Old St. Pat's Podcast

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir The featured songs today are: Eye Has Not Seen Rejoice in Love Love Divine, All Love Excelling

There is a delicate line in the spiritual life — so subtle we often cross it without noticing. It is the line between wanting to be like God… and wanting to be God. The first is holy. The second is destructive. What makes it dangerous is how thin that line can be. We may begin with pure intentions — wanting to love, to help, to stand for what is right. But somewhere along the way, the ego slips in. We start believing we are righteous simply because we started with good motives. And before we know it, we are no longer reflecting God — we are acting like a god. Our actions drift from humility into control, from service into self-importance, and the result is hurt, division, and destruction. We act like we are a god when we condemn rather than discern… when we try to control everything… when we redefine truth to suit our comfort… withhold mercy… seek glory over service… assume we know the whole story… equate retaliation with righteousness… or allow pride to quietly convince us that everything revolves around us. But there is another way — not to be a god, but to be like God. To be like God is to be merciful. To trust. To forgive. To be generous. To heal and to serve. It looks like humility, mercy, kinship, justice without vengeance, and truth spoken with love. We get to choose which path we take. And Lent becomes the perfect time to reflect on our choices. Today, Father Ed Foley invites us to decern how we can be more like God — not by replacing Him, but by reflecting Him.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Healer of Our Every IllWho Is the Alien?If Today You Hear the Voice of God

Strike a pose. Curate the image. Build the brand. But forgiveness, generosity, and kindness? Those don’t always photograph well. You can’t filter them. You can’t stage it. You can’t hashtag “letting go of resentment” and expect applause. In fact, forgiveness can often looks weak. It can even look like losing. And kindness looks naïve. And yet — Jesus says it’s the way. Living the Gospel often requires us to do things the world doesn’t understand. Things that won’t land us on a magazine cover. Things that may not even make sense in the moment. Like holding your tongue when you want to fire off a cutting remark. Like accepting an apology you didn’t want to receive. Like forgiving someone who will never ask for it. This isn’t about striking a pose. It’s about striking at the root of pride. It’s about loosening the grip of resentment. It’s about choosing love when the ego wants revenge. So while forgiveness may not be in fashion, it is at the very heart of the Gospel. Today, Fr. Michael Simone reminds us that when we dare to forgive, we step off the cover… and into communion with the God who loves us.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:From Now On - The Greatest ShowmanSeasons of Love - RentLullaby

In order to renovate a house, you need the new blueprint, the vision… and then you start digging the foundation for the addition—maybe with a shovel or a backhoe. Next comes framing—but you don’t just hammer and hope for the best. You grab a level, a saw, and a measuring tape. You make sure the structure is level, solid and ready to stand. Blue print. Measuring tape. Shovel. Level. Saw. Simple tools. Real results. Now what if creating joy worked the same way? What if deep happiness isn’t mystical or out of reach… but something that can be built with the right tools? The really good news is that there are shockingly practical tools to create joy: Feed the hungry. Care for the poor. Stand up for the voiceless. Heal the sick. Do the good that’s right in front of you. The path to deep joy isn’t self-protection. It’s care for others. In other words, it’s mercy in motion. And when we live that way, something shifts—not just in the world, but in us. This isn’t sentimental spirituality. It’s radical practicality. It’s fixer-upper faith. So today, Father Pat McGrath hands us tools from the spiritual toolbox—because when mercy and love are put into action, they renovate our lives, transforming what feels worn down into something beautifully restored.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Rejoice Be GladI Saw A StrangerCanticle of the Turning

Have you ever seen pictures of—or maybe even stood inside—Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?It’s one of those places that almost doesn’t feel real. Towering stained-glass windows flood the space with color and light. And when you stand at the center of the chapel and watch that light pour through the glass, something stirs in your soul. You don’t just see it—you feel it.What makes that beauty even more remarkable is its history. Sainte-Chapelle was built in 1248. It survived the French Revolution, world wars, and centuries of wear and tear. At one point in the 18th century, it was vandalized and even used as a warehouse. The windows became darkened, dirty, and nearly unrecognizable.But then came restoration—first in the 1800s, and again beginning in 2008, with a painstaking seven-year effort to clean, preserve, and repair the glass. Today, Sainte-Chapelle stands as a jewel once more. The light still shines—but only because the glass was carefully cleared so that the light could pass through.And in many ways, we are like stained glass. God’s light is always shining—but how clearly it passes through us depends on the condition of our hearts. When our hearts are simple, open, and loving, that light moves through us more freely, more beautifully.Today, Father Joe Simmons invites us to examine what might be clouding our own glass—and to rediscover the quiet, radiant beauty that emerges when we allow God’s light to shine through us once again. To see images of Sainte-Chapelle, visit: https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:I Am For YouGather Us InLove Endures

How many times a day does a thought of fear or irritation toward another person—or even an entire group—pop into your head? And how often does that thought quietly start to become part of who you are? Picture this: you’re driving along, minding your own business, when a Ford pickup cuts you off. Your shoulders tense, your jaw tightens. Suddenly, it’s not just a bad driver—it’s a Ford F-150. And then the story grows. You decide that all Ford F-150 drivers are terrible. Before long, every Ford pickup you spot on the road sends your heart racing and gets you worked up… even when they haven’t done anything yet. What started as a split-second moment has now turned into a full-blown narrative—one that adds stress, tension, and a little unnecessary suffering to your daily commute. But what if, the very first time that thought popped up, you caught it—and let it go? What if you realized there’s no link between the type of truck someone drives and how they behave behind the wheel? Odds are, your drive to work would feel a lot more peaceful. And the funny thing is—this little traffic drama is a perfect metaphor for so much more than vehicles. When we identify too closely with our thoughts—especially thoughts rooted in fear or anger—they begin to shape how we see others. And conflict thrives in that space. The ego wants to be right, to defend itself, to stay in control. Violence and division feed on judgment and “us versus them” thinking. And when those inner divisions take root, they inevitably show up as outer divisions. But here’s the good news: there’s another way. When we learn to observe our thoughts rather than become them—when we anchor ourselves in the present moment—anger, fear, and judgment begin to lose their grip. From that place of inner peace, we’re able to see others not as threats, but as fellow human beings. This doesn’t mean ignoring injustice or pain. It means responding from love rather than fear. This movement—from inner awareness to outward action—is deeply rooted in the Gospel: when Jesus calls us to repent —to turn inward —to reorient our hearts, this is what He means: to find peace inside. In other words, peace in the world starts as an inside job. So today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to cultivate inner awareness and let love, clarity, and presence guide our actions—so we can become people who bring light into darkness and help heal a divided world.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Spirit of LifeI The Lord of Sea & SkyWe Have A Dream

When you receive an invitation to an event or party, it usually arrives in a pretty ordinary way — an email, a text, maybe even a piece of mail. You decide whether to RSVP yes or no. And if you say yes, something shifts. You put it on our calendar. You plan what to wear. You bring a gift, or a dish to share. Then you show up. You engage with fellow attendees. You listen. You participate. And when the event ends, you leave with something new — memories, maybe new friendships, new perspectives. You’re changed, even if only in a small way. And if the event was especially meaningful, you tell someone about it. You recommend the concert. You post the photos. You share the joy. The experience doesn’t stay with you — it moves through you. In many ways, this is what life with God looks like. God sends us invitations in ordinary ways - through people, through prayer, or through ways we don’t expect. We always have the freedom to decline. But when we say yes and show up with open hearts, we encounter something that changes us. And that kind of encounter is never private. Like John the Baptist and Martin Luther King, those who have seen cannot keep it in. Encounter becomes testimony. Faith becomes mission. To know Christ is to be changed by Christ — and to be sent to speak, to act, and to live differently in response. Today, Father Pat McGrath reflects on how an authentic encounter with God naturally sends us forth — to witness through love and action.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Light the FireHow Can I Keep From SingingLead Me, Guide Me

Have you ever noticed how the moments that change us most are rarely the ones we plan for? The events we assume will be meaningful sometimes fall flat, while the ordinary—or completely unexpected—moments can take us by surprise and make a big impression. After celebrating the story of Jesus’s baptism this past Sunday, we explore the idea that baptism isn’t just something that happened once, long ago. It’s a living identity—a daily invitation to be changed. Baptism reminds us that God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions or polished moments to enter our lives. God meets us in crowded, messy spaces, in lives that are unfinished and complicated. When we loosen our grip on expectations and remain open to the Holy Spirit, those unexpected moments can become holy. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to reflect on how we can remain open to God, welcome surprises, and allow God to continue shaping us in ways we never imagined.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Every Nation On EarthThe First NowellPeace Carol

A clean slate. A fresh start. A new year offers us the chance to begin again. If last year left us caught between future worries and past regrets—quick to criticize, slow to trust, and weighed down by fear—then 2026 invites us to choose a new path. A road marked by reconciliation, purpose, service, and presence. Because faith is not about remaining the same—it is about being changed by what we encounter. Just as the Magi were transformed by meeting Christ in the manger, we too are invited to allow our encounters to reshape how we live. Faith is not about arriving, admiring, and leaving unchanged, but about being moved so deeply that we cannot return the way we came. The Gospel tells us the wise ones went home by a different way. And we, too, are invited—to step off familiar paths and walk new roads marked by peace, generosity, love, and healing. So today, Father Tom Hurley reminds us that the new year is not simply about resolutions—it is also about direction: choosing, again and again, to go by a different way, carrying the wisdom, peace, love, and holiness of Christ into the year ahead.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:A Weary CoupleGloriaJoy to the World

As 2025 winds down, what if next year isn’t about doing more… but becoming someone new? Someone braver, kinder, more patient… or maybe a little more forgiving? Is it time to soften, to heal, to let go of fear and step into trust? Who is it that you are being called to be in 2026? This question sits at the heart of today’s episode—and at the heart of the Christmas story itself. Because Christmas isn’t just about remembering something that happened long ago; it’s an invitation to step inside the story and let it shape us personally, here and now. When we listen to the story of the Holy Family—from the vulnerability of a manger to the uncertainty of life as refugees—their fear, their trust, and their resilience—we begin to see how God works. Not through violence, ego, or power struggles, but through vulnerability. Through love. Through the quiet, persistent hope embodied in a child. And when we truly enter that story, it begins to change us—softening our hearts, challenging our cynicism, and inviting us toward something new. In the midst of darkness, fear, and fatigue, Christ longs to be born anew in us—as light, as healing, as hope. And even if we’re not sure we’re ready, we’re still invited to stand near the manger, to listen, to watch, and to let grace do its work. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us not just to reflect—but to respond, to step into the new year willing to become who we are being called to be—so that, little by little, we might bring more love in the world in 2026.

Merry Christmas from Old St. Pat's!  Enjoy a special Christmas music episode!  The featured songs today are:Deck the HallSilent Night Joy to the World

What if the thing you’re avoiding right now is actually the doorway to new life? Maybe it’s that inner Scrooge whispering “Bah humbug”, convincing you to play it safe, keep your distance, and protect yourself from the messy, unpredictability of life. In the story we all know this time of year, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t transformed by staying in his comfort zone. He’s changed because he has the courage to face the shadows of his past, see the truth of his present, and imagine a future that could be brighter, warmer, and more generous. Christmas becomes the moment he steps out of fear — out of his bah humbug attitude — and into love, courage, and connection. That same invitation echoes through the Advent story. It’s not a denial of fear or discomfort, but a call to bravery: to face what’s hard, trust what’s unfolding, and believe that something good can still be born. Today, Claire Noonan delivers a special Advent reflection and explores how the Advent journey continues to call us to enter into the Christmas story — and to hear, once again, the quiet but persistent reminder: Do not be afraid.