Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation outside in the woods on the memorial of the beheading of John the Baptist at Camp Caribou near Barry&#39;s Bay on August 29, 2025. The church celebrates both his birth and his death. The to the death prelude is important: Mark 6, 14-16:  King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”  But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”Then comes the flashback that explains this. Not all give their lives in martyrdom, but all saints were faithful to the end. We too, are part of that long chain of fidelity.

The Head of John the Baptist

This week we're bringing you a special epsiode from our newest podcast: After Cana. Not only have Matt and Mindy been married for 32 years, but they have also coached other Catholic couples to discover the grace that comes through the sacrament of marriage. We hope you enjoy this crossover episode and consider subscribing to our latest podcast.

Ep. 32 After Cana Special with Matt and Mindy Dalton

Forgiving is no easy task: in fact, it may be the most difficult endeavor one can undertake. St. Josemar&iacute;a Escriv&aacute;, the founder of Opus Dei, said, &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t need to learn how to forgive, because God has taught me how to love.&rdquo; Still, even this saint struggled with the trying task of forgiving. This collection of anecdotes from his life explores his experiences in offering and accepting forgiveness.
Life as a priest in the midst of the violent Spanish Civil War offered St. Josemar&iacute;a countless opportunities to practice forgiveness. Owing to an attitude of prayer, mortification, and total confidence in God, he was as immediate and resolute in forgiving in dramatic situations as he was in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. He knew when a situation necessitated silence, and was always prompt in offering an apology when he found himself in the wrong. Readers will find themselves equally amazed and humbled by the gentle charity that contributed to Josemar&iacute;a&rsquo;s sainthood.
In addition to anecdotes from St. Josemar&iacute;a Escriv&aacute;'s life, this powerful introduction to forgiveness includes a biography of St. Josemar&iacute;a, an explanation of the message of Opus Dei, excerpts from Pope John Paul II at the canonization of St. Josemar&iacute;a and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) at the beatification of Josemar&iacute;a Escriv&aacute;, as well as resources for further information in print and online.&nbsp; &nbsp;

A Man Who Knew How to Forgive (audiobook)

The third book in the Douglings Adventures Series¬†(for ages 9-12)
 The Douglas family travels to a wedding in the Colorado¬†mountains, looking forward to a great celebration. But when a close family member is abducted, the eldest children suspect a shadowy figure who has been lurking in the darkness. With the help of their daring and enthusiastic new friend, St. Teresa of Avila, the children will work together to unveil the truth as they enter "The Interior Castle" and infiltrate the dark fortress of their enemy's very soul.

Cryptic Crusade

Sarah Bartel, co-founder of Cana Feast joins Doug to discuss how women can enjoy holy and healthy physical intimacy with their husbands. &nbsp; Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Mary - My husband would wake me up at middle of night. I would tell him no, but he'd keep insisting. I got to the point, that I told him, &lsquo;It feels like you're raping me'. Was that wrong for me to say? (15:00)</li> <li>John - How would you prioritize your spouse in terms of intimacy when you have a special needs child? (39:00)</li> </ul> &nbsp; Resources: Cana Feast <a href="https://canafeast.com/">https://canafeast.com/</a> &nbsp; <a href="https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed">https://canafeast.com/mydelight-whatsallowed</a>

Holy and Healthy Marital Intimacy

Greg Schutte joins Doug to continue their conversation on the Building a Eucharistic marriage course, a 7-part video series, which connects 7 areas for therapeutically strengthening your marriage with 7 areas of deepening your relationship with Christ through the Eucharist. Doug and Greg discuss the importance of listening to the heart of your spouse and how this leads to better communication and better understanding of the spouse&rsquo;s perception of the relationship. &nbsp; Resources: &nbsp; Marriage Unhindered <a href="https://www.marriageunhindered.com/">https://www.marriageunhindered.com/</a> &nbsp; Happy Marriage for Life <a href="https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/">https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/</a> &nbsp; Greg&rsquo;s website <a href="https://www.eucharisticmarriage.org/">https://www.eucharisticmarriage.org/</a>

Listening to the heart

Monica Hinderer joins Doug to share positive parenting strategies for parents who are divorced. They unpack statistics related to divorce, the negative effects of divorce on children, and share the importance of showing your children unconditional love. Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Sue - I have experience raising kids through a divorce. I tried to co-parent with a narcissist. You shouldn&rsquo;t let kids hear negative thoughts about the other spouse. Every negative thing they hear, they internalize.</li> <li>Carlos - I'm also divorced. How do you talk to a son who is 21? I don't know how to explain the divorce to him. He feels very hurt.</li> <li>Lilian - I was going through a divorce years ago, but my marriage was healed. I did go through a lot of therapy and went to healing masses. A priest I met said that divorce is a spirit and I should pray against it.</li> <li>Mary - My husband and I stayed married even though we experienced infidelity. At what age should we share this with our children?</li> </ul> Resources: Primal Loss <a href="https://www.leilamiller.net/digitalbook">https://www.leilamiller.net/digitalbook</a>

Parenting strategies for divorced parents

Doug discusses how marriage is affected when the wife is the primary breadwinner. Callers weigh in with their perspectives and experience. Doug shares the pros and cons when the wife is the primary breadwinner Listener questions and comments: <ul> <li>Mike - My wife has made more money for the last 40 years. Why would that be perceived as a problem?&nbsp;&nbsp; Is there any Catholic position on this?</li> <li>Sarah - I was the sole breadwinner, and my husband wasn't working at all. I got a ton of backlash, he accused me and we are now separated.</li> <li>Carol - I stopped working when I had my twins. My husband was always at work and now my children resent me. Talks about the &ldquo;Turkey Plate&rdquo;</li> <li>Janet - I have worked to be the breadwinner of my house. It went very well, but seven years into it, I stopped and I'm now divorced.</li> </ul>

When the wife is the primary breadwinner

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan guides us to pray and ask God to help us to stand back to take a look at our life on earth and to realize that our time here is very short. The great project of our life is gradual transformation into another Christ, explains Fr. Fred. We long to change and to be transformed. Therefore, a sign that we truly and passionately want to be fully alive is our willingness to be mindful of every moment and day of our life. We don&apos;t want to be sleepwalking or flying blind through life. We want to reflect on deeper things and focus on things that are important, asking ourselves often: Why do I give so much importance to things that just do not matter in the bigger scope of things? This gives us perspective and peace. And it allows us to give ourselves and our souls space to take time to do things calmly and in the right order. Fr. Fred also shares strategies that can help us to live heroically every minute of our life, including not allowing ourselves to waste time trying to undo the past and focusing on the importance of helping our loved ones prepare for death. The fact is that a life well lived, which is what we&apos;re all looking for, will have reverberations down through the centuries. <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Great-Project-of-Our-Life-Transcript.pdf'>View Transcript</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/podcasts/the-great-project-of-our-life/'>Visit Show Page</a> Subscribe to our NEW Devotions channel where we share audio recordings of our popular novenas and devotions available at www.stjosemaria.org to accompany you in your time of prayer, whether at home or on the go. Click here to subscribe on <a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/devotions-on-the-st-josemaria-institute-podcast/id1895870885'>Apple Podcasts</a> and <a href='https://open.spotify.com/show/1rpuXHM94Y06ouU37iIMHH?si=6508be06971e4324'>Spotify.</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>