January 6, 2021
Feeling discouraged? That’s not surprising given the current state of affairs in the world. Discouragement is a form of spiritual desolation and it’s during such times that people tend to back off on spiritual commitments and go easy on themselves. But, that’s exactly the time to step it up and increase your spiritual striving. In this episode, Marge explains why that is and how to effectively face discouragement and spiritual desolation.
December 30, 2020
Most people focus on the new calendar year as January 1 rolls around. But, there’s so much more to know about New Year’s Day. Here’s what you need to know to make it a holy, happy, celebration.
December 22, 2020
There’s so much to do during these last few days before Christmas! Your To-Do List is a mile long and you’ve only worked part way through it. But getting ready for Christmas actually has nothing to do with decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, or anything else on your list. Here are the three most essential things to do before Christmas and how to tell if you’re really ready.
December 15, 2020
Christmas is under threat by officials seeking to limit our ability to attend Christmas Mass and gather with family and friends. Over social media and news outlets, there’s mention of efforts to “cancel” Christmas. The truth is, Christmas can’t be canceled and in this episode, Marge gives three concrete reasons why that’s true. Then she gives three things you can do to make a joy-filled Christmas happen for you and yours.
December 10, 2020
If you saw someone walking down the street dressed in camel’s hair and eating grasshoppers and honey. Would you consider that person a credible authority? Most likely not. You’d probably think that person was weird at best or perhaps mentally ill. It was a strange thin to do in Jesus’ time, too, but St. John the Baptist did just that, becoming the voice int eh desert that prepared others for the coming of the Savior. He spoke the truth regardless of the possible consequences. Today we need countless St. John the Baptists who will be the voice in the desert, speaking the truth regardless of the consequences. You can do it, God will help you and St. John the Baptist will intercede for you.
December 2, 2020
We’re facing more pandemic lockdowns, uncertainty about the future of our country, and the possibility of financial crisis for many. Add to that our Lord’s admonishment in the Gospels that we must be ready for his Second Coming at any moment. All of this can tempt you to give into fear and lose hope when in fact the opposite should and can be true. Here’s how to make fear backfire and Advent 2020 become a blessed time of spiritual growth, hope, and joy.
November 19, 2020
You may not be able to gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving as you’d hoped, but there’s still much you can do to foster a grateful heart and observe a true Thanks-Giving. Marge outlines seven concrete steps to a grateful heart and a blessed Thanksgiving despite COVID restrictions.
November 5, 2020
You and your loved one already are divided over Church issues. Now with the upheaval of the 2020 Presidential Election, you’re further divided over political issues. What do you do? How do you approach your loved one amidst these volatile topics? In this episode, Marge gives nine practical steps for re=establishing and affirming your relationship despite your differences.
October 28, 2020
Are you worried about a loved one who has left the Catholic Church? These days it’s difficult to find someone whose family hasn’t been touched by this sadness in some way. This episode is straight talk about what NOT to do when someone you care about leaves the Church (The Three Don’ts) and how to frame your approach for meaningful dialog (The Three Do’s). Plus, a valuable resource for protection against evil. Parents and grandparents, you’ll want to lock into this powerful way to protect your children and grandchildren against evil influences. A message of hope, joy, and encouragement.
October 22, 2020
Have you found yourself getting aggravated when dealing with someone of the opposite gender? Perhaps it’s a co-worker, friend, or even your spouse. Most of us experience that from time to time and for good reason. Man and woman aren’t just different physically, but also different in heart, mind and will. Listen as Marge explains the differences between the way males and females think, react, lead, and relate. The differences are God-willed, beautiful, and necessary even though they can be a source of aggravation.
October 16, 2020
It seems like all we do is talk about freedom these days. Freedom from…freedom for… But did you know that it’s possible to be free on the outside yet bound on the inside? That’s right. Unless you’re interiorly free, exterior freedom doesn’t matter much at all. St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” We all do that from time to time. Why? In this episode Marge looks at Mother Teresa and Amy Coney Barrett as examples of interiorly free individuals who move freely and decisively in the world. Tune in and learn how to become interiorly free and stop doing the things that you hate.
September 23, 2020
What do you do when someone hits you with a nasty comment or unwarranted accusation? When they make you so mad that you want to hit back? It seems we’re confronted with such situations left and right these days from people and angles we might never have expected. What is the Christian response when someone verbally attacks you either in person or online? You hit back – hard – with the most powerful weapon you have. Learn what that weapon is and five steps for dealing with insults, mud-slinging, fight-picking, and false accusations in a calm, Christian manner that will foster holiness.
September 2, 2020
What Will You Give Your Mother on Her Birthday? After a brief sabbatical to recover from the loss of her mother-in-law, Marge is back to bring you more joy, inspiration, and simply everyday spirituality. In this episode Marge asks the question, “What will you give your mother for her birthday?” The mother she’s referring to, however, isn’t your human mother. It’s your heavenly Mother – Mary – and her birthday is September 8. The Nativity of the Blessed Mother is cause for universal rejoicing, as St. John Damascene said. What might that rejoicing look like? How can you celebrate the birthday of a divine rather than human mother? Marge explains how that can be done and gives three great ways to really celebrate your Mother’s birthday. And yes, cake and ice cream is included!
July 30, 2020
Born and raised in a staunch Norwegian Lutheran family. Paula’s journey led her away from the Lutheran faith and into a long period of spiritual disengagement. A change meeting introduced her to a community of Camaldolese Benedictine monks and the beauty of the Catholic Church was opened up to her. The gentleness and devotion of these holy monks paved the way for her to become a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate – a decision she not only hasn’t regretted, but whole-heartedly embraces.
July 23, 2020
In the past several weeks, there have been 50 recorded incidents of churches, parishes, and religious statues being destroyed in the United States and Canada. That list continues to grow. This is a cause for great concern, but not for hopelessness. Buildings, parishes and statues are structures that can be defaced and destroyed, but our faith cannot – as long as we cling to Christ and his Mother. Using the wisdom of St. Paul and the inspiring story of Ireland’s Ballintubber Abbey, “The Abbey That Refused to Die,” Marge offers words of encouragement and four steps to counter persecution and the bad news we’re inundated with day after day.
July 16, 2020
Sonja Corbitt tells her story of conversion from the Southern Baptist Church and her eventual journey into the Lay Carmelites. She describes what attracted her to the Carmelite spirituality, what it means to be a Lay Carmelite, and how it has helped her in her striving for holiness.
July 8, 2020
Have your prayers become rote and lifeless? Do you feel as though you are stuck in a rut where prayer is only so many words? In this episode, Marge shares five great and simple ways to get out of the rut and into fruitful communication with God.
June 24, 2020
This is the third episode in the Simply Holy series, “Springtime in the Church,” which explores the unique and often little-known ways in which lay persons serve the Church through Third Orders, Oblates, Secular Institutes, Prelatures, Associations of the Christian Faithful, Ecclesial Movements, New Communities, Apostolates, and the like. St. John Paul II referred to these men and women as the “Springtime in the Church.” Marge chats with author and blogger Justin Vanlee McClain about his joy in living the life of a Lay Dominican. A husband, father of four (with one on the way), High School Theology and Spanish teacher, Justin tells how his Catholic faith is complemented and his life enriched by his Dominican spirituality.
June 17, 2020
How can someone be a member of the Order of St. Francis and a lay person at the same time? What is being a Secular Franciscan all about? Michael Groark is a once-lapsed Catholic who wandered into Lutheranism and was called by God back to Catholicism and into the Secular Franciscan Order along with his wife, Anna Marie. Michael shares his own story and the story of his entire family’s conversion to Catholicism, including the path of his son from drug addiction to the Capuchin Franciscan priesthood. He explains the spirituality of St. Francis and the lifestyle he and his wife lead as contemplatives in the world. “A Secular Franciscan,” he said, “is a lay person who has studied the life and spirituality of St. Francis and makes promises to follow the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order.” Learn about what those promises include and the joy it brings to those who follow them.
June 10, 2020
This is the first of a series titled “Springtime of the Church,” which showcases the many and often little-known ways in which lay persons serve the Church through Third Orders, Oblates, Secular Institutes, Prelatures, Associations of the Christian Faithful, Ecclesial Movements, New Communities, Apostolates, and the like. St. John Paul II referred to these men and women as the “Springtime of the Church.” … Their presence is encouraging because it shows that this springtime is advancing and revealing the freshness of the Christian experience based on personal encounter with Christ,” he said in his message to participants of the 1st World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in 1998. This week, Marge chats with author and artist Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB about her calling as a Benedictine Oblate.
