The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Prayer is more than a checklist or spiritual performance. The friars explore Saint Francis’s intimate relationship with Jesus, the role of gratitude, silence, and Scripture, and how prayer can become a way of being. They also discuss recognizing distraction and anxiety before God while making space for a deeper identity as His beloved child.

Fr. Jonah Teller, OP, a Dominican friar, priest, pastor, and preacher, joins the Franciscans for a lively conversation on the friendship between their orders. They explore parish renewal, Eucharistic adoration, serious liturgy, preaching, and the distinct charisms of Franciscan and Dominican life. Fr. Jonah also reflects on Saint Francis as a vessel of divine light and the art of preaching with urgency, prayer, and vulnerability.

The friars explore Saint Francis’s radical poverty, penance, and surrender as a response to God’s love, not a way to earn it. They reflect on conversion, letting go of self-reliance, and seeing every breath, relationship, and responsibility as a gift. The conversation invites listeners to follow Jesus with gratitude and make their lives a loving reply.

Episode 320 - Sharing in God's Work of Reconciliation Have you ever felt responsible for correcting someone you love, but struggled to know whether to speak up or let it go? In this episode, the friars reflect on what it means to share in God's work of reconciliation. When we see someone making mistakes, struggling with sin, or drifting away from the faith, it's natural to want to help. But how do we know when God is asking us to step in, and when He's inviting us to surrender? Through the example of Saint Francis, the friars explore how fraternal correction is not simply about pointing out what's wrong, but about loving others with the same mercy, patience, and tenderness we've received from Jesus. Sometimes love calls us to speak the truth with courage. Other times, it asks us to listen, build trust, pray, and allow God to work in ways we cannot. Ultimately, we are called to participate in God's work of salvation, not carry the burden of saving everyone ourselves. Join us as we learn to love with courage, correct with mercy, and trust God with the hearts and lives of those we cannot change. The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you! 🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 319 - Trusting God with Tomorrow Have you ever felt like things are going well and started waiting for something bad to happen? In this episode, the friars reflect on what it means to trust God with tomorrow. When life is peaceful, fruitful, or good, it can be easy to brace ourselves for suffering, fear the next tragedy, or believe that the "other shoe" is about to drop. But that fear often reveals a deeper question: Who do I really believe God is? The friars invite us to stay rooted in the present moment, where God is actually meeting us. We are not promised perfect understanding of the future, but we are invited to make acts of faith, hope, and love right now. Like Saint Francis, we can learn to cling to what is true: God is good, all good, supreme good. Join us as we learn to stop living in fear of what might happen, and begin trusting the Father who is with us, caring for us, and holding tomorrow in His hands. The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you! 🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 318 - Is It Ever Enough? Have you ever felt like no matter how much you give, it still isn't enough? In this episode, the friars reflect on the difference between holy desire and the exhausting pressure to always do more. The world often tells us that greatness means never being satisfied, never resting, and never believing we have given enough. But that mindset can quietly lead to burnout, discouragement, self-reliance, and a distorted view of God. Jesus does invite us deeper. He does call us to love with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. But His invitation is not shame-driven or fear-driven. He receives the offering we can actually give, in our real limits, poverty, sickness, vocation, family life, and daily responsibilities. The friars invite us to bring our offering to the Lord and ask: Am I giving what I can, or am I trying to prove that I am enough? Join us as we learn to surrender the pressure of "never enough" and receive the freedom of being loved, called, and held by the God who is enough. The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you! 🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

The friars begin an 800th-anniversary journey into Saint Francis’s life and legacy. They share how they first encountered him and reflect on Francis as a mystic, lover of Jesus, father, and radical Gospel witness. The conversation moves beyond familiar Franciscan externals to explore the prayer, gratitude, joy, and deep intimacy with God that shaped his life.

Silence reaches its deeper purpose: union with God. The friars explore how discipline, surrender, and contemplative prayer create room for divine love, while reflecting on the Transfiguration as a model for the journey. They also discuss why true communion sends us back into the world transformed, ready to serve, praise, and lay down our lives for others.

The friars explore the difference between wise discernment and rash judgment. They discuss how insecurity, control, and incomplete stories fuel criticism, and invite listeners to replace quick verdicts with curiosity, humility, and trust in God’s hidden work. A reflection on surrender, mercy, and finding inner quiet by letting go of what cannot be fixed.

The friars explore how bodily rhythms shape prayer, charity, and presence. They discuss restlessness, sleep, exercise, food, health, breathing, and the pressure surrounding fitness. Along the way, they consider personal rhythms, practical body check-ins, and how movement or stillness can become a pathway to prayer and deeper communion with God.