Bishop Barron, I think you're exactly right on what's needed here. I was highly educated in liberal arts and philosophy before starting a turn back toward the faith. I have consistently heard my peers reject God as being something that has not and cannot accompany real intellectual rigor. The more I've read and discussed with these peers, the more clear it is that there are too few speaking with knowledge about the intellectual foundation of the church-- those who know Aquinas, for example, know him as the domino guy. They have only grappled with caricatures of the tradition-- no wonder they'd pay no mind!
This is kind of a self-referential answer, but I suggest the Word on Fire Podcast, which is a bit longer in form and can lead to some good explorations. For example, the two parter on Aquinas led me to a lot of follow-up reading to figure out what he was really arguing.
Vanessa Vernick resources you may like to begin your journey: Fr.Thomas Joseph White, Dr.Edward Feser, The Thomistic Institute, and other resources on Catholic Fundamental Theology.
It is always a joy to watch and listen to you, Bishop Barron. You are an inspiration! Can't think of a better choice for head of the catechesis and evangelization committee than you. God bless you, sir.
My children lost faith because it was the easiest path they went to public school none of their friends were Catholic. One goes to Mass regularly, 1 goes on Christmas and Easter does pray but the other 2 just do not. One even renounced her Baptism and still remembers things that come up on a trivia game. Her friends are shocked knowing how hateful she is towards the Church. It was ingrained in her heart from childhood. I had no back up, the CCD programs were so lightweight, one catechist told my husband 'we have evolved beyond transubstantiation" this was during their Confirmation classes! Pope Benedict warned what was going on he said we would become smaller and I have personal experience. But I know nothing is impossible with God so I continue to pray for my children. And hope the small core of Catholics, their prayers and sacrifices, can turn this crisis around. But then God only knows.
As a Chinese Catholic in Singapore and learning about Heȟáka Sápa as a catechist, I found the story of his work fascinating, inspiring and relevant even here in the Far East, as evangelisation work and those of catechists amidst many local cultural traditions are still challenging. My late mother in her 70s was an active catechist for the elderly, many whom were ill or illiterate and the work being done for these people in hospices and their own homes where they want to encounter God is still a challenge and not everyone have a disposition to such work, literally travelling to these catechumens.
"Catechesis should be intelligent" - totally agree, and I think our catechesis is very often superficial as you say and I almost left the faith years ago because of that. The Catholic role-models (including many if my religious ed teachers) weren't able to give me the intellectual content that I needed at the time until I met a priest who blew open my categories by teaching us Aquinas' 5 proofs. It was in seeing the intellectual rigor of the Catholic faith which opened me to the dimension of a personal encounter with God. Thanks for the video! Provocative as always.
St. Thomas Aquinas was certainly the man. After studying him, I actually felt a bit guilty, because I believe that the modern "pop protestants" have been preaching a "god" that is practically demonstrably false, and that this has contributed to the spread of atheism. As far as I know, the Catholics are the only ones who've consistently preached the "beyond-all-categories-and-boxes" God understood by Aquinas. Funny story: After finding out about Aquinas, I spent a few months trying to convince myself that if St. Thomas had been around today, he would have been a baptist like me :-).
Wayne and Donita haha thanks for sharing. I think that's a real insight into the spread of Atheism that you mentioned! An ultimately intelligible and incomprehensible (from a human perspective) is radically different from the straw-man conception that atheists and other non-believers attack (and rightly so I might add). Thanks for sharing your insight!
Dcn Alex Colautti WHO IS THE BEAST? AND WHAT IS HIS MARK? In NO way would I suggest ANYONE receive a RFID chip however..... The widespread idea that the mark of the beast is visible is false. The computerchip is a hoax that has set up the world to receive the true mark. Satan is wiser than man. A visible mark which the world has been taught, this would deceive no one. The mark is given to those who will continue to sin and transgress God's holy law, while the saints of God will receive His seal because they walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. They would refuse to yield up temptation to sin against God. The works of true love will bring forth the works of the law, which will be established in the true Christian, which is the character that Christ is truly abiding. The old self will die which loved the life of sin and pleasure. The old man will be crucified and will become a new creature. Then they will truly be born again. KJV John 3 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. KJV Revelation 13 4 And they WORSHIPPED the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they WORSHIPPED the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? KJV Revelation 13 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall WORSHIP him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. KJV Revelation 13 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to WORSHIP the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. KJV Revelation 13 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not WORSHIP the image of the beast should be killed. The Mark of the Beast is About WORSHIP -"The Bible says, Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic church says,No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep the first day of the week. And lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic church!" Father Enright, C.S.S.R. of the RedemptoralCollege, Kansas City, History of the Sabbath, p. 803 "Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." -James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp. 72, 73. MAR 7:6-9 The Vatican says: Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. "Sunday is our MARK of authority. . .the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact" Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1,1923."....the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church." - Mgr, Segur Plain Talk about Protestantism of today page 213 Reception of Mark of the Beast Future. DAN 11:36-37 The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the authority of the Romish church.Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the place of the day of God’s appointment. No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the WORSHIP of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast. Who are those who do not take the mark of the beast? Here is the patience of the saints: Here are they that keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus. Rev 14:12 When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome, And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive “the mark of the beast.” We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29. Blessings to you 💜 To God be the glory for ever and ever Amen.
tim spangler CALLING ALL CHRISTIANS! COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!! To the Catholic people and ALL who have fallen into apostasy with the Harlot Church. I show you this out of love and prayer for your soul. From the bible and the Papacy...Confirmed by history and current events. KJV Revelation 17 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. THE WHORE OF BABYLON www.remnantofgod.org/whoreofbabylon.htm KJV 2 Thessalonians 2 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; THE MAN OF SIN REVEALED remnantofgod.org/manofsin.htm KJV 1 John 4 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world THE ANTICHRIST remnantofgod.org/666-CHAR.htm THE ANTICHRIST (( VIDEO )) th-cam.com/video/b_SbJRn5jE8/w-d-xo.html KJV Revelation 13 16 And he causeth all, both small and great,rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: THE MARK OF THE BEAST www.remnantofgod.org/mark.htm MARK OF THE BEAST (( VIDEO )) th-cam.com/video/d6iyWuMu5vc/w-d-xo.html KJV Daniel 11 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. WORDS OF THE BEAST www.remnantofgod.org/beastword.htm#earthgod MARY WORSHIP www.remnantofgod.org/godmary.htm RCC AND SEX www.remnantofgod.org/rccsex.htm ROMAN CATHOLIC COMMANDMENTS www.remnantofgod.org/10-rcc.htm ARE CATHOLICS IDOL WORSHIPPERS? www.remnantofgod.org/idols.htm SOLA SCRIPTURA www.remnantofgod.org/sola-scriptura.htm THE BLACK POPE www.remnantofgod.org/blackpope.htm KJV Revelation 13 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. 666 AND THE TITLES OF THE POPE www.remnantofgod.org/666.htm VATICAN IS ANTI-JESUS www.remnantofgod.org/anti-jesus.htm THE REAL FIRST POPE www.remnantofgod.org/pope1.htm 6 SIGNS OF A CULT www.remnantofgod.org/6SIGNS.htm KJV Revelation 17 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS www.remnantofgod.org/Foxe.htm See here that the Quran was written by Catholic Jesuits and the similarities between Catholic dogma and Islam are obvious. The Catholic church are using Muslims to kill Christians today, just like they used Hitler to kill the Jews. POPE'S WROTE QURAN www.remnantofgod.org/PopeKoran.htm HITLER AND THE POPES www.remnantofgod.org/NaziRCC.htm Have a read of the oath that the current Jesuits pope swore too. WARNING! Viewer discretion is advised. JESIUT OATH www.remnantofgod.org/jes-oth.htm KJV Revelation 18 1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. KJV 2 Corinthians 6 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. SDA leaders join the Papacy. See SDAapostasy.org for proof of that fact. Protestant leaders declare reunification of churches under the holy see. realnewsrightnow.com/2015/07/protestant-leaders-declare-reunification-of-churches-under-the-holy-see/ HAVE YOUR CHURCH LEADERS FALLEN INTO APOSTASY WITH THE PAPACY? REV 18:4 NOW!!! ONE WORLD RELIGION UNDER THE PAPACY!! www.remnantofgod.org/1wc-3.htm Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work. Blessings to you 💜 To God be the glory for ever and ever Amen.
Respectfully, we don't need more canonizations. Catholics have handed out plenty of "He or she is a saint!" trophies at this point and we perhaps do too much in the modern era. We need to worry about the millions of souls we lost in the last 100 years or so and team up to figure out how to tackle it seriously. Faith can move mountains, but we must bring a shovel and willingness to work.
Glad to hear you say that about the guitar playing and feel good stuff. People want and need good intellectual substance, honesty and sincerity, not entertainment.
I guess it's subjective, but I think guitars and drums are used to entertain parishioners more that for worship. Many agree with me on this. You can read about or watch videos with other performances that really cross the line, like a priest hoverboarding while singing during Mass. I think there needs to be a certain solemn nature to Mass and not a lot of extra-liturgical stuff.
We're called to admonish the sinner and educate the ignorant. If there's ill intent, then it's a sin, if not, they just don't know better. In either case it's inappropriate to play pop music during the liturgy of the Eucharist or to wear a mini skirt to Mass.
The thing that really turned me from my atheistic tendencies was a pair of teachers that introduced me to the intellectual life of the church. I am truly grateful for fr. Tran and Mr. Price.
bonnie43uk Sure, I have technically been a Catholic my whole life. However, when I was younger, I thought that most intelligent people were not religious and assumed I would have to choose between reason and faith.
At age 7, I benefitted from quality catechizing given to me once per week by a quality young nun as I was preparing for my first Confession and first Holy Communion. I believe that my year (1962) was the last to be taught using the old Baltimore Cathechism. All my life, I have enjoyed benefits from that early, high quality training. Setting a good foundation with a good cathechism helps to prevent problems and the need for remedies. If I attend daily Mass, many attendees are from my generation and earlier.
Bishop Barron, could you make a video on the guidelines towards become a good catechist? (including the procedures, necessary attitudes, knowledge,softskills) So that at least for us younger generations who are graduating from our universities can help to volunteer ourselves as a good catechist to help the next generation in the Church.
You are completely right. I feel like the church is trying to reach out to kids by being more protestant instead of using the actual long term solution like teaching them actual theology.
Honestly, without even the 5 Ways, just learning about the Church’s early history and hearing questions answered was enough to make me a strong believer. Now diving into the philosophical arguments made my belief stronger than steel.
Everyone should read the book written about his life -“Black Elk Speaks”, it is a wonderful read. The author left out the part that he became Roman Catholic. I tell everyone that wants to really know about the Indian’s plight and treatment to read that book. Thanks Bishop, GB🙏, J
The book "Black Elk Speaks" deliberately leaves out Black Elk's Catholic faith. The author wanted to revive native beliefs and practices and only highlighted Black Elk's young life before Christ. Instead might i recommend this book: Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Missionary, Mystic By: Michael F. Steltenkamp.
Thank you Bishop Barron, because for the first time in the contemporary church I feel as an Intectual, I have a Philosophy degree, that I fit in. I know because of my studies that Catholism is not dumb or fideistic, but every time I go to any parish I am discriminated for been an intelectual. I am going to keep trying because I feel that fire inside to transmit my faith through knowledge, I hope one day I can find a Parrish to fit in.
Pray that you are gaining souls for Heaven and that you do nothing that might send them to Hell. It is a vocation because you take on risks and responsibilities. Too much of modern formation is focused on how the catechist feels about themselves, unfortunately. That probably isn't you, but still, be careful of the narcissism that is everywhere in the Church.
sciencetrumpsfaith So many people confuse their ego with their reason. People can pray and think, you know . I hope and pray you'll find room for God in your Life.
As a Catechist, it has been my experience, that when I bear witness to my faith, by my imperfect life, it grabs their attention. When I speak of the faith on a practical level, not some distance abstract, but as something real, and admitting that sometimes we do not see the hand of God at work, until later upon reflection. And yes the need to real break down the faith, in logical fashion, and why something, when looked at closely and objectively, really do make sense.
"when I bear witness to my faith, by my imperfect life, it grabs their attention. " Hard to tell. As a pewsitter, it's pretty obvious that parish life has more than it's fair share of people using the forced audience effect to tell their life stories. Challenge: next time, ask them what small, unimportant events seem to bother _them_ . What do little flaws do they struggle with? Listen first, rather than assume they are fascinated by your life.
I think of some people who need this type of cathecism. However, I want to state that the care factor and the knowledge both have to be present. I have personally witnesed phariseeism within the church as well. Smart does not equal empathy. However, both present equal a very good cathecisis! So both care and knowledge are important. So Catholicism not watered down and shown with love! See Cardinal Ratzinger's work.
I completely agree with the crisis with Catechesis. My local priest told me there were no arguments or proof for God's existence outside of the Bible. Luckily I stumbled across Thomism but it seems almost criminal I wasn't at least made aware of the ocean of intellectual material the Church has to offer.
I can't believe a Catholic priest would go so far as to take a "Sola Scriptura" position. This stance would fly in the praxis of this priest's vocation, which had long ago been shaped by Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium.
St. Thomas Aquinas had 5 proofs for God's existence that were purely philosophical. They don't give you a complete picture but they give you a description of the kind of being that God is. Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher recently came out with a book similarly called "5 Proofs for God's Existence" (it's related to Aquinas' but not the same as his 5). The Church's classic tradition has a number of philosophers that speak to God's nature on solely philosophical grounds. I recommend Ed Feser his material is relatively approachable and easy to understand.
Since I heard about Nicholas Black Elk's work as a catechist, I've been asking him to help me in my OCIA ministry. One of the things that strikes me is how he was able to communicate with his own people, even family members about the faith. This is difficult to do when they are resistant to hearing about Christ. So I ask him to help me, by his quiet and persistent example.
Thank you Bishop and I completely agree. The problem is that many catechists don't have the proper faith formation themselves, and know very little about Catechism or theology. I know catechists that don't even have CCC and never read it. It's just scary. The dioceses should organize some kind of retreats for catechists to instruct people and explain church teachings. Also some CCD books and resources are very poorly prepared, and talk about trivial stuff like recycling, seriously ? Currently I'm a catechist in 9th grade and we use Ascension Press 'Chosen' confirmation study and so far I think it's really awesome, and kids like it very much. Thank you for all your videos and God bless.
:) The word of God is "sharper than two edged sword". So the Bible then. :) However you still have to know the Catechism of CC. It is a summary of catholic church teachings and doctrine. It includes Apostolic Tradition, Scripture and the Magisterium. It is intended to assist those who are responsible for catechesis. So if you are a catechist in catholic church, you do NOT teach your own opinions, but you have to stick to the church doctrine. It was a nice question. Thank you !
Tim, not sure what's your point. There are 2 ways we can know about God: 1. Natural reason - our intellect and reasoning, 2. Revelation - what God has revealed of himself (fully in Christ). God's revelation is preserved in the Bible and Apostolic Tradition.
I'm currently 22. My catechesis was so laughably bad you would weep if you knew how flimsy it was. If it weren't for God reaching out and giving me religious experiences to jolt me into seeking out the intellect of the faith, I might have left it when I was a young teen.
sciencetrumpsfaith faith is a leap of trust In that which cannot be fully comprehended. However this isn't to say that faith is not based in truth or understanding.
sciencetrumpsfaith your definition of faith is far too narrow and impractical. The simple fact of the matter is you and I are required to put our faith in a lot of things, science, politics, economics, religious matters, etc... faith should not be blind, it needs to be tested and tempered by reason, logic, for someone to arrive at the truth. I think your big hang up lies in whether or not something can be empirically observed/ understood, however that is insanely narrow in scope and will ultimately fail to show you any true truth due to our inherently flawed perception of reality.
I agree completely that our catechists MUST be passionate and well informed to be able to do their jobs effectively. I would also agree that playing music in Religious Education is mostly not necessary. I don’t think that means there’s no place for praise and worship music in our spiritual lives. Go to any Steubenville Conference or Life Teen event and you can see the use of these guitars and drums etc. in elevating the hearts and minds of these young people to God, lighting hearts on fire. Education is extremely important, but we must first begin by fostering a relationship between these young people and Jesus Christ. The mind will go where the heart wills it. “My heart is restless until it rests in thee.”
I can attest to the poor state of catechesis, atleast when I was growing up. I don't fault my teachers, but rather the material they were given. I was always told the general "God loves us. Be a good person. Let your light shine." and so forth, but I don't think I was ever introduced to the Church's great theological tradition as a kid. I don't think I was even exposed to Thomas Aquinas in all of my religious education classes (or even in my intro to philosophy core class in college for that matter). Indeed, my first exposure to Thomas Aquinas came from Bishop Barron just a few years ago.
They are leaving "the faith" because they see it for what it truly is. Walked out of "that faith" at the age of 25 and never regretted it for a moment. No force human or otherwise could ever force me back into it.
100% agree with the idea we need an army of catechists. What is your plan to train them? What materials do they use? Have you thought of a certification programs like they do in IT professions? The IRS actually requires tax volunteers to pass a training course each year to do taxes. There is body of knowledge Catholics should know and it would be very applicable. You could even do it to grade levels.
Bishop Barron I agree to a very large extent that there are many, both young and old alike I would say, who have a lot of questions that NEED to be answered in at least a satisfactory way (for them). And yes, there is absolutely an intellectual element to that, for sure. In fact, I was precisely one of those people (and to some degree, still am) who just unleashed question after question .. after question .. and there'd always be a new one after each stone was overturned. At some point, all the catechists and priests kinda gave up on me (I was really high maintenance and they just couldn't devote any more of their time and energy on me), so one of the priests finally just handed me a stack full of books and said, "read all these and, if you still have questions after that, then come see me". 😆 Well, I did read all those books (and more) and, although they did help a lot, I still had more questions ... by that time though, that priest had already moved on to another parish (probably as far away from me as he could get, God love him. 😄) So I wrote to bishops, to the Pope, and never got any replies ... but I persevered anyway, both in my conversations with friends and family, and in prayer. One day, my beautiful wife (who the world would see as a "simpleton", although I believe with all my heart that she is one of those soft-spoken, sweet, humble souls with the subtle -- almost hidden -- intellect of the Angels) had a nice, long one-on-one with me and helped me to realize that my questions would NEVER end and, at some point, I would have to make the (somewhat scary, if we're honest) leap from the head to the heart ... a leap of faith, where we finally let go of our need to BE God ('cause only He is all in all), and we just TRUST in Him ... let Him be who He is and we also let ourselves be who we are: human (as broken and in need of Him as we truly are) ... That was a lesson in humility for me, and boy was it as painful as it was a blessing. My beautiful, sweet, "simpleton" of a wife has patiently walked this entire journey with me, side by side ... and it's not over (she still puts up with my lurking questions to this very day, God bless her sweet soul) ... we press on, run the race, fight the good fight ... but we ARE His and we strive always for an ever-deeper relationship with Him. I pray that He will reveal Himself fully and completely to me, that I may fully and completely know Him and love Him, as He deserves to be loved. My point is: Yes, the intellect is indeed important and must be attended to (supporting catechesis, and also apologetics ... would be good to team up with some of our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations, BTW) ... BUT ... I think we all need to be sincere in our search for The Truth, we need to persevere and not accept defeat (both of which are a challenge for the newest generations, who live in a culture of instant gratification and convenience; thus the need for a cultural shift), and I think that, by God's own design, our search will only start to become truly fruitful when we take that leap of faith, let ourselves be naked without shame before our loving God and Father, and TRUST in Him FULLY AND COMPLETELY. That is when our relationship with Him REALLY starts, when we walk with Him and in His ways, and when this journey REALLY gets interesting. And, for me, that was all made possible by God working through my beautiful, sweet, "simpleton" wife, who I also believe is a living (in this world) saint, akin to The Little Flower. All the intelligence in the world is nothing without Wisdom and Love to guide it. Thank you for your patience (I realize this is an extremely lenghty post 😪), as well as for your wonderful work and loving guidance. Please pray for me, and I will pray for you. May God bless and keep you always,
Yes, at some you do answer all their question and then people must make the leap of faith themselves. But we haven't even answered the most basic of their questions. In answering their questions can make what seems like a leap a little tiny hop. As it is, we ask them to jump the Grand Canyon and wonder why they fall into the Colorado River.
Thanks for sharing your journey. It speaks to the deeper truths, I think. Even Saint Thomas Aquinas, at the end of his earthly journey, is said to have said, regarding his writings "so much straw" or to that effect. I'm not trying to disparage the importance of knowledge. But knowing God, as directly as possible, should never take a back seat to anything.
A M perhaps. Or perhaps it is merely because they do not cultivate the relationship. Jesus set the example by going off to pray. I think many of us, myself included, miss that. But the saints show that those who seek Him until they find Him find the power to live extraordinary lives.
Catechesis is horrible today. I had to catechize myself and I make it my business to do so properly for my kids, starting with explaining why it's rational to believe in God in the first place and why the Creationist/Atheist debates are a ridiculous distraction.
Sorry for a later response to this, but I have been ruminating on it a bit as a first-year catechist myself. While I generally agree, I think there are some specific points where direction from the Bishops could be helpful; what do we do when we have more volunteer catechists than needed and what should be the role of priests in religious education? To the first point, you talk about a need for "an army" of catechists. I would be curious if you had thoughts on how to do this when a classroom really doesn't accommodate more than two teachers. I personally waited for two years for a spot to become available for me to assistant teach as a volunteer. Could I have served in another capacity, or perhaps taken a test for qualifications rather than a first-come-first-serve volunteer pool? You also speak of a need for intelligent catechists. It would seem to me that the most qualified teachers are the guys we send off to school for six years after college to learn the Faith. However, in most parishes their role in RE, RCIA, etc. is supervisory or administrative...and homilies don't provide a good forum for in depth formation. Is there any direction from the USCCB on how to better use that resource in the teaching character of the priesthood?
I know for a fact that a lot of atheists started down the road into the atheist way of life because they had youth ministers who didn't know anything about what they were supposed to be teaching; namely the bible, jesus, and the catholic church. These youth ministers instead of teaching them what they wanted to learn would bring in a vcr and a movie or a music cd that they would then play instead of answering the questions that these kids had for them. It didn't take too long for these untrained and uneducated youth ministers to lose these kids and now they are adults who have completely lost their faith in god. Sad. I will pray for Nicholas Black Elk and his beatification and canonization. God Bless Y'all!
Can anyone recommend a good starter's to intermediate's guide to this intellectual catechism? Preferably a book you can download online or a video packed with substantial info. I think my guys and myself need it. If ever we were to launch a catechism gig sometime later this year, it better be of a higher caliber.
@@faithwisdom788 Any stuff is useful. Someone had sent me a PDF of the Trent Catechism lately. A lot has happened since I posted this 2 years ago but learning hasn't stopped.
That's about the most important question in front of the church. It's important to keep the children within the faith in spite of the education that contradicts theological concepts.
In the church I belong to, there is a need of catechists and also there should be curses for catechists keep learning and also to learn technics to keep kids interested in keep learning about how and our church
Your Excellency, The Holy Father recently proposed changing the standard English translation of the Pater Noster. Can you make a video on this? The phrase "ne nos inducas" which is the Vulgate translation, to me at least, does not support the Pope's position. Can you or someone in the comments perhaps enlighten me a bit more on the topic because I do not speak Greek. But I'd love to see a video in this topic.
"Neihardt [an ethnographer] asked why Black Elk had "put aside" his old religion. According to [Neihardt's daughter] Hilda, Black Elk replied, "My children had to live in this world." In her 1995 memoir, Hilda Neihardt wrote that just before his death, Black Elk took his pipe and told his daughter Lucy Looks Twice, "The only thing I really believe is the pipe religion." (Source: Black Elk & Flaming Rainbow: Personal Memories of the Lakota Holy Man and John Neihardt, pg. 119 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk ) If Black Elk's decision was merely strategic and political, for the purpose of ensuring an easier life for his children, then surely it would undermine the cause for his eventual canonisation. Though this doesn't undermine the message of this video, it does remind us to be on-guard against those who would place temporal matters above integrity.
"The only thing I really believe is the pipe [Lakota] religion." makes it appear plausible. I don't know much, either, only what is present on the Wikipedia article (which appears reliably sourced). My comment is one of inquiry as much as it is one of warning.
tim spangler Brother Tim, must you always grind that axe? Signs and wonders ought rightly be welcomed as proofs of the faith. Yet even above these, genuine love. Peace, brother.
In a The Word Among Us article it indicated that Black Elk renounced his "Shamanism" as of the devil...he did not elevate it to a form of grace as Bishop Barron indicates. (How do you elevate by grace something that is, in and of itself, evil?) In any case, that is what the article I read said. Your observations here put a different spin on it and certainly should be looked at before considering him for canonization.
Question #2 for Catholic Catechists: Suppose I make an appointment to discuss the issues from "Question #1 for Catholic Catechists"...should I go to the parish where my friend invited me to attend that class (which is ~40 minutes away), or should I go to the parish that is only a 5 minute drive from my home?
I teach classes for people joining the Catholic Church, and in my experience the practicalities of the more convenient commute to the neighborhood parish almost always win out. (And parishes are essentially geographic anyway.) I would start close to home and only look for something further afield if you can't get the help you need.
roger this is the time (July) when Parishes open their registration for Catechism, since the school year starts soon and asks for volunteers to teach. Read the bulletin from your Parish or call your Parish rectory. I also want to be a Catechist.
I’m so glad I saw this video...like for a while I had kind of left the faith and then in a world Religions class I heard about “Black Elk Speaks” And Black Elk and remember thinking... If only Catholicism had such respect for nature.... but the more I study The Bible and Catholic Doctrine.... it seems that we Catholics really do respect nature and our understanding of it does bring us closer to God. Unless perhaps I am misunderstanding something?
This video perfectly describes my experience with catholic education throughout elementary and high school in Canada. It was pointless. There was no need to study, because you knew all the answers on all of the tests would be "Jesus/love/God/etc......."
Question #1 for Catholic Catechists: a month or two ago, a Catholic friend found out I'd developed an interest in the Catholic Church after studying the Reformation. So he invited me to a class at his parish (it involved Church History--I'm not sure if it's the Catechist type of ministry in this video, but they were really nice, and actually gave me a Catechism, so I should probably go back and pay them something). In the class, I had to fill out a brief survey, and one of the questions was whether I'd ever been baptized. And I'd be interested to hear some Catholics' opinions on whether or not I have been. My "baptismal history" is basically this: --2008, I, an "agnostic" at the time (grew up on Carl Sagan & Bertrand Russell), married a devout Christian woman. --I admired her faith, so I attended church with her (UMC). --~2014 the pastor interviewed candidates for baptism. --I'd mentioned a situation from military training where I got "immersed" by our lay leader (a Pentecostal seminary drop out). There was no "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost", and I wasn't a Christian at all at the time (I mostly just wanted to cheer up our lay leader). --our UMC pastor said that, essentially, since I'd already "gotten wet for vaguely Christian purposes" (she didn't actually say that, I'm just paraphrasing what I remember), she would give me something called a "Baptism remembrance". --when I later found out that, by UMC doctrine, "Baptism remembrance can IN NO WAY be interpreted as a baptism", I remember feeling totally dejected (crushed, rejected, etc). --so I asked my wife-a member in good standing with the church & a former missionary-to baptize me. And...well...she basically "baptized" me in the bathtub. I was still agnostic, not a true Christian, for sure, but I was hoping maybe being baptized would somehow "give me faith". Oddly enough, shortly thereafter is when I read the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time & became a believer (long, long, long story there). QUESTION: was that "bathtub baptism" some kind of heresy that will prevent me from ever being "properly baptized"? Or was it valid? I was kinda embarrassed about it, so I think I just put "1/2" in both the yes and no boxes in the survey, without going into detail...
No, you are not baptize. The baptism should and has to be done by a pastor -if you are a protestant/evangelical- or by a priest if you are catholic. You are baptize ONLY if the pastor/priest baptized you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And also you have to have a desire to become a child of God through Jesus and baptism. I will suggest you to talk to a good priest and to have more clarity regarding your situation . God bless you:)
In some situations, there may be doubts whether a person’s baptism was valid. All baptisms are assumed valid, regardless of denomination, unless after serious investigation there is reason to doubt that the candidate was baptized with water and the Trinitarian formula (". . . in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"), or that the minister or recipient of baptism did not intend it to be an actual baptism. If there are doubts about the validity of a person’s baptism (or whether the person was baptized at all), then the candidate will be given a conditional baptism (one with the form ". . . if you are not already baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit").
is there a standard "protocol" for going to a priest and asking about this? do I kneel down and say, "good morning Father, I'm here to ask you a few questions..."?
Your Eminence, I just spent time this morning with the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima as She makes Her final stop here in the US. As I know we are called to bring our sorrows to the Blessed Mother, I did so without reservation- I asked Her to bring my daughter closer to Her, to let her know it's okay to trust again. She was so hurt by our diocesan educational system for not fitting into a neat little box, and our efforts to provide her with good catechesis were fruitless, despite the well-intentioned but ultimately flaccid efforts of the Church volunteers. She left the Church for good on her 18th birthday, four years ago. I feel I must do something along the lines of your exhortations and the efforts of Black Elk but I am no lettered theologian, as her late grandfather (a former priest) was, and he left us too soon to be able to counteract all the wrongs and insults she suffered as a wise-beyond-her-years 5 year-old in a parochial kindergarten. If I were to volunteer for CCE service, what is the best source material, auxiliary to the Catechism, for me to answer the hard intellectual challenges with which young people struggle?
Tom Broughton Do we go straight to heaven or hell when we die? Let's see what the bible teaches concerning the state of the dead. When a man dies, where does he go? KJV Job 21 32 Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb. The wicked are reserved there until they will be brought to what? KJV Job 21 30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. KJV Job 14 12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Job said he would wait in the grave until what came? KJV Job 14 13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. KJV 1 Corinthians 15 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. At what event will they that are Christ's be made alive? KJV 1 Corinthians 15 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Has David already gone to heaven? KJV Acts 2 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Where is David now? KJV Acts 2 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. What has become of him? KJV Acts 13 36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: How will God awaken the dead? KJV 1 Thessalonians 4 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Until then, where do the dead wait? KJV Job 17 13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. Where did Jesus say the dead are? KJV John 5 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, What words did Jesus use to say His friend was dead? KJV John 11 11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. How did David refer to his death? KJV Psalms 13 3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; What words did Paul use to say that some of those who saw Jesus were now dead? KJV 1 Corinthians 15 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. When Jesus awoke from death, how did He say that He had not yet been to Heaven? KJV John 20 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
A M Continued...... How much does a dead man know? KJV Ecclesiastes 9 5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. What happen to his feelings and emotions? KJV Ecclesiastes 9 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. What happens to all his thoughts? KJV Psalms 146 4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. What can we do while we are alive? KJV Psalms 146 2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Can dead people praise the LORD? KJV Psalms 115 17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. Can the dead thank God or even remember Him? KJV Psalms 6 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Why will many people perish? KJV 2 Thessalonians 2 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. If we haven't learned to love the truth while we are alive, can we learn it in the grave? KJV Isaiah 38 18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. Why is it so important to use the short time we have? KJV Ecclesiastes 9 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. In the light of God's word, I understand the dead are unconscious in the grave, awating their resurrection of life or the resurrection of damnation.
How is the USCCB going to actually respond to the the crisis of poor catechesis? Do volunteer catechists need to be screened for "being on fire and being smart"? Should catechists be professionalized? How can tools like textbooks, workbooks, and videos be improved? Right now, there is no deep discussion on the Holy Trinity, Mariology, Purgatory, Eschatology, and so on -- they are just spoon-fed without much logic. We need to go the sources, as prescribed in Dei Verbum (promulgated under Vatican II). There's a lack of use of the Bible built-into the CCD programs, let alone the exegetical and hermeneutical lenses to interpret its passages. We should use the CCC, dogmatic Constitutions, papal encyclicals/exhortations, and Patristic writings. As Bishop Barron says, content often consists merely of "bromides on God's love". The ontology of love needs to be taught, and that means you can't escape teaching the Mystery and life of the Holy Trinity. As for relevance, there are websites you can go to use as teaching aids: w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html, biblegateway.com, catholic.com, wordonfire.org . The CCD programs, as they are designed now, aren't even close to where they need to be in order to be able to turn the tide. Prayer is good, but the Church needs to turn the resulting grace received from prayer into action.
Jay Kay - I'm in complete agreement and one of the many reasons we don't give to Bishop's funds is the absolute refusal to their basic job description. The Baltimore Catchecism was developed before the USCCB even existed. It should be easier, not harder to develop standardized education materials and testing.
Baltimore Catechism is great, because it was tailored for young catechumens. We have a deep problem: At all levels, whether at the Vatican, USCCB, archdiocese, or the parish, there is fear and unwillingness to teach the Truth in full. The dilution is so bad that the materials sometimes state things that are just inaccurate to try to "be relevant" (i.e. pander) or to dumb them down (condescendingly thinking the catechumens are not smart enough). I also don't fund anything that is asked by the archdiocese; the current bishop in my archdiocese comes from another that he left bankrupt. The Church sex-abuse scandal isn't done yet; contributions to the archdiocese will go right to lawyers, insurance companies, and only some to the actual victims. And for the moment, I have rellocated a good chunk of my limited charitable contributions away from the parish level and into religious orders, specific individuals in need, and some secular-based causes.
I agree. All dioceses should offer a mandatory training for Catechists. I know priests do so much already for their parishes but they should instruct the catechists, make sure they know what the Priest expects, etc and then during the school year hold quarterly “check-in” meetings with the catechists to see how they are doing, etc. At parishes usually its a volunteer overseeing the entire catechism program let alone the non-English speaking parishioners don’t have a Catechism coordinator. Also, the Church should emphasize apologetics in Catechism. This should be something all Catholics should learn so that we can properly defend the faith!
We don't need Black Elk, as much as he had an interesting and Holy life. We need a Bishop with a gift for explanation to lean on the sacred gifts of fortitude and team up with others have also been successful. You don't have to have all the answers, which is why people work in teams. But you're a position to do more than just pray that we'll get an army of Black Elks. Please pray for guidance on what actions to take. This is your chance for sainthood and to walk with the likes of Peter and Paul.
This potential catechist foot solider volunteered one day with my parish high school youth formation. They had small group discussions, but they were joke. I brought CS Lewis, the Baltimore Catechism, and Catholicism for Dummies in a backpack. They made my small group do skits (these are 16 year olds+ mind you). I quit out of fear we were losing souls. Youth formation is joke, at least if my parish experience holds. What about people like me who absolutely want to do the approach you want? We don't fit in as volunteers. How do you use people like me?
The problem of evil is a lame excuse, how would they even know what evil is if there's no God to tell them what evil is? They can't know evil, if they don't know good, what is good, if evil is a problem wouldn't that make good a problem?
4:14 Being a Youth Ministry Director myself for the past three years and a high school/middle school catechist for 7 years before that, I assure you I was never introduced and lead to classes to become a better catechist. I was encouraged to one year but I did not know how to go about it. The fact that I have so many catechists now is amazing, but my first two years as a Youth Minister were horrible, catechist-wise. Not everyone has the time and money for a Masters in Theology. It's not easy getting to classes offered by the Diocese of San Diego either. Our parish has gone through different catechists every year and different Youth Ministers every three years for the past 15 years. So to have the catechists go through some training for 5 years just to become knowledgeable is a ridiculous idea. Incredibly frustrating.
I thank God for your ministry. Everything we do to bring our young people closer to the Lord is a contribution towards building the kingdom of God. I am not sure if you got the gist of Bishop Barron's message. I did not hear nor think of him as saying that all catechists must have a masters or formal training in theology. While that can be a great help, his greater point was that catechists should pay attention to the questions (especially intellectual ones) young people have. Catechesis that response to the burning questions of our times does tremendous good for the faith. Every faithful catechist is to be encouraged and assisted.
Black Elk gave up his Shamanism. He did not bring it to some higher level as Bishop Barron says. He recognized that it was from the devil and renounced it. How do I know this? The Word Among Us very recently had an article about Black Elk that makes it very clear that he renounced everything to do with being a "medicine man."
Totally agree, your grace. However, shouldn't every priest see themselves as catechists too? Unfortunately, I have never seen any priest personally involve themselves in the work catechesis. (Homilies don't count, Fathers) They don't go into classrooms where noisy, restless children or teenagers may not give them attention - but that's where the battle is.
Another thing is Identity. It's one thing to be an atomized hedonist who does whatever he wants, until he's dissatisfied with it, it's another thing to be a part of something large, something ancient, something worth respecting- you just don't get that with the Novus Ordo Missae, and its campfire songs.
This might come under the heading "misery loves company" as my late parents used to say. The state of instruction in the faith in some (not all and not everywhere) mainline churches is even worse than yours in the RC Ch. As you are a wealthy church with far more resources and members, RC don't have many excuses. The hollowing out of Christianity in which theology no longer holds your attention marches on, with so many going to these evangelical places where it is all surface feeling {ME and Jesus, and give my life over etc., etc., and a twangy praise band}.
Mr. Spangler, I think it inappropriate for two non-RC to use the channel of an RC bishop to have such discussion. I respect his bandwidth if that's what it's called. I fully concede the term evangelical is very broad and my charge doesn't apply everywhere. Some preachers are deep and do educate and encourage congregants to read widely, even non-scriptural works beyond the usual self-improvement genre. But there are places pitched to the young where it is the quality of the twangy bands and pop style singing which rule the day, and where the preaching has no intellectual depth at all. Here ends the reading as they say in my tradition.
good music is a key better more alive masses more gospel songs hebrew study is how you do it, i spent years in a cult church that every one hates good music is what i love bout black catholics
We need to rebuild an institutional catechetical program at the high school level. Very few students attend Catholic high schools, resulting in their last religion class, such as it was, having occurred in the 8th grade. One can call for great catechists until the sun sets. If they have nowhere to teach, today's young people will never be introduced to the intellectual infrastructure of their faith. Their faith will rest on sand and will wash away when the secular tidal wave hits in high school and college.
Most diocese have regular classes for diaconate formation so why not let catechists join them. Either they can pay for it out-of-pocket or their parish can pay for it.
My dad was Lakota and Sauk, win! (And white, never said full blooded, I'm Iyeska, which is my understanding that that means one who talks white, which is unfair, because my mother does still use some Indian, although not Lakota, because she is not Lakota.)
I think it is sad that people say black elk was not catholic. Does that make him a liar, easily bribed or stupid? He knew what he wanted. He was an adult. He was a smart man. He could read the Bible and memorized it.
Question #3 (third, final, and perhaps most important) for Catholic Catechists: Speaking purely hypothetically, if a fella studies the Reformation and comes to the conclusion that it shouldn't have ever happened, and that the Catholic church is the church Jesus built, does that mean the fella has essentially removed himself from the category of "invincible ignorance", and will incur upon himself a harsher degree of judgement if he can't figure out how to convert to Catholicism, and how to convince his wife, who, hypothetically, is a "cradle protestant" who has been taught many bad things about the Catholic church, and in subtle ways that are hard to "unteach", to convert as well?
Tim Spangler...I would agree that Romans 1 describes how natural man suppresses instinctive knowledge of God. However, from a "practical perspective", it is very unlikely that someone living under the Taliban would have a "good chance" of coming to Christ. And, yes, conversion to Christianity involves the work of the omnipotent Holy Spirit, and can in no way be reduced to demographics/statistics, and so anything is possible. Nonetheless, if the Church has come to the conclusion that certain folks *might* be in situations that allow for "special mercies", then who am I to argue with them?
tim spangler....Question the Church's teachings? ABSOLUTELY....Search the Scriptures to see if what they're saying is true? ABSOLUTELY ...Prayerfully try to understand what the Scriptures teach? ABSOLUTELY...Inevitably come to some of my own beliefs on some important matters? ABSOLUTELY...Publicly rise above all the heavily trained theologians and the entire Church hierarchy ordained by Jesus, Himself, and publicly reject Church teachings? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
tim spangler it means I'm not a professional theologian, and therefore, I wouldn't want to publicly gainsay conclusions of folks in the church with much more experience, wisdom, etc, than me.
My direct personal experience doesn't include anyone who became Catholic against the wishes or convictions of a spouse with whom they still live. I do believe that at least a couple of well-known Catholic teachers who were previously Protestants went through that, though. E.g., Scott Hahn and his wife Kimberly. Their book Rome Sweet Home talks about it. I think it's clear that this fella is long past the point of invincible ignorance. But perhaps it would be helpful to consider the situation in terms of discipleship--following, loving, and trying to become like the master--instead of or in addition to fear of judgment.
letterblock as I see things, the following are pretty much foregone conclusions: 1. The Reformers, though they had varying degrees of good intentions & good ideas, were nonetheless wrong to break from Rome. 2. The fullness of the faith resides in Rome. 3. It's technically "willful disobedience" to remain non-Catholic if a person understands 1 & 2. 4. The Mrs has been taught some very bad things about the Church that will require an utter miracle for me to "unteach" 5. But, nonetheless, if I fail to do so, then I fail as the "spiritual leader" of the home. IMO, this is truly something of a pickle...a discipleship scenario that probably exceeds my abilities...
You do not understand what you are talking about bishop. Black elk played the game of going to church but he did not become what he was because of your man made faith. Black elk was not dualistic. He was born to be a holy man. And when I say holy... No honey... Not what you believe to know what is holy.
People need to hear the Kergyma! Not doctrine and dogma! Young and old need to hear that Christ died and rose for our sins and is at the right hand of God interceding for us! You don’t need degrees or training for that! You need to have experienced Christ! I don’t want to boost but the Neo Catechumenal has saved me and my family!
James O'Riordan - Some of us need a whole lot more than just believe, because! and always have. I'm fine with Pentecostal movements, but they don't appeal to all nor should they.
I agree intellectual teachers are the most attractive in the long run but too overlook the attractive nature of music and life in a service is unwise. One needs only too look at the success of protestant mega churches to see it does work. I would say the current Catholic church is simply boring and life less, thats why you are losing the youth. Conversely mega churches usually lack intellect and depth. Somewhere in the middle is the answer. The key as you noted with Black Elk is the ability to convey Bible stories to the common man. If that relationship with God through Christ is not displayed through emotion all your traditions are meaningless and you will continue to lose armies of the youth.
tim spangler - The problem is emotive worship tends to be not long lasting and a few humans out here think you look like irreverent teenagers. "Passionate" worship without the intellect is the cotton candy of the soul.
Mo Lassus - No, it doesn't. It needs you all who need party balloons to create their own orders and parishes and leave the rest of us in peace. Besides, the kids leave because noone in an age of technology has made an arguments for God, let alone Christ. Y'all look like a bunch of over emotional dopes wasting your time to them.
A M your answer is very sad to me. You choose to berate fellow Christians rather than have constructive dialog. That type of position has caused more to leave the faith than all other issues combined. Calling other brothers in Christ dopes is really in poor taste but also does not display any fruits of Christ. As a Christian I call upon you to take a softer approach that will glorify God and not insult his children. More can be won to the faith if we simply act like Christ. I pray whatever sin that has a grip on you will be released and you can share the joy of our Lord in peace with others.
The offhand swipe at the guitar and its players as empty and without mystical passion or theological gravity is unfortunate and increasingly ubiquitous. My experience in trying to help the liturgy and the church in every way I could began in the early seventies and continues to this day, and I've witnessed decades of people giving deeply of themselves and sharing their gifts - on a foundation of love, compassion, and reaching out far beyond their own comfort zones. We all have roles, and being human, we all have a tendency to roll our eyes at the other guy. I find it unfortunate to find it here.
Speaking as a non-believer fascinated by the Catholic Church, especially the traditional music it inspired, such as Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and the great classical works, I can tell you that I am completely turned off by sing-songy pop music. Regardless of lyrical content, it's hokey, tactless, commercialized rubbish. To the extent that Catholic liturgy is filled with it, to that extent am I pulled away from the Church. He also wasn't taking a swipe at the guitar per se, as I'm sure he'd have no problem with guitar transcriptions of Bach being performed, for example. I play guitar in an extreme metal band, but would I ever dream of thinking such music should be played in a setting such as the Catholic Mass? Of course not (though I realize the stereotypical metalhead would have no such compunction). And the same ought to be felt about playing sentimental, mushy pop music in such a setting.
When properly used, guitar music can be quite beautiful and reverent, especially when used in conjunction with a full choir and piano. It's when that guitar is coupled with a full rock band complete with an electric drum kit that I start to take issue. I like to refer to this as the 5:30 Sunday afternoon playlist.
I think you're missing Bishop Barron's whole point there: the thing that teens are impressed by is a on-fire faith, and knowledge of the faith. We can play them beautiful music - with or without guitars - but they aren't going to take anything away from that.
Yeah, sorry Tom. I have to agree with the other replies. When I converted to the faith (about 20 y/o at the time) I was required to attend RCIA. On the first day the instructor pulled out her guitar and played some kumbaya piece. I did not return but did find Opus Dei, which provided fantastic instruction/catechesis. The Church's beauty can certainly be found in its sacred music and I believe the guitar can contribute, but I fear that time for instruction and deep rational thinking has been replaced by bad saccharine music.
David#323 - We don't even whisper about Hell. Bishop Barron pushes to the edge of heresy by suggesting it's ok hope that Hell is empty. The pews are emptying much faster anyway. Kids are done. The reality of Hell is a critical concept in Christianity and without it, in the long run, there's no meaning to the Good News. We can avoid fire and brimstone.CS Does a great job with Hell in The Great Divorce. But avoiding the whole topic appears to have left generations in great peril of souls so heavy and dirty, they will tumble in a little too easily.
Tim... It makes the hell story look silly the way the Catholic leaders keep changing the rules as to who goes there. When I was a kid, protestants, atheists and homosexuals went to hell. So they changed the rules because it made the Catholics look like arrogant arseholes. Also there is a good market among gay people as they buy a lot of the God and Jesus products.
Love this video! Thanks Bishop Barron, please keep all Catechists in your prayers!
Awesome, Bishop Barron! You've reenergized my vocation as a catechist. Thank you and may God bless you in your ministries!
Bishop Barron, I think you're exactly right on what's needed here. I was highly educated in liberal arts and philosophy before starting a turn back toward the faith. I have consistently heard my peers reject God as being something that has not and cannot accompany real intellectual rigor. The more I've read and discussed with these peers, the more clear it is that there are too few speaking with knowledge about the intellectual foundation of the church-- those who know Aquinas, for example, know him as the domino guy. They have only grappled with caricatures of the tradition-- no wonder they'd pay no mind!
This is kind of a self-referential answer, but I suggest the Word on Fire Podcast, which is a bit longer in form and can lead to some good explorations. For example, the two parter on Aquinas led me to a lot of follow-up reading to figure out what he was really arguing.
Vanessa Vernick resources you may like to begin your journey: Fr.Thomas Joseph White, Dr.Edward Feser, The Thomistic Institute, and other resources on Catholic Fundamental Theology.
Vanessa Vernick - Read CS Lewis - modern apogetics at it's finest.
It is always a joy to watch and listen to you, Bishop Barron. You are an inspiration! Can't think of a better choice for head of the catechesis and evangelization committee than you. God bless you, sir.
My children lost faith because it was the easiest path they went to public school none of their friends were Catholic. One goes to Mass regularly, 1 goes on Christmas and Easter does pray but the other 2 just do not. One even renounced her Baptism and still remembers things that come up on a trivia game. Her friends are shocked knowing how hateful she is towards the Church. It was ingrained in her heart from childhood. I had no back up, the CCD programs were so lightweight, one catechist told my husband 'we have evolved beyond transubstantiation" this was during their Confirmation classes!
Pope Benedict warned what was going on he said we would become smaller and I have personal experience. But I know nothing is impossible with God so I continue to pray for my children. And hope the small core of Catholics, their prayers and sacrifices, can turn this crisis around. But then God only knows.
As a Chinese Catholic in Singapore and learning about Heȟáka Sápa as a catechist, I found the story of his work fascinating, inspiring and relevant even here in the Far East, as evangelisation work and those of catechists amidst many local cultural traditions are still challenging. My late mother in her 70s was an active catechist for the elderly, many whom were ill or illiterate and the work being done for these people in hospices and their own homes where they want to encounter God is still a challenge and not everyone have a disposition to such work, literally travelling to these catechumens.
"Catechesis should be intelligent" - totally agree, and I think our catechesis is very often superficial as you say and I almost left the faith years ago because of that. The Catholic role-models (including many if my religious ed teachers) weren't able to give me the intellectual content that I needed at the time until I met a priest who blew open my categories by teaching us Aquinas' 5 proofs. It was in seeing the intellectual rigor of the Catholic faith which opened me to the dimension of a personal encounter with God.
Thanks for the video! Provocative as always.
St. Thomas Aquinas was certainly the man. After studying him, I actually felt a bit guilty, because I believe that the modern "pop protestants" have been preaching a "god" that is practically demonstrably false, and that this has contributed to the spread of atheism. As far as I know, the Catholics are the only ones who've consistently preached the "beyond-all-categories-and-boxes" God understood by Aquinas. Funny story: After finding out about Aquinas, I spent a few months trying to convince myself that if St. Thomas had been around today, he would have been a baptist like me :-).
Wayne and Donita haha thanks for sharing. I think that's a real insight into the spread of Atheism that you mentioned! An ultimately intelligible and incomprehensible (from a human perspective) is radically different from the straw-man conception that atheists and other non-believers attack (and rightly so I might add). Thanks for sharing your insight!
Dcn Alex Colautti
WHO IS THE BEAST?
AND WHAT IS HIS MARK?
In NO way would I suggest ANYONE receive a RFID chip however.....
The widespread idea that the mark of the beast is visible is false. The computerchip is a hoax that has set up the world to receive the true mark. Satan is wiser than man. A visible mark which the world has been taught, this would deceive no one. The mark is given to those who will continue to sin and transgress God's holy law, while the saints of God will receive His seal because they walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. They would refuse to yield up temptation to sin against God. The works of true love will bring forth the works of the law, which will be established in the true Christian, which is the character that Christ is truly abiding. The old self will die which loved the life of sin and pleasure. The old man will be crucified and will become a new creature. Then they will truly be born again.
KJV John 3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
KJV Revelation 13
4 And they WORSHIPPED the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they WORSHIPPED the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
KJV Revelation 13
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall WORSHIP him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
KJV Revelation 13
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to WORSHIP the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
KJV Revelation 13
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not WORSHIP the image of the beast should be killed.
The Mark of the Beast is About WORSHIP -"The Bible says, Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic church says,No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep the first day of the week. And lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic church!" Father Enright, C.S.S.R. of the RedemptoralCollege, Kansas City, History of the Sabbath, p. 803
"Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." -James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp. 72, 73. MAR 7:6-9
The Vatican says: Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.
"Sunday is our MARK of authority. . .the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact" Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1,1923."....the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church." - Mgr, Segur Plain Talk about Protestantism of today page 213 Reception of Mark of the Beast Future. DAN 11:36-37
The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the authority of the Romish church.Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in the place of the day of God’s appointment. No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testing time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the WORSHIP of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast.
Who are those who do not take the mark of the beast?
Here is the patience of the saints: Here are they that keep the commandments of God and have faith in Jesus.
Rev 14:12
When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome, And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive “the mark of the beast.”
We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29.
Blessings to you 💜
To God be the glory for ever and ever Amen.
tim spangler Jesus is God, yes no doubt there.
tim spangler
CALLING ALL CHRISTIANS!
COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!!
To the Catholic people and ALL who have fallen into apostasy with the Harlot Church.
I show you this out of love and prayer for your soul.
From the bible and the Papacy...Confirmed by history and current events.
KJV Revelation 17
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
THE WHORE OF BABYLON
www.remnantofgod.org/whoreofbabylon.htm
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
THE MAN OF SIN REVEALED
remnantofgod.org/manofsin.htm
KJV 1 John 4
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world
THE ANTICHRIST
remnantofgod.org/666-CHAR.htm
THE ANTICHRIST (( VIDEO ))
th-cam.com/video/b_SbJRn5jE8/w-d-xo.html
KJV Revelation 13
16 And he causeth all, both small and great,rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
THE MARK OF THE BEAST www.remnantofgod.org/mark.htm
MARK OF THE BEAST (( VIDEO ))
th-cam.com/video/d6iyWuMu5vc/w-d-xo.html
KJV Daniel 11
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
WORDS OF THE BEAST
www.remnantofgod.org/beastword.htm#earthgod
MARY WORSHIP
www.remnantofgod.org/godmary.htm
RCC AND SEX
www.remnantofgod.org/rccsex.htm
ROMAN CATHOLIC COMMANDMENTS
www.remnantofgod.org/10-rcc.htm
ARE CATHOLICS IDOL WORSHIPPERS?
www.remnantofgod.org/idols.htm
SOLA SCRIPTURA
www.remnantofgod.org/sola-scriptura.htm
THE BLACK POPE
www.remnantofgod.org/blackpope.htm
KJV Revelation 13
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
666 AND THE TITLES OF THE POPE
www.remnantofgod.org/666.htm
VATICAN IS ANTI-JESUS
www.remnantofgod.org/anti-jesus.htm
THE REAL FIRST POPE
www.remnantofgod.org/pope1.htm
6 SIGNS OF A CULT
www.remnantofgod.org/6SIGNS.htm
KJV Revelation 17
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
FOXE'S BOOK OF MARTYRS
www.remnantofgod.org/Foxe.htm
See here that the Quran was written by Catholic Jesuits and the similarities between Catholic dogma and Islam are obvious. The Catholic church are using Muslims to kill Christians today, just like they used Hitler to kill the Jews.
POPE'S WROTE QURAN
www.remnantofgod.org/PopeKoran.htm
HITLER AND THE POPES
www.remnantofgod.org/NaziRCC.htm
Have a read of the oath that the current Jesuits pope swore too. WARNING! Viewer discretion is advised.
JESIUT OATH
www.remnantofgod.org/jes-oth.htm
KJV Revelation 18
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
KJV 2 Corinthians 6
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
SDA leaders join the Papacy.
See SDAapostasy.org for proof of that fact.
Protestant leaders declare reunification of churches under the holy see.
realnewsrightnow.com/2015/07/protestant-leaders-declare-reunification-of-churches-under-the-holy-see/
HAVE YOUR CHURCH LEADERS FALLEN INTO APOSTASY WITH THE PAPACY? REV 18:4 NOW!!!
ONE WORLD RELIGION UNDER THE PAPACY!!
www.remnantofgod.org/1wc-3.htm
Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the church will have fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the people of God still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its work.
Blessings to you 💜
To God be the glory for ever and ever Amen.
Amen! I pray Nicholas Black Elk is canonized! And, yes, we need passionate catechists!
Respectfully, we don't need more canonizations. Catholics have handed out plenty of "He or she is a saint!" trophies at this point and we perhaps do too much in the modern era. We need to worry about the millions of souls we lost in the last 100 years or so and team up to figure out how to tackle it seriously. Faith can move mountains, but we must bring a shovel and willingness to work.
Glad to hear you say that about the guitar playing and feel good stuff. People want and need good intellectual substance, honesty and sincerity, not entertainment.
I guess it's subjective, but I think guitars and drums are used to entertain parishioners more that for worship. Many agree with me on this. You can read about or watch videos with other performances that really cross the line, like a priest hoverboarding while singing during Mass. I think there needs to be a certain solemn nature to Mass and not a lot of extra-liturgical stuff.
Agreed. I didn't say evil, just not focused on worship. Maybe I'm just an older guy reminiscing about the more traditional way things were done.
It doesn't change my opinion of it though. Less reverence isn't a good thing. Like the t-shirts, blue jeans, flip flops and tight yoga pants at mass.
We're called to admonish the sinner and educate the ignorant. If there's ill intent, then it's a sin, if not, they just don't know better. In either case it's inappropriate to play pop music during the liturgy of the Eucharist
or to wear a mini skirt to Mass.
If there is ill intent, as in showing blatant disrespect to the Mass.
The thing that really turned me from my atheistic tendencies was a pair of teachers that introduced me to the intellectual life of the church. I am truly grateful for fr. Tran and Mr. Price.
bonnie43uk Sure, I have technically been a Catholic my whole life. However, when I was younger, I thought that most intelligent people were not religious and assumed I would have to choose between reason and faith.
Welcome Home.
Agreed.
Say they haven't ruled out the Shroud of Turin in fact they pretty much think it was Jesus.
w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html
At age 7, I benefitted from quality catechizing given to me once per week by a quality young nun as I was preparing for my first Confession and first Holy Communion. I believe that my year (1962) was the last to be taught using the old Baltimore Cathechism. All my life, I have enjoyed benefits from that early, high quality training. Setting a good foundation with a good cathechism helps to prevent problems and the need for remedies.
If I attend daily Mass, many attendees are from my generation and earlier.
Bishop Barron, could you make a video on the guidelines towards become a good catechist? (including the procedures, necessary attitudes, knowledge,softskills) So that at least for us younger generations who are graduating from our universities can help to volunteer ourselves as a good catechist to help the next generation in the Church.
This so true!!! I was a Catechetist for 16 years until several months ago. I eye witnessed this challenge first hand. Bishop Barron is right.
You are completely right. I feel like the church is trying to reach out to kids by being more protestant instead of using the actual long term solution like teaching them actual theology.
Honestly, without even the 5 Ways, just learning about the Church’s early history and hearing questions answered was enough to make me a strong believer. Now diving into the philosophical arguments made my belief stronger than steel.
Everyone should read the book written about his life -“Black Elk Speaks”, it is a wonderful read. The author left out the part that he became Roman Catholic. I tell everyone that wants to really know about the Indian’s plight and treatment to read that book. Thanks Bishop, GB🙏, J
The book "Black Elk Speaks" deliberately leaves out Black Elk's Catholic faith. The author wanted to revive native beliefs and practices and only highlighted Black Elk's young life before Christ. Instead might i recommend this book: Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Missionary, Mystic By: Michael F. Steltenkamp.
Truly moving. LC
I wish I could like this commentary twice.
Thank you Bishop Barron, because for the first time in the contemporary church I feel as an Intectual, I have a Philosophy degree, that I fit in. I know because of my studies that Catholism is not dumb or fideistic, but every time I go to any parish I am discriminated for been an intelectual. I am going to keep trying because I feel that fire inside to transmit my faith through knowledge, I hope one day I can find a Parrish to fit in.
I am a catechist, now. Pray for me. I want to touch those young souls.
Pray that you are gaining souls for Heaven and that you do nothing that might send them to Hell. It is a vocation because you take on risks and responsibilities. Too much of modern formation is focused on how the catechist feels about themselves, unfortunately. That probably isn't you, but still, be careful of the narcissism that is everywhere in the Church.
sciencetrumpsfaith So many people confuse their ego with their reason. People can pray and think, you know . I hope and pray you'll find room for God in your Life.
A M What do I read to learn something of the risks & responsibilities OR is this a five years walk or something ? Thank you
My prayers are with you! Deo Gratias!
Just...awesome. Thank you!
As a Catechist, it has been my experience, that when I bear witness to my faith, by my imperfect life, it grabs their attention. When I speak of the faith on a practical level, not some distance abstract, but as something real, and admitting that sometimes we do not see the hand of God at work, until later upon reflection. And yes the need to real break down the faith, in logical fashion, and why something, when looked at closely and objectively, really do make sense.
"when I bear witness to my faith, by my imperfect life, it grabs their attention. "
Hard to tell. As a pewsitter, it's pretty obvious that parish life has more than it's fair share of people using the forced audience effect to tell their life stories. Challenge: next time, ask them what small, unimportant events seem to bother _them_ . What do little flaws do they struggle with? Listen first, rather than assume they are fascinated by your life.
Found a free book on Black Elk today seems serendipitous to watch this within hours of picking it up.
I think of some people who need this type of cathecism. However, I want to state that the care factor and the knowledge both have to be present. I have personally witnesed phariseeism within the church as well. Smart does not equal empathy. However, both present equal a very good cathecisis! So both care and knowledge are important. So Catholicism not watered down and shown with love!
See Cardinal Ratzinger's work.
Fernando 👍
I completely agree with the crisis with Catechesis. My local priest told me there were no arguments or proof for God's existence outside of the Bible. Luckily I stumbled across Thomism but it seems almost criminal I wasn't at least made aware of the ocean of intellectual material the Church has to offer.
Your local priest should be sued for malpractice!
Bishop Robert Barron - But he won't, nor will he be corrected, nor will he be removed.
I can't believe a Catholic priest would go so far as to take a "Sola Scriptura" position. This stance would fly in the praxis of this priest's vocation, which had long ago been shaped by Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium.
Of course not but to say that they're the only thing we have to offer denies a lot the Church says we can know about God.
St. Thomas Aquinas had 5 proofs for God's existence that were purely philosophical. They don't give you a complete picture but they give you a description of the kind of being that God is. Edward Feser, a Catholic philosopher recently came out with a book similarly called "5 Proofs for God's Existence" (it's related to Aquinas' but not the same as his 5). The Church's classic tradition has a number of philosophers that speak to God's nature on solely philosophical grounds. I recommend Ed Feser his material is relatively approachable and easy to understand.
Since I heard about Nicholas Black Elk's work as a catechist, I've been asking him to help me in my OCIA ministry. One of the things that strikes me is how he was able to communicate with his own people, even family members about the faith. This is difficult to do when they are resistant to hearing about Christ. So I ask him to help me, by his quiet and persistent example.
Thank you Bishop and I completely agree. The problem is that many catechists don't have the proper faith formation themselves, and know very little about Catechism or theology. I know catechists that don't even have CCC and never read it. It's just scary. The dioceses should organize some kind of retreats for catechists to instruct people and explain church teachings. Also some CCD books and resources are very poorly prepared, and talk about trivial stuff like recycling, seriously ? Currently I'm a catechist in 9th grade and we use Ascension Press 'Chosen' confirmation study and so far I think it's really awesome, and kids like it very much. Thank you for all your videos and God bless.
:) The word of God is "sharper than two edged sword". So the Bible then. :) However you still have to know the Catechism of CC. It is a summary of catholic church teachings and doctrine. It includes Apostolic Tradition, Scripture and the Magisterium. It is intended to assist those who are responsible for catechesis. So if you are a catechist in catholic church, you do NOT teach your own opinions, but you have to stick to the church doctrine. It was a nice question. Thank you !
Tim, not sure what's your point. There are 2 ways we can know about God: 1. Natural reason - our intellect and reasoning, 2. Revelation - what God has revealed of himself (fully in Christ). God's revelation is preserved in the Bible and Apostolic Tradition.
I'm currently 22. My catechesis was so laughably bad you would weep if you knew how flimsy it was. If it weren't for God reaching out and giving me religious experiences to jolt me into seeking out the intellect of the faith, I might have left it when I was a young teen.
I left the Church for a decade + - 43 right now. Same thing. Laughable. All I understood was Teddy Bear Jesus and it was such a joke.
Tom Laspisa KEEP SHARING THIS. Thanks brother .
Tom Laspisa
Sabbath blessings to you 💜
sciencetrumpsfaith faith is a leap of trust In that which cannot be fully comprehended. However this isn't to say that faith is not based in truth or understanding.
sciencetrumpsfaith your definition of faith is far too narrow and impractical. The simple fact of the matter is you and I are required to put our faith in a lot of things, science, politics, economics, religious matters, etc... faith should not be blind, it needs to be tested and tempered by reason, logic, for someone to arrive at the truth. I think your big hang up lies in whether or not something can be empirically observed/ understood, however that is insanely narrow in scope and will ultimately fail to show you any true truth due to our inherently flawed perception of reality.
I agree completely that our catechists MUST be passionate and well informed to be able to do their jobs effectively. I would also agree that playing music in Religious Education is mostly not necessary. I don’t think that means there’s no place for praise and worship music in our spiritual lives. Go to any Steubenville Conference or Life Teen event and you can see the use of these guitars and drums etc. in elevating the hearts and minds of these young people to God, lighting hearts on fire. Education is extremely important, but we must first begin by fostering a relationship between these young people and Jesus Christ. The mind will go where the heart wills it. “My heart is restless until it rests in thee.”
So glad you touched on this. I need direction
I can attest to the poor state of catechesis, atleast when I was growing up. I don't fault my teachers, but rather the material they were given. I was always told the general "God loves us. Be a good person. Let your light shine." and so forth, but I don't think I was ever introduced to the Church's great theological tradition as a kid. I don't think I was even exposed to Thomas Aquinas in all of my religious education classes (or even in my intro to philosophy core class in college for that matter). Indeed, my first exposure to Thomas Aquinas came from Bishop Barron just a few years ago.
They are leaving "the faith" because they see it for what it truly is. Walked out of "that faith" at the age of 25 and never regretted it for a moment. No force human or otherwise could ever force me back into it.
100% agree with the idea we need an army of catechists. What is your plan to train them? What materials do they use? Have you thought of a certification programs like they do in IT professions? The IRS actually requires tax volunteers to pass a training course each year to do taxes. There is body of knowledge Catholics should know and it would be very applicable. You could even do it to grade levels.
A M I agree, I pray the USCCB prioritizes this in all the dioceses.
I have been impressed with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for the small children. Wish I'd had it as a child myself.
Bishop Barron I agree to a very large extent that there are many, both young and old alike I would say, who have a lot of questions that NEED to be answered in at least a satisfactory way (for them). And yes, there is absolutely an intellectual element to that, for sure. In fact, I was precisely one of those people (and to some degree, still am) who just unleashed question after question .. after question .. and there'd always be a new one after each stone was overturned. At some point, all the catechists and priests kinda gave up on me (I was really high maintenance and they just couldn't devote any more of their time and energy on me), so one of the priests finally just handed me a stack full of books and said, "read all these and, if you still have questions after that, then come see me". 😆
Well, I did read all those books (and more) and, although they did help a lot, I still had more questions ... by that time though, that priest had already moved on to another parish (probably as far away from me as he could get, God love him. 😄)
So I wrote to bishops, to the Pope, and never got any replies ... but I persevered anyway, both in my conversations with friends and family, and in prayer.
One day, my beautiful wife (who the world would see as a "simpleton", although I believe with all my heart that she is one of those soft-spoken, sweet, humble souls with the subtle -- almost hidden -- intellect of the Angels) had a nice, long one-on-one with me and helped me to realize that my questions would NEVER end and, at some point, I would have to make the (somewhat scary, if we're honest) leap from the head to the heart ... a leap of faith, where we finally let go of our need to BE God ('cause only He is all in all), and we just TRUST in Him ... let Him be who He is and we also let ourselves be who we are: human (as broken and in need of Him as we truly are) ...
That was a lesson in humility for me, and boy was it as painful as it was a blessing.
My beautiful, sweet, "simpleton" of a wife has patiently walked this entire journey with me, side by side ... and it's not over (she still puts up with my lurking questions to this very day, God bless her sweet soul) ... we press on, run the race, fight the good fight ... but we ARE His and we strive always for an ever-deeper relationship with Him. I pray that He will reveal Himself fully and completely to me, that I may fully and completely know Him and love Him, as He deserves to be loved.
My point is:
Yes, the intellect is indeed important and must be attended to (supporting catechesis, and also apologetics ... would be good to team up with some of our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations, BTW) ... BUT ... I think we all need to be sincere in our search for The Truth, we need to persevere and not accept defeat (both of which are a challenge for the newest generations, who live in a culture of instant gratification and convenience; thus the need for a cultural shift), and I think that, by God's own design, our search will only start to become truly fruitful when we take that leap of faith, let ourselves be naked without shame before our loving God and Father, and TRUST in Him FULLY AND COMPLETELY. That is when our relationship with Him REALLY starts, when we walk with Him and in His ways, and when this journey REALLY gets interesting.
And, for me, that was all made possible by God working through my beautiful, sweet, "simpleton" wife, who I also believe is a living (in this world) saint, akin to The Little Flower. All the intelligence in the world is nothing without Wisdom and Love to guide it.
Thank you for your patience (I realize this is an extremely lenghty post 😪), as well as for your wonderful work and loving guidance. Please pray for me, and I will pray for you.
May God bless and keep you always,
Yes, at some you do answer all their question and then people must make the leap of faith themselves. But we haven't even answered the most basic of their questions. In answering their questions can make what seems like a leap a little tiny hop. As it is, we ask them to jump the Grand Canyon and wonder why they fall into the Colorado River.
Thanks for sharing your journey. It speaks to the deeper truths, I think.
Even Saint Thomas Aquinas, at the end of his earthly journey, is said to have said, regarding his writings "so much straw" or to that effect.
I'm not trying to disparage the importance of knowledge. But knowing God, as directly as possible, should never take a back seat to anything.
Francis Theophilus - Some of us do not have the rather mysterious "knowing" God available to us.
A M perhaps. Or perhaps it is merely because they do not cultivate the relationship. Jesus set the example by going off to pray. I think many of us, myself included, miss that. But the saints show that those who seek Him until they find Him find the power to live extraordinary lives.
Catechesis is horrible today. I had to catechize myself and I make it my business to do so properly for my kids, starting with explaining why it's rational to believe in God in the first place and why the Creationist/Atheist debates are a ridiculous distraction.
Sorry for a later response to this, but I have been ruminating on it a bit as a first-year catechist myself. While I generally agree, I think there are some specific points where direction from the Bishops could be helpful; what do we do when we have more volunteer catechists than needed and what should be the role of priests in religious education? To the first point, you talk about a need for "an army" of catechists. I would be curious if you had thoughts on how to do this when a classroom really doesn't accommodate more than two teachers. I personally waited for two years for a spot to become available for me to assistant teach as a volunteer. Could I have served in another capacity, or perhaps taken a test for qualifications rather than a first-come-first-serve volunteer pool? You also speak of a need for intelligent catechists. It would seem to me that the most qualified teachers are the guys we send off to school for six years after college to learn the Faith. However, in most parishes their role in RE, RCIA, etc. is supervisory or administrative...and homilies don't provide a good forum for in depth formation. Is there any direction from the USCCB on how to better use that resource in the teaching character of the priesthood?
I just discovered your channel and love your comments on films, could you please do one on the movie THE SHACK.
Aurelio Bandera he did a video on it, a few years agom
I know for a fact that a lot of atheists started down the road into the atheist way of life because they had youth ministers who didn't know anything about what they were supposed to be teaching; namely the bible, jesus, and the catholic church. These youth ministers instead of teaching them what they wanted to learn would bring in a vcr and a movie or a music cd that they would then play instead of answering the questions that these kids had for them. It didn't take too long for these untrained and uneducated youth ministers to lose these kids and now they are adults who have completely lost their faith in god. Sad. I will pray for Nicholas Black Elk and his beatification and canonization. God Bless Y'all!
As someone who is taking confirmation classes now, I️ must agree with this video.
Awesome Video
Can anyone recommend a good starter's to intermediate's guide to this intellectual catechism? Preferably a book you can download online or a video packed with substantial info. I think my guys and myself need it. If ever we were to launch a catechism gig sometime later this year, it better be of a higher caliber.
Still looking for stuff?
@@faithwisdom788 Any stuff is useful. Someone had sent me a PDF of the Trent Catechism lately. A lot has happened since I posted this 2 years ago but learning hasn't stopped.
@@ramirreyes6414 you on instagram? We can chat back and forth there in DM if that's okay. I can share learning resources
@@faithwisdom788 Thanks but I don't have Instragram.
Woah! Two cameras! Congrats in the bigger budget, Bishop!
That's about the most important question in front of the church. It's important to keep the children within the faith in spite of the education that contradicts theological concepts.
In the church I belong to, there is a need of catechists and also there should be curses for catechists keep learning and also to learn technics to keep kids interested in keep learning about how and our church
Your Excellency, The Holy Father recently proposed changing the standard English translation of the Pater Noster. Can you make a video on this? The phrase "ne nos inducas" which is the Vulgate translation, to me at least, does not support the Pope's position. Can you or someone in the comments perhaps enlighten me a bit more on the topic because I do not speak Greek. But I'd love to see a video in this topic.
Samuel Quinones "ne nos inducas in tentationem" sounds just fine to my Calvinistic ears :-D
"Neihardt [an ethnographer] asked why Black Elk had "put aside" his old religion. According to [Neihardt's daughter] Hilda, Black Elk replied, "My children had to live in this world." In her 1995 memoir, Hilda Neihardt wrote that just before his death, Black Elk took his pipe and told his daughter Lucy Looks Twice, "The only thing I really believe is the pipe religion." (Source: Black Elk & Flaming Rainbow: Personal Memories of the Lakota Holy Man and John Neihardt, pg. 119 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk )
If Black Elk's decision was merely strategic and political, for the purpose of ensuring an easier life for his children, then surely it would undermine the cause for his eventual canonisation. Though this doesn't undermine the message of this video, it does remind us to be on-guard against those who would place temporal matters above integrity.
"The only thing I really believe is the pipe [Lakota] religion." makes it appear plausible. I don't know much, either, only what is present on the Wikipedia article (which appears reliably sourced). My comment is one of inquiry as much as it is one of warning.
Ah, I see - I was little worried Black Elk was bit too handy of PC character when I watched the video. It turns he might have been.
tim spangler Brother Tim, must you always grind that axe?
Signs and wonders ought rightly be welcomed as proofs of the faith. Yet even above these, genuine love. Peace, brother.
tim spangler Merry Christmas, Tim. Peace.
In a The Word Among Us article it indicated that Black Elk renounced his "Shamanism" as of the devil...he did not elevate it to a form of grace as Bishop Barron indicates. (How do you elevate by grace something that is, in and of itself, evil?) In any case, that is what the article I read said. Your observations here put a different spin on it and certainly should be looked at before considering him for canonization.
Question #2 for Catholic Catechists: Suppose I make an appointment to discuss the issues from "Question #1 for Catholic Catechists"...should I go to the parish where my friend invited me to attend that class (which is ~40 minutes away), or should I go to the parish that is only a 5 minute drive from my home?
I teach classes for people joining the Catholic Church, and in my experience the practicalities of the more convenient commute to the neighborhood parish almost always win out. (And parishes are essentially geographic anyway.) I would start close to home and only look for something further afield if you can't get the help you need.
letterblock thank you for some very thoughtful replies, BTW, especially in the baptism thread :-)
Well said Bishop Barron!Want me to do a "project " on it?
I want to become a Cathechist. I just don't know how to get involved.
roger this is the time (July) when Parishes open their registration for Catechism, since the school year starts soon and asks for volunteers to teach. Read the bulletin from your Parish or call your Parish rectory. I also want to be a Catechist.
I’m so glad I saw this video...like for a while I had kind of left the faith and then in a world Religions class I heard about “Black Elk Speaks” And Black Elk and remember thinking... If only Catholicism had such respect for nature.... but the more I study The Bible and Catholic Doctrine.... it seems that we Catholics really do respect nature and our understanding of it does bring us closer to God. Unless perhaps I am misunderstanding something?
This video perfectly describes my experience with catholic education throughout elementary and high school in Canada. It was pointless. There was no need to study, because you knew all the answers on all of the tests would be "Jesus/love/God/etc......."
Question #1 for Catholic Catechists: a month or two ago, a Catholic friend found out I'd developed an interest in the Catholic Church after studying the Reformation. So he invited me to a class at his parish (it involved Church History--I'm not sure if it's the Catechist type of ministry in this video, but they were really nice, and actually gave me a Catechism, so I should probably go back and pay them something). In the class, I had to fill out a brief survey, and one of the questions was whether I'd ever been baptized. And I'd be interested to hear some Catholics' opinions on whether or not I have been. My "baptismal history" is basically this:
--2008, I, an "agnostic" at the time (grew up on Carl Sagan & Bertrand Russell), married a devout Christian woman.
--I admired her faith, so I attended church with her (UMC).
--~2014 the pastor interviewed candidates for baptism.
--I'd mentioned a situation from military training where I got "immersed" by our lay leader (a Pentecostal seminary drop out). There was no "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost", and I wasn't a Christian at all at the time (I mostly just wanted to cheer up our lay leader).
--our UMC pastor said that, essentially, since I'd already "gotten wet for vaguely Christian purposes" (she didn't actually say that, I'm just paraphrasing what I remember), she would give me something called a "Baptism remembrance".
--when I later found out that, by UMC doctrine, "Baptism remembrance can IN NO WAY be interpreted as a baptism", I remember feeling totally dejected (crushed, rejected, etc).
--so I asked my wife-a member in good standing with the church & a former missionary-to baptize me. And...well...she basically "baptized" me in the bathtub. I was still agnostic, not a true Christian, for sure, but I was hoping maybe being baptized would somehow "give me faith". Oddly enough, shortly thereafter is when I read the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time & became a believer (long, long, long story there).
QUESTION: was that "bathtub baptism" some kind of heresy that will prevent me from ever being "properly baptized"? Or was it valid? I was kinda embarrassed about it, so I think I just put "1/2" in both the yes and no boxes in the survey, without going into detail...
No, you are not baptize. The baptism should and has to be done by a pastor -if you are a protestant/evangelical- or by a priest if you are catholic. You are baptize ONLY if the pastor/priest baptized you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And also you have to have a desire to become a child of God through Jesus and baptism. I will suggest you to talk to a good priest and to have more clarity regarding your situation . God bless you:)
In some situations, there may be doubts whether a person’s baptism was valid. All baptisms are assumed valid, regardless of denomination, unless after serious investigation there is reason to doubt that the candidate was baptized with water and the Trinitarian formula (". . . in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"), or that the minister or recipient of baptism did not intend it to be an actual baptism.
If there are doubts about the validity of a person’s baptism (or whether the person was baptized at all), then the candidate will be given a conditional baptism (one with the form ". . . if you are not already baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit").
www.catholic.com/tract/how-to-become-a-catholic THIS ARTICLE TALKS MORE ABOUT BAPTISM .
is there a standard "protocol" for going to a priest and asking about this? do I kneel down and say, "good morning Father, I'm here to ask you a few questions..."?
Any baptised Christian can baptise in the name of the Trinity, though confirmation is another matter.
So true. it pains me when I hear people express the notions that faith is blind and even anti-intellectual.
Your Eminence, I just spent time this morning with the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima as She makes Her final stop here in the US. As I know we are called to bring our sorrows to the Blessed Mother, I did so without reservation- I asked Her to bring my daughter closer to Her, to let her know it's okay to trust again. She was so hurt by our diocesan educational system for not fitting into a neat little box, and our efforts to provide her with good catechesis were fruitless, despite the well-intentioned but ultimately flaccid efforts of the Church volunteers. She left the Church for good on her 18th birthday, four years ago.
I feel I must do something along the lines of your exhortations and the efforts of Black Elk but I am no lettered theologian, as her late grandfather (a former priest) was, and he left us too soon to be able to counteract all the wrongs and insults she suffered as a wise-beyond-her-years 5 year-old in a parochial kindergarten. If I were to volunteer for CCE service, what is the best source material, auxiliary to the Catechism, for me to answer the hard intellectual challenges with which young people struggle?
Tom Broughton Mary is in the grave, she cannot intercede with God.
Going straight to heaven or hell when we die is a false doctrine.
GOD IS TRUTH - So, ulitimately, you believe that death is absolutely the end and it has triumphed over life.
tim spangler - Mary can have any power God gives her, Mr. "I'm totally in Heaven!"
Tom Broughton
Do we go straight to heaven or hell when we die?
Let's see what the bible teaches concerning the state of the dead.
When a man dies, where does he go?
KJV Job 21
32 Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb.
The wicked are reserved there until they will be brought to what?
KJV Job 21
30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
KJV Job 14
12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
Job said he would wait in the grave until what came?
KJV Job 14
13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
KJV 1 Corinthians 15
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
At what event will they that are Christ's be made alive?
KJV 1 Corinthians 15
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Has David already gone to heaven?
KJV Acts 2
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Where is David now?
KJV Acts 2
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
What has become of him?
KJV Acts 13
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
How will God awaken the dead?
KJV 1 Thessalonians 4
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Until then, where do the dead wait?
KJV Job 17
13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
Where did Jesus say the dead are?
KJV John 5
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
What words did Jesus use to say His friend was dead?
KJV John 11
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
How did David refer to his death?
KJV Psalms 13
3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
What words did Paul use to say that some of those who saw Jesus were now dead?
KJV 1 Corinthians 15
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
When Jesus awoke from death, how did He say that He had not yet been to Heaven?
KJV John 20
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
A M Continued......
How much does a dead man know?
KJV Ecclesiastes 9
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
What happen to his feelings and emotions?
KJV Ecclesiastes 9
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
What happens to all his thoughts?
KJV Psalms 146
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
What can we do while we are alive?
KJV Psalms 146
2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Can dead people praise the LORD?
KJV Psalms 115
17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Can the dead thank God or even remember Him?
KJV Psalms 6
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Why will many people perish?
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
If we haven't learned to love the truth while we are alive, can we learn it in the grave?
KJV Isaiah 38
18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
Why is it so important to use the short time we have?
KJV Ecclesiastes 9
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
In the light of God's word, I understand the dead are unconscious in the grave,
awating their resurrection of life or the resurrection of damnation.
How is the USCCB going to actually respond to the the crisis of poor catechesis? Do volunteer catechists need to be screened for "being on fire and being smart"? Should catechists be professionalized? How can tools like textbooks, workbooks, and videos be improved? Right now, there is no deep discussion on the Holy Trinity, Mariology, Purgatory, Eschatology, and so on -- they are just spoon-fed without much logic. We need to go the sources, as prescribed in Dei Verbum (promulgated under Vatican II). There's a lack of use of the Bible built-into the CCD programs, let alone the exegetical and hermeneutical lenses to interpret its passages. We should use the CCC, dogmatic Constitutions, papal encyclicals/exhortations, and Patristic writings. As Bishop Barron says, content often consists merely of "bromides on God's love". The ontology of love needs to be taught, and that means you can't escape teaching the Mystery and life of the Holy Trinity. As for relevance, there are websites you can go to use as teaching aids: w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html, biblegateway.com, catholic.com, wordonfire.org . The CCD programs, as they are designed now, aren't even close to where they need to be in order to be able to turn the tide. Prayer is good, but the Church needs to turn the resulting grace received from prayer into action.
Jay Kay - I'm in complete agreement and one of the many reasons we don't give to Bishop's funds is the absolute refusal to their basic job description. The Baltimore Catchecism was developed before the USCCB even existed. It should be easier, not harder to develop standardized education materials and testing.
Baltimore Catechism is great, because it was tailored for young catechumens. We have a deep problem: At all levels, whether at the Vatican, USCCB, archdiocese, or the parish, there is fear and unwillingness to teach the Truth in full. The dilution is so bad that the materials sometimes state things that are just inaccurate to try to "be relevant" (i.e. pander) or to dumb them down (condescendingly thinking the catechumens are not smart enough). I also don't fund anything that is asked by the archdiocese; the current bishop in my archdiocese comes from another that he left bankrupt. The Church sex-abuse scandal isn't done yet; contributions to the archdiocese will go right to lawyers, insurance companies, and only some to the actual victims. And for the moment, I have rellocated a good chunk of my limited charitable contributions away from the parish level and into religious orders, specific individuals in need, and some secular-based causes.
I agree. All dioceses should offer a mandatory training for Catechists. I know priests do so much already for their parishes but they should instruct the catechists, make sure they know what the Priest expects, etc and then during the school year hold quarterly “check-in” meetings with the catechists to see how they are doing, etc. At parishes usually its a volunteer overseeing the entire catechism program let alone the non-English speaking parishioners don’t have a Catechism coordinator. Also, the Church should emphasize apologetics in Catechism. This should be something all Catholics should learn so that we can properly defend the faith!
We don't need Black Elk, as much as he had an interesting and Holy life. We need a Bishop with a gift for explanation to lean on the sacred gifts of fortitude and team up with others have also been successful. You don't have to have all the answers, which is why people work in teams. But you're a position to do more than just pray that we'll get an army of Black Elks. Please pray for guidance on what actions to take. This is your chance for sainthood and to walk with the likes of Peter and Paul.
This potential catechist foot solider volunteered one day with my parish high school youth formation. They had small group discussions, but they were joke. I brought CS Lewis, the Baltimore Catechism, and Catholicism for Dummies in a backpack. They made my small group do skits (these are 16 year olds+ mind you). I quit out of fear we were losing souls. Youth formation is joke, at least if my parish experience holds. What about people like me who absolutely want to do the approach you want? We don't fit in as volunteers. How do you use people like me?
The problem of evil is a lame excuse, how would they even know what evil is if there's no God to tell them what evil is? They can't know evil, if they don't know good, what is good, if evil is a problem wouldn't that make good a problem?
Amen!
4:14 Being a Youth Ministry Director myself for the past three years and a high school/middle school catechist for 7 years before that, I assure you I was never introduced and lead to classes to become a better catechist. I was encouraged to one year but I did not know how to go about it. The fact that I have so many catechists now is amazing, but my first two years as a Youth Minister were horrible, catechist-wise. Not everyone has the time and money for a Masters in Theology. It's not easy getting to classes offered by the Diocese of San Diego either. Our parish has gone through different catechists every year and different Youth Ministers every three years for the past 15 years. So to have the catechists go through some training for 5 years just to become knowledgeable is a ridiculous idea. Incredibly frustrating.
I thank God for your ministry. Everything we do to bring our young people closer to the Lord is a contribution towards building the kingdom of God. I am not sure if you got the gist of Bishop Barron's message. I did not hear nor think of him as saying that all catechists must have a masters or formal training in theology. While that can be a great help, his greater point was that catechists should pay attention to the questions (especially intellectual ones) young people have. Catechesis that response to the burning questions of our times does tremendous good for the faith. Every faithful catechist is to be encouraged and assisted.
Black Elk gave up his Shamanism. He did not bring it to some higher level as Bishop Barron says. He recognized that it was from the devil and renounced it. How do I know this? The Word Among Us very recently had an article about Black Elk that makes it very clear that he renounced everything to do with being a "medicine man."
Totally agree, your grace. However, shouldn't every priest see themselves as catechists too? Unfortunately, I have never seen any priest personally involve themselves in the work catechesis. (Homilies don't count, Fathers) They don't go into classrooms where noisy, restless children or teenagers may not give them attention - but that's where the battle is.
How does one become a catechist?
Bishop you are a fab catechicist you have been so huge in my faith life! Rock on!!!!
Another thing is Identity. It's one thing to be an atomized hedonist who does whatever he wants, until he's dissatisfied with it, it's another thing to be a part of something large, something ancient, something worth respecting- you just don't get that with the Novus Ordo Missae, and its campfire songs.
This might come under the heading "misery loves company" as my late parents used to say. The state of instruction in the faith in some (not all and not everywhere) mainline churches is even worse than yours in the RC Ch. As you are a wealthy church with far more resources and members, RC don't have many excuses. The hollowing out of Christianity in which theology no longer holds your attention marches on, with so many going to these evangelical places where it is all surface feeling {ME and Jesus, and give my life over etc., etc., and a twangy praise band}.
Mr. Spangler, I think it inappropriate for two non-RC to use the channel of an RC bishop to have such discussion. I respect his bandwidth if that's what it's called. I fully concede the term evangelical is very broad and my charge doesn't apply everywhere. Some preachers are deep and do educate and encourage congregants to read widely, even non-scriptural works beyond the usual self-improvement genre. But there are places pitched to the young where it is the quality of the twangy bands and pop style singing which rule the day, and where the preaching has no intellectual depth at all. Here ends the reading as they say in my tradition.
Please speak on death Bishop.
Amen
good music is a key better more alive masses more gospel songs hebrew study is how you do it, i spent years in a cult church that every one hates good music is what i love bout black catholics
We need to rebuild an institutional catechetical program at the high school level. Very few students attend Catholic high schools, resulting in their last religion class, such as it was, having occurred in the 8th grade. One can call for great catechists until the sun sets. If they have nowhere to teach, today's young people will never be introduced to the intellectual infrastructure of their faith. Their faith will rest on sand and will wash away when the secular tidal wave hits in high school and college.
Most diocese have regular classes for diaconate formation so why not let catechists join them. Either they can pay for it out-of-pocket or their parish can pay for it.
sshealy1 yea we should be able to sit in the RCIA classes- those classes are taught by Priests
My dad was Lakota and Sauk, win! (And white, never said full blooded, I'm Iyeska, which is my understanding that that means one who talks white, which is unfair, because my mother does still use some Indian, although not Lakota, because she is not Lakota.)
I think it is sad that people say black elk was not catholic. Does that make him a liar, easily bribed or stupid? He knew what he wanted. He was an adult. He was a smart man. He could read the Bible and memorized it.
I think we need religious education to the dying, and extend our religion to the ones that are lost and not part of our religion.
"Grace Builds on Nature" is a Pelagian heresy I thought? Grace perfects nature, for we are not given Grace as a starter pack.
Notification Squad, where you at? 😎
Right here!
Question #3 (third, final, and perhaps most important) for Catholic Catechists: Speaking purely hypothetically, if a fella studies the Reformation and comes to the conclusion that it shouldn't have ever happened, and that the Catholic church is the church Jesus built, does that mean the fella has essentially removed himself from the category of "invincible ignorance", and will incur upon himself a harsher degree of judgement if he can't figure out how to convert to Catholicism, and how to convince his wife, who, hypothetically, is a "cradle protestant" who has been taught many bad things about the Catholic church, and in subtle ways that are hard to "unteach", to convert as well?
Tim Spangler...I would agree that Romans 1 describes how natural man suppresses instinctive knowledge of God. However, from a "practical perspective", it is very unlikely that someone living under the Taliban would have a "good chance" of coming to Christ. And, yes, conversion to Christianity involves the work of the omnipotent Holy Spirit, and can in no way be reduced to demographics/statistics, and so anything is possible. Nonetheless, if the Church has come to the conclusion that certain folks *might* be in situations that allow for "special mercies", then who am I to argue with them?
tim spangler....Question the Church's teachings? ABSOLUTELY....Search the Scriptures to see if what they're saying is true? ABSOLUTELY ...Prayerfully try to understand what the Scriptures teach? ABSOLUTELY...Inevitably come to some of my own beliefs on some important matters? ABSOLUTELY...Publicly rise above all the heavily trained theologians and the entire Church hierarchy ordained by Jesus, Himself, and publicly reject Church teachings? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
tim spangler it means I'm not a professional theologian, and therefore, I wouldn't want to publicly gainsay conclusions of folks in the church with much more experience, wisdom, etc, than me.
My direct personal experience doesn't include anyone who became Catholic against the wishes or convictions of a spouse with whom they still live. I do believe that at least a couple of well-known Catholic teachers who were previously Protestants went through that, though. E.g., Scott Hahn and his wife Kimberly. Their book Rome Sweet Home talks about it.
I think it's clear that this fella is long past the point of invincible ignorance. But perhaps it would be helpful to consider the situation in terms of discipleship--following, loving, and trying to become like the master--instead of or in addition to fear of judgment.
letterblock as I see things, the following are pretty much foregone conclusions:
1. The Reformers, though they had varying degrees of good intentions & good ideas, were nonetheless wrong to break from Rome.
2. The fullness of the faith resides in Rome.
3. It's technically "willful disobedience" to remain non-Catholic if a person understands 1 & 2.
4. The Mrs has been taught some very bad things about the Church that will require an utter miracle for me to "unteach"
5. But, nonetheless, if I fail to do so, then I fail as the "spiritual leader" of the home.
IMO, this is truly something of a pickle...a discipleship scenario that probably exceeds my abilities...
👌🏻
You do not understand what you are talking about bishop. Black elk played the game of going to church but he did not become what he was because of your man made faith. Black elk was not dualistic. He was born to be a holy man. And when I say holy... No honey... Not what you believe to know what is holy.
How about the teachings of Jesus Christ instead of secular humanism?
You have to let people study teillard de chardin
Hi, what about the traditional religion the Lakota have,? Religión is part of someones culture and It should not be exported. Regards
People need to hear the Kergyma! Not doctrine and dogma! Young and old need to hear that Christ died and rose for our sins and is at the right hand of God interceding for us! You don’t need degrees or training for that! You need to have experienced Christ! I don’t want to boost but the Neo Catechumenal has saved me and my family!
James O'Riordan - Some of us need a whole lot more than just believe, because! and always have. I'm fine with Pentecostal movements, but they don't appeal to all nor should they.
A M I am not involved with any Pentecostal movements!
saddest part of his story that he abandoned the truth of being one with g*d and took up the western 'g*d is another' bs
I agree intellectual teachers are the most attractive in the long run but too overlook the attractive nature of music and life in a service is unwise. One needs only too look at the success of protestant mega churches to see it does work. I would say the current Catholic church is simply boring and life less, thats why you are losing the youth. Conversely mega churches usually lack intellect and depth. Somewhere in the middle is the answer. The key as you noted with Black Elk is the ability to convey Bible stories to the common man. If that relationship with God through Christ is not displayed through emotion all your traditions are meaningless and you will continue to lose armies of the youth.
tim spangler nothing at all thats my point, the Catholic church needs more of it.
tim spangler - The problem is emotive worship tends to be not long lasting and a few humans out here think you look like irreverent teenagers. "Passionate" worship without the intellect is the cotton candy of the soul.
Mo Lassus - No, it doesn't. It needs you all who need party balloons to create their own orders and parishes and leave the rest of us in peace. Besides, the kids leave because noone in an age of technology has made an arguments for God, let alone Christ. Y'all look like a bunch of over emotional dopes wasting your time to them.
A M your answer is very sad to me. You choose to berate fellow Christians rather than have constructive dialog. That type of position has caused more to leave the faith than all other issues combined. Calling other brothers in Christ dopes is really in poor taste but also does not display any fruits of Christ. As a Christian I call upon you to take a softer approach that will glorify God and not insult his children. More can be won to the faith if we simply act like Christ. I pray whatever sin that has a grip on you will be released and you can share the joy of our Lord in peace with others.
The offhand swipe at the guitar and its players as empty and without mystical passion or theological gravity is unfortunate and increasingly ubiquitous. My experience in trying to help the liturgy and the church in every way I could began in the early seventies and continues to this day, and I've witnessed decades of people giving deeply of themselves and sharing their gifts - on a foundation of love, compassion, and reaching out far beyond their own comfort zones. We all have roles, and being human, we all have a tendency to roll our eyes at the other guy. I find it unfortunate to find it here.
Speaking as a non-believer fascinated by the Catholic Church, especially the traditional music it inspired, such as Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and the great classical works, I can tell you that I am completely turned off by sing-songy pop music. Regardless of lyrical content, it's hokey, tactless, commercialized rubbish. To the extent that Catholic liturgy is filled with it, to that extent am I pulled away from the Church.
He also wasn't taking a swipe at the guitar per se, as I'm sure he'd have no problem with guitar transcriptions of Bach being performed, for example. I play guitar in an extreme metal band, but would I ever dream of thinking such music should be played in a setting such as the Catholic Mass? Of course not (though I realize the stereotypical metalhead would have no such compunction). And the same ought to be felt about playing sentimental, mushy pop music in such a setting.
When properly used, guitar music can be quite beautiful and reverent, especially when used in conjunction with a full choir and piano. It's when that guitar is coupled with a full rock band complete with an electric drum kit that I start to take issue. I like to refer to this as the 5:30 Sunday afternoon playlist.
I think you're missing Bishop Barron's whole point there: the thing that teens are impressed by is a on-fire faith, and knowledge of the faith. We can play them beautiful music - with or without guitars - but they aren't going to take anything away from that.
What's the role of guitar playing in catechesis?
Yeah, sorry Tom. I have to agree with the other replies. When I converted to the faith (about 20 y/o at the time) I was required to attend RCIA. On the first day the instructor pulled out her guitar and played some kumbaya piece. I did not return but did find Opus Dei, which provided fantastic instruction/catechesis. The Church's beauty can certainly be found in its sacred music and I believe the guitar can contribute, but I fear that time for instruction and deep rational thinking has been replaced by bad saccharine music.
Catholic need to try new ways to get the young to believe. The days when they could be threatened with the pit of fire are gone.
David#323 - We don't even whisper about Hell. Bishop Barron pushes to the edge of heresy by suggesting it's ok hope that Hell is empty. The pews are emptying much faster anyway. Kids are done. The reality of Hell is a critical concept in Christianity and without it, in the long run, there's no meaning to the Good News. We can avoid fire and brimstone.CS Does a great job with Hell in The Great Divorce. But avoiding the whole topic appears to have left generations in great peril of souls so heavy and dirty, they will tumble in a little too easily.
I think you misread me. God don't exist. Heaven don't exist and hell don't exist
Tim... It makes the hell story look silly the way the Catholic leaders keep changing the rules as to who goes there. When I was a kid, protestants, atheists and homosexuals went to hell. So they changed the rules because it made the Catholics look like arrogant arseholes. Also there is a good market among gay people as they buy a lot of the God and Jesus products.
I call bullshit