Episodes

  • The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Resurrection and New Life – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff Podcast

    The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Resurrection and New Life – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff Podcast
    Mar 22 2026

    The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Resurrection and New Life – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff Podcast

    In this Fifth Sunday of Lent reflection, Msgr. John Esseff turns to the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus and the promise spoken through the prophet Ezekiel that God will open the graves and restore life to his people. He proclaims that apart from Christ, humanity lives in a state of spiritual death, but through faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life, new life is given even now.

    Msgr. Esseff reflects on Jesus’ question to Martha, “Do you believe this?” as the central call of Lent. Faith is not simply intellectual agreement but a surrender to the life of Christ offered through baptism and the Holy Spirit. The raising of Lazarus reveals not only Christ’s power over death but also the deeper truth that all are invited to share in his life through union with him.

    The reflection concludes with a call to renewal for both the elect preparing for baptism and those already baptized. Lent becomes a time to reject sin, renounce the power of evil, and embrace fully the life of Christ within. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, believers are invited to move from death to life, preparing to celebrate the victory of Christ at Easter.

    Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
    1. Do I truly believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life in my own daily experience?
    2. Where do I see signs of spiritual death or discouragement in my life right now?
    3. How is Christ inviting me to deeper trust and surrender during this Lenten season?
    4. What areas of sin or attachment do I need to renounce more fully?
    5. How can I open my heart more completely to the life of the Holy Spirit within me?
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    29 mins
  • BW33 – Love Returned in God – The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcasts

    BW33 – Love Returned in God – The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcasts
    Mar 22 2026

    The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life: Learning to Listen to God with a Discerning Heart with Kris McGregor Episode 33 – St. Hildegard of Bingen – Scivias: God’s Living Work

    In this episode of The Rule of St. Benedict for Daily Life, Kris McGregor turns to St. Hildegard of Bingen and her great work Scivias. Formed by the Benedictine life of prayer, stability, obedience, and attentive listening, Hildegard speaks from within the wisdom of the Holy Rule. Her visions are not distractions from that life, but expressions of a soul deeply grounded in it.

    Hildegard begins with God, not with the self. She shows us the living God who sustains, orders, and heals all things. Her vision helps recover a truth we easily forget: life is not self-generated or secured by our own strength. It is given by God, held in Him, and restored by His grace. When that order is forgotten, the soul begins to dry out. When it is received again, healing begins.

    This episode also shows how Hildegard’s teaching flows naturally from Benedictine formation. Stability teaches the soul to rest in God’s order. Obedience teaches deep listening. Prayer teaches us to stand before God in truth and receive life as a gift. Hildegard opens that vision more widely, helping us see creation and the human person as alive in God. In Christ, the living Word, all things hold together and are made new. This episode invites listeners to recover wonder, reverence, and a deeper awareness of God’s living presence.

    Citations

    St. Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias: Book Two, Vision One

    “This blazing fire that you see symbolizes the Omnipotent and Living God, Who in His most glorious serenity was never darkened by any iniquity; incomprehensible, because He cannot be divided by any division or known as He is by any part of any of His creatures’ knowledge; inextinguishable, because He is that Fullness that no limit ever touched; wholly living, for there is nothing that is hidden from Him or that He does not know; and wholly Life, for everything that lives takes its life from Him.”

    Colossians 1:17, RSV–CE

    “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

    Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
    1. Do I live as though life depends mostly on my own effort, control, or planning?
    2. Where in my life have I lost a sense of wonder, reverence, or dependence on God?
    3. How have prayer, obedience, and stability been helping to shape the way I see reality?
    4. What in my soul feels dry, tired, or withered and in need of God’s healing life?
    5. How does Christ as the living Word help me understand creation, prayer, and my own life more deeply?
    For other episodes in this series, visit The Rule Of St. Benedict For Daily Life: Learning To Listen To God With A Discerning Heart Pick up a copy of The Rule of St. Benedict here

    Copyright © 2026 Kris McGregor. All rights reserved. No portion of this content may be reproduced, distributed, published, or transmitted in any form, including audio, print, or digital media, without prior written permission from Discerning Hearts®.
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    9 mins
  • A Novena for the Annunciation – Day 7 – Mary, Help of Christians

    A Novena for the Annunciation – Day 7 – Mary, Help of Christians
    Mar 22 2026


    Day 7: Mary, Help of Christians

    Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke I:36-37)

    Let us pray: God, our Father, we come to You with confidence that You will enlighten us with Your grace and love. Today as we worry about the world’s miseries, where love is disappearing among families and neighbors, where we find disunity everywhere, where love and respect for Your Son Jesus Christ are no longer seen, we implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother so that we may find light and power in You. Loving God, we ask You to enlighten the abandoned, the handicapped, and those deprived of true love from a father and a mother. With Your mercy, may they find peace, hope, and unity. We ask You to help us to be like Mary who does not forget her children, always caring, helping and watching over us. We hope to be relieved from our burdens and sufferings. Please help us Your children to experience the love and unity You want in every home. May we also be a model of kindness by showing us the way to establish good relationship with our neighbor, which is an excellent way of promoting unity in oneness of heart. O Eternal Father, we praise and thank You for the graces You bestowed upon us, especially the Blessed Virgin Mother. Trusting in Your love and mercy, we hope to obtain the favor we earnestly ask through her, the grace to love and die in Your love.

    Jesus, for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.

    Mary, dear Mother of my Savior, I greet you and I thank you for having received the message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee” (Luke I:28) and for having answered with your assent, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as humble child. Amen
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    3 mins
  • Day 33: Trusting the One Who Calls Us to Life – Discerning Hearts Podcast

    Day 33: Trusting the One Who Calls Us to Life – Discerning Hearts Podcast
    Mar 22 2026
    A Lenten Spiritual Journey with Discerning Hearts: From Ashes to Glory – Discerning Hearts Podcast Day 33: Trusting the One Who Calls Us to Life Scripture Reading (Jerusalem Bible): John 11: 11:3-7,​17,​20-27,​33-45 Mary and Martha sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’ On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him. Reflection: At the center of today’s Gospel stands a Christological truth: Jesus is not only the miracle-worker—He is the Resurrection and the Life. His very presence is life-giving. The raising of Lazarus is not simply a miracle of compassion—it is a signpost pointing to the Cross and Resurrection, a foreshadowing of what Jesus will accomplish for all who believe. Both faithful and close to Jesus, Martha and Mary cry out in pain: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” This lament does not reflect a lack of faith—it is the grief of love. Jesus does not rebuke them. He meets them in that grief. He weeps with them. We grieve because we love—grief is love realized. As St. Augustine said: “Love is a kind of weight or burden: it pulls us toward what we love.” (Confessions, XIII.9.10) In heaven, our love is made whole in God. What Mary and Martha desire is wholeness. Jesus meets that longing not only with consolation, but with action. He steps into their sorrow and reveals the power of God’s mercy. He does not promise that suffering will disappear—but that it will not have the last word. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: “God allows evil to happen only to bring a greater good therefrom.” (Summa Theologiae, I, q.2, a.3) Jesus’ delay in arriving is not neglect—it is mystery. He allows space for faith, for trust, for the revelation of the Father’s glory. This is a reflection of how God often works in our lives: not on our timeline, but always for our ultimate good. In calling Lazarus forth, Jesus also calls each of us. He invites us to step out of the tombs of fear, sin, and despair. But He does not do this alone. He calls the community to participate: “Unbind him and let him go.” As St. Augustine beautifully wrote: “He who created you without you will not save you without you.” (Sermon 169) Lent is a time for us to reflect on what binds us and where we need new life. It is a time to allow Jesus to speak His word of life into our dead places. It is a time to help one another step out of darkness and into the light of communion. St. Teresa of Calcutta once said: “When you know how much God is in love with you, you can only live your life radiating that love.” And the Desert Father Abba Poemen reminds us: “Do not give your heart to that which does not ...
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    12 mins
  • 5th Sunday of Lent – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

    5th Sunday of Lent – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast
    Mar 22 2026
    5th Sunday of Lent – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast 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. John 11:1-45 There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’ The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you; are you going back again?’ Jesus replied: ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by; but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him.’ He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better.’ The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’, so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.’ Then Thomas – known as the Twin – said to the other disciples, ‘Let us go too, and die with him.’ On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house sympathising with Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him. 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: There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the ...
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    22 mins
  • PoC-33 5th Sunday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation

    PoC-33 5th Sunday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation
    Mar 22 2026
    The Cross of Christ Restores. . .Life

    Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

    Ask—What still binds me?

    Seek—See the restorative power of the cross to see all things made new by the death of Jesus—spend some time allowing your past failings, relationships, and the deaths of loved ones to come forward, and present them to the Lord.

    Knock—Meditate on Acts 9:40–41.

    Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, ‘Tabitha, stand up’. She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive.

    The early Church continued the ministry of Jesus, as does the Church today. In the raising of Tabitha, we see Peter doing what Jesus did. How much do we act on our faith in Christ when we encounter the results of sin in our lives?

    Transform Your Life—Remember life; too often we live in the past. Live for the present moment in Christ.

    Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format.

    You can find the book here:
    https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

    To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
    https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

    Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

    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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    2 mins
  • PoC-34 5th Monday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation

    PoC-34 5th Monday of Lent: The Power of the Cross Lenten Meditation
    Mar 22 2026


    The Cross of Christ Restores. . .Forgiveness

    Steps to Take as You Follow Christ

    Ask—Do I believe in the power of Jesus to forgive?

    Seek—Acknowledge your sinfulness before God. Make a daily examination of conscience. In whom are you placing your trust, in Jesus or yourself? Frequently ask God to help you to sin no more.

    Knock—Meditate on Philippians 3:8–11.

    Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him.

    I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith.

    All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. That is the way I can hope to take my place in the resurrection of the dead.

    What does Paul mean when he speaks of his faith in Christ? Why would he count everything else as a loss and garbage? How can one become more like Christ in his death?

    Transform Your Life—See yourself as no different than the greatest sinner or greatest saint. Potentially, you could be one or the other; the outcome depends more upon the one in whom you place your trust than any personal merit of your own.

    Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format.

    You can find the book here:
    https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

    To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
    https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/

    Check out more at the Discerning Hearts’ Michael Dubruiel page

    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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    3 mins