The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.

On “The Spiritual Life” podcast, James Martin, S.J., talks with comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan about telling jokes about the church and sometimes feeling like a fraud in the spiritual life. Together, they talk about: - Jim’s journey through agnosticism and back to the Catholic Church - Feeling like a fraud and nurturing a healthy spiritual life - What spiritual practices Jim turned to when his wife, Jeannie, was diagnosed with a pear-sized brain tumor.  Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/16/jim-gaffigan-james-martin-catholic/ Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at: https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On “The Spiritual Life” podcast, Fr. James Martin, S.J., talks to fellow a Jesuit and synod delegate, Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., who is the bishop of Hong Kong and was one of the 133 voting cardinals who elected Pope Leo XIV. He is renowned for his diplomacy and work fostering dialogue between the Catholic Church and China through educational outreach and cultural bridge-building. Together, they talk about: - Christian spirituality and Chinese culture - The principle of inner freedom in Jesuit spirituality and its resonances in modern psychology - How Cardinal Chow encountered God’s grace through his teenage battle with scruples and epilepsy Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/09/09/cardinal-chow-james-martin-spiritual-life/ Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at: http://americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Spiritual Life” host James Martin, S.J., talks with famed spiritual author and guide, Ron Rolheiser O.M.I., about: Different habits of prayer, including discursive and centering prayer Staying the course when your vocation feels boring or dry What we have misunderstood about chastity and celibacy Why praying relentlessly about your problems might not be spiritually wise and what to do differently in prayer Ron’s books mentioned in the episode:  The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity Domestic Monastery: Creating a Spiritual Life at Home Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/08/26/father-james-martin-ronald-rolheiser-spiritual-life Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host James Martin, S.J., talks with Julia Osęka, one of the youngest delegates at the Vatican Synod on Synodality which sought to increase participation in the Catholic Church. They reflect upon: How Julia’s childhood faith that ‘checked all the boxes’ matured into a relational faith between herself, God and other people Both the inspiration and challenges Julia felt as a young delegate at the Synod on Synodality in October of 2023 and 2024. Julia’s way of incorporating Ignatian principles of consolation and desolation, along with The Examen (St. Ignatius’ review of the day), into her prayer life. Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: Coming Soon Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host James Martin, S.J. welcomes New York Times Opinion columnist and host of the “Interesting Times” podcast Ross Douthat onto “The Spiritual Life” to talk about: - The eclectic variety of religious experience Ross encountered as a child through his parents’ exploration of charismatic and Pentecostal communities and his family’s eventual conversion to Roman Catholicism.  - Ross’ five-year struggle with Lyme disease, detailed in his memoir The Deep Places, and where he found God amidst his mysterious illness. - The importance of finding gratitude for the ordinary pleasures in life.  Read Fr. Martin’s spiritual advice column about this episode here: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/08/12/ross-douthat-james-martin-spiritual-life-suffering Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Academy-Award winning filmmaker, Martin Scorsese, joins James Martin, S.J. to talk about: Scorsese’s Catholic childhood against the backdrop of the mean, mafia-run streets of the Lower East Side, NYC, and the priest who guided him through it. How spiritual themes naturally emerged in his acclaimed films. Scorsese’s experience doing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and how they affected his personal relationship to Jesus. Link to Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/08/05/martin-scorsese-catholic-filmmaker-prayer-imagination/ Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joyce Rupp, a renowned spiritual writer and member of the Servite Order, shares her insights on embracing aging with grace. She discusses how to face aging without bitterness, highlighting the joy and freedom that can be found in this life stage. Joyce also reflects on how experiences of grief have influenced her prayers, emphasizing the deep connection between spirituality and the journey of aging. With practical advice on revitalizing faith and personal stories, she inspires listeners to embrace the wisdom and beauty that come with growing older.

Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, known for his impactful work with disadvantaged youth and gang mediation, shares his profound journey of faith. He discusses the challenges of discerning a call from God amidst spiritual darkness and the transformative experiences that shaped his vocation. The conversation dives into the importance of nurturing an adult faith, encouraging young people to question their beliefs, and how serving the marginalized has enriched his spiritual life. His insights offer a rich perspective on resilience and commitment in faith.

“Spiritualizing” something usually makes it less concrete, less “real.” Not for Anthea Butler, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode of “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.,” Anthea shares her journey from Catholicism to Pentecostalism and back to Catholicism, crediting the Catholic Church’s rich intellectual tradition and dedication to working with the poor and marginalized. They discuss: - Anthea’s Black Catholic heritage in Louisiana and Texas - The great, yet relatively unknown, Catholic intellectual tradition - How evangelical theology seeps into the Catholic Church in the United States - Spirituality lived through action on behalf of the poor Link to Father Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/15/anthea-butler-james-martin-spiritual-life-251125 Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Colbert joins host Jim Martin, S.J., on “The Spiritual Life”! Colbert is well-known for his satirical comedy on The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.  The conversation dives into: - The personal tragedy that marked Colbert’s boyhood- losing his father and two brothers in a plane crash – and how his mother’s faith helped shape his spiritual perspective. - The atheism that plagued his college years and what brought Colbert back to his Catholic faith. - The interplay between Colbert’s Catholicism and his comedy Read Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode, or visit this link: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/08/stephen-colbert-james-martin-spiritual-life-251084 Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices