Living Catholic with Monsignor Don Wolf

"Memorial Day and the Work of Remembering" | May 24, 2026

Memorial Day can feel like a switch flips and suddenly it’s summer, but we don’t want the holiday to become just another weekend that disappears into the blur. In this episode, we talk about the pace of time and the quiet danger of sleepwalking through our days, when everything is “busy” yet almost nothing is remembered. If we don’t pause on purpose, the moments that should shape us can slide into forgetfulness, and we end up losing not just details, but meaning. ************ Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.

"The Church Is The Third Testament" | May 17, 2026

Someone stands up in a pulpit and says the quiet part out loud: parts of the Bible are “problematic,” so maybe we should rip those pages out and replace them with a brand-new “Third Testament.” The backlash makes sense, but we don’t want to stop at outrage. We want to ask the harder question: what are the Scriptures, and how are we supposed to read them when a passage feels confusing, offensive, or simply impossible to square with modern instincts? Our conclusion is simple and challenging: the “Third Testament” people want already exists. It’s the Church, with her living tradition and authority to guide biblical interpretation so the Word of God becomes a gift we can actually receive.  ************ Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.

Can we update the Bible? Should we?... | May 10, 2026

Someone says the quiet part out loud: what if we just rip out the Bible passages that bother us? A pastor in Oakland suggests removing “problem” pages and even adding a third testament, and the internet predictably erupts. We slow the whole thing down and ask what’s actually at stake when Christians treat scripture as disposable, outdated, or only selectively “God’s Word.” In this episode, we talk about why certain lines hit modern listeners like a slap, including texts tied to slavery and the treatment of women, and we don’t pretend those reactions are irrational. We also explore a growing pastoral reality: some communities reshape how scripture is proclaimed in worship because phrases like “The word of the Lord” or even lifting the book can feel weaponized to people carrying real trauma. Sensitivity matters, but so does the question underneath it: if the Bible is not God speaking to his people, then who decides what remains, what gets reinterpreted and what gets tossed? ************ Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.

DON'T SKIP THE FUNERAL...They're Part of Being Human | May 3, 2026

Funerals are quietly disappearing, and I do not think we realize what we are trading away. More and more, families tell us there will be no services at all, or we learn someone has already been buried with no prayer, no gathering, no public mourning. That choice is not just about preference. It exposes what we believe about the human person, what we think death means, and whether faith is still strong enough to bring us to the grave together. In this episode, I walk through why funerals have always mattered, even before Christianity, and why the Catholic funeral liturgy matters in a distinct way. At a Catholic funeral we proclaim the resurrection, we place our trust in Christ, and we pray for the forgiveness and mercy the dead still need. That is also why we do not turn the rite into a staged tribute or a “celebration of life” that only highlights accomplishments. When we edit the truth to protect comfort, grief becomes awkward, hope becomes thin, and we end up praising the dead instead of praying for them. ************ Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.

What if Prayer Fails Because we Fear our own Hearts? | April 26, 2026

Prayer can feel like it should be simple, but many of us quietly experience it as awkward, distracting, or even discouraging. In this episode, we tackle the question: why is prayer so hard?  We reflect on how naturally human beings communicate, then trace why communion with God can feel less natural than we expect. The Christian story of Eden points to an original harmony of heart and mind, while everyday life reveals how fractured our interior world can be. We talk about God’s word in Scripture, the ways God can speak beyond words, and why so many of us struggle to access the “territory of the heart” where that listening often happens.  We also offer a grounded path forward: patience, perseverance, and the humility to stop performing prayer and start living it as a two-way exchange. The duck gliding across the pond while paddling hard underneath becomes a map for spiritual growth, reminding us that steady progress is often invisible.  ************ Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.