What if the story of your life isn’t “nothing much happened”… but a mission God is speaking through you? Joe and Father Boniface unpack how tiny, daily choices—patience with family, taking out the trash with care—shape a saint’s storyline, and why zooming in on micro-moments actually clarifies the bigger horizon. We explore St. Thérèse’s wisdom about doing the next small thing with great love alongside Pope Francis’ call to see your life as a unique message entrusted to you. Through it all, we stay grounded in the three lenses: honesty with self, charity with others, under a living relationship with God.

Key Ideas

Take a “micro audit” of the last season: note small relational wins (held your patience, chose forgiveness) and misses (withdrew attention, snapped online) to see real growth.

Your life is a mission and a message: lift your eyes to the horizon periodically to name milestones, then return to the next faithful step.

St. Thérèse’s path: do the next ordinary task with great love—God meets us in the present moment.

Hold macro and micro together: alternate big-picture review with daily presence so grace can re-pattern habits over time.

Practical examen: Where did my attention go today (phone, work, family, prayer)? What one small act of love can I choose tomorrow?

Links & References

Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate (On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World) — official Vatican text: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html

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Father and Joe, Joe Rockey, Father Boniface Hicks, mission, holiness, Gaudete et Exsultate, story of your life, vocation, daily examen, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, little way, little things great love, patience, attention, presence, relationships, family life, spiritual growth, sanctification, humility, gratitude, confession, prayer, discernment, habit change, virtue, everyday holiness, relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, Benedictine spirituality, reflection, practical spirituality, Catholic podcast

When a simple litany lands, you feel it. In this conversation, Joe and Father Boniface reflect on praying the “Litany of Healing and Repentance” before the Blessed Sacrament—four short responses that draw Jesus close, open our wounds to His love, and re-center daily life. We talk about using these invocations before Mass (or anytime), and why letting God into real emotions—abandonment, anger, discouragement—becomes the doorway to healing. Through it all we keep the three lenses in view: growing in honesty with ourselves, charity with others, under a living relationship with God.

Key Ideas

The four responses: “Jesus, heal my heart with your love.” • “Jesus, come close to me.” • “Please forgive me, Jesus.” • “Jesus, help me to believe.”

Why short, heartfelt prayers bridge “distance” to the Eucharistic Lord, especially in large settings.

Naming real wounds and emotions (rejection, loneliness, anger) so grace can reach them—without denying or suppressing them.

Repentance as a path of healing: acknowledging my sins alongside harms done by others.

A practical rhythm: pray one line slowly before Mass (or during the day), and let it shape your interior posture toward God and neighbor.

Links & References

Litany of Healing and Repentance (text, download, and video) — Institute for Ministry Formation at Saint Vincent Seminary: https://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/litany/

Litany of Healing and Repentance (printed booklet): https://www.stvincentstore.com/product/litany-of-healing-and-repentance/

National Eucharistic Congress (2024, Indianapolis): https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (Pittsburgh) – St. Sebastian Church: https://mountcarmelpgh.org/

“Eucharistic Miracles of the World” exhibition (original Carlo Acutis project): https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/liste/list.html

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Father and Joe, Joe Rockey, Father Boniface Hicks, Eucharist, Adoration, National Eucharistic Congress, Litany of Healing and Repentance, prayer, repentance, healing, interior healing, contemplation, Lucas Oil Stadium, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, St. Sebastian Church, Pittsburgh, Eucharistic miracles, Carlo Acutis, short prayers, spiritual growth, relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, anger and justice, forgiveness, faith, trust, novena, litany, parish life, confession, devotion, woundedness, divine mercy, interior life, contemplation before Mass, catechesis, spiritual direction, Benedictine, Institute for Ministry Formation

In this thought-provoking episode of the "Father and Joe" podcast, hosts Father Boniface Hicks and Joe Rockey delve deep into the potential impacts of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), on human relationships and spiritual life. The conversation builds on the last week's discussion about the encroachment of AI in personal interactions, highlighting the dangers of relying too heavily on technology to connect with others and ourselves.

Joe and Father Boniface discuss how AI can create a sense of emptiness in relationships, akin to trying to fill an infinite void with finite substances, which is often how sin manifests. They raise a critical question: When does the artificial relationship, facilitated by AI, feel fulfilling, and when does it leave us longing for more? This episode provides a "litmus test" to help listeners evaluate their interactions with AI—does it enrich their lives, or does it deplete their relational and emotional capacities?

Father Boniface introduces insights from a Vatican document, "Antiqua et Nova," emphasizing that AI lacks the intrinsic qualities necessary for genuine human interaction—it has no interiority, intentions, or the capacity to truly care. Despite AI's sophisticated simulation capabilities, it cannot replace the profound depth of embodied human experiences that shape our intellect, morals, and soul.

Through the lens of spirituality, the hosts explore the notion that AI, devoid of a soul, cannot nurture our spirituality or contribute to the development of virtues. Joe and Father Boniface urge listeners to critically assess their engagement with technology, ensuring it serves humanity rather than detracts from it.

Towards the episode's end, the importance of traditional, interpersonal connection is revisited. In an age where technology often mediates relationships, the hosts stress the enduring necessity of face-to-face interaction for spiritual growth and relationship building.

This episode is a call to mindfulness about the roles technology plays in our lives, encouraging continued philosophical inquiry into its ramifications. Joe and Father Boniface affirm the value of questioning and discerning technology’s place in supporting human essence—a distinctly relational nature imbued with the divine spark.

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AI, Artificial Intelligence, Human Relationships, Technology, Spirituality, Church, Faith, Soul, Relational Growth, Podcast, Father and Joe, Religion, Emptiness, Sin, Vatican, Bible, Antiqua et Nova, Emotional Intelligence, Interpersonal Connection, Moral Discernment, Genuine Care, Spiritual Direction, Relationship Skills, Holiness, Embodied Experience, Humanity, Personal Development, Emotional Fulfillment, Relationship Evaluation, AI Therapists, Technology and Faith, Conversational AI, AI Limitations, Relational Intelligence, AI Impact, Emotional Health, Authentic Connection, Technology Dependence, Friendship, Connection, Spiritual Growth, Meaningful Interactions

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