Before I became a Catholic,having lived among people of several religions in different countries, I asked myself this question when living in Singapore. My own answer was that Jesus was the only one who had claimed to be God, so either He was mad or He was the Truth. Madness led down a path where nothing made sense. I became a Catholic after fighting against it, in 1958, and I am now 87, and still thankful!

@Eserr7856

2 жыл бұрын

I'm curious about what you picked up about the culture and people of each of these different religions. What are their values, how do they treat one another? What do you like about each religion?

@nad1ax2

2 жыл бұрын

"Jesus was the only one who had claimed to be God" That's just plain untrue. A lot of people in human history have claimed to have divine revelations or claimed to be god themselves and ironically, Jesus of Nazareth was NOT one of them. And John's Gospel is contrived

@stanlunablmacab8727

2 жыл бұрын

@@nad1ax2 Source?

@nad1ax2

2 жыл бұрын

@@stanlunablmacab8727 source for what specifically?

@stanlunablmacab8727

2 жыл бұрын

@@nad1ax2 So you made it up gotcha.

Fr. Pine makes reference to many of the reasons why someone cannot/will not convert and it sometimes has nothing to do with logic or reason. I converted to Catholicism after 40 years as a Southern Baptist. It cost me my relationship with my parents and much of my family. Following the truth will often be hard and it will seem like you are swimming upstream. Depending on where you live in America, you may find yourself in a Bible Belt area where bucking the system of being an Evangelical Protestant will be tough. They look upon Catholics as the upstart, the apostasy, and something of the dark ages. Two observations I've made since my conversion - Strong Protestants make Great Catholics, and Weak Catholics make Good Protestants. I've run into former Catholics who either don't attend Mass or they go to a Protestant church. Their arguments usually go like this, "I wasn't being fed spiritually in the Catholic Church. The Mass was not bringing me closer to God." I get that. The Protestant worship service is more geared toward building the body of believers up with the contemporary music, sermons and not homilies, and only focusing on a narrow passage of the Gospel at a time. Their conversion was one of emotion not necessarily reason. Catholics, who like myself have converted, usually tend to be more well-reasoned and logical in their conversion. They've studied the ancient church and discovered the early Church Fathers were Catholic. They've often read or watched material not only from this channel, but the apologetics like Trent Horn, Jimmy Akin, Scott Hahn, John Bergsma, Kieth Nestor, and even Matt Fradd. I tried to come up any reason NOT to be Catholic and I could not. My belief in Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide soon fell away and I accepted the truth that for better or worse, the Roman Catholic Church is still the apostolic Church that Christ established through St. Peter.

@lulabella9249

2 жыл бұрын

This was so well said!

@collectiveconsciousness5314

2 жыл бұрын

One of those reasons people fall away from Catholicism is exactly what my Uncle gave as a reason for not being Catholic anymore.

@patrickharris

2 жыл бұрын

I'm very sorry that your denominational conversion cost you a relationship with your family. My prayers are with you

@CarmeliteSteph

Жыл бұрын

Amen brother

@bluegrassboy2448

Жыл бұрын

Very interesting. My journey has been a boomerang. I was baptized Catholic, but never really learned the faith, very lapsed. When moving to North Carolina, I was berated mostly by my peers. Under pressure, I had converted to being Baptist, but more specifically non denominational. I denounced my Catholic upbringing. A friend of mine, who was raised Southern Baptist converted to Catholicism. It was his experience and education that slowly brought me back to the Church, and I have remained Catholic since 2013. That's the short version. Amazing how God works!

When I was led to the Catholic Church by the Holy Spirit and I was Protestant at the time. I then asked the Holy Spirit why so many other churches and the answer I got was man's, PRIDE. Since being Catholic, all other religions are wanting. ALL. I Love being Catholic.

@KSTrekker

2 жыл бұрын

So well said! PRIDE! Satan uses Pride, Pleasure, and Possessions to tempt us. I had stopped attending "worship" services at my Baptist church because I no longer heard the Holy Spirit. I went to a Catholic funeral Mass, and there it was. Now I hear the Holy Spirit in every Mass, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Eucharistic Adoration.

@danieldimond5734

2 жыл бұрын

Pride ! Yes, something so many 'protestants', have in abundance [Franklin Graham, etc.]

@robertajaycart3491

2 жыл бұрын

@@danieldimond5734 I have it at times also.

#AskFrPine this video is an answered prayer. I have been struggling about this topic for weeks now.. I have tried to search in KZread on how to start learning about this topic and practice making an account for the hope that is in me.. And this video is the only one, from a Catholic perspective. So I thank God for this.

Hi Father Pine, could you make a video for husbands about how to lead their families spiritually? maybe also about miscarried babies & limbo. Thank you for all your great videos! Ive loved listening to many of them

@MicahMicahel

2 жыл бұрын

in the bible it says there is no mediator between us and God after the resurrection. This means a priest isn't necessary. Your baby would be with God. That's the protestant belief. The church has squeezed themselves in but it's God that saves people. God wouldn't leave sinless people to be in Limbo. It makes God sound powerless and random like HE wouldn't know right from wrong. does it sound right that God would damn babies to prop up the power of an earthly church? Limbo isn't in the bible. Limbo was completely invented by the church. Protestants don't believe in it because of that reason. The same thing with Pergatory. His forgiveness is right away like the thief on the cross. Jesus said He'd see him there tonight. He didn't mention purgatory. HE would've mentioned it. It seems like too big of an issue for Him to ignore mentioning. The fact that the church made a lot of money from the belief makes me think they squeezed themselves in between their relationship with God. I don't mean to speak against Catholicism. I resect the faith but this issue is very wrong, I think. It changes God's personality that He would do such a thing to babies. It seems like an awful thing to believe God would do.

@MicahMicahel

2 жыл бұрын

I don't mean a priest isn't necessary. I mean a person isn't damned without one. I love the tradition of priests not marrying. In the Protestant tradition ministers are dedicated to their families and you only see them once a week. With a priest they are constantly there for people. It is a wonderful religion but the babies issue I think changes God's personality. If not for that issue I'd probably want to be Catholic because of the tradition and ceremony. Edit: wrong word written

@ungas024

2 жыл бұрын

@@MicahMicahel Wrong, your teaching of Protestanism is blasphemous as shown by your comment and you are not even aware of it.

@Grantthecatholic

2 жыл бұрын

@@MicahMicahel The Catholic Church has never taught limbo as an official doctrine or belief, it was just thought of by some as an idea. The Church teaches and believes that God will give His boundless mercy and love on those babies or children who have died without being baptized, since they could not have been of the age of reason, or able to grasp the faith and made a choice. Similarly, the Church teaches those who haven’t understood the message of Jesus to our easy to evangelize modern times geographically could have been saved without their knowledge and acceptance of Christ given their inability to receive and hear the gospel, as well as their “invincible ignorance,” as Pope Pius IX said. Would Protestants be heartless for not believing this to be so, and punishing those who could not have known their sins and way to be forgiven? Surely not. As far as your comment about purgatory, though the phrase isn’t mentioned in Scripture specifically (neither is Trinity or incarnation), plenty of biblical evidence points to it. Read 2 Maccabees 12:41-46, Matthew 27:51:53, Revelation 21:27, Revelation 5:8, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, and more. I think common sense also makes sense of purgatory: those who truly follow Christ go to Heaven and don’t need our prayers, those who reject Christ or continue to live in sin and do not die in a state of grace go to Hell and cannot make use of our prayers as they are damned for eternity, but those who - as the Bible talks about in such instances I said before), might need our prayers after death- could only have use of them if they were in an intermediary purifying state in which they will be “saved but as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15) before they go to Heaven given they believed in God and put their faith in Him, but still had attachments to sin. C.S. Lewis who wasn’t Catholic but brilliant nonetheless said: “Our souls demand Purgatory. Would it not break the heart if God said to us, ‘It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into joy.”

@jhondoe233

2 жыл бұрын

Dear Madeline If you want to know what the Catholic Church teaches about how a husband is to lead the Family, I Strongly Recommend that you get a copy of the (Catechism of the Council of Trent) at Baronius Press. It's not expensive. If you and your husband read it cover to cover you both will know the Faith better than most Catholics will ever know it. On pages 309 thru 323 it explains the Sacrament of Matrimony and the Duties there of. I hope that this will be helpful to you and your Family. It might be of more help than a Priest unless he is very skilled in the area of Matrimony. Every Priest has their own gifts in different areas pertaining to the Faith. May the Lord Saturate the Souls of you and your Family with the Holy Spirit.🔥✝️📿🙏

Great video, Fr. Pine. It is such a gift to have wonderful priests like you who are able to explain answers to difficult questions with lucidity and gentleness. My own answer to this question is that, really, the question is flawed in its outlook. In other words, the question itself seems suspect because the worldview that leads one to be puzzled by this is faulty. Ok, so I'll explain. First, we know that there has to be SOMETHING that is the truth. Whether that truth is that we are brains floating in a vat, Islam, or Atheism, is irrelevant at this point in my argument. Now, if we know that there has to be at least one thing true (such as "I think, so I am" as Descartes argues), then we know (since I am assuming that PNC is true in this argument) that anything that truly contradicts this SOMETHING cannot be the case. Moreover, it just seems to make sense that whatever it is that is true would be of enough significance that it would touch on most parts of life. Thus, IMHO, it makes sense that there would be many different, conflicting religions which all try to comprehend much of the human experience. This is no different than any other sphere of human life, such as politics or science. For instance, if, in a debate, say, on whether we should illegalize abortion, if I said that because there are many different views on the matter; and concluded that there is no right position, this would not follow. I may say that I have no idea whether we should or should not illegalize abortion, but I must say that there is some kind of right position here. As for why God doesn't make it more clear which religion is right, I think, is a more difficult question. For me, even though I think you can (intellectually) provide an adequate answer, it is nowhere near as easy to convince my heart that this is the case. Nonetheless, I think the simplest answer is that God doesn't "spoonfeed" us all the answers because, otherwise, we would not develop into the kinds of people with the necessary dispositions to truly love God. Moreover, I would say that the Catholic Church that God has established is fairly clear in its teachings (e.g., the Catechism) and has been (perhaps less so now, but still) a universal light to all the nations. Not to mention, I think you can point to the many miracles attested to by the Catholic Church. All of this, most of the time at least haha, seems convincing to me, at least.. Of course, faith is not always an easy gift to receive; and I pray for all of those experiencing doubt right now.

Thank you Father! Just what I needed to hear.

Your videos are very dense. I believe it might be beneficial if you talked more about the subject that humans are weak and wounded (Aquinas) and how it affects in reality our will, mind, appetite and emotions and what we are to do about it in very practical ways. This point really spoke to me this morning when I was listening to your talk and I want to do a better job in guarding/guiding my heart which to me is sometimes really difficult as I am very emotional and sensuous.

Thank you! I needed to hear this message. God bless in Jesus' name.

Can you please answer why Catholics revere Mary and how to defend our beliefs to Protestants who think Catholics hurt Jesus by our devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Hi Fr Gregory! Like many others here, this topic has been bothering me for quite sometime now. Thank you for doing this video and thank you for reaching out to us for our "hilarious" questions. Can you explain about the stand of the church on euthanasia and when is it morally correct to pull the plug? Could you also explain about the commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy in modern context when people need to work/study on Sundays. Thank you

I always go with history and theology to argue my points with Protestants and Atheists 😅

I think the differences in religion is not because we are fallen, it's because different cultures will inevitably express the divine in different words, signs and symbols

@wesley3300

2 жыл бұрын

Yessir, that’s exactly it.

@agatatres9076

2 жыл бұрын

God does not create the religion. It comes naturally human being find the way to faith along the surroundings.

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

A song of ascents. Of David. 1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. Psalm 133 I convert you to be a better Hindu, a better Christian, a better Catholic, a better Sikh, a better Muslim. st. Mother Teresa

@nikolaj3783

2 жыл бұрын

@@agatatres9076 The Church came from Christ Himself kzread.info/head/PLnK9ahzmHnYfEQ2LWbU2Yux9AetaYETX9

Father Gregory, could you please make a video providing current Church understanding on the dating of the Gospels?

I think an exposition on the doctrine of transubstantiation is essential. It is a doctrine which, most regrettably, it seems that a majority of even Catholic are either unaware of, or do not agree with.

Hi Gregory, you speak about uncertainty with certainty; an impressive young man with a brilliant intellect in relation with a very large heart. There is a situation, however, that you have not addressed, and as a Christian myself I speak with many Church and Temple leaders, and have yet to find one with courage enough to account for what I am about to share, and It is my sincere hope that you will be the first. Being limited on character space, I will continue in the comment section... if you are interested.

@thealchemist7131

2 жыл бұрын

(Matthew 21:18-22) ~ Joshua curses a fig tree rather than move it to fertile ground. He is granted immunity from his words and actions by Christians. Therefore, it must be okay to curse another, regardless if the parable was used as a lesson; it must be okay to cast stones and destroy a temple courtyard in a fit of rage; it must be okay to accuse Peter or another of being Satan (accuser) because Joshua claims he is the truth, the light, and this is the way the light of truth in Love operates, by “doing unto others” as he would have them do unto him. As we gaze upon the theological landscape of Christian’s granting Jesus immunity, while condemning Judas, they appear quite unwilling to grant The Prophet immunity from his words and actions. On the other spectrum, these very same Muslim’s granting Mohammad immunity from his words and actions appear quite unwilling to do so with Jesus or any other beyond their own branch of schism. So, “to see what is right, and not do it”, while potentially being regarded as “a lack of courage, or a want of principle”, reveals something else, a spirit of self righteousness combined with a lack of judgment towards accountability of one’s own words and actions, in which has caused internal blindness among leaders who burn bridges behind them to light the way ahead upon a path that leads the innocent, and the world, towards everyone’s downfall. Is “awaiting a return” the action of doing something, or the condition of doing nothing to alleviate the current theological situation? The moral of the story is quite simple regarding legal matters, and every human is made aware of this once brought before a lawyer, judge or jury: Everything we say or do not say, that we do or do not, can and will be used against us in a court of law. Exoneration does not grant immunity from liability. Ask any Justice of the Peace. Can you please explain how this is not a "double standard of leadership": do as I say, not as I do? Or perhaps, explain why God is Love with terms and conditions applied, as opposed to being Unconditional Love? Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of Unconditional Love having the final say, do you refute this statement? God Bless ~ Much Love ~ Stay Safe

@eg2423

2 жыл бұрын

@@thealchemist7131 amazing, I have never put much effort in finding this out cuz I’m unbothered by it, but your comment makes me want to look into it

@thealchemist7131

2 жыл бұрын

@@eg2423 Thank you for reaching out, E G ~ as a Christian this is not a litany against Jesus, Christian's, or anyone for that matter, with the understanding that it may appear this way. Defense wins championships. In my humble opinion, when Joshua is no longer granted immunity from his words and actions his story becomes even more profound. It is the same with Eastern philosophers when I ask them, if the Tao is unknowable and the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao, and this can only be true if you believe it is, what barriers remain for a practicing Taoist when you believe this to be untrue? Apparently, Lao Tzu is also granted immunity, for I have yet to receive an answer and it has been 9 years. The same for Hindi's when I point towards a carbon atom and ask them, [ + ((( 0 ))) - ] what Karma upon any spirit whose position and approach are centered in neutral? Apparently they do not know for I have yet to receive an answer, which I find rather curious. I use the same carbon atom model to point out the cross, and remind Christian's that Death is an effect and not a cause (Rev. 6:8), asking them, does the Heart of Adam reflect the heart of the atom? (Acts 7:48). Anyway, apologies if I have been too wordy. Believe what you will and may Peace be upon you. (Ephesians 6:12) God Bless ~

Father Gregory, can you make a video on the single life and/or dating? Perhaps there is already a video on these topics, but I would love to hear from you about how to live a holy single life while waiting and longing for marriage. Also, how a faithful Catholic goes about finding a worthy spouse. Thank you! You are a great joy!

@robertlukacs4954

2 жыл бұрын

Great idea. I was hoping for something like that too.

Hi Father Pine! Could You please make a video about The Holy Trinity? How is it that 3 person became one? Thanks Father and God bless You!staysafe🙏❤️

Catholicism is not a religion it is TRUTH. Everything else is an approximation or rejection of said truth, thus a religion.

Father Gregory am a Pentecost and just discovering the Catholic faith. This 16 minute clip answered almost all my questions. As to why we are not unified and in our different faith….. I like more of this topic??????

good video

Father Gregory! Could you please talk about dealing with conflict and gossip within the Church influenced by the teachings of the Church and Scripture!? (If you haven’t already ofc!)

In the Bible…. Paul talks about a split in the early church….. it’s human nature……Some liked Paul, others Peter, others Apollos……Paul warned to focus on Jesus only!

How about a video on the treasury of merits and how that concept applies to the piety of the church. For instance, how does merit work in the context of the sacramentals of the church

Father Gregory, could you do a video on universalism? I would be curious to learn of the arguments both for and against within the Catholic faith. Thanks

Hi Fr Pine, can you please talk about how as parents to handle our adult children leaving the Catholic Church. Thank you and God bless you

@joelobe187

2 жыл бұрын

Catlick church has become catlick past 60 plus years. Chilldrenhave become first victims. Prelates are main culprits. Most prelates total.

@NaruIchiLuffy

2 жыл бұрын

Not Fr. Pine, but I am the adult child in your story. Here are a few things I thought might help. Every person has his own specific reasons for leaving the faith. Start by talking to them and figuring out what their reasons are without passing judgment. Then, if need be, educate yourself as to what the Catholic Church teaches with regards to their particular objection. Communicate this in a loving manner to them and give them further educational resources to check out. The BEST testimony will always be how you lead your own life and show Christ's love for them. Beyond that, pray for their conversion. Personally, I was beyond poorly catechized and there's simply no surviving the current cultural onslaught on Christianity on that sort of education. It took me about three years of personal study to come back to the Catholic Church passing on the way back through Protestant ones, so patience.

@marcondespaulo

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not Fr. Pine, and my case is opposite from yours. I'm the son. After coming into the Church in my 40's, I prayed a lot for my mother to return to the Church.

@julieelizabeth4856

2 жыл бұрын

All of these responses gave me hope for my daughter who received all the sacraments (all of my children did) but went nondenominational in her early 20's, and for my son who got married outside the Church last year. My two younger children are holding on better but I never imagined this battle when they were little. I myself (a 60's kid) wasn't catechized well and neither was my husband. You can't hand down what you never received yourself. Just like it says in the Bible (which I'm finally learning more about), we pay the price for generations.

Fr. Gregory, could you do a video on what we mean--and do not mean--when we say that God is "personal"? What do we mean by "divine person"? Perhaps an explanation that would help a non-Christian understand what we mean by "God". Thank you!

Solid...

It was hard to leave a lifetime relationship with the episcopal church because of familiarity, friendships, etc., even though it was clear the modern day episcopal church has undergone serious changes, like condoning and promoting homosexuality. The episcopal church allows unrepentant homosexuals in unholy same sex marriages to be bishops and deacons and has become a haven to the homosexual community who are told homosexuality is NOT a sin anymore.

@wruff378

2 жыл бұрын

Today's post-Vatican II Novus Ordo "Catholic" church is speeding full ahead off the very same cliff, unfortunately.

@uberN32

2 жыл бұрын

@@wruff378 im lucky to be croatian and to have very holy sheppards.. but i live in germany and i can see how they are heading into schism... i talked with one of our priests today and he says he is comming back to croatia as this is allmost end of catholicism in germany...

@TrixRN

2 жыл бұрын

@@wruff378 No not from Vatican 2. From fallen worldly bishops twisting the “spirit of V2” When you read the documents of V2 you know the teaching of the Church has not changed.

@mariemunzar6474

2 жыл бұрын

@@wruff378 no it's still a sin in the post vatican II Church----I've gone to it my whole life, they definitely say it's a sin. Some people don't care for some reason but as a whole they say it's a sin

@wruff378

2 жыл бұрын

​@@mariemunzar6474 My point is that they have for quite some time been moving ever increasingly in the direction of normalizing homosexual lifestyles and unions. Ministries of these sorts are rampant in the church today, led by people like fr. James Martin, for example, and with the full endorsement of pope Francis.

Thanks for the video. Fr. Gregory, I was wondering about your thoughts about a Catholic person going into academia (specifically the humanities) as a career choice. Doing so, I've been exposed on a daily basis to things that are contrary to the faith. I'm not really doubting my decision, as I feel called to my profession--but it does make it awkward at times interacting with both other people as well as literature that are either atheistic or non-Catholic. I "reconverted" to Catholicism after a period of being what might be deemed a "lapsed Catholic." My area of interest is English literature. I love many different writers, not all of them Catholic. I have matured significantly in my life and now feel rooted in my belief in the Catholic Church and faith. I'm definitely not a perfect Catholic, but I am striving. Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing what you had to say about different professions and living out one's Catholic faith. It seems that some vocations/jobs are more straightforward? Not sure.

Im an ex muslim ex atheist Christian in a muslim country, this helped a lot to see how the church makes sense of the problem of plurality of religions

Father Gregory, could you do a video on music? In specific, the morality of metal music

Well explained in simple way. Thank you so much. That’s what I have been asking myself all this time

Fr. Pine, I would really appreciate a video on Aquinas, Natural Law, and the modern concept of Sexual Orientation. I had a professor in a theological ethics course at a Catholic University who said that Catholic teaching misused Natural Law to the detriment of homosexuals. After all, he claimed, we see homosexual behaviors in the animal kingdom, don't we? And, he went on, the Biblical condemnations of sodomy were for the coercive practices of temple prostitution, not for the type of consensual realtionships we have today. I'm sure, given this wasa couple years ago, that he said more, but those were the arguments he emphasized that I remember. I think, in our time, it would be good to see what Aquinas said about these and other social issues.

@KSTrekker

2 жыл бұрын

I've heard this argument regarding homosexuality of animals. Animals, by nature do what feels good or satiates their desires. You will see animals rub their genitals on other animals of the same sex, but I would hardly call that a "relationship". It would be the same comparison as someone who choses masturbation over heterosexual relations - that doesn't make him/her asexual, it's strictly about their pleasure. It's common for females of some species to band together with other females. But what the scientists don't tell you that are trying to prove homosexuality within the animal kingdom, is these same sex pairs will still mate with the opposite sex when the opportunity presents itself. A species would die out if they did not. This would be a violation of Natural Law. Natural Law would dictate that a species procreate and strive to live in harmonious balance within their tribe, with other tribes, and with nature. If you take any behavior (natural or unnatural) and hypothesize "what if everyone engaged in this behavior? What would society look like? Would it be sustainable to civilization if everyone did this?" With homosexuality, the answer is "no". Procreation breaks down within one generation and the civilization would die off. Sure, there are other creative ways to procreate that don't involve sex between a heterosexual couple, but how "natural" is that? God's teaches and the Catechism are pretty explicit on this topic; we should not be trying to bend to the spirit of the age.

@trans-octopusspacealien8883

2 жыл бұрын

The animal kingdom is irrelevant. God gave human being souls which animals do not have. A male dog humping another dog is natural, but that doesn't mean every single human male should hump a random human.

@robertajaycart3491

2 жыл бұрын

Animals also don't have a intellectual mind and reason.

Please consider joining the Family Rosary Across America at 7pm CT on the Relevant Radio app or KZread page. Pray with thousands across the nation through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, as we pray for your intentions and those of our world. God bless you all.

Another way to ask this question - why would God, if there is only one, and one who insists we don't worship other Gods, only reveal himself to ancient Israelites?

@khoalam888

2 жыл бұрын

Similarly, I haven't heard a satisfying answer to the question of "what about those who never heard", and or never had a chance to hear the gospel or the Lord Jesus. Thank you father, God bless.

@agatatres9076

2 жыл бұрын

God not create religion. In every places in the world has their own each faith according the nature belongs to and knowledge naturally about good and bad - bright and darkness etc. For the first aim to create is about bounty, grace upon grace. So there is balancing harmony among God- Nature- living beings. But then problems appear to be unbalanced and could it be started there in the center point of the world. So there also the place would be end of the world for the last.

@trans-octopusspacealien8883

2 жыл бұрын

There's no explanation of why God chose Abraham who created the nation of Israel through his seed. Or why God chose the land of Canaan out of all other places on earth. My theory is, that region of the earth became the birth place of multiple civilizations. After the Tower of Babel, humanity got scattered all over the world thus forming different cultures, tongues, religions, etc. God chose Israel to be separate from all other nations. If you read the OT it becomes clear that many nations knew that YHWH was the God of Israel so pagans were aware. In fact, God communicated with pagans in dreams throughout the whole bible.

Father Gregory, I have a question Are some forms of praying better than other forms? Is praying out loud better than praying silently with the voice of your mind? Is singing the psalms better than just reading them? Is it true that when you pray to saints it must be out loud because unlike God they can't read your mind?

Hi Father Gregory. Could you make a video of how to discern God's will when we are at a crossroad in life? Thank you!

@susieq5075

2 жыл бұрын

If I’m miserable, I’m doing my will.

@aiantenor9080

2 жыл бұрын

he has a video about this on this channel, you can look it up

Hi Father, could you make a video concerning Sedevacantism?

A better formulated question might be to ask, why does God seem to permit so many religions? Then you can engage the ideas that confuse people about revelation and faith, how to know what is true and of course, Father’s topic of people’s fallibility and mental and emotional weakness.

Fr Pine, Can you do a response to problems with the Ascension? For example, if Jesus loved us so much, why did he leave the earth even though he didn’t have to? Also, why does floating up into the clouds seem so cartoonish and hard to picture?

@NPC-gl8xp

2 жыл бұрын

He had to leave so that holy spirit could come according to him it needs to be done that way and it's better for us that we have the holy spirit. As to it being cartoonish that your perspective but does nothing to lessen the truth of it

Fr. Gregory could you do a video on the lost emperor of tartaria

Can you please recommend a few books that would be great for atheists to read (maybe in a video)?

Hi 🙋‍♀️ You mentioned in the video to comment about video ideas: 1) Do the questions have to be about religion, I know you're a friar but are there other topics that you're passionate about? 2) I was also jw if the questions in your video titles are ones people online ask you or if they're ideas you have for videos, either because they're reflections of things people in the community ask you or because they are topics that are on your mind, or both? Thanks 💭💭💭

It's like flour and water ...it depends were you are from...its all the same thing but called different things where ever you are from ..

Wow... Well put.

Meditatio by John Joseph She is there! She is Always there..from the absolute Abandonment of the Cave to the absolute Abandonment of the Cross ...she is here..she is Always here..whether sharing a room With Rodin and Rembrandt Or hanging from hooks In beer filled night air She is there...

Glad to be early!

Meditatio by John Joseph Our Almighty Father chose His Ideal student..Mary and she Alone kept Perfect Attendance.. Even to the Father's final class... The Crucifixion

Thank you for educating us. Ideas for topics: - Confession and all associated. How to get back into the church after decades away. - What is Heaven like? Do we retain our memories? Do we meet loved ones again? What if we don't find our loved ones? we will know they are somewhere else and that would sadden us. All assuming we get there somehow. - New World Order and Catholicism. Do we resist it, do we embrace it, do we go with the flow? - Moral principles. Are they universal? - Some in the past have claimed to believe in God the creator, but not in a personal God that helps individuals with day-to-day challenges. Any answer/thoughts? You might have addressed this in the past but I am only just discovering your channel. Thank you and Dominus vobiscum.

@IONov990

2 жыл бұрын

Dude, you've got some great questions and I've wondered these myself

@Grantthecatholic

2 жыл бұрын

Wow man you’ve got some great questions. Two of them maybe I could try to help answer are the ones about moral truths and principles being universal and the idea of a belief in God but not the Christian God (deism/agnosticism). 1) I think the existence of universal objective moral truths point to evidence for God as our Creator because, as Trent Horn notes in his book, Answering Atheism: “Objective moral truths exist. These objective moral truths have either a natural or a supernatural origin. Natural origins are insufficient to explain objective moral truths. Therefore, objective moral truths have a supernatural origin in God. This argument is not meant to prove that people cannot act in a moral way if they don't believe in God. After all, there are many moral non-believers, and some of them even surpass Christians in their moral behavior. Instead, the moral argument claims that the reason both theists and atheists can have an objective standard of right and wrong is that God exists as the standard itself. Without God, there could be no such thing as objective moral truths. Moral truths exist, and if God does not exist, where do moral truths come from? There must be something else that constitutes moral goodness and is the source of our moral duties. The theist believes that only God can be that which is identical to the Good as well as the source of our duties, because God is, by his very nature, a perfectly loving person and the ultimate paradigm of God.” The Bible definitely affirms this with passages like Romans 2:14-15, Romans 13:1-7, etc. Secondly, in regards to your question about those who believe in God somewhat but maybe not the Christian one, this is interesting because at least they are getting at the truth and not outright atheists which would be harder to convince, but still not honoring the one true God and Trinity. About this, n 2011, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about these types of people by saying: “In addition to the two phenomena of religion and anti-religion, a further basic orientation is found in the growing world of agnosticism: people to whom the gift of faith has not been given, but who are nevertheless on the lookout for truth, searching for God. Such people do not simply assert: ‘There is no God.’ They suffer from his absence and yet are inwardly making their way towards him, inasmuch as they seek truth and goodness. They are ‘pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace.’” And similarly, the Catechism teaches about this in CCC 37: “ “Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.” Hope this helped! Hopefully we can show others the faith in the way 1 Peter 3:15 describes: “reverence and love.” Christ is King!

Polygenism vs monogenism ? Love to hear your thoughts

@McRingil

2 жыл бұрын

THIS! PLEASE

We believe what we believe because the Lord said it then and now inspired by the Holy Spirit the word became flesh and dwelt among us the Lord has proofed himself to be the truth of All truths the Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord God of all God's the God of Israel Amen

Fr. Gregory could you please explain why we still have effects of original sin and continue to fall nd commit mortal and venial sins when we have been baptized, received confirmation and above all receive Jesus body blood soul and divinity in eucharist? Shouldn't the sacraments nd holy communion heal us from all the effects of sin? Thank you for your help

What is the difference between Christianity and all the other religions of the world? All the other religions can tell you something about God - but in Christ you know God!

@francispootch3371

2 жыл бұрын

In other religions, man is reaching out to try and find and explain God. In Christianity, God reached out with love to fallen mankind, and showed this love by His life and agonising death on the cross.

Deuteronomy 24 16. Adam and Eve ate some fruit. We're their children so immune from being punished for what we did not do.

Satan's good at taking a little truth and mixing it with falsehood and keeping people from the whole truth.

What I find scandalous is not so much the plurality of religions but the (apparent, at least in my darker moods) impotence of divine grace in overcoming human obstinance and ignorance, even when the person is, at some level, trying to seek the truth, albeit imperfectly.

@McRingil

2 жыл бұрын

I think it has to do with obtaining merit through caritas (caritas determines our place in Heaven). Their search is an expression of love of Truth/God and it works similarly to a Catholic life of prayer, it`s active purgation. Active purgation is a preparation for obtaining grace and the more there is of it, the more grace we receive to be able to love. They may be more saintly than us. Ultimately God knows the hearts of these people and He doesn`t need to bring them explicitly and outwardly to the one true Faith before death to judge them justly.

Lies can be many, truth is always one.

Fr Pine, excellent video. Can you make a video on the Logos Spermatikos concept of truth in other religions as small glimpses of Christianity (the true faith).

@LauFiu

2 жыл бұрын

Thankyou for mentioning this, I went to a protestant music school which taught this "Logos spermatikos" but did not put a name to it.

i asked myself why many priest of catholic they become rich, rather than all there disciple are still poor,

What is hope, and how is hope distinct from faith?

There are many religions, as socio-cultural institutions, but, epistemologically speaking, actually *only four* spiritual approaches or philosophical conclusions that any one person will ultimately be adhering to: A) God is either nonexistent or so distant that neither He nor any aspect of Him may be worthily or efficaciously worshipped: this view encompasses Materialism, as well as Atheistic and Indifferentist approaches. B) God, or some Divine Principle, is recognized to definitely exist, and worhship and/or religious practice is deemed efficacious or at least socially healthy, but the particulars are declared purely culturally and/or materially bound. This encompasses Deism and the "religions of nature," to include all Animistic religions. C) God exists, and made himself known to men, and has a formed a covenential relationship with men; ie. The One True God is truly present, has acted, and is acting in the world, in a very specific and historical way, and not through merely via an abstraction, emanations, or such like. This is Judaism. D) As per (C), but the Covenant was realized and further developed in historical time and space through the Incarnation of God amongst us on earth. This is Christianity. Everything ultimately falls into one of those broader delineations. For example, Islam/Mohammadism, is ultimately a synthesis of original Judaism with Rabbinical Judaism and certain Christian heresies of the first several centuries AD, along with some syncretism from various Animistic systems of the geographic area where Islam historically developed. Many religions also have overlap across conceptual areas. For example, most "New Age" systems incorporate aspects of both Oriental mysticism, itself stemming from both Animistic and Deistic ethics and methods, alongside specifically Occidental Deistic traditions and Gnostic thought. As another example, Hinduism and Buddhism (and the various subsets of such) differ from one another in cultural and social aspects, while sharing the same metaphysical premises: the divergence of the two and their substrate sects is historical development, and all ultimately traces to the same root system, which is typified by both (A) and (B). ------------------------- One could argue further, using natural reason, that true, "hard" Atheism is actually totally untenable, eg. Romans 1 in the New Testament. So if we wanted to get really technical, we could say that (A) truly can only consist in very "thick" Deism, which makes (B) a "thinner" Deism. So really, there aren't truly that many "religions", in the most filtrated and precise sense. There is essentially recognition and belief in Christ, and then everything else: the choice before someone (assuming he already recognizes God's existence itself) is really only between Christ, as God made flesh and our Savior, and the view that Jesus either didn't exist at all, wasn't who He said he was, or there is some "hidden truth" about who and what He is, ie. everything from Gnostic "gospels" to the Issa of Mohammadenism, to the "he was a great moral teacher" of some guru ir yogi, etc. Having come to belief *in* Christ, then it's only a matter of historical inquiry into where Christ is found manifest in the world, and how we are to serve and worhship Him, ie. "What church is the actual and true Church? Which 'denomination' or 'type' of Christian is correct?" The historical data is clear on that point, as Saint Newman said: "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."

Creator is perfect but creation is imperfect. Where did the problem come from? This is the question religions fail or avoid to answer clearly.

@adamc1966

Жыл бұрын

Gives them job security.

do a video on the codex gigas

Thank you father for this information

This was a fine response if you already believe in the Catholic faith, but to those who do not (such as myself) this type of response is not compelling. A similar response can be given by any religious denomination, as all religions have arguments to show why they are correct, and can say that because people are flawed they do not all come to believe in their religion.

Fr Gregory, could you make a video on how to help someone come to Christ who is struggling with a deep and wounding conviction of nihilism, but interested in our beliefs? I have a friend who is in this space and his contention is that life and all belief systems are absurdity bred from the absurdity of life, leading to absurdity, and these beliefs tend to break down when we suffer, so they must not be veridical.

@MrMercuryW

2 жыл бұрын

Look upon the Mystery of the Cross and redemptive suffering in order to learn better on how to help him as well as helping yourself and your loved ones. Be prudent, humble and careful in regards of witnessing to other people lest you give them a bad witness or argument without realizing. Sometimes it's better to be humble and recognize that one doesn't have all the answers, so it's better to say one will look them up. I say this because the Evil One tries to act in order to prevent conversions so you might be up for an extra challenge, it's better if you are prepared to recognize that he might try to act on you or the other person in order to prevent the person from being receptive to grace, or to influence you to be proud or insensitive, when in another situation you wouldn't be that way.

Honestly it all comes down to faith. Even us Catholics don't have all the answers. It is important to remember that we don't truly "know" what is the "truth". Christians and Muslims have a bloody history of arrogance and moral superiority over other religions. Stay patient and humble, we will know who was right when Jesus returns.

@vaderkurt7848

2 жыл бұрын

Or you can quickly know whose right by looking at early church history. Done.

@sv6k0a39

2 жыл бұрын

@@vaderkurt7848 That too. Maybe the Gnostics were right lol.

Religion is man made but the truth of life is not. JOHN 3:16

What was Mary Magdalene role is the Bible? And if she was one of Jesus followers why do we not hear more about her?

Meditatio by John Joseph Our Blessed Mother As the Queen Bee of the Rosary... As we devoutly, fervently take these Rosary Beads of Our Blessed Mother Mary let us Behold each Bead as a precious Holy Honey Hive containing, Revealing the Graces and Mystery of Jesus, Our Lord...Mary's Beloved Son!!! Hail Mary! Full of Grace!...

Cool

Fr Pine... What are the first leaps of faith someone who is atheistic/agnostic would need to take to be directed towards believing in (a) God?

@NCSiebertdesign

2 жыл бұрын

If they are willing to changed their heart to be able to give it to Jesus. We ourselves can't truly change their heart but we can reasoned with them and help them to see that they can have purposeful life with God.

@wesley3300

2 жыл бұрын

The problem I see with the atheist/religious “debate” is that it’s not really a debate at all, but rather two completely different *understandings* trying to assert themselves over each other but neither one actually understands the other’s position at all. To make matters worse, many Christians have exactly no clue what they are saying when they invoke God and Christ and such. The Catholic Church can teach these things better than almost any denomination, but even her arguments are now old and tired. Christian philosophers need to rise up and reclaim the intellectual/spiritual territory, and show the power of Christ while they’re at it. The middle ground might be found at the point where the scientific language departed from its classical and spiritual roots and dwelt solely on “empirical” materialism. At root, it’s all a deeeeep linguistic misunderstanding, largely very emotional and reactionary behind all the rhetoric and rationalizing.

@NCSiebertdesign

2 жыл бұрын

@@wesley3300 While I agreed with most of your point, but end of the day only God can truly change one's persons heart with or without our help. Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, comes to mind when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus.

@wesley3300

2 жыл бұрын

@@NCSiebertdesign true, but the problem comes in when that experience of God begs to be understood. I had a sort of “road to Damascus” experience myself a few years ago (minus the context of actively persecuting Christians lol). That kind of mysterious, ineffable yet impossibly simple realization of truth led me to want to learn how to share it with others. What did I do? I happened to pick up my Bible (had one on my bookshelf) and opened it to Job randomly. The way the wisdom of that story grabbed me led me to appreciate the Bible more, so I kept going. I learned about Gnosticism as well, and that (though convoluted in its heterodoxy) was also profound and and helpful in filling in some philosophical blanks. Conveniently, though, Christianity seemed to have a monopoly on this truth I experienced, so I sought expression within it. I’ll spare you my whole story, but as I went from non-denominational to eventually Catholic, seeking the root, I found the root structure rotten and corrupted; occulted and hidden by Rome. But I did find nourishment in the soil that fed the tree, if you catch my meaning. Now, a few years later, I find myself untethered from the Catholic faith that my searching had eventually led me to. I listened to atheists and their opinions (and a whole lot of snark on both sides lol) and just felt the whole debate is absurd and frustrating. What a Christian calls God, an atheist may just as well call the evolutionary process, or the laws of thermodynamics. Both of those ideas more accurately describe the type of divinity that Judeo-Christian religions posit. But the problem is that currently the religious side of the argument can’t afford to give up their ground on morality as being related to God (specifically, given by Him) because their entire agenda relies on them having control over what is considered “objectively moral”. So now the atheist is standing for truth and reason, while the religious stand for simply preserving their traditional notions of truth and reason. If religious folks could acknowledge that their particular representation of the truth is not objective necessarily, but rather symbolic and deeply rooted in our psyches and history, then there could be a more open discussion. Granted, both parties would need to come in good faith, but it becomes increasingly difficult as Christians won’t cede ground and atheists are increasingly ticked off at the blatant hypocrisy. I don’t mean to offend you, so I hope I haven’t. I have no problem with the faith itself, but rather the Church as a worldly institutional body. Yet these things are beyond me, and I must relearn to lean on faith even with the things I’ve seen and learned. Truth is simple; life in this world is hard.

Do Christians and Jews worship the same God? How so?

@nikolaj3783

2 жыл бұрын

No we do not. We believe in the Divinity of Christ and the Trinity, they do not

so many religions but only one preaching The Truth: Who sent Jesus from heaven to cure The Blind? According to Jesus quoting Isaiah 61 in.. Luke 4:17 So the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and Jesus opened the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because HE .. ANOINTED ME.. to declare good news to the poor. HE..SENT .. ME. to proclaim liberty to the captives AND A RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, to send the crushed ones away free, 19 to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year. John 4:34 Jesus said to them: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 6:38 for I have come down from heaven to do, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Thank you, Fr Pine. This is a keeper. Your book arrives to me in 2 weeks… 🎉

Hi Father Pine, as a student, I’d like to know: is cheating on a test a sin? I’m in online school and our tests are open note, I’ve looked up questions on Google, is this a sin?

@dave1370

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. It is a form of lying.

@englishrose6627

2 жыл бұрын

Yes

Great overview of a very varied family of potential arguments. All are incomplete or otherwise flawed, as so as those who would make the cases! It is worth exploring, not just to better defend the true faith, but to better relate to those coming from false teachings of every kind.

#AskFrPine If human sacrifice is unacceptable to God, how was jesus's sacrifice, willing or not, acceptable to God? Why did god grant Jephthah victory in battle knowing his promise would lead to him sacrificing his daughter?

@LibertysetsquareJack

2 жыл бұрын

Jesus as Sacrificial Lamb is acceptable to God because 1) Jesus was not man only, but God-Man, ie. God made incarnate in man: Jesus is *two natures*, having a human nature and the divine nature of the Word/Logos of God, united in one person; and 2) Jesus offered himself as sacrifice through acting as High Priest in the order of Melkizadek, ie. Jesus is both the Lamb and Him consecrating the offering of the Lamb, as per what we see in His declarations in the Bread of Life sermon and at the Last Supper. So Jesus' offering of himself to the Father on the Cross was not institution of "human sacrifice," but of the ultimate fulfillment of the Covenential promise to offer "eternal, everlasting sacrifice" of "the unblemished lamb." In other words, any and all other attempts by men to make a sacrifice of a human would be without merit and disordered, because 1) these sacrificial victims would necessarily be *only* human in their nature, and would therefore neither redeem Man himself (as Christ, as Incarnate God, did, sanctifying flesh) nor be pleasing to God (because God did not mandate human sacrifice), and 2) they would be by and according to human dictate alone, not by God's active will, and not through Christ, ie. a pagan witchdoctor offering another human for sacrifice is not in the Order of Melchizedek, let alone Him as High Priest. All human sacrificial rites therefore have been, are now, and would always be, both inherently disordered and unefficacious. The offering of Christ to the Father is not then "human sacrifice," properly speaking, but something wholly unique unto itself. As to the second question you posed, you'll have to provide more clarification. Suffice to say for now, words have meaning within context, and context and word usage changes, eg. if I am a soldier and I jump on a grenade to preserve other men's earthly lives, I have "sacrificed myself"; but that doesn't mean there was a rite of human sacrifice. Similarly, when David was told that his son would perish, owing to the son being resultant of David's adultery, in a certain use of language, we could properly say David experienced that death as a 'sacrificial loss,' in making restitution to God; but again, that's not a rite of human sacrifice, nor an institution of offering humans as sacrifices.

@0670083130

2 жыл бұрын

​@@LibertysetsquareJack For the 2nd question, after researching it, it seems Jephthah consecrated his daughter to god, she was not sent up as a burnt offering. Jesus in his two natures is fully human, and while it can be said that the 2nd person of the trinity died as in his human nature he passed through death, it would be improper to say that his divine nature somehow died. This is to say that what was sacrificed was a real full human, and this human sacrifice is eternally acceptable to the father. I guess it is an uncomfortable thought because It seems that human sacrifice should somehow be an intrinsically evil act, and thus never acceptable to the father. It seems this is not the case however. On closer inspection, it makes sense to say that God in his divine authority has the right to request a human life as sacrifice as he does with isaac, but as he reveals in that story this is not his desire for the reasons you mentioned above. It is wrong for a normal person to offer a human sacrifice because God made it clear he has not requested this; Therefore the act would be both sacrilege and murder. In addition God would never ask for another human life before or after because the blood of christ satisfies for all time

Meditatio by John Joseph Madre Dios! Mary! My Mother! Mystical Rose! Flower God chose! His Son's repose! You held Him first in your precious womb You cared and watched over the Bloom And finally beneath the Cross's gloom O Mother most fair! You are always there! In You now we place our care! Into your tender heart Our pledge is to become part To you we pray impart The Master's Loving Art! Amen..

Hello Fr. Pine. I would really like you to talk about sedevacantism, my husband has switch to that "religion", following my brother in law, saying that it is the real Catholic church because the Pope is an Heretic and the sit of Peter has been vacant for many years now. Furthermore that from Paul VI up to now Popes are masons and masonry has infiltrated the Vatican so many traditions have changed due to this. In addition, that as a result of this, the priest are not priest because they are not made priest using past consecration ( don't know if is written correctly) that the new ways are wrong. I'm so confused. Help, please🙏🙏🙏

Great start!!! Your "wouned and weaknesses premise" is like saying "I tell you why religions other than Rom. Catholic are wrong by assuming that the Rom. Catholic faith is true." Brilliant and very convincing argumentation indeed /s. The question is "If there is one God and he creates all men/women equal, why doesn't he reveal himself (through religion) to all in the same way?" We have some 4000 religions (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions). Instead of believing that 3999 are wrong and the one, into which by 'incredible' chance you have been born into, is right, just assume all 4'000 are just social constructs and therefore myths.

Fr. Gregory, could you please do a video about Eastern Orthodoxy vs Catholicism? I know it’s a big topic, but I was raised Protestant & am stuck at the crossroads between those two options now. I’d love to know why you think Catholicism is more faithful to the apostolic teachings.

@carll6023

2 жыл бұрын

There’s a pints with Aquinas video with a young guy called Gideon Lazar. You’ll be blown away. Watch it

@el_killorcure

2 жыл бұрын

Ask an Orthodox as well so you can compare both inputs...

@joecardone4887

2 жыл бұрын

I think one thing to think about is how many amazing Catholic Saints there are vs Orthodox Saints. The Catholic Church has way more and that’s definitely a good fruit that can’t be overlooked.

@Grantthecatholic

2 жыл бұрын

Hey! Glad you’re interested in checking out the Catholic Faith. Orthodox people and Catholics have a lot of the same beliefs at large, though we differ in some small areas. Our biggest difference is our belief in the papacy as Catholics- that the bishop of Rome through apostolic succession following Peter has the highest authority and can teach infallibility under certain circumstances with the intend of binding it to the Church on the Chair since the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit following Pentecost and Jesus’ prayers, while Orthodox only believe in equal bishops. I would encourage you to check out Matthew 16:18, which discusses the primacy of Peter over the other apostles, and how this is an office soon to be passed on for all time. I also think there is overwhelming historical evidence in favor of the primary of the Bishop of Rome (Pope), as noted by the early church fathers. Some quotes showing this might include: In 251 AD, in North Africa, St. Cyprian said: “He (Jesus) assigned a like power to all the Apostles, yet he founded a single Chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one Chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" “With a false bishop appointed for themselves by heretics, they dare even to set sail and carry letters from schismatics and blasphemers to the chair of Peter and to the principal church at Rome, in which sacerdotal unity has its source.” - St. Cyprian of Carthage, A.D. 251 “We exhort you in every respect, honorable brother, to heed obediently what has been written by the most blessed pope of the city of Rome, for blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see, provides the truth of faith to those who seek it. For we, by reason of our pursuit of peace and faith, cannot try cases on the faith without the consent of the bishop of Rome.” - St. Peter Chrysologus, A.D. 449 In 180 AD, less than a century after the apostolic age ended around 100 AD, St. Irenaeus said (Against Heresies) Speaking of the Church of Rome: "It is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority.” As St. Augustine essentially said, "Rome has spoken; the case is closed" (from his Sermons 131:10). And more significantly: he said: “I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.” Hope this helps! Check out Trent Horn on KZread or my page if you’re interested!

@el_killorcure

2 жыл бұрын

@@joecardone4887 You do realize they share the more important ones, starting with Mary and Peter?

I’d like to see somewhere (even if it’s not you particularly), but in the face of temptation, how do we resist? I’ve heard some really great suggestions to stay chaste, but what about temperance? So many people in America struggle with their weight. How do we call upon God’s grace in front of the chocolate cake? I know this sounds silly, but I really haven’t seen anything that is a spiritual path to temperance and away from gluttony. I honestly believe diet plans don’t work because they don’t treat the whole person and are not Holistic.

"I convert you to be a better Hindu, a better Christian, a better Catholic, a better Sikh, a better Muslim" Mother Teresa “There are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it … For example a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ’s birth may have been in this position” C.S. Lewis “I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know Him.” C.S. Lewis

@aclark903

2 жыл бұрын

I think Lewis never really lived in a Buddhist majority environment so he may have been a tad naive on the subject. Even #Merton only dialogued with people like Suzuki, so his knowledge was more theoretical than practical. For real insight into Buddhism I suggest you ask the Catholics in #Myanmar who are currently being shelled by the Buddhist majority army in that country...

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

@@aclark903 Merton had a good relationship with the lateThich Nhat Hanh as did Daniel Berrigan, Thomas Keating and MLK jr. PJP2 had a good relationship with the Dalali Lama. He even invited him to the gathering at Assisi. I can't speak for Myanmar but I do know some Catholics from Sri Lanka and for the most part they tell me the relationship is good but the government does play the nationalist card sometimes which all religions play at times. The Orthodox church is really bad for that. Its good to know you believe in religious freedom and don't think its modernism or indifferentism or anyother trad talking points.

@aclark903

2 жыл бұрын

@@loveandmercy9664 Freedom up to a point. #Satanists in America are exploiting loopholes in religious freedom to the extent that the GOP may want to look at it when they get a majority in November..

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

@@aclark903 Well its good to know you believe Buddhism is a respectable religion deserving of freedom.

@aclark903

2 жыл бұрын

@@loveandmercy9664 I never said that either. Buddhism is a poisonous ideology that sends people to hell. It has a good PR in the West, mostly, because Satan is an extremely skilled PR guy, but get out Far East where I live & you will find things get ugly real quick..

Didn't the Vatican already answer that in their Faith document alongside Islam (titled On Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together) where they state the diversity of religions is willed by God? Just the latest concession/scandal/betrayal (remember the wooden idols at the Vatican for the Amazon Synod) from the Pope who seems more concerned with appeasing/accommodating the secular world and our enemies (Islam states clearly their intentions towards us in their book at 9:29) than defending the faith he was entrusted to lead.

Hi Fr. Pine OP...spoke to a relative recently and they believe that God revealed himself in the Bahai faith. I did not want to go down that rabbit hole. I watched their movie, The Gate: Dawn of the Baha'i Faith (to educate myself). Not sure what to think about that one 🤔. They sent me daily, night and day, bahai e cards until I put that to a halt. What do you say to a person who straight up believes that Jesus came back in this Bahaulah that the bahais believe in??? no disrespect to anyone. just asking.

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

I know quite a few Baha'is and quite a bit about the faith and there's just about no apologetic literature on it. I even reached out to Gary Michuta and he told me no one in 30 years of ministry has asked him about Baha'is. There Mere Christianity is a book called a thief in the night by William Sears who was Catholic. That book deals a lot with the prophcy of Daniel and 1844 which Jehovah's. Mormons's, Seven Day Adventists, Ahmadiyya Muslims all base their prophetic claims on.

@MusicaNLAlma

2 жыл бұрын

@@loveandmercy9664 Thank you for the insight and reply. Hope Gary can include this faith in his list of apologetics material. Thanks for reaching out to him btw. He should watch that movie for inspiration on evolving apologetic media specific to that faith. That would come in handy. Off to do more research😊. God bless and a blessed holy week 2022 to you.

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

@@MusicaNLAlma One thing I will add is the cold hard truth that religion has as much a subjective aspect if not more than an objective one. In my encounter with western Baha'is is they are appear to be lured by the faith's brilliant marketing of being inclusive, multicultrual, scientific, and not carrying the baggage of Catholicism. You also get to keep Jesus. The Eastern Baha'is who come from Iran which is a legalisitc Islamic culture which isn't too tolerant of the faith so I understand the appeal there. There's a first nations church in my city to be honest with you I find it easier to get my Baha'i friends to come to a service with me then my Catholic ones and its easier to talk positively about pope Francis then my conservative Catholic friends. I guess my angle has been to show them the diversity they seek is in the church be it in the Eastern Rites, Indigenous inculutrated masses, the great scientific minds of Mendel and Chardin. My other observation is most western Baha'is know next to nothing about Islam which is a component to the faith because Bahaullah is also considered the mahdi of Sha'i Islam and the prophet of Zorostrianism.

it's not just the plurality of religions in the world that causes me concern. it's the state of Christendom alone that makes it so hard for me.

@Sebastian-ct5ek

2 жыл бұрын

come to orthodoxy

@sadvenom7826

2 жыл бұрын

The state of catholisism, and protestantism is depressing. The catholics have built themselves of sand, and follow the politics wave of the secular world. The protestants will lose all faith is God when their pet dog dies.

@joecardone4887

2 жыл бұрын

Have you heard the story of why the Saint Michael prayer was composed by Pope Leo III? I suggest you look it up if you haven’t. The Catholic Church is being heavily assaulted and infiltrated by Satan. Even Jesus hinted at this in saying that the gates of hell will not prevail over his Church. This implies in my opinion that it’ll be attacked and weakened but will ultimately have victory in the end. The Catholic Church has weakened and become less like the Church Jesus intended it to be because of this. BUT when Momma Marys Immaculate heart triumphs which it will., the Church will become a place full of Saints!

@mr.caleblynn9246

2 жыл бұрын

Well that was easy

@loveandmercy9664

2 жыл бұрын

"The Christians of the nascent Church called each other “brothers”. This spiritual and Christ-centered fraternity is deeper than natural kinship. For Christians, however, brothers and sisters are not only members of the Church, but all peoples. The Word of God has taken on human nature and united everything in itself. Just as all human beings are God's creation, so all have been included in the plan of salvation. The love of the believer has no boundaries and limits. In fact, it embraces the whole of creation, it is “the burning of the heart for the whole of creation” (Isaac the Syrian). Love for the brethren is always incomparable" His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I I like David Bently Hart.

I dont understand english😭

Lumen Gentium 16c says that Christians and Muslims together adore the one God who will judge mankind on the last day. I'm struggling with how that could possibly be true since Scripture is clear that Jesus is the be the one Who judges mankind on the last day. Jesus is God incarnate in the flesh, who died and was raised from the dead, and Scripture says that the Father has committed judgment to the Son. So for Lumen Gentium 16c to be true, Jesus and Allah would necessarily have to be the same God, which seems to violate the Principle of Identity. Would greatly appreciate your understanding of this, and if your understanding differs from the Thomist position, if you could explain the position of Aquinas? Thank you and God bless.

Fr. Gregory, I think some videos giving commentaries over important and/or often confusing sections of the Bible would be of a great resource, ie. Prologue to John, Judges 19, Romans 8:30, etc.

Father, can you explain why God tries to kill Moses on his way back to Egypt and how his wife circumcising the child helps Moses

@el_killorcure

2 жыл бұрын

You mean God tried and failed? I mean Moses clearly survived, thus God must have failed. Please cite exact Bible chapter and verse if you expect an actual answer...

@kanchanachandran6476

2 жыл бұрын

@@el_killorcure Exodus 4:24 onwards

@el_killorcure

2 жыл бұрын

@@kanchanachandran6476 OK, now we can address it. First, nowhere does it read God "tried" to kill Moses. It reads that God attacked him, endangering his life. Precision of actual words matter. Second, it's akin to having a Marine Corps drill sergeant put you through hell and near death during training. But it's still training. It does come off as mysterious and weird, however remember that God has a track record of "attacking" his chosen people "for their own good" (Genesis 32, 23-33, where Jacob is fought by God, only to be in fact blessed and confirmed as the rightful heir to Abraham's promise and covenant) since afterwards they come out stronger and blessed. And third, it serves as setting the theme for what's going to happen in Egypt (the angel of death taking all the Egyptian firstborns but sparing the Hebrews by them bloodying their door frames, have to remember that in those cultures all firstborns are considered to belong to God, thus He would be simply claiming what's his). That's why.

Great video, Father! At some point, could you maybe address the following: I’ve always been taught that salvation is a gift and that we don’t “earn our way to heaven.” Yet, in the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus clearly says that those who don’t engage in the corporal works of mercy risk loss of salvation. These two stances seem contrary. Can you please clarify this? Thanks, and God bless!

@lissetecorrales343

2 жыл бұрын

Trent Horn goes a lot into this kind of topic, it's similar to the works vs faith debate (even thought work is in the definition of faith). You can find an in depth talk in this video from his channel: kzread.info/dash/bejne/nICCtMlvgrO3qtY.html. He is actually rebutting someone else in this video, but it involves clarifying the Churchs stance on merit, working for your salvation, and salvation as a gift. It's a bit long but you could always find answers to that question in a lot of Catholic apologetic videos. Hope it helps :)

Fr. I would like to hear a video on grace. I have struggled with to understand it’s meaning.

Hi Father, you mentioned that you would be reading comments to potentially include them in later videos. I have a question or perhaps some reflection I'd like some help with. I'm trying to understand the difference between body and soul (and spirit). I did some reading before commenting on this video, but it only confused me more. For one, why does the church make the distinction between body and soul? I keep hearing about body/soul integration and that the two cannot be separated, yet we talk about them distinctly in theoretical terms as if they are separate - why? Why do we have to say that a soul animates a body (plant, animal, or human), and not simply make the observation that animate objects are different from inanimate objects and different amongst themselves (again, plant, animal, and human)? Why do we say there is a plant soul, as if it's separate from the body, and not simply observe that a plant is something that takes in nutrients, grows, and reproduces? Likewise an animal can sense and move because of it's body - why talk about a soul? And lastly for human beings, our ability to reason and will the way we do is because of our mind (psyche, which means soul, if I'm not mistaken), which is part of our body, a bodily organ. If by soul we mean mind, ok great. But what I'm reading seems to talk about a soul as if it's something separate and distinct from the body and at the same time inseperable from the body - I don't get that at all. Does a soul have properties or characteristics, such as personality? Is the Church's understanding of soul essentially a hand in a sock puppet that cannot be separated from the sock puppet because they are actually one thing? The concept of soul seems unnecessarily confusing, and as far as I can tell, adds nothing to our understanding. All the "soul" properties, as best as I can tell, are apparent in the body. You might say "both a table and a dog have legs, so why doesn't the table move?". I wouldn't say it's because the table doesn't have a soul and the dog does, I would say it's because the anatomy of a dog when carefully dissected makes it biologically distinct (brain, organs, blood, nervous system, muscle, etc.). What is a soul if not these things which define a dog and, for example, enable it to move? Why is there a need to distinguish it from the body? When all this biological matter is in the form of a dog, you get, unsurprisingly, a dog. And I wouldn't credit the soul for forming the dog, I would credit God since He is the author of life, He made the dog. The idea that He made the soul that formed the dog just sounds ... redundant. Sorry for the rambling - it was just a brain dump, but I hope my point of confusion got across. Thank you and God bless.

@nickk4851

2 жыл бұрын

@@wenshan9101 Hi, thank you for the thoughtful comment! I didn't think about death - I'm glad you brought that up. After thinking about it, I would push back and say a dead body is just that, a body that died because it ceased to function to such an extent that it could no longer sustain itself. We never say, "oh he died because his soul left his body". No, it's always something wrong with the body that causes death. Likewise, a "dead body" doesn't walk around continuing to live. I'm still failing to see the difference between body and soul. I think everything we say about the soul can be attributed directly to the body. Spirit I more easily understand as fundamentally different; God is spirit, angels as pure spirit, we have the (spiritual?) breath of life in us from God Himself. I don't, however, understand the distinction of soul. Pax

The Cross by John Joseph Hawkins Ignorance Is A funny thing It gives us men A Lot to share But Who can say What Makes a Man To cling To Aloneness As Once did A Dying King.....

First

Did Fr. Gregory just say clout??

Pride MADE Lucifer and his Angels into Satan and his Demons. But Humility made SINNERS into SAINTS.

The simple answer: because people don’t want to obey Gods law, they want to create their own law. There is one Church founded is Jesus Christ and that’s it.

@jgappy5643

2 жыл бұрын

Funny the Islam says it is THE true faith, and every other religion finds itself the right way. Its a claim that they all make. So which one is true, huh? Aren't they all...