Wednesday, October 25, 2017
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“Let me tell you ’bout the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees and the moon up above….and a thing called love.” Gus talks about human sexuality with listeners. No, he doesn’t go into graphic details, but, rather, asks listeners if their parents gave them “the talk” when they were kids and if […]
Much is Required
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Perhaps St. Paul’s words in today’s first reading from Romans 6 are ones we should read every day, or even commit to memory. “For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.” We are under grace!! In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus […]
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
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Gus talks about an article on a recent Pew Research Study that says most U.S. Protestants are not united about or, in some cases, unaware of some of the controversies that were central to the historical schism between Protestantism and Catholicism. Gus goes over the importance of our Catholic theology and some of the difference between […]
Grace Overflows
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In today’s first reading from Romans 5, St. Paul talks about sin and grace. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus tells his disciples to be “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.” The word that strikes me the most in this is “immediately.” Are we […]
Monday, October 23, 2017
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Gus got the old “stewardship” homily at mass, also known as the asking for money homily. But, it also means being active on the parish council, parish finance committee, and offering your time, talent or treasure. Gus asks listeners how often stewardship is talked about at their parish and how they react to it. Also, Gus […]
You Can’t Take It With You
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In today’s first reading from Romans 4, we read St. Paul’s thoughts on the importance of faith. He talks about Abraham, and how his faith was “credited to him as righteousness.” This is important stuff, and part of the basis of the Protestant doctrine of sola fide, or that we are justified by faith alone. We certainly […]
On Caesar
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 22, we hear a famous saying of Jesus. He is asked whether it is lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar. His reply: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” We live in very divisive times, and lots of people […]
The Spirit Speaks
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We’re back in Romans 4 for the first reading today. Paul continues to talk about faith and again uses the model of faith as an example, Abraham. In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus speaks of the importance of standing up for him. “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son […]
What You’re Worth
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In today’s first reading from Romans 4, St. Paul talks about the importance of faith. He points to Abraham as the example of faith. “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Yes, faith is of the utmost importance. Without it, we have nothing. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 12, […]
Thursday, October 19, 2017
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Gus talks about Colorado-based Christian baker Jack Phillips (pictured below) who received an email cake request from a Satanist who wanted it for a celebration of Lucifer’s birthday. Phillips refused the request and now it’s headed to the Supreme Court. He asks listeners what they’d do if they were a baker and got this request. Later, Bob Dunning […]
Justification
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus continues to pronounce woes on the scholars of the law. These are some pretty scathing remarks. “Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” Today’s first reading […]
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
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Gus reads an Aleteia article entitled “10 Ways to Crush the Morale of Priests,” emphasizing the Church’s need for better catechization and gives away copies of “A Minute in the Church: The Mass.” Also, Christopher Zehnder, general editor of the Catholic Textbook Project, sits down with Gus in the Conversion Corner to talk about his faith journey. […]
Feast of St. Luke
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. In fact, Acts may be considered a “sequel” to Luke’s Gospel, as that story picks up right where Luke ends. St. Luke is […]
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
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Gus reads a recent opinion piece by Sofia Feingold, entitled “Why Children’s Liturgies Give Me the Willies,” which appeared earlier this month in the National Catholic Register. In many parishes with lots of young families, many kids are escorted to a separate room to be taught the readings and the Gospel in a more instructional […]
Not Ashamed of the Gospel
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One of the things that I admire most about St. Paul (there are many) is his boldness. And the first line of today’s first reading really sums things up. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus derides the Pharisees for being […]
Monday, October 16, 2017
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus says, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign but no sign will be given it,” and recalls the story of Jonah, caught in the belly of the whale for three days, which changed the hearts of the people of Ninevah. Based on this, Gus asks listeners […]
The Signs are Everywhere
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In the first reading today we begin a journey through St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. St. Paul greets the believers in Rome with this – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” My sentiments exactly. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus says to the crowd, […]
The Wedding Garment
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable about a king who gives a wedding feast for his son. When the servants went out to summon the invited guests, they refused to come. Some even beat and killed the servants. So the king has servants go out and invite people off the […]
Blessed
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God will take care of His people. That is His promise, His covenant. It is one that will last forever. In today’s first reading from Joel 4, we hear this from the Lord. “But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem for all generations.” No matter how bad things had gotten for His children, in the […]
Friday, October 13, 2017
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Gus talks about sharing our conversion stories, even with all the warts and sordid stories that came along with it. but he asks at what age is it appropriate or inappropriate to share those type of details, i.e. sex, drugs and rock & roll-type details. Also, today marks the centennial of the Miracle of the Sun […]
Satan’s Persistence
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Jesus spoke often about Satan and demons. He spent no small amount of His time driving out demons. In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus drives out a demon and is accused of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul. After debunking that theory, Jesus goes on to talk about how after an […]
Thursday, October 12, 2017
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Today Gus asked about what you do with items that charities and non-profits send you unsolicited in the mail, like coins, address labels, holy cards, etc. Listeners called in to share what they do. Many donate them to churches for youth groups or confirmations classes. Others put them in “blessing bags” to give to the […]
Asking for the Spirit
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Sometimes it seems that the wicked prosper. This has been going on for time immemorial. It comes up in today’s first reading from Malachi 3. Though it may seem that way now, in the end it will not be so. Read about what God has to say. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus […]
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
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Can non-Catholics receive holy communion in a Catholic Church? Gus talks about a story he read recently on Aleteia where U2 lead singer Bono was seen receiving communion at a Catholic mass this past Sunday in Colombia. Bono professes to be Christian but it’s unclear whether or not he’s Catholic. Gus asks listeners about times […]
Angry with God
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In our Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus does. He teaches them the perfect prayer. We know it as the Our Father. In the first reading from Jonah 4, we read, “Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry that God did not carry out […]
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
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Based on Jesus’ discussion with Martha about Mary, the focus of today’s Gospel, Gus talks about spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and talks with listeners about whether they consider their prayer lives active, like Martha, or contemplative, like Mary. For those who attend Eucharistic Adoration, Gus asks how often they do it and […]
Active and Contemplative
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We see a great story of repentance today in our first reading from Jonah 3. The whole great city of Nineveh repents of their evildoing at the preaching of Jonah. Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 10 is the story of Martha and Mary, her sister. Jesus is dining at their home and Martha is doing […]
Monday, October 9, 2017
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God, indeed, has a sense of humor and it shows today. Gus talks with listeners about mass antics. What is the funniest or most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at mass? Also, it’s Monday so Gus engages in a little Tell Me Something Good. And, today is Columbus Day so @ 9:30, Gus tosses […]
Friday, October 6, 2017
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Gus talks about the Rosary and what it means to him. The month of October, after all, is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary so Gus opens up the phone lines and gives away copies of A Minute in the Church: Life in Christ to listeners who call in and talk about what the […]
Good Samaritan Lessons
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In today’s first reading, we begin a quick trip through the book of Jonah. Most people are familiar with the story. We heard it when we were little kids. It’s about a guy who gets swallowed up by a whale and gets spat out after three days. But do you know the before and after […]
Think About These Things
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Henry Ford once said, “You are not what you think you are; but what you think, you are.” What he meant was that the things that we put into our mind, the things that we think about, the things that we dwell on, will shape what we are becoming. He’s so right. St. Paul obviously […]
Our Lady of the Rosary
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The readings today are for Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time. I’ve only recently become a rosary guy. For the longest time, I saw the rosary as a chore; it was pure drudgery for me. I don’t feel bad about that. I […]
Thursday, October 5, 2017
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Gus talks again with listeners about hoarding topic and asks whether or not it’s OK to hoard or if you should purge more often. Also, inspired by the hoarding topic, Gus asks listeners what was the coolest, or strangest, item, or family heirloom, they found going through somebody’s stuff. And, Bob Dunning calls in to talk […]
Coming Clean
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 10, Jesus pronounces “woes” on the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. He also has not nice things to tell Capernaum, his adopted home town. Why? Because they had seen many mighty deeds done in their midst, yet refused to repent. In the first reading today from Baruch 1, […]
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
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Gus commemorates St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day by playing a version of the popular hymn based on his prayer, often called “Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace.” Afterwards, Gus talks with listeners whose lives have been touched by St. Francis and/or his order in some way. Then, Catholic author Jon Sweeney calls in to […]
A Shaky Time
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What does reading Scripture do for you? We see the reaction of the people in today’s first reading from Nehemiah 8 when Ezra reads from the book of the law. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples and instructs them as He sends them out. At the end, He […]
St. Francis’ Prayer
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. So, rather than comment on the Scriptures, I’m going to go a bit out of format for today. Hope you don’t mind! If you’re not familiar with the Prayer of St. Francis, then today would be a good day to familiarize yourself with it. And […]
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
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After going over his 60 Second Reflection, “Calling Down Fire from Heaven,” Gus talks about the mass shooting that took place in Las Vegas and asks, how do we deal with the aftermath and to what we can attribute this? Gus talks with listeners about the role the devil, and pure evil, took in these […]
Calling Down Fire from Heaven
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In today’s first reading from Zechariah 8, the Lord speaks of a time when other peoples would come to the Jews, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” A reminder for us that our Lord Jesus came from and to Israel. In the Gospel today from Luke […]
A Guardian Angel Prayer
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. In the optional first reading for the feast day from Exodus, we see God telling the people that he is sending an angel before them to lead and guide them. He says that He has given this angel His authority; they must listen to him. In […]
Saying and Doing
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 21, Jesus tells a story of two sons, each of whom was told by the father to go out and work in the vineyard. The first son says, “I will not,” but then changes his mind and goes out to work. The second son says, “Yes, sir,” but then […]
Dwelling With Us
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Our first reading today is from the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah has an encounter with an angel. More in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Luke 9 is short. Jesus tells the disciples that “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand, and were afraid to ask […]
Heavenly Heroes
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Archangels. Saint Michael is God’s great warrior angel, the Prince of the heavenly hosts. We see Michael doing battle with the dragon in today’s first reading from Revelation 12. Manly stuff, that! Gabriel is God’s messenger. In Luke 1, we see Gabriel […]
Thursday, September 28, 2017
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So whaddya want, a medal? Gus has a boatload of random Catholic medals he got in the Holy Land earlier this year and decides to give some away to listeners on the condition they learn about the medal they’re given and then gift it to someone they feel would benefit from it. Also, two former […]
Consider Your Ways!
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Our first reading today is from the Prophet Haggai. The Lord had opened the doors for the rebuilding of his temple in Jerusalem. The exiles had returned. God opened the heart of King Darius. You would think that the people would jump at this chance. Uh…not so much. More in a sec. In the Gospel […]
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
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Today is the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, whose name graces one of the largest and oldest Catholic charitable organizations. Inspired by that, Gus asks listeners about works of charity with which they’ve been involved. St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us.
Dependent on God…and His People
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus sends out the Twelve and gives them their marching orders. “Take nothing for the journey.” Why would Jesus send out the Apostles empty-handed? After all, they would need to eat. They would need a place to stay. Couldn’t they just rent a room at the nearby Marriott […]
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
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Gus spent the day talking about Filial Correction recently sent to Pope Francis from some Catholic scholars and theologians around the world. You can read the actual document here. Listener comment followed throughout the morning.
Monday, September 25, 2017
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After going over his 60 Second Reflection, “A Response to Faith,” Gus talked about the myriad of NFL protests this past weekend during the National Anthem. Gus gives his take on it and opens up the lines to listeners. Later, Beth Leonard, author of two Catholic Bible study books, “Blood of the Lamb Catholic Bible Study: […]
All in the Family
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In the first reading today from Ezra 6, we see an interesting relationship between “government” and “religion.” The kings of that time, Darius, Cyrus and Artaxerxes all allowed and encouraged the exiled Israelites to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Darius even ordered that they be compensated for their trouble! Can you imagine? In the Gospel […]