Something has made a big difference in Jeff’s prayer life over the past month, and he wants to share it with you. Find out how the Communion of Saints can transform your spiritual life and learn tips for developing your own “spiritual posse.”
Shownotes
- If you could have anyone in all of history pray for you, who would it be? If Mother Teresa were alive right now, and you two had tea together, would you ask her to pray for you? — 3:00
- Jeff talks about meeting Saint Pope John Paul II for the first-time — 4:58
- “Christianity was never meant to be a solo sport.” Learn about what it means to say that the Church is a family — 6:38
- How does Jesus share his suffering and intercession with his body? Why does he ask us to pray for each other? — 9:15
- What is the Communion of Saints? — 9:30
- A month ago, Jeff put together a spiritual “posse” of five saints, and he works on building a relationship with each of them every day. Each saint is a patron of an area in life where Jeff wants to grow. — 11:10
- How can you put together your own spiritual “posse?” — 15:00
- Jeff reveals who is in his “posse” — 23:00
- Tell Jeff who is in your spiritual “posse”!
Jeff’s “posse”
We’d Love to Hear from You
Do you have comments or questions for Jeff? Use the comment box below, or email Jeff at thejeffcavinsshow@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!
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Hi Jeff,
I just listened to your podcast. It was wonderful. I was just wondering if you could give me a list of book recommendations that you read when learning about your “spiritual posse”. Thank you!
I just listened to this for the first time on 4/25/2017 and really enjoyed it. I struggled with this topic due to the influence of esteemed friends/family/persons that deny this aspect of the catholic faith (and others) to the point of leaving the church and joining the non-denom movement. Pray for them. I’ve prayed for help on discerning this. It just so happens that one of the days (4/25) I truly focused my prayer on asking God for assistance in discerning the truth of this topic (praying for Saintly intercession), I decide to listen to my wife and listen to podcasts of the Jeff Cavins Show. Why is 4/25 significant? 1) it’s the day I prayed specifically for help on this. 2) It is St. Mark’s feast day (see my name) 3) my mom texted me later that day “Happy Feast Day”. 4) it’s the day I listened to this podcast. With that, here is my posse: 1) St. Mark – my patron saint, gospel writer, patron of many things but including impenitence. I need help with this in my weakest moments. 2) St. Katherine of Siena – my mother’s patron saint. See point 3 above for more on that. 3) St. Philip Neri – ‘Dear Lord, look out for Philip today lest he betray you again.’ Need I say more? 4) St. Ignatious of Antioch – fed to wild beasts for his faith. Helped me strengthen my understanding of the Eucharist when ridiculed by my non-denom friends mentioned previously. 5) St. Joseph + St. Mary mother of God – I’m a husband and father of 4 boys. This should be obvious. I’ll add one more whose special to me: 6) St. John Henry Newman – Protestant/Anglican convert. Lived in Philadelphia (my home town city), “To be ignorant of history is to be protestant”. From my previous comments you can see why I love him. God bless. PS – I’m on session 15 of the Great Adventure Bible Study with my church group and it’s excellent! I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t done it yet.
St. John Neumann was the bishop of Philadelphia, not St. John Henry Newman. Still, I love them both and they taught me humility. 🙂
As long as I can remember, St. Anthony held position in my posse as the go-to saint whenever I lost or misplaced anything, showing himself ever reliable, to the point of ridiculously faithful, in response to my pleas. Over the years my unbelieving husband somehow tuned-in to even my faintest whisper to St. Anthony and questioned this practice. So, when he found himself missing the keys to not only our house and car but to his office, having nearly exhausted himself in the search, I said, “Honey, in my world when I face this, I ask St. Anthony for help.” Reluctantly and self-consciously he petitioned, “St. Anthony, please help me find these keys!” A short time later he went to tend to something at the back corner of our one acre lot. He returned to the house quickly and, with complete shock on his face, held out the keys.
On another occasion, I arrived home from Sunday Mass to find him perched on our back porch. Inquiring of this peculiar position he explained that he couldn’t find his work pager and feared missing an urgent need. He continued that while he was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper, he asked St Anthony to help. “Something told me to go out onto the porch and sit quietly. So I did.” We sat in the silence until suddenly he popped up, said he heard something that I certainly couldn’t, walked deep into a flower bed and produced the wayward pager. Encouraged by St. Anthony’s responses, through the years Rob implored his aid so frequently that he felt comfortable invoking him with, “Yo, Tony!”
Rob passed away suddenly. When our pastor shared the paradox of an seeking-unbeliever choosing recourse to a saint to the point of such familiarity that he felt welcomed to do so on a first name basis, it not only added a moment of levity to the memorial service, it caused him to ponder why believers are not so at ease speaking with the saints. Fr. Sill must have taken this to heart as well for the following week, during Stations of the Cross, he lost his place. One of the participants who also attended the memorial service told me afterwards that Father grew flustered then stopped and uttered, “Yo, Tony!”
Just listened to ” Who’s in your Spiritual Posse” and going to get that started for myself. Jeff, thank you and going to continue to listen. I have taken the Bible Timeline once in 2015-2016 and taking it from 2 different parishes in 2016-2017. Just love what I am learning and truly growing in my faith. The peace that I have been looking for so long is finally here and will continue living it, speaking it and learning from it. So grateful to have found who and what God wants me to be. Thank you.
As long as I can remember, St. Anthony held position in my posse as the go-to saint whenever I lost or misplaced anything, showing himself ever reliable, to the point of ridiculously faithful, in response to my pleas. Over the years my unbelieving husband somehow tuned-in to even my faintest whisper to St. Anthony and questioned this practice. So, when he found himself missing the keys to not only our house and car but to his office, having nearly exhausted himself in the search, I said, “Honey, in my world when I face this, I ask St. Anthony for help.” Reluctantly and self-consciously he petitioned, “St. Anthony, please help me find these keys!” A short time later he went to tend to something at the back corner of our one acre lot. He returned to the house quickly and, with complete shock on his face, held out the keys.
On another occasion, I arrived home from Sunday Mass to find him perched on our back porch. Inquiring of this peculiar position he explained that he couldn’t find his work pager and feared missing an urgent need. He continued that while he was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper, he asked St Anthony to help. “Something told me to go out onto the porch and sit quietly. So I did.” We sat in the silence until suddenly he popped up, said he heard something I certainly couldn’t, walked deep into a flower bed and produced the wayward pager. Encouraged by St. Anthony’s responses, through the years Rob implored his aid so frequently that he felt comfortable invoking him with, “Yo, Tony!”
Robbed passed away suddenly. When our pastor shared the paradox of an seeking-unbeliever choosing recourse from a saint to the point of such familiarity that he felt welcomed to do so on a first name basis, it not only added a moment of levity to the memorial service, it caused him to ponder why believers are not so at ease speaking with the saints. Fr. Sill must have taken this to heart as well for the following week, during Stations of the Cross, he lost his place. One of the participants, who also attended the memorial service, told me afterwards that Father grew flustered then stopped and uttered, “Yo, Tony!”
Great tips, Jeff! Thank you!
Some of my “Go to Saints:
1. “St. Joseph, please provide merciful solutions to my problems.” (taught to me by a dear priest) 2. St. Joan who said before she died, “Lord if I am in a state of grace, please keep me there. If I am not, please put me there.” 3. St. Rock is the intercessor for those with knee problems. My healings this past summer were miraculous! 4. St. Ann (my Confirmation name and names of both my grandmothers)-I think to myself how many times she (and St. Joachim) must have sweetly hugged and kissed Jesus and of course, Our Blessed Mother!
I have a long list of friends in Heaven and I am thankful to God for permitting their intercession. What a generous gift from our Heavenly Father.