The War on Mediocrity

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday. It's something we're called to practice every day, especially in prayer. Fr. Zarse and Carson explore the importance of giving thanks to God, the spiritual and psychological benefits of gratitude, and how making thanksgiving a regular part of our prayer lives can help us grow closer to God. They also discuss why gratitude can be difficult, how to give thanks even in suffering, and what happens when we begin to recognize God's goodness in the ordinary moments of life.

Fr. Zarse is back from a pilgrimage to Italy, where he visited the Holy House of Loreto, Assisi, and Siena! Carson also recently returned from a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Loreto, & more. In this episode, they share their experiences, discuss the importance of pilgrimage, how to make a pilgrimage of your own close to home, and the ways God showed up along their journeys.

Scrupulosity can make venial sins feel mortal and turn possible or imaginary sins into a constant source of fear. Fr. Zarse & Carson talk about how to take sin seriously without becoming consumed by anxiety, and why freedom begins by focusing less on ourselves and more on God's infinite love and mercy.

You sent in the questions, and Fr. Zarse is answering them in Mailbag Episode #5. Questions include: What's on your bucket list? How do you prepare for your homilies each week? Is it okay for a Catholic to be cremated? Can cremated remains be scattered or divided between different places? Should we have our house blessed by a priest? What are your favorite movies? What is it like being a priest? Plus, even more questions from you along the way!

You can do all the right things, but what if love is missing? Fr. Zarse and Carson look at why charity is the greatest virtue, how it changes the way we love God and our neighbor, why it gives life to every other virtue, and what it means to choose love even when we do not feel it.

The theological virtue of faith is often misunderstood as believing without reason, but is that really what the Church means by faith? In this episode, we look at why faith and reason are not opposed, what happens when reason reaches its limits, and how faith actually perfects our intellect.

The supernatural virtue of hope is more than believing things will get better. Fr. Zarse and Carson Ackerman explore what Christian hope actually gives us when life is uncertain, suffering hits, or we find ourselves falling into the same sin again.

The guide to breaking free from habitual sin. Fr. Zarse and Carson Ackerman dig into why certain sins become so difficult to shake, how repeated choices begin to shape us, what we can learn from the patterns surrounding our falls, and what it actually takes to begin breaking free.

One year in, Fr. Joseph looks back on the people and moments that have made Sacred Heart feel like home. From parish life and priesthood to learning to swim, Kansas City barbecue, and the World Cup, he shares some of his favorite memories from his first year.

What if one of the most active, driven men in The Odyssey is also guilty of sloth? This week, Fr. Zarse and Carson use Odysseus as a surprising entry point into one of the most misunderstood deadly sins. What does sloth really look like? Can you be busy, productive, and constantly moving while still falling into it?