Older Son (Spiritual Sense)
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Release Date: 04/15/2026
Sharing in God's Work of Reconciliation
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 320 - Sharing in God's Work of Reconciliation Have you ever felt responsible for correcting someone you love, but struggled to know whether to speak up or let it go? In this episode, the friars reflect on what it means to share in God's work of reconciliation. When we see someone making mistakes, struggling with sin, or drifting away from the faith, it's natural to want to help. But how do we know when God is asking us to step in, and when He's inviting us to surrender? Through the example of Saint Francis, the friars explore how fraternal correction is not simply about pointing out...
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Trusting God with Tomorrow
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 319 - Trusting God with Tomorrow Have you ever felt like things are going well and started waiting for something bad to happen? In this episode, the friars reflect on what it means to trust God with tomorrow. When life is peaceful, fruitful, or good, it can be easy to brace ourselves for suffering, fear the next tragedy, or believe that the "other shoe" is about to drop. But that fear often reveals a deeper question: Who do I really believe God is? The friars invite us to stay rooted in the present moment, where God is actually meeting us. We are not promised perfect understanding of...
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Is It Ever Enough?
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 318 - Is It Ever Enough? Have you ever felt like no matter how much you give, it still isn't enough? In this episode, the friars reflect on the difference between holy desire and the exhausting pressure to always do more. The world often tells us that greatness means never being satisfied, never resting, and never believing we have given enough. But that mindset can quietly lead to burnout, discouragement, self-reliance, and a distorted view of God. Jesus does invite us deeper. He does call us to love with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. But His invitation is not...
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Holy Father Francis
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 317 - Holy Father Francis What is it about Saint Francis that still captures hearts after 800 years? In this episode, the friars begin a new series reflecting on Saint Francis during the 800th anniversary of his death. Rather than simply talking about Francis as a historical figure, they each share how he first entered their lives, how their love for him has grown, and what continues to move them about his witness. They reflect on Francis as a radical follower of the Gospel, a father, a lover, a mystic, and a man completely captured by Jesus. His poverty, penance, joy, prayer, and love...
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Silence of Union
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 316 - Silence of Union What if silence is not just something we practice, but a place where God invites us to meet Him? In this final episode of the silence series, the friars reflect on the silence of union-the deeper "why" behind all the silence we have been talking about. The goal is not simply to talk less, think less, judge less, or strip everything away. The goal is communion with God. The friars explore how silence becomes a kind of mountain we climb with Jesus. Like the disciples at the Transfiguration, we cannot force God to reveal His glory, but we can follow Him, make...
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Silence of Judgment
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 315 - Silence of Judgment Have you ever caught yourself judging someone before you really knew the whole story? In this episode, the friars continue their series on holy silence by reflecting on the silence of judgment. They explore the difference between healthy discernment and rash judgment, and why our quick opinions about others can create so much noise in the heart. Judgment often comes from places of hurt, insecurity, control, or the desire to fix what is not ours to fix. But Jesus invites us into a deeper poverty and humility, one that remembers we do not see the whole picture,...
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Silence of the Body
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 314 - Silence of the Body Have you ever noticed how your body can make it harder to be still with God? In this episode, the friars continue their series on holy silence by reflecting on the silence of the body. They explore how our pace, movement, sleep, food, health, rest, and daily habits all shape the way we pray, love, serve, and show up to the present moment. This conversation is not about treating the body like a problem. It is about learning to steward the body as a gift. When we move too fast, neglect rest, ignore our limits, or live constantly scattered, our bodies can carry...
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Silence of Speech
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 313 - Silence of Speech Have you ever wondered how much of what you say actually leads to love? In this episode, the friars continue their series on holy silence by reflecting on the silence of speech. Speech is a gift from God, meant to build communion, speak truth, encourage others, give thanks, and bring life. But our words can also become noisy, filled with commentary, gossip, distraction, self-protection, or conversation that never really leads anywhere deeper. The invitation is not to stop speaking, but to let our words become more intentional, more prayerful, and more ordered...
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Silence of Self-Love
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 312 - Silence of Self-Love Have you ever felt like you had to prove yourself, protect yourself, or hold everything together on your own? In this episode, the friars continue their series on holy silence by reflecting on the silence of self-love. They explore how pride, self-reliance, self-protection, insecurity, and the need to perform can create a lot of noise in our hearts. When we feel threatened, unseen, corrected, or afraid, it can be easy to turn inward and try to defend the self we want others to see. But Jesus invites us into something much quieter and freer, the poverty of...
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Silence of Interior Conversations
The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Episode 311 - Silence of Interior Conversation Have you ever gotten stuck in your own head, replaying conversations, overthinking decisions, or arguing with yourself? In this episode, the friars continue their series on holy silence by reflecting on the silence of interior conversation. So much of our daily life happens inside that constant inner voice, planning, judging, rehearsing, worrying, self-criticizing, or trying to figure everything out on our own. The invitation is not to shut down our thoughts, but to bring them into relationship with Jesus. Instead of living in an endless monologue...
info_outlineEpisode 293 - Older Son (Spiritual Sense)
Have you ever been hurt by someone and struggled with what forgiveness is supposed to look like?
In this episode, the friars revisit the older son in the Prodigal Son story, but now through a deeper, spiritual lens. Not just what he did, but what he felt. The loss, the frustration, the sense of being overlooked, and the real difficulty of being invited into forgiveness before you’re ready.
They explore the complexity of the human heart, how joy and pain can exist at the same time, how past wounds resurface in present moments, and how God meets us not with pressure, but with presence. This conversation is an honest look at what it means to carry hurt, to wrestle with forgiveness, and to let the Father meet you in the middle of it.
Join us as we enter the older son’s story and discover a God who doesn’t rush healing, but walks with us through it.
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