St. Basil Catholic Church Brecksville Podcast

98. Audio Bible - 2 John

2 John is incredibly short (13 verses) and reminds us that love = following Jesus' commandments. Also included are two recommendations to read the whole Bible in a year.

97. Audio Bible - 1 John

Light vs. darkness. Lies vs. truth.  The World vs. the Father.  Lawlessness vs. righteousness.  Hatred vs. love.  Words vs. deeds.  Mortal sin vs. venial sin.  1 John has it all and is a beautiful letter that encourages and challenges.

96. Fr. Walt Homily - The Messiah lives Among You

An interesting thought experiment can cause us to love and reverence one another more.

95. Dcn. Lou Homily - Second Straight Christmas in the hospital

Dcn. Lou met a holy family in the elevator at the hospital and shares their contagious hope and trust.

94. Dcn. Dave Homily - Listen, Ponder, Respond

To be like the Holy Family, we must listen to the Lord, ponder His message, and respond in faith even if we don't understand all the details.

93. Fr. John Homily - Christmas 2019 - The Word Still Among Us.

Fr. John reflects on the beautiful and mysterious opening words of St. John's Gospel which tells us the Word became flesh to dwell among us and bring light into the world.

92. Fr. Walt Homily - Christmas 2019

Fr. Walt shares an inspiring true story of self-sacrifice for the love of neighbor.

91. Fr. Walt Homily - How Complete is my "Yes"?

The representatives of Jesus on earth right now are you and me.

90. Fr. John Homily - Joseph: A Good Christmas Dad

St. Joseph's faith, kindness, and compassion in the midst of a turbulent situation is an example for all of us, especially fathers.

89. Fr. Walt Homily - Lord, I have time

Fr. Walt shares a prayer he often prays that helps him use the precious time God has given him.

88. Your Sorrowful Companion

The depth of our God's compassion - ability to suffer with - is revealed through a look at the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.  And some bonus thoughts on "Why would a good God allow evil?"

87. Dcn. Lou Homily - Staying on the Path

Dcn. Lou shares a street story about staying on the path, and how it relates to the Scriptures' message of repentance and conversion.

86. Fr. Walt Homily - There are No Coincidences

There are no coincidences, but there is God's grace. God is at work sometimes behind the scenes, and sometimes right in our faces, bringing good out of evil. 

85. Fr. Walt Homily - Being Remembered in the Kingdom

The Gospel episode of the Good Thief inspires reflections on memory and legacy.

84. Padre Pio's Miracles in My Life w/ Cindy Russo

Cindy Russo shares some of the miracles she has experienced through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and witnesses to the power of the Holy Spirit.

83. Fr. Walt Homily - Divine Physician still healing the Church

Hear Fr. Walt explain the healing grace of the Anointing of the Sick, using Scripture and Tradition. 

82. What Kind of Paper will you be this Sunday?

A reflection on where wax paper, notebook paper, paper towels, and YOU fall on the absorbency spectrum. 

81. Dcn. Lou Homily - Sometimes when we ask "How?" Jesus answers "Why"

When Jesus is asked a question, He provides a better answer to a better question. This week those questions and answers are about the Resurrection from the dead.

80. Reflections on the Guy Who Threatened My Life 3x Last Week

Parking Lot Rage is real! Director of Evangelization Tommy Dome shares spiritual lessons after reflecting on a peculiar parking lot incident that happened to him.

79. Fr. Walt Homily - Doing the Best We Can with What We Have

Fr. Walt asks our parishioners to do the best they can with what they have as we look to enhance the offertories to continue our work of ministries and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

78. Laudato Si - Pope Francis on Creation Care

Jeff Campbell from the diocesan Social Action Office presents the major themes from Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si, on Care for our Common Home.

77. Dcn. Lou Homily - Grateful Hearts seek the Lost

Dcn. Lou shares his experience from serving in downtown Cleveland and how it connects to gratitude.

76. Angels 101

Listen as guest speaker Therese Holderbaum delivers this personal and informative crash course on angels. They sing God's praises, deliver messages, protect us, and so much more! 

75. Fr. Walt Homily - Cross your own Chasm

Fr. Walt shares a story of someone crossing the chasm before them to reach out and see the dignity of the vulnerable.

74. Feel Like You're Losing Your Faith? Here's how that could be a good thing

There are different causes for feeling distant from God - some of them good and some of them bad.

73. Dcn. Lou Homily - Doing Whatever it Takes to Enter

Be wise, shrewd, savvy - whatever it takes to enter the Kingdom of God, which should be our first priority.

72. Audio Bible - 2 Peter

BEWARE FALSE TEACHERS.  That's a main lesson of the Biblical book of 2 Peter, among a few others.  After 2 mins of background facts, the New Testament Letter of 2 Peter is read in full in just 10 mins.

71. A Dead Guy Told Me to Get Rid of My Smartphone

Tommy Dome shares the story of when a heavenly voice urged him to make a very specific change in his life.

70. Audio Bible - The Letter of 1 Peter

Practical advice and encouragement for undergoing suffering and persecution. After a minute of background facts about this book of the Bible, the New Testament Letter of 1 Peter is read in full.

69. Fr. Walt Homily - Prefer nothing over our Lord

Hate our mothers and fathers?  Renounce possessions?

68. Fr. Walt Homily - Give the Credit Away

Humility, humility, humility. Examples from daily life, some of our great saints, and even the Cleveland Indians. 

67. Audio Bible - The Letter of James

After a minute of background facts about this book of the Bible, the New Testament Letter of James is read in full. Timeless wisdom and practical advice calls us out to live as better Christians.

66. Dcn. Lou Homily - More than Just Showing Up

Everyone is invited, but our part is more than just showing up. It's not easy to grow in discipline, but the Kingdom of God is at hand.

65. Fr. Walt Homily - Eager to See the Lord!

Fr. Walt shares a story of profound hope, trust, and joy about seeing death as the necessary door to eternal life with Jesus.

64. I know I should pray but.......interview w/ Fr. Bryan Norton, S.J.

When?  Where?  How?  Common-sense advice on the ins and outs of prayer with Fr. Bryan Norton, S.J.  

63. Fr. Walt Homily - Vanity of Vanities & Christ the Anchor

All is vanity unless it is related to deepening our relationship with Jesus and loving others for His sake. Christ can give meaning to our activities so do not despair.  

62. Remind Me Again - Why does the Church have so many rules?

Why does the Church have "so many rules"? Can't I just follow my conscience, or the one Golden Rule?  We dig behind the question and address what's really going on.

61. Dcn. Lou Homily - Don't overcomplicate it. Ask, Seek, Knock.

Pray. Sometimes it's easy. Pray. Sometimes it seems we can't even get started. Pray. Jesus taught us how and showed us how. Pray.

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.