St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, marking the halfway point of the Advent season, we are prompted to approach the manger scene in haste as we seek to discover the good news of our Savior’s birth.In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo draws upon the birth of our Lord in a lowly manger to illustrate our brokenness and need of a Redeemer. He explains the three kinds of concupiscence – lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life – and looks at how we can overcome these temptations with the virtues of purity and humility. Challenged by the gospel message, we can continue in our path to holiness as we join the shepherds and magi in preparing to welcome the Lord with purity of heart and joyful praise.Download the 2020 Advent Devotional: Come, Let Us AdoreSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www

St. Josemaria Escriva made many pilgrimages throughout his lifetime seeking opportunities to encounter God and praying for his conversion and of the whole world. Today’s podcast commemorates the 50th Anniversary of St. Josemaria Escriva’s pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City from May 15-24, 1970.His pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on the Hill of Tepeyac, is recognized as the longest and one of the most important pilgrimages in his life. In this podcast, Fr. Javier shares historical insight to the pilgrimage and the lessons we can learn from St. Josemaria’s example of Marian devotion.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our

Fr. Javier del Castillo continues our Advent podcast series reflecting on the call we receive at baptism to become a saint. In looking at the vocation of the twelve apostles, we see Christ choose ordinary men with defects and shortcomings to be instruments in the work of grace. Fr. Javier reminds us that the Lord works in all people through the grace of the Holy Spirit. Though we may notice our own individual shortcomings, if we are susceptible to the work of the Lord, we too can pursue our vocation and be instruments of grace in our daily life.Download the 2020 Advent Devotional: Come, Let Us AdoreSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan looks to the example of the Holy Family as a model of living out authentic virtue in every area of our lives. He reflects on the importance of being a witness to the love of Christ and shares practical examples of how we can create an environment at home that strengthens children in the fundamental areas of virtue: authentic piety, the use of technology, the need for silence, holy purity, and generosity.St. Josemaria explains: “If a man fosters and cultivates the seeds of virtue within him, God will smooth out his path, and such a person will be able to become holy because he has known how to live as a man of good will” (Friends of God, no. 75).Listen to the Day of Recollection for December 2020 online.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also

Are you ready to open your heart to Jesus this Advent?Fr. Javier del Castillo begins our Advent podcast series reflecting on St. Josemaria’s simple instruction for a fruitful and peaceful Advent: “Open your own hearts to Jesus and tell him your story” (Christ is Passing By, no. 1). To understand how Christ enters into the lives of His people, Fr. Javier reflects on key gospel figures whose encounter with the Lord opened their eyes to new horizons and provided a source of countless graces to say yes and to find true peace.As we listen to this reflection, Fr. Javier helps us to open our hearts in conversation and prayer with Jesus and to allow Him to accompany us in our daily experiences in preparation for the celebration of His birth at Christmas. To accompany your time of prayer and reflection, download our Advent Devotional ‘Come, Let Us Adore’. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the United States, Fr. Javier del Castillo reminds us in this meditation, as St. Josemaria Escriva often did, that we ought to thank God always by habitually making frequent acts of thanksgiving, acts of gratitude.Fr. Javier explains: "We were never asked by God to come into existence. Everything we have – our talents, our virtues, even our defects – all have been foreseen by God, allowed by God, and given to us by God so that we can fulfill the single mission that we have received from before the foundation of the world."As we strive to maintain a constant spirit of gratitude in our lives we will realize that thanksgiving enlarges our hearts to receive even greater gifts from God.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you e

The Solemnity of Christ the King is a day to celebrate and remember that "Christ, true God and true man, lives and reigns. He is the Lord of the universe. Everything that lives is kept in existence only through him" (Christ is Passing By, no. 180). On this feast we also end the liturgical year and begin to prepare for Advent and Christmas.In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on St. Josemaria's approach to the spiritual life in which we must be open and willing to begin again. At the start of a new liturgical year, we are encouraged to look inward, assess our spiritual life, and identify the ways in which we can renew and strengthen our relationship with Christ.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us k

Are you attune to the voice of God and open to the plans he has for you?In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina reflects on the life of Mary and the pivotal moment in which she changed the course of history through accepting her vocation as the Mother of God. Following in her example, we too must seek to make room in our heart for the Lord. Fr. Leo reminds us that it is first at home in our daily life where we discover our vocation which then leads us to discover holiness in the midst of the world.St. Josemaria explains: “God is calling you to serve him in and from the ordinary, material and secular activities of human life. He waits for us every day, in the laboratory, in the operating theater, in the army barracks, in the university chair, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fields, in the home and in all the immense panorama of work. Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it” (Conversations, no. 114)

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan shares a reflection on the standard of holiness which St. Josemaria characterizes by the following three points: holy intransigence, holy coercion, and holy shamelessness. He explains that we must form our heart and mind according to the gospel message so that we will have a firm foundation when confronted with opposition.We are encouraged to look to the example of the saints who were steadfast in seeking the truth despite facing opposing viewpoints. Inspired by their witness, we too can seek to attain the plane of sanctity through the ordinary moments of everyday life and be a reflection of Christ in the world today.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and acces

The Church commemorates the faithful departed on November 2, praying in a special way for those in purgatory who remain in hope of entering the joy of heaven. In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of November, Fr. Javier del Castillo shares examples of how we can remember and honor loved ones who have passed away and encourages us to remain steadfast in praying for the holy souls in purgatory.As we remember the faithful departed, we are reminded that life is a gift from God in which we will be held accountable for our actions at the conclusion of our earthly pilgrimage. Fr. Javier reminds us to take advantage of the time we have now to seek holiness each day and to love others with the heart of Christ.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, honoring both the known and unknown saints. In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina shares a reflection inspired by the lives of the unknown saints and challenges listeners to pursue sainthood in the world today amid the joys and trials of daily life.As St. Josemaria explains: “Don’t wait until you are old to start becoming a saint. That would be a great mistake! Begin right now, in earnest, cheerfully and joyfully, by fulfilling duties of your work and of your everyday life” (The Forge, no. 113).Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

What do authentic, faith-filled friendships look like?Reflecting upon the life of Pope Saint John Paul II, we see the witness of his authentic, faith-filled friendships come to fruition through his life of piety, trust in the Lord, and love of neighbor. In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio examines the life of Pope Saint John Paul II and draws inspiration from the personable interactions he shared with those close to him.By imitating the lives of the saints and pursuing a relationship with Christ, we can learn to foster genuine friendships in our own life and journey with others along the path of holiness. As St. Josemaria explains: “In a Christian, in a child of God, friendship and charity are one and the same thing. They are a divine light which spreads warmth” (The Forge, no. 565).Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to ou

Have you felt the desire to make a spiritual retreat but overwhelmed at how to begin?In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo offers practical tips and suggestions to make the most of a spiritual retreat by eliminating distractions to avail ourself to the voice of Christ. He examines three purposes for a retreat: to re-kindle our love for God, to examine ourself in light of God’s love and truth, and to consider the life of our Lord by placing ourself within the Gospel. By making an annual spiritual retreat, we can find solitude with Christ and return to daily life with a renewed love and energy to share the grace of Christ with others.Listen and download our spiritual audio retreat collections online.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please c

Are you living with the desire to become a saint?In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of October, Fr. Peter Armenio shares spiritual insights from his experience of attending the canonization Mass of St. Josemaria Escriva in 2002. Reflecting back on this historic moment, Fr. Peter looks at the impact the life of St. Josemaria continues to have upon countless people throughout the world and reminds us to live out the gospel message in the ordinary moments of everyday life. In doing so, we too can follow in St. Josemaria’s footsteps along the path to sainthood.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

October 2nd marks a special anniversary in the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo explains how God showed St. Josemaria his vocation to be the founder of Opus Dei and the prayers and circumstances that led up to that moment. Reflecting on this anniversary will help lead us to ask ourselves: “What does God want of me?” “What does He want me to do?” And, we learn practical ways in which we can answer those questions through our daily life and work.To learn more about Opus Dei, its history and mission, visit: www.opusdei.org.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo shares a reflection on the Holy Archangels–St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael–in preparation for the feast of the Holy Archangels on September 29. As we reflect on the tasks of the angels in the history of salvation, we are encouraged to strengthen our own devotion to the angels, especially through the example of St. Josemaria Escriva.St. Josemaria explains: “We must spend our life completely in the service of the Lord. If our desire for holiness is sincere, if we are docile enough to place ourselves in God’s hands, everything will go well. For he is always ready to give us his grace – grace for a new conversion, a step forward in our lives as Christians” (Christ is Passing By, no. 59).Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, i

In this podcast, Fr. Justin Gillespie reflects on true friendship as a rare and precious gift. While it is a gift, friendship is also something that we need. Jesus provides it, and by praying about what true friendship is, we can rediscover the vital importance of friendship with Christ.St. Josemaria explains: “God never abandons us. It is not a proper Christian attitude to look upon friendship with God only as a last resort. Do we think it normal to ignore or neglect the people we love? Obviously not! Those we love figure constantly in our conversations, desires and thoughts. We hold them ever present. So it should be with God” (Friends of God, no. 247).Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and a

In this podcast we rebroadcast a cherished meditation from the first five years of the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast. This reflection from Msgr. Fred Dolan leads us to consider our own relationship with Mary, through whom we are led closer to the heart of Christ.As St. Josemaria Escriva wrote: “Today as in other times, the rosary must be a powerful weapon, to enable us to win in our interior struggle and to help all souls. Exalt holy Mary with your tongue: God asks you for reparation, and for praise from your lips. May you always want to know how to spread peace and happiness throughout the world, through this beautiful devotion to our Lady, and through your watchful love” (Holy Rosary, Author’s Note).Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, pleas

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on Mary’s title "Mother Most Amiable", showing us how Mary invested in the lives of others as true friends. As we reflect upon the Visitation and the Wedding Feast at Cana, it is evident to see the genuine concern and authentic love Mary has for those around her. These stories offer inspiration and encouragement for us as we foster holy friendships in our own lives and seek to imitate the joyful example of our Blessed Mother, Mary.St. Josemaria explains: “What does a mother want most of all from her children, from those who are flesh of her flesh and blood of her blood? Her greatest desire is to have them close to her. When the children grow up and it is no longer possible to have them beside her, she waits impatiently for news from them, and everything that happens to them, from the slightest illness to the most important events, concerns her deeply” (Friends of God, no. 289).View Transcript Visit Show PageSupport the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us kn

Do you find yourself lacking resilience in the spiritual life, often resulting in taking “two steps forward, one step back” when it comes to your relationship with Christ?In this podcast, part of our Day of Recollection resources for the Month of September, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on confronting the struggles we face in strengthening and maintaining our relationship with God. Drawing upon the lives of the saints, he reminds us of the importance in establishing a plan of life to foster discipline within our spiritual life. As we create order in our daily life of work and prayer, we become less inclined to act on temptations and will instead have the strength to remain focused on Christ.Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helpin