The history of the Church has known many “victim souls.” These are men and women who have been given particular afflictions by God to endure for the sake of others. Some have made themselves available to God to take on specific sufferings. Have you ever said, “God, if it will lead (name of loved one) closer to you, I will gladly accept any trial you wish to send to me?” Or, maybe you have simply embraced some suffering with your whole heart, knowing that it would lead to the salvation of others. This requires a heart of great love, not only for Jesus, but for souls. The difficulty is in taking our eyes off ourselves and seeing the “bigger picture.” That’s the view Jesus had from the cross. How are you at accepting – or even asking for – suffering to aid in the salvation of souls?

Our children are attacked on every side by forces we shouldn’t want them exposed to. The culture and the world are not what they were a generation or two (or more) ago. There may have been a time when things were much more decent, and parents could just anticipate that their kids were being led in the direction of virtue, not vice.  But that is simply not the case today. Our children’s innocence is being hijacked by people who lack a sense of God and are driven my selfish agendas.  Just look at the whole Teen Vogue debacle.  Many parents thought it would be safe to let their kids read this magazine and little did they know that their children were changed forever (not for the better) because of it.  Let’s talk about watching out for our children.  How should we monitor our children’s email accounts, social media, school textbooks, magazine subscriptions, tv shows, etc.  No one in this world will take better care of your children the way you can and should as parents.  Share your views on this important topic by calling, 1-800-585-9396.

We all like our privacy. It’s part of being an individual. But what happens when we get married? When we have kids? Should there be accountability with things like bank accounts, e-mail accounts, social media accounts? Is it your experience that you and your spouse maintain separate accounts in these areas? Do you require your children to share with you the login information for their e-mail and social media accounts? If not that, do you ask them to allow you to view their activity whenever you want? How can you maintain each other’s autonomy while at the same time making sure there are no “secrets” among you? Share with us your family practice by calling 1-800-585-9396.

A lot of people today feel alone, isolated, with no support group around them. Even if they interact with hundreds of people a day. There can still be the crippling sense that they’re alone and that no one truly has their interests at heart. Is this the fruit of experiences earlier in life? Is it a matter of the individual having no close family members or friends? Can it translate into a belief that God is no longer with them, either? Do you sometimes find yourself feeling lonely? Maybe that’s your experience a great deal of the time. Do you know someone who often expresses that they feel alone and without anyone who loves and cares for them? This can be a very difficult cross to bear. What’s behind this feeling? It can certainly be the case that a person has little or no interaction with others. But you might have a sense of loneliness even if you are around people all the time. Have you delved into this to try to find the root of it? How have you attempted to comfort and console another person who is lonely? If you’ve overcome this in your own life, what kinds of things did you do or add or delete from your life to change things? Share your take on Thursday’s show.

For perhaps many reasons, suicide is a growing problem in our world. According to an entry on Wikipedia, suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24. It is also the second leading cause for those ages 15–34. From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans aged 35 to 64 increased nearly 30 percent. On Wednesday, Jerry and Debbie welcome Dave Muth to the program. His daughter, Madeline, died by suicide on October 4, 2015. She was part of a an ideal Catholic family. She received all the sacraments. She had loving parents and a younger brother. She went to Catholic schools. She was part of the parish choir. So, what went wrong? We’ll try to unpack this with her father, Dave. And we want you to weigh in with your takes and questions about the unfortunate issue of suicide. There is hope even in its aftermath. Dave and his family are living proof of that. Yet, it continues to wreak havoc on families everywhere. Don’t miss this impactful episode of the program!

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/education/2017/05/18/high-teen-suicide-coachella-valley/306525001/?cookies=&from=global

RESOURCE:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Listen in to the show here! – 

Listen in to our “Short Take” here! – 

In 1 Kings 19, God reveals Himself, not in an earthquake or other “big” ways, but in a small whisper. Too many times in life we get caught up in trying to find God in the spectacular events and happenings. How have you paused and thanked God after seeing His hand at work in something relatively “little” or “mundane? 

If you’re a man or woman of faith, it’s usually easy to see the hand of God in your life when something major happens. It could be a healing from an injury or illness, a relationship restored, surviving a horrific accident with minor injuries, an answer to a financial crisis. It’s likely that you are filled with gratitude and acknowledgement of God’s hand in those circumstances. But what about those little ways in which He blesses you? Maybe a family member or friend calls on a day when you’re really having a tough time. Or you get a letter or an e-mail offering a word of encouragement. Perhaps there’s been something you’ve been wanting or needing to fall into place, and all of a sudden, there it is. Tell us about a moment in your life when you had to pause, take a breath and say, “Wow, that was really cool. Thank you, God.”

On Monday, we’ll present an encore episode of Take 2 With Jerry and Debbie. It features listeners’ takes on how they are currently (or previously) employed in a field completely different from the area they studied in college or elsewhere. It made for a lively discussion the first time around, so be sure you make a little time on Labor Day to revisit this with us!

We believe in the power of prayer!  Tell us who or what you are praying for. We will try to take as many calls as we can possibly handle.  We will enter your prayer intentions in our prayer-book.  Then, at the end of the show, we will offer a prayer lifting up all your requests to God.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Our Take 2 family is committed to prayer and will remember you in their Rosaries, Adoration and at Mass.  This will be a fast-paced show with many calls all dialing 1-800-585-9396.

Just like in nature, life comes complete with a lot of storms. Some are rockier than others. What have you had to overcome to be the person you are today? An illness? An injury? A lost relationship? Losing your personal possessions in a fire or natural disaster? Going through difficulties helps us build our emotional and psychological muscles. But it sure isn’t fun at times. On Thursday, let’s talk about growing in strength and faith through the inevitable adversities of life.

It’s often said that opposites attract. Some spouses are the epitome of opposites. One is tall, the other is short. One is outgoing, the other is an introvert. One may have come from a large family of siblings, the other may have been an only child. What attracted you to each other? Do you ever ponder the differences between the two of you?  How do you celebrate the uniqueness of your marriage?  Share with us what makes your marriage not only unique but special.  Call in to 1-800-585-9396 and tell the world precisely what makes your marriage incredible.  This will be a fast hour of calls so don’t hesitate, call in early.