"Life, Love, & Light" with Veronica Mary Rolf

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast on The Mystical Path, we focus on the essential role of faith, because what nourishes faith nourishes mysticism. We delve into the meaning of the words "contemplation" and "meditation," and discuss the difference between "cataphatic" and "apophatic" forms of mystical prayer. We also consider the ultimate end of the mystical path, which is union with God. And we focus on the importance of maintaining "a constant intention of the mind" in order to reach that end. We reflect on teachings from the Desert Fathers Abba Moses and John Cassian, as well as St. Benedict of Nursia and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, about the importance of developing "purity of heart" which is, in essence, perfect charity.  Finally,  I lead you in  a "Guided Meditation" to help you toward  greater relaxation, equilibrium, and clarity of awareness.
PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family members and friends who may wish to develop a meditation practice in their daily lives, especially during this contemplative season of Lent. Blessings to all!

In our third season of "Life, Love, & Light " podcasts, we will explore "The Mystical Path." We will discuss what is involved in following such a path – not only through the practice of contemplative prayer – but in every aspect of our daily lives. I will also be guiding you in forms of meditation that great mystics of the past, both East and West, have promised can inform and radically transform our lives. I hope these meditations will enrich your own daily practice.

In our first episode, we consider "What is Mysticism?" in its scriptural, liturgical, and contemplative dimensions. We define mysticism in psychological and personal terms and question when mystical life begins. In examining the course of our spiritual development, we realize that the deep yearning for a mystical life is the result of a profound "conversion" of heart. We want to experience that Christ is really here, now, with us – within us – on this path. More and more radically, we want to surrender – not out of desperation, but out of love.  We choose to live now not our own lives, but his. Finally, we consider the signs of true mysticism and discover that Christian Mysticism is really not a path at all . . .  but a profound love relationship  with a person: the person of Jesus Christ.

PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family members and friends who may be searching for a spiritual path right now. Especially during this grace-filled season of Lent. Blessings to all!

In this episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we discuss the great Apostle Paul, who called himself the least and also the last of all the apostles. We examine his life story and his personal experience of seeing the Risen Lord. We delve into questions that are frequently asked today: Was Jesus resurrected bodily? Will our own bodies be resurrected? If so, what kind of body will it be: physical or spiritual?  Early Greek converts to Christianity had serious resistance to belief in the resurrection of the body.  They were convinced, like modern skeptics, that "dead men don't rise." In writing to the Corinthians, Paul used both vigorous argument and evocative metaphor to make the concept of bodily resurrection abundantly clear for them and for future generations.  We explore what Paul meant in contrasting the "natural" body and the "spiritual" body.  We also reflect on how we might begin to live resurrected lives here and now.
This is the final episode in our Second Season of podcasts on "Biblical Mystics." Next week, with the start of Lent, we will begin our Third Season on "The Mystical Path" -- what it is, what it entails, and how we may follow it in the midst of our family life, our work, and our daily concerns.  In future podcasts, we will draw on the teachings of men and women through the ages to discover various ways to lead a truly mystical life. And we will learn from their experience how to pray, how to listen, how to meditate, and how to deepen our response to the Divine Call within.
PLEASE SHARE these podcasts with family and friends who seek to live a more mystical and "resurrected" life here and now. Blessings to all!

In this episode of Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we search for the identity of Mary Magdalene in the four canonical Gospels.  Was she the public sinner who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair? The unnamed woman with the alabaster jar or perfume who anointed Jesus' head? The woman who anointed the feet of Jesus for burial with an ointment made of pure nard? Or the woman caught in adultery? For centuries, Magdalene has been associated with each of these women, by popes and painters, scholars and theologians. We delve into the mystery of Magdalene by examining both  text and context and discover a woman who is unique among all those named "Mary" in the Gospels. A woman of stature, compassion, and great courage, as well as a model of obedient discipleship, Magdalene emerges as a mystic and a witness: the "apostle to the apostles." She is also an example for us of faith in the midst of terrible darkness and of joy emerging out of deepest sorrow. Like Julian of Norwich, Mary Magdalene is a woman for our time.
PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family and friends who long to know and to experience, like Magdalene, the gratitude of being cured of personal demons, the desire to follow Jesus – even to the cross – and the ecstatic elation of bearing witnesses to the resurrection.
Blessings to all!

In this "Life, Love & Light"  podcast, we consider The Divine Love Story as revealed in the Hebrew Bible through the mystical writings of some of the prophets – specifically Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah.  We see how Yahweh was understood as Father, Divine Lover, tender Shepherd, nursing Mother, Creator, and faithful Husband to Israel. We hear the prophets plead with the Israelites to return to the Lord to be forgiven, comforted, and healed.

Then we see how, in the New Testament, these prophecies of Yahweh's love were fully realized in Jesus Christ's  Love Story.  We realize that  there was not a single moment of Jesus’ life that was not a revelation of his Father’s unconditional love, for those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. We examine Christ's washing of his disciples' feet to show how low he would stoop to serve. We ask how we might learn to love as Jesus asks us to love, by abiding in him. We contemplate the most extravagant of all Christ’s manifestations of love -- his suffering and death on the cross. We hear the prophecy of The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 and recognize the mystical power of prophecy. We also consider The Holy Spirit's Love Story and realize that this story is being told right here and now -- in us. This is the glorious mystical dimension of our lives.
PLEASE SHARE these weekly Life, Love, & Light podcasts with your family and friends who long to know and experience the extravagant love of God as prophesized in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the life death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Blessings to all!

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast, we encounter two women in the Gospels, sisters with very different personalities, yet both emerging mystics: Martha and Mary. We enter into the scene in Luke's Gospel in which Jesus dines at their home and Martha complains bitterly because Mary sits and listens to Jesus and does not help her in the kitchen. We look  at the two personality types: the pro-active, highly capable, but overworked and stressed-out Martha and the more passive, retiring, and mystically inclined Mary. We recognize that we, also, are of these "two minds" and closely examine the sublime invitation Jesus offers Martha -- and us -- to choose "the better part." What is "the better part"?  Then we delve into the  story in John's Gospel of the raising of Lazarus, and the extraordinary mystical leaps of faith Martha makes, even amidst her overwhelming sorrow at her brother's death. Finally, we witness the outpouring of Mary's love and devotion when she anoints the Lord's feet with extravagant perfume, following a mystical intuition of his impending death and burial. This leads us to consider both the challenges and the incomparable rewards of making peace between our own Martha-mind and Mary-mind by committing to a daily meditation practice of silence, stillness, and resting in the Lord.
PLEASE SHARE this podcast with your family and friends who are seeking a contemplative dimension to their daily lives in the midst of so many responsibilities and so much suffering. Blessings to all!

The Second Season of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcast series continues with the Mysticism of the Psalms – that collection of 150 songs and prayers in the Hebrew Bible that were composed by mystics who lived thousands of years ago . . . all of whom were anonymous. We ask: "Can we still relate to the psalms as mystical prayer in our own time and circumstances? " And we discover that in the psalms we not only hear the Israelites praying, we hear 2,000 years of Christian prayer as well. We examine the structure of different types of psalms --  psalms of praise and lament, penance and thanksgiving, confidence and blessings, as well as New Testament psalms. We also consider how often Jesus must have prayed the psalms throughout his lifetime. In the process, we discover what an example of mystical prayer these ancient, hope-filled psalms are for us in our daily lives --  in our times of joy, sorrow, struggle, and crisis. The power of the psalms to lead each individual soul into the mystical dimension of divine love has been proven for three thousand years. Julian of Norwich herself prayed them every day in her anchorage. May we benefit from her example!
Please share this podcast with your family and friends who may be in need of comfort, healing, and a renewal of hope right now. Blessings to all!

In preparation for Advent, this episode of the Life, Love, & Light podcasts focuses on the beloved New Testament mystics, Mary and Joseph. We go in depth to consider St. Luke's Gospel account  of the annunciation to Mary and St. Matthew's Gospel narrative of the dream revelations to Joseph. We imagine the painful conflicts these two devout but very human people must have endured; conflicts we can recognize as similar to our own.  We enter into the couple's decision-making process and consider how they were able to surrender totally to the will of God, even though they did not understand it.  And we realize that both these infancy narratives were created by the evangelists from the vantage point of the resurrection -- to inspire and affirm faith in the infant Jesus as the Son of God.
PLEASE SHARE these inspiring Gospel stories  with those you know who may be going through their own difficult conflicts or a decision-making process right now.
NOTE: This will be my last podcast of 2020; I am taking a short hiatus during December but will resume podcasting in January of 2021 with new dramatic explorations of biblical -- and other -- mystics. Until then, I wish you all a safe, healthy, and grace-filled Christmas and New Year!

In this extremely relevant episode of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we consider the duel of wits between Moses and Pharaoh, which is really a duel of conflicting theologies. We recall the Passover of the Israelites and of Jesus at the Last Supper, during which he established a new covenant between God and humans, a covenant that would be sealed in his own blood on the cross. We watch the Israelites flee in terror from the pursuing chariots of Pharaoh's army and witness the miracle of the parting of the waters at the command of Moses. We recognize in the Israelites all those refugees who are fleeing hunger,  bondage, slavery, or racial injustice right now.  We reflect on our own "desert experiences" and realize that even in our darkest hours of suffering, God has always been with us, guiding us through  fear and doubt into a greater freedom. We give thanks and commit  to praying for one another, especially in these desperate times.
PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family and friends who may be seeking freedom from fear and a greater hope in Divine Providence guiding their lives. Blessings to all!

In this episode of Biblical Mystics in the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, we enter into the dramatic encounter of Moses, the "unlikely mystic." We experience his life-transforming encounter with Yahweh in the burning bush. We hear God's call to Moses to go back to Egypt to liberate the Israelites from slavery. We explore the meaning of the Divine Name given to Moses and the revelation of Christ as the Messiah given to Peter. We recognize the questions, doubts, objections, and even final plea of Moses as our own reluctance to follow God's call. We, too, may be "unlikely mystics." Yet we realize that in whatever Yahweh asks us to do or become, we will always be guided and protected by Divine Providence, as was Moses. God calls us all into a deeper divine-human relationship and asks us to perform a unique service in our lives. And Yahweh promises us that we will never be left alone.
Please SHARE this podcast with your family and friends who may be discerning a divine call in their lives right now .  .  . or who may be under great stress and in need of hope in divine protection. Blessings to all!

In this episode of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts on biblical mystics, we continue the story of Joseph and experience the dramatic encounters with his brothers who travel to Egypt during a severe famine, seeking food from the Grand Vizier.  Little do they know that this great prince is actually their own brother Joseph, who they once sold into slavery. We see the ways in which Joseph severely tests his brothers in order to make them fully aware of their own guilt, and so that they may come to contrition. This is a heartrending  saga, with enough psychological and emotional twists and turns of character to make it seem like a modern novella! It is also the story of Divine Providence that guides Joseph and his brothers through their tragic twenty-year estrangement into contrition, forgiveness, and extraordinary healing. Again we see that, in spite of evil deeds, God's plan of salvation will not be thwarted and that Divine Love and mercy are always able to bring good out of every evil.
PLEASE SHARE this podcast with family and friends who may need reassurance of divine mercy and reconciliation in their own lives right now. Blessings to all!

In this week's "Life, Love, & Light" podcast, we embark on the saga of Joseph, the highly favored son of Jacob in the Book of Genesis. This self-contained story is based on ancient legends. But it was completely refashioned by Israelite narrators to create a deeply moving account of sibling jealousy, hatred, and betrayal; prophetic dreaming and the interpreting of dreams; severe testing and forgiveness; and above all, faith in divine protection. There is such a wide range of human emotions and actions in this legend, it is really more than a legend. It is actually a dramatic novella – so modern in its portrayal of the twists and turns of the human psyche that it continues to shock and astound us.
This tragic and eventually triumphant saga of Joseph speaks to us today as a strong example of faith and courage in times of great crisis – just like our own. And it reveals yet again that God’s protection will never abandon us, no matter how dire the circumstances. Please SHARE this podcast with family and friends who may need reassurance of divine protection right now, as we continue to suffer through the pandemic, increasing famine, and religious persecutions worldwide. Blessings to all!

In this highly dramatic episode of Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we encounter the story of a most unlikely biblical mystic:  Jacob, the son of Isaac. This crafty, wily man deceived his twin brother Esau not once but twice, stealing both his birthright and his father's blessing. Nevertheless Jacob became the recipient of divine revelations in extraordinary dreams. We examine the distasteful aspects of the saga as well as its ancient roots and intentional humor. We delve into Jacob's dreams and their sublime meaning. We question why it is that God grants mystical revelations to sinners. And we witness the transformation of a deceitful man into a biblical mystic through his dream experiences. We also examine the nature of our own dreams and the revelations we have received through them. The story of Jacob's deceits and dreams is a powerful example for all of us of God's unconditional love, protection, and guidance -- even when we go astray. Please share this timeless story with someone you know who may be fleeing divine help, or even "doing battle" with God's messenger right now. It could be a  life-changer. Blessings to all!

In this second episode of "Biblical Mystics" on the Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we discover how God makes another covenant with Abram,  during which his name is changed to Abraham and all the previous promises of land, wealth, fame, and blessings to his offspring are renewed and reinforced. Then,  in another scene, Abraham is visited by three Heavenly Messengers. Who are these Heavenly Messengers? What is their message? It is such a dramatic story filled with very recognizable human reactions -- both from Abraham and from his wife, Sarah. We reflect on how we have been visited by Heavenly Messengers in our own lives, and also that we have been messengers for others. And we consider that these moments are, indeed, our own "mystical encounters" with God.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to these Life, Love, & Light podcasts, whether on Buzzsprout, Apple, or Google podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher, or any other podcast directory. Then you will receive a weekly notification of each new episode in our ongoing exploration of "Biblical Mystics."  And PLEASE SHARE the podcasts with your family and friends who may be in need of a Heavenly Messenger right now. You might be that messenger. Blessings to all!

In this Second Season of the Life, Love, & Light podcasts, we will explore a fascinating variety of biblical mystics -- the very mystics who inspired and guided Julian of Norwich, whose Revelations of Divine Love we explored during our First Season of podcasts. Indeed, mystics throughout the ages have always been steeped in and nurtured by the stories and characters of sacred Scripture. Over the next weeks and months, we will be meeting these men and women who faced major challenges and crises in their lives . . . made some really big mistakes . . . were forgiven . . . received mystical revelations . . . and then dared to act on those revelations.

These biblical mystics were not ready made saints. They were ordinary and imperfect people just like us who hoped and struggled, questioned and doubted, and sometimes even despaired. As we will see, they did not always make the right choices. But because they were willing to listen to divine guidance within and to learn from their mistakes, eventually, they were given the light and grace to follow the path that was revealed to them and to obey the call of God.

I hope their stories will become powerful inspirations for us in our own time of crisis, fear, and uncertainty, and that these biblical mystics will become our personal spiritual guides. Exploring the stories of biblical mystics may also help us recall and re-evaluate the ways in which God has spoken to us in the past . . . and is speaking to us right now.

We begin with the story of "Abram, Father of Faith," and four mystical "Theophanies" -- or divine revelations -- that he received from the Lord. We examine the nature of the divine call and the journey and struggles it entails. And we relate Abram's questions, doubts. and eventual surrender in faith to our own spiritual path. This is an immensely important reflection, especially in this time of pandemic. Please share this podcast with your family and friends who may be seeking the Lord’s will in their own lives, or who may be depressed or full of doubts about their path, or who may need to be reminded that the Lord speaks to us through our own circumstances . . . at every stage of our spiritual journey. Blessings to all!

In this final episode of the Revelations of Julian of Norwich, she reflects that "This book is begun by God’s gift and his grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight." Julian is aware that until every soul is brought up to heaven, her shewings will not have been truly “seen” by all those for whom Christ intended them. Her greatest concern is that God’s work through the Revelations might be left incomplete. She begs her future readers, whom she will never know, to “pray together” out of love, as Christ himself taught us, ever thanking, trusting, and fully rejoicing in him. Then she reveals that "From the time that it was shown, I desired oftentimes to know what was our lord’s meaning" in the Revelations. The answer came to her "fifteen years and more later." And it is sublime. I hope you will share this podcast with family and friends who seek the meaning of their own lives. Julian will surely grace them with understanding.
And I am excited to announce that next week, we will begin our Second Season of "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts. In the coming weeks and months, we will explore a fascinating variety of biblical mystics, the very mystics who inspired, formed, and guided Julian of Norwich, as well as every other Christian mystic who ever lived. These biblical mystics were men and women who faced major challenges . . . made some really big mistakes . . . were forgiven . . . received mystical revelations . . . and then dared to act on those revelations. They may become powerful inspirations for us right now. I hope you will enjoy getting to know this diverse cast of biblical characters and discovering their immediate relevance for your own lives. Blessings to all!

In this episode of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, Julian of Norwich reveals the most sublime "lesson of love" that Christ gave her. It is perhaps the most important teaching of all, which sums up all the other teachings Julian received from her sixteen Revelations. She speaks of four essential things our courteous Lord wishes us to know; of the "the endlessness and the unchangeability of his love"; and "that the love between him and our souls shall never be separated in two without end." Julian also writes of the three precious gifts that God has given us that serve as an A.B.C. to guide us throughout our lives here on earth. And finally, she expresses her "partial touching, sight, and feeling of three properties of God, in which the strength and effect of all the revelations stand." These three are Life, Love, and Light -- the inspiration for the title of these podcasts.
Please reflect on and share this essential podcast with family and friends who wish to discover the most intimate "lesson of love" that Christ taught Julian during her Revelations. It is a truly transformative teaching. Blessings to all!

In this episode of the "Life, Love, & Light" podcasts, Julian of Norwich considers the dangers of false humility and the great harm that comes to the soul because we think our sins are not forgiven. Julian warns us that "This dread we sometimes mistake for meekness, but it is a foul blindness and a weakness."  Such false humility can do great harm to our love-relationship with God, leading us into doubt and despair; whereas, true humility trusts mightily in the Lord and rejoices in our salvation. Julian further defines four kinds of "dread" or "fear" -- and insists that the Lord only wants us to have "reverent dread” -- that is, “holy awe” -- because it is very gentle and lacks any hint of terror. And it is inextricably linked to love. Julian also speaks of God's love, longing, and pity for every human being and contemplates the great bliss of heaven and the “trembling and quaking for greatness of joy, endlessly marveling at the greatness of God the creator, and at the littleness of all that is created.” Please share this podcast with family and friends who may suffer from the wrong kind of fear of God – the fear that paralyzes the soul and makes it unable to trust in God’s mercy and love. Julian's spiritual counseling on how to cultivate true humility and allow the soul to rest in "holy awe" of Divine Love is the sublime teaching we need right now. Blessings to all!

Following her Sixteenth Revelation, Julian of Norwich reflects on the three faces of Christ that we are shown in this life and also on the suffering that we must endure because of sin -- when we feel we have fallen "in a part of hell." But Julian reassures us that even though we may feel "dead" to ourselves, we are "not dead in the sight of God," who offers us pity, compassion, and mercy. Julian warns us -- just as she must have warned those who came to her anchorage window for spiritual counseling -- to beware of sloth and despair that can deprive us of our love-longing and the ability to rest in the beholding of God: "For he wills in all things that we have our beholding and our enjoying in love." This is a powerful series of teachings that apply to all of us right now. We must not allow ourselves to become lazy and neglect our practice of "beholding God" in prayer and in silence. And we must certainly not despair, but "trust mightily" in the love of God to make all things well.  Please share this Life, Love, & Light podcast with family and friends who may suffer from depression and even despair – or who may live in fear of God’s judgment and long to trust mightily in God's love. Blessings to all!

In the Sixteenth and final Revelation, Julian of Norwich is gifted with an inner vision of Christ sitting in rest in her soul as in a vast citadel. He is "sovereign might, sovereign wisdom, and sovereign goodness." She understands that the soul is where God delights in dwelling, as his "homeliest home." Julian also hears the final locution -- or inner words -- spoken by Christ within her soul. These words assure her that “it was no raving that thou saw this day” during all her Revelations (which she had, for a brief moment doubted). She is assured by Christ of the truth of her Revelations. She is commanded to "take it and believe it, and keep thee therein, and comfort thee therewith, and trust thee thereto, and thou shalt not be overcome.” This is a most magnificent Revelation, full of encouragement and reassurance for us all. And rest assured, this is not the end of Julian's writings. There is so much more of her reflections on the meaning of her Revelations still to come. Please share these Life, Love, & Light podcasts with your family and friends who may be in need of encouragement and hope right now. Blessings to all!