The Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday at the conclusion of the Easter Octave during which we are reminded to “be merciful, just as [our] Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the mercy of God by sharing a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. He explains that Christ is the incarnation of mercy itself which is revealed to us through the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. As we receive the Eucharist and allow Christ to dwell within us, we also ...
Apr 08, 2018•25 min
Reflection… “My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart” (Psalm 38:5-8). In the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus tells Peter, James, and John to watch and pray, he is also calling us to watch and pray. In our prayer we contemplate who Jesus really is, what he did for us out...
Apr 02, 2018•24 min
Reflection… Lent is a season of conversion of the mind, heart, and soul through the acts of prayer, penance, and deeds of charity/alms giving. Though its exact time of origin is unknown, the practice of fasting and the offering of a penance during the 40 days prior to Easter was more widely visible in the church sometime soon after The First Council of Nicaea, AD 325. The councils’ program of liturgical and theological alignment may have been the springboard that aided in the formation of the st...
Mar 20, 2018•21 min
Jesus prepared the disciples to bear fruit as they began to evangelize. We too must prepare for evangelizing as well. During the season of lent let us practice being in the presence Jesus, to be in constant prayer. In the early church St. Paul taught, to "Put on Christ". To evangelize well our faith must grow and for our faith to grow one must pursue holiness. The Second Vatican Council has brought to the forefront that the laity are called to bring the modern world back to Christ. Through obedi...
Mar 08, 2018•25 min
During this season of lent we are called by the Church to repent of our sins and turn back to the gospels. The Gospel of Luke makes it clear that all are being addressed when Jesus gives instructions on how to be his disciples, “Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Therefore, to be Jesus’ disciples, to put him first, we must practice temperance from our own desires, passions, and all that does...
Mar 01, 2018•25 min
When we attend Mass, do we really envision the joining of heaven and earth, which is about to become visible to us? Do we work on realizing how precious a gift Our Father has given us, our Daily Bread, given for our spiritual sustenance? We need to learn from the saints how precious a gift the Liturgy is for our spiritual growth. When it comes to praying at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass it can be helpful to keep in mind the words of St. Augustine, “The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire i...
Feb 11, 2018•22 min
Today in the podcast….. "Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear..." (1 Peter 3:14-16). This is the courage that the Apostles of Jesus Christ are calling us to embrace when approaching the ever approachable Godhead in His Divine Infancy. Jesus Christ wants us to be free from all anxiet...
Dec 22, 2017•26 min
In a homily given by St. Josemaria Escriva in the 1960’s he calls all to imitate Jesus’ love for Humanity. What does this call invite us to do today? Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, enlightens us by mentioning that the call to “Passionately Love The World,” invites us to leave our comfort zone, find new compassion for others, be present for those who do not know that they hunger for Christ, His consolation, and His peace. In turn, our efforts of imitating Christ will ultimately give our l...
Nov 22, 2017•21 min
Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, is quoted in this podcast saying, “We are disciples of Christ marked with this unity of life that we give an experience of Christ through joy.” He challenges us to evaluate our daily lives and see if we can find Christ there in the midst. He stresses that, as Disciples of Christ there should be a common thread that runs through our lives. This Common thread is the manner in which we interact with others through which they can see the presence of Jesus Chris...
Nov 06, 2017•23 min
Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, reminds us that St. Josemaria was inspired by the light of God with the mission to bring Christ into the heart of the entire world in a way that He had never been before. Into a world that is gripped by a culture of death; to be healed by the intervention of God’s Mercy. “God is the same as always. It is men of faith that are needed: and then, there will be a renewal of the wonders we read of in the Gospel” (St. Josemaria; The Way, no. 586). Faith filled ch...
Oct 30, 2017•26 min
Jesus spoke these words, “For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In this passage, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, points out that we must not lack repentance, love for God, and affection and compassion for others, especially those alienated from God. Our Lord calls us to love our neighbor, for when we are loving our neighbor; we are loving God. In the spirit of St. Josemaria Escr...
Oct 21, 2017•18 min
“My Father — talk to him like that, confidently — who art in heaven, look upon me with compassionate Love, and make me respond to thy love.—Melt and enkindle my heart of bronze, burn and purify my unmortified flesh, fill my mind with supernatural light, make my tongue proclaim the Love and Glory of Christ” (St. Josemaria, The Forge , no. 3). Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon the idea of divine filiation, that we have been made children of God through our Lord’s redemption. By ...
Oct 18, 2017•22 min
“I will get up an go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants'” (Luke 15:18-19). While making use of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, causes the observer to stop and think about the reason why a soul is moved to repentance. Fr. Peter explains that it is the devout contemplation of the goodness of God and the returning loving g...
Oct 17, 2017•26 min
In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, a priest of Opus Dei, invites us to come to understand the importance of the second most perfect gift that God has given us at the foot of the cross, the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, is also our Mother. He explains through her Immaculate Conception, she had been prepared for the sole purpose of helping us become children of God worthy of being saints. This generosity of God can be seen as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary, October 13, 20...
Oct 10, 2017•25 min
In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio invites us to reflect upon the cross, particularly as a medium to connect with the Lord. Highlighting the imprisonment and martyrdom of St. Thomas More as an example, Fr. Peter illustrates that when faced with suffering, we might be tempted to discouragement if we are not quick to embrace the cross or delight in it. But he reminds us that although suffering is essential for growing in intimacy with the Lord, as long as we are trying to bear it alone, we will st...
Oct 03, 2017•23 min
In this meditation from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to reflect upon the “apostolate of attraction” as the means by which we are to fulfill the Great Commission and lead others into relationship with Jesus Christ. This type of apostolate, as old as the Gospel itself and encouraged by Pope Francis, begins by our faithful witness to the love of Christ: “people need to see us as oases of joy and peace.” It is our witness, only later accompanied by doctrine, that will prove ...
Sep 30, 2017•26 min
Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, helps us to reflect upon the means of becoming like Christ using the story of the Rich Young Man (Mark 10: 17-22) as the model. The young man, desiring eternal life, asks Jesus what he must do. After exhorting the young man to follow the commandments, Jesus invites him to “give it all” and become his disciple. It is this invitation that Christ repeats to us as well; how is Jesus calling us to follow him more closely? One danger in the spiritual life can be ...
Sep 25, 2017•20 min
In this meditation by Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we reflect upon “hunger to know the Master” as the source for apostolic zeal and the foundation for fruitfulness in the apostolate. Although Jesus gave the mandate to his followers to bring the Gospel to all the corners of the earth, his Apostles realized that this would not be accomplished through human efforts, but rather by God working through them. As such, it is the love of Christ that motivates us in our desire for conversion and...
Sep 17, 2017•22 min
In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, invites us to reflect upon the “science of the cross” given by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. As the precondition for those who want to follow Christ, Fr. Peter shows how we can apply Christ’s words to ourselves and learn how to put them into practice.“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me’” (Mark 8:34). Self-denial is often manifested...
Sep 10, 2017•22 min
Today in the podcast... Fr Peter Armenio, a priest of Opus Dei, reflects on the New Commandment from Jesus Christ which he issued to the Apostles before the Last Supper.This commandment is particularly difficult to follow since we are asked to love one another as Jesus loves us, which is a very tall order. How can we match Jesus’ love for us! However, Fr. Peter Armenio makes a point to note that when God issues a commandment, it is because we can live it. Do not write yourself off! “No matter ho...
Sep 05, 2017•21 min
“Each and every event of this life, without exception, must be steps which take you to God, which move you to know him and love him, to give him thanks, and to strive to make everyone else know and love him” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Forge , no. 680). In this meditation from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to reflect upon work as a medium for prayer, using the hidden life of Jesus as an example. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus spent many years working as a car...
Aug 29, 2017•25 min
In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, invites us to reflect upon Mary, especially in light of her Assumption, as God’s great gift to us and as our great hope. ‘Mary has been taken up to heaven by God in body and soul, and the angels rejoice.’ Joy overtakes both angels and men. Why is it that we feel today this intimate delight, with our heart brimming over, with our soul full of peace? Because we are celebrating the glorification of our mother, and it is only natural that we...
Aug 20, 2017•25 min
Using the story of the Rich Young Man as the model, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon Jesus’s search for “laborers” for the harvest (Luke 10:2) and highlights the three steps Jesus gives to help us lay down our lives for him and become laborers. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments…’” And he replied, “All of these I have observed from my youth.” When Jesus h...
Aug 09, 2017•29 min
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, highlights Jesus’s teaching during the Sermon on Mount and invites us to reflect on “holy purity” as a means to finding true joy and freedom in our lives. Fr. Peter explains that because God is revealed as self-giving love, and holy purity is an expression of self-giving love, the more we exercise purity, the more we see God face to face. Holy purity, therefore, liber...
Jul 30, 2017•29 min
In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon joy as the foundation for all evangelization and how living joy in our daily lives can lead others to encounter Christ. The particular role of the laity in bringing Christ to the world, especially in the places we live and work, requires that we not only bring the truth of the Gospel to all those who we encounter, but that we always lead with joy and witness to the happiness found in our friendship with Jesus. Fr. Peter, us...
Jul 25, 2017•22 min
In this reflection from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to hear Mary’s words from the Wedding Feast of Cana, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5), as our instructions to listen and respond to Jesus’s command given during the Last Supper. “So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, ...
Jul 20, 2017•31 min
On June 26th, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva. In this reflection, Fr. Peter Armenio explains the reason why the Holy Spirit moved the Church to canonize St. Josemaria so quickly. The reason he suggests is because “the Church wants us to encounter Jesus amid work” following Jesus’s own example. “Jesus’ thirty-three years!...: thirty were spent in silence and obscurity; in submission and work…” (St. Josemaria Escriva; Furrow , no. 485). “God is self-giving love…and he man...
Jun 19, 2017•27 min
Reflecting on the scene of the Last Supper, when Jesus is “beginning to hand the baton to his followers,” Fr. Peter Armenio explains that another Divine Person begins to become more prominent: the Holy Spirit.In this reflection, we are invited to contemplate the Holy Spirit and his job “to penetrate the words of Jesus and to convert us and transform us.” “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, be...
Jun 14, 2017•24 min
Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects on the poverty spirit we should cultivate in order to make Jesus Christ the priority of our lives. Like the rich young man in the Gospel (Mk 10:17-22), Fr. Peter explains how Jesus Christ is also asking us now:- Do you believe that only I (God) can fill you?- Do you keep my (God’s) commandments?- Do you put me (God) first? Am I (Jesus Christ) your passion?“To follow Christ — that is the secret. We must accompany him so closely that we come to live ...
Jun 05, 2017•21 min
In this reflection from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to contemplate the “workshop for the first evangelization” and learn how Jesus prepared the first disciples to go out into the world as his witnesses. “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me yo...
May 16, 2017•23 min
