Casting the Net

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back!  Today's episode is a lot of fun with a good amount of laughs between Father Dave and Rick.  It's a great discussion talking about the reality of caring for the baby Jesus, who after all, was human; what that must have been like.  They also talk about the Christian struggle, how the fruits of the feasts have to extend into our ordinary daily lives, and much mo...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back to our 4th season of Casting the Net!  Today we kick off the new year with some great insights into starting things off the right way.  A few highlights...

• Remembering that for Catholics, Christmas is a season; it doesn't end on December 26th
• The threat of spiritual consumerism
• Some details on the Magi
• And much more!

Enjoy!

And be sure to visit the affi...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back for both our final episode on Advent, and the final episode of our 2025 calendar year.  

We appreciate your support, comments and suggestions for our show and are already looking forward to the 2026 season.  

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Casting the Net!

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our show, a fun company called Sock R...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back! Today we continue the discussion on Advent, specifically the third reflection in Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's book titled: "Stepping out of the Night".  A few highlights from the show:

• The Immaculate Conception and what it really is
• Threats to our identity
• In the human face of Jesus shines the light of our Father
• Advent isn't just sentimental; it&apos...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Today we continue our series on Advent, specifically with a reflection from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (a.k.a. Benedict XVI) entitled, "Dare to Step forward Toward God's Mysterious Presence"

A few highlights:

• Our situation in the modern world is liquid; great explanation by Rick
• Freedom left unconstrained is anarchy
  • It's like playing a game without rules
• In...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Today is the first episode in our new series on Advent. Kicking things off, Father Dave and Rick have a few key highlights today:

• The mechanics on how the new liturgical year works
• What makes Advent a "season of hope"; the theological Christian virtue of hope...not the Hallmark version
• Quotes from Pope Benedict to help explain this definition of hope
• Why God became like us
<...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back!  Today is a continuation from the last couple weeks on the topic of antisemitism.  It's a little heavy as Father Dave says later in the episode, but certainly important.  

Enjoy.

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our show, a fun company called Sock Religious, a division of Catholic Concepts.

• Need a pair of socks with St. Teresa on them? Done.
• A ton...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Today's episode continues our series on anti-semitism, in particular the topic of hatred.  A few key takeaways are below:

• The impulse doesn't have to control you
• Anti-semitism is really just a specific form of hatered
• We become the actions we perform
• Hatred is the culmination of bad choices over a period of time

Enjoy.

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our sh...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Today we start a new series on non-Christian religions.  It's a very interesting episode with some great highlights: 

• A new topic!
• Antisemitism and what it means
• Father Dave's experiences in Germany and learning how they handled teaching bout Holocaust 
• Relationship to other religions
• Vatican 2
• And more!

Also, below are a couple links mentioned during the episode:

Here is ...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back! Have you ever wondered "why" the priest does certain things during mass, or what the real significance is at certain points? Then you'll love today's episode in our continuing series on the Mass. Especially the ending. Very powerful highlights and insight. 

A few key highlights from today:

• How the Incarnation makes God accessible to humanity; makes...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back!  Today we continue on with our series on the mass.  

In talking about this series, Father Dave says it best today: "This series is to ensure that our encounter at mass is even more profound and personal".  

They also had a few more key points:

• As much as we revere scripture, The Eucharist is the focal point of the mass
• Heaven isn't something that happens ...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back to our series on the mass.  It's a fun discussion today with some interesting topics.

• How the church organizes the Scriptures
• The fact that a significant portion of the Bible is covered during mass over a 3 year time period
• How Father Dave gets inspired on what he's going to discuss during the Homily

Enjoy!

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our ...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back!  Today we continue the series on the Mass, with particular emphasis on the following:

• How the mass is universal around the world
• The guise of being spiritual but not religious 
• Various parts of mass explained
• The importance of being intentional in prayer
• How being an active participant in mass is not necessarily what you might think

Enjoy!

And be sure to vis...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back! Today we continue the series on "The Mass" with some key points:

• How familiarity can breed complacency
• The beauty of the mass
• Understanding objectively what happens every time it's performed
• We are participating in His presence, in His power
• The role of the priest

Enjoy!

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our show, a fun company cal...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome to our second episode in our series on The Mass.  

Today Father Dave and Rick go into some detail on how the mass is profoundly scriptural and is celebrated in it's same essential form throughout the entire world.  

Some interesting conversation today.  Enjoy!

And be sure to visit the affiliate partner to our show, a fun company called Sock Religious, a division of Catholic...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome to a new series here at Casting the Net!  It's called The Meaning of Mass, and Father Dave and Rick dive right in. Some key moments:

• How Mass is an event; an encounter with Christ
• The problem with familiarity
• Conducting mass is not about looking good; it's about so much more
• We are a soundbyte culture; need to see the bigger picture
• We can't ignore context
• The ne...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back! We are continuing our discussion on the works of C.S. Lewis, with particular emphasis on the following:

• The importance of the rejuvenation of family
• Connectedness of human existence
• Forging identities, how it's important today, but not historically
• You are a beloved child of God
  • This is the truth and starting point
• Rick also introduces the writing of Rene Gi...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back to our discussion on the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  Today has an emphasis on chapters 8 and 9 which cover the Law of Undulation and pleasure.   They discuss the ups and downs of life and the impact they have on your soul, with a few more key takeaways:

• How Pleasure is God's gift
• Being open to God
• The importance of making pleasure an ultimate end in a good, p...

Questions or comments about the show? Click here!

Welcome back to our discussion on the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  Today has an emphasis on the present, vs the past or future.  They talk about how the devil tries to lure us out of the present, with a few more key takeaways:

• The past is still important to draw lessons from, and the future is important; but we shouldn't dwell in the past or the future at the expense of ...