Catholic Answers Live

Questions Covered: 12:44 – I’ve been feeling a pull to the TLM. Why do they have animosity toward the Divine Mercy? 23:09 – How can you figure out what you need to believe as a Catholic? 29:22 – Regarding Tims article on unconditional election. Can you clarify what you meant with your “If God calls first” line? 44:31 – I go to a Baptist university. What is my role in correcting professors? 51:40 – What did Mary do to deserve to be the Mother of God? …

Questions Covered: 18:14 – The Jewish nation ruled under Maccabees were friends with the Romans. What happened that led the Romans to conquer the Jews? 22:31 – How do I approach my teenage kids about the Eucharist? 32:48 – Regarding Plenary Indulgences, what is attachment to sin? 37:20 – Can we show from the bible that baptism apart from confirmation imparts the Holy Spirit? Are Act 2:38, Acts 6:18 evidence of this? 43:32 – Why do so many bishops believe that Fiducia Supplicans allow blessings of irregular unions when it clearly doesn’t? 52:20 – During the Council of Ephesus, Philip made claims about Peter. Where do we find statements like that in the Early Church? …

Questions Covered: 14:29 – Why do Catholics have a conversion to believing in the teachings while people who convert to Protestant faiths convert it through no longer drinking, doing drugs, etc.? 29:41 – Should I be sharing my testimony? 37:47 – I want to learn how to be an incredible evangelist like you. How do I do that? 47:48 – How do I find ways to engage more black people in the Church and bringing them to the faith? …

Questions Covered: 17:25 – I feel like I don’t have enough time with 6 kids. 46:57 – I bought your book and helped me. …

Questions Covered: 03:06 – How do you rebut James Sterba’s new logical argument from evil? 07:49 – Do you have any resources I could use when returning to the Catholic faith? I feel like I have a heart of stone? 14:19 – How would we prove apostolic succession? 21:22 – What is a good approach to Catholic dating? Could there ever be a Catholic version of shows like the Bachelor? 28:51 – Was Jesus’s death really a sacrifice if he knew he was going to come back from the dead? 31:01 – Mt 27: around 51-52 says that people came out of their tombs and were walking around. How do we make sense of this? 33:35 – If we minimize the risk, would it be morally good to bring back dinosaurs? 39:50 – Do you ever smoke your pipe during prayer. If so, would this make your pipe a sacramental? 44:35 – Jn 19:25-27 refers to Mary and her sisters. Who were these sisters of Mary? 49:16 – What’s the status of the adoption of lay ministry of acolytes and lectors in the US? 52:15 – If Jesus and the Holy Spirit gave authority to the apostles to heal. Who else had this gift? …

Questions Covered: 24:44 – I’m a doctor and want to give some insight as well. 32:12 – Could you explain more what you mean by sadness if the soul? 47:30 – Could you offer more resources? …

Topics Covered: 3:00 – Mar Mari Emmanuel attacked 19:30 – Dignitas Infinita document released by the Vatican written by Cardinal Fernandez. Plus, CNN’s comments. …

Topics Covered: 4:45 – Bill Maher’s accepting that abortion is murder 34:40 – National Public Radio (NPR) is biased …

Questions Covered: 03:42 – How would I respond to my children if they grow up and ask why I never gave them the choice to be Catholic when I baptized them as babies? 16:12 – I believe life existed before Adam and Eve. Did those animals experience pain and fear? If so, how is that possible before the fall? 28:30 – As a Catholic I’m curious why we are allowed to have statues and painting when it says not to make any idol or icon. 35:05 – Is confession valid if you don’t receive a penance? 40:05 – If you can’t fast to the point of harming your body, what do we make of Catherine of Siena? How do we balance these extreme examples? 46:23 – Is using cannabis medicinally a sin? …

Questions Covered: 03:56 – I’m considering Catholicism from a protestant background. How do I defend against sola scriptura when their objection is that the declarations of the Church mean nothing? 16:08 – What did Jesus really mean when we said that no one knows the day and the hour? 23:49 – How can redemptive suffering be necessary for God’s plan? 43:45 – What is the role of Catholics individually interpreting Church history? 50:32 – How do I explain what the mass is to my non-Catholic friends? …

Questions Covered: 22:13 – Because theology develops over time and is impacted by culture, how does this affect morality since morality can’t change? 47:55 – Doesn’t Isaiah claim that the earth was a globe? When was this discovered? …

Questions Covered: 03:45 – Given the Church doesn’t have a set view on Zionism, how far can go in saying that the entire region belongs to Israel? 06:50 – Would it be morally wrong to avoid paying tax when you can? 14:45 – My fiancé went through RCIA but didn’t convert because he can’t get past the belief in the real presence of the eucharist. What advice Can you give? 17:18 – I was told that I received communion incorrectly by smiling. Is this true? 21:25 – When Jesus was tempted in the desert, was he actually tempted to fall into sin? 31:14 – When you take the Eucharist to the homebound, does it have to go directly to them, or can you wait overnight? 37:36 – I’m trying to figure out where I belong in religion, but I don’t know the difference between being Christian and Catholic. 45:29 – How does a priest deal with loneliness? 50:23 – Is it ethical for me to work at a non-Catholic dental office? 52:55 – Is there an indulgence gained using holy water? Is it ok to do work around the house on Sundays? …

Questions Covered: 07:21 – Does your guardian angel leave you when you die 12:21 – What are some good research tools and/or websites for researching paranormal experiences? 17:01 – If the priest has an accident (e.g. spills the host and/ or wine such that it’s not salvageable), before, mid, or after consecration, how would this affect the rest of the mass? If the priest would simply consecrate again, would the procedure change if there’s no more host and/ or wine to consecrate? 20:28 – Let us make man in our own image? Who is US and OUR? Is this an early indication of the Blessed Trinity? 24:39 – Why didn’t the Pharaoh at the time of Moses, being a first born, die during the 10th plague? 28:54 – During his trial, why didn’t Jesus try to stand up for himself? Pilate seemed like he would listen. 30:52 – 1. What does it mean when the church says that Mary’s virginity remained intact during childbirth? Is this belief Dogma? 33:59 – 2. Is it appropriate to worship God in Mary due to Theosis? If in heaven the saints are united to the divine nature in a similar way to Christ’s hypostatic union wouldn’t it be appropriate to worship God in the glorified saints? (I know it’s not appropriate but I just need help understanding the distinctions) 36:42 – Is there a definitive teaching (or even different schools of speculation) on whether or not your guardian angel is specifically assigned only to you (that is, the GA only ever served as a guardian for you) or do they get different assignments when their guardees die? (Asked another way, are there the same number of guardians as there have been/will be human beings; or do the guardians guard different folks throughout their “careers”?) 41:56 – At what point in attending an illicit or invalid Mass should the laity speak up or choose not to receive communion? 46:26 – If God doesn’t change (the “God is simple argument”), how does that square with Jesus gaining a human nature? 47:54 – I have heard people say that the hats that Bishop’s wear symbolize their authority. Can you please expand on this? 48:45 – What does it mean that the disciples didn’t know Jesus till the breaking of the bread 51:32 – Can any parameter of creation be infinite? 52:26 – In what sense do unicorns “exist” ? (or any other fantasy idea like orcs or dragons) 53:36 – I have a hard time learning languages. I get the principles, but the memorization of endings gets me. I am better at reading and working it out than listening and translating by hearing. I desperately want to learn Greek for purposes of studying the Bible. What program, book, software, class, etc. would you recommend someone like me look at to learn Biblical Greek? …

Questions Covered: 03:32 – Do we know anything about the families of Apostles other than Peter, who had a mother-in-law? Which ones were married, who had children, etc.? 07:19 – I’m curious about John 10:18 where Jesus talks about having the power to lay down his life and take it up again. Does this mean he could have chosen to die right then, or could it suggest that he had the option to remain on the cross longer before choosing to die? 11:36 – What sacraments can angels administer? I’ve heard stories of angels administering holy communion and even heard once of an angel hearing confession. And it made me wonder if there has been any other sacraments they’ve been known to administer? 15:30 – Is experiencing deja vu the intersection of your current timeline with another? 20:52 – What’s the best answer that I can give my dad about why people who are members Opus Dei scourge themselves as a form of penance? He seems to think it’s not biblical. 29:19 – Was it when Judas received the sacrament of the Eucharist that the devil entered into his soul due to the state it was in? 33:46 – Would conjoined twins be able to be married in the Church? 40:24 – Someone told me that if you add regular water to a small bit of holy water the blessing is transferred and the holy water bottle can be filled in this way as long as you don’t let it run out. Is this true? 43:41 – How would you respond to someone who says that they’re doing just fine without God and they see no reason to acknowledge Him or follow Him? 47:12 – Could you go over the meaning of “Transubstantiation” and what to say and not say in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? If you like I can explain further. 52:41 – Wouldn’t these verses from Mark 7 demonstrate that if Mary had other children, Jesus would not have given her to John to care for? …

Questions Covered: 07:40 – Were the books written in the Catholic bible with women’s names, were they written by women? 11:56 – Can the unforgivable sin be committed in thought and can a person lose the Holy Spirit? 14:36 – When praying the Divine Mercy I have a hard time praying for really bad sinners. What’s your advice? 20:39 – What is the difference between a holy day of obligation and a solemnity? 22:41 – What are the different levels of hell and why? Thank you. 30:21 – The Council of Jerusalem of 1672 was accepted by the Eastern Orthodox. The common Catholic claim against Orthodoxy is that they haven’t had an ecumenical council. How do we reconcile these two facts? 33:27 – What’s the official teaching regarding organ transplants? Will i have a connection in heaven to my organ donor? 40:42 -How do you respond to the claim that you don’t need a Church for Salvation? 47:01 – Was William Tindale killed by Catholics for translating the bible into English? 51:40 – Is it okay for Catholics to go up during communion to receive a blessing? Fiducia Supplicans seems to indicate that it is not the proper time for it. …

Questions Covered: 46:09 – Were any of these women in the 19th/20th century worried about the word man used in scripture and their role as religious? …

Questions Covered: 06:21 – I’m a United Methodist minister. What more resources do you recommend in my exploration of Catholicism? 20:01 – Surely God hears the prayers and offers signs to people outside of Christianity. How do we make sense of these signs that might offer people in their faith outside of Christ? 31:01 – What do Catholics believe in what’s going to get them into heaven? I’m Catholic, but some say it’s good works; but I keep saying it’s through Jesus Christ 37:11 – My Catholic cousin is not going to get married in a church. Can I attend? 45:37 – I’m reading a book that claims that the Catholic doctrine of atonement has changed since Trent to Vatican II. Is this true? 51:43 – You mention a lot the appeal to natural law. Why should we live according to our nature? …