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Posted on 11/19/2022 4:37:14 PM PST by MurphsLaw
Cameron Bertuzzi, a popular Protestant YouTube host, announced Thursday online that he is in the process of converting to Catholicism.
“So, the big announcement is that on Sept. 20, 2022, I decided to become Catholic. I’m currently in an RCIA program and will be confirmed this coming Easter,” Bertuzzi said in a YouTube video.
His conversion “came at the tail end of a deep study into the evidence for and against the papacy,” he said.
“As a Protestant, I went into the study with an open mind. Ultimately, I told myself that I would follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if that conclusion is uncomfortable for me or for my family,” Bertuzzi said.
His Protestant friends were “very confident” that his study would only confirm his Protestant faith, “but they were wrong,” he said.
“What I found was that the evidence strongly suggests that the papacy is true,” he said.
Bertuzzi, whose Capturing Christianity YouTube channel has just short of 150,000 subscribers, said that he will be speaking about the details of his conversion on other channels, not his own.
Matt Fradd, popular Catholic YouTube host of the channel Pints with Aquinas, “got so excited about this news, as you can imagine, he decided to pay to fly me out to the Vatican, the one in Rome, to detail my journey on his channel,” Bertuzzi shared.
“So, if you’re interested in my reasons for conversion, the impact this decision has had on me and my family, and all the rest, then join Matt Fradd and I live on Pints with Aquinas from the Vatican tomorrow,” meaning Friday, Nov. 18.
Bertuzzi has hosted a multitude of well-known Christians and Catholics on his channel. Among them are Catholic apologists Trent Horn and Jimmy Akin of the apostolate Catholic Answers; Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester; theologian and professor Scott Hahn; Fradd; and Father Vincent Lampert, an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Videos with Barron and Lampert both gained hundreds of thousands of views respectively.
Bertuzzi’s channel can be seen here.
Matthew 6:7
"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do,
for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."
We however insist ! and say this time of year –
“REPEAT THE SOUNDING JOY” !!!
Thugh now, from someone who knows what they’re talking about”
Why the Rosary is Not “Vain Repetition”
By Fr. Dwight Longenecker
Protestants sometimes charge Catholics with “vain repetition” in praying the rosary.
This is a reference to Matthew 6:7 where Jesus instructs,
“When you pray to not babble with vain receptions as the pagans do.”
Sure, when we pray the rosary there is a lot of repetition.
The problem is not repetition but vain repetition.
If repetition were the problem Jesus would be have an “Errrm whadabout..” moment with Psalm 136
in which every verse ends with “for his mercy endures forever.” No there’s not a problem with repetition was such, but with vain repetition.
So what is “vain repetition”? Vain repetition is when the person praying is given a mantra
to repeat over and over again in order to get his mind into a trance like state.
In transcendental meditation, for instance, the devotee is given a seemingly meaningless word to repeat over and over again.
That’s vain repetition.
Vain repetition is also repeated a set prayer without thinking about it, a set prayer
in a language you can’t understand or a set prayer
that you feel has some sort of magical power like an incantation or spell.
Vain repetition can also be the repetition of a prayer formula that you feel has merit
simply because it is repeated over and over again.
The words could be any old mumbo jumbo, but the devotee thinks it is meritorious simply by being repeated.
Vain repetition is repetition without any foundation in meaning or purpose.
That’s what Jesus means in the second half of Matthew 6:7 when he says, “They think they are heard because of their many words.”
The rosary might seem the same as a Hindu chanting his mantra, but it is radically different.
The Eastern repetitious prayer has the intention and purpose of helping the devotee empty their mind and enter a state of self abnegation and forgetting this world.
The object of the prayer of meditation is for the devotee to enter into a kind of nothingness
in which all material things are forgotten or denied.
The rosary is not an emptying out but a filling up. ,br>It is not a forgetting but a remembering. In a similar way to the Mass,
through which we bring into the present moment the events of our redemption,
so through meditation on the mysteries of the rosary we bring into the present moment the mysteries
of the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to apply them to our lives.
I have written about this in my book Praying the Rosary for Inner Healing
This book explains how the mysteries of the rosary take us step by step through the life of Christ, and as we meditate on the stages of life in Christ we access the perfect life of Christ with Mary.
Where there are imperfections, sin and trauma in the stages of our lives and in the lives of our loved ones,
the perfect life of Jesus and Mary are applied for the healing and reconciliation of our lives.
This is far from “vain repetition” instead, through the mystery of the rosary the dynamic life of Christ in the world
is brought alive and applied to our needs and the needs of the whole world.
Good luck!
Why; my back is wet - it must be raining!
Connect some stars to make a constellation...
But still keep in mind -that is why it is very important to realize that to claim something as “fact” must always be explicitly just fact- and that we cannot just claim or say this or that is a fact –on all sides.
But MORE importantly, and this happens too often – that we need to realize that the absence (or silence) of a fact we are looking at - does not then “contrarily” assume another fact
in it’s place.
Just because there is NO explicit scriptural proof for The Blessed Virgin’s Perpetual Virginity-
does not in the same way then make it a fact, or a must, – that She did not remain a Virgin either.
We both must realize that we hold beliefs or opinion on this matter –
outside of a conclusive proof given to us in Scripture.
I would make (and have made) the same claim about Sola Scriptura.
There is NO explicit Scripture that I can go AGAINST the claim that the sola is NOT a dogmatic truth - but in EQUAL manner there isn’t any exact scripture for that claim- conclusively for it TO BE ttruth either - as you hold to.
Now you will “assert” from scripture 2 Tim gets you there… but you can’t state it as fact.
(And there is sufficient rebuttal as well, primarily since that the same Jewish authority that deemed OT writings as scripture in Tim 2 – would never agree to – and don’t- agree that the NT writings as scripture on the same OT level as well. So there’s always going to be the authority thing.)
But we all believe and put Faith in what St. Paul asserted- with Christians of all stripes extrapolating from his writing what they need to-
which is not always fact- NOR does it always need to be. So there is a process of asserting from scripture what needs our beliefs may want or desire. Faith can be funny that way.
If you all want to idolize her by putting her on a pedestal, which makes you respecters of persons (see James on that sin) that’s your business, but to pass off something as Truth which is not verifiable is wrong
If they simply claim that is their opinion, or preference, that’s one thing. But a religion which claims it has the truth needs to be circumspect about what it definitively declares as true when it’s based on nothing more than wishful thinking and rationalization.
Repecters of persons?
Can’t we assume though that Mary is not just an ordinary Jewish girl?
And would honoring and respecting thy Father and Mother run afoul with that as well?
Pedestal? Catholics Love and Honor Mary for what God has done for her- not anything she has done or merited – or anything we “need” her to be.,
We are told in Scripture - that from the Cross gave his His Mother to ALL of us to “Behold” her,
and that she can intercede for Us on behalf of her Son (if we desire)?
(As most “good Jewish” mother’s will do.. lol) .
We are simply assenting to God’s Will – not initiating idol “worship” for our own benefit- which you clearly believe there is no benefit.
So without benefit - we are more really just wasting our time saying our “Hail Mary’s” – than practicing “idol worship”.
And that is where the heart of much Christian misunderstanding occurs.
We see things as what God wants for US- not what we need from God. On the basis of our Faith beliefs- which include asserting things from Scripture-
I cannot see validity of your sola scriptura position – anymore than you can see Catholic Marian dogma.
But does any of that change God?
The point I think your missing is that they are taught as something we can hold as true- even if they are not explicit commandments. Developed truths for us-
that enrich and deepen our faith in Christ. - and yes dogmatic ones Catholics must believe- for one to abide in the rule of Faith for our Christian belief.
Now we can debate on what is “closer” to an ultimate truth for sure… but at the end of day we have to hold true to Faith in what we have been taught and believe- seen or unseen. If not- the Catholic Faith would be like a puzzle with missing pieces that can never be put together.
You may call it wishful thinking- but what is a Catholic supposed to do?
Right off the bat - in Genesis we learn how God tells the serpent he will “put enmity between him (the serpent) and the Woman - AND her seed”.
God is doing this.
Now we are taught the Woman is Mary- and her seed is Jesus.
Though it is not stated explicitly- we assert this- as part of our Faith. So how do we ignore – that The WOMAN (Mary) was already in play there, form the beginning, in Genesis?
Now I don’t know exactly what God did there for Mary and her seed- but whatever he did – he did the same with BOTH – Woman and her seed- so they already share something special.
Would you not agree on this point? That the woman to bear the seed is already a most special woman?
Who God is telling the Serpent- “you will not touch her “
Could it be sinlessness? Maybe.
Whatever it is - we cannot dismiss or ignore Mary as the Mother of Jesus so easily as you may be able to- because from the very outset God’s plan included protecting the Woman form the serpent- plays such a fundamental role in the greatest salvific Birth on this planet.
(And Joseph’s earthly role may have been such the same- as protector of this seed bearer.)
Then we learn that Christ tells his Mother at Cana- who probably lost Joseph at some point- “Woman- my Hour has not yet come”
Obviously- Mary was not in agreement-
and however she knew- she knew it was time to bring the New Wine- the New Life… and she tells us “Do whatever HE tells you… not knowing maybe how her Son would bring this about- only that SHE knew it was time. And then at the end of the Bible – we learn of a Woman- A pregnant Woman- clothed in the Sun- about to give Birth- to a Male child – whom the dragon was waiting to devour- this Male Child- “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”
And then God snatched up HER Child – and took him to his throne-
But !...The Dragon STILL pursued the Woman !...
The Woman was given Eagles wings- so that she could flee from the dragon - to a place that was prepared for Her by God – so that she would be safe from the dragon.
Now from Genesis to Revelation- how is a Catholic supposed to interpret this in the course of salvation history?
Although it’s a brief synopsis of the story – all four Catholic Marian Dogma’s find their basis in these passages.
What is a Catholic supposed to do with this? Ignore it? Pretend the Woman and Her seed are not Mary and Jesus?
Even if we can’t make it fit into our Faith- it has to mean something to a Christian understanding.
Ignoring scripture just because it does not fit- is not a solution.
We have to make sense of all of it the best we can- or we cannot defend it.
Mary having normal sexual relations with her lawful husband does not diminish in my eyes in the least. On the contrary, she is being a good Jewish wife by not defrauding her husband. This is all Ok to say- but does not offer proof against her Perpetual virginity- only opinion of what could be.
By stating “she is being a good Jewish wife” does NOT mean she did not remain Virginal.
I’m sure they’re are Jewish men with E.D. who are not disqualified from being good husbands
I am not saying as much that you must believe in the Perpetual dogma not explicit in scripture- only that -
if you are going to find un-believability for God’s plan for Mary – you as well will not have scriptural proof (for or) against it.
All that’s left is Faith.
Why?
God is in the business of using ordinary people, or actually, even subordinary.
That way, He gets all the credit for what is done through them for Him, and not them. Then they don’t depend on themselves, but on Him.
Sheesh, the rationalizations that Catholics go through to hang on to the pet theology not supported by Scripture is staggering. Of course, rationalizations are all Catholics have since there is no Scriptural support for it.
Ten Our Father’s and 50 Hail Mary’s sounds a lot like vain repetition to me.
Catholics treat it like a talisman.
Do enough of them and you can force Gos’s hand, through Mary, of course.
Ridiulous.
And ‘they’ will ridicule you for pointing out the contradictions to scripture in their traditions.
Yeah, can you imagine that?
Depending on God’s word, Truth, to determine theology. How ridiculous.
It’s just so much easier to fabricate it. Then you don’t have to worry about being able to actually support your position with actual evidence. You can then just write off contradictions as “a mystery of the faith”.
By your reply of Why? –
is it safe to assume that you do not believe that God, very early on, in the 3rd chapter of Genesis- is not talking about Mary and Jesus- when God tells the Serpent he will do something for the Woman and the Seed against the evil of the serpent?
So you know, as a Catholic we believe God is speaking of Mary- as the Woman – in a very special way in Gen 3… that’s what I was trying to explain to you.
Though, I’m not sure if you are disagreeing with me or not-
But if so, can you offer your view-
If God is not speaking of Mary, as the Woman in Genesis –
and Christ, her Seed…
Then whom do you feel God is referring to?
Adam & Eve Jesus & Mary “In the Beginning” “In the Beginning” (Genesis 1:1) (John 1:1)
Seven Days Seven Days (Genesis 1:1-2:3) (John 1:29-2:1) Two sinless virgins Two sinless Virgins (Genesis 2:25; Genesis 4:1) (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:34; Hebrews 4:15) Man is called “Adam” Man is called “the New Adam” (Genesis 2:20) (1 Corinthians 15:45) Woman called “Woman” Woman called “Woman” (Genesis 2:23) (John 2:4; John 19:25-27) Woman formed from Man Man formed from Woman (Genesis 2:22-23) (Luke 1:34-35) Woman Tempted by Fallen Angel Woman Greeted by angel (Genesis 3:1) (Luke 1:26-28) Garden of Eden Garden of Gethsemane (Genesis 2:8) (Matthew 26:46) Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil The “Tree” of the Cross (Genesis 2:8) (Galatians 3:13) Sinful Fruit of the Tree Sinless Fruit of Mary’s Womb (Genesis 3:6) (Luke 1:42) War Between Serpent & Woman War Between Serpent & Woman (Genesis 3:15) (Revelation 12:1-5, 15-17) Renaming from “Woman” to Renaming "Woman" to "Mother" "Mother of the Living" (John 19: 25-27) (Genesis 3:20)
“Because Jesus Christ is the only ONE.”
Only ONE what?
Our lady of Guadalupe
Hand maid of the LORD
The mother of my Lord
Made-up word but ok, THEOTOKOS
Excellent point and you even included a made-up word of blasphemy, thanks. Oh, I did correct the capitalization problems you had though.
I don’t know how I missed the first one, I have seen that abomination up close and personal, it just horrible to see all the golden shrines errected in the name of a demon.
“Could you add another title to that ever-growing list?”
Curious, just how many names do you have for our Lord Jesus Christ? I’m sure that as you say the ever-growing list will grow larger than the names of Lord Jesus if it hasn’t already.
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