I have volunteered to supply his speaker profile for the month so read on and be sure to support and appreciate ALL the great leaders and communicators who spread the good news of our faith.
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Marcus Grodi was raised Lutheran, had a Christian re-awakening in college (after, among many things, studying the biology of the human eye) and went on to seminary to become a Presbyterian minister. As time went on, seeing the myriad of conflicting opinions and scriptural interpretations in the Protestant world, he began to have doubts about his authority to preach the gospel. He began to pray and study. Through a chance encounter with his former-seminary-friend-turned-Catholic Scott Hahn, reading the Early Church Fathers, discovering scriptures he had never seen before, getting pooped on by a sparrow in response to requesting guidance from heaven, and after much candid prayer and discernment he eventually left his pastorship and entered the Catholic Church. (Click here for a longer version of Marcus Grodi’s conversion story)
Marcus is best known for hosting EWTN’s weekly television program The Journey Home for 15 years running, during which he has interviewed converts to the Catholic Church from all denominations and walks of life. In addition, his radio program Deep in Scripture explores many of the scriptures Marcus and other converts just never “saw” before their conversion.
Marcus is the founder and president of the Coming Home Network International, a Catholic non-profit organization that offers fellowship, education, and advocacy to men and women on the journey to the Catholic Church. The Coming Home Network International especially focuses on standing beside clergy converts and those on the journey, like Marcus himself and Dr. Scott Hahn, individuals who risk career, friends, and family to seek the fullness of Truth in the Catholic Church.
Marcus edited a book of conversion stories entitled Journeys Home as well as a recent collection of his conversion-related articles in the book Thoughts for the Journey Home. In order that his father, an avid reader of fiction, could better understand his conversion to the Catholic Church, Marcus penned two fictional works – How Firm a Foundation and the recently released sequel Pillar and Bulwark. These novels chronicle the struggles of a protestant minister, his family, and those around him as he wrestles with issues of his authority to preach, the interpretation of scripture, and his growing sympathies for the ancient Catholic faith.
His most recent work is a smaller book entitled What Must I Do to be Saved? in which he addresses the “Jesus and me” individualism of modern Christianity. The book powerfully walks the reader through the continuity between Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity showing that being part of the family – the “body”, the Church! – has always been a integral part of one’s cooperation with God’s salvific plan.
To put on the “son” hat again for a moment, my life and the lives of my mother and brothers have been blessed immensely both by Marcus’ courage and humility in bringing us home to the Catholic Church but also in all of the wonderful work he has done for the Church since. A hallmark of Marcus’ speaking, hosting, and writing is that he communicates from a pastor’s heart that dearly and clearly loves Our Lord Jesus Christ. That same pastor’s heart and love for Christ has made him a wonderful and inspiring father.
Cardinal Dolan is the man. I confess I did not watch anything else coming out of the DNC except for the chatter on twitter and this video of Dolan saying the closing prayer. It was a powerful prayer and sure to do some good.
It seemed to me that Dolan did a good job of affirming those issues of social justice that the Democrats are particularly concerned with while clearly challenging them on the sanctity of life and religious liberty.
This kind of contrast is essential for good evangelization. Point out the bad, but affirm the good. Express total love for the sinner and total indignation for the sin. Hearing and feeling these contrasts can really touch hearts.
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What Must I Do to be Saved? by Marcus Grodi
Over at the Coming Home Network International we just released a new book by my father, Marcus Grodi, entitled What Must I Do to be Saved?.
Here is a quick description:
“A growing majority of Christians today believes that all that is necessary for salvation is an individual’s faith in Jesus. Mega churches everywhere proclaim this “Jesus and Me” theology, built around a simple application of John 3:16, belittling the need for membership in any religious community, the practice of any rituals, the reception of any sacraments, the submission to any leaders, or the adherence to any set of doctrines. Salvation is merely by faith alone in Jesus alone by grace alone. But is this biblically, theologically, and historically sound? This book argues, from the perspective of a biblical hermeneutic or interpretation of continuity, that salvation has always involved more than this simplistic expression of modern individualism.”
While the book is intended as a tool for apologetics, I think it could be a big deal for the New Evangelization as well. I think there are just as many Catholics as there are Protestants who have a pretty major blind spot when it comes to the continuity between Old-Testament Judaism and New-Testament Christianity.
Congrats, Dad on the release of your new book!
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The Hamletic Attitude Toward Truth: In an article talking about his new novel An Ocean Full of Angels, Kreeft reiterates what he calls the “Hamlet Principle”. He is referring to the line spoken by Hamlet in his namesake play: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
Kreeft writes:
“That famous saying of Hamlet’s is the simplest way I know to define the difference between “post-modernism,” “modernism,” and “pre-modernism”. Pre-modernism, or traditionalism, agrees with Hamlet. There are more things in objective reality than in our minds and dreams and sciences and philosophies. Modernism, or rationalism, says there are not more things but the same number of things in those two places, in other words that we can know it all. Post-modernism says there are fewer things in objective reality than in our minds; that most of our thoughts are only dreams, prejudices, illusions, or projections.” (http://www.peterkreeft.com/ocean-story.htm)
I have found this framework based on Hamlet’s famous line to be really insightful in thinking about the attitudes toward truth we encounter in ourselves and other people.
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Aslan, Doctor Who, and Jesus: Someone pointed out (I think it was Kreeft in one of his talks) that C.S. Lewis performs an amazing feat in his Chronicles of Narnia: he shows and makes readers feel a bit about Aslan what the disciples must have felt about Christ.
Some excerpts:
“None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning–either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in it’s inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Ok, so with all that in mind I have a question for any Catholic/Christian “whovians” out there. While obviously this isn’t true for all episodes and themes that come up in the show (and certainly cannot compare to Lewis’ accomplishment), would you say that as a fictional character Doctor Who sometimes accomplishes a similar kind of feat? : )
“I’ve seen him. He’s like fire and ice and rage. He’s like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He’s ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe. And he’s wonderful.”
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My son Dominic and I have been enjoying some great little father/son moments recently. He just turned one, is shakily walking, and trying desperately to talk although the noises haven’t formed into words yet.
He gives great hugs. Little-baby-son-hugs are the best.
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Over the recent months my wife Teresa and I have been trying out a Paleo/Primal/Ancestral/Just-Eat-Real-Food diet (it goes by many names).
A friend recently asked me to summarize our eating, exercising, and experiences/results. Here is an excerpt from that email:
Our everyday diet is built around meat, vegetables, some full-fat dairy, eggs, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, some cleaner sources of carbs such as rice/sweet potatoes, and the occasional dark chocolate.
We specifically avoid most grains (especially wheat), most legumes, added/refined sugars, refined/processed carbohydrates, and most highly processed vegetable oils (We stick to Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, butter, ghee, or lard).
If/when possible, we go for less processed foods without a lot of extra ingredients that we can’t pronounce and have an eye for animals and vegetables being raised naturally (grass fed beef, pastured eggs, local organic veggies, etc).
We do not necessarily eat “low-carb” per se, but when one’s carbohydrate sources are primarily vegetables and fruits, carbs end up being quite a bit lower compared to the standard american diet. Lower-carb helps if weight-loss is an issue. Otherwise, adjust carbs to fit activity level but we get the majority of energy/calories from healthy sources of fat.
1-2x a week I do 2 sets of five bodyweight exercises, each to failure but focusing on form: pushups, overhead presses, pullups, squats, and planks. The whole thing takes me about 10-15 minutes. (Mark Sisson’s free Primal Blueprint Fitness ebook is the plan)
About once a week I do some interval training: walk for 2 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, repeat about 8 times (takes 20 minutes). We also like to take family walks and I often walk/bike the 1/2 mile to work.
I have completely given up long, slogging, 5-7 days-a-week, 30-45 minute sessions on the cardio machines or with the weights. I no longer think these are healthy or necessary. I now do about 1 hour of intentional, intense exercise per week.
From about January to May, I lost about 50 pounds without any calorie restriction, hunger, or extensive exercise. I have only lost about 3-5 pounds since May and may have to begin paying a little more attention to calories to get off the last 10-20 pounds. However, maintenance has been extremely easy which is the more important thing (and that is coming from someone who has constantly struggled with weight for over a decade). Teresa and I enjoy cooking and eating together and feel very nourished and satisfied by the food. We consider this a way of eating we could stick to for the rest of our lives.
Teresa is now 15 pounds under her pre-baby weight since starting the diet in May (about 45 pounds) with only the most occasional exercise, no attention to calories, and much more frequent “treats” than I allow myself (lol). Her complexion, body composition, energy levels, cravings/hunger, digestion, and other aspects of health have all improved.
I have cut my exercise down to a fraction of what I am used to and at the same time put on a ton of muscle. I have run 2 5ks and a Warrior Dash with minimal training. I can bang out a bunch of pushups and pull-ups easily. I am rarely hungry and never bothersomely so even when I skip a meal or fast. My head is clearer, my energy is high and consistent, and some previously persistent health annoyances like heartburn and feeling gross/bloated after eating are gone.
I have become very interested in health/nutrition as of late.
Obviously on the one hand I am interested on a personal level as a husband/father who has always struggled with weight and now wants to help his family to be healthy. I have no desire to spend my time/emotional energy meticulously counting calories or spending hours upon hours exercising – I have much more important things to concern myself with.
On the other hand, I have become very interested on a philosophical level in thinking about the epistemological framework with which modern scientists go about studying health and nutrition. Modern science seems to look at the human body as broken by default and focuses on “diets”, pills, surgery, etc. But the unanswered question is this: Why is it so impossibly hard for humans to be healthy? No other animals, except the ones we have domesticated, have such issues with obesity and chronic disease.
What i’ve found in the Paleo/Primal/Ancestral/Just-eat-real-food movement (in addition to success!) is what I consider to be a much more ordered and rational approach to asking questions about the human body and what would nourish it. The result is not a diet, but rather just a very simple, reasonable, conservative approach to health/nutrition and exercise. Furthermore, it is easy and it just works.
To wrap up my first 7 Quick Takes Friday (whoohoo!) I just want to thank Jennifer Fulwiler for hosting the Quick Takes over at ConversionDiary.com. I am an amateur but aspiring writer and communicator who frequently starts projects but rarely finishes them (due to over-thinking and then re-working them to death) – and is often frustrated by this fact.
I can say that whipping up this batch of Quick Takes was the most enjoyable and easy-going bit of writing I have been able to do in a while. The format lends itself to my being able to shut off the over-analysis a bit and just share some things that have been on my mind. Fun, fun, fun.
So thanks Jennifer both for hosting 7 Quick Takes Friday! I am excited to keep writing my own and reading the rest.
My wife Teresa, our friend Mary Clare Piecynski, and I were interviewed last year by my father, Marcus Grodi, on the experience of living the faith encountered by young adults in the Catholic church today. I hope you enjoy!
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In this special 3-part video, Marcus Grodi interviews three Catholic young adults on the experiences and struggles faced by young Catholics in trying to live out their faith in the 21st century.
About the Guests:
JonMarc and Teresa Grodi are recent newlyweds and more recent parents (since this interview was recorded last year) who studied and were involved with campus ministry at Bowling Green State University and the St. Thomas More University Parish. JonMarc has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and he works full-time as the Communications Coordinator for the Coming Home Network International, freelances as a web-designer, and blogs at www.restatementoftheobvious.com. In addition to being a full-time mom, Teresa has a master’s degree in History and freelances as a writer and copy-editor. Both help to run a local “Faith on Tap” group and occasionally speak at Catholic events.
Mary Clare Piecynski is a life-long Catholic and staff member of the Coming Home Network International. Mary Clare graduated from Ave Maria University in 2005 with a degree in Theology. She works with lay men and women, young adults, and spouses of clergy who are on the journey to the Catholic Church, along with coordinating the CHNetwork’s monthly newsletter. Mary Clare assisted for several years with RCIA, takes part in various Catholic young adult activities in her area, and is privileged to be a Big Sister with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
Here is another among the many excellent videos by Fr. Robert Barron. The video clarifies the common but (I think) often misused or misunderstood term “faith”.
This particular video caught my eye and then my immense interest and excitement upon watching because Fr. Barron beautifully and concisely explains faith as it needs to be explained to the modern mind, for whom the word has so much baggage that it almost loses all meaning.
Using human relationships as an analogy, Fr. Barron shows how faith is not only normal but necessary in our relationships with both the human and the divine . In his example, Fr. Barron explains that while we can and do use our reason to learn much about another person, there is a whole world of knowledge about that person we will never know without them telling us: their thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, desires, goals, etc. To know a person on this level we must listen to them speak and at some point make the choice to trust what they say. Without this trust, human relationships are impossible. ( I once used a very similar example and line of thought in a talk I gave to high schoolers about the nature of faith. Great minds think alike, and mediocre minds, like mine, sometimes get lucky.)
This is insightful because faith is seldom thought of or talked about in a relational sense. Often faith is reduced by both believers and nonbelievers to being blind belief, superstition, or a mere wager on God’s potential existence based on the probabilities of risk and reward. But this is simply not what Catholics mean by religious faith.
In article 26 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church it states, “faith is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man”. Humans cannot initiate faith on our own (as they could if faith simply were an act of blind belief or a bet). Rather, faith is a relational response to God. God reveals himself and it is our decision to trust this revelation and act upon it which constitutes faith.
I think this idea of faith clarifies and makes sense out of a term that is often used quite vaguely. However, I think it is also challenging. It implies that faith really is about an encounter with God, a relationship with God. It is about trusting and obeying a live author who entered His own story in the person of Jesus Christ and remains present and approachable in prayer and in the sacraments of the Church.
If, contrary to its detractors, faith is not mere blind belief, superstition, or a cosmic wager, but rather a “yes” to the God who reveals Himself to us in Christ, the Word, through the natural world, art, beauty, the Church, the sacraments, and in our own hearts, there are important questions to be pondered by believers and non-believers alike.
Have I rejected or feared “faith” because I thought it was superstition or a blind jump? Am I open enough to Truth that I would accept and put faith in God if I really did encounter Him? Have I really sought God Himself or rather just some mental proposition about God? Though I purport to “believe”, have I avoided this kind of faith in God for fear that He may not really be there? Have I avoided this kind of faith in God for fear that He really might be there after all, and want more from me than I am willing to give?
Here are a couple of my articles that ask and ponder similar questions:
The “Deep in History” conference was originally conceived of by my father, Marcus Grodi, president of the CHNetwork and host of “The Journey Home” on EWTN. The conference was intended to take people deep into the history of the Christian faith. Newman said “to be deep in history is to cease to be protestant” and with the 500th anniversary of the protestant reformation looming in 2017, Marcus wanted to offer this annual conference to tackle different themes and historical periods of our faith.
An historical perspective on the Christian faith is largely lacking in the minds of modern believers. This is a pity, for not only does the historical perspective help non-catholics understand the authenticity of Catholicism but it also lends itself greatly to helping people understand the miraculous continuity, longevity, and persistence of Christ’s Church. The Church has survived persecution and societal pressure from without as well as scandal and dissent from within. Nevertheless, the gates of hell have not and will not prevail.
Here is a little video I threw together at last year’s Deep in History conference, of various people talking about the importance of the historical perspective on the faith and how the conference helps with that.
Please visit www.deepinhistory.com for more information and last-minute registration.
For your entertainment and pondering, here is a video project from my college days that addresses the topic of “Functionalism and the Human Person”.
Functionalist definitions of person-hood are often used in the abortion debate as a justification for why unborn children do not posses the right to life. The attempt is made to reduce the definition of the “human person” to simply that of the aggregate of its functions. In other words, the functionalist claims that we afford individuals the right to life – “person-hood” – because of what they do rather than what they are.
The two videos provide a quick and dirty look at how functionalism is used (errantly in my opinion) to describe or define (and in some cases, explain away) what it means to be a human “person”. If you enjoy the video and want to read a bit more, I have attached my corresponding essay that is more in depth and has citations for you to pursue.
September is 2012’s Catholic Speaker Month which you can read all about over at Brandon Vogt’s blog. The list of Catholic speakers has been narrowed down to the top 100 and my dear father, Marcus Grodi, has made the cut.
Marcus Grodi was raised Lutheran, had a Christian re-awakening in college (after, among many things, studying the biology of the human eye) and went on to seminary to become a Presbyterian minister. As time went on, seeing the myriad of conflicting opinions and scriptural interpretations in the Protestant world, he began to have doubts about his authority to preach the gospel. He began to pray and study. Through a chance encounter with his former-seminary-friend-turned-Catholic Scott Hahn, reading the Early Church Fathers, discovering scriptures he had never seen before, getting pooped on by a sparrow in response to requesting guidance from heaven, and after much candid prayer and discernment he eventually left his pastorship and entered the Catholic Church. (Click here for a longer version of Marcus Grodi’s conversion story)
His most recent work is a smaller book entitled What Must I Do to be Saved? in which he addresses the “Jesus and me” individualism of modern Christianity. The book powerfully walks the reader through the continuity between Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity showing that being part of the family – the “body”, the Church! – has always been a integral part of one’s cooperation with God’s salvific plan.
