41: Your Blueprint To Really Grow In Your Faith This Year

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Hey, I'm your host, Mari Wagner,

and you're listening to the ever be

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podcast where faith meets lifestyle.

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I'm so excited you're here, whether you're

a new listener or a longtime follower,

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I know there's something here for you.

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Pull up a chair and listen in for

insightful real life conversations

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and actionable steps on how to claim

the full life God created you for.

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If you're a woman desiring to live

a Christ centered life in today's

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modern world, then this is for you.

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Welcome to Ever Be.

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Mari Wagner: Welcome back, everybody.

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It is a brand new year.

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Happy new year.

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It is January 1st, 2025, and it could

not be more perfect that our first ever

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bee episode of 2025 fell on January 1st.

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first because I love a new start.

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I love the start of a new year.

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I love New Year's resolutions

and goals and everything.

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And it just feels like an excuse to

just completely like reset my life,

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which I feel like I need often.

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I don't know about you, but I

constantly need like a kick in the butt.

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I need a refresher.

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Um, I need a fresh start.

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And so I love the beginning of January.

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It's also my birthday

on, uh, Uh, January 5th.

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And so that's coming up.

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So the first week of the year is always

just like really fun and refreshing.

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Um, and I am just very excited about it.

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I hope you guys are too.

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And if your goal this year is to

grow in your faith, build a stronger

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relationship with Jesus and just live

a really bold Catholic life, if you

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have been waiting to do that, let this

be your opportunity, your fresh start.

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Let this be your year that you actually

take your faith into your hands and live

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it out on afraid and boldly and let Jesus

be the root and the center of your life.

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Trust me, if you do that,

you're going to see an.

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Outpouring of graces like never before.

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And I am excited to walk with

you and to be by your side as

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you walk through the journey.

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So I am pumped about this episode

because it is such a Mari episode.

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It is going to be like, to the point,

practical ways to actually make this

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the year that you grow in your faith.

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I'm going to give you like a step

by step blueprint to really focus

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on your faith, make it a priority.

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And I'm going to give you different

resources that you can tap into to

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help you depending on what your goal

is in your faith, and the whole theme

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of it is really about investment.

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I want this to be the year that

you really invest in your faith.

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It's not just about time spent.

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And it's about time, energy.

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Attention, devotion, love invested

in what's going to give you the

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biggest return of your life.

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And I want you to think about

what do you normally invest in?

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What are you currently investing in?

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What did you invest in

over the past years?

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Because I feel like when we hear

that word investment, we often think

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we often think of money, right?

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Like we often think of how are

we investing money wisely so

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that we get a greater return,

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we can also invest with

our time and attention.

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And the things that we pour into

shape who we are and what we value.

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And so the question I always ask is if

somebody were to look at your calendar

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or your planner or your to do list, would

they be able to know that God is the

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priority and the center of your life?

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Because whatever we write down in

those Organizational systems, right, is

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what we deem to be the most important

things in our life that we cannot miss.

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So if somebody were to look at those in

your life, would they be able to tell that

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God is a priority and center of your life?

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If the answer is no, then

things need to change.

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And that's where I come in and I

am going to walk with you to make

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sure that this year is going to

be fruitful and faithful for you.

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So the question is, are you investing in

things that will deepen your relationship

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with God and lead you closer to him and

actually making those things happen?

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a priority, not just something that

you can get around to once you're done

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with what's already on your plate.

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Cause I think that's what

often happens with our faith.

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It gets pushed to the back burner.

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And so this year I want to

encourage you to make it different.

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I want to walk with you in making

intentional investments in your faith that

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will bear eternal fruit because investing

is all about getting a return, right?

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And when you invest in your faith,

when you invest in prayer, when you

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invest in God's promises, he has

made you, your return is eternal.

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Your return is heaven, eternal

life in communion with God.

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And nothing is more important to invest in

this year than your relationship with God.

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with Jesus, not a new health diet, not

a workout plan, not financial goals.

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All of these are great and are good.

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Don't get me wrong, but none should

take priority over investing in

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your relationship with Jesus.

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And I'm just going to

be honest with you here.

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I want to have an honest moment.

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I have struggled a lot in my

faith in the past six months.

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So I am 100%.

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on this journey with you.

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I am ready to reignite my prayer

life and strengthen my faith and draw

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closer in my relationship with Jesus.

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So I'm speaking to myself just as

much as I'm speaking to you here.

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And the reality is that faith is not a.

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Continual uptick up the mountain,

there are hills and there are valleys,

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there are slumps, and I had just went

through one and maybe you're at your

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peak, maybe you just went through a

slump as well, maybe you just feel like

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you've been in this eternal valley, you

know, just like kind of plateaued, kind

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of just nothingness for a while, um,

and so it's, I just want to tell you

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that it's like, it's normal and it's

understandable to be in different places.

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Um, and what this is going to look

like for each person is gonna vary

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depending on where you're at in

your faith life, but wherever you're

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at in your faith life, it's okay.

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And I just like really want to reiterate

that I am with you on the journey.

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Um, I know it can be really easy

to look at people that we really

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look up to in different things.

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And I know for me, I talk

about the faith a lot.

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I talk about the faith with, um, a lot

of knowledge and authority and experience

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that I've brought in over the years.

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And I know that sometimes, People and

they've said it to me before like people

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will look at my account or hear my podcast

or just like kind of Get to know me and

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be Intimidated by my quote unquote like

level of faith that i'm at but I just

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want to dispel that lie that like i'm

like not ahead of anybody else and I

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struggle as well in the past six months

have really, um really been difficult

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for me in my faith for just various

different reasons and i've just been

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on a journey of just like battling and

like just You trying to fight to keep,

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um, to keep my trust in the Lord and to

keep my prayer life up in the midst of

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just hardship when it is hard to pray.

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Um, and so I am so ready

to reignite my prayer life.

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I hope you hear it in my voice and

I'm here to encourage you as well.

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So, like I said, it's going to

look different for each person,

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um, depending on where you're at.

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Um, but I'm going to walk

through different scenarios.

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And so throughout this episode,

you just need to worry about like

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reflecting on your life and kind of

picking out the pieces you feel like

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really aligned with where you're at.

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Not everything is going to apply to you.

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And I don't recommend you to

try and apply everything to

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you, especially not right away.

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So, for example.

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If you are just now rediscovering

your faith or discovering it for the

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first time, or you feel like you're

new in this journey, what you'll want

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to focus on is going to be different

than someone who has really been

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devout and committed to their faith for

years, and maybe already has certain

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prayer habits and spiritual practices

built up in their daily routines.

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However, only you can decide

what you truly need and what God

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is asking of you right now in

this season of your faith life.

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And if you are newer to the faith and

you hear something that might seem

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like kind of out there, but you feel

like the Lord is like challenging

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you to go for it, like go for it.

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Like I'm not going to stop you and I'm

not going to tell anybody what they

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should or shouldn't do in their faith.

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That's for you and the Lord to discern.

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So let's spend some time reflecting.

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First, I want you to take time to pray

and reflect on what your faith life

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looks like right now, what it's looked

like the past six months, the past year.

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Um, and specifically, I want

you to focus on what your

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relationship with Jesus looks like.

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I think a lot of the times when we get

asked the question of how is your faith,

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we kind of just jumped to the check box.

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Um, method of like, Oh yeah,

have I gone to church lately?

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Do I pray?

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Like you just kind of think of like,

what are the things that I actively

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do to participate in my faith?

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And we think a lot less about

our relationship with Jesus.

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But what's actually most important is

our relationship with Jesus, because

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from that relationship is going to

flow a natural desire and pull to

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practice our faith in different ways.

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And in the end, I mean, you should

obviously be going to mass, but

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in the end, going to mass every

Sunday and not having a relationship

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with Jesus is not really actually

going to advance your faith.

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It's not actually going to

push you to know Jesus more.

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Um, so I really want you to focus on

what is your relationship with Jesus?

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Jesus look like?

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Answer that question.

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How do you feel about him?

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Who is he to you right now?

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And what role does he play

in your life right now?

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If you're driving or doing something

in your house, just reflect on this.

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But if you have a second to like

grab a journal and write down and

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just kind of reflect together right

now, highly encourage you to do that.

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Um, And think about also what spiritual

practices or prayer routines you

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already have in place, or that you

maybe you've had in place in the

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past year, but maybe lost those.

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Um, basically like, where is

your relationship with Jesus?

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What practices you already

have in your spiritual life?

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And what have you seen the most fruit

from in your faith life in the past?

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Now you might need to pause the episode

at this point to like fully reflect

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on that, um, but I'm not just gonna

leave like 10 minutes of silence.

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So we're gonna keep going.

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Um, so now I want you to close your

eyes and imagine what you hope your

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relationship with Jesus looks like now.

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This year.

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Now we're going to look

into the future, right?

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We're going to look into the

coming year and what you hope and

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desire your faith to look like.

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What does it feel like?

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What does it look like?

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What is your relationship with Jesus?

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Like, how does it differ from

what it's like right now?

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What are you allowing him to be a part of?

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What is he wanting to heal

in your life this year?

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And where is he leading you to?

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These are all really good things to

reflect on for the future and they're

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going to kind of drive how we approach

our faith this year and our faith journey.

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to pause right now as well if

you want to spend time reflecting

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on these specific questions.

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All right, so with a plan has to come

practical steps to achieve that plan.

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Number one thing I want you to focus

on is building a daily prayer life.

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If we don't spend time with somebody,

we will never get to know them.

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And the same goes for Jesus.

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He's not this imaginary

friend or this elusive figure.

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He is a real person and you can

have a relationship with him

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and that just takes investment.

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It takes time invested every day

and it happens through prayer.

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Prayer is this vessel that we are

given to be in relationship with

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Jesus, to share life with Jesus.

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So what your prayer routine looks

like is up to you, but I highly

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recommend that you do this.

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And I urge you to include at

least 15 minutes of mental

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prayer into your prayer routine.

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What I always recommend is that you

work towards 30 minutes of prayer a day.

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If you can work up to 45, 60 minutes,

60 minutes is my personal goal a

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day, but we want to start small.

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If this is something we've never

done, which is why I say at least

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15 minutes of mental prayer.

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And if you want to do anything else

and maybe add in scripture or a

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rosary or a devotional, add that

on top of the 15 minutes, right?

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And that'll usually get

you to the 30 minutes.

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So what is mental prayer?

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Mental prayer is often called

contemplative prayer, and it's a form of

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interior silent prayer where we engage

our hearts and our minds deeply with God.

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It's less about speaking and saying

certain words, you know, and it's

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more about listening, reflecting,

and just like being in his presence.

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And in mental prayer, we're moving

beyond reciting words, um, and

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we're moving towards meditating

on God's truth, his love.

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Maybe a specific scripture

passage, maybe it's meditating

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on his face on the Eucharist.

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It's more like having a heart to

heart conversation with a close

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friend where you share your thoughts,

you listen to his voice, and then

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you grow in intimacy with him.

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Because in this silence, in this sharing

of hearts, you're gonna grow in intimacy.

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And St.

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Teresa of Avila, she was a prayer

warrior of a saint and she described

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mental prayer so beautifully.

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She said, mental prayer is nothing else

than an intimate sharing between friends.

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It means taking time frequently to be

alone with him who we know loves us.

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So this prayer, this mental prayer

leads us to contemplation where

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we rest quietly in God's presence,

just allowing him to transform us

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from within, from the inside out.

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And truly it's a practice of stillness

and I'll say it takes practice to

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get used to it because we're not

often used to stillness in silence.

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Um, and I think in prayer we

try to often like feel this.

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base with words or things to do.

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So this is a practice of stillness of

trust and surrender that will really

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deepen your relationship with God and

help you align your will to his, because

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when you're spending more time in prayer,

just uniting your heart to his, your will

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is going to naturally align to his will.

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Next is frequent the sacraments.

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Notice how these things aren't new.

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If you've been listening to the ever

be podcast in the past or followed any

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of my content ever, these are two basic

things that I've continually talked

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about, but they're not going to change

because they're the most important.

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So frequent the sacraments, this is

mass Eucharistic adoration confession.

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These are avenues of supernatural grace.

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What is supernatural grace?

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Supernatural grace is a theological term

that refers to the free and unmerited

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gift of God's divine life and love.

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And it's just like gift.

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It's just like grace, I don't know

another word to describe it, but

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like grace, it elevates and it just

transforms our humanness and enable

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us and enables us to do what God's

calling us to do, to share in his

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divine nature, um, and to sanctify us.

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So there's like a difference between

natural and supernatural, right?

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As human beings, we have natural

abilities, like intellect and free will,

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that will allow us to live, think, and

make moral choices with our, you know,

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with our intellect and our free will,

and these are part of our created nature.

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Now, supernatural grace goes beyond

what our natural human capacities allow.

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It's a gift from God that allows us to

do things that we could never achieve

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on our own, such as living a holy life.

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Being a saint is hard, and we

literally can't do that alone.

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And we need grace to live a holy life,

to become saints, to overcome sin

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and to share in God's divine life.

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Grace is basically allowing us

to share in God's divine life.

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It does not make us God,

but it makes us like God.

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And the

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sacraments are avenues to receive grace.

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Grace, so sanctifying grace, for example,

is this grace that dwells within our souls

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that makes us holy and pleasing to God.

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And we receive this through

the sacraments, especially.

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When we receive the Lord in Eucharist,

and it remains in us as long as we

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are not in a state of mortal sin.

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Which leads us back to

the sacraments, right?

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We receive this grace in

the mass, in the Eucharist.

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Um, at the beginning in our

baptism, we are flooded with grace.

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Um, but naturally we are

human and so we do sin.

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And so we need to go back to the sacrament

of confession to give us sanctifying

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grace, to cleanse us of our sins.

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Another type of grace is actual grace

and these are temporary interventions

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by God that help us act according

to how he wills us to in specific

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situations like resisting temptation

or doing good or overcoming a fear.

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An example that I give is last year I

gave a Sikh talk at a breakout session

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and it was my first time speaking at Sikh

in: 2024

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Time of my life leading up to that, the

last three months of the year, right

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before January are the most busy times

of the year for a small business owner.

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And on top of that, we traveled for

both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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And my best friend got married

the day before Sikh started.

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And so I was freaking out about

this talk that I had to do.

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Honestly, um, and I did not

think it was going to go well.

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I literally was like, I

have no time to prepare.

302

: 00:17:45

I had to rely so much on the Holy spirit

and I continually asked for God's grace.

303

: 00:17:50

I was like, Lord, I literally

don't have the human capacity to do

304

: 00:17:54

everything I'm being called to do

right now as a wife, as a daughter, as

305

: 00:17:58

a sister, as a friend, to be present

in all of these roles in my life.

306

: 00:18:04

And I prayed so much that the Lord

would fill me with grace that I

307

: 00:18:17

would get on there and I would

like, just be able to perform well.

308

: 00:18:20

And I promise you, it

was absolutely grace.

309

: 00:18:24

It was one of the.

310

: 00:18:26

Peak moments of my life.

311

: 00:18:28

That talk went incredibly well.

312

: 00:18:30

And I remember getting off the stage and

feeling like I was called to do that.

313

: 00:18:34

Like I was meant to be there.

314

: 00:18:36

Everything flowed smoothly.

315

: 00:18:38

I literally had pretty much

the whole talk memorized.

316

: 00:18:41

I had no nervousness or stage

fright or anything at all when I

317

: 00:18:45

was on the stage and the room was

flooded at 7am in the morning.

318

: 00:18:50

Like Over 700 people

were, were there at 7 a.

319

: 00:18:53

m.

320

: 00:18:53

The room had to be cut off because

they couldn't fit any more people.

321

: 00:18:57

And this is just an example

of like grace, right?

322

: 00:19:00

Like I didn't feel like I had

the human capacity to do what

323

: 00:19:03

God was calling me to do.

324

: 00:19:04

And I had to rely on God to give

me the gift of grace to be able to

325

: 00:19:09

do what he was calling me to do.

326

: 00:19:11

And the beautiful thing about

grace is that it is a free gift.

327

: 00:19:15

Grace is completely

unearned and unmerited.

328

: 00:19:18

It is a gift of God's infinite

love for us and generosity.

329

: 00:19:22

It's not something that we

earn through good deeds.

330

: 00:19:25

It's not just something that because

we go to mass, because we check

331

: 00:19:29

the box, then he gives us grace.

332

: 00:19:31

It's not conditional based

off of our performance.

333

: 00:19:34

It's a gift that he gives us in

our life, but especially through

334

: 00:19:38

the sacraments, there is just an.

335

: 00:19:40

overflow of grace because Jesus's true

presence is there in the sacraments.

336

: 00:19:46

So these are your two strong

foundations to build off of.

337

: 00:19:50

These are the two things to keep

consistent throughout your journey,

338

: 00:19:54

prayer and the sacraments, daily prayer

and frequenting the sacraments, and the

339

: 00:19:59

two things that are going to continue to

pour into your soul when things get hard,

340

: 00:20:05

because they will, when you lose momentum

or zeal, because that just happens.

341

: 00:20:12

Don't be fooled that you're going

to be on this high the entire year

342

: 00:20:15

because like, this is your year to

grow in your faith, no, we're going to

343

: 00:20:20

have ups and downs of course, um, but

prayer and the sacraments are like your

344

: 00:20:23

bread and butter, no actually they're

like your protein, like everything.

345

: 00:20:27

is about protein these days, right?

346

: 00:20:29

So protein is what builds our muscles.

347

: 00:20:32

It's what gives us energy and it's

nutritious and prayer and the sacraments

348

: 00:20:36

is going to be like your protein.

349

: 00:20:38

You need it to be

healthy and to be strong.

350

: 00:20:41

Okay.

351

: 00:20:41

Next I want you to pick a focus.

352

: 00:20:44

Okay.

353

: 00:20:45

Let's pick a focus for how we're

going to grow in our faith.

354

: 00:20:48

What might God be asking you to

grow in this year specifically.

355

: 00:20:53

You are the one picking here,

but if you take it to prayer,

356

: 00:20:56

God might give you a nudge.

357

: 00:20:58

He might lead you towards something

in particular, um, and kind of

358

: 00:21:01

lead you to a certain place.

359

: 00:21:04

So your focus, is it going to be growing

in knowledge of teachings of the church?

360

: 00:21:09

Is it going to be growing

in relationship with Mary?

361

: 00:21:11

Is it going to be healing from emotional

and spiritual wounds you might be carrying

362

: 00:21:15

from your childhood or past relationships?

363

: 00:21:18

Is it going to be growing

in devotion to Jesus?

364

: 00:21:20

In the Eucharist.

365

: 00:21:22

These are just examples.

366

: 00:21:23

You don't have to pick from these.

367

: 00:21:25

You can pick whatever it is you feel

like your heart is pulling you towards,

368

: 00:21:28

but these are just a few examples of

things that you can pick from and picking

369

: 00:21:33

a focus will help you stay intentional

and grounded throughout the year.

370

: 00:21:37

And it gives you a clear direction

for your spiritual journey

371

: 00:21:40

and your spiritual growth.

372

: 00:21:42

And it helps you prioritize what

matters most in your journey with God.

373

: 00:21:46

And by having a focus, you

can set meaningful goals.

374

: 00:21:50

You can choose resources that

align with that specific area, and

375

: 00:21:54

then you can measure how God is

working in your life over time.

376

: 00:21:58

Now, I just want to remind you, it's

not about doing everything perfectly,

377

: 00:22:03

but about taking intentional steps

towards the growth God is calling you to.

378

: 00:22:09

And I just want to like give a little

caveat here because some people might

379

: 00:22:12

push back and might disagree with me

and say that faith isn't supposed to

380

: 00:22:16

be structured or planned or scheduled.

381

: 00:22:19

And some people might not like this

approach, but here's what I have to

382

: 00:22:23

say to that, if we just practiced our

faith or took time to pray, when we felt

383

: 00:22:29

like it, we wouldn't do it very often.

384

: 00:22:32

Unless you are already holy and a saint.

385

: 00:22:36

Like sure it would be a more natural

spur of the moment Heartfelt intention

386

: 00:22:41

if you did that but what kind of fruit

would that actually bear like I think

387

: 00:22:48

about it like a marriage sometimes

because In the end, that's what

388

: 00:22:51

eternity with God truly is, right?

389

: 00:22:53

In heaven, we are married to God.

390

: 00:22:54

He is our spouse.

391

: 00:22:56

Um, and on earth, we are

preparing for heaven.

392

: 00:22:58

We are preparing for our heavenly spouse.

393

: 00:23:01

So in a marriage, what if we said

you should only serve your spouse?

394

: 00:23:05

You should only be

intentional with your spouse.

395

: 00:23:07

You should only be loving with

your spouse when you felt like it.

396

: 00:23:10

Just when you felt like it

because that's more authentic and

397

: 00:23:13

because it came more naturally.

398

: 00:23:16

Honestly, a marriage like

that is not going to thrive.

399

: 00:23:19

Because the early stages of a relationship

or the early stages of marriage

400

: 00:23:23

is There's all these butterflies.

401

: 00:23:25

There's this honeymoon phase.

402

: 00:23:27

Um, and there's just this like natural

desire to, um, be loving and to do things

403

: 00:23:32

for your spouse and to greatly sacrifice.

404

: 00:23:34

But as time goes on, the

reality is that that wears off.

405

: 00:23:38

And it doesn't mean that your love

wears off, but it means you actually

406

: 00:23:41

have to choose that person more

than just when it feels like lovey

407

: 00:23:46

dovey and wonderful and beautiful.

408

: 00:23:48

So compare that to someone who works hard

every day to invest in their marriage,

409

: 00:23:54

even when they don't feel like it, when

it's the harder decision to choose your

410

: 00:23:59

spouse, to get up off the couch and serve

them, to make time with them a priority

411

: 00:24:04

in your schedule, to date your spouse,

to reflect on yourself and how you can

412

: 00:24:09

grow to be a better wife or husband,

to prioritize their needs over yours.

413

: 00:24:15

That's true love.

414

: 00:24:17

And imagine the fruits of a marriage

like that, continual investment, daily

415

: 00:24:23

investment, even when it doesn't feel

natural, even when it doesn't feel good.

416

: 00:24:28

If we do that for our spouses, if we

strive to do that for our marriages,

417

: 00:24:32

why are we not doing it for the Lord?

418

: 00:24:34

Why are we just saying that we can

only go to the Lord when it feels nice?

419

: 00:24:40

Like life is hard.

420

: 00:24:42

It doesn't feel nice a lot

of the time, and I'm just

421

: 00:24:44

going to be honest about that.

422

: 00:24:46

And so I want us to apply the same

concept to our faith, because like I

423

: 00:24:50

said, it is a relationship with Jesus, and

relationships take work and investment.

424

: 00:24:56

So if you show up to your faith

life, even when it doesn't feel

425

: 00:24:59

like it's the thing that you want

to do in that moment, that is love.

426

: 00:25:03

And that goes a much longer way than

just showing up when you feel like it.

427

: 00:25:08

And I'll say another thing too.

428

: 00:25:11

If you're on this journey and you

have like this plan of how you're

429

: 00:25:14

going to approach growth in your

faith and then the Lord gives you

430

: 00:25:17

a completely different inspiration

three months in, listen to the Lord.

431

: 00:25:22

Don't listen to me, right?

432

: 00:25:23

Like in the end, God is guiding your

journey and what I'm trying to do is

433

: 00:25:28

help you build a foundation for you to

be Open to the Lord working in your life

434

: 00:25:34

because When we are not investing in

our relationship with the Lord daily,

435

: 00:25:38

it's not very likely We're going to

hear him speak to us or feel when he

436

: 00:25:43

is Trying to nudge us in a certain

direction or lead us to something.

437

: 00:25:47

So I'm trying to help you Build your

relationship and open your heart to

438

: 00:25:53

the Lord and allow you to come to know

what it's like to live a life rooted

439

: 00:25:57

in Christ, centered in Christ, so

that you are hand in hand, partnered

440

: 00:26:01

with the Lord throughout your life.

441

: 00:26:03

Now, if you are doing that, right, if

you're doing all these things and you

442

: 00:26:07

are feeling in tune with the Holy Spirit

and the Holy Spirit totally takes you in

443

: 00:26:10

a different direction in March, do that.

444

: 00:26:12

Like change your focus, right?

445

: 00:26:14

Change, change your prayer plan

or whatever it is, you know?

446

: 00:26:17

Cause in the end.

447

: 00:26:18

You need to be following what

the Lord is leading you to do.

448

: 00:26:21

And I'm just helping you

kind of get kickstarted.

449

: 00:26:24

I'm hoping that this is like a,

ramp to help you like kick off.

450

: 00:26:28

So here we go.

451

: 00:26:29

I'm just going to use the

examples I gave earlier.

452

: 00:26:32

Um, cause obviously I can't cater to every

single person's, um, thought or focus and

453

: 00:26:37

I can't even know what you're thinking.

454

: 00:26:38

So I'm just going to use the

examples that I did earlier.

455

: 00:26:43

That I spoke earlier, um, and kind of

share some specific resources because

456

: 00:26:48

first, right, we set our foundation

with prayer and the sacraments.

457

: 00:26:52

Next, we choose our focus and discern

where God is leading us to and how

458

: 00:26:56

he wants us to grow in our faith.

459

: 00:26:58

And then third, we are going to make a

plan and find resources to support us.

460

: 00:27:04

Resources are so helpful.

461

: 00:27:06

We can't just come up with

everything on our own.

462

: 00:27:09

In the end, there are so many people who

are much smarter than us, much holier than

463

: 00:27:13

us, much more down the road in their faith

life, more experienced that have so much

464

: 00:27:18

wisdom to share with us, um, that we can

tap into to help us grow in our faith.

465

: 00:27:22

So for example, if your focus is growing

in knowledge of the teachings of the

466

: 00:27:27

church, I'm going to recommend that you

study the catechism and you read books

467

: 00:27:32

written by the doctors of the church.

468

: 00:27:35

The Catechism in a Year podcast with

Father Mike Schmitz is a great resource

469

: 00:27:38

if you want it to be broken down for

you and you just get to follow along

470

: 00:27:42

with the daily plan that you have set.

471

: 00:27:45

And it is also great for

accountability because it gives

472

: 00:27:48

you something to do every day.

473

: 00:27:50

And then if you don't

do it, You're behind,

474

: 00:27:54

which is fine.

475

: 00:27:54

You can always catch up.

476

: 00:27:55

But, um, I did that one year and

I mean, truth be told, I didn't

477

: 00:27:58

get through the end of the year.

478

: 00:27:59

I think I did like three or four

months, which I'm still really

479

: 00:28:02

proud of, but it was super helpful.

480

: 00:28:04

And it did really help me grow

in knowledge of the catechism

481

: 00:28:09

next.

482

: 00:28:09

I'm going to recommend a few different

books that are going to help you

483

: 00:28:13

learn about Catholic teaching.

484

: 00:28:15

Um, some are going to be on

the doctors of the church.

485

: 00:28:18

Some are actually not going to be,

um, by the doctors of the church, but

486

: 00:28:23

there are still so, so, so helpful.

487

: 00:28:25

So, um, starting with doctors of the

church, doctors of the church are

488

: 00:28:29

saints that are recognized for their

significant contributions to theology

489

: 00:28:33

and doctrine, and their writings

are essential for deepening the

490

: 00:28:36

understanding of the Catholic faith.

491

: 00:28:38

Um, and they are.

492

: 00:28:40

Truly amazing.

493

: 00:28:41

I've read a few of them, especially

early on in my faith journey.

494

: 00:28:45

And I remember just being so enlightened

and realizing that there is Such a

495

: 00:28:49

depth and richness to the catholic

faith that I had no idea growing up

496

: 00:28:53

regardless of if I like you went to

sunday school or catholic school I

497

: 00:28:59

don't think you learn these things.

498

: 00:29:01

Like I didn't go to Catholic school,

but like, I don't think people are

499

: 00:29:02

learning these things in Catholic school.

500

: 00:29:04

I certainly didn't learn

them in Sunday school.

501

: 00:29:06

And so I really, really

encourage these books.

502

: 00:29:09

Um, number one is Confessions by St.

503

: 00:29:11

Augustine.

504

: 00:29:12

It's a spiritual autobiography

that dives into the nature of

505

: 00:29:15

sin, grace, and conversion.

506

: 00:29:17

So it's very relatable to conversion

and just our own humanity.

507

: 00:29:22

Um, and it's very encouraging

to know that he became a saint.

508

: 00:29:26

Um, next is the Summa Theologica by St.

509

: 00:29:28

Thomas Aquinas.

510

: 00:29:30

This is a monumental work of

theology that systematically

511

: 00:29:33

explains Catholic doctrines.

512

: 00:29:36

Um, I haven't read this one, but I

have heard amazing things about it.

513

: 00:29:39

So it is on my list.

514

: 00:29:41

Um, number three is the

Interior Castle by St.

515

: 00:29:44

Teresa of Avila, it's a profound

guide to the spiritual journey in

516

: 00:29:48

deepening one's relationship with God.

517

: 00:29:51

I believe I read this in

college or parts of it.

518

: 00:29:55

I mean, I think I read excerpts

of it in college in a, um,

519

: 00:29:59

theology class that I had once.

520

: 00:30:00

And I just remember her writings

being so profound and so beautiful.

521

: 00:30:06

And definitely, like, I brought

them into prayer with me.

522

: 00:30:10

Four is a story of a soul by St.

523

: 00:30:12

Therese of Lisieux.

524

: 00:30:14

This is a tender and

inspiring reflection on St.

525

: 00:30:19

Therese's life, um, and her

little way of love and humility.

526

: 00:30:24

And it just, again, opens up a

new way of interacting with the

527

: 00:30:28

Lord and of being able to go to

him in littleness and humility and

528

: 00:30:32

showing him how much you need him.

529

: 00:30:36

And then number five, I'll recommend,

uh, the spiritual exercises by St.

530

: 00:30:40

Ignatius of Loyola.

531

: 00:30:42

I haven't read this one, but I have

read a lot on it in different excerpts.

532

: 00:30:46

Um, and it's basically a framework for

prayer, meditation, and discernment of

533

: 00:30:53

God's will and discernment of spirits.

534

: 00:30:56

And, um, usually if you have done a

silent retreat, or if you do a silent

535

: 00:31:01

retreat, they're going to walk you

through the spiritual exercises.

536

: 00:31:04

Um, so this is definitely more

meditative and more something that

537

: 00:31:07

you take to prayer and sit with.

538

: 00:31:10

Okay.

539

: 00:31:11

A few books that I recommend that are

not necessarily written by doctors of

540

: 00:31:14

the church but are very helpful is, um,

introduction to the devout life by St.

541

: 00:31:20

Francis de Sales.

542

: 00:31:21

This is a practical guide to living

a life of holiness for lay people.

543

: 00:31:26

And then Rome Sweet Home

by Scott and Kimberly Hahn.

544

: 00:31:30

This is a compelling conversion story.

545

: 00:31:33

Scott Hahn used to be, I believe,

a Protestant pastor that was

546

: 00:31:38

out to debunk Catholicism.

547

: 00:31:39

Like that was his goal.

548

: 00:31:41

And in his search to find why

Catholicism was the Antichrist,

549

: 00:31:45

he actually, um, found that it was

the one true church and converted.

550

: 00:31:49

And so it's a amazing story that explains

the Catholic doctrines through the lens

551

: 00:31:54

of his personal discovery and coming to

know the truth of the Catholic faith.

552

: 00:31:58

It's a very short and easy read.

553

: 00:32:00

And I've heard it's very engaging.

554

: 00:32:02

And I've also, um, it's

again, it's on my list.

555

: 00:32:04

I have it in my bookshelf, but

I haven't read it, but it is

556

: 00:32:06

my goal to read it this year.

557

: 00:32:09

I've also heard that it is

very disarming for, um, people

558

: 00:32:13

who aren't Catholic to read.

559

: 00:32:15

It's not like out to attack,

um, Protestants or non

560

: 00:32:18

denominational Christians at all.

561

: 00:32:20

And so, um, if that's you or if there's

someone you know who's exploring the

562

: 00:32:23

Catholic faith and isn't Catholic,

this might be a good book to recommend.

563

: 00:32:27

Okay.

564

: 00:32:27

Next, if your goal is to grow in

relationship with Mary, then the number

565

: 00:32:31

one thing I'm going to recommend is

for you to do a Marian consecration

566

: 00:32:35

and start praying the rosary.

567

: 00:32:37

So I guess those are,

those are two things.

568

: 00:32:38

Two things I'm recommending, but the

rosary, I've talked about it so much.

569

: 00:32:42

I'm probably going to

sound like a broken record.

570

: 00:32:44

It is so powerful.

571

: 00:32:45

And yet so many people struggle to

pray it and especially struggle to

572

: 00:32:49

build a habit of praying it often.

573

: 00:32:52

Um, but the return that we get for

such a simple prayer is so high.

574

: 00:32:57

Um, the graces of it and the

promises of the rosary are.

575

: 00:33:01

immensely beautiful and powerful.

576

: 00:33:05

Um, the 15 promises of the rosary is

what spurred me to finally take action

577

: 00:33:10

to pray the rosary every single day.

578

: 00:33:12

I would pray it often here and there

after I had a gorgeous rosary that drew

579

: 00:33:16

me to prayer, but what actually made me

make the step to pray it every day was

580

: 00:33:21

hearing the 15 promises of the rosary.

581

: 00:33:24

So Go look those up.

582

: 00:33:26

Um, because they are kind of insane.

583

: 00:33:28

Like you read them and you're

like, you're kidding me.

584

: 00:33:31

If I pray the rosary devoutly and

prayerfully every day, like Mary's

585

: 00:33:35

promising these things to me, like we're

talking really, really big promises.

586

: 00:33:39

So aim to pray it daily.

587

: 00:33:42

Um, and do a Marion consecration.

588

: 00:33:46

So I have done the 33 days

to mourning glory, and it has

589

: 00:33:51

been a beautiful devotional.

590

: 00:33:53

I've done it multiple times, um, to

teach you more about Mary's role in

591

: 00:33:57

your life and her mission in your

life and what the Lord has basically

592

: 00:34:01

set her out to do for her children.

593

: 00:34:03

Um, it.

594

: 00:34:04

teaches you so much about Mary

that you didn't know and it helps

595

: 00:34:07

you really grow in love for her

and appreciation for Everything

596

: 00:34:10

she does as our heavenly mother.

597

: 00:34:12

So recommend you do that And then it

for the rosary I think specifically if

598

: 00:34:17

you're struggling to understand It's

power or weight of this prayer or even

599

: 00:34:24

if you're struggling to make it a habit.

600

: 00:34:27

My recommendation here is going

to be Ascension's Rosary in a

601

: 00:34:30

Year podcast in prayer plan.

602

: 00:34:32

It's hosted by Father Mark Mary.

603

: 00:34:34

He's amazing and it literally.

604

: 00:34:36

This is our first day of the prayer plan.

605

: 00:34:37

Um, and it's going to start now.

606

: 00:34:37

Like it started January 1st.

607

: 00:34:39

Um, so don't worry if you missed a couple

days, um, you can start it on January 1st.

608

: 00:34:45

You can start it on

March 15th if you want.

609

: 00:34:47

It doesn't matter if you

missed the first day.

610

: 00:34:49

But the prayer plan is set

out to start on January 1st.

611

: 00:34:52

Um, and it goes along with the episodes

on the podcast Rosary in a Year,

612

: 00:34:56

which are not going to be too long.

613

: 00:34:58

I think it's like 15 max 20 minutes.

614

: 00:34:59

So that it's going to be really

digestible, really doable.

615

: 00:35:03

And the plan is designed to start

small and build up over time.

616

: 00:35:08

It's really just wanting to help

people develop a meaningful and

617

: 00:35:11

a consistent rosary practice.

618

: 00:35:14

Um, and so they break it up

into six different phases.

619

: 00:35:17

That each focus on a different aspect

of the rosary, which I think is

620

: 00:35:20

going to be so helpful because it's

actually going to form a lot of meaning

621

: 00:35:25

and education behind the prayer.

622

: 00:35:27

And the more meaning we have, the more

devotion we're going to have, the more

623

: 00:35:30

knowledge we have, we're going to be more

committed and more devoted to something.

624

: 00:35:35

So.

625

: 00:35:36

For example, like the 15 promises

of the rosary, I educated myself

626

: 00:35:40

on what those were and it increased

my devotion a ton to the rosary.

627

: 00:35:43

So I love that they're breaking it

up into these six different phases.

628

: 00:35:47

It's forming the relationship, biblical

roots of the rosary, meditating on the

629

: 00:35:51

mysteries, finding focus, building up

the decades, and then praying together.

630

: 00:35:56

So the link to the prayer plan

is in the show notes, or you

631

: 00:35:59

can also visit ascensionpress.

632

: 00:36:01

com slash Mari.

633

: 00:36:03

R I Y to download the prayer

plan and join the rosary

634

: 00:36:06

in a year podcast community.

635

: 00:36:09

Okay.

636

: 00:36:09

Moving on to the next focus.

637

: 00:36:11

If your focus is finding healing,

638

: 00:36:14

this is a big one, but man,

this is a fruitful one.

639

: 00:36:19

Um, and I hope and pray that you have

the courage to dive into whatever

640

: 00:36:24

healing the Lord is calling you to.

641

: 00:36:26

And so if this is your focus,

my recommendation is going

642

: 00:36:29

to be to attend a retreat and

specifically a healing retreat.

643

: 00:36:35

And along with that, see if you can

find a spiritual director because

644

: 00:36:41

healing is a journey and it's hard.

645

: 00:36:43

And you can easily get stuck if you're

trying to do it all on your own.

646

: 00:36:48

Um, and so having a spiritual director

guide you through how God is working in

647

: 00:36:52

your heart, how he is leading you through

this healing, um, working through any

648

: 00:36:56

lies, any fears that come up while you're.

649

: 00:37:00

Trying to face, um, you know, wounds and

everything is going to be really helpful.

650

: 00:37:05

So if you're looking for a spiritual

director, the first place I would

651

: 00:37:07

recommend is go to your parish

priest and ask if he does spiritual

652

: 00:37:11

direction or if he can recommend

spiritual directors if you don't

653

: 00:37:14

want to go to your parish priest.

654

: 00:37:16

Um, there are also lay people,

which means not religious,

655

: 00:37:20

like not sisters or priests.

656

: 00:37:24

Um, that do spiritual direction.

657

: 00:37:27

Um, and I should have

looked up a resource.

658

: 00:37:30

I don't have a resource for this off

the top of my head, but I'm sure if

659

: 00:37:33

you do some Googling or asking around

in your parish, in your local Catholic

660

: 00:37:37

community, there are people who are

trained to be spiritual directors.

661

: 00:37:41

Now these aren't therapists.

662

: 00:37:43

It's different than therapy and

therapy can also be really helpful

663

: 00:37:46

in your healing journey depending on

what wounds you're working through.

664

: 00:37:49

So definitely seek that

out if you need it.

665

: 00:37:52

Um, but they are different

than spiritual directors.

666

: 00:37:55

Now, for retreats, I really recommend

that you find a retreat that is

667

: 00:38:00

specifically focused on healing.

668

: 00:38:02

And my recommendation are the

JP2 Healing Institute retreats.

669

: 00:38:07

They have three different retreats

that are incredible, and I have

670

: 00:38:10

done two of them, actually.

671

: 00:38:12

There's a women's one that's called

Undone, and they have a book on it.

672

: 00:38:17

I think they actually might have a book

to go along with all of them, but how

673

: 00:38:20

I got plugged into the undone retreat

is because I read the book undone.

674

: 00:38:24

Um, and the book along with the

retreat walks you through the four

675

: 00:38:27

identities of woman, which are

daughter, sister, bride, and mother.

676

: 00:38:33

And it wrecked me in the best way.

677

: 00:38:37

And it brought a lot of healing

into my life when I read the

678

: 00:38:42

book and then even more healing

when I went through the retreat.

679

: 00:38:46

So Um, really encourage you to go on these

retreats, but if you aren't able to try

680

: 00:38:52

and find the book that is attached to it.

681

: 00:38:54

So for the woman's one,

it's called undone.

682

: 00:38:56

Um, and I believe the

book is by Carrie shoots.

683

: 00:38:59

Next there's a marriage healing

retreat that's called unveiled.

684

: 00:39:03

Still part of this JP two

healing Institute and train.

685

: 00:39:07

I did this one last year,

last fall, and it was so good.

686

: 00:39:12

So powerful.

687

: 00:39:15

We went just like two, two

and a half years married in.

688

: 00:39:18

And we went in thinking

like, Oh, we are so in love.

689

: 00:39:22

Like we're newlyweds.

690

: 00:39:23

We probably won't get

too much out of this.

691

: 00:39:25

You know, like we're going, cause

it's like a good thing to do.

692

: 00:39:27

But like, we don't have a big, you know,

big problems to work through and whatever.

693

: 00:39:31

And.

694

: 00:39:32

Yeah, we, we were so wrong, you guys.

695

: 00:39:36

Like,

696

: 00:39:37

it focused on core wounds in marriage

that are most common for men and for

697

: 00:39:42

women, and how each gender, like, plays

into each other's wounds and fears.

698

: 00:39:49

And when we went through it, we

had a lot of realizations of like,

699

: 00:39:52

Oh, wait, I kind of relate to that.

700

: 00:39:56

Oh, I kind of see myself doing that.

701

: 00:39:58

Oh, that's why, you know, he shuts

down when I say this, or, Oh,

702

: 00:40:02

that's why she feels unloved when

I do this, or I don't do this.

703

: 00:40:06

And it was so, so helpful.

704

: 00:40:08

Um, and it really walks you through

how we can heal from those wounds.

705

: 00:40:13

And.

706

: 00:40:13

And build stronger

marriages rooted in Christ.

707

: 00:40:17

I don't know if they have a book,

but I wouldn't be surprised if

708

: 00:40:19

they did, because they have a

book for the other two retreats.

709

: 00:40:22

So I would look it up.

710

: 00:40:23

The retreat's called Unveiled.

711

: 00:40:25

By the way, all of these retreats,

they happen around the country.

712

: 00:40:28

They like travel around.

713

: 00:40:30

So you can look up the.

714

: 00:40:31

The retreat schedule it's already

out for: 2025

715

: 00:40:37

They are so widely known

and really in high demand.

716

: 00:40:42

Um, So if you see one that you want to

go to do not wait just book it Okay,

717

: 00:40:47

and then the last one is called healing

the whole person Um, I haven't had the

718

: 00:40:51

opportunity to do this one yet, but I

really want to one day in the future and

719

: 00:40:56

This one I think ties into the book be

healed by bob shoots bob shoots is the

720

: 00:41:01

founder I of the GP2 Healing Institute.

721

: 00:41:04

He's actually coming on the

podcast next month, um, to

722

: 00:41:08

talk about wounds in marriage.

723

: 00:41:09

So I am so pumped for that.

724

: 00:41:11

Um, definitely tune into that.

725

: 00:41:13

But um, he's the founder of this healing

Institute and he has written these

726

: 00:41:18

books that have helped with healing.

727

: 00:41:20

And so the healing retreat called healing

the whole person is tied to the book be

728

: 00:41:25

healed, which I have heard is amazing.

729

: 00:41:28

I truthfully have been a little

intimidated to read it because

730

: 00:41:33

It just is really deep and I just

haven't been ready to do that.

731

: 00:41:37

Um, and so I really do

want to do this retreat.

732

: 00:41:40

Um, and maybe my, maybe my goal

this year will be to read Be Healed.

733

: 00:41:45

Um, but this retreat is for both

men and women and people of all

734

: 00:41:50

vocations and all phases of life.

735

: 00:41:52

And it's focused on

healing personal, wounds.

736

: 00:41:56

Um, I haven't done it, so I don't

really have like a ton more detail to

737

: 00:41:59

give, but this is what I've heard and I

have heard incredible things about it.

738

: 00:42:03

Um, and if you know, Sister Miriam, she

is an amazing speaker and everything she

739

: 00:42:09

says is just so profound and so beautiful.

740

: 00:42:11

She makes me cry every

single time I hear her talk.

741

: 00:42:13

Um, and she goes on these retreats.

742

: 00:42:15

I don't know if she goes on all of

them, but I know she goes on a few.

743

: 00:42:17

Um, so it's really, truly an incredible

team that puts these on, and I really hope

744

: 00:42:24

to do one one year, but I really encourage

you to, to look into these if your goal is

745

: 00:42:29

to heal from certain wounds this year or

to heal your relationship with the Lord.

746

: 00:42:35

Okay, the last example I gave was growing

in devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist.

747

: 00:42:40

So for this, my suggestion would

be to visit the Adoration Chapel

748

: 00:42:43

often and to go to Mass during

the week as much as you can.

749

: 00:42:48

To grow a devotion to Jesus in the

Eucharist, you need to receive him and

750

: 00:42:52

be in his Eucharistic presence often.

751

: 00:42:55

I also recommend that you grow

in knowledge of the Eucharist.

752

: 00:42:59

And so you can look up different

Eucharistic miracles, um, which so

753

: 00:43:03

many of them actually are backed by

science and have been scientifically,

754

: 00:43:08

like not been able to be explained

and have been deemed a miracle.

755

: 00:43:13

And they are absolutely

amazing, um, and really help

756

: 00:43:18

solidify that belief that Jesus's

presence is truly in the Eucharist.

757

: 00:43:24

I also would recommend that

you do the new Eucharistic

758

: 00:43:27

consecration that just came out.

759

: 00:43:28

It's called 33 days to Eucharistic

glory, and it is a 33 day devotional

760

: 00:43:34

that will help you fall in love

with Jesus and the Eucharist and

761

: 00:43:37

devote your life completely to him.

762

: 00:43:39

Um, so just look it up online.

763

: 00:43:42

33 days to Eucharistic glory.

764

: 00:43:44

I don't know if it's on Amazon yet.

765

: 00:43:46

It's new.

766

: 00:43:46

Um, but I would just look it up.

767

: 00:43:48

It is amazing.

768

: 00:43:49

I am hoping to do that this year as well.

769

: 00:43:51

That was a lot that I just spat out

a lot of resources for you guys.

770

: 00:43:56

Um, I hope that those were helpful.

771

: 00:43:58

So the last piece of the puzzle is

going to be committing to a plan

772

: 00:44:02

and scheduling a and scheduling out

intentional time to grow in your faith.

773

: 00:44:08

So this brings me back to my first

question of if somebody was able to look

774

: 00:44:11

at your schedule, your planner, your

to do list, would they be able to know

775

: 00:44:14

that Jesus was the center of your life

and the first priority in your life?

776

: 00:44:19

Now that you have your focus, your

goals, your resources that you're

777

: 00:44:22

going to use to grow in your faith.

778

: 00:44:24

Now you need to actually schedule

time to spend with the Lord and

779

: 00:44:27

schedule time to grow in your faith.

780

: 00:44:30

So I recommend.

781

: 00:44:31

in your calendar or your planner,

wherever you plan your days, your

782

: 00:44:35

weeks, your to do's that you literally

write in or in your Google calendar,

783

: 00:44:41

literally schedule in your daily

prayer time and your Sunday mass time.

784

: 00:44:47

And any weekday masses that you want

to go to and add on to your week for

785

: 00:44:54

me, if it's not in my schedule, it's

not likely it's going to happen.

786

: 00:44:57

And like I said before, the things

that are on my calendar on my schedule

787

: 00:45:01

are deemed the most important to

me and are continually top of mind

788

: 00:45:05

because I don't want to forget them.

789

: 00:45:06

And I want to get around to doing them.

790

: 00:45:09

Hopefully at the scheduled time that

I have it at the same goes for prayer.

791

: 00:45:13

Prayer should be the most

important part of our life.

792

: 00:45:16

Mass, the sacraments should be

extremely important in our life.

793

: 00:45:19

And so schedule them.

794

: 00:45:21

Do not be afraid to put them in your

calendar, to put them in your daily

795

: 00:45:25

schedule of the day, treat them as if

they were a work meeting, a class at

796

: 00:45:30

school, a practice, something that you

can't skip because it's that important.

797

: 00:45:36

For me personally, I like to take my

mornings for prayer because if I don't do

798

: 00:45:40

it in the morning, it's not likely that

I'm going to get around to it because I

799

: 00:45:44

get distracted with things in my day and

other things end up, you know, taking

800

: 00:45:48

priority even though they shouldn't.

801

: 00:45:50

Um, and so I like to prioritize prayer

as the first thing in my day, um, give

802

: 00:45:55

the Lord my first fruits of the day.

803

: 00:45:57

day.

804

: 00:45:57

And so I have it into my morning

routine to spend some time in prayer.

805

: 00:46:03

now, if how you're growing is going

to a retreat or reading books or any

806

: 00:46:09

of the other resources I mentioned

that are not like a daily prayer type

807

: 00:46:12

thing, schedule those in as well.

808

: 00:46:14

Like actually look up their retreats.

809

: 00:46:17

Find the dates that are, that

they're available and schedule them

810

: 00:46:20

in your calendar, buy the flights,

save up to go to that retreat.

811

: 00:46:25

And if you're wanting to grow

in knowledge and read different

812

: 00:46:29

books, actually buy the books.

813

: 00:46:31

I have all of these books

linked in the show notes.

814

: 00:46:34

I have them on my Amazon storefront

so that you can find them.

815

: 00:46:37

easily and put them into your cart and

then cut out time to read every day.

816

: 00:46:42

My goal for 2025 is to have 30

minutes of reading at the end of

817

: 00:46:46

the day and incorporate that into

my evening routine right now.

818

: 00:46:50

It's not, and it is a huge desire that

I have to spend time actually reading,

819

: 00:46:55

whether that's a spiritual book.

820

: 00:46:57

or a fiction book or whatever.

821

: 00:46:59

Now we're getting off topic with

my own, um, new year's goals,

822

: 00:47:02

but this is all to say, schedule

it, schedule it, schedule it.

823

: 00:47:06

The Lord is a priority.

824

: 00:47:07

Show that he is a priority and

help yourself make him a priority.

825

: 00:47:12

We're human.

826

: 00:47:12

We're not perfect.

827

: 00:47:13

We're weak.

828

: 00:47:14

We need boundaries.

829

: 00:47:15

We need motivation.

830

: 00:47:16

We need structure, at least.

831

: 00:47:18

I do.

832

: 00:47:18

I don't know about you, but I do.

833

: 00:47:20

So this is really helpful for

me to schedule it and actually

834

: 00:47:24

put it in my to do list.

835

: 00:47:25

Um, and make a tangible plan of

how I'm going to grow and achieve

836

: 00:47:29

different goals that I have.

837

: 00:47:31

Wow, guys, I am so fired up right now.

838

: 00:47:34

I know this doesn't cover everything,

Everything or every focus that you

839

: 00:47:38

could have, but it does cover a lot.

840

: 00:47:40

And I hope that it was helpful in

getting your wheels turning and helping

841

: 00:47:43

you reflect more intentionally on how

you can approach your faith life and

842

: 00:47:48

relationship with Jesus with intention

and make a true investment into the

843

: 00:47:53

biggest jackpot of your life, heaven,

which is eternal life with God.

844

: 00:47:57

This is the biggest return you're

ever going to get and the most

845

: 00:48:00

important investment you could make.

846

: 00:48:03

Please feel free to reach out in my DMS

and tell me more about your journey.

847

: 00:48:07

I want to know how it's going.

848

: 00:48:09

Or feel free to ask me any questions.

849

: 00:48:11

If you have specific questions

that I didn't cover, if you have a

850

: 00:48:15

focus, I didn't cover that you're

wondering resources for, I do try my

851

: 00:48:20

best to get to every DM and I love

walking with you in your faith life.

852

: 00:48:23

So feel free to send me a DM

and I am happy to chat with you.

853

: 00:48:28

Okay.

854

: 00:48:29

And last, if you found this episode

helpful, would you please drop a

855

: 00:48:32

five star rating on Spotify or Apple

podcasts or send it to a friend?

856

: 00:48:36

This helps us grow the kingdom.

857

: 00:48:38

I want everybody to hear this episode,

to be encouraged, and to be a part of it.

858

: 00:48:43

Be inspired to really invest in

their faith, because when you do

859

: 00:48:46

that, your life will be transformed.

860

: 00:48:49

Make this the year that your

life is transformed, um, and

861

: 00:48:52

make this the year that you do

it along a Christ centered front.

862

: 00:48:55

So send this podcast to a friend,

be on the journey together, and

863

: 00:48:58

help me spread the message of

the gospel and grow the kingdom.

864

: 00:49:02

Um, you can also drop a

review on Apple podcasts.

865

: 00:49:06

Um, or in our ever be podcast,

Instagram DMS, and I would

866

: 00:49:10

just appreciate it so much.

867

: 00:49:12

Um, if you are a returning

listener, thank you.

868

: 00:49:16

Thank you.

869

: 00:49:16

Thank you.

870

: 00:49:17

I love you.

871

: 00:49:18

And I just want to give you the biggest

hug and thank you for supporting ever

872

: 00:49:21

be and for listening in and for trusting

me to walk with you on this journey.

873

: 00:49:25

And if you're a new

listener, hi, I'm Mari.

874

: 00:49:28

I should have introduced myself.

875

: 00:49:30

In the beginning, um, but so happy to

have you here and have you be part of the

876

: 00:49:34

ever be community Can't wait to see you

back here next week and to connect with

877

: 00:49:39

y'all and my instagram and my dms and

just hear how the Year is going for you

878

: 00:49:43

This is your year you guys this is a year.

879

: 00:49:45

You're going to be transformed In christ,

I know it and I will be praying for you