Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden

75 episódios

Episode 50: Facing the City, Leaving It
10/12/2025 | 14min
St. Benedict saw the world differently. Others pursued knowledge, pleasure, prestige. He wanted more.Once he grew up and could make his own decisions, he sought only what would last: God.In this week’s episode, we reflect on Benedict’s journey from worldly ease to holy freedom, and how his courage challenges us to ask: “What do I really want?”__________This January, take up the example of the Fathers and embrace a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Leave behind the pharaohs and idols that keep you enslaved and take up the journey to the promised land. Join tens of thousands of men from all around the world for the Exodus 90 Challenge. We start January 5th, 2026. Download the Exodus 90 app or visit exodus90.com to learn more.Visit desertfathers.com to join our email newsletter for updates and reflections.__________We owe a special thanks to our partners. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is...• 🦉...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog• 🎥 ...produced by EWTN• 🧡...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today!
Episode 49: From Egypt to Italy
03/12/2025 | 13min
Imagine a narrow cave. A little bell to signal a visitor. A rope lowered to bring food.Alone, fasting, praying… Benedict spent three years here preparing for his sacred mission.In this episode, we visit the very cave where Benedict emerged to give the world his “little rule for beginners.”We’ll dive into the final chapter of Benedict’s Rule, reflecting on how he distills the desert fathers’ teachings for anyone seeking a life fully devoted to God.__________This January, take up the example of the Fathers and embrace a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Leave behind the pharaohs and idols that keep you enslaved and take up the journey to the promised land. Join tens of thousands of men from all around the world for the Exodus 90 Challenge. We start January 5th, 2026. Download the Exodus 90 app or visit exodus90.com to learn more.Visit desertfathers.com to join our email newsletter for updates and reflections.__________We owe a special thanks to our partners. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is...• 🦉...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog• 🎥 ...produced by EWTN• 🧡...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today!________
Episode 48: Endure Your Mind
25/11/2025 | 13min
What should we do with intrusive, impure thoughts?The more we try to push them away, the harder they seem to stick.If only we had a mental delete button. It’s exhausting to feel like our own minds are working against us.This week, we see how the Desert Fathers faced this inner battle. They don’t promise quick fixes. But they offer a way to weaken these thoughts over time until they lose their grip.__________This January, take up the example of the Fathers and embrace a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Leave behind the pharaohs and idols that keep you enslaved and take up the journey to the promised land. Join tens of thousands of men from all around the world for the Exodus 90 Challenge. We start January 5th, 2026. Download the Exodus 90 app or visit exodus90.com to learn more.Visit desertfathers.com to join our email newsletter for updates and reflections.__________We owe a special thanks to our partners. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is...• 🦉...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog• 🎥 ...produced by EWTN• 🧡...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today!________
Episode 47: Modes of Combat
18/11/2025 | 12min
Abba Netras thrived in the desert. Life was simple. His soul was at peace.Then the Church called him to be a bishop in the city. Suddenly his quiet life was over.How did Bishop Netras respond?This week, we see that true discernment means recognizing when your old routines no longer serve you—and having the courage to enter new modes of spiritual combat.__________This January, take up the example of the Fathers and embrace a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Leave behind the pharaohs and idols that keep you enslaved and take up the journey to the promised land. Join tens of thousands of men from all around the world for the Exodus 90 Challenge. We start January 5th, 2026. Download the Exodus 90 app or visit exodus90.com to learn more.Visit desertfathers.com to join our email newsletter for updates and reflections.__________We owe a special thanks to our partners. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is...• 🦉...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog• 🎥 ...produced by EWTN• 🧡...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today!________
Episode 46: No Angel
11/11/2025 | 13min
Work can seem dull at times. Didn't God create us to praise Him, instead? That seems much preferred to work. Practical life, it can seem, gets in the way of the spiritual life. If only we could live like the angels in a state of constant praise. But the fact of the matter is, we—humans—must attend to practical things as well as spiritual. As Bishop Varden says, "Angels have no need for supper."This week's episode is a good reminder that the petty tasks we must undergo in life should not be a distraction from the spiritual life. We must hold them both in balance.__________This January, take up the example of the Fathers and embrace a life of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Leave behind the pharaohs and idols that keep you enslaved and take up the journey to the promised land. Join tens of thousands of men from all around the world for the Exodus 90 Challenge. We start January 5th, 2026. Download the Exodus 90 app or visit exodus90.com to learn more.Visit desertfathers.com to join our email newsletter for updates and reflections.__________We owe a special thanks to our partners. Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden is...• 🦉...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog• 🎥 ...produced by EWTN• 🧡...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today!________

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Sobre Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden

Modern life is like a desert—a parched and barren expanse where the soul thirsts for the living water Jesus promised at the well. Amid the ceaseless distractions and allurements of materialism, God can seem absent. As the Desert Fathers of old fled the noise of the world to seek God in silence, we too have been been called into the desert. Guided by Bishop Erik Varden, this year-long series—beginning January 1, 2025—invites listeners to encounter the profound wisdom of the Desert Fathers. Drawing from their timeless Sayings, Bishop Varden illuminates the lives of figures like St. Anthony of Egypt, exploring themes such as purity, humility, self-mastery, and repentance. Through their struggles in the wilderness, these early Christians uncovered the transformative power of God’s grace—lessons as relevant today as they were in their time. Though few of us are called to the monastic life, the spiritual combat of the Desert Fathers resonates with all who seek to follow Christ. As Jesus Himself entered the desert to confront temptation, their wisdom offers guidance for our own battles with distraction and despair, helping us find strength in prayer and discipline. Bishop Erik Varden, a Cistercian monk and Bishop of Trondheim, Norway, is one of today’s leading Catholic voices. A convert to Catholicism during his studies at Cambridge, he was drawn to the monastic life, ultimately joining Mount St. Bernard Abbey in England, where he eventually became abbot. Through his writing and teaching, Bishop Varden speaks compellingly to a secular world, using the language of beauty to reveal the centrality of our search for God—even when we wander astray. Join us as we step into the desert together, guided by the wisdom of the ancients, to rediscover the love of Christ that conquers all obstacles. Visit DesertFathers.com to learn more. We owe a special thanks to our partners. The Desert Fathers with Bishop Erik Varden... ...written by Bishop Erik Varden. You can follow Bishop Varden on his blog, CoramFratribus.com ...produced by EWTN Global Catholic Network ...and brought to you by Exodus 90. Download the Exodus 90 app today and experience uncommon freedom in Jesus Christ with men from around the world.

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