All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri - Episodes Tagged with “Saint”

St. Clare of Assisi: The Indomitable Saint

Ascension — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 02:00:00 -0400

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Clare of Assisi, a heroic saint who was known for her courage, perseverance, and indomitability in times of trial. In this episode, Dr. Sri shares riveting stories about St. Clare and offers us valuable lessons we can learn from her life. This episode was originally recorded back in 2018 right outside the church of St. Clare in Assisi while Dr. Sri was on pilgrimage.

Snippet from the Show
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What made St. Clare so heroic was her indominability in moments of trial. When her faith was tested, she turned to Jesus, clung to the altar, dropped to her knees, and ran to the Eucharist.

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Challenges Catholics Face during COVID-19: Your Questions Answered

Ascension — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Jesus wants to meet us in our uncertainty, our fears, and our disappointments. He wants to do something in our souls. In all of this, he’s inviting us to rely more on him and not on ourselves. On today’s special edition podcast, my wife Beth joins me to address unique challenges Catholics are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We respond to listener questions about financial fears, the dangers of working outside the home when one has vulnerable family members, discernment without time before the Blessed Sacrament, and diocesan recommendations to receive Communion on the hand. We then give you tips to help you respond with openness to the graces the Lord wants to bring to you during this time.

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Jesus Never Said, "Be True to Yourself"

Ascension — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:00:00 -0500

Society preaches three seemingly innocent phrases: “Be true to yourself;” “You be you;” and “You do you.” They all communicate the same philosophy: everyone should unapologetically do what he or she wants, because that’s the path to freedom. Dr. Sri argues how much more freeing and incredible it is to follow the call of the Christian Gospel, which shows us how we are most true to ourselves when we die to ourselves and “put on Christ.”

Snippet from the Show
The world tells us “you be you,” but Jesus didn’t die so that I could just be “me”... he died so that I could become like him.

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What Does the Bible Say about Praying to the Saints?

Ascension — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:00:00 -0400

What does the Bible say about praying to saints? Are there biblical foundations for the Catholic tradition of asking saints to intercede for us?

Oftentimes we’re challenged by our protestant brothers and sisters with the question, “Why pray to saints when you can just pray to Jesus?” You’re not alone if you believe there’s a good answer to that question but struggle to explain it yourself.

As All Saints Day approaches, Dr. Edward Sri walks us through scripture passages wherein holy men and women from the Bible intercede before God for their communities.

This episode not only will leave you with a good apologetic answer to these questions, but—more importantly—will leave you with a renewed sense of appreciation for the cloud of witnesses who inspire us, intercede for us, and draw us deeper into communion with the blessed Trinity.

*Intercessory Prayer Is Scriptural *
The Bible shows us that the saints aren’t disconnected from and uninterested in those who are living.
*Old Testament: *
Jeremiah 15:1–Long after their deaths, Moses and Samuel are depicted pleading for the Israelite people on earth
*New Testament *
Revelation 8:3–The prayers of the saints rise up before God, and then God acts on earth.
John 15 – “I am the vine, and you are the branches.”
St. Paul – We are the “body of Christ.” It doesn’t make sense that death would rupture this bond.
Hebrews 12:1 The saints are a “cloud of witnesses”

*Intercession Is Not Optional for Christians *
Love of God and love of neighbor go hand in hand. The saints are our neighbors. They are our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. When we grow in fellowship with our fellow Christians, we grow in fellowship with Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:11–St. Paul commands the Christians in Corinth to pray for him.

1 Timothy 2:1–Timothy commands the Christians to pray for each other

*How to Grow in Fellowship with the Saints *

Pick a few saints that you want to get to know.
Read their writings and learn about their lives. Fill your mind with their stories and their example.
Talk to the saints, every day. Share your weaknesses with them and ask them to walk with you in your difficult times. Don’t just ask them to pray for you...invite them to be with you in every part of your life.

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St. Thérèse and the Power of Surrender

Ascension — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 02:00:00 -0400

When we fall short, it’s easy to despair and berate ourselves for our failings. We’re tempted to turn our focus inward, and that’s exactly where the enemy wants us.

Using the theology of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Dr. Sri explains how this is the opposite of what God wants us to do. When we fail, instead of navel-gazing, we can recognize our littleness and let the Lord into our hearts by surrendering our shortcomings to him.

Snippet from the Show
Paradoxically, the real victory in the spiritual life comes from surrender. When you say, “Lord, I give this to you because I can’t do it on my own.”

SHOWNOTES

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Letter 243 - “As soon as God sees us convinced of our own nothingness — He stretches out His hand to us; but if we wish to attempt great things, even under the pretext of zeal, He leaves us alone. It is sufficient therefore to humble oneself and to bear our imperfections meekly: that is true sanctity.”

2 Ways to Surrender

Morning offering prayer
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits ; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all Eternity. Amen. (Offering Prayer by St. Thérèse of Lisieux)
Offer up your suffering.
Next time you face a trial or difficulty, use it as an opportunity to surrender your weakness to God. Say, “God, I give this to you.”

Resources
* Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love

Story of a Soul

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The Biblical Roots of the Hail Mary

Ascension — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 02:00:00 -0400

Catholics are often criticized for praying to Mary, but every part of the Hail Mary has biblical roots which reveal that the focus of this prayer is actually Jesus. St. John Paul II put it this way, “Although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her.”

Dr. Sri unpacks the biblical roots of the Hail Mary to help us truly understand the significance of this powerful prayer.

Snippet from the Show
“Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we enter into the ecstatic praise of heaven and earth. Heaven represented by Gabriel, earth represented by Elizabeth. We’re entering into their words of praise, which are in Scripture and are inspired by God.”

SHOWNOTES

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you … ”

Luke 1:26-28 - In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”

“ ... Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb … ”

Luke 1:39-45 - In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit* and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

filled with the Holy Spirit - this language is used to describe someone who is given prophetic insight.

“ … Jesus … ”

Philippians 2:8-11 - And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow*, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

at the name of Jesus - there is immense power in the name of Jesus, and his name is at the very center of this prayer, making it literally a Christocentric prayer. St. John Paul II called it the “hinge” of the Hail Mary. He said, “The centre of gravity in the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of Jesus. Sometimes, in hurried recitation, this centre of gravity can be overlooked, and with it the connection to the mystery of Christ being contemplated. Yet it is precisely the emphasis given to the name of Jesus and to his mystery that is the sign of a meaningful and fruitful recitation of the Rosary.”

“ … Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

Luke 1:8 - And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”*

let it be to me - Mary’s Fiat, her yes to God, is exactly what we seek to emulate. This part of the Hail Mary is where we ask Our Lady to intercede for us, so that we may accept Jesus into our hearts as she did.

RESOURCES

Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Apostolic letter of St. John Paul II
Praying the Rosary Like Never Before by Dr. Edward Sri
How to Pray Like Mary by Sonja Corbitt

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