Displaying 4 items of Draw Near with the tag "suffering".
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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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The Cross Isn’t the End of the Story: Holding Onto Hope in Grief
February 18th, 2025 | 8 mins 51 secs
catholic, catholic reflection, christian living, christianity, cross, endurance, faith, faith in trials, finding peace, grief, hope, jesus christ, redemptive suffering, resurrection, spiritual darkness, spiritual growth, suffering, trust in god, unseen joy
What happens when you endure the Cross, but joy feels impossibly far away? In this episode, we explore the mystery of suffering, the hope of unseen joy, and the strength we find in Christ to carry us through life’s heaviest trials.
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Why do bad things happen to good people?
April 3rd, 2024 | 57 mins 18 secs
scripture, suffering
As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus at the beginning of this Easter season, we revisit the topic of suffering and reflect on its relationship to the Resurrection; and the experience of resurrection in our own lives. Why do we suffer? What purpose does it serve? How should we approach it? Why does the Lord allow it? And can anything good come from it? In this episode we pull ALOT from Scripture, get a little personal and honest, and reflect suffering in our own lives, and the life of Job, in reflecting on the answers to these questions.
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One Hour with Our Son
February 1st, 2023 | 52 mins 42 secs
catholic marriage, faith, guest, hope, infant loss, love, miscarriage, suffering, testimony
*** Trigger Warning: Infant Loss and Miscarriage ***
In this episode we are joined by our friends Danny and Ashley Swalve as we discuss their journey of coming to a deeper faith in Christ and how that has shaped their marriage and helped them to find great hope even through otherwise overwhelmingly difficult circumstances. At the heart of their testimony is their story of surrender and trust in God's will for their lives; a desire to be used by Him to help bring healing to others who have faced similar challenges.