What God is Not
A Byzantine Catholic Podcast about Divine Mystery [email protected]
Prayers by the Lake: The Lord Who Listens
This week Fr. Michael and Mother Natalia reflect on the first prayer from the Prayers by the Lake by St. Nikolai of Ochrid.
References:
Prayers by the Lake
Prayer 1 - the one reflected on in today's episode
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Peace, Forgiveness, and the Father's Gaze
This week Mother Natalia reflects on a talk she gave and a talk she heard at that same conference. She reflects on a passage from the Gospel of John, where Jesus talks about peace and forgiveness in seemingly rapid fire fashion. She then shares how interior peace and forgiveness help us rest in the Father.
References:
Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
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Introducing our New Sisters
This week we're joined by special guest, Mother Gabriella. Mother Natalia and Mother Gabriella reflect on the recent tonsure of Sister Marta and Sister Thekla.
References:
The Journey of Monastic Life
Episodes on Mother Natalia's Life Profession
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Responding to God's Invitation
This week Mother Natalia takes inspiration from spiritual direction she's given and talks about the importance of silence and looking for God throughout the day. She gives practical examples of incorporating silence into the day, whether it's 5 minutes in the car or while you're working. She talks about looking for God in the things that bring you joy, like hikes, fall leaves, or bonfires.
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Barrenness Fulfilled
This week Fr. Michael talks about examples of barrenness in scripture and how the Lord fulfilled people's requests. He talks about wanting to get to the cross without suffering, but how it is through the suffering that we grow with Christ.
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Friends under the Fig Tree with Fr. Nathanael, OSB
This week we're joined by special guest, Fr. Nathanael. Fr. Nathanael and Mother Natalia share how they received their names, their love of scripture, and then talk briefly about the scripture passage in John where Jesus asks Peter "Do you love me?" Unfortunately Fr. Nathanael's audio and video cut out during this section, so we don't get to hear his thoughts on this passage. But, we've linked to his article in the show notes so you can learn more.
References:
Fr. Nathanael's Article
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Hold Fast
This week Fr. Michael talks about how he thinks about putting together a homily. He uses a recent Sunday Gospel and Epistle to show how he thinks about homilies and how we can link passages to our daily lives. Fr. Michael talks about the importance of reading the readings ahead of Divine Liturgy, especially if you are cantoring them.
References:
The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy
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Thanksgiving Prayers
This week Fr. Michael walks through the Thanksgiving Prayers the congregation is invited to pray after Divine Liturgy.
References:
The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 95
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Preparing for the Divine Liturgy Part II
This week Fr. Michael picks up where he left off on last week's episode and continues walking through some of the prayers that the congregation are invited to say before Divine Liturgy begins. This week we start on Prayer 3 which begins on Page 9 of the book.
References:
Preparing for the Diving Liturgy Part I
The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 4. This week we pick up on Page 9
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Preparing for the Divine Liturgy Part I
This week Fr. Michael walks through some of the prayers that the congregation are invited to say before Divine Liturgy begins.
References:
The Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great - Responses and Hymns - the prayers start on Page 4
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The World's Refuse
This week Fr. Michael reflects on a passage from 1 Corinthians. He considers what it means to be scum of the earth, the world's refuse, and to be holy fools. He talks about what it means to be imitators of St. Paul, who in turn is aiming to be an imitator of Christ.
References:
1 Cor 4:9-16
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Monastic Heart of Mary
This week Mother Natalia reflects on a talk she recently gave at the Byzantine Young Adult convocation on the monastic heart of Mary. She specifically reflects on how Mary lived out the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She also gives examples of how these counsels can be lived out by priests, monastics, and lay people.
References:
Orientale Lumen by St. Pope John Paul II
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Ignore Evil
This week Mother Natalia uses a quote from Elder Porphyrios as a jumping off point to talk about relinquishing control that evil has over us and to allow God to work through us. She then talks about recognizing the truth and gently and compassionately proclaiming the truth to others.
References:
Wounded by Love by Elder Porphyrios
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We Have Seen the True Light
This week Fr. Michael talks about a conversation he had with a pilot about the beauty of nature that is seen as the pilot flies the plane. Fr. Michael then connects the beauty of nature with seeing the True Light that is God.
References:
Theodochos
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Wounded by Love by Elder Porphyrios
Reflection on the We Have Seen the True Light prayer
A Simple Byzantine Breviary by Fr. Joel Barstad
Rejoice O Virgin Theotokos by Fr. J...
A Monastic, A Theologian, and Jess with Fr. Chris and Jess
This week we're joined by special guests Jess Allen and Fr. Chris Seith. Jess talks about intentionally practicing liturgical living. She gives examples of what that looks like practically and how it could be different in your family life vs her family life.
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A Confession Practicum
This week Mother Natalia gives some examples of how to go to confession, specifically in the Byzantine tradition. Fr. Michael outlines some practicalities from the priest's point of view and what you will hear the priest say in confession. Mother Natalia gives an example of what it might look like to go to confession when it's the parish confession time and so you don't have tons of time for interaction with the priest. The second example is when you go to confession in the context of spiritual direction, or retreat, or a scheduled confession where the priest has much...
Child-like not Child-ish
This week Fr. Michael takes us through homilies he gave on Matthew 11 while on a recent retreat. He pulls out themes of childlikeness, reflecting on Jesus' teaching of aspects that are good and bad of being a child that we should and should not imitate.
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Family, Concert, and Bar Ministry with Adam and Noelle Mering
This week we're joined by special guests, Adam and Noelle Mering. They talk about their work counseling families and doing concert and bar ministries. They talk about how they learned to be intentional in the way they interact with their children as their children are in various points in their life. Adam and Noelle talk about their accidental and now intentional ministry they do at concerts and bars.
References:
Family Revival
Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology by Noelle Mering
No Contact: How a...
Discerning Married Priesthood with Nick and Lorena Towle
This week we're joined by special guests Nick and Lorena Towle, parishioners at Fr. Michael's outreach. Nick recently discerned a call to priesthood and they talk about their vocation story leading up to marriage and to priesthood.
References:
Aim Higher!: Spiritual and Marian Reflections of Maximilian Kolbe
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Growing in the Daily Grind
This week Mother Natalia shares a story of personal growth and also ways that she can improve. She connects that story to our daily need to persevere in holiness, recognizing that the times during the weeks after Pentecost are when the "real work" is done.
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Fire, Water, Work, and Community
This week Fr. Michael reflects on themes found in the scripture passages leading up to Pentecost. He talks about the meaning of fire and water, how they can both be destructive but cleansing. He talks about the need for community and diving in with reckless abandon.
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A Long-Expected Parts Episode with Dr. Gerry Crete
This week we're joined by special guest, Dr. Gerry Crete. Dr. Gerry talks about Parts Work and how we see it played out in Lord of the Rings. He talks about how we see the characters grow and change, and the different parts we see represented in the characters.
References:
Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry Crete
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Convictions from St. James
This week Mother Natalia reflects on scripture readings from the book of James which recently convicted her. She talks about holding her tongue, being slow to anger, and quick to listen. She talks about the beauty of answering a question directly, as opposed to answering something which was not asked in order to make any excuse. She talks about silence and how silence can help us in our lives.
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Tabitha Arise!
This week Fr. Michael reflects on the scripture passage from Acts where Tabitha is raised from the dead. He contrasts that with the healing of Jairus' daughter in the synoptic Gospels.
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The Greatest Intimacy
This week Fr. Michael reflect on St. Paul's conversion in Acts. He talks about the sacraments documented in this passage, and how the Eucharist leads to community and union.
Register here for The Heart of the God-Bearer - Young Adult Catholic Convocation
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Arrow Prayers
This week Fr. Michael talks about Arrow Prayers, short prayers that can be employed throughout the day. He gives examples of ones that have been used by saints in the past and ones that we can employ in the future. He talks about using scripture to help us come up with arrow prayers we can use daily.
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Only the Lover Sings with Fr. Chris Seith
This week we're joined by special guest, Fr. Chris Seith. Fr. Chris shares a quote from Josef Pieper's book, Only the Lover Sings. We talk about love and music, beauty that is discovered in the one we love and in those around us, and how singing points us to love.
References:
Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper
Face to Face: Knowing God beyond Our Shame by Fr. Stephen Freeman
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
<...A Few Evangelization Stories
This week Fr. Michael shares a few evangelization stories, one that is ostensibly non-successful and one that is ostensibly successful. It's a beautiful witness for those of us who do not necessarily go out of our way to evangelize in this way.
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Becoming Me
This week Mother Natalia talks about becoming the person God created her to be, using a quote from a book as a jumping off point. She differentiates between the single parts of us and the holy parts of us, recognizing that we are not our sin.
References:
Face to Face: Knowing God beyond Our Shame by Fr. Stephen Freeman
Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis
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A Few of My Favorite Things
This week Fr. Michael walks through a few of his favorite things about the Byzantine church.
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Penthos and Tears
This week Fr. Michael talks about penthos, the deep sorrow for sin, and the tears that can be related to that, using the writings of St. John Climacus as a jumping off point. He talks about sorrow for sins of the world and the different types of tears we can experience.
References:
Thirty Steps to Heaven by Vassilios Papavassiliou
The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Quote from St. John Climacus<...
Life Hacks: Going to Confession
This week Mother Natalia walks through some practical tips on going to confession. She gives examples of sins that could be confessed and talks about nuances that could help the penitent.
References:
Examinations of Conscience Suggestions from FOCUS
Thirty Steps to Heaven by Vassilios Papavassiliou
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The Deceiver
This week Fr. Michael talks about the deception of Adam and Eve by the devil in Genesis 3. He talks about the ways we can be deceived and how sin blinds us to the deception happening.
References:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
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Praying with Parts
This week Mother Natalia shares a recent prayer experience she had while using Parts Work. She talks about her surprise in encountering many parts that were impacted by something going on in her life. She shares her experience talking to them with Jesus, watching Jesus talk to them, and having Jesus watch her talk to them. She talks about the healing she received from this prayer experience.
References:
Litanies of the Heart by Dr. Gerry Crete
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Learning to Listen
This week Fr. Michael talks about learning to listen for God's voice. He talks about how we can start to encounter God in prayer and hearing Him in our daily life. He reflects on how we know what our our friends and those we love need, and how in a similar way, we can know the voice of God.
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Meeting God Face to Face with Our Maddie
This week we're joined by special guest, Maddie! Maddie is currently a dokimos at the monastery. Maddie talks about C.S. Lewis' book, Till We Have Faces, and how it was so impactful to her in the her time of discernment. She shares themes of the book and how we can see these in our day to day life.
References:
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Dr. Peter Kreeft's Lecture on Till We Have Faces Part 1 and Part 2
Hundredfold by Sister Agnes
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THIS IS SPARTA...no pun intended (or included)
This week Mother Natalia has a few short topics. First she talks about making her smart phone less smart to help her grow in virtue. Then she talks about spiritual motherhood in response to an email from a listener. Finally, she gives a quick overview of a talk she's giving.
References:
Friendship in the Lord by Fr. Paul Hinnebusch
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The Flesh and Bones of a Vocation
This week Fr. Michael recounts his recent visit to Thailand. He talks about the people he encountered, especially Fr. Raymond. He shares how Fr. Raymond interacts with his parishioners who span a wide geography.
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Critical and Contagious
This week Mother Natalia shows us how criticism is contagious. She gives a few examples in her life and talks about how she's noticed this in herself and others. She talks about how our interactions with people give them a hint of who we are when we aren't with them, and the way we might build them up or tear them down to others.
References:
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
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The Attack on Memory
This week Fr. Michael talks about ways the devil may have attacked Adam and Eve's memory, putting shame into memories where there was no shame before. He talks about ways that shame can prevent a full relationship with God.
References:
Descent into Light Podcast
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