The Poco a Poco Podcast with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Episode 281 - A Pro-Life Examen
Have you ever felt overwhelmed or unsure about what being "pro-life" actually looks like in your everyday life?
Rather than focusing on politics or arguments, this conversation centers on discipleship: prayer, sacrifice, courage, and small, concrete steps that flow from the Gospel. It's an invitation to examine our hearts with humility and let God show us where He's calling us to deeper faithfulness.
In this episode, the friars invite us into a yearly pro-life examen. A prayerful pause to notice where indifference, distraction, or fatigue may have crept in, and to remember why the dignity of human life matters so deeply to our faith. They speak honestly about how easy it is to grow numb and why staying awake to this reality is an act of love.
Join us as we ask the Lord to renew our hearts and teach us how to love and defend life more intentionally.
The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!
🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at
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Episode 280 - How Do We Celebrate?
Why is it so hard to celebrate what's good, especially when it's happening in ourselves or others?
Drawing from Scripture, the lives of the saints, and everyday experiences of community and brotherhood, this conversation invites us to see celebration not as competition or self-focus, but as a way of rejoicing in what God is doing. To bless another is to acknowledge grace at work and to receive blessing is often an act of humility itself
In this episode, the friars wrestle with a surprisingly tender question: how do Christians celebrate well without fear, pride, or false humility? They talk about affirmation, gratitude, and the discomfort many of us feel when blessings are named out loud, whether it's a gift, an accomplishment, or simply being seen.
Join us as we learn how celebrating well can heal shame, strengthen relationships, and help us rejoice more freely in God's goodness.
The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!
🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at
https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 279 - A New Year's Resolution
What if this year's resolution isn't about fixing your life, but about trusting God in the middle of it?
As a new year begins, the friars talk honestly about goals, growth, and the tension between good intentions and real life. But the conversation quickly turns deeper. Drawing from the Gospel scene of the storm at sea, they reflect on the haunting question the disciples ask Jesus: "Do you not care that we are perishing?"
This episode invites us to start the year not by avoiding the storms we're in, but by naming them and discovering that Jesus is already in the boat with us. His silence isn't indifference. His meekness isn't distance. It's the quiet confidence of a God who cares deeply, stays close, and is already at work.
Join us as we begin the year by seeking the one resolution that changes everything: learning to trust that He truly cares.
The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!
🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at
https://www.pocomerch.com/

Episode 278 - The Blessed Mother
Have you ever struggled to believe that God could really work through your weakness?
In this episode, the friars turn their gaze to the Blessed Mother and the quiet, radical way she lived the Beatitudes. They reflect on Mary's poverty of spirit, her meekness, and her total availability to God, not as something distant or unattainable, but as a lived posture of trust, openness, and surrender.
They explore how Mary's emptiness became the space where God did His greatest work, how her confidence came from knowing who she was before the Father, and how her motherhood continues to draw close to us in our own poverty and need.
Join us as we entrust ourselves again to our Mother and learn how her "yes" teaches us how to receive God more fully in our own lives.
The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!
🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at
https://www.pocomerch.com/
Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at
https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes

Episode 277 - Meekness: The Manger and the Storm
Have you ever felt frustrated when Jesus seems quiet while everything around you is falling apart?
In this episode, the friars continue reflecting on "Blessed are the meek," turning to two striking images: Jesus asleep in the manger and Jesus asleep in the boat during the storm. Both reveal a confidence rooted not in control, but in trust. Trust in the Father, trust in victory, even when chaos is loud and fear feels close.
They talk honestly about the frustration we feel when Jesus seems distant or inactive while we're struggling. And they invite us to see that His silence isn't absence, it's the patience of love at work.
Join us as we learn to trust Jesus in the storm and discover the peace that comes from knowing He is already with us.
The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of many generous donors, including recurring monthly donations of any amount. Thinking about helping out? You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!
🛒 You can also grab your Poco a Poco Merchandise at
https://www.pocomerch.com/
Check out the Eight Promises of God: Discovering Hope Through the Beatitudes book at
https://ascensionpress.com/products/eight-promises-of-god-discovering-hope-through-the-beatitudes