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

In this week's episode we talk about the reality of our heavenly Father. The God of heaven and earth is passionately pursuing you right now. No matter how close you are to him, he is knocking on the door of your heart, asking to come in and meet with you once again. He's not knocking just to fix you. He's not knocking just to make you do something for him. He simply wants to meet with you. He simply wants to love you. In this week's episode: Blessed is She podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/blessed-is-she Abiding Together podcast https://www.abidingtogetherpodcast.com/ Want to send a sticker for Pro the donkey? Address: St Joseph Friary 523 W 142 St New York NY 10031 Isaiah 9:6: Father Forever (Alternate translation: Everlasting Father) Why is Jesus called "Father forever"? Rembrandt's The Prodigal Son Parables Referenced: The Prodigal Son The Lost Sheep The Good Samaritan The Father's desire to be a friend to sinners. Fr Innocent tells a personal story of searching for a friend who has recently died. The Holy Spirit moves our hearts to seek out His sons and daughters. How the Father pursues us and longs to be with us forever; for eternity. St Francis of Assisi's example as someone who seeks the forgotten; being with the forgotten always reminded St Francis of who the Father is and of his own mission. God always pursues the forgotten. Mission gives us experiences of the Father. Seeking the lost and the broken not only gives us a chance to love and serve others, but also gives us privileged insight of how God loves us as well. Hosea 11; reread this passage and replace Israel with your name. God is drawing each of us out of exile. Fr Innocent talks about how sometimes Jesus is our safe space. We say, "ok, I just want to stay with Jesus." And he asks us, "How's your relationship with the Father?" Jesus is not satisfied just revealing Himself. Jesus doesn't want to keep the Father hidden away. Our inheritance is not an orphan spirit of insecurity. We have an everlasting Father who pursues us. Referenced Books by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis: Fire of Mercy (Vol. I, II, III), The Way of the Disciple Upcoming episodes will feature Blessed Is She's Advent Devotional Maranatha. Order it now if you want to use the resource with the podcast: https://blessedisshe.net/product/maranatha-advent-devotional/ .

This week we discuss the title, "Mighty God" and the way in which God shows his might by making himself small, by forgiving us, by coming to us in the Eucharist. God is great and omnipotent but he chooses to become small to us so we can respond to Him in love. He made himself fragile to give us his strength. He became vulnerable so we could finally open our hearts in love, without fear. He is with you. He is for you. And he is enough.

Are we fascinated by God or merely interested? God wants His creation to be fascinated with Him and His ways. In this week's episode we talk about what it means to put aside our worry and to trust in the Wonderful Counselor. The truth is this: If we are fascinated with anything in life other than Jesus then we don't really know Him intimately! If we allow ourselves to be captivated with Him and seek Him more, then we will experience a heart consumed by and filled with God!

In this week's episode Fr. Angelus talks about his favorite Icon, Our Lady of Tenderness and how Our Lady teaches us how to surrender everything that keeps us from loving Jesus with all we have. Through her example Our Lady teaches us how to have hope in seemingly hopeless moments, and what it means to really be seen by the Father. We uncover how Mary desires to mother us in our poverty so that we can go before Christ fully alive.

As the Father sent me, so I send you. In this week's episode we talk about the real share that we have in Jesus's own mission and the urgent need to bring Jesus to the world. God uses our gifts and talents to touch the people that God brings into our lives. God is not waiting for somebody else. God want to use you. No matter what our vocation in life God calls us to mission.

The Holy Spirit, who worked in and through Christ during his life on earth, now works in and through us. In this week's episode we discuss how the Holy Spirit wants to move in our lives. Just as the Spirit enabled Christ to bring glory to his Father, so now the Spirit enables us to glorify both the Son and the Father. The Holy Spirit can help us greatly, but only if we let it.

We look at Jesus and the Samaritan woman with an emphasis on they way in which Jesus thirsts to love her. We also mention Mother Teresa's relationship with the thirst of Jesus and how important it is for us to know that God thirsts for our love. We're wanted and pursued by God.

Our first guest! Our long time arch nemesis, Michelle Benzinger from the Abiding Together Podcast, joins Fr. Innocent and Fr. Mark-Mary to talk about tangible grace for tangible trials, seeking first the Kingdom of God lest you go about your day spiritually hangry, and praying when there's no time to pray. Also, we learn about Fr. Innocent's cheap shot on Fr. Mark-Mary and his failed tinkerbell charade. (N.B. by "arch nemesis" we mean dear friend, source of inspiration, mentor, and much loved.)

We take a look at two ways to live: The way of Simon the Pharisee (boring!!, empty, vanilla) and the way of the sinful woman who bathes the feet of Jesus with her tears. Her love is desperate. Her love makes others uncomfortable. But, her love is real! Her love is beautiful. Why does she love the way she loves and lives the way she lives? She knows she's a sinner in need of the savior, and the savior is within reach. Let's love lavishly people! Let's live like sinners in need of a savior who know where to find him!

We take a look at the story of Bartimaeus. One major theme is the way in which a blind person feels very vulnerable in the world and has a lot of fear/anxiety because of it. If we go about life without faith, it's like we're walking the streets of NYC blind. Faith gives us absolute security, it allows us to see who we are and that God's with us.