Kids and teens at church say the darndest things! In honor of our young people making their first Holy Communion and Confirmation this week, Karen and Anne share their favorite conversations and moments with our youth.
Moving from Doubt to Faith. Today Karen and Anne ask the question, does “doubting” Thomas get a bad rap? What does it look like today to desire the gift of faith for ourselves and others?
Happy Easter! As we move from Lent into the joyful Easter season, Karen and Anne reflect about what it means to have a Resurrection faith in a world that still feels uncertain. The empty tomb is just the first step toward “Alleluia.” Scripture references: Acts 10:34a-43 John 20:1-9
Today, Karen and Anne welcome special guest Deacon Eric Bessette to reflect on the graces of praying Holy Week deeply, the meaning of the Cross, and Jesus’ incredible love for each of us.
Scripture references: Luke 19:28-40 John 18:1-19:42 Philippians 2:6-11
John 12:1-11
Finding Renewal in God this Lent. It’s been a long, hard winter, and we are all ready for the freshness and new growth of spring. This week, Karen and Anne reflect on how God is bringing new life into our hearts and into our world during this Lenten season.
Returning to God This Lent. This Lent we are
making a “pilgrimage of hope,” and our Mass readings this week remind us that
every journey ends with a homecoming. Karen and Anne reflect on how we
create home in spiritual community and find our ultimate home in God. Scripture
references: ·Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 ·Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Lenten Disciplines: Almsgiving Today. This week, Karen and Anne welcome back Dan Hofford, our Finance Director, to talk about what it looks like to be generous with the gifts God has given us and share creative ways to practice almsgiving this Lent and beyond. Scripture references: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 Luke 13:1-9
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Matthew 25
Lenten Disciples: Praying Today. This week, Karen
and Anne ask the question, “What would it look like to let God be in charge of
our prayer this Lent?” How can we create favorable conditions for God’s
grace to move in our hearts by showing up to prayer with emptiness, not
expectations, with stillness, not an agenda? Scripture
references: ·Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 ·Luke 9:28b-36
Giving up something for
Lent doesn’t just have to be chocolate! This week, Karen and Anne offer
creative ideas for going deeper with the practice of fasting to help you let go
of what’s cluttering up your heart and make space for God’s Spirit to move.
Scripture
references: ·Matthew 6:16-18 ·Isaish 58:6 ·Joel 2:12
Karen and Anne welcome
friend and colleague Don Smith, our Diocesan Coordinator of Sacramental
Catechesis and Family Life, to share fresh ideas about what it can look like to
practice Lent in the real world today. With Ash Wednesday just a few days
away, tune in for practical advice to help you set your intentions for your
Lenten journey. Scripture
references: ·Joel 2:12-18 ·Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ·Luke 4:18-19
Spring Preview. Even though we’re still in winter, spring is on the
way, and Lent is just around the corner. This week, Karen and Anne offer
a run down of the many opportunities coming up in our faith community in the
coming months and invite you to spring forward in faith with us. There’s
something for everyone and so much to look forward to! Scripture
references: ·Isaiah 35:1-2 ·James 5:7 ·Zechariah 10:1 ·Song of Songs 2:11-13
Valentine’s Day Special,
Husbands on the Hot Seat. Karen and Anne welcome our wonderful spouses, Jeremy
and Brian, to the podcast. We look back on our decades of marriage and
how we’ve learned to make it all work, and we celebrate loving each other
through the seasons of life. Scripture
references: ·Genesis 2:24 · Proverbs 31:10 ·1 Peter 4:8 ·Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ·Colossians 3:12-17
Superbowl Special, Go Team Faith! Yes, there’s a big football game happening today, but Karen and Anne are taking a time out to reflect on how the Church is a great team. Working together toward our mission to bring Jesus’ love into the world, each person has a unique God-given gift to share. Join us as we show our team spirit!
Spotlight on the Young Church, Special Guest Sarah:
Karen and Anne welcome one of our high school seniors, Sarah, who is volunteering as a student intern in our faith formation programs this year. Sarah shares what it’s like to be a teen in the world today and how our church can support our youth as they grow in faith.
This week, Karen and Anne offer our recommendations of all the things we are loving in our prayer lives right now. Take a break with us as we share our picks for music, spiritual reading, prayer practices, and more to help you grow in faith this year.
Books referenced:
Rest is Resistance, by Tricia Hersey
We Will Rest: The Art of Escape, by Tricia Hersey
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Katherine May
We are now in Ordinary Time until the season of Lent begins in March, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate! Karen and Anne talk about how to keep from getting stuck in a faith rut when you’re in the middle of the daily grind. Juggling work and family, the days can be long, but the years will seem short when we look back on them. Take a break with us as we reflect on how every ordinary moment matters when you are building a legacy of love.
Karen and Anne ask the question, where did Jesus go between the time he was born and when he began his public ministry decades later? We wonder about how Jesus grew into his fully human and fully divine identity and how he came to understand God’s call for his life. Take a break with us as we delight in imagining Jesus as a child, a teen, and a young adult.
Scripture references:
Matthew 2:13-23 Matthew 3:1-17 Luke 2:41-52 Luke 3:1-22
Karen and Anne discuss New Year’s resolutions, love them or hate them. How can we make a spiritual fresh start in 2025? We reflect on the call to live deeply with intention and to nurture healthy faith habits that can draw us into intimacy with God one day at a time, even if it takes a lifetime. Take a break with us as we share what we need to let go of and what we feel called to lean into as we head into this new year.
Karen and Anne are joined by our parish finance director, Dan, to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family by talking about how holy our own families are. Just kidding! Really, we commiserate about the joys and challenges of raising a family in faith in today’s real world. Take a break with us as we reflect on what Jesus’ early years might have been like for Mary and Joseph and take comfort in the fact that God’s grace is always at work even in our crazy families.
Karen and Anne explore our theme for the fourth week of Advent: LOVE! We unpack what our Advent stories tell us about what love looks like. Mary showed fearless love when the angel Gabriel visited her. Elizabeth and Mary shared their supportive love for each other during their miraculous pregnancies. And Joseph stepped forward in faith with tender love for Mary and baby Jesus. Take a break this week to reflect on how sometimes love calls us to let go of expectations, lay down our lives in trust, and hold nothing back.
Scripture references Luke 1:26-38 Luke 1:39-45 Luke 1:46-36 1 Cor. 16:14 1 John 4:18
Karen and Anne explore our theme for the third week of Advent: JOY! We celebrate the joy kids and teens bring to our families and our community. Finding joy in the presence of God every day is our armor against discouragement. Sometimes, our tears and our joy can flow together. In this week of the pink candle on the Advent wreath, take a break to connect with what lifts your heart with joy!
Karen and Anne explore our theme for the second week of Advent: PEACE! We talk about how to find peace in the storms of life (hint: phone a friend!). Our days are very full, but we can still take a little faith break with a warm beverage of choice. Anxiety and uncertainty are everywhere. Our families are not Christmas card perfect, even on our best days. Let God’s peace protect your heart in this crazy season. Find your grounding, your safety, and your rest in God. Holy napping is a thing!
Karen and Anne explore our theme for the first week of Advent: HOPE! Take a deep breath at the start of this very busy season and notice that God is sending you grace-filled moments every day. We recognize that we’re called to hope when things seem the darkest and to wait for God to move. We remember Mary as a model of hope who trusted in God to fulfill his promise. And we celebrate the gift of our faith community in difficult times. God’s dream is unfolding in the mess.