Shadowing Practice: The Church Prevails – Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
154 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Peace be with you, friends, for this 21st Sunday of ordinary time, the church brings us once again with Jesus and the disciples to Caesarea Philippi and a famous question.
2
It's interesting to me, I've been preaching now for 40 years and how often this scene comes up liturgically, how often the church wants us to return to Caesarea Philippi and to the question posed by Jesus.
3
Now, the main characters in this little scene would be Jesus and Peter.
4
Whenever the focus is on Peter, we're talking about ecclesiology.
5
We're talking about the study of the church.
6
Peter is kind of the symbol of the church.
7
And so we're going to learn something here very important about both Jesus and the church, but we have to kind of unpack the dynamics of this scene.
8
Endlessly fascinating, I find like now over 2000 years, the church keeps returning to the scene and drawing insight from it.
9
So here's the first thing to notice, everybody.
10
Jesus turns to his disciples and says, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" I want you to see how peculiar that question is.
11
Think of any other religious figure or founder over the centuries.
12
The Buddha would never say to his followers, "Who do people say that I am?" No, he'd say, "I've discovered I'm enlightened. Under the Bodhi tree, I came to enlightenment.
13
I awakened from a kind of spiritual slumber, and I have discerned a spiritual path that will help others toward enlightenment." Oh, but who are you?
14
"Well, okay, I'm the Buddha.
15
This means I'm the one that's enlightened, that woke up." But the focus is not on him personally, it's on his teaching.
16
Moses, can you imagine Moses in front of his people say now, "Who do people say that I am?" Well, what are you talking about?
17
You're Moses.
18
You're son of Hebrew parents and you're raised in the Egyptian court and then you escaped and now you've led your people to freedom and you're the giver of the law and you've been the leader of the people.
19
Terrific. But the focus isn't on you personally, on your nature.
20
It's on the Torah that came through you.
21
It sits through your leadership, et cetera.
22
Same of Confucius.
23
Muhammad. Again, he would never say, "What's the ontological makeup of Muhammad?" Muslims don't care about that.
24
They care that he was given this revelation and he's the bearer of it and spokesman for it, but they wouldn't look at his own being as of great significance.
25
Then there's Jesus.
26
He doesn't say here, "What are they saying about my teaching?
27
I gave the sermon on the mount.
28
What do they think?
29
Good reaction?
30
How are the crowds taking it?
31
Do they think I'm saying true things?" Those would be reasonable enough questions.
32
I could say to my audience, "Do you like these sermons or the book I wrote?
33
Did you appreciate that?" But what if I looked into this camera and I said to all of you, "Who do you say that I am?" Well, you'd think I'd lost my mind, right?
34
And you'd be right.
35
Then that's Jesus.
36
Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
37
Notice something too, it's interesting to me, in the letters of Paul, so the earliest Christian literature we have, the preaching and letters of Paul, there's hardly a mention of Jesus' teaching, occasional little indirect references to it.
38
But there's an enormous interest in who he is.
39
Look at the early councils of the church.
40
They're not talking about Jesus teaching or his parables or the sermon on the mount, but they're massively interested in who he is.
41
All the talk about God from God, light from light, true God from true God, nature, person, hypothesis, all of this technical language to describe who he is.
42
Because everybody, that's the heart of Christianity and that's the focus of the church up and down the ages.
43
Yes, Jesus' teaching, of course we reference it, but the fundamental question is who is he?
44
The church provides the answer to that question up and down the ages.
45
You want to know the basic task of the church?
46
That's it. And it comes from this peculiar question.
47
Now, here's the next thing we discern.
48
Listen. Well, they replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah.
49
Still other Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Well, now what are they doing?
50
They're taking a public opinion poll.
51
And these disciples of Jesus would have been hearing from the crowds.
52
And I'm sure this is right.
53
They would have picked up these various theories.
54
He's the reincarnation of these great prophets.
55
He's like, John the Baptist, come back to life.
56
All right. If today, in a more sophisticated way, we took a public opinion poll, say, "Who is Jesus?
57
What do you say Jesus is?" We get a lot of similar answers, a variety of other answers.
58
"Oh, he's a religious founder.
59
Oh, he's a moral teacher.
60
Oh, he's a mystic.
61
Oh, he's a guru.
62
Oh, he was a sage.
63
Oh, he was this poor guy killed by the Romans." Public opinion would give you a range of impressions, right?
64
So then Jesus turns to the 12.
65
"Okay. Yeah. That's what the people are saying.
66
Who do you say I am?" It's interesting now, isn't it, that no one speaks?
67
He's just turned to his inner circle, to the leaders of his group, the elite.
68
You might say the aristocrats following him.
69
They don't have an answer.
70
Church is not a democracy based upon public opinion, nor is it really an aristocracy based upon the consensus of the elite.
71
Who speaks up?
72
Peter. Peter speaks up.
73
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter knows who Jesus is.
74
And that's the most important thing to know.
75
Peter speaks here now with the authority of the church in knowing who Jesus is.
76
What's the job of the church led by Peter and his successors up and down the ages to keep proclaiming this truth?
77
We know who he is.
78
We know who he is.
79
We know who he is.
80
Everything else follows from that.
81
I'm not saying that's the exclusive claim of the church, but it's the central claim of the church.
82
Comes not from opinion, not even from the consensus of the aristocracy.
83
It comes mystically and by a special charism to Peter and his successors.
84
So listen to Jesus.
85
Jesus said, "Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly father.
86
And so I say to you, Simon Bar-Jonah, you are Peter, Kepha, he would've said in the Aramaic.
87
Kepha rendered Petrus in Greek, Petrus in Latin, hence Peter in English.
88
Rock. Rocky.
89
"And upon this rock, I will build my church." What's the church built upon?
90
Not common consensus, not aristocratic consensus.
91
It's based upon this mystical claim.
92
And it's Peter and his successors who are given the prerogative of announcing this up and down the ages.
93
That's the rock.
94
Now, I think I told this story before.
95
It was when Pope Benedict XVI was elected and Cardinal George was there, my great mentor.
96
And he appears on the loggia of St.Peter's after the election.
97
Benedict is there waving to the crowds.
98
And he has this weirdly pensive expression.
99
And they asked him later what it was.
100
And he said, "Well, I was thinking about Rome and all the Roman emperors and where they lived over on the Palatine Hill." And then I was wondering, "Where are they?
101
Where are the Roman emperors?
102
Where's the successor of Julius Caesar or Augustus Caesar?" And he said, "They're nowhere.
103
That whole thing has turned to dust.
104
But the successor of Peter, mysteriously, he's right there waving at the crowd." What does Jesus say?
105
"Upon this rock, I'll build my church and the gates of the Netherworld will not prevail against it." Look, everybody, every kingdom we can name from the ancient world, Greece and Rome and Babylon and Egypt, come up through the Middle Ages, come into modern times, including Hitler's thousand-year Reich and Stalin's communism.
106
And where are they, Napoleon's empire?
107
Where are they?
108
Where are they?
109
They've all turned to dust.
110
But weirdly, we're still here.
111
And I submit to you everybody, that is a weird proposition.
112
Predicted here 2,000 years ago in Caesarea Philippi, "You are Peter, and upon this rock of your confession of who I am, I will build the church that will prevail against even the power of hell." It's not like I'm making something up.
113
This is empirically verifiable.
114
Now, since Benedict, we've had two further popes.
115
Now Leo XIV, right?
116
Gloriously reigning.
117
The successor of Peter who knows who Jesus is, and upon that rock, the church rests.
118
Now, here's just the last thing.
119
I got this from Fulton Sheen.
120
I've been reading a lot of him recently because we're about to beatify him as I record these words.
121
He talks about the dual nature of this figure.
122
Now, why? Well, he's called Simon and Peter.
123
Even as Jesus addresses him, "Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah.
124
But I'm going to give you a new name.
125
Now, Kepha, Rocky, Petrus, Peter." But throughout the New Testament, he's referred to by both names.
126
And sometimes both together, Simon Peter.
127
Well, Fulton Sheen's observation was it's a beautiful signal of, if you want, the dual nature of the church, the Simon side of this man, unsure, unreliable, vacillating, impetuous.
128
At the moment of truth, someone who denies he even knows Jesus, who along with the other disciples, runs from him.
129
Think about that, everybody. Jesus, right?
130
The center of their lives, their Lord and Messiah.
131
But when the moment of truth came, they all fled.
132
Simon, Simon.
133
What does that stand for?
134
It stands for the fallen, flawed, imperfect, corrupt, scandal ridden side of the church.
135
Try denying it.
136
I mean, open up any page of church history.
137
What are you going to find?
138
Corruption in the church.
139
Yes, even in the top leadership.
140
We had a great professor when I was a kid at Mundelein Seminary, Father Charlie Meyer.
141
And Charlie had taught church history for the longest time.
142
And he kind of took a certain delight in sharing the stories of the corrupt popes in the Middle Ages and so on.
143
Well, in a way that was good because it immunized me so that when in my own lifetime, great scandal broke out in the church, I think, well, yeah, there's a Simon dimension to the church.
144
But Fulton Sheen insists, there's also this Petrine dimension, Peter, Petrus, Kepha, the Rock.
145
In the measure that the church led by the successor, Peter, knows who Jesus is and embodies that knowledge in its sacramental life and the witness of its saints, it remains the rock.
146
Permanent, absolute, resistant to any attempt to undermine it.
147
The church that's endured down to the ages against which the gates of hell will not prevail.
148
Yep, that church.
149
Both Simon, yes, in his fallen nature and Peter.
150
So go back, everybody, go to your Bibles, go back to the scene, Matthew Chapter 16.
151
Visit with these disciples if you want, Caesarea Philippi.
152
See the Lord Jesus right there turning toward you and saying, "Who do you say that I am?" Everything depends upon the way you answer that question.
153
And thank God we have the guarantee of Peter and his successors who know who Jesus is.
154
And God bless you.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C11
Become Someone for Others - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
A Living Sacrifice – Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
With All You Heart, Soul, and Mind – Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
Drinking the Blood of Christ - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C13
Trust in God’s Plan - Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
Be Attached to God Alone - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
Will the Good of the Other – Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C26
Five Signs of the Holy Spirit - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
University StudentsWorking Adults
C1Do You Want to Be a Saint? – Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1All Things Must Pass - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C11
149 sentences
Why Be Catholic and Not Just Christian?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
42 sentences
David Suchet NIV Bible 1014 John 17
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
70 sentences
The Day No One Expects | Matthew 24:36-End
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C188 sentences
Assassination Attempts on St. John Bosco | Ep.1
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
54 sentences
“No Other Gods” - What’s the 1st Commandment Really Asking Us To Do?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
14 sentences
"(1)미국교회를 뒤집어 놓았던 설교" #폴워셔 #구원 #좁은길 #복음 #회개 #믿음 #말씀PT
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
161 sentences
Ex-Buddhist: You Don't Understand Buddhism
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C14
151 sentences
Psalm 46:5-6 || Reflection
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
328 sentences
SEEK26 - Sr. Mary Grace, SV Full Keynote
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
58 sentences
Where is the evidence for God? | Bishop Robert Barron
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
64 sentences
The Good Samaritan - Monday, October 5, 2026
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 154 sentences and 1939 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:56. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| successor noun | /səkˈsɛsɚ/ | A person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title. |
| consensus noun | /kənˈsɛnsəs/ | A process of decision-making that seeks widespread agreement among group members. |
| sermon noun | /ˈsɝ.mən/ | Religious discourse; a written or spoken address on a religious or moral matter. |
| prevail verb | /pɹɪˈveɪl/ | To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| mount verb | /maʊnt/ | To get upon; to ascend; to climb. |
| founder noun | /ˈfaʊ̯n.dəː/ | One who founds or establishes (a company, project, organisation, state, etc.). |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| elite noun | /ɪˈlit/ | A special group or social class of people who have a superior social or economic status and attendant power, advantages, or privileges in society; a member of… |
| spiritual adjective | /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/ | Of or pertaining to the spirit or the soul. |
| pope noun | /poʊp/ | An honorary title of the Roman Catholic bishop of Rome as father and head of his church, a sovereign of the Vatican city state. |
| poll noun | /poʊl/ | A survey of people, usually statistically analyzed to gauge wider public opinion. |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| dual adjective | /ˈdul/ | Characterized by having two (usually equivalent) components. |
| emperor noun | /ˈɛmp(ə)ɹə/ | The male monarch or ruler of an empire. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| speak up verb | /ˌspik ˈʌp/ | To talk more loudly or clearly. |
| come through verb | To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| sit through verb | To unwillingly stay seated until the end of an event. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 40 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dimension /daɪˈmɛn.ʃən/, corruption /kəˈɹʌpʃən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, flesh /flɛʃ/, observation /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: enlightenment /ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt/, ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, significance /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/, occasional /əˈkeɪʒ(ə)nəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like successor, consensus, sermon.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been preaching · I've been reading |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've discovered · have discerned · you've led |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was given · are given · was elected |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.