What is "Catholic mindfulness"? Is it a new age add-on to Christian spirituality, or is it compatible with Catholic tradition and orthodoxy? "Mindfulness" can refer to the natural ability to focus our attention fully on the present moment. Defined thus, mindfulness can be understood as essential for meditative prayer and active recollection, and for the contemplative life in general.

Strongly influenced by Dr. Greg Bottaro's book, The Mindful Catholic, this episode explores the topic of mindfulness: what it is (and is not), the fruits of practicing mindfulness, basic practicals, and reasons why mindfulness is especially critical for Catholics in our anxious and distracted age.

Dr. Greg Bottaro's website:

https://catholicpsych.com

At the end of the day, we are never our own masters: we are either children of God and "slaves of righteousness", or slaves of sin and the Devil. While many of us in the Church are preaching an important message of God's mercy and seeking to address issues of unhealthy shame and guilt, we sometimes overlook or play down this simple reality of our sins and their power to enslave us. Mary Bielski rejoins our hosts in this episode of our Inner Healing Series to talk about the detrimental impact of sin in our lives and God's call for us to repent. Even faithful Catholics can remain bound in certain habits of sin (resulting in stagnation, emptiness and mediocrity); but God's power frees us, for it is "God's kindness [that] leads you to repentence" (Romans 2:4).

While many Catholics are distressed at the division and strife within the Church in recent years, the reality is that the Holy Spirit is offering us an extraordinary grace and opportunity for evangelization. In this episode, Fr. Matthias Thelen joins our hosts to share his testimony, as well as his insights on how the Holy Spirit is working to bring unity to the Church today. Fr. Mathias is the president and co-founder of Encounter Ministries, an international ministry that is dedicated to teaching and equipping the faithful (both priests and laity) to fully exercise the supernatural gifts they have received, within their spheres of influence.

The Encounter Ministries website: https://encounterministries.us