Not So Secular

#41 – Disney, Conservative Values, And Marriage | ft. Jay Aruga

What comes to mind when you hear the word, "conservative"? Does it have something to do with what a person wears or how a person dates? Does it make you think of a particular stance on a political or social issue? In this episode, Mon is joined by Jay Aruga of The Jay Aruga Show. They talk about what conservatism is, the clash of propaganda and story in modern shows and movies, the traditional view of marriage, and the role faith plays in a person's political leaning.
 
Human Life International article on Disney LGBT propaganda: https://www.hli.org/2022/04/disney-all-in-on-lgbt-propaganda/?vcrmeid=8KkeJXH06DAXzKx7vuxg&vcrmiid=JtZcxw4gvEmoQnrEc9xXww 
Dave Rubin video on the Disney leak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btplqm7r0PA 
Daily Wire video on Disney's indoctrination of kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi6yBbCUp_w 
 
Guest info:
Jay Aruga hosts The Jay Aruga Show, also known as the "first podcast on conservative values in the Philippines." There he has discussions about his political views, being Catholic, and taking back the culture.
Podcast link: https://anchor.fm/thejayarugashow
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheJayArugaShow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay.aruga/ 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
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#40 – Who Was Barabbas? Was He A Robber?

During the Holy Week, you might have seen a meme or two on social media mentioning how during the time of Jesus, the people chose Barabbas the thief over the Savior. This is then followed by a remark saying something along the lines of "2000 years later, we still choose the robbers." These memes are a bit old already but it might be popping up again since (1) it was Holy Week and (2) it's election season here in the Philippines. In this episode, Mon talks about Barabbas. What do we know about him? Was he really a thief? What does his story signify? Mon also points out a concern that he has with people sharing these kinds of posts. He exhorts that it is our politics that should serve our faith instead of the other way around.
 
Mark 15:1-15
Catholic Answers article on Pontius Pilate: https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/pontius-pilate 
 
Special Christmas Episode: The Tale Of Two Kings: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LRDnORoDLDc5W9FkXV0l0  
 
Barabbas meme - https://www.facebook.com/christiangeorge.morales.9/posts/1179256506175667 , https://www.facebook.com/cartoonistzach/posts/414445947350914 , + others like these
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
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#39 – Holy Week Episode: You’re Still On Mute | a talk on listening to God’s voice in our lives

In this episode, Mon shares a talk he gave at Youth Home Taft during Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As of the time this is published, we find ourselves in the high point of Lent which is Holy Week. All the same, the message of being open to hearing God's word in our lives is one that remains.
Here, Mon talks about the three "voices" that we ought to be more attentive to today. These are the voices of reflection, rebuke, and revelation.
 
Luke 4:1-4
 
Youth Home Taft is the weekly gathering of the Feast for high school and college students in the Taft area.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youthhometaft/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youthhometaft/ 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
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#38 – When Healing Hurts Too

Healing and hurt. These two experiences might be more connected than you think. Of course, we know that we wouldn't need to heal if we weren't hurt in the past. But it is also true that the process of healing has moments where it hurts, too. In this episode, Mon expounds on this further. He talks about two kinds of hurts (unnecessary hurts and necessary hurts) and how that relates to the healing of the self, healing of relationships, and healing of society.
This is a listener-suggested episode. Join our Facebook Group if you'd like to connect further! The link to that is below.
 
Luke 9:18-24 ("Deny yourself, pick up your cross daily")
Genesis 50:20 ()
John 15:12-13
The Meaning of Suffering, Ascension Presents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR25hk8NVio 
Scott Hahn on the value of meaning and suffering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z7fW7pU4mQ 
 
If God Is Good, Then Why Do Bad Things Happen?: https://open.spotify.com/episode/241MtDJNpy2qzsgHxvuY4J 
What Forgiveness Is And What It Isn't: https://open.spotify.com/episode/74505J8k9uuK8brZvOKQNl 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
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#37 – Why ”Online Church” Just Isn’t Enough For Catholics

Face-to-face classes, face-to-face work, face-to-face outings, these are some of the things we have been preparing for as the cases are going down and the restrictions are being lifted. But one more thing that we ought to prepare for (if you're Catholic) are face-to-face Masses—which is really how it's meant to be celebrated!
In this episode, Mon share his insights on "Online Masses" and why it isn't enough for us Catholics. He reads parts from Bishop Barron's write up on Word On Fire inviting people to come back to Church. Along the way, he discusses the value of receiving the sacraments as well as the roots of the Holy Mass from Christ's Last Supper and the Jewish Passover.
 
Luke 22:19-20 (The Last Supper)
Come Back To Mass, by Bishop Robert Barron: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/barron/come-back-to-mass/ 
When Attending Mass Virtually Just Doesn't Cut It, by Fr. Michael Schmitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ectOsAbxbW4 
More on the Mass from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/search?q=mass 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
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#36 – ”Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread...” | The Lord’s Prayer Part 4

Bread, forgiveness, and temptation. These are the things that Jesus brings up in the latter half of the prayer he taught us. What do we mean when we say these things? What are we asking for exactly? In this episode, Mon leads us through the final installment of this series, the last lines of the Our Father. Here he explores the relational, social, and spiritual dimensions of these petitions and what these have to do with the earlier ones we have already tackled. Following the movement we have set in the introduction, this section is focused on loving our neighbor as ourselves.
 
Matthew 6:7-8 ("Your Father knows...")
Matthew 6:13-15 ("If you forgive others...")
Matthew 18:15-35 (Parable of the Unforgiving Servant)
James 1:13-18 (God does not tempt)
Romans 12:2 ("Do not conform...")
John 17:15 ("...keep them from the evil one")
CCC 2828-2854: http://scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a3.htm 
 
What Forgiveness Is And What It Isn't: https://open.spotify.com/episode/74505J8k9uuK8brZvOKQNl 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
Mon's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rizmonreyes 
Mon's Twitter https://www.twitter.com/rizmonreyes 
Book Mon as a speaker (talks, retreats, etc.) - https://forms.gle/7PyEB6svDnnD7mm69 
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This is the Finale of a 4-part series:
Introduction
"Our Father..."
"May Your Kingdom come..."
"Give us this day our daily bread..."

#35 – ”May Your Kingdom Come...” | The Lord’s Prayer Part 3

Kingdom, kingdom, kingdom... If you pay close attention to Jesus' teachings in the Bible, you'll notice that he mentions this word A LOT. Around 50+ times in Matthew, around 20 times in Mark, and around 40+ times in Luke. When he first started his ministry, this was what he proclaimed! Many of his parables begin with something along the lines of "The kingdom of God is like..." This was a big deal for Jesus. No wonder he includes it in the prayer he taught us.
In this episode, Mon zooms in on the next 3 lines of the Lord's Prayer: "May your kingdom come, may you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." He talks about the kingdom, heaven, the final judgment, as well as the participation we have as part of that kingdom.
 
Mark 1:9-15 (Jesus' baptism and ministry)
Romans 8:18-23 (Creation is groaning)
Matthew 26:36-46 (Agony in the Garden)
CCC 2816, 2818: http://scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a3.htm 
CCC 2795: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2795.htm 
Early Christians responding to plagues: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/how-did-early-christians-respond-to-plagues 
Early Christians rescuing infants: https://aleteia.org/2020/01/19/how-medieval-christians-saved-abandoned-infants/ 
BibleProject video on the Gospel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmFPS0f-kzs 
 
Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
Not So Secular Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/
Mon's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rizmonreyes 
Mon's Twitter https://www.twitter.com/rizmonreyes 
Book Mon as a speaker (talks, retreats, etc.) - https://forms.gle/7PyEB6svDnnD7mm69 
Become a monthly or one-time giver via Ko-Fi / Paypal - https://ko-fi.com/notsosecular 
 
This is Part 3 of a 4-part series:
Introduction
"Our Father..."
"May Your Kingdom come..."
"Give us this day our daily bread..."

#34 – ”Our Father...” | The Lord’s Prayer Part 2

What is Jesus' favorite way of referring to God? Answer: He calls him Father. And he invites us to do the same! In this episode, Mon talks about the first two lines of the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in heaven, holy be your name." How might we understand and appreciate this better? Mon also dives deeper into what we mean when we call something or someone, "holy." Here, we see the contrast and harmony of viewing God with both relationship and reverence, both intimacy and authority.
 
 
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Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
 
GO DEEPER:
Matthew 6:5-15 (Matthew's version of Our Father)
Matthew 3:16-17 (Jesus' baptism)
John 10:31-33 (Jesus is persecuted for calling God father)
Matthew 2:14-15 ("Out of Egypt I called my son.")
Hosea 11:1-4 (What Matthew referenced)
Genesis 5:3 (Seth is Adam's son)
Romans 8:14-15 (We are adopted into God's family)
CCC 1265: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1265.htm 
1 Samuel 2:2 (No holy one like the Lord)
Psalm 86:8-11 (An undivided heart)
BibleProject on Holiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9vn5UvsHvM 
 
 
REFERENCED EPISODES (Spotify links):
The Lord's Prayer Part 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZGl6MCxbAytX2SeHYx6yg
The Tale Of Two Kings: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LRDnORoDLDc5W9FkXV0l0
Where Does Your Worth Come From? https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AgGGwUh2nqlS0EqmblPWJ
 
 
NOT SO SECULAR FACEBOOK GROUP:https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/ 
 
 
BUY FROM FEAST BOOKS:https://feastbooks.ph/?ref=rizmonreyes 
 
 
This is Part 2 of a 4-part series:
Introduction
"Our Father..."
"May Your Kingdom come..."
"Give us this day our daily bread..."

#33 – The Lord’s Prayer (an introduction)

The "Our Father." Majority of Filipinos (especially those who come from Catholic schools) have heard and recited this prayer countless of times. But let's admit it, it can be so easy to let these memorized words slip off of our tongue without us really taking them to heart. In this time of Lent, Mon begins this 4-part series of reflection and study through the parts of the Lord's Prayer. This episode starts us off with an introduction and an overview, relating this prayer Jesus taught us to another one of his teachings: The Greatest Commandment.
 
 
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Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
 
GO DEEPER:
CCC 2761ff: http://scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a1.htm
Luke 11:1-4 (Luke's version of Our Father)
Matthew 6:5-15 (Matthew's version of Our Father)
Matthew 22:34-40 (The Greatest Commandment)
1 John 4:19-21 (John calls people liars)
Matthew 25:34-39 ("whatever you did for the least...")
Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html 
 
 
NOT SO SECULAR FACEBOOK GROUP:https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/ 
 
 
BUY FROM FEAST BOOKS:https://feastbooks.ph/?ref=rizmonreyes 
 
 
This is Part 1 of a 4-part series:
Introduction
"Our Father..."
"May Your Kingdom come..."
"Give us this day our daily bread..."

#32 – Politics And Pharisees

The Pharisees are often painted as the villains in Jesus' story, but this oversimplification and lack of understanding could lead us to serious error: one of those errors being that we end up becoming like them. In this episode, Mon talks about this and how this comes out today in a specific area of our lives called politics.
We might be fighting for something that we think is good, but who are we becoming in the process? Are we really compelled by these issues or are we just prideful that we think we are right? Do we really want to convince and inform others or do we just want to show them how we are better than them? These are important questions to ask. The way of Christ is different from the way of the world; we need to understand that.
 
 
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Music by Kayel Marcelo
 
 
GO DEEPER:
Matthew 22:15-22 (The Greatest Commandment)
Matthew 22:34-40 (Question about taxes)
Matthew 23:1-12 (Hypocrisy of the Pharisees)
Matthew 21:12-17 (Cleansing of the temple)
Matthew 13:24-30 (Parable of the Weeds and Wheat)
John 3 (Jesus and Nicodemus)
John 7:45-52 (Nicodemus stands up for Jesus)
John 19:38-42 (Nicodemus wants to give Jesus a proper burial)
 
 
NOT SO SECULAR FACEBOOK GROUP:https://www.facebook.com/groups/notsosecular/ 
 
 
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Original tweet:
https://twitter.com/rizmonreyes/status/1491991836704919553