There are very popular polls on all the major news networks that measure the state of the nation and ask if the country is on the right track or wrong track. Gus asks listeners that same question but for the state of the Catholic Church. Is it on the right track or wrong track?
Later, noted Catholic author, speaker and theologian Dr. Edward Sri calls in to talk about his new book from Ascension Press, "The Good, the Messy and the Beautiful: The Joys and Struggles of Real Married Life."
Also, Bob Dunning calls in to talk with Gus about Week 7's biggest college football matchups and picks winners.
And Gus shares another news story that displays how the pro-life movement is under attack. Melanie Standiford, an NBC reporter in Nebraska, was fired for "practicing partisan politics" when her employer, KNOP-TV learned that she passed around a petition in her church to make her hometown of Curtis a sanctuary for the unborn.
Dear Gus,
I just want to say “thank you” for a great program. I listen to Seize the Day as often as I can. You have such important, contemporary, and thought-provoking discussions everyday. You get to the heart of the matter and your themes and topics are spot on. It is a pleasure to listen to you. You offer your listeners so much! I am always enticed to call in or respond to your topics and today as I was listening, I wanted to comment on your question about the state of the Catholic Church. As you very well stated, and as a catechist for 25 years and DRE for 5 years, I must say that education, education, and education is the key! Our children, the next generation of Catholics, are not being educated enough about the faith. They spend far too little time in faith formation and sometimes view it as an obligation. But beyond that, faith formation begins in the home with parents as the first educators. Unfortunately, most parents feel inadequate in this role because they were under-catechized and don’t feel confident enough in the knowledge of their faith to pass it along to their children. For several years, I have tried to build a program that is a “family formation model” like many other parishes around the country. The family formation model strives to educate both parents and children about the faith helping parents regain their knowledge and become more confident in passing the church’s beliefs to their children. The aim is to bring families together in community to share and support each other. Today, parents are shying away from being proponents of their faith as they conform to minimizing the importance of their faith by spending more time on other activities such as sports and/or secular choices. The cliche of “it takes a village to raise a child” holds true for faith formation. It is the sharing and experiencing of their faith through the actions and examples of their elders — parents, grandparents, and the entire church community — that the faith becomes alive! The opportunities are endless from evenings of reflections for parents, to parent/student sessions, to entire community service outreach activities that bring the whole parish together as well as special masses and services. It must be educational and inclusive and communication is the key! “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Thank you Gus for all you do! May the Holy Spirit continue to inspire you as you lead others to Christ!
Filomena