We like to pray when we feel we're getting something out of it. But what do we do when the feelings fade, when we're "too busy" or prayer is dry? Will we still show up? Faithfulness to Jesus in prayer is more important than the feelings we might receive in prayer. And sometimes God withdraws the feelings of His closeness in order to test our hearts - to test whether we'll still come to Him for Him alone - and not what He gives us in prayer. Episode Notes References Edward Sri's new book Into His...
Jan 23, 2018•16 min
Nothing can fully prepare you for the real challenges of married life. Edward Sri hosts his first guest, his wife Beth, as they share three things they wish they did before they were married...and they continue to work on today. Support All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri
Jan 16, 2018•30 min
Many say, "What I do in my private life doesn't matter - as long as I'm not hurting anyone." But there are many ways we hurt people simply by failing to be the best we can be. In this week's episode, Edward Sri helps us respond to this objection and talk about moral truth, underscoring how what we do in our 'private lives' greatly impacts other people - for better or for worse. Episode Notes: The Objection: "What Could be Wrong With This? I'm Not Hurting Anyone!" First Response: C.S. Lewis Fleet...
Jan 09, 2018•18 min
Our choices matter. They lead us either to becoming the kind of person we most deeply desire to be or to falling short of the greatness to which God calls us. In this episode, Edward Sri helps us engage the culture of moral relativism with a Catholic moral worldview. Episode Notes Rationalizing Anything: Should he go to her room? The Top Moral Issues We Face "Ethikos": All About Character Modern View of Morality = Rules of Conduct Classical View of Morality = Who do I want to become? Virtue and ...
Jan 02, 2018•21 min
What was Mary thinking and going through on that first Christmas night? Recorded on location in Bethlehem, Edward Sri helps us enter into Mary's experience: The joy of giving birth to her son, the messiah, and the bewilderment and sorrow over watching him enter the world in such poverty, humility and rejection. Support All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri
Dec 26, 2017•13 min
What if we had never heard the Christmas story before? What if we were first-century Jews encountering the story of Jesus' birth for the very first time? In this week's podcast, Edward Sri takes us back into the world of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and unpacks for us the prophecies, historical context and Jewish hopes that come to fulfillment in Luke's account of Christ's birth (Luke 2:1-7). Episode Notes No Ordinary Census The Bethlehem Prophecy No Room in the Inn: Where was Jesus born? A Stable? A ...
Dec 19, 2017•16 min
Christians are called to rejoice, especially in the Advent season. But can we experience joy even in the midst of difficulties and trials? Edward Sri unpacks what true joy is and how we can radiate it more, even in the face of life's daily challenges. Support All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri
Dec 12, 2017•23 min
Don't miss out on Advent this year. Edward Sri helps us stay focused on the special graces that await us in this liturgical season - if we understand its meaning and key practices. Episode Notes Staying Focused in December: Preparing Spiritually Act of Love/Devotion Sacrifice: A Small Gift for Baby Jesus Like Mary: "In Haste" after what's most important The Message of Advent Hymns (mentioned Cistercian Monks Advent chants, Bach Advent Cantatas, Handle's Messiah) Support All Things Catholic with ...
Dec 05, 2017•16 min
The Sign of the Cross is not just the way Catholics begin their prayers. It is itself a powerful prayer—one that’s rooted in Scripture and one that the earliest Christians often turned to for strength in spiritual battle and protection from all harm and evil. In fact, Christians in the first centuries of the Church prayed the sign of the cross throughout their days, when the rose in the morning and went to bed at night, when they left the house and when they returned, when they began a project o...
Nov 28, 2017•20 min
If you’re at Thanksgiving dinner and the topic of life after death comes up, how confident would you be in articulating the Catholic position? Is there really a hell? If God is so merciful, would he really send people to hell? And what’s purgatory all about? Does God really bake us for a few hundred years in purgatory before letting us into heaven? Where is that in the Bible? The Church has rich teaching about judgment, heaven, hell, and purgatory. But some Catholics are fuzzy on the details or ...
Nov 21, 2017•17 min
Why does Jesus sometimes seem to push Mary away? For example: When people inform Jesus that his mother has arrived in Capernaum to see him, he says, “Who is my mother?” (My. 12:48). What does he mean by that? Far from disrespecting his mother, Jesus is honoring her – for he goes on to say “Whoever does the will of my Father is mother to me?” And Mary is the first to do the will of the Father. Indeed, these passages present Mary as a preeminent member of the supernatural family of disciples Jesus...
Nov 14, 2017•12 min
Imagine waking up along the Sea of Galilee, walking out your door and seeing the place where Jesus calmed the storm, walked on water and called his first disciples. You pinch yourself and ask, “Am I really here?” By seeing the very places where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, healed many people of their illnesses, and taught the parables, suddenly makes the Biblical stories more real. It’s as if you’ve walked right into the middle of the Bible. And they way you encounter the Scriptures will ...
Nov 07, 2017•16 min
“Why do you Catholics give so much attention to the saints? Shouldn’t we just focus on God?” Indeed, Catholic devotion to the saints is quite puzzling to some Christians. The whole idea of kneeling before a statue of Mary, doing a nine-day novena to St. Therese or asking St. Anthony to help you find your lost keys seems scandalous. After all, these are just human beings who died a long time ago—they’re not God! When Catholics honor the saints, however, we are simply recognizing the great things ...
Oct 31, 2017•15 min
Along the Sea of Galilee some 2,000 years ago, Peter was stunned when the Risen Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?” It was the word for “love” that got to him. Jesus didn’t speak of ordinary human affection. Another Greek word, phileo, describes that kind of love. Jesus instead uses the word agape, which describes a total, self-giving, sacrificial love. And that is what’s so troubling for Peter. After Peter just denied Christ three times, he painful knows he is incapable of agape love. He is sad ...
Oct 23, 2017•22 min
Before you say you’re pro-life, you might want to consider themes from JP2’s hard-hitting encyclical “The Gospel of Life.” It’s like an examination of conscience. It not only challenges us to take a deeper look at what’s really happening in “the culture of death.” It also invites us to consider the ways we Christians might be contributing to it through our own individualistic tendencies in our families, work environments and local communities. Be inspired to combat the culture of death and build...
Oct 16, 2017•24 min
Are you too busy to pray the rosary? Get distracted? Get bored? Prefer shorter prayers? For many, the rosary is the marathon of all Catholic devotions. “I prefer shorter prayers like the Divine Mercy chaplet.” Who has time for 50 plus beads of prayers? But what if I were to tell you the rosary is not beyond you. That you don’t have to pray it all at once. And that there are creative ways to incorporate it into your daily life. There was only one request that Our Lady of Fatima made in all six ap...
Oct 09, 2017•26 min
Imagine a non-Christian friend asking you to explain the Trinity: “How does 3=1? Do you believe in three Gods? Or is it just like three different names for the same one God?” How would you respond? And does it really matter? Does it really make a difference whether we believe in just a solitary divine being or a God who exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Absolutely! In fact, understanding the Trinity is the key to understanding what love is, where our happiness is found and the purpose of ou...
Oct 02, 2017•16 min
Ed Sheeran’s recent popular song repeatedly boasts, “I’m in love with your body.” But will that kind of love satisfy the depths of the human heart? We long to be loved for who we are, not just for our bodies. But in our over-sexualized world, many young people think, “I’ll never find someone who will love me for who I am, as a person…The best I can do to focus on my physical appearance, dress a certain way and hope that someone will at least love my body.” Edward Sri helps us discover the real p...
Sep 25, 2017•20 min
Your past doesn’t have to define you. This week’s feast of St. Matthew inspires us to consider how the God who transformed this sinner-tax collector into the great apostle can transform us in our own walk with Him today. Edward Sri takes us on a mini-tour in Rome to two of his favorite pieces of art depicting the life of this great saint. Along the way, we learn how to answer the call of God in our lives and take the next step of faith to which he is inviting us. God had amazing things in store ...
Sep 18, 2017•19 min
How do you know if you’re truly growing in your relationship with God or just going through the motions with your faith? One key to answering this question is the theme of discipleship. Being a true follower of Jesus involves more than just going to Mass, believing the right doctrines and following the 10 Commandments. To be a disciple of Jesus is to imitate his whole way of life. Do you long to love Jesus with all your heart? Discover three simple things you can do to help ensure your relations...
Sep 11, 2017•15 min
In this opening episode, Edward Sri launches his ‘All Things Catholic’ podcast with a topic to help us get ready for the feast of Mary’s Birthday this week: The Hail Mary. Perhaps you’ve prayed this prayer countless times. But what does it mean? Discover the rich Biblical roots of this prayer, along with insights from St. John Paul II that will transform the way you pray it. Experience the Hail Mary in a new way that is truly Christ-centered. For as JP2 said, in this prayer we encounter ‘the won...
Sep 04, 2017•17 min
