Episodes

  • The Fifth Day of Christmas – A Prayerful Meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    The Fifth Day of Christmas – A Prayerful Meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 29 2025


    “On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Five Golden Rings …” pointing to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. This is the history of humanity’s fall from grace and God’s response to make those people a light unto the world.

    Prayer: Heavenly Father, guide us through the wilderness of our lives, let us live as light unto the Earth by Your light radiating through us. As we light candles in our homes and trim them with lights, let us be mindful that salvation and reconciliation come through your Son, the living light Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Text gratefully found at
    Via Rosa Rosaries, Devotional Chaplets, Rosary Beads, and Catholic Gifts
    entitled A Christian meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas
    Copyright © 2005-2006

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    1 min
  • DWG10 – Steps in Spiritual Guidance – The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    DWG10 – Steps in Spiritual Guidance – The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 29 2025
    Steps in Spiritual Guidance – “What am I to do?” The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions with Fr. Timothy Gallagher Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues his teaching on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s discernment by explaining the second mode, illustrated through real-life vocational examples. In this mode, God’s will becomes known gradually through a repeated inner attraction experienced during times of spiritual consolation. Gallagher describes how this attraction appears consistently across prayer, daily life, and reflection, eventually leading to moral certainty. For this process to unfold well, a person must cultivate interior freedom, a readiness to accept either outcome, and a steady prayer life that includes Scripture, silence, examen, and reflection on moments of consolation and desolation. Learning discernment of spirits is essential, since recognizing these movements allows one to interpret patterns rather than isolated experiences. Attention then turns to the role of spiritual direction and ongoing formation. Gallagher explains practical ways to find a competent guide, such as diocesan offices, parish priests, retreats, and faith formation settings, while reassuring listeners that asking for guidance is never a burden. He also introduces the third mode of discernment, used when clarity does not arise through direct certainty or sustained attraction. In this approach, discernment occurs during a time of interior calm and involves prayerfully weighing advantages and disadvantages of each option in light of God’s greater glory. Drawing on Ignatius’s own practice, Gallagher describes how peace of heart, detachment, and final confirmation in prayer allow the right choice to emerge with clarity and confidence. Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions: Where in my recent prayer or daily life have I noticed a repeated interior attraction that points toward a particular choice before God?Do I approach discernment with true interior freedom, honestly able to say yes to whatever God may ask of me?How attentive am I to moments of spiritual consolation and desolation, and do I regularly reflect on them through the examen?What spiritual practices help me remain grounded in prayer, silence, and Scripture while seeking clarity about God’s will?Have I taken concrete steps to seek wise spiritual guidance, and am I open to asking for help without fear or hesitation?When clarity does not come quickly, do I allow sufficient time for patterns to emerge rather than rushing a decision?In a time of interior calm, am I willing to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of my options in light of God’s greater glory?Are there attachments or fears that may be clouding my judgment and preventing me from seeing God’s will clearly?How does my discernment invite deeper trust in God’s providence rather than reliance on my own control?After making a decision, do I seek confirmation in prayer that the choice aligns with God’s desire for my life? From The Discernment of God’s Will in Everyday Decisions: “Three Times in which a Sound and Good Choice May Be Made The first time is when God Our Lord so moves and attracts the will that, without doubting or being able to doubt, the devout soul follows what is shown to it, as St. Paul and St. Matthew did in following Christ our Lord. The second time is when sufficient clarity and understanding is received through experience of consolations and desolations, and through experience of discernment of different spirits. The third time is one of tranquility, when one considers first for what purpose man is born, that is, to praise God our Lord and save his soul, and, desiring this, chooses as a means to this end some life or state within the bounds of the Church, so that he may be helped in the service of his Lord and the salvation of his soul. I said a tranquil time, that is, when the soul is not agitated by different spirits, and uses its natural powers freely and tranquilly. If the choice is not made in the first or second time, two ways of making it in this third time are given below.” Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life: The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”. For more information on how to obtain copies of Fr. Gallaghers’s various books and audio which are available for purchase, please visit his website: frtimothygallagher.org For the other episodes in this series check out Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page
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    29 mins
  • Day 4 – Placing My Life Before Christ – An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    Day 4 – Placing My Life Before Christ – An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 29 2025
    An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Four Placing My Life Before Christ Scripture

    “They offered him gifts of gold,
    frankincense, and myrrh.”
    Matthew 2:11

    Reflection

    After the Magi kneel before the child, the Gospel tells us that they open what they have brought and place it before Him. Their response to Christ is not only interior. It becomes an offering.

    Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are not casual gifts. They are costly and intentional. They represent what the Magi considered valuable and worth protecting. These gifts were chosen before the journey began and carried with care until the moment of encounter.

    The Gospel does not describe Jesus speaking or responding. He receives what is placed before Him. The moment is quiet and reverent. Nothing is explained, yet something real is given.

    This scene teaches us that a willing heart naturally moves toward offering. Encounter with Christ leads to placing our lives before Him, not because He demands it, but because grace draws the heart to give what it holds.

    Epiphany invites us to reflect on what we place before Christ. Not what we wish we could offer, but what we actually carry. Our time. Our choices. Our desires. Our willingness to entrust them to Him.

    This day of prayer asks for the grace to place our lives before Christ honestly, trusting that what is given into His hands is received with love.

    Grace Intention

    Today I ask for the grace to place my life before Christ with trust and sincerity.

    Prayer

    O Lord Jesus Christ,
    You received the gifts placed before You
    with silence and love.

    I place before You what I carry this day,
    not holding back what is costly
    or difficult to entrust.

    Send forth Your Holy Spirit upon my heart,
    that I may offer myself freely
    and without fear.

    Receive what I place before You,
    and shape my life according to Your will,
    that all I give may bear fruit
    for the glory of the Father.

    Through the same Christ our Lord.
    Amen.

    © 2026 Discerning Hearts ®. All rights reserved. This reflection may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except for personal prayer and noncommercial use with attribution.
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    3 mins
  • The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart

    The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart
    Dec 29 2025
    The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas – A Christmas 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 2:22-35 When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’ As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’ 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: When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’ As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’ 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: When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’ As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to...
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    12 mins
  • Holy Family Sunday: Honoring Mother and Father – Building a Kingdom of Love /w Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    Holy Family Sunday: Honoring Mother and Father – Building a Kingdom of Love /w Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 28 2025

    Holy Family Sunday – Honoring Mother and Father

    Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the need for healing mother and father wounds, a topic that resonates with many. With his deep spiritual insight and experience, he reflects on the complex dynamics of family life and the crucial roles of understanding and forgiveness.

    Through intricacies of parental relationships and the profound impact of fatherhood, Msgr. Esseff shares personal narratives that illustrate the journey of reconciling with parental figures and the transformative power of forgiveness, and how these familial relationships significantly influence our spiritual and emotional growth.

    Central to the reflection is the healing from mother and father wounds, the emotional scars left by strained or absent parental relationships and how the path to healing these deep-seated wounds. We are encouraged to explore forgiveness, not just as a religious act, but as a vital step towards inner peace and spiritual maturity.

    Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:
      1. Understanding Parental Influence: Reflect on how your relationship with your parents has shaped your faith and personal beliefs. What positive lessons have you learned, and what challenges have you faced?
      2. Healing and Forgiveness: Consider any wounds or unresolved issues you may have with your parents. How can you approach these with a spirit of forgiveness and understanding, as guided by Catholic teachings?
      3. Role of Fathers in Faith: How has the role of your father or father figures impacted your spiritual life? Reflect on the importance of fatherhood in the Catholic faith.
      4. Caring for Aging Parents: Reflect on the commandment to honor your father and mother. How does this apply to caring for aging parents in today’s world, and how can you balance this responsibility with other duties?
      5. Embracing Love and Understanding: How can you better incorporate the virtues of love, patience, and understanding in your family relationships, as modeled by the Holy Family?
      6. Personal Transformation through Forgiveness: Share a personal experience where forgiveness led to healing and transformation in your family or community.
      7. Spiritual Growth through Family Dynamics: In what ways have your family experiences contributed to your spiritual growth? How can you use these experiences to deepen your faith?
      8. Impact of Absent Parents: If applicable, reflect on the impact of an absent parent in your life. How has this shaped your understanding of God as a Father?
      9. Prayer and Family Life: How can prayer strengthen your family relationships? Consider developing a prayer routine that includes praying for and with family members.
      10. Role Modeling and Legacy: What legacy do you wish to leave for your children or future generations in terms of faith and family values?

    Reading 1 SIR 3:2-6, 12-14

    God sets a father in honor over his children;
    a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
    Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
    and preserves himself from them.
    When he prays, he is heard;
    he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
    Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
    and, when he prays, is heard.
    Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
    he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.My son, take care of your father when he is old;
    grieve him not as long as he lives.
    Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
    revile him not all the days of his life;
    kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
    firmly planted against the debt of your sins
    —a house raised in justice to you.

    Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He served as a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta and encountered St. Padre Pio, who became a spiritual father to him. Msgr. Esseff has lived in various parts of the world, working in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by Pope St. John Paul II to spread the Good News, especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff continues his service as a retreat leader and director for bishops, priests, sisters, seminarians, and other religious leaders worldwide.
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    28 mins
  • The Fourth Day of Christmas – A Prayerful Meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    The Fourth Day of Christmas – A Prayerful Meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 28 2025


    “On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Four Calling Birds …”symbolizing the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which proclaim the good news of God’s reconciliation of the world to Himself through Jesus Christ.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, today we give thanks for the good news! We are blessed to have heard it in our lives and are called to share the news with others. Help us share the news with just one today, Lord. Bless those whose lives are dedicated to the proclamation of the news…the ministers, priests, missionaries, teachers, evangelists and saints of the Church. During these holy days, and everyday, help us to foster Your kingdom on Earth! Amen.

    Text gratefully found at
    Via Rosa Rosaries, Devotional Chaplets, Rosary Beads, and Catholic Gifts
    entitled A Christian meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas
    Copyright © 2005-2006

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    1 min
  • Day 3 – A Willing Heart Before Christ – An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    Day 3 – A Willing Heart Before Christ – An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Dec 28 2025
    An Epiphany Novena for the Discerning Heart Day Three A Willing Heart Before Christ Scripture

    “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled,
    and all Jerusalem with him.”
    Matthew 2:3

    Reflection

    As Epiphany continues, the Gospel shows that people respond to Christ in different ways. The Magi hear of His birth and rejoice. Others hear the same news and are unsettled. Some are disturbed. Some remain closed.

    Herod feels threatened. Jerusalem is troubled. The chief priests and scribes know the Scriptures well enough to identify Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah is to be born, yet they do not go there. Knowledge is present, but the heart does not yield.

    The Magi respond differently. They listen. They ask. They consent to the light that has been given to them. Their response is not based on control or certainty, but on willingness. They allow God’s work to continue within them.

    This contrast reveals an important truth about the spiritual life. Familiarity with sacred things does not guarantee openness of heart. Christ does not need to draw closer to us. He is already present. The question is how the heart responds to His presence.

    Epiphany invites us to look honestly at our interior posture. When Christ is revealed and calls us to respond, do our hearts remain guarded, or do we consent to the work He is already doing within us?

    This day of prayer asks for a heart that is willing, attentive, and open to God’s grace at work.

    Grace Intention

    Today I ask for the grace to stand before Christ with a willing and responsive heart.

    Prayer

    O Lord Jesus Christ,
    You are present and at work within me by Your grace.

    Send forth Your Holy Spirit upon my heart,
    that I may freely consent to the work You have begun within me.

    Free me from fear, self-reliance, and resistance,
    and form within me a heart
    that is open, receptive, and obedient.

    May I stand before You
    with humility and trust,
    allowing Your grace to bear fruit in my life,
    according to the will of the Father.

    Through the same Christ our Lord.
    Amen.

    © 2026 Discerning Hearts ®. All rights reserved. This reflection may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except for personal prayer and noncommercial use with attribution.
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    3 mins
  • The Feast of the Holy Family – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart

    The Feast of the Holy Family – A Christmas Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart
    Dec 28 2025
    The Feast of the Holy Family – A Christmas 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. Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt. After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’ 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: After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt. After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’ 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: After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt. After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled: ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’ 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.
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    10 mins