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Being Perfect – Episode 165
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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!
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Letters Home: Our Blog
Read thoughtful, heartfelt commentary and discourse on life, the Church, and being Catholic from five different authors
Good Soil
Jesus loves to teach in parables.
When we hear this week’s parable, we also get to hear Jesus explain it to the Apostles.
Let’s all learn how to become the good soil that allows the Word of God to grow and produce fruit!
Jesus’ Yoke Is Easy
If Jesus’ yoke is easy, why is life so hard?
This week, we explore that with a little help from Father Richard Simon – The reverend Know-It-All – and dig into the details of this passage that we hear three times this month (this is the second time).
So, it must be important!
We take a walk through the readings for this week’s Mass, focusing not on ourselves, but on Jesus’ yoke that others are carrying.
And we discover why ours is harder than it needs to be in the process.
Receive
This week we hear that in order to receive our reward, we must receive His apostles, Himself and His Father, His prophets, and righteous people. What does that look like today?
Invite someone in ministry over for dinner or lunch or just to hang out for a while. Thank them for their answer to God’s call to be an Apostle. Invite them to tell their vocation story.
God’s Answer is Jesus
This week’s readings are mostly prayers and answers.
“Lord, in your great love, answer me” (Psalm 69:14).
Think of how we pray and ask for God’s power to take away our fears and hardships.
Do we pray with confidence and praise?
Or pitiful pleading and anxiousness?
Let’s take a page from Scripture and pray with trust and confidence in God’s goodness and answers.
Priesthood
Have you ever contemplated your baptismal priesthood?
What is it, from where does it come?
How does it make a difference in our lives?
And how is it different from the Ministerial Priesthood – those men who are ordained to the priesthood in the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
This week let’s dive into these questions as God calls each of us to the priesthood.
Celebrating The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
Jesus Christ is real.
And He gave us the Eucharist so that we could be with Him physically, because He knows we, as human beings, need to feel His presence.
There is no better or real presence of Jesus Christ in our lives than receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity at Mass.
This week, we celebrate an entire Solemnity – the highest form of celebration in the Catholic faith – at Mass to give glory to God for this miracle of the real presence of Our Lord at every Mass.
Read and learn about it, and the special celebration that you just might see walking down Main Street this weekend!
Hundreds of other searchable Letters Home articles…
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God’s Beauty – Episode 160
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:12 — 23.2MB)
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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.
Man’s Beauty – Episode 159
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:39 — 20.9MB)
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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.
Ordinary Time Is Not Ordinary – Episode 158
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:00 — 19.4MB)
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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…
Beginning With The End In Mind – Episode 157
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:24 — 22.5MB)
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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!
Am I Good Enough To Be Catholic? – Episode 156
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:12 — 21.4MB)
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It’s Romper Room time at Holy Owned and Operated!
Who do you see?
After a list of names and a Laurie Anderson reference, Beth hits Kristofer with a topic out of the blue.
Kristofer answers right away, and condemns the rest of us – including him – but of course leaving out Beth.
But wait for the end to be sure.
We see everybody around us – especially at Mass and other Church functions – as good and better than us.
So, it is natural to wonder if we are good enough to be Catholic.
After making sure we aren’t having technical difficulties we jump right in: Am I good enough to be Catholic?
Is There Cake? Summer Catholicism And Our Third Anniversary – Episode 155
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:07 — 25.9MB)
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Summer Catholicism does not make sense.
The Church is Universal, and Summer happens every year.
Why do we turn into summer Catholics when the kids get out of school?
So many seem to take the summer off, as if a change in schedule justifies a change in celebrating days of holy obligation.
We discuss this fun topic on a 95-degree day, and it is obvious the heat gets to us.
Delirium, goofiness, and straight-up ridonculousness ensue as we unwittingly realize it is our third anniversary for the podcast.
We’ve been doing this for three straight years, no interruption!
So, enjoy this fun twenty minutes of just craziness while actually giving great suggestions on how to keep our Catholic practices – and Faith! – during the summer while we are still relaxing.
And then there’s the cake.
Watch our 3-5 Minute Video Series!
Fruits of the Spirit: Kindness
What is Kindness? Is it Niceness? Learn the difference between the two words as well as if Jesus was one, and, if so, which one. Are you a chicken on a june-bug when something ticks you off? Learn how to be kind about everything. When Justice and Mercy are used in all things Kindness just exudes from that. When you are Kind, you are being Truthful; whereas niceness can feed sin and ego. When we practice Kindness, we take them “along side us” as Mom says. Being nice can be sinful if you do it too much, and Kindness is much a symptom of other virtues. It may not get that much air-play, but it is a very important Fruit as all of them are. -Nathaniel
Fruits of the Spirit: Faithfulness
What is the difference between Faithfulness and Faith? Mom and Dad explore this Fruit as we continue in this series.
Faithfulness is Fidelity not Faith. Faithfulness reminds us to not rationalize our actions. When you know God or the Truth, you cannot help but be Faithful. Faithfulness comes from confidence in the fact that God is in our Heart.
Faithfulness is that strength of remaining tied to the Lord.
Fruits of the Spirit: Patience
Presented by Mom and Dad, this episode discusses Patience. What is Patience? Is it true that if you pray for patience God will give you lots of opportunities to practice it? Answers to these questions are addressed as well as the fact that human nature lends itself to stuff being done “our way” as opposed to Patiently waiting for God’s way. Thrown in are a few laughs, and anecdotes, and this will lead you to see the view of patience that Mom and Dad have. -Nathaniel.
Fruits of the Spirit: Peace
What is Peace? Why do we say “Peace be with you” at mass? Mom and Dad answer these question and more in this video that tells us that peace gives us a sense of security in the Lord. -Nathaniel
Fruits of the Spirit: Joy
What is joy? Is it happiness? Why should we have joy? These frequently asked questions are answered in this short video. Join Mom and Dad in this talk about joy, how trust leads to joy, and how joy leads to hope. -Nathaniel
Fruits of the Spirit: Love
Mama and Daddy explore the first Fruit of the Spirit that St. Paul mentions in his letter to the Galatians: Love. They explain that Love is a verb that means “sacrifice” and is not an “Ooey-Gooey” feeling, as Dad says. -Nathaniel
