A Franciscan Heart In the World

Luke 1:67-79 When God opens a new chapter, it rarely comes with fanfare.Sometimes it comes as a quiet call to step into who we were anointed to be — priest, prophet, and king — in our time, in our place, in our way.In today’s Gospel, Zechariah finally speaks, and what rises from his heart is the Benedictus — a map for every disciple who wants to prepare a world for Christ.Join me for “A Franciscan Heart in the World” as we enter the last steps toward Christmas.

Luke 1:57–66. Sometimes God begins something new in us long after we thought our season had passed. In today’s Gospel, Zechariah and Elizabeth learn that grace doesn’t follow the timelines we set. Their yes — quiet, humble, offered late in life — becomes part of a story stretching across generations. And the same is true of our yes today.

Luke 1:39-56 In this episode, we sit with Mary and Elizabeth, and with every moment in our own lives when a simple act of welcome becomes the doorway to grace. Join me as we explore how peace rises when love makes room for gratitude, and how the smallest human encounters can become our own Magnificat.

Matthew 1:18–24. n this episode of A Franciscan Heart in the World, we sit with Mary’s annunciation — that moment when God interrupts an ordinary life with an invitation that feels far bigger than our strength. Luke’s Gospel shows us a young woman who is troubled, unsure, and yet profoundly open. Her yes is not the result of perfect clarity; it is the courage to trust that God can work with who she is, as she is. In a world full of uncertainty, competing demands, and unexpected turns, Mary reminds us that grace begins wherever we stop running and start listening. Join me as we explore what her yes might mean for our own lives today.

Luke 1:26-38. In today’s episode of A Franciscan Heart in the World, we enter the moment when everything in salvation history shifted — the Annunciation. Luke tells us that an ordinary young woman in an ordinary town was met by an unexpected call that would change her life forever. But Mary’s yes wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was quiet, steady, and deeply human. In this reflection, we’ll explore what it means for God to step into the middle of our real lives, our fears, and our unanswered questions—inviting us, like Mary, to trust that grace is already working beneath the surface. Join me as we look at the courage it takes to say yes to God’s unfolding future, even when we cannot yet see the whole path.

Luke 1:5-25Before we ever reach Bethlehem, the Christmas story begins with two people who thought their season of hope had passed. In today’s episode of A Franciscan Heart in the World, we look at Zechariah and Elizabeth — how Godmeets them in silence, disappointment, and longing — and how their storyreminds us that grace often starts in the places we overlook. Join me as Advent invites us to trust the quiet beginnings of God.

Reading: Jeremiah 23:5–8In this Advent reflection on A Franciscan Heart in the World, we listen to Jeremiah’s promise of a “righteous branch” — new life rising in the coldest seasons — and we meet Caroline, a high-school teacher whose small, steady act of kindness becomes a green shoot of hope in a student’s difficult winter. Through her story, we’re reminded that God’s justice often grows quietly, through ordinary people who choose compassion when it would be easier to give up. If you’ve ever wondered whether your quiet efforts still matter, this episode invites us to see the hidden life God is nurturing beneath the frost.

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is long, messy, and surprisingly honest. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary—every one of them a reminder that God works right through the complicated stories we inherit. In this Advent episode of A Franciscan Heart in the World, we look at the family Jesus chose to enter, and what that means for our own lives. If you’ve ever worried that your past is too tangled for grace, this reflection might be the reminder you need. Matthew 1:1–17

On today’s episode of A Franciscan Heart in the World, we sit with Psalm 34 — a psalm written not from comfort but from crisis. It reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, that God saves the crushed in spirit, and that no tear is wasted.In a world fraying at the edges — wars, layoffs, family strain, uncertainty about our future — this psalm isn’t a promise that suffering disappears, but that God doesn’t disappear inside it.

Today on A Franciscan Heart in the World, we explore the yes that doesn’t begin in our lips, but in our lives. Jesus’ parable of the two sons reveals how easy it is to sound faithful without ever moving. Francis once lived that way too, until mercy found him. If you’re ready to take one small step toward the life God is awakening in you, this reflection is for you.

Based on Numbers 22–24, this Advent reflection reminds us that sometimes the smallest creature sees God first. The donkey’s insight — missed by the prophet beside her — invites us to slow down, pay attention, and discover the holy in unexpected places, just as Francis did.

Today’s Advent reflection turns to Isaiah’s promise that “the desert and the parched land will exult.”We meet Evelyn, a widow standing at the window of her winter garden — a place that looks finished, bare, and cold. But with one small act of kindness, she discovers what Isaiah has always taught: God begins new life long before we cansee it.This episode is for anyone carrying quietgrief, for anyone who feels they’re in a season of waiting, or for anyone who wonders if hope is still possible.It’s a reminder that God works beneath the frost… that love is still stirring…and that what looks barren is never the end of the story.

Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a story of roses,processions, unexpected courage, and the Mother who walks with her people.Whether you know the tradition well or are hearing it for the first time, thisepisode invites you into a love that crosses borders, lifts the lowly, and reminds each of us: you are not forgotten.

Isaiah 41:13–20“There are seasons when love feels like letting go,and the silence that follows asks a different kind of faith.”

Matthew 11:28–30“There’s a kind of tiredness that sleep can’t fix —the kind that comes from carrying too much alone.”

(Isaiah 40:1)“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”This Advent, we’re invited to hear those words not as distant poetry, but as a promise spoken into our own weary lives.Join me for A Franciscan Heart in the World, a weekly podcast of quiet reflection, gentle storytelling, and scripture that opens the heart.Each episode offers a moment of stillness, a place to breathe, and a reminder that God is already drawing near.If these reflections support you on your journey, you’re welcome to follow the podcast so you won’t miss what comes next.

Grace doesn’t always show up with an angel and a trumpet.Sometimes it comes disguised as an interruption —and it waits to see if we’ll say yes.

Romans 15:4–9, , Isaiah 11:1-10 This episode invites us to see Advent as the season when Christ makes room for us — and we learn to make room for one another. Through a simple story of unlikely brothers serving together, we explore Paul’s challenge: “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” A gentle, hopeful reflection on belonging, humility, and the quiet work that heals the world.

Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6–8In every classroom, office, and kitchen table, the invitation of Advent is the same —to see with compassion and to give without counting the cost.

“In Advent, God comes to us in the dim light of ordinary days, nudging our eyes toward what we’ve been missing-where we have been somewhat blind.”