The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.
America Media
Show overview
The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J. launched in 2025 and has put out 54 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 50 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 50 min and 58 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Religion & Spirituality show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 32 episodes already out so far this year. Published by America Media.
From the publisher
What is prayer and how can we pray? How do I know if God is responding to my prayers? What does it mean to live a spiritual life? “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.,” focuses on how people experience God in their prayer and their daily lives. The show combines practical wisdom with deep reflections from spiritual masters and well-known seekers, all tracing the mystery of God’s activity in their own lives. You can visit the show's webpage at www.americamagazine.org/thespirituallife.
Latest Episodes
View all 54 episodesBishop Mariann Budde on preaching the gospel in a political world
What role does conscience play in our spiritual lives?
What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?
How do you face suffering with faith?
How Jesuit spirituality changed Andrew Garfield’s life
Music as a doorway to the divine with Matt Maher
Greg Boyle, S.J. on compassion and kinship
Hasan Minhaj on Islam, comedy, and the spiritual life
David Brooks on finding faith later in life
A spirituality of family life with Katie Prejean McGrady
Robert George on how to disagree and remain spiritually grounded
Yunuen Trujillo’s ministry to migrants and L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics
Actor Martin Sheen on the heroes that shaped his spirituality and activism
Liza Colón-Zayas of "The Bear" speaks honestly about her struggles with faith
Filipino Cardinal “Ambo” David on hearing God's voice in the Bible
How Andrew Sullivan experienced God amidst fear and agony
Cardinal Blase Cupich on how the Mass can change your life
Pádraig Ó Tuama on poetry, conflict resolution, and the Stations of the Cross
Our human desire for God, with the Augustine scholar James K.A. Smith
James Martin, S.J., is joined by James K.A. Smith on the “The Spiritual Life” podcast. Jamie is a leading scholar of St. Augustine, and a professor of philosophy at Calvin University. He’s written several books—including Desiring the Kingdom, You Are What You Love, On the Road with Saint Augustine, and his latest, Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Path of Unknowing. Together, they chart the contours of St. Augustine’s life, spirituality, and theological patrimony in the Church, along with Jamie’s own spiritual life. Timecodes: 0:00 Adopting a refugee spirituality 1:40 Introducing James K.A. Smith and Augustinian spirituality 6:39 Jamie meets God through his wife’s family 11:00 How St. Augustine became a spiritual lifeline for Jamie 13:30 A thumbnail sketch of St. Augustine’s life 19:10 “Everybody’s got a hungry heart” 30:40 Praying with the German mystic Meister Eckhart 33:46 Tracking your desires in the spiritual life 36:10 The relationship between Pope Leo XIV, the Augustianians, and Augustine45:15 Audience Question: How can we reconcile the "two churches" of today: a church that follows Jesus and a more "worldy church"? Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Catholic and Anarchist: The Spiritual Wisdom of Dorothy Day
Editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, Robert Ellsberg cut his teeth as an editor of The Catholic Worker newspaper when he was just 20 years old. There he also traded literary notes with the great Catholic writer, activist and now “Servant of God,” Dorothy Day. On this episode of “The Spiritual Life,” Robert joins host James Martin, S.J., to share what he learned from Dorothy and his time at the Catholic Worker about ordinary holiness. Timecodes: 0:00 Spiritual improv at the Catholic Worker 1:15 Introducing Robert Ellsberg, Orbis editor-in-chief 3:15 A primer on Servant of God, Dorothy Day 7:00 How Robert Ellsberg fell into the Catholic Worker at only 20 y.o. 13:50 Robert’s spiritual crisis and eventual conversion to Catholicism 15:50 Life at the Catholic Worker and getting to know Dorothy Day 22:40 “Don’t call me a saint” and Dorothy’s own expression of holiness 32:46 Letting go of the need to have the last word 35:33 Encountering God in nature 37:12 Audience Question: What saints can assist my prayer when I feel desolation around the church? Read Fr. Jim's article on Dorothy Day Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices