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Daily sparks to ignite prayer: a passage from the gospel, an idea, an anecdote and a priest who speaks with you and with the Lord inviting you to share your intimacy with God.
Find your moment, consider you're in his presence, and click play.

Ten Minutes With Jesus

In Father, The Family Protector, Educator James Stenson explores how fathers exercise their powerful and particularly masculine contribution to family life. His research comes from more than twenty years of working with families from two highly successful independent secondary schools for boys that he helped establish, The Heights School in Washington D.C., and Northridge Preparatory School in Chicago. As headmaster, he made it his business to know hundreds of families intimately studying their family lives, watching their children grow into maturity, very often successfully, but sometimes not. Through countless conversations with fathers and mothers, he tried to account for the differences, looking for patterns of family life among those parents who triumphed with their children. What did these successful men and women have in common? What did they manage to do right? Most important: what could other parents learn from their experience? 
 This wisdom of fatherhood is what this book for dads is all about. It explains the main obstacles in today's society that undercut a father's teaching role, and tells men what they could do to overcome them. Then within this framework, James Stenson spells out how successful fathers deal with their children in the more crucial areas: family rules, discipline, schooling, sports, recreation, the media, and ongoing teamwork with one's wife. In short, this book for dads provides the guidance that will help any father to carry out a serious responsibility - that of protector of his family.

Father, The Family Protector

Opening Credits

Introduction

Chapter 1: A Completely New Way

Chapter 2: An Elevator For Small Children

Chapter 3: Being Reconciled to our Weakness

Chapter 4: Trusting More and More

Chapter 5: God's Infinite Mercy

Chapter 6: Enduring Trials

Chapter 7: Closing Credits

St. Th&eacute;r&egrave;se of Lisieux sought a new way to Heaven: &ldquo;a little way that is quite straight, quite short: a completely new little way.&rdquo; Blessed with personal limitations that might have discouraged another, Th&eacute;r&egrave;se believed God would not have given her a desire for holiness if He did not intend for her to achieve it. She learned to humbly accept herself as she was and trust completely in God&rsquo;s love.&nbsp;
First given as a retreat by renowned author Father Jacques Philippe,&nbsp;The Way of Trust and Love navigates excerpts of St. Th&eacute;r&egrave;se&rsquo;s writings phrase by phrase, extracting powerful, resonating insights. To Th&eacute;r&egrave;se, the journey seemed &ldquo;little&rdquo; as she traveled it. A hundred and fifteen years after her death, the message of the young saint and Doctor of the Church has traveled around the world inspiring millions. With this newly translated study of her spirituality, many today will rediscover&mdash;or find for the first time&mdash;the relevance of &ldquo;the little way,&rdquo; in all seasons of life.

The Way of Trust and Love (audiobook)

Today on the podcast… We are invited to listen and contemplate:How eternal happiness begins here on earth and is brought to its fullness in Heaven. Why it is a good idea to study the lives of the saints. The meaning of the “revolutionary message” revealed to St. Josemaria Escriva: to bring Christ into the heart of the modern world. At the end of our reflection and prayer, we ask Our Lady to help us learn to live each day imitating the saints. <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

A Revolutionary Message

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Ashlar Centre in Toronto, on March 22, 2026.In the year 2001 it was exciting because we were entering a new millennium. Pope John Paul II invited us to launch out into the deep, in Latin, Duc in altum (Apostolic letter, Novo millennio ineunte, 2001): He said: Duc in altum! These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: &quot;Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever&quot; (Heb 13:8).This is tied to Jesus&#39; call to Lazarus in the tomb: Lazarus, come out! Veni foras!Music: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.Thumbnail: The Jonah Sarcophagus, 300. Vatican museum.

Lazarus and our Apostolate

What is the purpose of professional training and the work derived from it? From the time Ernesto Cofiño returned from Paris with a doctorate in pediatrics, he made his work available for the benefit of others in his native Guatemala, dedicating himself to patients, rich and poor, and then to medical students, caregivers and many others. At the peak of his very distinguished career he encountered Opus Dei and discovered that being a child of God was not just a figure of speech but a profound reality and that his dedication to others through work done generously and in a spirit of service was the precise way that God was calling him to holiness. From then on he worked relentlessly as a pediatrician, educator, and fund-raiser doing it all for the glory of God, "putting on Jesus Christ" until becoming himself Opus Dei. 
No Small Goals: The Life of Dr. Ernesto Cofiño by Thomas McDonough tells the story of a Guatemalan-born doctor who, after obtaining an excellent medical education in Paris, returned to his native land to serve its people through his medical practice. In spite of obstacles that include political strife, and social and economic challenges, he remained faithful to his land and people through his work as a doctor It is an extraordinary lesson on how one's ordinary work can be converted into a tool of service and improvement for all of society.  
Dr. Ernesto's cause of holiness is now underway.

No Small Goals: The Life of Dr. Ernesto Cofiño

Have you suffered a traumatic event in your life or more specifically your marriage? Today on Marriage Unhindered, Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn joins Doug to discuss growing through trauma. &nbsp; Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Mary - After suffering physical traumatic injuries how do you deal with doctors who trivialized and dismiss what happened to you? (23:53)</li> <li>Monica - How do I navigate coping together with my family who have all been affected by child abuse in the home? (35:59)</li> <li>Deedee - Are there studies on the influence of fathers on young women as far as trauma goes? (43:57)</li> </ul> &nbsp; Resources: &nbsp; Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn <a href="https://www.metahab.com/">https://www.metahab.com/</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

Post-traumatic Growth

Can a marriage survive without trust? Can you have trust in one area of marriage and not the other? Today, Doug shares tips for building trust in your marriage. He unpacks the benefits of trust and explores the difference between emotional, intimate, financial and parental trust. &nbsp; Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Adrianna - My adult daughter is in a relationship but it is not good. They fight a lot. It doesn't look healthy and she doesn't want to be with him. (36:48)</li> <li>Maribel - I am married to an addict. Trust is a big deal to me. I overcame it by asking God for grace to overcome it. He took away the anger. (40:37)</li> <li>Mary - My 20-year-old lives at home but I am going away for a few days and I don't know what to do about her boyfriend coming over when I am gone. When do I let go? (46:22)</li> </ul> &nbsp; Resources: Marriage Unhindered <a href="https://www.marriageunhindered.com/">https://www.marriageunhindered.com/</a> &nbsp; Rekindled Hearts Marriage Bundle <a href="https://relevantradio.store/collections/books/products/marriage-bundle">https://relevantradio.store/collections/books/products/marriage-bundle</a> &nbsp; Happy Marriage for Life <a href="https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/">https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/</a> &nbsp; 13 ways to build trust in a relationship <ol> <li>Be honest.</li> <li>Be reliable.</li> <li>Practice open communication.</li> <li>Accept your mistakes.</li> <li>Maintain healthy privacy.</li> <li>Don&rsquo;t be jealous.</li> <li>Don&rsquo;t share your marital secrets with others.</li> <li>Don&rsquo;t send mixed messages.</li> <li>Keep your promises.</li> <li>Show empathy.</li> <li>Respect your spouse&rsquo;s boundaries.</li> <li>Be supportive.</li> <li>Get interested.</li> </ol>

Building Trust

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached today November 11: at the 11th hour, the 11th day, the 11th month in 1918, the bugle sounded to announce the ceasing of all hostilities. Today we remember the fallen.
Now Poppy is emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem &quot;In Flanders Fields&quot; written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. 
 
In Flanders fields the poppies blow 
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place; and in the sky 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 
We are the Dead. 
Short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders fields. 
Take up our quarrel with the foe: 
To you from failing hands we throw 
The torch; be yours to hold it high. 
If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders fields.

Flanders Fields: Pray for the Dead

The year 2009 brought the 70th anniversary of the first publication of The Way by the founder of Opus Dei, who was a 37-year-old priest in Madrid when the book appeared. Since then this spiritual classic has gone into numerous translations and sold nearly 5 million copies worldwide. Read by popes, priests, mothers and fathers, students and working men and women around the world, its contents reflect the unique pastoral experiences and spiritual insights of its author, St. Josemaría Escrivá. 
 In Writing "The Way" Russell Shaw provides dramatic background information about the composition of this book in the difficult years before and during the civil war in Spain as well as important theological and ascetical interpretations from a variety of sources. It is a valuable help to the reader seeking to understand The Way better and apply its contents in his or her own life.

Writing "The Way"

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the United States, Father Javier del Castillo reminds us in this meditation, as St. Josemaria Escriva also often did, that we ought to thank God always by habitually making frequent acts of thanksgiving, acts of gratitude. “We were never asked by God to come into existence,” Fr Javier explains, “everything we have— our talents, our virtues, even our defects— all have been been foreseen by God, allowed by God, 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 St Paul would say, in giving glory to God. ‘Thank you Lord for everything because everything is good.’” And as we strive to maintain a constant spirit of gratitude in our lives we will realize that &quot;thanksgiving enlarges our hearts to receive even greater gifts from God.&quot; <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

Thanksgiving

This episode is pulled from part one of Fr. Jacques Philippe's book Searching for and Maintaining Peace: a small treatise on peace of heart.

Interior Peace - Jacques Philippe

In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina invites you to imagine inviting Jesus to dinner as he passes by you at home, your dorm, your office, your kitchen, or your desk. Would you welcome him and listen to him? Would you allow him to open your horizons and give meaning to your whole life? This was the way of St. Matthew (also called Levi) as we read in the Gospels. Jesus was sending a huge message by passing by people at their jobs and at work. He is present, he is aware, and he really cares. But you must be humble enough to accept that your vocation means you inviting Jesus to meet you first, to talk to him, and to follow him. Jesus says “follow me,” if you want to. The calling of St. Matthew reminds us that our vocation is a combination between our freedom and the grace of God--our freedom and his invitation--and that&apos;s the beauty of every vocation. In every vocation, there&apos;s a story to be told and to be unfolded. And, Jesus is happy to be creating that story together with the protagonist. Our vocation is truly a treasure. But the principle and most important treasure of our life is our relationship with Jesus—-it&apos;s the treasure that we should rediscover every single day. <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Dinner-with-Jesus-Transcript.pdf'>View Transcript</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/podcasts/dinner-with-jesus/'>Visit Show Page</a> <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

Dinner with Jesus

Are you in need of marital conversion? Today on Marriage Unhindered, Doug shares steps in a religious conversion and applies them to marriage. PLUS: Doug shares advice for handling in laws who are too involved in your marriage. &nbsp; Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Jeff - Are we looking to convert or for conversion? My wife and I are recent converts and it has saved our marriage. (13:16)</li> <li>Judith - What if you change and the other person doesn&rsquo;t like the change and doesn&rsquo;t care? (32:48)</li> </ul> &nbsp; Resources: &nbsp; Marriage Unhindered <a href="https://www.marriageunhindered.com/">https://www.marriageunhindered.com/</a> &nbsp; Rekindled Hearts Marriage Bundle <a href="https://relevantradio.store/collections/books/products/marriage-bundle">https://relevantradio.store/collections/books/products/marriage-bundle</a> &nbsp; Happy Marriage for Life <a href="https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/">https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/</a> &nbsp; Steps for a religious conversion <ol> <li>Repent - Acknowledge your sins.</li> <li>Avoid sin and follow God.</li> <li>Metathesis - Effect a change in state or condition.</li> <li>Metamorphosis - To be transformed.</li> </ol> &nbsp; Examination of conscience for married couples <ul> <li>Have I loved my spouse as Christ loves the Church&mdash;sacrificially and faithfully?</li> <li>Do I show respect, kindness, and patience, or do I speak harshly, criticize, or belittle?</li> <li>Have I been selfish in my desires, refusing to serve or sacrifice for my spouse?</li> <li>Have I been unfaithful in thought, word, or action&mdash;including pornography, flirtation, or inappropriate relationships?</li> <li>Do I forgive readily, or do I hold grudges and keep a record of wrongs?</li> <li>Do I listen with empathy, or do I dismiss my spouse&rsquo;s feelings and needs?</li> <li>Do I use my body and my spouse&rsquo;s body as a gift, or do I reduce intimacy to selfish gratification?</li> <li>Have I neglected my spouse&rsquo;s emotional, spiritual, or physical needs?</li> <li>Do I share in the responsibilities of family life (finances, chores, parenting), or do I leave an unfair burden on my spouse?</li> </ul>

Marital Conversion

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 through acts of mortification and fasting, yet the self-denial that Christ is addressing here is on a macro level. We are called to deny our whole persona: our minds, our wills, our hearts, our entire beings, just as Mary did in her “fiat” at the annunciation. No matter what our vocation, Christ is inviting us to put him first in our life. Although living out this type of self-denial is the work of a lifetime, it begins by cultivating the disposition of giving the Lord our entire self each day. In examining the lives of the saints, we see models of those who cultivated this disposition and responded to the Lord’s call with a total gift of themselves. <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

Deny Yourself

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection on the three Advents we encounter in life and, as we come closer to Christmas, explains what it means to become Bethlehem–to get to know Jesus Christ, follow him, and bring him to others. <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

Becoming Bethlehem

Today on the St. Josemaria Institute podcast we bring you a special meditation in honor of the Solemnity of St Joseph.Who was Joseph? What was he called to do? How did he answer God’s call? How did he provide for the needs of Mary and Jesus? Fr Javier del Castillo invites us in this meditation to contemplate the holy life of Saint Joseph who was “a family man and an upright worker and citizen.” We also prayerfully consider this two-fold vocation in order to learn from Saint Joseph how we can live these two aspects of our vocations (family and work) wherever we find ourselves. Ite ad Ioseph: “Go to Joseph&quot; <a rel="payment" href="https://stjosemaria.org/give/">Support the show</a>THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you:<ul><li>Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.</li><li>Stay connected with us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/stjosemariainst/'>Facebook</a> and <a href='https://www.instagram.com/stjosemariainst/'>Instagram</a>. </li><li>Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'>www.stjosemaria.org</a></li></ul>Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/give/'>Give today!</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/subscribe/'> </a>

Saint Joseph

How do you forgive? Doug reviews what forgiveness is and how to actually put it into practice.

Forgiveness

Has your spouse ever come home in a bad mood? Today, Doug shares a letter from Alice Von Hildebrand in her book By Love Refined. In this letter, Alice gives advice to a young bride whose husband came home in a bad mood. She shares how to discern the theme of every situation and to focus on understanding why her husband is upset. Doug talks about the importance of sanctifying every moment and he recommends a stress reducing conversation which will help each spouse communicate the ups and downs of their day. Doug discusses the one thing that happy married couples do and what couples who are divorced don&rsquo;t do. Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Janice - I'm a pharmacist and it's a very stressful job. I have a 5-year-old and struggle with coming home with all the stress.</li> <li>Vinnie - Am I supposed to be celibate for my whole life unless I find someone to marry?</li> </ul> Resources: By Love Refined <a href="https://sophiainstitute.com/product/by-love-refined/?srsltid=AfmBOop_hj7tBJocu1kIRUvOGr04GiKI9hdx4dHbRfKhN2BSjsJzvBxF">https://sophiainstitute.com/product/by-love-refined/?srsltid=AfmBOop_hj7tBJocu1kIRUvOGr04GiKI9hdx4dHbRfKhN2BSjsJzvBxF</a> &nbsp; Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World: A Guide for Catholics <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Courtship-Oversexed-World-Catholics/dp/1931709564">https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Courtship-Oversexed-World-Catholics/dp/1931709564</a> &nbsp; Rekindled Hearts <a href="https://relevantradio.store/products/rekindled-hearts-book">https://relevantradio.store/products/rekindled-hearts-book</a>

Communicating in difficult times

You will find yourself filled with laughter and tears as you follow the stories of these powerful women and their families who give insight into the culture and aspirations of the Luo people in Kenya. This novel tells the story of a slow Christian conversion penetrating through four generations of a family from the mid-1800s to the present. Set in East Africa, prior to European colonization, author Margaret Ogola paints a vivid picture of a family's journey through time and a rapidly changing culture. Fascinating and captivating, this story highlights the culture, the beliefs, and the oh-so-familiar human struggles and joys of generations of women and their families. The themes of loyalty, courage, family values, and hope permeate the story as each generation endures suffering with determination and a firm belief in God. They welcome change while taking on the challenges that come with it and grasping onto the continuity of their traditions and beliefs. The River and the Source by Margaret A. Ogola won both the Jomo Kenyatta Literature Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize Best First Book in the Africa Region. It continues to be in worldwide demand.