Five Minutes with Tony Agnesi

Before I could open the box my parents sat me down and told me that a neighbor boy’s father had been laid off and they couldn’t afford presents for my friend. Wouldn’t it be nice if I gave up one of my toys, so that he would have something under his Christmas tree?  In this podcast Tony discusses the tough decision he was forced to make on Christmas morning and the Christmas lesson we can learn from little children. Scripture:   “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”  Matthew 18:3-5 Reflection:    Do you think that the six year old’s in your life would pass the test?  How about your teenagers?  Have you ever given up something that you wanted to help someone in need?  How did that make you feel?

Our living room is rarely used. It has become a place to go to make a quiet phone call, read or just get away from the noise and activity of the day. It’s our quiet room.  It is also the place where my wife, Diane sets up the nativity scene each year, a place where I enjoy going to pray and reflect on the birth of our Savior.  In this podcast, Tony discusses the nativity and its relationship to the Eucharist. Scripture:   “And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” –Luke 2:7 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. –John 6:35 Reflections :  Have you ever thought about the nativity and the Eucharist? what do you think of Tony’s comparison?  Can we truly have Christmas every day in the Eucharist?

Having Presents at Christmas isn’t quite as important as the people we have around us.  Family and friends become very important at Christmas time.  There is not a parent alive that wouldn’t trade even the biggest present for having their family together at the holidays.  Sons and daughters, grand kids, and friends, who are  living far away are the best Christmas gifts.  In this podcast Tony discusses how their presence in your holiday is the best Christmas present you could receive. Scripture:   And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14 Quote:   Lord, make me more attentive to the presence of the people around me this Christmas, my wife, children, and friends. Let me not be distracted by the hurried pace of the things of the secular world that are not important.  Help me, Lord, to be more attentive to you as well, in my prayer life and in helping those less fortuna

In just a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas, and as we do we begin to experience the anticipation of the holiday. We look forward to being united with family and friends. Could we be forgetting someone that we once loved, someone that hurt us, someone that we may have hurt? Is there someone that you haven’t forgiven or asked to forgive you? In this podcast, Tony discusses Forgiveness during Advent and Christmas. Scripture:   If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” — Matthew 6:14-15 “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.” –John 1 4:9-10 “Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

There is a story of two young women having an elaborate lunch together in an upscale downtown restaurant. As they are enjoying their food and conversation, the invited guest asks her friend the reason for the occasion. She replies, “We are celebrating the baby’s birthday!” “But, where is the baby?” said her bewildered friend. “Oh,” said the mother, “You didn’t think I would bring him, did you?” Why he doesn’t know anything about it.” In this podcast, Tony discusses the birth of Jesus. Scripture: “Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” –Luke 2:8-11 “You can never truly enjoy