Glad You Asked

Whenever Christians discuss questions about human sexuality and sexual orientation, it is only a matter of time before someone references the Bible to defend an anti-LGBTQ ideology. Whole faith communities may even be divided over the question of whether the Bible contains prescriptions against LGBTQ people. For many Catholics and Christians of other denominations, this question is not merely theoretical or academic. It has to do with their own acceptance and belonging, with their core identity and most deeply personal relationships.

What some participants in these debates seem to forget, or be unaware of, is that the Bible isn't one monolithic text. It's a collection of texts from different eras, in different languages and genres, written for different purposes for diverse audiences. So asking "what does the Bible say?" about any topic requires more than a surface reading. It may also mean leaving one's prejudices at the door and taking time to learn more about different cultures and social customs.

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to Yunuen Trujillo about what the Bible says—or doesn't say—about LGBTQ people. Trujillo is the author of LGBTQ Catholics: A Guide for Inclusive Ministry (Paulist Press). She is also an immigration attorney, a faith-based community organizer, and a lay minister.

You can learn more about this topic and read some of Trujillo's writing in these links.

"Catholic social teaching calls for collaboration with Biden administration on LGBTQ policies," by Yunuen Trujillo https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/catholic-social-teaching-calls-collaboration-biden-administration-lgbtq

"We Are Called to Joyfully—And Inclusively—Perfect the Law," by Yunuen Trujillo https://www.newwaysministry.org/2023/02/12/with-pope-francis-we-are-called-to-joyfully-and-inclusively-perfect-the-law/

"How Are LGBTQ+ Catholics to Understand Jesus' Call to 'Carry Your Cross'?" by Yunuen Trujillo https://www.newwaysministry.org/2022/09/04/how-are-lgbtq-catholics-to-understand-jesus-call-to-carry-your-cross/

"When your faith is all about exclusion, it's not of God," by Yunuen Trujillo https://uscatholic.org/articles/202303/when-your-faith-is-all-about-exclusion-its-not-of-god/

"LGBTQ rights and Catholic social teaching go hand in hand," by Father Bryan Massingale https://uscatholic.org/authors/father-bryan-massingale/

"Language about LGBTQ people has moral consequences," by Alex Gruber https://uscatholic.org/articles/202212/language-about-lgbtq-people-has-moral-consequences/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Radical equality, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social class, was at the heart of the faith and practice of the early church. And throughout history the institutional church, as well as individual Catholics, sometimes defended and advanced women's rights. However, from the very beginning, the church has also been dominated by male voices. And institutional Catholicism has a rigidly patriarchal structure today, with women barred from positions of influence and leadership. Some contemporary Catholic thinkers, including recent popes, claim to promote the dignity of women, but have frequently spoken about women in a reductionist and dehumanizing way.

While some Catholics are quick to assert that the Catholic church has been one of the most staunch defenders of women over the ages, others would argue that Catholicism has repeatedly stood in the way of progress toward gender equality. Those who view the church as misogynistic don't have to look very far to find sexist quotations and even whole sermons from influential saints and theologians throughout church history.

But what does the Catholic church really teach about whether men and women are equal? On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to scholar Phyllis Zagano about the church's teaching on women's equality.

Zagano has published extensively on women in church history, especially women deacons. Her most recent book is Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Women, and Synodality, from Paulist Press. She is one of the most influential and respected scholars on the role of women in the church.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Zagano's writing, in these links.

"Does the Catholic Church really believe women are people?" an excerpt from Phyllis Zagano's new book Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women https://uscatholic.org/articles/202303/does-the-catholic-church-really-believe-women-are-people/ https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/8-814-7/just-church.aspx

"What's the problem with women deacons?" by Phyllis Zagano https://uscatholic.org/articles/201802/whats-the-problem-with-women-deacons/

"Women and authority in the church," by Phyllis Zagano https://uscatholic.org/articles/201210/women-and-authority-in-the-church/

"New Vatican constitution will create more space at the table." A U.S. Catholic Interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202205/new-vatican-constitution-will-create-more-space-at-the-table/

"In synod discussion of women's ordination, the diaconate is neglected," by Phyllis Zagano https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/synod-discussion-womens-ordination-diaconate-neglected

"Is the Catholic Church ready for women cardinals?" by Phyllis Zagano https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/04/21/lay-female-cardinals-242874

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Human beings have grappled with the question of why God allows suffering since before the origins of Christianity. It is a perennial conundrum for anyone who believes in a deity or deities. In many ancient cultures, including those of the Greeks and the Egyptians, belief in a multitude of gods may have made it a little easier for humans to find an answer to this question. But passages from these cultures' sacred and mythological texts suggest that people still were not satisfied—and still cried out for the gods to explain.

For Christians, and others who believe in one all-good and all-powerful deity, the problem feels almost insoluble. If God is truly good and truly omnipotent, shouldn't God be able to prevent war, genocide, murder, rape, abuse, and natural disasters? And why would this God let terrible things happen to good people? This is the question that Job asks in the Hebrew scriptures. God responds, but for many readers, the answers provoke more questions.

Today, when we ask this question, we don't expect to find an easy answer. Nor do we want to. Facile attempts to explain away or justify pain and suffering are often not only weak and insufficient––they are also profoundly annoying.

On this episode of the Glad You Asked podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to Father Robin Ryan, C.P. about why God allows suffering. Ryan is a professor of systematic theology and the director of the master of arts in theology program at Catholic Theological Union. He is the author of God and the Mystery of Human Suffering (Paulist Press) and has written extensively on the theology of redemption.

You can learn more about the Catholic approach to this topic in these links.

"Where there is pain, there is God." A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201602/where-there-is-pain-there-is-god/

"What the agony in the garden says about human suffering" By Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck https://uscatholic.org/articles/201905/what-the-agony-in-the-garden-says-about-human-suffering/

"Being a companion through the mystery of suffering" By Julia Walsh https://uscatholic.org/articles/201610/being-a-companion-through-the-mystery-of-suffering/

"Suffering is a reality to explore, not ignore, pope says" By Cindy Wooden https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/suffering-reality-explore-not-ignore-pope-says

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Many Catholics, as well as Christians from other denominations, have a habit of talking about God as though God were masculine or even male. Some Catholics will even affirm that they believe God is masculine, and that referring to God as anything other than masculine is theologically questionable or even sinful. After all, two of the three divine persons of the Trinity are specifically designated with male names: the Father and the Son. Jesus called God "Father" and taught his disciples to pray accordingly. And in a faith tradition with all-male leadership, people may be accustomed to thinking that the masculine is essentially superior.

But does this mean God is male or masculine? Or that Catholics are obliged to think of the divine exclusively in masculine terms?

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to Dominican Sister Barbara Reid about whether God has a gender and how considerations about gender identity are connected with our talk about God. Reid is the president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She has written numerous books, including feminist interpretations of scripture, and has been honored for her pioneering work in feminist Biblical studies.

You can read more about this topic in these links:

"Does God have a gender?" by Sister Barbara E. Reid, O.P. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202303/does-god-have-a-gender/

"How we read Scripture can help or hinder efforts toward gender equality" by Sister Barbara E. Reid, O.P. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2015/11/16/how-we-read-scripture-can-help-or-hinder-efforts-toward-gender-equality

"Reimaging God: An interview with author Jessica Pegis" A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202301/reimaging-god-an-interview-with-author-jessica-pegis/

"Stop (only) calling God 'he'" by Meghan Murphy-Gill https://uscatholic.org/articles/201812/stop-only-calling-god-he/

"Can we call God 'Mother'?" by Katherine Attanasi https://uscatholic.org/articles/201406/can-we-call-god-mother/

"Consider a different meaning of 'God the father'" by Emily Sanna https://uscatholic.org/articles/202206/consider-a-different-meaning-of-god-the-father/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

While the phrase "biblical morality" is popular among many Christians, it is not especially meaningful, since Jesus is ambiguous on a lot of topics, in his teachings, and other topics he doesn't address at all. But there's one theme on which the teachings in the gospels, as well as the rest of the Christian and Hebrew scriptures, are straightforward: Those who have wealth are obliged to help the poor, and woe to them if they do not.

Some scriptures even indicate that being wealthy at all is morally problematic: "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). The internet is filled with articles attempting to explain that such passages should not distress the well-off, or why in these particular cases Jesus didn't really mean what he said.

But given how extensive and unambiguous biblical mandates about wealth are, Christians should take them seriously. We need to consider whether being rich is sinful, and if so, how sinful. But this means assessing what is meant by wealth or riches. How rich is too rich? What about different standards of living, from one culture to the next? And what about rich people who give a lot to the poor?

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to guest David Cloutier about the church's moral teachings on wealth. Cloutier is a professor of theology at the Catholic University of America. His recent books are Walking God's Earth: The Environment and Catholic Faith (Liturgical Press) and The Vice of Luxury: Economic Excess in a Consumer Age (Georgetown University Press). Cloutier is a regular contributor to U.S. Catholic's "Salt & Light" column.

You can read more about this topic in these links:

"True charity calls for more than a parish toy drive," by David Cloutier https://uscatholic.org/articles/202011/true-charity-calls-for-more-than-a-parish-toy-drive/

Roundtable with David Cloutier: Three ways to combat economic inequality https://catholicmoraltheology.com/three-ways-to-combat-economic-inequality/

"Billionaires and justice cannot coexist," by Kevin Clarke https://uscatholic.org/articles/202105/billionaires-and-justice-cannot-coexist/

"Tax evasion is sinful, says Pope Francis," by Kevin Clarke https://uscatholic.org/articles/202101/tax-evasion-is-sinful-says-pope-francis/

"Why wealth inequality matters," by Kevin Clarke https://uscatholic.org/articles/201501/why-wealth-inequality-matters/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Today, many Catholics as well as Christians of other denominations admire and enjoy Jewish traditions and rituals. But it hasn't always been that way. For centuries, Christians in different times, places, and cultures persecuted Jewish people, even to the point of forbidding the practice of Judaism.

In the Middle Ages, hateful rhetoric about Jewish people and the Jewish faith sometimes prompted pogroms––organized mob attacks––especially during the Christian Holy Week. In Catholic Spain, in the 15th century, Jews were forced to convert to Christianity, and those who refused to do so were expelled from their homes. In Europe in the 19th century, as the Jewish people gained greater freedom and political emancipation, new prejudices arose, including conspiracy theories about international Jewish cabals threatening Christian nations. While Christians were not the only groups who persecuted Jews, modern antisemitism has its seeds in the early church. And Christian acts of violence and injustice against Jewish people are especially shameful, given that Jesus, himself a Jew, taught nonviolence and radical inclusion.

In light of this history, Catholics who are attracted to Jewish rituals such as the Passover Seder need to know not only what the church teaches about these practices, but also how Jewish people regard Christian celebrations of traditional Jewish feasts. On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to philosopher and interfaith scholar Joshua Stein about the history and significance of the Passover feast and whether Christians should host or celebrate their own Seder meals.

You can learn more about this topic and read some of Stein's work in the links below.

"Should Catholics celebrate Passover?" by Joshua Stein https://uscatholic.org/articles/202304/should-catholics-celebrate-passover/

"What's a Jew to Do? Jewish-Christian dialogue today," by Joshua Stein https://medium.com/@thephilosotroll/whats-a-jew-to-do-jewish-christian-dialogue-today-eada02c0d526

"Anti-Jewish readings of Scripture are not just a Holy Week problem," by Philip A. Cunningham https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/anti-jewish-readings-scripture-are-not-just-holy-week-problem

"What can we do about antisemitism and the Catholic literary canon?" by Rebecca Bratten Weiss https://uscatholic.org/articles/202101/what-can-we-do-about-antisemitism-and-the-catholic-literary-canon/

Questions about Jews and Judaism during the Easter Triduum https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/triduum/questions-jews-judaism-triduum

Nostra Aetate, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Promulgated by Pope Paul VI https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_ec21na.htm

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

In the early days of the church, death by crucifixion was still seen as something scandalous and shameful. It is generally believed that the cross was not widely used as an image of the Christian faith until the fourth century. Today, however, we have grown quite comfortable with using different representations of this torture device as a sign of our religious identity. We have grown comfortable, too, with the idea that Jesus' death on the cross was good, necessary, and willed by God.

But what if it wasn't?

Did Jesus really have to die on the cross? Was it absolutely necessary for someone to die, in order to atone for humanity's sins? Was this the only way God could work out the salvation of God's creation? Or might there be other ways of thinking about Jesus' death on the cross, without imagining it as an unavoidable sacrifice, the only chance to appease an angry God?

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss discuss this question with theologian Elizabeth Johnson. Johnson is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at Fordham University and the author of numerous books, including She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, and Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril, which explores the idea of cosmic redemption in light of ecological crisis. Johnson has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and has been called one of the most "prominent and respected" living Catholic theologians. She is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood.

You can find out more about this topic and read some of Johnson's work in these links.

"For God so loved the cosmos" by Elizabeth Johnson https://uscatholic.org/articles/201603/for-god-so-loved-the-cosmos/

"No one had to die for our sins." A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201811/no-one-had-to-die-for-our-sins/

"What is atonement?" By Kevin P. Considine https://uscatholic.org/articles/201801/what-is-atonement/

"Review: Elizabeth Johnson on how to atone for Anselm" by Colleen Mary Carpenter https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/07/03/review-elizabeth-johnson-how-atone-anselm

"Circle of friends: A closer look at the communion of saints" by Elizabeth Johnson https://uscatholic.org/articles/201101/circle-of-friends-a-closer-look-at-the-communion-of-saints/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

What is the point of Lenten fasting for Catholics? The practice has come to be so intertwined with wellness culture that if you do an internet search for "fasting," you're likely to get a lot of advice associated with dieting and weight loss. While there are legitimate fasting practices that can help people become more physically healthy, much of the discourse around wellness and weight is potentially harmful, associated with eating disorders and a fatphobic approach to the person.

And losing weight or getting physically fit is not exactly what Lenten fasting is supposed to be about.

Even within the religious and spiritual realm, there's a lot of confusion on this topic. Some people talk about sacrifice, others about mortifying the flesh. Some of these conversations veer dangerously close to certain theological ideas about human nature as fundamentally depraved, or the body as essentially shameful. These ideas are neither Catholic nor psychologically healthy.

So what is Lenten fasting supposed to be about? Theologian LaRyssa Herrington joins hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss on this episode of the podcast to help clarify the meaning and tradition of fasting in Catholic culture. Herrington is a doctoral student in systematic theology and liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her current areas of research include the role of Mary in devotional and popular piety, womanist theology, ritual studies, and sacramental theology.

You can learn more about this topic in the links below.

"What do Catholics mean when they say they are fasting?" by Jessica Coblentz https://uscatholic.org/articles/202202/what-do-catholics-mean-when-they-say-they-are-fasting/

"Diet culture complicates Lenten fasting." A U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/202102/diet-cultures-complicates-lenten-fasting/

"Rehabbing Lent—with lessons from Ramadan," by Father Bryan Massingale https://uscatholic.org/articles/202002/rehabbing-lent-with-lessons-from-ramadan/

"Toward a theology of the fat body," by Don Clemmer https://uscatholic.org/articles/202206/toward-a-theology-of-the-fat-body/

"Giving up diet culture for Lent," by Kira Austin-Young https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/9515/giving-up-diet-culture-for-lent

"Catholics Fast for Lent in Support of Pope Francis' Call for Climate Action," by EcoWatch https://www.ecowatch.com/catholics-fast-for-lent-in-support-of-pope-francis-call-for-climate-ac-1882012614.html

"With Lent almost over, here's why most religions fast," by Drew Kann https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/world/religious-fasting-traditions-finding-jesus/index.html

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries.https://www.claretiansusa.org/

The Catholic Church has a vast panoply of canonized saints, some obscure, others well-known, others so popular they have claimed a space in non-Catholic or secular traditions as well. Perhaps the most familiar of these in the United States, is St. Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland. Celebrations associated with St. Patrick's feast day, in this country, include parades, wearing green, eating corned beef, drinking green beer, and sometimes even dyeing whole rivers green. Plenty of people who may know little about the saint's biography or the history of Catholicism in Ireland still enjoy commemorating his feast day.

But who was St. Patrick, really? What was his impact on Irish culture, and why is he so important to Irish Americans today? Which of the myths and legends associated with his story are historically accurate? And how do we balance an appreciation of St. Patrick's cultural and religious legacy with concerns about colonization and the loss of indigenous traditions?

On this episode of the podcast, hosts Cassidy Klein and Rebecca Bratten Weiss talk to scholar and writer Damian Costello about the true story of St. Patrick and why his feast has become so popular. Costello specializes in the intersection of Catholic theology, indigenous spiritual traditions, and colonial history. He has written extensively about St. Patrick, in U.S. Catholic and elsewhere.

You can read more about the history of St. Patrick in these links.

"There's more to St. Patrick than shamrocks and beer" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202103/theres-more-to-st-patrick-than-shamrocks-and-beer/

"How St. Patrick changed Ireland—and the church" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202103/how-st-patrick-changed-ireland-and-the-church/

"An Easter slave raid inspired this saint to pursue justice" By Damian Costello https://uscatholic.org/articles/202103/an-easter-slave-raid-inspired-this-saint-to-pursue-justice/

"What St. Patrick's prayer song teaches us about connecting with the land" By Damian Costello https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/what-st-patricks-prayer-song-teaches-us-about-connecting-land

"St. Patrick and the Buddha: More alike than different?" By Damian Costello https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/st-patrick-and-buddha-more-alike-different

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/

Eating fish on Fridays, especially during Lent, is a well-known Catholic tradition that has been practiced for centuries. The custom takes different forms from one culture to the next and has generated fascinating conversations about what counts as fish and whether religiously oriented eating customs need to take into account such issues as food accessibility and geographic or economic privilege. And because how people eat is connected with their work, their economic transactions, and their family life, any tradition connected with food has to do with more than just sitting down at a table for a meal.

This tradition has influenced eating habits in non-Catholic circles as well. In many communities, the local fish fry is a popular event, regardless of religious affiliation. Plenty of fast food franchises make fish sandwiches available especially during the season of Lent.

But where did this tradition originate? Why do Catholics eat fish on Fridays? Does the institutional church have an official teaching about this practice? And does the custom vary according to the particular rite to which one belongs, within the big Catholic tent? On this episode of the podcast, guest Kathleen Manning talks to the hosts Emily Sanna and Rebecca Bratten Weiss about the origin and development of this seemingly simple Catholic practice.

Manning teaches history at Loyola University Chicago and has contributed to the Glad You Asked column at U.S. Catholic for more than a decade. You can find more of her writing and learn more about this tradition in the links below.

"Why do Catholics eat fish on Friday?" By David Philippart https://uscatholic.org/articles/202004/why-do-catholics-eat-fish-on-friday/

"Lust, lies and empire: The fishy tale behind eating fish on Friday," By Maria Godoy https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/05/150061991/lust-lies-and-empire-the-fishy-tale-behind-eating-fish-on-friday

"A short history of the Roman calendar" By Kathleen Manning https://uscatholic.org/articles/201901/a-short-history-of-the-roman-calendar/

"Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on different days?" By Kathleen Manning https://uscatholic.org/articles/201504/why-do-catholics-and-orthodox-christians-celebrate-easter-on-different-days/

"Can women participate in Holy Thursday foot washing?" By Kathleen Manning https://uscatholic.org/articles/201404/can-women-participate-in-the-holy-thursday-washing-of-the-feet/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretiansusa.org/