As I drive around the area I
frequently listen to the radio (except for during Lent when I give up listening
to the radio as an act of self-sacrifice).
While my car radio has the capacity to program 18 different radio
channels, basically I listen to 6. (The
other twelve I programmed long ago when I travelled a bit more and they are
tuned to radio stations whose signals do not reach the Elmira area. Also long ago I forgot how to program the
radio which is the real reason the stations remain as they are—yes, I could
probably figure out how to do it again, but 6 is actually enough, especially
since I also have a CD option.)
5 of the stations are tuned to various
music genres. 2 are oldies stations
(yes, I am of that era), 2 are contemporary pop/soft rock, 1 is country, and
the 6th is tuned to a talk radio station. Clearly music is my preference as I like to
sing (while I appreciate classical music, I can’t sing to it so it doesn’t make
my regular play-list).
Quite frankly I abhor talk radio in
general, mostly because my (limited) experience has been that of exaggerated
opinion, whether it’s sports or politics or conservative vs. liberal
viewpoints. Opinions are fine, I
suppose, but I prefer non-biased facts to opinions, which are rarely balanced. I see little value in blustery opinions that
tear others down in order to “prove” their point. (I equally abhor political attack ads on
television—we’ve sunk very low on the maturity scale when our main message is
to point out others’ faults instead of presenting viable plans for a better
future. But I will admit, that’s just my
opinion. Others may think differently.)
The talk radio station to which I do listen
is the Catholic Station, called the “Station of the Cross”. I’m not even sure where it is on my radio
dial, only that it’s programmed between an oldies station and a contemporary
pop/soft rock station. I catch bits and
pieces as I drive around. I know the
station broadcasts Mass at 8:00 am and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3:00 pm,
and at some point on the weekend does offer some contemporary Christian music,
but what I really like are the call-in shows during which people ask for
clarification about Church teaching or ask for ways to deal with family
problems. The hosts of the program as
well as the guest experts offer solid information that can be both enlightening
and supportive of our faith tradition. I
like the pastoral approach that seems to be a common thread throughout. The news presented on the station also
reflects things Catholic.
For those who haven’t discovered the
“Station of the Cross”, you might like to try listening sometime. Not every program offered will capture your attention
in the same way, but it’s nice to know we have a resource on local radio that
can help us live out our Catholic faith—and our baptismal call. Baptism begins a journey for us all, a
journey of deepening our relationship with God through our own prayer life and
the wisdom of the Church, a journey of continuing discovery of all the ways God
loves and enlightens us.
Have a blessed week . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment