Suffering for a Purpose
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The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews was big on letting his readers know that Jesus, though He is God, experienced all the human stuff that we all go through. He wanted them to know that Christ did not get out of this world scott free, but that He suffered. In the Gospel reading […]
Fishing vs. Catching
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Welcome back to Ordinary Time! In the first reading today we begin the Letter to the Hebrews. This is a letter whose author is unknown. Some scholars attribute it to St. Paul, or certainly someone in his circle, as Timothy is mentioned near the end of the letter. I know we’ll get much out of […]
The Baptism of Jesus
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Today marks the end of the Christmas season, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today we read in Mark 1 about Jesus coming to John the Baptist to be baptized in the Jordan river. John the Baptist says of him, “I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy […]
Venial and Mortal Sin
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In Catholic theology, we talk of venial sin and mortal sin. Many will say, “Sin is sin! There is no such thing as mortal sin and venial sin.” Oh, really? Tell that to St. John. He would beg to differ. In the first reading today from 1 John 5, St. John speaks very clearly about […]
Friday, January 9, 2015
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Gus gets back into the Friday groove with Prayer Time. First, he invites past Prayer Time callers to call in if they’ve had an answer to prayers they requested on the air and then we get to today’s requests. We also play a round of Rate the Music. This time it’s a parody song of Fancy by […]
Thursday, January 8, 2015
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Gus talks about the terrorist attacks in Paris, France yesterday on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and is dismayed that no prominent Muslim leaders have come out against any of these types of actions. He also asks listeners to call in who have friends or co-workers who are Muslim and what that experience has been […]
Pleading for Cleaning
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“Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” That question opens today’s first reading from 1 John 5. Who indeed? I hope that “one” is you! In our Gospel reading today from Luke 5, a leper comes to Jesus asking to be cleansed. […]
Pants on Fire
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1 John is an amazing book. I always get so much out of it when I read it. Today is no exception. In fact, today, like every day, St. John is speaking directly to me! He even has the nerve to call me a liar! More on that in a sec. Today’s Gospel reading from […]
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
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Gus talks this morning about how some doctors are overselling the accuracy of prenatal testing, which can lead to women aborting their babies because of a Downs Syndrome or similar challenging diagnosis when, in actuality, it may not be the case. Gus asks his listeners if they ever experienced a misdiagnosis during their pregnancy and what was […]
Fear and Love
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Strong words from St. John today in our first reading from 1 John 4. St. John talks about fear. More on that in a moment. We see fear, too, come into play in our Gospel reading. In Mark 6, we see Jesus walking on the sea. When the disciples see him, they were overcome with […]
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
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Merry Christmas from Gus Lloyd and all of us here at Seize the Day! We don’t mean to confuse you but today is Christmas Eve in many Eastern Orthodox Christian denominations and Dr. Peter Bouteneff, associate professor of systemic theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, explains why exactly that is. It the Latin Rite […]
God is Love
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If you read the epistles of St. John, you come to find out that love was his favorite topic. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, we see Jesus feeding five thousand men. That didn’t include women and children, so we can assume that the number of people […]
Monday, January 5, 2015
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Gus rings in the New Year by playing Bible roulette with listeners and gives them a Bible quote to use as a means of finding a New Year’s resolution. Also, Fr. Anthony Viviano calls in to the show to talk about his amazing spiritual journey, which began as a teenager when he fathered a child […]
Discernment
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 4, we read about the early part of Jesus’ public ministry. He went about preaching, teaching and healing. Great crowds came from the surrounding areas to follow Him. Our first reading today is from 1 John. St. John today talks about discernement of spirits. “Beloved, do not trust every […]
An Awakening
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Today is the Feast of Epiphany. We celebrate the time when the three Wise Men, a.k.a Three Kings or Magi, appeared to offer gifts to Jesus. Such an interesting story of these three mysterious characters! They traveled untold miles on a journey to see the newborn King. This should serve as a great reminder for […]
Child of God!
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Good Morning, Child of God! That’s a phrase that I use to start my radio show every day. Are you comfortable with that “title?” I certainly hope so, because that is what you are! So says St. John in our first reading from 1 John 2 and 3. In the Gospel reading from John 1, […]
To Remain or Not to Remain
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More great advice from St. John in today’s first reading from 1 John 2. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading for today is from the Gospel of St. John. We see the people asking John the Baptist to identify himself, “Who are you?” He admits that he is not the Christ, only […]
My Biblical Resolution
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Happy New Year! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Some people do, some don’t. I know lots of people who don’t because they have failed at so many in previous years. Actually, I fail at my resolution every year. But that doesn’t stop me from making another! Each year I make a Biblical resolution. I […]
The Word Became Flesh
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For today’s first reading, we are back in 1 John 2. Today St. John writes about the antichrist. Very interesting stuff, especially for those hard core “end-timers.” Those are the people who keep telling us that we are in the end times. Well, nearly 2000 years ago, St. John said the same thing. Read today’s reading. […]
Loving “The World”
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In today’s first reading, we get some great advice from St. John. More on that in a moment. The Gospel reading today is from Luke 2. Today we read about the prophetess Anna. She was a very old woman and “never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” Like Simeon, […]
Canticle of Simeon
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Today is the fifth day in the Octave of Christmas. In our first reading from 1 John 2, St. John talks about light and darkness. He writes, “Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.” We need to examine our hearts and accept the light of Christ […]
Perfect Family
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The Sunday after Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family. There are numerous options for readings today, and all of the readings talk about family and relationships. Click on the link below to see the readings. We would do well to read them all. The Holy Family is the perfect example of what a family is, […]
Sprinting to Jesus
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John was the beloved disciple, the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters in the New Testament and the Book of Revelation. Our first reading today is from the beginning of St. John’s first letter. “We proclaim now…our fellowship is with the Father and […]
The Witness of St. Stephen
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see the story of Stephen’s martyrdom. And in the Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus tells the disciples, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end […]
Christmas is Here!
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Christmas is here! Christmas is here! I can remember waking up VERY early on Christmas mornings when I was a kid and yelling that out to my brothers and sisters. We would go wake up Mom and Dad, probably much earlier than they would have liked, and attack the presents under the tree with reckless […]
Always Christmas Eve
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Isn’t it odd that Christmas Eve is one of the shortest days of the year? I know – there are 24 hours in every day. But the winter solstice was just a couple of days ago, and in North America, we have one of the shortest amounts of daylight today. I say that it’s odd […]
Before the Day of the Lord
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Today in the liturgy, the day before Christmas Eve, we concentrate on the birth of John the Baptist. In the first reading we see the prophecy from Malachi 3: “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day, to turn the hearts of the […]
Monday, December 22, 2014
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Every Monday, Gus does a segment called “Tell Me Something Good.” It’s an opportunity for listeners to call in and share their recent blessings. Today Gus put a bit of a different twist on it and asked listeners to call in and share their greatest blessing of 2014. Great stories of God’s power ensued. Today […]
My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord
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In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 1, we see Hannah giving up her only son to the service of the Lord. Eli, the priest, had prayed that Hannah might be granted the desire of her heart, a son. After Samuel was born, she gave him to Eli to be brought up to serve the […]
The Handmaid of the Lord
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During the last few weeks of December, we see a few readings multiple times. Today’s Gospel reading is a case in point. In fact, it is the exact same Gospel reading as yesterday. We also saw it on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is the story of Gabriel […]
God is With Us
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 7, we see the prophecy that is at the heart of Christianity. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” The virgin birth. And the Gospel reading from Luke 1 shows the fulfillment of this […]
Friday, December 19, 2014
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Gus starts off Friday with Prayer Time and takes the prayer requests and intentions of his callers. Also, Gus talk to callers about their opinions on the U.S. opening up diplomatic relations with Cuba, and we hear about listeners who’ve had miracles babies, i.e. a child they weren’t planning for. We’re also joined by Catholic evangelist, […]
Miracle Babies
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Today’s readings tell the stories of two miracle babies – Samson and John the Baptist. The mothers of both of these boys were barren. Everyone assumed they would never have children. God had another plan. Each of these babies had a special mission in God’s plan. Samson was destined to deliver Israel from the power […]
Thursday, December 18, 2014
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In today’s Scripture reading (Matthew 1:18-25), St. Joseph discovers Mary’s pregnancy and decides to divorce her quietly. After he resolved to do this, he was visited by an angel of the Lord telling him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and to name Him Jesus because He would save people from their sins. […]
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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We entered into Phase III of Project Christmas today with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother who are raising funds for their television ministry, HM Television. Of course, TV equipment is very expensive so we raised some money for them to buy cameras, a computer, a microphone and a tripod stabilizer. If […]
Joseph’s Role in Salvation
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The Christmas story continues to unfold in today’s liturgy. Yesterday we read the genealogy of Jesus. In today’s first reading from Jeremiah 23 the LORD says, “I will raise up a righteous shoot to David.” In order to fulfill the prophesy, Jesus’ earthly father had to be a descendant of David. Today we concentrate on […]
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
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Gus kicked off the week by giving his review of the new Christian Bale movie “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Although Gus is a fan of Christian Bale’s work, he’s not really a fan of this one and advises his listeners to skip it if they’re looking for an accurate Biblical adaptation. Gus also talked about […]
The Lion of Judah
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Today is one week before Christmas Eve. In the liturgy, we begin to see the unfolding of the Christmas story. The Gospel reading for today is the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel. It is the genealogy of Jesus. If you’ve ever had a difficult time pronouncing some of the names in this list, click here for […]
Doing God’s Will
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The words that begin today’s first reading from Zephaniah 3 scare me. As a 21st century American, I can hear the prophet shouting these words at us. “Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city! She hears no voice, accepts no correction; in the Lord she has not trusted, to her God […]
The Authority of Jesus
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In the first reading today from Numbers 24, we read of a prophesy of Balaam. He prophesies about how a king would come from Jacob’s line. “His king shall rise higher, and his royalty shall be exalted.” He then goes on to speak this prophesy, “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall […]
Rejoice!
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Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. Today we light the pink, or rose, candle on the Advent wreath. It is called Gaudete Sunday because of the opening antiphon of the Introit Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always). The opening words of the second reading from 1 Thessalonians are these, […]
Elijah’s Return
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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 […]
Friday, December 12, 2014
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Gus celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe by broadcasting at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Doral, Florida with the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. He talks with many people involved with the parish, which is in the process of building their chapel, including Fr. Israel Mago, Magaly Hamm, Antonio Fernandez and Barbara […]
Our Lady of Guadalupe
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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.” […]
Thursday, December 11, 2014
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Gus kicks off Phase II of Project Christmas with Mark Moitoza and Casey Bustamante of the Archdiocese of the Military Services. We raise money for scholarships and to help families of U.S. military personnel to attend the World Meeting of Families next year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If you weren’t able to call in but would […]
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
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Gus asks listeners if they’ve ever spent Christmas away from their loved ones and how they coped with it. He also has a conversation with the listeners about what their lowest point was and how God got them through. We heard a lot of powerful stories. Deacon Greg Hall also joins us to talk about […]
Busted Expectations
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As humans, we all need water. We all thirst. But that thirst is not just physical; we have a spiritual thirst as well. God talks about that in today’s first reading from Isaiah 41. “The afflicted and needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD will answer them; I, […]
Renewed Strength
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Hope is such an important thing. When we lose hope, we really lose everything. That’s why the final verse in today’s first reading from Isaiah 40 gives us so much. “They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk […]
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
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Gus is in a musical mood this morning on Seize the Day. First, he starts off asking listeners what is their desert island Christmas disk. As usual, they doesn’t disappoint and we listen to Christmas carols by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Mannheim Steamroller and many others. And then, Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Dion DiMucci sits […]
Like a Shepherd
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In today’s liturgy, we think about sheep and shepherds. At the end of today’s first reading from Isaiah 40 we read: “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock. In his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” In the Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus tells […]