Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Mystery of TV's, Shotguns, and Podcasts.

A priest recently said in a homily, 
"The best thing you can do for yourself and your family would be to take your TV in the backyard and shoot it with a shotgun."




BOOM! BANG! 

And before I say anymore, please do not hear what I'm not saying (famously coined term by Fr. John Kartje - Rector at my Alma Mater Mundedein Seminary). I'm not saying that TV's, smartphones, and tablets are bad or evil. However, I am saying that we as a culture in America have become addicted to certain forms of technology in a certain sense. (See etymology of the word addict to see what I am saying). 


Anywho - I'm a weirdo and I do not own a TV. So I began to think of what to do to fill the void. I mean TV's, phones, and technology in a general are almost everywhere. So overtime my friends would speak about their favorite podcasts. So I had this genius idea! I too shall begin to listen to podcasts. Woah! Yes! I'm now a podcast junkie. For myself, I'm a tapeworm when it comes to learning. I enjoy hearing something first then going to read up. Some of you may be bookworms and I say, "I'm jealous of your ability to sit down and just read." 

[Short Rant: Does that mean I can't watch the Packer games? YES....IT....DOES! The Packers or any professional sports team plays every year and they win some and they lose some. Yet people are becoming more depressed, suicidal, and lonely. We have bigger fish to fry these days. Get outside and listen to the games on the radio. Life's too short!]

Alright, cut to the chase padre!

So what do I listen to or recommend listening to instead of watching TV?

"Stuff you should know" podcasts are great, but hey I'm a Catholic Priest now so I'm going to recommend a few that will help engage your Catholic heart so you can engage those who are disengaged. Let's be honest. It has not been better for the world or the common good with less and less people going to Church and not praying. 

Turn off the TV.

Check out: Discerning Hearts @ http://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/



Turn off the TV.

Check out: Catholic Stuff You Should Know @ https://catholicstuffpodcast.com/



Turn off the TV.

Check out: The Liturgy Guys @ https://liturgyguys.podbean.com/



Turn off the TV.

Check out: Catholic Answers @  https://www.catholic.com/audio/podcasts



Turn off the TV.

Check out: Time and the Mystery @ https://www.mikemangione.com/podcast
(Has some language that may offend you from time to time)


I encourage you to spend some time listening and being a fly on the wall in these podcasts. You may find it to be a breath of fresh air. Maybe you should not take your TV and shoot it with a shotgun today, but we need to learn how to use your technology in a way that will be fulfilling instead of enraging. 

Turn off the TV.

My name is Fr. Zach. 

I'm a podcast junkie and I do not own a TV.

Living in the mystery,

Fr. Zach Weber





1 comment:

  1. Thank you! We don't own a TV either. I will take your advice above and start listening to the podcasts suggested. I can be a Packer/football any team addict and nearly 2 years without TV has freed up lots of time for me. Listening to an occasional game on the radio is just fine with me. Appreciate the wisdom, Fr. Zach.

    ReplyDelete