Latest / Catholic Spirit Radio / Good News #191 092025: Good News: New Home, Hummingbirds & the Hard Gospel

Transcript

Good News #191 092025: Good News: New Home, Hummingbirds & the Hard Gospel · Catholic Spirit Radio

• 0:00
  Welcome to Good News on Catholic Spirit Radio, a program for teens and almost
• 0:04
  teens to better understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is relevant in their
• 0:09
  lives, and it's a place where your questions about faith and religion can be answered.
• 0:14
  And now, here's your host, Deacon Al.
• 0:19
  And welcome to Good News. I am Deacon Al Lundy, a permanent deacon of the Peoria Diocese.
• 0:24
  Happy to have you with us here on Catholic Spirit Radio every Saturday and Sunday evening.
• 0:30
  From 8 to 8.30, and we talk about good news. We talk about the gospel of Jesus
• 0:35
  Christ, and we look at the readings from this weekend's Mass and talk about
• 0:39
  what they mean to us today.
• 0:41
  And first of all, I usually talk a little bit about what's going on on the home
• 0:46
  front, and it really is good news this week.
• 0:49
  My son and his wife, they've been married for 11 years, and he's 37 years old.
• 0:59
  My wife will correct me if I'm wrong.
• 1:01
  Today, they signed papers on their first new home.
• 1:07
  That's big. I mean, as a dad, that's really big to see your child get their first new house.
• 1:13
  I mean, this is still, it's just pretty much like what happened with our home
• 1:18
  26 years ago when it was still under construction far enough along that they
• 1:25
  could see what it was going to be,
• 1:27
  but enough left where they could customize a lot of the interior.
• 1:31
  So today they got to pick out countertop and cabinets and wall color and the
• 1:37
  flooring and things like that. So it was really the new home,
• 1:43
  the building experience.
• 1:46
  But this is also a big new adventure for him and for his wife because they've
• 1:54
  never had to deal with selling a house before.
• 1:57
  They moved here from the house they're in now was, oh gosh, probably 25, 30 years old.
• 2:03
  And they moved to it from an apartment.
• 2:06
  So that was the first home they bought. This is the first new home,
• 2:10
  new construction they've gotten to deal with.
• 2:11
  But they've never had to sell a house before and buy a house at the same time.
• 2:17
  So the house sold just a couple days ago.
• 2:21
  The closings are going to be in about three or four weeks, and they're only a few days apart.
• 2:28
  Yeah, so he's got to figure out how to move, how to get that move done smoothly.
• 2:33
  They're going to couch surf at a friend's house for a few nights.
• 2:37
  But it's going to work out fine, but a lot of questions. And he had to sweat
• 2:41
  his way through his first home inspection.
• 2:44
  And that's always kind of, are they going to complain about this?
• 2:48
  Are they going to complain about that? just how much fixing up do you have to
• 2:51
  do but he sold it for the price he wanted to sell it at,
• 2:56
  he bought the house. My son's a salesman.
• 3:01
  Not anymore. Now he works in customer service for a company out of Denver.
• 3:06
  But before that, he actually sold cars.
• 3:09
  And he approached this like a car salesman. And when he had to make an offer
• 3:14
  on the new house, he asked for things that I thought, oh my gosh,
• 3:19
  Tom, this is over the moon.
• 3:21
  Nobody is going to say yes to this.
• 3:24
  They said yes to pretty much all of it. A new construction.
• 3:29
  And he said, I need $10,000 off. And they said, okay.
• 3:33
  Wow, okay. And it didn't come with any appliances.
• 3:38
  And he said, well, it needs to come with a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove. Okay.
• 3:45
  So, I mean, just about anything he asked for. And then the interest rates went down.
• 3:50
  And he got a really good, I mean, he's under four, so that's all right.
• 3:56
  And so he pretty much got everything he wanted, so good on. I mean,
• 4:00
  good for you, Tom and Kayla. So thrilled for you.
• 4:04
  And here's what a sweetheart my son is. Here's how much he loves his dad.
• 4:10
  Well, not crazy about the way he worded it, but happy for what he did.
• 4:14
  The house has all their bedrooms upstairs, except for one.
• 4:19
  There's one bedroom downstairs with an en suite with you know the connected bathroom,
• 4:26
  that's mom and dad's room what he
• 4:29
  says i we wanted a house that would have a room for you to when you come to
• 4:33
  visit you don't have to go up any stairs yeah yeah don't have to go up any stairs
• 4:39
  restrooms right there you know
• 4:42
  that was really sweet of him i mean that he would think of us like that.
• 4:49
  And they said when he and his wife set out looking for new houses,
• 4:53
  that was one of the things they wanted was a parent's suite downstairs.
• 4:58
  So thank you. Yeah, it's very nice. I mean, that is very compassionate.
• 5:03
  So thank you very much, Tom.
• 5:04
  So that's my good news. And I'm having some work done in my yard.
• 5:09
  You know how much I love my yard and love to spend time outside.
• 5:11
  I mean, that's my chapel.
• 5:13
  My gardens are my chapel. And we're having some work done to the chapel.
• 5:20
  So, yeah. So we've been, I think they're going to be done tomorrow,
• 5:24
  which would, yeah, they started Tuesday.
• 5:28
  And again, it's all because as I enter this old age that requires me to have
• 5:34
  a downstairs bedroom, evidently, I just wanted to make things as maintenance-free
• 5:38
  as possible for the future.
• 5:40
  I've been staining this deck every other year for 25 years and I'm tired of
• 5:45
  staining just tired it's not
• 5:48
  that it's that hard it's just time consuming and I hate it I just hate it,
• 5:55
  So we decided to get the maintenance-free decking.
• 6:01
  Well, here's the good news. When they
• 6:02
  took the decking off, turns out the substructure is perfect. It's fine.
• 6:08
  You'd never know it was 26 years old.
• 6:11
  There's no rot. There's no cracks. There's no, it's still pitched perfectly.
• 6:17
  It hasn't sunken at all.
• 6:19
  And so they said, we don't need to replace this. We just need to re-deck it. Yes.
• 6:25
  Thank you, God. I mean, that really is, after 26 years, I never would have expected that.
• 6:31
  So to have that lifted off the deal. So, yeah, so it's been a good week.
• 6:37
  Been a really good week. And the weather has just been awesome.
• 6:42
  Well, it's a little warm if you have to be outside. But I'm retired,
• 6:47
  so I got to sit in the shade and watch other people work.
• 6:51
  And it was perfect weather for that. That's, yeah.
• 6:56
  Oh, and hummingbirds. The hummingbirds are migrating down to Mexico.
• 7:02
  And so, I mean, we've had a bunch of hummingbirds coming through the yard all
• 7:07
  day long, every day, for over a week now.
• 7:11
  Multiple, multiple hummingbirds at a time. And it's just been so cool.
• 7:15
  In fact, I was working outside.
• 7:17
  Oh, this was a few days ago.
• 7:20
  And I was wearing an orange T-shirt. And I think that's important because of what happened.
• 7:26
  So I'm down on the ground digging out some sod to make room for a new house to garden.
• 7:33
  And I heard this in my ear and I turned and I got a hummingbird,
• 7:39
  like four inches away from my face, just floating there.
• 7:43
  He was like right in my, I don't know if it was going to sip out of my ear or something.
• 7:48
  I'm so sweet. But he was just like inches away from my face.
• 7:53
  And he just sat there and hovered around and then decided nothing here to eat.
• 7:57
  And he zipped up over to the hummingbird feeder, but up close and personal.
• 8:03
  Very cool. Very cool. So we've just had multiple hummingbirds coming through.
• 8:08
  So anyway, God is good. Nature's gorgeous.
• 8:12
  My yard's getting a facelift and still in time for good weather.
• 8:16
  I'll still get another month or two out of sitting out on the deck and watching my garden grow.
• 8:23
  Well, right now watching my garden hibernate. But next spring,
• 8:29
  it's going to be gorgeous.
• 8:31
  Going to be gorgeous. All right. We're going to break for just a couple moments.
• 8:35
  You're going to listen to some friends from our station.
• 8:38
  And when we come back, we're going to be looking at the readings from the Mass
• 8:42
  of the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
• 8:45
  You're listening to Good News on Catholic Spirit Radio.
• 8:48
  Stay tuned. Good News will be right back on Catholic Spirit Radio.
• 8:53
  ICatholic Mobile is a 5G mobile phone company dedicated to supporting your faith
• 8:58
  and values, offering unlimited talk and text, reliable data,
• 9:03
  and plans that support Catholic causes.
• 9:06
  A portion of every dollar helps sustain the mission of the Catholic Spirit Radio Network.
• 9:10
  With nationwide coverage, iCatholic Mobile connects you to what matters most.
• 9:15
  More information is available at iCatholicMobile.com.
• 9:19
  ICatholic Mobile underwrites for the Catholic Spirit Radio Network.
• 9:24
  Catholic Spirit Radio wants you to know we have a presence on Facebook and on X.
• 9:29
  You're the heart of Catholic Spirit Radio. Keep in touch. Follow us on Facebook and on X.
• 9:39
  The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hantsville, Alabama,
• 9:42
  is an official Jubilee Year of Hope site.
• 9:44
  It's an ideal place to receive a plenary indulgence and for adoration with poor clare nuns.
• 9:50
  Details at O-L-A-M Shrine dot com. Did you know there's an app for Catholic Spirit Radio?
• 9:56
  Listeners with phones, tablets, and other devices can tune into our programs and podcasts anytime.
• 10:01
  Just go to the Google Play or Apple App Store to download the app Catholic Spirit Talk Radio.
• 10:06
  It's free! Get all the quality programs you know and love.
• 10:18
  And welcome back to Good News. I'm Deacon Al Lundy from the Peoria Diocese.
• 10:23
  I serve parishes in Bloomington Normal, and I've been doing that for,
• 10:28
  gosh, I was ordained just over eight years ago, and just love it.
• 10:33
  Just love the ministries of the diaconate, love the parishes I work for, the priests I work with.
• 10:39
  Just a wonderful, wonderful ministry.
• 10:42
  We have, on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our first reading is from the prophet Amos.
• 10:48
  Our second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Timothy.
• 10:52
  Our third reading is from the Gospel of Luke. And this is probably the most
• 10:57
  confusing gospel that gets read in any of the three-year cycle of the Catholic Church.
• 11:05
  Which, in fact, I can't remember ever hearing a priest do the homily on this gospel.
• 11:14
  They usually say, after it's read, they'll say, well, today I want to talk about
• 11:17
  the second reading. Today I want to focus on the first reading.
• 11:21
  Or they go into something completely different, and they don't really touch
• 11:24
  on this. And I understand why. It's very intimidating.
• 11:28
  I could never make sense of it. and I'm going to try and make sense of it today
• 11:32
  for you using the words of another deacon, and we'll see how that works out.
• 11:38
  You'll understand my conundrum when we get to that gospel.
• 11:43
  So, the first reading from the book of the prophet Amos, Hear this,
• 11:48
  you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land.
• 11:52
  When will the new moon be over, you ask, that we may sell our grain and the
• 11:57
  Sabbath, that we may display the wheat.
• 12:00
  We will diminish the effa and add to the shekel and fix our scales for cheating.
• 12:06
  We will buy the lowly for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals.
• 12:11
  Even the refuse of the wheat we will sell. The Lord has sworn by the pride of
• 12:16
  Jacob, never will I forget a thing you have done.
• 12:19
  So this is a warning to the greedy, not even to the rich, because you can be
• 12:24
  rich and still do good with your money.
• 12:29
  This is to the greedy. This is the people who put money before everything else.
• 12:34
  It puts money before the dignity of people.
• 12:36
  They put money before honest labor.
• 12:39
  They put money before everything. It's all about making a buck.
• 12:44
  And Jesus says, go ahead and do it, but just know, I will remember everything that you've done.
• 12:51
  And when the time comes for your judgment, this is all going to come back on you.
• 12:56
  In St. Paul to Timothy, Paul writes, Beloved, first of all, I ask that supplications,
• 13:03
  prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone,
• 13:07
  for kings and for all in authority, that you may lead a quiet and tranquil life
• 13:13
  in all devotion and dignity.
• 13:16
  This is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wills everyone to be saved
• 13:21
  and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• 13:23
  There is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men,
• 13:29
  the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.
• 13:34
  This was the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed preacher
• 13:39
  and apostle. I am speaking the truth.
• 13:41
  I am not lying, teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
• 13:46
  It is my wish then that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy
• 13:52
  hands without anger or argument, the word of the Lord.
• 13:57
  So here we have the complete opposite of what we heard in the first reading.
• 14:03
  On the first reading, we're hearing about the greed of mankind,
• 14:05
  and in the second reading, we're hearing about the compassion that we're called
• 14:10
  to as Christians, where Paul asks us to pray for everyone,
• 14:14
  even those in authority, even those who might be looking to cheat us.
• 14:18
  Pray for them that they may have a change of heart so that we can live in.
• 14:24
  In dignity and in calmness and in security.
• 14:28
  That's what Christ wants for us. That's what God asks for us,
• 14:33
  that we pray for each other, that we be kind to each other, that we want the
• 14:38
  best for each other so that we in turn may reap the rewards of that.
• 14:43
  When our politicians are wise and calm and thoughtful of others.
• 14:51
  Our lives improve. And so, we're called to be caring about those in power so
• 14:59
  that we can live the kind of life that God wants for us,
• 15:04
  one that leaves us able to focus on our love of God rather than on the troubles of our modern times.
• 15:14
  Okay, the gospel. Let's get to this difficult gospel. This is according to Luke,
• 15:19
  and you'll understand why this is a difficult one.
• 15:24
  Jesus said to his disciples, A rich man had a steward who was reported to him
• 15:30
  for squandering his property.
• 15:32
  He summoned him and said, What is this I hear about you?
• 15:36
  Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.
• 15:42
  The steward said to himself, What shall I do now that my master is taking the
• 15:47
  position of steward away from me?
• 15:49
  I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg.
• 15:53
  I know what I shall do. When I am removed from the stewardship,
• 15:56
  they may welcome me into their homes.
• 16:00
  He called in his master's debtors one by one, and to the first he said,
• 16:05
  How much do you owe my master?
• 16:07
  He replied, One hundred measures of olive oil.
• 16:11
  He said to him, Here's your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.
• 16:18
  Then to another the steward said, and how much do you owe? He replied, 100 cores of wheat.
• 16:25
  The steward said to him, here's your promissory note, write one for 80.
• 16:30
  The master commended the dishonest steward for acting prudently.
• 16:36
  For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
• 16:41
  than are the children of light.
• 16:43
  I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
• 16:47
  so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
• 16:53
  The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great
• 16:57
  ones, and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.
• 17:04
  If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
• 17:08
  who will trust you with true wealth.
• 17:11
  If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?
• 17:18
  No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other
• 17:23
  or be devoted to one and despise the other.
• 17:26
  You cannot serve both God and mammon.
• 17:29
  The Gospel of the Lord. Now that last part I get. You can't serve two masters.
• 17:35
  You can't divide your loyalties.
• 17:38
  I completely understand that. What throws me, and I think throws most of us
• 17:43
  when we hear this reading, the Master commended the dishonest steward for acting prudently.
• 17:50
  Why would we commend someone for cheating us?
• 17:55
  Why would we commend someone for cooking the books, as it were?
• 18:00
  I could never really make head nor tails out of this gospel.
• 18:05
  And most of the time when I've heard it read in mass the homilist avoids that
• 18:11
  part of the reading because it's too hard to understand.
• 18:16
  But in researching this, I found something written by a deacon,
• 18:22
  a man by the name of Jay Cormier, who serves in Manchester, New Hampshire.
• 18:28
  And he wrote a really good paper on this.
• 18:31
  And it makes a lot of sense. And he doesn't cite specifically what this gospel
• 18:38
  is referring to, but he cites three possibilities, three ways that this could be understood.
• 18:43
  And I think any of the three ways has merit to it.
• 18:47
  So I'm going to offer this to you as you hear this this weekend,
• 18:51
  again, in mass, a way of thinking, well, that makes sense.
• 18:57
  That's a lesson that could be gleaned from this reading.
• 19:00
  So the three things he offers is that acting prudently, though we rightly question
• 19:08
  the steward about his integrity and honesty, we do admire his ability to land on his feet.
• 19:15
  I mean, his boss was firing him. I mean, he was going to be without a job.
• 19:21
  What's he going to do now to cushion the fall?
• 19:25
  Many of us would like to possess his audacity. Even his master commands him for his boldness.
• 19:31
  So, why does Jesus hold up this incompetent schemer as a model of anything positive or commendable?
• 19:39
  Well, it's because of the steward's ingenuity in getting things done.
• 19:43
  The parable challenges us to be as ingenious and creative for the sake of God's
• 19:48
  kingdom as we are for our careers and portfolios here on earth.
• 19:53
  To be as ready and willing to use our time and resources to accomplish great
• 19:58
  things in terms of the gospel as we are to secure our own security and happiness.
• 20:05
  The second possibility he points out is the lesson on dishonest wealth.
• 20:10
  Maybe a better word than dishonest might be inauthentic or false.
• 20:15
  Much of the wealth we work for is of little worth in God's scheme of things.
• 20:21
  Of course, we need to provide for ourselves and our families,
• 20:24
  but we easily fool ourselves into thinking that money, fame,
• 20:28
  and status have a lasting value.
• 20:30
  In the kingdom of God, compassion, mercy, justice are the authentic,
• 20:37
  honest wealth that is at the heart of creating that kingdom here and now.
• 20:43
  The parable of the dishonest steward calls us to realize what is honest wealth, the mercy,
• 20:50
  justice, and peace of God's eternal reign, and to employ that wealth to secure
• 20:56
  the true wealth of God's kingdom.
• 20:59
  The third aspect he points out is being trusted with wealth.
• 21:06
  Throughout the gospel, Jesus tells his followers that it's not what we possess
• 21:10
  that matters, but what we do with what God has entrusted to us.
• 21:15
  Too often, we squander the opportunities to do great things with the resources
• 21:20
  we have for fear of failure or loss.
• 21:24
  We are satisfied with avoiding what is bad rather than risking our comfort and
• 21:30
  our treasure for the sake of realizing something good.
• 21:33
  Even the master in today's parable commends his fired steward for using the
• 21:39
  wealth at his command as a means of creating goodwill and extending mercy.
• 21:44
  The master must realize that his reputation for generosity and compassion has
• 21:50
  risen among his business associates as a result of his steward scheme.
• 21:55
  Whether we are wealthy landowners or struggling farmers, God will hold us accountable
• 22:00
  for the mercy and the peace we have realized with the blessings of true wealth
• 22:05
  that God has entrusted to our stewardship.
• 22:09
  I think all three points are valid. I think it's three ways of looking at this
• 22:14
  same reading and finding something positive to glean out of it.
• 22:18
  And in reading these, I was reminded of the legend of Robin Hood.
• 22:23
  Robin Hood was a thief. I mean, there's no two ways about it.
• 22:27
  He was a thief. What he did was against the law.
• 22:32
  And he knew that, and he was willing to accept that.
• 22:37
  He knew that he might be captured. He knew that he might be punished,
• 22:40
  even killed for the thievery that he was involved in.
• 22:44
  But what did he do with the goods gained from the thievery?
• 22:48
  He gave it back to the poor people, and he gave it back to his neighbors and
• 22:53
  to the villagers because they were being overtaxed, and it made their life better
• 22:59
  to be given the stolen goods.
• 23:02
  Was Robin Hood a thief or was he a hero?
• 23:07
  Well, he was both, much like the steward in our gospel today.
• 23:12
  Was he dishonest or was he helpful and merciful to the debtors? Well, both.
• 23:22
  Both. You have to ask yourself, what's more important?
• 23:26
  The mercy. God's saying what's most important is the mercy that you show others.
• 23:32
  And that's what we see in this parable.
• 23:36
  Think about that.
• 23:38
  Knock that around in your head while you're listening at Mass today to your readings.
• 23:43
  And if you have something you'd like to say about it, drop me an email.
• 23:48
  Goodnews at catholicspiritradio.org, and I would be happy to listen to your
• 23:52
  thoughts on this. Like I say, this is a difficult read.
• 23:55
  It's probably the most difficult gospel to have to explain or to have to homilize over.
• 24:02
  I'm glad I've never had to before, but glad I had Jay Cormier on my side today
• 24:08
  to help me explain some of it. I hope you have a wonderful week.
• 24:12
  May Almighty God bless you, protect you from all evil, and bring you to everlasting life.
• 24:19
  Amen. You've been listening to Good News on Catholic Spirit Radio,
• 24:23
  a program for teens and almost teens to better understand that the gospel of
• 24:27
  Jesus Christ is relevant in your life.
• 24:29
  Submit your questions to Deacon Al at goodnewsatcatholicspiritradio.com That's
• 24:35
  goodnewsatcatholicspiritradio.com
• 24:38
  Deacon will answer your questions about faith and religion. Thank you for listening
• 24:42
  to Good News on Catholic Spirit Radio.
• 24:45
  The noble gift of our sexuality is not something to be demeaned.
• 24:49
  Regrettably, pornography, fornication, and adultery are rampant today.
• 24:55
  If we want to be influential as Catholic and moral leaders in the domestic church
• 25:00
  of our home, we must be chaste.
• 25:03
  We can't allow ourselves to be degraded, to lose our crucial power of spiritual
• 25:10
  leadership due to this sin.
• 25:12
  Our family needs us to be their moral heroes.
• 25:17
  We cannot submit to the temptation of unchastity.
• 25:21
  And if we should fall, we need to immediately repent, go to confession,
• 25:26
  and get back in the fight to be champions of chastity. We can't give an inch
• 25:33
  to these dark temptations.
• 25:35
  Pornography is always wrong and disordered.
• 25:38
  It unfailingly leaves its wound, doing grave harm to the user,
• 25:44
  his or her family, as well as the so-called performers who make pornography,
• 25:49
  who are dehumanized and used as objects of another's pleasure.
• 25:54
  With pornography, one takes pleasure
• 25:57
  at the expense of the degradation of others as well as one's self.
• 26:02
  Listen, quote, Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins,
• 26:07
  but delights in the truth.
• 26:10
  1 Corinthians 13, 6 You see, we are temples of the Holy Spirit,
• 26:15
  as are those involved in making pornography.
• 26:18
  Quote, Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
• 26:22
  1 Corinthians 6, 19 We must win this fight at all costs. The stakes are too high.
• 26:29
  You and I are too good for unchastity. Mercifully, our Lord Jesus is there to
• 26:35
  do most of the fighting for us if we only turn to him.
• 26:39
  Jesus is your champion. I'm Jim Littleton, forming FaithfulFamilies.com.