Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts

Day 9 – Life Eternal O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us to live eternal with You! Jesus, your nativity was not without purpose. Your purpose was to bring us to You. We pray that you will bring us to Life Eternal with you this Christmas. Divine Infant, after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem, You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib, which was in this way changed into a royal throne. You graciously received those holy men who were obedient to the Divine call and hastened to Your feet. They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace, the Redeemer of mankind, and the very Son of God. Show us also Your goodness and almighty power. Enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills, and inflame our hearts to know You, to serve You, and to love You in this life, that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come. Jesus, most powerful Child, We implore You again to help us with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts. Divine Child, great omnipotent God, I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession, and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God, for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena. Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally with Mary and Joseph and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints. Amen. The post A Christmas Novena Day 9 – Mp3 audio and Text – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Caryll Houselander image used with permission from TRINITY ICONS Day 24:  A Gentle Love Born in Our Hearts How small and gentle his coming was. He came as an infant. The night in which He came was noisy and crowded; it is unlikely that in the traffic of the travelers to Bethlehem the tiny wail of the newly-born could be heard. God approaches gently, often secretly, always in love, never through violence and fear. He comes to us, as he Himself has told us, in those whom we know in our own lives. Very often we do not recognize Him. He comes in many people we do not like, in all who need what we can give, in all who have something to give us; and, for our great comfort, He comes in those we love. In our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters, our friends and our children. Because this is so, we may not be content ever to love with only natural love. We must also love everyone with a supernatural, sacramental love. We must love Christ in them with Christ’s love in us. It would be well if those seeking perfection ceased trying so painstakingly to learn how not to love and learnt instead how to love well. Commentary:  On this final day of Advent, Caryll Houselander brings us to the quiet, humble scene of Christ’s birth. She reminds us that His coming was unassuming—soft, hidden in the midst of a noisy, distracted world. God’s approach, she says, is never forceful but always gentle, finding His way into our lives through the people around us. He is in those who need us, those who challenge us, and those who love us. This final Advent reflection calls us to embrace a “sacramental love”—a love that sees Christ in others, even when it is difficult or unexpected, and responds with the tenderness of Christ’s own love. As Catholics, we are reminded that loving well, as Christ loves, is the highest calling and the greatest way to welcome Him into our world. This Christmas Eve, let us commit to a love that is supernatural, one that transforms our relationships into holy encounters with Christ Himself. Personal Reflection: As you prepare your heart for Christmas, take a moment to reflect on someone in your life in whom you may have struggled to see Christ. How can you choose to love them with a “sacramental” love today, opening your heart to God’s gentle presence in them? Let this love be your gift to the Christ child, welcoming Him into your life as He comes again in the quiet of Christmas. Quote taken from – Caryll Houselander The Passion of the Infant Christ, Sheed & Ward, 1949 For more reflections visit: Caryll Houselander  – Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts Image © Trinity Icons / Joseph M. Malham Image used with permission To purchase your own copy, visit Trinity Icons The post Day 24: A Gentle Love Born in Our Hearts – From the writings of Caryll Houselander – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

A Christmas Novena – Day 9 – Life Eternal O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us to live eternal with You! Jesus, your nativity was not without purpose. Your purpose was to bring us to You. We pray that you will bring us to Life Eternal with you this Christmas. Divine Infant, after the wonders of Your birth in Bethlehem, You wished to extend Your infinite mercy to the whole world by calling the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Your crib, which was in this way changed into a royal throne. You graciously received those holy men who were obedient to the Divine call and hastened to Your feet. They recognized and worshipped You as Prince of Peace, the Redeemer of mankind, and the very Son of God. Show us also Your goodness and almighty power. Enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills, and inflame our hearts to know You, to serve You, and to love You in this life, that we may merit to find our joy in You eternally in the life to come. Jesus, most powerful Child, We implore You again to help us with the intentions we hold in the depths of our hearts. Divine Child, great omnipotent God, I implore through Your most Holy Mother’s most powerful intercession, and through the boundless mercy of Your omnipotence as God, for a favorable answer to my prayer during this Novena. Grant us the grace of possessing You eternally with Mary and Joseph and of adoring You with Your holy angels and saints. Amen. The post A Christmas Novena – Day 9 – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart: Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening. Part Four: Welcoming Christ with a Heart Fully Awake DAY 25 – Adoration “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.” Psalm 95.6 RSV Adoration is the stillness of a heart that has recognized the nearness of God. It is not an emotion or a technique. It is the quiet interior posture that rises when the soul realizes: He is here. The more the heart listens, the more it becomes sensitive to the hidden presence of Christ. He comes quietly. He comes in humility. He enters the ordinary and fills it with Himself. Adoration begins when the soul becomes aware of His presence and rests in it with love. To adore is to turn toward Him with the whole heart and let everything else fall back into its proper place. It is the soul lifting its gaze to the One who has already set His gaze upon us. The saints remind us that adoration is always God’s initiative. He approaches first. He reveals Himself. He stirs the heart. Our part is to notice and respond. True adoration is not dramatic. It is the soul kneeling interiorly before the Mystery of Emmanuel — God-with-us — who makes Himself small so that we may draw near without fear. Bethlehem teaches this posture. The God who fills the heavens lies in a manger so nothing will keep us from Him. Adoration prepares the heart for Christmas. It is the inner stillness out of which welcome becomes possible. Journey with the Saints – Servant of God Catherine Doherty “We must learn to adore God, not only during moments of prayer but in all the circumstances of life.” Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Poustinia Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty understood adoration as a continual openness to God in every circumstance. In her spirituality of the poustinia, she taught that the heart’s silent attention to God does not end when formal prayer ends. It continues in daily tasks, interruptions, silence, work, and encounters with others. For Catherine, adoration was a disposition: the soul turned toward God with readiness and love. She believed that if the heart learns to adore in the small moments, it will recognize Christ when He comes in the great ones. Adoration becomes the atmosphere in which the Christian lives, breathes, and moves. Her life reminds us that holiness is not found by escaping the world, but by discovering God at its center — in the hidden places where He waits to be noticed. Reflection for the Listening Heart Today invites you to enter the quiet place within you where God is already present. Adoration begins in that interior space where the heart stops striving, stops explaining, stops filling the silence, and simply becomes aware of Christ’s nearness. Ask yourself: Where is God approaching me quietly today? Where do I sense a gentle invitation to pause, to notice, to receive? Adoration grows when the heart learns to remain with Christ without demanding words or feelings. It is choosing to be present to the One who is present. In this stillness, the soul discovers that love deepens not through effort, but through attention. Let your heart rest beside Him. Let your love become simple. Let the presence of Christ be enough. A Simple Practice for Today Choose one ordinary moment — washing dishes, sitting in the car, stepping outside, pausing between tasks — and turn your heart toward Christ with the quiet prayer: “Lord, I know You are here.” Stay for a few seconds in that awareness. Let adoration arise gently on its own. Prayer Lord Jesus, draw my heart into the stillness where You dwell. Teach me to adore You in simplicity and truth. Open my inner silence so that I may recognize Your nearness, not only in prayer, but in the everyday places where You wait for me. Make my heart a quiet Bethlehem, a place where You are welcomed, loved, and adored. Amen. For more of the episodes of An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor visit here Citations for Day 25 Psalm 95.6 RSV Poustinia (Madonna House Publications) © Discerning Hearts. All rights reserved. The post Day 25 – Adoration – An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcasts appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart… From the Holy Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-45 Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ What word made this passage come alive for you? What did you sense the Lord saying to you? Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you: Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ What did your heart feel as you listened? What did you sense the Lord saying to you? Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word: Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ What did your heart feel as you prayed? What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord? Our Father, who art in heaven,   hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread,  and forgive us our trespasses,  as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil. May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright (c) 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Reprinted by Permission.   The post Wednesday of the 4th Week of Advent – An Advent Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.