Embracing God’s Will – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff – Discerning Hearts Podcast

“Why Did You Doubt?” Growing in Faith and Trust in Jesus – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

In this episode of Building a Kingdom of Love, Msgr. John Esseff reflects on the need for a Christian life in which prayer and action remain deeply united. The ache and emptiness experienced by so many people can’t be healed simply by greater activity. Ministry, service, and works of charity must flow from an interior relationship with God. When doing becomes separated from being with God, even good work can lead to exhaustion, self-reliance, and eventually losing sight of the One who called us to serve.

Drawing from Jesus’ warning about external religious observances and St. James’ call to become doers of the Word, Msgr. Esseff explains that authentic Christian life begins in the heart and bears fruit in concrete love of neighbor. He recalls young people transformed through serving the poor in mission countries and witnesses such as St. Teresa of Calcutta, whose extraordinary service grew from a solid life of prayer. Yet even good works require discernment. Msgr. Esseff shares his own experience of repeatedly asking to serve in Latin America while his bishop required him to remain where he was. His eventual mission came through obedience rather than simply following his own desire to do something good.

Kris McGregor brings this discernment into family life, where the desire to serve the Church can sometimes pull a person away from the responsibilities God has already entrusted to them as a spouse or parent. Msgr. Esseff returns to the first commandment: love God with your whole heart, soul, strength, and mind. From that relationship, Christ can love others through us. The Christian life becomes less about accomplishing something through our own strength and more about allowing God to act through us, whether our work seems great or very small.

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Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions:

1. Is my service to others flowing from a real life of prayer with God?
2. Where have I become so busy doing good things that I’ve neglected my interior life?
3. When I want to undertake something good, do I first ask God whether it is His will for me?
4. What does Msgr. Esseff’s experience of obedience teach me about trusting God when my plans are delayed?
5. Are any of my activities pulling me away from responsibilities God has already entrusted to me in my family or vocation?
6. Where am I relying primarily on my own strength rather than allowing Christ to work through me?
7. What small act of love can I offer today as a response to God’s love for me?