Catholic Latte

Reflecting on the Gospel stories of the Rich Young Man (Lk 18:18-30) and Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10), Fr. Eric speaks about the recurring temptation to live Christianity apart from the person of Christ.
Topics discussed include the reading Gospel texts in relation to other comparable texts within the same Gospel, the importance of humility in receiving the message of conversion, and the need to be always mindful of the great privilege of being called to friendship and relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Fr. Eric reflects on discerning the voice of the tempter versus that of the Good Shepherd in fighting the battle against pornography.
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Reflecting on how the Lord invites the little children to come to Him and exhorts others to imitate their natural brilliance as a prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of Heaven (Mk 10:2-16), Fr. Eric speaks about the importance of being completely available for God's purposes and learning to say "no" to competing goods such that one might be able to see clearly God's purposes for one's life.
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Fr. Eric speaks about the importance of celebrating good, true and beautiful things both in the context of evangelization and our own interpersonal relationships. Fr. Eric expounds further on this point by doing an extended exgesis with regards to Num 11:25-29 and Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48.
Topics include evangelization as declaring the lordship of Jesus in the culture, which includes both a positive and negative dimension; and the wider responsibility of the Christian community to provide a safe place of love and affirmation for the sake of healing others in their woundedness.
As a key example, Fr. Eric refers to Episode 38 of the "Restore the Glory" podcast with Dr. Bob Schuchts and Jake Khym along with Sr. Miriam James Heidland as the guest speaker.
Here is a link to the episode: https://www.restoretheglorypodcast.com/episodes/38. Fr. Eric refers also to the movie "Twilight" (2008) starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Here is a link to a trailer from the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxjNDE2fMjI.
Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube and Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available also on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher and Podbean.

Fr. Eric does a spoiler-filled review of "The Proposal" (2009) starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.⁣

Fr. Eric reflects on how God calls us to get in the habit of renouncing not just evil things but even all manner of competiting goods to obtain the peace that He wishes to give to us. Reflecting upon Mk 9:30-37, in the context of which Christ urges His disciples to abandon their worldly ambitions in favour of adopting the mindset of a little child, Fr. Eric suggests that the Lord's exhortation is basically to conserve one's limited spiritual energies to serve God's particular purposes for his or her life.
Fr. Eric refers to the Vatican II document, "Gaudium et Spes" (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World): https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html. As key example, Fr. Eric cites a May 17, 2018 talk that Bishop Robert Barron gave at the headquarters of Google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enDhX49F3XI.
Fr. Eric references also the conversion story of a Harvard professor named Roy Schoeman, as documented by Shalom World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWDevlijGUI.
Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube and Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available also on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Podbean.

Fr. Eric gives a spoiler-filled review of the movie "Reminiscence" (2021) starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. Topics include the fear of revealing our brokenness to others and even God; and the willingness to be vulnerable as a prerequisite to having real confidence in being seen, known and loved.
 
Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube and Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available also on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Podbean.

Fr. Eric reflects on the etymology of the word "deny," especially in the context of the Lord's invitation to deny oneself to follow Him as a prerequisite to authentic discipleship (Mk 8:27-35).
Topics include the importance of understanding key terms as a preliminary step towards effective evangelization; the primacy of dying to oneself and having the courage to be reborn in Christ, as opposed to engaging simply in various penitential practices; and the practice of living out of a habitual stance of sacrificial love to become an effective witness to the Catholic faith.
As a key example, Fr. Eric reflects upon how the film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (2010) was instrumental in helping him discern a vocation to the holy priesthood.
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Reflecting on the Ephphetha ritual in the Rite of Baptism, which hearkens back to how Christ healed the deaf and enabled them to speak clearly (Mk 7:31-37), Fr. Eric speaks about the connection between this Gospel event and the corresponding prophecy by Isaiah (35:4-7) about the ushering in of a new era of joy coinciding with the coming of the Messiah.
Expounding upon the iconic Gospel story of the rich young man (Mt 19:16-30; Mk 10:17-31 and Lk 18:18-30), Fr. Eric explains further how the call to follow Christ with integrity and sincerity of heart is a necessary prequisite to finding the joy that aligns with the deepest desire of the human heart.
Fr. Eric speaks also about the Biblical practices of tithing (Gen 14:20-29, 28:20-22; Lev 27:30-34; Num 18:21, 26) and offering up the first fruits of one's labour (Deut 12:5-6; 2 Chron 31:4-5; Neh 10:35-37; Prov 3:9-10) as tangible examples of living our faith with integrity.
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Reflecting on the Gospel story of how the scribes and Pharisees are critical of Jesus' disciples for not washing their hands before eating (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Fr. Eric speaks about how we are called to pass on the faith while being mindful of the three constituent elements of beauty in the classical mindset: integrity, harmony and radiance.
Topics include the need to avoid overemphasizing one aspect of the faith to the detriment of another, the catechesis of young children, and the need to avoid scandalizing others by insisting upon an external expression of one's faith that is not actually required by God and His Church.
Watch Catholic Latte on YouTube or Facebook. An audio version of the podcast is available also on Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean and iTunes.