St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

During this season of lent we are called by the Church to repent of our sins and turn back to the gospels. The Gospel of Luke makes it clear that all are being addressed when Jesus gives instructions on how to be his disciples, “Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).Therefore, to be Jesus’ disciples, to put him first, we must practice temperance from our own desires, passions, and all that does not bring us closer to Jesus. As we reach detachment from those actions that pull us away from Jesus, we will begin to see the greater joy promised in the Beatific Vision. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

When we attend Mass, do we really envision the joining of heaven and earth, which is about to become visible to us? Do we work on realizing how precious a gift Our Father has given us, our Daily Bread, given for our spiritual sustenance?We need to learn from the saints how precious a gift the Liturgy is for our spiritual growth. When it comes to praying at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass it can be helpful to keep in mind the words of St. Augustine, “The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.”In the example of St. Augustine, let us prayerfully desire to become closer with Our Lord Jesus Christ during the Mass. And let's also keep in mind to call on Our Blessed Mother for help so that we may improve. This meditation will continue to give you other tools and examples for learning to truly pray the Mass.Visit Show Page Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Today in the podcast….. "Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear..." (1 Peter 3:14-16).This is the courage that the Apostles of Jesus Christ are calling us to embrace when approaching the ever approachable Godhead in His Divine Infancy.  Jesus Christ wants us to be free from all anxiety as we build our relationship with Him. Just as one would feel free to interact with a newborn baby, unafraid of what others think while lavishing a Baby with affection.This meditation will enlighten the faithful in how to, as St. Josemaria Escriva has stated many times, evangelize with great charity as one improves their pious relationship with the Lord. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In a homily given by St. Josemaria Escriva in the 1960’s he calls all to imitate Jesus’ love for Humanity. What does this call invite us to do today? Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, enlightens us by mentioning that the call to “Passionately Love The World,” invites us to leave our comfort zone, find new compassion for others, be present for those who do not know that they hunger for Christ, His consolation, and His peace. In turn, our efforts of imitating Christ will ultimately give our lives meaning and we will have found true love.Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." . . . Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," . . . "and a few fish. . . . Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.” Matt. 15:32-37We should take note that if we trust enough to give Our Lord Jesus Christ all that we have, as in the loaves and the fish, then there is nothing to worry about for Jesus will always take care of us. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, is quoted in this podcast saying, “We are disciples of Christ marked with this unity of life that we give an experience of Christ through joy.”   He challenges us to evaluate our daily lives and see if we can find Christ there in the midst.He stresses that, as Disciples of Christ there should be a common thread that runs through our lives. This Common thread is the manner in which we interact with others through which they can see the presence of Jesus Christ in our very person. Just like the vessels of clay St. Paul refers to when telling the Corinthians that they must hold God within their being in order to be able to give Him to others.We must let others experience Christ through our very actions of love, kindness, affection, and joy then they can recognize the life of Christ alive in us. The receiver of these actions should feel loved through our being present to them. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, reminds us that St. Josemaria was inspired by the light of God with the mission to bring Christ into the heart of the entire world in a way that He had never been before. Into a world that is gripped by a culture of death; to be healed by the intervention of God’s Mercy. “God is the same as always. It is men of faith that are needed: and then, there will be a renewal of the wonders we read of in the Gospel” (St. Josemaria; The Way, no. 586).Faith filled children of God are called to participate in this beautiful mission. We are to replicate both the joy and the affection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This can be done if first a well formed interior life of prayer is established, for it is our prayer life that exudes this joy, the light of Christ. Fr. Peter refers to what St. Gregory Nazianzen wrote in his Oration #39 that, “[God] wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shinning in the world.” This is no ordinary light he speaks of; it is a light in which we are bathed in the glory of God. Let us ask Our Blessed Mother Mary to help us enter into the light, the light of her Son, which is nothing more and nothing less than the Mercy of God. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Jesus spoke these words, “For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).In this passage, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, points out that we must not lack repentance, love for God, and affection and compassion for others, especially those alienated from God. Our Lord calls us to love our neighbor, for when we are loving our neighbor; we are loving God. In the spirit of St. Josemaria Escriva’s charism of living daily life, we can look at this quote from Archbishop Nguyen Van Thuan (1928-2002), when addressing the Lord, “I will no longer look back but do willingly, simply, humbly, and bravely the duties which come from the circumstances in which I find myself, as your will.” Then again, “ I want to turn every minute that remains in my life into an act of love.” These words can become our daily mantra when we are faced with our daily crosses and are struggling interiorly for the strength to carry them. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

“My Father — talk to him like that, confidently — who art in heaven, look upon me with compassionate Love, and make me respond to thy love.—Melt and enkindle my heart of bronze, burn and purify my unmortified flesh, fill my mind with supernatural light, make my tongue proclaim the Love and Glory of Christ” (St. Josemaria, The Forge, no. 3).Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon the idea of divine filiation, that we have been made children of God through our Lord’s redemption. By being reborn in Jesus Christ through baptism, we become like Christ the Son, through whom God the Father loves us. By growing deeper in our relationship with Jesus, we can grow in our sense of divine filiation and benefit more from the love of God the Father.Divine filiation should serve as a reference point for our lives. Especially through our difficulties and anxieties, we can draw perspective by remembering that we are nothing less than children of God and that our Father is infinite, all-powerful love. This outlook will continue to fortify us through life’s struggles and help us to maintain our interior peace. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

“I will get up an go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants'” (Luke 15:18-19).While making use of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, causes the observer to stop and think about the reason why a soul is moved to repentance. Fr. Peter explains that it is the devout contemplation of the goodness of God and the returning loving gaze of our Lord upon our souls that elicits a desire for profound repentance and thus to have a conversion of heart. If we take time to really consider our actions and are honest with ourselves and with God, we can receive freedom from sin, the healing that God is offering through Jesus Christ through the priest in confession. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, a priest of Opus Dei, invites us to come to understand the importance of the second most perfect gift that God has given us at the foot of the cross, the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, is also our Mother. He explains through her Immaculate Conception, she had been prepared for the sole purpose of helping us become children of God worthy of being saints.This generosity of God can be seen as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary, October 13, 2017, of Our Mother Mary appearing at Fatima showering us with her “Motherly Love” and asking us to let her help us by invoking her through praying the rosary. It is precisely in this act that Fr. Peter reminds us that the shortest way to Jesus is through Mary.In honoring the graces that God the Father has bestowed upon Our Beloved Mother, let us, “Sing to the Immaculate Virgin, reminding her: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, Mother of God the Son: Hail Mary, Spouse of God the holy Spirit...Greater than you, none but God!” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Way, no. 496). Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!