Catholic or Orthodox: Does it Really Matter? w/ Erick Ybarra

In this clip, Erick and Matt question whether it's wise to get so caught up in trying to decide whether one should join the Catholic Church or Orthodox Church. Isn't it all supposed to be about Jesus? If you love Christ, isn't that enough?
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[berserker]

Well I could not decide between Catholicism and Orthodoxy at first. Catholicism was logical and rational, but Orthodoxy had the emotional/spiritual edge. I ended up as Byzantine Catholic, very happy about this decision.

[miropecovic]

As an Orthodox Christian (unworthy of the title I carry) I feel some of the same things sometimes and it is not easy. I greatly appreciate Erick's response, and I feel that it eased my anxiety a bit as well. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you all!

[diannalaubenberg]

I had been worrying about this topic, spending hours in prayer, and received a dream, in which Jesus' hands were braiding various colored ribbons into one strong rope; after that dream, I no longer had anxiety about whether other denominations would be saved.

[diannalaubenberg]

Small towns in Texas still have Cathollics. Some have to travel 30 miles or more to attend mass, but they are there and are part of the community.

[iliya]

Erick's disposition of being able to admit the perhaps he has some intellectual blinders is very laudable. His perspective has become the same as mine after completing my own long and difficult discernment into Orthodoxy vs. Catholicism. Ultimately one has to make a leap of faith. Our intellectual capacity, certainty, and conclusions are not what saves. It's very tempting to end up implicitly trusting more in ourselves than in Christ in the game of intellectual wrestling with Catholicism vs Eastern Orthdoxy vs Oriental Orthodoxy. It was a hard lesson I had to learn (i.e. to let go of absolute intellectual certainty).

[birdman]

"I wish I had the faith of my grandmother who just didn't care" I think I was like that before I became more educated in my faith, which social media, especially podcasts and youtube has allowed me to do. I listen to theologians, lay people, priests, and then have another stack of books to read. I don't know if I would have done that if I didn't have so much information at my fingertips.

[joelchamp]

This short clip was such a blessing. I am coming out of a time of anxiety and frustration digging through all of this and I am still finding a peace within it. It was good to hear this dialogue

[thissideofawesome]

Wow, this is exactly what I'm struggling with. Not Catholic, not Orthodox, ex-Protestant. Searching for the true church. This was sent from the Spirit. My rabbit hole is literally at the bottom and apart from letting go all together, I'm fully more convinced that when asking what church is true, I'm reminded that Jesus said he is Truth. Like Pontius Pilate asked, what is truth, and it was staring him right in the face. Thank you for this. It was helpful.

[FrJohnBrownSJ]

Only Catholicism requires me to learn to submit my intellect and will so completely, to trust so completely. I want to have acquired this virtue before I die. I'm Catholic, therefore, until then.

[danrocky]

This is a very foundational clip. Super important. The fact a person has a thirst for the Truth is an act of the Holy Spirit in and of itself. All roads lead to Rome

[cameron]

I am converting to Orthodoxy, but I respect you guys

[francishaight]

Thank you, Matt, for having Erick on, great discussion!

Fr. Ripperger says God has mercy on two types of people: the clueless and the contrite. But most of us aren’t much of either. Chesterton says that the human intellect is free to destroy itself. If I’m minutes away from death, like the good thief, it’s very simple. But most of us aren’t literally hanging on a cross, we have the much scarier cross of time, time to blow it! I can think my way to perdition just as well as I can to holiness. I think that’s why we can easily imagine our Lord having mercy on anyone who sincerely cared about the truth through life and actively sought to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Him who is Truth. If they/we don’t get it spot-on perfect, there’s purgatory. But ultimately what we believe about Him does matter. That’s why, regardless of the scandals that have sullied the Church every day since Judas, the Church’s intellectual tradition is the one that has gotten into the ring, if you will, with human rationalism as the opponent and sophistry as the opponent’s tactic, and come out the champion. What other tradition has withstood the kind of scrutiny the Church of Rome has? If faith and reason are happily married in eternity, Catholic faith and teaching give our Lord the most benefit of any doubt, doubt as a normal gut sensation, not as a position to be defended.

[maryfitzpatrick]

Love watching your videos from Perth Australia. I wish my adult children would turn back to Jesus and their Catholic faith.

[Tatiana-cpfc]

Couldn't have said it better! This man is 💯.

[colmwhateveryoulike]

I have a feeling God will instantly blow all our minds with how simple the truth of all our disagreements is, and we'll think "oh of course, that was so obvious all along".

I'm a relatively new Christian and as a scientist I had to learn not to depend on my analysis. I am sure that God has led me to my local Greek Orthodox Church and I have found myself agreeing with Orthodox theology but I know there are people who know much more about church history and theology than I probably ever will on all sides of every debate. So the way I see it, bearing Romans 2 in mind, God will be more interested in whether I sought to be obedient to Him than what my opinions on mysteries only He fully understands are.

I am satisfied that I am in a church being healed sacramentally in the same manner as Christ and His Apostles prescribed. Whether everyone else is, is for God to judge. I would not be surprised if sheep come from all parts when our good shepherd calls us. And if goats are found everywhere too. Maybe in time I will know more but hopefully only if it actually matters.

Apologetics can give us intellectual permission to seek God but that's just the beginning of life in the Kingdom so it has limited worth and we shouldn't be afraid to move on once we're satisfied.

[thejohnproject]

As a non Catholic brother whose channel is all about coming together in the unity Messiah prayed for I love this. As I have been studying the divisions of our history and how we got to where we are now I realized that every camp and denomination in the faith has both correct and incorrect. This has also been true in my own doctrine and how I walked out my faith. The longer I have been a believer the more my prayer has become " Lord show me your ways and give me the strength to walk them out. More of You and less of me is what I desire". More of God's ways and less of men's.

[anthonyflint]

I was in the same boat. For every denomination there seems to be an apologist debunking or refuting each other. I went to a Catholic church and I felt the Holy Spirit there, yet when I went with my family to a Dutch Reformed church for Good Friday and Holy Communion, I felt that same presence that the Holy Spirit is here too. Which was good, because as excited as I was about becoming Catholic, all that excitement died out instantly when I was told I must do 2 years of RCIA. I've never went to Divine Liturgy at a Orthodox church but I would like to attend one, and who knows maybe that would become my permanent home.

[kingbaldwiniv]

Ybarra is a great resource, wonderful guest!

[GregSmith]

I truly think there are things we can learn from each denomination of Christianity. Jesus knew that leaving the Church in human hands would eventually lead to conflict. Thankfully he paid the price for all and not for few.

[paulthiele]

I’m a Lutheran and really liked this video. I’ve had many Catholics worship in my church and say “Wow, you guys are more Catholic than we are!” I don’t say this in a boastful way, but to point out that I like those moments when it feels like the distance between us is not as large as we sometimes make it out to be.