Bishop Barron, I haven't been listening to you very long, I really like your presentations, and sermons. Thank you for helping me to understand the things that you talk about.
Bishop Barron, I haven't been listening to you very long, I really like your presentations, and sermons. Thank you for helping me to understand the things that you talk about.
Bishop Barron is absolutely brilliant. To me he’s the ultimate Thomist of our generation. Like Aquinas himself, Bishop Barron can actually make his opponents’ arguments better than they can. He’s just a spectacular speaker and apologist. Thank you, Bishop Barron!
Go to hell You worship a false God Jesus didn't steal from others with the full brutal force of the law to feed the loaves and fish Social justice means stealing with violence to feed loaves and fish instead of generating more loaves and fish (capitalism)
@@anpleidhceeireannach9498 And you are not doing God's work. You are called to love the sinner and hate the sin. You seem to merely be looking for someone to condemn to fulfill your need for moral superiority. Please take time to reflect and consider your true motivations for saying such things and pray on the matter, if you find deep sinfulness, please consider seeking the confessional and spiritual direction.
Now that's a good thought, take up your opponents evidence and contrast it to your own as rigorously and forthrightly as possible. Why isn't this the norm?
NORTH RISING my, what a prejudiced bigot you’ve proven to be. And what poor rhetoric! Methinks you might qualify as a pseudo intellectual but that would require at least a modicum of intellect. No, you are more of a keyboard warrior.....and a prejudiced bigot
Absolutely! Very thoughtful and thought provoking. Learned about Bishop Baron from my Catholic friend, one of the best recommendations I have ever received.
Yes!! Have been an evangelical Christian since childhood. Moved to Pentecostalism, ex overseas missionary, Pastor’s wife when my husband was in ministry , ex children’s pastor. Ex Bethel church Redding which got a lot right in my opinion including community, culture of honour and a focus on powerful gospel centred Christianity. I’ve spent the last five years however disillusioned with “church”; church politics, church structure, church disunity especially. As a student of church history I’m influenced by Bishop Baron’s and other Catholics assessment of the Reformation. There were some very real abuses and errors in the Catholic Church toward the end of the Middle Ages that the Reformation addressed and some wonderful truths and emphases that the Reformation highlighted. But what a shame the Catholic Church didn’t respond sooner! It took them at least 40 years to finally affirm the bulk of Luther’s theses at the Diet of Worms (strange phrase - diet meaning church council , Worms a city in Germany). Meanwhile politics jumped on the band wagon and the princes of Europe and the people in general road on the coat tails of Luther and used it as an opportunity to shake off authority of the church. Lack of authority and lack of unity are Protestantisms two greatest weaknesses. And Christ’s prayer that his church would be United was shot a death knell in the throes of individual interpretation of truth. And as history progressed God in his infinite grace, mercy and love poured out his blessing, direction and love on the wayward Protestant church. There is no denying that the gospel has been proclaimed and spread and God’s kingdom has come in part through the Protestant church. It’s just that the Protestant churches (all 30,000+ denominations of them 😂 - my point), miss out on the fullness of Christ’s plan for the church which I believe is to be ultimately found in the Catholic Church. I say “ultimately” because there are still individual Catholic Churches and priests who don’t walk in that fullness. The difference is, it’s available to them. As for me, my husband disagrees with me completely as do most of my Christian friends and community. My husband does however lovingly support my right to research, reflection and my ‘Catholic’ journey . But I don’t feel God is asking me to become Catholic. The unity of my marriage is important, attending church together is important. God is gracious and his salvation is available to all. Bless you all.
On Radio or phone I listen to Bishop Barron, He is my number 1 talk show, he brings life to what was forgotten thank you Bishop bearing for all your homilies
A poem quoted by Alistair Beggs repeatedly is used by God to shine a light on my own life: "We are writing a gospel, a page every day by the things that we do and the words that we say. And folks read that gospel, the false and the true. What is the gospel according to you?"
this is one of your best Bishop Barron, in my opinion, you have an edge to you in this one, reminded of the Catholicism series when you spoke about how you were condemning the "domestication of Jesus"
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. I would offer this modern day addition - get over yourself because it's not all about you.
"And children, if St. Bojan the Illuminator visits you in your sleep, he will call you a fatso and offer you a cheese pie. Eat it, and it will grant you perfect humility. Then he will present you with the glorious vision of the Calendarius family."
Thank you Bishop Robert (Barron) and the Word on Fire team. I found this very interesting and has given me further insight in to my own moral maturity. Certainly words to ponder on. God bless to everyone.
This talk explained the millennial way of thinking & I have two.....So there's my cross which I gladly pick up and challenge their thinking through questions...also I continue praying and I have seen RESULTS in them! We don't have to go to Latin America or Africa for a mission , start at home, local area, from home you can get involved. JUST DO IT GIVE OUT LOVE
Thank you, Bishop Barron for this and all your youtube comments and shows. For me they are always insightful and inspire me to read and discover more! I am currently in a study of St Thomas Aquinas and find I need a break from that so that I may refresh my mind! Thank you again and for Word On Fire!
At 28:02, we're not describing different gods. We're not playing different language games but illuminating the same reality from different perspectives. Hats off!
Much welcomed topic and title! Thank you Bishop Barron and Brandon for detailing on the making of a saint in the 'present day times'. Hope to hear even more on this in future.
"If the world hates you remember it hated me first ......" John 15:18-21 If only all haters of Bishop Barron asked themselves, "Where does my attitude originate from"?
I just read that article and it's pure gold, and it's ironic how many angry comments there are. I just don't get why all the anger, I'm a millennial and I feel self-identified with some points but at the same time it also gives me tips of how to really commit to good causes rather than just use them as a narcissistic way to find "meaning" in my life.
The mock plea "Don't judge me..." attests to Self Sainthood. They are owning some attitude or action (confessing) but don't want the reaction/response they have wrought.
In my experience, disregarding my own feelings led to a pretty dysfunctional life and extreme emotional immaturity. I don't know that I would practice what it is that you advocate here. If your feelings are never acknowledged, you will never learn to cope with them properly! And judgement sans compassion has hardly ever moved a person forward. Brene Brown has tons of talks on shame - but the crux is that it will just never work to make a person better than they were.
Watching this video scares me so much. I'm afraid of what God asks of me. Living in my comfort zone is what keeps me safe, and I think, "God wants me to be happy. He can't want me to do something I won't like to do," but thats kinda the point isnt it? Its kinda funny how self absorbed I am
I had been trying to understand the "Morality of Selfism", and its roots. C.S. Lewis said it best in the weight of Glory, when he said that our motivation should be to Love rather than unselfishness. But I find that what has often characterized the path of selflessness is nothing more than "Attend to everyone elses business but your own and hate yourself". In one of Matthew Kelly's meditations for lent, he mentions that one needs to love themself before they can love others. Richard Rohr mentioned in his meditation "Your not that important" that in those cultures, people had such a sense of importance that such declarations would not assault their dignity.
A tingly feeling when we encounter meaning. Hmm🤔. Surely that is grounded in the experience in one's life. And how meaning appeals to you is subjective unless spirited by our moral educators.
Bishop Robert Barron Shalom, The word "Christianity" does not exit in the whole Bible but the word "Catholic" ("καθόλου") is used in Acts 9:31 . Acts 9:31 has phrase "ekklēsia kath’ holēs". Can you explain it please.
The real problem with caring only about yourself, is when it dawns on you that everyone else might be just like you, which would mean that nobody cares about you. At that point, you realise that you’re on your own and all alone. It reminds me of a story about heaven and hell. In hell, people were starving because the were trying to feed themselves, which didn’t work because the handles on the spoons were too long. In heaven, they had the same spoons, but all were well because they were feeding each other. Me, Myself, and I is an unholy trinity.
Thanks for the discussion. Just to say, Bishop Barron didn't engage with the question at the end of the show. Bishop Barron affirms what the questioner has already affirmed. But the questioner talked about the different images of God (ie, what Bishop Barron talks about in his answer as the shift in evangelical approach) from the perspective of the non believer, or someone exploring - that it might actively put people off Christianity. It's an interesting question and deserves an answer. Christians can hold this mystery and ambiguity and not be put off from their faith, not lose the depth of truth, but from outside of faith, it can be easy to dismiss Christianity as "moving the goal posts" and not a serious faith based in truth. Great question! Thanks, and keep up the good work!!
In a way I thought the title was about how to be the epistle written in the hearts as St. Paul mentioned, how to be a good evangelist and to show the story of Christ in you. In a way, it is indirectly about that, which was more entertaining 😂
Your Excellency, I was wondering if you could look over how I understand why God allows evil, am I on the right track? With the ability to say no alone can, our choice to say yes have any meaning or weight or purpose. There can be no towards without away. Dimension increases only with relationship of aspect. There is only static without another option. Only in the way things are can we make a choice of relevance in Creation, to choose in a way, what we want. Evil is tolerated that we may choose, because in choice alone can love exist. Things are as they are, because only this way can we be made in God's image and possess love for another and for Him. Without the possibility of evil, there can be no choice, without any possiblity for choice, there can be no love. Without possibility of love, we are not made in God's image and can never know His Divine Life. In short, it allows spiritual movement and life. This can also be called autonomy. It allows for the existence of the will of a fully sapient and sentient creature. Love is the act of willing the good of the other as other. Without autonomy there can be no other in terms of will and without choice, there can be no action of the will. Thus love is alive and dynamic by its very essence. The will is dead without choice and can not attain to love. I am very sorry if this is rough or confusing. I barely know how to put what came to me properly into words.
Speaking out about Moral Objective can be for Truth, not self, because self misses the mark. If the Truth isnt spoken first, then Mercy cant be realized and received. Its Love, and Word is important.
I recently watched Ayn Rand on Donahue 1979 it started with a discussion on altruism. Note: It seems Ayn Rand's definition of selfishness is something like that of someone who has gone through the steps to become an adult and to carry themselves with a mature dignity in what they do. i.e. don't take her use of the word selfish for something that is automatically 'bad' because of a conditioned belief that selfishness is automatically bad her use of the word showed me that I was conditioned to a very narrow meaning of the word. _DONAHUE: What’s so bad about wanting to do good for others?_ AYN R: Nothing … - If you do it by your own choice and - If it’s not your primary aim in life and - If you don’t regard it as a moral virtue. Under those conditions it’s fine to help people if you want to. _DONAHUE: Why can’t I think of it as a moral virtue?_ AYN R: Because that would be cannibalism. Because that would mean that you preach altruism which means not merely kindness but self sacrifice. It means that you place the welfare of others above your own. That you live for others for the sake of helping them and that justifies your life, that’s immoral, according to my morals. _DONAHUE: I don’t understand why you have to be so harsh in your evaluation of those people. Why call it immoral, why don’t you just say it’s a waste of time? Why pass judgment on me?_ AYN R: Because, look at the state of the world today, and you cannot be harsh enough on those who created it and those who created it are the philosophers of altruism. It’s those who preach self sacrifice, selflessness, self abnegation, all the anti self theories which means anti Man. All those who demand man sacrifice, they have succeeded and you look at the results in the world. _DONAHUE: That’s a theory or a way of life or a philosophic Idea which is advanced by Religions. That we should sacrifice for others._ AYN R: That’s right _DONAHUE: I’m still not quite sure on why you’re so harsh on those who would sacrifice for other people?_ AYN R: Because I look at them. Just look at them. Because they don’t hesitate to sacrifice whole nations. Look at Russia, Communism is based on altruism. Look at Nazi Germany, the Nazi’s were more explicit than even the Russians in preaching self sacrifice and altruism. And self sacrifice for the state, for the folk - the people. Every dictatorship is based on altruism. You can’t fight it by saying it’s merely a difference of opinion. It’s a difference of life and death. _DONAHUE: So your view is that if we all became more comfortable with our natural tendencies, that is to say selfishness, there would be less horror, less war, less Hitler?_ AYN R: There wouldn’t be any. _DONAHUE: So the more selfish we are the more kind and more tranquil and peaceful the world in which we live in?_ AYN R: And more benevolent toward other people, if we’re rationally selfish. By that I mean a selfishness which can justify one’s every action rationally. Not the type of selfishness that consists of just indulging your own desires, the urges of the moment, and there isn’t any innate natural idea, you know.
Have seen that interview ( within past year) and wonder if the altruistic actions ARE considered rational (i.e. cooperation = better for more than acting as if alone). Perhaps the difference lies in altruism as one's choice vs by demand from a tyrant, with threat of ostracism?
Hi @@oambitiousone7100. Yeah, being a part of co-operative society is a no brainer. I couldn't even make a teaspoon by myself let alone a car or modern clothing. Of course co-operation is not the altruistic self sacrifice she was talking about. I've noticed excessive altruistic or self sacrificial tendencies, a sort of externalization of self to the collective of society in myself and others. I trace it back in myself to societal indoctrination in state schooling, my religious upbringing and self indoctrination using books focusing on humility and the like. I'm at an age now where change of habituated attitudes and thinking is difficult. It's like, when I see things wrong in society I feel it in myself because my life IS in or part of the life of the collective and I can't help feeling that way pretty much all the time. I don't think it's wrong but unbalanced, yes.
Don't forget that Ayn Rand was an atheist. But I recommend you to read one of her books, so you understand how she was talking about the role of the government decided for you, supposedly for your good, but at the end destroy your freedom and your happiness... "La Rebelión del Atlas" sorry, I don't remember the title in English.
Hi Carolina Thank you for your reply. My freedom and happiness, like that of so many others, has been well destroyed. Nature and reality is so amazing yet they built such a dysfunctional and sub-optimal system that the wonder and pleasure that so easily could be made has been darkened and prevented by the state of the world by their darkening and crippling of so many people's minds thus preventing the best 'motor of the world' from having even a chance of coming into being. Atlas Shrugged is the English title. All the best to you and yours Cheers Sincerely David @@carolinaoliveros6933
On many of Bishop's videos the cross you're wearing on your neck is hidden. Seems like you're wearing it similiar to deacons wearing the stole. Why is it so? Thank you Bishop for your answer and blessings from Poland :)
Bishops wear the 'pectoral cross' OVER THE HEART. I have seen Bishop Barron wearing the Cross in the ordinary manner hung in front around the neck. As for wearing over the heart the information is there on Google.
I disagree with one thing. Telling your story does not have to be self aggrandizement. I can very easily tell my story and I can share with you that others have made a difference in my life and has formed and shaped me to be the person I am today I don’t ever do this alone. And you’re right my life is not about me it isn’t. I am who I am because of those that have made me a better person. That’s exactly what people do and Catholic Cursillo weekends. I have heard some of the most powerful stories coming from people’s experiences and how those experiences changed them forever. Son of Sam who became a Christian is probably one of the most powerful testimonies to the love of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard of. I think powerful Christian testimony and witness is extremely important!
Hi Bishop; With Cardinal McCarrick being officially defrocked does this mean these stories in the US are true. What is the difference between being Defrocked and Excommunicated. I understand Cardinal McCarrick is the first Cardinal to be defrocked in over 99 years.
Defrocked (laicized): permanently excluded from the priesthood, loss of job and income. Excommunicated: Temporarily excluded from the Church because of a grave public offense(with the hope that he/she would repent and come back)
Living permanently in a playpen just reminded me of all the safe-spaces out there... It’s just not realistic and no one can conform reality to their emotional wants.
Hey Bishop Barron, I have a question, why should a young girl who is raped not abort her child? And could u back it up with scripture. What are the cause of rape as per you? And how do we control or put an end to rape?
A major part of the Catholic Church’s philosophy on bioethics/sexuality is that, from the moments following conception, that life gestating inside the womb is another person... If one were to follow the that train of thought, then considering abortion to be any more inherently justifiable in cases of rape would be the equivalent of saying this: It is normally a grave evil to murder a one-week-old baby, but if that baby’s father was a rapist, then suddenly that one-week-old baby’s life is expendable and less deserving of human rights, so there would be nothing wrong with the infanticide. I think that is the kind of logic and implications one would be putting forth if someone states that A.) The fetus is a human life; and B.) Whether the baby was conceived from consensual sex or a heinous act of rape on the father’s part is an deciding factor as to whether it is okay to perform an abortion on it. Personally, I believe that children conceived from rape is a serious issue that massively raises the stakes of debates like the one over abortion, but I do not feel that it affects how morally permissible/wrong abortion itself is. If the fetus is not a separate human life with dignity and rights, then abortion would be perfectly alright, regardless of whether or not it was conceived through rape. If the fetus is just as human as any newborn, toddler, teenager, or adult, then abortion would essentially be an act of murder against a life that is innocent, regardless of whether his/her father was a rapist. Hence, if the latter is true, then aborting the unborn baby would still not be a justifiable solution to the grievous problem. The last two questions seem to be very loaded, and I think learning how to best combat the horrors of rape culture would take multiple long video essays to illustrate, because of how complex the array of contributing factors are and how easy it is for misinformation to take root.
I cannot agree - without meaning nothing else matters. I think the bishop misses the point. The problem with our culture is a combination of childish selfishness/obsession with self with nihilism or lack of an overarching narrative. The Roman Catholic Church is failing to provide such a narrative. Where there is no vision the people perish. We lose the meaning of the Gospel and all that is left is sex, drugs and rock and roll. As St Paul says we eat drink and are merry for tomorrow we die. Meaning is essential. Read Seraphim Rose on nihilism.
Does the bible say anything about diet, there alot of people who think the right way to live is being vegan and they say the bible says so, but it's hard to believe that.....,and also as catholics should we also be studying judeo teachings? putting together the old/new testaments and the torah since it is of god? i'm just curious.....
The Bible does not have any direct arguments for a vegetarian diet, and nothing that could even be interpreted as arguing for a vegan one, but there are several general statements of care for creation that some (in modern times) interpret that way. Firstly, there’s the statement that Humanity was given stewardship over God’s earthly creation, which means we can decide to use the Earth and its resources however we chose, but are obligated to try to be GOOD stewards and not mess it up too badly; some vegetarians see not eating animals as better stewardship of creation than eating them, but most Christians would say that as long as we’re not utterly destroying the environment, eating meat is fine-God did create obligate carnivores, like cats, after all, and we don’t see them as immoral for eating other animals. The second argument is a pretty shaky one, that most vegans believe animals are sentient (ie capable of feeling pain in the *same way* as a human is), and therefore all the moral teaching of the bible towards humans ought to apply to animals as well. Animals do indeed have pain receptors and respond to such stimuli, but both biblically and scientifically they don’t have souls/sapience (the ability to think, understand, and make conscious decisions), so from standard interpretations of the bible, even if the did process pain the same way a person does (ie consciously), it would only be a reason to kill them humanely, not a reason to stop eating them entirely, and we have no clue whether they even do that. The final major argument for vegetarianism based on biblical sources is the classic image in several books with apocalyptic visions that in the end times “the lion shall lay down with the lamb”-people will no longer have any reason to prey on each other, and even if they did, they wouldn’t because God’s ways are so much better. Some vegetarians would take that image more literally-carnivory is unneeded and unwanted in the kingdom of Heaven, and we should want to bring forth every small bit of the kingdom we can here on Earth. Of course there are countless parts of the bible where holy people eat meat, or slaughter animals, and unless it was someone not eating Kosher in the Old Testament, it doesn’t seem to make them any worse in the eyes of God. There’s even a point in acts where an angel in a vision orders St. Peter to “take, kill, and eat” several DEFINITELY not Kosher animals, which was how he was convinced to agree with Paul in the council of Jerusalem and allow Gentiles to convert to Christianity without converting to Judaism (with its attendant circumcision and Kosher rules) first. And looking back to the old testament, the feast of Passover is pretty darn gory from the Lamb’s perspective, but God directly ordered Moses to set up that whole blood-on-the-doorposts ritual, not merely use it as symbolism in a vision. You can make vegetarian-friendly rationalizations that “humanity simply wasn’t ready for it”, but while that argument works for human institutions that merely *show up* in the bible, it is a little harder to use when God or an angel directly commands people to do it and doesn’t countermand that order later (as he did with his command to Abraham). On the more general topic of whether the Good Book says anything about diet, the Laws of Leviticus do say a lot in their codification of Kosher laws, at the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles and other leaders of the early church did decide on what portion of the Laws of Leviticus still apply to Christians, including diet-wise. Their conclusions were (1) Christians may not knowingly eat food sacrificed to false idols, (2) Christians may not eat the blood of strangled animals (considered to be an unnecessarily cruel way of killing animals even back then, and properly prepared meat drains out all the blood before its sold anyway-the “juice” in rare meat is actually a slurry of muscle proteins, not blood), and (3) any other rule that can be derived directly from moral law, such as offering the second pick of your fields for passing travelers and the homeless poor to salvage instead of repicking it 20 times to get slightly more profit-which was one of the original cornerstones of Catholic Social Teaching.
It talks about fasting. I found the book 'God's Chosen Fast' a well balanced read. There is also the story of Daniel and his friends choosing to eat only vegetables rather than the rich food and wine, possibly offered to idols, that the other talented slaves were fed. The Ezekiel story has a very strange bread food tale where the prophet is given a bread recipe by god and told to cook it with his own excrement. Ezekiel begs god to let him cook it with animal dung, and God being merciful lets him enact the prophetic message to Israel in a less repulsive form. The bible was written by people with the knowledge at their time and it's internal characteristics indicate that whatever inspired them, used their knowledge and personalities. It would be wise to consider modern evidence based and common sense experience in considering diet. In my opinion the bible is not of God but men alone and the Jesus account and words are also fiction. I basically used the creation as a manifest word of God to measure the truth of the words in the book. Where nature says one thing and the bible another, natural reality, literally the manifest word of the creator, is correct and the written word of 'god' mistaken or alegorical if you can't take that as true, which is fine. You have to think how you actually do and only change it as you see the need to refine it. Cheers Sincerely David
I have to say, as a parishioner in your region here in Santa Barbara, I was a bit disappointed by your claim in a recent article that the Jesuits were too focused on social justice and not enough on evangelization. I understood your point that atheists or Hindus or Muslims could also be charitable, the implication being that Jesuits has forgotten Christ. That cannot be further from the truth. Simply look to Pope Francis or St. Oscar Romero to see how deeply connected the work of social justice is to the Christ and the Gospel message. Evangelism, such as what you do here on UA-cam, is wonderful, but so too is the Christian witness of caring for the sick, the poor, and the marginalized.
The Jesuits are total social justice warriors Social justice is just another name for Marxism It breeds hate and resentment and it requires force and brutality If social justice is what you want,then you won't get it if you follow Jesus
What the Church upholds is Charity which you try to convert into social justice. The Church has no mandate of bringing social justice, even if it exists its the duty of the state
Social Justice is a legitimate and important part of the rightly-ordered Catholic life because it is a great and powerful expression of God’s Unconditional Love (“Agape” in Greek/“Caritas” in Latin). But so is evangelization, because God IS that unconditional Love, and bringing people to God is bringing them to the One who can show them unconditional Love when you inevitably can’t be there for them. The One who can feed their souls even when their stomachs are empty. The One who will lead them to eternal life in a land of perfect Justice (including but not limited to Social Justice), instead of the temporary and feeble Social Justice we can provide in this world. Social Justice is wonderful, but as wonderful and important as that “hand” is to the body of Christ, it needs the “mouth” of evangelization as well, and both Pope Francis and St. Oscar Romero know that.
Steve McQueen Justice is the morally correct thing to do. Full Stop. Social Justice is the morally correct thing to do *when it comes to matters of human dignity and the common good of society*, so things like treating people of other ethnic groups with all their due respect, helping the poor, and curing diseases, but generally *not* things like praying, or giving a fair judgement in court as to how much money party A owes party B, or stepping forward in a concentration camp and saying “I am a Christian, spare them and take me instead” which would definitely be an aspects of Justice.
I think the sin of this generation is vanity. It is bizarre to see a moral framework stripped of it's original purpose and reduced to hierarchical posturing. The sheep are presented with a diversity of leaders, so they believe everything and believe in nothing. Their morality is 'personal', and the personal never emerges. God doesn't exist because the flock determined that that position isn't defensible. Does God actually exist? Surely that isn't the question! Surely! The question is if the idea of God is cool. Please upvote my comment.
WoF Show has supported books and articles written by Rod Dreher, Jordan Peterson, Ross Douthat, David Brooks, etc. All conservatives. If WoF show even *slightly* supports a a book or article written by a center-left person, I'll die from shock from that miracle.
It’s not that having a liberal political philosophy tends towards an eternal punishment it’s that liberal political philosophy (like conservative or libertarian Political Philosophy) is based on moral principles inconsistent with Christ’s teachings. Revolution through murder and constant antagonism toward those of a different skin color, privilege, economic class and so forth has too far a gap to bridge from “love your enemies, love them that despitefully use you.”
Bishop Barron speaks at length about Thomas Merton. He likely fits the left to center left position. Many ultra conservative Catholics speak of Merton as if he were the bane of existence.
As for Dan's question it may be more successful for an Evangelist to point to 'who' God is rather than 'what' or 'how' God is. All the so called 'definitions' are second person stand alone statements or characteristics 'about' God. But what about those direct and straight forward Names in the Bible that God told us was HIS? Even the first ever, seemingly ambiguous 'I AM WHO AM' is superior to any and all the second person expressions for the fact that God himself gave it as His Name. God just told Moses what he and his people should know of HIM, a person, 'I AM ...' and He would prove that personhood by going with them. The full and perfect MANIFESTATION of that person unfolded gradually culminating in the incarnate presence of Jesus. Speaking of the instances when Jesus claims he is God, identifies himself with the Father and does things that only a God can (forgive sins, bring dead to life) ought to make God present in evangelistic settings causing EXPERIENCES of God in human hearts and turning evangelistic projects into definite successes. BTW Dan's question sent me looking for a few awesome videos of Jesus by Bishop Barron, some much earlier and they are real treats. ua-cam.com/video/1zMf_8hkCdc/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/6aZsH-Ca7WU/v-deo.html
Well, I have met far, far more people that are so incompetent at taking care of themselves, thus being an unecessary burden for others, than people that are "too selfish", (being capable of taking care of themselves, but not taking any further responsibility), that I don't see that as the primary cultural problem. I don't think selfishness is really a term very useful to describe childish people. Doing something idealistic, or doing many "selfless" things of ultimately little value to others, 24h/day or until you collapse, and then rely on others altruism for your physical and emotional needs, is, in the end very immature and very egoistic. It's about taking as much responsibility as you can bear, and improve, not about primarily about "you" vs. "others".
Bishop Barron is the Bach of arguments. How he composes his speech is absolutely brilliant.
Bishop Barron, I haven't been listening to you very long, I really like your presentations, and sermons. Thank you for helping me to understand the things that you talk about.
Bishop Barron, I haven't been listening to you very long, I really like your presentations, and sermons. Thank you for helping me to understand the things that you talk about.
Bishop Barron is absolutely brilliant. To me he’s the ultimate Thomist of our generation. Like Aquinas himself, Bishop Barron can actually make his opponents’ arguments better than they can. He’s just a spectacular speaker and apologist. Thank you, Bishop Barron!
Go to hell
You worship a false God
Jesus didn't steal from others with the full brutal force of the law to feed the loaves and fish
Social justice means stealing with violence to feed loaves and fish instead of generating more loaves and fish (capitalism)
@@anpleidhceeireannach9498 And you are not doing God's work. You are called to love the sinner and hate the sin. You seem to merely be looking for someone to condemn to fulfill your need for moral superiority. Please take time to reflect and consider your true motivations for saying such things and pray on the matter, if you find deep sinfulness, please consider seeking the confessional and spiritual direction.
Now that's a good thought, take up your opponents evidence and contrast it to your own as rigorously and forthrightly as possible. Why isn't this the norm?
NORTH RISING What’s the difference between an intellectual and a pseudo-intellectual? Is it whether you agree with him or not?
NORTH RISING my, what a prejudiced bigot you’ve proven to be. And what poor rhetoric!
Methinks you might qualify as a pseudo intellectual but that would require at least a modicum of intellect. No, you are more of a keyboard warrior.....and a prejudiced bigot
Not Catholic but still really enjoyed Bishop Robert barons videos. Anyone else here like that.
Absolutely! Very thoughtful and thought provoking. Learned about Bishop Baron from my Catholic friend, one of the best recommendations I have ever received.
Watch every video and im a atheist nihilist
Yes indeed. I was first baptized a Methodist. Then baptized Vineyard. And now almost a Wesleyan, but with a great respect for the Catholic viewpoint
Hello, from 2021 haha. Have you ever thought about becoming Catholic?
Yes!! Have been an evangelical Christian since childhood. Moved to Pentecostalism, ex overseas missionary, Pastor’s wife when my husband was in ministry , ex children’s pastor. Ex Bethel church Redding which got a lot right in my opinion including community, culture of honour and a focus on powerful gospel centred Christianity. I’ve spent the last five years however disillusioned with “church”; church politics, church structure, church disunity especially. As a student of church history I’m influenced by Bishop Baron’s and other Catholics assessment of the Reformation. There were some very real abuses and errors in the Catholic Church toward the end of the Middle Ages that the Reformation addressed and some wonderful truths and emphases that the Reformation highlighted. But what a shame the Catholic Church didn’t respond sooner! It took them at least 40 years to finally affirm the bulk of Luther’s theses at the Diet of Worms (strange phrase - diet meaning church council , Worms a city in Germany). Meanwhile politics jumped on the band wagon and the princes of Europe and the people in general road on the coat tails of Luther and used it as an opportunity to shake off authority of the church. Lack of authority and lack of unity are Protestantisms two greatest weaknesses. And Christ’s prayer that his church would be United was shot a death knell in the throes of individual interpretation of truth. And as history progressed God in his infinite grace, mercy and love poured out his blessing, direction and love on the wayward Protestant church. There is no denying that the gospel has been proclaimed and spread and God’s kingdom has come in part through the Protestant church. It’s just that the Protestant churches (all 30,000+ denominations of them 😂 - my point), miss out on the fullness of Christ’s plan for the church which I believe is to be ultimately found in the Catholic Church. I say “ultimately” because there are still individual Catholic Churches and priests who don’t walk in that fullness. The difference is, it’s available to them. As for me, my husband disagrees with me completely as do most of my Christian friends and community. My husband does however lovingly support my right to research, reflection and my ‘Catholic’ journey . But I don’t feel God is asking me to become Catholic. The unity of my marriage is important, attending church together is important. God is gracious and his salvation is available to all. Bless you all.
Bishop Barron is great. He's concise, perceptive and makes ideas understandable to 'ordinary folk.'
Such an important voice in today’s culture. Thank you.
On Radio or phone I listen to Bishop Barron, He is my number 1 talk show, he brings life to what was forgotten thank you Bishop bearing for all your homilies
Thank you Bishop and Shepherd if the people of Christ and all who want learn more.... Blessings to the world we need peace in our hearts.
I can't seem to go through A-day without listening to Bishop Robert Baron at least once I now am listening second and third times, I'm so grateful 💕
🙏 so much for me to learn, that is the feeling I have whenever I watch Bishop Barron. I say this in an awesome way. 😊 Ty. 🙏🕊️
What you said about maturity from 4:00-5:18 was gold to me. Thanks.
A poem quoted by Alistair Beggs repeatedly is used by God to shine a light on my own life: "We are writing a gospel, a page every day by the things that we do and the words that we say. And folks read that gospel, the false and the true. What is the gospel according to you?"
soooo much info to want to remember...Bishop Barron gives us a plethora of quotes to remember and practuce!
this is one of your best Bishop Barron, in my opinion, you have an edge to you in this one, reminded of the Catholicism series when you spoke about how you were condemning the "domestication of Jesus"
Congratulations and blessings to your family on baby number 7!!
Bishop Barron brings God’s love to us with understandable insight.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. I would offer this modern day addition - get over yourself because it's not all about you.
I will gladly bear the cross of being canonized, thank you, thank you, graces for everyone!
"And children, if St. Bojan the Illuminator visits you in your sleep, he will call you a fatso and offer you a cheese pie. Eat it, and it will grant you perfect humility. Then he will present you with the glorious vision of the Calendarius family."
Holy Khan you’re a fool if you believe that, khan
@@wickedhenderson4497 Well, now, that's a joke, son. I say, I say, boy, that's a joke.
Holy Khan yep. I was hoping you could see the irony. Mock indignation about a
Satirical comment
@@wickedhenderson4497 is it Poe's law that, on the internet, it's virtually impossible to tell irony from sincere insanity or idiocy?
Thank you Bishop Robert (Barron) and the Word on Fire team. I found this very interesting and has given me further insight in to my own moral maturity. Certainly words to ponder on. God bless to everyone.
This talk explained the millennial way of thinking & I have two.....So there's my cross which I gladly pick up and challenge their thinking through questions...also I continue praying and I have seen RESULTS in them! We don't have to go to Latin America or Africa for a mission , start at home, local area, from home you can get involved.
JUST DO IT GIVE OUT LOVE
Thank you, Bishop Barron for this and all your youtube comments and shows. For me they are always insightful and inspire me to read and discover more! I am currently in a study of St Thomas Aquinas and find I need a break from that so that I may refresh my mind! Thank you again and for Word On Fire!
At 28:02, we're not describing different gods. We're not playing different language games but illuminating the same reality from different perspectives. Hats off!
So much to learn from Bishop Barrón, never get enough
Much welcomed topic and title!
Thank you Bishop Barron and Brandon for detailing on the making of a saint in the 'present day times'.
Hope to hear even more on this in future.
"If the world hates you remember it hated me first ......"
John 15:18-21
If only all haters of Bishop Barron asked themselves, "Where does my attitude originate from"?
Brilliant answer 👏 Bishop to David's writing ✍️ 👏 God Bless 🙌
Congratulations Brandon what a blessing 👶
I just read that article and it's pure gold, and it's ironic how many angry comments there are. I just don't get why all the anger, I'm a millennial and I feel self-identified with some points but at the same time it also gives me tips of how to really commit to good causes rather than just use them as a narcissistic way to find "meaning" in my life.
I get it. I lived like that immature child/teen for 30 years. Drinking alcohol helped to deal with that.
The mock plea "Don't judge me..." attests to Self Sainthood. They are owning some attitude or action (confessing) but don't want the reaction/response they have wrought.
In my experience, disregarding my own feelings led to a pretty dysfunctional life and extreme emotional immaturity. I don't know that I would practice what it is that you advocate here. If your feelings are never acknowledged, you will never learn to cope with them properly! And judgement sans compassion has hardly ever moved a person forward. Brene Brown has tons of talks on shame - but the crux is that it will just never work to make a person better than they were.
Too much humility is pride!
Excellent dissection of an excellent article!👍
I'm going to leave my spouse for another person because I feel! I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel my feelings and my feelings feel meaningful!
Watching this video scares me so much. I'm afraid of what God asks of me. Living in my comfort zone is what keeps me safe, and I think, "God wants me to be happy. He can't want me to do something I won't like to do," but thats kinda the point isnt it? Its kinda funny how self absorbed I am
Self Awareness is worth more than all likes, shares, and comments in the world. Seems as though you are already on a good path to victory.
But no one knows what God wants because he lives beyond our realm
God bless the bishop!
I’m offended that I was not offended by this
I'm offended that I was not offended that you were offended that you were not offended. 😜😜😜
I'm more offended than both of you
I'm offended by that
God bless Bishop Barron Robert.
I had been trying to understand the "Morality of Selfism", and its roots. C.S. Lewis said it best in the weight of Glory, when he said that our motivation should be to Love rather than unselfishness. But I find that what has often characterized the path of selflessness is nothing more than "Attend to everyone elses business but your own and hate yourself". In one of Matthew Kelly's meditations for lent, he mentions that one needs to love themself before they can love others. Richard Rohr mentioned in his meditation "Your not that important" that in those cultures, people had such a sense of importance that such declarations would not assault their dignity.
A tingly feeling when we encounter meaning. Hmm🤔. Surely that is grounded in the experience in one's life. And how meaning appeals to you is subjective unless spirited by our moral educators.
Bishop Robert Barron
Shalom,
The word "Christianity" does not exit in the whole Bible but the word "Catholic" ("καθόλου") is used in Acts 9:31 . Acts 9:31 has phrase "ekklēsia kath’ holēs". Can you explain it please.
The transaction of Acts 9.31 is Sola Scriptura of Ecclesiastes 2:24 ( Revelation the same# )
Not Christianity, but they started been called Christians in Antyoch.... Also in Acts.
Excellent Love watching these videos Thank you.
The real problem with caring only about yourself, is when it dawns on you that everyone else might be just like you, which would mean that nobody cares about you. At that point, you realise that you’re on your own and all alone. It reminds me of a story about heaven and hell. In hell, people were starving because the were trying to feed themselves, which didn’t work because the handles on the spoons were too long. In heaven, they had the same spoons, but all were well because they were feeding each other. Me, Myself, and I is an unholy trinity.
Agreed.
Thanks for the discussion. Just to say, Bishop Barron didn't engage with the question at the end of the show. Bishop Barron affirms what the questioner has already affirmed. But the questioner talked about the different images of God (ie, what Bishop Barron talks about in his answer as the shift in evangelical approach) from the perspective of the non believer, or someone exploring - that it might actively put people off Christianity. It's an interesting question and deserves an answer. Christians can hold this mystery and ambiguity and not be put off from their faith, not lose the depth of truth, but from outside of faith, it can be easy to dismiss Christianity as "moving the goal posts" and not a serious faith based in truth. Great question!
Thanks, and keep up the good work!!
I love the Saints
I listened to the whole thing! I wish Bishop Barron was my next door neighbor.
Extreme humility is false humility and will lead to pride!
Well, fortunately that is extremely unlikely to be a big issue.
I loved this
Hi guys,
loving these weekly conversations.
Any chance you would do a talk with Paul Vanderklay?
May Yahweh bless you and your efforts.
If you dont work on yourself it's impossible to become loving but if you dont love others you cannot become loving either.
A lot of good if someone in the WH could view and seriously listen to this brilliant episode.
“Selfism is childish.” Yes! Exactly my disgust with Matthew Kelly of Dynamic Catholic.
Thank you
Food for thought.
23:09 Mea culpa. Well, not on my phone but on my computer.
I am nothing,my nothingness is my cherished possession,no be nothing is to have all.
In a way I thought the title was about how to be the epistle written in the hearts as St. Paul mentioned, how to be a good evangelist and to show the story of Christ in you. In a way, it is indirectly about that, which was more entertaining 😂
Congratulations, Brandon! :)
Greetings from Seattle :)
What is the initiation ritual he keeps talking about?
Your Excellency, I was wondering if you could look over how I understand why God allows evil, am I on the right track?
With the ability to say no alone can, our choice to say yes have any meaning or weight or purpose. There can be no towards without away. Dimension increases only with relationship of aspect. There is only static without another option. Only in the way things are can we make a choice of relevance in Creation, to choose in a way, what we want. Evil is tolerated that we may choose, because in choice alone can love exist. Things are as they are, because only this way can we be made in God's image and possess love for another and for Him.
Without the possibility of evil, there can be no choice, without any possiblity for choice, there can be no love. Without possibility of love, we are not made in God's image and can never know His Divine Life. In short, it allows spiritual movement and life. This can also be called autonomy. It allows for the existence of the will of a fully sapient and sentient creature.
Love is the act of willing the good of the other as other.
Without autonomy there can be no other in terms of will and without choice, there can be no action of the will. Thus love is alive and dynamic by its very essence. The will is dead without choice and can not attain to love.
I am very sorry if this is rough or confusing. I barely know how to put what came to me properly into words.
Speaking out about Moral Objective can be for Truth, not self, because self misses the mark. If the Truth isnt spoken first, then Mercy cant be realized and received. Its Love, and Word is important.
Yeah....but adventures make you late for dinner.
I love your talks. Your on the liberal mind set. I enjoy your audios.
Good explanations!
I recently watched Ayn Rand on Donahue 1979 it started with a discussion on altruism. Note: It seems Ayn Rand's definition of selfishness is something like that of someone who has gone through the steps to become an adult and to carry themselves with a mature dignity in what they do. i.e. don't take her use of the word selfish for something that is automatically 'bad' because of a conditioned belief that selfishness is automatically bad her use of the word showed me that I was conditioned to a very narrow meaning of the word.
_DONAHUE: What’s so bad about wanting to do good for others?_
AYN R: Nothing …
- If you do it by your own choice and
- If it’s not your primary aim in life and
- If you don’t regard it as a moral virtue.
Under those conditions it’s fine to help people if you want to.
_DONAHUE: Why can’t I think of it as a moral virtue?_
AYN R: Because that would be cannibalism.
Because that would mean that you preach altruism which means not merely kindness but self sacrifice. It means that you place the welfare of others above your own. That you live for others for the sake of helping them and that justifies your life, that’s immoral, according to my morals.
_DONAHUE: I don’t understand why you have to be so harsh in your evaluation of those people. Why call it immoral, why don’t you just say it’s a waste of time? Why pass judgment on me?_
AYN R: Because, look at the state of the world today, and you cannot be harsh enough on those who created it and those who created it are the philosophers of altruism. It’s those who preach self sacrifice, selflessness, self abnegation, all the anti self theories which means anti Man. All those who demand man sacrifice, they have succeeded and you look at the results in the world.
_DONAHUE: That’s a theory or a way of life or a philosophic Idea which is advanced by Religions. That we should sacrifice for others._
AYN R: That’s right
_DONAHUE: I’m still not quite sure on why you’re so harsh on those who would sacrifice for other people?_
AYN R: Because I look at them. Just look at them. Because they don’t hesitate to sacrifice whole nations. Look at Russia, Communism is based on altruism. Look at Nazi Germany, the Nazi’s were more explicit than even the Russians in preaching self sacrifice and altruism. And self sacrifice for the state, for the folk - the people. Every dictatorship is based on altruism. You can’t fight it by saying it’s merely a difference of opinion. It’s a difference of life and death.
_DONAHUE: So your view is that if we all became more comfortable with our natural tendencies, that is to say selfishness, there would be less horror, less war, less Hitler?_
AYN R: There wouldn’t be any.
_DONAHUE: So the more selfish we are the more kind and more tranquil and peaceful the world in which we live in?_
AYN R: And more benevolent toward other people, if we’re rationally selfish. By that I mean a selfishness which can justify one’s every action rationally. Not the type of selfishness that consists of just indulging your own desires, the urges of the moment, and there isn’t any innate natural idea, you know.
Have seen that interview ( within past year) and wonder if the altruistic actions ARE considered rational (i.e. cooperation = better for more than acting as if alone). Perhaps the difference lies in altruism as one's choice vs by demand from a tyrant, with threat of ostracism?
Hi @@oambitiousone7100. Yeah, being a part of co-operative society is a no brainer. I couldn't even make a teaspoon by myself let alone a car or modern clothing.
Of course co-operation is not the altruistic self sacrifice she was talking about. I've noticed excessive altruistic or self sacrificial tendencies, a sort of externalization of self to the collective of society in myself and others. I trace it back in myself to societal indoctrination in state schooling, my religious upbringing and self indoctrination using books focusing on humility and the like.
I'm at an age now where change of habituated attitudes and thinking is difficult. It's like, when I see things wrong in society I feel it in myself because my life IS in or part of the life of the collective and I can't help feeling that way pretty much all the time. I don't think it's wrong but unbalanced, yes.
Don't forget that Ayn Rand was an atheist. But I recommend you to read one of her books, so you understand how she was talking about the role of the government decided for you, supposedly for your good, but at the end destroy your freedom and your happiness... "La Rebelión del Atlas" sorry, I don't remember the title in English.
Hi Carolina
Thank you for your reply.
My freedom and happiness, like that of so many others, has been well destroyed. Nature and reality is so amazing yet they built such a dysfunctional and sub-optimal system that the wonder and pleasure that so easily could be made has been darkened and prevented by the state of the world by their darkening and crippling of so many people's minds thus preventing the best 'motor of the world' from having even a chance of coming into being.
Atlas Shrugged is the English title.
All the best to you and yours
Cheers Sincerely
David
@@carolinaoliveros6933
Their transition music makes me think my smartphone is trying to wake me up for work.
On many of Bishop's videos the cross you're wearing on your neck is hidden. Seems like you're wearing it similiar to deacons wearing the stole. Why is it so? Thank you Bishop for your answer and blessings from Poland :)
Bishops wear the 'pectoral cross' OVER THE HEART. I have seen Bishop Barron wearing the Cross in the ordinary manner hung in front around the neck.
As for wearing over the heart the information is there on Google.
Bishop Barron perfectly describes the millenial generation, aka, the snowflakes who take offense at everything.
I disagree with one thing. Telling your story does not have to be self aggrandizement. I can very easily tell my story and I can share with you that others have made a difference in my life and has formed and shaped me to be the person I am today I don’t ever do this alone. And you’re right my life is not about me it isn’t. I am who I am because of those that have made me a better person. That’s exactly what people do and Catholic Cursillo weekends. I have heard some of the most powerful stories coming from people’s experiences and how those experiences changed them forever. Son of Sam who became a Christian is probably one of the most powerful testimonies to the love of Jesus Christ that I have ever heard of. I think powerful Christian testimony and witness is extremely important!
New Video!!!!
Hi Bishop; With Cardinal McCarrick being officially defrocked does this mean these stories in the US are true.
What is the difference between being Defrocked and Excommunicated.
I understand Cardinal McCarrick is the first Cardinal to be defrocked in over 99 years.
Defrocked (laicized): permanently excluded from the priesthood, loss of job and income.
Excommunicated: Temporarily excluded from the Church because of a grave public offense(with the hope that he/she would repent and come back)
I love studying
Wait, was that article satirical? I'm unsure.
Living permanently in a playpen just reminded me of all the safe-spaces out there...
It’s just not realistic and no one can conform reality to their emotional wants.
Is this based on Catholic view or Believers view?
Yes, we can't be Narciso and people who learn with me this react fine after much years we still trying it's hard but really with God all is right.😇😇😇
Hey Bishop Barron, I have a question, why should a young girl who is raped not abort her child? And could u back it up with scripture. What are the cause of rape as per you? And how do we control or put an end to rape?
A major part of the Catholic Church’s philosophy on bioethics/sexuality is that, from the moments following conception, that life gestating inside the womb is another person...
If one were to follow the that train of thought, then considering abortion to be any more inherently justifiable in cases of rape would be the equivalent of saying this: It is normally a grave evil to murder a one-week-old baby, but if that baby’s father was a rapist, then suddenly that one-week-old baby’s life is expendable and less deserving of human rights, so there would be nothing wrong with the infanticide. I think that is the kind of logic and implications one would be putting forth if someone states that A.) The fetus is a human life; and B.) Whether the baby was conceived from consensual sex or a heinous act of rape on the father’s part is an deciding factor as to whether it is okay to perform an abortion on it.
Personally, I believe that children conceived from rape is a serious issue that massively raises the stakes of debates like the one over abortion, but I do not feel that it affects how morally permissible/wrong abortion itself is. If the fetus is not a separate human life with dignity and rights, then abortion would be perfectly alright, regardless of whether or not it was conceived through rape. If the fetus is just as human as any newborn, toddler, teenager, or adult, then abortion would essentially be an act of murder against a life that is innocent, regardless of whether his/her father was a rapist. Hence, if the latter is true, then aborting the unborn baby would still not be a justifiable solution to the grievous problem.
The last two questions seem to be very loaded, and I think learning how to best combat the horrors of rape culture would take multiple long video essays to illustrate, because of how complex the array of contributing factors are and how easy it is for misinformation to take root.
It sucks that Bishop Barron will never have kids. He would be a great dad
Albert Brooks the actor and director? That Albert Brooks?
I cannot agree - without meaning nothing else matters. I think the bishop misses the point. The problem with our culture is a combination of childish selfishness/obsession with self with nihilism or lack of an overarching narrative. The Roman Catholic Church is failing to provide such a narrative. Where there is no vision the people perish. We lose the meaning of the Gospel and all that is left is sex, drugs and rock and roll. As St Paul says we eat drink and are merry for tomorrow we die. Meaning is essential. Read Seraphim Rose on nihilism.
Tell the story of Jesus Christ is better than tell the story of myself.
Does the bible say anything about diet, there alot of people who think the right way to live is being vegan and they say the bible says so, but it's hard to believe that.....,and also as catholics should we also be studying judeo teachings? putting together the old/new testaments and the torah since it is of god? i'm just curious.....
The Bible does not have any direct arguments for a vegetarian diet, and nothing that could even be interpreted as arguing for a vegan one, but there are several general statements of care for creation that some (in modern times) interpret that way. Firstly, there’s the statement that Humanity was given stewardship over God’s earthly creation, which means we can decide to use the Earth and its resources however we chose, but are obligated to try to be GOOD stewards and not mess it up too badly; some vegetarians see not eating animals as better stewardship of creation than eating them, but most Christians would say that as long as we’re not utterly destroying the environment, eating meat is fine-God did create obligate carnivores, like cats, after all, and we don’t see them as immoral for eating other animals.
The second argument is a pretty shaky one, that most vegans believe animals are sentient (ie capable of feeling pain in the *same way* as a human is), and therefore all the moral teaching of the bible towards humans ought to apply to animals as well. Animals do indeed have pain receptors and respond to such stimuli, but both biblically and scientifically they don’t have souls/sapience (the ability to think, understand, and make conscious decisions), so from standard interpretations of the bible, even if the did process pain the same way a person does (ie consciously), it would only be a reason to kill them humanely, not a reason to stop eating them entirely, and we have no clue whether they even do that.
The final major argument for vegetarianism based on biblical sources is the classic image in several books with apocalyptic visions that in the end times “the lion shall lay down with the lamb”-people will no longer have any reason to prey on each other, and even if they did, they wouldn’t because God’s ways are so much better. Some vegetarians would take that image more literally-carnivory is unneeded and unwanted in the kingdom of Heaven, and we should want to bring forth every small bit of the kingdom we can here on Earth.
Of course there are countless parts of the bible where holy people eat meat, or slaughter animals, and unless it was someone not eating Kosher in the Old Testament, it doesn’t seem to make them any worse in the eyes of God. There’s even a point in acts where an angel in a vision orders St. Peter to “take, kill, and eat” several DEFINITELY not Kosher animals, which was how he was convinced to agree with Paul in the council of Jerusalem and allow Gentiles to convert to Christianity without converting to Judaism (with its attendant circumcision and Kosher rules) first. And looking back to the old testament, the feast of Passover is pretty darn gory from the Lamb’s perspective, but God directly ordered Moses to set up that whole blood-on-the-doorposts ritual, not merely use it as symbolism in a vision. You can make vegetarian-friendly rationalizations that “humanity simply wasn’t ready for it”, but while that argument works for human institutions that merely *show up* in the bible, it is a little harder to use when God or an angel directly commands people to do it and doesn’t countermand that order later (as he did with his command to Abraham).
On the more general topic of whether the Good Book says anything about diet, the Laws of Leviticus do say a lot in their codification of Kosher laws, at the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, recorded in Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles and other leaders of the early church did decide on what portion of the Laws of Leviticus still apply to Christians, including diet-wise. Their conclusions were (1) Christians may not knowingly eat food sacrificed to false idols, (2) Christians may not eat the blood of strangled animals (considered to be an unnecessarily cruel way of killing animals even back then, and properly prepared meat drains out all the blood before its sold anyway-the “juice” in rare meat is actually a slurry of muscle proteins, not blood), and (3) any other rule that can be derived directly from moral law, such as offering the second pick of your fields for passing travelers and the homeless poor to salvage instead of repicking it 20 times to get slightly more profit-which was one of the original cornerstones of Catholic Social Teaching.
It talks about fasting. I found the book 'God's Chosen Fast' a well balanced read.
There is also the story of Daniel and his friends choosing to eat only vegetables rather than the rich food and wine, possibly offered to idols, that the other talented slaves were fed.
The Ezekiel story has a very strange bread food tale where the prophet is given a bread recipe by god and told to cook it with his own excrement. Ezekiel begs god to let him cook it with animal dung, and God being merciful lets him enact the prophetic message to Israel in a less repulsive form.
The bible was written by people with the knowledge at their time and it's internal characteristics indicate that whatever inspired them, used their knowledge and personalities. It would be wise to consider modern evidence based and common sense experience in considering diet.
In my opinion the bible is not of God but men alone and the Jesus account and words are also fiction. I basically used the creation as a manifest word of God to measure the truth of the words in the book. Where nature says one thing and the bible another, natural reality, literally the manifest word of the creator, is correct and the written word of 'god' mistaken or alegorical if you can't take that as true, which is fine. You have to think how you actually do and only change it as you see the need to refine it.
Cheers
Sincerely
David
I have to say, as a parishioner in your region here in Santa Barbara, I was a bit disappointed by your claim in a recent article that the Jesuits were too focused on social justice and not enough on evangelization. I understood your point that atheists or Hindus or Muslims could also be charitable, the implication being that Jesuits has forgotten Christ. That cannot be further from the truth. Simply look to Pope Francis or St. Oscar Romero to see how deeply connected the work of social justice is to the Christ and the Gospel message. Evangelism, such as what you do here on UA-cam, is wonderful, but so too is the Christian witness of caring for the sick, the poor, and the marginalized.
The Jesuits are total social justice warriors
Social justice is just another name for Marxism
It breeds hate and resentment and it requires force and brutality
If social justice is what you want,then you won't get it if you follow Jesus
What the Church upholds is Charity which you try to convert into social justice.
The Church has no mandate of bringing social justice, even if it exists its the duty of the state
Rerum Novarum.
Social Justice is a legitimate and important part of the rightly-ordered Catholic life because it is a great and powerful expression of God’s Unconditional Love (“Agape” in Greek/“Caritas” in Latin). But so is evangelization, because God IS that unconditional Love, and bringing people to God is bringing them to the One who can show them unconditional Love when you inevitably can’t be there for them. The One who can feed their souls even when their stomachs are empty. The One who will lead them to eternal life in a land of perfect Justice (including but not limited to Social Justice), instead of the temporary and feeble Social Justice we can provide in this world. Social Justice is wonderful, but as wonderful and important as that “hand” is to the body of Christ, it needs the “mouth” of evangelization as well, and both Pope Francis and St. Oscar Romero know that.
Steve McQueen Justice is the morally correct thing to do. Full Stop. Social Justice is the morally correct thing to do *when it comes to matters of human dignity and the common good of society*, so things like treating people of other ethnic groups with all their due respect, helping the poor, and curing diseases, but generally *not* things like praying, or giving a fair judgement in court as to how much money party A owes party B, or stepping forward in a concentration camp and saying “I am a Christian, spare them and take me instead” which would definitely be an aspects of Justice.
I think the sin of this generation is vanity. It is bizarre to see a moral framework stripped of it's original purpose and reduced to hierarchical posturing. The sheep are presented with a diversity of leaders, so they believe everything and believe in nothing. Their morality is 'personal', and the personal never emerges. God doesn't exist because the flock determined that that position isn't defensible. Does God actually exist? Surely that isn't the question! Surely! The question is if the idea of God is cool.
Please upvote my comment.
Does God affect the natural world?
WoF Show has supported books and articles written by Rod Dreher, Jordan Peterson, Ross Douthat, David Brooks, etc. All conservatives. If WoF show even *slightly* supports a a book or article written by a center-left person, I'll die from shock from that miracle.
Yep, and all liberals go to hell. Got it. 👍
It’s not that having a liberal political philosophy tends towards an eternal punishment it’s that liberal political philosophy (like conservative or libertarian Political Philosophy) is based on moral principles inconsistent with Christ’s teachings. Revolution through murder and constant antagonism toward those of a different skin color, privilege, economic class and so forth has too far a gap to bridge from “love your enemies, love them that despitefully use you.”
Bishop Barron speaks at length about Thomas Merton. He likely fits the left to center left position. Many ultra conservative Catholics speak of Merton as if he were the bane of existence.
Steve McQueen you are going to have to explain your comment. I can’t tell which part is serious and which is sarcasm.
Steve McQueen You think Merton led thousands to hell?
Search for the evil in yourself
As for Dan's question it may be more successful for an Evangelist to point to 'who' God is rather than 'what' or 'how' God is. All the so called 'definitions' are second person stand alone statements or characteristics 'about' God. But what about those direct and straight forward Names in the Bible that God told us was HIS?
Even the first ever, seemingly ambiguous 'I AM WHO AM' is superior to any and all the second person expressions for the fact that God himself gave it as His Name. God just told Moses what he and his people should know of HIM, a person, 'I AM ...' and He would prove that personhood by going with them. The full and perfect MANIFESTATION of that person unfolded gradually culminating in the incarnate presence of Jesus.
Speaking of the instances when Jesus claims he is God, identifies himself with the Father and does things that only a God can (forgive sins, bring dead to life) ought to make God present in evangelistic settings causing EXPERIENCES of God in human hearts and turning evangelistic projects into definite successes.
BTW Dan's question sent me looking for a few awesome videos of Jesus by Bishop Barron, some much earlier and they are real treats.
ua-cam.com/video/1zMf_8hkCdc/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/6aZsH-Ca7WU/v-deo.html
I misheard...thought it was “selfie-ism”
Some groups choose or it .suits them to follow a victim mentality .
It's a good thing for all of us that Jesus didn't subscribe to the selfie culture .
why does one have to hate at all? and why dies anyone have to look around for someone to hate? Has your smile been too painful for you😑
Seventh child?!
I am the Seat of Wisdom the Lady of All Nations the Virgin Mary
Life is painful.
This generation has to accept and learn about its suffering and not be these politically correct snowflakes who are so easily offended.
I am a wide reader
Well, I have met far, far more people that are so incompetent at taking care of themselves, thus being an unecessary burden for others, than people that are "too selfish", (being capable of taking care of themselves, but not taking any further responsibility), that I don't see that as the primary cultural problem. I don't think selfishness is really a term very useful to describe childish people. Doing something idealistic, or doing many "selfless" things of ultimately little value to others, 24h/day or until you collapse, and then rely on others altruism for your physical and emotional needs, is, in the end very immature and very egoistic.
It's about taking as much responsibility as you can bear, and improve, not about primarily about "you" vs. "others".
Fr I listen to your preaching on Sunday morning insted of goimg to Mass.
Read JONAH only 3 pages (listen to what GOD is teaching? EVERY BODY WANTS TO GO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?