Displaying 4 items of Draw Near with the tag "ash wednesday".
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Penance: The Desert Where God Transforms Us
February 18th, 2026 | 40 mins 33 secs
almsgiving, ash wednesday, catholic podcast, catholic spirituality, christian living, desert spirituality, discipleship, draw near podcast, faith journey, fasting, hope, lent, new life in christ, penance, prayer, resurrection, sacrifice, spiritual growth, suffering, transformation
Suffering is where transformation begins, but what does that have to do with Lent?
In this Ash Wednesday episode of Draw Near, Fred and Kara explore the meaning of penance, the purpose of the desert season, and how suffering can become a place of spiritual growth that leads toward resurrection. Why does Lent begin with ashes and words about death? How does penance train the heart? And how does the journey through sacrifice open us to new life in Christ?
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DN Classics: Doing Lent... Well?
February 14th, 2024 | 1 hr 4 mins
ash wednesday, lent
Reaching back into "the vault" from a couple of years ago, we share one of our most popular Lenten episodes. If you think you are good at Lent… You are not. No one is good at Lent. But there is a good reason for this. Lent is often a challenge because it requires letting go of things that hinder us in following the Lord. It requires taking up the cross and denying ourselves for something much greater and more beautiful: a deeper encounter with the love and person of Jesus Christ. This helps us to begin to think more like Christ, to live more like Christ, to love more like Christ. But how do we do this? In this episode we invite some of our friends to share some of their own thoughts and experiences of drawing near to the Lord during Lent.
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Return to Me With Your Whole Heart
February 21st, 2023 | 8 mins 46 secs
ash wednesday, lent, reflection, return
It's Ash Wednesday! Our Lenten journey has begun. In this "shortie" episode, Fred offers a reflection on the readings for the day: in particular, the words, “Return to me with your whole heart…” What do these words mean? What is the Lord calling us to and reminding us of? What can we learn from our tendencies in our human relationships? How do we avoid growing cold in our love and taking our beloved for granted? The answers to these questions are found in this reflection. As you begin your Lenten journey, we encourage you to listen and take up the challenge that Fred offers here: "This Lent, may we return to the Lord with our whole heart, so that the fire of his love may be enkindled in our hearts. May we be filled by that fire with the warmth of his grace; and may we inspire others to do the same."
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Doing Lent... Well?
March 2nd, 2022 | 1 hr 4 mins
ash wednesday, guests, lent, penance
In this episode we invite some of our friends to share some of their own thoughts and experiences of drawing near to the Lord during Lent. No one is good at Lent. Lent is often a challenge because it requires a letting go of things that hinder us in following the Lord. It requires taking up the cross and denying ourselves for something much greater and more beautiful: a deeper encounter with the love and person of Jesus Christ.