Hi, everyone, welcome back to the Daily Gospel Exegesis podcast. Thanks so much for listening to this podcast and particularly to those of you who support the ministry. It really does make a difference and we really want to get the word out there.
This is a small grassroots ministry, but as you'll see from some of the feedback we're going to share today, when podcasts and ministries like this are willing to teach the Word and proclaim the Word in a faithful, authentic way, it really does make a difference in people's lives more than you would think. Sometimes you might get the impression that the study of the Bible is a very niche kind of thing that is helpful for some
people. But there's all sorts of other interesting Catholic and Christian things you can do apart from the Bible. There's some truth to that. But there's something about really studying the Word of God, helping bring it to life, helping people make connections with it, that illuminates everything else in the Christian life. And so today we want to share some feedback that's come in about the ministry. There is a lot of great feedback that comes in.
We can't share all of it, but I do this with the purpose of helping you see that studying scripture really does make a difference in people's lives, and even a small grassroots ministry like this can make a difference. So hopefully this is an encouragement to you. So firstly, we have a comment here from Mary who is a Patreon supporter. Thanks for your support, Mary. She says since first hearing you on Hello, I've been praying in Thanksgiving for your clear call to share God's Word.
I grew up Byzantine Catholic and then married a Roman Catholic. In recent years, I had to leave a vibrant, serious Bible study group of more than 60 persons to accept a university position in a different part of the country. I felt torn from my Bible study group. Your ministry has stood in the
gap in my life. I've often been reminded of Saint Jerome, who said ignorance of Holy Scripture is ignorance of Christ. May God bless you and your family one hundredfold for your consecration of time and commitment. You have often been akin to the face of Christ to me and I'm sure to hundreds of others.
Thank you from my heart as we share our love of Christ amidst an often Dark World. Thank you so much for that wonderful feedback, Mary. That is really beautiful that this podcast is has been the face of Christ to you. And I mean, that's God's work. Ultimately, my goal in this podcast is to do a faithful, rigorous exegesis of Scripture. And for many people that really touches them. And as you said, it helps if you haven't got access to a local Bible study that's doing something like this.
Podcasts like this can really supplement that aspect of your Christian life. Thank you so much for your support, Mary, and I'm so glad this podcast has been beneficial to you. We have a comment here from Maddie. She says I'm from Kentucky in the USAI found the podcast on Hello and I love it.
I've listened to almost all of the episodes that have been available on Hello so far, which is sad because now I won't have it to listen to during my work day, except for the daily episode that is released each day. But I want to let you know I'm incredibly grateful for the work you're doing for our Lord. I've learned so much. And then she gets quite personal here.
She says I grew up Catholic, but I lived my life as a homosexual from the time I was 15 until almost two years ago when Jesus pulled me out of it. Ever since then, I've given my life back to Christ. I still battle addiction. It's been the hardest thing to let go of. But your podcast helps me tremendously and I'm so incredibly grateful. So thank you so much for that personal feedback, Maddie, and thank you for sharing some of
your struggles. And I just think this is amazing that this podcast is not about homosexuality or moral issues, but it's about studying the word of God. And the very act of studying the word of God can help people breakthrough those things. The word of God is really central to the Christian life. So I'm so glad you're benefiting from this ministry, Maddie, and I hope you'll keep listening. We have a short comment here from Andy on Patreon. He says I'm so happy to support this ministry.
My wife and I have made this essential part of our daily Bible study. It is the best out there. God bless you for your work. Thank you so much for that wonderful comment, Andy. I'm I'm glad that you and your wife are benefiting from it and that this is an approach to studying scripture that you've been looking for. We have a comment here from Francois, who is also a Patreon supporter. Francois says the content of the daily exegesis gives much clarity about the texts.
I appreciate that you're always full of respect for different opinions and you only modestly mention mention your own opinion. And thank you, Francois. That is something I try to do is where there's differences of opinion among scholars. I want to tell you as the listener that and then tell you what my preferred interpretation is and why, but always keeping in mind that there there's no definitive interpretation. So you're free to go with wherever your study of the evidence leads you.
And then he finishes by saying, with time, I have learned to ask myself the right questions about a text. That is great. That is what this podcast hopes will happen for the listeners is that you'll eventually develop the tools to ask the questions about the text yourself. And that is, that means you're then ready to embark into the world of biblical scholarship and start doing your own study of Scripture. So if this podcast is helping
you do that, that is fantastic. We have an e-mail here from Sharon. She says thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and understanding of the Gospels. It is truly not enlightening and so helpful when trying to discern the meaning of these when studying the Bible on my own or in a Bible study group. All of the background knowledge that you bring of the settings, timeline, and language is also very interesting and makes studying easier and more
valuable. Thanks so much for those kind words, Sharon. A brief comment here from Vivian. She says thank you for your exegesis of the Bread of Life discourse. I never imagined how profound in its original meaning the discourse was and how much it deepened my appreciation of the Eucharist. Thank you so much, Vivian.
And yeah, indeed, the bread of life discourse, most of us as Catholics know a couple of verses from that because it's often used in apologetical discussions relating to the Eucharist. But there's actually even more richness to it if you sit down and studying the entire discourse, which is about 40 verses long. And sometimes you have to do that with Jesus discourses, especially in the Gospel of John.
Raymond says he's 73 and has a Catholic education, but this is the only in depth explanation of any gospel I have ever experienced. Thank you for that comment, Ray. There are a lot of written commentaries out there that go even more in depth than what we're doing in this podcast. But there's not many audio resources out there that go in depth. And that's the purpose of these podcast episodes. Got a comment here from Louie who is a new Patreon supporter. He says I'm a new member to the
podcasts. I feel like having access the Patreon page. I've entered a huge library of books that I'm anxious to listen to. Currently I've been concentrating on the bonus exegesis episodes and catechesis recordings. Your presentations have been great. The research is very informative and captivating. Thank you for your time and energy, Louis. I'm glad that you're benefiting from those bonus resources that
are available to you. And many of you would be aware that Louis is referring to some bonus materials you can get access to as a Patreon supporter if you are willing to support this ministry. With $10 a month or more, you get access to all of the bonus exegesis episodes, which is where we look at parts of the Gospels that are never read at Mass. And also if you're willing to give $20.00 a month or more. And thank you for your
generosity. If you're willing to do that, you can get access to a paragraph by paragraph commentary, audio commentary on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is something that I'm working through in the local area with some adult Catholics who are keen to learn the faith. So we're doing a long term systematic study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. All of those things are available to you if you become a financial supporter of the ministry.
And the link for that is in the episode description, Baldina, who is a Patreon supporter, says I searched for years for a logical Bible study like this one. I went through Catholic schooling and two years of college theology. No one ever referenced the Bible, neither Old or New Testament. Well, I find that very disappointing. If that's true, that in your two years of theology no one ever referenced the Bible. I hope that's not true, but I suppose it is possible. She says.
I found this literally with God's help as I was frustrated with all the Bible in a year commentaries. There are a lot of really good Bible in the year commentaries out there, but being that they often have to do short episodes and go through them in the year, you typically won't get an in depth explanation of any Bible text. What we're trying to do in this podcast is something different, which is an in depth study of particular books of the Bible.
And thanks for your kind words about this ministry of Baldina, Yvette, who's a Patreon supporter, says. I'm so happy to support this ministry. I love the podcast. It is part of my morning routine. When I have extra time, I make notes on my Bible. From your explanations. That is a great way of consolidating the information. Yvette, I'm glad that this podcast is helping you do that, She says. This is what I've been looking for for months. I've learned so much.
We should have more Bible studies for Catholics. That was something I envied from other non Catholic Christians that had a lot of knowledge about the Bible. I agree with you Yvette. I wish there was more resources that are easily accessible for Catholics about the Bible. But I do think there are more and more becoming available. So it's an exciting time to be part of the church. We have some feedback here from Joe via e-mail.
He says God blessed me when I became a member of Hello and started listening and benefiting from the daily exegesis. I look forward to being fed the very moment I awake as a 76 year old. I'm so thankful for your incredible contribution to anyone desiring to deepen their relationship with our Triune God. I am spreading the word and will continue to do so. Thank you so much, Joe. I'm so glad this ministry is
been beneficial to you. And indeed, the whole purpose of this ministry and indeed any Catholic ministry should ultimately be to bring people into a deeper relationship with the Trinity. That is the goal of the Christian life. We have an e-mail here from Ryan. He says. I just wanted to send a message thanking you for your excellent
podcast. I was an atheist for about 20 years, and since returning to the church, I've found that your podcast has been a huge help in catching up, if that makes sense. That does make sense, Ryan, and I'm so glad that this podcast is helping you. I know many people who've had time away from the church and what brought them back was some sort of intellectual resource
like this and others. So I'm glad that this has been one of probably several resources that have helped you fill in the gaps as you've tried to develop a more mature understanding of the faith. We have a really special e-mail here from Beverly. She says after a few months of listening to you on Hello, I finally decided to support you on Patreon. I know you hear this all the time and you it must get repetitive, but your exegesis I listen to daily on Hello is so incredibly helpful.
As a former Protestant, slowly over the past five years fumbling my way into Mother Church. Long story, your podcast has really been wonderful and so helpful. I'm finally going to start RCIA this fall and hope to be confirmed this E star, which just luckily enough is a Jubilee year. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. I'm eternally grateful. So I hope emails like this should illustrate to you that you never know the impact that
your podcast is going to have. There are people who are Protestants who are thinking about Catholic faith, who are looking for really solid intellectual resources. Ministries like this, this can help. And as we saw in the previous e-mail, there's atheists who are starting to be attracted to the faith. And again, they're looking for resources, too.
So never feel that your small contribution won't make much difference or never feel that what you're doing is only for people who are already Catholics. These kinds of resources that open up the word of God to people can touch many people's lives. Thank you for that wonderful feedback, Beverly. Some feedback here from Samantha. Thank you so much for your work to produce this gospel exegesis.
It has been such a revelation to me and also enabled me to hear so much more from what the Bible is saying. Even when I read other parts of Scripture, I feel like it has opened a door for me and I'm so grateful for all your hard work. I've joined as a Patreon supporter and I look forward to your podcast every day. Thank you so much for your kind words, Samantha, and I'm so glad that this podcast is helping you
particularly. You said there that it's helping you understand other parts of the Bible, and indeed, I do think that's how God has designed the Bible is When you dig a little deeper into a certain book of the Bible, it'll give you some context that will help you understand things that are going on elsewhere in the Bible too. It's a really wonderful journey to try and understand the Bible in a deeper way, and it's a lifelong journey. There's always new things you can learn.
Next, we got some feedback from Barbara, who emailed in. She said, I've been listening to your podcast for over a year, and I absolutely love it. I was given a catechism book and never knew how to use it. So I am forever grateful to you and your podcast. So thank you so much for that feedback, Barbara. Yeah, a lot of people, even Catholics, feel intimidated by the catechism. They just think it's a huge book. They're not really sure what they're supposed to do with it.
So if this podcast is helping you make links between the Bible and the faith as expressed in the Catechism, then that is that is fantastic. And I would encourage more and more Catholics to read the Catechism. It is an amazing document. It helps answer so many questions. It's incredibly well written. If you've ever been somewhat interested in the Catechism, but you kind of need a guide or you, I want to be able to go through
it a bit slower. We do have some audio resources available through this logical Bible study ministry where we go through the Catechism of the Church paragraph by paragraph in an extended audio series. So that's available to those who are Patreon supporters of the ministry who are willing to give $20.00 a month or more. Have a look at the Patreon page if you're interested in that. Next, we've got an e-mail here
from someone who's anonymous. I've been listening on an almost daily basis and supporting the ministry. I'll often read a Gospel passage or hear it at Mass, and I can't wait to find out what the daily exegesis has to say about it. So thank you so much for that feedback. And indeed, that's basically how I felt before I started doing this ministry is I wish there was a resource that could help Catholics explain what was going on in some of those more
difficult Gospel passages. Looking around, there wasn't many easily accessible resources to do that. That matched with the daily Mass. So that was one of the motivations for starting this ministry. So if this podcast is helping you with that, that's awesome. We've got some feedback here from Denise. I found you through the Hello app and I've listened every day. Many of my friends have the app
and I have led them to you. They love it and are beginning to understand Scripture. Unfortunately, many didn't have a clue, even though they are lifelong Catholics. The follow up in the Catechism allows us to know that your teaching and interpreting of Scripture is proper and reliable. So thank you so much for your feedback there, Denise. There are many Catholics sitting in the pews who just don't understand the Gospel and they're not sure where to start. Thank you for sharing this
podcast with them. And I ask that many of you who are listening would consider if there are other people in your parish who would benefit from hearing this podcast too. We've got a wonderful message here from Dina, who is a Patreon supporter of the ministry. Thank you for this amazing ministry. I became a member of the Hello App and found your podcast there. It was the answer to my prayers. I had asked God to lead me to the resources I need to lead me on the path of holiness and
heaven. I'm especially lacking in knowledge of the Bible and the Gospels, and I was too intimidated to even try to comprehend anything on my own. Like clockwork, I found your podcast. She then goes on to talk about how she became a Patreon supporter and also how she's found the complete chronological audio studies of each gospel which are available as products through the ministry. And she says she's in benefit
from that as well. Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, Dina. I'm so glad that God has LED you to this podcast and other resources in helping you understand Scripture. There is a great value, as I've said many time, there's a great value in being willing to sit down and breakdown Scripture verse by verse. It really does help people in their understanding of God and in their journey of personal holiness.
If you're interested in those chronological gospel commentaries, they're available through the Sound Wise page, and again, the link for that is in the show notes. If you've ever wanted to be able to study the Gospels in chronological order without jumping around like the Lectionary sometimes does, that is available to you. Just check out the show notes and look for the Sound Wise link. This next bit of feedback from Sharon is really interesting in terms of thinking about the
value of podcasts as a medium. She says, I'm following you on Hello, and I want you to know how much I love the podcast. You've made a very real difference in my prayer. I cannot read because I have macular degeneration. Listening is a gift for me, so you may not have ever thought about that. Many of us listen to podcasts because we enjoy it, but for some people, they can't read. So podcasts and other audio resources may be the only way that they can access good Catholic and Christian
resources. So certainly keep that in mind. For those of you who are out there who are thinking of starting a ministry, can you supplement what you're doing with some audio products as well? This feedback is from Cheryl, she says. I stumbled upon the Bible exegesis on the Hello app on my phone. I had been searching for some type of scripture commentary that would help me better
understand the biblical texts. I must say this is a goldmine for me. I truly enjoy how you break down the verses and even word for word at times to help us better grasp the context of what Jesus was saying, doing, or implying. I'm thoroughly enjoying listening to these every day. So thank you so much for that wonderful feedback, Cheryl. And there are many people out there like that who are looking
for Scripture commentary. They don't know where to start, or they may have listened to Father Mark Schmitz's Bible in a year, and then they want to do something a bit more slower and deeper. This podcast can be a great way to access that level of study. So we'll finish today with this wonderful feedback from Ruth that again shows the power of a ministry like this. I just wanted to thank you for doing this. I've been listening to you on Hello for the last couple of months.
I try to never miss an episode. You've helped my husband and I grow in our faith. You've planted the seeds for us to take up reading the Bible and now have a better understanding. Thanks to this and this ministry. You've helped revive our Catholic faith and return to the Church as well. I enjoy listening to the Mass and playing your episode afterwards to pick up on the
things I missed. So thank you so much for that feedback, Ruth. And it's so amazing that God is using this podcast to help you come back to the faith in a deeper way. Thank you to all of those who are listening and supporting the ministry. This is just a snapshot of the many wonderful bits of feedback that we receive at the ministry. There's many more that we could include, and we'll do more of these bonus episodes in the future, sharing questions and feedback.
Thanks so much for your support in the Ministry. Make sure you check out the other exclusives that are available to you in the show notes and we'll see you tomorrow.