January 8, 2024 • 15 mins
Have you ever felt a surge of courage that inspired you to step out and make a difference? Season One's final episode takes you back to the origins of such bravery, to the Pentecost, where the disciples' transformative encounter with the Holy Spirit ignited a fearless proclamation of faith. We delve into the rich symbols of that historic day—the roaring winds, the tongues of fire, and the unifying gift of languages. You'll discover how these signs go beyond mere spectacle and speak profoundly to our unity and purpose as believers. Peter's leap of faith into his apostolic role serves as a clarion call for us to embrace our own mission, demonstrating service, charity, and truth in today’s complex world.
This reflective journey discusses how today's believers can draw strength from these narratives, stepping out to live a faith that's as authentic as it is attracting. With an eye to the future, we ponder the vibrant life Jesus promised and how, through the Spirit celebrated at Pentecost, we are called to breathe life into our surroundings. This episode promises not only to enlighten but also to stir the soul, inviting you to embark on a path of service and meaning, guided by the divine breath that sustains us all.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Catholic Accent Podcast.
In this podcast, we discuss theacts and miracles that Jesus
performed that stunned hisdisciples.
Today's topic, Pentecost.
We're here in a locked room.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
For 50 days we haven't lost any weight.
Surprising, I just broughtchange of clothes.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
That's why I'm wearing different shirts.
We're still waiting for thefire.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
So, to that point, the disciples have themselves
locked in the upper room for 50days.
When the time for Pentecostcame, why were they still so
afraid?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, they might have been waiting on the Lord to
tell them exactly where to beled, what to do, and so for 50
days.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Did they have enough?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
food.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know that some of them went in and out, like
Thomas wasn't there at one pointso I'm sure that there was some
movement, but very carefullyright, they weren't all out
because still they were seen asthis group of rebel Rousers.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So they were still hiding.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
They were still hiding.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
They had code names and stuff For the like.
That's why Peter was the rock.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
He sat by the door and Thomas was called Didymus.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So the first signs of the Holy Spirit are a noise
like a strong wind and tonguesof fire which rested on each of
the disciples.
Then, all of a sudden, theseguys, these uneducated men, are
able to speak many languages.
What do all these symbols ofthe Holy Spirit mean?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well, jordan, maybe we should ask you back to your
time of confirmation, when theBishop asks these questions
before he imparts the sacrament,and we can't take it back if
you get it wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So you're okay.
I don't remember the Bishopbeing there.
Well, we might have to lookinto that one, but that's valid
I don't think I knew who theBishop was.
I was like eight or nine yearsold, so I have to thank for a
moment.
But what are?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
some symbols of the Holy Spirit that you remember.
I know fire.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
What was it like?
Talking something, somethingwith language.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Common language Common language.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And dove.
And then there's something elsethat I can't remember.
The wind, wind, yes.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The cloud, the pillar of cloud that led them through
the desert in the Exodus.
And then we see the cloud atthe Transfiguration signs, then,
of of course, the Holy Spirit,the dove, at the baptism of
Jesus and at the Noah's.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Ark the dove.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
But one of the interesting things, too, is this
common language that they'reall speaking at Pentecost is
something that really likeshines through in this passage.
Why, why, common language?
What does it have to do withanything?
Well, of course, god wants usto be of one mind and one heart,
and in some sense, that'slanguage that we share in common
.
But go the whole way back tothe book of Genesis.
What happens whenever thepeople take things into their
(02:40):
own hands and they want to buildthis great tower?
What's that tower called Babel?
Babel, right, just like the app.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Like baby babel.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, or the app babel Because they're like—
Right, because it's named after.
They at that time couldunderstand each other, all in
the common language, and theywere building, literally, this
tower in a way that was to siegethe gates of heaven.
They were trying to overtakeGod in heaven by their own will,
and then we're told that Godscattered them and he confused
their language, and that's wherewe get the great idea of the
(03:09):
tower of Babel.
And so Pentecost, now comingback into the Spirit of God and
in his unity and in the unity,gives common language back to
the people, now not working asadversaries or enemies to God,
but rather what Christ says,which is I came to make you a
friend of God, to be in themission of God, the Father.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So the crowd, when they're speaking these languages
, are accusing them of beingdrunk, right?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
They are.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And then Peter, my guy Peter.
He refutes the claim by sayingit's nine o'clock in the morning
, like how could they be drunkalready?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
He wasn't in Margarita, though it's about the
clock somewhere.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
So Peter begins to quote Scripture to the people.
And so why is Peter so engagingwith the crowd?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Well, I think he's carrying out Christ's mission
already, because we're you know,jesus told them go and baptize
in the name of the Father and ofthe Son and the Holy Spirit,
and part of that is thatmissionary reality and the
reality that he learned at thelast supper of service.
So immediately he's taking byGod's strength in the Holy
(04:12):
Spirit and now he's being ableto live out the call of Christ
in his life, just like each ofus are called to do.
We're not called to only be inthe church for mass, which is
the most important thing we cando in our life, but at the end
of mass it's go and there'sdoors open.
We have to go out, and in goingout, that's when we're able to
live out, through the strengthof the Holy Spirit, this great
(04:34):
gift and share God's love andmercy and conversion and
forgiveness.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So how can we be engaging today?
I think in this way, peter,standing up for the truth of the
goodness of the church andwhat's happening and to show
people the spiritual fruits andgoodness of what the church is
doing, really engages the world.
It's not that just we're goingto Mass on a Sunday and we're
hunkered down in our churches,but people can look around and
actually see the good work thatthe church is doing in the world
(05:01):
, serving those that areunderserved, you know, feeding
those that are hungry, going outinto communities that are not
our own to really assist themand aid them in their time of
need.
But I think Peter is so engagedhere as well because he's kind
of taking the forefront ofdefending the church in a way,
and defending the truth and thegoodness of the church as he is
the first pope.
(05:21):
You know that was what he wassupposed to do that Christ
charged him with.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So these men who have been so afraid for such a long
time 50 days now they're goingout and proclaiming in front of
everyone the resurrection ofJesus.
They are sharing the gospel ina clear and direct manner.
They are calling people toconversion.
Why was their message soattractive?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, I think we have to think about, you know, what
the, in philosophy and even intheologies, called those
transcendentals the good, thetrue and the beautiful, and
those three realities are whatallows a person to see God's
goodness and in his creativepower in the world.
And so the hallmark of goodpreaching is that it has to be
(06:04):
true.
It should be a beautiful,eloquent reality, and it's good.
It's good.
And so they're sharing theEvangelium, the good news, the
gospel, and they're doing it ina way that's both attractive but
also calls people to achallenge.
Everyone likes a challenge.
You know, if we keep, oftentimeswell you know nobody wants like
(06:26):
Jordan, if I want you to getmore active in the church and
I'm like here's a lollipop, butnow you're going to heaven,
you're like, okay, great, thanksfor the lollipop.
I see what you're saying, but ifI'm challenging you to change
your life and really work hard.
Then it becomes attractive andthese people would have seen the
apostles walking with Jesus andthey would have seen them
(06:46):
almost as like a group of bombswho were fighting with each
other, couldn't understand, youknow, didn't know languages, a
bunch of fishermen.
And now there's somethingdifferent about them.
And the same thing happens tous when we receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit, first inbaptism, and then strengthen it,
renewed in confirmation thatsomething in us changes in a way
that gives us the power of Godin our own lives, that then we
(07:09):
live out.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
And I wanted to like just break in there as well.
Why was it attractive?
Because they were witnesses.
So Saint Pope Paul the sixth,he said that people in our age
listen to witnesses, notnecessarily teachers.
It's important to be a goodteacher of the faith, but you
have to live the actual thingthat you're teaching, and if you
don't do that, then there's abreaking up of the congruency of
(07:32):
like the message and thenpeople don't really want to live
that out and find it.
But you saw these guys that likethey gave everything to follow
the Lord and they were stilldoing this even after their Lord
had been killed.
And they're going out into theworld to preach this message,
even at the cost, maybe, oftheir own life.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
They did it to their own witness and in their own
shedding of blood and death.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So it was so attractive, because they were so
excited, because they witnessed, they believed and they were
ready to get everybody else onboard.
They wanted more people.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And people saw a peace that they had even in the
midst of struggle and difficulty.
I mean, this was not an easylife to have, but they had a
true peace.
One of the great lies of thethe ancient world at this time
was called the Pox Romana theRoman peace.
The Rome, by being in charge ofall these different regions,
brought a peace where therewasn't war and all these other
things.
That might have been true insome sense, but there was still
(08:25):
oppression and no morality.
And people were oppressed bythis great, false peace of the
world.
And Christ came to usher in thetrue peace of God which is
bringing nations together, notbecause I'm going to stomp you
into the ground if you don'tlisten to me, but rather out of
love and understanding.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
And that's when the great persecutions of the
Christians started to begin.
Then the Romans thought, well,if we just kill them all and
torture them in public, thenpeople will be too afraid to
join them.
But the opposite happened, andthe more that they persecuted
them, the more Christians joinedbecause they saw this faith,
that they were willing to go totheir death for this Jesus guy
(09:03):
singing to their death, and theywere totally filled with God's
Spirit because they knew then,they knew the resurrection, they
knew the bodily resurrectionand that, by their unity with
Him and in the Holy Spirit, thatthey too would return to the
Father and so really everythingthat they even today, the
Christians across the world arethe largest denomination of
(09:27):
believers that are persecutedworldwide, and yet we're still
here.
We move forward.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
We have more modern martyrs than in the history of
the church.
Like in the last two centuries,there's more martyrs together
than in the previous 18centuries of the church.
People don't realize thatbecause we live in the United
States with a lot of freedomshere and so forth and not
religious persecution.
But you go to different placesin this world, especially in the
Middle East and there are a lotof.
(09:52):
Christians who are killed fortheir faith.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yeah, I think it's like 1% and the Holy Land is
still Christian.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Still.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Christian.
So did it work, did thedisciples.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
God always works.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Did the disciples get people to join when they went
out and started talking likethis in different languages and
saying all this stuff aboutJesus rising from the dead and
everything?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, very much so.
It was wildly attractive, itseemed, in the point that 3,000
people were being baptized justin the midst of this instance,
at Pentecost, and then farbeyond.
That doesn't mean that wheneveryou don't see massive amounts of
people that you preach togetting baptized immediately or
coming into the Catholic Churchor something that you're failing
, that's not necessarily thecase, but the Lord will work as
(10:38):
long as you're willing to workwith Him and you don't know even
the seeds that you plant byjust being outgoing in your
faith.
How often do we go torestaurants, my brothers and
sisters, and we don't even makethe sign of the cross before we
eat something, because somebodywill look at us a weird way or
give us a side eye or whateverit will be?
I wear clerics for almost allof my public encounters and
(10:59):
sometimes I think it would justbe easier not to put my clerics
on today and just go inanonymous clothes.
That's not living the gospel.
We're out there so that peoplecan witness and see us
witnessing to our faith, andfrom those small things that you
don't even have to say asingular word to a person, you
might change their life and theymight actually start thinking
about Christ again in His Church.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
The other day I was in an elevator and I got in, I
was in my clerics and this kidsaid to me I've never seen a
priest or you a real priest, youknow, and it's as simple as
that.
But I think also you weretrying on a Halloween costume
earlier.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, it's not October.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
But if we see the success of the apostles and of
those early Christians.
But now it's also our task tocontinue that.
And it's not the task only ofpriests and religious sisters
and brothers or bishops.
It's the task of the lady tolive out their Christianity in
the world, because they're theones in the world, in the
(12:00):
workplace, in the schools.
And if they're not willing towitness to Christ, then this
doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You know so how can we make our witness exciting
today and attract others to jointhe church?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
By listening to the Catholic Accent Podcast, I think
knowing your faith, whichhopefully this entire podcast
series has been for people iscoming to know more about
Scripture, our faith and why youshould be really excited about
it.
I think sometimes we thinkfaith can be very shallow, that
we already kind of knoweverything we went through
catechism or this or that but Ithink that that's not true
(12:35):
whatsoever.
As I've looked more and moreinto the faith, it's a deep well
that continues to bring upgreat riches as I delve deeper
into that great font of wisdomand from that it excites people.
Why do we do what we do?
Be able to explain that topeople.
But then, beyond that, just gobeyond where you're comfortable,
break out into new areas whereyou haven't been.
(12:55):
Maybe Go down to a soup kitchenand help there, if that's not
been one of your experiences.
You're called to be awell-rounded, multi-dimensional
Christian and it's a personalrelationship with Christ.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
We hear that so often and sometimes people think it's
too hard to become personalwith Him first.
Right, but we don't worship adead God.
Our God is alive and because ofthat we're the only religion
that has a living God that we'veencountered and we've seen His
face.
And that's what really isexciting.
And I think that's where, ifpeople are looking for a way to
(13:29):
get more involved or to begin toencounter Christ, and maybe it
seems like it's too hard or toodifficult to go to Christ first
well, start light, go to thesaints, make friends with the
saints, because they're alreadywith God in heaven and they're
going to walk with you and leadyou to Him.
Go to the Blessed Mother.
She'll take you right to herSon and when you see Him and
(13:49):
encounter Him, everythingchanges and everything around
you no longer matters except forthe joy of the gospel and to
bring others to encounter Himand see that love.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And always be careful to look at religion and say
well, it's the things I have todo, it's obligations, right,
that's not love, that's not arelationship.
That's not going to last long.
If it's like I just have to dothis thing because I have to do
it as a duty, it has to movebeyond that.
In the Gospel of John we hearfrom Jesus this is one of my
favorite quotes that I came togive life and to bring it and
give it more abundantly.
(14:22):
Right, and do we really believethat that religion, a
relationship with our God, givesus more abundant life?
Or is it just begrudgingly wehave to do it because we've got
to get to heaven that way?
And that doesn't inspire.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
And that life comes from the Spirit, because later
in Scripture here it's theSpirit who gives life, and we
see that happening here inPentecost, where the Spirit
comes and gives life to thepeople, True life, not the life
of the world, but the life ofGod.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Ushered in the Ruah right, the Great Spirit.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
And the Great Noina yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Breathe into us, to give us life.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
I do hope that people listen to this podcast, like
you were talking about FatherAndrew and Father Chris, that
they enjoy it.
It excites them and engagesthem and they go out and do acts
of service and they want tocome back to see what we're
talking about and everything.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
They came for the three handsome men, but you know
Right well, maybe people aren'teven watching.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
They don't know.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Well, next season, hopefully we start bringing some
guests on.
And what?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I was going to say is hopefully people like this and
we are told by Bishop and othersto come back.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Hopefully they Hopefully we're not canceled
after one recent contract,actually just one episode.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
They're like you know what we got to take these down.
You're listening to the Catholic Accent Podcast.
In this podcast, we discuss theacts and miracles that Jesus
performed that stunned hisdisciples.
Today's topic, Pentecost.
We're here in a locked room.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
For 50 days we haven't lost any weight.
Surprising, I just broughtchange of clothes.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
That's why I'm wearing different shirts.
We're still waiting for thefire.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
So, to that point, the disciples have themselves
locked in the upper room for 50days.
When the time for Pentecostcame, why were they still so
afraid?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Well, they might have been waiting on the Lord to
tell them exactly where to beled, what to do, and so for 50
days.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Did they have enough?
Speaker 2 (00:37):
food.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You know that some of them went in and out, like
Thomas wasn't there at one pointso I'm sure that there was some
movement, but very carefullyright, they weren't all out
because still they were seen asthis group of rebel Rousers.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So they were still hiding.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
They were still hiding.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
They had code names and stuff For the like.
That's why Peter was the rock.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
He sat by the door and Thomas was called Didymus.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So the first signs of the Holy Spirit are a noise
like a strong wind and tonguesof fire which rested on each of
the disciples.
Then, all of a sudden, theseguys, these uneducated men, are
able to speak many languages.
What do all these symbols ofthe Holy Spirit mean?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Well, jordan, maybe we should ask you back to your
time of confirmation, when theBishop asks these questions
before he imparts the sacrament,and we can't take it back if
you get it wrong.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So you're okay.
I don't remember the Bishopbeing there.
Well, we might have to lookinto that one, but that's valid
I don't think I knew who theBishop was.
I was like eight or nine yearsold, so I have to thank for a
moment.
But what are?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
some symbols of the Holy Spirit that you remember.
I know fire.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
What was it like?
Talking something, somethingwith language.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Common language Common language.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And dove.
And then there's something elsethat I can't remember.
The wind, wind, yes.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
The cloud, the pillar of cloud that led them through
the desert in the Exodus.
And then we see the cloud atthe Transfiguration signs, then,
of of course, the Holy Spirit,the dove, at the baptism of
Jesus and at the Noah's.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Ark the dove.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
But one of the interesting things, too, is this
common language that they'reall speaking at Pentecost is
something that really likeshines through in this passage.
Why, why, common language?
What does it have to do withanything?
Well, of course, god wants usto be of one mind and one heart,
and in some sense, that'slanguage that we share in common
.
But go the whole way back tothe book of Genesis.
What happens whenever thepeople take things into their
(02:40):
own hands and they want to buildthis great tower?
What's that tower called Babel?
Babel, right, just like the app.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Like baby babel.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, or the app babel Because they're like—
Right, because it's named after.
They at that time couldunderstand each other, all in
the common language, and theywere building, literally, this
tower in a way that was to siegethe gates of heaven.
They were trying to overtakeGod in heaven by their own will,
and then we're told that Godscattered them and he confused
their language, and that's wherewe get the great idea of the
(03:09):
tower of Babel.
And so Pentecost, now comingback into the Spirit of God and
in his unity and in the unity,gives common language back to
the people, now not working asadversaries or enemies to God,
but rather what Christ says,which is I came to make you a
friend of God, to be in themission of God, the Father.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
So the crowd, when they're speaking these languages
, are accusing them of beingdrunk, right?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
They are.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And then Peter, my guy Peter.
He refutes the claim by sayingit's nine o'clock in the morning
, like how could they be drunkalready?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
He wasn't in Margarita, though it's about the
clock somewhere.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
So Peter begins to quote Scripture to the people.
And so why is Peter so engagingwith the crowd?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Well, I think he's carrying out Christ's mission
already, because we're you know,jesus told them go and baptize
in the name of the Father and ofthe Son and the Holy Spirit,
and part of that is thatmissionary reality and the
reality that he learned at thelast supper of service.
So immediately he's taking byGod's strength in the Holy
(04:12):
Spirit and now he's being ableto live out the call of Christ
in his life, just like each ofus are called to do.
We're not called to only be inthe church for mass, which is
the most important thing we cando in our life, but at the end
of mass it's go and there'sdoors open.
We have to go out, and in goingout, that's when we're able to
live out, through the strengthof the Holy Spirit, this great
(04:34):
gift and share God's love andmercy and conversion and
forgiveness.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So how can we be engaging today?
I think in this way, peter,standing up for the truth of the
goodness of the church andwhat's happening and to show
people the spiritual fruits andgoodness of what the church is
doing, really engages the world.
It's not that just we're goingto Mass on a Sunday and we're
hunkered down in our churches,but people can look around and
actually see the good work thatthe church is doing in the world
(05:01):
, serving those that areunderserved, you know, feeding
those that are hungry, going outinto communities that are not
our own to really assist themand aid them in their time of
need.
But I think Peter is so engagedhere as well because he's kind
of taking the forefront ofdefending the church in a way,
and defending the truth and thegoodness of the church as he is
the first pope.
(05:21):
You know that was what he wassupposed to do that Christ
charged him with.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So these men who have been so afraid for such a long
time 50 days now they're goingout and proclaiming in front of
everyone the resurrection ofJesus.
They are sharing the gospel ina clear and direct manner.
They are calling people toconversion.
Why was their message soattractive?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, I think we have to think about, you know, what
the, in philosophy and even intheologies, called those
transcendentals the good, thetrue and the beautiful, and
those three realities are whatallows a person to see God's
goodness and in his creativepower in the world.
And so the hallmark of goodpreaching is that it has to be
(06:04):
true.
It should be a beautiful,eloquent reality, and it's good.
It's good.
And so they're sharing theEvangelium, the good news, the
gospel, and they're doing it ina way that's both attractive but
also calls people to achallenge.
Everyone likes a challenge.
You know, if we keep, oftentimeswell you know nobody wants like
(06:26):
Jordan, if I want you to getmore active in the church and
I'm like here's a lollipop, butnow you're going to heaven,
you're like, okay, great, thanksfor the lollipop.
I see what you're saying, but ifI'm challenging you to change
your life and really work hard.
Then it becomes attractive andthese people would have seen the
apostles walking with Jesus andthey would have seen them
(06:46):
almost as like a group of bombswho were fighting with each
other, couldn't understand, youknow, didn't know languages, a
bunch of fishermen.
And now there's somethingdifferent about them.
And the same thing happens tous when we receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit, first inbaptism, and then strengthen it,
renewed in confirmation thatsomething in us changes in a way
that gives us the power of Godin our own lives, that then we
(07:09):
live out.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
And I wanted to like just break in there as well.
Why was it attractive?
Because they were witnesses.
So Saint Pope Paul the sixth,he said that people in our age
listen to witnesses, notnecessarily teachers.
It's important to be a goodteacher of the faith, but you
have to live the actual thingthat you're teaching, and if you
don't do that, then there's abreaking up of the congruency of
(07:32):
like the message and thenpeople don't really want to live
that out and find it.
But you saw these guys that likethey gave everything to follow
the Lord and they were stilldoing this even after their Lord
had been killed.
And they're going out into theworld to preach this message,
even at the cost, maybe, oftheir own life.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
They did it to their own witness and in their own
shedding of blood and death.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So it was so attractive, because they were so
excited, because they witnessed, they believed and they were
ready to get everybody else onboard.
They wanted more people.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And people saw a peace that they had even in the
midst of struggle and difficulty.
I mean, this was not an easylife to have, but they had a
true peace.
One of the great lies of thethe ancient world at this time
was called the Pox Romana theRoman peace.
The Rome, by being in charge ofall these different regions,
brought a peace where therewasn't war and all these other
things.
That might have been true insome sense, but there was still
(08:25):
oppression and no morality.
And people were oppressed bythis great, false peace of the
world.
And Christ came to usher in thetrue peace of God which is
bringing nations together, notbecause I'm going to stomp you
into the ground if you don'tlisten to me, but rather out of
love and understanding.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
And that's when the great persecutions of the
Christians started to begin.
Then the Romans thought, well,if we just kill them all and
torture them in public, thenpeople will be too afraid to
join them.
But the opposite happened, andthe more that they persecuted
them, the more Christians joinedbecause they saw this faith,
that they were willing to go totheir death for this Jesus guy
(09:03):
singing to their death, and theywere totally filled with God's
Spirit because they knew then,they knew the resurrection, they
knew the bodily resurrectionand that, by their unity with
Him and in the Holy Spirit, thatthey too would return to the
Father and so really everythingthat they even today, the
Christians across the world arethe largest denomination of
(09:27):
believers that are persecutedworldwide, and yet we're still
here.
We move forward.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
We have more modern martyrs than in the history of
the church.
Like in the last two centuries,there's more martyrs together
than in the previous 18centuries of the church.
People don't realize thatbecause we live in the United
States with a lot of freedomshere and so forth and not
religious persecution.
But you go to different placesin this world, especially in the
Middle East and there are a lotof.
(09:52):
Christians who are killed fortheir faith.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yeah, I think it's like 1% and the Holy Land is
still Christian.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Still.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Christian.
So did it work, did thedisciples.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
God always works.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Did the disciples get people to join when they went
out and started talking likethis in different languages and
saying all this stuff aboutJesus rising from the dead and
everything?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Yeah, very much so.
It was wildly attractive, itseemed, in the point that 3,000
people were being baptized justin the midst of this instance,
at Pentecost, and then farbeyond.
That doesn't mean that wheneveryou don't see massive amounts of
people that you preach togetting baptized immediately or
coming into the Catholic Churchor something that you're failing
, that's not necessarily thecase, but the Lord will work as
(10:38):
long as you're willing to workwith Him and you don't know even
the seeds that you plant byjust being outgoing in your
faith.
How often do we go torestaurants, my brothers and
sisters, and we don't even makethe sign of the cross before we
eat something, because somebodywill look at us a weird way or
give us a side eye or whateverit will be?
I wear clerics for almost allof my public encounters and
(10:59):
sometimes I think it would justbe easier not to put my clerics
on today and just go inanonymous clothes.
That's not living the gospel.
We're out there so that peoplecan witness and see us
witnessing to our faith, andfrom those small things that you
don't even have to say asingular word to a person, you
might change their life and theymight actually start thinking
about Christ again in His Church.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
The other day I was in an elevator and I got in, I
was in my clerics and this kidsaid to me I've never seen a
priest or you a real priest, youknow, and it's as simple as
that.
But I think also you weretrying on a Halloween costume
earlier.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, it's not October.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
But if we see the success of the apostles and of
those early Christians.
But now it's also our task tocontinue that.
And it's not the task only ofpriests and religious sisters
and brothers or bishops.
It's the task of the lady tolive out their Christianity in
the world, because they're theones in the world, in the
(12:00):
workplace, in the schools.
And if they're not willing towitness to Christ, then this
doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You know so how can we make our witness exciting
today and attract others to jointhe church?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
By listening to the Catholic Accent Podcast, I think
knowing your faith, whichhopefully this entire podcast
series has been for people iscoming to know more about
Scripture, our faith and why youshould be really excited about
it.
I think sometimes we thinkfaith can be very shallow, that
we already kind of knoweverything we went through
catechism or this or that but Ithink that that's not true
(12:35):
whatsoever.
As I've looked more and moreinto the faith, it's a deep well
that continues to bring upgreat riches as I delve deeper
into that great font of wisdomand from that it excites people.
Why do we do what we do?
Be able to explain that topeople.
But then, beyond that, just gobeyond where you're comfortable,
break out into new areas whereyou haven't been.
(12:55):
Maybe Go down to a soup kitchenand help there, if that's not
been one of your experiences.
You're called to be awell-rounded, multi-dimensional
Christian and it's a personalrelationship with Christ.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
We hear that so often and sometimes people think it's
too hard to become personalwith Him first.
Right, but we don't worship adead God.
Our God is alive and because ofthat we're the only religion
that has a living God that we'veencountered and we've seen His
face.
And that's what really isexciting.
And I think that's where, ifpeople are looking for a way to
(13:29):
get more involved or to begin toencounter Christ, and maybe it
seems like it's too hard or toodifficult to go to Christ first
well, start light, go to thesaints, make friends with the
saints, because they're alreadywith God in heaven and they're
going to walk with you and leadyou to Him.
Go to the Blessed Mother.
She'll take you right to herSon and when you see Him and
(13:49):
encounter Him, everythingchanges and everything around
you no longer matters except forthe joy of the gospel and to
bring others to encounter Himand see that love.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And always be careful to look at religion and say
well, it's the things I have todo, it's obligations, right,
that's not love, that's not arelationship.
That's not going to last long.
If it's like I just have to dothis thing because I have to do
it as a duty, it has to movebeyond that.
In the Gospel of John we hearfrom Jesus this is one of my
favorite quotes that I came togive life and to bring it and
give it more abundantly.
(14:22):
Right, and do we really believethat that religion, a
relationship with our God, givesus more abundant life?
Or is it just begrudgingly wehave to do it because we've got
to get to heaven that way?
And that doesn't inspire.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
And that life comes from the Spirit, because later
in Scripture here it's theSpirit who gives life, and we
see that happening here inPentecost, where the Spirit
comes and gives life to thepeople, True life, not the life
of the world, but the life ofGod.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Ushered in the Ruah right, the Great Spirit.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
And the Great Noina yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Breathe into us, to give us life.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
I do hope that people listen to this podcast, like
you were talking about FatherAndrew and Father Chris, that
they enjoy it.
It excites them and engagesthem and they go out and do acts
of service and they want tocome back to see what we're
talking about and everything.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
They came for the three handsome men, but you know
Right well, maybe people aren'teven watching.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
They don't know.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Well, next season, hopefully we start bringing some
guests on.
And what?
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I was going to say is hopefully people like this and
we are told by Bishop and othersto come back.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Hopefully they Hopefully we're not canceled
after one recent contract,actually just one episode.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
They're like you know what we got to take these down.
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