Our friends over at Catholic Link have started what they call “Community Posts” where they choose a thought provoking video and ask for a short reflection from people running similar Catholic media initiatives. So naturally I was extremely excited when they asked me if I’d like to be one of their contributors! The first post that I was able to help out with features a touching video about the true nature of unconditional love. Check it out here and let me know what you think!
– Ryan
A homily on The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This homily is so good, just experience it.
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Will G. is a “professional” youth minister. He’s a good reader but a bad speller.
This is an easy one. Take a listen to the Litany of the Saints as arranged by John Becker.
You won’t regret it.
Much like ourselves, Catholic-link began as a blog with a couple of young, ambitious contributors determined to take hold of the New Evangelization. A little time and a lot of success later, Catholic-link is a great online ministry that conveys an authentic vision of life transformed by faith. Their videos and commentaries are always thought provoking and full of valuable insight. Make sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to catch all of their content! Surrounding ourselves with fulfilling, uplifting content on social media is an important aspect of living out the faith in every avenue of our lives so don’t miss out on this great ministry!
Head on over to en.catholic-link.com!
– Ryan
Questions? Email me at CatholicVine@gmail.com!
What is the creed? Why do we say it? And what do we truly mean when we profess our faith in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church?
Ever since the new Missal Translation in the US almost 2 years ago, we’ve all been challenged to relearn the Creed. Because I run music at two Masses every Sunday, I know the new one by heart now. But I still mix up “accordance” with “fulfillment” with the Holy Spirit, if you know what I mean. Even now, I mix up the new words with the old words of the Creed or I forget to bow and rise at just the right times. I get caught up in the logistics and I become a robot.
What’s always been a struggle since I first learned the Creed, though, was meaning it. Loving it. Living it. Our Nicene Creed is not something we just recite at Mass as fast as we can before the Prayers of the Faithful. It is the profession of our faith. And it is something we can and should profess everywhere we go.
A 5-minute challenge for you this Tuesday: Watch this video for 3 minutes, reflect on it for 1, and then do something different in that last minute. Say a prayer, say hi to your cubicle neighbor, or just take a minute and breathe. The Creed, His love, and Our Faith are all eternal.
Check out more videos we’ve found about the faith at: http://www.youtube.com/catholicvine
– Greg
Questions? Email me at CatholicVine@gmail.com!
To keep with the theme of conversion for today, I wanted to share this short, but powerful story of how Cathryn found her way home. I personally find conversion stories to be fascinating as a whole because they open my eyes and my heart to all of the different ways to come to the Truth. Check out the Conversion Stories playlist on our YouTube Channel for more!
Find this video and more on our YouTube Channel!
– Ryan
Questions? Email me at CatholicVine@gmail.com!
What is Confession and why is it integral to the Catholic faith? This video gives a fast and intriguing overview of the sacrament, exploring why it is so often overlooked and feared by Catholics. Calling Confession, a “present that goes unwrapped” is a great analogy for a sacrament that allows us to just be ourselves before Christ. I sometimes just find it hard to remember that this grace exists with this sacrament. The fear of going before a priest and confessing my sins, remembering what I’m going to say, whether it’s horrible or not, is sometimes just gripping. But Confession is a gift. We cannot forget that. Through this beautiful sacrament, God invites us to seek forgiveness and come to know His eternal love.
Find this video and more on our YouTube Channel!
– Greg
Questions? Email me at CatholicVine@gmail.com!
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was when a friend shared with me this free online video course, Pillars of Catholicism, by John Paul the Great Catholic University. All you have to do is sign up with your email and you gain instant access to a phenomenal crash course in the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. Each video is roughly 30 minutes in length and comes with lecture notes, recommended readings, study guides, and if you are feeling ambitious you can even test your knowledge with quizzes! The lessons are as follows:
1. Jesus – Learn how the Early Church viewed Jesus.
2. Natural Philosophy – A history of natural philosophy beginning with the Pre-Socratics.
3. God’s Existence – Learn what the Church believes concerning human reason and the existence of God.
4. Philosophical Anthropology – What it means that we are created in the image and likeness of God.
5. Creation and Redemption – What Jesus did in regard to Creation and original sin.
6. Revelation – Learn about God’s Purpose in revealing himself.
7. The Trinity – Learn about the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit in Scripture.
8. The Church – Find out about the Church’s unbroken union with Christ.
9. The Sacraments – Our encounter with Christ in the sacraments.
10. Eucharist – How the Eucharist was prefigured in the Old Testament.
11. Moral Issues – Our ultimate vocation and how it is tied to our happiness.
12. Sins & Confession – Original sin and the devil’s tactics in the story of Adam and Eve.
13. Prayer – Learn about different types of prayer and the prayer life of Jesus.
Head on over to www.pillarsofcatholicism.com!
– Ryan
Questions? Email me at CatholicVine@gmail.com!
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