On The Road To Perfection

Today is Holy Thursday!

It is also Passover which began yesterday and continues through April 13 this year.

The Jewish holiday of Pesach, or Passover, falls on the Hebrew calendar dates of Nissan 15-22.

Catholics do not, and other Christians should not, celebrate Passover.

Passover is a Jewish Liturgy; it is a beautiful celebration of remembrance and preparation, solemnly re-presenting the time of deliverance while Israel was enslaved by Egypt.

Jesus gave us Holy Thursday in His fulfillment of all the promises He made to Israel.

In this episode, we discuss the differences and the ways of celebrating the solemn preparations for the events of Good Friday and Easter that Holy Thursday sets us up for.

And, of course, we go in-depth on why Catholics do not celebrate

We wonder if HOO is really worth it, and ask for your help in navigating this crossroads.

HOO may be throwing in the towel.

Coming off a few weeks of intra-organizational and inter-personal conflict and second-guessing, we have a bit of an impromptu soul-searching moment that might just last for longer than this episode.

That's kind of up to you.

We knew we needed to record an episode, because it was less than 18 hours before one needed to be released, and we did not have anything in reserve.

So, gut-honest spur-of-the-moment commentary when I blurt out what we've been talking about privately became the topic.

Short answer: No, our penance is not enough!

What is a "good penance"? Why do we sometimes get what seems so insignificant a penance relative to our sins?

Spoiler alert - our penance is not meant to be commensurate with the crime!

If it was, we would never go to Confession!

In God's infinite mercy, He asks of us exactly what we need - not what He needs (He does not need anything).

So. "Is my penance enough?" is a fair question, if we consider the question deeply and the penance with reverence and awe at the price that has already been paid for our sins.

God offers us the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penitentiary Rite to heal our rift with Him.

Our penance is not just a symbol - it is us uniting ourselves to Him in His sacrifice for us.

We cannot pay the price for our sins.

The long answer to the question is "Yes."

Listen to find out why.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Why do we say that and not "Happy Saint Mark's Day!"?

Beth and Kristofer explore Cultural Catholicism in this episode of On The Road to Perfection.

They discuss the importance of the underlying Catholic culture and why it is so much a part of our world, and they also explain why it is important to remain devout and to call others go deeper and learn more than the facade of Cultural Catholicism.

And, no, Kristofer hasn't been sneaking a nip of any of that triple-distilled unmalted barley, though it sure sounds like it at times.

What are the Scrutinies?

In this season of Lent, we may have heard about them on the periphery, but do we know what they are?

Beth and Kristofer explain this minor rite to help us better realize the beauty of the Church and prepare us for when they happen at Mass in the coming weeks!

How do I love my enemies?

Beth and Kristofer answer this question as well as defining what an enemy is beyond, as Beth put it, "That nebulous group of people."

They discuss why we should love our enemies and then Beth and Kristofer explain how we love our enemies.

Take this opportunity to learn about the importance of forgiveness, love, and humility when we think about our enemies.

Are You Saved?

Oftentimes our evangelical brothers and sisters ask this question, and we often ask it of ourselves, but do we know the answer?

Beth and Kristofer answer this rather elusive question in this episode of On the Road to Perfection, and you may be surprised to learn the answer!

Can you evangelize? Let's get into the practicals!

Most of us are not street preachers and do not go up to strangers asking about their salvation.

That does not mean we cannot spread the Good News - the Kerygma - in a way we are naturally called.

We all have a natural way to evangelize, and this episode covers how to use that talent instead of repress it.

Beth and Kristofer discussed evangelization last week and focused on self-evangelization and Catholic evangelization.

Now, Beth and Kristofer discuss Spreading the Good News everywhere, from the workplace to grocery aisle,

They offer their experiences and practices to help us all become better at spreading the Good News.

Evangelization sounds scary.

But do we know all that it entails?

What is it?

It's not what you think, unless you want to think that's what it is.

In this episode of On the Road to Perfection, Beth and Kristofer go in depth into the history of evangelization and why it is important today.

They explain what it truly is and why we are all called to evangelize the world.

And they also explain how to evangelize, and ways you may already be doing it - and how to kick it up a notch!

And you meet Walter for the first time!

Plus we have LOTS of episodes and TWMWUs we link to in the show notes.

What is the difference between lust and love?

During this "season of Valentines" Beth and Kristofer cover this (often unknowingly) confusing and vitally important topic before we dive headlong into the pink and roses and hearts and whatnot.

Beth and Kristofer share how to tell the difference between lust and love, and how to teach that to impressionable minds and hearts.

And they do this in the context of Mortal Sin and Theological Virtue: Lust and Love, respectively.

They also, right out of the gate, point to Nick's seven-part series about Love as a great resource on our web site for this discussion, which is linked to in the show notes.

Living in this world, but not of it, is difficult, and Beth and Kristofer offer us some pointers on how to do that, particularly in this day and age.

And, no, there is no inappropriate or "parental discretion advised" content in this episode.

But they do get attacked by a tree!