How do you maintain a friendship with God when life gets hard? What do you do when, in your mid-fifties and at the height of your career, you are diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain cancer? That’s the question that confronted Ann Garrido, our guest on, “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.” podcast. Ann is an associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis Missouri, where she also founded the school’s master’s program in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She has written several award-winning books including Redeeming Administration, Redeeming Conflict, and Redeeming Power.

Together, Fr. Jim and Ann discuss:

-How to reflect on human suffering and “offer it up” as a prayer
-Allowing oneself to be wooed by God daily, even when the future seems uncertain
-What we can know about heaven

Timecodes:

0:00 “I am with you, and I am within you”
5:58 Where Ann’s life of teaching, preaching and ministry began
9:30 The hard theological questions born in Africa
15:42 How Ann was diagnosed with a glioblastoma
19:57 Noticing God’s presence and offering up her suffering
28:38 God woos Ann each day through the examen prayer
39:46 What we can know about heaven
51:00 Audience Question: How do we maintain a friendship with Jesus that allows us to remain joyful when life is so hard?

Check out Ann's recent book, Redeeming Power: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/redeeming-power

Maggi and Fr. Jim’s article reflection on “offering up” our suffering: https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2026/09/21/offer-it-up-catholic-suffering/

Preach episode featuring Ann Garrido:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjOf1jRhMGg

Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected]

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