Ave Explores

Keeping Lent Simple with Claire and Mike Couche of Finding Philothea

February 23rd, 2024  |  Season 23  |  33 mins 24 secs

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Do you ever have BIG plans for Lent, only to feel overwhelmed as the weeks go on?

Claire and Mike Couche, founders of Finding Philothea, share how embracing simplicity—through carving out time for prayer, focusing on small acts of fasting, and learning generosity through acts of service—can wield greater impact than grand gestures of repentance and self-denial. When we complicate Lent, our practices can muddy the waters and make this time of prayerful rest overly stressful. When we keep Lent simple, however, we can see that it’s a time to prepare us for Heaven.

Lent isn't Just for Easter with Mark Hart

February 16th, 2024  |  Season 23  |  38 mins 41 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cfr, claire and mike couche, csfn, fr. agustino torres, fr. tim anastos, katie prejean mcgrady, lent 2024, made for heaven journal, manny gonzalez, mark hart, sr. josephine garrett, tanner kalina

What’s the purpose of Lent? It’s a simple question, and one Mark Hart answers in a very honest and straightforward way: Lent prepares us for heaven. If we view Lent merely as a spiritual bootcamp to get ready for Easter, we will miss out on all the season has to offer. However, by approaching Lent with a broader perspective, we'll realize that these forty days can prepare us not only for the rest of our lives but also for the joys of heaven.

The Wilderness of Lent with Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR

February 14th, 2024  |  Season 23  |  29 mins 27 secs

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When Ash Wednesday rolls around, many of us are ready—even excited—to start our Lenten resolution. However, as the weeks go by, our resolve can wane. What do we do when our Lenten practices become challenging to maintain?

Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, the author of Made for Heaven, offers us a way to enter this season as he explains why he felt called to write about going into the wilderness of Lent with a willing spirit and a ready heart. If we “fight” Lent, we close ourselves off to God’s greater plan for these forty days. If we go into the desert remembering that Jesus went there first, we will see growth in our faithfulness.

Evaluating Relationships for Lent with Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN

February 9th, 2024  |  Season 23  |  36 mins 57 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cfr, claire and mike couche, csfn, fr. agustino torres, fr. tim anastos, katie prejean mcgrady, lent 2024, made for heaven journal, manny gonzalez, mark hart, sr. josephine garrett, tanner kalina

As we approach Ash Wednesday, the question on every faithful Christian's mind is, "What should I do to make this Lent an intentional time to grow closer to God?" In this episode, Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN, offers a new focus to this sacred season by encouraging us to examine the very fabric of our relationships—with ourselves, with others, and most importantly, with God. She provides practical advice on how intentional fasting, heartfelt prayer, and compassionate almsgiving can be tools to strengthen our most important connections. Through this, you will learn that going into Lent “blind” won’t set you up for success, but going into Lent “examined” can lead you to a preview of Heaven.

Week Four of Prepare Your Heart: Holding Jesus like Mary in Advent with Sr. Zelie Maria Louis, SV

December 22nd, 2023  |  Season 22  |  36 mins 20 secs

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Mary opened her arms to the child Jesus, and we are called to do the same. Sr. Zelie Maria Louis, a Sister of Life serving pregnant women in Manhattan, reflects on how we can look to Mary as a perfect example of holiness and love of the Lord in the final days of Advent.

Week Three of Prepare Your Heart: Building a Home like Joseph with Bobby and Jackie Angel

December 15th, 2023  |  Season 22  |  39 mins 16 secs

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Jackie and Bobby Angel, authors, speakers, and podcasters, share how the spirit of hospitality and a charism of welcome are essential in order to enter into Advent. When we open our homes to others, and when we work to build a home of love, we are embracing the spirit of St. Joseph.

Week One of Prepare Your Heart: Preparing for Nazareth Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR

December 1st, 2023  |  Season 22  |  44 mins 49 secs

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Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, author of Prepare Your Heart, explains how the season of Advent is a chance to enter into the heart of Nazareth, a place of respite, rest, and formation. At the beginning of the liturgical year, it’s so easy to become consumed with the busyness of the season, the work that must be done for Christmas, and we can forget how this is ultimately a time to prepare to welcome Jesus. Fr. Agustino explains how when we purposefully prepare our hearts, we are joyfully anticipating the gift of Christmas in the best way possible.

Liturgical Living is for All Steffani Aquila

September 27th, 2023  |  Season 21  |  38 mins 10 secs

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Liturgical living isn’t confined to family craft projects or activities for CCD classes. For Steffani Aquila, founder of His Girl Sunday and director of Liturgical Living for the Co-Cathedral in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, liturgical living is an invitation for all faithful men and women to engage meaningfully with the rhythms of the year. Join Steffani as she chats with Katie on what feast days and sacred seasons can teach everyone, regardless of age or background, about Jesus and how embracing these practices helps us discover a joy-filled life based on tradition, hospitality, and togetherness.

The Eucharist and the Abundant Life with Heather and Jake Khym

May 24th, 2023  |  Season 20  |  1 hr 7 mins

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Heather and Jake Khym talk with host Katie Prejean McGrady about how a deeper understanding of the Eucharist can lead to abundant, life-changing healing in your life.

The Eucharist is Really Jesus with Fr. Craig Vasek

April 19th, 2023  |  Season 20  |  45 mins 9 secs

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Fr. Craig Vasek, talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about how this life changed after his first authentic encounter with the Eucharist. Vasek also reinforces that the Eucharist is not a holy object, but a person—Jesus—to encounter and love.