Episode 5: Hell – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First Deacon James Keating discusses the theology of hell, emphasizing it as a reality shaped by human freedom. Hell is the consequence of dying in a state of unrepented mortal sin, where individuals knowingly and freely reject God’s love. This eternal separation from God is marked by isolation an…

Episode 4: Heaven – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First Deacon James Keating explores the nature of heaven as a relationship with Christ rather than a physical place. Heaven begins now, insofar as we are “in Christ.” This communion, nurtured through prayer, sacraments, and repentance, is the essence of heaven. Sin disrupts this union, leading t…

Episode 3: Purgatory – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss the nature of purgatory, referencing saints’ mystical experiences to explore purification, suffering, and holiness. Saints like St. Catherine of Genoa offer images of purgatory that allow us to meditate on sin’s disruptive nature to the Bod…

Episode 2: What is Death? – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore deep themes of Catholic theology around death, salvation, and the journey of purification, both in life and after death. Humanity’s fear of death often stems from the fear of isolation, as humans are created for communion with God and …

Episode 1: Introduction – Salvation Begins Now: Last Things First Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor explore the Christian understanding of life, death, and the eternal destiny in light of Catholic teaching on the “last things” (heaven, hell, death, and the final judgment). Contemporary Catholics may struggle with these concepts, as the vocabul…

The Eucharist and the Hope of Conversion with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. In “The Eucharist and Hope for Conversion,” Deacon James Keating discusses the deep spiritual significance of the Eucharist and the Sacr…

The Desert of Consumerism – Crossing the Desert: Lent and Conversion with Deacon James Keating In this episode, Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss Lent as a spiritual oasis in life’s desert, where distractions of consumerism often obscure our deeper needs. Deacon Keating reminds us of Lent’s call to surrender to God’s providence, confro…

This reflection was given during a special Discerning Hearts Advent evening of prayer and meditation at St. Margaret Mary’s Church in Omaha, NE Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page The post…

The Suffering of Love – The Heart of Hope with Deacon James Keating Ph.D. Deacon James Keating and Kris McGregor discuss the healing hand of Christ, seeing the will of God, and how we suffer love. Deacon Keating reflects on the tale of the two criminals on the cross next to Christ on Golgotha. This series explores the work of suffering in the Chris…

Conversion in the Context of Prayer – The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI What is the authentic understanding of “conversion” in the context of prayer. Deacon Keating discusses the reflection offered by the Holy Father of the encounter of Elijah with prophets of Baal. Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor o…

Waiting for God – The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI What is the authentic understanding of “intercession” in the context of prayer. Moses speaks to God as friend. The invisibility of God puts deep questions in our hearts. Unless we have the intimacy of relationship with God in our hearts, our fear will overwhel…

Who Are We? Wrestling with God – The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI Jacob wrestling with Angel. The mystery of the name. We have to let God ask us who we are or will you resist and remain isolated? Our prayer is only going to be fruitful if we surrender ourselves to the question…who are you? Like Jacob, once we …

The Mystery of Intercessory Prayer and God’s Great Mercy- The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI Abraham the great Patriarch who prays in intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah. The mystery of intercessory prayer and God’s great mercy. When we persist in prayer, like Abraham, the more we come to know God and trust in H…

Faith and Reason in the Life of Prayer – The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI Allowing God to effect our minds, as well as our hearts. If you let God close you will be free…to let him in so close that God prays in you. Letting God’s love be the norm of our culture…in the other and in the poor. The role of silence …

Why We Need Prayer – The School of Prayer: Reflections on the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI “Life without prayer has no meaning or points of reference”. The relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is so essential to our understanding of prayer. The meaning of the Church. Suffering the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the…

St. Therese of Lisieux said the following: “If I did not simply live from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient. But I only look at the present. I forget the past, and I take good care not to forestall the future.” In these remarks, St. Therese is trying to point to the truth that is buried deep within the Christian rev…

The patient one is also the meek one. In meekness, we have received God’s love so deeply, that we securely possess our own identities. Meekness is not weakness or some type of emotional withdrawal. To be meek, is to have suffered the coming of God’s love so deeply in our hearts, that we finally know who we are. And so we are no longer motivated to …

In the area of the new evangelization, we need to receive more in prayer. Even more than give witness to an action or word. The deeper we receive his love in prayer, the fewer our words will have to be to have great effect. God’s harvest awaits those who have received His love deeply. And for those who have received his love deeply, they bring fort…

The impatient one, above all, desires to speed up time and to get what he wants, when he wants it. In this way, impatience is related to violence. Whereas patience takes suffering upon the self. The impatient …

I will wait, and wait, and wait with the Lord. I will wait with and in the Lord, rather than violate charity. Wanting to speed up time, and make things happen now is a violation of charity. It does violence to the nature of things. But the patient person keeps a perspective that is beyond expedient. Beyond what is immediate, and sees before him or …