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Fr. James Martin, S.J., welcomes Susan Stabile, a spiritual director and retreat leader in the Ignatian tradition onto “The Spiritual Life” podcast. Susan was raised Catholic, but spent twenty years practicing Buddhism (and was ordained a Tibetan Buddhist nun) before returning to Catholicism. She now serves as Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of St. Thomas, as well as adjunct instructor in Theology at St. Catherine’s University, where she is also Co-Director of a Contemplative Practices initiative. Susan offers retreats, spiritual direction, and adult faith formation programs nationally, and is the author of Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation. Together, Susan and Fr James discuss: Her journey through Buddhism and back home to Catholicism Having a personal relationship with Jesus Spiritual direction as part of her return to the Church Timecodes: 0:00 The difference between ‘talking about’ and ‘talking to’ Jesus 08:09 The pivotal experience in Susan’s spiritual life 17:28 What does a personal relationship with Jesus mean? 19:17 Engaging the senses in Ignatian contemplation 22:56 What Bible commentaries can do for our faith 30:50 How do I know this isn’t just in my head? 36:45 What happens in spiritual direction? 42:39 Key qualities in a good spiritual director 45:16 Overcoming spiritual hurdles 54:17 Audience Question: How do I discern whether an experience is coming from God or my ego? Check out Susan's book: Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation Maggi and Fr. Jim’s spiritual reflection article. Spiritual Directors International website. Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  ⁠[email protected]⁠ Become a subscriber today at ⁠Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you maintain a friendship with God when life gets hard?  What do you do when, in your mid-fifties and at the height of your career, you are diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain cancer? That’s the question that confronted Ann Garrido, our guest on, “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.” podcast.  Ann is an associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis Missouri, where she also founded the school’s master’s program in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She has written several award-winning books including Redeeming Administration, Redeeming Conflict, and Redeeming Power. Together, Fr. Jim and Ann discuss: How to reflect on human suffering and “offer it up” as a prayer Allowing oneself to be wooed by God daily, even when the future seems uncertain What we can know about heaven  Timecodes: 0:00 “I am with you, and I am within you” 5:58 Where Ann’s life of teaching, preaching and ministry began 9:30 The hard theological questions born in Africa 15:42 How Ann was diagnosed with a glioblastoma 19:57 Noticing God’s presence and offering up her suffering 28:38 God woos Ann each day through the examen prayer 39:46 What we can know about heaven 51:00 Audience Question: How do we maintain a friendship with Jesus that allows us to remain joyful when life is so hard? Check out Ann's recent book, Redeeming Power Maggi and Fr. Jim’s article reflection on “offering up” our suffering Preach episode featuring Ann Garrido Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been over ten years since the award-winning actor Andrew Garfield trained as a Jesuit priest with Fr. James Martin, S.J. Well, more accurately, since he trained to play a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese's film Silence.  And the fruits of those Ignatian practices of prayer and contemplation have continued to bear out in his life. Garfield joins his long-time spiritual director, Fr. Martin on this episode of “The Spiritual Life” to reflect on:  -The importance of empathy in Garfield’s own spirituality of acting -The ways God calls us to defend human dignity and fight for justice as portrayed in Garfield’s new movie, ‘The Uprising’ -What lessons from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius have remained close to Garfield’s heart -God speaking through our dreams Timecodes: 0:00 Andrew Garfield  5:20 The spiritual themes of ‘The Uprising’ 10:10 Is there a spirituality of acting? 14:30 His mother’s ability to attune to small miracles 18:30 The mystery of faith in ‘Silence’ 21:30 Encountering Jesus in the Spiritual Exercises  28:10 How Andrew Garfield reflects on his day with the Jesuit examen 38:05 Does God and our loved ones speak through dreams? 42:20 Audience Question: How do I transform my pain to stop transmitting it to others? Maggi Van Dorn’s producer’s notes on this episode Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.” returns for its third season with what is sure to be a crowd favorite: a conversation with the legendary Catholic musician Matt Maher. A nine-time Grammy Award nominee, Maher has written some of the most widely sung worship songs across many Christian denominations, including “Lord I Need You,” “Your Grace Is Enough,” and his latest, “Gonna Be Alright.” Together with host James Martin, S.J, Matt reflects upon: The profound conversion experience Matt had in his early 20s that led to his vocation as a praise and worship singer-songwriter. The evolution of praise and worship music in the last century The ways that “writing to task” and divine inspiration have shaped Maher’s songwriting  The ministry of being on the road with people and home with family Timcodes: 0:00 In a didactic age of faith, we need to return to the experience of God 5:10 The conversion experience that led to Matt’s vocation as a Christian musician 12:39 Church music progression: from the St. Louis Jesuits to modern praise and worship 24:35 Writing out of the experience of the Eucharist 26:10 Any great song tells the truth 30:10 The practices that keep Matt spiritually alive 34:13 Discernment and detachment for creatives 38:28 Encountering God in relationships 46:54 Audience Question: I am often moved to tears at mass but don’t understand why? Maggi Van Dorn’s producer’s notes on this episode  Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founder of Homeboy Industries and best-selling spiritual writer, Greg Boyle, S.J., joins James Martin S.J. on the season finale of “The Spiritual Life” podcast. They talk about who inspired Greg to join the Jesuits, where he goes for spiritual direction each morning, bringing a mystical lens to reading the Bible, and how the community at Homeboy, the world’s leading gang intervention rehabilitation program, has made God’s love real to him. Timecodes:  0:00 Greg Boyle doesn’t know a bad person 5:20 How Homeboy ministries began  14:17 How joy, humor and fearlessness attracted Fr. Greg to the Jesuits 20:20 Why you need a mystical filter to know the God of Love 24:45 You want to see Jesus so you can be Jesus to others 35:55 Hate is a symptom of bad health, not a bad person 47:00 Dealing with criticism and praise 50:31 Greg’s morning spiritual practice 54:45 Audience Question: How do we know for sure if God forgives us? Take our Listener Survey here! Read Fr. Jim’s spiritual reflection on moral heroes Fr. Greg Boyle’s books: Tattoos on the Heart Barking to the Choir Cherished Belonging Forgive Everyone Everything Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hasan Minhaj is “down to catch a blessing,” wherever that may be. The Emmy Award-winning comedian joins James Martin, S.J. on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to share his Muslim faith, how laughter helped to save his life, and his hopes for interreligious dialogue and prayer.  Timecodes: 0:00 How a traveling comedian looks to an ancient faith 4:11 Why laughter is important to the spiritual life 8:13 Hasan’s early childhood influences 9:35 The story of Islam  13:26 Malcolm X & Dr. Sherman Jackson on being Muslim in America 26:02 An inter-faith dialogue on Jesus and the Trinity 30:22 Dealing with negative stereotypes about Islam 33:40 The call to prayer 37:58 Encountering God through acts of virtue 41:30 Islam does not depict God through images 44:15 Audience Question: Advice for someone who hasn’t lived a religious life and has doubts,  but still feels called to faith? Hasan’s podcast episode with Fr. Jim: Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know Read ⁠Fr. Jim's ⁠ spiritual reflection⁠ on this episode Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Brooks is known as one of America’s leading public intellectuals, a longtime columnist for The New York Times and now a staff writer at The Atlantic. He joins James Martin, S.J., on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to share how he went from a mostly cultural Jew, to a “Jew-y” Christian in the land of faith.   Timeline: 0:00 Traveling to the land of faith 6:20 Our social and political problems are spiritual ones 10:04 Understanding the America’s religious revival  11:46 Religious but not yet spiritual 14:05 David’s movement to faith 19:05 Dorothy Day and St. Augustine influences  28:15 Unpacking  David’s mystical experiences 34:35 A new frontier in the Christian faith 37:33 Three Jewish women that paid attention: Simone Weil, Edith Stein, Etty Hillesum 47:50 Audience Question: How do we maintain hope in bleak times? Brooks is the bestselling author of several books including:  How to Know a Person: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks/ The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217649/the-second-mountain-by-david-brooks/ The Road to Character: https://www.acappellabooks.com/pages/books/343956/david-brooks/the-road-to-character Bobos in Paradise https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bobos-in-Paradise/David-Brooks/9780684853789 Read Fr. Jim's ⁠ spiritual reflection on this episode Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Radio host and author, Katie Prejean McGrady joins host James Martin, S.J., to talk about the religious revival sweeping across America, how youth ministers can share eternal truths without falling prey to black-and-white thinking, and a spirituality of family life.  Katie is an award-winning Catholic author, speaker and host of The Katie McGrady Show on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel. She also hosts a weekly podcast, Family Mass Prep on Hallow with her husband Tommy.  Timecodes: 0:00 “Jesus is constantly surprising me” 5:20 Is there a religious revival happening for young people? 10:00 Avoiding the dangers of black and white thinking in youth ministry 14:22 Katie’s “big Catholic” upbringing 17:40 Making spiritual sense of suffering 22:00 Ignatian contemplation with Jesus 30:40 The spirituality of being a parent 39:12 How parents can get their kids to mass 46:06 Audience Question: How can I fully participate in the Catholic liturgy when I find myself at odds with Catholic teaching? Some of Katie’s books: Room 24: Adventures of a New Evangelist Follow: Your Lifelong Adventure with Jesus Read Fr. Jim's spiritual reflection on this episode Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American legal scholar and public intellectual, Professor Robert George, joins host James Martin, S.J., on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to talk about the practice of dialogue in the church and society, as well as his own rich faith journey.  Raised in the heart of Appalachia, West Virginia, by his Syrian Antiochian Orthodox father and Italian Catholic mother, Robert’s childhood was solidly rooted in faith and inspired by the moral heroism of his father.  In addition to his extensive professional accomplishments, including as the sixth McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, Professor George has long modeled civil dialogue with his friend and fellow interlocutor, Professor Cornel West.  Timecodes: 0:00 Building trust for challenging conversations 5:27 Robert George’s Orthodox and Catholic “mixed” religious upbringing  9:14 The impact of a father’s relationship with God 13:45 Robert’s father’s act of heroism 22:28 What Jane Austen’s characters can teach us about God’s ways 24:30 Praying slowly with attention 35:15 How Robert’s dialogues with Dr. Cornel West began 45:20 You’ll only allow someone you trust to challenge your deeply held beliefs 48:12 Audience Question: How can we better respond to God’s calls for improving the world? Link to Father Jim’s spiritual advice column for this episode: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/06/01/robert-george-james-martin-spiritual-life Some of Robert George’s books: Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division In Defense of Natural Law Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a lay minister to  L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics, a faith-based community organizer, and an immigration attorney, Yunuen Trujillo wears many hats.  And as a member of these marginalized communities herself, she knows their struggles intimately.  ”I feel that when we minister to immigrants or L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics, I'm ministering from a place of an open wound,” says Yuenen,  “But it's a good thing because when you connect with your wound, then you're able to be hospitable to the wound of other people.” Yunuen joins host Fr. James Martin, S.J., on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to share her journey of finding a loving and merciful God who walks with her in her fight for justice in many arenas.  Timecodes: 0:00 Jesus teaches us about love through the parable of “the Good Samaritan” 3:17 Can I be gay and Catholic? 6:40 Yunuen’s intersectional vocation as an immigration attorney and lay Catholic minister 13:20 Yunuen’s spiritual resources for the daily battles 17:46 Navigating righteous anger without succumbing to rage 28:00 How Yunuen found a loving and merciful God 43:30 Being LGBTQ isn’t an ideology 46:34 Audience Question: How can you use prayer to help you look forward in life as opposed to revisiting old transgressions or wounds? Read Fr. Martin's article reflecting on this episode here Yunuen Trujillo’s books: ⁠ LGBTQ Catholics: A Guide for Inclusive Ministry ⁠ ⁠Católicos LGBTQ: Una Guía para Pastoral Inclusiva.⁠ Yunuen is the founder of @lgbtcatholics on Instagram Link to Father Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode⁠: "Bringing your full (wounded) self to ministry" Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From country club caddy to the Catholic Worker to “The West Wing”, Martin Sheen has been on a long and fascinating spiritual journey. The Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor and activist shares the major turning points in his faith with Fr. James Martin, S.J. on “The Spiritual Life” podcast. They talk about some of the most important influences in Sheen’s life, including the Jesuit activist Dan Berrigan and film-maker Terrence Malick, and how the Mass continues to nourish his faith.  Timecodes: 0:00 How Martin Sheen’s faith was shaped by the Catholic Worker 2:00 Understanding the ploughshare movement 3:43 Discerning what activism our faith calls us to 6:50 Martin Sheen’s Catholic childhood 9:00 An epiphany in Paris and how Terrence Malick became a spiritual guide to Sheen 12:20 “Peacework must be as devotional as war” 22:30 Encountering community and solidarity at the Catholic Worker 32:25 Sheen is nourished by the mass 42:13 How Catholicism informed Sheen’s role of Pres. Josiah Bartlet on ‘The West Wing’ 45: Audience Question: How can working people today take a personal vow of poverty or overcome a consumer culture? Links: Martin Sheen's podcast Link to Father Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: ⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/05/18/martin-sheen-spiritual-life-james-martin Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve watched “The Bear” you’ve seen the incredible talent of the Emmy award-winning supporting actress, Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays Tina. But you might not know that Liza has overcome great spiritual hardship on her journey to noterirty. She joins her friend and host of “The Spiritual Life” podcast Fr. James Martin, S.J. to talk about her Catholic upbringing, how she escaped a cult, persevered through the ups and downs of the entertainment industry, and where she finds hope in her ancestral roots today. 0:00 Faith at its best reflects social justice 2:15 Liza plays a Puerto Rican Mother Teresa 5:10 How Liza persevered in Hollywood 9:20 Liza’s early struggles with faith communities 14:09 Doing away with the “parole officer” image of God 22:45 A spiritual practice of breathing meditations and gratitude 25:37 The power of discovering ancestral roots 33:00 The Catholic church and sexual abuse 34:55 Dealing with success and imposter’s syndrome 36:34 Audience Question: Taking less money for a spiritually fulfilling job? Link to Father Jim’s spiritual advice article on this episode: ‘The Bear’ actress Liza Colón-Zayas’s spiritual journey—to agnosticism https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/05/11/liza-colon-zayas-spiritual-life/ Do you have a spiritual question for Father Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J., Fr. Martin speaks with Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines. Elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2024 by Pope Francis, the ministry of Cardinal “Ambo” has been marked by a deep solidarity with those on the margins, with whom he’s established 21 urban mission stations in poor communities affected by violence.  With a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain, Cardinal Ambo shares his Ignatian approach of “reading between the lines of scripture,” without forgetting the very important “dots” we connect through biblical scholarship.  Timecodes: 0:00 Prayer is necessary to survive  2:50 What’s an Ignatian approach towards scripture? 5:19 How Cardinal Ambo received his nickname and why he prefers it to “Your Eminence” 7:28 Cardinal Ambo’s early calling to the priesthood 14:05 Biblical scholarship establishes the dots, Ignatian Contemplation helps connect them 21:30 How studying Aramaic allows Cardinal Ambo to better understand Jesus 24:50 The urban mission stations that bring hope to the poor 30:40 What characterizes Filipino-Catholic spirituality? 32:30 Audience Question: How does Jesus’ resurrection change reality? Read Fr. Jim's article on Ignatian contemplation Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Martin, S.J., speaks with Andrew Sullivan, the renowned political commentator and Catholic writer, about faith, identity and spiritual transformation in this deeply personal episode of “The Spiritual Life” podcast. Having struggled through the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s, Andrew opens up about the initial fear of gay people in the Catholic Church and the remarkable shift that he believes has taken place over the past few decades. Chapters 00:00 Who is Andrew Sullivan? 4:20 Homosexuality and the Catholic Church 11:14 State of the LGBTQ movement 15:35 How Pope Francis dispelled fear 21:38 God in the midst of agony 31:31 Andrew's turbulent Catholic life 41:04 Staying rooted spiritually 44:55 Reconciling personal experience in the church Links: Fr. Martin's spiritual advice column on this conversation: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/04/27/james-martin-andrew-sullivan-spiritual-life “The Weekly Dish”: https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/ Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality: https://www.amazon.ca/Virtually-Normal-Argument-about-Homosexuality/dp/0679746145  Interview: Andrew Sullivan on being openly gay and Catholic by Thomas H. Stahel: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/11/10/vantage-point-america-andrew-sullivan-244119 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago,  joins James Martin, S.J., on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to talk about his vocation story, the spiritual power of the Mass, and the necessity of  preaching the Gospel during  tumultuous political times.  Cardinal Cupich is the Archbishop of Chicago, one of three U.S. cardinals who currently runs a diocese, and is also a member of the Dicastery for Bishops. 00:00 Who is Cardinal Cupich? 2:32 Explaining Lectio Divina 5:33 Explaining the Liturgy of the Hours 8:17 Cardinal Cupich's vocation story 12:32 Prayer isn't just personal 19:40 How the Mass changes your life 25:48 The spiritual life of a bishop 29:12 Working with Pope Leo XIV 32:32 Being political vs. preaching the Gospel 37:00 Audience question: Why is Confession important? Links: Fr. Jim’s spiritual advice column on the Sacrament of Confession Cardinal Cupich's archdiocesan column Cardinal Cupich on retrieving the Consistent Ethic of Life Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices