Monday, December 12, 2016
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Tony Ryan, director of marketing for Ignatius Press, calls in for the Ignatius Press Book of the Week. This week, it’s Guadalupe Mysteries. In this glorious, lavishly illustrated book, the renowned author-photographer team Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon take the reader on an illustrated pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. They tell the amazing story of […]
Friday, December 9, 2012
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Gus is in a giving mood this morning as he does a Not-So-Secret Santa and gives away various Christmas presents to listeners from our prize closet. Later on, Bob Dunning calls in and talks coaching changes in college football and gives his Heisman Trophy prediction.
Your Merciful Mother
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, in December of 1531, she declared, “I am your most merciful Mother…I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their sorrows.” […]
Like a Prophet
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Happy Gaudete Sunday! The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice.” It is the first word of the Introit, or entrance antiphon, in the Mass. Today we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Rejoice! The Lord is near! Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 11 once again focuses on […]
Expect the Unexpected
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. The author talks of Elijah, “whose words were a flaming furnace.” Then in the Gospel reading from Matthew 17, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answers and tells them that “Elijah has already come.” But the scribes […]
Simple But Not Easy
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Love always desires the good. God is love. Therefore, God always desires the good. He always wants what is best for us. He also knows that often what we want is not what is best for us. In the first reading from Isaiah 48, it’s put like this: “I, the LORD, your God, teach you […]
Thursday, December 8, 2016
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Gus took the day off yesterday so he could travel back home following the Catholic Channel’s 10-Hour 10th Anniversary Show but he came back today in spades with Phase II of Project Christmas. Today, we raised approximately $5,000 for two refugee families sponsored by Catholic Charities of Central Florida‘s Refugee Resettlement Program. If you weren’t […]
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
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Today was the monumental 10-Hour 10th Anniversary Show on the Catholic Channel. It’s been 10 years and two days since the channel’s launch. As a matter of fact, Gus was the first voice heard on the Catholic Channel. For this occasion, Gus came up to the Catholic Channel studios in New York City and co-hosted […]
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is a Holy Day of obligation. Let’s talk briefly today about what the Immaculate Conception is, and isn’t. Probably the most common misconception (no pun intended) that people have is that the Immaculate Conception refers to the moment when Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. […]
Hope in the Lord
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We’re back in Isaiah for our first reading today. The final verse in today’s reading is Isaiah 40:31. I’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel passage today is a short one, from Matthew 11. Jesus tells the people, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you […]
Monday, December 5, 2016
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Gus rings in the 10 year anniversary celebration of the Catholic Channel by asking callers how long they’ve been listening and what brought them to the channel. Former Seize the Day producer Emily Marlow, now Emily Kavanaugh, calls in to reminisce about her time on the channel producing Gus and Fr. Paul Keenan’s show “As You […]
Friday, December 2, 2016
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Gus kicks off the day with Prayer Time and, afterwards, talks with listeners about the first prayer they ever learned. Gus brings back “Bible Roulette,” but actually changes it to Catechism Roulette where Gus reads a passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to a caller. Later, Gus gives away copies of “A Minute […]
We are Grass
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 40, Isaiah is told, “Cry out!” He answers to the voice, “What shall I cry out?” We’ll talk about it in a moment. In today’s Gospel from Matthew 18, Jesus tells about the guy who has 100 sheep, and one gets lost. So he leaves the 99 behind to […]
Bringing Those We Love to Jesus
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I love today’s first reading from Isaiah 35 for the admonition that God gives. It is one that I hope you and I will follow every day. “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, […]
Evidence of Repentance
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John the Baptist is one of the most important figures in salvation history. That’s why the Church concentrates on him so much during the season of Advent. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 3, we hear the longest soliloquy of John the Baptist. In it, he says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” […]
Walk This Way
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Today is the second day in a row where we see the word “pity” in the Gospel reading. In today’s Gospel from Matthew 9 and 10, we see that Jesus’ heart was “moved with pity” for the people, “because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Today’s first reading from Isaiah 30 […]
Clear Vision
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 29, the Lord God says through the prophet: “And out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” If you had to guess what the Gospel reading would be about, what would your guess be? Jesus giving sight to a blind man? Well, you’re […]
Thursday, December 1, 2016
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Gus talks about an immediate answer to prayer he got yesterday, which brought him to tears so he talks with listeners about times in their lives that’s happened to them.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
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Bishop Richard Stika, of the Diocese of Knoxville, calls in to give Gus a little more up close and personal view of the wildfires ravaging Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which is in his diocese. Also, inspired by today’s Gospel reading for the Feast of St. Andrew (Matthew 4: 18-22), which tells the story of Jesus meeting brothers […]
What’s Your Foundation?
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Have you ever been to New York City? If not, you’ve surely seen it before. Skyscrapers all throughout Manhattan reaching to the heavens. Ever wonder how they put those things all so close together, and how they always remain so firm? It’s because of their foundation. Manhattan has this amazingly strong bedrock underneath all those […]
He Ain’t Heavy…
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Today is the feast of St. Andrew. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. In the first reading from Romans 10, St. Paul asks a number of questions…”How can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?” Did you know that the word “apostle” means “one who is […]
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
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It’s Giving Tuesday and it’s only fitting that Gus kicks off Project Christmas 2016 today with one of our staples, Food for the Poor. Executive Director Angel Aloma (pictured below) calls in and our callers raise $11,000 for the poor in Latin America and Caribbean countries. If you were unable to call in and pledge, […]
Monday, November 28, 2016
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Gus talks about the death of Fidel Castro and the footage he’s seen of people cheering it. While Gus says he understands the sentiment, he has a difficult time cheering somebody’s death; even Fidel Castro’s. He gets some power reaction from listeners on both sides of the argument. Also, Mark Brumley, president and CEO of […]
Childish or Childlike?
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Today’s first reading from Isaiah 11 starts with what should be a familiar prophesy. “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse…” Jesse was Kind David’s father, so the prophet is saying that the Messiah would come from the line of David. In the Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus says […]
Our Refuge
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“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” These are the great words of faith said by the centurion that we see in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 8. As we echo these words each time we attend Mass, just before […]
Advent
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Today we begin a new year in the Church. Happy Advent! The world wants us to think that this is the Christmas season. But the Christmas season actually STARTS with Christmas! Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t get in the Christmas spirit. We should. But our mindset needs to go far beyond shopping and […]
Give Me Strength!
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Today is the final day of the Church year. Tomorrow we begin a new year with the First Sunday of Advent. Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21 sounds very Advent-ish. Jesus warns His disciples not to fall asleep at the wheel. He says, “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength […]
One Constant: His Words
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” And so it has been. Seasons come and go. Rulers and kingdoms are here today, gone tomorrow. But for 2000 years now, one thing has remained constant. The words of Jesus. Untold billions of […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy Thanksgiving! I want to share with you what is a very appropriate Scripture verse for today. A bit of history first. Every year, I make a Scriptural New Year’s resolution. I take a passage of Scripture and put it in front of my face to look at daily – something I need to work […]
Hate and Perseverance
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More of John’s vision of heaven today from Revelation 15 in our first reading. Today we see “those who had won victory over the beast…” Jesus continues to address the people in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21. He tells them, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on […]
The Great Wine Press of God’s Fury
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In today’s readings, we get lots more end times stuff. In the Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus talks about things to look for near the end. Many of these have been happening since time immemorial, so I suspect they will be ratcheted up greatly near the end. In the first reading from Revelation 14, […]
Generosity = TRUST
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In today’s first reading from Revelation 14, we see a hundred and forty-four thousand people in heaven. Some take this to literally mean that only a hundred and forty-four thousand people from all time will be saved. That’s not the way it has been understood traditionally. We believe it simply means a great number. The […]
A Loving King
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Today the Church celebrates the end of the liturgical year. Fittingly enough, it is the Feast of Christ the King. All of the readings today point to the kingship of Christ. In the Gospel reading from Luke 23, the people are sneering at Jesus as He hangs on the cross. Above him there was an […]
After Our Resurrection
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The first reading today from Revelation 11 is filled with imagery of martyrs, prophets of old, Rome and more. I encourage you to read a bit of background on what John describes. In the Gospel from Luke 20, some Saducees, who don’t believe in the resurrection of the body, throw a trick question at Jesus […]
Cleaning House
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In today’s first reading from Revelation 10, St. John is told to eat a scroll. It is sweet as honey in his mouth, but then turns his stomach sour. Find out why. In our Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus goes into the temple area and drives out those who were selling things, saying to […]
A Failure to Recognize
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When you go to Mass and the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” what comes to mind? Perhaps one of the things should be from today’s first reading from Revelation 5. Find out what I’m talking about. In our Gospel reading today from Luke 19, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. “They will smash you to […]
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
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Dr. Matthew Bunson, Our Sunday Visitor correspondent and columnist for the National Catholic Register, joins Gus from the 2016 November Meetings in Baltimore, Maryland to talk about the election of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (Galveston-Houston, TX) as USCCB president and Archbishop Jose Gomez (Los Angeles) as vice-president. Dr. Bunson also talks about the bishops’ reactions to […]
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
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Gus is back after a few vacation days and he starts his return off talking with Congressman Diane Black (R-TN, 6th District) who gives a little insider reaction to Donald Trump’s election and gives her opinion of what his first 100 days might be like. Afterwards, Gus talks about the division going on in this country […]
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
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It’s official! Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States of America. The race was called (unofficially) at approximately 3:00 am and the nation was caught off guard because every poll got it wrong. Gus dedicates the entire show to listener reaction, which runs the gamut from woefully dismayed to completely elated.
Different Motivations
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Some of the images we read about in the Book of Revelation can seem rather odd. That’s certainly the case in our first reading today from Revelation 4 – strange looking creatures covered with eyes and wings. The important thing is to get the message that God gives us through John’s visions. In the Gospel […]
Time for a Temperature Check
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Our Gospel reading today is the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19. It is a great story of repentance and redemption. In the first reading today from Revelation 3, we hear Jesus addressing the Churches of Sardis and Laodicea. His words to the Church of Laodicea are a stark reminder to all. “I know your […]
Lost Love
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For the next couple of weeks the first reading at Mass will come from the Book of Revelation. That’s because we’re nearing the end of the liturgical year. The first Sunday of Advent (this year November 27) marks the beginning of the new year in the Church. In today’s first reading from Revelation 1 and […]
Nearing the End?
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What will the end of the world look like? Nuclear holocaust? The rise of a political leader? One world government? Global warming? In the Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus is talking about the end times and what signs there will be that the end is near. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against […]
Will He Find Faith?
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Are you supporting those doing missionary work? You should be. St. John exhorts us to do that in our first reading today from 3 John:5-8. He says of those doing missionary work that “we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.” In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 18, […]
Honoring Veterans
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Today is Veterans Day in the USA. How appropriate that in the Church today is the Feast of St. Martin of Tours. St. Martin was a military man. He was baptized at 18 after having a vision of Jesus. There are many similarities between the military life and the spiritual life. The biggest that come to […]
Chasing the Shiny Thing
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 17, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. What they didn’t realize was that they were standing in it. Jesus replies, “The Kingdom of God is among you.” Jesus then goes on to warn His disciples about those who would tell them that “the days […]
Why Catholics are Pro-Life
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. If you’ve never gotten the opportunity to visit this church in Rome, I hope you will someday. It is magnificent! The theme of today’s readings is the temple. I want to concentrate today on something St. Paul says in today’s second reading […]
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
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Gus focuses on a controversial video posted by Priests for Life, where National Director Fr. Frank Pavone puts an actual aborted baby on the altar in a Catholic church. Gus is not a fan of the approach and gets caller reaction, which is mixed. And, since it’s Election Day, he also takes calls on the candidates […]
By Scott Shea on 2016-11-08
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Following the pope’s reinforcement of the Church discipline of an all-male priesthood, Gus talks about the ratio of women to men in terms of Eucharistic ministers and takes an informal poll of his listeners of what the ratio is in their parish. Later Gus gives away copies of A Minute in the Church: The Mass, if listeners […]
A How-To on How to Live
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In today’s first reading from Titus 2, St. Paul has advice for everyone – older men, older women, younger women and younger men. Yep! I think that covers us all! After addressing these individual groups, he says this: “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and […]