Well, I would say that we all ultimately have to find the truth. And the truth is that nothing in this world finally satisfies the deepest longing of the heart. No matter how much truth, goodness, intimacy, or beauty we attain, we always want more. This is the hunger for the properly transcendent, which lies at the heart of all authentic religion. It's not a matter of "needing" something in a psychological sense; it's a matter of obeying the most abiding desire of the heart.
You are anointed Bishop! My excitement comes from my dialogue with the Lord where he connects the dots of his word rewarding my passion in seeking him with the Holy Spirit, giving me understanding through hearing others like yourself who have a passion for our Lord to help and serve others by relieving the questions and the pain of not knowing our savior in order to draw all into his presence so we can feel loved joyful and peaceful & excited learning what heaven is like here on Earth to be with the Lord again our first love! Thank you for showing us this!
After the disaster & lack of catechesis of The Church in the past 40 or so years, it's about time that Catholic leadership desires a "New Evangelization". My parents taught me well, but at Catholic schools in the 1970s, "catechesis" was missing or severely lacking. My "religion class" in 12th grade was "Death in cultures around the world"....? Thanks Fr. Barron for stepping up to the plate on this issue in these dark times. It's REALLY needed. JMJ.
The Catholic Church teaches that even an atheist who sincerely follows his conscience can be saved. And as C.S. Lewis said, the door to Hell is always locked from the inside. God doesn't "send" anyone to Hell; the denizens of Hell (if there are any) have sent themselves there and have no intention to leave.
I liked your last point about this being a privileged time to evangelize. I'm on the leadership team running the LifeTeen programme in my Parish in Cape Town and our challenge is constantly one of finding ways to bring the Catholic faith to Teens in a way that they can relate to. An amazing privilege indeed! And an awesome challenge :) Love the videos Father.
Friend, do you really think that authentic faith closes you to "the wonder and majesty of the universe" and "love for your fellow man"?! I mean, take a look at Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa or Thomas Aquinas or G.K. Chesterton. And as for being fully alive, there is just no way that a pure secularism can satisfy the deepest longing of your heart, for that longing is finally for ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty.
Fulton Sheen is one of my spiritual heroes and masters. His videos started me off on the path to studying my faith. After watching and listening to him, I can say that whilst he placed great emphasis on prayer, Scripture and Tradition, he was also a man who knew the people he preached too. He understood politics, news, biology and psychology. He knew how to convey The Word EFFECTIVELY. You cannot peach effectively if you don't know who your preaching too. You need to KNOW the culture.
Bravo Father. That's exactly the words our new priests need to hear. i say this as a young person, many people are turning away from The Church because they don't see it addressing the questions and matters that means most to them. They see priests who don't simply are out of touch with their flock and thus cannot preach to them effectively. We are sick of the same bland homilies and stories. We need priests who can tackle the issues facing their flock and understand the culture around them.
Absolutly without scare withAll that we're like with family i Hope much youngers go with you Bishop Barron! Over all with Jesús Christ! It's free right. Little by little i Hope can discover their deepest wishes! 😇😇😇👼🔥☄️🕊️💐💗For be Happy serving his Lord
I certainly enjoyed having Fr. Canary lead the men at Mundelein Seminary when I was there, but wow, I would have LOVED to have had Fr. Barron as my seminary rector. As the saying goes, "If you're gonna follow, find a good leader!"
I would really encourage you to talk to a priest in real life if you really want to know, it's easier for situations like this. I don't know what personal reasons you may have that stops you from speaking with one, but priests don't bite. I'm friends with quite a few of them and they're all wonderful people. I've asked so many questions to find out more about being Catholic and the patience these men have are astounding. It's truly helped me out. You may not believe in it, but I'll pray for you.
Congratulations Father Barron! I love this, your enthusiasm in Evangelism as a Catholic, with your being able to articulate it in Brilliance is Astounding! I wanted to share it on Facebook, but its not allowing me to, getting an error notice!
Hmm, and here I was thinking that if I ran around telling everyone how excited I was about Jesus and the Resurrection, and that they could join in that joy too, that they would run away thinking I'm crazy. I thought I'd have to take that cool academic approach to convince people that Jesus is the one to follow. I've been excited to tell them, maybe I'll try the method you mentioned.
Now how many Saints lived among the poorest of the poor, including our Lord. You will not lose your way, you know the sound of your masters voice, you called and he answered he knows your voice too. Call and he will answer you again and again and again. Peace Brother.
Thanks for being here with me. I know your personal miracle is a personal miracle, a gift, so Good that you saw it! I know what you saw in the rough and tumble world. On Sunday after Mass I met a young man 29 and healthy in body. Never seen him in the Parish before. He asked for my phone. He smelled of alcohol thick from the night before. I showed him the Chapel and library gave him prayer cards and books. We had a sandwich together. I gave him bus fair. Josh is his name. Will you pray for him?
Again, Father Barron is right on the money. It's not "enthusiasm vs. content" or "content vs. enthusiasm." These are not mutually exclusive categories, as Father Barron embodies in his own ministry.
Fulton Sheen was a man who understood the culture, being well informed in the fields of politics, media, psychology and medicine. Fulton Sheen used the technology he had in his disposal (radio and TV) to speak to the American people in their living rooms. Fulton Sheen understood the flock he was preaching too. He knew their troubles and doubts and addressed them. He saw changes in culture and he commented on them. That's what Father Baron wants. Preachers who face the world head on.
Joshua 1 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
It makes sense like this too: The light can shine in the darkness, but darkness cannot shine into light. Our sins are dark spots. I think of it like magnet poles. You know how positive and negative magnets repel each other. We sinners simple cannot touch God with sin on us, it is repulsive. It cannot be done. When it is all burned off we can enter our place in heaven. I really want to go straight to heaven. I'm not giving up. Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, Communion. Fri, Sat & Sunday.
Congrats on your new appointment, Father! I agree with everything you said, specifically on knowing the culture, popular culture and social media. However, I would point out that JP II should NOT be a model on which this "new evangelism" (if there is such a thing) should be based, since it failed miserably. The com-box is too short to go into why, but I will give 2 additions you may want to consider; 1) talk is cheap (James 2:14) & culture does not trump 2,000 years of tradition (2 Thes 2:15)
Wow! I am tired today. I practice the Jewish Sabbath and on Friday's, Sat, & Sunday I rest. No computer! No TV. No work. No gossip-chatty friends. teachers and even my Mom is left to wonder. The Sabbath, is my time for peace. It is my time for art, and scripture and music, for the earth, and the sea, and the trees. It is time for prayer and good food, if I can make it;) I added a the Fr. Mitch show to my favorites. Let me know if you see it there.
How did you reject faith? Did you stop praying? Did you stop attending mass? Did you take the bible out of your house? What exactly did you reject ? What positive action did you take?
I studied the Judas question in great depth over many years. Why? Because I had the same question. That's why it is easy for me now, because I studied it and Thought a long, long time about it. Knowing that most of what happened in my brain at 14 was not worthy of the woman I had become, I learned the tremendous value of long and patient thought. And every Seminarian under Father Barron's care is also going to take a full course and over years will study the Judas question.
While one does not need to take a public relations class to preach, in the letter to the Corinthians in chapter 10 starting at verse 19, he talks about how we became like a Jew, or like one under the law, or like one outside the law, as to win them over. He knew his audience and it helped to bring them to Christ. Of course, when preaching, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Father Larry Richards will talk about how it doesn't matter what style or how detailed an outline your preaching has, but you must speak with the Holy Spirit
In terms of claims to truth, any world-view presents itself as truth. So it comes down to examining whether the claims correspond to history and the human situation. Some Biblical stories are mythical by genre, but others aren't. In my life, I've honestly found peace and pure love only in Jesus and the Church, and most others I know experience the same. In terms of posterity, children are a blessing, but sometimes God blesses people with adopting children, too--so the orphaned are taken care of.
the answer is all things are possible for God. The question is "can he be forgiven", and the answer is yes. Was he? We will only know when we meet God.
Good point. I believe hell is the eternal absence of the presence of God. It's a hell we create even before we die. Seperated from everything we love and cherish. A lonelyness that would tear us apart. I've tasted it, and its hell
Therefore, rejecting Jesus equates to rejecting Love, by default replacing it with the self's own imperfect and limited idea of love. If that rejection goes on throughout one's life, when one dies their self-defined idea of love dies too, leaving that person's soul without love, ie: in hell. When God tells us what rejecting His covenant of salvation will lead to, he does so in order that we may make an informed decision.
I suppose it's not a surprise, but all the Christian heritage you mention is just about exclusively Western. More than that, a lot of the theologians and artists you mention probably have cause theological problems that led to much confusion in the Reformation. For example, Anselm and his theology of satisfaction regarding the atonement. Dante and the Sistine Chapel's imagery of the afterlife. NT Wright once mentioned that at an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel he was sitting next to a Greek Orthodox clergyman who stated that the great judgment scene depicted there was not Biblical. Wright agreed. Heaven and Hell as equal and exact opposites, satisfaction theory of atonement, and so on. These are problems in Western scholastic theology and art. However, the Eastern side of Christianity provide a balance to all of this and is every much a part of the Church's rich tradition. And it should be looked at more by Western Christians, whether RC or Protestant.
It always takes time when reform is big. Servant of God Fulton Sheen wrote, “The tensions that developed after the Council are not surprising... It is a historical fact that whenever there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in a general council of the Church, there is always an extra show of force by the anti-Spirit or the demonic...If a general council did not provoke the spirit of turbulence, one might almost doubt the operation of the third Person of the Trinity over the assembly.”
To evangelize->a) Know excitement; b) Know the Word; c) Know the world. It seems our society seeks a type of excitement (a) which skips God (b. the Word made flesh) in favor of the world (c). Yes, God needs to be at the center, if this evangelization is to have any meaning at all. I guess this is obvious acedemically, but in the heart of our culture it has been forgotten. Just a few thoughts...
Yes I know "naturally introverted" very well. I've dealt with it all my life, although I don't think there is anything "natural" about it. We are born to be perfect. My point (again) is that a person who knows him/her self, loves God, and cares about others, is going to *necessarily* be enthusiastic. They will lose most or all of whatever introversion hinders them. They would not need to learn how to appear enthusiastic to others.
Amen x10 on Sheen!!!! Sheen was/is the best example I can think of for an American evangelist AND bishop/leader. Father Barron's own Cardinal could learn a lesson (or 500) from Sheen.
Not necessarily. Some people are naturally introverted, so it's not really fair to say that if they were holy they would necessarily be enthusiastic. Some people don't have that luxury unfortunately. This is where you need both the internal faith and the external skill to express that internal reality ;)
to pay for every sin we commit, made wholly pure and free of every perverce desire before we can enter in to the presence of God. We call it purgitory. It is real and makes sence-No Mercy without Justice.
A human's failure (that priest mentioned) does not make God a failure. I sympathize with your negative experience, but do have a counterargument ready: Some people have the tools necessary but not the expertise. If you hand a jigsaw to a carpenter, they will be able to use it well. If you hand it to gardener, your chances of good woodwork greatly decrease. Fr. Barron is merely saying that having enthusiasm is important, and needs to be emphasized. I converted due to both logic AND enthusiasm.
In your "insatiable passion" for life, remember Christ had life. He was alive just like you. He saw the same things you see and knows the things you know. He gave you those things. What saints have you read? Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly". John10:10 It pleases the Lord that you love the earth and the sea and the trees, but not to love the creation over the creator but to love the creation with him and in him
Pray to Saint Joseph. He adopted our Lord as his only Son and he is willing to adopt any man or woman who needs him. Don't be afraid to take Saint Joseph as your Father as Mary is our Mother. He is a most powerful Saint. He will help you. I think of every man who's girl tells he "tells him she is pregnant" and if he knew Saint Joseph he would know fear and then what it is to be a just man as hard as that is. So go to Saint Joseph.
Get to know a priest, preferably Catholic, as that is the Church founded directly by Christ, and through honest dialogue with him your answers will come and your concerns alleviated.
Also, in terms of miracles, what I like about the recorded miracles of Christ are that they are eminently rational--and what I mean by that, is that they are dependent on divine power, but aren't for "show." What happens is that people end up functioning more normally after encountering Christ. Some stories are extraordinary. But if someone claimed to be God, we'd look for "verification" like this. And there are tons of real scientifically documented miracles that occur today, like at Lourdes.
In your "great love of my fellow man"? Would you sleep as Christ was handed over to his enemies? Sweating blood he thought of you that night. Would you weep at he foot of his cross as he was murdered so publicly, mocked, spit upon, nailed to a piece of wood, stripped naked and hung in front of his mother and friends. He said not a word, he was thinking of you. On his last night he said to his disciples, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" John 15:11
Remember the Lord said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 So this faith you were raised in and one family Priest make up the whole of Your faith? The lord asks, "Where is your faith?" Where in the kingdom of heaven, which mansion in his Father's has house has he prepared for you?
Send the exact quote of what Father Mitch said. Word for word. Not paraphrased, but word for word, the exact quote. If it requires context, which I don't think it does but if it does, send the exact sentences before and after. You may not know this but 500 words is abundant for any work of scholarship - that is to present an initial thesis or abstract. So much can be said in 500 words if the words are used precisely in there original and truest meaning.
That said, I believe Love is real, but love left to the devices of humankind is fragile and insufficient, and easily perishes. Under your worldview, that is all love could be. Thankfully, examples abound that those who share your perceptions have been shown to be mistaken throughout human history. God bless you.
Sorry I know this is unrelated, but can you explain the holy spirit to me, for being an actual person/persona in the trinity not a lot is knowm about it in and of itself among laymen like myself.
Do you mean "Preachers (theologians) should take a course in Effective Advertising and then apply its principles and psychology when they teach the world about Jesus God Almighty and His teachings"?
I feel the calling to be a priest, yet i have not been submerged in the new media and the culture and frankly i find it difficult to find the strength to because i felt like being a more strict and secluded theologian priest, is that bad then if i dont see myself as the priest Bishop Barron describes.
I too feel called to be a priest and I share that "conundrum" of sorts. Something I've found helpful is the common phrase "Be in the world, but not of the world" (from John 15:19 and John 17: 14-16). This is a good middle-ground as priests should be relatable, yet always orienting others towards God. Of course another thing to do is ask God about this- God calls some priests to be very secluded and introspective and prayerful more-so than social, and other priests live out their vocations by being very social and engaging of the culture. So I can't really give you a clear answer but I can give you some very important advise- Bring this to prayer and Trust in God to reveal what He wants from you. Hope this helped man.
It seems as though you are actively aware that God is calling you towards a vacation. That's awesome! There are different locations for all of us. It may be too consecrated life, maybe towards the priest. Regarding The Bishop's words on evangelization, yes, as anyone who is public speaking, you must know your audience. Letter to the Corinthians we read this in chapter 10, starting at verse 19. Paul talks about becoming like a Jew, one under the law, or one outside the law, so that he may win them over
In previous video's father barron has made it clear that catholic preachers are lacking in certain areas too (vitality, persuasiveness, etc.) he's critiquing all bad preaching, but in this particular video he used a protestant.
If you open up the wordonfire channel page and search for evil there should be at least two pertinent videos, especially the one: "why is there so much disorder in the universe?"
Teaching priests how to be enthusiastic? What good is that? Isn't enthusiasm something that flows naturally from knowing yourself, loving God, and caring about others? One reason I stopped going to mass regularly was the limp, silent handshakes by priests after mass. I was even snubbed outright by a cool young priest. Personally, I think the seminaries should encourage self-knowledge. Enthusiasm will either flow from that knowledge, or the person should give up the priesthood.
People will only listen to an excited speaker? Well, yes, if you are speaking about things of this world. In terms of The Truth, one need only speak the Truth. This is the difference between evangelization, i.e. selling a story, and sharing the experience of the Divine Truth. In that regard, it is easy to discern the genuine from the salesman, and excitement has nothing to do with it, nor does knowledge of the bible, dogma, culture or anything else.
It is plainly evident how much progress has been recently when catholics advocate outreach strategies using advertizing principles. Nevertheless, we do not forget how you behaved when you could get what you want without asking nicely. Baby steps, I suppose.
I would word it in this order: The God of Justice, The God of Mercy, and the God of Love, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I like The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as being another big bang, born of a great love that exploded between The Father and The Son when Jesus conquered death:) Peace.
a strange thought just popped into my head while watching this ...asked with the greatest of respect... is there some one actually in the room with you interviewing you or are you just pretending there is lol sorry don't know why the thought entered in there but there it is haha
Father: I think you'd better take time out to respond to TheBallion777. It is obvious this person has witnessed or been privy to some horrendous scenes of human suffering. The enquiry was addressed specifically to you, and I know you have material out there about the problem of human suffering.
Yes, if it was genuine. But here is where being Catholic is so intelectually satisfing. The Apostles Knew this. There were many people like Hitler in their time and many repented. So this same question came up right away. Just like the Trinity! They studied Scripture and with faith and reason guided by the Holy Spirit, thy realized that the God of Mercy and Love was also a God of Justice!!! How does the chant go-No justice-no peace!! This is true! We will be accountable and will have
ah i see. i would guess that salvation is open to all who genuinely seek forgiveness AND repent before their time on earth is through. its a good question! fr baron? a thought?
Hi, I was not ignoring you, I was having an IV taken out of my arm. Of course you will have problems with religion when you use a word like problematic. If you have a question about Jesus, use his words. He asks, "What troubles you?"
You weren't there. How do you know what he saw, heard, smelled and felt? And don't think for one minute he didn't turn over every corner of his mind again and again if what had happened could have been the result of anything else. The great gift of small miracles, (there are no small miracles) need not come with The Angle visible as proof. It is the heart and the soul that recognize the supernatural experience - if one is blessed enough to see it. The mind is rather blown away but just a little.
The most wonderful thing would be for you to seek! and find the answers to these questions. But you won't, you will just run along with your opinions. Moreover, I don't think you care one grain of sand about the truth or the truth of these answers. What you care and all you care about is the evangelical mission that you are on. Why don't you make a mission statement and tell the truth. It would be so cool to read! Bonnie's true mission statement.
I don't think he means excited with the "passions" of the flesh. If the Gospel doesn't inspire some enthusiasm in the preacher, then that preacher may be lacking the fire and energy of the Spirit necessary for effective evangelization. The Truth is not a bland fact, but a Person. And if the Truth (Jesus) is not -loved passionately- then communication of the Gospel will be less effective. St. Paul referenced the culture and the Bible in his speaking, and Peter used Scripture after Pentecost.
You get an F! I wanted you to watch Fr. Mitch because he was talking about one specific word. The whole first 1/2 hour was about one word. You missed the word. What was the word and the point of the show? If you didn't get that you didn't get anything else! You don't get metaphor. Far too often I talk to adults and they tell me about their youth and how at age 4 or 14 in the madness of puberty they had a thought and never looked back. That's you. Please! I'm begging, what was the word? 1 word?
Hi, long time since we've talked. About your concern that God would approve eternal torture in hell, I'd like to suggest looking at it from a different angle. Consider that God is Love through and through, and Jesus is that perfect Love incarnated in the flesh. Consider also that hell is where no love exists. (cont...)
How many Priest's do you know? In order to make an informed "opinion" about what a priest should and should not say don't you think you'd have to study at least a dozen priests and then perhaps read a few religious books, a few saints maybe or works of Theology. Look at the newspaper or historical document of whatever the subject is and then make a reasoned statement, not blind opinion, the result of personal pride and ego. And with you you can't understand a single sentence you miss key words!
Well good that you have it together enough to listen to Fr. Barron, but for an even better approach at language! watch Fr. Mitch Pacwa. He had a good show today and I thought about you. Check it out on TH-cam: "Threshold of Hope - 2012-06-05 - Fr. Mitch Pacwa". That's the title. I understand the Judas question. Perhaps if you could list 10? talking points, that You Know About Judas, Scripture, not someones else's rhetoric, (yawn) we can look at Judas's part and see if he was sacrificed.
The reason he doesn't make much sense to you is that you don't know how to listen. For a person such as you, and most everyone else also, listening to 1/2 hour of Fr. Mitch should require at minimal of 3 hours thought, reflection and additional research if you really want to know. That is why he suggests printing and reading the material for yourself. In the USA we say that for every one hour in the classroom you should spend 3 hours in homework, and that is just to get a grade "C".
It is a privileged times for sure, and it is a privilege for my family to listen to your work here. Thank you
Well, I would say that we all ultimately have to find the truth. And the truth is that nothing in this world finally satisfies the deepest longing of the heart. No matter how much truth, goodness, intimacy, or beauty we attain, we always want more. This is the hunger for the properly transcendent, which lies at the heart of all authentic religion. It's not a matter of "needing" something in a psychological sense; it's a matter of obeying the most abiding desire of the heart.
His speech is so appealing!
You are anointed Bishop! My excitement comes from my dialogue with the Lord where he connects the dots of his word rewarding my passion in seeking him with the Holy Spirit, giving me understanding through hearing others like yourself who have a passion for our Lord to help and serve others by relieving the questions and the pain of not knowing our savior in order to draw all into his presence so we can feel loved joyful and peaceful & excited learning what heaven is like here on Earth to be with the Lord again our first love! Thank you for showing us this!
Yes, I'm always talking to a member of my staff.
After the disaster & lack of catechesis of The Church in the past 40 or so years, it's about time that Catholic leadership desires a "New Evangelization". My parents taught me well, but at Catholic schools in the 1970s, "catechesis" was missing or severely lacking. My "religion class" in 12th grade was "Death in cultures around the world"....? Thanks Fr. Barron for stepping up to the plate on this issue in these dark times. It's REALLY needed. JMJ.
The Catholic Church teaches that even an atheist who sincerely follows his conscience can be saved. And as C.S. Lewis said, the door to Hell is always locked from the inside. God doesn't "send" anyone to Hell; the denizens of Hell (if there are any) have sent themselves there and have no intention to leave.
This is very true and appropriate in this day and age. Thanks and may God Bless you.
Very profound, quite amazing what you do! Thank you!
I liked your last point about this being a privileged time to evangelize. I'm on the leadership team running the LifeTeen programme in my Parish in Cape Town and our challenge is constantly one of finding ways to bring the Catholic faith to Teens in a way that they can relate to. An amazing privilege indeed! And an awesome challenge :) Love the videos Father.
Excellent ! So inspiring!
Friend, do you really think that authentic faith closes you to "the wonder and majesty of the universe" and "love for your fellow man"?! I mean, take a look at Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa or Thomas Aquinas or G.K. Chesterton. And as for being fully alive, there is just no way that a pure secularism can satisfy the deepest longing of your heart, for that longing is finally for ultimate truth, goodness, and beauty.
such opportunity. It is good that our seminarians will be steeped in these ideas
"I'm not much of a theologian" That is classic :)
I have a B.A. in Theology from Fordham University. I love these videos.
Our tears, the love of the Holy Spirit moving in us. Stay Safe!
Fulton Sheen is one of my spiritual heroes and masters. His videos started me off on the path to studying my faith. After watching and listening to him, I can say that whilst he placed great emphasis on prayer, Scripture and Tradition, he was also a man who knew the people he preached too. He understood politics, news, biology and psychology. He knew how to convey The Word EFFECTIVELY.
You cannot peach effectively if you don't know who your preaching too. You need to KNOW the culture.
Reject your belief in the God that that priest talked about. But don't reject your belief in the true God, who wants you to be fully alive.
Bravo Father. That's exactly the words our new priests need to hear. i say this as a young person, many people are turning away from The Church because they don't see it addressing the questions and matters that means most to them. They see priests who don't simply are out of touch with their flock and thus cannot preach to them effectively.
We are sick of the same bland homilies and stories. We need priests who can tackle the issues facing their flock and understand the culture around them.
Absolutly without scare withAll that we're like with family i Hope much youngers go with you Bishop Barron! Over all with Jesús Christ! It's free right. Little by little i Hope can discover their deepest wishes! 😇😇😇👼🔥☄️🕊️💐💗For be Happy serving his Lord
I certainly enjoyed having Fr. Canary lead the men at Mundelein Seminary when I was there, but wow, I would have LOVED to have had Fr. Barron as my seminary rector. As the saying goes, "If you're gonna follow, find a good leader!"
I would really encourage you to talk to a priest in real life if you really want to know, it's easier for situations like this. I don't know what personal reasons you may have that stops you from speaking with one, but priests don't bite. I'm friends with quite a few of them and they're all wonderful people. I've asked so many questions to find out more about being Catholic and the patience these men have are astounding. It's truly helped me out.
You may not believe in it, but I'll pray for you.
Congratulations Father Barron! I love this, your enthusiasm in Evangelism as a Catholic, with your being able to articulate it in Brilliance is Astounding! I wanted to share it on Facebook, but its not allowing me to, getting an error notice!
Hmm, and here I was thinking that if I ran around telling everyone how excited I was about Jesus and the Resurrection, and that they could join in that joy too, that they would run away thinking I'm crazy. I thought I'd have to take that cool academic approach to convince people that Jesus is the one to follow. I've been excited to tell them, maybe I'll try the method you mentioned.
Now how many Saints lived among the poorest of the poor, including our Lord. You will not lose your way, you know the sound of your masters voice, you called and he answered he knows your voice too. Call and he will answer you again and again and again. Peace Brother.
Thanks for being here with me. I know your personal miracle is a personal miracle, a gift, so Good that you saw it! I know what you saw in the rough and tumble world. On Sunday after Mass I met a young man 29 and healthy in body.
Never seen him in the Parish before. He asked for my phone. He smelled of alcohol thick from the night before. I showed him the Chapel and library gave him prayer cards and books. We had a sandwich together. I gave him bus fair. Josh is his name. Will you pray for him?
Striving for holiness in an unholy culture accomplishes all that is necessary in the best possible way.
Again, Father Barron is right on the money. It's not "enthusiasm vs. content" or "content vs. enthusiasm." These are not mutually exclusive categories, as Father Barron embodies in his own ministry.
For many of us, the intellectual and theological temple of God has fallen down into ruins. Please continue to restore God's holy temple of knowledge.
Fulton Sheen was a man who understood the culture, being well informed in the fields of politics, media, psychology and medicine. Fulton Sheen used the technology he had in his disposal (radio and TV) to speak to the American people in their living rooms.
Fulton Sheen understood the flock he was preaching too. He knew their troubles and doubts and addressed them. He saw changes in culture and he commented on them. That's what Father Baron wants. Preachers who face the world head on.
Joshua 1 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
It makes sense like this too: The light can shine in the darkness, but darkness cannot shine into light. Our sins are dark spots. I think of it like magnet poles. You know how positive and negative magnets repel each other. We sinners simple cannot touch God with sin on us, it is repulsive. It cannot be done. When it is all burned off we can enter our place in heaven. I really want to go straight to heaven. I'm not giving up. Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, Communion. Fri, Sat & Sunday.
we will be waiting Fr. :P
Congrats on your new appointment, Father! I agree with everything you said, specifically on knowing the culture, popular culture and social media. However, I would point out that JP II should NOT be a model on which this "new evangelism" (if there is such a thing) should be based, since it failed miserably. The com-box is too short to go into why, but I will give 2 additions you may want to consider; 1) talk is cheap (James 2:14) & culture does not trump 2,000 years of tradition (2 Thes 2:15)
Wow! I am tired today. I practice the Jewish Sabbath and on Friday's, Sat, & Sunday I rest. No computer! No TV. No work. No gossip-chatty friends. teachers and even my Mom is left to wonder. The Sabbath, is my time for peace. It is my time for art, and scripture and music, for the earth, and the sea, and the trees. It is time for prayer and good food, if I can make it;) I added a the Fr. Mitch show to my favorites. Let me know if you see it there.
Hi Father, I saw you on PBS the other day. Very nice :)
beautiful! thanks a lot.
How did you reject faith? Did you stop praying? Did you stop attending mass? Did you take the bible out of your house? What exactly did you reject ? What positive action did you take?
I studied the Judas question in great depth over many years. Why? Because I had the same question. That's why it is easy for me now, because I studied it and Thought a long, long time about it. Knowing that most of what happened in my brain at 14 was not worthy of the woman I had become, I learned the tremendous value of long and patient thought. And every Seminarian under Father Barron's care is also going to take a full course and over years will study the Judas question.
But he is directing us all right here! It is so great and I am sure quite hard on him although he looks just fine, only occasionally tired.
While one does not need to take a public relations class to preach, in the letter to the Corinthians in chapter 10 starting at verse 19, he talks about how we became like a Jew, or like one under the law, or like one outside the law, as to win them over. He knew his audience and it helped to bring them to Christ. Of course, when preaching, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Father Larry Richards will talk about how it doesn't matter what style or how detailed an outline your preaching has, but you must speak with the Holy Spirit
In terms of claims to truth, any world-view presents itself as truth. So it comes down to examining whether the claims correspond to history and the human situation. Some Biblical stories are mythical by genre, but others aren't. In my life, I've honestly found peace and pure love only in Jesus and the Church, and most others I know experience the same. In terms of posterity, children are a blessing, but sometimes God blesses people with adopting children, too--so the orphaned are taken care of.
the answer is all things are possible for God. The question is "can he be forgiven", and the answer is yes. Was he? We will only know when we meet God.
Good point. I believe hell is the eternal absence of the presence of God. It's a hell we create even before we die. Seperated from everything we love and cherish. A lonelyness that would tear us apart. I've tasted it, and its hell
That is awesome!
that sounds quite accurate to a fair degree.
Concrete examples, please. Sometimes the Bible uses metaphor, symbol, allegory, etc. You have to specify which stories or events you're talking about.
Well, you have to specify what you mean.
Therefore, rejecting Jesus equates to rejecting Love, by default replacing it with the self's own imperfect and limited idea of love. If that rejection goes on throughout one's life, when one dies their self-defined idea of love dies too, leaving that person's soul without love, ie: in hell.
When God tells us what rejecting His covenant of salvation will lead to, he does so in order that we may make an informed decision.
Bishop I think I want to be Catholic how does one become?
I suppose it's not a surprise, but all the Christian heritage you mention is just about exclusively Western. More than that, a lot of the theologians and artists you mention probably have cause theological problems that led to much confusion in the Reformation. For example, Anselm and his theology of satisfaction regarding the atonement. Dante and the Sistine Chapel's imagery of the afterlife. NT Wright once mentioned that at an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel he was sitting next to a Greek Orthodox clergyman who stated that the great judgment scene depicted there was not Biblical. Wright agreed. Heaven and Hell as equal and exact opposites, satisfaction theory of atonement, and so on. These are problems in Western scholastic theology and art. However, the Eastern side of Christianity provide a balance to all of this and is every much a part of the Church's rich tradition. And it should be looked at more by Western Christians, whether RC or Protestant.
It always takes time when reform is big. Servant of God Fulton Sheen wrote, “The tensions that developed after the Council are not surprising... It is a historical fact that whenever there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in a general council of the Church, there is always an extra show of force by the anti-Spirit or the demonic...If a general council did not provoke the spirit of turbulence, one might almost doubt the operation of the third Person of the Trinity over the assembly.”
To evangelize->a) Know excitement; b) Know the Word; c) Know the world. It seems our society seeks a type of excitement (a) which skips God (b. the Word made flesh) in favor of the world (c). Yes, God needs to be at the center, if this evangelization is to have any meaning at all. I guess this is obvious acedemically, but in the heart of our culture it has been forgotten. Just a few thoughts...
Yes I know "naturally introverted" very well. I've dealt with it all my life, although I don't think there is anything "natural" about it. We are born to be perfect. My point (again) is that a person who knows him/her self, loves God, and cares about others, is going to *necessarily* be enthusiastic. They will lose most or all of whatever introversion hinders them. They would not need to learn how to appear enthusiastic to others.
Amen x10 on Sheen!!!! Sheen was/is the best example I can think of for an American evangelist AND bishop/leader. Father Barron's own Cardinal could learn a lesson (or 500) from Sheen.
Not necessarily. Some people are naturally introverted, so it's not really fair to say that if they were holy they would necessarily be enthusiastic. Some people don't have that luxury unfortunately.
This is where you need both the internal faith and the external skill to express that internal reality ;)
to pay for every sin we commit, made wholly pure and free of every perverce desire before we can enter in to the presence of God. We call it purgitory. It is real and makes sence-No Mercy without Justice.
You might wanna check his commentary on The Tree of Life for more insights. God bless!
A human's failure (that priest mentioned) does not make God a failure. I sympathize with your negative experience, but do have a counterargument ready: Some people have the tools necessary but not the expertise. If you hand a jigsaw to a carpenter, they will be able to use it well. If you hand it to gardener, your chances of good woodwork greatly decrease. Fr. Barron is merely saying that having enthusiasm is important, and needs to be emphasized. I converted due to both logic AND enthusiasm.
In your "insatiable passion" for life, remember Christ had life. He was alive just like you. He saw the same things you see and knows the things you know. He gave you those things. What saints have you read? Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly". John10:10 It pleases the Lord that you love the earth and the sea and the trees, but not to love the creation over the creator but to love the creation with him and in him
Pray to Saint Joseph. He adopted our Lord as his only Son and he is willing to adopt any man or woman who needs him. Don't be afraid to take Saint Joseph as your Father as Mary is our Mother. He is a most powerful Saint. He will help you. I think of every man who's girl tells he "tells him she is pregnant" and if he knew Saint Joseph he would know fear and then what it is to be a just man as hard as that is. So go to Saint Joseph.
The Holy Spirit is The Love between the God the Father and God the son.
Get to know a priest, preferably Catholic, as that is the Church founded directly by Christ, and through honest dialogue with him your answers will come and your concerns alleviated.
Also, in terms of miracles, what I like about the recorded miracles of Christ are that they are eminently rational--and what I mean by that, is that they are dependent on divine power, but aren't for "show." What happens is that people end up functioning more normally after encountering Christ. Some stories are extraordinary. But if someone claimed to be God, we'd look for "verification" like this. And there are tons of real scientifically documented miracles that occur today, like at Lourdes.
In your "great love of my fellow man"? Would you sleep as Christ was handed over to his enemies? Sweating blood he thought of you that night. Would you weep at he foot of his cross as he was murdered so publicly, mocked, spit upon, nailed to a piece of wood, stripped naked and hung in front of his mother and friends. He said not a word, he was thinking of you. On his last night he said to his disciples, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" John 15:11
Remember the Lord said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 So this faith you were raised in and one family Priest make up the whole of Your faith? The lord asks, "Where is your faith?" Where in the kingdom of heaven, which mansion in his Father's has house has he prepared for you?
Send the exact quote of what Father Mitch said. Word for word. Not paraphrased, but word for word, the exact quote. If it requires context, which I don't think it does but if it does, send the exact sentences before and after. You may not know this but 500 words is abundant for any work of scholarship - that is to present an initial thesis or abstract. So much can be said in 500 words if the words are used precisely in there original and truest meaning.
I am not sure what you mean by worked? How is Catholicism supposed to work? What does private PM mean?
That said, I believe Love is real, but love left to the devices of humankind is fragile and insufficient, and easily perishes. Under your worldview, that is all love could be. Thankfully, examples abound that those who share your perceptions have been shown to be mistaken throughout human history.
God bless you.
Bonnie, what was the topic of the conversation?
Sorry I know this is unrelated, but can you explain the holy spirit to me, for being an actual person/persona in the trinity not a lot is knowm about it in and of itself among laymen like myself.
Do you mean "Preachers (theologians) should take a course in Effective Advertising and then apply its principles and psychology when they teach the world about Jesus God Almighty and His teachings"?
That's Joel Osteen that Fr. Barron referred too. He was asked about abortion too and gay marriage and he fell apart.
Ambrose is the coolest
I feel the calling to be a priest, yet i have not been submerged in the new media and the culture and frankly i find it difficult to find the strength to because i felt like being a more strict and secluded theologian priest, is that bad then if i dont see myself as the priest Bishop Barron describes.
I too feel called to be a priest and I share that "conundrum" of sorts. Something I've found helpful is the common phrase "Be in the world, but not of the world" (from John 15:19 and John 17: 14-16). This is a good middle-ground as priests should be relatable, yet always orienting others towards God. Of course another thing to do is ask God about this- God calls some priests to be very secluded and introspective and prayerful more-so than social, and other priests live out their vocations by being very social and engaging of the culture. So I can't really give you a clear answer but I can give you some very important advise- Bring this to prayer and Trust in God to reveal what He wants from you. Hope this helped man.
Of course it's not bad. I would suggest that you become a monk.
It seems as though you are actively aware that God is calling you towards a vacation. That's awesome! There are different locations for all of us. It may be too consecrated life, maybe towards the priest. Regarding The Bishop's words on evangelization, yes, as anyone who is public speaking, you must know your audience. Letter to the Corinthians we read this in chapter 10, starting at verse 19. Paul talks about becoming like a Jew, one under the law, or one outside the law, so that he may win them over
Read "St. Catherine of Siena" by Blessed Raymond of Capua (Tan Books). It answers these questions and is a page burner--I can't put it down.
In previous video's father barron has made it clear that catholic preachers are lacking in certain areas too (vitality, persuasiveness, etc.) he's critiquing all bad preaching, but in this particular video he used a protestant.
If you open up the wordonfire channel page and search for evil there should be at least two pertinent videos, especially the one: "why is there so much disorder in the universe?"
Teaching priests how to be enthusiastic? What good is that? Isn't enthusiasm something that flows naturally from knowing yourself, loving God, and caring about others? One reason I stopped going to mass regularly was the limp, silent handshakes by priests after mass. I was even snubbed outright by a cool young priest. Personally, I think the seminaries should encourage self-knowledge. Enthusiasm will either flow from that knowledge, or the person should give up the priesthood.
People will only listen to an excited speaker? Well, yes, if you are speaking about things of this world. In terms of The Truth, one need only speak the Truth. This is the difference between evangelization, i.e. selling a story, and sharing the experience of the Divine Truth. In that regard, it is easy to discern the genuine from the salesman, and excitement has nothing to do with it, nor does knowledge of the bible, dogma, culture or anything else.
old? is that a mark of your church? as opposed to apostolic? or One?
It is plainly evident how much progress has been recently when catholics advocate outreach strategies using advertizing principles. Nevertheless, we do not forget how you behaved when you could get what you want without asking nicely. Baby steps, I suppose.
I would word it in this order: The God of Justice, The God of Mercy, and the God of Love, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I like The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as being another big bang, born of a great love that exploded between The Father and The Son when Jesus conquered death:) Peace.
a strange thought just popped into my head while watching this ...asked with the greatest of respect... is there some one actually in the room with you interviewing you or are you just pretending there is lol sorry don't know why the thought entered in there but there it is haha
Golly!
sorry for spelling error
"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins."
Father: I think you'd better take time out to respond to TheBallion777. It is obvious this person has witnessed or been privy to some horrendous scenes of human suffering. The enquiry was addressed specifically to you, and I know you have material out there about the problem of human suffering.
Yes, if it was genuine. But here is where being Catholic is so intelectually satisfing. The Apostles Knew this. There were many people like Hitler in their time and many repented. So this same question came up right away. Just like the Trinity! They studied Scripture and with faith and reason guided by the Holy Spirit, thy realized that the God of Mercy and Love was also a God of Justice!!! How does the chant go-No justice-no peace!! This is true! We will be accountable and will have
ah i see. i would guess that salvation is open to all who genuinely seek forgiveness AND repent before their time on earth is through. its a good question!
fr baron? a thought?
Hi, I was not ignoring you, I was having an IV taken out of my arm. Of course you will have problems with religion when you use a word like problematic. If you have a question about Jesus, use his words. He asks, "What troubles you?"
You weren't there. How do you know what he saw, heard, smelled and felt? And don't think for one minute he didn't turn over every corner of his mind again and again if what had happened could have been the result of anything else. The great gift of small miracles, (there are no small miracles) need not come with The Angle visible as proof. It is the heart and the soul that recognize the supernatural experience - if one is blessed enough to see it. The mind is rather blown away but just a little.
The most wonderful thing would be for you to seek! and find the answers to these questions. But you won't, you will just run along with your opinions. Moreover, I don't think you care one grain of sand about the truth or the truth of these answers. What you care and all you care about is the evangelical mission that you are on. Why don't you make a mission statement and tell the truth. It would be so cool to read! Bonnie's true mission statement.
I don't think he means excited with the "passions" of the flesh. If the Gospel doesn't inspire some enthusiasm in the preacher, then that preacher may be lacking the fire and energy of the Spirit necessary for effective evangelization. The Truth is not a bland fact, but a Person. And if the Truth (Jesus) is not -loved passionately- then communication of the Gospel will be less effective. St. Paul referenced the culture and the Bible in his speaking, and Peter used Scripture after Pentecost.
You get an F! I wanted you to watch Fr. Mitch because he was talking about one specific word. The whole first 1/2 hour was about one word. You missed the word. What was the word and the point of the show? If you didn't get that you didn't get anything else! You don't get metaphor. Far too often I talk to adults and they tell me about their youth and how at age 4 or 14 in the madness of puberty they had a thought and never looked back. That's you. Please! I'm begging, what was the word? 1 word?
Hi, long time since we've talked. About your concern that God would approve eternal torture in hell, I'd like to suggest looking at it from a different angle.
Consider that God is Love through and through, and Jesus is that perfect Love incarnated in the flesh.
Consider also that hell is where no love exists. (cont...)
How many Priest's do you know? In order to make an informed "opinion" about what a priest should and should not say don't you think you'd have to study at least a dozen priests and then perhaps read a few religious books, a few saints maybe or works of Theology. Look at the newspaper or historical document of whatever the subject is and then make a reasoned statement, not blind opinion, the result of personal pride and ego. And with you you can't understand a single sentence you miss key words!
new evangelization seems to be in separation from the poor
Well good that you have it together enough to listen to Fr. Barron, but for an even better approach at language! watch Fr. Mitch Pacwa. He had a good show today and I thought about you. Check it out on TH-cam: "Threshold of Hope - 2012-06-05 - Fr. Mitch Pacwa". That's the title. I understand the Judas question. Perhaps if you could list 10? talking points, that You Know About Judas, Scripture, not someones else's rhetoric, (yawn) we can look at Judas's part and see if he was sacrificed.
Being facetious is fun!
The reason he doesn't make much sense to you is that you don't know how to listen. For a person such as you, and most everyone else also, listening to 1/2 hour of Fr. Mitch should require at minimal of 3 hours thought, reflection and additional research if you really want to know. That is why he suggests printing and reading the material for yourself. In the USA we say that for every one hour in the classroom you should spend 3 hours in homework, and that is just to get a grade "C".