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All Roads Lead to Rome: On Becoming Roman Catholic (OCIA)

All Roads Lead to Rome: On Becoming Roman Catholic (OCIA)

By: M.S. Bickford
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This podcast is for people interested in the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It is especially helpful if you have only heard negative things about it, or if you are in an OCIA class.2025 Christianity Spirituality World
Episodes
  • 041 - How Catholics Read the Bible
    Apr 7 2026

    Many Christians assume the Bible is easy to read: "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it." But is that how Scripture has actually been read throughout history?

    In this episode, we explain why Scripture was never meant to stand alone and how the Church has consistently interpreted the Bible from the time of the early Church Fathers to today.

    Key Points:
    • Why the Bible is not a single book, but a library of 73 inspired books
    • How different literary genres in Scripture require different ways of reading
    • Why Jesus established a Church, not a book—and why that matters
    • How the biblical canon was formed by the early Church
    • Why Catholics have 73 books in the Bible while Protestants have only 66
    • What the Septuagint is and why it matters for understanding Jesus and the New Testament
    • Why the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is historically and logically problematic
    • How Catholics understand authority through Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium
    • How to read the Bible through the "Four Senses" of Scripture
    The Four Senses of Scripture

    1. Literal Sense: What the text meant in its original historical, cultural, and literary context.
    This is the foundation of all biblical interpretation.

    2. Allegorical Sense: How Old Testament events point to Christ.

    3. Moral Sense: The ways the Bible teaches us how to live

    4. Anagogical Sense: How Scripture points us toward our final destiny

    Summary

    Catholics take the Bible seriously—but never in isolation. Scripture is read with the whole Church, past and present, guided by tradition and safeguarded by the Magisterium. Understanding the Four Senses of Scripture doesn't just deepen biblical knowledge—it changes how we live, how we worship, and how we walk the road of faith.

    Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net

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    Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

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    42 mins
  • 040 - The Atonement
    Mar 31 2026

    The Atonement is the word used to describe the meaning of the death of Jesus on the cross. It is also why him being executed is the symbol for the Christian religion. This episode explores the mystery of the Atonement—how Christ's death on the Cross restores humanity's broken relationship with God.

    T Catholic understanding of the Atonement is a rich, multi‑dimensional mystery rooted in Scripture, shaped by the Fathers of the Church, clarified by St. Thomas Aquinas, and lived out in the sacraments. This episode explains why Catholic theology refuses to reduce the Cross to just punishment, moral example, or cosmic victory—and instead embraces all of the above, and more.

    According to Catholic teaching, Christ's saving work on the Cross is:

    1. Sacrificial — Christ freely offers Himself in love
    2. Substitutive (not penal) — Christ stands in our place as the New Adam
    3. Satisfactory — His love outweighs the offense of sin
    4. Meritorious — Grace flows from His obedience
    5. Victorious — Sin, death, and the devil are defeated
    6. Medicinal — The wounds of sin are healed
    7. Transformative — Humanity is elevated into divine life
    8. Ecclesial & Sacramental — The Church communicates the fruits of the Cross
    9. Trinitarian — The inner life of God is revealed as self‑giving love
    10. Eschatological — The Cross opens the way to Resurrection and eternal communion

    Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net

    We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube.

    Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

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    31 mins
  • 039 - Stations of the Cross
    Mar 24 2026

    The Stations of the Cross is a powerful and uniquely Catholic devotional practices. It is mostly associated with Lent, but it can be prayed at any time and invites believers to enter deeply into the suffering, death, and redemptive love of Christ on Good Friday.

    Rather than treating Christ's Passion as a historical footnote or a mere prelude to the Resurrection, the Stations ask us to walk with Jesus, contemplate each moment of His suffering, and unite our own pain with His. This episode explains why that kind of prayer matters, especially when faith is tested by personal suffering.

    This episode explores the historical development of the Stations, from early Christian pilgrimages along the Via Dolorosa, through Franciscan spirituality, to their presence on the walls of every Catholic church today. The episode concludes with a detailed walkthrough of all 14 traditional Stations, along with a comparison to the Scriptural Stations developed by Pope St. John Paul II.

    The Stations of the Cross are not about dwelling morbidly on suffering—they are about learning how God meets us in suffering. By walking with Jesus on the road to Calvary, we discover that no pain, injustice, or loss is ever faced alone.

    Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net

    We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube.

    Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

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    37 mins
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