Understanding the Present Moment #1 (Karl Marx)

[@cristinarosello5971]

That's so true. That particular podcast was really enlightening. As a clinical psychologist with 40 years' work experience, Bishop's presentation made me rethink and reflect on my life and career, in the way I have been helping people as a life mentor. Indeed, a lot of my training has been anchored on unexamined premises on the above four influences. Thank you!

[@Lerian_V]

Have you listened to the one he did on psychiatry? I think the title was "Why Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God"

[@robmessenger6895]

I'm thinking of coming back to the faith because of the preaching and example set by Bishop Barron

[@anthonyjennings1238]

Just do it mate.

[@anthonyjennings1238]

Rob, it's even better being a Catholic the second time around. Believe me.

[@anthonyjennings1238]

Isn't Bishop Barron just the best. Truly his intellect must be from the grace of God.

[@reycfd7753]

Great discussion! Bishop Barron who is an intellectual giant reminds me of our beloved seminary professor of Philosophy - Fr. Ronan Callahan, CP who was well-loved by his students everywhere, whether in USA or Philippines. He was for me a great scholar whose thoughts and writings are equal to or even surpass the philosophical writers of his time (he died at the age of 92 in 2015) having an encyclopedic mind. What puzzles me till now is that he remained to be humble and not known in the intellectual circles. Perhaps his students in St Michael's Seminary in USA can tell. Thanks and God be forever blessed! Thank you, Bp Barron, you are one of a kind bishop in our world immersed in secularism and godlessness. Continue to shine brightly in your youtube programs.

[@pacibaco]

Barron is easy to follow like a kind , gentle conversation with an old friend . Greatly appreciated Sir , that you for all your wisdom and guidance

[@jiayisong5909]

Bishop Barron, you are a true scholar. Thanks for bringing me to the intellectual side of my Catholic faith.

[@tommore3263]

Great service to mankind.. Thank you bishop Barron.

[@davido3026]

Catholic means universal!!

[@dkblack1289]

I have just come across this channel, and I will be listening to a lot more of it. Having said that, I am impressed by the Bishop. Yesterday, I was thinking that if I was to go back to church, it would be the Catholic Church. The Bishop here makes the Catholic Church more appealing.

[@stanleyezeogu9816]

I have continued to build my Catholic identity through the teachings of Word on Fire Ministries.

[@susiboh1183]

Build your identity on God’s Word instead!

[@TheHologram3299]

@@susiboh1183 silence Protestant

[@BabyDingo]

@@susiboh1183 what do you think he’s doing? You should take your own advice.

[@davido3026]

​@susibohthe Catholic Church is the foundation and pillar of truth!! 1183

[@alexi2wandaho5]

Bishop Robert Barron you add immensely to my spirirtual life. God add more to your years. I love you.

[@csikomas8910]

I so appreciate these topics your team is bringing forward. If only Bishop had been a teacher when I was in school I would have been enthralled. Keep them coming. I was always proud to be Catholic but Bishop has helped me to articulate why to others. God bless you all. Thank you Bishop Barron!

[@sidneyloggins2487]

Thank you pastor - I am hopeful for the Church on earth because of LORD's blessing on you and thus, us all.

[@lilyjazel5258]

We are blessed to have Bishop Barron . He is gifted superb philosopher. I enjoy listening to all his podcasts and presentations.

[@mrsuperger5429]

As a staunch Protestant, I find Mr Barron a very interesting and intelligent man. He is also correct that modern Marxists knew that their revolution could not succeed by class struggle but by identity politics. I may not share his particular view on God, but wish him nothing but peace and goodwill.

[@spahbed7150]

there is no marcism without class struggle. Identity politics is an enlightenment liberal concept not a Marxist concept.

[@davido3026]

Bishop barron is a man of God! He does not have a view of God! He has been anointed by the Holy Spirit and sent to serve the Lord wherever he is sent!!!that is christianity!! He did not self appoint himself, nor does he own any churches like in your cafeteria system of 100,000 sects!!!

[@chriskeatinge688]

Very good Bishop Robert Barron, very deep and thought provoking. Thank you from Australia.

[@njejlester1603]

I enjoy the way Bishop Barron uses the word “obtain.” ✝️⚓️❤️

[@ancillatheresecortes1773]

Big thanks His Grace! Whatever I am in now, it would still be safe for me to entrust myself to His Holy Will. Alienation, etc.,the rough roads, whatever it is, all will find rest and satisfaction in Him... Yeah, if I'll be the captain of my journey, if I will listen my desires and thought for now, I will surely be lost...I would rather choose to suffer for a little while and allow Him to take the lead for I know He will not fail the little one who's real desires and joy is His... At least for now, it seems, it is clear what to set aside... I would probably keep my focus to continue... Thanks for the help! Deo Gratias! 🙏💖🙏💖

[@mariasoderberg1366]

Thank you word on Fire, and Bishop Barron!

[@trangtruong4920]

Thank you Bishop. God bless you and your works!

[@christinavolkmann7895]

Great idea for a mini series, thank you. Thank you for the work you do, always very interesting and uplifting. 🙏🙏

[@ritaplantamura6027]

Well Done 👍. Thank you for sharing. God Bless you all.

[@gawayne1374]

Thank you for covering this in more detail. I love your more in depth talks

[@krl324]

Thank you, Bishop Barron, for the best, most balanced, analysis of Marx I ever heard. Have felt guilty since my late conversion for my adherence to his ideas. You deftly separated an agreement with his diagnosis of criticism of unbridled capitalism with his proscription for armed revolt and societal dismantlement.

[@bens4446]

While many philosophers would disagree with this characterization of Marx, the bishop has made an admirable, honest effort to engage the thinker (as opposed to a straw man). First time I have seen this from a religious man.

[@ciliagalasso4745]

And first time I hear it from Bishop Barron. Dire conditions have rise to a Karl Marx and though his solution was erroneous he brought to the forefront the evils of capitalism at that time. All the laws passed protecting the workers are part of the inheritance of socialism.

[@DavidCelestialKnight]

Thank you Bishop Baron from Peru.

[@sarahjones79]

Thank you bishop for sharing your sterling knowledge

[@lauragiles5193]

Great video summary. The alt-right is also pretty anti-institutional as well. The alt-right and the woke crowd are just mirror images of each other. We need principled classic conservatives and classical liberals to regain the middle ground.

[@tripp8833]

The problem is that extremism is promoted by social media. Both extremes amplify each other by constantly reacting against and fighting one another. Leaders like Trump and AOC stoke the flames and make it worse.

[@Slovakson1]

I clicked like with qualification. Classic conservative and classic liberal are pretty much synonymous. New Deal/Great Society liberal I would pretty much agree with but with a more mutualist/distributivist focus.

[@antonio4114]

Classical liberals support same sex marriage, polygamy, and abortion in some shape or form so thats a hard pass for me

[@tdioxin2658]

What exactly is the alt right? Republicans? Libertarians? Skinhead neo-nazis? To most, alt right is anything right of centre. Misleading at best. Be specific in these touchy times!

[@alexcortez8909]

Yes. Balance is important. Conservatives and Progressives both have something to offer society and it would be chaotic if one of them just disappeared.

[@WithGodAllThingsArePossible982]

Brilliant. Thanks for your wisdom, Bishop ❤

[@ashwith]

In the Knights of Malta address, there was mention of a part 2 on the Church's response. Could you please release that (I don't think it has been released so far). If you can't release that video, could you please do episodes on it for the Word on Fire Show? Thank you.

[@angeliayong9166]

Pray

[@Lerian_V]

Yeah, he called it a "magisterial response" if I remember correctly.

[@DouglasHPlumb]

Kant was very difficult to understand for other pholosophers back then. Today we have lots of great Kant scholars who help us understand it and not fall for these sophists

[@stevenjoseph8134]

Five minute in to this I must admit I felt antagonistic as I thought you were going to leave out too much context and balance and just deride Marx, while ignoring the massive contributions this man has made indirectly (ex. five day work week etc). However you did take all my concerns into consideration and provided a great summary. It was so important that you added the time and place and how horrible daily life must have been for factory workers in the 1800's. Especially how you added that Marx would have been against Communism in Russia due to its (at the time) less advanced and agrarian nature. Great job. Peace and Love. Now maybe you can speak to the evils of people like JP Morgan and early American Capitalists and all the dirty dealings they would engage in. Christianity needs clear and highly intelligent speakers like you....keep up the good work.

[@marilynmelzian7370]

It is interesting to note, and I learned this recently, that in the middle ages there was no work on the Sabbath, and, in addition, about 40 to 60 feast days during the year in which one was released from toil. That’s effectively a five day work week.

[@byrnedegrandpre8884]

You fellas are amazing together.

[@RickKerr]

Yes ....... time sensitive in these troubled times! Thank you!

[@81048107]

Minimum wage laws, assuming they are high enough to actually make a difference (most wages already prevailing in the market are higher) potentially harm the poor by eliminating jobs, stunting job creation, and harming current workers with reduced hours and benefits. Even the workers that are supposed to be helped complain about them for these reasons. They are also more expensive than they appear since they boost required Social Security contributions from both the employee and the employer. And yes, I am Catholic and teach economics. Catholic Social Justice teaching is fine in principle, provided it is informed by the Economic Way of Thinking. If you want more on this, go to the Acton Institute and Acton University.

[@meganturner1456]

Wonderful to listen to Bishop Barron

[@alejandrojrsulpico2744]

Good day bishop God bless you. Thank you for your wisdom explaining catholic faith.

[@Kristy-dd4wo]

He doesn’t explain the Catholic faith, he pushes propaganda

[@southbug27]

@@Kristy-dd4wo What propaganda is it you think he’s pushing? You clearly haven’t listened to many of his talks if you honk he’s not teaching Catholic values. While talks like this don’t appear Catholic at first look, they absolutely are important to a knowledgeable Catholic population. He is actually teaching Catholics exactly what & why the atheist enemies of Jesus believe & what they are trying to accomplish. We can’t fight back effectively against all these secular atheists with prep school & Ivy League educations, & if we can’t fight back, we can’t win back our society for God. My guess is you hate Bishop Barron because he doesn’t 100% agree with you on some issue & like the Leftists you want to destroy anyone who disagrees with you. There are plenty of online spaces for that kind of hateful stupidity that does nothing but burn down the world, but this channel is not that place. This is a channel of Christian love & learning & if we disagree, we disagree lovingly. We all would live for you to give those values a try & stick around, but if you only want to spread hate & chaos, this is not the place for you.

[@Kristy-dd4wo]

@@southbug27 oh no, I listen. He’s a leftist like Pelosi is a catholic. Learn the Catholic religion yourself instead of the garbage he pushes.

[@stevenjoseph8134]

@@southbug27 I would argue your response to Kristy is more hateful than hers. Though I do not agree with her I appreciate that she took the time to watch. You seek to attack the left, while possibly overlooking that both the left and right need each other. Barron is clearly right wing and I find myself more left leaning. I would believe that Jesus would be more left than right wing in thought. Bishop Barron would think the opposite. Good chance the truth is somewhere in between. And most importantly I highly respect Mr. Barron as a human and as a thinker. Catholics have both a left and a right the same as politics and just maybe that is a necessary thing. It was actually Tolstoy that reminded me of the two most important teachings in the Gospels.... 1. Turn the other cheek (so deeply mystical I love it). 2. To love thy neighbour. I try my best (and fail a lot) to constantly remind myself of these two principles. Don't forget that Jesus would not tell someone this is not the place for them.

[@bernard4459]

The Lord Jesus Christ should not be limited to political attitudes that were created 2000 years after his resurrection. Be a Christian and let the secular labels fall away, they're useless.

[@bellanegrin3915]

Very valuable discussion. Thank you and God bless.

[@markfleming3423]

Thank you. An excellent discussion. God Bless from Oz

[@dockboggggs]

Marvellous. I had never understood Marks properly before

[@MH-jq9dm]

B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T Teaching! Thank you!

[@yamesotericist4188]

“Present moment” is a quantum state of consciousness, not just “thinking” about what you are doing. Consciousness is kept in the “thinking mode” forcibly, just like that, it is not possible to get out of the Matrix of the “internal dialogue” (Collective Unconsciousness) and for 98% forever in this life.

[@ritabiro5105]

Thank you Mr.Bishop for your explanation l am often confused with this philosophy of Marx unfortunately tought us in school in Hungary long time ago . God blesse you

[@susiboh1183]

Rita Biro, read the book “Marx and Satan” by Richard Wurmbrand.

[@stevenjoseph8134]

@@susiboh1183 Not a book to read if you care about facts over exaggerations. I feel bad that the author suffered under a so called communist regime. But to then lay that all on the feet of Marx is a bridge too far. Eastern Europeans had suffered and continued to long before Marx entered the picture. Marx never believed that Eastern Europe was a sensible place to begin Communism as they were far too backward and having not advanced sufficiently enough. It is akin to when people try to erroneously stated that Hitler was a Socialist because of the name of his party. He was anything but.

[@susiboh1183]

@@stevenjoseph8134 you are full of stupidity. I feel sorry for you!

[@tagontag]

Looking forward to Foucault's! Please get on the subject of biopolitics. Thank you.

[@yezetadiev8468]

To me the bishop seems to more open minded than the host as the latter happens to ask the question sometimes in a biased way. Not big of a deal, I just noticed. He's a young man, he'll learn. It is crazy how intellligent people aren't that smart after all. I was teached about Marx in secondary school, at university, in real life by politics... now almost half a century of age I'm still looking for answers... In the meantime I have been a teacher myself for more than 22 years. I thank you both for bringing up this straight forward talk. You do a favor to humanity. I guess the peoples all over the world are quite confused, believers and non-believers - equally valid to me - , as we are being numbed down most of the time and left in the darkness so to speak. We need truth, there is an urge for openess in al sort of disciplines so people can decide for themselves in al clearness, transparency but most important: in the light!! I am glad that I stumbled on your conversations today. Thanks a lot.

[@dahveed62]

As a lapsed catholic trying to get right and as an AnAarChi$t, I love this bishop!

[@dannyserrano100]

Thank you Bishop very relevant

[@emmanuelbrijesh007]

Thank you for shedding some light on Karl Marx's idea on his good and ugly side.

[@christophersnedeker]

The problem with saying "capitalism back then was bad but now we have regulations and now it's all okay" is the corporate elites have been sending those jobs overseas and lobbying since the 70s to roll back those protections.

[@daydreamer83]

I'm a Catholic and find Bishop Barron's explications of philosophy and theology illuminating, and fair-minded (after all, doesn't the mission of Catholics living in the world involve engage, at some level or another, in a Logos understood through the ordinary-language sense of reason, which means sincere commitment to enquiry, rather than unreflective equivocation, straw-manning etc). The video on Foucault - a figure I respect for his skill in enquiry re the 'archaeology' of concepts, even if I have reservations about him both politically-theoretically, and, particularly when approaching him from a Catholic bodily-ethics perspective, re. his personal conduct - I thought crystallized this. However, I think the characterization of Bernie Sanders, the 'political desires' of millennials in the wake of contemporary political conditions, and Marx are overly reductive, even in this short video. Bernie's program was/is essentially Social Democratic, a more moderate, US form of post-war Scandinavian social democracy. Nordic SD didn't cure society of all its ills, nor did it claim to - but was successful in terms of international measurements around human happiness ( the right to a home, the ability to raise a family, the ability to co-manage one's labour, the ability to exercise time) - as well as a structural and political emphasis upon sustainability and restraint rather than accelerated consumerism (as 'bad' forms of mimetic desire, after Girard, or forms of ressentiment, using Nietzsche in his proper place rather than to justify atheism), and egregious and spiritually toxic levels of wealth disparity. There was no repression of right to religion, there were no Gulags in Sweden or Denmark, and whilst there was certainly state investment and co-management, there were no Stalinist 5 year plans. Eliding any kind of critique of free-market capitalism with Stalinism is beneath the Bishop or any sincere Catholic. Bishop Barron is well versed enough in political theory not to make these kinds of misrepresentations, particularly since Marxist, left-communitarian, and Post-Liberal (Catholic social thought of the kind Bishop Barron professes) all have a grounding in the common, interwoven 'good life' of Aristotle which is quite contrary to the liberal premises around freedom and self-actualization which formed the chief basis for the actant critique of Bernie from the mainstream. Furthermore to wonder why young people might be drawn to Bernie's program or to the socialist critique of western capitalism, in the wake of environmental crisis, rampant liberalism whose endpoint or telos is - quite literally - a faustian/satanic valorization of the self for 'gain' and destruction of the individual and social body-social, a politics grounded in variations of the Lie or at least what Kant called the private use of reason rather than the commonwealth, inaction, the inability to cultivate family life and so forth... is staggering. Even figures associated with the Right like Sohrab Ahmari - a Catholic convert and co-editor of Compact (a heterodox, post-liberal and broadly Social Democratic magazine of politics and ideas) have recognized and engaged with these phenomena, invited dialogue with leftists genuinely concerned with the 'social' rather than libertinism or sectarianism and with their critiques of 'tendencies', and promoted an alliance around policy which also affirms a space (or indeed tries to promote, if ecumenically) where purpose can be understood beyond the secular and religion has a role in public life. Again, quite distinct from indifferent modernism or Stalinist violence towards ideological competitors. Personally, I don't identify as any kind of MLM - the ideal 'earthly kingdom' or exemplifying of the holy spirit as 'community' would be somewhere between More's Utopia as 'base' and standard Catholic distributionalism for 'second-order' goods. This would be a more radicalised (structurally-left) form of post-Liberalism. Nevertheless, there is a tradition of Catholic (heterodox)Marxism (McCabe) in the Church, and even those who have moved away from the Marxist aspect as an identifier, whether McIntyre or the Tradinistae movement - have no issue incorporating its insights in their conception of the social gospel. I know the Bishop is a post-liberal but there are post-liberal theologians (for instance John Milbank) who open (a) synthesise the critiques afforded by Marx around economic relations, ideology and crisis whilst critiquing the materialist-limitations of standard Marxism in grounding the 'eschaton' purely in matter, and (b)recognize the crisis.

[@kwall1464]

Thanks for sharing!

[@brendamyc3057]

Best part of the movie, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

[@johnkalbert2014]

God bless you

[@mlindeblad1]

Needed to hear this definitely since Marxism is on the rise and I need to be able to speak intelligently about it, including with fellow Secular Franciscans and Catholics of every kind.

[@susiboh1183]

Mark Lindeblad , read the book “Marx and Satan” by Richard Wurmbrand!

[@denis_kutin]

You'd better read Marx yourself

[@jeanlanz2344]

Fantastic Catholic analysis and critique on Marxism... the good, the bad, the ugly. Thank you!

[@EcstaticTemporality]

This is a wholly incomplete and anything but comprehensive analysis of a seminal thinker. This is not Marx. Read him and form your own opinion before assenting to another’s interpretation.

[@ricerikson4708]

excellent education series exploring the newly adopted modern intellectual social concepts and the limitations, thank-you

[@banijssen01]

Great work, very informative for society today. Also happy that you are going to these 4 important figures. God Bless you work.

[@MrOsasco]

Present moment is money, power and virtual reality.

[@dynamic9016]

Really appreciate this video.

[@praxidescenteno3233]

Only our Hearts at God's service and LOVE

[@lorettagallagher9577]

Bishop Barron is such a wealth of information. He is so interesting to listen to, with the gift of explaining the topic so I get it. Thank you.

[@keymaker2112]

I call it, "The Cult of the Silver Bullet," and it has many rites and many patron saints, but it's core belief is that you can explicate and ameliorate all of society's problems by addressing, "...this ONE thing." That is of course not to say that any given, "ONE thing," may not be vitally important, but we need not confuse necessary and sufficient.

[@Coco2345ful]

Absolutely fascinating

[@richardbeal-preston9930]

Confirms my way of thinking!

[@christopherconey732]

The best English translation of much of Feuerbach is called the Fiery Brook by Zawar Hanfi; even better than George Eliot.

[@bookishbrendan8875]

I’d love to hear BB’s thoughts on Edmund Burke.

[@teresapierce9621]

I was just studying Edmund Burke this week in school. Such an interesting and overlooked thinker. The difference he saw between the American Revolution and the French Revolution was due to the relatively reasonable political goals of the first, despite the idealistic language of some founders, versus the ideologues who pursued the realization of their ideology at all costs.

[@teresapierce9621]

@Prasanth Thomas I simply meant in the popular general literature concerning the movement. Of course the Anglo-American conservatives cover him thoroughly, but I meant popular history for the general public may not have exposed enough people to his ideas.

[@billo875]

Excellent as always.

[@paynedv]

THE OATH AGAINST MODERNISM To be sworn to by all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors, and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries. I . . . . firmly embrace and accept each and every definition that has been set forth and declared by the unerring teaching authority of the Church, especially those principal truths which are directly opposed to the errors of this day. And first of all, I profess that God, the origin and end of all things, can be known with certainty by the natural light of reason from the created world (see Rom. 1:19), that is, from the visible works of creation, as a cause from its effects, and that, therefore, his existence can also be demonstrated: Secondly, I accept and acknowledge the external proofs of revelation, that is, divine acts and especially miracles and prophecies as the surest signs of the divine origin of the Christian religion and I hold that these same proofs are well adapted to the understanding of all eras and all men, even of this time. Thirdly, I believe with equally firm faith that the Church, the guardian and teacher of the revealed word, was personally instituted by the real and historical Christ when he lived among us, and that the Church was built upon Peter, the prince of the apostolic hierarchy, and his successors for the duration of time. Fourthly, I sincerely hold that the doctrine of faith was handed down to us from the apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport. Therefore, I entirely reject the heretical’ misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one which the Church held previously. I also condemn every error according to which, in place of the divine deposit which has been given to the spouse of Christ to be carefully guarded by her, there is put a philosophical figment or product of a human conscience that has gradually been developed by human effort and will continue to develop indefinitely. Fifthly, I hold with certainty and sincerely confess that faith is not a blind sentiment of religion welling up from the depths of the subconscious under the impulse of the heart and the motion of a will trained to morality; but faith is a genuine assent of the intellect to truth received by hearing from an external source. By this assent, because of the authority of the supremely truthful God, we believe to be true that which has been revealed and attested to by a personal God, our Creator and Lord. Furthermore, with due reverence, I submit and adhere with my whole heart to the condemnations, declarations, and all the prescripts contained in the encyclical Pascendi and in the decree Lamentabili, especially those concerning what is known as the history of dogmas. I also reject the error of those who say that the faith held by the Church can contradict history, and that Catholic dogmas, in the sense in which they are now understood, are irreconcilable with a more realistic view of the origins of the Christian religion. I also condemn and reject the opinion of those who say that a well-educated Christian assumes a dual personality-that of a believer and at the same time of a historian, as if it were permissible for a historian to hold things that contradict the faith of the believer, or to establish premises which, provided there be no direct denial of dogmas, would lead to the conclusion that dogmas are either false or doubtful. Likewise, I reject that method of judging and interpreting Sacred Scripture which, departing from the tradition of the Church, the analogy of faith, and the norms of the Apostolic See, embraces the misrepresentations of the rationalists and with no prudence or restraint adopts textual criticism as the one and supreme norm. Furthermore, I reject the opinion of those who hold that a professor lecturing or writing on a historico-theological subject should first put aside any preconceived opinion about the supernatural origin of Catholic tradition or about the divine promise of help to preserve all revealed truth forever; and that they should then interpret the writings of each of the Fathers solely by scientific principles, excluding all sacred authority, and with the same liberty of judgment that is common in the investigation of all ordinary historical documents. Finally, I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the modernists who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred tradition; or what is far worse, say that there is, but in a pantheistic sense, with the result that there would remain nothing but this plain simple fact-one to be put on a par with the ordinary facts of history-the fact, namely, that a group of men by their own labor, skill, and talent have continued through subsequent ages a school begun by Christ and his apostles. I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may never be understood in any other way. I promise that I shall keep all these articles faithfully, entirely, and sincerely, and guard them inviolate, in no way deviating from them in teaching or in any way in word or in writing. Thus I promise, this I swear, so help me God. . .

[@mariel01111]

Thank you for this.

[@tyreewhite6653]

Very Good Discussion. Thank you !

[@josephaggs7791]

I like the concept. Ill keep listening

[@Thlastday00]

Jesus, Peter and Paul said the Father is the God of Abraham and Israel, the one who spoke from heaven when Jesus got baptized, the one who glorified Jesus. And, the God of Abraham gave his name to Moses. Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his Son and Servant, Jesus, John 8:54 Jesus answered: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, THE ONE WHO YOU SAY IS YOUR GOD. Hebrews 5:5 So, too, the Christ did not glorify himself by becoming a high priest, but was glorified by the One who said to him: “You are my son; today I have become your father.” Exodus 6:3 King James Bible And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by MY NAME JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

[@Bookthief666]

Wait til they found out Jesus was the biggest communist to ever exist.

[@susanbreaux8246]

God Bless you.

[@dawnlapka3782]

"You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet." Lenin did learn from Marx, but Marx had a better idea of how economical structure and social psychology works. I think Marx understood true Social Services and how to help groups of people, but Lenin was a bad student. Hence the reason so many people died when Lenin was the President of Russia. In Marxism, there is the teaching of hope for a look into Utopia. He had a desire to change the injustice of his time. He was a teacher of sociology, first, religious second. He was also a scientist, which is how monitoring of capitalism came to be. Bishop Barron, the good the bad and the ugly of Marxism was discussed well, and it was an excellent refresher of my studies. Thank you for these podcasts.

[@petergreen8477]

I can remember sitting a history exam when I was 17 that asked a question to the effect that, “Marx has been as badly represented by Marxists as Christ has been represented by Christians. Discuss.” The problem with assessing Marx’s legacy has been the vast, contradictory body of opinion that has been generated by his writing - let alone the barbarisms that have been perpetrated by formally Marxist states. I think the seeds of Stalinism are to be found in Marx. However, I think one must not forget the extent to which Marx himself was a determinist - to a huge extent, he saw violent revolution as unavoidable and inevitable. He saw capitalists and proletarians alike in the grip of a system that he thought could not help but become more intolerably oppressive with each passing year. He was wrong - certainly as far as the most developed capitalist economies were concerned. A couple of things come from his Jewish inheritance (in spite of the appalling things he said about Judaism): firstly, his taste for dialectics was not just Hegelian, I suspect. Dialectics is a hugely important part of the Jewish tradition - as anybody who has witnessed the activity of a Yeshiva will confirm. Secondly, in his critique of Feuerbach, his comment about the futility of merely philosophical interpretations of the world is derived from a sense that you can’t know reality unless you try to change it - and merely theorising is therefore vacuous. I think that this has a shade of the Hebrew sense that to truly know is not a merely cerebral activity. I think that also underpins the Catholic sense that faith is not simply about what happens in your head: it is intimately tied into what you do.

[@wang8997]

What a profound reflection! Thank you for sharing it here. The root of the English word “Understand”, which I believe was derived from the German word “verstein”, to stand under something, echoes with your view here. This is very different from our contemporary conception of the word understand: to be able to internalise something into our existing/acquired system of knowledge, the exact opposite of its original configuration.

[@siosiri9129]

I wrote a comment here twice, very intellectual on Father Rapp being Mr. Communism not Carl Marx. I was taken down twice, so much for American Democratic Free Speech's first unwritten rule, "We the People, agree to disagree." While here, I am 70 years old, I knew Archbishop Sheen before his death, he tried to save me from a case of alcoholism and wanted me to become a Catholic Priest. God Almighty saved me from my alcoholism, and then guided me and my life to become our Nation's, Templar Sherlock Holmes, crimefighter.

[@richardvorwald5478]

Popes Leo XIII & Pius X shed some light on '...the relative rights & mutual duties of the rich & poor, of Capital & Labor.' Our Catholic Tradition.

[@johngilbertthomas4484]

God Bless

[@rhwinner]

We need more churchmen like yourself in this fight, for it is _The Fight of Our Lives._ Blessings!

[@tomlabooks3263]

The work of Word on Fire is so crucial for our culture, I loved this video and all your other videos. Let me offer this idea: in order to understand where these modern aberrant ideologies come from, I’m not sure we even need to inconvenience Marx or any other great thinker. It all comes from TV. TV, Hollywood, movies and tv series have destroyed people’s ability to think DEEPLY about our world and about reality. The one element that all these modern ideologies have in common is their horrific superficiality. First of all, I would thank TV for that: the easy emotional response, the quick dopamine fix, the narcissistic signaling. It’s all there.

[@Bookthief666]

Last I checked TV and radio teaches you to fetishize capital and idolize the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. Js.

[@christophersnedeker]

9:14 Bernie Sanders is not a socialist he's a social democrat.

[@davecampbell9803]

Ok, you've set the hook Bisop, now what? Very interested to hear more.

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

I think Sanders appealed to young people because of how honest he was. If you look at his record he has mantained his politics consistent for decades which you can not say about 90 % of the democratic party. Young people today are accustomed to using the internet to see if claims are real and Sanders seems to really believe what he preaches.

[@cincinnatione8643]

it got him to be a very rich man with multiple houses. socialism pays off.

[@Carlos-ln8fd]

@@cincinnatione8643 He wrote a best-selling book that made him a lot of money. I don't see anything wrong with that. He's a really old guy and has been on politics for decades. I don't see how him making money somehow invalidates him. Please forgive me and let me know if that's not your point and I'm misunderstanding you.

[@silentedict4256]

@@Carlos-ln8fd because if he really believed what he was preaching he would only keep exactly what he'd need to live, and donate every other penny to the IRS to run his beloved socialized programs. He's a sell-out just like every other commie that gets into a seat of power.

[@Bookthief666]

@@cincinnatione8643 Apparently one cannot be successful and care about the working class at the same time...

[@GasPipeJimmy]

Bernie Sanders is an atheist that honeymooned in the Soviet Union. What would you say about an occultist who intentionally honeymooned in Nazi Germany so he could be spiritually closer to Adolph H? Hopefully you would say nothing good. Sanders is in the exact same category, except for his side butchered more people.

[@AlbornozVEVO]

wow this marx guy makes a lot of sense

[@marydurst4956]

Bishop Barron, Please interview Noelle Mering. In her "Awake Not Woke", she refers to Marxism more than 30 times and totally "gets it".

[@ruthallen3774]

Is a book written by a woman that works for a literal Washington D.C. think tank the place to get unbiased information about Marx? No.

[@marktynan1472]

A smart and nuanced treatment of Marxism. It's important he made the point the Church is not in favour of unfettered capitalism either. Not all Catholics realise this sadly. However, Is Bernie Sanders really that "socialist"? I wonder.

[@Bookthief666]

Bernie is literally considered a regular Democrat in any other part of the world.

[@EMDEEW]

I completely agree with you on that last remark. To not nee how Bernie Sanders is the only uncorrupted, honest and humble gem in the US Senate, is (to me) just a fatal lack of discernment, or an accidental show of political cards. Bernie Sanders as the radicalization of the democratic party...? Wow. This shows me that the church, in the end, is too conservative a bulwark, and too afraid to be radical and courageous (the way Jesus was), to ever be on the right side of history.

[@marktynan1472]

@Prasanth Thomas I'm not criticizing capitalism as such. It has obvious benefits in terms of general wealth creation. The sad reality is that human nature can have a tendency to not be as generous as the word of God recommends. Trade unions and activism for better wages and conditions also had a hand in reducing poverty in the west. The Church teaches against extremes at either end of the capitalism/socialism scale in the name of justice.

[@tammesikkema5322]

@@marktynan1472 i agree. I think unions are a natural phenomenom in a healthy capitalist (I prefer to call it free market) system. You want workers? You better treat them well.

[@EcstaticTemporality]

@Prasanth Thomas out of poverty for who? I reject the royal we.

[@calummacritchie7840]

Thank you for your insight. God be with you.

[@markbirmingham6011]

I hope when he “retires” he takes the time redo & release some of old seminary lectures, or other philosophy/theology talks. He opened many a door for me.

[@LucMil0305]

I listen to Fr. Chris Alar, MIC from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Massachusetts who has been explaining our Faith from his seminary lectures. You might be interested. May you be blessed as you go deeper knowing our faith most especially knowing deep about our God. We have to be prepared to explain the truth of our faith.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

What did Karl Marx say about Planned Obsolescence and the annual depreciation of automobiles? It must not be important since economists do not talk about it today.

[@xavieraleman6993]

Bishop Barron is A MODERNIST.

[@EcstaticTemporality]

Neoliberal

[@davidgreenwood5602]

He is talking old-fashioned Cold War anti-communism.

[@msgoody2shoes959]

Wow, Robert, that cleared up a lot. Thx. People need to give pure praise and glory to God for all the good He does. Period. Catholics have too many addictions/Gods: phone, entertainment, drugs, politics,, controlling others, and clericalism/putting humans on pedestals to name a few..

[@msgoody2shoes959]

We have all the reforms and still an ever growing population of drug addicts controlling our cities via violence. We just need God, and each other.

[@msgoody2shoes959]

@@elizabethkraszewski6603 we are to be separate from the world. Try it. Watching Barron on you tube isn't the same as watching stupid mindless low brow shit on the net.

[@EdHird]

a helpful summary in an age when marxism is being resold, sometimes in the context of racial tension.

[@EcstaticTemporality]

It is an incomplete summary. And, with all summaries, I recommend you read Marx to come up with your own summary and judgment.

[@SuperMerryChris29]

Thanks, good talk. For me, the problem is capitalism is little more ethical than 200 years ago. And capitalism is so entwined with the biggest and most successful Marxist state immaginable. And this capitalism has sold us the consumer dream that overshadows everything including our faith.

[@sugarhigh4242]

For Marx, Capitalism had a "progressive" (you could maybe say moral) quality when it smashed feudalism. In the revolutions that brought capitalism to the fore (France, England, US, etc), the capitalist, business-owning, employer class and the developing urban working class had a shared project to eliminate the kings, and bring about a system of markets, and semi-democratic institutions which allowed for smooth profit-making. Capitalism during this time rapidly advanced industrial production through division of labor and automation/machines. The system functioning in China is still thoroughly Capitalist. Chinese corporations trade on a global market, there is intense class division, and increasingly China engages in imperialist ambitions which for Marxists represent the "highest" (i.e. most developed and also most volatile) stage of capitalism.

[@cyberpunkworld]

God bless. I'm not patronizing or anything. There's a saying in my language, "fish go smelly from the head, downwards...." :)

[@soniaaltuzar6191]

Muchas gracias

[@rickhall8119]

I think Gramsci and Marcuse are important to understand alongside the others mentioned.

[@christopherconey732]

As a traditional Catholic, I do not accept any form of atheism, but I regard the philosophical and economic writings of Karl Marx as brilliant.

[@emilianosintarias7337]

Marx was not an atheist, and made fun of atheism. At the same time, in his days the church was basically the state, tied to the monarchy, an extremely oppressive institution. Many marxists have been atheists, more like non-theists, while others have been religious, even catholic.

[@christopherconey732]

@@emilianosintarias7337 I suppose that the meaning of 'Marxist' has been controversial even before the death of Marx (as he said himself) but I'd be interested to know why you say he was not an atheist. In particular, I'd be grateful if you could cite chapter and verse of particular works where this is evident. I am certainly aware of the poignancy in many of Marx's formations, particularly in the Manifesto, about the demise of faith, but can recall nothing that would suggest he was not an atheist. Are you also saying he was a theist?" or deist? or agnostic?

[@emilianosintarias7337]

@@christopherconey732 “atheism” ... reminds one of children, assuring everyone who is ready to listen to them that they are not afraid of the boogey man. -Karl Marx 1842 Marx had a dialectical understanding of religion. He did not believe in a personal god, so he was not a theist or a believer. He just didn't think religion was mainly a matter of beliefs, so it didn't make sense to not believe. " Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. It is the opium of the people." Marx, Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. Introduction (1843) Opium was of course a legal, useful medicine in those days, and a drug, something that could ruin one's life. So marx's view was that religion is the distortion of something legitimate, and at the same time vice versa. It is a bit tough with terms like religion though, those were different time. his chief rival bakunin was pretty much the first systematic hardcore anti-theologian and was some kind of anti-theist, and yet was a believer in religion (maybe today we would say spiritual experience) and a fan of Jesus as well as Satan and the greek gods. One thing people need to understand is that the church in those days were the bad guys, even if individual clergy were good guys, the church were parasites on the farmers and poor, owning massive lands they didnt work, totally for monarchy and serfdom, they were essential to the government then. For better analysis than i can give you should ask a catholic marxist, like the members of the Catholic Worker organization,

[@emilianosintarias7337]

@@christopherconey732 I think Marx's quote about not being a marxist was just that he disagreed with a particular, very small political group in another city that ended up going nowhere fast, and had a program they called marxist. Basically, their program advocated equality of outcome (paying all workers the same) and Marx protested strongly against that concept.

[@christopherconey732]

@@emilianosintarias7337 This is very instructive, thank you. I recall studying the work of Gramsci back in the 1980s and the teacher basically said that for Gramsci, religion and politics were separate in the sense that people can work together politically, having the same political goals, but some are atheists and some believers. As far as I know, Gramsci was not hostile to the faith, but I suspect he did not go to Church etc.

[@monkeymox2544]

As a Marxist, I have to say that this is one of the best explanations of Marxism I have seen by a non-Marxist. I think you do misrepresent him on a couple of occasions, though. Regarding substructure (usually called the base in Marxist terminology) and superstructure, Marx isn't saying that all of society and culture is _only_ about protecting the substructure. What he is saying - and I don't think that its really possible to disagree with this - is that in a capitalist society, culture will tend to be shaped by the interests of capitalists. Executives at Disney and Coke aren't in the habit of promoting ideas that tend to undermine the interests of the shareholders of Disney and Coke. Nobles in the middle ages weren't generally into commissioning stained glass windows which promoted the notion of social equality. Plantation slave owners didn't interpret the bible to their slaves in such a way as to emphasise the inherent dignity of all humankind. The interests of the ruling class, in general, shape our culture and the way in which we interpret the world. That doesn't mean that it is only those interests which get promoted, or that counter-cultural movements can't arise. They just won't be dominant. Nor does it mean that culture is consciously produced _in order to_ protect or support the substructure. Its just a natural consequence of the way our society is organised. Also regarding violent revolution, there is quite a lot of debate amongst Marxists about this, so I found your certitude a little bit unwarranted. Certainly most communist and socialist parties in Europe were committed to democratic reform long before the evils of Stalinism were fully uncovered. Marx himself seemed to think that democratic reform was possible, if you look at his later writings. Remember though that Marx was writing in the wake of several violent revolutions, including the French and American, and it wasn't an unreasonable observation that competing interests often resolve violently. He didn't see this as a good thing - he specifically notes that history often progresses by its 'bad side'. He also didn't think it was simply a matter of having a random revolution, violent or otherwise, and then everything would be okay. He thought that capitalism had to naturally come to an end, through its own contradictions - one such contradiction would be the production of a dissatisfied proletariat which is vital to Capitalism's functioning, which would have a material interest in overthrowing that very system. But this couldn't just happen at the behest of a bunch of intellectuals, it had to happen when capitalism had fully developed. Its also not reasonable to characterise any element of Marxism as 'utopian' - he was famously anti-utopian. The notion of classlessness isn't one where everyone is completely equal and harmonious, it's simply one in which _class antagonisms_ have disappeared. Such a society would still have its problems. There is no indication anywhere in Marx's writings that he thought a perfect world was possible, only a better one. Like all enlightenment thinkers, he saw in history the slow progress of humankind. He didn't have a teleological approach to this, that there is some pre-destined perfect end-state which we will inevitably reach. He just saw history as a slow, often painful process towards a better state of affairs, and saw no reason that this couldn't continue. I see nothing utopian in the hope of a better world, and history shows that we can always do better. My final thought is that I personally wasn't 'attracted' to Marx because of righteous indignation. I wasn't 'attracted' to him at all. I simply find that his analysis of the functioning of Capitalist society stands up to close scrutiny. I don't think he got everything right, but I think that he (and later Marxists) got enough things right that self-describing as a Marxist is reasonable. I'm a Millian to the degree that I agree with JS Mill, a Kantian to the degree that I agree with Kant, and a Marxist to the degree that I agree with Marx and later Marxists. I judge him by the same standards as any other thinker: do his ideas stand up? When they do, I take them on board, and its as simple as that.

[@stevenjoseph8134]

I love it when you can find a lone comment on a board that actually offers a more complete analysis than the video. A video which I enjoyed very much to boot. Thanks...you likely won't get many upvotes....I would give your post 1000 if I could.

[@monkeymox2544]

@@stevenjoseph8134 I appreciate that very much >

[@ben-dr3wf]

Well written brother.

[@Bookthief666]

Louder for the people in the back.

[@williamcurt7204]

I think the problem for me, as a non-marxist, is that once you start making the necessary qualifications in order to get theory to work, like the fact that the superstructure is not totally subservient to the base, or that not everything is about class struggle, you strip Marxism of its radicality and it becomes just another tool for analyzing history and society. And If Marxism is really just another tool for analyzing history, right along with textual criticism, then it becomes evacuated of its revolutionary character. Textual criticism is never going to form the intellectual basis of the total liberation of the working class. Now, if you’re okay with that (like I am), or you think that the radicality of Marxism is really only helpful as heuristic for some sort of real, non-Marxist analysis of class relations, then so be it. Most modern sociologists would probably agree with characterization. But, trying to “defang” Marx is really anathema to most activists on the left, and you’re not going to be making a lot of friends there by doing that.

[@damijanxxx7221]

I hope marx is still sharp minded as he allways was and doesen't give a damn about anybody's disagreemant, 200 hundred years later. Like me.

[@TheWorldsStage]

We can look back now at 19th-century capitalism and see what was wrong with it, just as we could look back at early 20th-century capitalism and see how horrific the treatment of the workers was and how much the capitalistic system needed to be improved upon. But the capitalists of the past also believed that the system was just fine, especially since they were the ones benefiting from it. Is it possible that we are in a state of capitalism that also needs a major overhaul and needs to change so that people 100 years from now would look back and be saddened at the treatment of workers today, wondering what kind of sick society would force workers to work without sick leave, paid time off, maternity and paternity leave and no healthcare?

[@TheWorldsStage]

@@Hankyjane Sure, that's why I want to improve on the capitalistic system to make it more fair and sustainable, not to replace it with some other government-centric economic system

[@christophersnedeker2065]

I disagree with Marx's reduction of all things to economics but I think his diagnosis of the problems of our modern world were pretty accurate. The problem with capitalism is that it consistently rewards putting profit first and all other values second. All who don't put profit first risk being outcompeted by those who do. I don't necessarily agree with his atheism or his solution of a socialist state but I mostly agree with his diagnosis.