Cleveland Archives - Faith Full Catholic Podcast with Tony Ganzer

November 29, 2024November 29, 2024

Gratitude and (almost) house fires

My house almost caught fire, and I had no idea of the danger until it was over, pieced together by burn marks on a wall and other clues around an old boiler system. I called a specialist to look at it. He said bluntly: he’s come to believe things happen for a reason, and our house is still standing for a reason.

I always try to express gratitude to others and to God. But as we come into the holiday season I thought this story was especially worth bringing to you all.

Today, I’ll tell you how I found out about the fire that could’ve taken my home, and what St. Therese of Lisieux might teach us about gratitude in the face of danger.

https://youtu.be/05cl7uUsxdQ

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June 20, 2023June 20, 2023

Panhandling and Christian Duty: the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s approach to works of mercy

Christian duty and panhandlers. What’s the right thing to do? For a long time I’ve struggled when approached by panhandlers, people on the street asking for money. I want to help, but I don’t want to be taken advantage of, or feed an addiction, or endanger myself.

As a Catholic, as a Christian, I know helping the less fortunate is central to my faith. In one of the most famous passages from Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says in a parable ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ ‘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.’

So on the street, someone asks you for change…what’s the answer? In this episode we explore this issue with Gary Sole, CEO for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Diocese of Cleveland.

April 14, 2018January 29, 2022

3: Facing Terror, Finding Hope

How do we know our faith is really faith? It can be easy for us to say we believe something, but if there’s nothing depending on it, is it a deep-seated truth? C.S. Lewis wrote once that it’s easy to believe a rope is strong if you’re just tying a box. But if your life hung by that rope, your faith in it would be tested to a new level. In this episode, a priest held hostage by Jihadist militants in the Philippines.

March 31, 2018July 18, 2021

2: Sisters Against Slavery

Your faith tradition may be something you keep private, or may be something you need to share with all you encounter. But sometimes, even for people who have dedicated their lives to a religious order, there can be this delicate balance of following your beliefs…but not alienating others who need emergency help. In this episode, a conversation with a nun battling human trafficking.

Continue reading “2: Sisters Against Slavery”