The closing reflection as a text: If I was younger I would probably have music playing while I did all this work. Singing along. However I don't listen to much music anymore. I still have opinions. For example: 80s Bob Dylan is not peak Bob Dylan. I never owned the 22nd studio Album “Infidels” of the singing poet. And in fact without a talk I recently heard by bishop Barron I would have not been aware of a line in the song “Jokerman”, that is as brilliant as it is true: “Freedom just around the corner for you. But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?” Freedom and Truth. Now there is a pair. How do they relate? This in fact is a very old query - and at the height of the middle ages it became a very pertinent one. At least since Plato's dialogue called Euthyphro philosophy has a written record of the following question: is something good because God wills it? Or does God will it because it is good. This is sometimes called a dilemma, since, for those believing in a God neither option appears attractive. If God determines the goodness of something, then it really is arbitrary. If however God willed it because it is good, then there would seem to be a standard beyond God that even HE has to submit to. Such a standard would thus be greater than God. To be fair, it is really only a dilemma for the Greek Gods, powerful beings who spend their eternal days plotting and interfering with the capture of cities like Troy. It is not a dilemma for the very different kind of being that is the monotheistic God of Judaism and Christianity. For “that” God unlike a Greek god is not “a” being at all, but “being” itself. And according to the most eminent school of thought in the Catholic Tradition, the good and the true are convertible with being. They are fundamentally the same as being - but as related to our faculties of reason and will. The good, then, is simply “being” as it relates to the will. It is being under the aspect of its desirableness. And thus we can glimpse how there is no dilemma. Something is not good because God wills it. Neither is the Good some standard outside God, that He was measured by. God, who is the fullness of being, simply wills his own goodness - the goodness that he IS. He himself is the highest good - the summum bonum. There isn't anything he could will beside himself as if there was something more desirable. He wills himself and what corresponds to his being. That is how the dilemma dissolves. But this proposal was not the only one. In fact a little after St. Thomas Aquinas had expressed this synthesis of catholic thought, another current arose. Its theologians felt - however unreasonably under the view we have just described - that God's omnipotence should not be constrained even by his own nature, by his being and goodness. They thought it placed an undue limit on God's power. So they simply affirmed the first part of the dilemma: Something is good because God wills it. This means, that if God had wanted, he could have made murder a good deed and made the fireman who rescues the lives of others a villain. Rape he could have prescribed as a path to holiness and theft as a virtue. He didn't, but he could have. This current of thought is called Voluntarism. It gives primacy to the will; primacy to power. Not the nature of a thing, its being, goodness and truth determine reality but the sheer act of a will. It is, I would contend, a very problematic view in theology. In fact, from the beginning, it infected much of mainstream Islam, for example. But it did not stay in theology. It became the way we view the world. It shapes our current culture and discussions. Our society values freedom. We underline the importance of the will. Which is all great. But we have divorced it from how the world really is; from what really is: from being, truth, goodness, from the nature of things as they are. We have declared our freedom sovereign. I decide not only between cheeseburgers and carrots, but I decide which is good for me. I decide what is true. I can weigh 400 pounds and declare myself healthy. Those who object are fat shaming bigots. I decide what I am. Anyone who rejects my choice is attacking my freedom. Freedom in this view, is about self-creation, self-invention. I create “my” truth. I create “my” reality. For example: While demand for litter boxes in schools for those children who identify as cats may be hyperbole exaggeration turned into a hoax, subcultures do indeed exist where people to varying degrees identify as animals. While for most “being a furry” is a form of character cosplaying - more than a third according to data from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project really identify as partly non-human - which they would claim as “their” truth, “their” reality. Gender, lived experiences, mental illness, race and even science have to pay homage to subjective self-invention. 2 + 2 is not 4. It may be 5 for some people. In fact it may be racist to claim that it could only be 4. I am what I want to be. I'm autonomous - which in Greek means: I myself am the measure and law. This strong cultural current - even where it does not go into the extremes - is in stark contrast with the received wisdom that grounds itself in an objective reality. It is a reality that does indeed exist and that is accessible. It is not a product of our creation. The rocks are real. Reality, if anything, is something we merely discover. It is given. It is in the nature of things as they are or as they came to be. It is not subject to my will. And here we see the difference this conception makes to freedom. Freedom in this classic view is not a radical choice to determine reality, but a consequence of accepting and conforming to reality. This phrase alone, makes some people rebel. But a good example for this view would be the mastery of an art or a craft. Most crafts are perfected by practice. The practitioner submits the way the tools work, to the nature of the materials he works with, he may observe a master of the art. A master carver will treat linden wood differently from spruce, simply because their wood has not the same properties. It is a given reality. The more skill and knowledge one has, the more one will be able to express one's creativity in the work. One's freedom to create will increase with mastery - mastery being precisely a fruit of the submission to the reality of things and to knowledge. Freedom is rooted in skill not will. Or think of language. The better I know, submit to and cultivate in me the rules of a foreign language, the free-er I will be in expressing myself in that language. I'll be able to manifest and communicate my thoughts only to the degree I respect and submit to the concrete reality of that language as it has developed and is spoken by people. Of course I could demand that people respect my freedom of self-invention. I can just make up my own sounds and then be angry that people simply don't get me. Those Bigots! These are the two kinds of freedom - as there are two conceptions of God. One rooted in the truth of reality - the one Bob Dylan sang about - and one rooted in the power of the will. The one lets us share insights and expressions because we fundamentally inhabit the same knowable universe. The other pits us against each other in an eternal struggle - each will - or group of wills if they align - seeking to assert itself over others.
one word is all it takes to describe this... WOW! that is sooo deep and yet so accurate! it was like a breath of fresh air hearing some of my thoughts (not exact versions but very near!) put into words that i have never known how to communicate! 🎉🎉 the thought, the wording, all so deep and so well put! im so glad martjin sent me here! 😊 its like sunshine after a very dark period... thats a good description 😁
Exactly... Thank you for sharing this. The words you just shared are much needed right now. I pray that God will send them out to the world. I will do my best to help share them also. God Bless, Johannes
I just cannot comprehend the sheer quixotic chance of two men, seemingly unconnected, setting up home on the top of the same mountain, one either side. Both articulate, artistic, soulful men. Creators in their own right, both with fantastic goals set for themselves, both gradually building an amazing creation each, so similar but so different. And I'm here, witnessing this happening...words fail me...I am humbled. I've never seen anything or anyone like these two men. I am proud to be part of your audience, your following. You and Martijn are simply amazing. Thank you both for sharing your lives with us.
That is so beautifully said and what many of us are doubtless either consciously or unconsciously thinking. This is so, so very special and I am grateful to be an observer/ I hope it will help guide me to a better life path as a consequence.
Yes, I am an ardent watcher of Martijn’s magnificent channel. I’m so happy that he introduced us to you, and am thoroughly enjoying your own unique style of storytelling, cinematography and the sharing of your spirituality, Johannes! I am adding it to my most joyful and enriching Sunday You Tube joy! Thank you! ⭐️🙏⭐️
I found you because of Kirsten's documentary quite awhile ago. Martjin has simply been holding your place. Thank you and please continue... it is needed. God is good and He doesn't change. God be with us. ~a Catholic in Connecticut
Hello, from Arizona. I also came to you from Martijn’s suggestion. I am an older woman, not at all a religious person, but I love philosophy. I was a Botanical Illustrator and appreciate how beautifully you have designed the alter. I built a homestead on five acres during the late 1990. Watching you reminds me how I loved manual tasks. I enjoy seeing the nature in your videos. The slow quite times are nice and calm, but I also enjoy the thought provoking parts as well. Thank you.
“Life is serious… and that’s why is so important to laugh at yourself”… a most certain truth. Thank you Fr. Johannes… I am a priest-fan of yours… Blessings in the new year!
Johannes, I’m sure this comment will be buried and I’m sure others have sounded similar sentiment. I truly appreciate your artistic vision of the series and I understand what an undertaking this series was to create. I would be grateful for continued content, while understandably abbreviated, where you provide your reflective thoughts. I find your perspective to be engaging and thought provoking. The introspective and unique thoughts allow me to be more thoughtful and introspective myself. Again, I truly understand if a continuation is not possible, but it would be most welcomed. Thank You. God bless you.
I think, for quite a few people, when Martijn goes off to have a break ( how could he do that !..haha) there's a little wobble of ' now what are we going to do for our calm Sunday hour!'. But then along comes Johannes, skipping between the huts. Hilarious! What are the chances of the two of you being perched on the same little hillside in Northern Italy, showing and telling a very similar story. As a few others have said, when Johannes appears in M's videos it is a little highlight and fun break from the solo. No doubt a lot of people came over to J's channel to fill the gap until the bearded Dutch guy come back :)...I bet many will stay and carry on watching and add Johannes' story to their library. Who knew TH-cam would be the place for such a completely new way of communicating with people everywhere. Strength to your elbow Johannes..we look forward to joining your journey...and btw your cinematography is just perfect as well..great work.
Johannes thank you for your videos. I have always enjoyed the shared moments when you appear in Martijn’s videos. I find everything you do fascinating and am so grateful for your thoughts and inspiration. I feel that you fill a void I didn’t know existed and your channel is a perfect complement to Martijn’s.
“Freedom just around the corner for you. But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?” Until the truth meets me halfway, I shall garden. When I saw the pile of sticks, about all the same diameter and length, I thought ,"oh, those would be perfect for a wattle fence." Imagine my delight when the first drone shot of your slope! I said, "I think that is a wattle fence line below those trees!" and then the close-up!!! I nearly came up off the floor and cheered! Your use of God's bounty makes me smile and makes my heart sing. So very much of what we need to use, to know, and to grow is within our arm's reach. We just need to learn to look. Thanks you Johannes, again for a visually lovely video and a thought provoking verbal essay. May the earth's bounty feed your stomach, your heart and your soul. Happy New Year!!!
So funny, because I had those exact thoughts about the wattle fence--as well as rejoiced when I saw the shot with such a fence in it... LOL ;Great minds think alike'
I agree with the others who express their amazement that you and Martin ended up on the same mountain in Italy. God doesn't make mistakes does he? I thoroughly enjoy your philosophical and theological musings. Please continue.
Johannes, I have really enjoyed your videos and watched some older videos on this channel: you are incredibly artistic. Thank you for sharing your pursuits while Martijn is away. I hope you can continue to post when he returns from holiday, as I look forward to your videos as well.
I came from Martin's side of the mountain. I lived in Germany for 15 years, my daughter was born there. My German husband was Evangelic, and I had a Catholic upbringing in the USA. For this reason my daughter was never baptized. She was raised in Germany, speaks 5 languages, and currently is finishing her PhD in the Netherlands. I live in Texas, but I miss all the European ways, I lived in a farmhouse without heat in Leonberg-Hirshlanden. My husband at the time was a Mauer apprentice, and is a Mauer Meister owns his own construction company now. I enjoy your speaking English, it reminds me of him, and how funny the words seemed at the time. I speak German, but really don't have an opportunity to use it anymore. This summer, my daughter and I will embark on a Mother Daughter sojourn. I enjoy all the updates about the Chickens, how you build your stove, (We had a kachelofen in our farm house). Alas, he didn't want to move back to the states, which was a deal breaker for me. My daughter went back and forth between the cultures, and loves both worlds. I appreciate your making these films, and yes, laughter is good.
We are all searchers, all nations, all religions are like the fingers of one hand which stands for God. I for myself did travel a lot and never missed Europe much. Whatever - now I am over all this and live in seclusion - Bruder Klaus (Nikolaus of Flue) was an interesting eremit. Classical Music is a good compagnion but meditation first.
@@Del21399.9% of people that identity with a religion that religion is from their childhood early years. The formative years. I am not Christian but once I crashed my sailboat on some rocks and thought I was going to die and I prayed out loud to “Jesus” haha… he didn’t save me but some other boaters nearby helped.
I enjoy the quiet beauty of your work and films. The star of which is the beauty of God's creation...the mountains, the little lizards, the little flowers and butterflies and the fat fluffy birds who look on with some interest in whatever you're doing. So glad to know about you!😊
Когда Йоханес пилил дрова ручной пилой ,мне пришла мысль, почему ему не взять бензопилу или електропилу,так было бы быстрее. Подумав я понял главную мысль...ему не нужно быстрее,он никуда не спешит,ему не нужно успеть куда-то.Он спокоен ,счастлив и просто наслаждается жизнью,повседневными делами и заботами. Спасибо Йоханес,что помог мне замедлиться и посмотреть на свою жизнь как на гонку ,которая ведёт к смерти.Люди!!!Остановитесь и живите сегодня в добре и покое!
I have always enjoyed your appearances on Martijn's side of the hill, from time to time, and I am enjoying these videos as well. Neither of you will ever run out of stone for your building projects! Cheers
I never fully appreciated how steep your land is there and how far up the mountain you are.... makes your work and lifestyle are even more impressive....
Dear Father Johannes, Both your presentation and Martin's have a deep spiritual element. Yours of course is most obvious, it is who you are and how you live, and for Martin it is in his quietness, his focus, and for us his choice of musical accompaniment to his videos. It is an oddity of our times that two such individuals as yourselves are followed intensely by tens of thousands complete strangers on a weekly basis ( smile ). Your discussion upon the REAL nature of Freedom and Truth touched me. As an American I live in a socioeconomic non-culture built entirely around the concept of the personal freedom of the individual. Our founding fathers created this system in a historical reaction to the Parental-ism of both Religion and The State, in many ways your commentary about the nature of the reality being defined by what the individual "wants" or defines it to be, is a direct statement on the nature of the American Non-Culture that is permeating through the larger world. From my own meager considerations on this subject, I feel this issue is a deeper one than merely, the individual decrying what reality is. This process is based upon a deeply felt and yet unconscious assumption about who ( or what ) "the individual is". This current culture of the individual is merely an expression for the first time in history where this unconscious characteristic is able to freely and openly exist at scale ( for good or for bad ). The larger and more interesting question is this, is there something that is not based solely in a Belief-Methodology, something that is "Self-Verifiable", that exists as a direct recognition, and that is prior to, or greater than ( from a perceptual level ) raw unfettered expression of self directed individualism? Your life appears based upon such a belief, or upon such a direct-recognition. Thank you for sharing your considerations on this subject and sending you, and those you love my blessings for the New Year.
The references to pop music as well as watching you work on your property are what make you "real" and "relatable" as a priest. When I was growing up and being raised catholic, most priest weren't like this which made me and many others feel disenfranchised. The cinematography in this video was equally as beautiful as Martijn's. Thank you-
Father Johannes, thank you for taking the time to create this beautiful video. I gained great comfort & joy from its message. Wishing you many blessings in this new year.
Wonderful watching you Johannas . Please realize your value,talent and words are appreciated as much as anyone’s ! And it’s great that I and we all now have two locals in these mountains who have fascinating stories to tell ,amazing views to share and I look forward to every video . Asa firm believer in God and a Catholic ,I deeply appreciate your words as they combine with your visual and spiritual journey . They make the trip ,for me very meaningful ,so thank you and Martijn for throughly enjoyable videos ! God bless you both !
Besides very much enjoying listening to your very calming voice, I would like to thank you for being able to put into words concepts of ideas that I feel inside but would never find the words to explain and detangle in my mind. Concepts like freedom and truth. Listening to you feels like untangling a messy roll of yarn! As a fellow Austrian, my relationship with the Catholic Church is difficult, to say the least. I hope there are more priests like you, who are part of and relate to life in todays world and its challenges! Vielen Dank für Ihre wunderbaren Videos, ich denke ich bin nicht alleine in der Hoffnung, dass dieser Kanal weitergehen kann! Liebe Grüße aus Wien!
Strange as it may seem, once I have watched your videos...another day I enjoy simply listening to them while doing a crossword puzzle for instance. The sound of digging and of you sawing, moving rocks etc. You have a very calming voice. Many thanks . 🙏
Wow, Johannes. Just WOW . Thank you for making these videos and for sharing your life with us. The artistry is the highest level but the approach is even better
Loved this. We are so far away from each other but there are so many things the same. You are in the Italian Alps and me, in the Canadian Rockies. You are cutting and splitting firewood and we do the same. Some of your birds are the same as ours. Although miles away…..we are so very close. Thank you for sharing a piece of your life. 🇨🇦🌷
Dein Jahresfilmprojekt ist genial; ich liebe besonders deine ruhigen Schlussreflexionen. Du hast wirklich eine Gabe dafür und wohl genau die richtige Berufung gefunden :) Vielen Dank dafür, dass du uns daran teilhaben lässt. Dankbar und glücklich über unsere heilige katholische Tradition.
Wow. Loved this episode. Watching you transform the land is invigorating and peaceful at the same time. Also loved your evaluation of today's trend to view truth as arbitrary and malleable. I wonder if it's a result of information overload. Too much can be as bad as too little; too much and it's just as difficult to find the truth. Confusion is the seed sown to gain control over others. When lies and truth are frequently mixed it becomes harder to know the truth, and easier to lie to ourselves.
Wow, if that previous forewarning of the relatedness of the ending monologues was accurate, then the trajectory of the initial two is looking to bring that into question. The profundity of this one indicates that after the year, we’ll all be glimpsing enlightenment. I‘m dramatising of course, but I am extremely grateful for sharing in this way, where I feel they simply melt into me. I would love it if a future one could cover blind spots 🙏
I really enjoy your channel, reflecting on the comments, enjoying nature of the Italian alps. Favourite scenes were the ariel shots of the garden work, the low sun casting long shadows of the digging, shovelling etc. Although sitting peacefully, I got exhausted watching you carry all those heavy stones down to the lower terrace. Thank you.
For some reason I am at peace watching a good man work in the outdoors, the garden or building something by hand. I do not presently enjoy living in my own home, but had put my whole back into working hard in the home I was once blessed to have. I hope and pray for one in my small price bracket. Your reflection on freedom was good to meditate on. God bless you Father. T.
Just a neat moment to see your giant shadow walk across the ground in the lower garden...many thanks for sharing your insights on life and faith. Blessings to you for 2024, may you bring continued hope and comfort to many through the year.
Thank you for sharing yourself& how you live with life. Enjoyable. Good Health& continuance. -32 here in the middle of turtle island brings a certain peace. Ciao.🍀🍁
Wow! Father Johannes! You have introduced Bishop Barron’s cultural evangelism into the video! I don’t know why, but it surprised me. And made me happy. I like being able to connect you with the Bishop’s teachings and Word on Fire. It makes the world feel a little bit smaller and warmer ❤. Peace be with you, Father.
Another great and interesting video. I admire your piety and respect your life’s work. Good story telling and humour helps. Best wishes from an Irish atheist.
Johannes, Thank you for your reflections on truth rooted in reality versus rooted in the power of the will. I have struggled with this in loving others as Jesus loves us, yet not loving their actions. It is difficult to explain.
Thank you Johannesburg for your videos they keep me calm and in my seventies still learning from both your and Martijn’s craftsmanship. Greetings from a very wet Ireland.
These episodes are fabulous, Johannes. I look forward to watching on. I find it fascinating the similarities between your and Martijn's journeys to northern Italy. Both of you setting off on pilgrimages- by bike and on foot, arriving on opposite sides of that mountain. Thanks for sharing these.
I saw you on Kristen's channel while i was watching Martijin's channel. I saw your channel thanks to his. Both of you are inspirations. I am not Catholic nor particularly religious. I do consider myself spiritual. I like your projects but I'm surprised to find myself drawn to your reflections. Very common sense, thought provoking, and calming,. A rare thing in this day and age. Thank you.
My wife and I watched the February video today from Ohio. We appreciate all that you are doing... especially the comments at the end. So many young people are attempting to define their own reality apart from God. The Heavenly Father is the certainly the one absolute which defines everything around us... even ourselves. Interesting the way you said all of that while building a wall/terrace into the mountain. Danke sehr mein Bruder.
What a challenging landscape you have! Thank goodness you were going downhill and not up with those heavy rocks. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you for this lovely video, and for your closing reflection. I agree to a certain degree with your conclusion - as a potter for 55 years, I know that freedom of expression comes with accepting the nature of your materials. But human life is not the same thing as clay, and much harder to know. Before you accept something as reality, you must have a very good idea of what it's inherent nature is, and be sure this is your own perception, not someone else's. Other than blind faith in, say, a human institution like a government or religious organization, this is the only way most people have of knowing. And we've been fooled so many times by all of these, our institutions and ourselves, the search just goes on....
You have the Holy Scriptures in which God has told us the Truth. We now merely need to be transformed, by the renewing of our mind according to the Truth He has revealed to us. (Romans 12:2) WE are where the error lies, since the Fall...
All of our senses involve interpretation of a signal, you will not find any ‘truth’ that doesn’t involve interpretation of some input. We only perceive/guess ‘what works’ through someone’s experience and people made plenty ridiculous guesses during olden times.
Father Johannes, I found you first and then Martin by way of Kirsten Dirksen channel. What drew me in was the mountains and the rocks, the simple life. Peace just flows from you and Martin, the way you choose to live deliberately. I keep watching for the beautiful videography. I love to see the progress. It inspires me to keep taking another step everyday towards the life I am building in the mountains of Virginia. I am grateful that you both share parts of you life. Bless you both.
This is my second viewing of #2 February. Thank you for this reflection, if we all speak this reflection in our daily lives we my turn the tide on "my will". These reflections are the reason I need to watch twice or three times, to take in the understanding of this logic. Keep them coming, my prayers are with you.
It’s grand to know someone of “the faith”! I am a cradle Catholic, and I am in my near 37th year as a catechist. I am in my near 62nd year of life, and EXHAUSTED a watching you work in your garden! LOL. I was once active and strong but that is behind me now for the most part - one month ago, out of nowhere, I collapsed and within 12 hours fitted for a pacemaker. Praise God I’m alive! I endured my marriage ending 5 years ago, also seemingly out of nowhere. I turned to my faith and God who has taken me on a different journey, more like my confirmation patron saint, Monica, in pursuit of conversion for my students and my husband, via prayer. I envy your strength and stamina, I haven’t it in me to physically work so hard but now the work is of and with God. I think we have that in common!! Peace be with you Father!! Happy New Year!! Great video!!
I have just watched a podcast of an interview with Fr. Johannes and I would recommend it if you wish to learn more about this wonderful man. I am not religious but I was mesmerised by his tales of his pilgrimages to shrines all over the world. Beautiful scenery as well. The podcast is on the TH-cam channel Sacred Steps and is titled “10. pilgrimage and the Via Alpina Sacra / Interview with Fr. Johannes M. Schwarz”. Now I want to watch his documentary Via Alpina Sacra.
Thank you for your words and sharing some of the experiences you have encountered over the last year. The drone views over the hermitage are breathtaking especially with a dusting of snow . All the best to You in the year ahead. God bless
Johannes. Thank you for offering a breath of life through your life to date, clear vision, and a full heart. As for myself, I think we each need people like you who breath "life" into our souls... a part of our purpose here under the Sun.
My brother in law introduced me to your videos and I'm thankful he did. Thank you for what you're creating. I once learnt that it's important to bend your knees and lift objects using your legs in order to support your back. I don't know if you get back pain, but would recommend you bend your knees when lifting. This may sound trivial but if it helps you in the future I think it's worth it. It changed how I lift. Keep the faith. God bless
Those final thoughts, very well said my man! I'm going to start quoting you when talking with people about freedom and reality. Seriously, very well said, and the comparison with mastering a skill, a masterclass in wording! (English is not my first language, so I hope you get what I'm saying ) :)
My late uncle was a hermit, he was abroad for many years until he came back to live in Belgium in the 80s near Malmedy, in a hermitage with a chapel. He translated holy books in different languages. He collected fresh water from a source running past the hermitage. I think he got water installed during the renovation.
Fr. Johannes, I saw you on Kirsten's channel before I had seen Martijn, so you brought me to his channel, actually. Thank you for sharing your love of God and nature with us. I, too feel even closer to God on a mountain top, especially after climbing it! God bless you in the new year.
Lugging rocks - a great way to stay fit 😊 Re invasive garden plant Periwinkle (Vinca major). It has become a significant environmental weed in parts of Australia. Your safe removal of it in your region will help the surrounding forest and mountain area. Any stems or root crowns left in contact with the soil will regrow and continue to spread. Keep up the great work 👏🏻
Perfectly capturing the madness of the current shortsighted culture. First learn to deal with the reality of the world and find your place into what is. Then adapt and learn to bend the reality around you to fit in with it and others.
Thank you, Johannes! I so enjoy your beautiful videos and your philosophy. A thank you to Martijn for introducing us to you. Gratitude from California…
Wisely spoken. Thanks for sharing your attitudes and thoughts. Especially as I am soon starting in a new year, leaving things behind, taking my life experience as a treasure with me and increase my freedom as a free man. Thanks, Don Johannes!
I love your attitude! So glad you site is growing and that you don’t feel the need to push the patrons thing. I get turned off tubers that do! I hope your fireplace is keeping you warm in the cold snap you are having. We have visited Sweden in summer and the little red cabins in the forest look so lovely. Would love to have a short visit to our son in Ånge in winter to see the country covered in snow. For now we will be content watching the changing seasons you show us. One question… Have you and interest in writing books on any of your adventures? 🇦🇺
The closing reflection as a text:
If I was younger I would probably have music playing while I did all this work. Singing along. However I don't listen to much music anymore. I still have opinions. For example: 80s Bob Dylan is not peak Bob Dylan. I never owned the 22nd studio Album “Infidels” of the singing poet. And in fact without a talk I recently heard by bishop Barron I would have not been aware of a line in the song “Jokerman”, that is as brilliant as it is true: “Freedom just around the corner for you. But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?”
Freedom and Truth. Now there is a pair. How do they relate? This in fact is a very old query - and at the height of the middle ages it became a very pertinent one. At least since Plato's dialogue called Euthyphro philosophy has a written record of the following question: is something good because God wills it? Or does God will it because it is good. This is sometimes called a dilemma, since, for those believing in a God neither option appears attractive. If God determines the goodness of something, then it really is arbitrary. If however God willed it because it is good, then there would seem to be a standard beyond God that even HE has to submit to. Such a standard would thus be greater than God.
To be fair, it is really only a dilemma for the Greek Gods, powerful beings who spend their eternal days plotting and interfering with the capture of cities like Troy. It is not a dilemma for the very different kind of being that is the monotheistic God of Judaism and Christianity. For “that” God unlike a Greek god is not “a” being at all, but “being” itself. And according to the most eminent school of thought in the Catholic Tradition, the good and the true are convertible with being. They are fundamentally the same as being - but as related to our faculties of reason and will. The good, then, is simply “being” as it relates to the will. It is being under the aspect of its desirableness. And thus we can glimpse how there is no dilemma. Something is not good because God wills it. Neither is the Good some standard outside God, that He was measured by. God, who is the fullness of being, simply wills his own goodness - the goodness that he IS. He himself is the highest good - the summum bonum. There isn't anything he could will beside himself as if there was something more desirable. He wills himself and what corresponds to his being. That is how the dilemma dissolves.
But this proposal was not the only one. In fact a little after St. Thomas Aquinas had expressed this synthesis of catholic thought, another current arose. Its theologians felt - however unreasonably under the view we have just described - that God's omnipotence should not be constrained even by his own nature, by his being and goodness. They thought it placed an undue limit on God's power. So they simply affirmed the first part of the dilemma: Something is good because God wills it. This means, that if God had wanted, he could have made murder a good deed and made the fireman who rescues the lives of others a villain. Rape he could have prescribed as a path to holiness and theft as a virtue. He didn't, but he could have. This current of thought is called Voluntarism. It gives primacy to the will; primacy to power. Not the nature of a thing, its being, goodness and truth determine reality but the sheer act of a will.
It is, I would contend, a very problematic view in theology. In fact, from the beginning, it infected much of mainstream Islam, for example. But it did not stay in theology. It became the way we view the world. It shapes our current culture and discussions. Our society values freedom. We underline the importance of the will. Which is all great. But we have divorced it from how the world really is; from what really is: from being, truth, goodness, from the nature of things as they are. We have declared our freedom sovereign. I decide not only between cheeseburgers and carrots, but I decide which is good for me. I decide what is true. I can weigh 400 pounds and declare myself healthy. Those who object are fat shaming bigots. I decide what I am. Anyone who rejects my choice is attacking my freedom. Freedom in this view, is about self-creation, self-invention. I create “my” truth. I create “my” reality. For example: While demand for litter boxes in schools for those children who identify as cats may be hyperbole exaggeration turned into a hoax, subcultures do indeed exist where people to varying degrees identify as animals. While for most “being a furry” is a form of character cosplaying - more than a third according to data from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project really identify as partly non-human - which they would claim as “their” truth, “their” reality. Gender, lived experiences, mental illness, race and even science have to pay homage to subjective self-invention. 2 + 2 is not 4. It may be 5 for some people. In fact it may be racist to claim that it could only be 4. I am what I want to be. I'm autonomous - which in Greek means: I myself am the measure and law.
This strong cultural current - even where it does not go into the extremes - is in stark contrast with the received wisdom that grounds itself in an objective reality. It is a reality that does indeed exist and that is accessible. It is not a product of our creation. The rocks are real. Reality, if anything, is something we merely discover. It is given. It is in the nature of things as they are or as they came to be. It is not subject to my will. And here we see the difference this conception makes to freedom. Freedom in this classic view is not a radical choice to determine reality, but a consequence of accepting and conforming to reality. This phrase alone, makes some people rebel. But a good example for this view would be the mastery of an art or a craft. Most crafts are perfected by practice. The practitioner submits the way the tools work, to the nature of the materials he works with, he may observe a master of the art. A master carver will treat linden wood differently from spruce, simply because their wood has not the same properties. It is a given reality. The more skill and knowledge one has, the more one will be able to express one's creativity in the work. One's freedom to create will increase with mastery - mastery being precisely a fruit of the submission to the reality of things and to knowledge. Freedom is rooted in skill not will. Or think of language. The better I know, submit to and cultivate in me the rules of a foreign language, the free-er I will be in expressing myself in that language. I'll be able to manifest and communicate my thoughts only to the degree I respect and submit to the concrete reality of that language as it has developed and is spoken by people. Of course I could demand that people respect my freedom of self-invention. I can just make up my own sounds and then be angry that people simply don't get me. Those Bigots!
These are the two kinds of freedom - as there are two conceptions of God. One rooted in the truth of reality - the one Bob Dylan sang about - and one rooted in the power of the will. The one lets us share insights and expressions because we fundamentally inhabit the same knowable universe. The other pits us against each other in an eternal struggle - each will - or group of wills if they align - seeking to assert itself over others.
Wow!!🙏👍🇬🇧🇮🇪🇮🇩
one word is all it takes to describe this... WOW! that is sooo deep and yet so accurate! it was like a breath of fresh air hearing some of my thoughts (not exact versions but very near!) put into words that i have never known how to communicate! 🎉🎉
the thought, the wording, all so deep and so well put! im so glad martjin sent me here! 😊 its like sunshine after a very dark period... thats a good description 😁
@@geoffupton I agree and felt the same..
Exactly... Thank you for sharing this. The words you just shared are much needed right now. I pray that God will send them out to the world. I will do my best to help share them also. God Bless, Johannes
Wonderful words: the fact that you wrote them in what is your second language underscores your point beautifully.
I just cannot comprehend the sheer quixotic chance of two men, seemingly unconnected, setting up home on the top of the same mountain, one either side. Both articulate, artistic, soulful men. Creators in their own right, both with fantastic goals set for themselves, both gradually building an amazing creation each, so similar but so different. And I'm here, witnessing this happening...words fail me...I am humbled. I've never seen anything or anyone like these two men. I am proud to be part of your audience, your following. You and Martijn are simply amazing. Thank you both for sharing your lives with us.
Hear hear!
I suspect that Johannes, while digging, may find the true resting place of the Arc. Holy ground on the mountain?
John in Bethel, Missouri. USA
That is so beautifully said and what many of us are doubtless either consciously or unconsciously thinking. This is so, so very special and I am grateful to be an observer/ I hope it will help guide me to a better life path as a consequence.
Or he will find Australia, it depends how deep he will go ...@@classifiedinformation6353
Great man think alike, thus the chance is greater.
This is not entertainment. This is nourishment. 🙏
indeed @IanMiller deeply so, both are.
Even better if you do it yourself.
Yes, I am an ardent watcher of Martijn’s magnificent channel. I’m so happy that he introduced us to you, and am thoroughly enjoying your own unique style of storytelling, cinematography and the sharing of your spirituality, Johannes! I am adding it to my most joyful and enriching Sunday You Tube joy! Thank you! ⭐️🙏⭐️
I found you because of Kirsten's documentary quite awhile ago. Martjin has simply been holding your place. Thank you and please continue... it is needed.
God is good and He doesn't change. God be with us.
~a Catholic in Connecticut
Me too. a Catholic in New Jersey
Me too. A Protestant in Connecticut (Presbyterian PCA)
Hello, from Arizona. I also came to you from Martijn’s suggestion. I am an older woman, not at all a religious person, but I love philosophy. I was a Botanical Illustrator and appreciate how beautifully you have designed the alter. I built a homestead on five acres during the late 1990. Watching you reminds me how I loved manual tasks. I enjoy seeing the nature in your videos. The slow quite times are nice and calm, but I also enjoy the thought provoking parts as well. Thank you.
👋Greetings to my fellow Arizonans. :)
@@jennyheidewald5006 Hi Jenny, what part of Arizona are you living in? Are you off grid?
@@J-in-AZ Hi J. Are you living off grid? What part of Arizona is your favorite?
“Life is serious… and that’s why is so important to laugh at yourself”… a most certain truth. Thank you Fr. Johannes… I am a priest-fan of yours… Blessings in the new year!
Johannes,
I’m sure this comment will be buried and I’m sure others have sounded similar sentiment. I truly appreciate your artistic vision of the series and I understand what an undertaking this series was to create. I would be grateful for continued content, while understandably abbreviated, where you provide your reflective thoughts. I find your perspective to be engaging and thought provoking. The introspective and unique thoughts allow me to be more thoughtful and introspective myself. Again, I truly understand if a continuation is not possible, but it would be most welcomed.
Thank You. God bless you.
I think, for quite a few people, when Martijn goes off to have a break ( how could he do that !..haha) there's a little wobble of ' now what are we going to do for our calm Sunday hour!'. But then along comes Johannes, skipping between the huts. Hilarious! What are the chances of the two of you being perched on the same little hillside in Northern Italy, showing and telling a very similar story. As a few others have said, when Johannes appears in M's videos it is a little highlight and fun break from the solo. No doubt a lot of people came over to J's channel to fill the gap until the bearded Dutch guy come back :)...I bet many will stay and carry on watching and add Johannes' story to their library. Who knew TH-cam would be the place for such a completely new way of communicating with people everywhere. Strength to your elbow Johannes..we look forward to joining your journey...and btw your cinematography is just perfect as well..great work.
Johannes thank you for your videos. I have always enjoyed the shared moments when you appear in Martijn’s videos. I find everything you do fascinating and am so grateful for your thoughts and inspiration. I feel that you fill a void I didn’t know existed and your channel is a perfect complement to Martijn’s.
that is so beyond accurate its unwordable! 😁
“Freedom just around the corner for you. But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?” Until the truth meets me halfway, I shall garden.
When I saw the pile of sticks, about all the same diameter and length, I thought ,"oh, those would be perfect for a wattle fence." Imagine my delight when the first drone shot of your slope! I said, "I think that is a wattle fence line below those trees!" and then the close-up!!! I nearly came up off the floor and cheered!
Your use of God's bounty makes me smile and makes my heart sing. So very much of what we need to use, to know, and to grow is within our arm's reach.
We just need to learn to look. Thanks you Johannes, again for a visually lovely video and a thought provoking verbal essay. May the earth's bounty feed your stomach, your heart and your soul. Happy New Year!!!
So funny, because I had those exact thoughts about the wattle fence--as well as rejoiced when I saw the shot with such a fence in it... LOL ;Great minds think alike'
I agree with the others who express their amazement that you and Martin ended up on the same mountain in Italy. God doesn't make mistakes does he? I thoroughly enjoy your philosophical and theological musings. Please continue.
“Freedom is rooted in skill, not will.”
Brilliant wisdom. Gave me an entirely new lens to view my response to circumstance. Thank you so much.
Johannes, I have really enjoyed your videos and watched some older videos on this channel: you are incredibly artistic. Thank you for sharing your pursuits while Martijn is away. I hope you can continue to post when he returns from holiday, as I look forward to your videos as well.
The heavy breathing is the music of human toil. 😊
These are so spectacular - this twelve part series will become a classic, I can already feel it. Thank you for your humor and wisdom.
I Agree. A Classic for sure.
Thank you for the beauty of your being. From an 85 yr old woman in North Carolina, US. Your words resonate deeply.🙏
Your channel is growing by leaps and bounds!!! That is well deserved!!!
I came from Martin's side of the mountain. I lived in Germany for 15 years, my daughter was born there. My German husband was Evangelic, and I had a Catholic upbringing in the USA. For this reason my daughter was never baptized. She was raised in Germany, speaks 5 languages, and currently is finishing her PhD in the Netherlands. I live in Texas, but I miss all the European ways, I lived in a farmhouse without heat in Leonberg-Hirshlanden. My husband at the time was a Mauer apprentice, and is a Mauer Meister owns his own construction company now. I enjoy your speaking English, it reminds me of him, and how funny the words seemed at the time. I speak German, but really don't have an opportunity to use it anymore. This summer, my daughter and I will embark on a Mother Daughter sojourn. I enjoy all the updates about the Chickens, how you build your stove, (We had a kachelofen in our farm house). Alas, he didn't want to move back to the states, which was a deal breaker for me. My daughter went back and forth between the cultures, and loves both worlds. I appreciate your making these films, and yes, laughter is good.
We are all searchers, all nations, all religions are like the fingers of one hand which stands for God. I for myself did travel a lot and never missed Europe much. Whatever - now I am over all this and live in seclusion - Bruder Klaus (Nikolaus of Flue) was an interesting eremit. Classical Music is a good compagnion but meditation first.
@Maria-jp4dhprobably due to where he was born and family. If born in Pakistan he’d be a Muslim.
@@Del21399.9% of people that identity with a religion that religion is from their childhood early years. The formative years. I am not Christian but once I crashed my sailboat on some rocks and thought I was going to die and I prayed out loud to “Jesus” haha… he didn’t save me but some other boaters nearby helped.
Hello fellow Texan!!!
I enjoy the quiet beauty of your work and films. The star of which is the beauty of God's creation...the mountains, the little lizards, the little flowers and butterflies and the fat fluffy birds who look on with some interest in whatever you're doing. So glad to know about you!😊
Когда Йоханес пилил дрова ручной пилой ,мне пришла мысль, почему ему не взять бензопилу или електропилу,так было бы быстрее. Подумав я понял главную мысль...ему не нужно быстрее,он никуда не спешит,ему не нужно успеть куда-то.Он спокоен ,счастлив и просто наслаждается жизнью,повседневными делами и заботами. Спасибо Йоханес,что помог мне замедлиться и посмотреть на свою жизнь как на гонку ,которая ведёт к смерти.Люди!!!Остановитесь и живите сегодня в добре и покое!
I have always enjoyed your appearances on Martijn's side of the hill, from time to time, and I am enjoying these videos as well. Neither of you will ever run out of stone for your building projects! Cheers
Thank you, the phrase "Freedom is rooted in skill, not will" resonated with me.
I never fully appreciated how steep your land is there and how far up the mountain you are.... makes your work and lifestyle are even more impressive....
Loving your channel so much, Johannes! ✨Especially, deeply appreciate, closing reflections✨💛🙏
I love these videos. If you dont stop making them I will watch them religiously every sunday!
Dear Father Johannes, Both your presentation and Martin's have a deep spiritual element. Yours of course is most obvious, it is who you are and how you live, and for Martin it is in his quietness, his focus, and for us his choice of musical accompaniment to his videos.
It is an oddity of our times that two such individuals as yourselves are followed intensely by tens of thousands complete strangers on a weekly basis ( smile ).
Your discussion upon the REAL nature of Freedom and Truth touched me. As an American I live in a socioeconomic non-culture built entirely around the concept of the personal freedom of the individual. Our founding fathers created this system in a historical reaction to the Parental-ism of both Religion and The State, in many ways your commentary about the nature of the reality being defined by what the individual "wants" or defines it to be, is a direct statement on the nature of the American Non-Culture that is permeating through the larger world.
From my own meager considerations on this subject, I feel this issue is a deeper one than merely, the individual decrying what reality is. This process is based upon a deeply felt and yet unconscious assumption about who ( or what ) "the individual is".
This current culture of the individual is merely an expression for the first time in history where this unconscious characteristic is able to freely and openly exist at scale ( for good or for bad ).
The larger and more interesting question is this, is there something that is not based solely in a Belief-Methodology, something that is "Self-Verifiable", that exists as a direct recognition, and that is prior to, or greater than ( from a perceptual level ) raw unfettered expression of self directed individualism? Your life appears based upon such a belief, or upon such a direct-recognition. Thank you for sharing your considerations on this subject and sending you, and those you love my blessings for the New Year.
Our life in the us is devoid of culture and freedom is for the top one per cent
The references to pop music as well as watching you work on your property are what make you "real" and "relatable" as a priest. When I was growing up and being raised catholic, most priest weren't like this which made me and many others feel disenfranchised. The cinematography in this video was equally as beautiful as Martijn's. Thank you-
I love this video…I hope you continue to post… I think I learned something here😊
Don Johannes, I will keep you in my prayers. Please continue with your insightful philosophy. May God bless you in your health and hard work.
Father Johannes, thank you for taking the time to create this beautiful video. I gained great comfort & joy from its message. Wishing you many blessings in this new year.
Yes, thank you Johannes. Very well done, and your message and philosophical views on life leave me wanting to hear much more.
“Freedom is rooted in skill, not will.” 👏… I’d buy that on a T-shirt 😉
Wonderful watching you Johannas . Please realize your value,talent and words are appreciated as much as anyone’s ! And it’s great that I and we all now have two locals in these mountains who have fascinating stories to tell ,amazing views to share and I look forward to every video . Asa firm believer in God and a Catholic ,I deeply appreciate your words as they combine with your visual and spiritual journey . They make the trip ,for me very meaningful ,so thank you and Martijn for throughly enjoyable videos ! God bless you both !
Besides very much enjoying listening to your very calming voice, I would like to thank you for being able to put into words concepts of ideas that I feel inside but would never find the words to explain and detangle in my mind. Concepts like freedom and truth. Listening to you feels like untangling a messy roll of yarn!
As a fellow Austrian, my relationship with the Catholic Church is difficult, to say the least. I hope there are more priests like you, who are part of and relate to life in todays world and its challenges!
Vielen Dank für Ihre wunderbaren Videos, ich denke ich bin nicht alleine in der Hoffnung, dass dieser Kanal weitergehen kann!
Liebe Grüße aus Wien!
Strange as it may seem, once I have watched your videos...another day I enjoy simply listening to them while doing a crossword puzzle for instance. The sound of digging and of you sawing, moving rocks etc. You have a very calming voice. Many thanks . 🙏
I think there is nothing harder than working with rocks; and on such a steep hillside. Well done!
Wow, Johannes. Just WOW . Thank you for making these videos and for sharing your life with us. The artistry is the highest level but the approach is even better
Your posts, like Martens teach me things! I enjoy the extra footage of the wildlife, so you're a great addition to my "library"!
Please continue this beyond the series. You’re a great writer.
May St. Charbel Makluf ever guide you in this ministry dear Father!🥰
A totally new, thought provoking and humbling joy to watch and listen to - thank you
Chop wood.....carry water.
Thank You, Johannes. I love listening to your perspectives.❤
…love watching your videos, probably because I am a photographer. But the reflection you put at the end of your videos is what I love the most.
Hard work and dedication--thats you, you are doing a fine job and thanks for looking after Martins place when he is away.
Loved this. We are so far away from each other but there are so many things the same. You are in the Italian Alps and me, in the Canadian Rockies. You are cutting and splitting firewood and we do the same. Some of your birds are the same as ours. Although miles away…..we are so very close. Thank you for sharing a piece of your life. 🇨🇦🌷
Dein Jahresfilmprojekt ist genial; ich liebe besonders deine ruhigen Schlussreflexionen. Du hast wirklich eine Gabe dafür und wohl genau die richtige Berufung gefunden :) Vielen Dank dafür, dass du uns daran teilhaben lässt. Dankbar und glücklich über unsere heilige katholische Tradition.
Your daily insights are an inspiration and gift. Thank You
Just beautiful. You closing remarks really hit home, many thanks.
Some manly projects, thanks for sharing, very impressive and inspiring. Beautifully captured nature as well.
Wow. Loved this episode. Watching you transform the land is invigorating and peaceful at the same time. Also loved your evaluation of today's trend to view truth as arbitrary and malleable. I wonder if it's a result of information overload. Too much can be as bad as too little; too much and it's just as difficult to find the truth. Confusion is the seed sown to gain control over others. When lies and truth are frequently mixed it becomes harder to know the truth, and easier to lie to ourselves.
Wow, if that previous forewarning of the relatedness of the ending monologues was accurate, then the trajectory of the initial two is looking to bring that into question. The profundity of this one indicates that after the year, we’ll all be glimpsing enlightenment. I‘m dramatising of course, but I am extremely grateful for sharing in this way, where I feel they simply melt into me. I would love it if a future one could cover blind spots 🙏
I really enjoy your channel, reflecting on the comments, enjoying nature of the Italian alps. Favourite scenes were the ariel shots of the garden work, the low sun casting long shadows of the digging, shovelling etc. Although sitting peacefully, I got exhausted watching you carry all those heavy stones down to the lower terrace. Thank you.
i myself felt much lighter after his workout 😄
As a gardener, I truly appreciate and look forward to watching Father Johannes' skillful persistence in his garden. Very inspiring!
For some reason I am at peace watching a good man work in the outdoors, the garden or building something by hand. I do not presently enjoy living in my own home, but had put my whole back into working hard in the home I was once blessed to have. I hope and pray for one in my small price bracket. Your reflection on freedom was good to meditate on. God bless you Father. T.
Just a neat moment to see your giant shadow walk across the ground in the lower garden...many thanks for sharing your insights on life and faith. Blessings to you for 2024, may you bring continued hope and comfort to many through the year.
Thank you for sharing yourself& how you live with life. Enjoyable. Good Health& continuance. -32 here in the middle of turtle island brings a certain peace. Ciao.🍀🍁
« Life is serious ; and that's why it is so important to laugh at yourself. » I agree whit that and I like it.
Wow! Father Johannes! You have introduced Bishop Barron’s cultural evangelism into the video! I don’t know why, but it surprised me. And made me happy. I like being able to connect you with the Bishop’s teachings and Word on Fire. It makes the world feel a little bit smaller and warmer ❤. Peace be with you, Father.
Another great and interesting video. I admire your piety and respect your life’s work. Good story telling and humour helps. Best wishes from an Irish atheist.
God Bless you Johannes from your new friend in Massachusetts USA! ❤️✝️🕊
Johannes, Thank you for your reflections on truth rooted in reality versus rooted in the power of the will. I have struggled with this in loving others as Jesus loves us, yet not loving their actions. It is difficult to explain.
Food for the heart and soul! Thank you for sharing your world with us.
Thank you Johannesburg for your videos they keep me calm and in my seventies still learning from both your and Martijn’s craftsmanship. Greetings from a very wet Ireland.
These episodes are fabulous, Johannes. I look forward to watching on. I find it fascinating the similarities between your and Martijn's journeys to northern Italy. Both of you setting off on pilgrimages- by bike and on foot, arriving on opposite sides of that mountain. Thanks for sharing these.
I saw you on Kristen's channel while i was watching Martijin's channel. I saw your channel thanks to his.
Both of you are inspirations.
I am not Catholic nor particularly religious. I do consider myself spiritual. I like your projects but I'm surprised to find myself drawn to your reflections. Very common sense, thought provoking, and calming,. A rare thing in this day and age. Thank you.
Che persona fantastica ... ogni minuto è pura emozione
Thank you for sharing your gifts with us. Your teachings are profound and eloquent.
Following from Canada by way of the other side of the mountain. Powerful message!
My wife and I watched the February video today from Ohio. We appreciate all that you are doing... especially the comments at the end. So many young people are attempting to define their own reality apart from God. The Heavenly Father is the certainly the one absolute which defines everything around us... even ourselves. Interesting the way you said all of that while building a wall/terrace into the mountain.
Danke sehr mein Bruder.
What a challenging landscape you have! Thank goodness you were going downhill and not up with those heavy rocks. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I sure do miss your videos. I hope that everything is good with you. Take care and hope to see you again soon.
🙏🏼Thank you 4 sharing such a clear balanced voice and beautiful nature, such stillness behind the words❤Sophia
“Freedom is rooted in skill not will” - apt and so true 🙏🏼
It would be a shame not sharing your hole story and inspiring videos, it is indeed encouraging and you did a tremendous job Johannes! Thank you ❤.
Thank you for this lovely video, and for your closing reflection. I agree to a certain degree with your conclusion - as a potter for 55 years, I know that freedom of expression comes with accepting the nature of your materials. But human life is not the same thing as clay, and much harder to know. Before you accept something as reality, you must have a very good idea of what it's inherent nature is, and be sure this is your own perception, not someone else's. Other than blind faith in, say, a human institution like a government or religious organization, this is the only way most people have of knowing. And we've been fooled so many times by all of these, our institutions and ourselves, the search just goes on....
You have the Holy Scriptures in which God has told us the Truth. We now merely need to be transformed, by the renewing of our mind according to the Truth He has revealed to us. (Romans 12:2) WE are where the error lies, since the Fall...
nothing has meaning till you give it meaning
Spoken like a true postmodernist
All of our senses involve interpretation of a signal, you will not find any ‘truth’ that doesn’t involve interpretation of some input. We only perceive/guess ‘what works’ through someone’s experience and people made plenty ridiculous guesses during olden times.
Vielen lieben Dank, das ist wunderbar und bereichernd.
Father Johannes, I found you first and then Martin by way of Kirsten Dirksen channel. What drew me in was the mountains and the rocks, the simple life. Peace just flows from you and Martin, the way you choose to live deliberately. I keep watching for the beautiful videography. I love to see the progress. It inspires me to keep taking another step everyday towards the life I am building in the mountains of Virginia. I am grateful that you both share parts of you life. Bless you both.
god bless you! thank you for these lovely videos 😊
This is my second viewing of #2 February. Thank you for this reflection, if we all speak this reflection in our daily lives we my turn the tide on "my will". These reflections are the reason I need to watch twice or three times, to take in the understanding of this logic. Keep them coming, my prayers are with you.
Absolutely spectacular. The best part is the end reflection. Thank you for speaking clearly. It is so important!!!
It’s grand to know someone of “the faith”! I am a cradle Catholic, and I am in my near 37th year as a catechist. I am in my near 62nd year of life, and EXHAUSTED a watching you work in your garden! LOL. I was once active and strong but that is behind me now for the most part - one month ago, out of nowhere, I collapsed and within 12 hours fitted for a pacemaker. Praise God I’m alive! I endured my marriage ending 5 years ago, also seemingly out of nowhere. I turned to my faith and God who has taken me on a different journey, more like my confirmation patron saint, Monica, in pursuit of conversion for my students and my husband, via prayer. I envy your strength and stamina, I haven’t it in me to physically work so hard but now the work is of and with God. I think we have that in common!! Peace be with you Father!! Happy New Year!!
Great video!!
I have just watched a podcast of an interview with Fr. Johannes and I would recommend it if you wish to learn more about this wonderful man. I am not religious but I was mesmerised by his tales of his pilgrimages to shrines all over the world. Beautiful scenery as well.
The podcast is on the TH-cam channel Sacred Steps and is titled “10. pilgrimage and the Via Alpina Sacra / Interview with Fr. Johannes M. Schwarz”.
Now I want to watch his documentary Via Alpina Sacra.
"What did you do last night?" "I watched an Austrian priest dig a hole. It was wonderful." ❤
Im over from Martin’s channel too, and just love love this..and always cherish the wise words at the end. Truly inspirational Johannes🙏👍
Thank you for your words and sharing some of the experiences you have encountered over the last year. The drone views over the hermitage are breathtaking especially with a dusting of snow . All the best to You in the year ahead. God bless
Johannes. Thank you for offering a breath of life through your life to date, clear vision, and a full heart. As for myself, I think we each need people like you who breath "life" into our souls... a part of our purpose here under the Sun.
My brother in law introduced me to your videos and I'm thankful he did. Thank you for what you're creating.
I once learnt that it's important to bend your knees and lift objects using your legs in order to support your back. I don't know if you get back pain, but would recommend you bend your knees when lifting. This may sound trivial but if it helps you in the future I think it's worth it. It changed how I lift.
Keep the faith. God bless
Those final thoughts, very well said my man! I'm going to start quoting you when talking with people about freedom and reality. Seriously, very well said, and the comparison with mastering a skill, a masterclass in wording! (English is not my first language, so I hope you get what I'm saying )
:)
My late uncle was a hermit, he was abroad for many years until he came back to live in Belgium in the 80s near Malmedy, in a hermitage with a chapel. He translated holy books in different languages. He collected fresh water from a source running past the hermitage. I think he got water installed during the renovation.
Fr. Johannes, I saw you on Kirsten's channel before I had seen Martijn, so you brought me to his channel, actually. Thank you for sharing your love of God and nature with us. I, too feel even closer to God on a mountain top, especially after climbing it! God bless you in the new year.
I really like the narration of this series, thank you Johannes!
Lugging rocks - a great way to stay fit 😊 Re invasive garden plant Periwinkle (Vinca major). It has become a significant environmental weed in parts of Australia. Your safe removal of it in your region will help the surrounding forest and mountain area. Any stems or root crowns left in contact with the soil will regrow and continue to spread. Keep up the great work 👏🏻
Beautiful. Your words touch my heart ❤️🙏😊
The work on you alter is stunning!!!
I really appreciate what you have shared. Thank you.
I struggled to articulate an appropriate comment; then, I read yours. Well said. Thank you.
I enjoy your videos, how you go about your day but I wait for your reflections. I feel grounded as I listen to you. Thank you.
Perfectly capturing the madness of the current shortsighted culture.
First learn to deal with the reality of the world and find your place into what is.
Then adapt and learn to bend the reality around you to fit in with it and others.
Thank you, Johannes! I so enjoy your beautiful videos and your philosophy. A thank you to Martijn for introducing us to you. Gratitude from California…
Wisely spoken. Thanks for sharing your attitudes and thoughts. Especially as I am soon starting in a new year, leaving things behind, taking my life experience as a treasure with me and increase my freedom as a free man. Thanks, Don Johannes!
I love your attitude! So glad you site is growing and that you don’t feel the need to push the patrons thing. I get turned off tubers that do!
I hope your fireplace is keeping you warm in the cold snap you are having. We have visited Sweden in summer and the little red cabins in the forest look so lovely. Would love to have a short visit to our son in Ånge in winter to see the country covered in snow.
For now we will be content watching the changing seasons you show us.
One question… Have you and interest in writing books on any of your adventures? 🇦🇺