Friday, April 26, 2024 and more...

Gus is joined by Cecilia Pascucci, a parishioner at St. Casimir Church in Buffalo, New York, who’s organized a GoFundMe page to try and keep the historic church open. The Diocese of Buffalo, New York is facing bankruptcy, which is forcing a lot of church closures. This one in particular has stood for nearly 100 years, has a connection to Pope St. John Paul II and has had miracles occur there. The diocese has given the pastor until August to pay its outstanding debts or face closure. Cecilia has a goal of $100,000. If you feel moved to help and can, you may do so here.

Also, in today's edition of Friday w/the Fathers, Gus reads and reflects on St. Ambrose's writings on the Sacrements.

And, it's the final Friday in April so Gus prays an Intentional Rosary with listeners.

      

Today in the first reading, Paul continues his address to those in the synagogue in Antioch. And in the Gospel reading, we see Jesus in the upper room, at the Last Supper. He has just finished washing the disciples’ feet when He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”

That sounds like sound advice from Jesus, doesn’t it? Do not let your hearts be troubled. Think about the timing of these words. Jesus knew that the disciples’ world was about to come crashing down. He was on His way to the cross. He, if anyone, should know about a troubled heart.

It’s not always easy to not have a troubled heart, is it? Lord, what about my sick spouse? What about my kids that have fallen away from You? What about my financial troubles? What about (fill in the blank)? Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that God has all this under control. It pains me to think that my troubled heart is a clear sign of a lack of faith. Yet so it is.

Father, increase our faith in You today. Help us to remember that You have a plan, and that plan always includes what is best for us. Amen.

Today’s Readings

To share the faith, one must know the faith. Learn more about the Catholic faith with the many resources available at www.GusLloyd.com.

      

If you’ve watched the news recently, you’ve probably noticed a disturbing trend of pro-Hamas/Palestine rallies on college and university campuses across the country. Many of them have a very disturbing, and sometimes violent, anti-Semitic undertone to them. In New York City, the campus of Columbia University has been overrun by violent pro-Hamas protestors. Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor-at-large for National Review and Catholic Channel contributor, not to mention New York City native, calls in to talk about it with Gus. Afterwards, Gus invites listeners to call in and give their opinions on these rallies.

Also, Gus talks about a Catholic news story out of the state of Massachusetts earlier this week where the pro-abortion Gov. Maura Healey, who believes taxpayers should pay for abortions, was invited to speak at a couple fundraisers for Catholic schools. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston has come under a lot of heat for it from the pro-life community and Gus asks listeners to call in and talk about whether or not pro-choice politicians and celebrities should be invited to Catholic events and fundraisers.

And Bob Dunning calls in to talk about his and Gus’ recent FaceTime technical issues and Bob’s technophobia. They also talk about Bob’s hobbies, or lack thereof, and his proclivity to Taster’s Choice instant coffee.

      

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Mark. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter. Peter’s teachings are the basis for Mark’s gospel. Mark accompanied St. Paul on his first missionary journey and was also a traveling companion of St. Peter, as we see in today’s first reading. Of course, our Gospel reading today is the end of Mark. It is his version of Jesus’ great commission – “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

In the first reading today from 1 Peter 5, St. Peter has some sobering words, especially for those who doubt the existence of the devil. “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” What a striking visual image that paints. Looking for someone to devour. Isn’t it interesting that today it seems that the devil is indeed devouring so many people. Yet they have no idea they are being devoured.

I believe that one of Satan’s greatest ploys is to get people to believe that evil is good and good is evil. We see this happening so much today. Abortion is a “choice.” Euthanasia is “mercy killing.” And those who oppose these things are not thought to be good, but evil. Rest assured that Satan will stop at nothing until he devours the whole world. St. Peter tells us today to “resist him, steadfast in faith.” He then goes on to talk about how, when we do resist the devil, there will be suffering. But in the end, when we do resist and do not let Satan devour us, God will have the last word. See what St. Peter has to say about it.

Father, give us the strength today to resist the devil, that we may not be devoured by him. Through our fervent prayers, we ask that you protect our children, our families, our Church and our world from the roaring lion. Amen.

Today’s Readings

      

Gus goes over some more recent Catholic statistics recently published by the Pew Research Group, including the rise of Hispanic Catholic population at parishes across the United States. He also goes over some of the percentages of Catholics and the role their faith places in their lives, including how 48% of Catholics say religion is important in their lives, but only 28% go to Sunday mass regularly. Gus talks about how that’s a major disconnect. He also talks about an interesting set of numbers based on the recent Pew Research surveys, which show that, among white/Caucasian Catholics, the population of regular mass attendees is getting older while, among Hispanic/Latinos, the numbers of young mass attendees is growing. It’s a very hopeful sign. Gus asks listeners what the Church can do better to attract more young white, black and other non-Latino Catholics to mass.

Also, Dr. Matthew Bunson of EWTN calls in to talk about some news items of Catholic interest, but first he talks about his recent trip to Singapore and his observations of the complex relationship between the Catholic Church and the Chinese government. They also talk about a group of cloistered Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas who have filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Fort Worth and asked for a restraining order against Bishop Michael Olson. They are defying the Vatican’s decree of who governs the monastery, which stated it was the diocese. The dispute began last Spring when the bishop launched an investigation of the prioress, Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach, admitted to sexual conduct occurring between her and a priest. Lastly, Gus and Dr. Bunson go over a few Supreme Court cases that could impact religious liberty.