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How do we interpret and understand what God is calling us to, both in our vocation and in other life choices? Join Stacey Sumereau on coffee dates with Catholic friends for insight and inspiring guidance. From touring with Broadway hit shows to discerning religious life on Lifetime’s reality TV show ”The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns,” Stacey hasn’t stopped searching for God’s will! Original music by JF Church.
Episodes
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Happy Feast Day of St. Joseph!! I have a newfound devotion to this incredible Saint and, since I have promised to spread awareness of his amazingness, I'm keeping that promise today. It's been an extremely eventful year for the Sumereau family, and one other Saint has also been instrumental for us. Yes God does answer prayers, and he loves to do it in a way that will blow your mind!
Also in this episode is a concept that's been buzzing around in my brain for YEARS that I've never yet been able to articulate. When we're discerning something we often want to rush to an answer. However, the Lord may want to HEAL us first. How to begin understanding that, getting to the root of the problem, and re-framing our understanding of discernment so we can approach it correctly? Listen to find out.
(My 2-month-old son was a very noisy sleeper in this episode, so my apologies for some background "extras"! If I wait for perfection, nothing will happen these days!)
Resources
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
In my years in discernment ministry, I’ve noticed that most people look for God’s voice in two specific ways: A voice in one’s head, or a sign. As my spiritual life has matured, I’ve mostly stopped asking God for a sign in discernment. Why? I have four reasons:
- Signs can be ambivelent: How do you know what the sign means?
- God may not want to tell you because he may want you to choose
- Signs are limiting: God often wants to work far more creatively!
- Asking for a sign can make you hyper-focused on the sign when discernment is rather a relationship
So how should we pray in discernment? There are many ways, and I’ll finish the episode with four very practical ways to help you get unstuck and pray well. Two are from St. Ignatius “The Man” of Loyola. Enjoy!
Resources
- Get the Prayer of Surrender mentioned in this episode when you subscribe to https://www.staceysumereau.com . You’ll instantly get a packet called “How to Make the Right Choice” and inside that is the Prayer.
- Leah Darrow’s episode on Called and Caffeinated
- Fr. Gregory Pine O.P.’s episode on Called and Caffeinated
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Are you in a phase of life where you lost your motivation to pray? For me, pregnancy is a season where I totally fall off the wagon in my prayer life. Then when I lose the habit of prayer I lose the motivation. And it's really hard to get back into the habit.
Today I'm sharing 5 fail-safe strategies to revive my mostly-defunct prayer life:
- Make your busy life a prayer
- Make a plan
- Tithe your time
- Prioritize your best way to connect with God
- Recall God's past providence
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Monday Oct 10, 2022
“Self-knowledge is so important that, even if you were raised right up to the heavens, I should like you never to relax your cultivation of it.” -St. Teresa of Avila
In this episode I'm joined by famed author of many books, including The Temperament God Gave You, Laraine Bennett. If you're like me, you get a little annoyed when someone references the temperaments because it feels just a tad... simplistic. Or you never read a book about them before. Never fear! We break down each temperament into manageable explanations and after hearing them, I think you'll agree with me that they're an enormously helpful tool for increasing self-knowledge.
My favorite part of our interview was discussing something I've never heard talked about before: Pitfalls to avoid discernment for each temperament, as well as how to use your particular temperament to discern God's will well. As always on this show, we discuss discernment for every single decision in your life- not just your vocation.
Topics Discussed
- What is temperament? How it differs from personality
- Where the concept of temperaments comes from, and an overview of each
- Thinking correctly about temperament: Avoiding both navel-gazing and unjust judgement
- Discernment advice for each temperament type
- Are certain temperament types more compatible with others in marriage?
Resources
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
My heart went out to a listener named Victoria, who wrote to me of her eating disorder. Her discomfort with her looks pushed her toward perfectionism and an extreme fear of failure. As I read her words, I knew exactly how she felt, because for years I was there as well.
You can't discern your true purpose when you're living in fear of failure and self-dislike. Even after your body heals and you begin eating normally again, long-term healing of your heart and your outlook is absolutely essential. If you're stuck in that in-between, this one's for you. In this episode, I'm sharing my experience and then reducing my entire healing journey down to just ONE simple question. Answering that one question broke me out of years of spiraling self-hatred and anxiety. How you answer this question will hopefully do exactly the same for you.
Resources
- Watch on YouTube HERE!
- Stacey's episode with Dr. Scott Hahn includes the topic of fasting for people recovering from body image issues.
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
My heart went out to a listener named Victoria, who wrote to me of her eating disorder. Her discomfort with her looks pushed her toward perfectionism and an extreme fear of failure. As I read her words, I knew exactly how she felt, because for years I was there as well.
You can't discern your true purpose when you're living in fear of failure and self-dislike. Even after your body heals and you begin eating normally again, long-term healing of your heart and your outlook is absolutely essential. If you're stuck in that in-between, this one's for you. In this episode, I'm sharing my experience and then reducing my entire healing journey down to just ONE simple question. Answering that one question broke me out of years of spiraling self-hatred and anxiety. How you answer this question will hopefully do exactly the same for you.
Resources
- Watch on YouTube HERE!
- Stacey's episode with Dr. Scott Hahn includes the topic of fasting for people recovering from body image issues.
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
“So, what then is life about? To what — to whom — will we entrust our heart? There are plenty of suitors, but only one worthy spouse. For, as we’ll find, a human life is a weighty thing, and some goals simply can’t bear the burden of our whole heart’s love.”
If there's one thing I crave in all my decision-making, it's confidence. If I knew for sure what the right thing was, I would be so happy and choose it immediately! Sadly, there's usually no burning bush or angel appearing in a dream to tell me.
Developing the virtue of prudence is the best guide. The brilliant Fr. Gregory Pine is on the pod to discuss the 8 parts of prudence, formulating a vision for who I want to be on the other side of each decision, why we call prudence the "charioteer of the virtues," and so much more.
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
There are a million parenting advice books, homeschooling books, how-to's on organizing, and spiritual books. Much, much more rare is a book helping us parents know when to work and when to put your feet up, how to make your marriage last with boisterous youngsters claiming your every ounce of energy, how to form a philosophy for educating your children, and how to keep one million tasks in balance... or discern when to cut down the list!
Leila Lawler, founder of the popular blog Like Mother Like Daughter and now author of the aptly (and cheekily) named Summa Domestica, has been on my 'hit list' for quite some time. She channels the collective memory every family needs to navigate those decisions, both large and small, no one else talks about. I recommend this episode for any parents but also those who feel called to marriage and want to benefit from early preparation for family life.
Resources
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Anyone else totally lose steam at this point in Lent? It's not Holy Week yet and the "smells and bells" of special liturgies haven't arrived. And TBH I'm busy and the excitement of growth at the outset of Ash Wednesday wore off weeks ago. If you're like me, you will absolutely LOVE my interview with the inimitable Dr. Scott Hahn.
There's so much more to fasting than giving up: It will increase our JOY. It unites us in brotherhood to the millions of people in our Universal Church who have fasted throughout the centuries. Give this a listen to gear you up for Holy Week; it won't disappoint!
Topics Discussed
- How to find joy in fasting
- Discerning when you've taken your resolutions too far (or not far enough)
- Fasting for those suffering from body image anxiety
- Collectively building the Kingdom of God through fasting
- Does fasting "prove" our faith to God?
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
"God does not reject the places even we reject within ourselves."
I've never thought of Lent as a time for healing, but my conversation with Sr. Miriam James Heidland changed that. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving: the purpose of these is not to do them for their own sake, but in order to enter into the desert with the Lord. To let him heal the places that most hurt us.
If that scares the living daylights out of you... it should. It will. But only in exposing our wound to the healer can he truly heal us. If you've followed Sr. Miriam's heart-centered ministry as I have and have loved her Abiding Together Podcast, this one is absolutely for you. Be sure to listen right to the end as I share a healing image from my own testimony of post-NICU recovery.
Topics Discussed
- Seeing our sins as wounds
- How to achieve deep, intimate prayer
- What to expect when we are truly vulnerable with God
- Ongoing healing: When the road feels never-ending
- Fasting so that you can feast on something else
Resources