Catholic Answers Live

Questions Covered: 04:00 – Would the promise of the Brown Scapular apply to the second coming? 09:44 – How can I argue well against IVF? 17:42 – Why didn’t Eve and Adam have any children in the garden prior to the fall? 29:50 – Can I attend the wedding of my Mother-in-law to a man who hasn’t gone through the annulment process? 33:28 – Should I not receive the Eucharist if my marriage is not valid? 39:48 – I’ve heard people say there were English translations prior to William Tindale, what were those Bibles? 46:20 – Why do Eastern Rites receive Confirmation and Baptism as kids? 50:24 – What are the key differences between Catholic and Protestant beliefs on the end times theology? …

Questions Covered: 08:17 – How can we navigate the idea of conversion for those who live in evangelical families? 17:45 – What is your favorite Advent tradition and why? 23:00 – Is it okay to listen to lonely themed music? 29:44 – Why didn’t Jesus explain exactly how things should be instead of speaking in parables? 32:24 – Do people in a state of sin face more negative thoughts or habitual patterns? 41:46 – Do we know what it means when Gabriel says the Spirit of God will overshadow Mary? 45:04 – Why don’t protestants recognize the early church fathers or apostolic succession? 50:07 – How should I interpret Mark 13 on the temple being destroyed in comparison to other passages? …

Questions Covered: 02:59 – I attend a protestant church. What questions should I be asking the pastor? 12:46 – Am I going to heaven when I die? I was baptized in protestant church. 19:57 – I’m a recent convert. Why is mortal sin such a big deal if we can just go to confession? 29:36 – I’m in OCIA. I would like you to critique my reasoning on purgatory as I’m beginning to understand it. 34:32 – How do Catholics view salvation? 44:27 – What’s the difference between the elect of the Old Testament and the elect as Paul talks about in Romans 8? 52:05 – How do I respond to my protestant who brings up Mark 7:7-8 when I mention Thes. 2:15 during our discussion on tradition. …

Questions Covered: 08:45 – I got to church with my baptist husband. Is it hypocritical for them to use the Church Fathers to defend their faith? They quote Eusebius. 16:59 – As a protestant I’ve been looking into the Eucharist. Why are priests necessary for consecration? Is communion outside of the Catholic Church valid? 32:26 – Why do Catholics believe in purgatory? 44:21 – Why can babies be baptized if they can’t have faith? …

Questions Covered: 04:44 – Can my girlfriend and I get married sacramentally without having to get married civilly? 09:13 – I’m worried about my husband’s soul who passed away. What can I do to help him? 21:55 – Do Catholics believe that other denominations can go to heaven? 30:16 – How do I explain to my ex wife why I want to get our marriage annulled? 38:22 – Was Paul married? 46:46 – What is the best way to figure out which translation of early church writings to read? 53:50 – Do you have to request a mass to be said for you while you’re still alive? …

Questions Covered: 16:14 – My friend divorced over 40 years ago and never remarried. How would one find out if the spouse is still alive? Does the Church have a process of finding them? 18:44 – The Church Tribunal says I have to have witnesses of my husband’s unfaithfulness to get an annulment granted. Since there are no witnesses, am I stuck with this? 20:53 – My daughter married a divorced man in the Greek Orthodox Church. Does he have to go through the Orthodox Church for the annulment? 22:26 – Do marriages that don’t take place in a church need an annulment? Does the Church make it clear how serious marriage is during marriage prep? 30:55 – I watched your Coming Home Interview. I just wanted to thank you and show appreciation for all you do. 35:23 – My grandparents married outside of the Church but are now divorced. I worry about their salvation. How do I approach them about this? 38:46 – How confidential is the annulment process? 43:07 – I want to marry in the Church who is currently married and estranged from her husband so can’t file for annulment. What can the Church do to help? 47:37 – I’m a convert. What’s the basis for all the grounds for annulment? Is it from the bible or from Tradition? 51:16 – Do I have any interjection or right in a current annulment underway where the respondent will not respond due to being afraid or hurt? This man I question was also my husband? …

Questions Covered: 02:20 – in the sacrament of Holy Orders, clergy progress through ranks—deacon, priest, and bishop—implying they receive the sacrament multiple times, each with additional spiritual authority. Does this mean they receive the full sacrament once, with additional authority “unlocked” at each level, or is each stage more akin to receiving a fuller portion of the sacrament over time? If they receive the same sacrament with varying levels of authority, wouldn’t that mean Holy Orders is actually three different types of sacraments that are slight variations of each other? 08:25 – Mt 7:13-14. Is it wrong for me to read this as a motivational passage instead of a somber one? 13:17 – Will you do an episode of Mysterious World on our Lady of Champion? 15:47 – What are your thoughts on the mystic Luisa Piccarreta? 20:38 – How do we find a happy balance between taking responsibility for actions that lead to bad thing happening to us vs bad things just happening? 29:03 – What are your thoughts on Exodus 4:24? 35:38 – What is the best way to dispose of Catholic literature? 43:27 – Why is it that Catholicism removes consent and stewardship from its moral philosophy? 52:04 – How do I respectfully approach my pastor to bring back passing around the basket for the offertory? It was discontinued during COVID and never brought back. …

Questions Covered: 06:00 – Is a Catholic obliged to believe there are some philosophical arguments that prove the existence of God? 14:42 – What does Romans 8:17-23 mean? 21:11 – Could you summarize some of your favorite arguments for God? 29:30 – Are we supposed to rest on holy days of obligation? 32:55 – Is it a venial or mortal sin to not pay a debt back? 34:32 – Did the Council of Trent infallibly declare monogamy? 38:40 – What is a good way to go about reading St. Ignatius of Antioch and his seven letters? 44:27 – When Jesus says no one goes to the Father but through him, does this mean that all prayer has to go through Jesus? 49:25 – Regarding CCC 600 and time being immediately present. If God cannot tell whether a person is going to sin before a person is born. Then how can he know whether a person will sin? …

Question Covered: 10:41 – Could you expound on the idea of spiritual communion? 24:46 – Nicodemus misunderstood born from about, but St Paul discussed being born again as well. Can you expound on this? 32:44 – Can I work at a place that sells alcohol or vapes? Is me selling this making me guilty of causing others to sin? 44:23 – How do I reconcile the teachings of St Paul on enduring love and the reality of heartbreak in breakups and being told that a young person can’t know love? …

Questions Covered: 07:51 – I’m a recent convert but my wife is not. What should we do with our children in regards to baptism? 21:06 – What book do you recommend on the ecumenical councils and books not approved in the bible? 37:37 – Who was the person that appeared to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace? 46:22 – What is the criteria of deeming somebody a saint in heaven? …

Questions Covered: 09:45 – Does the Church allow for reception of the Eucharist outside of Mass? How has the Eucharist affected you personally? 21:15 – I got into a conversation with Baptists and after some back and forth they asked, from a Catholic perspective if it’s okay to be Baptist. How should I answer? 34:30 – What methodology do you use to know what parts of the bible to take literally? 43:24 – How would you respond to the question, who or what created God? …

Questions Covered: 09:06 – What is the Catholic view of Predestination? 22:39 – Are claims evidence? 32:08 – What is the consensus of the theologians and what degree of submission are we supposed to give to it? 41:09 – Will you have a relationship with your spouse after death? 49:03 – What are the best takeaways from the book of Jonah? …

Questions Covered: 07:16 – Why should we follow the natural law? 22:01 – Is it considered idolatry when protestants use grape juice for their communion? 32:12 – In John 17:12 it makes it sound like Judas is destined to be condemned. How is this not evidence for predestination? 37:57 – Why did the devil exist in the first place? 44:10 – How does my exploring Catholicism fit in with invincible ignorance? …

Question Covered: 06:07 – How can Catholics affirm evolution if we believe that Adam and Eve could not have experienced death and decay before they fell into sin? 11:25 – How does Prevenient grace work if the concept of total depravity is heretical? They seem like the same thing? 19:00 – Why is it necessary for Jesus to continually offer his body through priests? 23:30 – How can I discuss uniquely Catholics doctrines to my evangelical friends and family? 38:34 – I’m Catholic looking into Orthodoxy. Am I wrong to assume that papal primacy wasn’t as apparent as we claim because if it was, they wouldn’t have split? 47:52 – Is it true that souls in purgatory can’t pray for themselves but can pray for us? …

Questions Covered: 06:58 – When do thoughts become mortal sin? 15:57 – If you die wearing a brown scapular, do your loved ones have to pray for you? Do you have to go to purgatory? 20:42 – I’m just now returning to the Catholic faith. I’m meeting with my priest tomorrow. How do I properly prepare? What should I expect? Send words of eternal life and secrets from heaven 32:13 – I was in line for confession and the priest stopped right before I got to go. What do I do at that point? Can I receive communion since my intention was there? 42:02 – Will parents be culpable for their children’s sin before they reached the age of reason? 47:01 – What are the miracles attributed to the Miraculous Medal? Is it Just superstition? 51:50 – What is the Church position on immigration law? …

Cy and Matthew discuss the Synod on Synodality, recognition of saints among Catholics and Orthodox and the results of the 2024 U.S. election. …

Questions Covered: 01:48 – What do you mean that it is ok to believe Adam and Eve are symbolic? 06:20 – What are the restrictions on Fridays? Does that include all animal products or just animal flesh? 10:22 – Why did God mandate Hosea to have relations with the prostitutes? 15:08 – Can we truly know if we are saved? 19:10 – I found a ring with the initials SMOTJ. I discovered it was the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. What is it and is it Catholic? 22:30 – How do I respond to the claim that there is no evidence that the Deuterocanon was not included in the original canon of the Old Testament? 29:04 – Once you discover the talents that God has given you, how do you use them to the best of your abilities? 30:52 – Is polygamy acceptable in an apocalyptic situation? 37:12 – Why don’t Catholics baptize by immersion and in the name of Jesus? 43:40 – Do you have any speculation as to why the book Esther wasn’t found in the dead sea scrolls? 46:45 – When did the bread that Jesus had at the last supper turn into his body and blood? 50:17 – What are your thoughts on Dr Scott Hahn’s theory and book on the Fourth Cup? 52:36 – Is the Church’s definition of death, the separation of body and soul? Would Elijah resurrect a child in 1 Kings 17:17-24 back up this definition? …

Questions Covered: 06:01 – John 14 Jesus says He is the way the truth and the life. How would this affect people who haven’t heard the message of Jesus? 08:35 – Why do some Catholics justify doing bad things in a civil marriage and later dismiss that former behavior saying it was not an issue because it wasn’t a valid marriage? 15:09 – Is it necessary to believe in historic Adam and Eve? 21:09 – Why does one need to be baptized to merit anything? How do you answer the atheist object of why would God send an unbaptized but otherwise good person to hell? 32:08 – Can you help me better understand Matthew 24? 45:29 – Why did God allow certain things in the old law like capital punishment? 52:50 – How is it not blasphemy to pray to the saints? …

Questions Covered: 03:05 – I have an Eastern Orthodox friend – How can you prove Mary’s sinlessness through scripture and history? 12:10 – Can you explain your article that said Miracles happen? If they do, why do we rarely ever see them? 19:05 – How do I go by the code of canon 988 in confession, which says I must confess all past mortal sins? 34:25 – If somebody has a phobia is that something they will need to detach from in Purgatory? 38:08 – I struggle with the idea that rituals would mean something to God. Is there a scriptural reference for their importance? 43:06 – Why did St. John the Baptist send his disciple to ask Jesus who he was, if he recognized Jesus in the womb? 47:28 – My church does a communal Rosary during the time I can go to Adoration. How can I respond well to this since it prevents me from doing private prayer? 52:14 – Why do bad things happen to good people? …

Questions Covered: 03:08 – How do atheists handle the question “How do you know what is essential to the category of God”? 07:45 – I met an atheist who believes in the idea that the universe is circularly caused. How can I respond to this? 13:40 – How can I interpret paragraph 9 of Inter mirifica as it relates to media? 19:14 – What did St. Paul think of his previous faith and Judaism? 29:23 – How do I respond to people who say you shouldn’t judge? 34:40 – Is Tradition infallible? 41:31 – Can a Catholic consider corporal punishment in general inadmissible? …