Breaking In The Habit

Time for Some Throwbacks

Throwback TV

The show about nothing had something to share last week as Fr. Patrick and I review two episodes of the classic show. In each, one of the characters has an issue with dating related to religion. How should faithful people navigate these situations?

https://youtu.be/AGxJSAAGdOI

Throwback Threads

You may not know this, but the habit I wear didn’t originate with me. As a sign of humility, the first habit we’re given as friars comes from a friar who lived, and died, before us.

Throwback Traditions

Believe it or not, Advent is just a week away. Unlike Lent, this preparatory season is often overlooked and jumped over, doing little to ready us for Christmas. I say this year we reclaim an ancient tradition to prepare ourselves to celebrate Christ’s birth.

Throwback Thoughts

It’s not unheard of to find life-changing advice on social media, but TikTok is certainly not the first place you’d expect it to be. This week, Fr. Patrick and I review Read Choi, a TikTok creator with legitimately good and challenging advice.

https://youtu.be/3a2D2gdrTKI

Throwback Theatre

Is there anything more rewatchable than My Cousin Vinny? If you flip on the TV and Marisa Tomei is about to take the stand, you stay and watch until the end.

Throwback Thrashing

If you’ve ever seen the movie Whiplash you know that this title has a double meaning: the way he beats the drums, and the way he’s treated by his music teacher. A movie that explores what it takes to become great, some might leave wondering if it’s worth it at all.

Throwback philanTHrophy

Okay, this last one is a bit of a stretch, but there’s really nothing throwback about busting our school’s old record and donating 15,000 cans for our food drive. Way to go Mount de Sales Academy!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Casey Cole, OFM (@caseyofm)

Light Week This Week!

With Thanksgiving causing a disruption of the schedule last week, I have nothing filmed for this week. There’s still time, but I might take some time for a quick break. More to come soon!

Fr. Casey

Are you a real Christian?

This week I finished a fantastic book called Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus. To say that it changed my life might be a bit of an overstatement, but it has got me thinking quite a bit: Maybe I’m not as far along in my journey as I thought. Maybe I haven’t taken Jesus’ command to evangelize seriously enough. It’s with that in mind that I present a few highlights from the past few weeks (and plan to post a bunch more in this vein shortly.)

Conversion Never Ends

It can be easy to look at where we are as Christians and think that we’re finished. While none of us would ever claim to be perfect, I do believe many of us would think that the majority of our work is over. My hope in this video is that each of us would be reinvigorated in our pursuit of the Gospel.

Calling Out Cheap Christianity

There are many people in this world that reject Christianity simply because they’ve only seen counterfeit versions of it. When we see cheap, ridiculous, and even dangerous forms of Christianity that distort of the Gospel, we need to do everything we can to ensure that the world knows the truth. Sometimes, that means making fun of what’s wrong.

https://youtu.be/E_G9mWh22Ik

Even Learning From Atheists

Not all teachers are good examples. “Do as I say, not as I do,” right? It’s for this reason that, sometimes, we can look even beyond our tradition to learn about it. Sometimes, it takes an atheist with brilliant insights to help us remember who we are and what we’re about.

https://youtu.be/JMSN4lxZ7sY

It’s More than A Costume!

Okay, this last one is a stretch, but I think it still fits. I put on a habit each day as a mark of my life committed to Christ. On days like Halloween, it gets confused as a costume, but it does raise the question: is it, sometimes? Simply putting on a garment does not make someone a Christian, transformation comes from within. May our public signs of witness (habits, cross necklaces, veils, vestments, bracelets, t-shirts, etc.) be a representation of who we actually are and not what we are pretending to be!

@caseyofm

The struggle is real… #afriarlife#halloween #screammovie #VozDosCriadores

♬ original sound – Fr. Casey

And unfortunately, an End to The Word Became Flesh

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was evaluating my work on the daily podcast. I’ve come to the conclusion that, while it was helpful for some, it did not make sense to continue given how few people were listening and how much time it took to make. I will be spending the time putting more effort into YouTube videos and creating TikTok shorts, which you will see a lot more of soon.

Have a wonderful week!

Full Slate of Media

It’s funny to look back on where we’ve been sometimes. When I first started making videos, I struggled to produce one short video every two weeks. This week, I have two full-length, well-edited videos, a podcast, and seven daily reflections.

And that’s the plan for every week this semester.

Our should I say the plan. As things get a little busier, I make no guarantees. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Wicked Funny, Wicked Popular

Few cartoons are as recognizable as Family Guy. Debuting in 1999 and beginning its 22 season as I type this, it’s been around for a while. More importantly, it’s been offending people for a while on every subject from mental illness to racism, politics to gender, and yes, a whole lot of religious jokes. I had to have Fr. Patrick react to it… but I did pick some of the more mild clips.

https://youtu.be/nE3UU_v9qEk

Vincent de Paul: A Saint You Should Know

As you can imagine, I think St. Francis of Assisi is the greatest saint of all time. Obvious. What you probably didn’t know is that there’s another guy a lot like him whose legacy rivals the work of the Franciscans. Meet St. Vincent de Paul.

Just a Wholesome Classic

I grew up watching Penny Marshall’s Big. For me, it reminds me so much of my childhood, dreaming of what it’s like to be an adult and wishing I too could have an apartment with a trampoline in it. Now watching it for the first time as an adult, I have a different take but no less love.

Listen or it’s going away

Many people use the cliche, “If you reach only one person it’s worth it.” Meaningful to that one person, I guess, but I see it as sentimental nonsense. If I’m doing a lot of work and reaching only one person, it might be time to evaluate what I’m doing and put my time to better use.

That’s how I’m feeling right now with The Word Became Flesh. It’s not all about the numbers, but the numbers aren’t great. Very few people are listening on a regular basis. More importantly, I don’t really like making them, and they take a lot of time to make.

So here’s my plan. I’m going to finish working through Acts. If the numbers stay where they are, abysmally low, I’m going to pull the plug. It’s been over a year, long enough to let something grow, and some projects just don’t work out.

But hey. Maybe you’ll listen this time and share with a friend. Maybe you’ll go back to the beginning and start meditating with Mark, Matthew, and Luke. I’m sure you’ll love it.

Happy Francis Week!

On October 3, Franciscans all around the world remember the death of St. Francis, and celebrate his entry into sainthood October 4. I hope this wonderful saint can inspire you as he has me.

Peace and good,

Fr. Casey

Déja Upon Friar Review

Boy has it been a while since we shared a video! So glad to be back, and starting off with a familiar episode. More to come each week!

The Chosen is Powerful

Reviews for season 3 of the Chosen say that it’s a bit of an uneven season. This may be true, but the highs are very high. In this episode, we watch our three favorite scenes.

https://youtu.be/aWTxWF2lz2Y

Either Go Out or Perish

For years there has been this idea that young people may leave the Church for awhile, but they’ll come back. I’m not sure if this has ever been true in large number, but I can tell you for sure it isn’t true anymore. It’s time we adjusted our approach. Good catechesis isn’t going to save the Church. Only evangelism will. (I obviously don’t think the Church needs “saving,” as Christ is in charge, but I do think that we are in a dire situation which presents horrific consequences if we don’t act.)

Teachers Don’t Get Enough Credit

This week, Fr. Tito and I put on some nostalgia glasses and watch a classic from our childhood, Mr. Holland’s Opus, which is itself an exercise in nostalgia. I gotta tell ya: it hits different now that I’ve worked in a high school for more than three years.

Working Through Acts

I’m up to Acts chapter 12 at this point. It’s not too late to go back to the beginning and take a journey through the early Church!

A Little Fun in our Spare Time!

This week, students in the Mercer Catholic Campus Ministry group went bowling, and it was such a great time! Also, I bowled the highest game of my life with strikes on 5 of my last 6 rolls, so they think I’m an incredible bowler now!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MU Catholic Campus Ministry (@mercerccm)

That’s all for this week! Hope you have a great week!

Fr. Casey

Are You Excited??

Let me tell you, it’s been a long summer with a lot of later stories. But for now, let me just say, the hiatus is over. On Thursday of last week, Fr. Patrick and I recorded two episode of Upon Friar Review. Starting this Friday, we’ll be back with our regularly scheduled program. And it’s going to be good.

Until then, here’s what’s been going on.

Unnecessarily Censored

If you didn’t see last week’s Catholicism in Focus, it might have something to do with YouTube’s algorithm. I made a video talking about the ethics of nudity in movies, not showing nudity itself, and YouTube restricted it behind age verification. Give the amount of scandalous content out there, I think it’s a topic worth discussing, so see if you can access it.

Speaking of Unnecessarily Controversial…

The Ad Orientem style of mass, also known as “the priest turned his back on the congregation.” Becoming more popular these days, it’s important to understand where it’s coming from and why people are so adamant about it. My takeaway: it’s a great tradition that shouldn’t be restricted, but it is not any more holy than the common posture.

New Season of Everyday Liminality!

Fr. Tito and I are back at it, recording a new episode each week. In our first two weeks, we discussed last year’s Best Picture winner, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and one of Fr. Tito’s favorite, The Never Ending Story. Admittedly, these were two very strange picks to start the semester, but the next few will be much more conventional!

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once:

The Never Ending Story

I continue to offer a daily guided reading of the scriptures, working our way right now through the Acts of the Apostles. If you’re looking for a regular way to pray, check it out!

Following Sts. Peter and Paul

Being a School Chaplain if Fun!

The last few weeks have not been short on fun activities at the school. From a dunk tank to attract younger kids to our Catholic high school to college gatherings, teaching about lighting techniques in movies to defeating the high school volleyball team in the student/faculty game, it’s been a week.

@caseyofm

Priest in a dunk tank! #priest #catholic #fun

♬ original sound – Fr. Casey

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mount de Sales Academy (@mtdesales_macon)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mount de Sales Academy Cavaliers (@mdscavaliers)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by St. Peter Claver Catholic School (@spccatholicschool)

Happy Feast of the Stigmata!

Hope everyone has a great feast of the stigmata (I’m sure a big holiday for all of you…) and I hope you have a great week!

Fr. Casey