About

“Teach what you have learned;
but while saying things in a new way,
do not say new things.”
— Saint Vincent of Lérins

My name is Jacob.

What I’m trying to do with this blog is what Saint Vincent describes in the above quote — saying things in a new way, though not saying new things.

The pursuit of truth has been my passion for a long time. I studied Philosophy in college, and kept studying it personally after earning my degree. I’ve held many different beliefs throughout my life, because I was willing to follow truth wherever it was leading me. I would find a bit of truth in some philosophy or belief system — from Taoism to atheism and many things in between — and I would focus on digging deeper into it, seeing how much truth I could discover within it. Yet each time, eventually, I would find it lacking in some way; something within the belief system would contradict reality, and so I would have to continue my search elsewhere.

Then I found Catholicism.

I had been raised in a Catholic family, but never took the faith seriously or understood it very well, so I easily abandoned it in college. Several years later, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s lecture series The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories: Genesis gave me a newfound respect for the texts of the Bible, even though I had stopped believing in God.

But it was when I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of a man named Bishop Robert Barron that things really began to change. Bishop Barron also studied philosophy, so he was very much speaking my language. His videos explaining and discussing various teachings of the Catholic Church opened my eyes to the fact that I had misunderstood so much of it growing up. Once again, I had found a belief system with some truth in it — so I began digging.

In the Summer of 2019, I made my official return to the Catholic Church, and I have continued digging deeper and deeper into its truth — which I’ve come to realize is unending. This is because what the Church teaches is the Truth, objectively and absolutely. I know that statement comes with an incredible amount of baggage, and requires a great deal of explanation — and that’s precisely why I started this blog.

I’m not here to proselytize, or to try to “save” anyone (that’s more of an Evangelical thing); I genuinely just want to share with you the truth that I’ve found, and hopefully explain it in a way that makes it easier to understand — while also breaking down the myths and misconceptions about Catholicism, philosophy, God, history, the Bible, morality, and more.

The truths I discuss here are not new, because truth never changes; but I’m hoping I can express these truths in a new way, so that even those who have heard them before may see them in a new light. I’ve learned so much on my journey, and if the things I’ve learned can provide you with a bit more insight into some of “The Big Questions”, that would be fantastic. But above all, I just hope that what I share here will stir within you a greater passion for truth, and a greater appreciation for the beauty of existence.