Adult Christianity and How to Get There

Featuring Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI and Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM

Frs. Ron and Richard use these talks to update a perennial and crucial theme: the need for adult Christianity. Both of these master teachers are able to make clear that we tend to do the “start-up work” over and over again- identity, boundaries, law, structure and authority. As helpful as these are, they are only for the sake of an internalized identity and value structure, which finally allows us to live a life of faith, trust, surrender, darkness and service.

Available in MP3 and CD.

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Eucharist: God’s Way of Embracing Us

We are a Eucharist people, a Eucharist Church, a community formed and nurtured by the Eucharist. How does Eucharist work? What are its various meanings? Leader’s guide included. Upper high school through adult. Approx. 100 minutes.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Spirituality and the Two Halves of Life

Growth and discipleship have two distinct parts. We leave home at an early age and spend many years trying to find our way back. How do we get back home again? That’s the spiritual task for the first half of life. No matter which half of your life you’re in, you’ll gain new insights with this program. Leader’s guide included. Approx. 2 hours in 3 parts.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

The Passion of Christ

Through scripture, and examples of life, Fr. Rolheiser gives new understanding and encouragement in how we can give our lives to the world and also give our death to the world. When we think of passion, we think of Christ’s physical suffering and death, but in Agony in the Garden, the Gospels do not emphasize Jesus’ physical sufferings. The Gospel writers want us to understand Jesus the Lover who undergoes moral and emotional suffering without resentment or bitterness. Fr. Rolheiser explains that God’s strength comes when we are exhausted and open to being transformed. A profound and moving reflection, in two parts Part 1- 39:23, Part 2 – 49:05.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

The Cross of Christ

The Cross has become the ultimate symbol of love in the world. It is central to Christianity in that we are to forgive our enemies. As such, it is the single most revolutionary moral event that has happened on this planet. And, like all deep things in life, the Cross is largely a mystery. The Cross reveals God’s unconditional love and vulnerability. The Cross calls us beyond ourselves, our own agenda, and our own life without resentment. This program is presented in two parts. Part 1 – 55:02, Part 2 – 50:15.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Generative Discipleship: The Deeper Invitation of Jesus

One size doesn’t fit everyone! When we think we’ve reached the deepest level of discipleship, Jesus invites us to more. What are those invitations and how can we recognize them? Why does he invite us to give our death as a blessing to others? Discover what Generative Discipleship means from a Biblical perspective and how it will bring deeper meaning to your life.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Living in the Image and Likeness of God

We are created in the image and likeness of God, but how often do we think about that? What does it really mean, in terms of our day-to-day lives and in our search for the divine? Rev. Ron Rolheiser takes you on a three-part journey through the scriptures, Gospels and the writing of theologians and scholars to describe the “struggles inherent in our Blessedness”, how it can be a source of perpetual disquiet and restlessness, and finally, how to live with the “Divine Fire” inside of us. As always, Fr. Rolheiser’s charm, humour, and scholarship make this presentation a memorable one for all those seeking a greater depth and understanding of their faith.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Creating Sabbath Space in Our Lives

This complete program offers numerous possibilities for personal and spiritual enrichment. This ten-session video program can be used for parish adult faith formation, small group faith sharing, or private spiritual renewal. Each of the ten sessions is 25-30 minutes long, and there are both comprehensive leader’s guide and participant materials included.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Secularity and the Gospel: Being Missionaries to Our Own Children

The toughest missionary task in the world today is communicating the faith to our own children. Secular culture, with its many distractions, has some particular resistance to the Gospel even as it contains much that is moral. Is secular culture post-Christian? How much is our culture a culture of life and how much is it a culture of death? How do we become missionaries inside of a secular culture, missionaries to our own children?

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Sacred Fire: An Anthropology and Spirituality of Sexuality

We are incurably sexual, deeply sexed not just in our bodies but in every dimension of our being. Sexuality is a powerful fire inside of us, the best of all fires and the most dangerous of all fires. It is also a sacred fire, meant to be enjoyed as God’s great gift to us even as it is guarded by chastity. This workshop will attempt to articulate both an essential anthropology and an essential spirituality of sexuality.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Dark Nights and Doubts In Our Lives: A Failure of Faith-Or Imagination?

Doubt and darkness do not necessarily mean that we are struggling with faith. They can just as easily mean that we are struggling inside our imagination and that God is purifying us. What is faith and why does it sometimes feel like its opposite? Dark nights of doubt – their origin, their meaning, their invitation.

Join Fr. Rolheiser on this journey out of the darkness so many of us have experienced recently, back into the light.
Leader’s guide for groups available.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

The Incarnation: Keeping God in the Flesh

God didn’t come to earth in the flesh for just 33 years. Christ didn’t leave us when he ascended into heaven. We, the Christian community, continue the Incarnation. We are the Body of Christ. We do not represent Christ, replace Christ, or become merely his mystical body. We ARE the Body of Christ and we continue to give physical flesh to God. This has astonishing implications for how we pray, seek healing, look for guidance, understand the religious experience, and for how we “bind and loose” our loved ones. As only he can, Fr. Rolheiser brings the incarnation into focus and brings clarity to its meaning for you.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Keeping Incarnate the Paschal Mystery

In his insightful presentation on the Paschal Mystery, renowned theologian, Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI describes and explains two kinds of death, two kinds of life, and the distinction between “life” and “spirit.” He also investigates what he calls, five distinct moments in the paradigm of the Paschal Mystery. In his clear language and approachable style, Fr. Rolheiser gives us a practical understanding of how the Paschal Mystery plays into our own lives.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Many Faces of Fear: Exploring the Roots of Religious Fear

All of us live with religious fears, fears about God, about life, and about our eternal destiny. What are the origins of those fears? Are they healthy, a sign of faith, or are they unhealthy, a sign of neuroses and timidity? Should we be preaching more fear in our churches or are people staying away because we have already preached unhealthy fear? These talks will examine the origins and the complexities of religious fear and, after giving it its proper due, will examine some biblical principles that invite us to live with less fear.

Upper high school through adults
3 parts approx 50 minutes each

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

On Blessings

This video tells us why we should offer blessings and support to those younger than ourselves, how to do it, and about the rewards for those giving and receiving blessings. As Fr. Rolheiser says, “When you act like God, we get to feel like God”.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Mysticism: The Heartbeat of God

How do we live a mystically-driven life? What does it feel like? Your head tells you what you think is wise to do and your heart tells you what you’d like to do. Your mystical center is in a deeper part of you that tells you what you have to do. Mysticism is being touched and it’s being held and compelled by something that’s deeper than your head, your heart, your feelings, and your imagination.

We all have mystical experiences, but we’re not all mystics. Father Rolheiser shares examples of others such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and Ruth Burrows, OCD as well as some major world religions that benefit from getting in touch with their mystical souls. Father Rolheiser shows how living out of mysticism is what frees us up to live true lives, to live noble lives and ultimately to live meaningful lives.

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.

Aging Gracefully Living Fruitfully

We go through three major phases of growth and discipleship during our lives. Early on in life, we struggle to get our lives together. During our generative years, we struggle to give our lives away. Later on in life, we struggle to give our deaths away. This journey, the final stage of our lives, is what mystics call “the dark night of the spirit”. How do we do this so that our aging and death become our final gifts to our loved ones? How do we age and die gracefully and fruitfully?

This video can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/8489527. A web-based option to download will be available from Franciscan Media in the near future.