The three Magi give us an example of humility and daring. Their three gifts each symbolize an aspect of the Mystery of Christ. Christ is King, Victim, and God. In our own way, we can give him Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, with our generosity, our spirit of sacrifice, and our adoration. The gifts of the Magi remind us of the greatest gift of Christmas, the gift of Christ himself. In Christ we receive countless spiritual gifts. These are meant to be freely accepted and also shared with the world....
Jan 01, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Our desire to see Jesus this Christmas is a deep desire to see God. Made for heaven, we will be unfulfilled until we see God "face to face." The Church calls the sight of God in heaven the "beatific vision." Our earthly happiness also depends on our seeing God in Christ. This happens in our faith and in our prayer. Only by purifying our ideas and desires for happiness, making them correspond more perfectly to our true goal, will we be content in this life and happy forever in the next. https://c...
Dec 23, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Originally published 12/21/2020. We can join Mary and Joseph on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The divine adventure that they were on was filled with trust in God, which counteracted their natural concerns and fears. The silent presence of Jesus within his Mother's womb was a source of wonder, love, and prayer for Mary and Joseph. Jesus's silent presence in Mary and his silent sleep in the manger has a profound meaning for times of spiritual dryness.
Dec 19, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Jesus comes to make us joyful. He shares his joy with us and calls us to a deep happiness. Our times of sadness and sorrow are certainly part of his plan for us, but they can coexist with a constant joy. When we put too much value in passing things, of whatever kind, our joy becomes fragile and fleeting. To make God our joy, by contrast, is to have a joy "that no one can take from you." Not only is God the cause of our joy, but in his love for us we are also the cause of his joy. https://comeawa...
Dec 12, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 48
God's victory over sin begins with his Mother's Immaculate Conception. His mercy for us as sinners also includes our struggle against sin and eventually our complete purification. The means we have are the same: openness to grace, use of our freedom, and having the Lord stay with us. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com If you enjoy "Come Away by Yourselves", please take a moment to rate and review it wherever you listen to this podcast....
Dec 08, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Advent is a penitential season, a time to reckon with our sinfulness and to convert. Conversion requires the belief that we can radically change with God's help. God can fill the valley of our frustration and loneliness. He can lower the mountain of our pride and self-reliance. For this to happen, however, we have to desire it and ask for it with confidence. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Dec 05, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 46
In Advent we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. Jesus, who found no room in the inn at Bethlehem, can find room in our souls and our lives if we prepare well for his coming. Making room for Jesus means clearing other things out, finding time for prayer, and welcoming him in others.
Nov 28, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Originally published 11/24/2020 On this Thanksgiving weekend, we take time to reflect on gratitude. Gratitude is an essential act of prayer. Being grateful is closely linked to joy and freedom from sadness and despair. The grateful soul needs humility, temperance and chastity to continually recognize all of the gifts that come from God. For the study on gratitude and well-being, please visit: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/how-to-flourish https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Nov 24, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Christ's kingdom is hidden, progresses slowly, and respects our freedom. It therefore has to be sought out, given time to develop, and freely assented to. When recognized as our King, Christ brings peace and holiness to our souls. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Nov 21, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 43
The "end of the world" is the coming of Christ in power and glory. As such, it is not so much a destructive end as it is a fulfillment and completion. To be safe at the Lord's coming, at the time of judgment, we especially need to be truthful now. The sure path of eternal life is the path which is Jesus himself: "the way, the truth, and the life." This entails bravely overcoming our self-deception and "loving Jesus more than our sins." Living in this way liberates us from fear of divine judgment...
Nov 14, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Elijah asks a starving widow to share her very last provisions with him. Trusting in God's promise, her meager resources last them through an entire year. Our Lord asks us for a similar trusting generosity in times of fatigue and discouragement. The Mass makes present Christ as true spiritual food, enriching enough for our earthly pilgrimage and a gateway to heaven. It also makes present Christ's redemptive sacrifice, powerful enough to overcome all evil and sin. To follow Christ, we need to avo...
Nov 07, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 41
The Feast of All Saints reminds us of our ultimate destiny in heaven. The call to holiness is a call to imitate Christ by letting God into our lives just as they are right now. The lives of the saints remind us that the saints weren't superhuman. All of the saints had "issues" just like us. No matter what state or situation we find ourselves in, we can take the next step in sanctity by trusting and loving God a little bit more. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Oct 31, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 40
The Christian's call to holiness is a mysterious reality. How can we be holy when holiness is exclusive to God and underlines his transcendent otherness? How can we be perfect who are obviously sinful and weak? Only by possessing and being possessed by Christ is holiness possible for us. Sanctity is to have him live in us through the sacraments, our prayer life, and our gradual imitation of his life and dispositions. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Oct 17, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 38
The ups and downs of St. Peter are an example of starting over after coming up short. To begin again after some failure is not just to keep trying, but to learn humility and a greater reliance on God. Without our stumbles and falls we would never learn how much we need God's mercy and healing power. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Oct 11, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Originally published 9/28/2020 The three Archangels teach us important truths about God. They reveal to us His transcendence, His power, and His salvific action.
Sep 28, 2021•30 min
The Christian life entails a struggle. Growing in virtue and overcoming vice requires serious effort. This struggle for holiness, however, may seem overwhelming to the weak and self-empowering to the proud. Realizing that God's aid is essential for all spiritual growth helps to overcome these two mistakes. Our spiritual combat must be carried out bravely and freely but also with full confidence in God. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Sep 26, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Jesus's love is a burning, fervent love. God himself is described as a 'burning fire' in the Letter to the Hebrews. As disciples, we too ought to be men and women who are "on fire": apostolic, energetic, engaged, and up for sacrifices. This entails overcoming lukewarmness, a spiritual illness that makes us allergic to Christian fervor and zeal. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 19, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Jesus' apparent failure on the Cross is in reality a great victory. His suffering was necessary for his glorification and for our salvation. As Christians, our suffering is similarly necessary. It is a means of purification, sanctification, and co-redemption. Living through trials lovingly and prayerfully can teach us tremendous lessons about God and ourselves. Like Christ, the trusting acceptance of our crosses becomes a great victory over sin and selfishness. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Sep 12, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Our Faith gives us a living relationship with Jesus Christ and his Father God. We are truly children of God in Christ. This realization should fill us with confidence and trust. God, who is all powerful and all knowing, is our loving Father. He loves us with the same love with which he loves his divine Son. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 05, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 33
The Bible often encourages us to a silent, receptive stance before God's reality and goodness. This kind of prayer takes recollection or composure of heart, which in turn requires some trust in God. Our distaste for quiet prayer can be rooted in an unwillingness to cede control or a fear of the changes it might provoke in us. Jesus's advice to the busy Martha is pertinent for all times: "Mary has chosen the better part." Although our lives are rightly busy, we should also play the role of Mary--...
Aug 29, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 32
The Assumption and the Coronation of Our Lady give us a glimpse of her heavenly glory. Mary's holiness and glorification are a reflection of the glory and splendor of God. By contemplating her eternal radiance, we are bolstered with joyful hope and encouraged to "shine like stars" in the midst of the world. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com If you enjoy "Come Away By Yourselves," please take a minute to rate and review the podcast. This helps spread its reach to other people....
Aug 22, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 31
The virtue of temperance or moderation is essential to loving God. To love God above all things, our desires and enjoyment of everything else need to be under control. Temperance brings order and health to the soul, freeing it to give God and others more importance. Performing small acts of self denial, thereby restraining our thirst for pleasure, gives us a chance to find our joy and happiness in God himself. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Aug 14, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The Gospels reveal to us the richness of Jesus's humanity. Jesus is interested in all sorts of people and all kinds of activities. He deals with people personally, respectfully and with tenderness. His human experience is fraught with all that we ourselves experience in life: fatigue and frustration, sadness and joy, friendship and loneliness, anger and, in his own way, even sin. Getting to know Jesus's humanity makes it easier for us to talk with him in prayer. Knowing that he lived a human lif...
Jul 31, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Jesus takes five loaves and two fish from a boy and multiplies them to feed a crowd of thousands. When we trust him, Jesus takes our good will and our meager personal resources and similarly multiplies them to help us and others. Fortunately, faith is something we can grow in by choosing to do so. It is a free human act. By admitting our limitations and weakness and then confidently trying our best to do his will, Jesus makes up the difference between our insufficiency and the great things he wa...
Jul 24, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Our Lord Jesus calls Christians the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world." The presence of believing Christians is fundamental for the health and salvation of humanity. Realizing the gravity and urgency of our mission, we should put aside all division and distractions and commit ourselves to living our Catholic faith. This demands daily trust in God, daily repentance from sin and daily conversion towards true charity. Please take a moment to rate and review "Come Away By Yourselves." ...
Jul 17, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 27
The question of our personal identity is crucial to life. Our identity is tied to our closest relationships and our life’s mission. The deepest truth of who we are, however, is something we find in God and receive from Him, not something we have to figure out entirely on our own. By living the life God wants for us, we become our true selves and discover our true names.
Jul 09, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 26
On the Feast of St. Josemaria, we reflect on one of his most important teachings: the sanctification of work. After their conversion, the early Christians were encouraged to continue living the same life which God had already given them. St. Josemaria encourages us to do the same. Work is a blessing from God and key to a happy, fulfilled life. Working well is a condition for offering our work to God, thus making it holy and sanctifying ourselves and others in the process. Our life of prayer is a...
Jun 26, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In the middle of a violent storm, the apostles find Jesus asleep in the boat. This divine sleep of the Son of God teaches us important lessons: the need for rest, the importance of trust in God during difficulties, and the great care that God our Father exercises over us. Only by trusting in God's power and fatherly protection in and through times of trial will we experience our own resurrection to new life. Only by trusting when times are hard do we come to really believe that God is our Father...
Jun 20, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Jesus' Sacred Heart reveals the depth of his love for us. Opened on the Cross, streams of blood and water poured out from Jesus' Heart. Our own love for God hinges on our having a heart full of compassion, concern, and a practical spirit of service towards others. As disciples of Jesus, we should be known for our love and care for each other and for all people. Only by growing in charity will we truly imitate Jesus, our model and our Lord. If not, our prayer life runs the risk of being inauthent...
Jun 11, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 23
The mystery of the Trinity is the mystery of God's inner life. Revealing it to us in Jesus Christ, God shares with us his own deep intimacy so that we can know and love him. The Trinity is also a mystery in which every Christian is enveloped. By the work of the Holy Spirit, we are made children of God the Father in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
May 30, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 22
