Contemplata
The purpose of our lives is to come to know God, yet on account of sin the eyes of our hearts have grown blind to the presence of God. Just as Jesus healed the blind men in the Gospels, so God is now at work to heal the eyes of our hearts by the light of his grace. Contemplata is a podcast for those seeking to grow in contemplative prayer—the loving awareness of the presence of God. Fr. James Dominic Brent, O.P. is a Dominican Friar of the Province of St. Joseph.
Episodes
59 episodes
Be Thou My Wisdom | Contemplata Ep 54 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In Episode 54 of Contemplata, Be Thou My Wisdom, we learn about the path of divine wisdom. Why is it worth pursuing? And who should we turn to, in order to participate fully in God’s plan for our lives?
A Word of Love | Contemplata Ep 53 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In Episode 53 of Contemplata, A Word of Love, we reflect on the truth at the heart of the Gospel: God loves us with an everlasting love. Drawing from Sacred Scripture, this meditation invites listeners to receive the W...
Bonus Episode: Mary, Seat of Wisdom and the Indwelling Trinity | Contemplata | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In this bonus episode of Contemplata, Fr. James Brent, O.P., reflects on Mary, Seat of Wisdom, and the interior life of grace in the soul. The Christian life is not only belief in the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but participation in i...
How Baptism Changes You | Contemplata Ep 52 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In Episode 52 of Contemplata, Fr. James Brent, O.P., takes a closer look at something we often take for granted: what actually happens in baptism.We say that baptism gives us life, but not just the kind o...
Bonus Episode: The Mystery of the Holy Trinity | Contemplata | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In this bonus episode of Contemplata, Fr. James Brent, O.P., reflects on the mystery of the Holy Trinity and the meaning of our lives in light of it.We were created to know God, not from a distance, but from within. Through gra...
The Church Is Holy | Contemplata Ep 51 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
There are many ways in which the Church is holy. The main source of its holiness is Jesus Christ, who is the head of the Church. He unites us to himself, through his Church, through our Baptisms, and through the Holy Eucharist. Join Fr. Jame...
Bonus Episode: The Holy Eucharist and the Life of Grace
In this bonus audio from Contemplata, we turn our attention to the Holy Eucharist—the gift that stands above every other gift given to the Church.Drawing from the tradition of the saints and the Church’s ...
Watch for the Lord | Contemplata Ep 50 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Often we are attacked by distractions and temptations, which distance us from God. But we do not need to despair, because of our Baptism. The first step towards living a life of constant prayer is to develop a constant awareness of God’s act...
How to Know God's Love | Contemplata Ep 49 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
As humans we face many difficulties in our day to day lives. It is important to meditate on the presence of Jesus, and of his love, in order to be able to love in return. Loving our neighbors, and loving God through our sufferings can be hard, ...
The Real Reason to Hope | Contemplata Ep 48 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
We all struggle with daily adversities, or with lifelong hardships. Who should we turn to for consolation and hope? There is only one good answer – Jesus Christ, who has both the desire, and the power, to help us on our path to happiness and...
How To Contact God: Faith | Contemplata Ep 47 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Every time we make an act of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive new graces in our souls. Our union with the life of Jesus Christ will grow more and more. Fr. James Brent, O.P. recommends simple prayers of faith, like ‘Jesus, I believ...
Your Suffering in Christ | Contemplata Ep 46 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Our sufferings are the sufferings of the Lord. We are not isolated individuals - God’s plan is unfolding in our lives. God calls us to become another Christ in our suffering. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his ...
Contemplata Episode 45 | How to Rest in God | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
How do we grow in true humility? In this episode of Contemplata, we meditate on Psalm 131 and learn how silence, prayer, and trust in God shape the humble heart. Drawing on the image of a child resting in its mother’s arms, this reflec...
Contemplata Episode 44 | Psalm 1 | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
The Psalms point out to us the path to life. Learning how to read the Psalms in the light of Jesus can reveal layers upon layers of light - good food for contemplative souls. Watch as Fr. James Brent, O.P., leads a complete Lectio Divina of ...
Contemplata Episode 43 | How to Look on God | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
We should love righteousness, which is a right relationship with God. How should we conduct ourselves? “Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in simplicity of heart (Wisdom 1:1).” Learn how Fr. James Brent, O.P. explains this important...
Contemplata Episode 42 | Scripture Transforms You | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Scripture doesn’t offer quick fixes—but it truly transforms us. In this episode, Fr. James Brent, O.P., shares how daily lectio divina with the book of Genesis changed one young mother’s outlook on her marriage, her fa...
Contemplata Episode 41 | Listening to God | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Fr James Brent, O.P., reminds us that whatever happens to us is also happening to Christ in us. You and I are so closely united with Jesus Christ, as branches are to the vine, that our joys, sufferings, and daily experiences are shared in hi...
Contemplata Episode 40 | God's Life In You | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
The Lord says ‘I am the vine, you are the branches.’ That is how the Lord wants us to think of the life of grace. Jesus is the head of the body, we are his members. There is a distinction, but there is one common life. You and I are branches on...
Contemplata Episode 39 | Communion | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Every word of scripture is full of fire from the Holy Spirit. Every time you and I take a word of scripture to heart great things begin to happen in our souls. We begin to recover our sense of the presence of God in our lives and in the world a...
Contemplata Episode 38 | How God Loves You | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
The great plan of God is to unite human beings everywhere with His eternal Son, Jesus Chirst, by the power of the Holy Spirit. His plan is to make us live on a whole new level, so that we can worship Him with Jesus. In our baptism the love of G...
Contemplata Episode 37 | God's Plan for You | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Very often it doesn’t seem like God has a plan. It can feel like everything is going wrong. But we need to remember—God has a plan for the whole world, and for each of us personally. St. Paul called God’s plan “the mystery.” Through...
Contemplata Episode 36 | Your Way to Contemplation | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
In order for us to live the spiritual life and really grow in our awareness and knowledge and love of the Holy Trinity dwelling in our hearts, one of the best practices we can take up is the practice of Lectio Divina—the slow prayerful reading ...
Contemplata Episode 35 | How to Become Aware of God | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
Each of us has an interior life—an inner room which Scripture often calls the heart, or the deep heart. And the Lord is telling us to go there to our inner room within each of us. He also tells us to close the door. That's what we've been talki...
Contemplata Episode 34 | How to Live in the Presence of God | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
How do we interact with the indwelling Trinity and live in this presence of God? In this episode, Fr. James tells us there are three things we need to do. First, we need to guard our hearts, and not be pulled away from God by distractions and s...
Contemplata Episode 33 | How God is Present to You | Fr. James Brent, O.P.
God is commonly present to all things, but in our baptism, God comes to be present in our souls in a new way, in a special mode. So how can we understand this special mode of the presence of God that we call the indwelling Trinity? In this epis...