Bishop Barron is on this evening talking about St Padre Pio (of all things) I can't wait to see what will he say? So interesting. It's about the new film on Padre Pio.
I wonder if Bishop Barron may be undergoing some kind of conversion experience? Though he is inclined to jump in and talk, talk, talk far,far, far too much. Bishop Barron has as much understanding or Padre Pio as I have of Nuclear Physics. (Rather like Pope Francis who appears to be a total expert from everything from Economics to Health Safety..and how sexual perversion is A OK....there's nothing about anything that guy doesn't know everything there is know)
Listening to Bishop Barron talk about Padre Pio makes me think of the guy who has read everything but understood nothing. A for instance, when he talks about the High Church Persecution of Padre Pio he states that they did this , 'Because they did not understand him' On the contrary; the reason why they persecuted Padre Pio...as they did with Jesus and all the saints and martyrs....is because they understood him all to well...
Why The Original "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (Alec Guinness) Loved The Latin Mass So Shia's conversion is like the late actor Sir Alec Guiness who had an enlightened Catholic conversion during a movie set in France...
Speaking of Star Wars, George Lucas also said that he was attracted to the Latin Mass back in his college years, but soon afterwards it was abandoned for the Novus Ordo, and his interest was gone. So many souls that could be converted had they not changed it...
A lot of Shia's conversion appears to focus on the Latin Mass and Traditional Catholic practices. Bishop Barron never really picked up on this (more air brushing). I am really looking forward to the film, it will be a huge blessing , I think. I would not be surprised of Shia ended up joining the Capuchins or maybe becoming affiliated with Traditional Rite Catholicism. Bishops Barron claimed that the Church Authorities clamped down on St Padre Pio because they, 'Did not understand him'. That is a very convenient interpretation. I would say they clamped down on him because they understood him all too well. The same way they totally clamped down on Sister Lucia from Fatima. They understood her all too well, as they understood Our Lady of Fatima all too well too.
I watched a very good commentary video on this a short while ago. I think Bishop Barron got a bit lost. I suspect he went down to the Friary expecting to do a straight up interview with a famous star who had converted and became a Catholic and never expected the Latin Mass to be a central . Bishop Barron was totally thrown by this and at a loss of what to say. He was kind of left hanging and lost. Like the ground had moved from under his feet. That things had moved to unexpected and odd territory. I see Shia has been attending at the Institute of Christ the King, who run my own local Church.
Maybe Shia's enthusiasm for the Latin Mass will rub off on Bishop Barron. Interesing that most protestants really hate the old Latin Mass because of it sacrificial and propitious efects and realities --
How true -- Barron doesn't really understand mysticism in my opinion. But at least he believes that the devil is real.
It's great to see this it really is. I think people like bishop Barron put a lot of people off in my generation as its all very time bound vat II, grey heads, faithful or otherwise soft soap calflics. The other end is neo trads like Marshall et al who go full hog but also alienate a lot of otherwise good people. "The times change and we must change with them". A quote from -the foundress of my school St Madeleine Sophie. I think it holds a lesson. The tradition is life giving water not a stagnant pool. An example. Lace. Holy smokes it had its time and place. I remember lace curtains in my grandparents home. It's no longer cool and I know many good priests who see it as very effeminate. Let's get rid of the lace. Pope Francis has some good ideas however bad intentioned or not they may be.
Another observation. Like so many others, myself included, Shia has hit right on the money the mystery of the Mass and the beauty of the Roman rite. Everything else is incidental. Beauty attracts. What else can we say. The novus ordo is a train wreck and it is Heart breaking that we have lived to suffer it and my own children . I live going home to belfast to fortwilliam and the mass of ages. My kids who like most sense immediately it's sacredness. It is a different religion. What an indictment
He is just repeating what he was taught to believe in the Seminary and what he learnt from reading modern books. It is natural enough. It is interesting and informative to compare what Bishop Barron had been saying and what Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say; I know which of the two Bishops I prefer. What really sets Fulton Sheen apart is that he was not only a Saint but an informed Saint in the True Apostolic Tradition. I am sure Bishop Barron is a good , well intentioned man, but I don't get the fixed impression of personal holiness I do from Fulton Sheen. Another thing about Fulton is that he was a mystic. I don't think Bishop Barron would know mystic if it jumped up and bit him on the ass. Fulton saw the Christian as being set apart from the world which is so in line with Scripture. Bishop Barron , I think, tends to see the Christian/ Church as being in some kind of constant state of negotiation with the world, which is so tiring. He is always trying to stay up to date and relevant. Yuk. Fulton never was much bothered about relevant. But because he wasn't bothered about being relevant he actually did become very,very relevant because he was different. People are fascinated with folks who do not trot out the party line. A good example of this is an American Bishop who has refused Communion to Transvestites. Fulton Sheen would have loved this. Bishop Barron , on the other hand would probably have a fainting fit. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/s...licly-transgender-people-from-holy-communion/ South Dakota bishop bans ‘publicly’ transgender people from Holy Communion 'Thus, when a person experiences same-sex attraction or some form of gender dysphoria, such struggles do not change the biological fact of how God created that person, and it would be untruthful for the Catholic Church or our Catholic schools to pretend otherwise,' wrote the bishop.
That South Dakota Bishop is a serious dude. He reminds me of Tim Roth in Torrentino's, 'Reservoir Dogs'.
Jordan Peterson has an interesting comment on the Bishop Barron's of this World and generation. About, 'Making things too easy'. On being, 'Popular' and 'Rational' and about being, 'Relevant'.
Just on the subject of Bishop Barron, there is an interesting article about him on today's Catholic Thing (https://www.thecatholicthing.org/). Intriguingly, the bishop came into my mind this morning for some reason I can't remember when I got out of bed and ten minutes later, I opened the Catholic Thing to find this article! Two points need to be elaborated, in my opinion. The principle one is his views on Universalism, the main heresy of the current Church, I think, and the one that in consequence facilitates all the rest-if you take the view that your salvation is certain, what do you care about dogma or doctrine; anything can go and is going. According to the article, Bishop Barron follows Von Balthasar in having a 'hope' for the salvation of all. If he has just this hope, he parallels the Fatima Prayer, whereby Our Lady calls upon us to pray that Our Lord will 'lead all souls to Heaven'. Hope must be distinguished from presumption; indeed it is really the opposite of presumption, because it is implicit in the act that what one desires is not certain to work out. I don't think any Catholic should wish for the damnation of any soul, no matter how wicked-the damnation of any soul for eternity is too enormous an event to be left to anyone other than God. 'Judge not lest you be judged'. However, my reading of Ralph Martin's fine book, "Will Many be Saved", led me to suspect that Von Balthasar went further than mere hope of universal salvation, to an assertion of its actuality, which is to travel from charity to heresy. Of course, this does not mean that Bishop Barron has crossed the same line. I have not yet come across any conclusive evidence that he has, but it's understandable that some people are wary. The other point is this scandal at his 'Word on Fire' ministry. There are some appalling accusations doing the rounds, which if they're untrue amount to the most wicked calumny. No credible evidence has emerged to support them. On the face of it, it seems like a sexual harrassment incident, between adults, and doesn't belong in the abuse category. It was handled clumsily, but it's not easy to handle these kind of scandals in any other way. In retrospect, Bishop Barron doesn't seem to have dealt with it terribly badly either. Bishop Barron has some undoubtedly fine qualities. He seems to be an effective evangeliser. He is somewhat of a fence-sitter, but he might very well be a Catholic (I suppose I stand accused of being a fence-sitter myself). I hope he proves to be, because he has a certain charisma. What are people's thoughts, if any?
Reading this thread backwards, I find myself appalled that Bishop Barron would say that the devil is 'good'. Modernist theology, under its mistaken shield that its proponents are saved regardless, has done appalling damage. It's simply so stupid and so contradictory of the words of Christ.
