The answer to this question might seem obvious until you start thinking about it. What is the purpose of Scripture in our lives? Does reading the Scripture and knowing the Word of God matter? How does it affect my daily life?
This talk is broken into three main parts: 

1. Overview of Scripture and purpose in our life
2. Difficulties in properly interpreting Scripture
3. Cover specific passages and show how they are typically misinterpreted

By the end of this talk, you will have a better sense of the structure and purpose of Scripture. You will better understand why it is important to read it, and, you will proceed with care to avoid misinterpreting what the Bible says.

Please keep in mind that my first name used to be Naji (as stated in the talk) and that I changed it to Michael but most people still refer to me or know me as Naji!
 

In this Qorbono reflection, we explore a covenantal approach to Lent — not a bottom-up checklist of sacrifices, but a top-down season of grace. Drawing on the Catechism, Scripture, and the Fathers, we examine how Lent becomes a time of intensified receptivity: a season in which the Lord initiates specific transformations in our lives.

Through practical guidance and a personal testimony of unexpected grace, we uncover what might be called “the Christmas hidden in Lent”—the gift God wishes to place under the tree of sacrifice.

If you’ve ever felt Lent devolve into spiritual dieting, this conversation will help you rediscover its true purpose: not deprivation, but preparation.

(An extended answer is available for download here)

After President Trump’s threat against Iran, Pope Leo responded with a sharp condemnation that immediately stirred controversy. Was the Holy Father simply condemning the horrors of war, or did his words risk sounding one-sided in a conflict shaped by Iran, Hezbollah, Israel, and the collapse of Lebanese sovereignty? In this episode, we step away from the media noise and examine the deeper question: how should Catholics understand Pope Leo’s remarks in light of the Church’s perennial teaching on war, peace, legitimate defense, and justice? This is a measured and honest reflection on a painful subject, seeking clarity rather than slogans. 

• (00:00) - Opening Question and Personal Disclosure
• (00:35) - Immediate Context: Trump’s Threat and Pope Leo’s Response
• (01:38) - A Brief Map of the Conflict
• (02:20) - Hezbollah and the Wound to Lebanese Sovereignty
• (03:13) - Iran, Israel, and the Nuclear Question
• (03:26) - The War Trigger: Strikes on Iran
• (04:08) - Hezbollah Enters and the Lebanese Front Opens
• (05:00) - Papal Authority: Not Ex Cathedra, but Not Trivial
• (05:24) - The Achilles’ Heel: Why the Pope’s Message Feels One-Sided
• (06:56) - What the Church Actually Teaches About War
• (09:22) - Does Pope Leo’s Position Fit Catholic Teaching?
• (10:08) - Lebanon, Rightful Authority, and Lasting Solutions
• (10:31) - Where the Statement Feels Incomplete
• (11:35) - The Real Answer: Sound in Substance, Incomplete in Application
• (12:40) - Just Cause Never Justifies Unjust Means
• (14:03) - Final Spiritual Exhortation
• (14:41) - Closing, Follow-Up, and Blessing

• (00:00) - Opening: A Legal Victory and a Deeper Question
• (01:45) - Pelagianism: The Temptation to “Just Do It”
• (03:00) - Grace: The Energy Without Which We Cannot Move
• (04:30) - Original Sin and the Covenant Structure of Scripture
• (11:15) - Why Baptism Opens Grace but Leaves the Battle
• (16:30) - Marriage as Covenant: Grace for the Impossible Vocation
• (19:30) - When God Triggers Covenant Curses
• (23:00) - The Modern Golden Calf: Contraception and the Crisis of Life
• (30:15) - Cultural Collapse, Fatima, and the Question of Judgment
• (34:40) - The Meadow and the Ants: Seeing Conflict Through God’s Eyes
• (38:10) - “Immediately They Were at Their Destination”
• (40:30) - Work for Love, Not for Success
• (45:00) - Sanctifying Grace, Accidental Grace, and the Interior Life
• (49:45) - Final Exhortation: Talents, Holiness, and God’s Will

Beginning with a recent religious-liberty victory, the talk moves quickly beneath the surface: from Pelagianism and the illusion of self-sufficiency, to original sin, covenant, marriage, contraception, cultural collapse, and the hidden providence of God. The central question is not merely how Christians can win public battles, but how they can do so without losing their souls, their peace, or their dependence on Christ.

At the heart of the talk is a deeply Catholic claim: grace does not remove the battle, but makes holiness possible within it. The Christian’s task is not to seek success as an idol, but to labor faithfully before the Cross, trusting that when Christ is with us, we are already home.

In this Q&A reflection, we look at the Catholic distinction between sanctifying grace and charisms — graces given for the benefit of others. Drawing from Saint Paul, the Catechism, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Judas, and Our Lord’s warning in Matthew 7, we explore why mighty works, even real miracles, do not guarantee personal holiness or salvation.

The sobering truth is this: God may work through a person without that person being fully united to Him in charity. The miracle may be real. The dead may rise. The poor may be fed. But without love, Saint Paul says, “I am nothing.”

This talk is a call to seek not merely to be useful in God’s hands, but to belong to Him in faith, repentance, charity, and perseverance.