Catholic Answers Live

“Who should read about Catholic marriage and prayer?” Understanding the resources available for modern Catholic marriage can be crucial, especially when navigating disputes and the complexities of communication with your spouse. Additionally, questions arise about the efficacy of prayer and whether the reality of hell should be used in evangelization efforts.

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Questions Covered:

04:49 – Who would you recommend reading on successful modern Catholic marriage? What is the proper way to handle disputes or disagreements? Secular marriage advice is pretty awful. Are you supposed to just suffer and pray? Isn’t it lying to just bear all things without saying anything to your spouse when you are hurt or repeatedly upset about things? That is the advice I get from my priest: to pray and bear all things. But who can bottle things up over and over? I make it about three to four weeks and then crack.

19:30 – Jimmy, this is a bigger question, I suppose, but I have been thinking about the efficacy of prayer. Not that praying doesn’t matter, but asking for things to happen in prayer seems complex: “Why isn’t my prayer answered?” “Thank God, my prayer was answered.” “Pray harder.” “She’s a saintly person, and God listens to her prayers.” I think that, in the big picture, God isn’t cashing checks or picking winners and losers like that. To me, prayer is more about us and our relationship with God and less about winning or losing some spiritual game. I’m interested in your thoughts.

30:26 – Should Catholics try to use the reality of hell to get people to convert to the faith? I heard a traditional priest advocating that we should, but it seems ineffective and even counterproductive to me.

36:28 – This is probably stupid, but how do I know I’m supposed to join the religious life? What are the steps to join? This is driving me crazy.

42:55 – Why do so many people say “grevious” (GREE-vee-ous) instead of “grievous” (GREE-vus) during the general confession at Mass?

“How do I heal from trauma?” Healing from psychological wounds can be challenging, especially when support is limited. This episode addresses how to navigate this journey with God’s help, while also discussing when to seek spiritual direction and the role of spiritual directors. Additionally, the conversation touches on the interpretation of Jesus’ “whatever” question in Matthew and the distinctions between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

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Questions Covered:

01:19 – If I’m trying to heal from trauma and psychological wounds (with no access to therapy, no friends, and only God to help), how do I go about it? How do I make sure I don’t dig myself in deeper, for example by misunderstanding a teaching because of that trauma? In any case, it makes it hard to see things clearly. Slightly related: When, if ever, should one meet with a spiritual director? Who benefits from a spiritual director? Who are spiritual directors (for example, a layperson, a priest, a nun)?

15:50 – How should Catholics treat the “whatever” question? In Matthew 16:19 Jesus says whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. There are no apparent terms, conditions, or limitations on what this “whatever” is in the surrounding text. If you look at Matthew 18:18, it’s pretty clear Jesus is talking specifically about sin, but in addition to being its own can of worms, that leaves out important things like ritual and sacramental practices, church disciplines, governance, canon, etc. And if you look at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts, the Church makes some pretty big changes when it comes to not applying Old Testament practices to Gentiles. So this suggests “whatever” goes beyond what is and isn’t a sin.

39:41 – Well, since you asked: Although I’m aware you’ve touched on this point before, a major question I often hear, particularly from young men, is why Catholicism over Eastern Orthodoxy? I’m aware of many young people who want a liturgical Christian life but are straddling the fence between East and West. I would like to hear a cogent argument, freshly given, about the need for the papacy and the magisterium, in a way that young Americans can grasp.

48:50 – In his recent encyclical, Pope Leo made a brief reference to just war theory being outdated. Can you elaborate on what he meant by that and what he’d replace it with?

“Why does the Church reject penal substitution?” This question opens a discussion on the Catholic understanding of atonement, alongside inquiries about indulgences and their relationship to works, as well as the Church’s teachings on the power of demons. Other topics include the debate on women’s ordination and the role of prayer in the Rosary.

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Questions Covered:

02:40 – Why does the Catholic Church reject the idea of penal substitutionary atonement?

14:14 – I don’t understand indulgences. It seems like that is being saved by works.

21:35 – What does the church teach about the power of demons? It seems like compared to the power of the Lord it would be hardly anything.

29:45 – I disagree with the prohibition against women’s ordination. There was an early deaconess named Julia and the Church changed her name to Julian to try to pretend she was a man. And I hear Catholics cite the idea that Jesus was a male so priests must be male, but we also use the language of the Church being a bride — well, there are men in the bride, so why couldn’t a woman be a priest?

41:52 – I’m in OCIA. But I don’t think we should be praying the Rosary because it’s not in the Bible.

48:29 – I’m a baby catechist. I have a problem believing in the supernaturality Jesus, like hearing about him appearing places and walking through walls.

Dr. Karlo responds to a recent incident, where a pastor has kids destroy statues of Mary. The discussion also touches on how to pray to saints without crossing into idolatry, the peculiarities of displaying relics, and the complexities surrounding the infallibility of the pope amidst differing approaches from recent leaders.

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Questions Covered:

00:30 – Reaction to video: Protestant pastor has kids smash statues of Mary

17:55 – I’m in OCIA, converting from a lot of Protestant churches. How do I pray to the saints without accidentally making it idolatrous?

22:51 – I have a tough time seeing Fulton Sheen’s jaw out on parade. It just seems weird.

35:30 – Religions were our first attempts to explain the universe. Then we invented science and realised how wrong we were.

44:18 – Is it a desecration to remove body parts from deceased saints and put them reliquaries?

50:25 – I’m in OCIA. I’m struggling with the idea of the infallibility of the pope. The last several popes had such different approaches to leading the church — how could they all be infallible?

“How do you justify replacing Holy Days?” This question leads to a discussion on the evolution of celebrations and supposed connections to pagan roots. Additionally, the conversation touches on how the Catholic Church fulfills the fivefold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 in the absence of the Apostles and explores historical evidence regarding the journeys of Apostles like Peter and John.

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Questions Covered:

04:55 – As a “Primitive Christian,” how do you justify replacing 1st-century Holy Days with modern celebrations that have pagan roots?

29:00 – If Apostles no longer exist, how does the Catholic Church fulfill the fivefold ministry of Ephesians 4:11?

40:12 – Is there historical evidence of where Apostles like Peter and John went to spread Christianity?

45:12 – Are there any early church writings regarding Mary?