Show Notes
When life feels like a trap, where do we turn? In this episode, Father Gavan explores the feeling of being spiritually stuck—when sin, fear, or despair seem to close in with no escape. Drawing from Scripture and the hope of Christ’s redemption, he reveals how God’s grace meets us in our darkest moments. Even when we see no way forward, the Lord opens a path to freedom and new life.
🔴 ABOUT US
Called to More is a Catholic not-for-profit media apostolate based in Ireland. We create videos, articles, and a podcast to help you know, love, and serve God.
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Meditations | Episode #57
Meditations is a weekly podcast with Fr Gavan Jennings produced by Called to More. Each week you can expect a meditation to pray with and to use as a seed for continued prayer — on the life of Jesus, his Church and how we can attain sanctity.
New episodes every Saturday at 7pm GMT.
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More from Meditations
Does hell actually exist, and could you end up there? In this meditation, Fr Gavan takes the question seriously, starting with the clear words of Jesus in the Gospels and working through why eternal punishment is not an injustice but a consequence of radical freedom. Drawing on the analogy of the fallen angels, he explains how a person can truly come to prefer hatred over love, and why that choice is confirmed at death. He closes with a word of real hope: Jesus has prepared a place for you in heaven, and has spared nothing to help you get there.
Can the Pope get it wrong? In this meditation, Fr Gavan unpacks one of the most misunderstood teachings in Catholicism: papal infallibility. He explains exactly what it means, and crucially what it does not mean, looking at the specific conditions required, the famous Roma locuta, causa finita of Saint Augustine, and Saint John Paul II's solemn declaration on the ordination of women as a clear example of infallibility in action. A clear and clarifying guide to a teaching that is far more precise, and far more comforting, than most people realise.
Do you ever feel a constant tightening you can't quite shake? In this meditation, Fr Gavan explores anxiety: where it comes from, why it so easily takes over, and how Christ's gift of peace is not the removal of all troubles but something deeper. Drawing on Saint Teresa of Avila's famous poem found written in her breviary after her death, and the simple wisdom of rest, he offers a gentle and practical path through worry and toward the peace that only God can give.
How much power does the devil actually have over you? In this meditation, Fr Gavan works through this question carefully: what the Book of Job reveals about God's limits on diabolical action, why the devil cannot read your soul, and what a dream of Saint Therese of Lisieux shows about the real weakness of Satan in the face of a soul in the state of grace. A reassuring and grounded look at a topic that is easy to fear, and easier to misunderstand.
How do you know what God is calling you to? In this meditation, Fr Gavan addresses one of the most pressing questions for young Catholics: discerning your vocation. He explains why every person has one, why God woos rather than snatches, and why the process is more like falling in love than reading a letter tattooed on your arm. Drawing on the role of prayer, spiritual direction, and the courage to take the plunge, he offers a warm and realistic guide to one of life's most important questions.