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The Holy Owned and Operated Blog

Join us here for our weekly messages of hope, inspiration, and instruction. And the occasional grumble or two if Kristofer is in one of his moods!

You inspire us to continue and overcome by your own success and refusal to accept mediocrity in your faith journey. Thank you for taking us along for the ride!

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Catechesis at Home.

At this time of pandemic, many Dioceses have ceased offering Faith Formation of any sort – from Pre-K to and through Adult. This series will continue to guide you in this wilderness as The Church seeks new ways to reach and form the faithful.

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Latest Letters to You, The Church: The Body of Christ.

Being On The Road To Perfection – Episode 166

Sep 21, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:32 — 22.6MB)

We are called to be perfect, as we discussed last week.

So, what does being on the road to perfection look like?

If Jesus was “finished” and his ministry was “completed,” as it means when He said, “It is done,” by saying, “It is perfected” just before He died on the Cross, He must have walked a road to perfection.

And so must we.

In this episode we discuss that concept, in terms of what we are doing and how we respond to the call for our life.

It’s a simple concept, and a difficult task, but we have the example of Our Lord which, from the proper perspective, is not an impossible example to follow and exemplify.

Being Perfect – Episode 165

Sep 14, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:33 — 21.7MB)

Being Perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect is a daunting idea!

Starting from the beginning, when we first launched the podcast, we talk about Jesus’ use of the word “perfect” in Matthew 5:48, its Greek etymology, and His use of the same word only one other place in His ministry – when He is dying on the Cross.

Being Perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect is to be who we are supposed to be, just as God is Who He is supposed to be.

So how do we BE perfect?

Glad you asked.

The answer is here!

God’s Time Is Not Our Time – Episode 164

Sep 7, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:30 — 14.3MB)

God’s time is not our time.

Well, duh!

In this episode that is short on time – possibly our shortest episode ever – we discuss the intricacies of life complicated by our concept of timing and how our own blindness to the Plan of The Lord makes us impatient as He works for our good with His Goodness, Beauty, and Truth.

When we do not think God is responding to our prayers, it does not mean He isn’t involved and not doing things.

When we are kids, we try to get God to do things, to fit him into our expectations.

Do we still do that as adults?

When we are non-believers, does some of that lack of faith come from not getting, having, or experiencing what we think should be happening?

The Love Of Money – Episode 163

Aug 31, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:02 — 24.0MB)

1 Timothy 6:10 is our source for this topic (not Proverbs, as we erroneously say!).

We discuss the love of money in the context of the Mass reading recently about the rich young man asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.

We look at the idea of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle more easily than a rich person might enter heaven, and explore what that actually means.

Does God hate rich people? No.

Does the Church tell us not to be rich? No.

What if we are rich – does this story apply to us?

Well, we are, and that depends…

Relics – Episode 162

Aug 24, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:39 — 20.9MB)

Instigated by a question from our oldest son, we dive into the macabre!

Not really, but Kristofer has some issues with the idea of venerating body parts.

Fortunately, Beth has the more reasoned approach that the Church has, and Kristofer winds up understanding, but not on-board.

Relics are hard to understand, and the venerating of them is not a requirement to be Catholic.

It’s a practice that is encouraged if it will help an individual focus on Jesus.

The saints are saints in large part because they point us to The Lord, and those relics are meant to help us do the same.

We define relics and explain what veneration is in this episode.

Because I Said So – Episode 161

Aug 17, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:53 — 22.9MB)

“Because I said so” is never the answer.

We do not typically get into exact parenting practices, but this was an occasion that happened after Mass that Kristofer thought needed addressing.

Raised in an environment where asking “Why” was not allowed when parental direction, guidance, or discipline was being meted out, Kristofer and Beth relate a family story that exemplifies this situation and, in the process, discuss how it has been psychologically shown that Dads have a god-like aura to their children until their late teens.

We dive into taking our cues from our perfect Dad in heaven.

God NEVER says “Because I Said So.”

Neither should we.

Good News for All People

Aug 15, 2023

Jesus comes with His message for ALL people, even those whom we think don’t deserve it, or are different from us.

In reality, we are all the same, human beings, sinners, who need a Savior.

Read on to learn how we can support, live and share in the mission of Christ, spreading the Good News to all people.

God’s Beauty – Episode 160

Aug 10, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:12 — 23.2MB)

As it was last week, the Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 is the backdrop for this episode.

This recent vacation of ours brought us the opportunity to experience God’s Beauty in many forms, and we talk about the profound experience and permanent impression it made upon us.

We dig into the incomparable depth of God’s Beauty, juxtaposed against Man’s Beauty; and we start out doing so by taking on Devil’s Tower!

Our discussion answers questions you may not know you had, and it starts a lifelong discussion we hope you have with your selves, your loved ones, and your God.

We will.

Focus on Jesus

Aug 8, 2023

Focus is difficult in our over-stimulating society. Focus on Jesus can be even more difficult. In order to focus on Jesus, we have to either be very disciplined to ignore the distractions, or remove the distractions. This week’s readings give us insight into the amazing ways Jesus will work in our lives if we focus on Him.

Man’s Beauty – Episode 159

Aug 3, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:39 — 20.9MB)

The Big Ball of Twine Tour 2023 is the context for this episode.

This recent vacation of ours brought us the opportunity to experience Man’s Beauty in many forms, and we explore this phenomenon that we experienced intimately.

After an unintended humorous opening prayer, and refusing to melt into a puddle of goo in the heat, we discuss, in-depth, Man’s Beauty, and the beauty he makes with what the Creator has given us – our talents and resources.

Transfiguration of Christ

Aug 1, 2023

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ our Lord is an annual feast in its own right.

We also hear this Gospel account on the Second Sunday of every Lent.

So twice a year we are given an opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ Divine nature that He invites us to share in.

How can we respond to this invitation?

What does that mean to us?

Holy Owned and Operated has several reflections to help answer these questions and more!

Ordinary Time Is Not Ordinary – Episode 158

Jul 27, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:00 — 19.4MB)

This week, Beth drops a surprise topic on Kristofer after his opening prayer.

Beth says that Ordinary Time is not ordinary, and Kristofer does his best to grasp the mathematical meaning behind the word, thanks to his patito, Kora, educating him a few weeks earlier.

With the ice cream van trolling the neighborhood and tempting us at every turn. we discuss how extraordinary ordinary time really is – starting with a parish in Connecticut and the miracles that happen around the world, every single day in thousands of places.

Ordinary time is not ordinary – it cannot be!

So, let’s dig in…

Understanding

Jul 25, 2023

King Solomon asked the Lord for an understanding heart, that he might govern his people wisely.

When we pray, are we asking the Lord for understanding?

Most of us want to understand the Lord, we certainly ask for Him to tell us what we want to know…but do we seek to UNDERSTAND?

Can we answer as the Apostles do to Christ’s question, “Do you understand all these things?”

Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord

Jul 23, 2023

The Transfiguration of our Lord is celebrated on August 6. Let’s spend time especially with the Scriptures for this feast day. The significance of this event is often overlooked or underestimated. Read on to dive deeper into what the Transfiguration was, what it would have meant for Peter, James, and John, and what it can me for us.

Beginning With The End In Mind – Episode 157

Jul 20, 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:24 — 22.5MB)

Kristofer’s sister comes to mind as we begin by talking about pickle juice.

Beginning with the end in mind in our conversation is not a discourse on Stephen Covey, though we do give him credit here and intertwined throughout On The Road To Perfection for bringing Kristofer to the Catholic Faith, and it is a conversation that Covey would appreciate.

As Beth says, the “end” would be our “telos”, which Kristofer jumps on for the meaning of “perfected.”

This is a conversation of “Eschatology,” which is the study of the last things.

Are you ready for a conversation about the end goal of what the road to perfection leads us to?

Well, here it comes!