Podcasts about Synod

Our bodies wear out...

If you've been stung by a bee or a wasp...

A resurrected life is a life with a glorious future...

How has your attitude been lately?...

Preaching for Easter Sunday, Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns offers a reflection on the witness of women as we remember Mary Magdalene's Easter proclamation: "Mary's complete story, shared on Easter Sunday, a holy day of obligation, would ensure more Catholics hear John's full resurrection narrative where she was an example of female leadership, an Apostle to the Apostles, commissioned by Jesus to share the Good News of Jesus' resurrection."Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns is one of four lay people from the United States who were appointed by Pope Francis as the first lay women and men voting delegates to participate at the Synod of Bishops on Synodality. She is the Director of Adult Learning at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community in Minneapolis—a community whose vision is to be a visible, progressive Catholic Community, compassionate and welcoming to all. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Florida and currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04202025 to learn more about Dr. Bailey Manns, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Many fairy tales focus on trying to end a curse...

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.” Back home on the farm it was not uncommon for kittens to be born around this time of year. The momma cats liked the hay mow of our barn. The old bales of hay and straw provided nooks and crannies for secluded little dens. We kids liked to find these newborn kittens and tame them. The kittens were terrified at first. Their fur would be sticking out and their claws extended, but eventually they would trust you. You could tell when your job was done when the kitten would start to purr while lying on your lap. The image I would like to bring to your mind is perhaps one you've experienced. Sometimes these kittens would be a few weeks old before we would find them. Kittens grow up quickly. These older kittens would want to run away, but if they couldn't, they would fight back. They were still quite helpless, but they wanted you to believe they were far from helpless. They would puff out their fur, arch their backs, growl, and make that weird spitting sound with their mouths as they would strike out with their paws. This was quite intimidating. The kittens were quite harmless, but they made me think twice. It was 99% bluffing. If the kitten were facing a real enemy, all this play-acting would be futile. All the enemy would need to do is snatch the kitten up in its jaws, and that would be the end of that. Human beings can be like those bluffing kittens when it comes to things that are stronger than us. Sin is much stronger than us. I wish we could always and easily tell sin to take a hike, but sin often gets the better of us. Our guilt is stronger than us. We accumulated so much guilt by our evil deeds. The devil is stronger. Death is stronger. We are quite helpless. We are like kittens. However, it is not uncommon to think we can somehow defeat these enemies. If we bristle out our fur, arch our backs, and strike out, maybe we'll be left alone. With sin and guilt, for example, the most common strategy is simply to forget about them. As time passes, the pangs of conscience lessen, but does forgetfulness really make our sin go away? Does shutting our eyes or pulling the blanket over our heads make the monster go away? Another strategy for dealing with sin and guilt is to fight back. Maybe God's commandments are old fashioned or impractical. Maybe you couldn't live the life that you want to live and still keep God's commandments. God wants us to be happy, doesn't he? “Live and let live” is great advice for a certain kind of peaceable life. However does this make sin and guilt go away? Maybe our conscience is soothed for yet another day, but the enemy remains. The strategies regarding death can be similar. Nothing is more common than ignoring death. Put it out of mind so that you can more fully embrace whatever good might be coming your way. This sounds like good advice, and maybe it has its place, but does it make death go away? Or maybe instead of taking death seriously we can celebrate life. Hopefully the person in question is good enough so that we can celebrate. Hopefully they didn't commit any gross sins—at least not publicly. Hopefully they were only guilty of the common and respectable sins that church people commit. Otherwise it might feel strange to celebrate. But, in any case, what does it matter? It is all for nothing. Even with all this bragging and story telling the person remains quite dead. A few short decades later, they will be quite forgotten. In all our dealings with these forces we are like defenseless kittens. We do what we can. We put on a show. But nothing can really be done. It's all play-acting. It's all bluffing. Our very real enemies have us in their jaws whether we make a fuss or not. I think this might help us better understand a statement of Jesus's that can be quite enigmatic otherwise. He said on one occasion: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We might think that we have no other choice than to playact and to bluff. We have to cope somehow. But if we commit ourselves to these strategies for dealing with these very real enemies, then we will have a very different savior in our minds than Jesus—and what a pathetic Savior it is too. A kitten pretending to be a tiger? By trying to save our own life we will lose it. But what is the alternative? The alternative is to believe in Jesus. However, this belief will be under the cross. That means we will be in unfavorable conditions and will suffer loss. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We must lose our life with Jesus. What does that mean? It means that we allow whatever nasty enemies who have invaded our comfy little den to bite and devour us, while believing, at the same time, that they will not be triumphant. Though they do their worst—though they have me in their jaws—I will prevail because my God is for me and not against me. God will save me when the time is right even if I should end up in their gullet, in the belly of a large fish, or in a den of lions. Let's apply this to the enemies we've already talked about. There are a lot of ways to cope with sin, but Jesus is the only one way to be victorious. Repent and believe the good news that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. But even when we have done this, sin remains a powerful enemy. I wish that we Christians could become so strong that we could always tell sin to take a hike, but we aren't. Seasoned Christians know that the devil has very good aim with his poisoned arrows. He can find the gap in our armor so that we fall into sin quite against our will. Our situation with death is very similar. Try as we might, we can't avoid it. This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. We all die. The difference with Christians is that we believe Jesus when he says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The first part of that statement is clear enough. We believe that even if we should die, yet we will live because we will be resurrected. But what about the second part when he says, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die?” The apostles died. Christians for two thousand years have died. Did none of those live and believe in him? No. They were believers. And they didn't die—not really. They died in the belief that this slight momentary affliction of death would last but a little while; salvation comes with the morning. Sometimes the New Testament calls death a sleep. When we go to sleep at night we do not fall asleep with horror. We know that the morning is coming. Not only will we wake up, but we will even feel refreshed and energized. So it is with those who die with faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life. Unfortunately, those who really will die are like foolish kittens who think that they can save themselves by playacting. They think they can stave off death or come to terms with it. They think memories or celebrations can make the person live on in some sense. This posturing and fuss and bother are as insubstantial as smoke. They don't know how strong their enemy is. Imagine the horror the kitten feels when their show doesn't work, but they find themselves in the jaws nonetheless. That is death. I understand perfectly why people do playacting. It can seem like the only recourse we've got. It can seem defeatist to admit anything is stronger than us. We are told always to fight, and for good reason. We don't want to be in those jaws. Playacting is a way to convince ourselves that we need not be in those jaws. The kitten is desperate not to be picked up because it doesn't know what might happen. One thing is sure: it will lose control. In order to be a Christian we must lose control, so to speak. We must put ourselves and our futures into the hands of a God who has told us that he has our best interests in mind even as we are going through painful or scary circumstances. And this is not like a fairy tale where the enemy is no more and can no longer hurt us. It will be like that in heaven, but not until then. The apostles said this plainly. They said, “It is only through many hardships that we will enter the kingdom of God.” We kittens have many enemies and their teeth are sharp. However, we have hope! Even if we should die, yet shall we live, and declare the praises of the Lord. On Good Friday it is fitting to think about our enemies such as sin and death, which are more powerful than we are. Good Friday and Easter show us that Jesus is more powerful than sin and death. However, Jesus saves in a very special way. He doesn't ignore sin and death. He doesn't go around them. He doesn't go over them or under them. He goes through them. The jaws clamped on him, just as they clamp on us. However, what looked like defeat, proved to be victory. The same thing is true for us Christians. We cannot get rid of sin. We cannot avoid death. We go through these things. They bite and gnash with dreadful effects, but even while they are doing their worst, we believe that we will be victorious and they will be defeated. Jesus will see to that. Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.” Amen.

Jesus came to fulfill that covenant promise...

Welcome to Holy Week 2025, and a warm WELSTech welcome to art educator Lori Ehlke. Lori shares her path from art and Spanish teacher through Covid shutdown to YouTube fame, and how she benefitted from learning as she went and being consistent with her work. BONUS: Lori's work isn't confined to the K-12 classroom. We […]

People are willing to put up with a lot if...

Jesus came to bring justice...

Success doesn't just come to you...

As spring warmth returns to the northern regions...

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:When we use the word “peace” we often think of calmness, tranquility, the lack of fighting. There are different ways to achieve such a condition. For example, a graveyard is quite peaceful in its own way. Even though there are many people in close proximity, there is little fighting. There is also little love, little joy, but there is a kind of stillness and calmness. Another way calmness can be achieved is through the establishment of such severe law and order that everyone becomes too scared to step out of line. Totalitarian governments come up with punishments and displays of power that intimidate the people they rule over. Almost all of the great empires of history have used these tactics.   The Roman government, for example, once crushed a slave revolt and sent a powerful message afterwards. They crucified 6,000 captured slaves along the Appian Way. For 120 miles one person after another hung there dead on crosses. The message was clear: Don't mess with those in power. It worked. People were frightened. There was a kind of peace. This is one way you could understand the events of Holy Week that we have entered into today with Palm Sunday. The Jewish leaders wanted a kind of peace. Jesus had been disturbing their peace. So they solved a problem. Jesus had been getting too popular. He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Upon entering Jerusalem he went to the temple and made quite a scene. He flipped over tables and let animals loose. The Jewish leaders wanted to know who had given him such authority. Jesus was obviously out of control. He needed to be dealt with. The usual measures of getting dirt on someone wouldn't work with him. Nor could they turn the people against him. The people loved him more than they loved the Jewish leaders. There was only one sensible course to take, and they took it. They arrested him in the middle of the night. They immediately convicted him in their kangaroo court. They applied pressure to Pontius Pilate. By the time the people of Jerusalem were hardly finished with their breakfast Jesus was already nailed to the cross! It was already too late. Efficiency like that would make any dictator tip his beret with respect. For some of us, though, this kind of thing really makes our blood boil. It was so unjust! The leaders were supposed to be the best of the people, but in fact they were the worst. They were vain. They were vindictive. They were cowards. They purposely engaged Jesus in an unfair fight. They didn't dispute with him in the open. It was all arranged behind closed doors. Their dirty deeds were done with the cover of darkness. Some of us might like to take our clubs and swords and give them a taste of their own medicine. This might have been how Peter felt. We've been studying Peter in our Adult Bible Study. When the Jewish leaders came to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night, Peter took out his sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant. I can't help it: a part of me says, “Hurray for Peter!” At least one of those scoundrels felt a little pain! But that sets me at odds with Jesus himself. Perhaps you remember how Jesus rebuked Peter. He told him to put away his sword. He said, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me to drink?” He also said, “All who take the sword shall perish by the sword.” Indeed, that is how it goes. History tells this story over and over. The story goes like this: The oppressors oppress until those they oppresse rise up and take away their power. But without fail, those who were formerly oppressed, when it's their turn, also oppress whomever they can take advantage of. They, then, become the target until one day a knife is found sticking out of their backs. The situation is always unstable because hatred is just below the surface. Power is maintained only with the utmost vigilance. Knowing that they hate you, you must strike first, before they strike you. It's kill or be killed. “Whoever takes the sword, perishes by the sword.” The best peace to be hoped for is the peace of the graveyard. If all goes well you eliminate your opponents before they eliminate you. Then you live happily ever after. That was the Jewish leaders' theory of peace, and they dealt with Jesus accordingly. However, this theory did not originate with them. It is much older. It goes back all the way to the gray mists of the earliest recorded history. The first human being born in the natural way was named Cain. He had a brother named Abel. One day Cain became annoyed with his brother Abel. Abel was disturbing his peace. So Cain bashed his head in, and reestablished the peace. Problem solved. No more Abel; no more annoyance. He lived happily ever after… Except he didn't. Maybe you remember the story. He thought that he would live happily ever after, but in fact he was haunted for the rest of his life by the dirty deeds he did in secret. This is some kind of peace, but it leaves much to be desired. Is there another kind of peace? Most do not believe so. Jesus says, “Broad is the gate and easy is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter thereby. Narrow is the gate and hard is the way that leads to eternal life, and few there are who find it.” Most people believe what simply comes naturally to all of us: We will be better off if we are in control. We will be richer if we take what someone else has. We will be happier if we eliminate those who annoy us. Kill or be killed. This world is made up of winners and losers. See to it that you are like the Jewish leaders, who obviously won, instead of like Jesus, who obviously lost. But did he? That is the question! This is why the resurrection is so important. If Jesus rose from the dead, then he was right and his ways are best. If he did not rise from the dead, then the Jewish leaders were right. The message would be: Let no scruples get in the way of your ambitions. If Abel didn't want to get killed, he should have killed Cain before Cain killed him. If Jesus didn't want to get arrested and killed, he should have dismissed Judas long ago, armed his supporters, and stormed the chief priest's palace. The strategy is not hard to understand. Do whatever is beneficial to you, and don't do whatever might be beneficial to others. What is hard to understand and to learn is Jesus's peace. To learn Jesus's peace you have to change your mind, which is what the word “repent” means. You have to think so differently that the Bible speaks of this change as being born again, or that we must be crucified with Christ and raised with him. So much must change that it is beyond our powers. Faith is a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit. But what comes at the end is worth it. What comes at the end is peace. Jesus spoke about this peace in those chapters in John that we talked about during our midweek series. Jesus said, “In me you have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart: I have overcome the world.” Again, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Those are words of quiet confidence. Although he knows that is death is but hours away, he is not like a drowning rat, desperate to survive. Jesus said, “You trust in God. Trust also in me.” Trust in Jesus because his resurrection happened. The resurrection and judgment that is coming at the end of this world is real too. This is what all those who live only for their own ambitions deliberately ignore. The resurrection is coming! When that happens, those who appeared to have won will lose. Those who appeared to have lost will win. “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. There is nothing that is secret that won't be revealed, and there is nothing that is hidden that won't be exposed.” These are clear teachings of Jesus. Now if you are like me, then you probably have your own dirty deeds done in darkness, the exposure of which would bring about intense embarrassment or perhaps even fear. To you I say, “Do not be afraid so long as your peace is in Jesus.” Your peace in Jesus will be stronger than your sins. Jesus's righteousness speaks louder than our failings. But don't go on thinking that your dirty deeds of darkness will get you ahead in life. They won't. They harm you; they don't bless you. Even if you managed to gain the whole world by unrighteousness, the time would come when you would regret it—even if you somehow managed to make it into heaven. Change your mind; change your ways. Light, truth, life, and all other good things come from Jesus. Repent and believe the good news that Jesus has overcome the world, and his peace will reign forever and ever!

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What drove Paul to persevere was God's persistent love...

Our deepest wish can often miss the mark...

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You are driving on a remote stretch of highway...

Do not dwell on the past...

What sets the Lutheran church apart from other Protestant traditions? In this episode, Pastor Jeff welcomes Pastor Erik Janke, founding pastor of May River Lutheran Church and fellow fire department chaplain, to unpack the rich theological roots of Lutheranism, its historic emphasis on Word and Sacrament, and the unique structure of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

The guilt and shame of past wrongs can stay with you...

But never let the urgent overshadow the important...

By nature, we operate on the basic assumption that you get what you deserve...

Greed can easily lure our hearts away...

WELSTech is back with a deep dive into Canva waters and the terrific capabilities it has for churches and schools. The toolset is easy and intuitive, even if you've never used it before. This episode may be all you need to get started! Martin shares his phone case pick and there's some AI-generated coding for […]

What's it like to stand before a judge...

God's anger is different from our anger...

Jesus shows us grace in place of what we once deserved...

We hear of people doing extraordinary things...

Does your blood boil when God is defied and slandered?...

I struggle a little bit with being patient with other people...

My patience wore out. I gave up the fight...

Today InPerspective with Dr. Harry Reeder March 26, 2025

Charlie is in prison...

But remember why Jesus went to that cross...

Some things in life are out of a parent's hands...

How often do we ask, "Is God in it?"...

She was tired, sore, and feeling more than a little discouraged...

Fr. William Rock, FSSP serves as Parochial Vicar at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was ordained in October of 2019 and serves as a regular contributor to the FSSP North America Missive Blog.   In Today's Show: Are elves in the Santa myth giving it a pagan slant? How can one repair the damages caused by getting a vasectomy? In my missal it mentions what a priest should say in "a black mass" what does it mean by that? How often do Church councils happen? What is the difference between a Council and a Synod? Does "Live by the sword, die by the sword" apply to guns and self-defense? What are your top three book recommendations on the four temperaments? Does my grandma's suffering take time off of her purgatory? What does it mean to join suffering with charity? What is the difference between active and passive offering up? Can souls in purgatory pray for each other? When a sin confessed do you still have to do purgatory time for it? What kind of music is acceptable to listen to? Do you think the Orthodox and Catholic dates of Easter will ever change to be on the same day? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

When going someplace, there's normally more than one way to get there...

My wife enrolled our family in a roadside assistance plan...

God's people long to be home...

The best roads are built with safety in mind...

When was the last time you needed to follow closely behind someone...

"Swifter, higher, stronger" is the motto of the Olympic games...

Jesus wants all to come to the knowledge of God's truth and be save...

There is something good about being with other people...

Modern travel has a way of making things impersonal...

On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, and served in the 2021-24 Synod on Synodality as an expert participant, as a member of the Synod Communications Commission, and as the coordinator of one of the 10 major Synod study groups, which focused on the church's mission in the digital environment. Zac, Ashley and Kim discuss: - How the Catholic Church is responding to the Trump administration's cuts to USAID - Kim's vision for implementing Catholic social teaching in the digital age  - How the church and government partner to serve communities, including some myth-busting about where funds go and how they're used In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Bill O'Keefe, the executive vice president for mission, mobilization and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services, to discuss the 50th anniversary of C.R.S. Rice Bowl—an ecumenical response to the problem of world hunger. Plus: an update on Pope Francis' health, and the Trump administration terminates the U.S. bishops' refugee resettlement contract. Links for further reading:  Trump administration terminates US bishops' refugee resettlement contract I led Catholic Relief Services. I've seen USAID projects change lives. Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life Pope Francis' hospitalization: The complex picture, three weeks in Former USCCB spokesperson Kim Daniels appointed to Vatican commission The interfaith history of the C.R.S. Rice Bowl The Mission of C.R.S. Rice Bowl You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow.   You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.  Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices