The following is a transcript from the Raised Catholic podcast. To listen to the podcast, click here.

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Today is episode 35: Under Construction

Well, hello, friends. Today’s episode is a short update about some work I’m doing on the podcast, along with a little reflection about some things I’m learning along the way.

First, the update. As you may know, I started this podcast with literally zero knowledge about how to, you know, make a podcast.  I had been pursuing writing for several years and had a persistent nagging from the Holy Spirit about making a space for cradle Catholics who were struggling with the institutional Church in the form, not of writing, but a podcast. And I ignored that voice for several months until one day on a long run in the fall of 2020, I felt I could not ignore that call any longer. God was getting loud, and I wonder if that ever happens to you. Anyway, I started – small and with a good amount of trepidation, and I was very much learning as I went. I still am learning as I go, by the way, but at this point, I’m finding that the early episodes’ audio quality is something that needs addressing if I am to grow this community and link arms with some larger partners down the road. In addition, I’m doing some work in making episode transcripts available and providing a stronger link between my blog website, which is mylittleepiphanies.com and this podcast. So, I’m re-recording some, I’m renewing, re-establishing, restoring, revamping, and hopefully making things a bit better and clearer, but in the work, there is a bit of a mess.  And isn’t that always the case? If the Raised Catholic podcast was a shop, the sign out front these days would read: under construction.

I have an index card on my kitchen corkboard listing several words with the prefix ‘re’. I keep it there to remind me that God is a God of ‘re’. He’s making all things new, all the time, and I’ll link to a piece I wrote about that idea in today’s show notes. The idea of construction makes me remember another piece I wrote about the renovation of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, how it was a metaphor for the work God was doing in me, and I’ll link that for you, too.  And you know what? There’s another piece I remember writing about how the ugly sounds of a piano being tuned also reminded me of my spiritual growth.  Gosh, I do love a metaphor, but if you’ve listened to this podcast, that’s probably no surprise to you. I guess I’m feeling lately that a lot of us are in a renovation phase right now – in our spiritual and physical lives, in our work, in our families, and even our belief systems.  And that’s messy and it can be hard, but friend, isn’t it also exciting? Don’t you feel God as a partner in it with you somehow?  I hope so. I promise you He is right there with you, friend.

Deconstruction and reconstruction brings us back to the initial premise of this podcast – the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris as a – you guessed it – metaphor for our faith lives and the future of the Church. In the ashes of destruction, we’re digging, finding what’s valuable, and discarding what’s not. And trusting that all the while, God is making all things new. 

As I attend to my podcast construction project, I’ll leave you with the words of Emily P. Freeman in what is my favorite of her Next Right Thing Podcast episodes, though all of them are pretty wonderful. I highly recommend listening. And she says it way better than me, so I’ll link to hers here, but in speaking of how God restores and renews, exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask or imagine, Emily says these words:

“I’m learning ever so slowly that maturity and a growing faith show up not in our ability to stand up straight and blameless, but in our willingness to turn, again and again, back to the face of God. Not once, but a thousand times once and then a thousand times more.
We would be without hope if not for our Kind Companion. Jesus came not to make all new things but to make all things new. Not some things, but all things. Not easy, not quick, but new. 

Our work is to acknowledge the old. His work is to bring forth the new. Our work is to turn.
 His work is to transform. 

Our work is to believe it has been done, and then to live like it’s true. His work is to make it true indeed.”

Oh, come on, friends, isn’t Emily the literal best? Okay, so I’m off to do some re-building.  Blessings on you as you do the same holy re-building work in whatever form that takes in your life today, and I’ll see you next time.