Suffering's Other Side
Sometimes when we are ill or things
are not going well, we become discouraged.
This talk by Fr. Mike will give us hope.
Fr. Mike tells the story of a friend of his
who had a stroke ten years ago. Now this man
is in a wheel chair and has developed heart
problems. Fr. Mike relates the stories from
Scripture that he told his friend.
Mark's gospel has the parable of the mustard
seed and Paul in the second letter to the
Corinthians speaks of how he looks upon his
own weaknesses. We get an insight as to how
Jesus looks upon these situations in our
lives. It is good to take stock and "feed"
our hope on these words.
Power of Humor
Does God have a sense of humor? In
this delightful interview, Fr. Mike
and John Fugelsang talk about humor
and the role it plays in life. John
is an actor/comedian and this comes
through strongly in all that he
says.
John talks about his own religious
background, and has some surprising
facts here, and how God is always
present to him. One particular
incident in his life made an
indelible impression.
No doubt you will be interested in
what John has to say about the last
TV interview with George Harrison.
They talked about God for four
hours!
Wounds of Sin
It
is apparent today that there is so
much pain among us. Some are struggling with
depression, homelessness, mental or physical
difficulties. Fr. Mike talks about all this
in this program.
Because he is a priest, people are apt to
share their stories with him. They believe
that he can help and certainly that he
understands.
If you are beset with worry, no matter the
source, perhaps looking afresh at your life
might be helpful. Sometimes we don't really
deal with the pain and suffering. We ignore
it and we ignore God in the process.
Fr. Mike then goes on to explain the seven
most harmful sins - sometimes called the
Seven Deadly Sins. He explains each of these
- pride, greed, anger, envy, lust, gluttony
and sloth - and how they can seem to control
us rather than we controlling them. Don't
miss this very helpful lesson on the Wounds
of Sin!
Ministry Moms
Children are a great blessing to a family.
But how do you deal with children and
church? Sometimes you can lose the
experience of church because of them.
Fr. Mike interviews Sarah Ibbetson who has
found an answer. She was a professional
woman until the children came. Then she and
her husband decided that she would be a
stay-at-home mom. She discovered a
disconnect between "going to church" and
"belonging" to church. She noticed others
were experiencing the same thing. So she
organized a group of women to come together
to share similar challenges and minister to
each other.
They meet for an hour or hour and a half
twice a month. Don't miss this interesting
way to help moms in your own church setting.
Christmas A Gift
Fr. Mike tells a story,
based on
The Gift of the Magi by O.
Henry,
that will enrich you with the real
meaning of Christmas. It is the modern story
of Ella and Jeff who are suffering from the
downturn in our economy. They are very much
in love with each other but have no money to
exchange a gift. You’ll have to tune in to
hear the rest of the story. Fr. Mike goes on to
emphasize that as you give to people in your
life, Christ’s giving to you goes on and on
and on. It is in encountering Christ in
others and loving them that
you can find the peace and joy of
this season. Fr. Mike asks: What
would it take to have this wonderful spirit
of Christmas last all year long? Is there
something that you and I can do? Yes, there
really is.
Christmas Views
God is born into our lives with hope and
peace.
Fr. Mike talks about the gifts that delight
our hearts at this wonderful time of the
year. Being with family and friends and
sharing a meal with those we love and who
love us is probably among the top of the
list. But don't forget that God is giving
himself to us. God becomes one with us and
one OF us.
One of Fr. Mike's passions is to convince us
of the greatest reality. That is, in the
depth of our hearts to accept that God loves
us. He quotes from Isaiah 62:11-12 that we
are not forsaken.
Sometimes, as Fr. Mike says, we are not
happy at this joyful time of year. Sometimes
our hearts are heavy and God's love seems an
empty call. Fr. Mike asks us to do
something, then, that he has not quite done
before. Be sure to watch Christmas Views to
find out what he suggests.
Tatiana, a beautiful vocal artist, sings two
songs in this program: Boxes of Christmas Stuff and Infant Redeemer.
Be sure to hear these beautiful Christmas
songs. At the end of the show, Fr. Mike asks for
your opinion on this question:
To be safely
sensitive
to non-Christians, should we say
"Happy
Holidays" instead of
"Merry Christmas"
to everyone?
Record your response on our
website.
Taste and
See
Do you love to eat? What, if anything, does
this have to do with your relationship with
Jesus?
In this interview of Henry Gonzalez, the
Executive Chef at Spaggi's restaurant, Fr.
Mike talks with Henry about food and Jesus.
They look at all the instances in the
gospels when a meal or banquet is one of the
essential elements. Henry speaks of how he
began in this business and how he looks upon
food and what it can do for people.
Fr. Mike compares this with Ansel Adams and
the beautiful photographs that he has
created. Henry talks also of his own growth
in scripture through his attendance at
classes in the Diocese which will enable him
to minister in the Church more effectively. At the end of the program, they discuss the
poor, especially those who have little to
eat and how we can help them.
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Where To
Turn
When you come to a dead end in your life and
there seems to be no answer to all your
problems, what can you do?
Some are tempted to give up. Where is our
hope? In this program, Fr. Mike tells the
fascinating story of Dan, a marine, who
loved his life in the military service. He
is deployed three times to Afghanistan and
experiences a horrific event there that
turned his life upside down in a most
dramatic way. This moving story illustrates
how we can come out of a dead end.
Fr. Mike then talks about the tragedies
happening around us now, as well as those in
the Old and New Testaments.
Where do we turn at these times?
God - A Love
Affair
What's the most important thing about a
relationship? What about our relationship
with God? In this program, Fr. Mike looks at
the Epistle of Paul to the Romans (8:35-39)
and explains the passion that is reflected
there and what it says to us now.
A recurrent theme in Fr. Mike's preaching,
he repeats again that the love God has for
us is so astounding that it can change our
lives. He then looks at the Gospel of
Matthew and the 55th Chapter of Isaiah.
Sometimes we take the love of God for
granted, or don't believe it. Don't miss God
- A Love Affair to help rekindle that love
in your own heart.
Social Media
Church
There is not much evidence of the Catholic
Church in social media today. In this
interview with Bishop Gabino Zavala,
Chairman of Communications for the Catholic
Church, Fr. Mike and the Bishop discuss the
reasons for this and also the many ways that
the Church IS encouraging the use of mass
media. The Bishop talks a bit about the many duties
of a Bishop and the problems that one has to
face daily. Bishop Zavala is Chair of the
Communications Committee which is working
with pastors to encourage the people in the
pews to become partners in mission through
their access to Face Book, email, and other
forms of communications.
The Church wants the people to use these
modern means of communication to spread the
Good News of the gospel. One collection each
year is taken up for Catholic
Communications. Half of the funds collected
is awarded to projects in keeping with the
priorities of the Church in this area.
The Bishop also spoke of how the Church is
in dialog with those of other faiths. This
ongoing communication is important for all
to understand each other and help bring
peace to all.
Money
Crunch
Sometimes financial problems can so weigh us
down that we can become depressed and cause
other problems in our relationships and
family life.
In Money Crunch, Fr. Mike
tells the story of Paula in whose life
everything had gone wrong. She was raped as
a little girl. As an adult, this tragedy
caused so many other problems in her life;
psychological, physical and marital. It
seemed as if nothing could be done. But then
something did happen.
Then Fr. Mike goes on to talk about all the
financial problems of today. He explains how
Jesus dealt with the rich and the poor
.Looking to the gospel and to the prayer
that Jesus gave us can guide us in these
difficult times.
Mary's Mercy
We all know the story of Damien, the
Leper. This dedicated priest served
the lepers on Molokai and died at an
early age of this dreaded disease.
But Fr. Damien has a lesson for all
of us.In Mary's Mercy,
Fr. Michael Barry tells of the
influence of Damien in his own life.
In this interview with Fr. Mike, Fr.
Barry says "We think we're moving
with the Lord but sometimes the Lord
pulls us in a different way." That
is certainly true of Fr. Barry.
He talks of how his own life was
changed when a priest said to the
congregation in which he was, "You
Catholics just
talk....talk...talk....Go out and do
something."
Then he tells the beautiful story of
how he literally helps feed the poor
now with dignity and respect. Mary's
Mercy helps deliver over 8,000 meals
a month. Don't miss this inspiring
story.
Marriage Reunited
Marriage is tough. Serious things
can happen to break it up. Can a
divorced couple ever reunite? In
this program, Teresa McGonigal tells
her story to Fr. Mike of how it
really did happen to her.She had a fairy tale marriage to a
dark, handsome man who swept her off
her feet. Children came quickly
before they had enough finances to
have a home and car and everything
needed to raise a family. So the
husband turned to alcohol. As he
sought his solace in drink, she
turned to other men
who cared for her when her husband
didn't. He stopped for awhile and
they got back together, but it
didn't last.
It sounds as if this were it, but
there is so much more to the story.
Find out what happens and how this
marriage was saved.
Rising Anger
What do you do with anger? Are you
far away from being a Christian if
you are angry? In this program, Fr.
Mike tells a very realistic story
about Reed and his wife, Zoey. He
paints the picture of a domineering
wife and a man who just "takes it"
and uses his baseball game to
release his anger. Until it becomes
too much. The story is so real; it
could be one of you and me.
Fr. Mike then goes on to explain
good and bad anger, giving examples
of Jonah and Jeremiah from the Old
Testament. He tells about the prime
example of Jesus in three or four
examples of anger as related in the
gospels.
It is good for our physical health,
as well as for our spiritual health,
to take a good look at
Rising Anger.
Good News in Ghana
When we Americans say "our church"
we usually mean the church in the
US. But the church is universal. In
this program we see the vitality and
life of the Catholic Church in
Ghana.
Rev. Gabriel Kumordji, SVD, is
Bishop of a Vicariate in Ghana which
has 14 priests, 17,200 Catholics,
500 settlements with 19 parishes and
100 stations. They depend greatly on
102 lay ministers to teach catechism
and prepare people for the
sacraments.
The priests are only able to get
around to everyone about once or
twice a month.
But the Church is growing there as
well as in the whole of Africa,
according to Vatican statistics.
In this interview by Fr. Mike, Fr.
Gabriel gives a wonderful picture of
the celebration of the Eucharist.
Wait till you hear how they have the
monetary collection during the Mass!
Fr. Gabriel then goes on to explain
his relationship with Jesus and how
this helps him to face the Aids
pandemic and ethnic conflicts in the
country.
Hues of Joy
God gives us gifts to share with
others. Today's guest, John August
Swanson, shares his unique gift of
art to help us know God a little
better.
In this interview by Fr. Mike, John
tells us of his early background,
his interaction with Corita Kent,
another famed artist,
and his own struggle to find himself
and to find the gift hidden within
him.
Out of depression and discouragement
has emerged this wonderful artist
with a unique gift of silk
screening. John explains some of his
paintings in the interview...and how
the painting reflects life for him
and for us. In the one entitled
Psalm 23,
he used 47 overlays of color. He
goes on to explain The
Last Supper, The Procession David &
Goliath, Take Away the Stone and
Come Out of the
Tomb. As he
shows the art, John unveils the
religious meaning and the hope that
underlies each of them.
From Night to Day
You and I know what it is to be
discouraged and then experience
love. Love changes everything.
In this interview by Fr. Mike of
Louie Velasquez, Jr. , we hear his
story of struggle and pain that
really began when he was only 3
years old. At that time he saw his
alcoholic father beat his mother.Then during his growing years, gangs
held fascination and gave him the
feeling of belonging that he so
desired. Drugs, alcohol and
womanizing became his way of life.It was only after years of
loneliness and separation from
family and friends, that Louie
yelled out to God: Where are
you? He ended up in a Catholic
book store speaking to the owner who
would change his life.
Louie heard the whispering voice of
God. Listening to his story make
help us to hear God through all the
pain and struggle.
No Parents Here
What would happen if you were
snatched out of your life and sold
into prostitution? Would you ever be
able to turn your life around?
This interview with Janice Higgins
tells her painful but powerful
story. It almost seems impossible
that all this could happen to one
person. She was attacked at age 7;
her mother was murdered by her
boyfriend; Janice has to raise
siblings and then when her aunt
takes them into her family, she
takes care of both families. The
story goes on and on.
But the amazing thing is that she
comes out of all this and ends up
"clean" for twenty-one years,
running an outreach program for
troubled teens called R.A.G.E., and
writing three books on her life.
Optimistic God
Don't you hate a pessimist? One who
always see the dark side of life? It
is so much better to be with one who
is optimistic, isn't it? Imagine God
as optimistic!
In this context, Fr. Mike looks at
the gospels and explains how God is
optimistic, even when we fail. He
dramatically tells the parable of
the sower and the seed and compares
this with a baseball player. Imagine
that one!
Then Fr. Mike looks at all the times
that Jesus failed in his life. But
even through failure, God works
miracles. This is so pertinent to
our lives, when we seem to fail more
times than not. God still is
optimistic and will help us through.
God will bring good out of it all if
we are confident and share the love
of God that we have in our hearts
with others.The program ends with a lively
rendition of Shout to
God by Tess Narciso
and The Blessing band..
Get On The Bus
Imagine the fear, loneliness and
even shame of a child whose parent
has gone to jail. Some may not see
this parent for months and even
years at a time. A concerned group
got together and decided to do
something about this. They look upon
a child not being able to visit the
parent as a violation against
children. In
California
alone there are 200,000 children
whose parents are in jail. Bishop Zavala and
Sr. Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, saw this
need and decided to take action.
Thus was born
Get On The Bus project,
originally funded by women’s
religious
orders. This project takes children
equipped with food and backpack on
the four hour trip to visit their
mom or dad. Each child receives a
teddy bear and brings a letter that
they give to the parent during the
visit. Counselors are available for the
children as sometimes these visits
are very stressful for them. The
volunteers who accompany the
children see this service as a joy
and honor. They say: “We come in
peace, not judgment.” What a
wonderful way to put into practice
what Jesus tells us in Matthew 25.
Trusting God
Who do you
trust in your life? Is it someone you live
with, someone you work with, an airplane
pilot? Do you trust God? In this program, Fr.
Mike explores the parable of the owner of
the vineyard who keeps sending people to the
vineyard for his portion of the harvest. He
compares the foolishness of this owner to
God who so foolishly trusts us, no matter
how much we fail.
Fr. Mike calls us to change, to begin to
trust ourselves, to believe in ourselves and
thus become able to empower others We do
this because God trusts us immensely. He
then goes on to talk about the prophets of
today who listen to God's call and act.
Through their lives they challenge us to
trust God.The program ends with a beautiful rendition
of Without The Cross sung by Ralph and
Victoria Mohutsky.
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In
the Whisper
Sometimes God gets to be "a bit too much for
us" and we want to run away from God. It
might be a bit consoling to know that
Elijah, a special prophet of Yahweh, felt
the same way. But then he had an experience
of Yahweh God that taught him not to let
anything get in the way of making God the
center of his life. Watch this show In the
Whisper and learn how you, too, can do just
this. At the same time, you'll see wonderful
pictures of Haifa and the surrounding area
where Elijah lived, and even the place to
where he ran.
Advocate for the Ignored
When we're young, we have high ideals and
may be drawn to things of God. Then as we
grow older and become more successful, those
ideals may go away and we think: What
happened to that kid? That is the story of
Gerard Straub. He became successful in all
three networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC and was a
CBS executive. Then one day the search for
God returned. How did that happen?
Now Gerry runs the San Damiano Foundation
whose mission is "Putting the power of film
at the service of the poor." Quite a
transformation!
From the Mount
Against the background of the beautiful Sea
of Galilee amidst the waves and flying
seagulls, Fr. Mike explains the story of the
Samaritan Woman and the Beatitudes. This was
filmed while he was on a pilgrimage with
other Wordnet supporters in February 2008.
He preaches from the very "mount" from where
Jesus spoke and so it takes on a very
special meaning. Hear about Jesus' simple
call of love, call to serve. Find out what
we need to do to live our lives as Jesus
wants. And, at the same time, enjoy seeing
the beauty of this land we call "the Holy
Land"-a virtual visit to the place where
Jesus lived.
Dorothy Day
How do we get to heaven? What do we do while
here on earth to assure heaven? Christ tells
us in the Beatitudes. Sometimes this is very
difficult to do. But once in a while, there
is a person who personifies one or more of
these Beatitudes and helps us out.
Dorothy Day is one of those people who took
seriously what Jesus tells us. Claudia
Larson was so taken by Dorothy Day that she
produced a video entitled Don't Call Me a
Saint to tell her story. Dorothy took the
Beatitudes seriously and as a result there
are hundreds of houses of hospitality around
the world today. Claudia spent years
producing this video so that others could
hear this story from Dorothy herself.
Paul’s Road
How do we come to Christ? Sometimes it is
the example of other people. It may be their
courage, their love of the Lord, their
willingness to change for the sake of the
gospel. Somehow God touches us. We have an
encounter with God and our lives are
changed.
That is what happened to Paul as we read in
the Acts of the Apostles. He was persecuting
Christians. He approved of the death of
Stephen. But then he receives a call from
God and is given the courage to change. Paul
was a sinner and became a saint. Maybe there
is hope for me, too!
God's Love
Is
your God a God of fear? Or a God of love?
Sometimes when we were young, our image of
God was a God watching every move we made,
ready to punish us and send us to hell if we
weren't good. Some sections of the Bible
even reinforces that concept. God is
all-powerful, all-present and all-knowing.
So our response is marked with awe, fear,
and distance.
Listen to Fr. Mike explain how it is
possible for God also to be caring and
loving and wanting to live in us. Fr. Mike
explains how --when we struggle with the
questions in our hearts about the meaning of
life-- God can become the God of love.
Crisis of Forgiveness
We live in a world of violence and terror.
We never think that violence will happen to
us. What would we do if we were shot? Deacon
Mike Bellinder had such an experience and
it turned his life upside down. He has
found that being able to forgive has given
him joy and personal healing. The world says
get back at those who hurt you; hold on to
that anger when you or your loved ones are
hurt. But the story of Deacon Mike
Bellinder, in this interview with Fr. Mike
Manning, goes against all that.
Champions of Faith
Not too long ago we were reading stories of
steroids and baseball players. If you want
to get a different view of some of these
strong players, watch our show entitled
Champions of Faith. Tom Allen has produced a
movie about another world of baseball where
the players profess their faith in Christ.
The movie interviews about two dozen players
and managers from five or six major clubs
including Mike Piazza, Jeff Suppan, David
Eckstein, and Jack McKeon. In the interview
with Fr. Mike, Tom Allen tells a wonderful
story of reconciliation of Mike Sweeney that
happened during the filming of the movie.
Don’t miss this inspiring story of athletes
who are called to be good stewards of the
physical gifts they have and who have a
personal ministry of sharing with others….a
surprising side of the world of baseball
indeed!
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