St. Basil Catholic Church Brecksville Podcast

60. 3 R's of Drawing your Loved One back to Church

Fr. Bryan Norton, S.J. shares 3 R's to keep in mind in our joint attempt with God to draw our loved ones back to the Church. After listening, download a packet of practical resources at www.basilthegreat.org/return

59. Remind Me Again...If Atheists Can be Good, Why be Religious?

Why should I bother being religious if unbelievers can be decent, honest people too? 

The 5min video mentioned in this episode on the Moral Argument for God's existence can be viewed at http://bit.ly/MoralArgument

C.S. Lewis' short essay Man or Rabbit? mentioned in this episode can be read here. 

58. Fr. Walt Homily - Bl. Stanley Rother & FORMED

Fr. Walt shares the story of modern-day Good Samaritan Blessed Stanley Rother, Oklahoman priest martyred in the Guatemalan civil war a few decades ago. The 19-minute documentary is available free on FORMED after you signup at basilthegreat.formed.org.

57. Remind Me Again.....Why Do Gospel Details Differ?

Some of the Gospels differ in minor details.  Does this mean they are invalidated?  Can we rely on the Bible at all?

56. Fr. Bryan Homily - Crisis of Images

Our images of God and images of the Church shape our spiritual lives immensely, so they should be balanced, robust, and take in all of the Scriptural data. 

55. Fr. Walt Homily - Don't assume your enemy is God's enemy

Fr. Walt discusses enemies and reveals the kind of people whose discipleship and faith inspires him.

54. Fr. Bryan Homily - Freedom from vs. Freedom for

Are we free to do what we want or free to do what we ought?  Freedom from vs. Freedom for.

53. Carpenter's tool or Carpenter's son? w/ Tommy Dome

A small adjustment of direction can change the whole trajectory of a life.  Tommy Dome spoke at the Gifts of the Spirit Women's Ministry, sharing stories of a few inflection points in his life that revealed more of who God is and who he is.  

52. Fr. Bryan Norton, S.J. Homily - 1st St. Basil Mass, Corpus Christi, Thank Yous

Fr. Bryan Norton, S.J.'s first Mass homily as a priest back here at St. Basil on the feast of Corpus Christi. Included are his personal thank yous to 3 special people at the end.

51. Remind Me Again....Why do we say Jesus descended into Hell?

Every Sunday at Mass we say that Jesus descended into Hell.  Sounds strange or wrong, doesn't it?  Why would Jesus go to hell?  The knots get untwisted using Scripture and the CCC in just 7 minutes.

50. Top 15 Mass Tips - interview w/ Fr. Michael Denk of theprodigalfather.org

Top 15 Mass Tips - How do I get the most out of Mass (and why is that a bad question)? w/ Fr. Michael Denk of www.theprodigalfather.org.  Bonus: Recommendations on the best Catholic apps and best videos, talks, and books on the Mass.

49. How to Stay Catholic in College - interview w/ Dana Dosen

College student Dana Dosen shares the pillars needed to keep the Catholic Faith while away at college.  

48. Remind me again.....Why do we call priests "Father" when Jesus said not to?

Why do Catholics call their priests "Father", especially when Jesus Himself says in Matthew 23:9, "Call no one on earth your father..."?

47. Fr. Walt homily - Somebody somewhere said something to someone

......and that played a part in how you ended up here.

46. Faith in Action: Chris Kerr from Ignatian Solidarity Network

Chris Kerr, Executive Director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, shares stories and images to awaken in us solidarity - one of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

45. Fr. Walt Homily - What is Anointing of the Sick?

Fr. Walt mentions Scriptural (Mark 6 & James 5) and historical foundations of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

44. Lessons from the Road - Franciscan Sisters & CLE marathon

Sr. Anna Rose & Sr. Agnes Therese share spiritual lessons they learned from preparing to run the Cleveland Marathon.  Be sure to listen to the end when Sr. Agnes plays a song she wrote for her sisters and the wider church.

43. Remind me again....Why Confess to a Priest? Can't I go straight to God?

"Remind Me Again..." is a new series briefly covering common topics and questions that you have asked yourself at some point.  Share this episode so more people hear the answer.  "Why confess my sins to a priest?  Can't I just go straight to God?"

42. Fr. Walt Homily - Most evil & most blessed thing in the world

Fr. Walt tells a story illustrating the power we can wield for good or evil.

41. The Art of Parenting w/ Dr. Ted & Kathleen Raddell

CLE Clinic psychologist Dr. Ted Raddell and his wife Kathleen share wisdom, skills, and really fun stories about how to raise great kids!  Married for 30 years w/ 5 kids from 27-17.

40. Dcn. Lou Homily - The Good Shepherd

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not fall away from us.

39. How to Watch Movies like a Catholic - Interview w/ Taylor Gosiaco

How do I decide what to watch? What media will nourish my soul? How do I turn the time I spend on media into a tool for learning how to relate to and evangelize others? And 5 practical tips to watch like a Catholic.

38. Divine Mercy - Fr. Walt's remarks

Fr. Walt's remarks on Divine Mercy, with 3 tips from St. Faustina.  

37. Fr. Walt Homily - Doubting Thomas

36. Fr. Doug Brown interview - Catholic Devotional Life

Fr. Doug Brown, formerly assigned at St. Basil the Great, shares recommendations on a few devotional practices that help round out our spiritual lives to pull down maximum graces from Heaven and get us in deeper relationship with the Holy Trinity.  Hear him share about a mystical experience he once had in Eucharistic Adoration.  

35. Fr. Walt Homily - Easter - 2019-4-21

This is the moment that changed everything. Life, death, and eternity make sense and have purpose.  Also, a real life story of the love of Heaven.

34. Fr. Walt Homily - Palm Sunday - 2019-4-14

33. Fr. Kevin Shemuga Interview - Heavenly Friends - devotion to the saints

Fr. Kevin shares the saints who have impacted his life and Scriptural foundations for devotion to the saints are mentioned.  Rev. 8:3-4, Rev. 5:8, 1 Tim 2:1, John 2:5, 1 Corinthians 3:9, Exodus 32, Genesis 18, John 15:5. 

32. Overcoming Addiction through Prayer, Scripture, Church - Cheryl Wear

Powerful witness!  Cheryl Wear found herself incapacitated by alcohol. Desperate and personally shattered, she found hope, healing, and redemption through her faith, the Bible, and her church. She is a mother, attorney, and Domestic Relations Court Magistrate.

31. Fr. Walt Precana Talk to Engaged Couples 2019

Fr. Walt addresses the engaged couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage at St. Basil's PreCana Day 2019.  Covenant.  Honesty.  Giving your word.  Ordered towards mutual love of the spouses and the bringing forth of children.  

30. Meaning of the Mass - Why is Mass called Mass?

Our word Mass comes from the Latin word missa, which is at the root of the dismissal that gives us our mission. The final blessing gives us that last dose of supernatural grace we need to fulfill our mission to bring souls to Jesus' Sacred Heart.

29. Patience of the God of 4th Chances - 2019-3-24

God has the patience and mercy to always give us another chance if we repent first, but eventually every tree must die. And I'm also really glad that one tree by the rectory is gone!

28. Meaning of the Mass - The Bible and the Body

Why do we sit, why do we stand, and why do we fold our hands?

27. Dcn. Lou Homily - Imitating, Thinking, Acting like Christ - 2019-3-17

26. Bishop Amos - Love of Neighbor - Talk3 - Parish Mission 2019

On the final night of St. Basil's 2019 Parish Mission, Bishop Amos addresses love of neighbor and provides stories, thoughts, reflections, and tips on how to live it out.

25. Bishop Amos - Love of Self - Talk2 - Parish Mission 2019

On the second night of St. Basil's Parish Mission 2019 Bishop Martin Amos explores how to love ourselves, which Our Lord commands us to do.

24. Bishop Amos - Love of God - Talk1- Parish Mission 2019

Bishop Amos provides practical tips regarding prayer, distraction, and preparation. He also teaches the ancient trustworthy prayer practice of Lectio Divina and its different parts.

23. Meaning of the Mass - Why is Mass "the same" each week?

Way back in the year 155 AD, a man named Justin Martyr described something in writing. See if you can recognize what he was describing.

22. Meaning of the Mass - Holy Water and the Lavabo

Holy Water fonts at the entrance to the Church bring to mind our Baptism, which is how we entered the Church, the spiritual Body of Christ. Dipping our fingers in a Holy Water and making the sign of the Cross is how we enter the Church the physical building. The action of the priest washing his hands goes back hundreds of years when it was a practical necessity to clean his hands after receiving all the community's various gifts during the offertory. Now we spiritualize that action and the priest prays for interior purification so that he can offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist with a pure mind, heart, and soul.

21. Fr. Walt Homily - Hypocrisy & Judgement - 2019-3-3

Honesty is the only antidote to hypocrisy, and honesty must start with ourselves before we are honest with others.

20. Meaning of the Mass - Review - Stole, Chasuble, Procession, Genuflecting

Very quick 2 sentence highlights of the past 4 topics - the Stole, Chasuble, Opening Procession, and Genuflecting.

19. Fr. Walt Homily - Forgiveness Heals, Defuses, and Disarms - 2019-2-24

God will forgive us based on how we forgive others. Forgiveness heals us, can disarm others, and defuse dangerous situations. Fr. brings up a recent event demonstrating this.

18. Dcn. Lou Homily - The Peace that Comes from Trusting in the Lord - 2019-2-17

Sometimes all other words fail and rational explanations don't do the job. The only thing left to do is trust. Deacon Lou shares a personal story witnessing trust in the Lord Jesus and pulls together the common threads from the Scripture readings.

17. Meaning of the Mass - Genuflecting

Genuflecting is a sign of humility, an offering of service, and a proposal. Usually our souls lead our bodies to do the right thing, but sometimes we need our bodies to lead our souls to enter the right attitude for worship and prayer.

16. Evangelizing Young Kids with Mary Meler

3rd Grade Catholic School Teacher and Parish Catechetical Leader Mary Meler shares her insights on how to bring young children into our faith.

15. Educating High School Catholics with Gregg Stovicek

Catholic High School Theology teacher Gregg Stovicek answers questions about passing on the faith to teenagers.

14. Fr. John Homily - Gospel of Life - 2019-2-3

Love demands that we speak the truth about the human dignity of all persons and the attacks against it that are currently underway.

13. Fr. Walt Homily - Love is.........2019-2-3

Fr. Walt provides his thoughts on the famous selection from the 13th Chapter of St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians.

12. Meaning of the Mass - Opening Procession

The Opening Procession is a victory parade in which we are proud of what God has accomplished, and also a pilgrimage showing us our ultimate goal - reaching the table of the Heavenly Banquet. If we get on and stay on God's team, we'll reach it.

11. God's Perfect Plan for your Marriage Pt. 1 - Jen Ricard - Coupled in Faith

Mature Content intended for Married Couples. God's design of our hearts, minds, bodies, and desires as explained through St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Part 1 of 2.