St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on how the Risen Christ remained hidden from the disciples on the road to Emmaus so they would learn to recognize him with the eyes of faith. Drawing from St. Luke’s Gospel, Fr. Peter shares how we too are called to encounter Christ daily—especially in the Bread and the Word—through a life of prayer and faith. Listen now to reflect on: • Why Christ willed to remain hidden after the Resurrection • How Christ wants to be encountered today through faith in the Eucharist and Scripture • The importance of prayer as a daily rendezvous point with Christ • How St. Luke emphasizes interior prayer life and perseverance in his Gospel • Why spiritual strength and apostolic fruitfulness depend on this kind of prayer View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the mystery of the Resurrection and our mission to proclaim the joy that Christ is alive. He explains that we are not called to announce that Jesus is risen through dramatic gestures or grand proclamations but through the example of our faith and our joy. Christ's resurrection is not only a past event but a living reality made present to us in the Eucharist and in the Word. Therefore, Fr. Peter reminds us that we can talk to Jesus and love him even though we don't see him. Through our prayer and conversation with him, we'll receive the grace to know him who is alive and continues walking with us. Like the disciples along the road to Emmaus, we pray that our hearts will be energized and changed, and our faith and hope restored and increased, in order to announce the Risen Christ with our lives. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha reflects on the overflowing joy and wonder of Christ’s Resurrection and the living presence of the Risen Lord in the Church, in creation, and in our daily lives. Fr. Donncha invites us to rediscover the Church as the living presence of Christ among us - a gift that is not the result of human effort, but the action of the Risen Lord in history. He reflects on how the Church, sustained by grace and alive through the sacraments, is not something we create but something we receive. It is through this divine life - pulsating in our vocation and in the ordinary moments of daily life - that Christ continues to reach the world. We are reminded that the Resurrection is not only a historical event but the very lifeblood of Christian existence. Through grace, we are divinized - participants in the vibrant, risen life of Jesus. Therefore, each moment of love and faithfulness becomes a channel of Christ’s life into the world. As a result, we are called to rejoice, to evangelize with our lives, and to recognize the hidden holiness in the most ordinary of circumstances where Christ is truly present. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week for Holy Thursday: Fr. Donncha Ó hAodha offers a profound reflection on the enduring, limitless love of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. Entering the Upper Room with the Apostles, we are invited to contemplate the eternal love of Christ, who “loved them to the end,” and who gives us not a symbol but his very self in the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Donncha reminds us that Holy Thursday draws us into the heart of divine charity—the love of Christ poured out in the Eucharist and in the humble gesture of washing his disciples’ feet. Also being the feast of the priesthood, intimately bound to the Eucharist, we are reminded that priests are “the love of the heart of Jesus,” called to bring his presence into the world. The events of Holy Thursday call us to imitate Christ’s self-giving love, which brings lasting joy and peace. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio shares a reflection on the Gospel passage of the Passion of Christ (Luke 22:14-23:56) which is read on Palm Sunday. During this holiest time of the year, the Church invites her people to focus directly on the suffering of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The longer Gospel readings help us to honor Christ’s request to “keep watch and pray” with him as he asked the Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this scene, we prayerfully rediscover God’s love for us expressed through his humanity and sacrifice on the cross. Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we see his love poured out for us and discover the meaning in the crosses that he invites us to bear each day. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Reflecting on the Gospel of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11), Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to contemplate the gift of mercy—a central theme of the Christian life. In this powerful scene, Christ reveals the heart of the Father, not through condemnation, but through compassion and forgiveness. It is a call to each of us to examine how quickly we pass judgment, often without even realizing it. Msgr. Dolan reminds us that the devil seeks to divide—within families, communities, and society at large. But mercy, as a free and generous gift from God, restores unity and healing. It enables us to overcome division and to recognize one another as children of God. Drawing from the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II, Msgr. Dolan emphasizes that every human being is a neighbor to be loved. The question is not “Who is my neighbor?”—which already implies limits—but rather, “To whom should I become a neighbor?” Mercy calls us to expand our hearts, to love as Christ loves, and to reflect his mercy in our daily encounters. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Note: This meditation was recorded in front of a live audience. In our meditation for the Fourth Week of Lent, Fr. Peter Armenio invites us to renew our commitment to the three pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. As we reach the midpoint of this penitential seson, he reminds us that Lent centers on Christ’s self-giving sacrifice on the Cross—the greatest expression of love. To follow Christ is to embrace the Cross and come to know him through our own acts of self-emptying. Fr. Armenio emphasizes that almsgiving is the animating force behind prayer and fasting. Without charity, the other two lose their vitality. He encourages us to begin with love for our families and extend it outward—living the works of mercy and witnessing to Christ’s love in our daily interactions. Prayer and fasting, too, are essential. Fr. Armenio encourages us to carve out moments of silence in our days to encounter the Lord. In this quiet, we receive his love and are strengthened to share it with others. Through fasting, we learn to deny ourselves, resist temptation, and redirect our hearts toward Christ. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on the 100th anniversary of St. Josemaria’s priestly ordination on March 28, 1925. He invites us to consider the extraordinary fruitfulness of St. Josemaria’s life and his desire to be a genuine priest with a genuine and serious concern for souls that led him to love everyone without distinction. Drawing from personal anecdotes and historical accounts, Msgr. Dolan highlights three defining traits of St. Josemaria’s priesthood: his passionate love for the Eucharist, his burning desire for souls, and his constant search for God’s will. He recounts St. Josemaria's deep humility, his desire to serve without recognition, and his conviction that everything is done by God. Msgr. Dolan reminds us that central to the spirituality of St. Josemaria is the call to place the Holy Mass at the very heart of our lives. For St. Josemaria, the Mass was not a daily obligation, but the center and root of his interior life—something he urged all his spiritual children to imitate. Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of his ordination, St. Josemaria wrote: “Let us renew the resolution that the Holy Mass will be always the center and root of our existence. That is the best celebration of priesthood.” View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent and how they teach us to see that God approaches us first because he eminently wills our happiness-- a happiness that begins here on earth because of his liberation. Fr. Peter begins by recounting the familiar story of how Moses encountered God through the burning bush. We see God reveal himself as a liberator, seeking to free the Israelite people. God reveals himself to Moses by stating his name, ‘I AM,’ which is the first time God reveals this in Scripture. God desires a personal relationship with us, and like all relationships, this relationship begins with an introduction. This interaction points us toward Christ, as God will become man through whom he will have a personal relationship with his people. Through Moses, God seeks to defeat the Egyptians and save the Israelite people, prefiguring what Christ will do on the cross — defeat Satan and free God’s people from sin. Fr. Peter also recounts the parable of the fig tree. We see Christ personified as the gardener and God the Father personified as the owner. The gardener is advocating to save the fig tree, explaining to the owner that he can cut it down eventually, but it has not yet had its time. Applying this parable to our own life, we see a sense of urgency in the Gospel. Our time here on earth is finite — at some point, it will end. The season of Lent allows us the opportunity to look inward and to begin again: to take advantage of reconciliation, to seek after Christ in prayer, and to reach out in charity toward others. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Msgr. Dolan reflects on the Transfiguration of Christ and how this scene reminds us that a major goal of the Lenten season is to create an interior silence that allows us to enjoy God's presence. Msgr. Dolan shares how the scene of the Transfiguration echoes the words of the Psalms: "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps 46:11). The disciples who witnessed this moment "fell silent," understanding that words would have diminished its significance. Silence is essential for encountering God. Msgr. Dolan quotes Pope Francis who explains that, "We simply cannot do without the silence of prolonged prayer, which enables us to perceive God’s language and to see the whole of our existence afresh in His own light" (Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 171). Lent calls us to cultivate this silence, shifting our focus from distractions to God’s will. How will you embrace silence this holy season to grow closer to God? View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: we reflect on the virtue of fortitude as the driving force to overcome temptation. St. Josemaria Escriva reminds us, "A task which presents no difficulties lacks human appeal – and supernatural appeal too. If you find no resistance when hammering a nail into a wall, what can you expect to hang on it?" (The Forge, no. 245). To win the prize, you cannot avoid the struggle—it is the very path to victory. Fortitude is essential for both the spiritual life and human development. Msgr. Dolan reflects on the importance of deferred gratification—choosing to set aside immediate desires in favor of what must be done. He explains that this discipline goes hand in hand with gumption, the ability to recognize the right course of action and take decisive steps forward. A key danger in the spiritual life is abandoning the fight altogether. We can either face challenges with fear and stress or embrace them with excitement and trust. The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent recounts Christ’s temptation in the desert. As the perfect model of virtue, he embodies fortitude in the face of Satan’s trials. This Lent, how can you strengthen the virtue of fortitude in your own life and say ‘no’ to temptation? View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on self-denial as a path to deeper faith and freedom in Christ. As we begin Lent, we are reminded that to follow Our Lord, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Self-denial strengthens our commitment to prayer, holiness, and living the Gospel with conviction. Fr. Peter reminds us that St. Josemaria Escriva said, "If you don’t deny yourself, you will never be a soul of prayer" (The Way, no. 6). In a world filled with temptation, we must cultivate self-control and embrace sacrifice. And, as St. Josemaria urges, "Do it now! Now is the only shot you have. The past is gone, and the future doesn’t exist." View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the first evangelical words of Christ—"Come and see"—and the power of personal witness in evangelization. He highlights how spreading the Gospel does not require grand gestures but genuine relationship, as seen in the example of John the Baptist, who led his disciples to Jesus, and in the early Church, where ordinary laypeople shared the faith in their daily lives. Drawing from John 1:39, Fr. Peter emphasizes that evangelization starts with personal conversion and time spent with Christ: "They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day." He reminds us that just as St. Andrew brought St. Peter to Jesus, we, too, are called to bring others to him through our joy, kindness, and authentic Christian witness. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on St. Josemaria Escriva's teaching on realistic optimism— omnia in bonum- the confidence that Christ has already conquered all on our behalf, and that by uniting ourselves to him through prayer, we can overcome any challenge and participate in his victory. Drawing from John 16:33, he reminds us of Christ’s words: “In the world you will have affliction. But take courage; I have overcome the world.” This triumph is not just a past event but a present reality, accessible to us when we live in union with him. As Romans 8:28 assures, “All things work for the good of those who love God,” a truth that calls us to trust in divine providence, even in adversity. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the hidden years of Jesus' life and the profound sanctity found in the ordinary. He emphasizes how Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived lives of simplicity and work, demonstrating that holiness is not reserved for extraordinary deeds but is found in daily life, family, and labor. Fr. Peter highlights the Gospel's silence on Jesus' early years, noting that his hidden life in Nazareth was so ordinary that it became a stumbling block for those who later encountered him as the Messiah. Drawing from St. Josemaria Escriva’s writings, he explains that the path to holiness is through sanctifying daily tasks with love—whether in work, family life, or social interactions. Also looking to the example of St. Therese of Lisieux, who found holiness in the smallest acts, Fr. Peter encourages listeners to transform their daily routines into prayer. He reminds us that God’s love is expressed through self-giving in ordinary duties and that evangelization begins in the family and workplace. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

The following meditation was recorded in front of a live audience. In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the profound reality of God’s unconditional love for us as his sons and daughters. Drawing from the only prayer Jesus taught us —“Our Father”— Fr. Peter reminds us of its deeper meaning: a call to recognize God’s perfect love and his desire for our happiness. Fr. Peter emphasizes that our spiritual lives are rooted in the truth of our being children of God. Each of us is uniquely and intentionally created by God, custom-made with a soul that reflects his will and love. Our individuality glorifies him, and living as our most authentic, kind, and charitable selves is how we respond to this gift. Using the image of the Samaritan woman at the well, Fr. Peter illustrates how Jesus invites each of us, no matter our circumstances, into a personal relationship with him. By offering her the gift of “living water,” Christ reveals his desire to love and transform us through grace, making even the most broken among us vessels of his love and joy. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

The following meditation was recorded in front of a live audience. In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio explores the parables of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) and the sower (Luke 8:4-15), illustrating how God’s grace transforms small beginnings into extraordinary outcomes. Through these parables, he highlights the importance of receptivity to the Holy Spirit. He also reflects on the "vertical" and "horizontal" dimensions of love, symbolized by the cross. Prayer, as the foundation (vertical), unites us to God, while love for others (horizontal) flows from this connection. And, drawing from the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, Fr. Peter shares practical examples of how small, consistent acts of faith—like mental prayer, Eucharistic devotion, and the Rosary—can illuminate the world and remind us that even the smallest seeds of grace, nurtured with humility and perseverance, have the power to grow into something magnificent. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In our meditation of the week; Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the call to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world,” as described in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 5:1-16). He explains that these images capture the transformative role of Christ’s disciples in the world. Drawing from the Beatitudes, Fr. Peter emphasizes that they are a blueprint for shaping a heart to be like Christ’s, and they are a pathway to happiness in the world. Through a practical examples of two young men whose faith flourished despite family challenges, Fr. Peter illustrates how ordinary acts of holiness can have a profound impact. Like salt enhancing flavor, or light dispelling darkness, Christians have the power to inspire and guide others through their witness. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

The following meditation was recorded in front of a live audience. In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on how a disposition (or willingness) to love is required to fulfill our baptismal calling and common vocation to follow Jesus Christ. Drawing from the Gospel account of the rich young man (Matthew 19: 16-30), Fr. Peter explains that while the young man had lived by the commandments, he lacked the detachment and disposition necessary to fully surrender to Christ. Fr. Peter emphasizes that this detachment is not merely about material wealth but about offering ourselves entirely to God, allowing him to transform our hearts and bring our baptismal vocation to full maturity. Because the rich young man rejected Our Lord's invitation to follow him, the young man was filled with sadness and unable to be a witness to others. If we want to be Christ's witnesses, we must learn to overcome our disposition to self-love, and chip away gradually at all that separates us from God. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

The following meditation was recorded in front of a live audience. In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio underscores the relevance of St. Josemaria’s spirituality for our times, drawing a parallel between our world and the intensely pagan society of the early Christians. Fr. Peter explains that as modern apostles, Our Lord says that we must be "leaven" to the world, transforming it through our imitation of Christ. Our goal should be for our love to reach such a threshold that those around us, starting with our family, lead people to say that we are followers of Christ. Fr. Peter also emphasizes that if we cut corners in our interior life, we could diminish our light to the people around us. St. Paul’s words in Romans 5:5—“The love of God has been poured into your hearts by the Holy Spirit”—serve as a reminder that Christ's love is the fuel that sustains our charity and apostolic mission. Without it, Fr. Peter notes, we cannot give people an authentic experience of Christ. This union with Christ through our plan of life is essential to radiating Our Lord's presence to the world. View Transcript Visit Show Page Support the show THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Let us know that our podcast is important to you: FacebookInstagramwww.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!