Catholic Answers Live

“Are guardian angels real?” This question opens a discussion on their biblical mentions and the belief that every person, including non-Christians, may have one. Other topics include the fate of a guardian angel after their charge dies, the nature of angels and time, and the appropriateness of praying to saints or angels.

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Questions Covered:

06:15 – So on the topic of angels who can actually help us — are guardian angels real? Are they ever mentioned in the Bible?

07:50 – Does every single person have a guardian angel? Or only the baptized, or only children, or only the holy?

10:55 – What about non-Christians — an atheist, a Hindu, someone who’s never heard the name of Christ? Do they have a guardian angel too?

13:15 – When the person they’re guarding dies, what happens to a guardian angel? Do they get reassigned — ‘recycled,’ so to speak — onto a new baby?

17:50 – Why do you think angels haven’t fallen again?

24:15 – Do angels experience time as in having a before, now and later?

32:25 – I know angels have gender. Does the gender of our guardian angels correspond to our gender?

35:48 – When God told Moses to build the ark with Seraphim on it, how did Moses know what a Seraphim looked like?

41:19 – What is appropriate or not appropriate when praying to saints or angels? Are we asking them to actually do something for us, or just asking them to pass on our request to God?

45:00 – Can we name our guardian angels? Plenty of well-meaning Catholics do exactly that.

50:01 – If everything you’ve said is true — that every one of us is surrounded, right now, by powerful, personal, tireless servants of God who love us and want to get us safely home — how should knowing the angels are real change the way a Catholic prays, faces temptation, and meets death?

“Are angels real?” This question opens a discussion about their nature and purpose, addressing whether they are merely symbolic representations of God’s presence. The conversation also touches on the relevance of angels in our lives today and explores the distinction between angels and humans, including the popular belief that deceased loved ones become angels.

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Questions Covered:

03:35 – Let’s start at the bottom of the ladder. Are angels real, or are they symbolic ways of talking about God’s presence?

06:10 – So okay — if angels are real, can we just ignore them and get on with our lives? If they don’t do much nowadays, why should I care?

11:35 – Let’s define our terms cleanly. What exactly is an angel — and how much of what we believe comes from Scripture, versus theological speculation?

14:55 – Here’s one everyone has heard at a funeral: that grandma is an angel now, watching over us — that we get our wings when we die. Do human beings become angels when they die?

19:00 – Have angels always existed alongside God, or were they created like everything else?

23:00 – If angels are bodiless spirits, then how do we get all these accounts of angels appearing, speaking, even sharing a meal? How does a spirit with no body show up and get

29:25 – Roughly how many angels are there? Are we talking about a handful of major players, or something vaster — are there more angels or more humans?

34:45 – Most people have heard there are nine choirs of angels — seraphim, cherubim, archangels, and so on. Where does that come from, and what are these nine choirs of angels?

49:20 – We’ve talked a lot about praying to saints on this show — but why should we specifically pray to angels? Isn’t that more dangerous? Let’s steelman it. Twice in Revelation, John falls down to worship an angel, and both times the angel stops him cold and says, ‘Worship God.’ Paul warns the Colossians against the worship of angels. In light of all that, why would we ever pray to an angel?

53:10 – How do we even know angels can hear us?

“Are Christians just Protestants?” This question opens a discussion on the diverse identities within Christianity, addressing misconceptions about faith. The conversation also touches on whether Jesus had blood-relative brothers and the Catholic understanding of Mary’s perpetual virginity, alongside the differences between Catholic and Orthodox beliefs regarding the Immaculate Conception.

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Questions Covered:

03:15 – Are people who call themselves Christian just protestants?

05:35 – My Protestant friend said Jesus had blood-relative brothers. I said if that were true, Jesus would not have entrusted Mary to John’s care at the foot of the cross. Was that a good defense?

16:10 – I’m protestant. The bible says Jesus had brothers so how do Catholics come to the conclusion that Mary was a virgin all her life?

35:00 – I’m Eastern Orthodox. What is the Catholic argument for the Immaculate conception rather than the Orthodox believe in the Dispassionate Conception, and the Catholic belief in original sin versus the Orthodox idea of ancestral sin.

51:43 – What covenant did Jesus fulfill?

“Why does it matter if Mary is sinless?” This question opens a discussion on the significance of Marian doctrines in Catholic faith. The conversation also touches on early church beliefs regarding Mary’s perpetual virginity, responses to biblical passages that challenge her sinlessness, and how to cultivate a personal relationship with Mary and the saints.

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Questions Covered:

03:05 – Why does it matter for a catholic to believe Mary is sinless

13:05 – Did the early church believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary or is that a doctrine that developed over time.

17:07 – My Protestant friend cites Luke 2:48 (where Mary asks Jesus how he could do that to them at the finding in the Temple) to show she is not sinless.

23:40 – How can I have a more personal relationship with Mary, or other saints? Is that even possible in the same way it is with Jesus?

32:55 – My evangelical friends object to papal statements that say people who deny certain Marian doctrines are outside the faith. They say this is adding additional criteria for salvation. How do I respond?

42:50 – In John 20 Christ tells Mary Magdalen not to touch him because he hasn’t risen to his Father yet. But later he tells Thomas to touch him. Why the different answers?

46:30 – I’m about to start OCIA. I want to lean more into a relationship with Mary. But I grew up in an Evangelical background, and it feels strange. I keep on thinking about how I need to make sure I’ve giving more reverence to Jesus.

52:38 – How is it that Jesus and Mary could experience the effects of original sin when they didn’t have original sin?

“Can you explain the Assumption?” This question opens a discussion on the Marian dogmas, addressing common struggles with understanding them. The episode also touches on discerning the differences between Orthodox and Catholic beliefs regarding Peter’s role, as well as the Catholic teaching on the death penalty and its evolution under Pope Francis.

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Questions Covered:

05:25 – I have been looking into the Catholic Faith for a while. I have struggled with the Marian dogmas, especially the Assumption.

17:34 – How do you discern whether or not the Orthodox or Catholics are correct, specifically whether or not Peter is first among equals or infallible?

29:55 – Why is it that Catholics say you can’t spread ashes, but when it comes to saints you divide up their body parts?

35:37 – Can you explain the Catholic teaching on the death penalty? Did it change with Pope Francis?

41:35 – I am sympathetic to Catholic traditions and have tried to go through OCIA. But my husband has decided that our family is not going to be Catholic. I want to be a respectful spouse.

50:58 – I’m trying to love my wife back into the faith. She was raised Catholic but stopped practicing. She goes to a Protestant church where the sermons are peppered with anti-Catholic remarks. I think this creates a major barrier for a lot of people to become Catholic.