In this special edition of Live from the Living Room, Greg welcomes Austin Mass, Mike Ginetti, and Drew Blazsik for a candid, searching conversation about money, usury, stewardship, sacrifice, and the kind of local Catholic community that can actually sustain families.
Building on Drew’s earlier conversation about the Catholic vision of economics and his work on usury (Unmasking the Economy of Soul & Society: The Forgotten Sin of Usury, Ep. 27), these three brothers explore a provocative question: What might change if we stopped treating money as detached from faith, family, and neighbor—and began asking whether it is truly serving the common good?
This is not a call to panic, ideology, or easy answers. It is an invitation to look honestly at what God has entrusted to us—and to consider how our resources might help build real relationships, strong families, productive work, and holy community.
In this episode:
Drew’s explanation of usury: not merely an old economic term, but a question of whether profit is being sought without real work, expense, risk, or concern for the good of another.
Why the Catholic vision of money begins with stewardship: everything belongs to God, and every dollar we spend helps advance something.
The distinction between speculative gain and investing in productive work, real people, and shared flourishing.
Why Austin chose to pull his investments from the stock market and intentionally keep more of his family’s resources within his own local community.
Austin’s powerful testimony of how, during his son Alex’s battle with leukemia, the community he had helped invest in came around his family with meals, childcare, prayer, practical help, and real love.
The reminder that the greatest “return” may not be a dividend—but the people who show up when life becomes hard.
Mike’s historical picture of authentic investment: sharing real risk in a productive venture, rather than extracting gain while another person bears all the loss.
A vision for locally owned “third spaces”—places for Catholic families and men of goodwill to gather, build friendships, host events, grow food, learn skills, and strengthen one another.
Why the group is pooling resources through an LLC to pursue a shared property in Wood County: not simply to accumulate wealth, but to create a durable place for community, formation, hospitality, work, and mutual support.
The deeper meaning of inheritance: not merely leaving money behind, but passing on skills, land, relationships, faith, and a way of life to our children.
The courage to sacrifice when we recognize the good, the true, and the beautiful—and to trust that God provides for those who seek to live with integrity.
A practical challenge for every listener: find a way for your money to help you become a saint—and to help build up the people God has placed near you.
At the heart of this conversation is a simple but bracing invitation: Holy Communion is meant to become holy community. The gifts God places in our hands are not meant to remain abstract, anonymous, or disconnected from our neighbors. They are an opportunity to love concretely—to invest in people, families, parishes, and communities where the Kingdom can take root.
Truth is a Person. Freedom is found in Him. Live IT. At the heart of IT all is God’s reminder: We Image the Trinity.
That’s the IT.
More than a program, we invite you to be united with us through the Live IT Today daily reflection, where thousands begin each day listening for the Father’s voice and learning to Live IT in their marriages, families, and daily decisions. If this episode strengthens you, please like, share, and subscribe—and consider becoming a paid subscriber at $5/month or $50/year to help us bring God’s voice to more souls.
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Hear His voice. Live IT.
WELCOME TO ROCK OF SAGES
🌹Twelve Roses—Anna’s life is unraveling. Alone, pregnant, and grappling with a broken heart. On December 12th, she awakes to the weight of decisions she can’t face. Until the roses begin to appear.
🐽The Magnificent Piglets of Pigletsville—our present-day plight wrapped in a fairytale, accurately foretelling in detail the most consequential events that have unfolded in recent years.
🎠 Ride of a Lifetime—a captivating children’s book set in an amusement park, honoring parents and grandparents who paved our rides on earth and into eternity. Listen to the story set to beautiful illustrations and the soundtrack.
🔥 Primal Fire—a cinematic novella inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, alongside a 15-track rock soundtrack (Primal Fire).
👑Help us share the story of Slaying Giants—learn more at SlayingGiants.us
