June 11, 2019
This week on the podcast we talk about pondering the Trinity. How it is so difficult to teach the mystery of the Trinity because all examples that we try to use fail. Trying to describe the Trinity is the easiest way to accidentally stray into heresy. We accept by faith and ponder the mystery, and allow it to inform and inspire us. The first reading we talk about how Christ is created wisdom, and how in the mystery and wonder of creation he delights in us. Even in our brokenness. God sees that we are searching for Him even if we are looking in the wrong places. In the second reading we discussed the Theological Virtues of Faith Hope and Love, and how it is a continual process. Suffering creates endurance, this process helps us understand the hope and can finally see the Love that the Holy Spirit has poured into our lives. In the gospel section we discuss how the Holy Spirit informs our hearts and minds, we are not alone in the Church.
June 4, 2019
The waiting period is over and the apostles receive the gift promised! So too, do we receive the Holy Spirit, especially in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. This week on the podcast we talk about how not all experiences with the Holy Spirit are dramatic, some feel like nothing, but we can trust in the power of the grace transmitted in the sacraments. We discuss how the Jewish feast of Pentecost was a celebration of Moses receiving the law on Mount Sinai, and how the new Pentecost is the celebration of the apostles receiving the law of the New Covenant, written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit. We discuss the differences in the Charismatic movement and the contemplative live and the influence of St John of the Cross. The conclusion of that discussion was that our end goal is unity with God, and if those spiritual ways of life become the end, they become corrupted.
May 28, 2019
This week on the podcast we discuss a lot about waiting for the Holy Spirit. Discussing the first reading we ponder the Ascension from the perspective of the Apostles. How did they feel? What were they going through? We discuss how hard discernment is, and how hard it is to wait for the Holy Spirit to act. We discuss the gifts given by the Holy Spirit "so that we may know". We, as humans, have spiritual amnesia, God is always giving His people gifts so that they will "know" Him. This ties into the discernment of spirits and how silence is so important to open the "eyes of our hearts" so that we can come to know God. In discussing the Gospel we go back to the topic of Discernment in daily life and in direction of life in general. How do we know what God wants from us?
May 21, 2019
This week on the Liturgy Live Podcast we talk about the fulfilment of the prophesy of Amos with the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church without Old Covenant necessities. We discuss that there is a difference between some of the laws in the OT that are covenant based, which are erased by the new covenant in Christ, and the laws that are based in Natural Law that can never be changed. We then go into the idea of contemplating Heaven from our second reading in Revelation. Fr Ian suggests in the Easter season we should be contemplating our heavenly destination. The Gospel takes us into the correlation of loving God and being obedient to Him. The Holy Spirit is sent to those who love Him and keep his commandments.
May 1, 2019
This week on the podcast we talk about how in the first reading, Peter is no longer under the authority of the Sanhedrin. He is in the Spirit and has the courage to face the punishment that comes from proclaiming the Gospel. We talk about fear of being publicly Christian and how we can process that fear, Imagine and explore the fear, analysing it, and then turning it over the Christ in the Jesus prayer. In the second reading we talk about how the entirety of creation is worshipping the Lamb, and the One who sits on the throne. We touch on the importance of numbers in Salvation History and the Book of Revelation. Then we move to the Gospel and explore Jesus' asking Simon (Peters given name) if he loves him. Jesus accepts the imperfect love of Peter and gives him his mission.
April 19, 2019
This week on Liturgy Live we talk about the closing of Lent and the finishing of the race. That we do not enter Easter rested, we enter Easter exhausted and tested. The first reading we go into the Preaching of Peter to the Gentiles and how important it is for us to hear this Kergyma, Gospel, like we are coming to church for the first time. The Holy Spirit has the power to move hearts this Sunday and we need to pray that He does. Going into the second reading we discuss the responsibility we have to keep our minds on Christ and on the things that are above. That some reject Christ because they do not want this responsibility to change how they think, and then change how they act. In the Gospel we talk about John waiting for Peter and how it is a allegory of the mystical/contemplative life in the church arriving at faith first but having to be patient for the Magisterium and it's teaching.
April 10, 2019
This week on the podcast we go over the entrance into Jerusalem and the problem of suffering in our faith life. How our Baptism, or conversion, is a joyful entrance in to the life of faith, but it is the suffering of the cross that is our path to unity with God. In the reading from Isaiah we discuss the prophesy fulfilled in Christ and how Jesus knew he wouldn't be put to shame, at the same time as the world viewed it as shame. Our perceptions in the world are twisted and the understanding from eternity is what we need to look for. Book suggestion this week is "Consoling the Heart of Jesus" by Fr Michael Gaitley.
April 3, 2019
This week on the podcast we discuss the paradox in the first reading of forgetting things in the past but still being called to remember what God had done for the Israelites. In the second reading we talk about the supreme good of knowing Christ as the end, and we all are still lacking in our formation. In the Gospel we talk about Jesus writing in the sand, the attempted entrapment of the Pharisee's and how in our culture the woman caught in adultery is the woman who has had an abortion. We discuss the movie #Unplanned, and how important it is to see.
March 12, 2019
This week on the podcast we talk about the order of conversion that Abram goes through. How he listened to God and believed him, then made a sacrifice and made a covenant with God. We discuss how people throughout salvation history have required signs before they believed and no matter how many signs they were given they still didn't turn their hearts to God. First turn towards God and believe, then recieve the grace and signs and then live in the virtue that is possible only through God. The transfiguration is also a sign that confuses but strengthens the three disciples. They already believed and now have the strengthening miracle to feed their faith. We talk a lot about discernment and consolation vs desolation. We also talk about facing our suffering from a different perspective changes our feelings towards it.
March 8, 2019
This week on the podcast we talk about the lenten practice of fasting. Fr Ian is fired up! The whole point of fasting during lent is to get our flesh in line with our spirit, since "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". To fast from good things for a time especially food allows us to bring the reality of our emotions and discomfort to the surface and actually deal with them. We talk about the 1st reading from Deuteronomy that discusses why and how to make a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God and that it is important that these fasts are done also out of thanksgiving, not just penance. In the Gospel we talk about the temptations Jesus faces and how he undoes the sins of Adam and the Israelites by resisting the temptations. We have the ability to be with Christ in our temptations because he himself was tempted.
February 26, 2019
This week on the podcast Fr Ian and Alanna discuss the power of our spoken word to reveal who we are. We also discuss how important it is to discern what people say by comparing it to the fruit of their words. It is possible that they are lying and we need to be careful and watchful in those situations. We discuss devoting our work to the Lord and to also pay attention to those fruits. In the Gospel we discuss the need for self reflection to be able to see the beam in our own eye, and how our negative mental patterns are a type of beam in our eye. Recognising that we are angry in the moment is the beginning of the ability to counter the anger.Â
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At the end Alanna announced her new Journal for lent! Preparing for Peace: A Catholic Lenten Journal for Women with Anxiety
February 12, 2019
This week on the livestream Fr Ian and Alanna go down the rabbit hole of Blessings and Woes in the Old Testament Covenant and the argument found in the wisdom literature about how bad things happen to good people. The second reading on the resurrection brings us to our own perspectives on death, Fr Ian dealing with current family medical issues, and Alanna remembering the death of her parents. The Gospel brings us to the blessing and woe of the New Covenant of Jesus that brings the suffering of the good into the equation.
February 5, 2019
This week on the podcast the readings have a distinct pattern. The person has an encounter with God, is moved to acknowledge their sinfulness, and then respond to the mission God presents. We discuss the purgation that happens after our encounters and how important it is for the completion of the mission.
January 29, 2019
This week on the podcast we talk about motivation and what is required to keep us going. A few things we go over is companionship, mission, and knowledge of what you are created for. The second reading we talk about the primacy of love in the use of our gifts. How love is what we are aiming at and the gifts are our arrows. Using the wrong arrows and not aiming at love can do great damage to us and those around us. We talk about the section of 1 Corinthians that has an objective standard of what Love looks like. We then go on to discussing the Gospel and how prophets aren't welcome in their own towns, or conversions are not understood by our family or friends. We talk about how we might not get to see the fruits of our work, and that the gifts are meant for others and will come around and be a blessing to all.
January 22, 2019
This week Fr Ian and Alanna discuss the connections within the Sunday readings. Ezra was a leader in the spiritual revival of Jerusalem after the time of Exile, Nehemiah was the governmental leader who came in and built up the protections for the people. Ezra was standing in front of the Water Gate, Christ is the gate and he opens to the water of eternal life. St Paul in the second reading exhorts us to not despair in our gifts but that they are so important and also should not be lorded over people. We talk about how important spiritual friendships are and the ability to share good news and accomplishments with them as well as our sufferings. The Mission statement by Christ in Luke wraps these readings up nicely with the direction our gifts should be worked towards. The mission above all the other missions. The question we should ask ourselves, are we aligning ourselves under this mission?
January 15, 2019
Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary time. We begin discussing the topic of our identity and how we view ourselves before and after the encounter of God in our lives. We have considered ourselves forsaken, but now are called God's "delight". We then discuss the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how important it is for us to discern them in order to give back the love that God has given us, to experience joy by using your gifts for Christ. Finally the Gospel story of the Wedding at Cana, we go into the first miracle at the intercession of Our Lady, and while Jesus is the one who performed the miracle it took the cooperation of the servants to accomplish His will.Â
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December 26, 2018
Do you have goals? Are you afraid to even set them? What is the most important part of goal setting? Sterling and Alanna talk about how cultivating peace in the moment is the key to obtaining your goals! Watch and if you have any questions for Sterling please go to her Facebook page and ask! She can also be found at Coffee and Pearls podcast on Breadbox Media.
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December 18, 2018
The alternate title for this week's recording is "Brimstone and Fire" because Fr. Ian said it so many times referencing his homily this past Sunday! This week we start off talking about the lowliness of Bethlehem and how it is surprising that Christ came from there even though it was prophesied. There are so many paradoxes in the way God works in our world and how shocking it is for us to discover sometimes. We also talk about the legalism of sacrifice and how it became something that God no longer wanted because it didn't have the correct effect, which was to bring the people of Israel closer to Him in Love. Sacrifice is not the end it is the means to the end, and when we make it the end it can become corrupt.
December 11, 2018
This week we talk about the call to rejoice in the suffering of our time. We venture into anxiety and the culture, how to care for our spiritual health and our physical health. The implementation of gratitude is so important in fighting the dryness and anxiety, and the willingness to be in the discomfort while trusting Christ. The Holy Spirit is with us in our darkness and we are still called to Rejoice!
December 4, 2018
We talk this week about putting on the glory and the splendor of God, what that means for our church life and for the garments of the priesthood. How some dress lesser to seem lesser in false humility, and how some are in the rut of familiarity and routine. We talk about the morality of choices and why we shouldn't look at things at surface level to discern intent. We talk about getting out of the way of Jesus and what that might look like to different people. Then we discuss what "making his paths straight" means in historical context.
