FR. JOHN RICCARDO, missionary and ACTS XXIX Executive Director. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1996. In 2019, after 23 years in parish ministry, he founded Acts XXIX to proclaim the gospel in an attractive and compelling way and to equip clergy and lay leaders for the age in which God has chosen us to live. Fr. John is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Gregorian University, and the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
Fr. John Riccardo has hosted 92 Episodes.
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Episode 72: What Does Paul Mean by "Glory"?
June 5th, 2024 | 17 mins 41 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
As the title of C.S. Lewis’ essay comes from the above passage from St. Paul, I thought it worth sharing at least part of it this week. I know it’s much longer than this blog usually is but it’s simply too good to edit more than I already have. For those who are encountering this masterpiece for the first time, you might want to refill your coffee, or whatever beverage you are enjoying, and settle in to drink deeply from this great man’s insights.
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Episode 71: Lord, I Want To See!
May 29th, 2024 | 6 mins 55 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Contrary to how the world thinks, faith is not blind but rather a way of knowing, a way of seeing all of reality which is much, much bigger than anything we can conceive.
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Episode 70: Better Than Gold
May 22nd, 2024 | 7 mins 34 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Each day, the Church puts before us a veritable feast not only in the Scriptures chosen for Mass but in the antiphons and prayers as well. Truth be told, the appetizers are so good that sometimes I never make it to the main course.
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Episode 69: My Lord
May 15th, 2024 | 6 mins 41 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Idols? What in the world do idols have to do with us moderns? I’ve never seen a shrine to Zeus or Aphrodite in any of the homes that I’ve visited. And yet…
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Episode 68: Reigning – Not Far Away
May 8th, 2024 | 9 mins 42 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Jesus has been established as the true and rightful Lord. His is the name above every either name. Jesus has no rival and no equal. And one day He will return to judge the living and the dead and establish God’s kingdom in a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no sickness, no mourning, no death.
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Episode 67: What Else is There to Say?
May 1st, 2024 | 8 mins 12 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
The gods of the ancient world, whether Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Sumerian, or other, were to be appeased, kept happy, bargained with, and more – lest they become angry and wreak havoc on mere mortals who are nothing but their playthings. The thought that God might be love never entered the imaginations of the people in the ancient world.
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Episode 66: The Dumb Shepherd?
April 24th, 2024 | 11 mins 35 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Usually, this weekly blog is about the 2nd Reading for the upcoming Sunday at Mass. However, I can’t stop thinking and praying about the Gospel from last Sunday, and so I wanted to pass on what the Lord has been sharing with me in prayer in the hope that it might be helpful and timely for perhaps one other person out there.
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Episode 65: Better Than Winning The Lottery
April 17th, 2024 | 7 mins 27 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Many years ago now some friends of mine adopted a young boy who was maybe nine or ten years old. He had spent most of his life going from orphanage to orphanage in the country where he was born.
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Episode 64: The One Who Answers The Cry
April 10th, 2024 | 7 mins 18 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Someone crying is someone who is in need or hurting somehow.
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Episode 63: Christus Victor
April 3rd, 2024 | 7 mins 18 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Any mention of Jesus without the words Victor, Champion, King, and Lord are incomplete.
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Episode 62: Swear To God
March 27th, 2024 | 7 mins 50 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
The highlight of the Easter Vigil is when those who have been preparing for many months now are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son
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Episode 61: Even Death on a Cross
March 20th, 2024 | 13 mins 52 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Some years ago, I found myself utterly absorbed in Fleming Rutledge’s The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ. It’s a most worthwhile read, especially at this time of year.