeting.  My name's Raimundo, but just call me Ray.  Everyone does." And everyone did, even the school kids and the youth of the parish.   Ray seemed to have unbounded energy and no end of creative ideas.  He also took prayer seriously -- Early in the morning, Susanna would see him in the Adoration chapel.  He invited her to pray with him before they met to discern and discuss plans.  He inquired about her prayer life -- and let her know that he was continuing to pray for her, that she be a saint.  He asked her to pray for him.  And amazing things were happening in the parish.  Ray was a dynamic motivational speaker, especially for the teenagers and the young adults, and he had a way of connecting with the men of the parish as well.  He had a remarkable ability to remember names.  Susanna found herself admiring him.   She grew more and more curious about him, and what made him tick, where did he get all the energy and enthusiasm?  He never seemed to have a bad day.  He had the full support of the pastor and a lot of autonomy.   Her daughters noticed that Mom was happier and busier.  Her husband Brett seemed to be noncommittal about her working at the parish.  But he was in his funk still, and Susanna began to wonder if he might be depressed.  It was hard to know, he was so hard to reach in so many ways.   Her own prayer life was growing -- the challenges she was facing encouraged her to pray.  And now she had two teenagers, with their trials and their hormones to deal with.  Trevor, now in high school, occasionally would ask "How's it going for you, Mom at work.?  How's Ray?"  Susanna found herself tongue-tied trying to explain what her work was like to Trevor.   Susanna experienced some confusion and a vague sense of guilt about her marriage.  She struggled with how to love Brett, who so needed space and whose love languages seemed so different from hers.   He seemed even more uncomfortable with touch than in years past, with physical affection unless he had been drinking.  She had a sense that he didn't fully approve of her working at the parish, but he would not come out and say what he thought.  He was so indirect.  Why could that man not support her in something that she found joy and purpose and meaning in?  It troubled her.   Very gradually, over time, Ray became even more casual and familiar in his conversation with Susanna.  Sometimes he would call her "Susanita" and playfully refer to Susanna as his "guiding star" when she had a particularly creative idea.  He had an amazing vocabulary in multiple languages.  Once in a while, when he was in a particularly warm mood, he would refer to her with terms of affection in other languages -- querida, cara, carino, mon chéri.  She asked him about that.  He responded with a big smile and his arms open wide, I'm from Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, We talk like that there, they are just ways of expressing friendship and connection.  And I consider you more than just my assistant.  I think we are spiritual friends -- at least I hope we are.  Like St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.  But hey, if it bothers you, I won't use those words,  I can just call you Susanna.  No problem."  "No, no it's ok, I kind of like it.."  Great, said Ray.  Susanna, I just want to be a Ray of sunshine in your life, and he laughed heartily at his own play on words.  But those words stayed with Susanna and echoed in her memory.   A Ray of sunshine in my life.    Three weeks later, at the end of the day.  Susanna stopped by Ray's office to drop off a file and saw him head down in his chair, shaking.  "Ray?"  "Ray, are you all right?"  He took his hands from his face, eyes streaming with silent tears. "No."  "I'm not all right."  "I'm very not right."  Susanna immediately pulled up a chair next to his, and instinctively she reached out to take his right hand in both of hers.  "Ray, it's OK.  Ray, what is it?"  Ray's breathing was labored and his body shuddered.  "I'm glad you're here, I am so glad you're here. Susanna. Just stay with me for a while.  With his free hand he wiped tears from his eyes and looked at her.  "Ray, what's wrong?"  Ray broke off eye contact, looked over her head at the wall.  "I can't tell you what's wrong, Susanna.  I can't."  "I'm so alone, I am so lonely."  He looked at her again.  "I can't tell you how lonesome I am."  He looked down at their hands joined together -- "Do you know it's been four days since anyone has touched me?"  And he sobbed silently, rocking back and forth in his chair looking so wounded, looking so broken, looking like a little lost, abandoned boy.   Susanna's heart was so full of emotion, and she was acting on impulse.  She disengaged her right hand and put her arm around his shoulders holding him with just enough pressure to slow his rocking down.   Look at me, she said to him.  He looked into her eyes.  She said -- You are my Ray of Sunshine.  Remember that."  Then fear flooded through her and she ran out to her car without her coat or purse in a cold and dark mid-December mist.  Her mind was reeling and she tried to recollect herself in the driver's seat.  What had just happened?  What was going on?  She turned the key, the car started.  I need some music she said, and turned on the radio.  Savannah had tuned in last to an 80s station, and the DJ was saying, up next, Dan Fogelberg's top 10 hit from 1981, Same Auld Lang Syne.  Met my old lover in the grocery store. The snow was falling Christmas Eve I stood behind her in the frozen foods. And I touched her on the sleeve.  And then her tears flowed.  And from deep within her, a very, very young voice was crying out over and over again "I want to go home."  "I want to go home" as Dan sang on.   Two minutes later the lyrics pierced her like a spear when Dan was singing She said she'd married her an architect, Who kept her warm and safe and dry, She would've liked to say she loved the man, But she didn't like to lie.  Susanna clawed the driver's door open leaned over and threw up on the asphalt.  She shut the radio off in the middle of the saxophone solo, slammed the transmission into reverse and spun her tires on the wet pavement backing out of there, away from the parish, away from Ray, away from anywhere, just to get away.   I love Brett, Susanna insisted to herself, as she drove.  I love my husband.  I do.  I am faithful to him.  I love my husband.   But another voice, low and soft, almost gentle, said, Yes, you do.  Yes you do.  But are you sure Brett is your husband?  Of course Brett is my husband.  We're married.  We were married on October 10, we made vows to each other.  "Yes, you did.  You did.  You made a vow.  And Brett said the words too.  Maybe Brett made a vow, if he was actually capable of making a vow.  Maybe.  But, Susanna, you know that Brett is on the spectrum don't you?  What's the term Functioning autistic?  He has been since he was little.  Come now, listen to me.  How often does he look at you?  How well does he understand you, really?  Or connect with you emotionally, relationally?  What about how he shrinks from your touch so often?  How he is so, so  introverted?  How he lives so much in a fantasy world in his role playing games with anonymous gamers from all over the world?  Let's be honest, Susanna, about Brett, it's about time.   And let's be honest about you, too.  Why you wanted him for a husband.  Did you want to love him out of charity -- really?  How has that been going, you loving him?  Isn't it true that what you really wanted was your own safety, security, his income?  And isn't it true that you so desperately wanted to not depend on either of your parents, but you weren't ready to stand on your own two feet?   Shut up, shut up, shut up.  Susanna, Don't you know that you actually love Ray?  Are you that blind?  You have loved Ray for months now, but you still you won't admit it.  Didn't you just prove that, holding hands with him, your arm around him?  Your Ray of Sunshine.  Shut up, shut up, shut up! I'm going crazy, Susanna thought.  I am going round the bend.  Could it be that Brett was too impaired to marry me?  Could there be any truth to that?  She remembered several Catholic friends and acquaintances who after their civil divorces had applied for declarations of nullity for their marriages from the Archdiocesan Tribunal.  All of them were granted.   That was a long evening back at home.  Susanna told the kids and Brett she wasn't feeling well, skipped supper and went to bed where she lied awake in the darkness in the chaos of her thoughts.   The next morning she was supposed to meet with Fr. Brownlee and Ray at 9:00-- she considered calling in sick, but she knew she would have to face Ray again at some point.  She arrived at the conference room exactly at 9 -- she didn't want to be late, but she didn't want to be early.  Ray was there, looking like his old self.  He told her Fr. Brownlee is running a little late.  Hey, Susanna, about yesterday -- I'm sorry about being a hot mess.  I'm not usually like that, I know I probably made you uncomfortable.  Susanna found herself saying, no, Ray, it's OK, really, I was glad to help, and taking in his smile.  Thank you, Susanita.  Thank you.  We're OK?  Yes, Ray, we're OK.  OK. I just want to thank you for all you did for me.  You can't possibly know how much you helped me.  You were a gift from God, no really, a gift.  I thank God for you.  You were so attuned to just what I needed.  Can I give you just a little hug, to thank you, my spiritual friend, my sister in Christ?  It's hard for me to express everything that's in my heart for you just in words alone.   And Susanna, speechless, gave the slightest of nods before being enfolded in Ray's arms.  Her body felt electrified as he held her, she felt his body warm and firm and strong against hers, he was smiling down at her, just for those three seconds, and then felt the ache of longing as he let her go, saying, Thank you, mon cherie. Please don't tell anyone how you found me, yesterday.  Let's keep that between us, please, I am still embarrassed by my weakness and vulnerability.   And at that moment, before she could respond Fr. Brownlee's steps sounded in the corridor, and they separately quickly as they heard his customary hearty greeting, his Pax Vobiscum preceding him from the hallway.  They sat down around the table and started with the business items of the day.   After that, their hugs became more frequent and longer.  They prayed together in the chapel.  Sometimes, they furtively held hands, with God's approval, Ray said, as God's beloved children would and siblings who loved each other, Ray said.  But they did hide it, because others wouldn't understand their relationship, as Ray said.   They were having lunch in the break room of the parish center -- instead of at the school cafeteria -- Susanna asked Ray once more what he was crying that late afternoon -- if he felt up to talking about it.  Ray said he was grieving.  Grieving what?  Grieving for himself.  For his situation.  Did you ever see the musical Man of la Mancha?  When Don Quijote sang the Impossible Dream.  She wasn't familiar with the song.  They were alone -- so in a low voice, he sang the first few lines for her.  To dream the impossible dreamTo fight the unbeatable foeTo bear with unbearable sorrowTo run where the brave dare not goTo right, the un-rightable wrongTo love pure and chaste from afar And this was why I was grieving -- I was grieving you.  That all I could do in my love for you, all I could do was to love you, pure and chaste, from afar.  We were never going to be close in the way I wanted, in the way I hoped you wanted, it was just going to be frustration and pain and sacrifice and suffering -- But you Susanna -- you showed me another way -- in that dark hour of despair, you reached out and touched me, took my hand, made it all right.  You had the presence, you were so able to find a way I could not see for us to be together, for us to love each other and it be right and good.  So now it's out there, Susanna Richards.  I, Raimundo de la Cruz, your Ray of Sunshine, I love you.  I will always love you.  Whether you love me or not, I will always love you.  Like in Wendell Berry's novel Jayber Crow -- How Jayber loved Mattie Chatham in the way he did, pure and chaste from afar, because Mattie was married to Troy. Jayber was more faithful and true to Mattie than Troy ever was.  And Ray leaned back and held his arms wide and said.  I love you this big much, mon cherie and laughed.  You don't have to say anything Susanita, it's all right.  I know this is a lot to take in. I'm OK with whatever your decide.  I've decided for me. I've sorted it out on my end, I am at peace.  I've made my commitment.  I will devote my life to you, in love, in whatever way you permit, in whatever way you allow.  I am all yours to take or to leave.  You are my Dulcinea, my querida.   And like a moth to the flame, Susanna was drawn in deeper and deeper.  At the time, the her increasing enmeshment with Ray felt inexorable but later in the clarity of retrospect, she knew it wasn't.  Eventually they had sex on a wrestling mat in storeroom by the school gym.  So much shifted in both of them after that.  For a few weeks after that, they tried to "make the relationship work".  It didn't work.  Two months after his initial conquest of her, Ray's quote eternal love end quote fizzled out.  His idealized Dulcinea image of her faded, and he moved on, decided to leave his ministry position at the parish and moved to another state.   Susanna also quit her job and entered into a deep depression, filled with shame and guilt.  Brett and the kids were worried, they had never seen her like this.  Who am I?  She kept saying to herself.  Who am I?  She was walking downtown that Saturday afternoon on her way from the parking garage to the Catholic bookstore, to find a confirmation gift for her niece as she struggled with her identity.   You know what you are, said the soft, silky voice. You know what you are.  An adulterer.  A whore.   You are Susan.  Not Susanna.  Susanna was the one who resisted seduction, was willing to die rather than enter into adultery.  Don't you remember?  You are not her.  Then hardest cut of all You are just like your father.  You should die. Death will bring you release, Susan, do you know that?  What do you have to live for now? To the be the adulterous wife of Brett who you don't love and who doesn't want you?  To be the whore mother of your children, infecting them with your vice?  Can't you be humble enough, even now, to know that they are better off without you?  End it all now, Susanna.  It would be so easy, there's nothing to it… Approach to the Inmost Cave and the Ordeal At that exact same time on Saturday afternoon, In the little coastal town of Barra Grande, halfway between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in southeastern Brazil, a 10 year old girl felt an inspiration to pray for whoever might be in most need right now, maybe a lady who was really sad, a lady who needed help.  Her prayer went up to heaven like incense and Susanna did not throw herself into the traffic on that busy street, but made it to the Catholic bookstore, looking a little disheveled.  The cashier noticed her as she came in and gave a faint smile and a halfhearted greeting-- she thought the lady did not look well, but at least she clearly was not one of the homeless people that had been so inconvenient lately.   In her numbness and distress, dwelling on Who am I?  Susanna noticed she was thirsty.  Weird, to notice that right now.  It made sense.  She hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day.  It doesn't matter.  Nothing matters anymore.  She walked up through the aisle on prayer, and a slim green volume caught her eye.  Thirsting for Prayer.  Fr. Jacques Phillipe.  She reaches, takes it off the shelf.   On page 20, she reads "Over and above our sins and failings, we discover that we are God's children. God loves us as we are, with an absolutely unconditional love and it is this love that gives us our deepest identity." Something moved within her. She flipped to page 22 and read: It is a deep aspiration of every man (and, still more, every woman!) to feel uniquely loved. Not loved in a general way, as one of a large group, but appreciated in our uniqueness. This is what the father's love brings about. Each of us can experience that in his eyes we are loved, chosen by God, in an extremely personal way. We often have the feeling that God loves us in a general way: he loves all men, I'm one of them, so he must take a bit of interest in me. But being loved in a " global" way, as one item in the collection, cannot satisfy us. And then to page 23 "Each of us is every right to say: "God loves me as he loves nobody else in the world!" God does not love two people in the same way because it is actually his love that creates her personality, a different personality for each."  And then, for the first time in many months, the sobs came, racking, heaving sobs.  This is who I am.  This is who I am!  This is who I am.  A beloved daughter of God.   The cashier heaved herself out of her chair and peered into the aisle.  Ma'am?  Are you OK? But received no answer from Susanna.  The cashier shrugged and went back to her chair to work on her Sudoku puzzle.  The store manager came over and asked the cashier in a low voice what was going on.  She replied sardonically that he had a major clean up to tend to in aisle 4.   Then Susanna was up on her feet and moving fast to the door. She stopped momentarily to ask the manager and cashier -- is there a Catholic church nearby?  Yes, there's one two blocks north, just go right, and then straight up, can't miss it, Mass is in 50 minutes.  Thank you, thank you and she hurried out -- Ah, do you want to pay for the book?  I'm so sorry, I'm a bit beside myself.  Susanna threw a $20 bill on the counter and ran out.   At St. Patrick's Parish, the new pastor Fr. Jennings was eyeing James, the volunteer guitar player and song leader for the 5:00 PM Mass. James, who he he had inherited with the parish in the reassignment two weeks ago.  James was in his mid-60s, with a grey ponytail, limited musical talent, and a overweening penchant for Marty Haugen tunes, the very ones that Fr. Jennings most despised.  What James lacked in accurate pitch he made up for with increased volume.  And James had not followed through on the music they had agreed on for last week's Mass, substituting songs that seemed to him as better to sing in the moment, ones the congregation was familiar with and loved.  Much better than the dry hymns this new pup of a pastor wanted.  Fr. Jennings told himself to remember that James was also a beloved son of God as he moved in for the confrontation.   But at that moment, a woman burst into the church.  Father, will you hear my confession?  Yes, I would be glad to.  And truth be told, Fr. Jennings appreciated a reprieve from the messy business of dealing with James.   Forgive me father, for I have sinned.  It's been six months or so since my last confession.  And then it all poured out, twelve and a half minutes of heart rending sin and sorrow as Susanna's mascara completed its journey to her chin, borne by tears of both sorrow and joy.  Her hatred for her parents, her pride, the adultery with Ray, it all came out.  And as the priest gave the absolution, the Magdalene smiled.   The Ordeal Susanna left the confessional with three things. A huge sense of relief, a strong sense of mission and a business card for a counselor in the city.  The priest strongly recommended that she see this counselor Sandra, one whom he knew and trusted.  With the suicidal crisis over for now, a whole new set of questions emerged.  How should she tell Brett about Ray?  Should she tell him at all?   The priest had stressed the point that much of her struggle was in the natural realm - in her history, in her upbringing, and that all needed to be addressed.  She needed some professional help.   Susanna looked Sandra up.  Sandra looked young, really young.  She found another one, a Dr. Waldron, a psychologist in his late 60s nearing retirement and started therapy with him.  .  It didn't go well.  She felt blamed and judged by this man who seems more interested in catechizing her than listening.  It lasted two sessions and she fired him.    She connected with Sandra and entered into deep work.  She learned that everyone has parts within them -- constellations of feelings and thoughts and desires.  Sometimes parts blend.   She was able to connect with her managers A Good Girl Part who always wants her to do the right thing and grew exhausted and hopeless when she could not prevent the affair with Ray.   An inner critic who tries to help her by riding her and cutting her down in the hope that she will be good enough to be loved  A stuff-it-down manager who represses other parts out of a deep fear that they will overwhelm her  A keep-it-safe avoiding part that steers clear of potential trouble and works to minimize the risk of being negatively evaluated by others.   And over time she was able to connect with the exiled parts within her A part that wanted to be loved by her father, who so missed her father.  She realized that this part's impulses and desires were fueling so much of her interactions with Ray, because this part saw so much of her father in Ray.  The parts believed that if she were to win Ray's love, it would fill her father needs.   Another exile that felt so much shame about not being able to keep her parents' marriage from falling apart, who felt responsible for the divorce. Her Good Girl part and her inner critic were both focused on silencing this part.  This part just wanted to be able to go home to be loved by Mom and Dad.   A part filled with rage toward her parents and who hated God for giving her those parents  She discovered parts of her that hated her husband and parts of her that were fond of him.  Both could be true.    As parts gave her space, she was able to discover her innermost self -- her innermost self was able to emerge and begin to lead and guide her system, and innermost self with beautiful qualities.   And as she became more integrated inside, her experience of herself began to make sense.  For the first time.   She realized the when she was tempted by the devil, the devil was trying to co-opt the most alienated parts of her, the one who would be most susceptible to his influence.  Then if those parts could take over and drive her bus, great harm would result.   It was painful work.  She felt in her bones what Fr. Jacques Philippe wrote on page 19 of her book:  The negative aspect has to do with her sin, our deep-seated wretchedness. We only know these things truthfully in the light of God. Face-to-face with him, there is no longer any possible room for lies; no invasion, no excuse, no mask. We are compelled to recognize who we are, with their wounds, our weaknesses, or inconsistencies, selfishness, hard-heartedness, secret complicity with evil, and all the rest. But with that work came a sense of peace and joy, of being loved by God and Mary in all her parts.  A realization that all her parts were good. A knowing that her parents did not have to love her any more than they did.  God the Father and Mary her Mother are her primary parents.   Susanna was able to get in touch with Life-Giving Wounds to work through the impact of her parents' divorce in a retreat and in a local chapter.   And she began to pray and related with God and Mary in a completely different way.  Good girl:  I don't have to give up Catholicism.  I just have to give up my flawed understanding of Catholicism.  The Rewards She feared Brett would be devastated when she told him.  He seemed more relieved.  Trevor had told Brett that he thought Mom and Ray had been having an affair.  Trevor had heard rumors and seen some interactions that made him suspicious.  That was a blow to Susanna, that the affair was not nearly so secret as she imagined.   Brett and Susanna were able to find a marital therapist to begin to work on their marriage in a more focused way.  Not easy, there were limitations.   The Road Back She hates her husband and loves him.  Lots of work with the children.  Trevor's anger.    A sense of Providence.   Resurrection / Return Two years later -- she was knocking at the door of her childhood home in Culpeper.  Her father answered, surprised to see her.  It's good to see you -- will you come in?  he asked.  She smiled at him and said:  It's good to see you too, Dad.  And for the first time in more than a quarter century, she meant it.   Take a minute.   Feedback welcome What you thought  Your own story -- send it to me -- crisis@soulsandhearts.com   IIC 102  The Last podcast, episode 100 was a great success in spite of some real technical failure.  We have a learning curve with our technology, and we know some of you were not able to join us.  We have resolved those issues.  We will be meeting on Wednesday, December 14 from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern time to record and experiential exercise on parts getting the love that they need. Need to register, here is a link, can get the link from our weekly reflections in your email inbox or in our archive at soulsandhearts.com/blog.   Imagine how Susanna's experience would have been different if she had known about parts before encountering Ray -- or before marrying Brett?  Resilient Catholic Community -- you do not have to be alone.    120 Catholics like you already on board, already on the pilgrimage Reopened December 1 -- new cohort, our St. Dymphna cohort.  Until December 31.  Check it out.  Had a great meeting on December 1 and we will posting the recording very soon if it's not up already.  Sign up soulsandhearts.com/rcc -- lots of information there I've brought together the best Get to know your own parts Get to love your own parts If interested, contact me.   Crisis@soulsandhearts.com 317.567.9594 conversation hours 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time Every Tuesday and Thursday.  (not November 24 which is Thanksgiving).     Upcoming Sign up for the weekly reflection     

Like St. Patrick's Day or Mardi Gras, Pride month used to mean drunk, rowdy folks celebrating out in the streets, and now, for some, it means dragging your screaming kids to the local library to see drag queens struggling to read a children's book.Fascists are now more critical of drag queens than Aubrey O'Day reading Alyssa Edwards for her perfume ad in Season 5 of Drag Race (look it up). But is all this commotion just a distraction from the January 6 hearings on the Republicans' sloppy attempt at a political coup to end democracy?Can't these furry horned right wing fascists sashay away?Today comedian Dan Cass, who sees the January 6th hearings as some of the best theater, joins us to make sense of the storm cloud of madness brewing.FOLLOW DAN CASS: https://www.dan-cass.comPlus--➤ A two year old baby boy in England shows signs of puberty after exposure to his dad's testosterone gel.➤ Kim Kardashian says she'd eat poop to stay young and beautiful.➤ Ellen's former hunky gardener Billy Reilich has a new gig.➤ Maybelle Blair, the women's baseball pioneer who helped inspire the film 'A League Of Their Own,' comes out at the young age of 95.Episode #3036