(32) TV Series On EWTN, ewtn.com, and DVD On the Beauty, the Richness, and the Truths of the Church

        Please let me share with you perhaps the best TV series ever on Catholicsim. It shows the magnificence, the splendor, and the beauty of our Catholic Faith despite the warts and cancer, scandals, and heresies that the Church has had to confront over the centuries. Nevertheless, as Christ had foretold to St. Peter.......”Thou art Peter and on this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) and it seemed to during the Clergy Abuse scandal, but never did. If anything has ever made you proud of being Catholic, I think that this series will. If you're not Catholic, unchurched, drifting, or fallen away, it might even bring you back home.

       Fr. Robert Barron, a PhD who taught in Rome and the founder of Word On Fire Ministry (www.wordonfire.org), with the encouragement of Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, did a lot of begging and praying and raised $3 million to take a professional television crew of 8 or 9 people, including two from the Today Show, on 12 trips all over the world.......the Holy Land, Uganda, India, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, France, Poland, Ireland, and other countries in Europe. He found a great vibrancy and liveliness outside of the West. I'm very proud of my brother, Deacon John, a retired Chicago investment banker, for having Fr. Barron as a friend and helping in a small way with the underwriting.

        Fr. Barron wants the series to reflect the transcendence of life and a higher reality.......to show what the Church is all about. That is Jesus Christ and caring for the poor. His purpose is to educate and remind us as well as the wider culture of all of the truth and beauty of the faith and restore respect for a Church that is still recovering from the sexual abuse scandal and battling secularism. He noted that “A handful of people did terrible things, but we have 2,000 years of beauty, art, architecture, liturgy, and the saints.” In other words for every perverted priest (that is not more than 1 or 2% which is much too much) there are thousands of holy priests. You show me one perverted priest and I'll find you ten saintly ones. Don't forget that 1/12 or 8% of Our Lord's closest followers betrayed Him. The devil works especially hard on priests and Christian families. That's why an intense prayer life is indispensable.

        Fr. Barron approached the very secular and liberal PBS. To his surprise the executives thought that it was well done, visually compelling, and interesting even to non-Catholics. They loved it and. accepted four of the ten episodes for showing on their network. However, only a fraction, Chicago and 80 of the 347 PBS affiliates picked it up. EWTN has shown the six other episodes November 16 -19. On the same days the national meetings of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops were shown live. That weekend it showed live the Pope's trip to Benin, Africa. If you don't get EWTN on your cable or don't have Dish or Direct TV, you can also get it on www.ewtn.com (Just click on this link or copy and paste).

        All ten episodes are now on DVD for sale on www.ewtn.com and other outlets. It would be most valuable for RCIA, 7^th & 8^th grade CCD, Confirmation classes, as a part of courses at Catholic high school and college courses, secular college Catholic Newman Clubs, parish groups, and for showing at home for the family one episode at a time. Perhaps your pastor would be willing to show each episode, one at a time once a week beginning three weeks before Ash Wednesday. Each episode is rather independent of the other.

The Ten Episodes (508 minutes total or an average of 51 minutes per episode) are as follows:

1. Amazed and Afraid: The Revelation of God Become Man (50 min). We journey with Fr. Robert Barron to the mysterious an sacred sites of the Holy Land. From Caesarea Phillipi, to the Sea of Galilee, to Jerusalem and finally to the eternal city of Rome, Fr. Barron illuminates the Catholic Faith's conviction that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah and the revelation of God become man in Christ.
   
   
2. Happy Are We: The Teachings of Jesus  (53 min). The Church extends a stunning invitation to a unique way of life. Fr. Barron journeys from Galilee to Krakow, Warsaw, New Yor, City, Kampala, and beyond and presents throughout what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
   
   
3. The Ineffable Mystery of God: That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Thought (52 min) takes us on a journey from the heights of Mt. Sinai to the mysterious sites of Istanbul, from the glittering streets of Paris to the glorious Sistine Chapel. Fr. Robert Barron presents the Catholic Faith's compelling vision of God as the ineffable and majestic Trinity.

4. Our Tainted Nature's Solitary Boast: Mary, the Mother of God (49 min). We travel to the ruins of Ephesus and to the great Marian shrines of Lourdes and Guadalupe, Fr. Barron explains the Church's great reverence for Mary and her unique role in the history of salvation.

5. The Indispensable Men: Peter, Paul, and the Missionary Adventure (58 min) presents the Church's missionary endeavor which begins with the adventures of St. Peter and St. Paul. From Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, and Rome and to the far reaches of the world, Fr. Robert Barron traces the influence of these two great apostles and their enduring legacies in the life of the Church.
   
   
6. A Body Both Suffering and Glorious: The Mystical Union of Christ and the Church (47 min). Fr. Barron explores the Catholic Faith's unique understanding of the relationship of Jesus Christ and the Church. Witness how the Mysticaal Body of Christ is a living organism that stretches from Rome to New York, Sao Paolo, Manila, and Namugongo, embracing humanity in all of its joys and sorrows.

7. Word Made Flesh, True Bread of Heaven: The Mystery of the Liturgy and the Eucharist (49 min). It's the most compelling story every told. Fr. Robert Barron explores the ancient practices of the Church's worship that endure to this very day. The Eucharist is the central practice of the Catholic Faith, the source and summit of Christian life. Fr. Barron explains the words, gestures, and meanings of the Church's Eucharist.
   
8. A Vast Company of Witnesses: The Communion of Saints (58 min). The story of the Church is told in the examples of those who dedicated their lives to knowing and serving Jesus Christ. Fr. Barron celebraqtes some of Church's most extraordinary saints –Edith Stein, Mother Teresa, Therese of Lisieux, and Katharine Drexel.
   
   
9. The Fire of His Love: Prayer and the Life of the Spirit (41 min). Fr. Robert Barron explores how the Catholic Faith transforms humanity though prayer, spiritual commitment, and the mystery of vocation. It shows examples of spirituality in New York, Avila, Toledo, Gethsemane and beyond.
   
   
10. World Without End: The Last Things (51 min). The Catholic Faith offers a vision of life directed by a supernatural destiny. Fr. Barron journeys to Florence, Ireland, and Rome to illustrate how this life is a preparation for an extraordinary world yet to come.

       I put this write-up and schedule as Blog #32 at the following address: http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com. Just click on this or copy and paste onto your browser. You can forward this whole e-mail or simply give them the blog address. I also have below a tribute to Dr. Mel Simon, a member of our parish and a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, upon his retirement added on. It's a wonderful example of great stewardship of his personal resources that includes, our most valuable commodity.......time. Thank you so much for your time and God bless.

SUMMARY OF THE TEN EPISODES

The Ten Episodes (508 minutes total or an average of 51 minutes per episode) are as follows:

1. Amazed and Afraid: The Revelation of God Become Man.
2. Happy Are We: The Teachings of Jesus
3. The Ineffable Mystery of God: That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Thought
4. Our Tainted Nature's Solitary Boast: Mary, the Mother of God
5. The Indispensable Men: Peter, Paul, and the Missionary Adventure
6. A Body Both Suffering and Glorious: The Mystical Union of Christ and the Church
7. Word Made Flesh, True Bread of Heaven: The Mystery of the Liturgy and the Eucharist
8. A Vast Company of Witnesses: The Communipon of Saints
9. The Fire of His Love: Prayer and the Life of the Spirit.
10. World Without End: The Last Things

          EPISODES SHOWN ON EWTN IN 2011 AND WILL PROBABLY BE REPEATED

 

*The Fire Of His Love –Prayer And The Life Of The Spirit

Father Barron explores Catholic spirituality, which is centered on prayer. On pilgrimage to the places where the great saints and spiritual masters lived, he explores the different types of prayer: contemplation; adoration; petition; and intercession. Wed. Nov. 16 at 9PM ET

*Happy Are We: The Teachings Of Jesus

The revelation of Jesus as God is accompanied by a stunning invitation to a unique new way of life, explained in His teachings. These teachings are illuminated during Fr. Barron's pilgrimages to Poland, Germany, Spain and New York City.. Wed. Nov. 16 at 10PM ET Sat. Nov. 19 at 1PM ET & 10PM ET

*A Body Both Suffering And Glorious – The Mystical Union Of Christ And The Church

Fr. Barron presents the reality of the Church as "one, holy, Catholic and apostolic", and explores the Catholic conviction that the life and presence of Christ continues to embrace humanity in all its joys and sorrows through the presence of the Church. Wed. Nov. 16 at 11PM ET Sat. Nov. 19 at 2PM ET & 11PM ET

*Word Made Flesh, True Bread Of Heaven: The Mystery Of The Liturgy And The Eucharist

Fr. Barron explores the ancient practices of the Church's worship that endure to this very day, and shows how the Sacred Liturgy embodies the whole of the Faith in diverse places as Jerusalem, Rome, Chicago, Orvieto and Mexico City. Thu. Nov. 17 at 11PM ET Sat. Nov. 19 at 4PM ET

*A Vast Company Of Witnesses: The Communion Of Saints

Fr. Barron looks at some of the Church's greatest heroes - Katharine Drexel, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein and Mother Teresa of Calcutta - showing how their extraordinary examples display both the passion and creative potential of the Catholic Church. Fri. Nov. 18 at 10PM ET Sat. Nov. 19 at 5PM ET

*World Without End - The Last Things

Fr. Barron presents the Catholic vision of death, judgment, heaven, hell and purgatory as he journeys to Florence, Ireland and Rome, exploring the Church's conviction that life here and now is preparation for a supernatural destiny. Fri. Nov. 18 at 11PM ET Sat. Nov. 19 at 6PM ET