At The Well: Recent Episodes
Prince of Peace Catholic Church
At The Well brings together women in all stages of life to talk about various topics of faith and to hear stories of God is moving in the lives of His people.
Do you have a guiding scripture?
Bridget: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. LET not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
Nicole: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks received, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks is will be opened." Matthew 7:7&8
Expectations VS Reality -What we were planning prior to quarantine -Does this look different now?
Mothering amidst a crisis and isolation -Where have you struggled in this? -Where are you beginning to flourish?
Questions for audience: 1. Where are you finding hope? What scripture or practice is helping you draw close to God?
- What is the Lord refining in this season?
“In describing the arc of the conversation of Gabriel and Mary, the gospel of Luke perfectly describes the arc of the spiritual life: God initiates the conversation; we are initially hesitant and fearful; we seek to understand God's word in our life; God reminds us of our experience, and, free to choose, if we say yes to God, we are able to bring new life into the world.” - Fr James Martin
March 25 The divine entering the ordinary world
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What are your initial thoughts on the Annunciation?
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God is the one that begins the conversation. Do you allow God to begin the conversation in your life?
-What those things where God begins to move us? (Nature, babies, friendships) And are we surprised when this happens?
-Mary fully entered into her vocation as mother and follower of God. my vocation is not only the way that I love God, but also the way that God loves me. How is this present in your life?
-just as in many important scenes in scripture the angel Gabriel tells Mary to not be afraid. How do you overcome fear in order to say yes to God?
-In order for Mary to give her fiat she looks at where God has been present-what he has already done for her and Elizabeth. Have you had this experience of being able to trust God once you look at where he’s been present before?
- The last part is faith. The angel eventually leaves Mary and she carries on based on faith. Even though God is with us it can seem lonely.
Questions: -What struck you about their story? These women were both mothers, like you and I, and they both made the decision to stick to their faith and be martyred instead of giving up their beliefs for their families. Although we don't have to be that drastic is there something we are clenching to instead of surrendering to the Lord's plan? How do you discern what is God's Plan for you?
-Looking at the friendships you have now how are they pulling you closer to God? How do you talk to your friends about hard things? How important is it in your life to have friends that can tell you the truth?
-If you were forever going to be linked to the relationships you have now would you be happy with the people you are surrounding yourself with now?
Questions: • What are ways that you practice forgiveness? • How forgiving are you to yourself? • What are ways that we can cultivate having a more forgiving spirit?
"From dust you were created, to dust you will return" -Do we live like we are dying?
What are your lenten plans? Do you have anything special you are going to try this lent that you haven't done before?
Resources: Return of the Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B00G8ELSM6&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_SUypEbNXHMASE
Memento Mori by Sr. Theresa Alethia Noble https://www.amazon.com/dp/0819865176/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_8VypEbSNZPCZ7
Nicole: Mary Did You Know reflection
Bridget: Take up and Read, Rooted in Hope (https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Hope-Elizabeth-Foss/dp/1978285558)
Every Sacred Sunday (https://everysacredsunday.com)
The Nativity by Geri Melchers (https://www.garimelchers.org/gari-melchers/bel-1606-2/)
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How are you building joyful anticipation this season
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What “fiat” yes does the Lord want from you?
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What are you carrying over from Advent to Christmas?
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How do you maintain stillness among merriment?
Inspirations: •Nicole: Disney World was magical! •Bridget: Hallow, a Catholic app to help with focusing on prayer! https://hallow.app
Questions for Reflection/Discussion: •What were your expectations before getting married about being a husband? What did that mean to you? •Did you do anything to prepare yourself for becoming a husband? •How has that perception changed (if at all)? •What do you think it means to be a "good husband" And are the expectations different in the world than within a faithful Catholic, Christian marriage? •Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life? •Look at the short and simple vows...how have you seen this present in your marriage? What does it mean to be faithful, to be with her in good and bad? What about sickness (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual)? To love and honor? What is that?
Inspirations: Nicole: Prayer rabbit holes, looking up words (humility) and then researching what the Bible says, what the catechism says etc. TJ Maxx Catholic jewelry
Bridget: Quiet mornings and being still
Reflection/Discussion Questions:
Question 1: What were your expectations before getting married about being a wife? What did that mean to you? OR What are your expectations being a wife if you aren't married?
Question 2: What do you think it means to be a "good wife." And are the expectations different in the world than within a faithful Catholic, Christian marriage?
Question 3: Look at the short and simple vows...how have you seen this present in your marriage? What does it mean to be faithful, to be with him in good and bad? What about sickness (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual)? To love and honor? What is that?
Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?
Questions for Reflection/Discussion
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When we hear the word “suffering” what is felt? How do you respond?
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What do you think is the purpose of your own personal suffering? (Also what does the Church say on this?)
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What makes suffering easier to bear? Have you seen fruit in this life from your own or someone else’s suffering (other than Christ)?
Take the virtue of humility. Reflect upon it, What does it mean? What is the connection between humility and authenticity? What does Jesus mean when he says, “Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart”? If you have some good spiritual book, you might read what it says about the virtue of humility. Think of some examples of persons in the Bible who were humble (Moses, Mary, Joseph). Where have you been humble in the past? What are some examples of your failure to be humble? What changes do you need to make in your life in order to be more humble? What do you need to do in order to grow in humility? What might you do this day to practice humility? End the period of prayer with petitions to God, Jesus, Mary, and the saints to help you to be more humble.
(Matthew 5:20-26, John 2: 13-17) What is the difference between the anger of Jesus and the anger Jesus condemns in this passage from Matthew? Why is anger so wrong that Jesus equates it with the command against killing? St. Thomas defines anger as the desire to attack violently anyone who poses a threat to something we consider valuable. What about self-defense of our country, our family, ourselves? How far are we justified to go to defend ourselves? Is the anger you sometimes feel a justifiable anger, similar to that of Jesus, or the kind of anger Jesus condemns in the Sermon on the Mount? What does one do about one’s anger?
AS A COUPLE:
•Pick a word or concept that’s significant in your relationship with one another or together with God, such as obedience, trust, or joy. Use a concordance to find instances of this word in Scripture. What does each verse teach you about this concept?
•Pick a doctrine of the faith, such as the Immaculate Conception or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Read what the Catechism has to say about it, including any relevant Bible passages. Discuss how this doctrine actually applies to your day-to-day life.
WITH YOUR CHILDREN:
•Discuss articles of the faith with them Socratically, encouraging them (using leading questions, if necessary) to discover these truths themselves. Possible topics could include why Jesus died, why we love Mary, or why the martyrs were willing to give their lives for Jesus.
•Read a passage of Scripture together (such as the Sermon on the Mount). Interrupt the reading throughout to discuss the theological implications. (“What do you think it means to be poor in spirit?” “Does Jesus want us all to be poor?” “Who comforts people who mourn? How?”)
OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
•Read the same Bible verse in a few different translations. What light do the differences shed on the text?
•Read the day’s readings each day. Write down five things you learn.
•Do 15 minutes of spiritual reading. Spend 15 minutes talking to God about it.
•Trace a character through the Bible (Absalom, Elijah, Peter). Make an outline of his life. What virtues or vices does he emulate?
Sources: Held By His Pierced Hands Blog and Prayer and Temperament (Norrissey)
“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.” -Mother Teresa Reflection/Discussion Questions: •What were the blessings of summer? •What were the struggles of the season? •Do you think of your life in seasons (Spring-easy and fun, Summer-hot, working a lot, toiling, Fall-slower paced, Winter-dying/slowing) •What season are you in right now? •Does it help to know things can be cyclical? •And that you can be in a spring season with one relationship and a winter with another? Inspirations: Mom's On the Go planner by In The Leafy Tree Tops The Word Among Us
The world around us offers countless opportunities to see the grander reach of our God that has painted this beautiful picture in His creation. This episode Bridget and Nicole break open the Franciscan way of praying-focusing on what's in front us. join this week as we dive into another great form of prayer!
Ignatian prayer is often summarized as an imaginative approach to prayer by which we put ourselves into the Gospel stories and allow the Spirit to speak. This style of prayer uses the senses to enhance the experience. This week Bridget and Nicole walk us through this beautiful approach to prayer.
We dive right into our second part of our prayer series as we uncover the Augustinian approach to prayer. This form of prayer takes little scripture passages, focusing on one verse, always connecting to how this relates to our life. Join Bridget and Nicole as they dive into this and lead us in exploring this new form of prayer.
What is prayer and how do we do it? Prayer is essential to our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and can be the most difficult thing. This four part series will introduce us to several different forms and approaches to prayer. Join Bridget and Nicole as they share of their own experiences, struggles and success!
Everyday is just filled with stuff. Demands from work, relationships, family, education, sports and more...so how do we keep it all in check? How do we ensure that we keep God at the center while navigating "all the things"?
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
This week we dive into the real need we all have for encouragement, not only our need, but encouraging others and giving hope. Encouraging others to use their gifts for building God's kingdom here on earth.
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
What does it mean to live out the Easter season? We've journeyed through Lent and now we get to share in the joy of Christ's Resurrection. What newness is the Lord trying to breathe into you this season? Today we break open different ideas to continue to live as Easter People.
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
Having an experience of anxiety and depression is not a weakness but a reality for all of us. Where is God in all of this? This week we welcome Megan Estes who helps us to crush the stereotype and helps us in finding ways to choose joy.
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
This episode we welcome Peter Attridge to At The Well. Peter is on staff at Holy Family Counseling Center which provides counseling and therapy through the Catholic Faith. In this episode we explore the benefits of counseling and destroy the assumption that those seeking counseling have "given up".
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
Where do we find our worth? Through the way God created us or through the way the world tells us what we're worth? This week we dive into what it means to have an identity rooted in God.
Tell us what your experience has been, share your story by emailing atthwell@popfb.org!
This episode we break open the importance of friendships that challenge and point us back to our faith. They share personal witness to how friendships have been life-giving, promote healing and help us to grow in our desire for relationship with Jesus.
Bridget and Nicole break open this idea that everyone can use healing and break open a recent experience of going on retreat. They share personal witness to how they've experienced the healing presence of Jesus in their lives and encourage all of us to seek out our own opportunities to allow Christ to heal our hearts.
Bridget and Nicole welcome Katie V. to the podcast as she shares with us her knack for gentle parenting and seeing Christ in the lives God has entrusted us to raise.
What are your experiences with parents? Share the good, bad and ugly with us by emailing atthewell@popfb.org.
Today we talk about the spiritual adventure of Lent and the opportunity we have to grow in our faith.
What is your experiences with Lent? We'd love to hear it! Email us at atthewell@popfb.org.
This week we welcome Rebecca to the show. Rebecca will share her testimony about her own faith journey and the experience of passing on the faith to her children.
Do you have a story about your experience with the Eucharist? We want to hear it, email us at atthewell@popf.org
At The Well brings together women in all stages of life to talk about various topics of faith and to hear stories of God is moving in the lives of His people.
Introduce yourself to us and share your story! Email us at atthewell@popfb.org