Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Bishop Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit www.wordonfire....
It's always worth remembering the company that Jesus himself kept, when discussing this sort of subject. Tax-collectors, prostitutes, the poor and the destitute; while not of the world, he certainly lived *in* it, and not above it. We should aspire to do the same, in our lives as well as in he sources of our ideas.
It also helps to be humble enough to admit that other people, non-perfect, and sometimes someone we very much disagree with, have some truth within them. They are children of God. We should celebrate when someone like Richards or Dylan have grasped some bit of the Truth instead of denigrating and ignoring them. This is a path to holiness. Thank you Father for this video.
It is through this acceptance and reaching out, that Christ reaches in us out to the world and beckons the most destitute, the spiritually destitute into Himself.
Bob Dylan just won the Nobel prize in literature, much to the chagrin of many intellectuals. I find it a much more deserving win than some of the awards in the past 10 or 15 years.
When I was a teenager I used to listen to metal music. Bands like Rob Zombie, Slipknot... I was far from faith. Then a friend introduced me to a band Soulfly. This band is far from a christian band, but on the back of the album cover there are these words "dedicated to God". Some of their lyrics are also spiritual in nature. At first this made me feel a little iffy towards them. But as time passed by I began to accept God in metal lyrics, and eventually came to rediscovering Catholicism.
One word on Thomas Merton. Many Christian observers think that Merton went off the deep end, but I don't believe so. In "The Seven Storey Mountain", Merton gives an account of his evolution from being a non-believer to becoming a Trappist monk. He eventually found his vocation in the contemplative life, and had always been open, even prior to his Catholic conversion, to investigating the meditative practices of Hinduism. He was one who searched for an inner peace, the lack of which was so well articulated in this autobiography. According to him, a Buddhist monk was among the first to read to urge Merton to read St. Augustine's "Confessions" and if I recall correctly Thomas a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ." I think there was a mutual respect among himself and those of the Hindu persuasion. However, he was less charitable in his views towards the various Protestant sects. Anyway, I concur with Bishop Barron's view of Merton as a hero.
Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone. Your write on Bishop R.Barron. The Bob Dylans.Keith Richard's of this world can enlighten and bring me at times understanding and comfort in this present World I live in.
Bob Dylan converted to Christianity in the late 70s and gave up drugs and turned his life around. He released three very christian themed albums, 'Slow train coming', 'Saved', and 'Shot of Love'. check out All the title tracks as well as 'Gotta serve somebody', 'Covenant Woman', 'Gonna Change my way of thinking' and 'i believe in you'. Some great songwriting right there...
Nice video! We need more among the clergy evangelizing with Bishop Barron's mindset. It's good to see and celebrate the Truth in all people, even among the likes of Richards and Dylan, who at least on the surface appear antithetical to It. Barron cites St. Aquinas as a prime example on using a diversity of thinkers, but the Church Herself has had a long history of using different approaches to advance our understanding of God. Look at Justin Martyr who believed that the "seeds of Christianity" were planted prior to the Incarnation among Greek philosophers such as Plato, who sought the truths of our existence. As the Scriptures say, "Seek and you shall found, and knock and it shall be open to you." Plato, Aristotle, Richards, or Dylan all in their way searched, found, and expressed some insights into reality that continue to touch us deeply. And I believe all nuggets of truth lead eventually to God.
Father, thank you for your video. I think I will also have to re-consider my ways of trying to connect with others to show them the light of Christ. God bless.
Take a look at any of the biographies of Thomas Merton, the most famous Trappist monk of the twentieth century. What everyone remembers about him is his laughter.
Absolutely brilliant ! So articulate and so thoughtful and so irrefutable ! Bishop Barron Ki Jaya !! (Ki Jaya = All victory and all glories to Bishop Barron!)
Godspell truth; like the rain n sun shining ,unbiased upon us all God Bless u (don't know your first name) n your chainbreaking anointed sharing Gerard F.Vierling
I support these thoughts 100%, Father. St. Paul was trying to be "all things to all people"...probably involved him talk to people about the things they knew,cared about, and understood as an entry-way into deeper relationship/understanding. This is the mark of a good teacher, it seems to me...someone to can connect with people where they are and the truth surrounding them, and then draw then into deeper truth from there. Thanks for all of your videos.
If you read Keith's book you'll also discover that he arranged for a Catholic roadie to go and have Pope JP2 bless the track tapes of The Stones "Emotional Rescue" album during the papal visit to The Bahamas in 1979... Keith reasoned that every possible strength to help a record along is to be utilised Fr. Barron shoulda mentioned that to his uptight mom
PJP2 was in California! I set up some Comunications equipment for his vist! Was 1987 or 88. I am protestant & didn’t go see him. I pray for all believers in Christ!!
@AdversusHaereses They are indeed the greatest examples, but they aren't necessarily and in every case the most effective at luring non-believers to the church. I think we have to have some evangelical flexibility. How come Aquinas didn't quote only the saints? How come Jesus himself told parables about fairly nefarious people?
Your thought process and intellect are head and shoulders above the contemporary mainstream. God bless you Father Barron. You make me proud of The Church. A "feeling" I havn't had for a while. You also make me look at the hypocrisy and really pagan values that have crept into society..but really it's the original lie to humanity, "you will be like gods, who know". We still don't "know" any better.
@MQ1611 On the Areopagus, Paul favorably quoted the pagan poets: "In you we live and move and have our being," and he praised the Athenians for their public religiosity. He corrected them to be sure, but he was more than willing to reach out to the pagan culture for points of contact. Paul is my model.
Attorneys call it a ploy. I do it all the time, working with recovering and or suffering addicts. Open Mindedness. Change my mind, change my world. Deepak Chopra,et al. Amen. Thanks Father.
Amen. All that's needed to test Father Barron's theory about casting a wider net is pull all of his videos with questionable characters, leave only his videos of Aquinas and Saints, then watch his audience dwindle to a few nerds like myself. The Padre is called to evangelize, and in so doing he's (like Jesus) going to mingle with some outsiders. He does so deliberately and intentionally, because truth is truth whenever it's spoken, and his desire to reach the lost. Barron is not endorsing someone's lifestyle or complete body of work. Keep the videos rolling, Padre!
ring them bells sweet martha for the poor man's son, ring them bells so the people will know that God is one, for the shepherd is asleep, where the willows weep, and the mountains are filled with lost sheep. bob dylan
My research into the early church fathers has revealed some similar thoughts. Many of the earliest Christian thinkers that contributed invaluable foundation to Christian thought were originally pagans. It just shows that a wider understanding can lead to greater wisdom and understanding of God. My own early experiences had me walking different roads. As a teen, I became obsessed with Eastern philosophy and religions, perhaps as a reaction to the manic, fear-laden fire and brimstone Christianity that prevails in rural America. Shaolin monks seemed much more genuine and spiritually true to me than crazed doomsayers and televangelists with big pockets. That means my first conception of religious monasticism was of the eastern variety, not the Benedictine or Mount Athos monks I discovered decades later. Rich Christians in suits had absolutely zero credibility to me. But despite those obstacles, I held onto a Christian faith for most of my life. Its just that I had to fill in the blanks myself, much of which came through my own imagination or infatuation with Eastern spiritualism. Even though I've become more educated on Christianity over the years, I still have a soft spot for those Buddhist monks and poets and figure I owe them quite a bit in my spiritual life.
Some people show themselves as "heirs" of Thomas Aquinas, but some of them are just "in letter but not in spirit". On the other hand, you, even without quoting his words, are a true heir of the Doctor Angelicus! Keep the faith!
Felicidades por ser músico y obispo, citar a poetas, místicos, pintores, pensadores, y !con qué elegancia y tono lo hace¡ Un obispo que no deja las artes, ¡me alegro! La belleza y las artes entran en la evangelización. Gracias.
Awesome point in general. As a catechist I like playing Bob Marley and Matisyahu to the kids, and I always have to preface it with the disclaimer you're essentially getting at here. This stuff is a bridge to our kids if we use it with care.
At 5:15 in the video - beautiful - we would be sighting Jesus and Mary more, and that is the hope - to site God and God's mother in more of our day to day life. To be infatuated with the worldly is to be stuck in our walk in faith. Keep on changin' (Bob Dylan)
Good stuff, Father Barron. Why did God make so many people of so many different temperaments and experiences if all aspects of the variegated grace of God could be displayed and appreciated in only Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, and a few of the most unambiguous canonized saints? Even Saint Paul, who called himself the Chief of Sinners, invited Christians to contemplate his life as an example of God's unfathomable grace. The variety of personality types just among the canonized saints is immense.
Our faith is all about sinners and our churches are hospitals. Talk about them..use who ever you need to...find the good in even our troubled brothers and sisters and use it for GOD..for we are all working out our salvation. GOD even loves Charlie Manson, he could have been saved if he confessed and had contrition. (pray for him to receive mercy) Awesome job father 😊
Though true father, the greatest sources of our faith and the greatest examples can be found in our long tradition of saints. St Augustine and St Paul have the most intriguing conversions in Christendom, from a life of darkness to light. It is important to show through the rich heritage of the Church.
This is an excellent video. I think one of the implications of this video is that we all come from the same starting point. The close-minded us against them approach taken although by the book in nature, doesn't always work.
@RPAntonioSoler Thats very true. I have often heard it said that "protestants dislike the fact that catholics have a pope, and catholics protest that every protestant is his own pope." Historically God calls us to obedience, a lawfully ordained priesthood, prophets and kings chosen and ordained by the "laying on of hands" and "words of consecration" which always means that authority is passed in an ordered manner. Yet protestantism relies a man usurping teaching authority himself. Strange...
Wow! This is old, but this same thought has been lurking my mind in kind of a similar way, “the man of lawlessness” comes to mind when thinking about Luther... but don’t want to be too harsh as I might be wrong, just feel tempted into going that way with the idea.
Thank you Bishop for making this important distinction between citing relevant and worthy aspects of figures and endorsing them whole sale. People raise eye brows when I say I'm a fan of Nietzsche. I have to explain that I think his diagnosis of the error his and our current society is making is correct, namely the death of God idea. He understood that jettisoning religion meant losing our moral underpinning. He had brilliant insights that are worth exploring. But he was ardently anti-theistic. He called himself the anti-Christ for crying out loud!! But he influenced nearly every great philosopher after him. I'm a big fan of Jefferson, but he failed to live out the ideals of all men being equal before God and endowed by him with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Slavery is completely antithetical to that ideal, yet he paradoxically endorsed both. The greats of the Bible were not morally perfect. David is lauded for his faith in God, for being a man after God's own heart, yet he was an adulterer and murderer. Our culture has lost touch with nuance. It has lost touch with forgiveness.
@jimaroo100 Sorry, but I'm 25, and Bob Dylan is my absolute favorite artist and lyricist. Not not mention my love for the Rolling Stones... Talent is talent, great ideas never fade away. If the younger people don't care about Dylan & cie... it's their lost, that's all!
Dear Bishop: I'm one of your fans because of your commentaries. Also, ans foremost because of your designation as a Bishop of the Church. Certainly, you have my respects. Among so many videos you present that I love I'm referring here to your opinions on "Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, & Evangelization". Now, the fact that you have an issue with Martin Heideggerd because he was a German National Socialist sympathizer baffles me. You are taking the usual side of the historical fact that the allies won the war and the consequential accusations that come along with it. If you listened to reports and comments that are coming out of the closet (including in the videos out on this same source of information "You Tube") about the intentions of the German country (never heard before because of previously media total control) you may update your thoughts at least by refining your comments on this historical event and source of moral thought, political and economical idealistic dissemination. Keep up the good work, otherwise, and welcome to Los Angeles. I'm a Chicagoan by birth.
Great point of view. Since no human is perfect, we bound to find flaws in anyone's life. That's not to say, a point of view or a quote from the person is being discounted to nothing. Then why we read book written by human, music composed by human, paintings depicted by human?
the rolling stones are musical proof of god because of the heart touching music they recorded despite the immoral dangerous lives they lived. i agree with this father about keith not being a model of anything regarding moral life but i want to say he is a model of bravery and determination to follow his heart instead of asking others which way to go. nice try with the keith trick mr barron.
@wordonfirevideo I think the saints serve as the greatest reference because in the end of the day, they are the ones in heaven. Many who lived horrible lives in sin have been transformed and now enjoy the beatific vision. These are the examples who give the most hope, that show how sinners like us can one day with God's grace, achieve eternal salvation. Though you are right about other examples being wise, the greatest are found within the Church.
Keith Richards life is the epitome of the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" lifestyle that we associate with such people. However, we have to agree that he did it very well!
Father, I agree with your argument of using the wider source-you make your case clearly. My only bone to pick is that the names and value of Bob Dylan. Keith Richards and Thomas Merton mean something to me -a 64 year old over weight desk jockey former hippie. If that is the demographic you are aiming at, Keith Richards et al works great. if you are trying to evangelize people under 40 those old has beens won't work. This argument is a reworking of the "let's get relevant to youth"line
Father Barron's work is to Evangelize the culture. Who or what is the culture, certainly not the Catholic Church. Art is part of culture and Keith Richards is an artist and more. Is he not in a very real way something of a tragic hero, along the lines of Hercules perhaps? With all Keith's talent, strength if you will, he still is victim to his own passions. And don't we all love Keith somehow. It is no trick to love or at least admire Keith. Man, I wish I had Father Barron's job.
I have wondered if Richards converted. His wife is a practicing Christian. I was watching the Jonathan Roumie appearance in the Eucharistic revival in Indianapolis. I noticed Jonathan was wearing the same skull ring that Richards wears.
Bishop Barron is correct: we can learn spiritual truths from those who would seem to be far from God's grace. Just take the Catholic church itself, which has been shown to be a global haven and protector of thousands of vile sexual predators of children. But not all priests are evil, and we take wisdom and truth from wherever we might find it.
there is no question that if indeed people are around to look back on this time. Tom Merton will be known and Bob Dylan will be known and Bishop ( Cardinal ? ) Barron too will be known ...
@1ndabag And if the devil himself were to explain how he used "benedictine discipline" to achieve some goal, it might be useful to point out to fans of the devil where "benedictine discipline" comes from and what it was originally designed to achieve. In Evangelization finding such "points of contact" is essential as St. Paul did among the Greek Pagans when he pointed out the significance of their homage to the unknown God.
Is there a more Christian song by a pop/rock group than "Sweet Cherry Wine", by Tommy James and the Shondells? It's from 1969 and its lyrics are about the Blood of Christ. Please check it out. God Bless!
You can learn something from people you might not have much in common with, because they have flashes of insight and try to make sense of the world too. That's the whole reason I like to read - it introduces me to people, places and things I wouldn't know about if I didn't read. Aristotle didn't know the first thing about Christianity or Judaism. Does that mean the Church should have threw him overboard? Heck, I've learned things from people I was standing at the bus stop with! Expecting everyone you read or listen to to agree with you about everything, or have strictly orthodox views, is not only a good way to limit your mind -it's also arrogant. It's saying that nobody else has anything worth listening to if they don't think like me.
@havock89 Why should the second letter of the word for god be used instead of the first? Wikipedia says that IHS comes from iota-eta-sigma, the first 3 letters of the name Jesus in Greek (Ἰησοῦς), and that the usual bacronym is "Iesus Hominum Salvator" ("Jesus savior of Men") or "In Hoc Signo" ("In this sign, from the motto Constantine adopted after seeing a vision of the Chi-Rho in the sky).
Well, quite. According to various testaments Jesus spent a good deal of time amongst the kind of people your mother finds so disturbing. And that is the problem that I have with many religious folk, the hypocrisy and cant displayed quite regularly, can be a little stultifying to say the least.
@wordonfirevideo Problem? No good? Fr. Bob I do admire all the work that you do, you are an inspiration to me. But pleas read Thomas DiLorenzo's book "The Real Lincoln" he is an economics professor at Loyola University in Maryland. You need to know this side of Lincoln "The Tyrant."
thanks, actually I found an article about him on catholic answers, which I assume would be more accurate then wikipedia, hahaha, or at least I hope so. article: " Can You Trust Thomas Merton? "
Thank you for not espousing condemn all in light of the part position and supporting "all truth is God's truth" in evangelizing and elsewhere. Would that all could apply this in our relationships!
I'm a big Dylan fan and I don't think there is sufficient evidence he was ever a drug addict. He certainly abused methamphetamine in 1965 and 1966, but whether he was addicted to it is not evidently clear. My belief is that he wasn't addicted. His lifestyle was in turmoil at the time, but his move to Woodstock in 1967, and his new-found domestic life seemed to work for him just fine. For the rest of his life there were never allegations or incidents of drug use of any kind. I believe there is a difference between abuse and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
@jimaroo100 I speak as a 20-year-old; Bob Dylan would be great. You forget, our generation is very past-centered. We want something before everything was 90% marketing. Old things offer that because they stood the test of time, and are no longer the latest craze. It may not be as effective as, say, Lady Gaga or.... umm... I really need to listen to more recent music. Anyways, my point is, it'll probably be more effective than you give it credit.
@magister343 Wikipedia is Wrong. Let the catholic church define what the catholic church is, would you? The (TH) is expressed by the letter H. thats greek for ya! they dont use the english standard alphabetic system. Iesus Hominum Salvator is latin, not ancient greek. In Hoc Signo is latin (again) for "in this sign" Those letters are ebroidered and emblazoned on the altar cloths and the altar itself sometimes because during the catholic mass the altar becomes the presence of christ.
@salrand58 This certainly isn't the place to get into a debate about the causes of the American Civil War, but blaming the 600k lost to that catastrophe on Lincoln?! Really?! Have you read ANYTHING about the history of that conflict and its causes? I'd direct you to the late Shelby Foote on Lincoln.
@MQ1611 I was expecting that you would reply with an actual argument. You've instead fueled your own stereotype. "Obey my voice." The very essence of Protestantism is disobedience! It is clear that God protesting the sins of the Hebrews is vastly different from German notables protesting an edict made in defence of Scriptural faith. "All heretics wish to be styled Catholic, yet if anyone asks them where is the Catholic place of worship none would venture to point out his own."-St Augustine
Father Barron is a wonderful priest. a wonderful Bishop. we’re blessed with his teaching
It wasn't the church that brought me to God, it was through the movies of Terence malick that God spoke to me and opened my heart to him.
It's always worth remembering the company that Jesus himself kept, when discussing this sort of subject. Tax-collectors, prostitutes, the poor and the destitute; while not of the world, he certainly lived *in* it, and not above it. We should aspire to do the same, in our lives as well as in he sources of our ideas.
In fact the only people Jesus rebuked were the so called "holy men" of that time.
@@eoinMB3949 Jesus did tell the adulteress to go and sin no more
@@prayunceasingly2029 100%. It was a gentle rebuke but a rebuke non the less
If any of us were judged solely by our worst moment, we would all be damned.
It also helps to be humble enough to admit that other people, non-perfect, and sometimes someone we very much disagree with, have some truth within them. They are children of God. We should celebrate when someone like Richards or Dylan have grasped some bit of the Truth instead of denigrating and ignoring them. This is a path to holiness. Thank you Father for this video.
That's what it means to be Catholic. Accept and keep good traditions and thoughts universally.
It is through this acceptance and reaching out, that Christ reaches in us out to the world and beckons the most destitute, the spiritually destitute into Himself.
Keith Richards and Patti Hansen have been married since 1983, and his daughters love him very much. He must have goodness in him.
Bob Dylan just won the Nobel prize in literature, much to the chagrin of many intellectuals. I find it a much more deserving win than some of the awards in the past 10 or 15 years.
When I was a teenager I used to listen to metal music. Bands like Rob Zombie, Slipknot... I was far from faith. Then a friend introduced me to a band Soulfly. This band is far from a christian band, but on the back of the album cover there are these words "dedicated to God". Some of their lyrics are also spiritual in nature. At first this made me feel a little iffy towards them. But as time passed by I began to accept God in metal lyrics, and eventually came to rediscovering Catholicism.
One word on Thomas Merton. Many Christian observers think that Merton went off the deep end, but I don't believe so. In "The Seven Storey Mountain", Merton gives an account of his evolution from being a non-believer to becoming a Trappist monk. He eventually found his vocation in the contemplative life, and had always been open, even prior to his Catholic conversion, to investigating the meditative practices of Hinduism. He was one who searched for an inner peace, the lack of which was so well articulated in this autobiography. According to him, a Buddhist monk was among the first to read to urge Merton to read St. Augustine's "Confessions" and if I recall correctly Thomas a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ." I think there was a mutual respect among himself and those of the Hindu persuasion. However, he was less charitable in his views towards the various Protestant sects. Anyway, I concur with Bishop Barron's view of Merton as a hero.
Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.
Your write on Bishop R.Barron.
The Bob Dylans.Keith Richard's of this world
can enlighten and bring me at times understanding and comfort in this present
World I live in.
Keith Richards, I believe, paid for the restoration of his local church, quite a few years back. x
Bob Dylan converted to Christianity in the late 70s and gave up drugs and turned his life around. He released three very christian themed albums, 'Slow train coming', 'Saved', and 'Shot of Love'. check out All the title tracks as well as 'Gotta serve somebody', 'Covenant Woman', 'Gonna Change my way of thinking' and 'i believe in you'. Some great songwriting right there...
Nice video! We need more among the clergy evangelizing with Bishop Barron's mindset. It's good to see and celebrate the Truth in all people, even among the likes of Richards and Dylan, who at least on the surface appear antithetical to It. Barron cites St. Aquinas as a prime example on using a diversity of thinkers, but the Church Herself has had a long history of using different approaches to advance our understanding of God. Look at Justin Martyr who believed that the "seeds of Christianity" were planted prior to the Incarnation among Greek philosophers such as Plato, who sought the truths of our existence. As the Scriptures say, "Seek and you shall found, and knock and it shall be open to you." Plato, Aristotle, Richards, or Dylan all in their way searched, found, and expressed some insights into reality that continue to touch us deeply. And I believe all nuggets of truth lead eventually to God.
"All nuggets of truth lead eventually to God." - Well said!
Father, thank you for your video. I think I will also have to re-consider my ways of trying to connect with others to show them the light of Christ. God bless.
Take a look at any of the biographies of Thomas Merton, the most famous Trappist monk of the twentieth century. What everyone remembers about him is his laughter.
Videos like this are what make you one of my favorite UA-cam subscriptions. Thanks!
Absolutely brilliant ! So articulate and so thoughtful and so irrefutable ! Bishop Barron Ki Jaya !! (Ki Jaya = All victory and all glories to Bishop Barron!)
Godspell truth; like the rain n sun shining ,unbiased upon us all
God Bless u (don't know your first name) n your chainbreaking anointed sharing
Gerard F.Vierling
I support these thoughts 100%, Father. St. Paul was trying to be "all things to all people"...probably involved him talk to people about the things they knew,cared about, and understood as an entry-way into deeper relationship/understanding. This is the mark of a good teacher, it seems to me...someone to can connect with people where they are and the truth surrounding them, and then draw then into deeper truth from there.
Thanks for all of your videos.
this was a great post. thank you.
If only more of the world could hear and integrate this into their thinking.
@wordonfirevideo This is your best video commentary so far that I've had a chance to see. Kudos!
If you read Keith's book
you'll also discover that he arranged for a Catholic roadie to go and have
Pope JP2 bless the track tapes of
The Stones "Emotional Rescue" album during the papal visit to The Bahamas
in 1979...
Keith reasoned that every possible strength to help a record along
is to be utilised
Fr. Barron shoulda mentioned that to his uptight mom
PJP2 was in California! I set up some Comunications equipment for his vist! Was 1987 or 88. I am protestant & didn’t go see him. I pray for all believers in Christ!!
@AdversusHaereses They are indeed the greatest examples, but they aren't necessarily and in every case the most effective at luring non-believers to the church. I think we have to have some evangelical flexibility. How come Aquinas didn't quote only the saints? How come Jesus himself told parables about fairly nefarious people?
Your thought process and intellect are head and shoulders above the contemporary mainstream. God bless you Father Barron. You make me proud of The Church. A "feeling" I havn't had for a while. You also make me look at the hypocrisy and really pagan values that have crept into society..but really it's the original lie to humanity, "you will be like gods, who know". We still don't "know" any better.
Amen that you're recommending Bob Dylan. I love you Bishop Barron thank you!
I agree with you 100%
Thank you for these films
So well explained. Thankyou.
@MQ1611 Isn't the Internet part of the "world?" Then why are you using it?
Very insightful.
@MQ1611 On the Areopagus, Paul favorably quoted the pagan poets: "In you we live and move and have our being," and he praised the Athenians for their public religiosity. He corrected them to be sure, but he was more than willing to reach out to the pagan culture for points of contact. Paul is my model.
Attorneys call it a ploy. I do it all the time, working with recovering and or suffering addicts. Open Mindedness. Change my mind, change my world. Deepak Chopra,et al. Amen. Thanks Father.
Amen. All that's needed to test Father Barron's theory about casting a wider net is pull all of his videos with questionable characters, leave only his videos of Aquinas and Saints, then watch his audience dwindle to a few nerds like myself. The Padre is called to evangelize, and in so doing he's (like Jesus) going to mingle with some outsiders. He does so deliberately and intentionally, because truth is truth whenever it's spoken, and his desire to reach the lost. Barron is not endorsing someone's lifestyle or complete body of work. Keep the videos rolling, Padre!
ring them bells sweet martha for the poor man's son, ring them bells so the people will know that God is one, for the shepherd is asleep, where the willows weep, and the mountains are filled with lost sheep. bob dylan
My research into the early church fathers has revealed some similar thoughts. Many of the earliest Christian thinkers that contributed invaluable foundation to Christian thought were originally pagans. It just shows that a wider understanding can lead to greater wisdom and understanding of God.
My own early experiences had me walking different roads. As a teen, I became obsessed with Eastern philosophy and religions, perhaps as a reaction to the manic, fear-laden fire and brimstone Christianity that prevails in rural America. Shaolin monks seemed much more genuine and spiritually true to me than crazed doomsayers and televangelists with big pockets. That means my first conception of religious monasticism was of the eastern variety, not the Benedictine or Mount Athos monks I discovered decades later. Rich Christians in suits had absolutely zero credibility to me.
But despite those obstacles, I held onto a Christian faith for most of my life. Its just that I had to fill in the blanks myself, much of which came through my own imagination or infatuation with Eastern spiritualism. Even though I've become more educated on Christianity over the years, I still have a soft spot for those Buddhist monks and poets and figure I owe them quite a bit in my spiritual life.
Some people show themselves as "heirs" of Thomas Aquinas, but some of them are just "in letter but not in spirit". On the other hand, you, even without quoting his words, are a true heir of the Doctor Angelicus! Keep the faith!
Felicidades por ser músico y obispo, citar a poetas, místicos, pintores, pensadores, y !con qué elegancia y tono lo hace¡ Un obispo que no deja las artes, ¡me alegro! La belleza y las artes entran en la evangelización. Gracias.
Awesome point in general. As a catechist I like playing Bob Marley and Matisyahu to the kids, and I always have to preface it with the disclaimer you're essentially getting at here. This stuff is a bridge to our kids if we use it with care.
I absolutely agree! Even Paul quoted a pagan poet in order to make a point.
At 5:15 in the video - beautiful - we would be sighting Jesus and Mary more, and that is the hope - to site God and God's mother in more of our day to day life. To be infatuated with the worldly is to be stuck in our walk in faith.
Keep on changin' (Bob Dylan)
Good stuff, Father Barron. Why did God make so many people of so many different temperaments and experiences if all aspects of the variegated grace of God could be displayed and appreciated in only Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, and a few of the most unambiguous canonized saints? Even Saint Paul, who called himself the Chief of Sinners, invited Christians to contemplate his life as an example of God's unfathomable grace. The variety of personality types just among the canonized saints is immense.
Well, why have Bob and Keith been so popular? Because they’re counter-cultural? No, it started with their God given talents.
Our faith is all about sinners and our churches are hospitals. Talk about them..use who ever you need to...find the good in even our troubled brothers and sisters and use it for GOD..for we are all working out our salvation. GOD even loves Charlie Manson, he could have been saved if he confessed and had contrition. (pray for him to receive mercy) Awesome job father 😊
Though true father, the greatest sources of our faith and the greatest examples can be found in our long tradition of saints. St Augustine and St Paul have the most intriguing conversions in Christendom, from a life of darkness to light. It is important to show through the rich heritage of the Church.
This is an excellent video. I think one of the implications of this video is that we all come from the same starting point. The close-minded us against them approach taken although by the book in nature, doesn't always work.
@RPAntonioSoler Thats very true. I have often heard it said that "protestants dislike the fact that catholics have a pope, and catholics protest that every protestant is his own pope."
Historically God calls us to obedience, a lawfully ordained priesthood, prophets and kings chosen and ordained by the "laying on of hands" and "words of consecration" which always means that authority is passed in an ordered manner. Yet protestantism relies a man usurping teaching authority himself. Strange...
Wow! This is old, but this same thought has been lurking my mind in kind of a similar way, “the man of lawlessness” comes to mind when thinking about Luther... but don’t want to be too harsh as I might be wrong, just feel tempted into going that way with the idea.
I started thinking of becoming a Priest listening to George Harrison songs!
Thank you Bishop for making this important distinction between citing relevant and worthy aspects of figures and endorsing them whole sale. People raise eye brows when I say I'm a fan of Nietzsche. I have to explain that I think his diagnosis of the error his and our current society is making is correct, namely the death of God idea. He understood that jettisoning religion meant losing our moral underpinning. He had brilliant insights that are worth exploring. But he was ardently anti-theistic. He called himself the anti-Christ for crying out loud!! But he influenced nearly every great philosopher after him. I'm a big fan of Jefferson, but he failed to live out the ideals of all men being equal before God and endowed by him with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Slavery is completely antithetical to that ideal, yet he paradoxically endorsed both. The greats of the Bible were not morally perfect. David is lauded for his faith in God, for being a man after God's own heart, yet he was an adulterer and murderer. Our culture has lost touch with nuance. It has lost touch with forgiveness.
@yourpalcaptsal A tyrant? Lincoln? Stalin, yes. Hitler, yes. Mao, yes. Saddam Hussein, yes. Lincoln? No.
Well said.
@jimaroo100 Sorry, but I'm 25, and Bob Dylan is my absolute favorite artist and lyricist.
Not not mention my love for the Rolling Stones...
Talent is talent, great ideas never fade away.
If the younger people don't care about Dylan & cie... it's their lost, that's all!
who would put bob dylan down?
he's amazing
this guy seems pretty smart to me
Dear Bishop:
I'm one of your fans because of your commentaries. Also, ans foremost because of your designation as a Bishop of the Church. Certainly, you have my respects. Among so many videos you present that I love I'm referring here to your opinions on "Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, & Evangelization". Now, the fact that you have an issue with Martin Heideggerd because he was a German National Socialist sympathizer baffles me. You are taking the usual side of the historical fact that the allies won the war and the consequential accusations that come along with it. If you listened to reports and comments that are coming out of the closet (including in the videos out on this same source of information "You Tube") about the intentions of the German country (never heard before because of previously media total control) you may update your thoughts at least by refining your comments on this historical event and source of moral thought, political and economical idealistic dissemination.
Keep up the good work, otherwise, and welcome to Los Angeles. I'm a Chicagoan by birth.
Fr. Barron, have you ever thought of citing Dietrich Bonhoeffer? (German Lutheran pastor and theologian)
Good Point - can you cite any current day artist that might appeal to younger people such as Bono
Thank you for instructing us in all manners of life. Why do humans “have to” always have to complain. Is complaining a sin moral or benign?
Why do you use quotes around have to, three times
Bob Dylan was never a drug addict. I hope you correct your parishioners who say that.
Great point of view. Since no human is perfect, we bound to find flaws in anyone's life. That's not to say, a point of view or a quote from the person is being discounted to nothing. Then why we read book written by human, music composed by human, paintings depicted by human?
the rolling stones are musical proof of god because of the heart touching music they recorded despite the immoral dangerous lives they lived. i agree with this father about keith not being a model of anything regarding moral life but i want to say he is a model of bravery and determination to follow his heart instead of asking others which way to go. nice try with the keith trick mr barron.
@wordonfirevideo I think the saints serve as the greatest reference because in the end of the day, they are the ones in heaven. Many who lived horrible lives in sin have been transformed and now enjoy the beatific vision. These are the examples who give the most hope, that show how sinners like us can one day with God's grace, achieve eternal salvation. Though you are right about other examples being wise, the greatest are found within the Church.
@MQ1611 Yeah, but it still isn't mentioned in the Bible! You're such a worldling.
You should check Bono's/U2 lyrics. Very very spiritual band.
Keith Richards life is the epitome of the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" lifestyle that we associate with such people. However, we have to agree that he did it very well!
Keith was a bluesman at heart! Bluesmen gotta have soul!! Only God can give us good Soul!!!
Rolling stones are balls on a bar mitzvah hall
@matimaui What "trick" are you talking about?
"Well, Here's the Thing:- " Bishop Bob for Cardinal & Pope!
Father, I agree with your argument of using the wider source-you make your case clearly.
My only bone to pick is that the names and value of Bob Dylan. Keith Richards and Thomas Merton mean something to me -a 64 year old over weight desk jockey former hippie. If that is the demographic you are aiming at, Keith Richards et al works great. if you are trying to evangelize people under 40 those old has beens won't work.
This argument is a reworking of the "let's get relevant to youth"line
Father Barron's work is to Evangelize the culture. Who or what is the culture, certainly not the Catholic Church. Art is part of culture and Keith Richards is an artist and more. Is he not in a very real way something of a tragic hero, along the lines of Hercules perhaps? With all Keith's talent, strength if you will, he still is victim to his own passions. And don't we all love Keith somehow. It is no trick to love or at least admire Keith. Man, I wish I had Father Barron's job.
@salrand58 Come on!
I have wondered if Richards converted. His wife is a practicing Christian. I was watching the Jonathan Roumie appearance in the Eucharistic revival in Indianapolis. I noticed Jonathan was wearing the same skull ring that Richards wears.
Bishop Barron is correct: we can learn spiritual truths from those who would seem to be far from God's grace. Just take the Catholic church itself, which has been shown to be a global haven and protector of thousands of vile sexual predators of children. But not all priests are evil, and we take wisdom and truth from wherever we might find it.
there is no question that if indeed people are around to look back on this time. Tom Merton will be known and Bob Dylan will be known and Bishop ( Cardinal ? ) Barron too will be known ...
One of my favourite Confucius quotes is: "Always yield to temptation, it may not pass your way again." :o)
@1ndabag And if the devil himself were to explain how he used "benedictine discipline" to achieve some goal, it might be useful to point out to fans of the devil where "benedictine discipline" comes from and what it was originally designed to achieve. In Evangelization finding such "points of contact" is essential as St. Paul did among the Greek Pagans when he pointed out the significance of their homage to the unknown God.
I guess what this video proves is that God can use even non-believers to draw people nearer to Him.
Marcus Aurelius was a polytheist and one would hard pressed to discount many of the incredible quotes that he is noted for...
Cool dude
God is GOD. He is neither Protestant not Catholic.
Is there a more Christian song by a pop/rock group than "Sweet Cherry Wine", by Tommy James and the Shondells? It's from 1969 and its lyrics are about the Blood of Christ. Please check it out. God Bless!
I quite agree, but let's make it a bit intriquing: what positif thing could you say about a crocodile?
You can learn something from people you might not have much in common with, because they have flashes of insight and try to make sense of the world too. That's the whole reason I like to read - it introduces me to people, places and things I wouldn't know about if I didn't read. Aristotle didn't know the first thing about Christianity or Judaism. Does that mean the Church should have threw him overboard? Heck, I've learned things from people I was standing at the bus stop with! Expecting everyone you read or listen to to agree with you about everything, or have strictly orthodox views, is not only a good way to limit your mind -it's also arrogant. It's saying that nobody else has anything worth listening to if they don't think like me.
@havock89 Why should the second letter of the word for god be used instead of the first?
Wikipedia says that IHS comes from iota-eta-sigma, the first 3 letters of the name Jesus in Greek (Ἰησοῦς), and that the usual bacronym is "Iesus Hominum Salvator" ("Jesus savior of Men") or "In Hoc Signo" ("In this sign, from the motto Constantine adopted after seeing a vision of the Chi-Rho in the sky).
Well, quite. According to various testaments Jesus spent a good deal of time amongst the kind of people your mother finds so disturbing. And that is the problem that I have with many religious folk, the hypocrisy and cant displayed quite regularly, can be a little stultifying to say the least.
Wokeness and moral purity even 10 years back. Hypercharged today.
Good explanation!
@jimaroo100 Hey, I'm interested in evangelizing overweight former hippies! I'll use whatever works.
How much do you want for your soul
@wordonfirevideo Problem? No good?
Fr. Bob I do admire all the work that you do, you are an inspiration to me. But pleas read Thomas DiLorenzo's book "The Real Lincoln" he is an economics professor at Loyola University in Maryland. You need to know this side of Lincoln "The Tyrant."
thanks, actually I found an article about him on catholic answers, which I assume would be more accurate then wikipedia, hahaha, or at least I hope so.
article: " Can You Trust Thomas Merton? "
Thank you for not espousing condemn all in light of the part position and supporting "all truth is God's truth" in evangelizing and elsewhere. Would that all could apply this in our relationships!
Alistair Begg. A protestant version of Barron.
"Many people in the 60s got a little mixed up." hahaha
@nikkiejanee1972
didn't bob dylan sing for the pope?
if the pope likes dylan, what's not to love:)
Didn’t the pope invite Bob Dylan to the Vatican
To give a concert ?
I'm a big Dylan fan and I don't think there is sufficient evidence he was ever a drug addict. He certainly abused methamphetamine in 1965 and 1966, but whether he was addicted to it is not evidently clear. My belief is that he wasn't addicted. His lifestyle was in turmoil at the time, but his move to Woodstock in 1967, and his new-found domestic life seemed to work for him just fine. For the rest of his life there were never allegations or incidents of drug use of any kind.
I believe there is a difference between abuse and addiction to drugs and alcohol.
It is funny how sometimes a 'geographic' can help.
yes lets not constrin ourselfs to things that are like us!
@jimaroo100 I speak as a 20-year-old; Bob Dylan would be great. You forget, our generation is very past-centered. We want something before everything was 90% marketing. Old things offer that because they stood the test of time, and are no longer the latest craze. It may not be as effective as, say, Lady Gaga or.... umm... I really need to listen to more recent music. Anyways, my point is, it'll probably be more effective than you give it credit.
@magister343 Wikipedia is Wrong. Let the catholic church define what the catholic church is, would you?
The (TH) is expressed by the letter H. thats greek for ya! they dont use the english standard alphabetic system.
Iesus Hominum Salvator is latin, not ancient greek.
In Hoc Signo is latin (again) for "in this sign"
Those letters are ebroidered and emblazoned on the altar cloths and the altar itself sometimes because during the catholic mass the altar becomes the presence of christ.
Father, have you read the writings of Confucius or his early followers? You may find someone else worth citing. :)
@salrand58 This certainly isn't the place to get into a debate about the causes of the American Civil War, but blaming the 600k lost to that catastrophe on Lincoln?! Really?! Have you read ANYTHING about the history of that conflict and its causes? I'd direct you to the late Shelby Foote on Lincoln.
@MQ1611 I was expecting that you would reply with an actual argument. You've instead fueled your own stereotype.
"Obey my voice." The very essence of Protestantism is disobedience! It is clear that God protesting the sins of the Hebrews is vastly different from German notables protesting an edict made in defence of Scriptural faith.
"All heretics wish to be styled Catholic, yet if anyone asks them where is the Catholic place of worship none would venture to point out his own."-St Augustine