What does it mean to be a priest today? In this episode, Gomer and Dave reflect on the beauty and burden of the priesthood—its spiritual power, real-world challenges, and the call to bold, Christ-centered leadership. With insights and wisdom from Pope Benedict, we explore how priests can renew their role as shepherds—and how we, as laypeople, can support them in their mission.

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle discuss the importance of understanding priests; what their role is, how they should be set apart and how we should approach the priesthood. They also talk about the significance of sacrifice and the biblical roots of the priesthood.

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Jesus Christ is the high priest, he’s the unique mediator. There is no priesthood without Jesus Christ. When you are baptized into Christ, you enter into the role of priest, prophet and king. So the whole community, every Christian man and woman participates in the baptismal priesthood of Christ.

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle are joined by cannon lawyer, Fr. Brian Austin. Together they discuss the origins of canon law, the difference between church and secular legal law, papal primacy, and discuss the role of the Catholic Church through the chaos of history.

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If you believe that God wants you to be happy then how does that change what law is? Well it goes from being the arbitrary, tyrannical, imposition of an authority over me, right? And the scariest thing is not the tyrant, the scariest thing is its arbitrariness.

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Why does the Church need bishops? Dr. Michael Sirilla joins Mike Gormley and Dave Van Vickle to explore the role of bishops in the Church, referencing St. Thomas Aquinas' insights. They discuss the spiritual fatherhood, pastoral duties, and theological understanding of bishops. They also unpack the processes of selecting bishops and the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Church.

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"Bishops are more than administratros, they are spiritual fathers."

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle unpack Church history, explain papal theology, highlight the importance of Rome, and the importance of St. Peter. They also explain papal infallibility, what it is and what it is not.

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"So the Pope is supposed to be this thing of unity amongst the communion of the bishops, but he is not supposed to be the CEO of a bunch of franchises and that is an ugly way to view the Church."

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Have you ever wondered why Peter was the first pope? Do you question the idea of a pope or of papal infallibility? Where does priestly authority come from? Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle continue their season of exploring church leadership through the examination of the Old Testament, the New Testament, the priesthood and the role of St. Peter.

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If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament as the Davidic King, he has a right hand man as it were the chief steward of the house, he has what we would call today the Prime Minister, and that person, that Joseph, is Peter.

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Are you ready for a new season of Every Knee Shall Bow?

Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle kick off their new season by addressing the topics they’ll cover in upcoming episodes regarding church hierarchy, where it comes from, all the common problems people have and many other topics around church leadership.

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Even in the face of incredibly competent leaders, that aren’t priests, that aren’t bishops, that isn’t the pope, Christ ordained and established that rule.

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Gomer and Dave will return next week with a new season on Church hierarchy.

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How do you deal with pastor changes, church updates, and closing parishes? Are you trying to serve the church, but keep hitting roadblocks? Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle explore what to do when you feel stuck in an unfortunate church situation and how to handle the chaos of change.

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It’s important to let this be a reminder to us that we follow Jesus Christ and not a building or a certain pastor or something like that. We have to evangelize, we have to be a church that goes out and grows.

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Does the idea of apologetics intimidate you? Do you feel inadequate defending the Catholic faith, but want to build confidence in evangelizing? Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle explain the gift of evangelization and how God wants us to participate in the good work He started.

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The sacraments are not our work to please God, it is God’s work to save humanity.

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