After almost two decades of conducting a weekly scripture study and developing a companion radio show, Real Living, Mary Lou Nemecek and Lavinia Spirito challenges and encourages you to engage your everyday life with a Catholic mindfulness and awareness.
Lavinia Spirito and Mary Lou Nemecek discuss how to choose a Bible by explaining differences between translations and versions, from the Septuagint (Hebrew to Greek) and St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate to modern English options. Lavinia contrasts literal word-for-word translations with dynamic translations and paraphrases, noting dynamic versions can help beginners but preferring more literal renderings. She surveys many English Bibles, highlights the King James Version’s influence, and recommends the Revised Standard Version (especially RSV Catholic Edition) as faithful and less agenda-driven. She critiques aspects of the New American Bible’s inclusive language and certain footnotes, while acknowledging its liturgical familiarity. Recommended resources include the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch), The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, the Augustine Bible (ESV-CE), the Jerusalem Bible for poetic style, David Stern’s Jewish New Testament Commentary for Jewish context, and The Living Bible as a paraphrase.
00:00 Welcome and Topic
00:31 Translations Explained
01:29 Literal vs Dynamic
02:27 English Bible History
03:59 Survey of Versions
05:51 Choosing a Translation
08:22 Study Bible Picks
10:26 Ignatius Study Bible
12:08 Augustine Bible ESV
14:35 Devotional and Commentary
17:16 Jerusalem Bible Love
18:48 Living Bible Paraphrase
19:51 Final Recommendations
20:09 Wrap Up and Sign Off
13 Oct 2026
The Beatitudes
Lavinia Spirito and Mary Lou Nemecek discuss Jesus’ Beatitudes, focusing on Matthew 5 and contrasting it with Luke’s blessings and woes, emphasizing that the Beatitudes are meant to challenge comfortable assumptions and serve as a roadmap for holiness. They explain “makarios” (blessed/happy/fulfilled) and describe the Beatitudes as a rhetorical teaching device pointing to God’s unearned grace. Key themes include spiritual poverty and humility as dependence on God; mourning as sorrow over sin and a call to conversion and intercession; meekness as strength under control and docility to God’s commandments; hungering for righteousness; extending mercy beyond kinship; purity of heart as coherence in charity, chastity, and truth (with Catechism 2518); peacemaking as God’s peace rather than appeasement; and rejoicing amid persecution as evidence of authentic Christian witness, concluding with 1 Corinthians 13 as a summary of Beatitude living.
29 Sept 2026
2026 Pilgrimage To Florence Part 2
Lavinia Spirito and Mary Lou Nemecek continue previewing their November 2026 Catholic pilgrimage to Florence and Rome, expanding beyond the first days in Florence (Duomo, Baptistry, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, leather school) to include a day trip to Lucca to visit the shrines of Saints Elena Guerra and Gemma Galgani, with discussion of Guerra’s influence on Leo XIII’s 1900 consecration to the Holy Spirit and her 2024 canonization. They also plan a foodie-focused visit to Arezzo, an American WWII Cemetery visit, Mass, and a Chianti wine tasting before traveling to Rome for a papal audience, St. Peter’s Basilica, and a private nighttime Sistine Chapel tour. Additional Rome stops include Tivoli’s Villa d’Este, the Scavi tour, Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria in Trastevere, a Frascati cooking class, and Santa Maria del Popolo, concluding with practical notes on off-season travel and pilgrimage mindset.
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