Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2016

048: How Almsgiving Can Save Your Life…Now and Later

by Matthew Leonard

Fasting? Powerful.

Prayer? Absolutely necessary.

Almsgiving? Can save you from death!

In our last episode, we discovered the revolution that occurred in the Old Testament with regard to handling the consequences of sin. We saw how it evolved from something we had to wait and endure, to something akin to a debt we could “pay down” proactively.

In other words, we discovered you can actually shave time off of purgatory through almsgiving. It was pretty huge.

Now we’re going to take it one step further.

In today’s program we’re going to unpack the incredible meaning behind a simple little verse in Proverbs: “The treasuries of wickedness provide no benefit, but almsgiving delivers from death” (10:2).

That’s a pretty amazing sentence. And it’s not hyperbole. It’s not exaggeration. It’s the truth…and we’ll see it in Scripture.

In this powerful episode we’ll:

Discover the little discussed details in the story of the raising of Tabitha from the dead and how they’re all related to almsgiving
Understand why almsgiving before all else is a cry for mercy
Discuss the rationale for how almsgiving can help not just ourselves, but our beloved deceased
Compare the difference between almsgiving and indulgences
Get a new perspective on the Our Father and discover why St. Augustine declared that forgiving others is a powerful form of almsgiving

It’s a pretty powerful episode that will reorder the way you think about how to help your beloved deceased, as well as best prepare for your own departure from this world into the eternal bliss of heaven.

God bless!

Matthew

P.S. Don’t just listen to us talk about it. Do it! Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life! It’s an easy step-by-step guide to help you rocket to God!

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Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2016

047: The Secret Back Door Out of Purgatory Nobody Talks About

by Matthew Leonard

If I was to ask you the quickest way out of purgatory, or even perhaps the quickest way into heaven, what would you say? “Be a saint.” Good.

But what should we do when we fall short? What about when we sin?

The book I mention in the podcast.

“Get to confession,” you reply. Excellent. But then what? Is there a way to make up for what we’ve done? A way to remedy the damage that we’ve caused the Body of Christ now, so that we don’t suffer later?

Absolutely. It’s almsgiving.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to start giving alms. I’m going to tell you why you’re nuts if you don’t. Trust me. You want to hear this. Because we’re going to:

Discuss why you want to spend as little time in purgatory as possible
(hint: it hurts…a lot!)
Show how Scripture describes sin in terms of a debt to be paid
Demonstrate the incredible revolution with regard to payment for sin that occurred in the Old Testament between the time of King David and Daniel
Examine Scripture passages that demonstrate the concept of purgatory and its miraculous relationship to almsgiving
Explain how almsgiving can shortcut the consequences of your sinful actions…now and later!

Don’t listen if you enjoy suffering. For the rest of you, push “play” now!

Matthew

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Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2016

046: St. John Paul II Through the Eyes of a Swiss Guard

by Matthew Leonard

Pope St. John Paul II is one of the most beloved popes of all time. He touched the lives of millions.

But his impact is far from over.

JPII was a world-class philosopher. He taught us truths about ourselves, and humanity in general, in a way that made sense. He understood our deepest longings and turmoil. He could explain the inner workings of our heart in relation to God.

In a nutshell, he taught us how to be fully human through Jesus Christ.

But while most of us learned this from his speeches, encyclicals, and books, Andreas Widmer, former Swiss Guard and now Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Catholic University of Americas’ Busch School of Business & Economics, received his instruction in person.

This giant of a man swore to protect and serve the Holy Father with his life.

And in return, he learned what it means to truly live. In fact, he wrote a book about it called The Pope & the CEO: John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard.

In this special episode of the Art of Catholic, we’re going to:

Hear beautiful stories about what JPII was really like in person
Learn about the history and duties of the Swiss Guard
Discover the relationship between JPII’s famous Theology of the Body and the world of economics
Discuss how JPII’s view of poverty and the human person is necessary to understand the heart of Pope Francis
Hear this modern saint’s “simple” rule of life he practiced every day

You don’t get too many opportunities to hear personal witness about a saint. Andreas Widmer gives us that and much more!

Matthew

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