Your Cross is His Cross
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Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the first reading today from Numbers 21, we see a bit of typology. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Whenever someone looked at it, they would be healed of their bite from a serpent. This […]
A Heart for Widows
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An old song says, “Christ has no body now but yours.” In today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul talks about the Body of Christ; not in the Eucharist, but in the people of God. We all have a part to play in the body. Are you doing yours? We see a heartwarming […]
Healing and Faith
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In today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians 11, St. Paul recounts Jesus’ words at the Last Supper. But wait…Paul wasn’t at the Last Supper. So how does he know? He says, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you…” Jesus Himself revealed this to St. Paul. In the Gospel reading […]
Hitting Bottom
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 15 is probably a very familiar story – the prodigal son. (Note: since this is part of the longer version of the Gospel today, you may not hear this story, as the short version omits it.) A man has two sons and the younger son insists that he receive […]
St. Paul and the Real Presence
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus says, “Every tree is known by its fruit.” He then talks about building our house on a firm foundation. When Christ is not our foundation, our “house” is destined to fall. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 10, St. Paul speaks about the Real Presence of […]
St. Paul and the Real Presence
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus says, “Every tree is known by its fruit.” He then talks about building our house on a firm foundation. When Christ is not our foundation, our “house” is destined to fall. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 10, St. Paul speaks about the Real Presence of […]
Teachers and Disciples and Training
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There are lots of similarities between athletics and the spiritual life. St. Paul talks about them in today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians 9. We have to train in each discipline. He advises us, “Run so as to win.” In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6. Jesus says, “Can a blind person guide a blind […]
Mom’s Birthday
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…Mary’s birthday! We celebrate this nine months after the Immaculate Conception. Now, we don’t really know the exact day, date or year that Mary was born. We really don’t even know where she was born. In fact, we have no certainty at […]
Blessings and Woes
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Life is fleeting. In today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians 7, St. Paul gives some advice to his readers about how to conduct their lives. He then writes, “For the world in its present form is passing away.” In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, we begin hearing the Sermon on the Plain. It is […]
What You Used to Be
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 6, we see that Jesus spent the night in prayer. The next day, He called His disciples and told them that He had chosen Twelve, whom He also named Apostles. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 6, St. Paul talks about judgement, and Christians treating one another […]
God and Work
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Happy Labor Day! I hope you are taking a day of R&R today. There are plenty of options for readings today. The link that I will provide is actually for Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time. But if you attend Mass today, you may hear different readings for Labor Day. In these difficult […]
Loving and Hating
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a large crowd, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” What’s that, Jesus? We have to hate our family to follow You? That kind of seems […]
Scum of the Earth
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus is called on the carpet by some Pharisees for picking grain on the sabbath. It was unlawful to “work” on the sabbath. (Of course, in our day and age this seems ridiculous. But they took very seriously the commandment to keep holy the sabbath.) Jesus reminds them […]
On Judgment
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An important lesson about judgment today from St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 4. St. Paul doesn’t care a whit if people judge him. He is only concerned about how God will judge him. In the Gospel from Luke 5, Jesus talks about old wine and new wine, old wineskins and new wineskins. He says, “No […]
Thursday, September 1, 2016
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Today, Gus merges Prayer Time with an intentional Rosary. People call up with their prayer intention and each person prays a Hail Mary with him. Then, Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, policy advisor for the Catholic Association, calls in to talk about the impact Mother Teresa had when it came to serving the poor. And, we closed […]
My Weakness, His Strength
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In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 3, we hear more about foolishness and wisdom. St. Paul advises us to become a fool. Unfortunately, I have that covered, though probably not in the way that St. Paul means it. In the Gospel reading from Luke 5, we see a miraculous catch of fish. After […]
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
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Catholic radio host, author and speaker Jon Leonetti, who took part in the Catholic Channel’s Mother Teresa documentary, calls in to talk about the soon-to-be saint and his free eBook “Beginners Guide To Mother Teresa of Calcutta: (Almost) Everything You Need To Know In 10,000 Words.” Afterwards, Gus asks listeners to call in and share their […]
God’s Co-Workers
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Jesus was a very busy guy. We see this in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 4. He heals Simon’s mother-in-law, He heals all the sick in the town and casts out many demons. When He tries to get a moment alone, the people track Him down and try to prevent Him from leaving their town. […]
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
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Fr. Leo Patalinghug calls in from the airport to talk about the Olive Mass, in which he’ll be participating this September. Also, he and Gus preview their pilgrimage to Rome, which begins this weekend. Afterwards, Gus talks about Mother Teresa and how she may be the most influential Catholic figure of the 20th century. Gus talks […]
Monday, August 29, 2016
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Gus is back from a week-long silent retreat at the Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in the North Carolina mountains (Jonathan Creek pictured below) and he gets back in touch with his listeners by playing Augustine Day-By-Day with the listeners since he feast day was yesterday. Gus has a book of 365 sayings by St. Augustine […]
The Mind of Christ
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For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ. These are the last words of today’s first reading from 1 Corinthians 2. In this reading, St. Paul talks about understanding the things of the Lord. He juxtaposes “the natural man” with “the one […]
The Price of Truth
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Today the Church celebrates the Passion of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel reading is from Mark 6, the account of why and how John the Baptist was beheaded. It is a sad and grisly story, but one that we can learn much from. I encourage you to read it. Herod is something of a […]
Payback
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus is dining at the home of a leading Pharisee and notices how everyone is posturing for a position of honor. So He tells them a parable. He advises them not to go after places of honor lest they be embarrassed. He tells them to “go and take […]
Using Our Talents for the Kingdom
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Augustine. In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul says that “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong…” Being weak and foolish myself, I’m kinda liking this reading! […]
A Happy Fool
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins. Five of them are foolish and five of them are wise. They were all waiting to attend a wedding. The bridegroom was long delayed. When he finally arrived, five of them were ready, five were not. Read it and see […]
Monday, August 22 to Friday, August 26, 2016
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Gus is away on silent retreat this week, but Seize the Day is still live and talking! Fr. John Devaney and Tom Basile ably fill in for the incomparable Gus Lloyd. We’ll be talking with all sorts of people, including some Dominican friars, about the queenship of Mary, and, since the original Catholic Channel radio […]
Called to Fellowship
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 24 is very Advent-ish. It begins with Jesus saying, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” For our first reading, we begin St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. The reading today ends with this: “He [God] will keep you firm to the […]
Saint Bartholomew
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew. Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve. He was brought to Jesus by the Apostle Philip. Tradition tells us that he preached the Gospel in India, where he was rewarded with the crown of martyrdom. The first reading today is from Revelation 21, where we get a […]
Predicting the End
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Jesus continues pronouncing woes on the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23. For the first reading, we’re back in 2 Thessalonians, where St. Paul issues a warning. “We ask you with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of […]
My Prayer for You
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Jesus was never afraid to confront evil and hypocrisy. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23, He lights into the scribes and Pharisees, calling them “hypocrites, blind guides” and “blind fools.” Sometimes the truth hurts. The first reading today is from 2 Thessalonians 1. In it, St. Paul tells the Church what he prays for […]
The Narrow Gate
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, someone asks Jesus, “Will only a few be saved?” Jesus responds, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” “Enter through the narrow gate.” Enter where? I think it’s obvious that Jesus is talking […]
Our Priests as Fathers
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23, we find a verse that many use to try to discredit the Catholic faith. Jesus said, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Some people will point to this verse and say, “See, you Catholics call your priests ‘Father!’ Jesus said […]
Friday, August 19, 2016
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Tammy Abshire, director of stewardship for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, calls in to talk about the torrential rains that have dumped nearly 7 trillion gallons of rain in that state since August 12th. Tammy talks about how it’s affected their parishes and schools, in addition to everywhere else in their community. If you would […]
The Spirit that Animates
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The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone connected to the ankle bone. Ever heard of dem bry bones? (It’s an old spiritual tune.) That song was written about today’s first reading! More in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is asked which commandment in the law is the greatest. Be […]
Thursday, August 18, 2016
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Gus talks with listeners about raising their children in the faith and how they’ve dealt with it when their kids turn away from it. Gus talks about how he stopped going to mass once he got his driver’s license and the circuitous route it took him back to God. Then, author Steven Liparulo calls in to […]
Wednesday, August 18, 2016
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Gus starts off by explaining his equipment malfunction, which caused him to be off yesterday and Monday. He also gets very deep on his 60 Second Reflection, which talks about God’s Justice in Jesus’ parable, featured in today’s Gospel, about the laborers in the vineyard who were paid a day’s wage even though some had […]
A Heart of Stone
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In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 36, God tells the people that He is going to take some corrective measures. We also hear the renewal of the covenant…”You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” The Gospel reading from Matthew 22 is the parable of a king throwing a wedding feast. He […]
God’s Justice
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Today’s first reading is one that should be required daily reading for priests and bishops. Through Ezekiel, God talks about some not-so-good shepherds. He is not pleased; and when He is not pleased, things don’t end well for those with whom He is not pleased. Pray for our bishops and priests, that they may be […]
Believing in the Impossible
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It seems the prince of Tyre thought an awful lot of himself – fancied himself a god. This didn’t sit well with the one true God. See what message God has for this guy in today’s first reading from Ezekiel 28. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 19, we pick up the story of the […]
Mary’s Assumption
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since it falls on a Monday this year, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the US. This is one of those days that is greatly misunderstood by many. So let’s talk about it, and hopefully clear up some misconceptions […]
Division and Jesus
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One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace. Yet in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says just the opposite. “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” He then goes on to tell how He will become a source of […]
What God Wants
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Jesus had a heart for children. Take a look at today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 19. He says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is just one of the reasons why Catholics have always baptized their children. In today’s […]
Priestly Celibacy
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I today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 19, Jesus gives His teaching on marriage. In it, He speaks about those who have “freely renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.” This speaks directly to the practice of celibacy for priests and men and women religious. In light of that, I want to share […]
Thursday, August 11, 2016
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Gus spent the entire show today talking about mental illness. He shared about his own struggle with depression and how mental illness affects so many families. A main theme shared by many was that mental illness is just that – an illness. We must lose the great stigma attached to it and see it for […]
Forgiveness and Feelings
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Today in Ezekiel, the prophet is told to do some things in full view of the people as an example. He acts as one going into exile, showing the people what was about to happen to them. In the Gospel from Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how often he has to forgive a brother who […]
The Deacon
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence. Lawrence was a deacon who was martyred in the year 258. He was roasted to death on a gridiron and even told his tormentors to turn him over when he was done on one side. In honor of St. Lawrence, I want to honor deacons today. Here […]
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
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School is getting ready to start back up in Gus’ area, so he asks listeners to call in about the school calendar in their area. Today is the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Gus asks listeners about the morality of that act. Yesterday, on the feast of St. Dominic, […]
Feasting on God’s Word
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 18, Jesus asks a question about a man who has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray. Jesus says, “Will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” God is always looking after us when we go astray – […]
Monday, August 8, 2016
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Every Monday, Gus does an episode of “Tell Me Something Good!” Listeners called in to share about their blessings and how God is at work in their lives. Share some good news with someone today! In light of Gus’ Scripture reflection on No More Temple Tax, Gus talks about money today. He asks what the […]
No More Temple Tax
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Today’s first reading is from the opening chapter of the Book of Ezekiel. In it Ezekiel sees a vision of heaven. It is truly an awesome sight. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 17, the collectors of the temple tax ask Peter whether Jesus pays the tax. When Peter walks into the room where Jesus […]