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In this final episode of our Lenten series The Garden of Lent, Sr. Rita joins me once again to reflect on Flowering and Fruit-bearing — the quiet, sacred culmination of a season of hidden growth. Drawing from Scripture, the lives of the saints, and the witness of Our Blessed Mother, this conversation gently reframes what fruitfulness truly looks like in the Christian life. This episode invites you to release comparison, resist performance, and trust the soil God has planted you in. Not all fruit is visible. Not all flowers bloom in public. Yet every act of fidelity, patience, forgiveness, and surrender is seen by the Divine Gardener. If you’ve ever wondered whether your life is truly bearing fruit — especially in seasons of obscurity, suffering, or waiting — this episode is for you.

In Episode 3 of The Garden of Lent, Sr. Rita and me reflect on two sacred movements of spiritual growth: watering and waiting. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience, we explore how the Holy Spirit nourishes us quietly, precisely, and lovingly — even in dry, delayed, or painful seasons. This episode speaks directly to women who feel weary, forgotten, or impatient with the pace of their own growth. In this episode, we reflect on: - The Holy Spirit as living water - Why waiting is never wasted in God’s economy - Trusting God’s timing when growth feels hidden - Dryness, suffering, and holy delays - Becoming a well-watered garden in God’s time If you are waiting for healing, clarity, restoration, or fruit — this conversation is for you.

In Episode 2 of The Garden of Lent, Sr. Rita and myself reflect on the often painful but necessary movements of pruning and weeding in our spiritual lives. Lent invites us to examine what God may be gently removing — habits, attachments, mindsets, or fears — not to harm us, but to make room for deeper fruitfulness. This conversation speaks tenderly to women navigating loss, surrender, and the hidden work God is doing beneath the surface. In this episode, we explore: - Why God prunes what He loves - The difference between discipline and punishment - Letting go of what chokes spiritual growth - Trusting God in seasons of loss and refinement If you’ve ever wondered why certain things had to be cut away, this episode offers hope, clarity, and compassion.

In the opening episode of this four-part Lenten Podcast series with my dear friend Sr. Rita D'Souza, DLJC Sisters, I invite you to join us into entering The Garden of Lent, where God reveals Himself as the Divine Gardener. We reflect on how Lent calls us into communion, surrender, and trust — not through perfection, but through presence.This episode gently reframes Lent as a season of invitation rather than obligation, where God lovingly draws us toward growth, healing, and transformation in His time. In this episode, we reflect on: God as our Divine GardenerLent as a journey of communion, not performanceThe invitation to begin again — gently and honestlyWhether you’re just beginning Lent or feeling weary in your faith, this episode sets the foundation for a grace-filled journey inward.

This Lent, step away from striving and return to the place where God walks closely with His creation — tending, restoring, and breathing life with tenderness.In this four-part podcast series, Michelle D’Silva and Sr. Rita D’Souza, DLJC Sisters - guide you through The Garden of Lent — reflecting on pruning, watering, waiting, and fruit-bearing through the gentle lens of God’s love. Created especially with women in mind, this is an invitation to slow down, to be honest about the soil of your heart, and to let yourself be tended.If your soul feels tired, dry, or simply in need of renewal, come join us.------Subscribe to my YouTube to stay updated on this upcoming Lenten series🎧 Also available on Spotify and all major podcast platformsFor more such content and program updates, subscribe to our mailing list at www.michelledsilva.com

Readiness, obedience, selflessness, courage are some strong themes we find in the Acts of the Apostles especially in this Easter season. My guest today is a great example of one who strives to live by these morals even in today’s countercultural world. On this episode, I am joined by Sr. Rita D’Souza who  unpacks some treasured memories from her mission trip to Tanzania. Listen in as she shares on how to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in response to the call of bringing God’s love to whoever we meet, wherever we go.

The feelings surrounding Father’s Day are varied. For many it may stimulate gratitude and honor, yet for many others this day is perhaps more complicated filled with feelings of anxiousness and fear. Regardless of the successes and failures of our earthly fathers, this episode directs us to the source of everlasting and perfect love – God the Father. I am joined by Cait Winters from Massachusetts who through her own experiences with divorced parents, teenage pregnancy and single parenting, shares how she discovered her Heavenly Father who desires to bring good out of every situation, including the broken and painful ones.

‘Nothing in our life is wasted.’ This may sound too unreal, but the story of our guest on this episode is a rich testimony to the goodness of God – of the One who brings purpose out of our pain, creates beauty from our ashes and uses even our mistakes to change the world. Join me as I chat with the beautiful Arlene Theknath as she shares some very personal spaces of her heart. Through her story we discover not only the reality of brokenness that exists this side of eternity but also the reality of Hope, found in the person of Jesus Christ - our Saviour, our Redeemer and the God who makes all things new and beautiful.

If you're wondering whether it’s possible for a woman to be a lover of Jesus, family and career combined, then this episode is gonna prove to you just that! Founder and owner of her own sustainable business, Anthea Fransman from Cape Town, South Africa joins us on this episode to share about her journey of faith and what it means to be a Christian influence at the workplace.

Consecrated life, Vocation, Mission, Charisms, Evangelization… we’re talking about all of this and a whole lot more on this two-part series with Sr. Rita D’Souza. If you have been discerning a call to religious life for yourself or your loved ones, tune into this podcast episode as Sr. Rita draws from her own vocation journey, clearing out common misconceptions and offering some great insights, while reflecting through the teachings of the Catholic faith.

Consecrated life, Vocation, Mission, Charisms, Evangelization… we’re talking about all of this and a whole lot more on this two-part series with Sr. Rita D’Souza. If you have been discerning a call to religious life for yourself or your loved ones, tune into this podcast episode as Sr. Rita draws from her own vocation journey, clearing out common misconceptions and offering some great insights, while reflecting through the teachings of the Catholic faith.

On this episode, I reflect on personal and community experiences through the lens of the Transfiguration of the Lord where Christ was revealed in all His glorious splendor. It is my hope that this sharing will serve as a reminder that we all possess this same Glorious Light within us. You and I were created to be a 'city on a hill' - to influence, impact and make visible the Light of our Savior.

In today’s episode we are talking about something that’s still making headlines in magazines, on television and on medial. It is still hyped by healthcare professionals, and it’s still enticing consumers at local department stores. What am I talking about? I’m talking about Yoga – a practice praised by many for its calming effect and wellness benefits, yoga is definitely gaining momentum and acceptance in our modern culture and even in Christian circles. But question is should Christians be practicing yoga? We’re going to look at a great story that will speak straight to the heart of this matter and will point us to the greater truth beyond it.

'A father is his son’s first hero and his daughter’s first love.’ Although quotes like these soften our hearts, the reality of a ‘father’ may not be a very blissful picture for many. I would like to address such daughters for whom ‘Father’s Day’ doesn't necessarily call for celebration. I hope that through this episode, you will be reminded of your own identities as daughters of our Heavenly Father who doesn't just call you beloved but longs to lavish His extravagant love on you.

The ministry of intercession is about access to the heart of God. Prophetic intercession enables us to let go of our agendas and receive the desires that are in God’s heart. As intercessors we have been given Power to release God’s heart on earth. In this episode, my good friend Anne Marie helps us explore what prophetic intercession really is and why our prayer groups and communities can absolutely benefit from this charismatic prayer.