Catholic Answers Live

Questions Covered: 01:53 – Why was Judas necessary? 10:21 – Is abortion wrong just because a uterus is for the purpose of fostering children? 16:30 – Nondenominational people in my area have begun believing the idea that the pope is going to make a one world religion that will usher in the end times. Are you familiar with this idea and where it stems from? 23:11 – You mentioned earlier that you didn’t think very highly of the author Dan Brown. I’m genuinely curious why. 28:59 – I’m engaged to a man in the military and started having visions of his friends who have died in battle. What should I make of this? 37:03 – What bible translation do you think is the most accurate? Coming from a protestant background, what translation would you recommend for me? 41:58 – Are our deceased loved ones able to recall the pain they endured? 47:10 – Why does God let children suffer? 51:47 – With the Church constantly under attack, why aren’t we praying for victory but peace instead? …

Questions Covered: 03:34 – What are the necessary contrition, motivations and resolutions needed for a valid confession? 07:59 – My protestant friend claims that St. Augustine’s said that being born of water and spirit means a physical birth, not baptism. Is this true? 14:16 – Is it socially acceptable in Catholic circles to make up Marian apparitions for writing science fiction? 19:00 – Can you clarify the meaning of Luke 11:15-26? 23:32 – Are coincidences negative or positive and how should one navigate them as a Christian? 33:40 – Why did the Church make Sunday mass obligatory? 37:35 – Is it morally just for a government to outlaw labor unions? 42:50 – Why should one become Catholic considering how shaky the foundations can sometimes feel? 49:48 – What would be a good response to the Calvinistic claim that the story of Jonah is evidence for there being no free will? 53:31 – Can someone disagree with what the church teaches if they have a well-formed conscience? …

Questions Covered: 07:41 – What should Catholics take into consideration when voting? 19:45 – The Council of Carthage claims that babies don’t go to heaven. Was that rejected or was that authoritative and how does that relate to the line in the Creed we believe in one baptism in the remission of sins 24:42 – Is Nestorian considered Christianity in the sense that Lutheranism and Calvinism is? 32:29 – Can an Orthodox person receive communion in the Catholic Church? 36:48 – What is the Catholic view on freedom and determinism? Is it hard determinism, libertarianism, or compatibilist? 45:43 – Jesus says render unto Caesar, but does that mean we are giving a pass to leaders since they are so evil? 51:17 – Could you explain what the current synod is and what it means for the Church? 53:09 – Does Mary have any authority other than intercession? …

Questions Covered: 02:54 – What are your thoughts on Matthias being appointed to replace Judas? 13:48 – If I could learn a language to read the bible, which should it be, Ecclesiastical Latin or Biblical Greek? 17:17 – Why doesn’t the Church gather frequently to infallibly define everything? 28:45 – How would I explain that there is only one God to a Mormon? 41:14 – What is your best argument for the Assumption of Mary? …

Questions Covered: 03:30 – Gal.3:13 mentions Jesus became a curse on the cross. How do we properly understand the term curse in that context? 15:05 – Is there a difference between the Septuagint and the current translation of the Old Testament? 19:58 – My friend is a traditional Catholic and has a 1st class relic. She said she got it after the Church cleared out the churches after Vatican 2. Is this true? 29:35 – I’m Catholic but how do I know that Catholicism is the one true religion? 44:10 – Was witchcraft mixed into Catholicism when African slaves were brought over to Haiti? 47:27 – I’m 69 years old and I get strange experiences where I have knowledge of things I shouldn’t know. What should I do with this information? Sorry, this one is the rambler 51:53 – I’m in RCIA coming from a reformed background. How do I understand the difference between penal substitution vs Anselm’s satisfaction …

Questions Covered: 03:25 – What’s the actual effect of Grace? What does receiving the Eucharist do practically? 13:50 – How does the Catholic community define and practice worship and prayer? 21:03 – In Anglican. If the claim that Peter’s successors retain the same power and status, why don’t the successors of the other apostles hold the same? 29:33 – I’m almost finished reading the book of Numbers. How am I supposed to read the story of Balaam and Balak? 34:31 – What is the Sabbatine privilege and what are the requirements to obtain it? 40:52 – What scriptures do Jewish converts to Catholicism have to abide by? 51:50 – What are the requirements for a plenary indulgence? …

Question Covered: 06:49 – Can you explain the concept of a new Heaven and a new Earth? 15:19 – How can I help my Christian Grandmother’s salvation without hurting her feelings? 21:19 – Can you explain what Paul meant by handing a sinner’s flesh to Satan so his soul can be saved in 1 Cor 5:5? 30:50 – Can you explain why temporal sinfulness can merit eternal punishment? 43:47 – How does Purgatory work and how can we get out? 47:19 – My priest wrote that the worst pain you can have is in purgatory, where in the bible might this be? 51:17 – Does Mark 14:7 excuse us from giving to the poor? …

Questions Covered: 06:29 – Can a believer who is not Baptized in the Catholic church go to Heaven? 13:51 – What was the first recorded miracle with a relic? 16:09 – When did people stop believing in Purgatory? 22:28 – What is the scriptural basis for purgatory? 32:46 – How can we explain ghosts or spirits on Earth if there are only three paths after death? 36:30 – My son died as a teen, but I didn’t Baptize him. Can he be saved since it was my choice? 43:48 – Why might a courtroom scenario be used to describe our final judgment? 50:16 – Is it true that only Jesus and Mary are in heaven? …

Questions Covered: 02:10 – How can I respond to claims that Matthew 4 and Jesus’s temptations prove Sola Scriptura? 06:31 – Can you explain the new and the old wine skin parable? 12:53 – When is the completion of the Eucharist on the Cross? 16:17 – What is a good response for any problematic study notes in the New American Bible? 22:25 – Was there any time in the Bible where the Eucharist looked like the Mass today or was it a communal dinner? 30:37 – Does Act 8:14-17 disapprove baptism by Jesus’s name only? 39:48 – When Matthais became an apostle there were 13 now, how does this impact the 12 seats? 44:36 – Is the italicized text in the Bible the word of God? 48:17 – Why don’t Catholics go by the Bible exactly? …

Questions Covered: 06:56 – Did the apostles receive the same Baptism of Jesus based on Act 19: 3-4 and Matthew 28:19? 15:15 – Does scripture rule out God being incarnated previously in another world? 16:58 – Based on the different descriptions in Isaiah, Daniel, and John are there quantifiable things in heaven? 22:22 – Was John 6 taken literally by those following Jesus? 31:56 – Why does Jesus take Peter, James, and John specifically in Mark 5, 6, and 14? 35:09 – Are there any recorded instances of people failing to receive communion properly as described in1 Corinthians 11:30? 38:51 – In Isaiah 11:2, why is piety missing from the gifts of the Holy Spirit? 41:59 – Did the New Testament authors realize their writing was divinely inspired? 51:14 – How do we know Peter was given greater authority than the other apostle? …

Questions Covered: 01:20 – Why did they stop writing books into the bible? 15:45 – Doctrinally how do the differences work in the east and west regarding infant communion? 30:51 – How would a protestant align intercession of the saints and a belief in soul sleep? 45:39 – Why doesn’t the 9th commandment state coveting thy neighbor’s husband only thy neighbor’s wife? 50:06 – In cases where one has discerned that certain media doesn’t impact one poorly, but it will affect others. Can one still listen to it? …

Questions Covered: 02:23 – How do we make sense of how we are not crucifying Christ during the mass? 18:38 – I’ve noticed that some Catholics and Protestants are acting as though we are in the end times. How do I go about talking with them? 35:19 – I need help responding to some saying that Mary disproves the Eucharist? 47:41 – Why does a bishop have to give permission to perform an exorcism? …

Questions Covered: 02:34 – When we choose our investments for retirement, can a Catholic invest in companies who we know are contributing money to Planned Parenthood? 11:26 – Since James was writing before the events of Acts 15, did he fully understand the gospel? 17:14 – How would you talk to someone for the World Mission Society, Church of God? 22:34 – How do I evangelize my agnostic brother? 29:19 – Can you recommend a source on the history of communion? 34:18 – Is it permissible to bless my home with blessed oil? 36:22 – Why do Catholics keep using the word pray when it comes to communicating with the saints? If they change the wording it may not cause as much confusion? 43:06 – Do you think an individual blessing given during communion is in violation of Fiducia Supplicans? …

Questions Covered: 07:35 – What is Marian Consecration and how do I go about doing it? 14:40 – How do I explain the sign of the cross to a 4-year-old from a different faith background? 20:19 – Considering the Church calls abortion evil, why hasn’t the Church sanctioned Catholic politicians who are vocally pro-abortion? 31:52 – Where do Catholics get the idea of honoring Mary in the rosary? 41:19 – Why is it that it takes ordained ministry to celebrate most sacraments but not marriage and baptism? 45:17 – Why is it that we are seeing a spike in celebrity conversions? 51:58 – Could you clarify what you mean by visible Church and invisible Church in your book Pope Peter? …

Questions covered: 02:17 – It seems like a lot of non-Catholic religions in which people speak in tongues. Why don’t Catholics do that? And what is the Catholic position on speaking in tongues? 11:49 – What must one do to be saved? 16:49 – What are the rewards that we can obtain in heaven? 19:29 – Why are we still split with the Orthodox over the filioque when Greek is no longer the dominant language in the Church? 24:53 – Can you help me understand the Church’s current teaching on the death penalty in relation to its older teachings? It seems like it’s done a complete 180, not a development. 44:32 – If someone knowingly votes for a person who supports abortion and then dies before confessing, does he go to hell? 49:59 – Why is an infertile person allowed to be married but an impotent person is not? …

Questions covered 09:19 – Why doesn’t the New Testament refer to priests with the Greek word hiereus? 18:06 – Why are so many people fascinated by exorcisms, especially in horror movies? 18:06 – It seems like there are so many things you have to do and rules to follow in Catholicism. 41:01 – if everything happens according to god’s will/plan, which is what it says in the bible, then people have no freewill. 46:49 – Why do Catholics revere relics? 49:30 – In Luke, the word kecharitomene is rendered “full of grace” and I always thought Luke made up that word. Someone told me the same word in the masculine is used in Sirach and it’s translated “gracious.” Why is it translated differently? …

Questions Covered: 01:36 – I’m a Baptist. If I attend a Catholic service why can’t I receive communion? 17:16 – How do we harmonize intercession of the saints and purgatory? 41:10 – It’s hard for me to get over the idea of the Eucharist being the body and blood of Jesus as a nondenominational Christian, because I feel like I would deify the wafer. How can I get over this hurdle? 51:41 – I was told that some of the saints may be pagan gods and goddesses like St. Brigid. Is this true? …

Questions Covered: 08:03 – My wife and I aren’t confirmed yet. Does practicing do anything yet since we’re not fully initiated into the Church? 25:25 – I’m Jewish. What is the Catholic interpretation of Psalm 110? 36:47 – Why can’t we have premarital intercourse? 50:29 – Why does the show prompt there’s a non-optional requirement to be Catholic? Why does the Church think that it bears any weight in an individual’s relationship with God? …