Catholic Answers Live

Questions Covered:

03:30 – Why can only a priest consecrate the Eucharist if anyone can baptize with the right intention?

06:38 – How much of saintly intercession would apply to old testament figures?

13:41 – Is there a connection between Jesus entering into hades to retrieve the souls and the Catholic understanding of Purgatory?

17:13 – Regarding Isaiah 53:4, the story of a suffering servant. It says that the servant smitten is by God. How do we as Catholics understand this?

22:19 – Is there some way to determine if someone is in a state of grace?

30:01 – Was Judas ever given the grace to be saved or was he doomed to fail?

35:12 – I just became Catholic. My biggest issue was infant baptism. What am I supposed to say to my children if they grow up and question me why i didn’t give them a choice?

37:24 – Does God love some more than others?

41:43 – The Eucharist liturgy doesn’t make sense, especially transubstantiation.

45:34 – The Church claims infallibility but why should we believe the rest of the teachings that aren’t declared infallibly?

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Questions Covered:

03:11 – How do I make sense of 1 Corinth 11:5 on the topic of head coverings?

16:01 – How do I respond to someone who says they don’t adhere to the biblical interpretation of condemning homosexuality because times have changed?

20:55 – With Mary being called woman and the woman at the well being called woman, what’s the distinction in Jesus calling them both by the same title?

28:50 – Can you clarify and navigate the stern and loose interpretations of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus? What’s the clear correct understanding?

36:45 – If Catholics take John 6 literally, how can we call Protestants our separated brothers and sisters since they “have no life in them?”

43:47 – What’s the role of Mary in the Church? Is she being worshiped?

48:00 – I’m a convert. Is Mary the dispenser of all graces? How can all the saints hear all of our prayers?

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Questions Covered:

02:22 – I have discussed the doctrine of whether or not the pope had supremacy, and whilst I quote church fathers, he states other who are against papal supremacy. Why don’t the church fathers agree?

08:08 – for a new convert from southern Baptist domination, should I be concerned my baptism is invalid because my pastor likely did not have the intent needed as stated in the catechism

14:23 – How can I put Leviticus in the most positive light for believing Christians that aren’t particularly sophisticated in their theology?

20:10 – How to convince Protestants of Marian doctrine?

28:57 – Why do we call Mary, Jesus, Moses, ect. just by their names, instead of St. Mary, St. Jesus, ect. ?

32:45 I just need help understanding the trinity. The more I learn, the more I think I don’t know.

35:50 – I’m trying to understand the Church’s Treasury of Merits? what exactly is it and how does it work with Purgatory?

42:10 – why are only the successors of Peter important and not the other apostles? When Peter died was the apostle John subject to his successor or did John hold more authority? Peace

47:21 – Is the SSPX in full communion with the Church?

49:45 – Is belief that elves exist compatible with catholicism? What is the strongest point against the idea of sola scriptura, or that every teaching must be found in the Bible?

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Questions Covered:

05:11 – Would it be accurate to say the Nicene Creed is part of the deposit of faith?

08:23 – What is palmarian church

14:19 – Can there be a pope from one of the Eastern Catholic Churches?

17:41 – How can one be a liberal Catholic and still believe in the teachings of Christ

31:16 – Is it wrong to love God because you fear Hell?

36:40 – Do we need to confess venial sins that were taken away by our last communion? Or does that show doubt in the efficacy of communion?

41:22 – I see people often wondering if a life decision is God’s will. But as long as one is loving God fully, and loving their neighbor, isn’t everything that falls under that God’s will?

47:52 – IS the Sabbatine privilege for wearing brown scapular endorsed by Catholic Church ?

49:44 – is it true that God loves some people more than others?, hence why certain people have more graces, are chosen to be priests or even have a better fulfilled purposes in life. thank you.

52:46 – What is your commitment when it comes to honoring/respecting parents or grandparents when they refuse to communicate to you and tell blatant lies about you regarding serious sins?

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Questions Covered:

02:22 – I was at a gun show in Idaho not long ago and one of the vendors was a born again Christian group handing out Jack Chick tracts. I walked past them fairly quickly, not because I didn’t want to engage but because I was trying to catch up to my son-in-law. As I was walking back up the aisle they were on I was distracted by a vendor selling antique rifles, some going back as far as the Revolutionary War, when someone said to me “thank you for your service!” I turned to my left to see a guy, about my age, and he repeated himself. I thanked him but explained I hadn’t been in the military. He looked surprised then said something about the color of my eyes (hazel/green) and when I realized who I was talking to I knew I was stuck. It was the Pastor of the group handing out the JC Tracts. Long story short he asked me if I knew I was saved. I said yes. He asked if I knew I was going to heaven I said it’s my hope, but that ultimately was up to me. Then he commences to break out a green, hand held, KJV military Bible (one that I have), reads me some scripture, and asks if I will pray with him. I said of course! We commence the praying and I realize this was my altar call…I was being made born again. After the prayer he congratulated me…and I started to feel uneasy. It’s bothered me since. I know I hadn’t renounced my Catholic faith because the prayer was pretty generic, but there’s a part of me that thinks I made a mistake. Did I, or am I being overly scrupulous? 

05:47 – How did authorship work in the ancient and medieval periods? For example, I heavily doubt that Homer made a fortune selling copies of The Iliad and The Odyssey or that Plato sold copies of The Republic. How were ancient writings circulated? I imagine having to hand copy every word from every scroll would put a damper on how accessible they would be in markets. Did every individual who copies the Odyssey have to copy down “Written by Homer” with it? What if someone wanted to take the same Odyssey and pass it off as their original work? Also, how would the average man living in these periods know which authors (who are trying to pass information down) are genuine and which authors are hacks? 

16:26 – I just learned about Hilazon blue. Is there a checklist of all the things needed for rebuilding the Third Temple, and what’s left? 

18:36 – You have mentioned before that God could have created a universe that appeared to be eternal, that is, without a beginning (I hope I have that right…). I do not understand this, as being “created” would seem to require a beginning (otherwise, God would not need to create it). Or are you saying that it merely has the “appearance” of always existing, but was created? In which case, does that mean that God is deliberately deceiving? 

22:01 – Why do we restrict Protestants from receiving the Eucharist except in certain limited circumstances (grave necessity)? Children baptized into the Catholic faith are able to receive the Eucharist before being confirmed. There is no difference (as far as I am aware) between a valid Catholic baptism and a valid Protestant baptism, so there is no ontological difference between a baptized-but-unconfirmed Catholic and a baptized-but-unconfirmed Protestant. Belief cannot be the answer, since many Protestants (while in RCIA and before their confirmation) have the same faith as Catholics. Is it prudential? 

28:34 – Why is the Protestant account for the canon of scripture untenable? 

34:05 – How will we be able to interact in heaven with our loved ones without a body? (That is, until they are resurrected.) 

35:44 – John 20:22, our Lord breathed on the apostles and gave them the Holy Spirit. Thomas was not with them. When did Thomas receive the Holy Spirit? 

40:47 – What is a good source to use to get authentic news from what th…

Questions Covered:

03:36 – What did ancient people (by that I mean anyone born before the modern period with phones and movies) do for fun?  

10:58 – How do we know if it is God or a coincidence, when a prayer is “answered”? 

15:30 – If a third of the angels fell along with Lucifer, and these were the angels created to adore Jesus, do you suppose in some way that all of our guardian angels will fill this void when we enter the Church Triumphant? And sorry if this has been asked before but what about the guardian angels assigned to the souls that go to hell? I’m assuming they don’t get dragged along with poor souls that reject God’s mercy. 

20:18 – My daughter missed confirmation because of COVID then leukemia. She still doesn’t have confirmation, does she need confirmation to still receive the Eucharist? 

22:10 – Can you explain why some priests say the charismatic movement is not real and the talking in tongues in that movement is diabolical or that Baptism in the Spirit is not real, and then other priests say they have the gift of tongues and run charismatic renewal centers? I am conflicted by the different messages that seem contradictory. 

28:54 – Christ said he had to go to the Father or the Holy Spirit would not come. Did Divine Procession effectively change due to the hypostatic union? 

30:17 – Was the Blessed Mother’s “appearance” to James in Spain an “apparition” or ” biolocation”? 

34:55 – Will we eat food in Heaven? Jesus in His resurrected and glorified body asked the apostles if they had something to eat. 

40:25 – Can one who obeys the Natural Law be saved even if he doesn’t explicitly affirm Christ and his Church? 

41:35 – Does the Holy Spirit prevent Popes from making prudential/pastoral decisions that can harm the Church, including undermining our understanding of the doctrines of the Church? 

44:07 – We have consecrated virgins. My understanding is in the Latin rite we don’t have consecrated widows. Is it just the Latin rite, or all Catholic Rites? 

45:27 – Was it a condition of the rich young man’s salvation to sell all he had and follow Christ? Was it an invitation he could morally decline? What about Mary when she was asked to be the mother of Jesus? More broadly, is choosing to not live the vocation God has invited you to a sin- the kind that can jeopardize your salvation? Are we free to choose “vocation B” even though God has asked us to choose “vocation A”? 

51:01 – Why is Boethius not viewed as a Saint and Martyr? 

53:10 – “1 Peter 3:21 says that baptism is ‘an appeal to God for a clear conscience.’ Therefore, babies cannot get baptized because they cannot make appeals.” How would you answer that objection to infant baptism? 

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Questions Covered:

03:21 – 1 Sam 18:10 says “an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul.” How are we supposed to interpret that when nothing evil can come from God?

10:06 – Can you help me understand in what sense Jesus is God? How can a thing have two natures? Is it the same way the Burning Bush, or the Eucharist, is God?

19:39 – What are the reasons a person might hear voices?

28:55 – My spiritual director has been cautioning me against treating novenas and relics like magic. But in last Sunday’s gospel we hear of the woman who was healed because she believed if she touched Jesus’ clothes she would be healed. How can one have that kind of faith without treating it like magic?

38:05 – Does Matthew quote the Septuagint?

45:50 – What’s the difference between black magic and white magic?

48:42 – I had an experience in early youth that led to my conversion later in life. Have you heard anything like that before? What kind of experience is this?

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Questions Covered:

10:52 – Does the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 relate back to a council 1 Chronicles 28? I’m thinking that if it does, it could be more proof for the papacy.

17:14 – Does Matthew quote the Septuagint?

21:53 – I heard an interpretation of the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac that Abraham failed because he should have offered himself in place of Isaac. Is there any truth to that interpretation?

31:46 – I find it’s hard to use 2 Macc 12:46 to defend Purgatory to Protestants because they don’t believe in that book. How do you deal with that?

40:20 – How do we answer someone who says that God is Jehovah?

45:22 – How do we answer free-gracers that bring up Rom 3:20 as proof that works of the law are all works?

49:50 – What is the biblical evidence for inclusivism, meaning that God has mercy for those who through no fault of their own have not heard the gospel? And if there’s time… Why does Acts 1:5 talk about a water baptism and a holy spirit baptism, but Eph 4:5 says “one baptism.”

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Questions Covered:

05:35 – My youngest daughter decided to leave the Church and became Lutheran. She will be getting married with a Lutheran pastor officiating. Can I attend?

17:58 – Why don’t we point to images of angels of death and say that it’s St. Michael the Archangel? Doesn’t he do God’s work of bringing death to the earth?

20:25 – How does NFP fit into a Catholic life and being open to life?

34:35 – Is pirating games online immoral?

40:54 – I’m not Catholic. What is the Catholic view of the rapture?

46:37 – I pray the Divine Mercy novena for family who has left the Church. Will this help them when they pass away to avoid hell?

50:36 – Why didn’t the Church make exorcism into a sacrament?

53:03 – Does the Church uphold the validity of a marriage outside of the Catholic Church in the situation of the previous caller’s daughter?

 

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Questions Covered:

07:03 – I’m close to coming to faith but hell doesn’t seem to fit with an all-loving God. Can you explain?

40:34 – Can you give a summary on the Catholic Moral life?

50:07 – If you start worshiping Buddha, Is that a big sin?

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