Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “Can’t Spare a Square” VanVickle joins me today, as well as our illustrious producer, Marisa Beyer, to talk about life as a Catholic during these crazy COVID-19 times. We reflect on the Catholic response we’re seeing so far, share ideas for making your home the domestic church, and round things out with a special Coronavirus edition of the 5 Practical Takeaways. Check out the shownotes at AscensionPress.com or text EKSB to 33-777.

Today I’m speaking with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., the Assistant Director for Campus Outreach at the Thomistic Institute. We mix apologetics, intellectual formation, campus ministry, and morality, and sprinkle a healthy dose of Aquinas on top. Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe or email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com Snippet from the Show “What we’re experiencing in the last five years as concerns same sex attraction and transgenderism has a lot of people afraid. We’re nervous that if we were to treat those issues, we would be genuinely persecuted.”

Dave “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease” VanVickle is not joining me (Mike “Gomer” Gormley) today, but we’ve still got a great show. First, I talk about the poverty of the Cross, how Jesus was stripped of everything, and suffered like no one else ever has or ever will and how that needs to be at the absolute center of everything we do. Next, I read some glory stories from our audience (someone from Ireland wrote in, so we’re bonafide international now). It’s amazing to hear about the good things happening in parishes, since we’re constantly inundated with negative news. Finally, I answer a couple questions about how to make meetings more Christocentric, and how to include the kerygma in training efforts. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com and be sure to check out the shownotes at ascensionpress.com/everykneeshallbow or text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe!

A thorough understanding of the world Jesus lived in is vital to a thorough understanding of Jesus himself. I’m talking to Marcellino D’Ambrosio, aka “Dr. Italy” founder of Crossroads Initiative (https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/) and co-author of Jesus: The Way, The Truth, and The Life (https://ascensionpress.com/collections/jesus-way-truth-and-life?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=media&utm_campaign=jesus&utm_content=eksb) about the historical context of the Old Testament, the world in which Jesus began his ministry.

Dave “The Kangaroo” VanVickle and I are bouncing around (see what I did there?) answering your questions about spiritual direction, Church scandals, and bringing Jesus into secular work environments, like the medical field and academia. Snippet from the Show “Every Catholic needs spiritual direction, but you don’t necessarily need a regular spiritual director.”  SHOWNOTES *Please continue to pray for Dave’s wife and family during this difficult battle with cancer. Janet’s Email (7:57) - Using the Kerygma in the Medical Field Jen’s Email (11:26) - Are Spiritual Directors Necessary?  Matthew’s Email (21:04) - How to Encourage Parishioners Not to Leave after Scandal Kiara’s Email Pt. 1 (28:22) - Prayer Request Kiara’s Email Pt. 2 (33:39) - How to Call Our Colleagues to a Life with Jesus 5 Practical Takeaways Pray for the plenary council mentioned in Kiara’s emailPray for Janet and her group of nurses in Cincinnati Pray for Matthew’s parish, that God sends them heali

Dave “The Meateater” VanVickle and I talk about the trap of thinking we need to earn God’s love. This idea is what leads us to that “holier-than-thou” attitude where we congratulate ourselves for not sinning, and then look down on those who are struggling with sin. The reality is that God is a loving father who will give us what we need to serve and love him (aka grace). It’s not through our own efforts that we earn God’s love, it is a free gift that we can respond to … or not.

Today, I’m talking to the one and only Brandon Vogt, Content Director at Word on Fire, and expert in all things online evangelization. We talk about Bishop Barron, debating with atheists, proving the existence of God, and how to read more books. Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and get added to Gomer and Dave’s email list!

Dave “The Exception for Every Rule” Van Vickle is back with me, Mike “Gomer” Gormley, as we talk about the ups and downs of prison ministry. 5 Practical Tips for Prison Ministry Connect with a corrections ministry in your diocese so you don’t reinvent the wheel or cause any missteps that could get you in trouble.If you have a relative in prison, put money in their commissary account and call them or write to them.Donate Bibles, Catechisms, and apologetics books to your local unit, including ones in Spanish.Pray a Rosary this week for the incarcerated and for the correction officers.Check out the Romans Bible study by Ascension Press. Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com or text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and get the shownotes!

First off, I want to thank you all for your pouring of prayers, concern, and even money to the VanVickle family as his wife battles cancer. He wanted me to tell you that he has been uniquely blessed by your love and support and he is praying for you all. Today we are pulling an episode from the archives about spiritual warfare, becuase it's a hugely important topic. Quite literally, spiritual warfare is a struggle between two kingdoms—a battle between man and that which draws man away from God. This fighting and resisting evil is a common experience, yet many don’t believe they are at war. Therefore they come unprepared to fight the battle. We discuss the Church Fathers’ understanding of spiritual warfare, the context behind the Church’s teachings on the subject, and practical ways you can resist evil and equip yourself with the best possible resources.

Dave “Brother from the Blessed Mother” VanVickle is unfortunately not with us today. Just before Christmas, Dave’s wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer, so please storm heaven with your prayers for Amber VanVickle and their family! Today is a short episode about the meaning of generosity in the Christian life. We don’t usually hear about generosity until tithing time, but generosity extends far beyond dollars. We need to practice generosity at all times, especially when it comes to our prayers and participation in the Church. Snippet from the Show Generosity is not God asking too much of us, it is God asking for a fraction of what he has already done for us. SHOWNOTES 2 Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Philippians 2: 5-8 - Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be g

Happy New Year! We’ve got five resolutions for Catholics who want to continue to spread the Good News in 2020. 5 Resolutions for Catholic Evangelizers 1. Read a Gospel a week. 2. Read The Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard. 3. Begin the practice of mental prayer. 4. Look for one chance each day to evangelize by listening first, and then maybe speaking. 5. Pray the Memorare each day asking Mary to bring people to you, so you can introduce them to her Son. We want to hear from you! Text ESKB to 33-777 to subscribe and email us at eksb@acensionpress.com with your comments and questions—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.

On this glorious Christmas day, I, Gomer, give an abbreviated recap of King Herod’s dark, violent, and corrupt history. It was in the face of this proud ruler who did anything to secure his worldly power and wealth that God sent the most humble Christ-child. This Christmas, remember that no matter how small and insignificant you might feel, your “yes” to God will allow Christ to be born into this proud and haughty world in which we live. As a practical takeaway, meditate on this reality while praying the words of Mary’s Magnificat: “My soul magnifies the Lord And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name; And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted

Dave “The Wolf of Main Street” VanVickle and I wrap up our Advent series on repentance. We talk about interior repentance and how that shows up through things like fasting, keeping Fridays a day of penance, forgiving others, serving the poor, and constantly reorienting our lives towards Christ. We can’t buy heaven with these acts, (the cross of Christ is our salvation) but true repentance will always show up in our words and deeds. Snippet from the Show “Penance is not about paying for sin, it’s about being more free to surrender to what God is doing in your life.” Get the shownotes! Text ESKB to 33-777 to subscribe or email us at eksb@acensionpress.com

I, (Dave VanVickle), have no nickname today, because sadly Gomer isn’t here. (He’s OK, he’s just been sick.) So I’m continuing our conversation about repentance solo. I want to talk about what repentance looks like in Scripture, especially Zacchaeus’ repentence in Luke 19, and how we can incorporate continual repentance and conversion in our day-to-day lives. _Snippet from the Show “God is not just calling us away from sin, but also to accept this beautiful new life in the kingdom; to see the world, the poor, and our brothers and sisters through the eyes of Jesus Christ.” _ Get the shownotes! Text EKSB to 33-777 to subscribe!

Dave “The Giraffe” Van Vickle and I (Mike “Gomer” Gormley) start off nice and easy by talking about the darkness in the Church right now … and then we ease into our main topic for this Advent season—repentance. The repentance aspect of Advent is highly neglected but extremely important. Most people like to focus on the love of God made man (which is huge, don’t get me wrong) but what is the proper response to this great love? Repentance. So, how do we repent, why do we repent, why is Advent a season of repentance? Snippet from the Show Our entire Theology revolves around repentance because it’s not Jesus overlooking our sins, it’s him dying for us so that we may be transformed. Text ESKB to 33-777 to subscribe and get added to Gomer and Dave’s email list!

You’ve probably heard people say that evangelization is proclaiming the gospel and using words when necessary. Well, Dave “Roaring Lion” VanVickle and myself (Mike “Gomer” Gormley) have a problem with this phrase—it only covers one aspect of evangelization. There’s a whole other big part of evangelization where you use words. A big reason we reduce evangelization to the interior life is because there is fear involved with proclaiming the Gospel and talking about Jesus. We’re afraid of saying the wrong thing, of being rejected, so we just say, “well as long as you’re living like a disciple, you’re good.” But we’re not. Introducing people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ takes many, many different forms. You don’t have to do all of them all the time, but we’re pretty sure both words and actions will be involved. Snippet from the Show “There were all kinds of people who were not apostles who followed Jesus. We’re called to encounter Christ in others” SHOWNOTES Saint Francis of Assisi - “There’s no use walking s

Dave “The Perpetual Penitent” VanVickle and I (Mike “Gomer” Gormley) are talking about something we all know, but few people truly understand—God’s love. We’ve heard, “God loves you” just enough to make us content with the thought of it, and totally unfamiliar with the radial depth of that reality. By looking at some passages in the Bible (the woman at the well, the Good Samaritan, the conversion of Zacchae′us the tax collector) we discover the beautiful truth of God’s love: that he knows us through and through, and loves us more deeply than we can comprehend in this life. (Something to look forward to in death, am I right?) _Snippet from the Show What we desire most of all is to be known, and loved. Because if you are loved, but not known, that’s superficial and weak. If you’re known, but not loved, that’s our greatest nightmare. _ Get the shownotes! Text ESKB to 33-777 or email us at eksb@acensionpress.com

Dave “The Dandy” VanVickle and I are talking about a different approach to evangelization: philosophy. A lot of people respond to the kerygma alone, but some really need a rational argument to understand the reason for belief in God. So today we dig into natural happiness. To be brief, the idea is that nothing in the world can completely satisfy us, because we were made for something eternal, which is God. We also talk a bit about parish bureaucracy and the hierarchy of the Church. Let’s just say you should pray for your parish. What do you think about philosophical approaches to evangelization? Do they work? Are they helpful? Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave. Snippet from the Show “Your spouse is not sufficient to make you happy. They are a human person and your heart has an infinite longing that only an infinite God can fulfill. So if you demand your husband or wife to complete you, you are asking them to be God for you. That

Dave “He Stole My Eggo” VanVickle and I are coming up with answers faster than the dusty magic 8-ball that’s probably still in your attic somewhere. We’re addressing your quick questions about parish life and evangelization including: What’s the deal with stewardship parishes (parishes where your salary is on record so they’re sure you’re tithing fully)? How can I make discipleship tracks in my parish? How can I talk about Jesus when talking in general is hard enough? ... (I'm an introvert) And how can I be a good witness when the first contact I have with someone is about sexual morality? Snippet from the Show “It’s easier to give money than it is to give your whole life.” Five Practical Takeaways 1. Look for ways to bring the Holy Spirit into your daily job or hobby. 2. Look at local events and go to one of each: Kerygma, Catechesis, and Conquer. * Kerygma event - retreat or a speaker at your parish * Catechesis event - Bible study or other learning opportunity * Conquer event - outreach event at your

Dave "Skull Crusher" VanVickle and I talk about seven common pitfalls of evangelization that we see at parishes around the country. Recognize any?