This week on Liturgy Live we talk about the closing of Lent and the finishing of the race. That we do not enter Easter rested, we enter Easter exhausted and tested. In the first reading, we go into the Preaching of Peter to the Gentiles and how important it is for us...
This week on the podcast we go over the entrance into Jerusalem and the problem of suffering in our faith life. How our Baptism, or conversion, is a joyful entrance in to the life of faith, but it is the suffering of the cross that is our path to unity with God. In...
This week on the podcast we discuss the paradox in the first reading of forgetting things in the past but still being called to remember what God had done for the Israelites. In the second reading we talk about the supreme good of knowing Christ as the end, and we all...
Use this Catholic Bible Study for your own personal spiritual growth or with the apostolate you are involved with. Matthew 20:17-28 Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to...
Do you have any Catholic Bible verses memorized? If we really believe in the power of the Word of God, we should make an effort to study it, understand it, and memorize it. It is a gift that we have been given to help us in our faith. It is very useful in...
This week on the podcast we talk about the lenten practice of fasting. Fr Ian is fired up! The whole point of fasting during lent is to get our flesh in line with our spirit, since "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". To fast from good things for a time...
This week on the podcast Fr Ian and Alanna discuss the power of our spoken word to reveal who we are. We also discuss how important it is to discern what people say by comparing it to the fruit of their words. It is possible that they are lying and we need to be...
This week on the podcast the readings have a distinct pattern. The person has an encounter with God, is moved to acknowledge their sinfulness, and then respond to the mission God presents. We discuss the purgation that happens after our encounters and how important it...
This week Fr Ian and Alanna discuss the connections within the Sunday readings. Ezra was a leader in the spiritual revival of Jerusalem after the time of Exile, Nehemiah was the governmental leader who came in and built up the protections for the people. Ezra was...
Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary time. We begin discussing the topic of our identity and how we view ourselves before and after the encounter of God in our lives. We have considered ourselves forsaken, but now...
We talk this week about putting on the glory and the splendor of God, what that means for our church life and for the garments of the priesthood. How some dress lesser to seem lesser in false humility, and how some are in the rut of familiarity and routine. We talk...
This week we talked about how it feels like we are a remnant of the church, growing up in the 90s and straying and returning we feel we are the products of an insufficient catholic teaching. We reflected on the progress of the New Evangelisation, and how there are so...
This week we talk about the Suffering Servant, Christ who suffers for us so we can find Him in our own suffering. He has been tested so we can follow Him in our own testing. We bring in movies and sports to express stories and human tendencies. Should we strive for...
This week on Liturgy Live we talk about Wisdom, the Word of God, and the cost of discipleship. In the book of Wisdom, the Word is a "fierce warrior bearing the sharp sword", we see throughout the gospel how people hear the Word and are cut to the heart. Some don't...
This week's readings might cause people to get upset. Marriage is a touchy subject in the life of the Church right now. Take time to look at these important readings and talk about them in the light of the culture vs the light of Christ and what He wants from us. We...
This week we look at the readings in light of the scandal rocking the church and discuss what they mean from our perspective in our culture and in the time and culture they are written in. In this episode, we look at the persecutions of those who follow Christ and...
We are pleased to announce that our show Liturgy Live will now be a part of the expanding lineup of podcasts at Breadbox Media! We are happy to be a part of their team. Looking for the BEST in Catholic podcasting? Check out Breadbox Media! Liturgy Live can now be...
Liturgy Live with Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg, join the conversation live on Monday's at 3pm EST on our Catholic Link English Facebook page. Click on the notifications button so you will be alerted when we go Live. Did you know that Liturgy Live has its own...
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy.” - Jeremiah 15:16 What in life seems incomprehensible, many times comes to reveal itself as utterly essential. There are transitions we make in life without realizing it, transitions marked by...
Deep within the Christian debate over sin lies a conflict between two recurring themes in the Bible: judgment and mercy. On the one hand, Jesus says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be...
Liturgy Live with Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg, join the conversation live on Monday's at 3pm EST on our Catholic Link English Facebook page! Click on the notifications button so you will be alerted when we go Live! Questions for reflection: Do you grumble...
“You were within, and I was outside. And there I sought after you.” - Augustine When he was a young man, Augustine invented a fable to describe the obstacles he faced in his search for truth. The fable is about Philocalia (love of beauty) and Philosofia (love of...
“They say that one who is satiated cannot understand someone who is hungry; to that, I would add that one hungry person does not understand another hungry person.” - Dostoevsky Every one of us hungers. Every one of us seeks for something that will nourish us. We...
It's important that Christians know the Word of God and write it on their hearts. In times of trouble, stress, and despair, it is the God's promises that give us hope. The scriptures remind us that with our eyes fixed on Christ we can weather any storm that comes our...
“Life is always a triumph of the improbable and a miracle of the unexpected.” - Henri de Lubac Making a decision is never easy. But it is even harder when we have to decide between two good things. Choosing which has priority is not always clear-cut. Feelings of...