A liturgist that I respect very much once said something to the effect that a good priest, who respects the Liturgy of the Mass, should never insert himself into it. Instead, a good priest acts in the background of the Liturgy. He performs the various components: the prayers, the rites, and even the homily, without being an overwhelming presence. Without taking over. I wondered aloud, when I first heard this comment, what that might look like. What might it look like for a priest... Read more
In this episode, I talk to Steve Ray, author, speaker, and Catholic evangelist about the Eucharist. Is it a sign and symbol like Protestants say that it is, or something more? What did the Early Church believe? We unpack Steve’s conversion story to find out how a Bible-believing Baptist of 30 years could ever become a Catholic–and the central role of the Eucharist and the Early Church in his conversion story. For more from Steve, visit his website at catholicconvert.com... Read more
In this episode I’m joined by theologian and scripture scholar Dr. Michael P. Barber to talk about the Catholic view of salvation. Dr. Barber’s new book Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know was an instant bestseller and it’s no surprise. Dr. Barber talks passionately, enthusiastically, and with an intense clarity about how Catholics should understand their salvation – and how we often misunderstand it as well. We tackle the idea that all of our works are underpinned by God’s grace... Read more
I want to tell you a story about my grandpa, a man we affectionately called Pop. Growing up, my family had the funny habit of kissing each other on the lips. Our roots are in Newfoundland, the weather-beaten island off the coast of Eastern Canada, more British than North American really and maybe it’s common custom there. I don’t really know, I’ve never found out, but at any rate it’s what we did growing up. I was playing outside one... Read more
As a non-denominational, evangelical convert to the Catholic faith I’ve lived through what sociologists call a paradigm shift. I went from being an arm-raising, grape-juice drinking, Bible-believing unaffiliated evangelical to a rosary-praying, priest-confessing, saint-loving Catholic. But it didn’t happen overnight. For me, there are certain lines I can trace–a certain narrative—through nearly a decade’s long journey that led me home to Mother Church. In my own journey, I can check off certain boxes and say, definitively, yes, that made me become a... Read more
I recently recorded a podcast episode with my good friend JonMarc Grodi. We talked about the saints and, in particular, how we can have a relationship with our Christian brothers and sisters who have gone ahead to their reward. It was a remarkable conversation and I highly recommend you give it a listen but it impacted me, in the following weeks, in a way I did not expect. I’ve written about the saints before, it’s not new territory for me. In fact,... Read more
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. James Tonkowich, popular commentator on religion in the public square and a convert to Catholicism to share his essay, “How to Not Become Catholic in 9 Easy Steps.” In aplum and charity, Dr. Tonkowich unpacks his own journey as a Presbyterian pastor into the Catholic Church and shares 9 “rules” to follow if you want to avoid his fate: Assume that all Catholics are idiots Get all your information... Read more
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Cheryl White, a historian with 30 years of experience studying the incredible Shroud of Turin – the supposed burial cloth of Jesus! Dr. White unpacks the incredible history and origins of the Shroud, it’s seemingly miraculous qualities, and the unbelievable amount of scientific research which has gone into making the Shroud the “most studied object in history.” We also discuss the impact of the Shroud on our Christian faith.... Read more
As a non-denominational evangelical exploring the Catholic faith praying to the saints was one of the very first topics I explored. In the nominally Pentecostal church of my youth we drew a distinct line around anything we felt might cross into the territory of worship. We were, you might say, obsessed with avoiding making anything into an idol. Our church worship space was adorned with nothing more than a simple wooden cross, off to the side. Needless to say, we didn’t... Read more
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I speak talk to JonMarc Grodi from the Coming Home Network International about the role that saints can play in the life of a Christian. JonMarc unpacks the role of saints as examples of God’s grace and holiness, how we can have real relationships with saints, and gives an incredible analogy of what worship is not. We tackle some common Protestant objections to saints to help explain the importance of their role... Read more
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