Real Life Christianity with Deacon John Lozano

God is on your side

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:38:04 -0500

"Pulling for you"

Having a New Mind

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 06:24:51 -0500

There is a lot at stake here!

"Most Brutal, Incomparable Cruelty"

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 04:15:16 -0500

And... Most Beautiful, Incomparable Revelation of Divine Love.

The Cost of Discipleship

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:31:44 -0500

What was it like to see Jesus Pray?

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:14:31 -0500

"May the event you so admire in Mary's flesh, happen in the intimacy of your soul." St. Augustine

Fri, 23 May 2025 17:19:39 -0500

Two Impossible Pregnancies

"Blessed are the Poor, Hungry, Weeping, Rejected"

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:30:08 -0500

Really? THERE ARE NO GOD-FREE ZONES

All Saints

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 23:14:10 -0500

YOU!

Prayer: Receiving the Prayer of Jesus

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:29:48 -0500

Sisters Preached Retreat - Part 3

Going Beyond The Mind You Have

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 04:46:35 -0500

Preached Sisters Retreat - part 2

Why are we here?

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 17:01:22 -0500

Preached Sisters Retreat - part 1

Jesus Wept

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:47:06 -0500

There is life in the desert

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:14:32 -0500

Jesus was 'Driven' into the desert. Sometimes... so are we.

Finding Rest

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 17:35:41 -0500

Some of the most consoling words of the Bible involve something that gives God pleasure.

The Love That Makes No Sense

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 04:44:00 -0500

Why would God be so careless in this parable?

Perhaps the Most Consoling Words in the Bible

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 17:20:22 -0500

Have you ever felt burdened? Have you labored? ...Have you ever desired consolation?

There is no judgement in God... only in us

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 21:44:47 -0500

What is our dysfunctional relationship with love? And what is the still point upon which the universe turns?

Where is the Risen Jesus Today?

Wed, 03 May 2023 13:19:57 -0500

In a compelling fashion Deacon John reveals three of the main ways where we meet the Risen Jesus today.

This Friday is Good!

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 03:50:38 -0500

Deacon John reflects on the passion and death of Jesus on the cross and the extraordinary good news: "There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not still deeper."

We all have wounds

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:28:56 -0500

No one goes through life unscathed... How do our wounds unite us?

”I’m fine” and neither are you...

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:43:10 -0500

Your father sees what is in secret... The holiness lost by not sharing the content of your heart.

We are to be ”Perfect”?!? Do we truly understand what perfection is?

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 21:40:47 -0500

Understanding the meaning of perfection can change everything. A very important message from Deacon John.

When we think small, what are the consequences?

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 21:43:40 -0500

When we are wrapped up in our mind games what do we miss?

When you are utterly inadequate but you give anyway...

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 22:53:41 -0500

Deacon John explores in this Gospel the reality and value hidden within giving when your giving is inadequate...

Christianity is not a cakewalk

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 21:43:16 -0500

Christianity promises us persecution. This Gospel promises us the power of perseverance and patient endurance.

You are Important!

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 22:02:32 -0500

What questions do truth and grace ask us?

The Birth of Jesus... The God of the ”Second Chance!”

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 01:04:25 -0500

What is revealed to infants

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 22:41:55 -0500

What wisdom do infants possess that we can learn?

Advent.... The Fullness of Grace and Truth

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 23:42:34 -0500

Deacon John explores the relationship between Grace and Truth. What is Grace without Truth or Truth without Grace?

Our talents and our goodness

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 22:05:10 -0500

Are our talents just things we are good at? Or is there a deeper connection between our talents and the goodness of who we are?

Jesus’s Zeal will consume him

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 23:45:26 -0500

In today's story, a depiction of the model disciple invites the zealousness of Jesus.

According to scripture, was Jesus cursed?

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 18:56:52 -0500

What an odd church we have. Images everywhere of a man being tortured and executed through a means of state sponsored terrorism... And we sing hymns about it.

When do we rest?

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 20:13:11 -0500

Life is unfair, and don't we sometimes think it's particularly unfair when injustice and suffering happen to those who have faith?

A tale of two prayers

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 02:20:31 -0500

A good person and a bad person pray and Jesus throws the outcome upside down.

The relationship that takes priority over all

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 03:29:15 -0500

Deacon John tackles a very difficult gospel reading in which Jesus seemingly is very callous.

Caravaggio brilliantly captures our wavering...

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:32:07 -0500

Deacon John unpacks his favorite painting within the context of today's gospel

Humility is not being a doormat

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:50:26 -0500

On the feast of St Augustine we ask, how is humility truth? How does humility correlate with being full alive?

God sees in us what we don’t see

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 01:09:01 -0500

How do we see each other? What would a community look like if we saw each other the way Jesus saw Nathaniel?

The one thing no one wants to talk about

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 22:24:41 -0500

A Gospel passage that Deacon John did not want to preach about... Jesus' cutting words about Greed. For many modern day readers, has Greed become institutionalized? How is Greed linked to fear and what is it's solution?

Praying to our ”Pop Pop”

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 02:26:50 -0500

Deacon John opens up about his past conceptions of God and how his understanding of God has evolved.

Where is the judgement?

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 22:05:28 -0500

Imagine a scene wherein we meet God in the flesh, what is our reaction? What is his?

A really good conspiracy...

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 11:36:51 -0500

When it comes to Divine mercy, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to escape to and that's a very very good thing.

Do not be afraid of that place in you...

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 00:09:34 -0500

Do we look good or do we need a Savior?

One foot in the boat and one foot on the dock...

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:35:12 -0500

A Love that is daring, vital and burning is leaving the dock, and yet a straddling between options is behavioral of us all.

The unknowable/knowable God

Mon, 30 May 2022 03:40:37 -0500

Join Deacon John as he explores the intersection between a complete mystery that can be intimately known.

We are hurt and scared of Love

Mon, 23 May 2022 02:51:04 -0500

Deacon John reveals a concept that he has had trouble wrapping his mind and heart around for years. A message simple enough for a child and deep enough to drown in.

The God who goes through locked doors

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 23:48:26 -0500

What fundamental question do we ask that the readers of Luke's Gospel also ask?

The three most important words in our faith

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:41:38 -0500

Where do we meet this Risen Jesus? This fundamental question is as relevant to first century Christians as it is to us today.

A perfect, free love we often don’t understand

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 21:16:21 -0500

A father and his two sons in a story we all know. Deacon John explores this story from an uncommon angle.

God ”needs us?” Really?

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 01:18:48 -0500

What does it mean to move from the Ego Drama to the Theo Drama?

When we are saved from a fall before we fall

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 06:21:52 -0500

How does the role of Grace in Mary's life correlate with the role of Grace in our lives?

Interview: Who is Deacon John? (Part 3)

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 05:02:29 -0500

Join Lou Tilley as we get another personal look at Deacon John's faith and life.

The Scandal of Familiarity

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:26:25 -0500

Is a pool of water just a pool of water? Or is it a place where a child can wade and an elephant can drown? So too can familiarity look over the depth and dynamism of Christianity.

Part 4 of a 4 week Retreat with Deacon John ”Sharing Jesus”

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 23:34:01 -0500

What do we do when we have something so great "The pearl of great price"?

Stay for the Q&A at the end.

The Mad Love of God

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 01:47:14 -0500

God, Christmas, and Popeye.

Part 3 of a 4 week Retreat with Deacon John ”Growing in Jesus Christ”

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 02:02:17 -0500

Where and what are the supports that allow us to walk the Christian life instead of barely hang on to it?

Part 2 of a 4 week Retreat with Deacon John ”Deciding for Jesus Christ”

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:07:34 -0500

The natural next step after meeting someone is to decide on whether or not you will pursue a relationship.

Part 1 of a 4 week Retreat with Deacon John, week one: ”Knowing Jesus Christ”

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 02:47:25 -0500

Please take some time to prayerfully reflect on each of these weekly topics. The focus will be on Jesus: Knowing Jesus Christ, Deciding for Jesus Christ, Growing in Jesus Christ, Sharing Jesus Christ. This is a great way to prepare for and celebrate Christmas!

Seek and you will find

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:28:55 -0500

Asking questions, any question, with an open mind and heart is a primary way we encounter Jesus and grow in Faith

”That‘s just who I am” ...A meditation on identity

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 17:18:55 -0500

A classic homily from Deacon John explores the narratives we develop about ourselves.

This Gospel story gives us a seemingly stupid question from Jesus which actually reveals a deeply profound way that Christ sees us.

Angels and the supernatural

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:00:23 -0500

Our modern minds often easily dismiss anything beyond our five senses. But is there more to reality than what we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch? Is there a spiritual world?

The most crucial question in the Bible

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 03:03:22 -0500

The Messianic question is the turning point in the Gospel of Mark. Deacon John digs into the implications of answers to this question.

The problem with sorrow

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 14:43:02 -0500

Have you ever turned on yourself for feeling bad? What does the incarnation mean for our human-ness? What liberation does it provide?

Jesus‘s ancestors: Murderers, Cheats, Prostitues and Adulterers

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 16:09:48 -0500

...And yet, God still used them and God still uses us.

This saying is hard, who can accept it?

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:28:43 -0500

A shocking Gospel reading. "Eat my body." Really? This shocking passage begs a profound question about how we encounter Jesus.

"If it's just a symbol, to hell with it" - Flannery O'Connor

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 13:53:34 -0500

We are all very hungry. What is this food we can not get anywhere else?

The "professionally wise" versus children

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:02:04 -0500

Who am I that I would do these grand calls from God that we hear of in the bible?

Isn't that for the clergy? They're the professionals aren't they!

The outcasts of the outcasts

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 13:37:10 -0500

Imagine having to tell everyone you encounter throughout the day, "STAY AWAY!"

If we are good and work hard we will be liked and loved and be successful... Right?

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 16:45:01 -0500

Our virtues and our broken parts meet our faith. What is God's relationship with all of these? What is God's relationship with our secrets?

"That's very nice, but it doesn't have much to do with me"

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 20:58:28 -0500

Are we actually chosen? Are we sent? Do these seemingly dated biblical stories only have relevance in the past and not the present?

Our God is not a silent God

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 13:59:58 -0500

God has given us external and internal markers to show the right way. How do we cultivate the internal Markers he has provided us?

An utter misunderstanding of Jesus

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 14:39:05 -0500

Have you ever shared with a close friend a personal fear or struggle and all they do is talk about themselves?

The Mystery and Experience of the Trinity

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 15:16:26 -0500

What does this mystery actually mean for us in our daily lives? What does this overabundance of love at the core of the Trinity have to do with us?

The value of time.

Tue, 18 May 2021 15:35:46 -0500

There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or love us less. Over time, we can only receive.

Remain in me

Wed, 12 May 2021 14:47:38 -0500

To be Grafted into Christ... To Abide in Christ... His life becoming our life and ours his. Separate but one.

What does God enjoy?

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 12:57:45 -0500

In this Sunday Homily Deacon John looks at vulnerability, God's enjoyment, and the highest expression of Love.

Let's first consider how often we attach a "But" to love... "I love you BUT"... "He/She loves me BUT". From this consideration we can begin to see the gulf between conditional love and unconditional love.

Three places we meet God

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 20:06:57 -0500

How do we encounter the risen Jesus today? The story on the road to Emmaus unlocks three ways.

Don't start what you can't finish

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:17:02 -0500

"Checking out" or "Stepping back" How strong and often is the desire to do this with following God? Especially when you do not feel God's presence?

Only those we love can truly hurt us

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:46:45 -0500

Jesus loved Judas, in doing so he allowed his heart to suffer because he allowed himself to love. The suffering of the human heart is the deepest of all sufferings.

Seeing beyond what is before us

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:06:55 -0500

A reading to the early Christians who faced deadly persecution. This community, with God in them, found themselves doing infinitely more than they or we could imagine.

A man born blind... much like us!

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:12:38 -0500

Deacon John gives us a practical guide to gaining spiritual sight.

"Jesus you're insulting us"

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 17:23:18 -0500

Jesus is not always nice. Some portraits of Jesus have him with fair skin, shampooed hair and an emotionless expression. But in the gospels at times he is insulting, particularly against religious leaders.

At every moment there is something more at work

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:49:51 -0500

There are healthy and unhealthy expectations. The Christian life calls us to a healthy and practical expectation of things that are coming to us all whether we want them to or not.

Good things and challenging things come to us. God's love and grace comes to us. It is best to be found awake, rather than asleep, when it all comes.

Playing mind games with God

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 15:06:23 -0500

In this story, religious scholars test Jesus, try to out think him, trap him and play mind games with him.

The God that stays up all night

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 14:55:33 -0500

God waits, chooses, and calls people to himself. Often, unremarkable people are chosen. These people are the actual building materials of his kingdom. Who are they?

Interview: Who is Deacon John? (Part 1)

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 02:33:29 -0500

Join Lou Tilley as we get a personal look at Deacon John's faith and life.

The church does not have a mission...

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 02:01:41 -0500

A day in the life of Jesus... The people try to "keep" Jesus and why this can not work.

What do you see when you look around?

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 21:04:07 -0500

Look with the eyes that want to see him. Deacon John shares a personal story about one of his earliest encounters with the Holy Spirit.

How to give when you have nothing to give

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 22:42:14 -0500

Sometimes we feel inadequate, that we don't have enough for what is asked of us. The practical response is to send off these requests of ourselves. After all, we actually ARE inadequate to give sometimes.

What and how does God gives to us and what does God want to gives through us?

INTERVIEW: Who is Deacon John (Part 2)

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 15:19:59 -0500

Join Lou Tilley as we get another personal look at Deacon John's faith and life.

Anna and her prayer, patience and mission

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:18:21 -0500

Grace is not controlled by us but we can walk and wait upon it. We receive in a variety of ways, sometimes, dramatically.

Daily Homily: What the stories in the bible hold significant which we often do not

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:42:37 -0500

How do we literally exist before anyone knows?

Daily Homily: How is God's burden "Light"?

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 01:48:44 -0500

The bible's primacy of grace. When is it we or God who pursues and seeks?

Is it possible that the best prayer is when we're not doing the praying?

Deacon John goes to Prison

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 18:16:50 -0500

An acquaintance of Deacon John was sentenced to a long prison term for a terrible crime. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25 Jesus tells us where to find him, in the distressing disguise of the poor. In this story, Deacon John goes to his most distressing setting for ministry... prison.

Daily homily: St. Ignatius of Loyala visualization exercise

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:47:15 -0500

In this passage in the gospel of Luke, Jesus is asked how to pray. Deacon John walks us through an exercise that uses our imagination to put us in this Gospel scene.

Daily homily: Healthy expectations of what is coming

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 15:14:47 -0500

Explore the dual nature of what is coming. How we are to receive it and how bad it is to miss it.

Reason, Love and our mind games with God

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:31:06 -0500

Making sense of the greatest commandment

Jesus' stinging words

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 14:30:19 -0500

Jesus is for one thing: ALL IN.

Our times are speaking to us

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:44:35 -0500

"This is getting the best of me" ...This is a common statement Deacon John has encountered in 2020.

In 2020, how is God revealed to us as that which does not change nor is contingent on the times or any other being? Rather, God is revealed as being itself.

St Teresa of Avila, "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing make you afraid, all things are passing. God alone never changes. Patience gains all things. If you have God you will want for nothing. God alone suffices."

Life is difficult. Life is unfair. Now Faith begins.

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 01:57:54 -0500

"Life is ______" How would you answer this question? The true story of a child's honest answer demands that we find a solution to one of life's fundamental challenges.