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>

The Great Project of Our Life

How early is too early to discuss human sexuality with your kids? How should you prepare them for the things they might accidentally be exposed to? Monica Hinderer joins Doug to discuss this.

Talking to Your Kids About Human Sexuality?

What do you do when your spouse hurts your feelings? Doug unpacks a letter by Alice Von Hildebrand from her book: By Love Refined. In this letter, Alice addresses a young bride who is feeling hurt by something her spouse said. Doug discusses the negativity bias and how to overcome this through prayer, and good communication. Doug gives advice to a listener who is struggling amidst her spouse&rsquo;s battle with depression. He speaks of the importance of redemptive suffering and how it can be crucial in helping to get you and your spouse to heaven. &nbsp; Resources: &nbsp; Marriage Unhindered <a href="https://www.marriageunhindered.com/">https://www.marriageunhindered.com/</a> &nbsp; By Love Refined: Letters to a Young Bride <a href="https://sophiainstitute.com/product/by-love-refined/?srsltid=AfmBOopsPb89kgzTWIvXbSbfTenUSQeDv9WfkE0Yb23eHPaP4WvlnfQc">https://sophiainstitute.com/product/by-love-refined/?srsltid=AfmBOopsPb89kgzTWIvXbSbfTenUSQeDv9WfkE0Yb23eHPaP4WvlnfQc</a>

Hurt feelings and the negativity bias

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the readings for the Mass of the third Sunday of Advent also known as “Gaudete Sunday” or “Rejoice Sunday.” The very first description of Jesus in the Gospel is that he is “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Great joy always surrounds him and there is always a joyous reaction in the presence of Our Lord. Therefore, one tell-tale sign that we are in the right disposition for him to come to us is the prominent fruit of the Holy Spirit: joy. Fr. Peter explains that permanent, deep joy exclusively comes from Christ and is the fruit of a close relationship with him. Joy outside of Christ is just a good mood, a thrill, or a momentary pleasure. Our true joy comes from being that good soil where we habitually seek Our Lord with our whole heart. And, if we are lacking joy, this is the time to examine ourselves: Am I looking for Jesus with all my heart? Is he number one in my life? Do I want him to be number one? <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rejoice-in-the-Lord-Transcript-.pdf'>View Transcript</a> <a href='https://stjosemaria.org/podcasts/third-week-of-advent-rejoice-in-the-lord/'>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>

Third Week of Advent: Rejoice in the Lord

Why is marriage important to society today? And, what distinguishes a healthy marriage from one that is in serious trouble? On this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on the Sacrament of Marriage and how it is the cornerstone to society and the image of the eternal love between Christ and his Church. Marriage is the pathway for spouses to lead one another to heaven. For a marriage to flourish, it must be grounded so that each spouse is able to see the other as God sees him or her. Spouses must seek out genuine admiration for the gifts of the other, realizing that two lives become one as they build the foundation upon which they can strive for sanctity.Marriage is hard work. We marry imperfect people, yet are called to love them with their defects and limitations. Men and women are very different. We may not understand each other, but we are called to accept and love one another. Marriage is like a pearl of great price – it is worth fighting for it. 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>

Marriage as a Pathway to Holiness (Rebroadcast)

On today’s podcast… We contemplate the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians to learn that the face of the early Church was primarily made up of ordinary men and women. But we soon come to see that their &quot;ordinariness&quot; was distinguished by a holy anxiousness and sense of urgency to bring the Gospel to every corner of the world.Like in every era, we are witnesses of great suffering and sadness and as Christians we recognize that the greatest suffering occurs through an absence of God. Without a doubt there is a strong correlation among sadness, despair, family disfunction, substance abuse, sexual addiction, and the absence of Christ and of the Gospel. Therefore, we are called, like the Early Christians, to make Jesus Christ real in these difficult times:“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father&quot; (Matthew 5:13-16). So, if we want to disseminate the message of the Gospel and bring the Light of the World into our environments, we need to start from scratch. Through the intercession of Our Lady, may today’s reflection lead us to want to make specific resolutions to help us go forward in our love for Jesus Christ. 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>