Weekly inspiration from Fr. Roland Bunda, SM, Marianist priest and former pastor at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaiʻi. Join him weekly, as he shares his thoughts and reflections during his 2021-2022 sabbatical.
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Season 3, Episode 18. From the time Jesus left the last supper, He was put to the test. He went through his passion, absorbing the sins of all of us, He gave us an example of what it means to suffer and to carry the cross. He wants to follow Him in his passion and passivity. Jesus does not resort to anger or bitterness. He is very peaceful, compass…
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Season 3, Episode 17. What are the gifts that God has given to each of us and how do we use our gifts to build up His kingdom? No just the priests, bishops, and pope, but all of us are commissioned by Christ to be a prophet and speak God’s word. These prophetic words are not our own, but the loving and caring Words of God. Prophecy is hearing the W…
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Season 3, Episode 16. March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph. Joseph is a man of faith. But if you look at his life, he lived through a lot of tension and anxiety. But he trusted in God’s providence and God’s ways. And he is a great example of what it means to live by faith. During Lent, may we deepen our faith like St. Joseph.…
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Season 3, Episode 15. Throughout our lives we encounter many temptations, but because of our love and faith in Christ, we are able to follow Jesus and overcome temptations. And we can overcome through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. To pray and be truly present with God, to fast and deny ourselves to God, and to give alms by caring for and loving …
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Season 3, Episode 14. Can a blind person guide another blind person? We should find people who lead us on the right path to salvation. Find a spiritual guide that we can communicate with us and help us on our spiritual journey.
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Season 3, Episode 13. Jesus is asking us to forgive just as the Father has forgiven us - for the Lord is merciful and kind. Being a Christian or follower of Jesus - we are on the way, on the path, of following the Lord. Because of Christ’s life, suffering, death, and resurrection, he has given us the power to forgive and to act divinely.…
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Season 3, Episode 12. Are you willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself? Despite any difficulties, any trials, can you be a dwelling place or shelter for Jesus? The testing of your faith produces perseverance, so you can be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We must accept life as it happens to us.…
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Season 3, Episode 11. When God’s grace invades a person, the person realizes their sinfulness in the presence of God. The holiness of God’s presences allows us to reflect on our lives so that we may be saved. We must know that we are loved by God no matter what. And when we accept this, we acknowledge that we are sinful, yet still worthy of God’s l…
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Season 3, Episode 10. Though we are given many gifts and blessings - they are not meant for us. They are meant to pass through us and to enhance others and that through us, God can bring joy and peace to others. Our gifts are to share with others.
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Season 3, Episode 9. We are called to live out our vocation. All of us have gifts to build up the kingdom of God. Do we recognize the gifts God has given each one of us? Let us pray for awareness of our gifts so we may use them to proclaim God’s kingdom.
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Season 3, Episode 8. Jesus is the union between divinity and humanity. When God intervenes and is present - He is not stingy. He not only provides “good wine,” but blesses us with His presence in our lives. Let us be in union and communion with God and that as we listen to Jesus, that God’s word bring an effulgence of life within us.…
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Season 3, Episode 7. Aloha from San Antonio, Texas! This week we reflect on our baptism - the most important day of our Christian lives (aside from being born!). We belong to our God. We share in the divine life of God and one day all of us will be united in the Kingdom of God.
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Season 3, Episode 6. As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, we will be in presence of royalty - Jesus the King. In place of gold, let us honor Him as our King. In place of frankincense, let us offer Him praise. And in place of myrrh, let us offer ourselves in body and soul along with our sorrows, joys, and hardships. As we look forward to this …
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Season 3, Episode 5. Wishing you joy in the simple things, and peace in the quiet places where you pray and meditate. And wishing you a peaceful, hopeful season, that leaves all of you feeling simply blessed.
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Season 3, Episode 4. Every time we greet one another, we bring the Spirit of Jesus to each other. The beauty of when we visit one another, it’s like the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth - when we get together, we bring joy to others. We did this in the past, and we do it even in the present.
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Season 3, Episode 3. When we center our lives on Christ, we can endure the sufferings and prosperity that the Lord gives us, not only throughout the year, but each and every day. We can rejoice that Jesus is near and can ease our anxieties.
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Season 3, Episode 2. Look at your lives and observe what are the obstacles that are preventing Christ in our lives? How are we preparing to receive Christ in our lives? Let us reflect and meditate and prepare for the coming of Christmas. And as we prepare, let us remember that we are eager to celebrate an event that has changed EVERYTHING and gives…
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Season 3, Episode 1. Happy Advent! Today we begin the new season (Season 3!) of Fr. Rollie’s podcast! We are called to open up our hearts and our minds to Christ’s living presence, and we do so when we participate in the Eucharist and when we welcome one another in our lives. We can use the sacrament of reconciliation to help us root out the obstac…
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Season 2, Episode 47. Jesus’ kingdom is full of love and acceptance. Can we embrace one another? Let us be a sanctuary for one another. A place of kindness, inclusion, acceptance, and forgiveness for others. So this feast of Christ the King - let us remember that Jesus needs to be the King of our hearts. Let us help each other increase our faith in…
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Season 2, Episode 46. Welcome back, Fr. Rollie! After a 2-week pilgrimage to Rome, Fr. Rollie is back to share his message for this week. Sometimes in our lives, we experience difficulties or terrible times, but this weekʻs readings remind us that we need to trust in God because He sends people in our lives to encourage us and help us along the way…
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Season 2, Episode 45. In the kingdom of God, we are called to serve, not to be served. Jesus shows us that to be great in God’s kingdom we need to be a servant of the people. Let us serve others who need our help and who need our assistance.
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Season 2, Episode 44. Jesus calls us to follow Him, and those who follow Him are enriched. Let us make a daily commitment to follow Christ, model His example,a and preach God’s Word.
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Season 2, Episode 43. The biblical view of marriage is that we belong together, we are community, rather than individuals. Adam and Eve are co-equals, and the two become one flesh and the intimate relationship or friendship is in marriage. When the two are in union and communion in friendship. And the fruits of this communion are the children. Toge…
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Season 2, Episode 42. We are given the grace, like Jesus, to extend beyond our borders of our own closed myopic world view. And we are called, like Jesus, to overcome our envy and jealousy and reach out to others and the poor. Let us serve others.
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Season 2, Episode 41. Love is wishing, desiring, the good welfare of others. It is the opposite of envy, anger, and ambition. Loving the lowest person in the social order is an instrument for us to practice charity and reaching out to others. Let us love one another, enjoy the present moment, and be grateful and thankful for the blessings we have r…
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Season 2, Episode 40. We as Christians, are called to evangelize and speak God’s Word. We need to help people open their ears to hear God’s Word so that others may experience God’s divine energy. Next week Fr. Roland will be on break - we'll be back the following week!
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Season 2, Episode 39. God’s law is the rule or guidepost on the road to Holiness. And Jesus is the Word of God, the love incarnate, who has come to teach us the ways of God, the ways of holiness, and the ways that bring about life. The Word of God brings life.
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Season 2, Episode 38. We welcome back Fr. Rollie from his retreat at St. St. Meinrad's monastery in Indiana. In this week’s podcast we reflect: The Eucharist is the center of Christian life. It is in our life that we find the real presence of Jesus through the Eucharist we receive every Sunday. Through our faith, we will be sustained with the divin…
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Season 2, Episode 37. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. When we participate in the Mass, we are strengthen in life like Elijah in his journeys.
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Season 2, Episode 36. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. We are called to deepen our union and communion with Jesus in the Eucharist. Our hearts are longing and yearning for God and will not rest until it rests in God.
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Season 2, Episode 35. Jesus feeds everyone who comes to the eucharistic table. And with the little that we have, we offer up to Jesus. He will transform it into something that feeds us. This week, let us reflect on John’s gospel, chapter 6, and how he talks about the eucharist. Let us see the eucharist through the eyes of faith and thank God for th…
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Season 2, Episode 34. Jesus will shepherd His people. Jesusʻ words, as shepherd, is extended through the centuries. The shepherd is not only present among the people, but is also the head of the people, and behind of the people. He is the pastor, the parishioner, and the servant. We are all called to be shepherds, like Jesus, and leaders within the…
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Season 2, Episode 33. We, as ordinary people, we are called to be prophets and speak God’s Word publicly to others. As people of faith and prayer, we have the basic “ingredients” to speak God’s Word to others - we have faith. We can bless people - we can bless ourselves and bless others. And as much as we can, we should give reasons for hope in our…
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Season 2, Episode 32. How do you feel about Holy joy? What would it mean to you? Holy joy is associated with gratitude, and gratitude is at the heart of prayer. It is so important to be grateful to God for His many blessings. As Christians we can be thankful for the freedoms we have received in Christ. This week, let us reflect and experience the H…
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Season 2, Episode 31. After 14 years, Fr. Rollie left St. Anthony Maui and is going on a 1 year sabbatical adventure. And like this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we need to have trust in God. There will be times when we feel like things aren’t going our way, but we’re reminded that even though things aren’t happening on our time, it is always happening …
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Season 2, Episode 30. How do we interpret the suffering in our lives? We sit and reflect - God’s will be done. We do not know God’s plans; we are just one person in the whole universe, and we play just one part of His creation. When we experience hardships or when we suffer, we should continue to praise God because He is in control. Let us trust Go…
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Season 2, Episode 29. Though things have changed, and will change, Godʻs kingdom will last forever. As people of faith, we are called to promote and extend the kingdom of God. Jesus is all divine; He because human, so all of us can become divine. God is with us until the end of time.
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Season 2, Episode 28. This feast is a tremendous opportunity for us to reflect on our connectedness with Jesus’ body and blood. Jesus promised to be present in the bread and cup of our eucharist, and so as we receive the eucharist we prepare each week to live out the gospel and thank God for living, as one, the spirit of Jesus.…
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Season 2, Episode 27. God is mystery, all transcendent, all powerful, all knowing, and omnipotent. And yet He always acts on behalf His people. Rather than trying to define the Trinity, we should live the mystery of the Trinity. Our God is Trinity. Our God is community. And our bond with God is one of love. Look with the eyes of faith, and love God…
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Season 2, Episode 26. Today, the day after Pentecost, we celebrate the Feast of Mary the Mother of the Church. Mary was chosen to be the spouse of the Holy Spirit and cooperated in the saving mission of Christ. We must be keenly aware of the actions of the Holy Spirit. As we honor Mary, we can have Mary as our model in prayer, like the disciples, w…
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Season2, Episode 25. Jesus asks us to go into the world and spread the Good News. Our calling is to look into the world and into each other and proclaim the Gospel. As we undertake our journey, we’ll come across we’ll experience different transitions. And it is through these transitions we must persevere as Christians and disciples of Christ and be…
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Season 2, Episode 24. The primacy is love. We love God because God has loved us first. Our response to God’s love is to love one another. There are many ways we can show the love of others. Like our mothers, they give so much of themselves with love and compassion as they raise children. And like St. Damien, who is a model of the love, compassion, …
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Season 2, Episode 23. Jesus wants to come and transform our lives. How do we abide in Christ? We need to be conscious that Christ lives in each one of us and do our best to imitate Him. Jesus is a friend. Jesus is a healer. Jesus is an evangelizer. Jesus promises to be with us all the days of our lives. We can meditate on John’s Gospel chapters 15-…
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Season 2, Episode 22. During this Easter season, we can reflect on our own baptism and how we are all beloved sons and daughters of God and spend time listening to the voice of Jesus our Shepherd. Through the bible, meditation, or through a friend or others who may challenge us. We are all part of His flock and all of us are called to express to ot…
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Season 2, Episode 21. Jesus is fo’real! He’s not a ghost or a part of our imagination. He is flesh and blood. He reminds us that everything that was written in the scriptures was written about Him for He is the Lord. We are thankful to God for the gift of the Eucharist - where we are blessed with the presence of Jesus’s body and blood. Let us rejoi…
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Season 2, Episode 20. The victory that conquers the world is our faith. And just as the apostles are sent after experiencing the Risen Lord, so we, too, having experienced Easter and Jesus in our lives, should go and spread the light of God to the world. Let us meditate on the scriptures and deepen our understanding of the new life Jesus has given …
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Season 2, Episode 19. Jesus is risen, and now we are charged to go and spread the Good News. We are called as disciples to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And this Easter season is our time to reflect and return to our baptism where we renew the baptismal promises we made to Jesus.
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Season 2, Episode 18. Are we willing to stay with Jesus in his suffering and his death? Or will we run away and flee, leaving Jesus (and our baptismal promises) behind? We must be willing to be with Christ so we can experience resurrection, and so that we, too, may give of ourselves to help others on this journey towards eternal and resurrected lif…
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Season 2, Episode 17. Our relationship is sealed through the covenant with the Body and Blood of Christ. So when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we are intimately united with our Lord. Jesus is the new covenant.
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Season 2, Episode 16. We who are Christians and believers of Christ have the gift of eternal life. Jesus is the light of the world and brings His light into our darkness. The Son of Man lifted up from the world and brought about life. Jesus died for our sake to bring us salvation and eternal life.
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