Feeding Fathers

🌿 As Palm Sunday approaches and Holy Week begins, many of us are carrying a mix of hope and heaviness — especially in a time when the Church feels wounded and uncertain as we await the election of a new Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and a new Bishop for the Eparchy of the Western United States.

In this episode of Feeding Fathers, we sit down with the powerful letter from Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna, the Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle in San Diego. With honesty and a true father’s heart, he speaks directly to the tiredness, confusion, and questions so many are holding right now. He reminds us: You are not alone. The Lord has not abandoned His Church. He calls us to walk the narrow path of truth that heals rather than destroys and charity that protects without becoming complicity — a beautiful balance of justice, transparency, and genuine communion.

From there, we move into the heart of Holy Week. We reflect on something striking: how Jesus grows quiet as the Passion unfolds. After years of teaching, the Word made Flesh speaks less and acts more. In the silence before Pilate and on the cross, we see a powerful invitation — sometimes words fall short, and it’s time for surrender, presence, and trust in the midst of chaos.

We also dive deep into the rich Chaldean tradition during these sacred days:

- The moving “Oh Adam” prayers that wake the prophets and bring all of salvation history to its climax at the Cross.

- Dramatic vigils, the washing of the feet, and liturgies filled with poetry and symbolism that invite us to experience the mystery rather than just hear it explained.

- Why silence in the presence of the divine can be so healing — especially when our world and our hearts feel loud and unsettled.

We talk openly about what Holy Week looks like for priests — the long hours hearing confessions, the temptation to over-fast, and the call to pour ourselves out completely for the people. And we explore the difference between Peter and Judas: not in the betrayal itself, but in whether we can accept God’s mercy when we’ve failed. Holy Week isn’t about pretending everything is fine — it’s about bringing our wounds, our doubts, and our tiredness to the foot of the Cross, where Jesus meets us with both truth and love.

Featuring: Fr. Andy Younan, Fr. Fadi Auro, Fr. Augustine Peter, Fr. Tristan Farida

This one’s pretty straightforward: we’re talking about virtue signaling — that thing where people post their “good deeds” or hot takes online mostly to look good or feel important. We get into why it feels like everyone has to say something about everything these days, how filming charity for views can actually make the whole thing feel kind of gross, and why St. Joseph’s quiet, private life is honestly the better way.

We cover:
- How even priests catch themselves wanting to look holy online.
- How silence and just doing your job for God beats all the noise.
- That viral clip of Shia LaBeouf saying he’d just kiss Jesus’ feet and nothing else — raw faith or virtue signaling?
- The trap of judging the people closest to you while preaching to strangers on the internet.

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00:00 Hospital Visit Story
02:01 Pride and Hidden Motives
03:35 St Joseph and Silence
06:33 Social Media Noise
12:57 Charity for Views
16:23 Judgment at Home
18:24 Priesthood Not Politics
21:53 Wonder vs Curiosity
27:37 Mother Olga Hidden Works
29:15 Old Internet Nostalgia
31:33 Shia LaBeouf's Honesty
34:27 Saints Who Struggled
36:00 Embracing the Fight
38:35 Shia LaBeouf Clip
41:33 Meeting Jesus Today
46:03 Tacos and Party Game
53:11 Chaotic End

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▶️ Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/7aw2sHO8GhM

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In our big Lenten episode, we explore Jesus's three temptations in the desert and all things Sawma Rama (the Great Fast). We break down Matthew's account of Jesus tempted by Satan and reflect on how Jesus overcomes each temptation through love—and how we can apply the same strength during Lent through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving to grow in love of God, love of neighbor, and proper love of self.

In this Lent special, we cover:

- The deeper meaning of Jesus entering the wilderness to be tempted

- The unforgettable Grand Inquisitor scene from Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"

- Why Jesus had to face real temptation as a man?

- Pope Leo's practical Lenten message

- We revisit the topic of mixed marriages in the Chaldean and Assyrian diaspora: balancing cultural preservation, language, heritage, and community concerns with the Church's priority on salvation of souls and sacramental validity.

- And we BLIND RANK our favorite Lenten foods!

Featuring: Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Andrew Younan, Fr. Tristan Farida, Fr. Augustine Joseph

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00:00 Sawma Raba Begins
02:51 Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor: Love as Christ’s Response
08:37 First Temptation (Bread): Deeper Hunger & Deuteronomy
13:28 Temptation vs. Exorcism: Grace, Sacraments, and Spiritual Realism
15:21 Second Temptation (Temple): Pride, Forced Faith, and Misusing Religion
23:06 Why Jesus Had to Fast: New Adam, Identity Tested, and Defeating Sin
30:45 Pope Leo’s Lent Message: Fasting from Hurtful Words
33:17 Beyond ‘Not Sinning’: Lent as Freedom to Love
35:20 Do Priests (and the Pope) Forget Their Homilies?
38:01 Responding to Comments on Marrying Outside the Culture
49:38 The Top 7 Lenten Foods (Blind Ranking)

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▶️ Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/65XzF8s52qY

 

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🤯 Feeling overwhelmed by the 24/7 news cycle? Trapped in a loop of doomscrolling? You're not alone.

On this episode, we tackle the monumental challenge of digital well-being in an age of constant information overload. We dive deep into our personal battles with endless scrolling, the mental toll of consuming a relentless stream of bad news – including topics like the Epstein files – and the surprising freedom found in disconnecting.

What you'll discover in this episode:

- Strategies to escape doomscrolling
- The true cost of constant news consumption and how to set healthy boundaries.
- Practical tips for navigating social media overload without losing touch.
- Insights into processing difficult news and other heavy topics without being consumed by them.

Plus, a fun segment called "Faith or Fiction" and a mouth-watering Korean BBQ review!

This isn't just about turning off your phone; it's about finding clarity, focus, and joy in a chaotic digital world. If you're looking for heartfelt conversation, practical advice, and a path to better mental health in the digital age, this episode is for you.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Peter Patros, Fr. Augustine Peter, Fr. Fadi Auro

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00:00 Impact of News and Social Media on Mental Health
06:49 Balancing Awareness and Mental Well-being
09:33 The Virtue of Limiting Information
11:16 Practical Advice for Managing Information Overload
18:33 The Role of Curiosity and Wonder
25:07 Navigating Social Media Addiction
30:09 Advice for Parents and Professionals
33:59 The Trap of Gossip
38:45 The Challenge of Correcting Others
45:36 "Faith or Fiction" & Korean BBQ
54:17 Comment of the Week

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▶️ Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/SoWajyxtRT0

 

 📲 Follow us on social media:

"Qurbana Media" IG: https://www.instagram.com/qurbanamedia/

"Youth for Truth" IG: https://www.instagram.com/youthfortruthshow/

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📧 Email us at [email protected] if you'd like to hear about ways you can support Qurbana Media or if you're a content creator wanting to collab!

Family is where we learn to love, but it’s often where we experience our deepest wounds. Whether it's navigating conflicts with siblings, figuring out how to raise kids with faith in a secular world, or the difficult journey of healing family trauma, home life is rarely simple.

We aren't just giving generic advice, we look at family dynamics through the lens of those who live in intense community life, like monks and nuns, to see what they can teach us about resolving conflict. We also have an honest conversation about when family situations turn abusive, and how therapy, community, and our Catholic Faith play a role in true healing. Plus, is AI replacing human connection? We react to what Pope Leo recently said about AI being "too affectionate" and discuss why an algorithm can never replace the empathy of a real person.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Tristan Farida, Fr. Fadi Auro

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00:00 Why Family Relationships Are So Hard
01:48 Religious Life Teaching Us to Resolve Conflict
07:08 Catholic Parenting: How Methods Have Shifted Over Time
12:13 Raising Children with both Faith and Reason
27:59 Healing Family Trauma
32:58 Finding Emotional Support in a Digital Age
35:41 Why AI Can't Provide True Empathy
38:39 Vital Importance of Real Human Connection
44:21 'Bless or Pass?' Chaldean Food Edition
50:35 Comment of the Week!

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▶️ Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/v2h987Fiims

 📲 Follow us on social media:

"Qurbana Media" IG: https://www.instagram.com/qurbanamedia/

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📧 Email us at [email protected] if you'd like to hear about ways you can support Qurbana Media or if you're a content creator wanting to collab!