Practicing Catholic

This is one of the most essential questions in life. How do we know that God is real? The first thing we must respond to is the gift of faith. We must be open to hearing and receiving this grace. Only God can reveal Himself to us. And in choosing to respond, we open our hearts and minds to so much more. 

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Today, we visited with Daniel, the Program Coordinator and a Young Adult Leader with VMY.  Looking back at the busy summer filled with numerous events, we took the opportunity to reflect on World Youth Day.  World Youth Day 2023 was the first time the VMY SEMO chapter officially participated in this international event.  Today's conversation focused on what it was like and the event's impacts, especially regarding individual faith formation. 

Let's get ready to practice.

Let's get ready to practice.

Today is the last episode of the Theological Virtues. What is the difference between love and Charity? On today's show, we come to understand why the Church in the Catechism references the Theological Virtue of Charity Charity is an expression of love that goes beyond simple emotion into action. Christ is the example of true Charity in human history. His call in living the virtue of Charity inspires us to act in a new loving way centered on loving God and our neighbor.  

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Today we continue with our discussion on the theological virtues with hope. Hope is so essential to living the Catholic faith. Not only does it sustain us in difficult times, but it also purifies our actions drawing us closer to the Lord. So sit back, listen, laugh, and learn on another great episode of Practing Catholic!

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Today we begin a three-part series on the theological virtues beginning with Faith. Faith is an amazing gift God bestows through grace; however, like everything else, Faith requires us to respond. In this episode, we hope to help unlock and encourage you in your faith life to recognize the gift of Faith and react to it more deeply, allowing you to draw closer to the Lord. 

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Today Mike and Alina talk about the three pillars of the Lenten season.  Learn about their history, importance, and how they are designed to help us grow closer to the Lord during Lent.  So sit back, listen, laugh, and learn on another episode of Practicing Catholic. 

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In today's episode, Mike talks about the Gift of Grace.  This wonderful blessing bestowed helps draw us into union with the Trinity.  Grace emboldens faith, strengthens hope, and purifies charity.  This free and abundant gift, though, requires our response.  So this Lenten season, let us respond to God's grace to draw ever closer to His enduring love. 

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Today we continue our discussion on the beatitudes.  As we continue to understand not only what these meant to the people of the time of Christ but understanding what it meant to early post-Judeo Christians can help us find deeper and more meaningful applications for our lives. 

The beatitudes, in essence, become bookends for our own spiritual faith journey. We begin by understanding our need for and desire for God in our lives to one day possibly becoming persecuted for the love we show toward the Trinity. 

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What is one of the biggest struggles in faith life...  CONSISTENCY.   However, we make commitments throughout our lives. We train for sports. We diet. We are committed to working, our studies, and family and friend relationships. Like anything else, we must commit time to get more out of our faith. One way that we can achieve this is through SMART goals. So this lent, stop being lukewarm and let God take you to the next level!

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We have all heard of the beatitudes. What do we know about them? What would people have understood in the time of Christ? What would post-Judeo Christians take from their meaning? Is there an application for us today? We discuss these topics and more on this episode of Practicing Catholic. 

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Today we conclude our 5 part series on prayer. In this episode, we discuss prayers of praise. Praise is our opportunity to praise God for being God and recognize His divine sovereignty and power in all ways possible.  

 

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Prayers of thanksgiving are powerful for the faith life.  Thanksgiving brings into focus the many blessings we have received from God and, more importantly, reminds us that all we have, all we receive, and all that "is" belongs to the Lord.  

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We most likely heard the phrase will you pray for me. Many of us may have even asked others the very same question. From prayers of the Mass to the Rosary, intercessory prayers encourage us to ask for help. In humbling ourselves before God, we show the intentions of our hearts. 

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We are continuing our journey on the five types of prayer.  The prayer of petition is one of the most powerful forms of prayer available to use in our spiritual life.  In asking for forgiveness, we allow for our hearts and minds to become open to God's grace and mercy through which we are better able to understand his will for our lives.  

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Prayer is one of the essential parts of our faith life.  However, understanding prayer more intimately can allow us the opportunity to draw closer to God.  Over the next several weeks, we will discuss the five prayer forms: Adoration, Petition, Thanksgiving, Praise, and Intercession.  Today we are talking about adoration and how this form of prayer can positively impact our faith.  

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Prayer is a wonderful gift! However, sometimes we get stuck in our prayer life. Our journey over the next several weeks will be aimed at helping you discover more about prayer in the hopes of unlocking new and meaningful ways so that you can grow closer to God!  

Practice makes perfect.
Alina & Mike

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Ever wonder what it means to be a Practicing Catholic? Why does the Church make these recommendations?  How can it help you in your faith?  How can you help others by knowing more... well that's what we are discussing today on this great episode.  

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What is a weakness?  Society says it's something to be avoided, not admitted, or even recognized.  However, we learn in scripture that weakness is an opportunity - an opportunity for God to work in our lives.  Whatever you are struggling with God, with it to God.   Also, Jesus the opportunity to heal you and strengthen you.  Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your prayer.  In our most difficult struggles, we will see the greatest gains made not only in our strength but in our own relationships with the Trinity. 

Let's get ready to practice.

Let's get ready to practice.

In this week's episode of Practicing Catholic we tackle #4 & #5 of corporal works of mercy: visit the sick and the imprisoned.  We talk about their history and how we can actively live them out in our day-to-day lives. 

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