Come Away By Yourselves
"Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." These words of Jesus Christ are an invitation to personal and intimate prayer. The meditations offered in this podcast are intended to help the listener enter into his own prayerful relationship with God. By reflecting on scenes from the Gospel, on other passages from Scripture, and on the insights of saints and spiritual writers, we can strengthen our faith in Jesus and our love for God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I have called you my friends." By regular meditation and dialogue with Our Lord in prayer, our life can be transformed into an ever deepening and loving friendship with God.
Episodes
351 episodes
Advent Goals: Conversion, Preparation, Onboarding
Advent is essentially a time of preparation. To prepare for Jesus is to make our souls and lives more welcoming places for him to arrive. This entails conversion, confession, a real change of heart and mind. The changes that J...
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29:43
[Rebroadcast] Advent: A Time of Patience and Hope
Advent is a time of patience and hope. Both of these virtues entail waiting. Waiting for God is sometimes very difficult, especially in trying situations. Our faith in Jesus, who is God with us and faithful to his promises, bo...
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26:17
Christ the King: Power and Patience
Christ's supreme manifestation as King will come when he returns to judge the living and the dead. Until then, we have to remain patient with his will for us. Jesus uses his power to serve others and he hides his power in order to s...
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28:38
(Rebroadcast) Living well, Dying well
Jesus often calls us to vigilance. We know neither the time nor the hour of his second coming and the time of our own death is certain but unknown to us. The best preparation for our judgment is found in discerning and doing the wil...
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26:20
Towards a More Certain Faith
Our Faith should give us great confidence in God. Waiting around for a feeling of confidence, however, rarely ever works. Rather we should treat our Faith more like the robust Truth that it is. Faith is just true, whether we f...
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30:31
All Saints Day: Keys to Holiness
On the Feast of All Saints we reflect on what makes saints holy. God's gift of divine filiation is at the core of sanctity. As children of God, the saints experience a freedom that was and is Christ's own liberty. We pray for ...
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29:11
A “New Name” in Heaven: Our Identity in Christ
The question of our personal identity is crucial to life. Our identity is tied to our closest relationships and our life’s mission. The deepest truth of who we are, however, is something we find in God and receive from Him, not some...
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30:34
The Battle of Prayer: Support for others and ourselves
Moses struggles on a hilltop to keep his hands up in prayer while a battle rages down on the field. The fight's outcome depends on Moses' effort in prayer. Our prayers also make a real difference in the lives of others and of the wo...
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28:46
Lessons from Lepers: Gratitude and Contrition
Jesus heals ten lepers but only one comes back to thank him. An image of sin, their leprosy is cured when they are on the way to see "the priests." Jesus appreciates the gratitude of the Samaritan who returned after being cured and ...
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29:40
Rebroadcast: Living a Life of Faith
The Sermon on the Mount is the core of Jesus's teaching on how to live with faith. At once challenging and comforting, Jesus's vision of faith calls us to a radical dependence on God and detachment from all other goods. At the heart...
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30:10
Accepting and Loving Our Life: the Parable of the Talents
Jesus' parable of the talents is an image of Christian life. God has invested a lot in each one of us. Like the servants who eagerly trade with their talents to make them fruitful, we want to accept all the opportunities and challen...
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30:10
"That all may be saved": On Apostolate and Confidence
St. Paul expresses God's intent that "all men be saved." In his providence, God counts on his apostolic Church to fulfill this divine desire. He is always looking for "laborers" for the vineyard. The parable of the unjust stew...
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28:33
[Rebroadcast] Triumph of the Cross, Triumph of Love
Christ's Triumph on the Cross defeated sin and death. It was a triumph of love over selfishness. This victory needs to be repeated in our own lives, in our own carrying of the Cross. Sin and selfishness have to be defeated in ...
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29:52
[Rebroadcast] The Power of Trust in Jesus
Jesus takes five loaves and two fish from a boy and multiplies them to feed a crowd of thousands. When we trust him, Jesus takes our good will and our meager personal resources and similarly multiplies them to help us and others. Fo...
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32:01
"Loved more than a giver of gifts": How and why to grow in Humility
The readings for this Sunday's Mass relate the fruits of humility. Growth in humility is worth the effort. St. Theresa of Avila offers sound advice on how to advance in this essential Christian virtue.
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30:14
The Power of Prayer and Faith (How to walk on water)
Jesus walks on water in the midst of a storm. Peter joins him in a great act of daring and trust. This Gospel scene contains lessons of prayer, trust, and union with Christ on the cross. Please rate and review wherever ...
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28:56
"To cast fire on the earth": Leading Vibrant Christian Lives
If you enjoy this podcast please leave a rating and review wherever you listen. Questions or comments? comeawaybyyourselves@gmail.com. Christ expresses his burning desire to "cast fire on the earth." This is a call to a...
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30:05
"The Love of Christ Urges Us": Fostering Apostolic Zeal
By leaving the saving news of the Gospel and the saving power of the sacraments to the Church, Jesus put great things into our hands. The apostolic mission of Christians is an extension of Christ's own love for souls. Apostolate, ev...
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28:41
The Blessings Hidden in Suffering
To follow Jesus is to take up our cross each day. Pain, sadness, fear and suffering were all a part of Christ's life and essential to his redemptive love for us. To follow Jesus in love is therefore also to share in his suffering.&n...
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29:28
Having the Mind of Christ
Jesus is the "light of the world" who gives us the "light of life." Christian life is a process of continual identification with Christ. The effort to do this is not just behavioral modification but, perhaps more fundamentally, inte...
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29:22
Handling Anxiety with Jesus
Jesus gives us very clear advice on how to deal with worries and anxieties. His advice is to replace worry with trust. This replacement therapy is something we can practice first of all in our mental prayer.
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28:33
[Rebroadcast] What can God be for You?
The Psalms and other Bible passages are full of encouraging claims about who and what God is for us. The Lord is our rock, our stronghold, our inheritance ... Faith makes these claims come to life. To be all that he want...
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26:45
"A Vehement Lover of Christ": St. Peter's love
On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, we reflect on St. Peter's love for Jesus. Compatible with his weaknesses, Peter is a model of perseverance, closeness to Christ, and the love sorrow of contrition.
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28:27
(Rebroadcast) The Sacred Heart: Relying on God's Goodness
Jesus describes his sacred and merciful heart as meek and humble. More than anger and disappointment at our sins, Jesus feels compassion for us in our waywardness. In the Sacred Heart of Jesus we especially see the goodness of God ...
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30:23