Five Minutes with Tony Agnesi

What ever happened to humility? Once valued in our culture, humility just isn’t practiced at all. Instead, we have a self-centered, chest-thumping, braggadocios, pat yourself on the back generation with an exaggerated self-importance. In this podcast, Tony discusses humility. Scripture: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” –C.S. Lewis “Let another praise you, not your own mouth; a stranger, not your own lips.” –Proverbs 27:2 “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” –Philippians 2:3 Reflections: When you have the opportunity, are you humble? Do you give credit to associated when you accomplish a goal? How can we be more humble?

We all have two voices playing in our consciousness, our ego and our sacred self. Sometimes, who we think we are and who we really are don’t match. And, the bigger the gap between the two, the bigger our ego becomes. Our physical self (ego) gets in the way of our sacred self. In this podcast Tony discusses ego. Scripture: “I have been crucified with Christ. I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 “Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 Reflections: Do you ever let your ego get in the way of your happiness? Do you think that arguments and misunderstandings are caused by ego? What do you do to empty yourself of ego?

I am in awe of young parents and their never ending battles with keeping up in this fast-paced, always-connected world we live in. With soccer practice, gymnastics, diaper bags, and juggling jobs, family life and their kids busier than ever social schedules, there just isn’t much time for God. In this podcast, Tony discusses parenthood in 2016. Scripture: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” –1 John 4:16 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.” –1 John 4:18 Quotes : “What you are doing I cannot do, what I’m doing you cannot do, but together we are doing something beautiful for God, and this is the greatness of God’s love for us.” —Mother Teresa, from Where There Is Love, There Is God “Where God is, Love is.” –Leo Tolstoy Reflections: Do you appreciate th...

We often read of that still, small voice that is in each of us. It is a voice guiding our path, discerning right from wrong, helping us make decisions that will forever be part of our lives. In this podcast Tony discusses a well formed conscience. Scripture and Catechism: “For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” CCC 1776 “Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.” CCC 1799 “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” –1 Kings 19:12 KJV Reflections: Do you ever make a decision that you know is wrong but do it any way? Do you follow your conscience? When you follow you conscience do you get a good feeling?

Last night, I was looking through some pictures from our recent visit to California. It was a trip to see our 20-month old grandson, Nico. I noticed that in every picture he had a big, slobbery smile. And, as I looked at the pictures, I couldn’t help but smile too!  In this podcast, Tony discusses the power of a smile. Quotes : “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ― Mother Teresa “The expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back.” – Dale Carnegie Scripture: A glad heart lights up the face, but an anguished heart breaks the spirit. —–Proverbs 15:13 Reflections: Do you agree that smiles are powerful?  Have you ever had your mood changed by the smile of a child?  What can we learn about smiling that can help us in our everyday lives?