During this time when our regular routines have vastly changed, we may be asking ourselves why we do what we do? Maybe the question of “Why?” has even crept into your faith life. Seriously seeking an answer to the question of “Why am I Catholic?” can be a profound experience. In this talk, Jason Evert examines this very question and explains to his audience, and to us, why he is and remains Catholic. In fact, he goes a step beyond this and beautifully witnesses to the joy of our faith through engaging storytelling.
And now for something completely different. So far we’ve listened to talks, watched stand-alone videos, multi-episode learning series, but now I’ve reviewed something completely different. Masterpieces is a short documentary on Art and Faith. While watching, you’ll hear about the process of creating art and how five artists found a calling in being artists. The documentary is beautiful and almost a meditation on the arts and faith.
Here is a subject matter that makes some turn away in order to not have to hear or to see it; suffering. I once heard a priest say that no matter who we are, rich or poor, man or woman, old or young, we have to suffer. I acknowledged that he was probably right, but that he didn’t mean me or the people I loved. At a time when it feels like the whole world is suffering, it makes it harder to deny that priest’s statement. Why do we suffer? Dr. Scott Hahn tackles this important and difficult question in his audio talk “Making Sense out of Suffering.” And he nails it. If you have ever questioned why a loving God would have us suffer, then you should consider giving this talk a listen.
What do you want out of life? A lot of people’s answer is the same - Happiness. Yet, we don’t often talk about happiness or the good life in the context of faith. This video series from The Magis Center and Fr. Robert Spitzer SJ, does address what happiness and faith have to do with each other.
This coming Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday which means the entire Catholic Church will celebrate this beautiful and profound mystery of God’s mercy for us. The teaching of the Divine Mercy was an important one for St. Pope John Paul II and has often been cited by Pope Francis. Yet, such an important teaching of the Church is still a mystery to many of us. If the teaching on the Divine Mercy is new to you or you only know of the Divine Mercy chaplet and image, then watching this video will aid you understanding why the whole Church celebrates the Divine Mercy this Sunday. Note Bene - This review was conducted after having watched just the first 3 episodes of the series. I plan on watching rest over the weekend and if my review changes, I will update it. I finished the series and found my review remained true. Jesus, I trust in you!
As we pray through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday it can be easy to forget that these things really, truly happened. The people are real, the events are real, and the places are real. Seeing the actual physical locations of Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry can be helpful for our faith. In light of that we review a new video from FORMED.org - Triduum: A Spiritual Pilgrimage.
Holy Week is full of traditions and prayers that help us to remember the scriptural accounts of the week leading up to Jesus death and resurrection. By taking a deeper look at what Jesus does and says during this week, we can grow in our practice of preparing for and celebrating Easter. In turn, we will grow closer to Jesus Christ.
At Pentecost, we celebrate the birth of the Church. That beginning happened when the Holy Spirit came as tongues of fire and rested on the heads of the disciples and they were motivated to spread the good news of the gospel to the whole world. Awesome. (I know, I said Pentecost...and we just started the season of Lent, right? Trust me, this is a perfect way to begin Lent.) Yet many of us don’t know much about the Holy Spirit and what the Church teaches about the third person of the Trinity. The series I review today is a crash course in the Holy Spirit from the perspective of the modern Catholic’s experience of the Holy Spirit. Why is it called “The Wild Goose”? You’ll have to watch to find out. Note Bene: This is one of my absolute favorite video series. When I told my wife, Beth, that I was reviewing it for today, she said, “Ohhh, I really liked that one. So good. Tell people to at least try it.” ...Oh yeah The author, Fr. Dave Pivonka the Franciscan priest is an old friend of mine. We were born on the the same day of the same year.
During this time [especially as Lent 2021 has begun] when our regular routines have vastly changed, we may be asking ourselves why we do what we do? Maybe the question of “Why?” has even crept into your faith life. Seriously seeking an answer to the question of “Why am I Catholic?” can be a profound experience. In this talk, Jason Evert examines this very question and explains to his audience, and to us, why he is and remains Catholic. In fact, he goes a step beyond this and beautifully witnesses to the joy of our faith through engaging storytelling.
Today I am reviewing a MUCH shorter treatment of the subject of prayer. It is insightful book on prayer called Prayer for Beginners written by Dr. Peter Kreeft, renowned philosopher and writer. In the introduction, Kreeft explains that while there are thousands of books on how to pray, there are very few for those who are busy, distracted and, frankly, not very good at praying. That what this book is. It is a book for those who want to pray, but struggle. I believe this short-in-stature little gem would aid just about anyone in their prayer life.
If you have kids in the house, you already know that for as much fun as they have had outside all summer & fall, that winter can be a challenging time to parent and to find new things to do with your children. For younger kids, I watched and reviewed Brother Francis, a kid’s animated show on FORMED.org. If your younger kids are looking for something new to watch, this show just might be the thing.
This past Sunday we celebrated, "Sunday of the Word of God". Over the weekend this made me think while I was reading scripture. If you’ve ever tried to start reading the Bible for the first time, it can be intimidating. “Where do I start?” I’ve heard many people ask. In addition, we may have some ideas about reading Scripture that do not really line up with how Catholics read the Bible. If you are looking for a succinct overview of the entire Bible and short but punchy introductions to how Catholics read Scripture, then you may want to check out “Our Story: A Basic Introduction to the Bible for Catholics.” With clear, fast-paced, five minute episodes, this may just be the thing you are looking for to jump-start reading your Bible.
Recently someone accused me of being “so judgmental.” It wasn’t meant to be a compliment. Yet when we think someone is wise we might say that they have “good judgement.” What’s the difference? Are both true? In a world where being judgmental is a high cultural crime, how do Catholics understand right and wrong? In this talk, Dr. Ed Sri talks about judging, right and wrong, faith and love. Read my review below to see if this talk would be good for you to hear (spoiler, I think it would be good for all of us to give a listen).
If all you know about St. Francis is that he likes animals then you might want to see why millions have revered this great Saint for the last 800 years. By examining Francis’ life, this film helps the viewer to look inward to their own life of faith. St. Francis is one of the most loved saints in all the world, but do we really know him? Cities, schools, hospitals, and churches around the globe are dedicated to him, but why? He can be found in gardens across the country, but he must be more than just a birdbath. Check it out...
As St. Joseph plans to celebrate Christmas this year in the midst of a global pandemic, I want to encourage everyone to make this Advent a time to prepare our hearts and homes. I think this video is worth the time to view as Christmas draws near. The story of the birth of Jesus is a familiar one. We’ve heard it many times. The temptation is to zone out when we start to hear it because we think we fully understand. In this talk on Advent and Christmas Dr. Scott Hahn shows us new ways to understand the birth of Jesus Christ. This new understand could certainly add depth to one’s celebration of Christmas. Check out the review of Prepare the Way of the King for yourself.
2020 has been a trying time to get the faithful to the sacraments. St. Joseph has made great effort to offer the Holy Mass and to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation safely. One way we can better prepare ourselves for Christmas in this Advent season is to crate peace in our hearts through 'letting go' of all the sins we are holding onto. Confession is the gift to give to yourself this season to set yourself free again. If you need a little motivation to return to Confession, then read my review of Dr. Scott Hahn’s talk The Healing Power of Confession. You may just need to hear what he has to say about this beautiful Sacrament. Also, Dr. Hahn is pretty entertaining if you’ve never heard him speak.
A couple days off from school, even if it is school at home, means the kids are going to start to get squirrelly. If you are anything like my wife and I, you may get tired of the endless loop of meaningless children’s media they consume. You might want to try this show on Formed called, “The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello.” The show reminds us of some of the greats in children’s programming like Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo (though not at their status of course). We felt like you could tell a lot of thought went into the content and style of the show. It might just be the kind of show to start a conversation in your house. Check out my review to see if it is right for you.
This week across this great land we will celebrate Thanksgiving. While some may find it difficult to find things to be grateful for, I do believe there is much for which we can give thanks. And it’s true that this year may look different than every other year. We may not get to celebrate in the way we are accustomed. How are going to give thanks this year? What does this seemingly secular holiday off our faith?
On October 31st 2020, Fr. Michael McGivney was named Blessed by Pope Francis. This means that a miracle was attributed to his intercession and Fr. McGivney is one step closer to becoming a recognized Catholic Saint. Fr. McGivney is most known as the founder of the Knight of Columbus a fraternal organization of Catholic men. There is more to Fr. McGivney’s story than the Knights and there is more to the Knights than pancake breakfasts.
Why are we here? Why does anything exist? Does God exist? These are some big questions. These questions and many more are tackled in The Search on formed.org. At the beginning the pandemic I reviewed Episode 1 of The Search. I’m back to review Episodes 2 & 3. You don’t want to miss this review or this incredible study. (SERIOUSLY, just go watch Episode 3 right now. Worth it.)