Holiness for the Working Day

This Lent, we step into a type of Groundhog Day and discover that the real loop is not time, but of the heart. Like Phil Connors, we can drift through repetition, chasing comfort and distraction, or we can let repetition become formation. Lent is not a diet, a productivity plan, or spiritual biohacking. It is a training camp for love. It is the joyful adventure of waking up to the ordinary day and choosing to grow in it. It is the season where the mind is reawakened, attention is purified, and sanctifying grace elevates our natural powers so we can truly know Christ and love like Him. This is the school of love, where virtue is formed through daily practice, where the fog lifts, where the intellect comes alive, and where the loop breaks not because circumstances change, but because we do as we journey to Easter. 

This is the last talk in the meditation series on Surrender. 

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Gospel Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

This episode explores the fear that sits beneath both creativity and ordinary life, the quiet conviction that we are not enough, that if we stop producing we might disappear. Beginning with Tolkien's line about fearing "so small a thing," the reflection moves through impostor syndrome, perfectionism, and what John Barth called Scheherazade's terror, the belief that silence equals death. From there, it opens onto the Christian paradox that freedom does not come from control, but from surrender. Drawing on Tolkien's idea of eucatastrophe, the sudden turn when grace intervenes after our strength is spent, the episode argues that real creativity, real peace, and real joy emerge only when we let go and place our lives fully in God's hands. It closes with a quiet, moving image of childlike joy at a graveside, a reminder that surrender is not weakness but courage, and that resting in God is the only place fear finally loosens its grip.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary time, Year A  Gospel John 1:29-34 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."

What if the reason we feel anxious, blocked, and exhausted is not a lack of effort, but a refusal to surrender? This episode weaves poetry, ancient myth, modern culture, and Christian wisdom into a single question: where does real creativity and real peace actually come from? From the Greek Muses and Plato's divine madness, through Homer and Shakespeare, to Augustine, Aquinas, Tolkien, and Christ in Gethsemane, this talk challenges the modern instinct to control, perform, and self-create. If you feel restless, afraid to let go, or stuck trying to hold your life together, this episode invites you to listen closely, because peace does not come from mastery, it comes from trust.

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2026  

Jesus Christ is not something we watch or analyze; He is an event that addresses us and demands a response. This meditation explores how distraction and passive consumption dull our capacity to behold reality, and how attention, prayer, and creativity restore it. Rooted in the Catholic understanding of Christ as the One who encounters us, this reflection invites a return to seeing, creating, and living in response to Him. Join me in this year of creating and not consuming. Join me on the journey to freedom and encounter.  Join me throughout this year as I post more material on my new Substack account.  @holinessworkingday on Substack.com    

Feast of the Epiphany 2026 Gospel Matthew 2:1-12 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod,  behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,  "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled,  and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,  He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,  for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod called the magi secretly  and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,  "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word,  that I too may go and do him homage." After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,  until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star,  and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures  and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,  they departed for their country by another way.

New Years 2026, Feast of Mary the Mother of God 

Feast of the Holy Family 2025  

4th Sunday of Advent  Gospel Matthew 1:18-24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

How lost we are in the virtuality of life, scrolling through endless doors and borrowed selves, mistaking possibility for freedom, until we wake each day more familiar with other people's lives than our own. Somewhere along the way, we stopped living and began watching, comparing the hidden chaos of our days to the polished front rooms of others, and wondering why we feel so restless, so behind, so unfinished. This meditation is an invitation to step out of the performance, to stop wandering other people's gardens, and to come home to your own life. As we approach 2026, the question is simple and urgent, what if this became a year of freedom, not the freedom to be everything, but the freedom to be real, to clear the noise, and to let God meet you exactly where you are.

Mental prayer is the breath of the plan of life. If the Rosary carries the steady heartbeat, mental prayer is the quiet inhale and exhale of friendship with God. It shifts faith from duty to desire, from "I have to pray" to "I can't wait to be with Him." The episode reflects on the beauty of intimate conversation with the Father. Saint Teresa of Avila once called prayer a close sharing between friends, and this meditation unpacks what that means in real life, where honesty and vulnerability become the doorway to grace. It guides listeners through how to create inner stillness, how to approach God with curiosity, how to listen and be a friend and speak simply, and how to let silence deepen trust. Think of it as an invitation to breathe with God again, and to let prayer become the place where you are known, loved, and renewed; a place where you want to be. 

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2025 Gospel Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.  

John the Baptist and the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A 2025 Gospel Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Friday, First Week of Advent 2025 Gospel Matthew 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!" When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

This week's meditation explores the Rosary as the quiet heartbeat of a Christian's day, the steady rhythm that keeps us close to Christ the way jazz uses syncopation to hold a song together. The Eucharist anchors a life of prayer, but the Rosary gives it pulse. Far from mindless repetition, it becomes a slow, loving walk through the mysteries of Jesus with Mary as our guide. Its simplicity, even its boredom, creates the space where grace can move. It steadies the mind, sanctifies ordinary moments, and helps us see God's patterns in our own lives. Whether prayed in a chapel, on a sidewalk, or during a late evening walk, the Rosary trains the heart to persevere and rest in God. In this episode, we talk about how to begin, how to pray it faithfully in the middle of the world, and how its gentle rhythm becomes the spiritual heartbeat that carries you through the day.

The Basilica of St. Mary Institute for Faith and Culture Presents: Beauty and the Beast, an Exploration of the Power of Beauty, Part 5 of 5 With Fr. James Searby  In this final class of Beauty and the Beast, we look at the tale's two feasts to understand beauty as a path back to communion, meaning, and sacramentality. The tavern scene becomes a picture of the ego- loud, empty, and isolating, while "Be Our Guest" reveals what self-giving love looks like when a community pours itself out in joy. From there, Fr. James Searby explores the vocation of the artist, the vulnerability of real creativity, and the way beauty acts almost like a sacramental, opening the soul to grace. This class traces the larger cultural story as well, from the Baroque renewal of the Church to the rise of modernity and postmodernity, and finally to our quiet rediscovery of wonder today. Using the fairy tale as a map, the episode shows how the loss of beauty disfigures a culture and how its return restores the human heart. At its center is the conviction that beauty heals, reveals, and reunites, and that when we allow ourselves to receive it, the beast in all of us begins to become whole again.