WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.211 --> 00:00:03.516 Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the Way UK podcast. 2 00:00:03.576 --> 00:00:07.921 I'm your host Zoe and I'm joined by my wonderful co-host Solomon. 3 00:00:08.282 --> 00:00:13.649 And today we have a very exciting episode because we are joined by a very special guest, Greg Finn. 4 00:00:13.949 --> 00:00:14.650 Great to see you guys. 5 00:00:14.811 --> 00:00:15.491 Great to see you. 6 00:00:15.511 --> 00:00:16.553 Welcome onto the pod. 7 00:00:16.653 --> 00:00:17.474 Thank you for having me. 8 00:00:17.514 --> 00:00:20.737 Yeah, I'm so excited to dive into your story in just a few moments. 9 00:00:21.037 --> 00:00:22.679 But before we do that, guys, you know the drill. 10 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:24.921 Please may you like and subscribe. 11 00:00:25.041 --> 00:00:26.962 Leave a comment if you're watching on YouTube. 12 00:00:27.323 --> 00:00:37.112 And if you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, follow us and leave a five-star rating, please, because our mission here at The Way is to share the good news of Jesus with every single young person online. 13 00:00:37.432 --> 00:00:39.614 And you doing any of those things really helps us out with that. 14 00:00:40.094 --> 00:00:41.256 Okay, thanks so much, guys. 15 00:00:41.276 --> 00:00:42.597 Let's roll the credits and get into it. 16 00:00:46.410 --> 00:00:48.011 Greg, hello, welcome. 17 00:00:49.592 --> 00:00:54.135 Could you just give us a little bit of context of who you are, where you're from, what you do? 18 00:00:54.795 --> 00:00:56.076 Yeah, just introduce yourself. 19 00:00:56.716 --> 00:00:59.998 I guess, I was thinking about this in prep, what do I do and what am I? 20 00:01:00.278 --> 00:01:01.379 It's a big question. 21 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:06.602 I guess the best description would be that I'm a full-time missionary in the Catholic Church. 22 00:01:06.642 --> 00:01:10.484 I'm a Roman Catholic and absolutely love my Catholic faith. 23 00:01:10.704 --> 00:01:14.747 And a bit like you guys, I feel the Lord's really put on my heart a mission 24 00:01:15.407 --> 00:01:18.911 to bring his love to a new generation of young people. 25 00:01:19.291 --> 00:01:20.332 Also children as well. 26 00:01:20.372 --> 00:01:32.124 A lot of the work I do is in Catholic schools to help a generation of children really know who Jesus is, but also to know just how much he loves them because that's... 27 00:01:32.845 --> 00:01:41.727 So much part of my story, discovering as a young child who Jesus is and that I can know him and he's my brother, my friend, but my Lord and my God. 28 00:01:41.767 --> 00:02:02.373 So, yeah, we have a YouTube channel called the Mark 10 Mission for Young Children and also some social media channels called The Redeemed for young Catholics who are curious about their faith, like to open up the goodness, the truth, the beauty of, yeah, our faith in Jesus, our Catholic faith in him. 29 00:02:02.573 --> 00:02:03.093 That's great. 30 00:02:03.173 --> 00:02:10.177 And does it provide, I mean, both the Mark 10 mission and the redeemed, do they provide like resources to different spaces? 31 00:02:10.577 --> 00:02:10.937 Yeah. 32 00:02:11.037 --> 00:02:17.520 I mean, my mission, particularly with the Mark 10 mission is to help children be led to Jesus. 33 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:22.122 You know, that's why we're called Mark 10, Mark 10, 14, let the children come to me. 34 00:02:22.662 --> 00:02:28.665 And so we have in this country, I think we have about 2000 Catholic schools. 35 00:02:28.705 --> 00:02:30.506 So secretly that's my way in. 36 00:02:31.943 --> 00:02:34.124 Because they have to pray each day. 37 00:02:34.224 --> 00:02:38.405 So, yeah, we show them a video, 15 minutes. 38 00:02:39.085 --> 00:02:40.286 They can watch it any time of the week. 39 00:02:40.306 --> 00:02:41.706 But it's on the Sunday Gospel. 40 00:02:42.146 --> 00:02:48.288 So in the Catholic Church across the world, we hear the same Sunday Gospel every... Oh, wow. 41 00:02:48.608 --> 00:02:51.609 Each Sunday there's a new one, but it's universal across the church. 42 00:02:51.629 --> 00:02:52.610 So we just share that. 43 00:02:53.530 --> 00:03:04.458 open it up to them, not in a intellectual, let's learn about Jesus for subject knowledge kind of way, but how can we pray about what Jesus is saying to us personally? 44 00:03:05.098 --> 00:03:12.343 And I really have a heart for breaking open that barrier of, no, Jesus is alive, boys and girls. 45 00:03:12.623 --> 00:03:19.128 And you can know him and you can go to your secret place and go to your room tonight and meet him. 46 00:03:19.728 --> 00:03:19.808 And 47 00:03:21.529 --> 00:03:25.052 My heart for that really comes from when I was a child. 48 00:03:25.192 --> 00:03:26.353 We can get into my story. 49 00:03:26.393 --> 00:03:26.973 Yeah, let's do it. 50 00:03:26.993 --> 00:03:27.474 That would be awesome. 51 00:03:27.494 --> 00:03:28.314 Yeah, let's do it. 52 00:03:28.334 --> 00:03:33.478 But a seed was planted in my heart when I was five, six, seven years old. 53 00:03:33.558 --> 00:03:35.079 You know, I was in love with Jesus. 54 00:03:35.119 --> 00:03:36.761 When you have no inhibitions. 55 00:03:37.341 --> 00:03:38.122 And I just want to... 56 00:03:39.001 --> 00:03:49.325 play my part, my small part perhaps, in helping a generation of children know that Jesus loves them in this crazy world that they're growing up in. 57 00:03:49.425 --> 00:03:57.188 And then the redeemed is like an extension of that because we had tens of thousands of children joining us each week and people were loving it. 58 00:03:57.728 --> 00:04:06.872 And then I was hearing so many stories from like parents or priests or teachers, like teenagers, they just switch off from it. 59 00:04:07.992 --> 00:04:14.817 They come to secondary school and especially if they've been through a faith school, primary school, they know the stuff. 60 00:04:15.357 --> 00:04:19.640 They're quite confident about praying that something happens to them and they clam up. 61 00:04:20.321 --> 00:04:21.802 So the redeemed was really like... 62 00:04:22.622 --> 00:04:23.903 How can we bridge that gap? 63 00:04:23.943 --> 00:04:35.369 How can we help teenagers and young adults know that following Jesus is possible, is relevant in 2026? 64 00:04:35.549 --> 00:04:36.249 Yeah. 65 00:04:36.309 --> 00:04:37.670 So that's my heart for that. 66 00:04:37.870 --> 00:04:38.911 A lot like you guys. 67 00:04:39.031 --> 00:04:42.093 And you said very briefly that you kind of had a... 68 00:04:43.574 --> 00:04:45.335 you loved Jesus as a young child, right? 69 00:04:45.355 --> 00:04:49.338 But I remember speaking just before we switched the cameras on, you said that there was a moment in your teen years. 70 00:04:49.518 --> 00:04:52.861 So is it in your teen years where you were sort of unsure? 71 00:04:52.881 --> 00:04:57.725 Do you remember that moment where it switched back and what that was like coming back to God like properly? 72 00:04:58.045 --> 00:04:58.806 You know, what was that like? 73 00:04:58.986 --> 00:05:09.414 Yeah, I mean, I don't know what it's like for you guys, but, or if you ever do this, but remember if you're brought up in a Christian background, that's was, I was blessed to be brought up 74 00:05:10.175 --> 00:05:18.167 in a Christian home, like not over the top, like a very quiet faith of my dad and my grandma, who was a mighty woman of prayer. 75 00:05:19.169 --> 00:05:20.010 So I was blessed for that. 76 00:05:20.030 --> 00:05:21.011 And that's not always the case. 77 00:05:21.091 --> 00:05:21.252 But 78 00:05:22.617 --> 00:05:32.701 how I saw Jesus when I was, yeah, a kid of six, seven, eight years old, there was no doubt in my mind that he was who he said he was. 79 00:05:32.741 --> 00:05:35.142 And everybody I knew believed in him. 80 00:05:35.162 --> 00:05:38.643 My teachers believed in him and something happens. 81 00:05:38.703 --> 00:05:49.008 I think I went to a non-Christian secondary school and love my sport and just began to believe that gospel that the world shouts so loudly at you. 82 00:05:49.248 --> 00:05:49.488 And yeah, 83 00:05:50.068 --> 00:05:55.412 Yeah, if somebody had asked me as a teenager, do you believe in God? 84 00:05:55.432 --> 00:05:57.313 I'd be like, yeah, yeah, I think so. 85 00:05:57.993 --> 00:05:59.935 But I'm not sure he's relevant to my life. 86 00:06:00.975 --> 00:06:10.662 And that went on a little bit into my early 20s, you know, chasing the things that the world tells you to chase and the next enjoyment high. 87 00:06:10.862 --> 00:06:11.182 Yeah. 88 00:06:11.443 --> 00:06:16.386 But I'll be honest with you guys, I got to about 23, 24 and it wasn't going so well. 89 00:06:16.726 --> 00:06:17.146 Nothing... 90 00:06:18.287 --> 00:06:19.068 It's drastic. 91 00:06:19.148 --> 00:06:23.410 Like I don't have one of these super impressive stories of being in the gutter or whatever. 92 00:06:23.470 --> 00:06:29.233 You know, God bless people who the Lord's done great things for and lifted them out of dark situations. 93 00:06:29.253 --> 00:06:29.953 That's not me. 94 00:06:30.713 --> 00:06:38.397 But I was just lost and selfish and treating people badly and living for myself. 95 00:06:38.417 --> 00:06:38.557 Yeah. 96 00:06:40.138 --> 00:06:45.885 The Lord just very gently, I think, gave me a nudge and said, what are you going to do with your life? 97 00:06:46.446 --> 00:06:46.726 Wow. 98 00:06:47.026 --> 00:06:50.751 And I felt, well, I want to maybe help people, serve. 99 00:06:51.051 --> 00:06:52.373 So I thought, I'll be a teacher. 100 00:06:53.134 --> 00:06:54.595 Like, I'll go do that. 101 00:06:54.635 --> 00:06:55.256 And then I thought... 102 00:06:56.177 --> 00:06:56.958 I'm a Catholic. 103 00:06:56.998 --> 00:06:59.961 Like I've received my sacraments as a kid. 104 00:07:00.122 --> 00:07:08.491 I baptized a few months after I was born, eight years old, first confession, first Holy Communion, confirmed at 13. 105 00:07:09.352 --> 00:07:15.379 I've got the bits of paper and it means I can go to a Catholic school and apply and say I'm a Catholic. 106 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:15.920 Right. 107 00:07:15.940 --> 00:07:16.080 Right. 108 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:27.887 But thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit, I believe, gave me a bit of integrity, said, if I'm going to sign up as a Catholic teacher, I need to start doing stuff that Catholics do. 109 00:07:28.968 --> 00:07:29.988 I guess that makes sense. 110 00:07:30.028 --> 00:07:30.289 Yeah. 111 00:07:31.109 --> 00:07:32.890 And that was the thought in my mind. 112 00:07:32.930 --> 00:07:39.254 So the first thing I did was I'll think about going back to mass, to church on a Sunday. 113 00:07:40.155 --> 00:07:41.436 Thanks be to God, my dad. 114 00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:50.865 was going every week, like never missed, never really talked about his faith much, very much a Catholic of his generation where it was a quiet, private faith. 115 00:07:50.905 --> 00:07:53.106 He'd never share it with his colleagues, for example. 116 00:07:53.846 --> 00:07:56.508 But I could just slide back into the pew next to him 117 00:07:57.752 --> 00:08:16.219 But I did know, I'd remembered somebody told me from way back, if you've been away for a while, strictly actually if you've been away for a Sunday, but if you've been away, go to confession, bring it into the light, share that with the Lord, start again, reset, wipe the slate clean. 118 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:23.282 And so I psyched myself up and rang up a priest who I'd known as a kid. 119 00:08:23.682 --> 00:08:26.423 He was the priest in the parish when I was young and... 120 00:08:26.823 --> 00:08:28.344 I remember him wearing jeans. 121 00:08:28.964 --> 00:08:30.864 I was like, he's not a normal priest. 122 00:08:30.904 --> 00:08:32.945 He's going to give me an easy time. 123 00:08:32.965 --> 00:08:35.566 So I got online and found out where he was based. 124 00:08:35.606 --> 00:08:38.187 He was in Leeds, close to where I live. 125 00:08:38.907 --> 00:08:41.668 And I went and had what we call a general confession. 126 00:08:42.108 --> 00:08:42.528 Okay. 127 00:08:42.608 --> 00:08:48.950 So that's going and sitting down one-to-one with the priest and sharing with him. 128 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.966 my sins, like the time of Mr. Mark and confession. 129 00:08:55.186 --> 00:08:55.987 We can talk about that. 130 00:08:56.007 --> 00:09:04.118 I'd love to speak about that a bit more, but I had three hours with him, just told him all the things that I'd been doing, the way I'd been treating people. 131 00:09:04.959 --> 00:09:06.481 And it was amazing. 132 00:09:07.002 --> 00:09:12.763 Like you go into a situation like that thinking, this priest is never going to have heard anything like this. 133 00:09:13.504 --> 00:09:16.304 And I know now that priests have heard everything. 134 00:09:16.484 --> 00:09:17.485 Some crazy stuff. 135 00:09:17.505 --> 00:09:25.787 So I didn't need to be afraid, but I came out of there, I was so loved and gave me a massive hug at the end and said something along the lines of, you're back. 136 00:09:26.787 --> 00:09:27.307 You're back. 137 00:09:27.987 --> 00:09:28.767 Jesus loves you. 138 00:09:29.327 --> 00:09:30.868 And I went back to mass and... 139 00:09:32.002 --> 00:09:40.224 I was so captivated by what I experienced in those early days of going back to Mass. 140 00:09:41.604 --> 00:09:49.546 I mean, I'm not sure what you guys know about Holy Mass, but for me it was just mind-blowingly beautiful. 141 00:09:50.266 --> 00:09:51.987 I stepped in every Sunday and... 142 00:09:52.767 --> 00:09:59.253 heard the word of God and, and it's just in a space like different to anything else I'd ever experienced. 143 00:09:59.273 --> 00:10:10.042 Like there's a guy at the front wearing crazy colorful clothes and there's a smoke bomb going off and, and people are chanting and, but yeah, 144 00:10:11.103 --> 00:10:15.787 in a way I'd never experienced before, not at school, not any time in between. 145 00:10:16.008 --> 00:10:27.258 I just felt in an unmatched way the intimacy of the Lord Jesus in my heart, particularly in the moment towards the end of Mass where I received him in the Holy Eucharist. 146 00:10:28.459 --> 00:10:35.105 As Catholics, we believe, different to Protestant brothers and sisters perhaps, we believe that Jesus comes together. 147 00:10:35.265 --> 00:10:49.372 truly present at every single mass we say as catholics is the catholic jargon body blood soul and divinity and he's there on the altar in fact oh wow we believe actually that 148 00:10:50.535 --> 00:11:17.062 calvary the cross is there represented um in front of us the book of revelation played out the the wedding supper of the lamb heaven touching earth and it's a lot to get your mind around don't get me wrong i wasn't there straight away but in a more subtle way yeah just very gently felt the lord jesus showing me his love and inviting me to love him which was was beautiful um 149 00:11:18.242 --> 00:11:36.314 yeah there's more but that was the start of the journey back certainly wow that is so beautiful thank you for sharing that I mean as I mean I don't really know a lot about what confession is or what it really looks like could you just kind of break that down for me a little bit yeah okay sorry well 150 00:11:38.415 --> 00:11:39.477 I'll tell you what isn't Zoe. 151 00:11:39.577 --> 00:11:42.962 It's not what you often see on TV in dramas and things. 152 00:11:42.982 --> 00:11:43.963 In the dark booths. 153 00:11:44.244 --> 00:11:52.496 Yeah, and like crammed into a wooden box and looking through a grill and maybe more seriously it being something of shame. 154 00:11:52.716 --> 00:11:53.077 Yeah, yeah. 155 00:11:53.537 --> 00:11:55.858 So confession is a sacrament. 156 00:11:56.578 --> 00:12:02.899 In the Catholic Church, we have seven sacraments, some that you can receive every day or regularly. 157 00:12:03.179 --> 00:12:11.541 So that would be confession, like you mentioned, the Eucharist, and also the sacrament of the sick, which is sometimes called the last rites. 158 00:12:12.001 --> 00:12:13.302 You can get that a few times. 159 00:12:13.902 --> 00:12:21.464 And then there's others, baptism, confirmation, marriage, and ordination, which are a one-time thing. 160 00:12:23.984 --> 00:12:30.646 All of the sacraments are a meeting with Jesus and they are infused with grace. 161 00:12:31.566 --> 00:12:36.627 So in my experience, confession is where you look honestly at your life. 162 00:12:37.748 --> 00:12:41.909 And as we mature as Christians, we begin to realize that we're not perfect. 163 00:12:42.709 --> 00:12:48.410 And so we look, has there been a time where I've not chosen to love, love God, love my neighbor? 164 00:12:48.430 --> 00:12:49.851 Have I missed the mark? 165 00:12:49.871 --> 00:12:50.391 Mm-hmm. 166 00:12:52.095 --> 00:12:55.496 And I'm going to go and present that to Jesus. 167 00:12:55.556 --> 00:13:02.919 Now, in the Catholic faith, we do that by going and sharing it verbally with a priest. 168 00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:03.579 Okay. 169 00:13:03.699 --> 00:13:06.881 Which some Christians I know say, well, why can't I just do that in my own prayer? 170 00:13:07.621 --> 00:13:12.563 Or some Christians, and this scares me, will do it in like a small group and... 171 00:13:12.983 --> 00:13:15.646 have accountability within people they trust. 172 00:13:15.706 --> 00:13:25.917 But we go and it can be going into a small room and sometimes you can't see the priest, but often it'll be sat down face to face as we are now. 173 00:13:26.657 --> 00:13:28.219 The priest will put on a purple stole. 174 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:36.884 And the amazing thing in confession and the sacrament of the Eucharist, the priest enters something we call persona Christi. 175 00:13:37.645 --> 00:13:38.985 So he's no longer himself. 176 00:13:39.286 --> 00:13:40.166 Strap yourself in here. 177 00:13:40.326 --> 00:13:40.886 Oh, gosh. 178 00:13:41.207 --> 00:13:42.287 He's no longer himself. 179 00:13:42.307 --> 00:13:43.408 He becomes Jesus. 180 00:13:44.348 --> 00:13:56.715 And therefore, when we are sharing those sins as honestly as we can, without making excuses to say what we've done and bring it for the Lord, he will give us absolution. 181 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:01.891 We have in scripture, Jesus says, if you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven. 182 00:14:01.911 --> 00:14:03.371 If you withhold them, they are withheld. 183 00:14:04.132 --> 00:14:18.015 So we take Jesus at his word that his apostles, that's continued through his priest, and he'll put his hand up and say something like, through the ministry of the church, I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 184 00:14:18.535 --> 00:14:18.815 Wow. 185 00:14:19.375 --> 00:14:24.957 And the beautiful thing about confession, and this actually is one of the challenges of it, is that it's gone. 186 00:14:25.957 --> 00:14:32.027 Like the king in the parable of the unforgiving servant, it's all gone, all wiped away, undeserved. 187 00:14:33.477 --> 00:14:39.563 I find personally the biggest challenge is actually forgiving myself, like not holding myself to a higher level than God. 188 00:14:40.864 --> 00:14:46.609 But yeah, and I promise you guys, you walk out of there, like burden's gone. 189 00:14:47.290 --> 00:14:51.814 I've never met a priest who is anything other than just full of love. 190 00:14:52.655 --> 00:14:57.920 Like, as I say, people sometimes think, oh, he's never going to have heard anything as bad as this. 191 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:02.623 But the priests I know, the friends that I've got with priests say, we've heard it all. 192 00:15:03.304 --> 00:15:06.827 Nothing is beyond God's mercy. 193 00:15:07.107 --> 00:15:11.590 Even if somebody who committed a heinous crime came in, they cannot tell anybody. 194 00:15:12.831 --> 00:15:13.151 Wow. 195 00:15:13.932 --> 00:15:19.136 If somebody comes and says they committed a crime, the priest would not be a priest anymore if he went and shared that. 196 00:15:19.456 --> 00:15:23.079 Of course, a priest would say, I strongly believe. 197 00:15:24.082 --> 00:15:32.008 encourage you in the strongest possible terms, go and hand yourself in, but he cannot share what's under the seal of confession. 198 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:37.032 Um, there's a very special grace filled time. 199 00:15:37.472 --> 00:15:38.353 Um, yeah. 200 00:15:38.513 --> 00:15:38.833 Wow. 201 00:15:39.213 --> 00:15:46.118 And was that your first time entering into confession when you were, was it 23, 24, that three hour? 202 00:15:46.719 --> 00:15:46.899 No. 203 00:15:46.939 --> 00:15:50.662 So you make your first confession before you first Holy communion. 204 00:15:50.682 --> 00:15:51.782 Oh, when you were 13. 205 00:15:53.304 --> 00:15:56.307 When I was about eight, year three, I think. 206 00:15:56.787 --> 00:16:02.631 Yeah, so you go in as a young child and... That's so sweet. 207 00:16:02.651 --> 00:16:09.877 I've heard priests say that when they're hearing children's confessions, it's like being attacked with popcorn and... 208 00:16:10.357 --> 00:16:12.138 Like tiny, tiny city. 209 00:16:12.178 --> 00:16:13.139 Anyway, yeah. 210 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:14.640 So that was the first experience. 211 00:16:14.660 --> 00:16:15.860 I probably had a long gap. 212 00:16:17.141 --> 00:16:18.942 And there are lots of Catholics that dodge it. 213 00:16:19.383 --> 00:16:19.663 Really? 214 00:16:19.683 --> 00:16:21.984 We're meant to receive confession at least once a year. 215 00:16:22.444 --> 00:16:22.905 Okay. 216 00:16:23.005 --> 00:16:25.967 A lot of Catholics will go in Lent and Advent. 217 00:16:26.347 --> 00:16:26.867 Okay. 218 00:16:27.127 --> 00:16:28.768 But yeah, a lot of Catholics are scared of it. 219 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:30.449 I mean, it makes sense. 220 00:16:30.469 --> 00:16:33.391 That is quite a vulnerable thing to do. 221 00:16:34.592 --> 00:16:35.272 But that's so cool. 222 00:16:35.292 --> 00:16:37.333 I didn't know that it only happened like once a year. 223 00:16:37.373 --> 00:16:38.174 I thought it was like a... 224 00:16:38.514 --> 00:16:39.275 That's the minimum. 225 00:16:39.455 --> 00:16:45.143 Like I would say if you really wanted to grow in your relationship with Jesus every month. 226 00:16:45.363 --> 00:16:45.824 Every month. 227 00:16:45.844 --> 00:16:46.304 Probably. 228 00:16:46.324 --> 00:16:46.645 Okay. 229 00:16:46.685 --> 00:16:48.587 You know, you don't have to be in there every day. 230 00:16:48.808 --> 00:16:49.388 Yeah. 231 00:16:49.709 --> 00:16:54.715 Because in the mass, we have at the start of every mass just a little confession in front of everybody. 232 00:16:55.416 --> 00:17:04.987 So before every Mass, about five minutes into the service, everybody together will say, I confess to Almighty God, you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned. 233 00:17:06.369 --> 00:17:11.195 Just to come in right standing before entering in. 234 00:17:11.255 --> 00:17:13.557 So, yeah, it's not something that... 235 00:17:14.498 --> 00:17:37.112 um needs to be worried about in my experience it's such an amazing experience of jesus's mercy yeah well thanks for sharing that and then as well sorry i don't want to keep asking for like loads of definitions but um you've mentioned mass and holy mass a few times i've i don't think i've ever been to a mass service apart from maybe when i've traveled like to europe and been like oh i 236 00:17:40.134 --> 00:17:46.476 But could you just speak through what a Holy Mass, is it ceremony looks like or just a Holy Mass service? 237 00:17:46.676 --> 00:17:51.738 Yeah, I mean, Holy Mass is what we go to on a Sunday morning and every day of the week, if you want. 238 00:17:51.838 --> 00:17:52.578 Okay. 239 00:17:53.738 --> 00:17:57.640 We speak about it in the Catholic Church as the highest form of prayer. 240 00:17:57.660 --> 00:17:59.320 So it's a prayer. 241 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:03.402 And of course, in the Catholic Church, there's a rich tapestry of ways of praying. 242 00:18:04.042 --> 00:18:06.823 But Mass is where we... 243 00:18:07.603 --> 00:18:11.705 come together as a community in church. 244 00:18:12.306 --> 00:18:13.727 And Mass has two parts. 245 00:18:14.747 --> 00:18:17.909 And the formula is exactly the same. 246 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:22.812 The structure of it in every Catholic church across the world, the language changes. 247 00:18:23.592 --> 00:18:28.315 And there's beautiful variety, like the readings change every week. 248 00:18:29.155 --> 00:18:32.516 every day, in fact, according to the season that we're in in the church. 249 00:18:33.216 --> 00:18:34.696 But there's a beautiful structure to it. 250 00:18:34.716 --> 00:18:38.757 And I love going to Mass in different countries because you know where you are. 251 00:18:38.777 --> 00:18:39.638 It's like navigating. 252 00:18:39.658 --> 00:18:41.018 Where are we in the Mass? 253 00:18:41.178 --> 00:18:45.379 I think we're at this point and it looks like we're going to kneel down now or stand up. 254 00:18:45.419 --> 00:18:48.140 But yeah, Mass has two parts. 255 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:52.041 The first is where we listen to the Word of God, the liturgy of the Word. 256 00:18:53.001 --> 00:18:56.802 And at Mass on a Sunday, we'll hear a reading from the Old Testament. 257 00:18:57.682 --> 00:19:00.885 We'll hear a psalm recited or sung, if you're lucky. 258 00:19:02.406 --> 00:19:07.150 And then there'll always be something from the epistles, almost always from Paul. 259 00:19:07.750 --> 00:19:12.254 And then at Mass, you sit down for those, listen closely. 260 00:19:12.734 --> 00:19:16.998 And then the high point of the liturgy of the word is the reading of the Holy Gospel. 261 00:19:17.738 --> 00:19:24.363 And either the priest or the deacon, he'll lift up the book of the Gospels and he'll process to the lectern and place it down. 262 00:19:25.224 --> 00:19:30.066 And sometimes there's altar servers with candles and there's a thoroughbill, which is the smoke bomb thing. 263 00:19:30.086 --> 00:19:30.826 The smoke bomb. 264 00:19:30.966 --> 00:19:31.966 Yeah. 265 00:19:31.986 --> 00:19:39.108 And everybody stands and faces, orientates themselves to the gospel to receive the words of the gospel. 266 00:19:40.149 --> 00:19:45.410 There's a gesture like this where you say, before you listen. 267 00:19:46.270 --> 00:19:48.651 And then we listen to the gospel. 268 00:19:48.771 --> 00:19:50.732 Everybody sits down and a lot like it. 269 00:19:52.232 --> 00:19:58.135 Protestant services, there'll be a homily, a preach, a breaking open of the word that the priest does or the deacon. 270 00:19:59.255 --> 00:20:02.497 And then we enter into the second half, which is the liturgy of the Eucharist. 271 00:20:03.478 --> 00:20:14.285 So gifts of bread and wine are brought forward, symbolic of our poor offering, very simple, cheap materials that are going to become something supernatural. 272 00:20:15.526 --> 00:20:19.509 And then the priest will enter into the liturgy of the Eucharist. 273 00:20:19.549 --> 00:20:26.274 And at a point early on in that, he switches into the words of the Last Supper. 274 00:20:27.555 --> 00:20:30.176 And he repeats the words of Jesus in the Last Supper. 275 00:20:30.196 --> 00:20:30.997 He takes the bread. 276 00:20:32.478 --> 00:20:37.560 blesses it, breaks it, and he says, this is my body, which will be given up to you. 277 00:20:37.600 --> 00:20:42.322 And maybe you've seen this Catholic Mass where the priest will hold up the bread. 278 00:20:43.202 --> 00:20:45.343 And we believe as Catholics that in that moment, 279 00:20:47.353 --> 00:20:49.113 That bread is no longer just a piece of bread. 280 00:20:49.133 --> 00:20:51.014 It is truly Jesus's body. 281 00:20:51.794 --> 00:20:53.755 And that's wild. 282 00:20:54.755 --> 00:21:01.856 But as Catholics, we take Jesus at his word in John 6, where he says that my body is true food and my blood is true drink. 283 00:21:02.697 --> 00:21:03.197 Eat of it. 284 00:21:04.877 --> 00:21:07.478 And so we're kneeling down at this point. 285 00:21:08.578 --> 00:21:14.839 And I've had some of the most amazing moments of my life during that moment in Mass where Jesus raised up. 286 00:21:14.899 --> 00:21:16.940 I'm on my knees and just... 287 00:21:18.298 --> 00:21:20.262 my Lord and my God, Jesus, you're here. 288 00:21:21.204 --> 00:21:25.332 And then there's some more prayers said, and then everybody's invited forward. 289 00:21:26.708 --> 00:21:33.750 Catholics, if you're non-Catholic, it's a tragedy really that we're not one. 290 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:40.613 But baptized Catholics who have made a confession, I mean, there's nobody checking this, don't get me wrong. 291 00:21:40.713 --> 00:21:42.393 It's your own conscience. 292 00:21:42.773 --> 00:21:44.274 But come forward and receive Jesus. 293 00:21:44.414 --> 00:21:51.296 I, like a lot of young Catholics now, are making the step where we kneel down and we say, I'm not even going to touch the Eucharist. 294 00:21:51.316 --> 00:21:52.717 I'm going to receive Jesus on my tongue. 295 00:21:53.917 --> 00:21:55.878 And then return back to your seat. 296 00:21:55.958 --> 00:22:00.360 And I always have that amazing thought for 15 minutes, the Eucharist hasn't been digested. 297 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:04.301 So Jesus is closer than anything else. 298 00:22:04.361 --> 00:22:05.582 He's actually within me. 299 00:22:06.442 --> 00:22:15.765 And on my knees, I'll pray some prayers there, just thanking Jesus for his love, perhaps a petition or just something for the people I love or whoever. 300 00:22:18.444 --> 00:22:21.405 And yeah, the Mass is concluded and was sent out. 301 00:22:22.585 --> 00:22:27.787 The deacon or the priest will say something like, the Mass is ended, go out and glorify the Lord by your life. 302 00:22:28.387 --> 00:22:30.968 And the challenge then is to go out and live it, right? 303 00:22:31.168 --> 00:22:35.769 Not just have it for an hour a week, which sometimes Catholics are a little bit guilty of. 304 00:22:36.669 --> 00:22:38.470 But yeah, to live it out and... 305 00:22:39.270 --> 00:22:42.992 Mass is just mysterious, beautiful, scriptural. 306 00:22:44.553 --> 00:22:48.276 It's one of those things where if you don't know what's going on, it can be super confusing. 307 00:22:49.036 --> 00:22:49.997 And it was for me. 308 00:22:51.438 --> 00:22:53.959 You really need somebody to walk you through it, I think. 309 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:59.362 But when you do have a sense of Jesus here and you bring of yourself... 310 00:23:00.283 --> 00:23:01.124 It's so powerful. 311 00:23:01.144 --> 00:23:12.451 I think that's something that I really try and help people who are young or old, but growing in their understanding of our Catholic faith is this isn't entering in a mass for what you can get out of it. 312 00:23:13.272 --> 00:23:16.354 I don't go thinking, I can't wait to be entertained. 313 00:23:16.894 --> 00:23:18.596 I don't rate what the priest says. 314 00:23:18.816 --> 00:23:21.698 It's not a sense of what you get out of it, how it's feeding you. 315 00:23:21.718 --> 00:23:23.139 It's what you can bring. 316 00:23:24.219 --> 00:23:25.280 I'm just going to surrender. 317 00:23:25.300 --> 00:23:28.783 I'm going to, Jesus, if in my prayer time I don't hear anything, 318 00:23:29.543 --> 00:23:30.124 So be it. 319 00:23:30.204 --> 00:23:38.312 I'm just going to love, you know, great saint of the Catholic Church that you've probably heard of Mother Teresa, St. Teresa of Calcutta. 320 00:23:38.372 --> 00:23:51.444 She went and she went before the Eucharist in a time called Adoration for three hours every morning in a little chapel in Calcutta before she went out and served the poor and the dying and the homeless and the orphans. 321 00:23:52.025 --> 00:23:54.127 And she said for 50 years, she barely heard anything. 322 00:23:55.385 --> 00:23:56.045 It was just quiet. 323 00:23:56.866 --> 00:23:58.727 But she just trusted that Jesus was present. 324 00:23:58.767 --> 00:24:05.491 And I think that's something that's really helped me in my life as a Catholic is don't expect to get anything out of this, Greg. 325 00:24:06.512 --> 00:24:07.072 Just love. 326 00:24:08.793 --> 00:24:16.918 And we have a beautiful time that sort of often tags on to mass, which is that moment where Jesus lifted up in the Eucharist is extended. 327 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:22.802 We have a time called adoration, which is proven amazingly popular with young Catholics. 328 00:24:23.162 --> 00:24:23.322 Mm-hmm. 329 00:24:23.802 --> 00:24:25.804 And you can step into churches in London. 330 00:24:26.384 --> 00:24:36.232 If you seek them out, it's happening every day for periods of time during the day where you can go, kneel down, and Jesus is on display in the Eucharist. 331 00:24:36.953 --> 00:24:41.377 So that little white host is placed in an ornament called a monstrance. 332 00:24:41.397 --> 00:24:42.958 Usually it looks like a big gold star. 333 00:24:43.518 --> 00:24:43.798 Okay. 334 00:24:44.678 --> 00:24:51.580 And when I enter into the church, I go down on both knees, genuflect, and then I'll look at him. 335 00:24:52.720 --> 00:25:03.963 And there's a beautiful explanation of prayer in the catechism of the Catholic Church, which is like our textbook, the manual for being a Catholic, where it says, 336 00:25:04.823 --> 00:25:07.024 And it comes from a saint called Jean-Marie Vianney. 337 00:25:08.225 --> 00:25:11.606 Let Jesus look at you and look at him with love. 338 00:25:11.646 --> 00:25:14.307 And that's all you need to do sometimes. 339 00:25:14.968 --> 00:25:16.208 And so that's what adoration is. 340 00:25:18.029 --> 00:25:21.691 Saint Carlo Acutis, who's a modern day saint, he's younger than me. 341 00:25:22.071 --> 00:25:24.072 He died in 2006 of leukemia. 342 00:25:24.612 --> 00:25:27.253 He was made a saint last year by Pope Leo. 343 00:25:27.794 --> 00:25:30.255 He said, when you go out in the sun, you get a suntan. 344 00:25:31.275 --> 00:25:34.258 When you kneel before Jesus in the blessed sacrament, you become a saint. 345 00:25:35.399 --> 00:25:38.022 And I just think that's how I often think about it. 346 00:25:38.062 --> 00:25:47.331 Like the grace pouring out from the Eucharist is just going to gently change my heart and please God, permeate my character, make me more like Jesus. 347 00:25:48.492 --> 00:25:49.433 So that's Holy Mass. 348 00:25:49.893 --> 00:25:50.253 Wow. 349 00:25:50.573 --> 00:25:52.434 Thank you so much for walking us through that. 350 00:25:52.955 --> 00:26:08.103 I think that is so beautiful to hear, especially like the, it just sounds like a time of such beautiful reflection and like a time of slowing down, which I think is so countercultural to the world we live in right now. 351 00:26:08.123 --> 00:26:13.286 And with that, I know that you've just come back from a trip away. 352 00:26:13.306 --> 00:26:13.406 Yeah. 353 00:26:14.186 --> 00:26:16.868 With loads of thousands of young Catholics. 354 00:26:16.908 --> 00:26:17.128 Yeah. 355 00:26:17.228 --> 00:26:21.029 Could you just speak a little bit about that and what you see God doing in the Catholic Church? 356 00:26:21.349 --> 00:26:23.470 Yeah, I've been on a pilgrimage. 357 00:26:23.930 --> 00:26:28.591 I was in a place called Medjugorje, which maybe I'll let people check out and research. 358 00:26:28.651 --> 00:26:31.472 I won't dive too much into that because we could go off on a huge tangent. 359 00:26:31.952 --> 00:26:33.993 But yeah, amazing joy. 360 00:26:34.013 --> 00:26:36.254 50,000 young people from around the world. 361 00:26:36.394 --> 00:26:37.154 Wow. 362 00:26:37.954 --> 00:26:42.315 Worshipping Jesus in there for one reason, to love him and be together. 363 00:26:42.335 --> 00:26:42.896 Yeah. 364 00:26:44.436 --> 00:26:49.963 see so many amazing things happening in the wider church, but in the Catholic church. 365 00:26:50.023 --> 00:26:53.888 I think it's such an incredible time to share the gospel in this country. 366 00:26:54.569 --> 00:26:59.636 I think about 597 and when Pope Gregory, which is a cracking name, by the way, 367 00:27:00.196 --> 00:27:07.300 He sent St. Augustine of Canterbury to Kent, right, with 40 monks to evangelise this island. 368 00:27:07.360 --> 00:27:17.825 And then the Celtic church from Iona and Lindisfarne in the north were also walking around the wildness of the north and talking about Jesus to people who never heard the gospel. 369 00:27:18.605 --> 00:27:19.425 never heard his name. 370 00:27:20.145 --> 00:27:26.647 And they came together at the Synod of Whitby in 664 and the church was sort of established properly in this country. 371 00:27:26.667 --> 00:27:28.528 Vikings came in and tried to disrupt stuff. 372 00:27:28.968 --> 00:27:39.230 But generally, since then, everybody in this country really has sort of had something of an understanding of who Jesus is and what he stands for. 373 00:27:39.810 --> 00:27:45.472 But I don't know about you guys, but I'm finding that meeting young people who have never heard the gospel – – 374 00:27:46.298 --> 00:27:48.640 and yet are open, like tell me. 375 00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:50.241 Yeah. 376 00:27:50.581 --> 00:27:54.064 I spoke about my dad and how he was quiet in his faith. 377 00:27:54.744 --> 00:27:57.526 I think that's very normal, particularly for Catholic Christians. 378 00:27:58.227 --> 00:28:02.189 Catholicism has only been legal in this country for just under 200 years. 379 00:28:02.710 --> 00:28:02.990 Wow. 380 00:28:03.110 --> 00:28:04.551 And throughout the 20th century, 381 00:28:05.852 --> 00:28:07.373 sort of kept our heads down a bit. 382 00:28:07.393 --> 00:28:11.775 There was a bit of prejudice, perhaps against Catholics and Irish people probably. 383 00:28:12.876 --> 00:28:16.097 But this new generation, they haven't got that baggage. 384 00:28:17.278 --> 00:28:21.360 And Catholics, what we're seeing is a desire for holiness, 385 00:28:22.521 --> 00:28:32.395 A desire not just to have the sort of social justice gospel and, yeah, be kind and you do you and go to church if you want to. 386 00:28:33.036 --> 00:28:36.321 We're seeing young Catholics really responding when we set the bar high. 387 00:28:37.463 --> 00:28:52.244 Yeah, go to mass and enter in or go and choose to have an extra hour in your week to go and pray in silence or go to an extra mass during the week or go on pilgrimage or learn about your faith. 388 00:28:53.686 --> 00:28:55.787 I think most Catholics would agree with me. 389 00:28:56.588 --> 00:28:59.691 Historically, we've been pretty poor at knowing our own faith. 390 00:29:00.311 --> 00:29:06.096 I marvel at Protestant Christians, young people like you guys who know your scripture. 391 00:29:06.897 --> 00:29:11.341 Young Catholics, old Catholics, don't really know scripture. 392 00:29:11.381 --> 00:29:13.543 Our formation generally finishes at 13. 393 00:29:15.324 --> 00:29:17.086 And then it's just like, go to Mass. 394 00:29:17.106 --> 00:29:17.306 Yeah. 395 00:29:18.469 --> 00:29:21.331 What we're seeing is young Catholics thirsty. 396 00:29:21.651 --> 00:29:22.131 Yeah. 397 00:29:22.191 --> 00:29:23.472 No, tell me why. 398 00:29:23.492 --> 00:29:24.492 I love this. 399 00:29:24.672 --> 00:29:32.517 We're in a generation where young people aren't just like, oh, I'm going to go out of a sense of obligation or like go because it's good for you. 400 00:29:33.217 --> 00:29:34.158 No, tell me why. 401 00:29:34.878 --> 00:29:46.565 So we're seeing like in this city in London, you could, if you were Catholic and wanted to learn about your faith, you could go to a talk every night of the week, whether it's a priest or a lay person talking about theology. 402 00:29:47.385 --> 00:29:53.271 And yeah, we're seeing when we, I'm going to a festival next week for Catholics. 403 00:29:53.331 --> 00:29:58.557 And when I was there last year, we had adoration of the blessed sacrament through the night. 404 00:29:59.297 --> 00:30:00.138 And it was amazing. 405 00:30:00.158 --> 00:30:02.421 Young people were like, right, let's get up at three. 406 00:30:03.161 --> 00:30:06.042 And we'll pray in front of Jesus from 3 a.m. till the morning. 407 00:30:06.062 --> 00:30:06.562 Wow. 408 00:30:06.662 --> 00:30:07.162 And like. 409 00:30:07.282 --> 00:30:07.842 That's amazing. 410 00:30:07.862 --> 00:30:12.823 They will like, yeah, in silence, but also praying over each other, worship. 411 00:30:13.383 --> 00:30:17.924 And if you set the bar high, I think young people are ready for it. 412 00:30:18.584 --> 00:30:23.545 And we're seeing little fires of revival, like you mentioned. 413 00:30:23.945 --> 00:30:26.346 So a kickback against the secular culture. 414 00:30:27.580 --> 00:30:34.312 People are fascinated by the supernatural elements, like there must be something below the surface of this world. 415 00:30:35.154 --> 00:30:38.861 And the Catholic Church offers... 416 00:30:40.573 --> 00:31:05.706 beauty something different like things that we don't see a slowness like you mentioned Zoe like no you're gonna have to sit here for an hour and nothing might happen that's all right yeah um and and young people responding well to things like the rosary like yeah in fact on that note yeah on that note yeah I've got something for you I've been excited for this I brought these for you thank you so much so these are 417 00:31:06.546 --> 00:31:11.710 rosary beads and they're not just things that people wear on a night out. 418 00:31:11.870 --> 00:31:12.510 Thank you. 419 00:31:14.212 --> 00:31:20.376 But the rosary is a very traditional Catholic prayer being prayed for centuries. 420 00:31:21.136 --> 00:31:31.864 And it's a simple way to pray some traditional prayers, the Lord's Prayer, the Our Father prayer that we have in the Catholic Church called the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, which is a prayer about the Trinity. 421 00:31:32.445 --> 00:31:35.247 And it's like a repetition, a rhythm. 422 00:31:36.011 --> 00:31:40.392 And the idea is that as you're praying the rosary, you think about moments in Jesus' life. 423 00:31:41.392 --> 00:31:44.913 There's 20 called mysteries and like the different high points. 424 00:31:44.953 --> 00:31:47.193 And the idea is you contemplate them. 425 00:31:47.353 --> 00:31:53.435 A bit like if you're doing a task that you do regularly, driving, where you don't have to think about it. 426 00:31:53.735 --> 00:31:58.956 You pray the prayers that you don't really have to think about and you can enter into the moments of scripture. 427 00:31:59.176 --> 00:32:03.337 Or I've heard young people praying the rosary before they go in for their A-levels. 428 00:32:04.498 --> 00:32:05.518 The panic setting in. 429 00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:06.039 Yeah. 430 00:32:06.439 --> 00:32:09.722 And I'm just going to pray it just to have the Lord's peace. 431 00:32:09.742 --> 00:32:21.751 It's a prayer, very Catholic, where we sometimes say we take the hand of Mary and she leads us, pushes us almost. 432 00:32:22.592 --> 00:32:25.454 to the Lord Jesus, like the wedding at Cana, do whatever he tells you. 433 00:32:26.114 --> 00:32:42.885 And so we have a tradition from, which comes from the early church of, of looking to Mary as the greatest disciple there's ever been, a model of humility, you know, be it done unto me according to your word, the soul glorifying the Lord. 434 00:32:43.366 --> 00:32:46.247 And so we look to her as, oh, she knows Jesus better than anyone. 435 00:32:46.808 --> 00:32:47.508 I want to know her. 436 00:32:47.688 --> 00:32:49.650 I want to know Jesus like she knows Jesus. 437 00:32:49.690 --> 00:32:49.870 So, 438 00:32:50.350 --> 00:32:53.633 The rosary is a little bit misunderstood, I think. 439 00:32:54.113 --> 00:32:55.814 It's a prayer of Jesus. 440 00:32:56.655 --> 00:33:04.281 But it's something that young people are going to when anxiety maybe is coming in or just feel like they need to connect with God 441 00:33:05.602 --> 00:33:06.522 Rosary in the pocket. 442 00:33:06.562 --> 00:33:12.284 Like it used to be a great saint that the Catholic Church is celebrating this year called St. Francis. 443 00:33:12.884 --> 00:33:14.544 Died 800 years ago this year. 444 00:33:15.224 --> 00:33:17.445 He put his rosary on his belt. 445 00:33:18.345 --> 00:33:19.105 In fact, it wasn't a belt. 446 00:33:19.125 --> 00:33:22.586 It was a rope because he wore a habit, very simple clothes. 447 00:33:22.606 --> 00:33:26.927 He put it on his right-hand side because St. Francis, when he was young, wanted to be a knight. 448 00:33:28.107 --> 00:33:32.328 A knight used to put the sword on the left-hand side so he could draw it with the right hand. 449 00:33:32.788 --> 00:33:33.989 And so he put a rosary there. 450 00:33:35.489 --> 00:33:41.131 We're finding a lot of young people, if they do feel darkness, they feel like something's coming against them. 451 00:33:41.311 --> 00:33:43.092 Dare I say, the enemy coming against them. 452 00:33:43.712 --> 00:33:44.773 I'm going to grab hold of this. 453 00:33:45.573 --> 00:33:46.593 I'm going to pray my rosary. 454 00:33:46.613 --> 00:33:49.414 So that's something that's powerful. 455 00:33:49.474 --> 00:33:54.576 But holiness, young people going after holiness and learning about their faith is so exciting. 456 00:33:54.616 --> 00:34:03.680 And hopefully guys like us can play a little role in helping this enthusiasm that we're seeing for the first time in generations, you know. 457 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:03.860 Yeah. 458 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:05.241 Wow, definitely. 459 00:34:06.122 --> 00:34:07.263 Thank you so much for these. 460 00:34:07.283 --> 00:34:08.043 You're very welcome. 461 00:34:08.283 --> 00:34:13.287 For those that are listening, Greg has got us rosaries if you didn't pick that up. 462 00:34:13.327 --> 00:34:14.268 Mine's multicoloured. 463 00:34:14.548 --> 00:34:15.349 Mine is red. 464 00:34:15.369 --> 00:34:17.351 I'm feeling very happy. 465 00:34:17.371 --> 00:34:17.971 Very happy with it. 466 00:34:18.411 --> 00:34:18.872 Thank you. 467 00:34:18.892 --> 00:34:19.552 Thank you so much. 468 00:34:19.672 --> 00:34:20.093 Thank you. 469 00:34:20.633 --> 00:34:22.454 So I have been to a mass before. 470 00:34:23.735 --> 00:34:25.156 First one I went to, it was great. 471 00:34:25.176 --> 00:34:27.097 It was beautiful, very reflective, loved it. 472 00:34:27.537 --> 00:34:29.839 And I went and spoke to the priest afterwards. 473 00:34:30.339 --> 00:34:33.161 And of course, I've never been to a Catholic service before. 474 00:34:33.261 --> 00:34:35.662 So we spoke and it was lovely. 475 00:34:35.962 --> 00:34:37.203 And then as I left, he blessed me. 476 00:34:37.323 --> 00:34:37.743 He goes like this. 477 00:34:38.184 --> 00:34:39.224 I've never seen that before. 478 00:34:39.484 --> 00:34:40.425 So I just blessed him right back. 479 00:34:40.565 --> 00:34:42.286 I just gave him one of them. 480 00:34:42.666 --> 00:34:46.909 And then he gave me a strange look and I just kind of backed away into the mist. 481 00:34:47.669 --> 00:34:47.850 And... 482 00:34:49.151 --> 00:34:50.292 That is so funny. 483 00:34:50.312 --> 00:34:58.200 I've seen at Holy Communion, the children who haven't made the first communion, the priest will often come up and give them a blessing, putting his hand over their head. 484 00:34:58.540 --> 00:35:02.444 And it's so cool when you see the kid go and give him a high five. 485 00:35:02.484 --> 00:35:04.626 That always makes me smile. 486 00:35:05.948 --> 00:35:06.849 That's so awesome. 487 00:35:07.409 --> 00:35:10.753 So you worked in a Catholic school, right? 488 00:35:10.794 --> 00:35:17.162 But I'm really interested in the sort of transition from being a full-time teacher to someone that's in full-time ministry. 489 00:35:17.822 --> 00:35:19.444 What was that sort of shift like? 490 00:35:20.381 --> 00:35:21.742 I think it snuck up on me. 491 00:35:22.882 --> 00:35:29.226 It started with a very small prayer, and maybe that's something, a way of discerning that God's really at work. 492 00:35:29.286 --> 00:35:30.626 It was a small prayer that got big. 493 00:35:30.646 --> 00:35:38.831 So I just had a heart to share the gospel with the children in my class and in the school during COVID when they couldn't gather together in the hall. 494 00:35:38.991 --> 00:35:39.151 Mm-hmm. 495 00:35:39.651 --> 00:35:41.913 And so I thought I'd make some videos with some friends of mine. 496 00:35:42.153 --> 00:35:48.997 Got a couple of priests together and some friends and we filmed an episode where the priest read the gospel. 497 00:35:49.378 --> 00:35:59.324 We talked about it, led them in prayer, sang a worship song or a hymn at the end, and then sent them out with a mission to go and live differently because of their encounter with Jesus. 498 00:36:00.825 --> 00:36:02.506 It just seemed to be needed. 499 00:36:02.526 --> 00:36:07.847 I shared it with all the diocese, which is how we split up the Catholic Church in this country. 500 00:36:08.287 --> 00:36:10.748 Shared it with the people in the different diocese. 501 00:36:10.768 --> 00:36:12.269 Said, this is available if you want it. 502 00:36:12.949 --> 00:36:14.729 Send it to the schools. 503 00:36:14.789 --> 00:36:15.510 And they did. 504 00:36:15.590 --> 00:36:16.850 And I think... 505 00:36:17.985 --> 00:36:24.330 It's been a success because the Lord has really blessed it and met a need as well. 506 00:36:24.370 --> 00:36:30.415 I think in Catholic schools, there's some great teachers, but a lack of confidence. 507 00:36:30.435 --> 00:36:31.576 They don't want to get anything wrong. 508 00:36:32.417 --> 00:36:37.861 And so it's really helped teachers who are maybe non-Catholic or just underconfident 509 00:36:38.621 --> 00:36:40.903 have a blueprint of how to pray. 510 00:36:41.563 --> 00:36:44.145 And it's amazing to see the children respond. 511 00:36:44.185 --> 00:36:49.408 We do get the chance to go in to schools in person and just the joy. 512 00:36:49.448 --> 00:36:52.530 Like I love sharing the gospel with young children. 513 00:36:52.550 --> 00:36:55.712 It actually helps me share the gospel with adults because it's... 514 00:36:56.412 --> 00:36:59.273 you've just got to strip it back to what's essential. 515 00:37:00.434 --> 00:37:04.196 And children are just, Jesus knows, doesn't he, be like a little child. 516 00:37:05.056 --> 00:37:06.417 They are uninhibited. 517 00:37:06.957 --> 00:37:10.519 They're ready to tell you about what they think Jesus is saying. 518 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:12.860 When you say, let us pray in front of Jesus, 519 00:37:13.540 --> 00:37:16.081 Children in primary school, they close their eyes. 520 00:37:16.921 --> 00:37:19.102 They want to know Jesus. 521 00:37:19.122 --> 00:37:20.722 It's what we're made for, isn't it? 522 00:37:21.183 --> 00:37:22.803 We're made in the image and likeness of God. 523 00:37:22.823 --> 00:37:33.587 And whether children are getting taken to church and taken to mass or not, I believe that they have something deep within them that just knows. 524 00:37:34.327 --> 00:37:39.551 Like I'm made for love and to love God and they sense it. 525 00:37:39.631 --> 00:37:40.552 So that's really beautiful. 526 00:37:40.592 --> 00:37:48.478 It's the blessing of my life to be able to pray with children and just help them know that Jesus loves them and that they can meet him every day. 527 00:37:48.578 --> 00:37:49.439 Like they don't need me. 528 00:37:50.159 --> 00:37:51.881 That's the dream that they go away and go. 529 00:37:51.921 --> 00:37:54.523 They don't need Greg or anybody on a screen or a teacher. 530 00:37:55.403 --> 00:37:58.265 I can go to my room or I can be walking home or I can be... 531 00:37:59.166 --> 00:38:02.451 playing or whatever and Jesus is with me. 532 00:38:04.113 --> 00:38:07.217 And then the heart for the redeemed was just to extend that 533 00:38:08.355 --> 00:38:21.741 We don't want a generation of young people drifting away thinking that church is boring or dull or irrelevant because if we actually know our faith, we realize that Jesus is as relevant as he ever was. 534 00:38:22.121 --> 00:38:25.743 The church is 2000 years old and the gospel is still good. 535 00:38:26.503 --> 00:38:30.125 The gospel is still the answer to every question that a young person is searching for. 536 00:38:30.845 --> 00:38:31.886 Just to tell them like. 537 00:38:32.546 --> 00:38:38.570 I think particularly young men in this generation who are searching for something to really hold on to. 538 00:38:39.310 --> 00:38:45.374 Jesus is the most charismatic, strong, stand up when he speaks. 539 00:38:45.394 --> 00:38:47.615 The religious elites are struck dumb. 540 00:38:48.556 --> 00:38:50.297 He's the best guy to get behind. 541 00:38:50.937 --> 00:38:55.860 And I think we just need to lay that before young people and say, Jesus. 542 00:38:56.300 --> 00:39:00.762 You want truth in a world where it's hard to discern what you can believe in? 543 00:39:01.783 --> 00:39:03.324 Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. 544 00:39:04.204 --> 00:39:11.108 And just to open up to them the beauty of him, I think I'm so inspired. 545 00:39:11.168 --> 00:39:18.692 And if I can play a role in this, we've got about a million young people in Catholic schools and more in Church of England schools. 546 00:39:19.793 --> 00:39:29.137 Imagine if we could make that transition from them thinking that Jesus is just somebody they learn about in our e-class to actually a person that they can know personally. 547 00:39:29.737 --> 00:39:30.838 We could change the culture. 548 00:39:30.858 --> 00:39:31.958 We could change the country. 549 00:39:31.978 --> 00:39:32.958 We could change history. 550 00:39:33.779 --> 00:39:42.282 So I think that's the task for all of us to just open up the beauty of following Jesus and what that can look like for young people. 551 00:39:43.403 --> 00:39:44.063 And I think we can. 552 00:39:44.627 --> 00:39:45.548 Yeah, wow. 553 00:39:45.908 --> 00:39:50.632 Greg, thank you so much for coming on to The Way UK's podcast. 554 00:39:50.692 --> 00:39:56.036 It's been such a joy to learn from you and hear your story and thank you for our gifts. 555 00:39:56.276 --> 00:39:59.519 Well, I have got another couple of gifts for you. 556 00:39:59.539 --> 00:39:59.939 Some more? 557 00:40:00.119 --> 00:40:02.041 I've come heavy laden. 558 00:40:02.161 --> 00:40:05.343 I've got two things here for you, which are little images. 559 00:40:05.363 --> 00:40:07.305 I have one in my prayer corner at home. 560 00:40:07.565 --> 00:40:08.085 Thank you. 561 00:40:08.165 --> 00:40:09.066 And this is something. 562 00:40:09.106 --> 00:40:09.446 Thank you. 563 00:40:10.247 --> 00:40:11.148 Thank you so much. 564 00:40:11.677 --> 00:40:13.718 These are in most Catholic churches in the world. 565 00:40:13.738 --> 00:40:16.919 This is the image of divine mercy, and it's something that I like to look at. 566 00:40:17.560 --> 00:40:21.562 It's Jesus just saying, here's my heart. 567 00:40:21.622 --> 00:40:26.384 Actually, there's blood and water, like from the cross, being poured out, and that's grace. 568 00:40:27.084 --> 00:40:29.985 And it just reminds me, every time I look at that image, Jesus loves me. 569 00:40:30.446 --> 00:40:36.328 Whatever happens, whatever I've done, whatever my story, he's got enough grace to cover it. 570 00:40:36.729 --> 00:40:38.309 And all I need to go is turn back to him. 571 00:40:38.329 --> 00:40:39.550 And it's got that little prayer at the bottom, 572 00:40:40.610 --> 00:40:42.811 Short prayer, but probably the hardest to pray at times. 573 00:40:42.951 --> 00:40:45.052 Jesus, I trust in you. 574 00:40:45.392 --> 00:40:47.052 And so that's for you. 575 00:40:47.592 --> 00:40:48.593 That's very Catholic. 576 00:40:48.613 --> 00:40:52.074 You've got two extremely Catholic artifacts to take away. 577 00:40:52.494 --> 00:40:56.376 Thank you so much for your kindness and for thinking of us when you were away. 578 00:40:56.756 --> 00:41:00.837 Guys, we really hope that you've learned a lot from what Greg shared today. 579 00:41:01.097 --> 00:41:02.198 We hope you've been blessed. 580 00:41:02.598 --> 00:41:05.859 Guys, drop a little comment of, what are your comments, Solomon? 581 00:41:07.640 --> 00:41:09.843 drop a, I don't know. 582 00:41:10.304 --> 00:41:11.706 Greg, what should they drop in the comments? 583 00:41:11.866 --> 00:41:12.847 I'm going to go ahead and delegate. 584 00:41:13.969 --> 00:41:14.890 Jesus, I trust in you. 585 00:41:15.391 --> 00:41:16.212 Oh, man. 586 00:41:16.232 --> 00:41:16.533 Go ahead. 587 00:41:16.573 --> 00:41:17.254 That's a good one. 588 00:41:17.294 --> 00:41:21.059 Guys, comment Jesus, I trust in you, and we'll see you in the next episode. 589 00:41:21.179 --> 00:41:21.740 Bye for now. 590 00:41:22.100 --> 00:41:22.441 Farewell.