Fr. Josh answers questions about how to respond to family members who are living an openly sinful lifestyle, feeling left out and bitter trying to date while remaining holy, forgiving oneself after not baptizing a child, and jealousy over a co-worker getting a better job. If you have a question, comment, or response for Fr. Josh, email us at askfrjosh@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!
Snippet from the Show
“Jesus, send forth your Holy Spirit right now. Renew your church. Renew the Body of Christ. Give us the grace to desire to be saints—to live lives that are cannonizable. Give us the grace to run to heaven with the crosses that we carry. Amen.”
SHOWNOTES
Glory Story (2:47)
It’s been a difficult few weeks for all of us—all of the Body of Christ. The sins of some members of the Church’s hierarchy have completely broken Jesus’ heart. Fr. Josh shares the beautiful story of how his parishioners are stepping up and calling every member of the Body of Christ to be the saints they were meant to be. It’s time to live lives that are cannonizable.
Listener Feedback (11:03)
Living in Sin (15:59)
Fr. Josh, how should I handle my relationship with extended family members who have committed adultery and are now living an openly sinful lifestyle with another person? It does not appear that these people are open to reconciliation with their spouses, but they desire to maintain a relationship with much of our family. Furthermore, my wife and I struggle with clarity as to how we might explain this situation to our kids as they grow older.
-JP
Dating (21:06)
Thank you so much for your show. I enjoy listening to it and focusing on God while I work out at the gym!
I am 26 and recently ended a year and a half long relationship with my boyfriend. I could feel God tugging on my heart the last 6 months and knew something wasn’t right. I knew my boyfriend wasn’t a practicing Catholic, but he was trying for me. I tried to ignore the anxiousness and picture myself marrying this man, but the anxiety became so overwhelming that I ended the relationship. My daily routines have quickly changed. Everything I was comfortable with slipped out from under me and I’m hurting. After discerning for six months, I knew God was calling me to end the relationship.
My question for you is: As a young person trying to live a faith-filled life, how can I get over the bitterness of seeing all my friends living with their boyfriends, vacationing with their boyfriends, and having sex? Why does it feel like I’m the one losing for trying to follow Christ? They all seem so happy, yet I’m the one hurting and alone.
Thank you so much again.
-A Lonely Sister in Christ
Forgiving Oneself (27:18)
I am writing to you because I recently found your podcasts and I think you might hear me.
When I was in my early 20’s, I was married in the Church. My marriage barely lasted a year (no kids). I did not have my marriage annulled. Five years later, I married a Baptist who was, and is, openly contemptuous of Catholicism. My second marriage ended in divorce after twenty years.
My second husband and I had one child, who is now 22. Our son recently graduated from college and is living with his dad, and will continue to do so while he attends grad school, which starts in the fall. I live three hours away. This past year, after being away from the Church for DECADES, I recommitted to my faith. I feel Christ’s presence and love in my life every day, every hour. It’s incredible. I hardly recognize the person I was a year ago. I have confessed the enormous sin of not having had my son baptized or raised in the faith, which was my fault. Father counseled that I should pray to St. Monica for my son’s conversion and continue to witness my Catholicism to him. My son is a kind, smart, and sensitive young man. He’ll attend Mass with me when he is town, but he has no real understanding of what is going on and no desire at all to check out RCIA. Why should he? I need a St. Ambrose to show up in my son’s life, or a St. Barnabas. He has good friends, but none of them are Catholic (or even necessarily Christian). Besides praying, especially to St. Monica, and living my faith, how can I help my son find his way to Christ and His Church? I found my own way back, sure, but I was raised in the faith and always self-identified as a Catholic, even when I surely didn’t live like one. Also, I know that God has forgiven me, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but I cannot seem to forgive myself. (I am crying as I type this.) I love my son to pieces, and I have done this great, great wrong to him because I was so lost myself. I am sorry that this email is so long. Thank you for listening.
-Re-Committed Mama
Jealousy (32:21)
First I would like to say that I love the podcast. As a cradle Catholic (who left and came back recently) I am starting to realize how little I know about my faith. I also love the prayer that you do at the end. It is the only time of serenity that I get at work.
Which brings me to my question. I have a coworker who is leaving for a new job, and I am struggling with my emotions. On the one hand I am excited that she is leaving because this job is constricting and the company is toxic, but on the other I am struggling with jealousy. I have been applying to other jobs and have had no luck and she never gets her work done on time and constantly complains about other people in the office. I feel like she doesn’t deserve this new job. It is causing me more angst than I imagined it would, and I was wondering if you could speak on how to handle this situation. I feel almost as if God is “teaching me a lesson” so to speak.
-Phillip
Universal Points (38:19)
- Living in Sin – Trust in the grace that comes from the Word of God. Pray, fast, and be honest.
- Dating – Never settle for sin. Surround yourself with a community that will support your growth towards holiness.
- Forgiving Oneself – Spend more time with Jesus. The more time we spend with him the more we will begin to act like him.
- Jealousy – Always remember that God desires what is best for us.
Meet Your Host, Fr. Josh Johnson:
While Fr. Josh was raised Catholic, he didn’t like the Church growing up. One day, in adoration, he fell in love with Jesus and received the call to become apriest. Now, Fr.Josh is the pastor for Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Louisiana, and he is a presenter in two of Ascension’s programs: Altaration, and YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body.
