St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

In this meditation, Fr. Marty Miller draws out lessons about becoming contemplatives in the middle of the world by looking at our similarities to the lives of the Apostles. Their active lifestyles highlight three key elements for us to maintain a contemplative spirit amid our everyday duties: 
1) our love for creation can grow to extend to the stark realities of modern life; 
2) our willingness to struggle can get us through the tough spots of the road if we take them as reminders of the importance of the contemplative spirit; 
3) our constant connection with Our Lord, that He himself maintains, can keep us oriented towards Him no matter what. 
 The saintly Apostles were not monks; rather their ministry demanded that they support themselves with work. And, the lives of so many saints show us that contemplation is compatible with facing great challenges.  For us, too, the realities of our lives in the middle of the world should be content for our dialogue with God.  In this way, we can trust that He has placed us in this world, with our life's challenges, for a reason, and the reason is always our sanctification. 
PAUSE & REFLECT: 
Have I become cynical about some aspect of contemporary life? If so, how could I lean more on God, to allow him to heal me? 
How could the lives of the saints, of a particular saint perhaps, help me to put my troubles in perspective and to realize that God is always by my side? 
What is going on in my life right now that could and should be content for my next conversation with God? 
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In this meditation, Fr. Eric Nicolai leads our imaginations from Sacred Scripture to the lakeside of eastern Ontario to the university campus where St. Josemaria famously proclaimed:  "[God] waits for us every day, in the laboratory, in the operating theatre, in the army barracks, in the university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fields, in the home and in all the immense panorama of work. Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it." (Passionately Loving the World, no. 114) 
Although St. Josemaria delivered that homily in 1967, the words ring just as true for us today, at the start of this new academic year.  In this timely meditation, Fr. Eric prompts us to take on our apostolic mission with as much enthusiasm as St. Josemaria. 
He explains: "Let us feel ourselves now to be on a mission this year, to truly be protagonists in bringing the love of God wherever we are. And the university campus, the university buildings, they certainly need the love of God, the joy of being servants of God. The world needs all that love that we put into our studies... The apostolate that we will engage in as we meet people that maybe are distant from God and that maybe haven't had the grace to receive the formation, the knowledge of the faith that we have." 
 
PAUSE & REFLECT:  
What repeated tasks, such as turning on a computer or making my bed, can remind me to say short little prayers to God? 
Do I see my desk as an altar upon which to offer my work to God, in union with the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus? 
What might help me to maintain–or regain–my enthusiasm for my studies and work? 
Am I entrusting myself to the Holy Spirit, so that God can reach others through my friendships this year? 
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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan examines three critical players in our spiritual life: the intellect, will, and heart. He offers a view of our life as a “journey back home,” relating the perilous journey in Homer’s Odyssey as a way of understanding the dangers confronting the Christian life in the modern world.
“What a shame it would be,” he says, “to allow our day, our life, to be shipwrecked by the sirens of YouTube, a Netflix series, or Tik Tok.” Ultimately, Odysseus and his crew made it home because they knew the sirens were a “deadly menace,” and they did everything in their power to overcome them.
If we form our intellect, will, and heart, giving each faculty its proper place, we too will overcome the obstacles that assail us on our journey Home. And we must totally commit to our destination: with all the power of our intellect, the strength of our will, and the passion of our heart.

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In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai leads us in a time of reflection and prayer to check up on our spiritual health. He explains that when we are spiritually healthy, we are grateful and cheerful. But when we are not, even the smallest thing drives us crazy.

All those times when we're kind of irritable, restless, disconcerted, really worried about how things are going to turn out, what people might say, that's a sign we need a checkup and we need to get more spiritually healthy.

Our spiritual health will come, he explains, if we are men and women of prayer; if we are men and women who turn prayer into a real dialogue with God. Prayer puts us in contact with God, with our purpose and meaning, and therefore has the profound effect of giving us hope. There is nothing more essential for us than hope, to live by hope. We can't really live without hope. We can't even pray without hope.

The hope that comes from our prayer is also a reminder that we're never alone-- that's how some of the great saints survived. Prayer doesn't have to be a super perfect, forceful, or calm concentration. Prayer is a correspondence and dialogue with Our Lord.

As St. Josemaria Escriva says, “Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian has. Prayer must make us effective. Prayer must make us happy. Prayer gives us all the strength we need to fulfill God's commands" (The Forge, no. 439).

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In our meditation of the week, Fr. Javier del Castillo reflects on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and how she helps us to rise up to Heaven in our daily lives. For St. Josemaria, the Assumption or the Dormition of Our Lady played a vital role in his life as a young boy in Barbastro, Spain. St. Josemaria’s devotion to Our Lady became so great that he wished to “rise up” to Heaven with Mary by clinging to the tassel of her cloak in an effort to bring a piece of Heaven to Earth.
Fr. Javier invites us to look to Mary who teaches us that the essence of bringing Heaven to Earth lies in our ability to rise above challenges and adversities. By following her example, we can forgive even the unforgivable, serve others selflessly, and rise above our own tiredness and hardships. Mary's life exemplifies humility and the power of faith, showing us how to bring Christ's presence into our daily actions. As we emulate Mary's virtues and focus on the needs of others, we can transform our lives and actions, creating a piece of Heaven on Earth.

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