Dare to Dwell: A Podcast with the Daughters of St. Paul

In today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta are joined by Sr. Allison Regina to talk about using fictional stories in evangelization and catechesis, and as a way of building our faith. They also talk about storytelling as a form of creation that happens in imitation of God, our Father and Creator.1.    Story Nathan tells to David: 2 Samuel 12:1–102.    From Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners:The beginning of human knowledge is through the senses, and the fiction writer begins where human perception begins. He appeals through the senses, and you cannot appeal to the senses with abstractions. It is a good deal easier for most people to state an abstract idea than to describe and thus re-create some object that they actually see. But the world of the fiction writer is full of matter, and this is what the beginning fiction writers are very loath to create. They are concerned primarily with unfleshed ideas and emotions. They are apt to be reformers and to want to write because they are possessed not by a story but by the bare bones of some abstract notion. They are conscious of problems, not of people, of questions and issues, not of the texture of existence, of case histories and of everything that has a sociological smack, instead of with all those concrete details of life that make actual the mystery of our position on earth.The Manicheans separated spirit and matter. To them all material things were evil. They sought pure spirit and tried to approach the infinite directly without any mediation of matter. This is also pretty much the modern spirit, and for the sensibility infected with it, fiction is hard if not impossible to write because fiction is so very much an incarnational art.One of the most common and saddest spectacles is that of a person of really fine sensibility and acute psychological perception trying to write fiction by using these qualities alone. This type of writer will put down one intensely emotional or keenly perceptive sentence after the other, and the result will be complete dullness. The fact is that the materials of the fiction writer are the humblest. Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn’t try to write fiction. It’s not a grand enough job for you.Now when the fiction writer finally gets this idea through his head and into his habits, he begins to realize what a job of heavy labor the writing of fiction is. A lady who writes, and whom I admire very much, wrote me that she had learned from Flaubert that it takes at least three activated sensuous strokes to make an object real; and she believes that this is connected with our having five senses. If you’re deprived of any of them, you’re in a bad way, but if you’re deprived of more than two at once, you almost aren’t present.O’Connor, Flannery, Robert Fitzgerald, and Sally Fitzgerald. Mystery and Manners. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993.Call to action:1.    Consider, what is a fictional story that has touched you? Can you pray about that?2.    Prayer for all the Media, by Bl. James Alberione:We adore you, O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth. We thank you for having placed at the disposition of humanity such a wealth of goods for the present life and eternal life. “All these are yours; but you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God” (see 1 Cor 3:23).O Jesus, Divine Master, in your mercy enlighten and direct us so that all the discoveries and means of social communication may be used for edifying and uplifting, never for spiritual or human ruin.Today we pray for all the media. We offer you, Jesus Master, our prayers and our daily apostolate to atone for the misuse of these gifts and to ask of you that everything may be for the glory of God and peace to humanity. Amen.STAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Instagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaughterStPaulYouTube: YouTube.com/daughterstpaulTwitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingShop Catholic Books: https://paulinestore.com/Thank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of St. Paul, also known as “The Media Nuns,” are missionaries sent forth in the spirit of Saint Paul the Apostle, called to proclaim the Gospel to the world through the most effective means of communication. Pauline Books and Media is a mission of the Daughters of St. Paul that publishes Catholic books for the whole family. To learn more, visit https://pauline.org/

After a long (long) time away, we're back and ready to go with several bonus episodes and a whole season coming down the road! In this super informal episode, we just take a minute to explain what happened, and give a preview of what's coming. Spoiler: Sr. Benedicta made her final vows! Here's an image she drew while she was praying and preparing for perpetual profession. The explanation of the art is below. God bless you all, and we'll talk again soon!-------Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Paul by Sr. Julie Marie BenedictaTogether with the traditional images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, center, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, right, there is an illustration of the Heart of St. Paul.St. John Chrysostom, commenting on Paul’s desire to perfectly imitate Jesus, wrote, “the heart of Paul is the heart of Christ.”This imagining of the heart of St. Paul incorporates the thorn in his flesh (2 Cor 12:7), his having been spiritually crucified with Christ (Gal 2:19), the chains he wore for the sake of the Gospel (Acts 28:20), and the fire of love which inflamed his heart (2 Cor 5:14).The words in Latin are all words of Jesus:Sufficit tibi gratia mea: My grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9)Ecce mater tua: Behold, your mother (John 19:27)Venite ad me omnes: Come to me, all of you (Matt 11:28)Ego sum via et veritas et vita: I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)Symbols of the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, and the means of communication surround the image of the hearts.

In today’s episode, Sr. Allison Regina and Sr. Julie Benedicta are joined by Fr. Cassidy Stinson to share their reflections on living as media apostles in the world. “A priest pours water on the head of a child while saying mysterious words; the minister of God extends his consecrated hand over the repentant sinner and says: “I absolve you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” But underneath these things, underneath these causes, true prodigies are performed. St. Thomas does not hesitate to say that the justification of a single sinner is a greater work than the creation of the world.” – Archbishop Luis Martinez, The Sanctifier Chapter 8 Fr. Cassidy’s Social Media: Twitter | Instagram Find out more about the Media Apostle Retreat: Are you a Catholic actor, producer, writer, author, journalist, musical artist, designer, or digital evangelist?  We are calling all media pros to join the Daughters of St. Paul on an exclusive retreat created just for you to be fortified in Christ and immersed in the Pauline media spirituality- a weekend to retreat and strengthen you in your craft. It is a time for you to join like-minded media apostles to pray, retreat and dream into your calling! Join the Daughters of Saint Paul at the upcoming East Coast Media Apostle Retreat for the West Coast Media Apostle Retreat on January 3 to 5 in Malibu, CA. Register now: https://connect.pauline.org/MediaApostle    STAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaul Thank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

Season 5 Concluding PrayerA standalone episode for those who would like to simply pray the Chaplet to the Holy Spirit.Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileThis season was brought to you by The Sanctifier, by Archbishop Luis Martinez.You don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | KoboSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

Season 5 Episode 17: Season Wrap-Up and some Eschatological MusingsIn today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta wrap up the season and talk about some of our favorite points from the book, and then launch into a long reflection on how great Heaven is going to be!Thanks for joining us this season! We’ll catch up with you again in a few months!“As the Holy Spirit gives himself to us forever and desires that his action, as far as possible, be constant in our souls, our correspondence, our devotion, must be a total, definitive, and perpetual surrender, a true consecration.” – Archbishop Martinez, The Sanctifier, Ch 19“Consequently, the cross, the supreme symbol of love and pain, is the consummation of devotion to the Holy Spirit and therefore of Christian life and perfection.” – Archbishop Martinez, The Sanctifier, Ch 19You don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | KoboSr. Orianne’s article on Shadow and Bone for the Pauline Center for Media StudiesCall to action:1.    Spend some time reflecting with the question: Can I let God catch me off guard and surprise me? Do I want to let him change me?2.    What was your favorite theme from this season? Consider spending some time in adoration or other prayer space in a conversation with God about that topic.Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

In today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta are joined by Sr. Bethany for a conversation about how we hear the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and how to come to trust that it’s really God that we’re hearing. They also spend some time appreciating St. Paul and his willingness to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 1.    Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love by Fr. Thomas Acklin and Fr. Boniface Hicks Amazon | Publisher2.    Books on discernment from Fr. Timothy Gallagher3.    The story of Eutychus (the “window kid”) Acts 20:7–12Call to action:1.    If they aren’t already, make Scripture and the sacraments a regular part of your life. Make sure that you are familiar with God’s word.2.    During your regular prayer time, make sure you are checking in with the Holy Spirit and asking where he is leading.3.    Spend some time looking back and try to identify one time when the Lord worked through you. What were the circumstances? What might be a way the Holy Spirit likes to get my attention?4.    When was the last time I went to confession? Is it time to go again?Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

Season 5 Episode 15: Glorifying God in Our OfferingIn today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta discuss chapters 17 & 18 of The Sanctifier, which explores the mystery of the Cross, the offerings we are able to give to God, and how to handle sufferings (big and little) in the spiritual life.“A true devotion to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit leads to one end, the cross: the true and supreme glorification of the Father, the highest expression of love on earth, the central point of the will of God.” The Sanctifier, Ch 17“Perhaps in heaven we shall see that glorification and love are the same: that only love glorifies God, and that in glorification alone does love find its rest and its peace. On earth we do not see this. […] The cross, the supreme glorification of God, is also the supreme expression of love. Love is surrender; it is giving. It is the sweet communication of our whole being with that of the Beloved.” The Sanctifier, Ch 17Each priest, each soul, must carry within himself that intimate reflection of the cross, that echo of Calvary. Each priest, each soul, must answer the sacrifice of Jesus with his own. The solemn and glorious martyrdom of blood is not the only one; there are personal martyrdoms, meritorious and cruel, unseen by man but seen by God. Each virtue can have its own martyrs. Charity, queen of them all, has many very great ones.The Sanctifier, Ch 18You don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | Kobo1.     1 Corinthians 2:1-5: Resolved to know nothing among you2.    Galatians 1:3: Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?3.    Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love by Fr. Thomas Acklin and Fr. Boniface Hicks Amazon | Publisher4.    Abandonment to Divine Providence (New translation!) PaulineStore.com | AmazonCall to action:1.    Reflect with the idea that what I can’t possibly imagine now to be good in my life will be exactly what I need in order to grow in my relationship with God.2.    Begin with the next little thing. What might be the next incremental thing I want to allow the Lord to work on with me? How might Jesus be inviting me to generosity and trust here?3.    As you begin, see how it becomes easy and light. Because it will, as we allow Jesus to share it.Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

In today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta are joined by Sr. Emily Beata in a conversation about discernment, the will of God, pitfalls we can fall into, and tips for making a good discernment about big or little things.Sr. Emily describes discernment as placing ourselves in a space where we can become aware of both internal and external realities so that when we choose, we can choose with God.“The will of God is his greatest act of love for us.”– Blessed James AlberioneYou don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | Kobo1.    1 Thessalonians 5:16-22: Test everything2.    Joseph Chiwatenhwa brief biography, and the Prayer textExcerpt:It fills me with joy to know you. I can feel the   presence of your love.Thank you for letting me give you myself just   as I amThe more I thank you, the more I find I can give   myself to youHelp me let go of the things I used to place my   faith in. All I ask is to be yours.3.    Judges 6:36–40: Gideon’s fleeceContact Sr. Emily Beata for vocational inquiries at daughtersofstpaul.com or at vocations@paulinemedia.comCall to action:1.    Cultivate a daily habit of an examen, asking yourself, “Where was God today, and how did I respond to him?” and inviting the Holy Spirit to help you to see the patterns in your relationship with the Lord.2.    Throughout your day, ask, “God what are you inviting me to now?” and pray, “Come Holy Spirit,” and then act. Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

In today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta discuss chapters 15 & 16 of The Sanctifier, which emphasize love for the Father and how our longings can bring us into conformity with God’s will.“Therefore charity is perfected when the soul is united to God and enters into the joy of the Lord. For this reason Jesus prayed so earnestly that we would all be perfected in unity; and this is why the first and last aspiration of the soul in love is expressed in the first versicle of the Song of Songs: “Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth” (1:1). The mouth of the Father is the Word; his kiss is the Holy Spirit. Through that mysterious kiss the entire Trinity is communicated to the soul and the soul to the Trinity. The consummation of unity, the consummation of love, consists in this: that the soul transformed into Jesus reposes in the bosom of the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.“These are the three stages of divine love: the soul is possessed by the Holy Spirit; the soul is transformed into the Word made flesh; and the soul rests in the bosom of the heavenly Father. They are three aspects of the same love, three forms of one devotion, three depths of one abyss of life and happiness.” The Sanctifier, Ch 15“Jesus, who loves the Father with a divine passion, had, as a secret nourishment, the fulfillment of the will of him who sent him. And therefore also, true devotion to the Father consists in a filial love that rejoices in loving adoration of the divine goodness and aspires with all its strength to fulfill the divine will.“The Holy Spirit alone can give us a share of Jesus’ hunger to do the will of God, because this hunger is love and all true love comes from infinite Love.” The Sanctifier, Ch 16You don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | Kobo1.    CCC 238-239: Many religions invoke God as “Father.” The deity is often considered the “father of gods and of men.” In Israel, God is called “Father” inasmuch as he is Creator of the world. Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, “his first-born son.” God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is “the Father of the poor,” of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection.By calling God “Father,” the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God’s parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God’s immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature […] 2.    Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to his son Michael, June 9, 1941: “It is something to be the father of a good young soldier. Can’t you see why I care so much about you, and why all that you do concerns me so closely? Still, let us both take heart of hope and faith. The link between father and son is not only of the perishable flesh: it must have something of æternitas about it. There is a place called ‘heaven’ where the good here unfinished is completed; and where the stories unwritten, and the hopes unfulfilled, are continued. We may laugh together yet . . .” 3.    Ephesians 3:14-21: that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…4.    Matthew 12:46–50: Who is my Mother? Who are my brothers?Call to action:Slowly pray with the Our Father, meditating on the words, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you see which parts you need help to live more fully.Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For MobileSTAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaulThank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul

Season 5 Episode 12: Satan hates these three simple steps… (Disclaimer: Simple ≠ Easy) In today’s episode, Sr. Orianne Pietra René and Sr. Julie Benedicta discuss chapter 14 of The Sanctifier, which highlights the important role the Holy Spirit plays in bringing us to Jesus so that we may get to know him better, and so that we can become more like him. “Devotion to the Holy Spirit is not properly understood if we do not see that it is closely related with devotion to the Father and to the Word and that by a divine logic it leads to these two devotions, and also contains them in their essential elements. […]“The Holy Spirit, being the love of the Father and of the Son, pours into the soul he moves and into the heart he possesses a love for the Father similar to that of the Son, and a love for the Word similar to that of the Father. Even more: in the soul that possesses the Holy Spirit and is possessed by him, there is, as explained above, a limited but ineffable image of the mystery of the love of the Trinity. For the soul loves the Father as it loves the Word, and it loves the Word as it loves the Father.” The Sanctifier, Ch 14 You don’t need to have the book to follow along, but if you’d like to get a copy, you can find it here:  Paperback: PaulineStore.com | Amazon  eBook: Kindle | Apple Books | Kobo  The three step program we found in this chapter:1.    Discovering the Ideal. Knowing who Jesus is and understanding that that’s the goal so that I can learn and discern the way that God wants me to reflect the Son2.    Identifying and stripping myself of everything that gets in the way of #1, with God’s help3.    Placing myself under God’s operations of grace with all of my free will and desire, accepting the movement of the Spirit Call to action:1.    What aspect or characteristic of Jesus attracts you most? Spend some time with the Holy Spirit asking why, and what more you can learn about that aspect and about who he’s calling you to be, how he’s inviting you to imitate Jesus.2.    Talk to God about what these answers do in your heart, how they move you, and whatever else comes up during this time of prayer. Holy Spirit Chaplet: For Printing | For Mobile STAY IN TOUCH WITH US!Twitter: @DaughterStPaul and @PBMPublishingInstagram: @DaughterStPaul and @PaulineBooksAndMediaYouTube.com/daughterstpaul Thank you for listening. Leave us a rating and review on your favorite platform so that others can discover and listen to us too!Thank you to our supporters on Patreon who make this podcast possible!Support us and find out more: connect.pauline.org/PatreonThe Daughters of Saint Paul