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

Jesus has a wounded human heart; he allowed himself to be fully wounded this way. If it had only been his hands or feet, he would've survived. How do we allow ourselves to be wounded for him? My sacrifices thus far are survivable. I could still be intact on my own. He gave us everything; we can't turn back. Evangelical chastity is the full, total gift of your heart, which is set on fire with love for God and for one another. Jesus teaches us a new way to love on the cross — one that lines up with our desires. We want to love differently, but we're tempted to settle. There's a real fear in getting our hopes up. The Father wants you to get your hopes up. Set your hopes high for intimacy — for the union and the love that is possible. If you can, donations to support the Poco a Poco podcast now gratefully accepted at spiritjuice.org/pocoapoco

Obedience isn't something being snatched from you; it's about willingly offering the gift of your freedom. It comes from great humility, a bold statement that "I'm not in charge of my life. I'm not God." It's recognizing that we don't have all the answers, and God really knows what is best for us. So wherever Jesus is, wherever he's leading you: go there. Stay there. Choose to go there... don't get dragged! Don't back off, don't fill it with other things. Stay focused on him on the cross. We're so grateful to be able to connect with you. If you're able, consider making a donation to this podcast and community at spiritjuice.org/pocoapoco

The last few weeks, we've been in the wilderness for Lent… but you can only stay in the desert so long. And when the Lord came out of the desert, he was very focused on his mission, with one moment in mind: going to the cross, and ultimately giving his life. As we move towards Holy Week and the Triduum: stay focused. Look at Jesus on the cross. For three episodes, we're going to ponder the wounds of Christ and relate them to the three evangelical counsels: poverty, obedience and chastity. (People might think these are just for consecrated religious. And yes, we take vows. But the Catechism, St JPII, St Bonaventure—and more—all propose that these are for every disciple to grow in imitation of Jesus.) Today's episode is all about poverty… but we don't talk about possessions. Look at Christ's wounded hands, nailed to the cross; they're a manifestation of Jesus' own poverty. He can't grasp at anything, but can only receive anything from the Father. His hands and wide open arms are all receptivity. At the culmination of his life, he has given everything; let go of everything, for the sake of love. Absolute and total surrender. What about when we grasp? Try to control things? Think we know what will fulfill us, or others? This week, examine where you might be grasping—not receiving—the good gifts that the Lord is offering. Want to share in the work of this podcast a little? Donations gratefully accepted at spiritjuice.org/pocoapoco

Sometimes, in the heart of the wilderness, your step that was a strong march slows down. Then turns into a limp after rolling an ankle, and finally ends up looking more like a crawl by the end of the day. And that's fine. Because the only rule is we don't stop. When there's a choice between struggling and stopping, we always want to err on the side of going for it. That means that at the beginning of each day, the ones who "win", spiritually, aren't necessarily the most gifted, the most talented, the capable. It's not the ones who look most promising on paper. The most faithful are the ones who persevere. So just keep going. Be faithful. Fr Mark-Mary's new book, Habits for Holiness, available now from Ascension Press. Check it out here: https://ascensionpress.com/products/habits-for-holiness-small-steps-for-big

After trying to go it alone day in, day out, you start to realize you can't do it alone. That's miserable. In the desert, you're radically dependent: on the Lord, and on people who surround you. Relationships are not accessory. They're essential. This breakthrough happens humanly and spiritually. All the physical sufferings start to purify you and you can experience what's most important. It's in our weakness that the only comfort, relationship, comes alive. Once you lean into that, you can find joy in struggle because you're in it together. It's when all the distractions are taken away that you can focus on the gift of relationship. But being left with nothing except relationship can be a scary moment. You can put off that moment for a long time. You can run from it. So… don't. Instead, embrace the built-in grace of Lent: to not have another option. To willingly remove all the other comforts in life and to see relationship for what it is: a consolation. Let this consolation be consoling.

The desert isn't about struggling for the sake of struggle. There's a wrong kind of struggle; one that's self-reliant, self-focused, worldly. It's difficult for the Lord to do anything for us there. In the desert, the reality of the wilderness slams against pride and ego. Against "I know what's best" and "I'm strong." You get to the desert and it punches you in the face because everything's so heightened. You figure out real quick how self-focused you are. And that wake-up call is good, because we all have a temptation to turn in to ourselves. To fix ourselves. To fix the people around us. To control. We're so stuck in ourselves. Getting after this temptation? Now that's the right struggle. Don't get dragged through the desert, kicking and screaming and resisting the whole time. Use your will to choose the desert, whatever that desert looks like for you. It doesn't matter whether you see what God is doing in the suffering or know where He's leading you. You don't have to like it or even understand it. You only have to pray, "Lord, I trust you and I receive this." Because that safety you're trying to force with all your self-reliance? That safety is an idol. Let go. God's got you.

We're kind of tired of mediocre Lents. You? This Lent, we're going for it: into the wilderness. Accepting God's invitation into the desert, with all its dangers and hazards and risks. Why does a loving Father, through a loving Church, invite us into a wild unknown? Because it's not unknown… to him. He's the one who initiates the invite every time. Jesus' journey into the desert began immediately after his baptism—after receiving his anointing and identity from the Father. He goes into the desert for us; truly, he doesn't need reminders of who he is. But he goes, and he's tempted. He struggles. He's hungry. And it's in this experience—as he responds to temptations with the truth of who he is and who the Father is—that Jesus receives his identity in a deeper way. We can have that desert experience, too. In the wilderness, the Father creates a sacred place to more deeply give each person his or her identity; for him or her to receive it over and over again. This journey often means leaving what's comfortable and not being afraid to suffer. After all, the desert can be dangerous… if you go alone. If you're standing at the edge of the desert, feeling a nudge to go for it: beg for the courage to go. God is waiting for you there. Want to see some beautiful photos from the wilderness? Check out www.franciscanfriars.com/pocoapoco

If you want to be healthy, happy and holy—and truly, these things are possible!—you have to live intentionally. It's not going to happen by accident. The small things are the foundation for that kind of life; getting out of bed on time, showing up to that planned workout, cooking the healthy groceries sitting in the fridge instead of firing up that food delivery app (again). Because things fall in order when you're living in order. This consistency is often hidden… boring, even. It's often anything but flashy. But there's grace in these small, simple, hidden acts—they build our hearts and allow us to sacrifice ourselves.

What's one thing you can do that will move you towards being holier, healthier and happier? Seriously… take a second. Bet something came to mind. Right? Sometimes we overcomplicate the plan. When there's a lot to change, or the change is going to be rough, it's tempting to bail on starting. It's easy to avoid doing the hard things, even the little hard things. Maybe especially the little things—but that's how holiness happens. Choosing to do the small hard thing, for Jesus, over and over and over again. You got this! With God's grace, you can totally do hard things. That realization—that we're capable of persevering—gives us the confidence that we have what it takes to gladly do what needs to be done. So stay simple. Keep the main thing the main thing. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." All of all three. Because keeping Christ firmly in the center of your life—the focus of all your energy and the motivation for all your choices—is the only sustainable way to live radically for him for a whole lifetime.

This week, we welcome a special guest for the first in a three-episode series: Jackie Mulligan of Reform Wellness. "It's ok to not be ok… and it's also ok to want to be ok." God loves and accepts us as we are, in all the messiness of our weakness. And his love also draws us to renewal; to real change that leads to real holiness, happiness, and a life that's abundant. Life-changing renewal is possible and it's what God wants for us. But it doesn't happen by accident. It takes intention. It takes risk. It takes very honestly asking yourself, But, really… how am I doing? If the answer demands an overhaul of your life, there will be temptation to put it off—don't give in! Fight through that resistance. This is God's initiative. Because if you don't, well, as a very honest friend of Fr Angelus' once told him, "If they wrote a book about your life, this would be a really boring chapter." And a life that's a little too safe and comfy and boring is an enemy of holiness. So let God change it. Let him change you.