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

Episode 100 - Get Over Yourself The fraternal life is not accessory to life. We're coming to the desert together, which constantly challenges each of us to give ourselves to the Lord and to each other. We belong to one another. Then there are times where the hardest part isn't giving… but receiving. We absolutely have to choose to be a brother, and we also have to choose to receive the brotherhood. We have to accept help and service and love. Either way, we have to keep learning more and more: life isn't about me. This Lent, we'll be working through Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. Order now (including digital copies) at bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 99 - This is My Beloved Son Being a son means that you have a Father. The first and most important identity: son. This is the foundational identity that the Father gives us—everything else builds on this. We're not talking about the Father as an idea or a concept. Because you can't have a relationship with an idea. An idea can't rejoice in you. This is a real relationship, with a real Father. We're inviting everyone into the desert because we all have a longing to know who we are. And once you've been given the gift of yourself, and are able to say strongly, "Lord, I'm a Son/Daughter," you come alive. This Lent, we'll be working through Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. Order now (including digital copies) at bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 98 - Rending the Heavens (Lent 2022) Sometimes Lent is a missed opportunity. We focus too much on what we're going to give up, what we're going to do, etc. This year, focus on our desire to have a Lent that brings us into contact with Jesus. Where are we going, and why are we going there? Jesus doesn't go into the desert for himself; he doesn't have some personal need. He does it for us. And in a real way, we get to go into the desert as Jesus did. We go with him into the desert because he absolutely wants us to experience what he experiences with the Father. That relationship is everything. But it takes work. It takes tough decisions. And this world, as we know it, doesn't form us to say "yes" to that. There is a mark on our souls from baptism, and we go into the desert so Jesus can remind us what that means. To claim our inheritance: direct access to God, in everything. But we have to let everything else go to receive this gift. It's time to choose to step into the desert. This Lent, we'll be working through Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. Order now (including digital copies) at bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 97 - Confronted by the Eucharist, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 8 of 8) When you have a conversion, you live a Eucharistic life, with a gravitational pull to be with Jesus. There, no matter how you feel, you know you're not alone. It's not just about our desire to go to him, though—he is also drawing us to himself. Allow yourself to be drawn. Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx Starting next week… Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. Order now at bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 96 - From Fullness For Fullness, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 7 of 8) When we get to know Jesus, our need for "stuff"—for entertainment, for status—is lessened. Besides… we have to stop pretending that stuff and noise and grasping doesn't have an effect on our lives. Really examine it in your own life; the truth is that prayer only works in silence. Being on your phone all the time or watching hours of tv every day, well, those things impact your interior life. You have to make the small spaces where you let go of things and be simple, and then God can come in and fill that space. Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 95 - Loving to the End, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 6 of 8) The first big "yes"—when we originally orient our lives to Christ—is not the most important. It's the later yesses, of a deeper surrender and trust and giving of our lives, that mean a lot more. At some point, it's not enough to be doing the right things; there must still be a desire for even deeper intimacy with God. Over time, it's easy to slowly start compromising on little things; to lose the initial enthusiasm and excitement and energy of conversion. This is when sacrifice comes in—when maybe there's not as much consolation, and no novelty, and it's all about choosing to sacrifice for the relationship. It's about a love that perseveres. If you're looking for this deeper intimacy, there's a revealing question to ask yourself. Where am I still hiding? Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 94 - Thy Will Be Done, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 5 of 8) This is NOT a How to Discern episode. It's much closer to the foundation. What does the "will of God" even mean? What about "surrendering my life to God"? Discernment isn't a calculation or program or roadmap, it's not a "do this and do that and God's mystery in your life will be revealed." It's wanting to trust in this relationship with God, and, through that, wanting to let go of our own preferences. It diminishes our selfish desires. After all, fascination with the will of God is fascination with the heart of God. Why does he have a plan? Because he is Father. And you are his beloved son or daughter. His heart for you is one that wants to bring joy and happiness and fulfillment. God gives us complete freedom to live our plans. But when we stop to ask for his plan, there's a deeper freedom and a deeper joy. It's what we're made for. Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. bornoffirebook.com/ 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!

Episode 93 - A New Vision, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 4 of 8) There's a simple test of whether a conversion is authentic: do you treat people differently, particularly the poor? Does your spiritual life get reduced to "me"? Or to an exodus from caring about yourself at all? Your prayer is measured in charity. The quality of your Holy Hour can only be measured by how you love people when you leave your Holy Hour. It's not only about your experience. The end of all formation, of any vocation, is self-gift. The end is the cross—the mystery of loving Jesus and loving like Jesus. Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx Born of Fire by Fr. Innocent Montgomery, CFR. bornoffirebook.com/ The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. Monthly donations are particularly helpful for our future planning. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

Episode 92 - Optimizing Confession, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 3 of 8) Going to confession regularly can become routine—a checklist—instead of what it can be: an encounter with God. Examine not only your sins, but also the one you've sinned against; the Lord. Because there's a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. You receive forgiveness; you're reconciled with a person. This shift in approach can shift what you receive from a sacrament that's not only about forgiveness but also about healing. Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. Monthly donations are particularly helpful for our future planning. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

Episode 91 - Healed By His Wounds, Series on Conversion by Fr Haggerty (Part 2 of 8): Chapter 3 Remembering your sin can be uncomfortable. But it's not about the sin—remembering your sin is remembering God's mercy. It's going back to Jesus's presence at that moment, and to the way he changed it. Remembering that is the start of understanding your conversion more deeply, and to living your conversion more sustainably. A conversion based solely on feelings just doesn't last. After all, we don't graduate from being poor; from being one who is saved, from needing a saviour. Being poor is a permanent posture of the disciple. There's only one place our sin makes sense: at the foot of the cross. Take the crucifix off the wall and bring it close. Study it. Spend time with it. Make the sacrifice of Christ personal. Does his suffering matter to you? Order Conversion by Fr Haggerty: https://www.ignatius.com/Conversion-P341.aspx The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. Monthly donations are particularly helpful for our future planning. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!