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Divine Intimacy Radio

Divine Intimacy Radio is a haven of rest and wellspring of spiritual life for those seeking intimacy with God and the enlightened path of Catholic mystical and ascetical wisdom. Weekly we will explore topics like prayer, spiritual direction, meditation, contemplation, holiness, and much more.
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Now displaying: June, 2018
Jun 29, 2018

Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they answer questions from listeners about infused contemplation, recollection and desolation.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • What is contemplation?
  • What is the difference between natural and infused contemplation?
  • What is the difference between acquired recollection and infused recollection?
  • What do you do when spiritual reading is no longer joyful?
  • Should the realization of one's sinfulness cause desolation?
  • Once we receive the gift of infused contemplation, where do we go from there? How do we share this complete and consuming love?

Resources:

Jun 26, 2018

How can we receive the Eucharist in the most holy way? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Christopher Carstens to discuss the humility necessary to receive the precious Body and Blood of our Lord during Mass.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • When receiving the Holy Eucharist, what is the best virtue to exhibit in order to become saintly?
  • How does humility bring us into a more full participation in the Eucharist?
  • Why is the prayer of the centurion the response of the faithful during the Liturgy of the Eucharist?
  • Why do we fast before receiving the Eucharist? Should we begin fasting an hour before Mass begins or an hour before receiving our Lord?
  • What does it mean for Jesus to "wonder" at the centurion's faith?
  • How should we respond to Jesus longing to share his precious Body and Blood with us?

Resources:

Jun 22, 2018

How is it that the Holy Trinity dwells within each individual soul? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they discuss Divine Intimacy, Meditation #222 about why God chooses to dwell within the souls of His beloved creation.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • "Jesus not only came to reveal the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, but also to establish the ties of closest friendship between our souls and the three divine persons." ~ Divine Intimacy, Meditation #222.
  • How can the Trinity dwell within us?
  • What spiritual conditions open our hearts to the Triune God?
  • Why does St. Teresa of Avila describe the soul as a garden?
  • What makes the soul of each individual so beautiful to God?
  • Why does Fr. Gabriel emphasize the virtue of charity as a crucial step to allowing God access to the soul?

Resources:

Jun 19, 2018

Why is the Eucharistic Prayer one of the most active times during the liturgy? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Christopher Carstens to discuss how the faithful become bridge builders along with the priest to offer up our sacrifices during the Mass.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • What do the faithful misunderstand most about participating in the Eucharistic Prayer?
  • How is the congregation called to participate during the Eucharistic Prayer?
  • Does praying in the vernacular assist the faithful in their participation in the Eucharistic prayer?
  • What is the meaning of the term, "pontifex"?
  • Why are the faithful considered "ponifex minimus"?
  • Why does the priest ask God to "accept" his sacrifice and ours rather than to "take" it? 
  • What can we do on a practical level to implement this participation in the Mass in a more meaningful way?

Resources:

Jun 15, 2018

Join Melissa Elson as she speaks with Connie Rossini about Fr. Jacques Philippe's book, Time for God focusing on ways that we can enter into and sustain a deep and meaningful prayer life.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • How important is perseverance in prayer and why?
  • What role does the Holy Spirit play in one's prayer life?
  • What should meditation look like according to Fr. Philippe?
  • Should we only read Sacred Scripture during our mental prayer time or can we use other spiritual reading?
  • If our hearts are moved by a particular reading during our prayer time, but we must end our prayer time before we have finished reflecting on the reading, should we return to that same reading during our next mental prayer time?
  • What does St. John of the Cross have to say about the cause of "dryness" in prayer?
  • What is the Jesus prayer and why does Fr. Philippe mention it?
  • How can the rosary act as a great tool for meditation?
  • At what age should one introduce children to mental prayer?

Resources:

Jun 12, 2018

Why are youth ministry programs failing to make lifelong disciples of our young people? Join Melissa Elson as she speaks with Everett Fritz about his book, The Art of Forming Young Disciples, to discover how we can change our youth programs to effectively impact the next generation of Catholics.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • What was the motivation to write this book?
  • What are some current approaches to youth ministry?
  • Specifically, what is the "Sermon on the Mount" approach? 
  • What are the five basic needs of teenagers today?
  • Why are Catholic schools failing in their formation of young people?
  • What should youth programs look like in our parishes?
  • Why is the need for guidance so important for teenagers?
  • How difficult is it to start small group ministry at our parishes?

Resources:

Jun 8, 2018

Where should we pray and how much time should we spend in prayer? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Connie Rossini about Fr. Jacques Philippe's book, Time for God and how to determine the best circumstances for your daily prayer experience.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • How can one benefit from having a designated prayer space in his or her home?
  • How can icons or spiritual objects help us during our mental prayer time?
  • Should children use the same prayer space as their parents, or should they have their own space?
  • How can we establish a prayer time if our vocational obligations are unpredictable?
  • Why do we need to be consistent in prayer?
  • How much time should we allot for prayer each day?
  • How can mothers specifically incorporate prayer time into their busy schedules?
  • Can our time in prayer vary from week to week or should we remain consistent?

Resources:

Jun 5, 2018

What is the purpose of the Offertory during Mass? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Christopher Carstens to discuss how we can unite our hearts to God's during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • What is the Offertory?
  • How do we prepare our hearts to offer them as a sacrifice to God?
  • What is the common misconception of "sacrifice"?
  • Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI describes sacrifice as the loving union of of our hearts with God.
  • How does the reception of the Eucharist compare with the engagement of our hearts to God's at the Offertory as the pinnacle of active participation in the Mass?
  • What is the connection between the Old Testament figures Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and our participation in the sacrifice of the Mass?
  • In a practical way, how can we engage more deeply in the Mass through the Offertory?

Resources:

Jun 1, 2018

What is really happening when it feels like God is distancing Himself from us in our prayer lives? Join Dan Burke and Melissa Elson as they speak with Connie Rossini about Fr. Jacques Philippe's book, Time for God and the transition from meditation to contemplation.

Topics/Questions Covered in the Show:

  • How is prayer progressive in its nature?
  • Our goal with prayer is union with God.
  • Why do most people have trouble understanding the transition from meditation to contemplation?
  • When God offers us consolations, we can begin to attach feelings to prayer, which can be problematic.
  • In the Ignatian tradition St. Ignatius says that when you are in consolation, the key to being appropriately oriented is humility, and when in desolation, it's trust because we can falsely attribute the graces we receive to our good actions.
  • God is always working on our souls during our prayer time.
  • How does God work in our souls if we can't feel it?
  • What does Fr. Philippe mean when he talks about having been “wounded by God” rather than necessarily being healed?
  • God always keeps us seeking. The closer we get to God, the more distant we feel.
  • What is the "passive night of the senses"?
  • Why shouldn't we seek a "spiritual high" in prayer?

Resources:

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