Thursday, September 25, 2014

Devotion to Mary and the Saints - Edward Sri

Dr. Edward Sri
Dr. Edward Sri talks about the devotion to the Holy Virgin Mary and the Saints (communion of saints).

Why do you Catholics give so much attention to Mary? And why do you dedicate a whole basilica to her? Some people may wonder if the catholic focus on Mary distracts us from our relationship with Christ. These are some of the questions we will consider as we explore what Catholics really believe about Mary and why.

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" (27) Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.




Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Engaging the Modern World as a Christian Man - Jonathan Reyes

Dr. Jonathan ReyesDr. Jonathan Reyes talks about St. Paul encountering Christ on the road to Damascus, he posed the question every man must face in his life - what shall I do? As disciples and laymen, we are called to bring Christ to the world - to preach, teach, serve those in need, and transform the world. But what does that look like in a man's life? This talk will help guide our discernment of our mission in this life.

Acts 9:3-9 Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. (4) And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (5) And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; (6) but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." (7) The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. (8) Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. (9) And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Apocalypse Now - Retreat - Father Angelo Geiger

Father Angelo Geiger
Fr. Angelo Geiger gives a serie of talks on the retreat at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center called "Apocalypse Now" which is on Revelation, the last and most mysterious book of the Bible.

Revelation 12:1-8 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; (2) she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. (3) And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. (4) His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; (5) she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, (6) and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (7) Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, (8) but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

Homily: Vision and Prophecy Now



Surviving the Apocalypse



What the Spirit is Saying

Saturday, September 20, 2014

How Encountering Jesus Changes Everything? - Matthew Kelly

Matthew Kelly discusses how encountering Jesus changes everything. Jesus asks us the same question that he asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus is not just "one of the nice guys" that secular society reduces him to. Jesus is the Son of God. We must get to know him by allowing his teachings to sink deep into our life through reading the Bible, and by sincerely asking the Lord to transform our lives. God has created us for happiness, and like Psalm 23 tells us, Jesus will restore our soul and lead us to living waters.

Matthew 16:13-16 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" (14) And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."


Friday, September 19, 2014

Sola Scriptura Debate - Tim Staples vs James White

Tim Staples James White
Tim Staples (Catholic) debates with James White (Protestant) about the Bible as the only infallible rule of faith (sola scriptura).

Luke 10:16 "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Cost of Leadership and Discipleship - Jonathan Reyes

Jonathan Reyes
Our Lord's call to make disciples of all nations requires more than learning a technique for preaching or mastering arguments to defend Revelation. Implicit in His command is the call to first be disciples ourselves. According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "It is costly because it costs a man his life."

  • You can’t help anyone else become a disciple of Christ unless you first are a disciple.
  • Discipleship is bringing people Christ and his Church, not discipleship to us.
  • The word of discipleship is God’s Word not ours.
  • The goal of being in a discipleship is to work yourself out of the job.
  • Evangelization and Discipleship are necessarily connected.

We are sheep, we follow, and in the end of the day there is only 2 people we can follow is Christ and the false christ, the enemy. And I emphasis this because we live in an age that will tell us that we create ourselves, that we make ourselves, that we lead ourselves and we can invent ourselves, and it’s just not true. We imitate and we follow and the Lord our God, Jesus Christ is our leader… and what it means for us to lead as Christians is to participate in his leadership, it means we lead with him, we don’t lead to ourselves, we don’t lead on our own, and we don’t fulfill our own mission…

Monday, September 15, 2014

The Virgin Mary Revealed Through Bible - Scott Hahn

Scott Hahn
Dr. Scott Hahn, former evangelical & anti Catholic preacher, speaks of discovering the Blessed Mother in scriptures and reveals incredible insights on the Biblical basis for the Catholic teachings regarding Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant. This presentation will help shatter many misconceptions and clearly demonstrate how Catholic teachings are unmistakably rooted in Sacred Scripture.

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" (27) Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Christ, the Bridegroom - Fr. Braun

Fr. BraunIf Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom of Church, the crucifixion, the literal bloody torturous death of Jesus Christ, is the most awesome sign a spousal love in human history.

We are going to get into the image of Jesus Christ as bridegroom and we have three objectives:
1. Identify in the Old Testament the main contributors and themes related to the Bridegroom analogy.
2. Analyze the New Testament contributions to the bridegroom analogy.
3. Understand the impact of this beautiful vision on Christian marriage and discipleship.

Ephesians 5;21.33. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Where is the Mass in the Bible - Scott Hahn

Scott HahnThe question ¿where is the mass in the Bible? isn’t correct, the question might better be rephrased ¿Where isn´t the mass in the Bible? The Bible is all about the church's worship is chock full of the Bible. Fundamentalists are often surprised that the typical Catholic Mass includes far more scripture than their own Sunday worship.

As you move from the Old testament into the New Testament you see a radical redefinition of the religion in the ancient Israel, because now you have not a temple on earth made by humans, but a temple in heaven that is the resurrected body of Christ, not a high priest from the line of Aaron but a high priest who is a king and a priest like Melchizedek, Christ himself, not sacrifices of animals but the Eucharistic sacrifice of our High Priest who is now raised in glory…


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Original Sin and Infant Baptism

Infant BaptismThe Church´s teaching on infant baptism flows directly from the church´s teaching on original Sin and the sacrament of baptism itself. In other words, in order to make an argument for infant baptism, it is imperative that we understand and be able to explain the church's teaching on original sin, first and foremost and also to be able to understand and explain the churche's teaching on the sacrament of baptism itself.

Romans 5:12-21. Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

The Imitation of Christ - Thomas à Kempis - Audio book

The Imitation of Christ
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is a Catholic devotional book. The Imitation is perhaps the most widely read devotional work next to the Bible, and is regarded as a devotional and religious classic. Apart from the Bible, no book has been translated into more languages than the Imitation of Christ.

The text is divided into four books, which provide detailed spiritual instructions: "Helpful Counsels of the Spiritual Life", "Directives for the Interior Life", "On Interior Consolation" and "On the Blessed Sacrament".

The approach taken in the Imitation is characterized by its emphasis on the interior life and withdrawal from the world, as opposed to an active imitation of Christ by other friars.[1] The book places a high level of emphasis on the devotion to the Eucharist as key element of spiritual life.
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4

Saturday, September 6, 2014

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the Mass – John Bergsma

Dr. John BergsmaDr. John Bergsma talks about the mass as marriage supper, and the square brides and sheepish grooms in scripture. Dr. John Bergsma is a theology professor at Franciscan University.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Rev 19:6-9 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (7) Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (8) it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (9) And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

Monday, September 1, 2014

Sin Make You Stupid – Tim Staples

Tim StaplesTim Staples explains when people stop worshiping and giving glory to the true God, they begin to worship money, sex, power, and ultimately themselves, which is even worse. That is why Catholics need to know more about the culture of war because we are at war.

Rom 1:21-25 for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. (24) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, (25) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.