Shadowing Practice: Why Be A Catholic Priest? | Conversations with Fr. Matt & Fr. Daniel Ep. 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

So, Father Daniel, it's great to be here with you.

Thank you.

As we are co -workers in the...

Why a Catholic priest today?

I mean, we live in a world where there are a lot of examples that are, like, utterly opposed to God.

We need examples, which flows from an authentic call of men who are utterly, like, for God.

People are trying to discover where to find that love with the priesthood, this is a perfect channel for that.

And men who have experienced the healing from their wounds don't know how to reciprocate that love except by answering God,

going back to the radical call.

Father Daniel, it's great to be here with you as we labor together in the Lord's Vineyard in Southern California.

We're hot off ordination season.

dioceses around the world are welcoming new priests

and just to kind of set up like what the priesthood

is i mean basically we experience a call we enter the seminary

that could take anywhere from like seven to ten years we

renounce marriage we don't get married we make a promise of

obedience we place our lives in the hands of our bishop

or whoever the ordinary will one day be to send us

where he you know senses the lord calling us to go

so like we we give up a lot it might sound crazy to people today, like why be a Catholic priest?

Why not be a Catholic priest?

I mean as a man if you believe in God and you want to live your best, you want to give him your best, why not be a priest?

When you're saving souls directly, I think that's the greatest gift and gratitude for what God has given us in our lives.

There are certain people that are needed in this world to to help mediate and help people to make the connection

that God is here for us.

God wants to love us and to offer us his mercy and salvation.

Because a lot of people are so busy living, they forget that reality.

And so God has called certain men to be that mediator.

And that's us.

And it's awesome.

So God calls each of us in a very particular way

and so it's amazing always hearing each priest's vocation story yeah

but the reality of how he calls us and extends

that invitation to us to help save souls it's a hard

pill to swallow at first i just came back from paris

i was at an ordination for a foreign missionary of paris that's the organ that's the order

that was initially founded by propaganda fide the first actually um missionary order a missionary order

but they're actually secular priests so it's technically society okay

but they're sent off and the amazing thing is

when you're ordained chrism oil is poured on the priest's hands

and he becomes consecrated to jesus yeah right

but after ordination there's a custom the priest gives his first blessing

and after he gives his first blessing people tend to venerate

his hands by kissing them realizing these hands are solely dedicated to christ they're configured to christ

but in this order of missionaries they also kiss their feet

the reason being once you become a missionary you're sent somewhere anywhere in the world

and you're sent there for life so you never come home

so the idea is that these feet are also venerated knowing

that this man has committed his life to saving souls of

people whom he has no idea who they are it's amazing i think just those people

that i've met while i was at paris

and how the priests have impacted their lives and now that my friend father joseph is going to hong kong

and how he's going to impact the lives of all these souls over there

the radical commitment the sacrifice that he had to make to take on that call that vocation

in one sense is a mystery

but in another sense is purely just gratitude he's grateful for the life he was given

and he wants to return it in a very heroic way absolutely i mean you've mentioned a couple words

that i think are worth maybe dwelling on for a moment you said like consecration you said radical commitment.

Sometimes you hear the word radical we think like he's a fanatic or he's just an extremist.

Like is that what a priest is?

Is he just like an extremist?

Some sort of fanatic out there you know in a world

that's just inundated with you know fanatics of all sorts right across the spectrum.

Yeah.

But I think like the word radical comes from the Latin word radix, which means root.

and so i think that radical commitment it's not some fanatical ideology

that we embrace

and now we're like yeah waving the flag no it's like

we are radically rooted in christ right god has called us

to stake everything on him you know to like yeah slam the flag down with jesus

and god is going to use us in amazing ways to bring many souls to heaven

and god's working in a variety of vocations and all

that marriage is beautiful right different forms of consecrated life uh you know apostolic celibacy for lay people

but like we're priests yeah

and god is using us as these radical witnesses rooted in christ to bring many souls to him

and like it's a huge gift

and it's amazing i mean we are consecrated men right god

has god has chosen us for himself yeah i was recently

talking to someone who was struggling to understand like how we don't get married

and like how we don't you know what are these urges

just disappear like what's like it's weird she was struggling to understand like what is that about

and it reflected a deeper you know kind of spiritual question in our own heart about God in general whatever

but like like yeah do these urges just like does our humanity disappear in the midst of this call yeah

and that's a great question I I think a lot of

people can get jaded just by the lives of priests who maybe were not such good models in the past.

But then you also have priests who live very heroic examples.

And we're pointing others, going back to the idea of being mediators, we're pointing them to life after death, to eternal life.

And the problem is sometimes people get, I think, misunderstood thinking, oh, now that the priest is this kind of mediator,

all his natural tendencies, concupiscence, all these things are just, they disappear, which is not true.

But when we are that much more intentional to stay rooted in Christ,

I think there is a very particular grace that does come with the call that helps us,

elevates us to live a higher level of moral, being more intentional about our moral life.

I think the idea of a father being faithful to his wife, the same way that as a priest we are wed to the church,

there is a certain level of fidelity that comes with sacrifice.

And I think for someone who has a hard time understanding how priests are able to commit themselves to the church,

it's good to think about that relationship of husband and wife.

And in that regard, the only one that can mess up is us.

God is faithful.

Yeah, God is faithful.

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So we too have to be faithful.

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But it's so beautiful because he always meets us halfway.

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And we have the support of our priestly brothers, like our support, to make sure that we're in this together.

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Yeah, I mean, I think it would just be crushing to imagine the priesthood all on my shoulders.

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Right?

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It's a burden too heavy to carry.

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And we hear that in the seminary.

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Oh, it's like, it's a heavy load.

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You know, it's a burden of responsibility.

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You're like a pastor, the yoke of Christ upon your shoulder.

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And like, we kind of get it.

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But once we're ordained and then we receive more and more responsibility, we can see, wow, it's beyond us, man.

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Yeah.

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It's like beyond us.

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And it would be crushing if it were just on us.

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And yet we know, as you were saying, that God bestows every grace we need to be faithful.

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If we're open and if we're disposed and if we really give ourselves, He is faithful, right?

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And He will see us through and help us grow through all the challenges and struggles or whatever it is, the joys, the blessings, you know?

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And, you know, I would say with the response to the call, the Holy Spirit equips us with so much grace

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that none of us could have accounted for prior to responding

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that far surpasses the sacrifices we make right and

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when you just reflect on those blessings

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and how powerful they are the idea of persevering is not it's not suffering yeah right

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or I would say it's it could be painful at times

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but it's so fulfilling yeah which is why I think like you know talking to young men in a place of discernment.

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It's like, be not afraid.

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You know, like why a Catholic priest today?

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I mean, we live in a world where there are a lot of examples that are like utterly opposed to God.

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Yeah.

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Like not of God.

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And I think in this world, we need examples, which flows from an authentic call of men who are utterly like for God and with God.

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This idea of consecration totally set aside for the Lord.

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And that that witness today is so important as, you know, the light of the gospel continues to shine.

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Right?

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Yeah.

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Absolutely.

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I think because the world is so broken, and more and more, we just see how broken the world is.

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I think social media highlights so much of it, right?

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And people are trying to discover where to find that love,

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this authentic love that they can only ultimately find in God, right?

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That selfless mercy.

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But I think with the priesthood, this is a perfect channel for that

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and men who have experienced the healing from their wounds don't know how to reciprocate

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that love except by answering God going back to the radical call, right?

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And I see that that's how so many men, especially today, have responded in a very heroic way of being faithful

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and just wanting to be faithful to the church and her teachings, right?

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Like this is who the bride is, Holy Mother Church, and I want to commit myself to her as best as I can

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and if I don't understand these teachings

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but this is what she says I need to align my heart through my prayer to get it

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and once I get it I'm all in right amen yeah

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I think it was Pope Benedict who reflecting on like what's needed in the world today

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and you know there's so much possibility with technology

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and we have such access to people doing like really incredible things

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that each one of us can think like i have to

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like move mountains in order to have some sort of impact

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and i think pope benedict invited us to step back

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and say you know what what's really needed in the world today is fidelity

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like simply by being faith like as us as priests right

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by being faithful to our commitments yeah to our people to the call

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that the lord has placed on our heart like focus on fidelity

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and you will you will move mountains like you will do

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amazing things for the gospel right sometimes appearances are deceiving it's

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that mustard seed underground no one is even seeing

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and yet it's blossoming and it's bringing forth in god's time

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and in god's way abundant fruit exactly yeah it's kind of

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like um the butterfly effect except there isn't really it's not always natural

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or physical right because with grace it goes beyond nature so

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when we are being faithful to the lord

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and nobody sees the sacrifice we're making yeah

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but god who is always with us is blessing that

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and he's using

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that sacrifice for whatever is needed in this world to to

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share his love with someone who's really in need like

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that i see with the priesthood man we have

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so many holy men all over the world that are

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so faithful and on external it looks like the church is suffering

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and she's dying but i'm so convinced what pope benedict shared about the church being purified

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it's happening right now yeah like in real time even though the church

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and the priesthood has shrunk dramatically over the last few decades

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to see the new crop of young holy men being ordained

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it's an exciting time it's like once again as priests we

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have this huge gift of being able like we're in God's hands his instruments here now in this world

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and I'm just thinking like you know the principal ways we do

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that I mean the mass

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and hearing confessions I mean what powerful moments right yeah the

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consecrating of the host with these hands you know I think a lot

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when we elevate the eucharist and we say the words um behold the lamb of god

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and everyone responds lord i'm not worthy

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that you should enter under my roof i think at the same time lord i'm not worthy

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that i'm offering this mass that these hands are consecrating but the fact that you've let me

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right it's there are times i'll admit when it's 6 30 a .m

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and i'm celebrating mass

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and i'm still i'm just trying to get through the words i'm half awake my brain is cooked

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and i'm just thinking lord i'm sorry this is where i'm

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at have mercy right like this is all i can offer

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i'm offering you what i can exactly there's something beautiful and then there are other moments

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when you're saying those final words at the consecration this is my body

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And just to realize that this is actually Jesus Christ.

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I mean, locked in.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And I think everyone in the church who's really actively participating in the sacrifice is right there with us.

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Yeah.

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With all the angels and saints, feeling the true presence, right?

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And that right there is so, it's so powerful.

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I think the Holy Spirit is really just kind of invigorating every soul present, and that's not something that can quite be explained,

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but that leaves a clear mark on the priest's heart that this is his responsibility.

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Yeah, I mean, a moment for me that I just love is Holy Communion.

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And I don't always think in this, you know, deep of a way as I'm distributing Holy Communion.

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But I think the church invites us as priests in particular to see ourselves as like Christ the Good Shepherd, like feeding his sheep in that moment.

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That these are those who are labored and weary and burdened.

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And who do they come to?

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They come to Jesus.

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And they could be anywhere in this moment, yet they've come right here and to see their piety and their love for him as we literally are giving Christ.

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This is their food for their souls, right?

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And in that moment, to see them receive him with such love, it's like, to me, that is so powerful.

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It's like, you know what, Matt?

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This is beyond you, right?

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This is about Christ and that you are Christ now and you are giving Christ now as they are being fed.

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to go out and sanctify the world i mean yeah i think mass i mean

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if i were to do nothing else in my day

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and that's all i do like it would be absolutely worth

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it you know it's above anything i could ever say

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or you know do for the conversion of souls

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or whatever like they need christ and it's right here right here in the mass

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that christ comes to them that makes me think of going back to fidelity to priesthood.

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And I think of how people receive our Lord in Holy Communion and how it affects you.

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When I see someone receiving our Lord reverently, there is just this love.

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Like, oh, you're so good.

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But then when someone receives him irreverently, how much it fires my heart.

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Zeal for my father's house.

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Yeah.

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But it also makes me think of how much in the church expanding her mercy has reduced

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the requirements to receive Holy Communion, right?

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From like pre -Vatican II, the fasting requirements, how you would have to fast the day before, and even with drinking water, right?

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So how moms would put towels over her faucets to make sure the kids don't get

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that last sip before their first communion, right?

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So little Johnny can receive Jesus.

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But to see the piety and to see, like, sometimes how we take our Lord Jesus for granted.

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Yeah.

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And as the priest, how intentional am I to make sure the Persians don't lose that love, that zeal?

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I think of a father and his fidelity to his wife.

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And when he does a good job of being faithful to her, the children are very intentional to honor her, to honor mom.

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But when the father's not in front of the children respecting his wife, the kids will just run around and do whatever they want.

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It's not mom's home.

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This is my house, right?

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I think it's so similar with the priesthood and

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when the priest is truly faithful to what the church asks

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and when he honors her and he honors the sacrament of the Eucharist with that same piety, then the parishioners know this is the real deal.

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And I think that way of approaching the Lord so often, right, that way is paved through my favorite thing to do as a priest,

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which is hear confessions.

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What I love about confessions is like you know this is where it's real like people come

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and I've only had very very very few experiences I can

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count them on one hand where someone has come to confession with like a bad intention

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or they are you know trying to just I don't know go through the motions

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or something yeah yeah people buying they are real

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and they are seeking God yeah

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and the Lord's mercy we can't talk about it right the seal of confession yeah

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but to be able to just say like the miracles of mercy that happened in the confessional, which paved the way for people to approach our Lord in the Eucharist with what you were talking about, right?

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That disposition of just love at the end of the day.

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I mean, it is the best part of my.. my life honestly i

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think as a priest i think as men um of course everyone comes from a different walk of life

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but we all have uh certain wounds

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that we needed to receive healing from our lord through the sacrament

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and to imagine those confessions that were very difficult for ourselves

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and to receive god's mercy from the priest just freely offering it yeah and then to imagine how difficult it is,

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like you're saying, for a penitent to come in and to make a confession, no matter how they sound.

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It's just, I wish parishioners could understand,

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like, the heart of the Father of just knowing how proud we are when someone comes into the confessional.

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That is such a victory.

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Yes.

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And, like, for me, a call to conversion, like, I've been

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so edified by the confessions of people who have come in there like oh my gosh like

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and you know I don't really say it to them in

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that moment but what I'm praying in my heart is like wow thank you God for like this witness

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that is calling me to be more in love with you like to be more attuned to my own weakness

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and sinfulness it's awesome oh yeah it's powerful oh yeah it's funny because like exactly Exactly,

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like you're saying, there are many times when penitent humbles me, literally, right?

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Whoa.

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I gotta be better.

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I gotta be better, right?

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Absolutely.

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Step up your game, Father.

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Exactly.

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Come on here.

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Exactly.

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Lastly, Father Daniel, I'm just kind of curious, I mean, what advice would you give a young man who's trying to discern his vocation and is open to the priesthood?

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If any young man has just a thought, maybe, maybe God's calling me to be a priest.

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That thought isn't by accident, right?

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It's not by chance.

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Yeah.

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So I would encourage you to go to your local vocation director and to really talk to him.

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Don't hesitate.

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Don't overthink it.

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Don't, you know, the Holy Spirit only calls us with his grace for a particular period of time

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when he calls you you just got to respond have courage and and be generous thanks father daniel awesome

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 296 sentences and 3565 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:10. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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
priest noun	/ˈpɹiːst/	A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
faithful adjective	/ˈfeɪθ.fl̩/	Loyal; adhering firmly to person or cause.
radical noun	/ˈɹædɪkəl/	A root (of a number or quantity).
confession noun	/kənˈfɛʃən/	The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad).
mercy noun	/ˈmɝsi/	Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another.
sacrifice noun	/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/	Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
blessing noun	/ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/	Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
communion noun	/kəˈmjuːnjən/	A joining together of minds or spirits; a mental connection.
fidelity noun	/fᵻˈdɛlədi/	Faithfulness to one's moral or civic duties.
commitment noun	/kəˈmɪtmənt/	The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review.
utterly adverb	/ˈʌtɚli/	Completely; entirely; to the fullest extent.
intentional adjective	/ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/	Intended or planned; done deliberately or voluntarily.
reflect verb	/ɹɪˈflɛkt/	To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.
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.
wound noun	/ˈwund/	An injury, such as a cut, stab, or tear, to a (usually external) part of the body.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
come back from verb		To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
give up verb		To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
go out verb		To leave, especially a building.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
mess up verb		To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
run around verb		To be very busy doing many different things.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have experienced · has given · has called
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are needed · is poured · are also venerated
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	men who are · men who have · radix, which means

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 66 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: faithful /ˈfeɪθ.fl̩/, authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: confession /kənˈfɛʃən/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, conversion /kənˈvɝʒən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/, bishop /ˈbɪʃəp/
Long words — get the stress right: intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, seminary /ˈsɛmənɛɹi/, ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like priest, faithful, radical.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?