The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Episode 289 - An Unfading Mercy

Do you ever feel stuck confessing the same sins over and over again?

Continuing their reflection on the Prodigal Son, the friars explore a powerful truth: God's mercy isn't a one-time moment, it's something we encounter again and again. Like a path worn into the ground, the Father continually goes out to meet His children, never tiring, never holding back.

In this episode, they reflect on what it mea...

Episode 288 - The Father's Embrace

What do you expect to find when you finally turn back toward God?

Continuing their Lenten journey through the Prodigal Son, the friars arrive at the turning point of the story, the moment the son returns home. Expecting rejection, punishment, or distance, he instead finds something completely unexpected: the Father running toward him with compassion.

In this episode, the friars reflect on the hear...

Episode 287 - The Necessary Consequence of Sin

Have you ever looked at your life and quietly thought, "How did I end up here?"?

Continuing their Lenten reflection on the Prodigal Son, the friars look at the hard truth: sin always leads somewhere. What begins as freedom and excitement ends in isolation, shame, and a loss of dignity. The son who demanded his inheritance finds himself alone in the pigsty, cut off from communion and fa...

Episode 286 - Give Me My Inheritance

Have you ever wanted God's gifts, but not the relationship that comes with them?

Continuing their Lenten journey through the Prodigal Son, the friars reflect on the bold and painful demand: "Father, give me my inheritance." They explore the deeper movement beneath those words, the desire to take control, to live on our own terms, and to separate blessing from belonging.

This episode looks honest...

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 sub...

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, dail...

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...

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 b...

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.

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 ble...

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 ...

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 ex...

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 ...

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 ...

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'v...

Episode 274 - Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

What if the places you feel most empty are the places God is closest?

In this episode, the friars explore what it really means to be poor in spirit, not as an idea, but as the lived experience of feeling powerless, stretched, or unable to fix what hurts. They speak into the poverty we feel in our families, our vocations, our emotions, and our prayer, and how these very places become the ...

Episode 273 - Feeling Good vs. Being Good

What if the things we use to "feel better" are the very things keeping us from becoming good?

In this episode, the friars continue exploring the Beatitude "Blessed are the pure of heart" looking at the quiet ways we avoid honesty with ourselves, through distraction, self-soothing, numbing, or chasing comfort. 

They unpack why it's so hard to face what's really going on inside us, and how pu...

Episode 272 - They Will See God

What if seeing God isn't about trying harder, but desiring Him more simply?

For this week, the friars turn to the Beatitude: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." In this episode, they explore what purity of heart really means, not moral perfection, but a heart that looks to Jesus without distraction, without divided desires, without constantly turning back toward the world.

They ta...

Episode 271 - Fire, Desire, Theosis

What do you really hunger and thirst for?

As the friars continue through the Franciscan Lent, they dive deep into the Beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." This conversation is about holy desire, the kind that burns, refines, and draws us closer to God Himself.

They unpack what it means to let go of lesser hungers, to purify our desire...