The parable of the ten virgins invites us to reflect on the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom has to do with having the right goals and knowing how to achieve them. If our goal is heaven, the means to achieve this is charity. Growth in charity demands of us a variety of other steps depending on our personal situation and history. To know what we want is not enough, we must also be committed to the steps required to achieve it. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Nov 12, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Originally published 2021 Jesus stresses the importance of humility for being "great" and even "first" in the Kingdom of God. Humility is hard to come by, however, because pride is not easily overcome. The road to deep humility is a often a painful one, but there is also a shortcut called gratitude.
Nov 04, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 51
The Psalms and other Bible passages are full of encouraging claims about who and what God is for us. The Lord is our rock, our stronghold, our inheritance ... Faith makes these claims come to life. To be all that he wants to be for us, we must try to let God be our one and true God, whom we love with all of our soul, all of our heart and all of our mind. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Oct 29, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 50
"This is the will of God for you, your sanctification." With these words, St. Paul reveals to us the great potential of our Christian life. St. Josemaria was inspired by God to remind us of this universal vocation. We should always be confident about taking the next step in our spiritual life. It is something that God always wants for us. Holiness is growth in faith, hope, and charity powered by the access we have to God's grace in prayer and the sacraments. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Oct 21, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Life in Heaven is the supreme goal of our life on earth. Desiring Heaven is brought about by the theological virtue of hope. Our longing for Heaven, and our capacity to reach it, is tied to our love of God in this life. We must learn to love God as our happiness in this life if we wish to enter eternal life confidently. Hope helps us avoid despair on the one hand, whenever we see the depth of our sinfulness, and keeps presumption at bay on the other hand, whenever we are tempted to falsely "exag...
Oct 15, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 44
October is the month of the Rosary. We celebrate "Our Lady of the Rosary" and reflect on the many advantages of the recitation of this powerful prayer. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Oct 07, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Jesus tells us about two sons. One does his father's will after saying he wouldn't. The other says yes to his father but promptly disobeys him. Jesus, our model, does both: he says yes to the Father's plan and then carries it out. Loving God's will is essential to our Christian life. It is Jesus's sole motive and he is our sole model. St. Josemaria also greatly emphasized this key aspect of holiness. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Sep 30, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 47
The paralytic at the pool in Bethsaida had "no man to help him." We should always want to be "that man" for others. Concern for our neighbor takes humility and detachment from our self-concern. Our love for God is closely linked to this love for others. You can't love God without being like him, and God is love. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 23, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Jesus' visit to Martha and Mary contains great insights for our Christian life. Mary's attention to our Lord is a great act of appreciation and love. Jesus' correction of Martha is not owing to her being busy serving, but more for her being distracted and worried. Love, which includes prayer, is the one thing necessary. And love unites our attention, giving focus and purpose to all that we do. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 16, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 45
The Holy Spirit is the great advocate and counselor of our Christian life. With open minds and hearts, we go to him to learn life in Christ. The Holy Spirit always teaches us the basics: we are children of God called to live the fullness of Charity free from excessive fear and worry. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 09, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 44
"He who loves his life will lose it, he who loses his life for my sake will find it." Finding our true life, and our true selves, means handing ourselves over to Christ. Losing our lives for the sake of Christ is a transformative union with him. This takes work and an acceptance of suffering. There is no resurrection of ourselves in Christ without the cross. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Sep 03, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 43
On the occasion of the Memorial of St. Augustine, this meditation is inspired by some of his deep spiritual insights. Augustine reminds us of God's transcendent goodness and his staggering nearness to each one of us. Finding fulfillment in God takes work, the work of prayer and holiness, but it is a task that God himself promises to help us accomplish. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Aug 27, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Returning to the scene of the Transfiguration, we meditate on Peter's exclamation, "Lord, it is good that we are here." It is good to be in prayer with God and to be wherever God wants us to be. Prayer is a necessary and healthy escape for the soul. In a world of false escapes and omnipresent exterior noise, to be souls of prayer we should foster moments of solitude and silence. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Aug 19, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 41
Instead of sending a large crowd away hungry, Jesus miraculously feeds them with the multiplication of loaves and fish. Thousands of people are relieved of their hunger while being fed by the Son of God himself. God knows our spiritual hunger and also responds to it. He feeds us in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in prayer, in doing his will. Warned by God himself, we need to look out for destructive substitutes that do not truly satisfy our soul's longing for joy and peace. https://comeawaybyyours...
Aug 12, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 40
Jesus' transfiguration is a momentary manifestation of his divinity. This event reminds us of Jesus' beneficent power on our behalf. St. Peter was struck by the wonder of the transfiguration and refers to it in order to bolster our faith in the reality of Christ's life and mission. God the Father testifies to his Son's authority telling us to "Listen to Him." We do this in our prayer and in our humility in asking for and receiving advice. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com...
Aug 06, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 39
To truly meet Christ is to experience a great conversion. Life becomes centered on his person and his mission. This conversion entails taking on a new life and leaving behind our sinful ways. To convert is to turn towards God and away from sin. Leaving sin behind is no easy matter. Above all it takes liberation--redemption--by Christ. It also presupposes a courageous sincerity about how we minimize the importance of sin, giving into the illusion that sinfulness is actually good. https://comeaway...
Jul 29, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 38
A meditation on Mary Magdalene and Jesus.
Jul 22, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 37
Originally published July 2021 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 rev...
Jul 16, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Jesus promises rest for those who come to him labored and heavy laden. To receive rest from God happens in a special way in our prayer. Accepting God's will and growing in trust help us to rest even when we have serious concerns in our life. Adoration especially refreshes the soul. To adore God is to relieve ourselves of the burden of trying to live without him. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Jul 08, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 35
The Bible refers to the moral law as "written on the heart." In this class we discuss the principles of the natural law. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Jul 06, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 34
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...
Jul 02, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 33
For the Feast of St. Josemaria we pray about one of his central spiritual teachings: unity of life. Our life often seems divided by various distinct tasks and concerns. To do things for the glory of God, for love of God, is a powerful instrument that unifies our life. Our awareness of our divine filiation also lends unity to seemingly unconnected realities. Whatever I do, I should do as a son or daughter of God. Our contemplative life, an awareness of God's presence, also grants a powerful sense...
Jun 25, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Jesus describes his sacred and merciful heart as meek and humble. More than anger and disappointment at our sins, Jesus feels compassion for us in our waywardness. In the Sacred Heart of Jesus we especially see the goodness of God towards sinners. This makes God approachable in Jesus and keeps us from the mistake of trying to be good without him. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Jun 16, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 31
On the Feast of Corpus Christi the Church turns her heart to Jesus's real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. A marvel of love, in the Eucharist the infinite enters the finite, the Creator his creation and the invisible the visible real. Adoration, devotion, and gratitude should mark our response to this great mystery of our Faith. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
Jun 10, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Originally published June 2021 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
Jun 04, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 29
The Holy Spirit is all about peace. As consoler and the Spirit of Christ, the working of the Holy Spirit and his seven gifts always establish peace in our hearts and our lives. Peace is a consequence of having God as our Father, and it is the Spirit of the Son that establishes this reality in our hearts. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
May 28, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Pentecost Sunday commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church. The Holy Spirit is an agent of conversion and purification for our life. God wants us to be "on fire" as Christians, quick to love and to do his will. Jesus promises that those who ask for the Holy Spirit will receive him, and that those who receive him receive him abundantly. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
May 27, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Follow up to the class on suffering. Question and answer session. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
May 21, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Suffering is an unavoidable reality in life. What light does the Christian Faith shed on the meaning of suffering? In this class we will examine the origin of suffering, its relationship to God, and how to make the most of our personal suffering in living the Christian vocation. https://comeawaybyyourselves.com
May 21, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Our Lady is a perfect model of holiness and love. Heading towards Pentecost, we can reflect on her relationship with her Divine Spouse, the Holy Spirit. To have God's Spirit is to have Christ's own motivation, to be inspired by the same spirit that he was. We see this in Mary, who says "Be it done unto me according to your word." The Spirit is a renewer of the soul. To have the Spirit as our spirit pays off in spades, namely, the beautiful fruits of the Holy Spirit. https://comeawaybyyourselves....
May 14, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 24
