Bishop Barron on Catholicism and the Reformation

[ArizonaWillful]

This man is so brilliant. He sparked in me a serious study of Catholicism, causing me to become a RCIA candidate to become a Catholic at the ripe age of 66.

[ruanjacobs]

As a Protestant, I appreciate Bishop Barron's respectful way of discussing this issue and his clear explanation on why the Catholic Chuch differs from the Reformers.

[riseaslarks]

Notice also the subtle way that Bishop Barron implicitly extends another olive branch toward Protestants by acknowledging that even the areas where Luther goes wrong (i.e. his nomininalist/voluntarist tendencies) find their roots in mistakes made within the Catholic tradition by Catholic thinkers (Ockam and Scotus). In essence, Barron isn't just disavowing Luther's mistakes; Barron is also recognizing that the Catholic tradition had a hand in those mistakes. We Catholics and Protestants are brothers and sisters in the good things we share (e.g. "Grace first!") and in the missteps we are trying to correct (nominalism/voluntarism). Thank you, Bishop Barron--you are a gift to the whole Christian church.

[jofox]

I'm a protestant from the UK and what we mean by grace alone is that it is only through the power of God we are saved, not through our own actions so that no-one can boast. But we still believe that we need to say yes to God, to accept His divine gift although the freedom to do that is also by grace. He stands at the door and knocks, our only contribution is to open the door and that is also helped by grace. But once God is in our hearts and our lives, then the works pour out, not as a way to salvation but as a sign of it. This is what the letter of James is talking about I think. With God's love alive in our hearts the work of God flows through us naturally and if it doesn't then there is an issue with our faith. We certainly don't teach any nominalism. God is Being Itself and us, and the rest of His creation, are the things that he has made. He is uncreated, of a different order to creation, outside of creation and yet intimately involved with it.
With Luther, I think God wanted his people to know the principle of gratia prima and called Luther to do it. But like all humans called to do God's work Luther was imperfect and I see nominalism as part of that.

BTW Thank-you for your videos Bishop Barron - they are very helpful.

[mrstjs]

I just converted to the Roman Catholic Church from Lutheranism 3 weeks ago.  It may be the 500th anniversary of the Reformation but it is the 100th anniversary of Fatima.

[jon]

God I love that jingle at the beginning.

[keithwilliams]

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2: 8-9

[timmiller]

Dearest Carlos, we seek truth and to understand. I do not seek to debate to win, only our souls united with God, and to be brothers walking in Him

[jamesblack]

Fascinating. Makes me understand my own Scots Calvinist heritage, and why I struggle with it. I intuitively agree with the ipsum esse understanding of God.

[floydfan]

I would love to hear Bishop Barron speak on the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.  And also a video encouraging Christians to read the early Church Fathers.

[mrpaul]

A pitch perfect presentation, Bishop Barron.

[JoeyC]

God Bless Bishop Barron! Many thanks, keep up the good work of preaching the Gospel on the YouTube channel.

[markmurphy]

The clarity with which you convey the spirit of the reformers is almost as stunning as the way you find there is goodness in it. You are in my prayers as are all of the princess of the church. God bless and Mary keep you. St Joseph protect the church. St Jacinta thank you for suffering so much in reperation for words such as these.

[thomassimmons]

I was raised Lutheran, but always held a profound reverence for Catholicism. Many of my deepest relationships over the years have been with Catholics, and I attend Mass from time to time
out of a great awe and respect for the tradition.
Bishop Barron, who I follow, is a great Theologian and cultural observer. I pray for the reconciliation of the Universal Church and a restoration of all Saints
at the end of all things.

[wendyhong]

I hope by now you are a Catholic. I became a Catholic when I was 22 years old. I went through a lot of tears and pain to leave the Protestant church. I also went through much research and reading from both Catholics and Protestants. I could not help noticing the peace once I became Catholic. It is so hard to describe but I know I am not alone in describing this peace that I could not find find in the Protestant church. I am now in my middle age. I feel so blessed everyday that I am Catholic. It is like seeing a bit of Heaven on Earth. God bless!

[fragwagon]

Well it can't be stated much more beautifully than that. Thank you Bishop Barron!

[hpa]

I'm not looking to cause an argument, but Martin Luther's aim was not to cause a split with the Catholic church.

[PolymorphicPenguin]

Bishop Barron, you are so kind. It's reassuring that you are able to see some good in a movement that was definitely quite antagonistic towards Catholicism. I hope that there are some Protestant leaders who are able to say, "Well, I don't agree 100% with Catholicism, but I really like their teaching of I'm certainly not a leader, but I'm going to go ahead and say that though I don't agree with Catholicism 100%, I love your practice of confession. I wish there was a regular opportunity to confess sins to a mature Christian at my Protestant church. I think saying our sins out loud really helps us to focus on them and turn to God to escape them.

[jamaicanification]

Great video bishop barron. Speaking as an Anglican I think one of the differences is more along the lines of the definition of justification. In protestant ism justification and sanctification are seen as 2 distinct things. In catholicism they are the same. This touches the Sola gratia principle because protestants stress we can't earn gods grace, but once given we let it flow through our lives in the process of sanctification. One of the problems on the protestant side though is people interpret Sola gratia to mean what Dietrich bonhoeffer called "cheap grace". Luther condemned that view in the version on the antinomian heresy actually writing 250 theses against it.

[darthe]

a Lutheran from Finland thumbs up :) thanks to you and God for good informative video. I am a believer first trough the grace of God and have still a lot to learn and receive :)