The Oil in Your Lamp: Are You Ready to Meet Christ?  – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff podcast

In this episode of Building a Kingdom of Love, Msgr. John Esseff reflects on Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 and what it teaches about preparing to meet the Lord. Five virgins are wise and bring oil for their lamps, while five are foolish and find themselves unprepared when the bridegroom arrives. Msgr. Esseff explains that the oil represents something essential to the Christian life: a living relationship with Jesus Christ. The wise...

Sunday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in the garden,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the most forsaken of all;
and bring it to Thy glory,
there to praise and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,
grant unto the souls of thy s...

St. Gertrude the Great Novena – Day 2 – For the Grace of Holy Zeal

St. Gertrude the Great is held in the highest regard for her unwavering love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and her profound compassion for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Esteemed by many of her fellow saints, including St. Teresa of Avila, St. Gertrude’s spiritual insights have long inspired the faithful. With reverence, we invoke her patronage and beseech her to intercede for us that we may receive the graces most suited to our spiritual growth and needs (mention personal intention). May she al...

Sunday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus tol...

Saturday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which gushed forth from the sacred side
of Thy Divine Son Jesus
in the presence of and to the great sorrow
of His most holy Mother
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all especially that soul
which has been most devout to this noble Lady;
that it may come quickly into Thy glory,
there to praise Thee in her,
and her in Thee,
through all the ages.

...

Day Nine:  For the grace to become the praise of the glory of the Holy Trinity

In the heart of the Holy Trinity, the music of eternal praise echoes without ceasing in an eternal “now.” The Son reveals to the Father His glory in the power of the Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit the Father blesses His Son anew. This blessing is not a reality of the past or future, but of the eternal present. This means that this very moment we have together resounds with this canticle of love that the Three Divine Perso...

St. Gertrude the Great Novena – Day 1 – For the Grace of Self-Knowledge and Holy Understanding

As we begin our novena on this day, we reflect upon the providential beginnings of St. Gertrude, born on the Feast of the Epiphany in 1256. At the tender age of five, she was entrusted to the care of the holy St. Mechtilde at the Benedictine monastery, which became her lifelong spiritual home. Gertrude acknowledged that had she not been nurtured in such sanctity from her youth; she might have strayed far from her spiritual calling. Let us seek the intercession of S...



Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 16:9-15<...

Day Eight:  For the grace of possessing heaven already in this life by faith.


For Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, the veil between heaven and earth is thin.  If we listen carefully with the ear of our heart, we can hear Mary share with us what she heard from Christ as He offered His great hymn of praise from the Cross. It is a canticle so beautiful, so exquisite, it reaches the very heart of the Father and fills the whole world with a salvific love. Through Mary’s presence in our agony, if we let h...

Friday

O LORD God almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son, Jesus, did shed on this day,
upon the tree of the cross,
especially from His sacred hands and feet,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and particularly that soul for whom I am most bound to pray;
in order that I may not be the cause which hinders Thee
from admitting it quickly into the possession of Thy glory
where it may praise and bless Thee forever more.



Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 16:1-8<...

Day Seven – For the grace to become, like Mary, the “prey” of the Trinity – a soul consumed by love.

In the spiritual mission of Saint Elizabeth, the Virgin Mary, humble handmaid of the Lord, is the model of radical surrender to the Trinity. When we look to her, we see what it means to be the “prey” of the Trinity – a grace that we have been asking for throughout this Novena. When the Angel appeared to her, Mary responded: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, Let it be done to me according to your will.”  Out of this humble...



Thursday

O LORD God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious body and blood
of Thy Divine Son Jesus,
which He himself
on the night before His passion
gave as meat and drink to His beloved apostles,
and  He bequeathed His Holy Church
be a perpetual sacrifice and life-giving nourishment
of His  faithful people,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and but most of all  that soul
which was most devoted to this mystery of infinite love;
in order that it may praise...



Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to Luke 15:1-10

Th...

Episode 3: Praying Always – Communion with Christ: Practical Prayer with Deacon James Keating

Deacon James Keating joins host Kris McGregor to explore Jesus Christ as the perfect model and source of Christian prayer, drawing upon the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Jesus reveals what it means to live in constant communion with the Father, inviting us to participate in that relationship through the Holy Spirit. Deacon Keating explains how intentional moments of silence, listening, and contemplation gradually transform our lives so that prayer becomes more than an activity; it becomes a way of be...

Day Six  For the grace of living in the shadow of the Father


Jesus lived in the shadow of the Father. To be under this shadow is to accept a paradoxical mystery. In his humiliation, He was exalted. In his rejection, He was beloved. By His Wounds, we are healed. In His death, He became the source of life. Conversely, He humiliated the haughty and the proud who could not recognize Him. He declared the poor blessed, and the rich were not able to follow him. He held up the meek as conquerors, and the v...



Wednesday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
of Thy Divine Son Jesus that was shed
in the streets of Jerusalem
while He carried on His sacred shoulders,
the heavy burden of the cross
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and especially that one which is the richest in merits in thy sight;
so that having soon obtained the high place in glory to  which it is destined,
it may praise Thee triumphantly and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O L...

Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:25-33

Great cro...

Episode 8 – Rules 4 and 5 – The Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to a Greater Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

In this episode, Fr. Timothy Gallagher continues his exploration of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Second Week Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, focusing on how the enemy can subtly lead a person astray through seemingly good and holy thoughts. Drawing upon the Fourth Rule, Fr. Gallagher explains how the enemy, appearing as an angel of light, may introduce apparent reasons, subtleties, and persistent fallacies into a person’s discer...

 Day Five – For the Grace of being overcome by the Fire of God’s Love

For Saint Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit is the consuming Fire of God’s Love. To fully offer oneself to the Lord, one needs to allow one’s whole existence to be set on fire by this Divine Love. This means a total offering of oneself analogous to the offering of holocaust proscribed in the Mosaic Law. Before Christ, such an offering would be completely consumed in the sacred fire before the altar of sacrifice. It was a sign of what God deserves...



Tuesday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus
shed in His bitter crowning with thorns,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among them all,
particularly that soul which is in the greatest need of our prayers
in order that it may not long be delayed
in praising Thee in Thy glory,
and blessing Thee forever

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come onto thee.

Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:15-24

One of th...



The Poor/Holy Souls and Purgatory – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

Msgr. John Esseff and Kris McGregor discuss the significance of All Souls’ Day and the theology of purgatory. The deep connection Catholics share with the souls in purgatory, who are part of the larger body of Christ. He describes his personal practice of praying for those he’s known who have passed, recalling their names and lifting them in prayer during Mass. The Church provides special graces on All Souls’ Day to pray for these “holy souls,” who yearn to be with God...

Episode 1: Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First

Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore the Christian understanding of life, death, and the eternal destiny in light of Catholic teaching on the “last things” (heaven, hell, death, and the final judgment). Contemporary Catholics may struggle with these concepts, as the vocabulary and focus on eternal destiny have diminished, often overshadowed by preoccupations with everyday life.

It’s important for us to acknowledge death as a reality and mystery that ultimately gives meaning to life. Avoidance of death, often seen in euphemisms like “passing,” detracts fro...

Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory by Susan Tassone – Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

Podcast Summary

In this episode of Inside the Pages, Kris McGregor welcomes bestselling Catholic author Susan Tassone to discuss her book, Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, published by Our Sunday Visitor. Drawing upon the teachings and experiences of the saints, Tassone explores the Church’s understanding of purgatory as an expression of God’s mercy and love. Rather than approaching purgatory with fear or sadness, she encourages Catholics to rec...

Monday

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee,
by the precious blood
which Thy Divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel scourging,
deliver the souls in purgatory,
and among  them all,
especially that soul which is nearest
to its entrance into Thy glory;
that, so it may soon begin to praise Thee and bless Thee forever.

Amen.

O Lord, hear my prayer
And let my prayer cry come unto thee.

O God
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful,

 Day Four – For the grace to be captivated by Christ

In her prayer to the Trinity, Saint Elizabeth asks particular graces of each of the Divine Persons. From Christ, she asks to be captivated by Him. She refers to Him as the Radiant Star and asks for the grace to fixate on Him and to learn all from Him. She situates this petition within her awareness of her own inadequacies, voids, weaknesses and failings. She does not run from these struggles, but she also knows that she cannot overcome these on her own. She needs help – the h...

All Souls’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lo...

All Saints Day: We Are Made for Heaven | Msgr. John Esseff – Building a Kingdom of Love podcast

In this All Saints Day episode of Building a Kingdom of Love, Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the joy of heaven and the universal call to holiness. Beginning with a warm exchange with Kris McGregor about what heaven might be like, he turns to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Jesus describes a happiness that the world often struggles to understand, declaring blessed those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, and those who suffer pe...

A Litany of Saints for the Discerning Heart



In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Saint Michael, pray for us.
Saint Gabriel, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, pray for us.
All you holy Angels and Archangels, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, Protector of the Ch...

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 9

composed by by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

My God! How was it possible that I, for so many years, have borne tranquilly the separation from Thee and Thy holy grace! O infinite Goodness, how long-suffering hast Thou shown Thyself to me! Henceforth, I shall love Thee above all things. I am deeply sorry for having offended Thee; I promise rather to die than to again offend Thee. Grant me the gr...

 Day Three – For the Grace that makes our sins into a source of humility

Today we ask Saint Elizabeth to intercede for us against the temptation to be discouraged by our sins.  It is possible to take sin too lightly, to not realize the great price that was paid so that we might live as sons and daughters of God.  It is also possible to allow our awareness of sin to discourage us, even to the point of abandoning prayer.  Saint Elizabeth is adamant that we should never abandon prayer, that even our awareness of sin can he...



All Saints’ Day – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, Jes...

 Day Two – For the grace to give our hearts to Jesus

Saint Elizabeth wants us to give our heart to Jesus, to enter into a prayer so deep and beautiful, that we hear Him ask for it.   She invites us to hear the Word of the Father speak to our souls the way the Samaritan Woman heard Christ speak to hers.  Our Lord wants adorers “in spirit and truth.”

For Saint Elizabeth, Jesus is the great Adorer, and he wants us to become what He is. When we look at how He adored the Father, we...

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 7

composed by by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

God, Father of Mercy, satisfy this their ardent desire! Send them Thy holy Angel to announce to them that Thou, their Father, are now reconciled with them through the suffering and death of Jesus, and that the moment of their deliverance has arrived.

Say the following prayers: 1 Our Father… 1 Hail Mary…

The Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Sou...



Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:1,7-1...

Episode 11 – Keep the Enemy Out of the Camp – A Manual for Spiritual Warfare with Dr. Paul Thigpen, Ph.D

In this episode of Put on the Armor: A Manual for Spiritual Warfare, Kris McGregor and Dr. Paul Thigpen explore what it means to “keep the enemy out of the camp.” Using the image of the Trojan horse, Dr. Thigpen explains how spiritual danger often enters not through something obviously threatening, but through something attractive, entertaining, or seemingly harmless. The conversation looks at destructive habits, violent and pornographic imagery, occult practices, Ouija boards, fortune-telling, channeling, and other ac...

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory – Day 8

composed by St. Alphonsus of Liguori

Visit the Discerning Hearts “Holy Souls” page for the complete novena and text of the prayers

Oh my God! I also am one of these ungrateful beings, having received so much grace, and yet despised Thy love and deserved to be cast by Thee into hell. But Thy infinite goodness has spared me until now. Therefore, I now love Thee above all things, and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I will rather die than ever offend Thee...

 Day One – For the grace to enter into great silence

In this nine days of prayer with Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, we will offer her oblation to the Trinity, “O My God whom I adore. “ Elizabeth wrote this prayer to help souls seek a spiritually mature relationship with God. This journey to spiritual maturity progresses by way of silence, an interior silence. This is not an empty silence or an alienated one. It is a silence that is vigilant for the new work that the Holy Trinity is waiting to do in us. On...

Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke 14:1-6

Now on a...