A Brother's Hunger for Becoming a Better Catholic Man (Part 2)

In this episode of MBJ, Baron and Greg ask brother John Chiorona to reflect on St. Philip the Apostle men's bible study and how it has deepened his faith journey in regards to understaning scripture and our Catholic faith. This is the second episode of a two-part discussion.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, welcome back to my brother's journey. I am again part of the tag team here. My name is Greg Joseph Chuck, and with me is Baron Fink. Baron, great to see you again. Again, I'm excited because we're going to continue a conversation that we had from the last session with Brother John from our Bible study. And John, before we begin, would you mind leading us in just a quick prayer?

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Sure, sure. Thanks, Greg. In the name of the Father, the Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time today. And we ask you to bless all of us as well as all of our brothers and those the multitude of people listening to this podcast. Bless us each and every day to hear your word and to do the good deeds that you want us to do. In God's name we pray. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

All right. Thank you so much for that. I appreciate it. So this is going to be a little different session, I think, because what I want to talk about, as we're recording this right now, we know that we're about 20 minutes before our men's Bible study. And so we'll make dog unsure it doesn't go 20 minutes long. But what I want to talk about today is actually the men's Bible study. Okay. Okay? And I feel all three of us are here, so this should be a fairly easy conversation to have. But I'm going to start you with you, John. Because I think you had said that when you came to North Carolina with your wife, you first started attending some small groups, and I think I heard St. Mark's in that in that name. Yep. And then Bible studies at St. Therese, and now you're here at St. Philip. But we know that the men's Bible study started at St. Therese and kind of moved over here with Father Bernard. But what has this men's Bible study meant to you and what what is it about it that kind of keeps you coming back?

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Yeah, that's a good question. For me, it's fairly simple. I mean, um, it's it's the camaraderie of uh brothers that uh want to learn more about their own faith and about what's in the Bible, just like I do. And uh one of the beauties of our Bible study, I for me again, is we have some uh some gents that are uh well versed already in the Bible. Um I you know, I don't know if they're biblical scholars, but uh they're pretty high IQ guys. Um none of them at this table, but um no. Just kidding, just kidding. Actually, one at least one of them is. And it isn't me. But uh but they they they help us, each and every one of us, um to uh up our game, and they do it with no arrogance. Um they you know, I feel like when I walk into the Bible study, I can ask whatever question I want. If I don't like what I heard in the Bible, I'll say it. You know, I'll say, I'm not sure I agree with that. And and then I'll I'll we'll engage in a discussion, and by the end of it, probably I'm gonna probably change my mind because now I really actually understand it, and pretty much, you know, the word of God is right. So uh if I'm not understanding it and I'm not agreeing with it, it's it's because I'm not understanding it, rather. Yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

And and Baron, how about you? I mean, you you started it at St. Therese, I believe, with Father. I mean, you could talk a little bit about that. How did it begin over at St. Therese, the men's Bible study?

SPEAKER_02 3:46

Well, it began because Father Bernard said, uh, Baron, I want you to start the Bible study. You were voluntary. And so uh, as as the way he does most things. But you know, actually, you know, John and I met actually at this, you know, these small groups. And actually, you know, it's funny because it's it's our wives who were the the ones that actually, you know, it you know, they were maybe because they had more time, or maybe because they're just flat out more religious or whatever else, or more tuned to their faith. They had this this tight-knit group of of uh women, and they were kind of dragging along their husbands in a way, going, hey, you know, come because there's some other guys there.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

So you two guys knew each other before the massive. Okay. We were in a small group stuff, yeah, yeah, couples.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Yeah, yeah. And so, and so, but that's you know, they it took those women to get us together. And and as John said, you know, we we all came with with with you know our deficiencies when it comes to to you know our our knowledge of the Bible or or our willingness to speak and and to be vulnerable and and and admit that we don't know everything, and that's you know tough for us men to do. So I think that that to me the the Bible study, Miss Bible study is kind of just an expansion of that. It's it's a it's you know, now that we've kind of grown past uh or beyond the the small group, so how do we make the small group a big group? And how do we get guys to feel comfortable with with uh in this the situation where they don't need to know all the answers? Um, and that um in a way it teaches us to be better evangelists, okay, because we're more invited and and we're willing to meet people where they are, uh as opposed to being purely uh uh studying theology and and getting the scripture's great and the scripture's very necessary, but it's not just about scripture. It's it's about again what what John was saying is more about a brotherhood. And I to me that's actually everything. It's it's about knowing that I'm comfortable with with um you know expressing my feelings, my doubts, my my concerns, my misunderstandings, uh, and being challenged. Yeah, being challenged by other brothers who who have have experienced something that I haven't and and have learned from it.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

I I think there's no doubt that there's a secret sauce at this men's Bible study. I'm gonna I'm gonna attribute that to the Holy Spirit because I I don't think it's any one individual, but we definitely have something very special here. Um I've been involved in other Bible studies, um, although I am very deficient in in knowing the Bible, which is kind of a sad commentary in itself, but um but you know, I genuinely believe that the guys that come to this Bible study and have gotten to know each other over the months and years really do love one another and really care about each other and their families, and um and what's great about that is we are like a family in there, right? Because we have our disagreements, yeah, right? Everyone has their opinion, their views of things, and um, you know, none of us are ordained deacons or anything like that in in the group, um, although we're blessed when maybe you know, Father Bernard or some sorry Father Gene or someone jumps in and sits in with us, which is always great. But um, but even then, um they typically sit back and just let us talk, and then maybe toward the end give us their commentary or their thoughts, which is great. Yeah, um, and the reason I'm bringing all this up is again, you know, I'm hoping that as people listen to our podcasts, if they're in the area of Iredell County or or beyond, you know, Mecklenburg or whatever, and for whatever reason, maybe the they would love to just try and sit in on a on a Bible study, a men's Bible study. If they're a man and want to sit in on a men's Bible study, be with some brothers. Um, you know, I think one of the things uh that I'll commend you, Baronon, is you have really done an outstanding job of being very open and warm and inviting to anyone to include to include non-Catholics. We have actually non-Catholic men here. Right, yeah. That in fact, I think one's leading tonight. I think.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Uh Tim, Tim, uh he may be. I think he is.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

So um, and I think it's important, Greg, because because we're gonna encounter non-Catholics in our regular walk of life. That that doesn't that doesn't preclude us from spreading the love of God.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

It's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah, I mean, we weren't tasked by Christ to evangelize only baptized Catholics. I didn't see that in the Bible anywhere. So Catholic minority. It's not like, hey, show me that secret handshake that only Catholics supposedly know, and then we can talk to you, right? So um, but uh no, there it it's it is so special here. And one of the, and I don't know if I know if I told you this, John, or not, but one of the reasons we started this podcast, it was an idea I had that I ran with with Baron, and and Barron was very gracious. He's like, Yeah, I don't, you know, I don't know. I I don't feel comfortable or I don't know if I'll be good at this. I was like, hey, let's just try it. But I said, what what I really hope we can do is capture just a just a slice of what goes on in that the room next door, right? Okay, and and bring it out in a podcast. And that's why we do invite different guys from the Bible study to talk about their journeys, because I guarantee you there's somebody out there listening at some point. Hopefully they'll they'll listen to the different segments and they'll find one of the brothers there and they'll say, That's me. That that what he just described, that's me. It might be your journey, it might be my journey, your journey, brother Joe's, whoever, right? And they'll say, Man, that's that's me. And you know, our goal is to just try to encourage people to listen, we're we're all deeply flawed sinners, all of us. And uh, you know, that I mean that's the that's the body of Christ, that's the church of Christ. You come you come into the Catholic Church and to Mass, it is a building full of sinners, right? Yeah, but by God's grace and by Jesus' you know death and resurrection, I mean, we're forgiven. He he encourages us to love and to seek repentance and to uh and to bring more people, his love, to them. Because we've got to do it, right? We're the hands and feet of Christ on earth, uh, and mouth, I guess. But um yeah, I think I think what we have in there is so so magical almost. It's it's so unique. We're brothers truly, I think they don't hold back. Yeah, you know, I and I think when we see maybe a brother that's uh maybe a little bit introverted, we we we tend to help them maybe bring them out of that shell and feel a little bit more comfortable. There is no uh condemnation of a person's viewpoint here, but just viewpoints, right? It's all and we're learning. And you know, for me, I and I can't I can't say for you guys, but um I was just telling, actually, this is kind of reminds me of a situation that my own my my son and daughter-in-law are going through. They're going they're going through some some difficult situations, and and I remember my daughter-in-law last night said, you know, Dad, she goes, 'I didn't think it would be this difficult.' And I told her, I said, um, and and I think this is true of just life in general, right? Believe me, I told her, you will learn infinitely more valuable lessons in the valleys than you do at the peaks. Infinitely more. And ones that you won't forget, and ones that you will embrace and fully appreciate, especially as you get past it and look look at it in kind of in the rearview mirror. Um, like I one thing, my mom was a very religious lady, and I remember her telling me, we were talking about faith one time. I was much younger and was really questioning what faith is all about. And my mom said to me, she said, you know, when times are good in a person's life, everybody's got faith. They all have faith, they all believe. She goes, but they find out whether they really have faith when times aren't good, when they're having difficulties. Then they find out if they really have faith. And I think that's that's just true in general of life. And when I look out at the brothers in in our Bible study, I see guys that are flawed and wounded just like I'm flawed and wounded, just like all of us are. And I think what's what's fascinating is how we're able to take those experiences and relate, you know, we're right now we're we're still studying Paul in his travels. I think we're now in what, 2 Corinthians, I believe. Right? Chapter 5. And like I think we all find Paul just a fascinating character because so many of us can relate to him at different aspects of his letters, right? They they almost seem like they were written individually to you or me. Like there's a portion of that letter where we go, wow, it's like he understands exactly where I'm coming from and he's speaking right to me. And I, you know, I and and that's what I really uh enjoy about our our our men's group. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

And uh Yeah, I think it I to me, Greg, it actually it's a lot like what we talked about, I mentioned the last session. It's about talking to John about, you know, when when you grew up, you went to mass on every Sunday. This is what you did. But the question is why you do it. And and I think, you know, even Paul, as we were reading about Paul, you know, he's he takes all the time in the world to to explain why this is important. You know, the the the the Jewish faith as it was were with these set of rules, and people followed the rules because they were the rules. Right. They didn't necessarily know why. You know, but but when Jesus came to the world to explain the why about all, and Paul took that and ran with it as a as a as a as an apostle. And and that's that's kind of what we do. And that's and I try to, you know, I I think for for me, as I've as my wife and I as you know as as we've grown older and our kids are now full-grown stuff like that, they they they look at us and they don't say, Oh, mom and dad just go show someone because that's what they do. They know why. And and I think that and they know how important it is and what it what the joy it brings is the root of our joy in our life, is our faith. And I think that people are inquisitive about that. They want to know well, why are you so happy in the middle of all the crap is going on in the world? Well, here you can say why, not just why. So anyway, um I I agree with what you both of you gentlemen said. I mean, I I think our our men's group is a place to where you learn the whys and you can ask why and you can contribute to the whys, and it's good.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

I can't believe it. The time we've filled it again, another session completed. It just it just flies back by. And um, and so again, you know, before we sign off here, I think uh all three of us would agree. If you are uh a man, Catholic or otherwise, you could be atheist, but you want to come and explore what a men's Bible study might look like, sound like, and get to learn a little bit about what is in that that unique book that we call the Bible. Um we would encourage you, please uh feel free to come to our men's Bible study. It's at 7 p.m. Every other Tuesday, so I don't know what's today, the 19th? Yes, 19th. May 19th, as we record this. Yep. So every other Tuesday at 7 p.m. at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville. Of course, there are plenty of other parishes that have men's Bible studies, women's Bible studies, couples' Bible studies, whatever you feel comfortable with, but uh, by all means, we want to welcome you. And uh I guarantee you we will not judge you. Guaranteed. Um, all right, it's that time. So again, I want to thank you for tuning in and being a part of my brother's journey. Seek Jesus in all you do and be fishers of men. God bless you, and please join us again. Viva Jesus.