Podcasts – Paulist Fathers: Recent Episodes
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We are all called to share the Gospel with the world, and Father Dave welcomes Father David Michael Moses, who seeks to evangelize through social media. In addition to his service as a diocesan priest in Texas, Father David Michael has a popular presence online where he shares stories of his priestly life.
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of February is for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and Father Dave welcomes Rhonda Gruenewald to discuss how we can better foster those callings. Rhonda is the president and founder of Vocation Ministry, which works internationally with parishes and schools to establish or revive their own vocation ministries on the local level.
As we strive to be saints in the making, Father Dave welcomes Daryl Grigsby to highlight holy men and women from his new book, “Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering.”
The Vatican released a new document on the relationship between artificial and human intelligence, and Father Dave highlights sections of the 30-page note. "Antiqua et Nova,” is a joint project between the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
A listener named Ashley asks Father Dave, “Can you help me appreciate Ordinary Time? It just feels like downtime until the next important season.”
You may have memorized the words to a favorite song or quote, but have you ever tried memorizing Scripture? Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show Jackie Angel to discuss her new book and accompanying podcast is called “Memorize Scripture: Simple Steps to Pray, Ponder, and Practice God's Word.”
Father Dave answers an anonymous question regarding a prayer often said at Mass. The listener asks, “What is meant by ‘Light from Light’ in the Nicene Creed?”
2025 celebrates a Jubilee year in the Catholic Church, and Father Dave welcomes Scripture teacher and veteran tour guide Joan Watson to discuss. She is pilgrim formation manager for Verso Ministries and author of the new book, “Opening the Holy Door: Hope-Filled Scripture Reflections from St. Peter's Basilica.”
New Year’s Day is often viewed as a fresh start, but 2025 began in sorrow following an attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Brett shares his emotions about the tragedy as a New Orleans resident, and team Busted Halo discusses finding hope in times of despair.
While discussing Father Dave’s duties as First Consultor for the Paulist Fathers, Father Dave, Brett, and Krista talk about handling the more mundane moments of one’s vocation.
Tom Gibbons, C.S.P.“Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey,” a powerful new documentary film co-produced by Paulist Productions, will be in select theaters around the United States on November 8, 2024.
In this episode of Deacons Pod, the deacons speak about the film with Paulist Fr. Tom Gibbons, vice president of Paulist Productions and an executive producer of “Fighting Spirit.”
The film shares the stories of multiple U.S. military chaplains who died while serving.
It is framed by the story of Justin Roberts, a former U.S. Army chaplain, as he attends the long-delayed funeral in 2021 of Servant of God Emil Kapaun.
Fr. Kapaun was a priest and U.S. Army chaplain from Kansas who died in 1953 as prisoner of war in North Korea.
“Fighting Spirit” was co-produced by the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps.
Actor Chris Pratt also is an executive producer on the project.
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In honor of the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Father Dave welcomes Father Michael-Joseph Paris of St. Thérèse, OCD to break down her autobiography, “Story of a Soul.” Father Michael-Joseph is a Discalced Carmelite priest and co-host of the “Catholic Classics” podcast from Ascension Press. His podcast dives into timeless texts from beloved saints, and season 3 featuring “Story of a Soul” is available now.
In honor of the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Father Dave welcomes Father Michael-Joseph Paris of St. Thérèse, OCD to break down her autobiography, “Story of a Soul.” Father Michael-Joseph is a Discalced Carmelite priest and co-host of the “Catholic Classics” podcast from Ascension Press. His podcast dives into timeless texts from beloved saints, and season 3 featuring “Story of a Soul” is available now.
Father Dave welcomes Church historian and friend of the show Mike Aquilina to discuss his latest book, “Rabbles, Riots, and Ruins: Twelve Ancient Cities and How They Were Evangelized.” Mike is Executive Vice President and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio.
A listener named Chris asks Father Dave about forgiveness and death. Chris asks, “How do we ask for forgiveness from those who have passed away?”
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Father Dave welcomes back Deacon Ed Shoener to discuss how the Church can best accompany those with mental health issues. Deacon Ed is the president of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and the co-author of two books with Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, called “When a Loved One Dies by Suicide” and “Responding to Suicide: A Pastoral Handbook for Catholic Leaders.”
A listener Will asks Father Dave about marriage and the diaconate. Will asks, “Why can married men older than 35 become deacons, but deacons cannot become married men?”
Church teaching can sometimes feel overwhelming, but Father Dave welcomes Father Daniel Mahan to help make the Catechism more accessible. Father Daniel is the first director of the USCCB’s Institute on the Catechism and the author of “A Journey through the Catechism: Unveiling the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness of the Catholic Faith.”
A listener named Siobhan asks Father Dave about traveling to religious sites. She asks, “What's the difference between a pilgrimage and just going to visit a holy place or church?”
We all long for deeper connections, and Father Dave welcomes Jason Simon to discuss cultivating friendship and faith in his new book, “Mission-Ready Friendship: A Blueprint for Deeper Relationships and Life-Changing Faith.” Jason is president of The Evangelical Catholic, a lay movement that seeks to build up the body of Christ through authentic relationships.
A listener named Brian asks Father Dave about a specific part of the Eucharistic Prayer. “The words of the consecration say that Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, gave it to his disciples, and it ends with ‘do this in memory of me,’” Brian begins. “My question is, if Jesus said the blessing, and I assume that blessing they referred to was something standard in the Hebrew tradition, why is that blessing not part of the Eucharistic Prayer?”
Some might think faith and science are mutually exclusive, but Father Dave welcomes astrophysicist and Jesuit priest Father Adam Hincks to debunk that mindset. Father Adam is an assistant professor in Science, Christianity, and Cultures at the University of Toronto, as well as an associate scholar with the Vatican Observatory.
Our temporary producer “Maternity Leave Matt” asks Father Dave about an upcoming event for the global Church. “One of my first days on the job here, I saw a headline for the upcoming Jubilee,” Matt says. “My question is, what is the Jubilee?”
As we encounter artificial intelligence in our daily lives, Father Dave welcomes professor and author Dr. Joseph Vukov to discuss his new book, “Staying Human in an Era of Artificial Intelligence.” Dr. Vukov serves as Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Associate Director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago.
A listener named Matt asks a question of faith about the varying tones present in the Gospel. “The parables seem to span from God's Kingdom is awesome and kind; we’ll go out after that lamb that's lost and leave the 99 behind all the way to the other end of the spectrum of, if you don't have enough oil in your lamp, forget it. You're not coming into the house. Just love to hear your thoughts on what could be driving that spectrum.”
Father Dave says that Jesus and the Gospel writers all use different imagery to convey their messages, including the descriptive and symbolic language Matt mentions in the parables.
LISTEN: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry?
“Jesus and the Gospel writers are intentional about that, because it's not all just warm and fuzzy,” Father Dave says. “Gospel means ‘good news.’ It's good news that we can be saved and have eternal life with God, even if we're sinners, but it's not a free ticket. Jesus commands us to love one another, to wash one another's feet. He commands us to pick up our cross and to be other- centered and to pray for our enemies. All of this is part of his message. And so what you're saying is some of the parables and stories run that gamut — some sound warm and fuzzy, but others don't sound warm and fuzzy.”
Father Dave adds that this spectrum of parables, from God seeming vengeful to being an all-loving God, is meant to challenge us and our notion of God. When it comes to God, he is not either or, he is both.
LISTEN: Encountering Jesus in the Gospels With Professor William Mattison
“The issue,” Father Dave says, “is that in our more finite human minds, it's hard for us to believe that it’s all true. We want God either to be mean or to be nice and brotherly, and it doesn't make sense that he can be, or we can be, held to a standard that includes both.”
“The Gospel message includes the idea that no matter how much we’ve sinned, God forgives us and offers us his grace. But the Gospel message also includes standards for living in the kingdom of God. Christ will be our ultimate judge, particularly at the end of our lives and at the end of time,” Father Dave reminds us.
Our temporary producer “Maternity Leave Matt” has a few more days before Krista returns to work, so he’s squeezing in some last questions of faith for Father Dave:
Matt asks a two-part question, “Are there ever times when you don’t feel like being Father Dave, when you don’t want to be recognized as a priest? And has there been a time when you didn’t want to be a priest anymore?”
Father Dave responds to the second part of the question first, “No, in my 24 years of being an ordained priest, and then six years of discerning before that, I've never really had doubts that this is overall the right calling for me.”
LISTEN: Fatherly Advice: Discerning Priesthood
Father Dave shares that in any job or relationship, there are ups and downs, good times and bad, but even in very difficult times, he’s never had doubts.
Father Dave discusses a particularly difficult time back in 2002, when the story broke of sexual abuse in the Church. Father Dave had only been a priest for two years, and had experienced the priesthood generally perceived as a virtuous and positive vocation, but after that, things changed. “That was the first time I was experiencing it not being universally perceived by others as a positive thing, like when people were like, ‘Oh, you're a priest, that means you're a pedophile, that means you're part of this Church that's covering up scandal. Of my entire priesthood and even seminary discernment, that was a time that I was given most pause about, Wow, this isn't what I was anticipating. And is this really what I signed up for? But even at that most difficult moment, there was never a thought of well, let me get my resume together or that sort of thing. So in that broader sense, I have never really not wanted to be father Dave and not wanted to be a priest anymore.”
LISTEN: Father Dave Answers Questions on Priesthood From ‘Maternity Leave Matt’
In response to the first part of Matt’s question, “Is there ever a time when you don’t want to be recognized as a priest? Father Dave says, “I don't think you have to be a priest who's got a radio following to feel this way…I think it's a public enough role in general, even if you're just a small parish priest, that there's still a lot of expectations put on one in this sort of role. So yeah, it’s nice to have a little breather where there's not constantly that expectation, whether that means on vacation or maybe on a priest's day off.”
Even though it’s nice to have an occasional break, Father Dave has never wished to be anonymous.
“It was just a few months ago that for the first time in my life, Matt, somebody actually spit in my face walking down the street. Even in a moment like that, it was not my first reaction to think, Oh, if only I hadn't been wearing the collar, or, Oh, if only I had chosen a different career path, or something like that. And this is only through the Holy Spirit's blessing, no great virtue of my own, that I was able to think that, you know, what has happened to that person in their life that has caused them to do that? As opposed to, hey, I'm really ticked off that you spit in my face. So, I mean in general, no, there isn’t a time when I don't want to be recognized as a priest.”
A listener named Charles emails Father Dave with a question of faith. “This weekend at our vigil Mass, the priest wasn't able to make it to Mass unexpectedly. What should we (the parishioners) have done? We have no deacon in our parish, and I was asked to lead a communion service. Was that proper?”
Father Dave explains that in the Catholic Church there is a protocol called “Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest.” These protocols were developed by the Church because in many places in the world there aren’t enough priests to cover all the churches and all the Catholics on any given Sunday. ‘Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest’ states that a bishop may appoint a person other than a priest to lead this celebration.
LISTEN: Why Are There Multiple Eucharistic Prayers?
“Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest are commonly called a ‘community service,’” Father Dave says. “Typically, what this look like is Mass minus the Eucharistic Prayer, and [the service] could be led by a deacon, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion or another lay person, depending on who the bishop appoints. There could be a choir, readings, communion, and if there is a deacon, even a homily — because a deacon can properly preach a homily.”
In order for Holy Communion to take place, there needs to be enough consecrated Hosts in the tabernacle to distribute to people. Almost every parish has a fairly sufficient amount, and in places where these celebrations are a regular event, they prepare ahead for it.
Father Dave notes that ideally most parishes would have a contingency plan in case the priest could not make Mass unexpectedly, but admits that he knows very few parishes that do.
“So in Charles' case, it's much more likely that there wasn’t a contingency plan. So could somebody read the readings and go to the tabernacle and distribute communion? Yes. There's nothing wrong with that, particularly in an emergency situation. Nobody gets in trouble. It's not against Canon Law. It's not invalid. It's not a sin. It's none of that. The Church is not looking to penalize people for having a desire to receive the Eucharist. Why are we having a three- year Eucharistic Revival? This is the goal. This is what we want. We want people to desire the Eucharist.”
LISTEN: My Priest Cut Off Confession. Am I Still Absolved?
Father Dave points out that this kind of emergency situation that happened at Charles’ vigil Mass highlights the need for more education and awareness for parishioners because, in the future, these types of situations are only going to increase.
“So Charles,” Father Dave says, “I don’t know exactly what you did. It was not wrong to do it even if it was not by the protocol of the ‘Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest.’ Thanks for stepping up.”
Father Dave welcomes back theologian, Catholic speaker and author, and friend of the show Dr. Edward Sri to discuss his new book “What Do You Seek?: Encountering The Heart Of The Gospel.”
Dr. Sri explains how the book emphasizes the good news of the Gospel and is designed to help us think about the mysteries of God’s love for us so that we can deepen our relationship with Christ.
The book breaks down the Gospel into five parts which Dr. Sri calls (The 5 R’s): relationship, rebellion, reconciliation, recreation and response.
LISTEN: Feeling Stuck in Prayer? Dr. Edward Sri Shares Inspiration for Spiritual Dry Spells
“Relationship is really the fundamental building block of being a Catholic,” Father Dave says. “Many Catholics today have this approach to their faith where they think, I know a lot of the facts and I do a lot of the pious practices. “I pray, I read the Bible, I listen to the Busted Halo Show. These are all good things,” Dr. Sri responds. “But sometimes we can look at these things as checking off a bunch of boxes, right? And God doesn't want us to check off boxes, he wants our hearts, he wants us to trust him, he wants a relationship.” He continues, “Think about all that God has created — the universe, earth, millions of people — then he chose to create you. God didn’t have to bring you into existence. God freely chose to bring you, not just humanity, but you personally into existence. Why? Because he wanted to delight in you and to share his love with you and to share his life with you. And that's the marvelous message of the Gospel.”
Father Dave moves onto the second part of the book, rebellion. “We have to be realistic about the fact that we, as humans, turn our backs on God's love a lot.”
Dr. Sri points out that we all realize that there is suffering, alienation, and great hardship in the world and that the secular world tends to project these problems outward, whereas Christians turn inward and acknowledge that we are part of the problem. “This is what the Church calls Original Sin, the idea that that humanity as a whole has sinned, and we each individually have joined in that and that's caused a wound in us. We have to admit, I'm not perfect. I have a lot of weaknesses and sins and that prepares me to experience the good news, the Gospel.”
LISTEN: Encountering Jesus in the Gospels With Professor William Mattison
Father Dave skips ahead to one of his favorite parts of the book, recreation. “God doesn’t just reconcile us,” Father Dave says, “God promises to make all things new.”
Dr. Sri responds: “As Pope Francis beautifully says, ‘God doesn't just pardon us like a judge. He heals us like a physician.’ That means Jesus wants to fill his Spirit in our hearts to change us. There's a beautiful analogy the early Christians use. If you take an iron rod and you put it in fire, it becomes red, it becomes hot and it takes on the characteristics of the fire. The early Christians describe that as what happens with our soul. Our soul is like that cold iron rod, but when it's inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, through the sacraments and prayer, then we begin to change, we begin to take on the properties of God Himself. We begin to love like him, to serve like him, to sacrifice, and to trust. We live in his peace. We are more forgiving. We love like Jesus loves, and that's what we want.”
Matt KappadakunnelAddressing racism in our nation and in our Church is the topic of this installment of Deacons Pod.
The deacons speak with Matt Kappadakunnel, author of the Paulist Press book “The Catholic Church and the Struggle for Racial Justice.”
Matt is a Catholic of South Indian descent and a member of the Syro-Malabar Church.
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Marie Miller is a folk/pop singer-songwriter and multi-faceted artist and speaker who weaves together music, humor, and storytelling to convey God’s love for us. She stopped by the show to talk with Father Dave about her new EP, “The Way of Love.”
Marie began making music as a teenager, and has enjoyed an almost-20-year career of radio, recording, and performing success, including opening up for The Backstreet Boys and the Wallflowers. She’s excited to be releasing her first Catholic album in a long time. “My heart just kept getting closer to Jesus,” Marie explains. “I want to talk about Jesus and who I love and what I love — the Lord, St. Thérèse of Lisieux — so the writing came very natural.”
RELATED: St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Inspiring Us to Share Our Faith Stories
Father Dave asks about the record being inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
“She's the patroness of this album; she’s amazing“ Marie says. “The Way of Love,” which is the title track, is inspired by a quote of hers: ‘How sweet is the way of love.' St. Thérèse talks about how even in our brokenness, and even when we make mistakes, God uses even those mistakes to pave the way of love. So when I was considering creating a Catholic album, I thought I can't do this. Catholic artists and speakers — they're all super holy and perfect. How am I gonna do this? And reading that quote, to me was like, hey, even in your brokenness, God will use it; he will use everything he can on the way of love — and so she became the patroness and inspiration for this record.”
Father Dave and Marie look back at some of the highlights of her career, including sharing a stage with Andrea Boccelli and in front of Pope Francis. “That was so special. I've been blessed to get to do some really cool things, but you know, you hunger for more. So you compare yourself to other artists and think, ‘Wait, why did she get that tour?’ Right? But St. Thérèse of Lisieux, she wasn't trying to be the star. She was trying to make Jesus the star. And I love that and that's why I'm trying to follow in her footsteps.”
LISTEN: Andrea Bocelli on the Faith Influence Behind His Music
Father Dave asks if it is more challenging to have a humble connection with God when you get more accolades and fame. “I wonder. Jesus has not made me very famous,” Marie laughs.
Father Dave points out that although Marie is not “very famous,” there is an intentionality to that — that fame is not necessarily her life’s desire or goal. Marie says that while she occasionally has thoughts about greater success, “God knows who needs to hear my music and there's kind of a freedom in that, because if you give your music to God and you work as hard as you can, he knows where it needs to go. It's not just about me all the time.”
A listener named Sara emails Father Dave a question of faith: “First of all, I have listened since 2006. I love you all. Now you may find this crazy but I have been thinking about becoming Catholic since then! I am concentrating on the Eucharist because I get completely overwhelmed by the rules. Is this a sin? I feel it keeps me from Jesus rather than closer. I am in RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults). I have a wonderful teacher. I probably would have come into the Church this past Easter but ran into an annulment problem. So do you recommend me focusing on the Eucharist?”
Father Dave says that the teaching of the Church recommends that all Catholics focus on the Eucharist. “The Second Vatican Council, building on the teaching of 2000 years that came before that, referred to the Eucharist as the summit and source of our faith.” The summit is the peak of the mountain that we are all climbing towards, Father Dave explains, but it is also the source of our journey to the top of the mountain. “The Eucharist is not only the top of the mountain, it’s also the backpack filled with water and granola bars and what fuels us. It’s the summit and source.”
RELATED: Busted Halo’s Guide to the Eucharistic Revival
Father Dave acknowledges that there are a lot of “rules” to Catholicism that can seem overwhelming but makes the case that the rules are there because of the human condition and original sin. “It's not a defect of Christ himself or the Church. It's just that we're like Adam and Eve, we tend to choose the wrong thing just by design. And so those rules are there to help us keep on the straight and narrow so that we can be focused directly towards the summit and source of our faith — towards the Eucharist.”
Most of the rules, Father Dave adds, are about how we live with one another. “On the subway, you can’t have your boombox blaring. It's not because I don’t want that person to experience the music, it's because all the other people on the subway may not want to listen to the same thing. So that's what almost all rules in any walk of life for humans are about. And I would say that's the case with the Church as well, that most of the things in the Catechism, most of the things in Canon Law are about how we interact with one another.”
RELATED: A Beginner’s Guide to Eucharistic Adoration
Father Dave wonders if it is not necessarily all the rules that are overwhelming Sara from converting to Catholicism but just one or two rules that might be a sticking point for her. He encourages her to focus on the Eucharist, but also to lean on others that have converted that can be good sources of wisdom and information.
“So yes, as someone coming into the Church, focus primarily on the Eucharist. But like many things I think you'll hear in the Catholic Church, It's not either or. It's not either the Eucharist or all the rules. It's you focus on the Eucharist, but we need the rules too. It's what we call ‘both and.’ It's both of those.”
A listener named Julianne writes to Father Dave with a question of faith. “I’m a mom of two very active children who love playing and watching sports. Recently at a basketball game, my 11-year-old son turned to me and asked whether booing was a sin. I thought it was a really insightful question that recognized that the opposing team players (and referees/umpires!) are people, and that this is just a game; the booing or jeering is part of the performance of the sport. Or is it? As much as we may not want a team to succeed, we don’t actually wish ill will on them. This question is more directed toward behavior at a professional sports game versus a youth sports game (where spectators usually cheer for both teams, or at least keep things positive – can’t speak for everyone here, but that’s what we do). Could you help clear this up for us please?”
Father Dave points out that if you were to say derogatory things or jeer or boo at someone you don’t know, that would be uncharitable and therefore sinful. “Jesus gives us the big bullseye and that is, ‘Love everyone. Pray for your enemies. Do good to those that hurt you,” Father Dave says, “but is there a difference between genuinely meaning ill will, and kind of being swept up in the game?”
LISTEN: Ernie Johnson Talks Sports and Faith
Father Dave talks about how he’s been to college and pro sports games and heard fans yell terrible things at the players. What he heard was sinful, but he acknowledges that context makes a difference. “I think it's different how we frame it for an 11-year-old,” Father Dave says. “I think it's an important formative time to be teaching kids about good sportsmanship and morality, and Julianne's doing something right because if her son’s asking the question, he's getting some good moral formation either in the home or at church or wherever.”
Father Dave also suggests fans can be just as passionate cheering positively for their team without ever having to jeer at or boo the other team.
“Maternity Leave Matt,” who is a father of three kids, says that when it comes to his 7-year-old’s soccer and softball teams, kids are encouraged to cheer for their own teams, but some light “ribbing” is OK as long as it is not mean spirited or an attack on any other player.
RELATED: Pray for Us Complainers: Transforming Our Word From Protest to Praise
Father Dave talks about the distinction between hoping the other team loses so your team wins versus attacking another individual. “In the Church, we'd use the Latin term, ad hominem,” Father Dave says. “Ad hominem means towards the person…so I think we can maybe draw the same analogy back here into this arena for Julianne. If the other team scores, and we let out a sound of disappointment, and it's a boo, I would be reluctant to call that a sin, versus somebody yelling out something personal about another player.”
Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, OSBDo our thoughts matter? Can we redirect “afflicted” thoughts like anger and dejection?
What do the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers have to teach us about managing our thoughts?
Those are some of the questions addressed in this episode of Deacons Pod featuring Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, OSB, a Benedictine nun of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN.
Sr. Meg is author of “The Matters Series“ and other books from Liturgical Press. She also is a leader in interreligious dialogue.
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Friend of the show, Jesuit priest, author, and editor-at-large of America Media Father James Martin stopped by Father Dave’s radio studio to discuss his recent meeting with Pope Francis, what it was like being at the Vatican with a number of famous comedians, and more.
On Friday June 14, Pope Francis met with a number of comedians from multiple countries including Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and Jim Gaffigan to name a few. The meeting, according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, was intended to “establish a link” between the Catholic Church and such artists and aimed to "celebrate the beauty of human diversity ... [and] promote a message of peace, love and solidarity."
LISTEN: Catholic Comedian Judy McDonald on Humor in Difficult Times
Father James Martin is a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication and explains to Father Dave how he became involved. “I knew about the comedians thing about two months before they met with the pope,” Father James says. “It was organized very quickly. They wanted to do it before the Synod in October. The Dicastery for Culture and Education put it together, and I helped them out with the U.S. comedians.”
Father Dave asks, “So they are over there in Rome and they think to themselves, who knows comedians over in the states? Boom, Father Jim Martin.” “Pretty Much!,” Father Jim replies.
Father Jim explains that the Dicastery for Culture and Education initially sent him a long list of over 50 comedians and humorists and asked him to narrow it down. “I talked to Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan, who I know, and I said help me pick the people who are really kind of the most respected among your peers because we had to narrow it down, and then the Vatican approved it.”
Father Jim adds that there was no litmus test for the comedians who were picked. They did not have to be Catholic; it didn’t matter if they had said negative things about Pope Francis or the Catholic Church. It was more about the biggest names who are most respected in their field.
RELATED: Misheard During Mass: Parents Shared
Despite the gathering’s quick organization, Father Jim was very happy with how it all worked out. “One of the things that was very moving for me was everyone was really honored and happy to be there. Comedians can be a little cynical sometimes, but they were really happy to be at the Vatican meeting with the Pope and were all quite moved.”
Father Jim also spoke with Father Dave about his one-on-one hour-long meeting with the pope while he was in Rome. “We talked about two things which I can say. We talked about his comments about gay priests, which were very much in the news, and we talked about the U.S. Church.”
Father Jim continues, “We had a very open and honest conversation about his comments about gay priests and one of the things I wanted to share was at the comedians meeting, everybody went up and shook his [Pope Francis’] hand and I went up to him, and I posted a video of this, and I said, thank you very much. And he pulls me back and he says, ‘Thank you for that conversation the other day. I really appreciated it.’ And I thought, now that's really unusual, like, thank you for a conversation that was difficult and challenging. He didn't have to say that. So I just think that's a sign of how open he is. He's learning. He listens.”
Father Dave welcomes author John Stansifer to the show to talk about Father Emil Kapaun, the most decorated chaplain in U.S. military history. John has written over 20 screenplays, specializing in biopics and historical true stories. He spent six years in the Kansas Army National Guard as a mortar gunner and served alongside Vietnam War veterans, whose stories further developed his interest in military history. His latest book is called “No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun.”
“No Bullet Got Me Yet” is a collection of letters written by, to and about Emil Kapaun, a Catholic priest and army chaplain in the Korean War. Archived by the Father Kapaun Guild, the letters comprise the record of Kapaun's heroism in the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea in the summer of 1950, and the sacrificial service he provided fellow POWs after he was captured by Chinese troops in November. He died at POW Camp in 1951 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2013.
RELATED: Spirituality and the Soldier
Father Kapaun, John explains, had been a priest for about a year when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, and joined the Chaplains Corp in the aftermath. He served as an auxiliary chaplain at a military airbase in the United States for two years, and after D-Day, June 6, 1944, decided he wanted to serve overseas alongside American soldiers. He was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater of the war in 1945.
Father Dave asks, “What do you think, having investigated his life, was so compelling for him about serving in the military as a chaplain? Why was he so attracted to that?”
“He felt like he needed to protect his boys in a spiritual way,” John responds. “And he was aware of martyrs and proto-martyrs, and he had been training for the Church since age 7, so it was obvious where his life was going to lead.”
After World War II, Father Kapaun obtained a master’s degree in education at Catholic University before rejoining the military as a chaplain in 1948. He was eventually sent to Korea in 1950. “It was the rise of communism that spurred him on," John says, “He thought the Nazis were nothing. He thought that communism was going to be the bigger threat. Turns out he was correct.”
RELATED: Learning About Grace and Thanksgiving From a Veteran
John goes on to discuss Father Kapaun’s capture, heroics, and time in a Chinese POW camp in the winter of 1951 before his death. “The survivors that knew him,” Father Dave comments, “describe him as a joyful, faithful presence during those dark times.”
“He never stopped.” John says. “He got up before dawn and scrounged for food — never for himself, it was only to share with other people. He constantly offered prayers, helped other POWs with their wounds and sickness. He was tireless with it.”
Father Dave asks John about the title of the book, “No Bullet Got Me Yet.”
“Father Kapaun was a frequent letter writer,” John says, “and in one of his last letters Father Kapaun actually wrote- ‘No bullet got me yet, although machine gunners sprayed us with bullets, but the prayers of our loved ones helped us escape.’ When I heard that phrase, ‘no bullet got me yet,’ I knew that was the title of the book — that represents to me a philosophy that you keep the faith until your enemy kills you, and you keep going until you achieve your goal.”
While Busted Halo Show producer Krista LePard is out on maternity leave, our temporary producer, “Maternity Leave Matt” has some questions of faith for Father Dave:
Matt asks, “When you became a priest, did you stop being Dave Dwyer and become [solely] Father Dave? Do your friends or family call you Father Dave or are you still Dave to some people?”
Father Dave first answers this question from a broader theological perspective. “The Sacrament of Holy Orders is for a deacon, a priest and a bishop; you'd have Holy Orders for all those three. We believe that, like the Sacrament of Baptism, it does make an indelible change. So we would call it an ontological, meaning at the very essence of a human person, an ontological change, which cannot be undone or reversed.”
WATCH: Holy Orders in 2 Minutes
In other words, even if someone leaves the priesthood or if a layperson decides to leave the Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Holy Orders and the Sacrament of Baptism cannot be undone. Father Dave adds, “The sacraments leave an indelible mark on the souls when we talk about Baptism and when we talk about Holy Orders; it’s an ontological change. So in some ways, yes, I ceased being the prior version of me and I'm now a different me.”
Father Dave is still, however, Dave to good friends and family members. “In fact, my sister and my mother were really the only people in my adult life who called me David, because that's leftover from back when we were all much younger.”
Matt’s second question is, “What brought you to be a Paulist – and what’s the difference between Paulists, Jesuits, etc.?”
Father Dave responds, “The jargony word we would use in the Catholic Church is called “charism:” Each of the different orders have a slightly different way, mission, approach, origin story, and all that kind of stuff. In the same way that you might say, ‘What's the difference between all the superheroes?’ They all like fight crime and save the world, but they each get a little different origin story and a different uniform, and, you know, that kind of thing.”
RELATED: What Is a Charism? Understanding Our Holy Traditions
Father Dave gives a few examples of some of the different orders but reminds us that these are broad brush strokes. Franciscans are living out the vow of poverty, Dominicans are the Order of Preachers and tend to be fairly academic and intellectual, and Jesuits usually work in universities and tend to also hold other roles, like professors, physicists, or astronomers, in addition to priesthood.
The Paulist Fathers are missionaries who take a vow of stability, meaning they're going to stay in one place and stay connected and rooted there. Father Dave was drawn to the Paulists because of their reputation of working in media. He’d been working in television and radio and wanted to continue doing that when he became a priest.
Father Dave reiterates, “The charisms are really different ways in which people can serve the Church; different ways in which people can live out their Catholic faith. In the same way that Catholics who have not joined a religious community might prefer parish A over parish B, because parish A has a lot going on with social justice and serving the poor and parish B has a great music ministry and a Latin Mass – there are always going to be different things that are under the big tent of Catholicism that will connect or be more attractive to someone, whether you're talking about just a Catholic in the pews, or someone that's living out there life.”
At the start of a recent homily, Father Dave addresses two things from the Gospel of St. Mark that Catholics and non-Catholics alike often have questions about.
In the Gospel of St. Mark and in a few other places, we hear about Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Father Dave explains that those who translated Gospel texts from the original languages wanted to keep faithful to the language. In the culture of Jesus' time, immediate and extended family were considered almost the same, to the degree that they would actually use the same word for “brothers” and “cousins” – two family members that we would have distinct names for in today’s culture.
RELATED: Learning About Sacrifice, With the Help of St. Mark
The Greek term Adelphos used The by St. Mark in his Gospel is an ambiguous word that could mean either brother or cousin. This passage could actually say that Jesus had blood brothers and sisters, or it could refer to cousins or more distant relatives, common parlance in Near East family descriptions.
“So we're left with a big shrug, right?” Father Dave says. “Which is why many of our Christian brothers and sisters would adhere to the fact that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth, but not necessarily after that, whereas we, from our sacred Tradition, have always believed and always taught that Mary is blessed Mary ever virgin, and that she did not give birth to any more children. So for us, our faith always comes with a balance of Scripture and Tradition. And tradition isn't simply, well, we've always thought that so I guess it must be right. It is, we believe, Holy Spirit- inspired sacred Tradition, in a similar way, that the Scriptures are inspired. So for us, if we take those two together, we know that we must be talking about cousins, and not literal brothers and sisters here.”
The second question Father Dave answers comes from the Gospel of St. Mark when Jesus refers to the ‘Unforgivable Sin.’’ He begins with Jesus’ own words, “All sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness.”
LISTEN: Are Any Sins 'Unforgivable’?
“What does that mean?” Father Dave asks.
Father Dave notes that St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical about the Holy Spirit specifically addresses this concept.
“Scholars and official Church teachings have been unable to really pinpoint exactly what Jesus means by that. St. Pope John Paul II said that it really emanates from God's gift of free will –that God desires that all be saved and offers forgiveness. But he doesn't ever force it down our throats. So in that sense, John Paul II defined this ‘blaspheming the Holy Spirit’ as a complete, utter rejection of God with our own free will. So it's not that God can't, but that God won't force it on us.”
Father Dave goes on, “So is there an unforgivable sin? Is there some secret list somewhere, like the secret menu at a fast food place? No. There's not something that you can utter by mistake or even intentionally that will cast you away from God if you seek God's forgiveness, which is what we're encouraged to do all the time. There's also not one particular thing you or I could ever do, that God wouldn't forgive if we asked.”
Eric Groth, president of ODB Films and executive producer of “Wildcat” stops by the show to talk about the film about the late Catholic author Flannery O’Connor. ODB Films is an award-winning not-for-profit Catholic film company whose mission is to foster an encounter with Christ through artfully made, spiritually rich films. Their newest movie, “Wildcat” was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke and details O’Connor’s struggle to publish her first novel.
Flannery O’Connor was a devout Catholic living in the Jim Crow Era south in the 50s and 60s. When she was 23 years old, she began writing, hoping to leave her home in Georgia and see the world. At age 25, she was diagnosed with Lupus. Over the next 14 years O’Connor wrote “A Prayer Journal,” more than 30 short stories and two novels.
Eric explains why he believes her writing was so important. “She was addressing a very contentious, racist south. As a Catholic, she was really calling out a lot of Protestant brothers and sisters -- she was calling out the church that would be worshiping Jesus on Sunday and wearing the Ku Klux Klan hoods on Monday, and the culture of white supremacy that was masked as Christian ethics.”
“She wrote a lot about grace and her stories were tough, because we want heroes in stories and in her stories, [we wonder] ‘Who's the protagonist? Who's the antagonist?’” Eric continues. “But she showed how God delivers grace, however God wants to deliver grace, and we as humans often resist grace because it can be painful.”
Father Dave and Eric discuss the origins of this movie and how it began 10 years ago with Ethan’s daughter, Maya Hawke. “This really started with her,” Eric says. “She was 15 and going to Catholic school in New York and she read Flannery’s “A Prayer Journal” and fell in love with this woman.” Maya would later go on to ask her dad to write and direct a movie about O’Connor that she could star in. Eric and ODB films were eventually approached for financing and a producing partnership. Eric tells Father Dave what attracted him to the film: “I love my Catholic Faith. I Love our stories and telling great stories and she [O’Connor] was a bit of a mystery.”
“This film was super special for a lot of reasons,” Eric says. “Flannery was a devout Catholic, so we could bring the beauty of the Catholic faith naturally and organically in telling the story without ever having to force it in any way.”
Father Dave welcomes Clare McCallan, founder and creative director of St. Joseph’s Home for Artisans, TV and podcast host, and spoken word poet, to the show to discuss her new book, “Courage to Create: Unleashing Your Artistic Gifts for Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.”
In her book, Clare and her artist friends ask the question, “How do you own your identity as an artist for Christ?” Through a series of stories and lessons, they share their wisdom for overcoming obstacles in the creative life to help artists fulfill their callings and serve the Lord.
Clare begins her discussion with Father Dave by highlighting the final three words in the title of her book: “Truth, Beauty and Goodness.” Clare defines each term by posing a reflection question. “Truth – is something in accordance with reality? Beauty -- does it point to the divine and eternal? And goodness - "does something accomplish its purpose?” She goes on to say, “Art as just mere self expression is really the lowest kind, but art that meets those metrics of truth, beauty and goodness, are really the only thing worth accepting in and outside of religious spaces.”
RELATED: How Artwork Opens Me Up to God’s Handiwork
Father Dave invites Clare to share a little bit of her own journey as an artist and asks what ultimately led her to writing this book. She explains that she went to school at Franciscan University and ended up in Calcutta with the Missionaries of Charity. While in India, she became very sick. While she was bedridden, she discovered spoken word poetry and decided that when she returned to the United States, she would move to New York City and give it a shot. “And so I moved to New York,” she says, “I got on the scene, and you’ll find in the book a lot of my stories of starting out as a fledgling artist with no guidance, no roadmap, which is really what this book is intended to be - the roadmap that I needed at 22.”
Father Dave says, “Maybe some of our listeners are thinking, ‘Sounds like a book for artists - I know some artistic people, but that’s not me.” Clare responds, “You're a craftsman made in the image of the creator, and so if you are created in the image of God, you have those creative qualities and talents, and so it's up to you to find it. You don’t need to be fantastic at painting or writing. It's much larger than that.”
Father Dave points out that often in society, artists are not looked upon the same way as a doctor or lawyer, and we often get messages that suggest having a backup career or only pursuing art as a hobby. “How do you address those that have felt discouraged from using their gifts?” Father Dave asks.
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Clare responds, “I think that that's going to be a paradigm shift that we're going to see, especially as Catholics start to mourn a culture that maybe used to serve us in our beliefs, but doesn't anymore. And we can see that we really need to be making active changes in the culture. And those shifts in culture that we want to see are going to come from arts, and so it's very important that we're basically missionaries to truth, beauty and goodness.”
Father Dave asks if every Catholic who is an artist needs to produce exclusively Catholic or ‘Gospel-ly’ looking or sounding art. “No,” Clare says, “I would actually say that in the current climate, it's probably more powerful and effective to create allegories and to dabble in storytelling. What I tell everybody is if you are regularly receiving the sacraments, it will be infused in your work.”
Do you remember the last conversation you had that challenged your way of thinking or inspired you to act? A conversation that changed your mind, your heart, or maybe even your life? To help us have more meaningful conversations more often, Father Dave welcomes Dr. Christopher Reed to the show. Dr. Reed has a Ph.D.. in human communication and believes that dialogues that transform hearts and strengthen relationships are sacred and he shares a blueprint for having more meaningful interactions in his new book, “Sacred Conversations: How God Wants Us To Communicate.”
Dr. Reed begins by explaining his “Sacred Conversations Model to Father Dave:” The model itself is laid out like an Ikea set of instructions, do step 1 before you do step 2 and the components are invitation, we can open ourselves to those invitations, we can open ourselves to the spirit, invite people into them. Intention, what is the aim of the conversation. Inquiry, very powerful, Jesus was a master of inquiry. Illumination and integration. And at the center, the sixth component is love. It all starts with love and compassion for the other person, the face of Christ that we see in them right in front of us. If we start with love, we can't go wrong.”
RELATED: 7 Steps for Navigating Crucial Conversations
Dr. Reed explains that part of the reason he wrote the book is because there are many secular books on having tough conversations, but there haven’t been any simple, accessible, well-researched books on Catholic dialogue and how Christians should engage in dialogue with one another. He says, “Sacred Conversations” is a “blending of science and Scripture” that can be used for all of life’s moments.
Father Dave points out that the book is also drawing on the Word of God, sacred traditions and Jesus’ model of living.
Father Dave and Dr. Reed go on to discuss the chapter called “Rules of the Road” which highlights some of the rules of sacred conversations, like having compassion and not forcing a conversation. Father Dave asks about the rule, “follow through on your good intentions.”
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“Commit to the process,” Dr. Reed responds. “See it through. A sacred conversation is a ‘helping’ conversation; it’s a build-your-brother or- sister-up conversation…and so all other intentions beyond that should be questioned and reflected upon, and then once we commit to that ‘helping’ or ‘seeking’ conversation, follow the process through, see what emerges, ask for guidance (which is another rule). Then, when we get to that moment of grace, follow it through - what do you want to do with that? What small steps could you take toward a better outcome, a better version of yourself, a better relationship?
Father Dave wraps up by wondering what happens if the other person in the conversation doesn't want to give anything, “Doesn’t it take two to tango?” he asks.
“This is a conversational dance. It's like improvisational jazz,” Dr. Reed explains. “But we have to learn how to play our scales before we can truly gracefully improvise together. You know, we have to learn the basic steps of a dance before we can, chacha and Samba and move fluently together.”
On Intinction: What Are the Rules Around Dipping the Consecrated Host into the Precious Blood?
A listener named Alan asks Father Dave if he did something wrong at Mass the other day when he ‘dunked’ the host into the wine. He says, “I don't know why I can't do it. . . I thought when I was getting communion in the 70s and 80s they had these things (Intinction Sets consisting of a plate or bowl with a matching cup) made just for that, so I'm calling you to ask, what's the proper protocol? Are there rules against it?”
Father Dave responds by saying there was a time in the past, as recently as 2010, when the act of dipping the host into the consecrated wine was an accepted practice. “The term that we use with respect to the Eucharist is called intinction,” Father Dave explains, “which is just a fancy word that means you take the host and dip it in the consecrated wine.”
Father Dave explains that intinction was broadly used from the time after the Second Vatican Council until recently, when changes were made, but is no longer allowed to be done by the communicant (the person receiving communion). He clarifies that priests, however, are allowed to intinct the host.
Alan explains that he was scolded by the Eucharistic minister at Mass for doing this and told he can’t do it because his hands are dirty and they shouldn’t touch the precious blood.
Father Dave explains that the Eucharistic minister was correct in telling him he is not allowed to dip the host into the wine, but was wrong in his reasoning. “The danger that the Church would like to avoid is that if you intinct the host into the chalice with the precious blood, there's still a fair likelihood that a drop of the precious blood would hit the floor. That's what we don't want. That's why that's not allowed.”
One other reason Intinction is not allowed, Father Dave continues, “is because many parishes these days are more concerned about somebody just not consuming the host right there after you've received it from the communion minister – because of the possibility of somebody taking it back to their pew or taking it home for sacrilege or whatever . . . I've even seen parishes where next to the communion minister is an usher, making sure somebody consumes right away.”
It’s confirmation season, and perhaps you or someone you know are struggling with coming up with a confirmation saint name! So, we asked friend of the show, Catholic speaker and author Meg Hunter- Kilmer to help us out. Meg was an itinerant missionary for 12 years, currently works in campus ministry at the University of Notre Dame and has written several books about saints, including, “Saints Around the World,” and “Pray For Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness.”
Meg begins by explaining what she does when helping kids pick a confirmation name, “I say, okay, tell me what kind of saint you're looking for. What are some of your passions? What are some of your hobbies? Do you have an idea of what kind of career you feel like the Lord might be calling you to? What are your family difficulties, your mental illness you struggle with, or chronic illness that you struggle with or disability? Anything that you're like, you know, what, here's a significant thing about me. And some kids come with a list of things that matter to them, and I can say, well, here's the saint who checks a couple of those boxes.”
WATCH: Sacraments 101: Why We’re Confirmed
Meg recommends doing some research on saints to see if there is a saint that really sticks out to you or has some attributes that you identify with. Meg goes on to say, “But if you've got a saint you just love and there's no good reason, that's a pretty good reason to pick them for your confirmation.”
Father Dave shares his experience of choosing a confirmation name when he was 13 years old., “Meg, I have to tell you, that when I was 13, and had to pick my confirmation name, I did not have the resources at my disposal . . .so here was my whole discernment: At the time, I wanted to be a doctor and I heard that Thomas Aquinas was a Doctor of the Church, so I picked Thomas Aquinas.”
RELATED: A Year in the Word: Journaling With the Bible With Meg Hunter-Kilmer
The Busted Halo’s Show’s producer, Krista, and co-host, Brett go on to share their silly reasons for picking their confirmation saint names. Krista picked St. Angela Merici because she liked the way it sounded in her name. Brett chimes in, “Mine is even dumber and I wish I had the opportunity to go back and change it. . . at the time, people kept asking me what Brett was short for and I would tell them that it was short for Bartholomew, so I just chose St. Bartholomew.”
Meg responds by saying, “Here’s the beautiful thing, you can pick a confirmation name for a real dumb reason and you're still going to end up with someone awesome.”
A listener named Mark asks Father Dave, “How do you keep your faith when a parent’s health gets worse and looks to be permanent?”
Learning lasts beyond our days in school, and Father Dave welcomes Angela Santomero, creator of seven award-winning children’s educational shows, including “Blue’s Clues” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” They discuss her new book for adults is called “Life Clues: Unlocking the Lessons to an Exceptional Life.”
A listener named Darby asks Father Dave if those with mental or intellectual disabilities are permitted to receive the Eucharist. She says, “I was told it's up to the priest to make that decision…I have also been told that [those with low cognitive ability could be denied] because of their non-understanding of the concept and importance.”
A listener named Jim asks Father Dave about the Last Supper and the Eucharistic Prayer. Jim says, “In the Eucharistic prayer it says, ‘He took bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples.’ Why doesn’t it say apostles? I always envisioned the last supper the way Leonardo da Vinci painted it. Were there more disciples there than the apostles?”
As the world loudly clamors for our attention, Father Dave welcomes Father Boniface Hicks, OSB to discuss the role of silence in our faith. Father Boniface’s new book is called, “The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy.”
Editorial note: The following podcast contains a discussion of pregnancy/infant loss.
We cling to our faith in times of joy and sorrow, and Father Dave welcomes Dr. Abigail Jorgenson to discuss her new book “A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate Answers to Difficult Questions.” Abigail is an assistant professor of sociology and healthcare ethics at Saint Louis University, as well as a certified doula and childbirth educator.
A listener named Christina asks Father Dave about a difficult situation regarding a blessed item. She asks, “What do you do with an engagement ring that's been blessed when the engagement ends?” Christina continues that her former fiance ended their relationship and will no longer speak to her. She says, “We had a priest bless us and the ring when we got engaged, which was such a beautiful moment. I'd prefer to return the ring to him, but am struggling to figure out the best way to proceed.”
There are many inspiring vocation stories, and Father Dave welcomes Sister Julia Walsh to discuss her unlikely path to becoming a nun as detailed in her new book, “For Love of the Broken Body: A Spiritual Memoir.” She is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and hosts the “Messy Jesus Business” podcast and blog.
A listener named Laurie asks Father Dave a question of faith about baptism. She asks, “Can an individual who is a faithfully practicing Catholic be a godparent if they have recently become divorced due to their spouse cheating on them? This individual has not been in any other relationships and currently remains single since the divorce.” Laurie notes that this person is currently going through the annulment process.
Easter is more than just one day, and Father Dave welcomes back Catholic speaker Mari Pablo to share how she is celebrating all 50 days of Easter.
Many students and teachers are on spring break this time of year, and Father Dave welcomes middle school teacher and author Amy Cattapan to discuss her new book, “A Saint Squad for Teachers: 45 Heavenly Friends to Carry You through the School Year.”
The latest English translation of the Roman Missal was introduced in 2011, and one listener asks Father Dave about one particular change to the prayers at Mass. Derek takes issue with the latest translation and says, “What I dislike the most is the change of the words during the Consecration. In the old version, Jesus tells us ‘this is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.’ The new translation says that Jesus' blood was shed for many. Since ‘many’ is not ‘all,’ and I was always taught that Jesus suffered and died for all of us, who is being excluded?”
Father Dave welcomes back Catholic composer and singer-songwriter Francesca LaRosa to help prepare our hearts for Holy Week with a live music performance.
Lent is a fitting time to reflect on life’s struggles, and Father Dave welcomes Dr. Mark Giszczak to discuss his new book “Suffering: What Every Catholic Should Know.” Dr. Giszczak is a professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology.
A listener asks Father Dave a Mass Class question about the gospel. David asks, “I know it’s probably a sign of reverence, but what started the procession of the gospel book? It's usually on the altar, and they usually process it around the front of th...
Brett recently found his childhood religious education assignments and recalls how he thought the Our Father began, “Our Father, go-kart in heaven” while growing up. Father Dave invites listeners to share the prayers or religious phrases that their kids have misheard.
Friend of the show and Jesuit priest Father James Martin stops by Father Dave’s radio studio to discuss his new book, “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle,” which explores the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, as told in J...
Welcome to the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY.
Students and teachers are heading back to school, and Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show and experienced catechist Joe Paprocki to give his top 10 formation tips for religious educators. Joe has served as National Consultant for Faith Formati...
A listener named Darby asks Father Dave about a recent issue she experienced during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She shares, “I went to Confession the first time in a couple of years this past weekend. I had a lot of sins to confess. As I was stati...
Looking for ideas to deepen your faith? Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, joins Father Dave to discuss new resources on Marian consecration and prayer. A Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Father Boniface recently released his book, “The Fruit of H...
As we grow in our faith, it’s important to also consider those with different needs in their spiritual lives. Father Dave receives a question from Ignatz who says, “Being autistic, some of my perceptions of spirituality and religion are limited. I find...
Days after performing multiple shows at World Youth Day in Portugal, friend of the show and Catholic speaker and musician Joe Melendrez shares his experience from this inspirational event.
World Youth Day, recently held in Portugal, showcases how the Church is alive with young adults celebrating their faith, but what about those who have fallen away? Father Dave welcomes friends and co-authors Patti Maguire Armstrong and Roxane Beauclair...
Praying for others is an important part of our faith life, but one listener asks Father Dave what to do when the list of intentions feels too long. Elisa says, “Every day, I pray different intentions for people with cancer or people who have died. My i...
Father Dave welcomes New York University Professor and contributing writer for the New York Times, Rachel Swarns, to discuss her book, “The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.”
Father Dave and Brett joined Lino Rulli and Tyler Veghte of “The Catholic Guy Show” on SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel for the “We’re on a Boat Pilgrimage,” a cruise on the Danube River. They traveled with 150 listeners to famous Catholic Churches and citi...
Many celebrate milestone birthdays in a special way, and Father Dave welcomes Catholic speaker Mari Pablo to talk about how she’s commemorating age 33 as her “Jesus year.”
Addiction and substance abuse affects a staggering number of people in the United States, and Father Dave welcomes Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST Initiative, to offer resources from a Catholic perspective. The program foc...
After numerous Marian apparitions in 1858 and a rich history of miracles, millions travel to Lourdes, France every year in search of healing. Father Dave interviews Director Thaddeus O’Sullivan about his new movie in theaters, “The Miracle Club,” which...
A listener asks Father Dave for advice about sharing details of his experience during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Dave shares, “Lately, when I go to Confession, [my wife] demands to know what I confessed. I said, ‘I don't think it works that way,’...
Team Busted Halo welcomes back musician and friend of the show, Mike Mangione. In addition to his music career, he is also the Director of Events at the Theology of the Body Institute. Mike has toured the world both as a solo folk artist and with his b...
June is the month of the Sacred Heart, and Father Dave welcomes back Executive Director of the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, speaker and author Emily Jaminet. Her latest book is called, “Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart: Ten Ways to Build Stronge...
While Brett Siddell was on his honeymoon, best friend of the show Rabbi Brad Hirschfield joined Father Dave as guest co-host for a special episode! Inspired by recent political events, they discuss Rabbi Brad’s recent essay for Forward entitled, “The D...
As many couples tie the knot this summer, Father Dave, guest co-host Kathryn Whitaker, and speaker and author Rachel Bulman examine a Catholic wife’s vocation. Her new book exploring this topic is called, “Becoming Wife: Saying Yes to More Than the Dre...
Team Busted Halo loves food and faith, and Father Dave welcomes back author Michael Foley to connect these topics in his book, “Dining with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Righteous Feast,” co-written with Father Leo Patalinghug.
Developments in artificial intelligence have made headlines in recent months, specifically the evolution of a language processing tool called ChatGPT. It is a chatbot that responds conversationally to your instructions, and generates answers to complex questions in a matter of seconds. Team Busted Halo put it to the test: Can ChatGPT write a better homily than Father Dave?
As Mental Health Awareness Month concludes, Father Dave welcomes back Catholic speaker and author Dr. Ian Murphy to discuss his new book, “The Road to Self-Awareness: A Therapy Book for Christians.”
People of faith are called to take a day of rest, and filmmaker and founder of Journey Films Martin Doblmeier analyzes this concept in his new documentary “Sabbath.” He joins Father Dave to discuss the Sabbath’s role in our modern world.
Spring often coincides with large life changes, from graduations to a surge of weddings. Father Dave welcomes back speaker and author Emily Wilson Hussem to offer guidance for young women through her courses “Navigating College” and “Navigating Engagement.”
Many celebrate the Sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation during spring, and one listener named Titus asks Father Dave about the order of the Sacraments of Initiation.
Guest co-host of the Busted Halo Show Kathryn Whitaker shares her reflections on her time spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and different seasons of motherhood. Kathryn now hosts a podcast called NICU Babies Parent Support from the national nonprofit organization, Hand to Hold.
Father Dave welcomes back actor, writer, producer, and director Emilio Estevez to discuss the re-release of his 2011 film “The Way.” He directs and stars in the movie along with his father Martin Sheen, and it is returning to theaters with additional content for one night only on May 16.
After the Vatican’s announcement regarding the Synod on Synodality’s voting process, Father Dave explains the history of these gatherings and their future impact. Contrary to previous custom, laypeople, including women, will participate as voting members of the general assembly that begins this October.
Whether you’re a parent or not, you probably know that kids ask a lot of questions. To aid in answering their questions of faith, Father Dave welcomes author, speaker, and catechist Julianne Stanz to discuss her new book, “The Catholic Parents' Survival Guide: Straight Answers to Your Kids' Toughest Questions.”
A listener emails Father Dave about receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation while managing social anxiety.
While the Eucharist and Precious Blood of Christ are to be handled with reverence, sometimes mistakes happen. A listener named Mary asks Father Dave for advice after her 9-year-old son accidentally spilled the Precious Blood on his shirt while receiving communion.
Easter is more than one day on our liturgical calendar, and itinerant missionary, speaker and author Meg Hunter-Kilmer joins the show to reflect on living out the season’s joy despite challenging times.
Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show Father Maurice Nutt to discuss his new book, “Down Deep in my Soul: An African American Catholic Theology of Preaching.”
As we continue our National Eucharistic Revival, Father Dave welcomes Sister Alicia Torres, F.E., who serves on the Revival’s executive team. She is also the managing editor of their weekly e-newsletter “Heart of the Revival,” which includes a new series for the Easter season called “Beautiful Light: A Paschal Mystagogy.”
Father Dave and Brett joined Lino Rulli and Tyler Veghte of “The Catholic Guy Show” on SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel for a Lenten pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They led 125 pilgrims to many important sites in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, including Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and more.
During his workshop at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Father Dave answered questions of faith from those in attendance regarding the Mass. Many of those questions centered on our beliefs surrounding the Eucharist, and Cindy asks, “How do we simplify the explanation of transubstantiation for the benefit of children?”
As spring begins, many children prepare to receive two sacraments for the first time: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Speaker and singer Jackie Angel joins the show to discuss her and her husband Bobby’s involvement in two new programs from Ascension Press, “Renewed: Your Journey to First Reconciliation” and “Received: Your Journey to First Communion.”
Father Dave welcomes Loyola University Chicago’s Men’s basketball team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, just in time for March Madness! The 103-year-old nun first gained national attention in 2018 during the Ramblers' unexpected journey to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. She shares stories and lessons from her life in her new memoir, “Wake Up With Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.”
Many Catholics return to church during Lent, and Paul Jarzembowski joins the show to help us better welcome others this season. Paul serves as Associate Director for the Laity at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is the author of“Hope From the Ashes: Insights and Resources for Welcoming Lenten Visitors.”
As we continue through Lent, Father Dave welcomes Gary Zimak to help us give up one more thing: worry. Gary is a speaker, retreat leader, and author with a focus on anxiety, and his book is called, “Give Up Worry For Lent: 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ.”
While broadcasting from the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Father Dave welcomes Father Casey Cole to discuss his workshop and book called “The Way of Beatitude: Living Radical Hope in a World of Division and Despair.”
While broadcasting from the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Father Dave received a question from the audience regarding a family wedding disagreement.
While broadcasting from the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Father Dave welcomes Grammy-nominated composer and performer Sarah Hart to discuss her workshop, “Spiritual Not Religious: Parenting and Mentoring in a New Era of Faith.”
While Father Dave loves answering questions of faith from listeners, he also enjoys fielding questions from members of Team Busted Halo. In this case, Krista’s husband Clay has a question of faith regarding how one refers to a priest.
It's time to walk away from perfectionism.
From the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice. Troy NY.
Lent is just around the corner, and Father Dave welcomes back Father John Burns to the show to discuss his new book, “Return: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation.”
Most new parents prepare to lose sleep and free time with the arrival of young children, but many are surprised when their faith life also changes. Father Dave welcomes Debbie Cowden, Senior Digital-Media Specialist for EWTN Global Catholic Network, to talk about her new book co-written with her husband called, “The Prayer Book for Tired Parents: Practical Ways to Grow in Love of God and Get Your Family to Heaven.”
It’s common to feel the winter blues this time of year, and friend of the show and catechist Joe Paprocki looks to help with his book “8 Steps to Energize Your Faith.”
As The Busted Halo Show continues to examine polarization in our world, Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show Carlos Whittaker to discuss his new book, “How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us.”
The Associated Press recently published a wide-ranging interview Pope Francis, where he spoke about homosexuality, his health and critics, the sexual abuse crisis, the German Church reform process, and more. Father Dave takes a closer look at some of Pope Francis’ comments.
We all inevitably face suffering in our lives, and spiritual director Barbara Lee discusses faith during hardships in her book, “Praying Through Pain: A Scripture Based Journey.”
Many people have questions about heaven, but a listener brings a concern to Father Dave regarding eternal life. John asks, “I have an acquaintance who's scared of eternity. This person believes heaven will be boring, day after day after day…How can I explain heaven and eternity so that this person will look forward to it?”
As we begin a new year, the Busted Halo Show welcomes back author and philosophy professor James K.A. Smith to discuss his new book, “How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now.”
As we remember the life and legacy Pope Benedict XVI, Father Dave and Lino Rulli from SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel travel to Rome for Thursday’s funeral Mass.
We all know the traditions surrounding Christmas, but how can we celebrate other solemnities throughout the year? The show welcomes Alexis Kutarna who co-authored a new book, “Solemnities: Celebrating a Tapestry of Divine Beauty.”
People often have difficulty interpreting the Bible, and Fr. Dave welcomes back Dr. Jim Papandrea to give insights from his new book, “Reading Scripture Like the Early Church: Seven Insights From the Church Fathers to Help You Understand the Bible.”
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Father Dave discusses the amazing events surrounding today’s feast day, and the image imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma. The saint sees Mary as his mother, and Father Dave explains how we are called to recognize her in that same way today. Preached at St. Paul the Apostle Church, New York City on 12-12-22
3rd Sunday of Advent. Father Dave discusses his recent experience at a college football game where the fans rushed the field after a surprising win. Today’s readings on Gaudete Sunday explain how joy can still be present, even while happiness is fleeting. Preached at St. Paul the Apostle Church, New York City on 12-11-22
Feast of St. Andrew. Father Dave reflects on today’s readings where Simon Peter and Andrew left their old lives and immediately followed Jesus. We’re challenged to be a little crazy like the apostles and bring the good news to others. Preached at St. Paul the Apostle Church, New York City on 11-30-22
Feast of Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. While on Pilgrimage in Italy, Father Dave discusses this feast day dedicated to a church. Beautiful churches are monuments to God’s grace, but he explains that we are also God’s dwelling place. Preached at Santa Maria in Trastevere, Italy on 11-09-22
As Brett continues to study for his Masters degree in Social Work, he and Father Dave discuss his experience with hands-on training through internships. Brett is completing different levels of supervised hours for this career path, and wonders what experiences are similar for seminarians as they study to become a priest.
Polarization is a growing issue in our Church and world, and friend of the show Dr. Charles Camosy offers ways to heal divisions in his new book, “One Church: How to Rekindle Trust, Negotiate Difference, and Reclaim Catholic Unity.”
As we prepare our hearts for Christ’s birth, Father Dave welcomes Raymond Arroyo back to the show to discuss his new Christmas book for families, “The Wise Men Who Found Christmas.”
St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, and Team Busted Halo celebrated her feast day last week with a live performance from Catholic composer and singer-songwriter Francesca LaRosa.
As we prepare our hearts for Advent, Team Busted Halo welcomes back Sister Miriam James Heidland to the show to discuss her new journal, “Behold: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation.” Sister Miriam belongs to the Society of Our Lady of th...
Even when we know how God is calling us, there is often anxiety in the early days of any vocation. After Krista shares her fears as a new mother, Brett expresses similar nervousness as he pursues a Masters degree in Social Work. Krista then asks Father...
The Catholic Church continues to evolve in the United States, and Sebastian Gomes of America Magazine traveled across the country to assess the state of the Church. His findings are chronicled in a new documentary called, “People of God: How Catholic P...
Many in our communities and families face the devastating impacts of addiction. Scott Weeman, the founder and executive director of Catholic in Recovery, joins the show to discuss a new resource called “The Catholic In Recovery Workbook: A Guide to the...
As we remember those who have died this week through All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Leonard DeLorenzo joins the show to discuss his new book, “Our Faithful Departed: Where They Are and Why It Matters.”
A listener named Stephanie emails the show to ask about a common part of a priest’s wardrobe. She asks, “When do priests have to wear the collar outside of celebrating Mass? Is it only when representing themselves as part of the Church? Do they have to...
While Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida nearly a month ago, the storm’s effects are far from over. Katie Oldaker of Catholic Charities USA joins the show to discuss the recovery process and how long it often takes.
A new Netflix series about Jeffrey Dahmer has garnered attention from viewers as well as criticism from victims’ families. A listener asks Father Dave about if the serial killer could gain eternal life. Kim asks, “I saw in an old interview where [Dahm...
On the value of persistence. From the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice, Troy NY
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and Deacon Ed Shoener joins the show to help bring awareness and provide support to those in the Church with mental health issues. He is the president of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and t...
Best friend of the show Rabbi Brad Hirschfield joins Father Dave to discuss two of the most important days in the Jewish calendar: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the divisions in our world, especially with issues regarding race. Friends of the Busted Halo Show Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Lori Stanley Roeleveld help Christians start to heal these wounds in our communities with t...
Many Catholics want to have a deeper understanding of the Bible, but are intimidated to just dive in. Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show Meg Hunter-Kilmer to discuss her method of reading the Bible in her new book, “A Year in the Word: Cathol...
We all try to avoid sin, but sometimes it is hard to determine wrongdoing from healthy behavior. A listener named Fred asks Father Dave, “I’m having trouble wrapping my head around the sin of pride…is [the sin] all pride or just too much pride?” Fred ...
Some listeners of a certain age may still best know Kirk Cameron as the charming Mike Seaver from the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains.” But since then, he has invested his time and energy into faith and family-focused films, television shows, and live even...
A listener named Ray has a question for Father Dave about a recent experience he had during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He asks, “Lately when I go to Confession, the priest does not ask me to say the act of contrition. Is this new?”
As we send kids back to school this fall, Heather Avis joins the show to help us share kindness with all those we encounter. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Different - A Great Thing to Be!” as well as the founder of The Lucky Few, ...
Friend of the show Father Greg Boyle, S.J. shares stories and reflections on forgiveness in his new book, “Forgive Everyone Everything.” He has seen radical examples of mercy as the founder of Homeboy Industries, where he walks with ex-gang members loo...
The problem with humility. From the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice, Troy NY.
After a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Dave and Lino Rulli from SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel recently led a pilgrimage of 85 listeners to Oberammergau, Germany.
Catholic families are always looking for ways to connect their kids to faith. Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak are ready to help with their recently-launched app CatholicHÔM, which stands for Households on Mission. It’s a comprehensive digital platform dedicat...
A listener named Robert asks a question about two words we might use interchangeably: homily and sermon. He wonders, “Why do we call the homily a homily? Other denominations call it a sermon, just curious if there’s a difference.”
When one hears of personal development programs, different stereotypes of self-help may come to mind. Leah Darrow joins the show to bring a Christian perspective to personal development through her new program called Power Made Perfect. She is a former...
Sometimes questions of faith arise from simply walking into a church. A listener named Laura asks, “I'd like to learn about those candles that people light. Why do we have those little areas with racks of candles?” She continues that she knows they are...
A Protestant listener named Sean asks Father Dave for some clarification about saints in the Catholic Church. “As I read the Epistles, Paul always mentions saints as living, breathing followers of Christ that are right there with him, and [Catholics] t...
As the American Church embarks on a three-year Eucharistic Revival, Dr. Timothy O’Malley joins the Busted Halo Show to discuss his new book “Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life.” O’Malley is a member of the United States Co...
Pope Francis is visiting Canada this week, and Father Dave explains the significance of this particular trip on the Busted Halo Show as well as CNN and NewsNation.
Introducing Deacons Pod, our brand-new podcast created to inspire and give hope to people on the "threshold of faith."
Here's the video of St. Patrick's Bad Analogies, a classic for Trinity Sunday. https://youtu.be/KQLfgaUoQCw
On the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination, listen to Fr. Paul Huesing's story from his boyhood in Kentucky to his life today in Florida.
From the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice, Troy NY, for the 6th Sunday of Easter.
Close your eyes, and imagine yourself sitting on the shoreline, wondering where God is calling you next.
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C) on March 20, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; and Luke 13:1-9.
In our gospel passage today, Jesus addresses two local tragedies that have happened recently – people who were brutally killed by Pontius Pilate, and people who died when a tower inadvertantly collapsed. He then uses this opportunity to tell a parable about a fig tree, a gardener, and a landowner. If we ever think we completely understand a parable, we’re probably mistaken. We don’t always have to be the fig tree in the story. How are we like the landowner? How can we be more like the gardener?
At this Mass, we will celebrate a special rite for the three people in our community who were baptized into other Christian traditions and will be coming into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 4 weeks. In this rite, we will ask them to scrutinize the sins of their past. As we offer them our support this weekend as they prepare for their first reconciliation and their confirmation, we also should scrutinize how well we are each living our vocation as Christian disciples.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge the times when we have fallen short, and to ask for God’s forgiveness.
We have an unlimited number of chances to reform our lives. What we don’t have is an unlimited amount of time. In this parable, I don’t think that Jesus is telling us that we have a limited number of chances to reform our lives. I think the point is that we have a limited amount of time. No matter how old or how young we are, we could die tomorrow. Mass murder is currently occurring every day in Ukraine, with a ruthlessness unrivaled by Pontius Pilate. Just as people died in the collapse of the tower of Siloam, many Texans are at risk of death and destruction from the wildfires. Those who die tragic deaths have not been cursed by God; nor have they suffered fate or kismet; nor do they have bad karma. But whenever our lives end, we will have run out of the chances given to us to reform our lives. As Paul reminded us on Ash Wednesday, now is a very acceptable time to reconcile with God.
That said, I find the most common interpretation of today’s parable to be quite troubling. People traditionally see the fig tree as Israel, the owner as God the Father, and the gardener as Jesus. I believe that God the Father is a god of love. Would he give up on us as easily as the owner gives up on the fig tree? Does God the Father only spare us from wrath because Jesus puts in a good word for us?
Sometimes, we are the fig tree, in that we need God – and other people – to tend to us, to help us grow and flourish. God is ultimately the one who provides the sun, the water, and the nutrients to us. Others help regulate the delivery of the water and nutrients. And sometimes, more drastic care is necessary to restore us to health – perhaps a branch or a limb needs to be pruned, or we need to be uprooted and moved to another location! Lent is a time to ask if there are changes to make in our routines in order to more fully flourish.
But this gospel becomes much more challenging and relevant if we don’t always place ourselves in the role of the fig tree. What if we think of the fig tree as the co-worker who seems unable to produce high quality work? The easy thing is to treat them like the landowner would, and say that they should be cut off, let go. But at least 95% of the time, people want to do a good job. What if we were like the gardener instead? What if we tried to understand the co-worker’s challenges? Perhaps their job description isn’t clear. Maybe they need better training. Maybe there’s a family crisis stressing them out. Maybe there’s a different role in the company that’s better suited to their skills and interests.
What if the fig tree is like a family member who annoys us? There are cases when a family member is truly toxic or abusive, and we need to cut them out of our lives. However, how often do we cut ourselves off from people who really, on the whole, aren’t all that bad? We want others to give us a second chance, so shouldn’t we do the same for them?
Yes, the Bible has examples of Christians determining to keep certain people at the edge of the community until they change their ways…but there are countless more examples in the Bible of people being shown mercy when they were expecting to receive punishment. Whenever we decide to cut someone off, we need to weigh these decisions carefully and revisit them often. For example, too often, American prisons seem to be places solely to house people we have “cut off,” rather than places also to help people reform their lives by giving them the education, skills, and rehabilitation to become productive, law-abiding citizens.
Questions about justice and mercy are complex, and too often, we try to simplify them. God has given us the ability to choose justice, mercy, or a combination of both.
The parable of the fig tree invites us to ask ourselves several challenging questions. I’ll articulate them out loud, and give us a few moments to answer them in the silence of our hearts.
Question #1: Who are the people that I have cut out of my life?
Question #2: Who are the people that my family, my friends, my workplace, or the larger community have cut off?
Question #3: God has given us each the authority to be the landowner, the gardener, or a combination of both. With each of the people that I have thought about in Questons #1 and #2, which role does the Holy Spirit invite me to exercise?
The Lord is kind and merciful. We have an unlimited number of chances to reform our lives. But if today we hear God’s voice, let us not harden our hearts. What we don’t have is an unlimited amount of time.
Photo credit for podcast art: JR P/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the 1st Sunday of Lent (Year C) on March 6, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8-13; and Luke 4:1-13.
Every year on the first Sunday of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert. However, the other readings today do NOT emphasize temptation. They are all about crying out to God in faith when we are in need.
This Lent, what gifts do we need from God? And what’s holding us back from asking God for those gifts?
But first, let us acknowledge the moments in our lives when we’ve failed to reach out to God and to one another.
“Your mind is like an unsafe neighborhood; don’t go there alone.” The most famous chapter in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s epic novel The Brothers Karamazov is a story told by Ivan, a bitter, nihilistic character. Perhaps Ivan’s bitterness comes from his self-imposed isolation from the world. Or maybe his bitterness has caused him to isolate himself.
Regardless of his motivations, Ivan imagines that Jesus Christ reappears in the 15th century, and he is quickly arrested by the Spanish Inquisition. The Grand Inquisitor, a heinously sinful man, privately questions Jesus. He doesn’t expect Jesus to answer, so it’s actually a monologue. According to the Grand Inquisitor, Jesus was wrong to reject Satan’s offers. The Inquisitor, who thrives on power, sees Jesus as rejecting the three ways to grab people’s attention: miracle, authority, and mystery. If Jesus had provided unlimited bread to people, if Jesus had exercised political authority, if Jesus had proved his divinity by jumping off the parapet of the temple without dying, then, says the Grand Inquisitor, everyone would have unquestioningly followed him. To the Grand Inquisitor, Jesus’ refusal of the temptations have led the world to unrest, confusion, and misery.
We know that such reasoning contradicts our understanding of a God of love who allows us free will. It’s sickening. The Grand Inquisitor – who is supposed to be a minister of God – has reimagined Christianity as a religion of power and manipulation. But let’s face it: sometimes those accusations ring true. We live in a time when various religious groups are accused of supporting political agendas, both domestically and abroad.
But the twisting of motivations and the rationalizing of choices is done more egregiously in spheres far removed from religion. As we all know, we live in a time of rampant disinformation. Even when some people are proven wrong, they continue to shout their falsehoods until many others believe what they’re saying.
Of course, the main crucible for twisting our motivations is in our own heads. Over time, we start to justify the wrong and sinful things we do, assuring ourselves that these acts are good and holy. The opposite happens, too: people come to believe that good and holy things they do are wrong and sinful.
The writer Augusten Burroughs may have said it best: “Your mind is like an unsafe neighborhood; don’t go there alone.” Jesus was able to spend 40 days and 40 nights alone with his thoughts, but I don’t think the rest of us are strong enough to do so. Both the Grand Inquisitor and Ivan, the creator of the story of the Grand Inquisitor, spent a lot of time alone. In isolation, away from others, our stray thoughts can grab ahold of us and overtake our gifts of reason and faith.
For the past two years, many of us have been in a kind of social and psychological desert. Many of us have spent too much time wandering through the dark recesses of our brains alone, making ourselves more susceptible to getting beat up by our own dark thoughts without anyone else there to defend us. Until March 2020, so much of my “self care” as a priest had revolved around dinners with friends and attending live performances. Since then, without those interactions, I have not the necessary emotional processing to keep myself on an even keel. It’s taken a toll.
So this Lent, maybe we still need to go to the desert to avoid distractions. But if we choose to go to the desert, let’s be sure to take some companions with us. The last thing any of us needs in Lent 2022 is more isolation! Remember: the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert, but they did it as a community. Perhaps this is not the Lent to value autonomy, but to try to rekindle our sense of interdependence. We are more of who we’re called to be when we’re together.
This Lent, we need to ask God for what we need the most. We’ve been lonely, tired, frustrated, and afraid. What do we need from God to overcome these challenges?
And then, we need to ask ourselves, why don’t we think that we deserve these gifts? Why do we so often think that someone else is more important to God than we are? Let us boldly ask for what we need, and then let us work with God to use those gifts, along with the ones that God has already given us. Marianne Williamson gives us a gentle prodding. She writes:
“It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
This Lent, even as we confront the shadows within us, let us allow our light to shine for all the world to see!
This interview is also available on StoryCorps.
You can’t miss Paulist Fr. Michael Martin in gatherings of his community. He’s known as the “tallest Paulist.” His height exceeds a standard door frame. Walking with a cane, his is a commanding yet tender figure in the line of his fellow priests putting their hands on newly ordained members.
His ministry is as storied as his physical height. He started St. Nicholas parish in Alaska’s North Pole, where, as you might imagine, the community worked hard to respond to the mail it received for Santa.
He recounts this and other highlights of his life in this conversation with Jennifer Szweda Jordan for the Paulist Fathers. It was recorded in Vero Beach, Florida, where he lives with several other Paulist priests.
Jason Jones, Executive Director of the movie “Bella” and Founder of The Vulnerable People Project, chats with Father Dave about his work helping the most vulnerable, especially those currently fleeing Ukraine.
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on Ash Wednesday on March 2, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2; and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
Ash Wednesday is a day to acknowledge the fragility of our lives. All things are constantly changing. Youth is fleeting. Health is tenuous. Even our material possessions and relationships are impermanent. Ash Wednesday is merely a day. It kicks off the season of Lent, in which we search for true meaning, for treasure that lasts.
We begin Ash Wednesday like the Jewish people who faced a locust plague in the time of Joel more than 2400 years ago. We proclaim a fast and call an assembly. This year, Pope Francis has asked all people of good will to fast and pray for peace in Ukraine. Later on, we will mark our faces with soot, recalling that our time on this earth is limited, and that God calls us to greater things than the pettiness of sin.
Our opening prayer, our first reading, and our psalm, and our receiving of ashes invite us to sit with the discomfort of our frailty and our sinfulness.
[After the psalm, but before the 2nd reading:]
We have reflected on our sinfulness and on our mortality, but the purpose of Ash Wednesday is not to leave us there. Ash Wednesday is merely a moment in the season of Lent. St. Paul now invites us to begin again the process of growing in our relationship with God. After all, the word “Lent” comes from an old German word meaning “springtime.” We are already on the cusp of spring in Texas. Within a few weeks, the bluebonnets will be in full bloom, reminding us that as long as we are alive, there are countless opportunities for us to reconcile with God.
[after the proclamation of the gospel:]
Lent is a season. Every time it comes around, we are in a different phase in our lives. In my lifetime, I’ve had Lents of weeping, Lents of rejoicing, Lents where I have taken on heroic sacrifices, and Lents when it was all I could do to carry out the bare minimum. And then, we’ve had collective experiences of Lent as a community. In Lent 2020, our plans were radically changed by the pandemic. Lent 2021 began with many of us fearing for our lives in the Texas energy crisis.
So, on this day when we mark our faces with dust, I offer three sets of prompts for our consideration. Please recall that while Ash Wednesday may be a day to reflect on our sinfulness, the season of Lent is about focusing on our growth.
Prompt #1: Perhaps Lent 2022 is a time to simplify. At the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of us thought that the changes in our routines would allow us to get organized or take on some projects that we had long postponed. And for many of us, that simply didn’t happen. It wasn’t necessarily that we were unmotivated or lazy. We learned that there were a lot of factors holding us back. Rather than being super-creative this year, perhaps 2022 is a year to concentrate on the basics of Lent. The basics of Lent are fasting, almsgiving, and extra prayer. And each of these three things should have a community dimension to them. If I give something up for Lent, how does it benefit others? For example, the purpose of not eating meat today and on the next 7 Fridays is to give the money we save to the poor! Our almsgiving should be more about helping those with less, rather than making a sacrifice. And with the worldwide day of prayer for Ukraine today, Pope Francis reminds us that our extra prayer should not be exclusively about our relationship with God as individuals.
Prompt #2: Perhaps Lent 2022 is the perfect time to try to soften our hearts. One of the great scripture passages associated with this time of year is from Ezekiel, where God promises to the people who have endured destruction and exile: “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts” (36:26). Far too many of us have gotten through the past two years by hardening our hearts. Rather than grieving everything we’ve lost, we’ve toughed it out. Rather than focusing on our social-emotional needs of ourselves and our children by everything that’s changed, we’ve concluded that we – and they – need to work harder. Perhaps Lent 2022 is the time for us to re-learn how to be vulnerable.
Prompt #3: Perhaps Lent 2022 is a time to reconcile with someone from whom we’ve become estranged. The Lenten Sunday readings this year focus on reconciliation. The gardener gives the barren fig tree extra love and attention. The father welcomes back the prodigal son. The woman caught in adultery is not stoned to death, but simply invited to sin no more. As Jesus dies upon the cross, he promises paradise to the repentant thief. Let us identify not only how we are like the fig tree, the prodigal son, the adulterous woman, and the repentant thief, but also how we can be like the gardener, the father, and Jesus. And in any way that we are like the landowner, the older brother, the Pharisees, or the mocking crowd, let us change.
Ash Wednesday is not a day to dwell on our sinfulness and our mortality. It is a day to use that awareness as a springboard to new possibilities, to new aspirations, to new life. There is absolutely no need to decide by Ash Wednesday what we’re going to give up or what we’re going take on as part of our Lenten disciplines. And even after we decide, let us be open. As Jesus said, the wind blows where it wills. Sometimes, the insights I receive from the Holy Spirit throughout Lent lead me to a very different place than where I intended to go at the beginning of the season! And this year, as mask recommendations begin to loosen, may we see one another face-to-face in new ways!
This Lent, may we simplify, soften, and reconcile. In the words of St. Paul: Now is a very acceptable time. Today is the day of salvation.
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) on February 27, 2022 at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Sirach 27:4-7; Psalm 92; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; and Luke 6:39-45.
For the past two weeks at daily Mass, we’ve been studying the Letter of James, with all its practical wisdom about how we Christians are to live out our faith in everyday situations. James is pithy and blunt, and one passage in particular goes very well with our readings from Luke and Sirach today: “Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire” (James 3:5-6).
Today, our readings talk about a whole host of sins we commit against one another. The main emphasis in Sirach seems to be on the sins we commit when we open our mouths. We may not be able to control our thoughts or emotions at all times, but we have a lot more control over the words we choose.
For all the times when we have committed sins, especially when we have committed sins in our speaking, we ask for God’s healing mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are God’s Word made flesh. Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division. Christ have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you invite us to greater harmony with one another. Lord, have mercy.
Right now, Ukraine and Russia are on the forefront of our minds. Pope Francis has asked all people of good will throughout the world – whether they are Christian or not – to fast and pray this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, for peace in Ukraine.
Most of us imagine peace as the total absence of conflict, but the current geopolitical situation makes it clear: there can be peace even when there is disagreement. Peace is the ability to stay calm and centered even in the midst of conflict. This week, we pray for God to help all the troops to go home, all the military weapons to be laid down, and for justice to prevail.
As we pray for peace in Ukraine in a special way on Ash Wednesday, let us not neglect to examine our own consciences. We may not be directly engaged in the largest land war in Europe in over 75 years. Many of us can go years, if not even decades, without resorting to physical violence. We may rarely experience the emotion of out-and-out wrath. But how do each of us contribute to the wounds and divisions in the world? Sirach, Luke, the upcoming season of Lent, and the Holy Spirit invite us to fast permanently from our bad behaviors.
For me, and for many of you who’ve sought me out for counsel these past six years, we struggle with sins tied to two emotions that seem to relate to our readings from Sirach and Luke: anger and inadequacy. Now, to be clear: emotions are not sins. They are God-given physical sensations. The sins occur when we make poor decisions on how to channel these emotions.
A lot of us struggle with anger. We ignore the feeling or pretend that it’s not in us. And even if we don’t get all the way to anger, we experience anger’s lesser cousins, frustration and annoyance. The other emotion related to our readings is a sense of inadequacy. (I think it’s technically called shame, but that word is too scary for a lot of us to explore.) Together, the emotions of anger and inadequacy – especially when we try to ignore them or distract ourselves from feeling them – reveal themselves when we open our mouths, committing grievous sins that we too often dismiss as trivial.
Pope Francis frequently preaches about gossip. As he famously said: “Gossip can also kill, because it kills the reputation of the person! It is so terrible to gossip! At first it may seem like a nice thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy. But in the end, it fills the heart with bitterness, and even poisons us.”
Even when we think we’re being diplomatic, our tone and word choice often reveal that we’ve not only judged the other person, but also we’ve volunteered to serve on the jury and be the executioner!
For example, for one assignment in a seminary preaching class, I preached on a portion of today’s gospel. I was proud of what I had put together, but the friends and classmates that I had gathered to critique it as part of my midterm exam were very critical. They pointed out my obvious preconceived notions about the intended audience. While I exhorted them not to judge others, it was clear that I had already judged them. Oh, the irony! I was quick to reach for the speck in the other’s eye before removing the plank from my own!
Friends: rotten trees do not bear good fruit. This Lent, can we begin to exchange our stony hearts for softened ones? Can we lay down our weapons, even when we feel vulnerable or inadequate? Can we stop nursing grudges? Because if we don’t, our mouths will reveal the divisive thoughts we’ve been harboring.
Holy Spirit, this Lent, give us the courage to delve more deeply into the emotions that we sometimes bury. Help us to befriend these feelings and take them to you in prayer, before they do damage to ourselves, our friends and neighbors, and our entire world!
Photo credit for podcast artwork: Mebo under CC BY-SA 2.0
Best-selling author Mitch Albom (“Tuesdays With Morrie”) chats about his new book, “The Stranger in the Lifeboat.”
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) on January 30, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19; Psalm 71; 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13; Luke 4:21-30.
All of our readings are about beginnings, and things requiring more work than initially expected.
In Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet, God is clear that Jeremiah’s prophecies will be opposed by kings, princes, priests, and people in general, but that he will not be “crushed” by this opposition. In our gospel, after Jesus’ proclamation in Nazareth that the prophecy of Isaiah had been fulfilled, the people quickly move from astonishment to rejection. And in what might be the most famous passage in all of Paul’s writings, Paul tells the Corinthian community that their initial pledge to care for one another, despite their differences, takes extraordinary grace to fulfill.
At our baptism, each of us – or someone speaking on our behalf – pledged that we would live our lives in mutual support of one another. Let us celebrate that we continue to receive God’s grace to carry out that commitment.
“Everything worth doing starts with being scared.” As we will hear throughout this year, Luke presents Jesus’ entire ministry as a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. Luke invites us to take this journey alongside Jesus. Every journey begins with a single step, and today’s passage is Jesus’ first step away from home towards Jerusalem. And as we have begun to see our own home – the buildings of St. Austin Catholic Parish and School – start to be torn down, perhaps this is us taking a first metaphorical step on our own development pilgrimage. There’s no turning back now! What is the wisdom we need as we begin this endeavor?
If you type the words, “Everything worth doing” into a web browser, you will find an astounding number of quotes starting with similar words. Fauja Singh, who ran marathons in his 90s, said, “Anything worth doing… is going to be difficult.” Linda Lael Miller, the novelist, says, “Everything worth doing… involves risk.” Zig Ziglar, the motivational speaker, said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you learn to do it well.” Art Garfunkel, the singer, says, “Everything worth doing… starts with being scared.”
The Book of Jeremiah bears all of these truths out. When God calls Jeremiah to this ministry, Jeremiah does not want to do it. It’s going to be hard. He’s too young. God confirms that yes, it is going to be hard, and yes, Jeremiah is very young, but God assures Jeremiah that despite all the people who will be mad at what he says, God will protect him.
And indeed, Jeremiah has a rough go of it. He tells the people that disaster is imminent, and he lives long enough to see the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem destroyed. But Jeremiah persists as a prophet. Of all the prophets, he is one who probably most influences the Judeo-Christian understanding of God as a single, all-powerful being who created everything and cares for all people.
Like Jeremiah, Paul knew the endurance necessary to thrive on a long journey. The Corinthian Christians were initially enthusiastic about living their new baptized lives, but now that Paul has departed from them, they are giving in to the older, more familiar ways. Surprisingly, St. Paul’s familiar treatise on love is not about marriage. Paul is aghast that the rich Corinthian Christians would gather for a meal and make the poor ones wait outside until they were ready to celebrate Mass. Paul spends nearly three chapters arguing that such behavior is antithetical to Christianity. First, he declares that anyone who rejects the poor is profaning the Eucharist. Next, he explains how all of us members of the Body of Christ are interdependent on one another. And then, he offers “a still more excellent way” to understand what it means to be a member of the Christian community.
Paul speaks beautifully about love and commitment, whether it is to a spouse or to a community. Love is not selfish. It does not require wisdom or eloquence. Despite the practical challenges, love can still uphold beliefs and ideals. And if we work at it persistently, in mutual fidelity with others, the work of love, will never fail.
In today’s gospel, Jesus demonstrates the persistence he will need on his journey. Like Jeremiah’s and Paul’s audiences, the people of Nazareth fail to appreciate that they can be set free from their bondage to selfishness and sin. Within minutes of hearing Jesus’ joyous message, they become protective of the status quo. I’d like to think that many of those who first rejected Jesus’ message eventually got on board. Jesus was preaching a new and challenging teaching, and most of us are initially resistant to new ideas. Mary was almost definitely at the synagogue, and Simon Peter may have been, too. As other people in Nazareth saw Mary’s and Peter’s devotion in the following weeks and months, perhaps some other people from Nazareth joined Jesus on his trek towards Jerusalem.
The journey of Christian discipleship is definitely worth doing. Jesus came to bring glad tidings to the poor, and Paul told the Corinthians that their baptism compelled them to do likewise. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to captives, and Jeremiah lived long enough that in the later chapters of his prophecy, he preached that message of liberty to those held captive in Babylon.
And anything worth doing starts with being scared. It involves risk and failing from time to time. But just as Jesus picked himself up three times after falling on the final leg of his journey to Calvary, we receive God’s grace in reconciliation and Eucharist to pick ourselves up on the journey, too.
It is up to us at St. Austin Catholic Parish and School to discern how to apply these lessons to the pilgrimage we have now begun in earnest. The road to our salvation is also a pilgrimage we work towards together, not as individuals.
Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish industrialist and philanthropist, said, “Anything in life worth having… is worth working for.” Therefore, anything worth having – be it the love we share within our community, be it the outreach we make to those on the margins of our community, be it the redeveloped property we now sacrifice for, be it the salvation we hope to share on the last day – all these things worth having are worth working for… together.
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre prepared this homily for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle on January 23, 2022, at St. Austin Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on a combination of readings for the feast and for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C: Acts 22:3-16; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; and Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21.
Wow! There’s so much to celebrate today! For the past three years, Pope Francis has designated the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time as a day to focus on the Word of God. It feels especially appropriate to do as we hear the four introductory verses of Luke’s gospel before jumping to his account of Jesus beginning his public ministry in Nazareth by reading from the scroll of Isaiah.
This Sunday is closest to the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, so we celebrate that today, too. We have chosen our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, when Paul is arrested in Jerusalem. He is being taken up the steps into “the compound” by Roman soldiers, when he asks to speak to the Jewish crowd. The place where Paul speaks is likely the very spot where Jesus was standing 30 years before when he was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.
Our second reading is Paul’s analogy of the Church as a living, breathing body. It is a great analogy for us to use today, as we Paulists make our annual appeal, asking for your financial support to address our ongoing expenses for such things as the care of our senior brothers and the education of our seminarians.
As we once again hear God’s message of mercy, may we trust that, as it was 2000 years ago for the people in Nazareth, the message will be fulfilled in our hearing!
Paulists are fully dedicated to the entirety of Catholic teaching even while welcoming those who question it. In St. Paul’s time, people were familiar with the metaphor of many parts making up one body. Menenius Agrippa had written a fable about the hands, the mouth, and the teeth of a body deciding to go on strike to stop procuring food for the belly. Of course, as the belly starves, the hands, the mouth, and the teeth suffer. The moral was a classic principle of Stoic philosophy: accept the hand that is dealt to you. Some people are superior to others. Shut up and do your job. Paul takes this analogy and turns it upside down. All the parts of the body are important, says Paul. All of us are interdependent on one another.
Recent circumstances have made us more aware of our interdependence. Right now, we’re engaged in this synodal process, becoming more aware of the gifts we have to enrich each other. The pandemic and the diocesan priests now serving at the University Catholic Center have prompted a lot of us to ask what is the “special sauce” that makes a Paulist parish different. And less than two months ago, the Paulists themselves concluded that we need to find new ways to express our charism. (Charism is the fancy Church word for “special sauce.”)
What is the Paulist charism, or charisms? For decades, we’ve expressed it as evangelization, reconciliation, ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue. That’s at the heart of what we do, but those aren’t the first words people use to describe the gifts we Paulists offer to the rest of the Body of Christ. Nationally, people speak about our communications and young adult ministries. Locally, people cite relevant preaching and the sense of welcome.
Some Paulists are questioning if our public communications need to highlight our discipleship in Jesus Christ and our devotion to the Holy Spirit. Maybe it’s my contrary nature, or maybe it’s because of my engineering background, but I’d like to express it more pragmatically. To me, Paulists are fully dedicated to the entirety of Catholic teaching even while welcoming those who question it. The Paulist confidence in the Catholic tradition is robust enough that we can bring legitimate concerns out into the open without becoming overly rigid or defensive. I cannot tell you how many good and holy people seek counsel from the Paulists after being rejected by their local parishes for asking questions. After we talk with them and assure them that they have done nothing to place themselves outside the Catholic communion, they report that we have renewed their faith in God and in the Church! We have restored honor and dignity to a part of Christ’s body that has previously felt rejected or neglected.
That is a gift we Paulists offer to the wider Church. But this weekend, we celebrate our interdependence with all of you.
This weekend, all around the country, is the Annual Paulist Appeal. Please consider supporting us not just here at the local level, but at the national level. If any part of the Paulist network suffers, the people of St. Austin suffer, too. If any part of the family thrives, we all share in its joy.
What can you do to support the Paulist Fathers? Let’s break the possibilities into two categories: those actions that everyone can take, and those that only a subset of people can take. The number one thing that everyone can do is to pray for us and with us. It makes more of a difference than any of us will fully appreciate in this lifetime! Secondly, everyone can learn more about the Paulist charisms and how to implement them into your every day. Third of all, we invite you to join the Paulist Associates, a network of women and men around the world who devote themselves to the Paulist charisms. Here is Austin, you can ask Fr. Paolo how to get involved.
There are three subsets of people who can support the entire Paulist body in very specific ways. And these aren’t meant to sound exclusive, but they’re going to sound that way. The first group, who can make the biggest difference of all, are you single men between the ages of 18 and 40: become a Paulist Father! It’s a wonderful life! (I’m sorry for my friend Kim, who really wants to be a Paulist. We don’t write the rules on how the Church ordains priests. I’m sorry.) The second group are those of you who know single men who can join us. Encourage your sons, brothers, friends, and colleagues. They won’t regret it, and neither will you! The third group are all of you with disposable income. This weekend, please prayerfully consider giving generously to our annual second collection for the Paulists’ ongoing needs. About half of the Paulists are in ministries that bring in income; we have to raise the funds to support the other half. First, we have our wonderfully talented students. We invest $50,000 per person per year for the education and formation of them. Second, we cover the healthcare costs of our retired brothers. (Imagine the monthly bill for a family in which dozens of the people are over 70 years old!) Lastly, we subsidize the expenses of the brothers whose ministries do not generate a steady income (including our ministries for vocations, artists, evangelization, reconciliation, ecumenism, and young adult ministry).
Please give as generously as you can, but please be aware that we will be coming to you this spring with a much bigger ask. In the past two years, most other Paulist foundations have engaged in a comprehensive capital campaign to build our new seminary building, repair our home for senior Paulists, and shore up our retirement fund. We’ve postponed that campaign at St. Austin to combine it with a local campaign connected to our own property development. So, today, please be as generous as you possibly can, but also consider what you can give to our much larger upcoming campaign.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued generosity. It is truly humbling that you willingly sustain this community to which I’ve given my life! The Spirit of the Lord is upon us all, because the Spirit has anointed us all. May the Scripture passages be fulfilled in our hearing them today. Amen!
In which I introduce people to Servant of God Isaac Hecker, the Paulist Fathers, and the Paulist Annual Appeal.....
Dr. Brant Pitre chats with Father Dave about his new book, “Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus.”
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre prepared this homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Year C) on January 9, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29 or 104; Acts 10:34-38; and Luke 3:15-16, 21-22.
Today is the last day of the Christmas season. Our gospel begins roughly 30 years after Jesus’ birth, but in the weeks, days, and moments before he starts his public ministry. But after Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends upon him, he hears God’s voice, and his mission begins in earnest. For that reason, today is also the first day of Ordinary Time.
We all have been baptized into Christ’s baptism. Therefore, as we are sprinkled with holy water and as we reflect on Jesus setting prisoners free and healing the oppressed, let us affirm that these are the commands that God gives us as members of the Body of Christ. And, as we’ll hear in today’s homily, Pope Francis invites us to follow those commands in a very specific way in the upcoming weeks and months, a way that may permanently transform our Church and our world.
To be a responsive Church, we need to be a listening Church. Every year on this feast, people ask, “If Jesus was born without original sin, why did he need to be baptized?” Talk with any adult preparing to be baptized, and ask them why they want to be baptized. They don’t talk about escaping hell or being cleansed of original sin. They talk about belonging, community, and following Christ. They recognize that their relationship with God involves the rest of us.
We are each baptized to be prophets, priests, and kings in the Kingdom of God. Like God called the prophets of the Old Testament, Jesus calls each of us to speak God’s truth. Like God directed the Levitical priests, Jesus directs each of us to lead others to holiness. Like God entrusted David and Solomon, Jesus entrusts each of us with the responsibility to allow all people to flourish.
But all too often, when it comes to speaking, directing, and exercising responsibility in the Catholic Church, we emphasize ordination over baptism. Pope Francis is attempting to transform the philosophy of leadership in the Church so that is based more on the universal gifts of baptism than the particular gifts of ordination. This is not a new idea, but it hasn’t been emphasized much in recent centuries. This concept, this process, this way of being Church is called synodality.
The root word of synodality is synod, spelled S-Y-N-O-D. Let’s start with the letters O-D, at same as the first letters of the word odometer, the device that counts the miles someone has traveled in a car. The prefix S-Y-N means to be together, to be in sync. Therefore, synodality is the idea of people sharing their journeys with one another, or traveling together. We need to value the gifts, the insights, and the experiences of all members of Christ’s Body, not just the people who are ordained. To be a responsive Church, we need to be a listening Church.
The bishops of the early Church often resolved theological disputes by holding local synods… but synods became less common in the Middle Ages. In the 1960s, Vatican II called for a re-introduction of synodality. In the first 48 years after Vatican II, the Church had organized 15 general synods of bishops selected from around the world, but honestly, these synods fell far short of Vatican II’s expectations. They didn’t accomplish much because of various procedural reasons: what can you accomplish in a 4-week meeting where everyone speaks different languages?
In his 8 years as pope, Francis has called four synods, and he’s trying to find ways to make them truly synodal. He’s encouraged bishops to speak honestly. He’s made the process more deliberative, allowing more time for the Holy Spirit to blow wherever she wills. Francis has encouraged every diocese to survey lay people – including non-Catholics – beforehand. It’s a far messier process. The opposition to Francis’ approach is growing… and that opposition is mostly based here in the United States.
This past fall, Francis announced a two-year process to prepare for a Synod on Synodality in late 2023. It’s been predictably messy so far. By the time the Vatican issued specific instructions, there wasn’t a lot of time for every diocese in the world to devise a deliberative process to solicit feedback from every parish and send it back up the chain as prescribed. Our parish needs to give its feedback to the Diocese of Austin by February 1. So, we’re asking you to celebrate your baptism into the Body of Christ by joining us in the first phase of our parish synodal process over the next 15 days.
We want everyone with even the most remote connection to St. Austin Catholic Parish – including former Catholics, your non-Christian neighbors and friends, and anyone who hears or reads this homily, wherever in the world you live – to participate. We want each of you – and them – to take at least one of the three actions succinctly spelled out on our website at staustin.org/synod. [Editor’s note: the content on that page will be continue to be updated after January 2022 with further parish synodal activites.]
- If you feel safe coming, please participate to our in-person town hall synod listening session right here in the church on Saturday morning, January 22.
- Join us for an online town hall listening session on Monday evening, January 24. The link and the password are available at staustin.org/synod.
- Fill out “The Long Survey” on “The Short Survey” provided on that same page.
Here at St. Austin, we will continue this listening process internally for the next year or two, allowing us a better chance to listen to the Holy Spirit instructing us how we can better be Church for one another and for our neighbors. We’re excited that parishioner Elizabeth Korves is helming this process. Thank you, Elizabeth!
Every year on this feast, I close with a certain poem by Howard Thurman. Let us remember that once the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus, he hears the voice of God. After his desert experience, he returns to Nazareth and proclaims a portion of the scroll of Isaiah, announcing that the passage is fulfilled in the people’s hearing it. We have been baptized into Jesus’ mission, as outlined by Isaiah and referenced by Thurman.
When the song of the angels is stilled,When the star in the sky is gone,When the kings and princes are home,When the shepherds are back with their flocks,The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,To heal the broken,To feed the hungry,To release the prisoner,To rebuild the nations,To bring peace among brothers,To make music in the heart.
As we listen to fellow parishioners and strangers alike, we will hear the voice of God. May the Holy Spirit be upon them to announce a year of favor, a release of captives, and a setting the prisoners free. May Isaiah’s prophecy be fulfilled once again in our hearing. And then, the work of Christmas will begin again!