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Matt Fradd

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Mark Cobuzzi@AquinasPupilMC73

November 10, 2024

Pop-Cultured Catholic #18: Playing One’s Given Role in God’s Theo-Drama… Or OwlKitty’s Mashups

Halloween season has been a prime opportunity for my series to delve into dark, complex, and macabre subject matter, and now it is over. To provide a 180-degree shift away from that tone, I have decided to focus on something simple, silly, and adorable for today… a popular cat named Lizzy… better known by her YouTube stage name, OwlKitty.

The story begins with Licorice, a stray cat taken into foster care, after she was found flea-bitten, malnourished… and pregnant with kittens. While rehabilitating, Licorice soon got the attention of one particular couple, Tibo Charroppin and Olivia Boone, who have already owned a cat and were ready to adopt another one. And on March 3rd, 2017, Licorice had finally given birth to a litter of six kittens. The couple especially took interest in one of her kittens, the black-colored one named Lizzy. While Licorice was adopted by another household, Tibo and Olivia got to bring home Lizzy, who eventually formed a mutual bond with their current cat named Juliette. Soon, Tibo would put his video recording and editing skills to good use, creating a library of videos starring Lizzy.

The turning point began when the owners of Licorice’s kitten, Lizzy, got the idea to make a video mashup, where Lizzy replaces one of the Velociraptors in the “Jurassic Park” film’s iconic kitchen scene. Using a combination of green screens, video editing, and cat toys to coach Lizzy, the “Purrassic Park” mashup was made. Due to Lizzy’s appearance, she was also given the nickname of “OwlKitty”. Soon, the 14-second parody went viral.

From that one brief “Jurassic Park” parody video starring Lizzy, a whole series of OwlKitty videos spawned. The repertoire grew from adding Lizzy to short clips of films, shows, and video games into making full parody trailers starring her, complete with supplementary “Behind the Scenes” videos. The production value grew to the point of Tibo sometimes inserting dubbed dialogue, clips of himself, other props, and even a “stunt double” for Lizzy. OwlKitty soon got to fight alongside the Avengers against Thanos, board the Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio, clash with Godzilla as a kaiju-sized version of herself, snatch the fly buzzing around Mike Pence’s head, terrorize Amity Island in “Jaws”, pilot fighter jets with Tom Cruise, become the true culprit of “Paranormal Activity”, face down Gandalf as he commands she shall not pass, join the roster of a Super Smash Bros. game, and so on. She even got to revisit “Jurassic Park” and get promoted to the role of the Tyrannosaurus rex. As of now, the OwlKitty channel has 2.53 million subscribers.

While reading the comment sections for these videos, there has been one recurring comment I can paraphrase, which caused a silly theological analogy to cross my mind: “That cat is a superstar and she doesn’t even know it”. As far as Lizzy understands, all she is doing is just being a cat, playing with various toys, hanging out in front of a green blanket, and following her owner’s coaching. It is Lizzy’s owner, Tibo, who takes the actions he coaches out of her, then uses his knowledge, his abilities, and other collaborating “actors” far beyond her understanding to yield a bigger picture. That is, one more amazing than she can possibly comprehend… yet starring exactly her. Yet, if these OwlKitty videos were also being written, casted, directed, and produced by the cat herself, with no input from her owner, then they would be not only vastly inferior, but utterly nonexistent.

Over the years of watching Bishop Robert Barron’s videos, one of the recurring motifs I have seen is his distinction between God’s “theo-drama” versus an individual person’s “ego-drama”. Bishop Barron has used the latter words to describe the common tendency of many people to approach life as a play they are not only starring in, but also writing, casting, directing, and producing all on their own. People like Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar have coined the term “theo-drama”, to illustrate the potential roles each person can act out in the bigger play that God is writing, casting, directing, and producing. If one thinks the difference in knowledge, intellect, creative vision, and resources between Lizzy the cat and her owners is vast, then imagine the difference in such qualities between God and regular humans. In a way, one can state that each person is still being offered their own unique starring role, which God can work into the broader “cinematic universe” he envisions. And the “genres” that God is enabling us to star in include countless others besides parodic comedy shorts. Yet in our limited knowledge and perception, all we can see around us are the mere “green screens”, “props”, “laser pointers” coaxing our actions, etc. We see those with no ability to fully comprehend how it will all look, once God brings together the other cast members' performances, the visual effects in post-production, and so on. Perhaps a human clinging to his own “ego-drama”, with a presumption that it will automatically be the greatest work for him to star in, would be partly akin to Lizzy the cat trying to be a better YouTube superstar by her own ideas and skills, without any of her owner’s direction, creativity, abilities, and resources.

Finally, I have always liked Bishop Barron’s take on the meaning of Matthew 18 Verses 1-5. That excerpt from the Gospels read: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’”. Granted, we are not meant to specifically be like children, in the sense that we keep our intellectual capacity low and underdeveloped compared to an adult's. Rather, Bishop Barron has offered this as one of the potential explanations: “Children are like plants, rocks, and flowers in this sense: they don’t know how to be something that they are not. They haven’t yet learned to lie, dissemble, pretend, or to seek to be someone they are not meant to be. We are all, right now, being created by God for God’s purposes. Childlike joy returns to us the moment we put aside all our games of self-promotion and self-deception and live in accord with God’s deepest desire for us”. For that matter, I guess the Bishop could just as easily liken children to Lizzy the cat. She just behaves as the creator naturally made her to behave, remains receptive to the creative guidance of someone higher than her, and can let said someone fill in the rest to create a very good show, far better than any that she could envision purely on her own.

The first two supplementary videos will feature the adoption story of Lizzy, who would become the OwlKitty, as well as one of Bishop Barron's talk on the ego-drama versus theo-drama. Following that, I will include links to a large sample of OwlKitty mashups and "Behind the Scenes" videos which entertained me...

1.) "OwlKitty: The Adoption Story"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-8DsGrpb0

2.) "Give Up the Ego-Drama! — Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermon"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_blFDePJY

20 OwlKitty Mashups and "Behind the Scenes" videos...

1.) "Jurassic Park - Starring my cat" (debut video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYZ6YNg_1OQ

2.) "Making Purrassic Park!" (debut video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An5-RXCHTJ8

3.) "Jurassic Park but with a Cat" (T-Rex Breakout)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W85oD8FEF78

4.) "Jurassic Park with a Cat — Behind the Scenes" (T-Rex Breakout)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtIoMT1WX4U

5.) "Titanic with a Cat"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEPfM3jSoBw

6.) "Titanic with a Cat (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONgEvIuyVtE

7.) "Godzilla vs. Cat (OwlKitty Parody)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7GsKFepDg

8.) "Godzilla vs. OwlKitty (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V29BO4UR2mc

9.) "CLAWS! (Jaws OwlKitty parody)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmKfpKM8bw

10.) "Jaws + Cat (OwlKitty Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAa0XYLCKXA

11.) "Avengers Endgame with my cat OwlKitty"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYr0hGFzU2I

12.) "The Shining + My cat (HD)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIkxDXyNgAU

13.) "Lord of the Rings + My Cat"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mf06IwdpVM

14.) "Lord of the Rings + OwlKitty (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDer-LnEOXA

15.) "Top Gun with a Cat"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3rQ3328Tok

16.) "Top Gun with a Cat (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kO8z5fyr8U

17.) "Smash Bros with a Cat"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35MNFLkSyf0

18.) "Super Smash Bros. + ‪@OwlKitty‬ (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu9ZqJVXcrY

19.) "Purranormal Activity (with my cat OwlKitty)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEqJjzN4J7s

20.) "Cat vs. Debate Fly (Behind the Scenes)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrjLIytek6o

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Did the Early Church Recognize the Pope’s Authority? A Socratic Dialogue You Can’t Ignore

Below is an imagined Socratic dialogue between a Catholic (Leo) and a Protestant (Martin). It is not intended to be an exhaustive argument but rather to help Catholics see that there is strong Patristic evidence for the early Church's belief in the authority of the Pope.

Special thanks to Madeline McCourt for her assistance in editing this article.

Martin: I’ve heard it said that the early Church gave unique authority to the Bishop of Rome, but honestly, I just don’t see it. To me, it seems like a later development rather than something the early Christians actually believed.

Leo: That’s an understandable concern, and one I’ve heard before. But if we take an honest look at the writings of the early Church Fathers, they seem to say something very different. Let’s start with Ignatius of Antioch. He wrote around A.D. 110 and called the Church of Rome the one that “holds the presidency.” Doesn’t that suggest a kind of leadership role?

Martin: Not necessarily. When Ignatius says that Rome “holds the presidency,” he could be referring to its importance as the capital of the empire, not as some kind of spiritual authority.

Leo: That’s an interesting point, but Ignatius doesn’t frame it that way. He’s writing to a church, not the emperor or the civic authorities. And he specifically praises the Roman Church for its spiritual character, saying it’s “worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing.” Moreover, he commends them for teaching others and instructing the faithful. That’s not a description of political power—it’s spiritual authority (Letter to the Romans 1:1, 3:1).

Martin: Even so, Ignatius doesn’t explicitly say that the Roman Church has authority over other churches. He’s being respectful, but respect isn’t the same as submission.

Leo: Fair enough, but let’s consider Pope Clement I. Around A.D. 80, he wrote to the church in Corinth to address a serious dispute. He doesn’t just offer advice—he commands them to reinstate their leaders and warns them that disobedience to his letter would put them in “no small danger.” Clement even claims to be speaking “through the Holy Spirit” (Letter to the Corinthians 1, 58–59, 63). Why would a bishop in Rome have the right to intervene in the internal affairs of a church in Greece unless there was an acknowledged authority?

Martin: Maybe Corinth respected Clement’s wisdom, but that doesn’t mean they recognized him as having jurisdiction over them. He could have been acting as a wise elder, not as a pope.

Leo: That’s possible, but Clement’s tone doesn’t suggest he’s merely offering advice. He writes as someone with the authority to settle the matter definitively. And we see this pattern again with later bishops of Rome. Take Pope Victor, who excommunicated the churches in Asia Minor over the date of Easter. Other bishops appealed for peace, but they didn’t deny that Victor had the authority to make such a decision (Eusebius, Church History 5:23:1–24:11). If the early Church didn’t recognize the authority of the Bishop of Rome, why didn’t they challenge his right to excommunicate?

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Matt Fradd@Matt_Fradd

December 14, 2024

13 Rules for the Spiritual Life by St. John of the Cross

While reading the Mass readings in my Magnificat this evening, I came across a beautiful excerpt from St. John of the Cross. I won’t share the entire passage, as writing it out would take some time, but it’s the kind of text that reads like a series of aphorisms. The only thing I’ve added are the numbers, to present his words more clearly.

St. John of the Cross, pray for us.

The further you withdraw from earthly things the closer you approach heavenly things.
Whoever knows how to die in all will have life in all.
Abandon evil, do good, and seek peace.
Anyone who complains or grumbles is not perfect, nor even a good Christian.
The humble are those who hide in their own nothingness and know how to abandon themselves to God.
If you desire to be perfect, sell your will, give it to the poor in spirit.
Those who trust in themselves are worse than the devil.
Those who do not love their neighbor abhor God.
Anyone who does things lukewarmly is close to falling.
Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good.
Conquering the tongue is better than fasting on bread and water.
Suffering for Gopd is better than working miracles.
As for trials, the more the better. What does anyone know who doesn’t know how to suffer for Christ.

May the wisdom of St. John of the Cross inspire us to strive for holiness and draw closer to Christ, following his example of humility, prayer, and trust in God. Which of his insights struck you the most?

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Matt Fradd@Matt_Fradd

December 12, 2024

Mother of God? A Socratic Conversation on Mary’s Role in Salvation

Morning, all.

Today I’ll attempt a socratic dialogue on Mary as Theotokos, or "Mother of God."

James is the Protestant, Thomas is the Catholic.

James: Thomas, I gotta say, I don’t get how you can call Mary the “Mother of God.”

Thomas: Alright?

James: I mean, how can a finite human being possibly be the mother of the infinite God? It doesn’t make sense—unless you’re elevating Mary to some sort of divine status.

Thomas: Well, let me ask you: do you agree that Mary is the mother of Jesus?

James: Obviously, yes.

Thomas: And do you agree that Jesus is God?

James: Of course. He’s fully God and fully man.

Thomas: Then logically, Mary is the Mother of God. She isn’t the mother of His divine nature—that’s eternal and uncreated, which I think is where you’re getting stuck. But she is the mother of Jesus, the one person who is both fully God and fully man. The logic is simple and unavoidable:

Mary is the mother of Jesus.
Jesus is God.
Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God.

James: I don’t know… it feels like another invention by the Church to give Mary too much attention. And it’s nowhere in Scripture.

Thomas: True, the title “Mother of God” isn’t explicitly in Scripture, but neither are terms like “Trinity,” “Hypostatic Union,” or even “Bible.” The title is a theological conclusion drawn from Scripture, not something made up later. Take Luke 1:43, for instance. Elizabeth calls Mary “the mother of my Lord.” In the context of Luke’s Gospel, “Lord” is clearly a title for God.

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