CatholicAnswersLive

03:19  - I come from a Baptist background. Why don’t Catholics carry Bibles everywhere? 05:28  - I’m unvaccinated and my church is saying not to attend unless you’re vaccinated. Should I obey them? 09:20  - I run a business that goes against Google’s wishes but doesn’t technically violate any copyright laws. Is this moral? 16:30  - My friend’s baby just died, and he’s very upset about the Church’s teaching on limbo. How should I explain to him that limbo is not an official teaching of Catholicism? 24:32  - Who is the first Catholic? Is it John the Baptist, or Jesus, or Mary, or the people who found the tomb, or the disciples in the other room, or someone else? 41:58  - Is Gematria allowed in Catholicism? 52:11  - Should we honor my mother-in-law’s wishes to be cremated and scattered?

  13:15  - My Protestant friend thinks that Purgatory takes away from the salvific action of Christ on the cross. 19:52  - I have friends who are outspoken pagans, but I befriend them with the intention of evangelizing without beating them over the head. 22:40  - I’m not a Catholic. Does “heathen” or “pagan” refer to me? 28:50  - How can I answer my Protestant family members who ask whether non-Catholics can go to heaven? 32:51  - How can I have a meaningful dialogue with anti-Catholics? I think a lot of the time people are just making talking points, not listening to each other in discussion. 41:00  - Why do you believe that the Protestant version of God is similar to the Catholic version? 49:55  - My ex-Mormon friend experienced abuse in his background and is against anything religious as a result. How can I bring him around to Catholicism?

  07:11  - Were there any Church fathers who talked about the Assumption of Mary? 13:16  - Why is the Immaculate Conception proclaimed as a dogma? I know why the Church believes it, but why is it at the level of dogma? 20:47  - By what decree or edict am I bound to agree with and follow the pronouncements of the Pope? 29:35  - What did St. Thomas say about there being two purgatories? 33:18  - Why do we believe that Jesus is the Messiah? 43:40  - When you pass away, do you go to purgatory first, or heaven? 50:10  - How does suffering that doesn’t have a direct effect on someone else, like taking a cold shower, become redemptive?

  20:20  - What did the sacraments look like in the early Church, and how were they administered? 32:20  - Was the word of God as we know it today shared in the early Church? 36:22  - What was the early Church’s opinion on baptizing infants? 42:27  - Which one of the Church fathers addressed the denial of Jesus’s divinity? 47:44  - What was the nature of the disagreement between Peter and Paul in Acts? Was it different than the kinds of disagreements that our bishops have today?

  05:29  - What are the origins of the sacrament of baptism? 16:45  - What do the words “As it was in the beginning” in the Glory Be refer to? 20:12  - Is there a way that the Church assesses their priests and holds them accountable to their teaching? 30:50  - Why does the Catholic Church say the Orthodox have valid holy orders but the Anglicans do not? 35:40  - Is the mark of the beast coming soon with new technology? How will we prepare for it? 42:22  - What value is there in forgiveness if it doesn’t remove punishment? 49:10  - Why is missing Mass on Sunday a mortal sin as compared to others like murder and adultery?

  Questions Covered: 04:46  - What can I say in confession if I can’t remember all my sins? 06:12  - Why do we sometimes not receive communion wine? 10:46  - Jesus says to keep his commandments and his statutes. What are his statutes? 12:42  - Where can I find an explanation of the true nature of the Mass in Scripture? 15:45  - What is the Catholic view of the atonement? 22:38  - Is it correct that the early Church used the complete Old Testament and the complete New Testament, even though the New wasn’t compiled and canonized yet? 29:10  - If heaven is outside of time, doesn’t that mean everyone who has lived and will ever live is already there? 37:35  - How are Orthodox priests and liturgy considered by the Roman Church today? Is it considered a legitimate Eucharist and communion? What are the issues that need to be resolved for full reconciliation? 46:16  - Is there any dogmatic or doctrinal reason why we can’t receive the precious blood in our own personal vessels during the pandem

  12:00  - How can I explain to my brother that he needs to be married in the Catholic Church for it to be a valid marriage? 18:45  - Why would you have to have apostolic succession to validly consecrate the Eucharist? 31:10  - I heard that Catholicism is more “mystical” than other branches of Christianity because Catholics have things like intercession of the saints and the apocryphal books. Why does that matter? 46:06  - How should I talk to my Protestant parents about my interest in Catholicism?

  04:50  - Is it a more accurate translation to call Mary “full of grace” or “favored one”? 13:35  - How can we clarify the poor side effects that unintentionally came out of Vatican II to those who dislike the council? 19:32  - How can we defend the Real Presence of the Eucharist, especially when there’s so much proof from the early church that people reject? 24:00  - How can God have free will if he’s not capable of sinning? 33:57  - What would you say to someone who says the Church Fathers were too focused on philosophy instead of Scripture? 41:35  - How can I respond to the charge that the Catholic Church killed thousands of Protestant martyrs in England? 47:20  - What’s the best way to start talking to my Hindu friend about Catholicism? 52:16  - When we come to our resurrection, how will humanity all fit on earth? Will there be enough space?

  01:10  - Joshua 10:12-13 doesn’t make any sense, because we know that the sun doesn’t move. 16:22  - Why did Jesus change the names of the apostles? 22:33  - Why don’t Catholics learn the Bible like other denominations do? 29:00  - Why does Jesus call himself the good shepherd? Didn’t a lot of shepherds eventually slaughter their sheep? 38:15  - Since Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead, does that mean some people won’t die before going to heaven? 40:30  - Why wasn’t it a sin for Jesus to stay in the temple for three days? 43:20  - Are angels boys or girls? If neither, why is Michael called a boy? 45:54  - The Bible and Jesus seem to talk about so many different ways we can fall into sin. How does that square with the Catholic teaching that we can only go to heaven if we’re in a state of grace? 49:43  - Was Adam the first man or were there other humans before him?

  04:57  - How can only the Father know, in Mark 13:32, “the day or the hour”? 11:40  - When John the Baptist says to “repent and believe in the gospel,” what is he referring to? I thought the gospel was Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 17:30  - What point is Jesus making in Luke 11:24-26 when he says that after an unclean spirit leaves a person it comes back with seven more? 21:33  - How do you reply to the objection against Mary’s sinlessness that says other people in the Bible are addressed in the same way as the angel addressed her? 28:37  - Why did women stop wearing veils in Church when the Bible clearly says they should? 33:45  - How do I study Revelation from a Pentecostal background? 36:36  - Where is the idea of Holy Orders found in the Bible? And does the Bible ever address why we can’t receive the sacraments validly apart from Holy Orders? 44:22  - Why did God stop Abraham from sacrificing Isaac but didn’t stop Jephthah from sacrificing his daughter? 48:28  - Where is it said

  05:10  - It seems like there’s an apparent contradiction between the value of women in the book of Sirach and in the rest of the Bible. It talks about daughters being a liability, divorcing your wife, and the wickedness of man being better than the righteousness of women. 14:25  - Since there were bishops from the East who became popes before the East-West schism, isn’t that an argument in favor of the papacy? 18:10  - How should I talk to my friend about the hierarchical structures of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches? He seems to be leaning more Orthodox on this point. 29:00  - In my theology class we were talking about whether a traditional family (only father works + stay-at-home mom) or a non-traditional family lifestyle (mother works, or both parents work) is more beneficial. Is there a definite answer? 33:05  - What is the treasury of merit and how does it play into the theology of indulgences? 40:25  - How do you defend the Church against someone who believes it has pagan be

  06:05  - Why do Catholics single out abortion as a sin that we’re expected to stop others from doing? There are many many other sins in this world, so why should I be concerned with this one in particular? 13:00  - How will you know when Jesus has come again? 19:45  - If evil thoughts come into someone’s mind, could they be put there by Satan apart from my will? If that’s the case, do I have to confess it? What’s the Church teaching? 24:40  - Can the Catholic stance on the death penalty be backed up with sola scriptura? 35:30  - As a Protestant, where should I begin my research if I’m interested in Catholicism? 43:05  - Are Satan and the demons in hell suffering, or just the people who go there? And are we able to contact the souls in hell, whether from this life or the next? 48:20  - Have you read  By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed ? What do you think of what it teaches about the death penalty compared to what Pope Francis is teaching now?

  5:19 – I don’t think God’s going to send anyone to hell, because Jesus died for the whole world and God is love. 19:17  - If someone dies and we don’t know whether they believed in God before they died, should we still pray for them? Are they in purgatory? Will the masses said for them be effective? 29:57  - If salvation is a covenant, then isn’t it wrong to speak of it as being lost, rather than as being broken? 33:59  - If someone is baptized and confirmed Catholic, but then leaves the Church later, how does that affect their salvation? 43:26  - Purgatory sounds like a second chance at salvation. 47:33  - I looked up the definition of mortal sin and I’m wondering how it’s different from every other sin. Doesn’t all sin separate us from God?

12:13  - How can I tell my Protestant father about the Catholic view of salvation? 17:47  - If God’s ultimate plan is for all to be saved, why would he create anyone knowing that they’d be damned? 30:37  - Why is the crucifixion necessary for our salvation? 36:43  - Is salvation eternal or temporary? 42:01  - Why wouldn’t God give the grace of salvation to everyone?  

  05:29  - Is my dad culpable for sin for selling his company’s products to a non-Catholic missionary? 13:01  - How is Jesus God? 18:29  - In Sunday’s gospel, what did Jesus mean when he said “heaven and earth will pass away?” And why did he say the Son of Man didn’t know the hour, if the Son of Man is God? 23:47  - If God is all-loving and all-knowing, why wasn’t he teaching Adam about repentance? 37:18  - Is it against the rules for Catholics to be freemasons? 46:40  - If a baby dies but it hasn’t had the chance to sin, would it go to heaven right away or to purgatory? 50:36  - How do we go from the apostles having the authority to bind and loose to the priesthood having the same authority? Why shouldn’t all believers have that authority once they receive the Holy Spirit?

  08:17  - How do we know that Jesus loves us? 15:11  - Why don’t we defend more of our teachings from scripture instead of from tradition? 24:09  - How can the Psalmist say that God is in Sheol if that’s separation from God? 32:38  - Besides purgatory, can our prayers help someone after they’ve died? Can they contribute to that person’s salvation? 40:27  - Why isn’t there a readily available collection of Catholic teachings that are based on tradition? 46:54  - Would it theologically or pastorally make sense to ask the bishops to make a statement forbidding pro-abortion politicians from receiving communion?

  03:48  - Are Cleopas and Clopas the same person? 07:49  - My son and his wife want to baptize their baby in the Episcopal Church because “there’s no difference.” How can I approach this with them? 15:25  - When I pray the Liturgy of the Hours, do I have to use the doxology written there, or can I use the usual one? 17:45  - What’s the Catholic view of what hell is? 21:14  - Does Fr. Sebastian ever give sermons on hell? I don’t think I’ve heard one in 30 years. 30:09  - How can grace be justly withheld, as St. Thomas says in the  Summa Theologiae ? 34:37  - My mother voluntarily skipped mass for the first time in a while. I know she’s suffering from deep depression, so is that a good reason to skip? Could it be physically debilitating? 41:17  - Is the congregation supposed to raise our hands during the Our Father in mass? 44:08  - What exactly does the sacrament of confession mean, and how does it compare to the Orthodox version? 48:27  - Fr. Sebastian’s book Secrets From Heaven had s

  09:50  - How can I communicate with a non-Catholic who believes in nothing but what’s in the Bible? 18:00  - For a while I thought I was called to evangelize to a leader of a non-Catholic Church, but he hasn’t replied to any of my contacts at all. Should I just give up, or try something else? 22:32  - How can I explain to my brother that Jesus is our brother without taking away from his glory as Son of God? 29:06  - Jesus said to make disciples, but there’s not one set way to do that. What’s the next step after telling people about Jesus? 35:40  - I wear t-shirts with Catholic messages on them and wear a rosary from my belt, and I think that’s an effective way to evangelize without words. 41:45  - I find myself getting defensive a lot. What’s an effective strategy for someone like me with a short temper or who might be too attached to logic when a more pastoral approach would be better? 46:06  - What do you do when a best friend says that you don’t have to know God to get to heaven,

  12:10  - I’ve been to various recovery programs for addictions to gambling, overeating, and alcohol. None of them are working. 29:50  - I’m a recovering sugar addict. Have you encountered this before? For the most part it’s not looked at seriously. 35:40  - My son’s in a detox unit right now and I’m not sure how he won’t go right back into his addiction when he’s out. 44:30  - Does Catholic in Recovery have any place for someone who needs to break his alcohol addiction but not quit it for life? I don’t think quitting for life is a realistic possibility since it’s a disease. 49:50  - Could you give me more information on Catholic in Recovery retreats?

  16:50  - Is there a patron saint for loving relationships? 31:45  - There are some members of my family who don’t get along and it’s driving a wedge in my family. How can we address this? 44:45  - My daughter has cut off communication from me and I’m wondering what’s healthy for me to do in this situation.

  04:20  - Is baptism efficacious if the person receiving it isn’t fully conscious of it, such as someone with dementia? 11:25  - At the final judgement, will non-believers be allowed into heaven if they confess that Jesus is Lord? 20:50  - Is it selfish to think that people who are suffering from terminal illnesses shouldn’t go through with euthanasia? 30:15  - I’m thinking about converting to Catholicism but I don’t think my wife wants me to. If I don’t do it for that reason, will I be damned? Also, does it cost money to get an annulment? 41:20  - Are St. Nicholas and Santa Claus the same person? 49:20  - What’s the Catholic teaching on race?

  07:25  - What’s the difference between pantheism and panentheism? And how does the latter differ from the belief that God is in everything? 16:25  - How do I defend the doctrine of the trinity when people challenge it with 1 Corinthians 15:24? 29:50  - I’ve heard speculation that God showed Lucifer his plan for salvation, and that’s what induced him to revolt. Do you know anything about that? 42:20  - If the devil seeks to divide, but Jesus also said he came not to bring peace but to divide, what degrees of division are acceptable to God? 50:35  - Are we discouraged from burning sage or other types of incense?

  07:15  - I’ve struggled with scruples for most of my life, and I want to mention that it’s a psychiatric condition that can be treated. 17:05  - I have heard that the candles on the altar are 51% bee wax. Do they have to be that way or can they be different? 24:00  - How do I explain the role of the papacy to an Armenian Orthodox and a Seventh-Day Adventist? 33:15  - What books do you recommend for one family member who’s atheist and another who’s “spiritual but not religious?” 45:45  - Why is purgatory a thing if God can do anything in an instant?

  06:30  - Is sexual attraction created by God? If it is, what about same-sex attraction? Is it good? 15:55  - How would you help a scrupulous person distinguish what is and isn’t sin? 31:10  - At what point does the Eucharist become the Real Presence of Christ? 41:30  - How could individual Catholics, in the moment, have known whether there was an antipope? 49:05  - Would Catholics agree that while salvation includes things like obedience, the sole basis by which we become friends with God is through faith?

  06:17  - Are the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch forgeries? 12:16  - Could Jesus have had a crush? 23:17  - What book should I give to a Muslim or a Buddhist who doesn’t know much of anything about Christianity? 33:33  - Could a loved one bring communion to a family member who’s close to death? 39:31  - What’s a good response to a pro-choice person who says we shouldn’t be forced to keep a person alive? 49:20  - What determines the words of consecration? I’m asking since there’s a discrepancy between the words of the Extraordinary and Ordinary forms, as well as with one of the Eastern rites.

  04:51  - Hebrews 9:24 mentions “Christ” and “God” separately. Why does it say that if Christ is God? 14:48  - Why do Eastern Rite Catholics still venerate Orthodox saints? 19:19  - Can you explain why Mark brings up the naked man in 14:51-52? It seems kind of random. 31:28  - Some Jewish scholars claim that the Sanhedrin trial in Matthew isn’t historical. How would you defend its historicity? 45:09  - My sister believes in purgatory but thinks we’re living in it right now.

  15:04  - In a post-pandemic world, what should this balance look like in a parish? 21:43  - I’m wondering about Deacon Harold’s thoughts on the build back better philosophy and want to share mine also. We should be careful because it can be used for good or bad. 29:17  - I’m a Catholic school teacher and a new mother and I’m having trouble finding the balance. What’s your advice? 36:01  - My wife’s family didn’t attend a Catholic wedding ceremony because they’re fallen-away Catholics. Is that the right decision to make on their part, especially if it can possibly damage the relationship? 47:31  - I’m in diaconate formation. How can I balance my studies with family and work?

  05:44  - How would you respond to someone who is consistent on when life begins? For instance, they might say something is only alive if it has consciousness, and if you say “What about someone in a coma?” they say “Yeah, that’s not a human.” 12:12  - Would our arguments be better if there were fewer straight white males making them and more minorities and women? 19:35  - What’s the reasoning process that brought you to your definition of person? 28:20  - Has the teaching of the Church about embryonic stem cell research changed since the late ‘90s when it was not allowed in any circumstances? 37:00  - How do you distinguish between directly killing someone and not electing to save someone? 46:30  - How would I respond to women who say men have no place in the abortion debate? 52:19  - How would you respond to someone who says the government shouldn’t be involved?

  01:13  - Jesus says to the thief, “today you will be with me in paradise.” So he actually went that same day up to heaven? Can you explain? 05:15  - I love the Latin Mass and am very involved at my parish. Many of my friends would describe themselves as “traditional” and often the first question they ask visitors is “what Latin Mass do you attend.” They seem to be missing some key elements. How can I help them? 15:14  - Is Medjugorje an approved apparition? Should a faithful Catholic visit there? 18:52  - How is bilocation not a logical contradiction? 29:10  - How do we Catholics delineate what political stuff we can be involved in and what we shouldn’t be involved in? Separation of church and state? 32:07  - Did Jesus really mean it when he said to turn the other cheek? 41:01  - In prayer, when are we supposed to strike our breasts? 46:47  - Are aerial toll-houses true? I’ve heard about toll-houses from Orthodox Christians and many of them believe it.

  Questions Covered: 05:26  - I heard that we need to pray for the souls in purgatory because they can’t pray for themselves. If that’s the case, how can they pray for us? 05:26  - I’m wondering if this is a good argument against a neutral, mechanistic universe: life seems to strive towards self-existence, so that’s a decidedly positive direction as opposed to a neutral naturalism. 11:18  - As a Catholic, am I allowed to donate to a deceased person’s memorial fund if it goes towards the formation of Assembly of God ministers? 13:57  - How do I have an answer for the Catholics who don’t believe in the real presence? 18:37  - Some people use the passage in Numbers 5, where the priest gives a woman accused of adultery a concoction that will cause a miscarriage, to say that the Bible supports abortion. What do you make of that? 28:57  - Why is the pope tolerating the patriotic Church in China? 31:53  - What can I say to my wife who left the Church because of bad catechesis and priests who

  Questions Covered: 4:11 – Do the saints who go to heaven bypass purgatory because they’ve become perfectly sanctified or is there another reason like a special grace? 08:19  - Is Jimmy a fan of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils? 14:30  - Is it sinful to watch media that takes the Lord’s name in vain? 18:40  - What would the feeling be if we were in heaven but our loved ones didn’t make it? Would we be sad? 22:50  - What’s the best way to introduce my significant other to Catholicism? 28:25  - How accurate is C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy scientifically? 33:15  - It seems like we don’t have free will because our choices are either caused or uncaused. If they’re uncaused, then they’d be random; but if they’re caused, there’d be a chain of causality going back outside ourselves so they wouldn’t be our choices. What’s the Catholic resolution to this? 45:08  - Where is hell? 48:06  - Should I have a litmus test for a parish before I join? 50:48  - If the priest prays the apostolic prayer over yo

  Questions Covered: 03:57  - My girlfriend is non-Catholic and doesn’t understand why she and her family can’t have confession and the Eucharist, and also why I need them if it’s possible for non-Catholics to go to heaven without them. 10:05  - I heard a rabbi claim that the Jesus that Christians believe in is a false Jesus. Why don’t the Jewish people believe in Jesus? 15:38  - How does the necessity of baptism square with the idea that those who haven’t heard of Catholicism can be saved? 23:28  - How could an all-loving God allow such horrible suffering like in the Holocaust? 29:11  - If I’m praying for something, but then remember more intentions as I’m praying it, does that make the prayer progressively less powerful for each, like it’s being divided? 31:49  - I was in a major car accident and am in a lot of pain and sometimes can’t make it to mass. My Catholic doctor tells me to offer it up and that I’m saving souls in purgatory. Also my daughter had my granddaughter baptized Lut

  Questions Covered: 06:25  - I’ve noticed that during consecration some of the faithful will bow when the priest kneels. Is that okay, and if so, should it be encouraged? 12:42  - Was it ever a custom immediately following Vatican II for the Ordinary Form to be celebrated facing east with communion rails? 16:17  - If anyone is in purgatory, we know they’re going to heaven and God’s timing is perfect. So why are we praying for them? 22:58  - How do you actually pray for the dead? What are you supposed to say? 28:46  - I was talking to a Protestant about how the Church is important because we need an interpretive body of God’s word, and she responded that the Holy Spirit interprets for her. How do I answer this? 32:48  - If I’m living in a state of grace, am I in spiritual communion with Jesus? And if that’s the case, what would a prayer for spiritual communion actually do? And what does living in spiritual communion mean on a day-to-day basis? 38:00  - Is it appropriate to not kneel du

  Questions Covered: 05:11  - How is Mary both our Mother and the Church? 10:38  - Where did Moses and Elijah come from during the Transfiguration if the gates of heaven weren’t opened? 13:03  - If a person has been hexed, can they be freed or helped by drinking holy water? I know someone in this situation who’s not even willing to see a priest. 16:29  - Is there something wrong with women wearing veils? Our priest is against it. 21:18  - Sometimes repeated prayers feel so dry. Is it just as good to talk to Jesus one-on-one like a friend? Is this really a prayer? 24:55  - What is a religious exemption from taking the vaccine? How is it applicable to our faith? 34:20  - I’m starting to consider becoming Catholic. How urgently should I be seeking to understand the Catholic Church? Should I be a little more careful about it? 41:20  - What’s the best elevator pitch Catholic explanation of salvation? 44:17  - Can you be consecrated to both Mary and St. Joseph? Does that work? 46:25  - Can w

  Questions Covered: 29:30  - Do you think, in this “information age,” we’re actually moving into a dark age?   34:01  - Is part of the reason we’ve arrived at transgenderism due to people mixing up accidents with substance?   36:59  - Are there any arguments for why the state should not pay for transgender surgeries?   45:17  - Is there any danger of using the Septuagint exclusively for Old Testament studies?   48:40  - What are your thoughts on the roots of modern relativism? I think it’s based on freedom of religion as articulated in our Constitution.   51:24  - Is the Pope not with reality? He met Biden with open arms and he supports all this stuff like transgenderism and abortion.