In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to reflect more deeply on the Nativity of Our Lord. “In the Incarnation,” he says, “God has come not only to unleash our power of loving and adoring God but also to give us a model on how to become more fully human."

Recalling a famous short story from 1906, titled, “The Gift of the Magi,” Msgr. Dolan gives us the “antidote” to that attitude of commercialization that often accompanies the Christmas season. He helps us ponder the fact that what matters most is “the amount, the extent to which we love each other.” We are reminded that the greater our love, the greater our freedom. And so we want our love to remain open to absolutely everyone; we want the willingness to befriend others in imitation of Christ, who made friends with “tax collectors and sinners.”

We pray and ask the Holy Family: “Do whatever it takes to give me that same degree of love [you have]. Help me to contemplate. Help me to develop the capacity to be still, to see that you, Jesus, are God. Help me to grow in love so that I can grow in freedom. Help me to grow in detachment so that I can be happy regardless of the circumstances. And help me to become a better and more understanding friend of all those around me.”

In this special podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo reflects on the feast of Mary, Mother of Fairest Love (February 14th), and the significance of this Marian title in the life of the Church and the history of Opus Dei.

Rooted in the Old Testament, Fr. Javier explains how “fair” in this title of Our Lady refers to “beauty” and “fairest love” means “the most beautiful love.” He also explains how St. Josemaria Escriva helped to revive the devotion to this title applying it to Mary as “the guardian of the beauty of chastity” and “as a way of praying for holy purity, for the sanctity of marriage, for the sanctity of the family, and for vocations to celibacy."

The virtue of holy purity is not just about control, as Fr. Javier explains, but it is primarily about love. Holy purity is a gift from God that helps us safeguard the image of God we have in our soul and in our heart, which is “where we are able to love God and make a covenant with God. The heart is the place of truth… So many things happen in the heart. And this interior world has to be protected.”

Mary brings us the hope we need to struggle, to tell the truth in our hearts, to repent, and to have the holy purity “to make room in our hearts for God, for true love, for the fairest and most beautiful love… which is her Son.”

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the fact that "we're not called to make it [to Heaven] by the skin of our teeth." We are called to make use of all of our time on earth to become saints. But, as St. Josemaria Escriva said, "Time is short, too short to love!" And so, Our Lord wants us always to have an overarching goal: becoming saints."

This doesn't mean that we don't have other interests, explains Fr. Peter, or that we must become indifferent to everything else. What it does mean, however, is that we are called to make this phrase our mission statement: "I'm going to put the love of Christ into everything I do.

Rather than fearing the judgment of God at the end of our lives, Fr. Peter counsels us to be afraid of not having loved enough. "The meaning of human life, and especially Christian life," he says, "is to fill [our] day with deeds of love," and in this way to become saints.

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan examines three critical players in our spiritual life: the intellect, will, and heart. He offers a view of our life as a “journey back home,” relating the perilous journey in Homer’s Odyssey as a way of understanding the dangers confronting the Christian life in the modern world.

“What a shame it would be,” he says, “to allow our day, our life, to be shipwrecked by the sirens of YouTube, a Netflix series, or Tik Tok.” Ultimately, Odysseus and his crew made it home because they knew the sirens were a “deadly menace,” and they did everything in their power to overcome them.

If we form our intellect, will, and heart, giving each faculty its proper place, we too will overcome the obstacles that assail us on our journey Home. And we must totally commit to our destination: with all the power of our intellect, the strength of our will, and the passion of our heart. 

Do you approach suffering as a source of joy? How can you better unite yourself with Jesus and Mary by the means of the Cross present in your life?

Fr. Javier del Castillo explores the meaning our human suffering can assume when we make of it an offering of love to God. He explains that “the Lord has not come to get rid of suffering–we continue to suffer all the time–but he has come to give it meaning with his Cross; he has come to give it the meaning of love.”

As we unite ourselves to the Cross of Christ, our hearts expand to a deeper outpouring of love among those around us. If we embrace the Cross in this way, our Blessed Mother, who humbly embraced her own cross, will comfort and sustain us, thereby enabling us to experience the fullness of joy.

In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan shares a reflection on the standard of holiness which St. Josemaria characterizes by the following three points: holy intransigence, holy coercion, and holy shamelessness. He explains that we must form our heart and mind according to the gospel message so that we will have a firm foundation when confronted with opposition.

We are encouraged to look to the example of the saints who were steadfast in seeking the truth despite facing opposing viewpoints. Inspired by their witness, we too can seek to attain the plane of sanctity through the ordinary moments of everyday life and be a reflection of Christ in the world today.

In this podcast Msgr. Dolan shares excerpts from the Letter from the Prelate of Opus Dei dated February 14, 2017. This letter can be read in full online at opusdei.org.

In a homily given by St. Josemaria Escriva in the 1960’s, he called everyone gathered there to imitate Jesus’ love for humanity. But what does this call invite us to do today?

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio enlightens us by explaining that the call to passionately love the world invites us to leave our comfort zone, find new compassion for others, be present for those who do not know that they hunger for Christ, His consolation, and His peace. In turn, our efforts of imitating Christ will ultimately give our lives meaning and we will have found true love.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.  I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.”  . . . Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”  “Seven,” . . . “and a few fish. . . .  Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied.  They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.” (Matt. 15:32-37)

We should take note that if we trust enough to give Our Lord, Jesus Christ all that we have, as in the loaves and the fish, then there is nothing to worry about for Jesus will always take care of us.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29, Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection on the heroic lives of these two great saints who accepted Christ’s invitation to repentance and fearlessly proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Their lives model for us a pathway of discipleship and illustrate the boundless love of God made known through the power of forgiveness.

On this feast day, we pray for an increased trust in the Lord and the strength to fearlessly proclaim the faith in our daily life. As St. Josemaria reminds us: “Depend on Jesus for everything. You have nothing, are worth nothing, are capable of nothing. He will act, if you abandon yourself to him” (The Way, no. 731).

In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo celebrates Mother’s Day by meditating on our Mother Mary, and why we should turn to her powerful intercession, especially in the Holy Rosary. He also reflects on the theology behind repetitive and intercessory prayer, and St. Josemaria’s suggestions for how to honor Mary in the month of May.

The Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday at the conclusion of the Easter Octave during which we are reminded to “be merciful, just as [our] Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the mercy of God by sharing a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. He explains that Christ is the incarnation of mercy itself which is revealed to us through the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. As we receive the Eucharist and allow Christ to dwell within us, we also receive the grace of the Holy Spirit which empowers us to show mercy toward those we encounter each day and inspires us to love with the heart of Christ.

St. Josemaria explains: “Mercy is more than simply being compassionate. Mercy is the overflow of charity, which brings with it also an overflow of justice. Mercy means keeping one’s heart totally alive, throbbing in a way that is both human and divine, with a love that is strong, self-sacrificing and generous” (Friends of God, no. 232).

As we begin a new season of Lent, Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection no the importance of connecting with the Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a season to look inward and assess what the Lord is asking us to deny, offer up, so that we can share in his self-emptying and experience the joy of everlasting life.

In this podcast, Fr. Leo Agustina reflects on the family as a school of love where we learn to use our freedom, and where we learn the meaning and value o life, sexuality, friendship, weakness, forgiveness and love. "Love is a powerful word," says Fr. Leo, "and this is our legacy as Catholics... It is a treasure that we have received from Jesus Christ. Love is ultimately what brings people back to the truth."

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, honoring the dogma that Mary was conceived without Original Sin.

In this podcast, Fr. Eric Nicolai reflects on the joy of this great solemnity in which we are encouraged to pray for an increase in our docility to the work of the Holy Spirit so that we may turn away from sin and allow the Lord to work through us as we work to build up the Kingdom of God.

In this podcast, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha shares a reflection for the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All Souls. As we turn to the cloud of witnesses that surround us, we are inspired to persevere in our journey on Earth so that we may dwell with God our Father in Heaven.

In this podcast, as the Church prepares to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Archangels on September 29, Fr. Eric Nicolai shares Scriptural context on the creation of the angels and offers insight on how we can seek to imitate the virtues modeled by the Holy Archangels in our everyday life.

As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on August 15, Fr. Eric Nicolai shares a reflection on Mary’s title, “Cause of Our Joy,” and how through the faithful acceptance of God’s will and in welcoming the opportunities for small, daily sacrifice, we too can be welcomed into Heaven and share in the everlasting glory of Christ.

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.

In honor of the Feast Day of St. Josemaria on June 26, Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on the origin and meaning of St. Josemaria’s title, “Saint of Ordinary Life”, and invites us to contemplate what God is saying and revealing to us as we seek the company and intercession of St. Josemaria.