Episodes
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
FGG-152 The Empty Chair
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the happiest times of the year. We get together with family and friends, exchange gifts, share wonderful meals, and enjoy the holidays. But, for many of us, the loss of a loved one makes this a sad and even depressing time. Let’s face it; every one of us will have a holiday where there is an empty chair. In this podcast Tony discusses the loss of a loved on at the holidays.
Quote: “I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.” –Taylor Caldwell
Scripture: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.” –Revelations 21:4
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.” –Psalm 34:19
Reflections: What do you think of Tony’s ideas for remembering a loved one? Do you have a tradition at the holidays to remember those that have past? What can we do to help a person who has experienced a loss this year?
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
FGG-101 Our Thanksgiving Pizza
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
Thursday Nov 22, 2018
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40
As we waited for mass to begin, I noticed the giving tree had been set up in the chapel. For the uninitiated, the Giving Tree is a Christmas tree decorated with paper ornaments with the name, age, and sex of a needy person in the area and something that they might like as a Christmas gift. Every year we take a few names and purchase gifts.
“Hey honey,” I whispered. “We should get a few names from the giving tree while there are still lots to choose from.”
“Not today,” my wife Diane responded. “I want to wait until they have been picked over. I like to buy for the people that no one picks, you know, the leftovers. I really like doing something special for the people no one picks.”
As I settled back into my seat, I realized what she had said. We are very judgmental people. We even judge what disadvantaged person gets our help. I have been guilty of this myself. I guess it is alright to pick a child, or a person of a particular sex, or in reading the notes, someone that we feel good helping, but, there are always a few that no one selects.
I was so proud of Diane! I can really learn from her non-judgmental attitude. As a matter of fact, she prefers the unwanted, the leftovers, those who no one felt worthy.
It reminded me that one of my heroes’, Saint Mother Teresa, became a saint for just that reason. She picked those that no one wanted, the leftovers, to help.
She would say, ““If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
This Christmas season, let’s try to be less judgmental and help those who become the leftovers on the Giving Tree.
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
FGG-071 Alone or Lonely?
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
Wednesday Nov 14, 2018
Alone and lonely are two distinctly different feelings. Being alone can be great. Lonely is very different. Loneliness is not the same as being alone, and simply being around others does not guarantee we won’t be lonely. At times, we can be surrounded by people, but still feel lonely. In this podcast, Tony talks about the difference between being alone and being lonely.
Scripture: Look upon me, have pity on me, for I am alone and afflicted. –Psalm 25:16
No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not leave you nor forsake you. –Joshua 1:5
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:20
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
FGG-070 Why Are We So Angry?
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
Scripture: “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20
Quote: “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love least.” –Dorothy Day
Reflection: Is anger a problems we all face today? Why do you think people are so angry? Is road rage and Movie theater rage a symptom of a bigger problem? Can you offer some solutions?
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
FGG-069 But She Did
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
There is an old saying that roads are paved with good intentions, and in today’s fast-paced, me-oriented society, it was never more evident. People are so consumed with their own lives, problems, and time famine that they barely have time to think of others. In this podcast, Tony talks about those people that put service ahead of self.
Scripture: Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ –Matthew 25:34-36
The smallest act of kindness is worth more that the grandest intention. –Oscar Wilde
Reflection: Is there someone that your remember because of an act of kindness? Have you ever gone out of your way to help another? How did that make you feel?