Episode 285 - From Son to Orphan

How does a beloved son end up living like an orphan?

As Lent begins, the friars enter deeply into the parable of the Prodigal Son, not starting with the return, but with the rupture. What happens in a heart that makes someone walk away from home? What wounds, doubts, shame, or disappointments lead us to take our inheritance and try to live without the Father?

In this episode, they reflect on the subtle shift that happens long before the son leaves: the movement from trust to self-reliance, from intimacy to isolation, from sonship to an orphan spirit. They explore how sin and shame distort our vision of God's goodness, and how easy it is to believe we're better off on our own.

This conversation isn't about condemnation, it's about awareness. Because before we become "prodigal," we often become wounded.

Join us as we begin Lent by asking the Lord to reveal where we've chosen distance and to restore us to the truth of being sons and daughters again.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

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Episode 284 - Signs of Hope

Is it still possible to hope when so much feels heavy, confusing, or broken?

In this episode, the friars take an honest look at the state of the Church and the world and refuse to stop at discouragement. They talk about suffering, darkness, and the temptation to despair, but also about the quiet, real ways God is at work bringing renewal, healing, and new life.

From families choosing faith in small, daily ways, to renewed hunger for prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments, this conversation names the concrete signs of hope that often go unnoticed. Not flashy movements or quick fixes, but steady, faithful people responding to grace where they are.

Join us as we learn to see with hope again and recognize the Holy Spirit already at work, even now.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you! Get your own copy of the Prodigal Son prints https://spiritjuice.shop/collections/poco-a-poco/products/print-coming-home

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Episode 283 - Franciscan Jubilee

What do we do when the Church invites us to slow down and then calls us to go deeper?

In this episode, the friars reflect on the newly announced Jubilee Year of St. Francis and what it means not just for Franciscans, but for the whole Church. They share why this moment feels like a continuation of grace rather than a reset, an invitation to keep living the Jubilee spirit of holiness, simplicity, and trust.

They talk about St. Francis not as an unreachable saint, but as a brother who shows us how to follow Jesus with clarity and freedom. This conversation explores holiness as something concrete and lived: simplifying our lives, returning to prayer, falling in love with the Eucharist, and letting ourselves be captivated by Christ again.

Join us as we begin this Jubilee year together, learning, little by little, how to follow Jesus more simply and more fully.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 282 - Human Stuff

Why are the most ordinary parts of life often the hardest to navigate?

In this episode, the friars lean into the everyday realities we all deal with: conflict, communication, expectations, and the awkward moments we'd rather avoid. From navigating tough conversations to managing unspoken expectations and misunderstandings, they talk honestly about how "human stuff" can quietly shape our relationships for better or worse.

Rather than offering quick fixes, the conversation invites us to grow in maturity, courage, and clarity to stop avoiding discomfort and start choosing honesty, vulnerability, and charity in the messiness of real life.

Join us as we laugh, reflect, and learn how God meets us right in the middle of our very human stuff.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

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Episode 281 - A Pro-Life Examen

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or unsure about what being "pro-life" actually looks like in your everyday life?

Rather than focusing on politics or arguments, this conversation centers on discipleship: prayer, sacrifice, courage, and small, concrete steps that flow from the Gospel. It's an invitation to examine our hearts with humility and let God show us where He's calling us to deeper faithfulness.

In this episode, the friars invite us into a yearly pro-life examen. A prayerful pause to notice where indifference, distraction, or fatigue may have crept in, and to remember why the dignity of human life matters so deeply to our faith. They speak honestly about how easy it is to grow numb and why staying awake to this reality is an act of love.

Join us as we ask the Lord to renew our hearts and teach us how to love and defend life more intentionally.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 280 - How Do We Celebrate?

Why is it so hard to celebrate what's good, especially when it's happening in ourselves or others?

Drawing from Scripture, the lives of the saints, and everyday experiences of community and brotherhood, this conversation invites us to see celebration not as competition or self-focus, but as a way of rejoicing in what God is doing. To bless another is to acknowledge grace at work and to receive blessing is often an act of humility itself

In this episode, the friars wrestle with a surprisingly tender question: how do Christians celebrate well without fear, pride, or false humility? They talk about affirmation, gratitude, and the discomfort many of us feel when blessings are named out loud, whether it's a gift, an accomplishment, or simply being seen.

Join us as we learn how celebrating well can heal shame, strengthen relationships, and help us rejoice more freely in God's goodness.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 279 - A New Year's Resolution

What if this year's resolution isn't about fixing your life, but about trusting God in the middle of it?

As a new year begins, the friars talk honestly about goals, growth, and the tension between good intentions and real life. But the conversation quickly turns deeper. Drawing from the Gospel scene of the storm at sea, they reflect on the haunting question the disciples ask Jesus: "Do you not care that we are perishing?"

This episode invites us to start the year not by avoiding the storms we're in, but by naming them and discovering that Jesus is already in the boat with us. His silence isn't indifference. His meekness isn't distance. It's the quiet confidence of a God who cares deeply, stays close, and is already at work.

Join us as we begin the year by seeking the one resolution that changes everything: learning to trust that He truly cares.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 278 - The Blessed Mother

Have you ever struggled to believe that God could really work through your weakness?

In this episode, the friars turn their gaze to the Blessed Mother and the quiet, radical way she lived the Beatitudes. They reflect on Mary's poverty of spirit, her meekness, and her total availability to God, not as something distant or unattainable, but as a lived posture of trust, openness, and surrender.

They explore how Mary's emptiness became the space where God did His greatest work, how her confidence came from knowing who she was before the Father, and how her motherhood continues to draw close to us in our own poverty and need.

Join us as we entrust ourselves again to our Mother and learn how her "yes" teaches us how to receive God more fully in our own lives.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes

Episode 277 - Meekness: The Manger and the Storm

Have you ever felt frustrated when Jesus seems quiet while everything around you is falling apart?

In this episode, the friars continue reflecting on "Blessed are the meek," turning to two striking images: Jesus asleep in the manger and Jesus asleep in the boat during the storm. Both reveal a confidence rooted not in control, but in trust. Trust in the Father, trust in victory, even when chaos is loud and fear feels close.

They talk honestly about the frustration we feel when Jesus seems distant or inactive while we're struggling. And they invite us to see that His silence isn't absence, it's the patience of love at work.

Join us as we learn to trust Jesus in the storm and discover the peace that comes from knowing He is already with us.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes

Episode 276 - Jesus, Meekness, and Fighting Satan

What if meekness isn't weakness but the strongest way Jesus fights?

In this episode, the friars turn to "Blessed are the meek" and uncover how meekness is not passivity or timidity, but the fruit of deep confidence and identity as sons of the Father. They explore how Jesus enters the ultimate battle, not with force or armor, but with humility, vulnerability, and unwavering trust in who He is. This is how He confronts temptation, resists Satan, and claims victory.

They reflect on how our own battles are often fought in the same place: our identity. When we're rooted in the Father's love, insecurity loses its power, and we're free to stand firm without grasping, proving, or defending ourselves.

Join us as we learn how meekness becomes strength, identity becomes armor, and Christ's victory becomes our own.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes

Episode 275 - Peace, Mercy, and Vulnerability

What if real peace only grows where we're willing to be vulnerable?

In this episode, the friars reflect on "Blessed are the peacemakers" and "Blessed are the merciful", showing how both Beatitudes invite us to step toward others with honesty and humility. Making peace means entering hard conversations without defenses. Mercy means letting go of the "high ground" we hold over those who've hurt us. Both require lowering ourselves, just as Jesus does.

They explore how vulnerability isn't weakness but the place where reconciliation becomes possible, where forgiveness takes root, and where the heart of Christ is revealed.

Join us as we learn the courage to be vulnerable and the freedom that comes from choosing mercy and peace.

The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at https://www.pocomerch.com/

Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes