Saint Spotlight: St Catherine Of Sienna

Saint Spotlight: St Catherine Of Sienna

🌹 Saint Spotlight: St. Catherine of Siena — Holy Fire Episode Show Notes What does it mean to become fully who God created you to be? In this Saint Spotlight, Kristen reflects on the bold, beautiful witness of Catherine of Siena — mystic, lay Dominican, Doctor of the Church, and one of the fiercest women in Catholic history. Catherine lived during a time of scandal, division, and spiritual exhaustion in the Church, and yet she did not stand at a distance criticizing from the sidelines. She entered into the suffering, interceded for renewal, and spoke truth with courage rooted not in ego or outrage, but in deep intimacy with Jesus. Her famous words — “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire” — are more than inspiration. They are an invitation. 🔥 An invitation to stop shrinking 🌹 An invitation to surrender fully 🕊️ An invitation to let grace sanctify who God uniquely made you to be Because sainthood is not cookie cutter. God is not asking you to become a copy of someone else’s holiness. He is asking you to become fully alive in Him — allowing your temperament, your gifts, your wounds, and even your particular wiring to be transformed by grace. In this episode, we explore: ✨ Why St. Catherine’s life mattered so profoundly to the Church ✨ How intimacy with Christ produces holy courage ✨ Why holiness is not quiet compliance, but courageous love rooted in prayer ✨ What it means to become who God made you to be — not watered down, not playing small, but wholly given to God If you’ve ever felt like holiness meant fitting a mold, this episode is a reminder: God does not need a smaller version of you. He wants you fully surrendered, fully alive, and fully His. ⸻ 📖 Mentioned in this episode: • Catherine of Siena • The Dialogue • Thérèse of Lisieux • Teresa of Ávila • Padre Pio • Philip Neri ⸻ 🪓 Your Turn to Chop: Where have you confused holiness with fitting a mold? Where is God asking you to be bolder in love, stronger in truth, or deeper in prayer? What parts of who He created you to be are still waiting to be fully surrendered? Because somewhere in that surrender… the fire starts. 🔥 ⸻ Until next time — keep choppin’ wood. 🌹🪓🔥

The Lent (And Apparently Easter) That Jumped Me And Took My Lunch Money

🌪️ Ep. 16: The Lent (and Apparently Easter) That Jumped Me and Took My Lunch Money Well hey there, fellow holy hot messes… The Lent I planned and the Lent I got were definitely not the same thing. 😅 Emotional support Snickers may or may not have entered the chat. 🤢 Norovirus took down the whole house. 🙏 Confirmation had to be rescheduled. 🏥 Michael was discharged from the hospital an hour before Confirmation, watched the whole thing on livestream from home, and somehow we all kept moving forward. 🐔 Teddy now has chicken pox. 💔 We’re grieving the unexpected loss of a dear friend. 🌱 And somehow… God has still been moving. In this deeply personal episode, I’m reflecting on a Lent that stretched me, humbled me, exposed wounds in my own heart, and reminded me that life does not limit its suffering to Lent. We talk about: ✨ what happens when your spiritual plans completely fall apart 📿 praying a 54-day rosary novena for someone you love ❤️ the healing that comes when we invite Jesus into our wounded places 🛡️ recognizing spiritual attack without getting weird about it 🌿 learning to see grace in the middle of chaos 🙏 and why the things we’re handed may be doing more in us than the things we planned Sometimes the most meaningful parts of Lent aren’t the penances we picked… They’re the crosses we were handed. And those things matter. ⸻ 🪵 Your Turn to Chop A few questions to sit with this week: 💭 Where did life interrupt your plans this Lent—or even after Lent? 💭 What crosses have stretched you, humbled you, or brought you to your knees lately? 💭 Is there a place in your life where Jesus may be inviting deeper healing? 💭 Have you been so focused on surviving your season that you’ve missed where grace is quietly breaking through? 💭 What is one burden you can intentionally place in the Lord’s hands today? 🙏 Spend a few quiet minutes with Him this week and ask: “Lord, what are You trying to teach me in what I’ve been handed?” ⸻ 💛 If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow holy hot mess who might need it. ⭐ Leaving a review helps more people find the show and join our little corner of grace-filled chaos. 🌹 Until next time… 🪓 Keep choppin’ wood.

The Tired Catholic's Toolbox: Learning To Hear His Voice

🧰 The Tired Catholic’s Toolbox (Part 2: Learning to Hear His Voice) In Part 2 of The Tired Catholic’s Toolbox, we begin adding a little weight to the bar. 💪 After talking about staying connected to God in the middle of tired, busy, ordinary life in Part 1, this episode moves into the next step: formation. Because if this is a relationship—and it is—it cannot stay one-sided. We don’t just talk to God. We learn to hear His voice. We learn to recognize how He speaks. And we learn to listen. This episode is all about Scripture—why it matters, why it can feel intimidating, where to begin, and how to build a habit that actually fits into your real life. We walk through:     •    Why the Gospel of John is so powerful     •    What it means that Jesus is the Word made flesh     •    Why Scripture is truly living and speaks into every season 📖     •    Why I often recommend starting with the Gospel of Luke     •    How Scripture forms the way we think, see, and respond We also talk about practical, accessible ways to begin—even if you feel overwhelmed—including listening instead of reading, using daily Mass readings, and choosing a Bible you’ll actually stick with. The goal is not to conquer Scripture. The goal is to begin. 🌿 ⸻ ✨ In This Episode     •    What it means to hear and recognize the voice of God     •    Why Scripture is essential for relationship, not just knowledge     •    John 1 and the reality of Jesus as the living Word     •    Why Scripture is never stale or outdated     •    Why Luke is a powerful and approachable place to start     •    The Good Samaritan & the Prodigal Son     •    The hemorrhaging woman and desperate, reaching faith     •    How Scripture shapes your thoughts and responses over time     •    Why consistency matters more than intensity ⸻ 📚 Resources Mentioned     •    Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz 🎧     •    Laudate App 📱     •    Daily Mass Readings Bible translations:     •    New Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition)     •    Douay-Rheims ⸻ 🪵 Your Turn to Chop Pick one place to begin this week:     •    Read one chapter of Luke a day 📖     •    Open the daily Mass readings with your coffee ☕     •    Listen to Scripture in the car 🚗 Start there. Let that be enough. ⸻ 💭 Sit With This     •    Have I been approaching my spiritual life more like a checklist to manage or a relationship to cultivate?     •    Which Gospel feels like the right place for me to begin right now, and why?     •    What is one realistic way I can spend time with Scripture this week? ⸻ 🔜 Coming Next Next week, we’re going to keep building. We’re going to start talking about what it looks like to take all of this and actually integrate it into your daily life in a deeper way—the rhythms, the habits, and the small practices that begin to shape your day from beginning to end. We’re adding a little more weight to the bar. 🏋️‍♀️ ⸻ 💛 Let’s Stay Connected I love hearing from you—your questions are helping shape this series in the best way. 📲 Instagram: @choppinwoodpod 📘 Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast 📧 Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend, leave a review, and make sure you’re following along so you don’t miss what’s next. ⸻ 🪓 Until next time… keep choppin’ wood.

Divine Mercy Sunday: Mercy Wins

Divine Mercy Sunday: Mercy Wins 🕊️✨ Divine Mercy Sunday is the feast that reminds us God’s mercy is always bigger than our mess. In this episode of Choppin’ Wood, Kristen reflects on why this feast feels especially personal this year. Not only did Michael recently come home from the hospital, but this Divine Mercy Sunday also marks ten years since Kristen and Michael returned home to the Catholic Church. Their “let’s begin again” moment happened on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2016, which makes this feast feel beautifully full-circle. This episode is for tired people, struggling people, starting-over people, and all of us Lord-have-mercy-I’m-trying people. It is a reflection on trust, restoration, and the kind of mercy that does not wait for us to have it all together before inviting us home. Kristen also shares the conditions for receiving the plenary indulgence offered on Divine Mercy Sunday and offers encouragement to anyone who feels nervous about confession. Mercy does not shame us for coming late. It simply receives us. 🤍 In this episode: ✨ Why Divine Mercy Sunday feels so personal this year ✨ The 10-year anniversary of returning home to the Church ✨ Jesus’ words to St. Faustina: Jesus, I trust in You ✨ The beauty of beginning again ✨ What the Divine Mercy plenary indulgence is ✨ Why confession is one of the most beautiful gifts in our faith Saint Quote: “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.” — Jesus to St. Faustina 📖 Divine Mercy Sunday indulgence conditions: 🕊️ Sacramental confession 🕊️ Reception of the Eucharist 🕊️ Prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father 🕊️ Complete detachment from sin A question to carry into prayer: What part of my story most needs mercy right now — and what would it look like to trust Jesus there? 💙 Listener Reflection:     1.    What part of your story most needs mercy right now?     2.    Have you ever had a moment when God invited you to begin again?     3.    Where has trusting Jesus felt hardest for you lately?     4.    Who in your life might need to hear that mercy is still possible? Connect with Choppin’ Wood: Instagram: @choppinwoodpod Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com

Easter Sunday: Easter People, Alleluia Hearts

Easter Sunday: Easter People, Alleluia Hearts 🌅✨ He is risen — truly, He is risen. After the palms, the perfume, the betrayal, the Upper Room, the Cross, and the long held breath of Holy Saturday, Easter arrives not as a mood shift, but as an answer. The tomb is empty. Death has been undone. Love has won. This episode of From Hosanna to Alleluia reflects on the joy of Easter as something deeper than optimism or surface-level celebration. The Risen Christ still carries His scars, which means resurrection does not erase suffering — it transforms it. Easter tells the truth about what hurt and reveals that love is stronger still. Easter People, Alleluia Hearts is a meditation on resurrection in ordinary life: in our kitchens, our grief, our healing, our homes, and the places we thought were too far gone. Because the same God who rolled away the stone is still rolling away what keeps hearts buried. In this episode: ✨ Why Easter is the answer to the whole week ✨ The scars of the Risen Christ and what they reveal about resurrection ✨ Easter joy as wounded love made indestructible ✨ What it means to be Easter people in ordinary life ✨ The empty tomb as hope for every place that still feels sealed shut Opening Scripture: “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” — Matthew 28:6 📖 A question to carry into prayer: Where is God inviting me to believe that resurrection is still possible — even in the places that once felt final? 🤍 Part of From Hosanna to Alleluia, a special Holy Week series from Choppin’ Wood. Connect with Choppin’ Wood: Instagram: @choppinwoodpod Facebook: Choppin’ Wood Podcast Email: choppingwoodpod@gmail.com