Sometimes we don't know what to say to God. Our hearts are heavy, our minds are overwhelmed, and the words simply won't come.
But prayer isn't about finding the perfect words. It's about opening our hearts to the One who already knows us and loves us.
I wrote this song, When Words Are Not Enough, as a companion to my new podcast series, Prayer: Learning to Speak, Listen, and Walk With God.
My hope is that it reminds you that whether you're filled with gratitude, struggling with fear, or simply sitting quietly in God's presence, every moment can become a prayer.
Sometimes the most beautiful prayer is simply, "Lord, here I am."
🎶 I hope this song touches your heart and draws you a little closer to God.
🙏 NEW PODCAST SERIES: PRAYER — Learning to Speak, Listen, and Walk With God
Episode 1: What Is Prayer, Really?
Have you ever tried to pray but didn't know what to say? Have you wondered whether God is listening, or whether you're even praying the right way?
Prayer is one of the most important parts of our relationship with God, yet for many of us, it's something we struggle to understand.
In this first episode of our brand-new series, Prayer, we explore what prayer really is and discover that it isn't about finding the perfect words, following a formula, or sounding holy. Prayer is about building a personal relationship with a God who already knows us and loves us.
Through a touching story, Scripture, and the teachings of the Catholic Church, we'll discover how even the simplest conversation with God can become the beginning of something beautiful.
🌿 This Week's Prayer Challenge: Spend just five minutes each day talking honestly with God. Share something you're grateful for, something that's weighing on your heart, and something you need His help with. Then spend a moment in silence.
Throughout this series, we'll explore different ways of praying, including Lectio Divina, spontaneous prayer, the Rosary, meditation, contemplation, and finding God in the beauty of creation. Each episode will include a meaningful story, practical teaching, and a challenge to help deepen your prayer life.
Whether you've been praying for decades or are just beginning, this journey is for you.
❤️ Remember, prayer doesn't begin when we find the perfect words. It begins when we open our hearts to God.
❤️ WHEN WORDS HURT: What Not to Say to Parents Who Have Lost a Child
The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns
Sometimes the most painful words are spoken by people who genuinely want to help.
When a mother or father experiences the heartbreak of miscarriage, well-meaning friends and family often struggle to find the right words. Expressions like "You can always try again," "Everything happens for a reason," or "God must have needed another angel" may be intended to bring comfort, but they can unintentionally deepen an already devastating loss.
In this deeply personal and emotional episode of The Catholic Journey, we explore the often-unrecognized grief of miscarriage and the importance of responding with compassion rather than explanations.
Through a moving story of a grieving couple, reflections on Scripture, and the wisdom of the Catholic Church, we discover that sometimes the greatest gift we can offer someone who is suffering is simply our presence.
Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He did not dismiss the sorrow of those around Him. He entered into their grief.
As Saint Paul reminds us:
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." — Romans 12:15
In this episode, we also discuss the grief fathers often carry in silence, the importance of acknowledging a child's life, and how Christian faith offers hope without pretending to have all the answers.
This episode is especially meaningful as I introduce my new book, The Child I Never Got to Hold: 40 Days of Faith, Grief, and Healing After Miscarriage, a devotional written to accompany grieving parents through sorrow, prayer, remembrance, and healing.
To every mother and father who has lost a baby: Your child mattered. Your love was real. Your grief deserves compassion. And you are not alone.
🙏 I invite you to listen and share this episode. You never know whose heart may be quietly carrying this kind of sorrow.
❤️ WHEN WORDS HURT — A Song About Love, Loss, and Compassion
The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns
Some of the deepest heartbreaks in life are the ones the world never sees.
For parents who have experienced miscarriage, the loss is more than the loss of a pregnancy. It is the loss of a precious child, the dreams they had already imagined, and a future they had already begun to love.
Often, people try to offer comfort with words like, "You can always try again," or "Everything happens for a reason." Although usually spoken with good intentions, these words can sometimes deepen the pain.
My new song, "When Words Hurt," was inspired by the grief of parents who have lost a baby and the importance of simply being present for someone who is suffering.
The song reminds us that we don't always need to find the right words. Sometimes the greatest expression of love is a listening ear, a hand to hold, or simply sitting beside someone in their sorrow.
As Scripture reminds us:
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." — Romans 12:15
This song also accompanies my new book, The Child I Never Got to Hold: 40 Days of Faith, Grief, and Healing After Miscarriage, written to offer compassion, spiritual encouragement, and Christian hope to grieving mothers and fathers.
To every parent who has experienced this heartbreaking loss:
Your child mattered. Your love was real. Your grief deserves compassion. And you are not alone.
I hope this song touches hearts, brings comfort to those who are grieving, and reminds all of us to be a little more gentle with one another.
🎵 Please listen, and consider sharing this song with someone who may need its message today.
What if the worst thing you've ever done didn't have to define the rest of your life?
The Road That Led Me Home is an emotional country-gospel ballad inspired by the life of Thomas Callahan, the central character in our five-part fictional podcast series, The Man Who Thought Heaven Wasn't for Him.
Thomas was a man who lost his way early in life. His choices led him down a path of violence, tragedy, and twenty-eight years behind prison walls. Haunted by the life he had taken and the family he had destroyed, Thomas believed that someone like him could never deserve God's forgiveness.
But God wasn't finished with Thomas.
Through repentance, unexpected friendships, acts of kindness, and the extraordinary gift of forgiveness, Thomas discovered that even the darkest past cannot extinguish the light of God's mercy.
This song follows his journey from a broken young man to an aging soul who finally understands that heaven isn't reserved for people who have lived perfect lives. It is the promise of salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
As Thomas approaches his final moments, holding a simple wooden cross given to him by a little girl, he whispers the same prayer spoken by the repentant thief on Calvary:
"Jesus, remember me."
And the road he once believed led nowhere finally becomes the road that leads him home.
❤️ This song is dedicated to everyone who has ever felt unworthy of forgiveness, burdened by regret, or convinced that they have wandered too far from God.
Your past may be part of your story, but it doesn't have to be the final chapter.
God's mercy is greater than our sins, His love is stronger than our failures, and it is never too late to find our way home.
🎧 I invite you to listen to The Road That Led Me Home, and if you haven't already, experience the complete five-part story of Thomas Callahan on The Catholic Journey.
Sometimes the longest road we travel is the one that finally brings us back to God.
Episode 5: The Man Who Finally Came Home — The Emotional Series Finale
The Catholic Journey with Deacon Pat Kearns
Can a man who has committed a terrible crime, spent decades in prison, and carried a lifetime of guilt truly find his way to heaven?
In this powerful and emotional conclusion to our five-part fictional series, Thomas Callahan faces the final chapter of his extraordinary journey.
Once a man consumed by darkness, violence, and regret, Thomas has spent his remaining years discovering the transforming power of God's mercy. But as his health fails and death approaches, one question still haunts him: Could God really welcome someone like me into heaven?
An unexpected letter of forgiveness, a visit from someone whose life he shattered, and the innocent wisdom of a little girl bring Thomas face-to-face with the greatest truth of our Catholic faith: No one is beyond the reach of God's mercy.
This final episode is a story of redemption, reconciliation, forgiveness, and the beautiful possibility of sainthood—even for those who once believed they were beyond saving.
Thomas's final words will remind us of the repentant thief on the cross and the extraordinary promise Jesus made to him.
Perhaps the greatest lesson of this entire series is that our past does not have to determine our eternity.
It is never too late to turn toward Christ. It is never too late to begin again. And it is never too late to come home.
Join me for this unforgettable series finale of The Catholic Journey.
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform.
If this story has touched your heart, please share it with someone who needs to be reminded that God's mercy is greater than their past.
