Topics by Week

Week 1 - Is Jesus actually God or a lying lunatic?
Video is sent on Sunday, May 2
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, May 5  

Week 2 - What was the Messiah supposed to do?
Video is sent on Sunday, May 9
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, May 12  

Week 3 - The secret to joy, according to Jesus
Video is sent on Sunday, May 16
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, May 19

Week 4 - Why Jesus is so counter-cultural today
Video is sent on Sunday, May 23
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, May 26  

Week 5 - Who is God, and why does he matter?
Video is sent on Sunday, May 30
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, June 2 

Week 6 - If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?
Video is sent on Sunday, June 6
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, June 9

There is no way around it: the existence of evil is the most difficult challenge to our belief in God.
If God is all good and all powerful, it seems there should be no evil. Yet there is. This is why many people conclude there is no God. This is a powerful argument and its power is felt even more in light of the Holocaust, ISIS, and cases of abuse and harassment.

Week 7 - Why do Catholics care so much about Mary?
Video is sent on Sunday, June 13
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, June 16

Over the centuries, there has been much discussion and argument about Mary. Who is she? What’s her role in God’s plan? Why do Catholics care so much about her?

Week 8 - This is the woman who still changes the world..
Video is sent on Sunday, June 20
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, June 23

The Bible doesn’t feature Mary often. The last time we see her speak is the Wedding at Cana, where she says, “Do whatever he tell you," in reference to Jesus.  But she didn’t just vanish from God’s plan.  Because of her Assumption into heaven, after her death, she is the only person who has already participated in Christ’s Resurrection as believers will do at the end of the world. She now serves as an important friend and intercessor in heaven. She’s there to help us.

Week 9 - Do you know these two indispensable men
Video is sent on Sunday, June 27
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, June 30

As historical figures, Peter and Paul are fascinating enough. But they are not merely of historical interest, for they live on as saints whose tireless work, inspired writings, and holy witness—including their deaths as martyrs—continue to revolutionize the world.  How? Partly through modeling what it means to follow Jesus. Peter represents the kingly, leadership element in the Church’s life; Paul represents the prophetic, missionary, teaching element.

Week 10 - We would not be Christians if it weren’t for this man..
Video is sent on Sunday, July 4
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, July 7

Saul was born in Tarsus, in present-day Turkey. His parents were Jewish and he was born a Roman citizen. He was comfortable with all four cultures of the first century: Mediterranean, Roman, Hellenistic, and Jewish. This made him perfectly suited to become—through miraculous and dramatic events—an evangelist, preacher, and apostle. He was given a new name, Paul. And in return, he gave Christianity to the world.

Week 11 - What is the Church? (hint: it’s not a building)
Video is sent on Sunday, July 11
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, July 14

If someone asked you, “What is the Church?”, what would you say? Is it an institution? Structure? Gathering? Community of people? All of these and more? The Church is not a human invention. It was started by Jesus himself. It is not a club, or simply an institution, or even a gathering of like-minded people. The best way to describe it is in St. Paul’s language. He said the Church was the “body of Christ.”

Week 12 - This is how you recognize the true Church..
Video is sent on Sunday, July 18
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, July 21

The earliest Christians wrestled with this question: what is the Church? Where do we find it? How do we describe it?
After centuries of debate, they agreed on four characteristics of the true Church.
It was one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because we affirm those four marks when we recite the Creed each Sunday at Mass.

Week 13 - The Mass is useless (and why that’s a good thing)
Video is sent on Sunday, July 25
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, July 28

Almost everything we do in life is done for some other purpose. We eat to fuel our bodies; we drive to get somewhere; we use Google to find answers.  But the Mass is different. Worship is one of the few activities we do for its own sake. We don’t worship God to achieve other goals. We don’t worship to get something in return. Worship doesn’t serve some other practical purpose. The Mass is good in itself. It has no other use—it’s useless! But this shouldn’t scandalize us. It’s actually a good thing. Why? Because the most useless activities, such as worship, friendship, and playing sports, are the best in life.

Week 14 - Is the Eucharist just a symbol or something more?
Video is sent on Sunday, August 1
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, August 4

When Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,” a large number of his followers left. They just couldn’t accept that teaching. The Eucharist was a major stumbling block to the early followers of Jesus, and it remains one today.  It’s still difficult for people to believe the bread and wine in Mass actually transform into Christ’s real body, blood, soul, and divinity.

Week 15 - These are the people you should imitate.
Video is sent on Sunday, August 8
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, August 11

Whenever we hear the word “saint,” many of us think of old, dead people memorialized in statues and stained glass windows. But the saints are alive and endlessly fascinating, and the more we learn about them, the more there is to love. What is a saint? A saint is a friend of God, a person of heroic virtue who is now in heaven. Why learn about the saints? Because they show us the way to happiness. They reveal how to live a heroic and joyful life, which we all want.

Week 16- How far would you go?
Video is sent on Sunday, August 15
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, August 18

Edith Stein and Teresa of Calcutta both lived in the twentieth century, and both gave up all their possessions to embrace poverty and serve others. Now, not all of us are called to such radical lifestyles. But how far would you go to follow Christ’s call in your life?  

Week 17 - How to pray like the masters
Video is sent on Sunday, August 22
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, August 25

Surveys show that many people pray, but what is prayer?  What exactly are we doing when we pray? Trying to define and explain prayer can be difficult. Part of the reason is that prayer is multifaceted. It takes numerous forms and is expressed in countless ways.  In this video, Bishop Barron looks at three types of prayer—adoration, contemplation, and petition—through the examples of three spiritual masters.

Week 18 - Does God answer all prayers?
Video is sent on Sunday, August 29
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, September 1

When most of us think of prayer, we usually imagine asking God for something. This is called petitionary prayer. But how does this type of prayer work? Should we expect God to give whatever we ask?

Week 19 - We all die, so we’re all asking this question..
Video is sent on Sunday, September 5
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, September 8

We all have a terminal disease: death. We can’t avoid dying. But that naturally raises a question: What happens when we die?

Week 20 - What can we know about angels?
Video is sent on Sunday, September 12
Discussion with Fr. Daniel on Wednesday, September 15

Each Sunday at Mass, we say the Creed, affirming our belief in “things visible and invisible.” What do we mean by “invisible” things? Certainly God, souls, Heaven, and Hell.  But also angels. Angels reside in Heaven and serve God, as we all hope to do after death.