Episode Archive

114 episodes of Thoughts from the Trailer with Fr. John Riccardo since the first episode, which aired on January 25th, 2023.

  • Episode 54: What's In It For Us

    January 31st, 2024  |  9 mins 25 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    Perhaps I’m just really selfish and disordered, but I’ve always been encouraged by passages in Scripture that seem to convey that the disciples thought like me (at least at times). James and John jockey for positions of power, wanting seats at the right and left of Jesus.

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    Episode 53: A Pastor Responds to His Flock

    January 24th, 2024  |  8 mins 27 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    I can just imagine the eyerolls among some people this coming Sunday as this passage is proclaimed at Mass. There goes the Catholic Church again. Why is she always so down on marriage and sexuality and the things of this world?!

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    Episode 52: A Scene Change is Coming

    January 17th, 2024  |  7 mins 6 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    The line that I am personally dwelling on this week is the last one: “The world in its present form is passing away.”

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    Episode 51: Pondering God’s Word on the Body

    January 10th, 2024  |  5 mins 52 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    I was fortunate after ordination to the priesthood to spend several years studying the theology of the body in depth.

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    Episode 50: Remodeling the House

    January 3rd, 2024  |  9 mins 24 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    I had a conversation with a young woman recently that I can’t shake. Hers is a rather common tale: she grew up in a strong Catholic family, went to Catholic schools, got to college and drifted away....

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    Episode 49: Reading Scripture On Our Knees

    December 27th, 2023  |  9 mins 35 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    Fr. John reflects on Colossians 3:12-21.
    "We have acquired something of a habit of excising those parts of Scripture we find uncomfortable, confusing, and problematic. Hans Urs von Balthasar was fond of saying we need to do theology on our knees, and not at a desk. In other words, we need to let God’s Word pick us apart, not us pick it apart."

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    Episode 48: Veiling and Unveiling the Mystery

    December 20th, 2023  |  10 mins 21 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    This was originally an entirely different article. And then Monday happened.

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    Episode 47: On Being 'Hopeful Lamenters'

    December 13th, 2023  |  8 mins 49 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    We in ACTS XXIX think of this mission of ours as priests as being “hopeful lamenters.”

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    Episode 46: You Are What You Eat

    December 6th, 2023  |  8 mins 20 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    Without clarity on the mission, all sorts of negative results can and usually do occur.

  • Episode 45: Jesus’ One Homily 

    November 29th, 2023  |  9 mins 8 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    I would argue that at the root of every temptation is the accusation that God is not a good Father and He cannot be trusted.

  • Episode 44: Thankful for All of You!

    November 22nd, 2023  |  9 mins 29 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    “ACTS XXIX is the most fruitful apostolate I’ve ever seen and been around..."

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    Episode 43: How Do You See Things?

    November 15th, 2023  |  7 mins 19 secs
    acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly

    How, as believers in Jesus, are we to live in this time of “already and not yet?”