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<p>What does Catholic tradition actually teach about racism? Did Jesus have anything to say about it? Father Hugh Barbour explains how the ancient Faith deals with a term coined in the modern world.</p>

Racism for Catholics

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How does the soul know whether it’s in heaven, hell or purgatory?

How do I bring up the conversation about converting to a spouse who is not friendly to Catholicism?

Why don’t we hear about the intercession of the Old Testament saints?

Can a person be in good standing with the Church and be an annihilationist?

How can I have a more genuine relationship with Jesus?

Why are the eastern right patriarchs not named cardinals?

Why do Catholics do Eucharistic adoration but other churches like the Orthodox don’t?

What was the purpose of the dream of Pilot’s wife, Claudia?

I don’t think belief in annihilationism jeopardizes being in good standing with the Church. JRR Tolkien would agree with me. Can you clarify your thoughts?

<p>In this heartfelt episode of <em data-start="236" data-end="259">Catholic Answers Live</em>, we address one of the most difficult situations a Catholic can face: <em data-start="330" data-end="407">What if your spouse is resistant—or even hostile—to the idea of conversion?</em> We offer practical and pastoral advice on how to approach this conversation with patience, love, and truth, without pushing them away.</p>
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How to Talk About Converting When Your Spouse Isn’t Open to the Faith

<p><strong>Episode 14: Year A&#8211;First Sunday of Lent</strong></p>
<p>In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one apologetical theme: original sin. The second reading for this upcoming First Sunday of Lent (Year A), which comes from Romans 5:12-19, gives us opportunity to provide biblical evidence for this dogma of faith.</p>
<p>The Readings: <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm">https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm</a></p>
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Explaining the Dogma of Original Sin

Is AI the Modern Tower of Babel?

AI helped me to defend the Catholic Church by helping translate the arguments.

<p>&#8220;Is AI becoming the modern Tower of Babel?&#8221; This episode explores the implications of artificial intelligence on faith and communication. Additionally, we delve into how AI can assist in defending the Catholic Church and the challenges it presents in understanding complex theological arguments. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on technology and spirituality.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter</span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</span></a></p>

Is AI Becoming the Modern Tower of Babel? w/ Drago Dimitrov

<div class="x_elementToProof" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Our epistle from Colossians contains that famously controversial passage about wives being subject to their husbands. I confess to find the subject a bit wearisome, because I grew up in a Protestant evangelical tradition which found it hard to distinguish between leadership and tyranny. Somehow they, along with many of their contemporary heirs, including many people in so-called conservative circles, both Catholic and Protestant, delighted in digging into the discomfort that modern people, especially and obviously women, felt reading St. Paul, making it really a point of pride that the apostle be every bit as much of a misogynist as they feared. Then, on the other hand, I spent a fair amount of my adult life in more mainline liberal theological circles where it was taken for granted that <i>obviously </i>this was just one of those verses that needed to be either ignored or explicated out of existence with contextualizing commentaries about Paul’s captivity to the inequalities of the Greco-Roman world. No need to explain what Paul meant. He was just clearly wrong so we should ignore him.</div>

<div class="x_elementToProof"><b>Neither of these views is very satisfactory to a serious Catholic.</b> I do want to say more about what St. Paul does and does not mean, but first let me frame those questions with the gospel for today’s feast of the Holy Family. For this Sunday in the Christmas Octave we always get stories about Jesus’ obedience to his parents. That is an interesting subject in itself. But this year we get the flight to Egypt and St. Matthew’s unusual emphasis on St. Joseph’s role. Just last Sunday we reflected on Joseph’s quiet courage and leadership, his ability to listen to God and obey God even in the face of confusion or uncertainty, his role in redeeming Adam’s failure in the garden through his protection and love for the New Eve. And in this next chapter of the gospel, immediately after the story of the magi, we see Joseph again courageously taking up that mantle of leadership that must have felt very strange for him. After all, he was asked to guard and lead the immaculate Mother of God and her incarnate divine Son. What a strange feeling that must have been! And this brings me to the connection between this gospel and the epistle that was perhaps in the Church’s mind pairing them together: whatever it means for wives to be subject to their husbands, it must be something like what it meant for the holy Virgin and the incarnate Son of God to be subject to St. Joseph.</div>
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<div class="x_elementToProof">So right off the bat we can rule out some things. This is no tyranny, no “I’m the man so I’m better than you and you have to do what I say” mentality. There’s no implication that Joseph is somehow better than Mary or Jesus, that Mary or Jesus lack wisdom or courage or intelligence or even power. Joseph has a role and he fulfills it. I’ve seen some Catholic thinkers speculate that the natural fittingness of husbands as head of the family is almost like a grace and a mercy to those who otherwise would be the least important part of family life. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it tracks a bit with Joseph, because he isn’t <i>needed </i>in the way that Mary and Jesus are, yet they choose to place themselves in his care. They give his life meaning and purpose. The difference of his station is valued.</div>
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<div class="x_elementToProof">Which leads to the first big qualification of Colossians 3:18. This is not some kind of prescription for men and women in general. St. Paul does not say “all women must submit to all men.” It describes husbands and wives and the order of a family. But the principle of submission here does rely on a basic assumption that men and women are different and therefore not simply interchangeable. Women are not just men who can have babies; men are not just women who can’t. We are two different kinds of human beings. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t social constructions and conventions and roles that change and evolve in time and place. The cruel absurdity of our age is that, probably in reaction to a moment where mainstream culture had calcified certain arbitrary gender roles, we felt that we had to reject all roles and differences as if they were all make-believe. And so the instinct among certain conservative folks is to swing back hard in the other direction, but it’s not going to work if it ends up at the opposite extreme of arbitrary tyranny.</div>
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<div class="x_elementToProof"><b>But back to the point: wives should be subject to their husbands.</b> Elsewhere the apostles writes that they should “obey” their husbands. Again I’m struck by today’s feast day resonances with the obedience of St. Joseph and our Lord himself who is always subject to the will of his Father. What does it mean to “obey,” or to be subject to? It certainly doesn’t mean to lose one’s dignity or to take on the status of an inferior. Obedience in Greek means to “listen under,” and in the Romance languages, where that word “obedience” comes to us from the French and the Latin, it means something like to listen to, to heed. Obedience then, for wives, is a matter of guarding and valuing the leadership of their husbands in the family, seeing themselves not as competitors for authority but as the most important member of his team. Though there have been many men in history who want to distort this command into some sort of unthinking, servile passivity, that is not what St. Paul actually says. Some writers talk about “submission” as being literally “under” the “mission,” that is, the mission of the husband and father to lead the family to heaven. So Peter Kreeft, for example, suggests that the wife’s obedience to the husband’s leadership is itself subject to that fundamental condition — that the husband is being faithful to his mission. When he strays from that mission a wife should rightly say “I must obey God not men.”</div>
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<div class="x_elementToProof">Another way of putting it is that the wife’s obedience to her husband is only as virtuous and as effective as the husband’s own obedience to God. His role is to model obedience for his family, to model submission. Like St. Joseph, he must listen to God. And, like St. Joseph, to listen he must often be silent.</div>
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<div class="x_elementToProof">If St. Joseph is a model for husbands and fathers, he is also a type for all Christians, for we are all called to nurture, cherish, and protect the life of Christ that has been given to us in Baptism and in the Blessed Sacrament. The Lord comes to us not first as a conquering hero but as a child; then, as a tiny portion of bread. Like to St. Joseph, he has made himself subject to us: but can we learn to obey him? He is no tyrant, but the true king and prince of peace.</div>

Scripture and Wifely Submission

<p>In recent years, people have been discussing the legitimacy of Pope Francis&#8217;s papacy. Patrick Coffin, former host of Catholic Answers Live, released a video presenting an argument that suggests Pope Francis is an antipope. Cy sits down with Joe Heschmeyer to evaluate Patrick&#8217;s main points.</p>

A Response to Patrick Coffin’s “Seven Pieces of Evidence That Francis Is an Antipope”

<p>Some Christians claim that Peter, the man, is not the rock on which Jesus builds his Church, but Peter&#8217;s profession of faith is. Actually, no. Apologist Suan Sonna explains why.</p>

Peter (Not His Profession of Faith) Is the Rock

<p>Episode 134: <strong>Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C</strong></p>
<p>In today’s episode, we reflect on four details that relevant to doing apologetics found in the second reading and Gospel reading for this upcoming Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C. The first detail comes from the first reading, taken from Romans 5:1-5, and the topic it relates to is the nature of justification. The other three details come from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 16:12-15. The related topics are the inspiration of the apostles’ teaching, the divinity of Jesus, and the doctrine of the filioque (the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son).</p>
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<p>Readings: <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061525.cfm">Click Here</a></p>
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Is Jesus Equal to the Father? Understanding the Trinity and the Filioque

What Charlie Kirk Gets Wrong About Catholicism

<p>The first century of Christianity was often a raucous argument. Essential truths were constantly under threat, and confusion was common. Jimmy Akin joins us to discuss what the great arguments of the first century were about and what we can learn from them.</p>

Major Controversies in First Century Christianity

I hope this email finds you well. I’m a longtime admirer of your work in Catholic apologetics and your thoughtful approach to complex questions. I have a hypothetical theological question inspired by the movie Groundhog Day that I’d love to hear your p...

Hi, I am a mega fan of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World, I am fourteen and I have a weird question for you. First, in Lord of the Rings, how culpable are people for mortal sin when they wear the One Ring? I am asking because it is possible to ignore...

My second question is does the Holy Spirit guide other sects of the Catholic church such as Greek Orthodox or the Coptic? Keep the great work up, and it would make my day if you answer my questions on weird questions with Jimmy Akin.

Is the website created by soon to be canonized Bl. Carlos Acutis a relic? For that matter, are the writings of Saints, whether in written or digital form, relics?

Studies show that everyone likely has at least one doppelgänger. Could it be when we make life altering decisions, that a doppelgänger is actually split from us and onto a separate timeline? Like, for example, what if a doppelgänger of me actually stay...

Everyone seems to believe aliens, if they exist, must be strange and non-human like. But, isn’t it possible that life on another earth like planet could mirror ours? And, if so, what if the mysterious Man from Taured was actually an alien human from an...

Could Melchizedek have been a Zoroastrian?

<p>In this episode of <em data-start="231" data-end="254">Catholic Answers Live</em>, we explore a fascinating Gospel mystery: <em data-start="297" data-end="425">When Jesus began His public ministry, did anyone recognize Him as the same child who once astonished the elders in the Temple?</em> We dig into Scripture and tradition to consider whether that moment left a lasting impression—and why the Gospels remain silent on this point.</p>
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Do You Need to Confess Sins from a Time Loop? & More Weird Questions

<p>In light of recent debates surrounding the actions of the Israeli government, many Catholics hear about “Zionism” and that Catholics “must be Zionists” or “can’t be Zionists.”</p>
<p>But in order to see if those claims are true, we must define the term in question.</p>
<p><strong>Roughly speaking, <em>Zionism</em> is an ethnocultural nationalist movement</strong> that emerged in the nineteenth century as European Jews sought to establish a homeland where they could be protected from anti-Jewish violence. Even into the nineteenth century, pogroms, or violent riots against Jews, resulted in loss of property and life.</p>
<p>The movement to relocate Jews was called Zionism because in the Tanakh—the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament—Zion is the spiritual and geographic home of the Jewish people (Ps. 132:13, Isa. 2:3). The name refers to a hill just outside Jerusalem, but the name came to represent the entire land of Israel.</p>
<p>(Keep in mind that this is a very minimal definition, since Zionism has fragmented into many different articulations, with unique goals related to securing a state for Jewish people.)</p>
<p>There’s nothing in Catholic teaching that prohibits supporting the existence of a nation that prioritizes a particular ethnic or non-Catholic religious group, as long as that nation respects the rights of people outside the group it prioritizes. Ideally, all nations would prioritize the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church as the true religion while respecting the rights of non-Catholics living in their borders. One prudential reason for such support might be the good of protecting members of a religious minority from persecution. The Bible tells us to “rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter” (Prov. 24:11).</p>
<p>When it comes to Jewish Zionism, alternative locations like Uganda and Eastern Russia had been proposed to the movement’s leaders over a century ago, but Palestine was ultimately chosen due to its historical connections to the Jewish faith.</p>
<p>In response, some people cite the teachings of Pope St. Pius X as evidence that Catholics cannot support a Jewish state in the land of Palestine. In 1897, Austrian Jewish journalist Theodore Herzl founded the World Zionist Organization and became one of the most famous figures in early Zionism. In 1903, Herzl met with Pope Pius X in a private audience to discuss the matter, and a quote is passed around the internet as coming from a “Letter from Pope Pius X to Theodore Herzl.” The quote says,</p>
<blockquote><p>We are unable to favor this [Zionist] movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem, but we could never sanction it. The ground of Jerusalem, if it were not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church, I cannot answer you otherwise. The Jews have not recognized Our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people. . . . If you come to Palestine and settle your people there, we will be ready with priests and churches to baptize all of you.</p></blockquote>
<p>This statement is not found, however, in any Church document, and it is not a teaching of the Catholic Church. Instead, it comes from Herzl’s diary recollections of his encounter with the pope.</p>
<p>What did subsequent popes have to say about Zionism? In 1987, Pope St. John Paul II <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1987/september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870911_organizzaz-ebraiche.html">said</a>,</p>
<blockquote><p>After the tragic extermination of the <em>Shoah</em>, the Jewish people began a new period in their history. They have a<em> right to a homeland</em> as does any civil nation, according to international law. “For the Jewish people who live in the State of Israel and who preserve in that land such precious testimonies to their history and their faith, we must ask for the desired security and the due tranquility that is the prerogative of every nation and condition of life and of progress for every society.”</p></blockquote>
<p>In 1993, the Vatican <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/archivio/documents/rc_seg-st_19931230_santa-sede-israele_en.html">officially recognized</a> Israel’s existence as a country. The Holy See recognized Israel as a legitimate nation and affirmed Israel’s duty to maintain a status quo in Christian holy sites and a guarantee of freedom of worship at Catholic ones.</p>
<p>One prudential argument for a Jewish state in Palestine is that the alternative would probably be a Muslim state, which would not be as amenable to respecting religious liberty. For example, in Israel, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/11/15/christian-preaching-not-outlawed-in-israel-fact-check/71384791007/">it is legal</a> to attempt to convert an adult Jew as long as bribery, like promising gifts or money, isn’t used. However, in Muslim-majority countries, sharing the Faith with Muslims <a href="https://www.npr.org/2006/03/22/5294096/afghan-christian-convert-faces-death-penalty-for-beliefs">is illegal</a> and, in some cases, can be <a href="https://www.barnabasaid.org/us/news/saudi-convert-to-christianity-faces-two-court-cases-amid-threats-of-viol/">punished with death</a>.</p>
<p>In Israel, the site of Christ’s ascension has been controlled by Muslims since the twelfth century. As a result, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can be celebrated on the site only once a year, on the Feast of the Ascension, and no sacred images are allowed at the site, in accord with Muslim principles. Although some ultra-orthodox Jews illegally harass Christian pilgrims, one could make the argument that this arrangement is still preferable to the land being under Muslim control.</p>
<p>So the Catholic Church does not forbid Christians to recognize the existence of Israel as a distinctly Jewish state. They are also free to protest this political arrangement and make a prudential argument in favor of that view, but Catholics aren’t obligated to hold that view.</p>
<p><strong>However, the Catholic Church does prohibit a more radical kind of Zionism</strong>, popular among some dispensationalist Protestants, that identifies the modern nation of Israel with the Israel described in the Bible. In Galatians 3:7-9, Paul makes it clear that all who believe belong to the true Israel that God will bless, and not just those who belong to the Jewish faith or have Jewish ancestry. And the Second Vatican Council taught in <em>Lumen Gentium</em> that “Israel according to the flesh, which wandered as an exile in the desert, was already called the Church of God. So likewise the new Israel which while living in this present age goes in search of a future and abiding city is called the Church of Christ” (9).</p>
<p>But the Church also condemns the view that God has simply abandoned the Jewish people, and so they are on par with, or even morally inferior to, other non-Christians. The Second Vatican Council taught that “although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the holy scriptures” (<em>Nostra Aetate </em>4).</p>
<p>Throughout Christian history, whereas pagan temples were often destroyed and their worship banned, Jewish synagogues were allowed to exist because Jews were seen as still having a special witness to God’s promises. Romans 11 even says Jews who rejected Jesus “are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (vv. 28-29).</p>
<p>Zionism is incompatible with Catholicism if it contradicts the Church’s theological claims about Christ and the Jews. In 2018, Pope Benedict XVI published <a href="https://www.communio-icr.com/files/45.1_Benedict_XVI.pdf">an essay</a> on Judaism and Israel where he said the following:</p>
<blockquote><p>After the establishment of Israel as a country in 1948, a theological doctrine emerged that eventually enabled the political recognition of the State of Israel by the Vatican. At its core is the conviction that a strictly theologically understood state—a Jewish faith-state [<em>Glaubenstaat</em>] that would view itself as the theological and political fulfillment of the promises—is unthinkable within history according to Christian faith and contrary to the Christian understanding of the promises.</p>
<p>At the same time, however, it was made clear that the Jewish people, like every people, had a natural right to their own land. As already indicated, it made sense to find the place for it in the historical dwelling place of the Jewish people.</p></blockquote>
<p>So a Catholic cannot support a theological Zionism that sees modern Israel as a divine promise, but he can support a more political version that sees Israel as one geographic homeland among many in the world. Catholics can even, as Pope Benedict references, see God’s providence at work in a non-prophetic but still fitting turn of events. Or as the late pontiff put it: “the Vatican has recognized the State of Israel as a modern constitutional state, and sees it as a legitimate home of the Jewish people, the rationale of which cannot be derived directly from Holy Scripture. Yet, in another sense, it expresses God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel.”</p>
<p><strong>That’s one position. Catholics can also be critical</strong> of the way Israel was founded in 1948, just as Catholics are free to be critical of how European settlers founded many colonies and nations across the world. A Catholic could be anti-Zionist in this sense without being antisemitic, as long as he treats similar establishments of modern nations in the same way. Finally, a Catholic could endorse <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/local/pope-arrives-in-israel/1874799/">something like</a> a “two-state solution” for Palestinians, as <a href="https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/middle-east/pope-benedict-discusses-two-state-solution-with-netanyahu">Benedict XVI did</a>.</p>
<p>But if the person holds this view only toward Israel, then there is the risk of a double standard, like with someone who agrees with historians about the reality of every genocide in history except the genocide of Jewish people in World War II. This kind of person is arguing not in good faith, but with specious reasoning for the simple, malicious purpose of opposing “the Jews.”</p>
<p>It is incorrect to say that this “anti-Zionism” simply “is” the Catholic view and that Catholics must be or are anti-Zionist. We’ve already seen that such an attitude contradicts recent popes’ prudential judgments, as well the Holy See’s acknowledgment of Israel’s legitimacy as a fellow member of the community of nations.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that Catholics are not obligated to give the nation of Israel more obedience than any other nation on earth, and their first allegiance should be to God and his Church. However, Catholics are permitted to support the existence of a justly administered Jewish homeland in accord with what the Holy See has already set forward in several agreements made over the past few decades.</p>

Catholics Can Be Zionists

What factors had the Jews expecting the messiah in the 1st century?

Where is a good start when reading the Deuterocanonical books? Books Protestant bible doesn’t?

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Could blasphemy of the Holy Spirit prevent Jeffrey Dahmer Baptism from being valid?

<p>What Made Jews Expect a Messiah?</p>
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What Made Jews Expect a Messiah? Altar Servers and St. Joseph

Is there a relationship between the term sacramentum and oath. Would calling a sacrament an oath detract from its proper meaning?

Should you keep engaging with a person who is having a sin conversation and wont correct it?

<p>In this episode Dr. Marcus Peter answers questions about the covenants of God. He discusses how covenants tie into our modern Sacrements and how covenantal theology is key to understanding the Catholic faith!</p>
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The Covenants of God – Questions About Sacraments and Oaths

To defend our position, is it possible to say that Jesus could have looked at ALL the apostles when he says “upon this rock I will build my church”?

Why can’t Catholics receive both species of the Eucharist?  It seems Protestants receive both.

How legitimate is it for me to attend a Lutheran Confirmation for family members?

Is a spouse dealing with alcohol, drug abuse, or adultery a case for an annulment?

Kent Hovind says there’s a flood story in every culture; why do we only hear of the story of Noah?

Why aren’t Ash Wednesday and Good Friday Holy Days of Obligation?

<p>Protestants often receive both bread and wine, so why don’t all Catholics? Tim Staples explains this and more, including annulment cases, attending Lutheran Confirmations, and whether Jesus referred to all the apostles as the &#8220;rock&#8221; of the Church.</p>

Why Can’t Catholics Receive Both Species of the Eucharist?

How can Catholics still hold councils without the Orthodox bishops?

Do you have to be Catholic in order to be saved?

What’s the Orthodox view of Immaculate Conception? Is the Orthodox canon different from ours?

Leo III wouldn’t add the Filioque to the Creed and gave his reasons?. Did the pope who added it ever give an explanation as to why?

Is it ok for Catholics to accept the Ethiopian canon description of Jesus?

I’ve heard some Orthodox say they don’t adore Jesus in the Eucharist because they view it as food. Is this uniform thought?

How can a non-Christian evaluate the competing claim of the Eastern Orthodox who also claims apostolic authority?

Why does the Eastern Orthodox allow contraception and Catholics don’t?

Can a person who became Eastern Orthodox from Catholicism just jump back and forth? How can Eastern Orthodox justify 3 sacramental marriages?

Do you think the Catholics and all other churches will ever fully reunite?

<p>&#8220;How can Catholics hold councils without Orthodox bishops?&#8221; This question opens a discussion on the complexities of ecclesiastical authority and governance. Additionally, the episode addresses whether one must be Catholic to be saved, the Orthodox perspective on the Immaculate Conception, and the differing views on the Filioque in the Creed.</p>
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How Can Catholics Hold Councils Without Orthodox Bishops?

Is a Catholic obliged to believe there are some philosophical arguments that prove the existence of God?

What does Romans 8:17-23 mean?

Could you summarize some of your favorite arguments for God?

Are we supposed to rest on holy days of obligation? 32:55 - Is it a venial or mortal sin to not pay a debt back?

Did the Council of Trent infallibly declare monogamy?

What is a good way to go about reading St. Ignatius of Antioch and his seven letters?

When Jesus says no one goes to the Father but through him, does this mean that all prayer has to go through Jesus?

Regarding CCC 600 and time being immediately present. If God cannot tell whether a person is going to sin before a person is born. Then how can he know whether a person will sin?

AMA: Proving God’s Existence, Understanding Romans 8, and the Role of Jesus in Prayer

<p>Do you have trouble with the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Not sure about? Don’t know quite what to say? Father Hugh Barbour gives a brief lesson on what really happens in confession, and offers tips on how to make confessing part of your life.</p>

The Surprising Thing That Brings Jesus Joy

The Best Arguments Against Purgatory (and why they’re wrong)

<p>Media depictions sell the &#8220;Rapture&#8221; as a Christian doctrine. But the event generally understood as the Rapture is not Christian doctrine at all. Karlo Broussard, the author of Purgatory Is for Real, decodes the truth about the end times.</p>

The Rapture Code

<p>“Jesus opposed fasting; therefore, Catholic fasting is unbiblical.”</p>
<p>In <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011926.cfm">yesterday’s Gospel</a>, Jesus is questioned about his disciples’ behavior. People were used to John the Baptist, whose disciples periodically fasted. So did the Pharisees. Although John’s followers and the Pharisees had little in common, they shared that discipline. And it seemed to differentiate them from Jesus’ followers, whom they don’t see fasting. So what gives?</p>
<p><strong>This at least seems like a sincere question</strong>, and Jesus answers it calmly. Jesus, who in these readings during early Ordinary Time is revealing who he is, today characterizes himself as “the bridegroom.” People attend weddings not to fast, but to feast, because weddings are joyful occasions. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus compares the coming of the kingdom—the <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/how-people-get-the-gospel-wrong">leitmotif</a> of these early Ordinary Time readings—with a nuptial banquet. Indeed, in these days after Epiphany, the Church likes to blend three mysteries together: the coming of <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/team-magi-or-team-herod">the magi</a>; Jesus’ <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/god-is-in-the-water">baptism</a> by John; and the wedding feast in Cana, which inaugurates Jesus’ public “signs” in the Gospel of John. So if you can read the “<a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/certainty-is-for-failures">signs of the times</a>,” you know Jesus’ coming is a joyful time to be celebrated.</p>
<p>But these fasting and dining questions seem also to dog Jesus and his apostles throughout their public ministry. Sometimes, his answers are not as equanimous as today’s. It’s not because Jesus is tired to addressing the question; rather, it has to do with the sincerity of his interlocutors. In today’s interaction, the query seems straightforwardly honest: we see the Pharisees and even John doing X, but you and your disciples do Y. Why?</p>
<p>Elsewhere, the sincerity may not be so straightforward. There’s <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11">an episode</a> where Jesus and John are compared (Matt. 11:1-19), and Jesus’ answer is “make up your minds what you want.” Invoking what may have been a popular saying in Jesus’ time, he says: play a happy song for you guys, and you won’t dance; play a dirge, and you won’t wail. What do you want? “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”</p>
<p>John, the ascetic of the Nazirite Vow <em>par excellence</em>, fasts on locusts and wild honey, and you call him out of his mind. Jesus, the Bridegroom, is labeled intemperate. In this instance, it’s clear the question is not one of “what does God want us to do?” as much as “I don’t like you or John!”</p>
<p>Elsewhere, we see the Pharisees taking Jesus and his disciples to task for failure to observe ritual purity laws—e.g., various ablutions of the hands and eating utensils (see <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/7">Mark 7</a>). Here human customs, Pharisaic interpretations, and divine law get bundled indiscriminately in one package, a package Jesus wants no part of. Jesus’ explanation is summarized by Mark (v. 19) as “thus he declared all foods clean.” But the controversy over adherence to the kosher laws would run into the early Church, as Judaizers insisted those laws and circumcision were binding on the mass influx of Gentile converts, too. It would take the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) finally to end disputes over dietary rules and customs.</p>
<p><strong>Jesus does recognize fasting. He does it himself</strong> for forty days at the beginning of his public ministry, when he is tempted. He speaks about how one should comport himself when fasting so that the focus is on the relationship with God, not the external behavior (Matt. 6:16-18). He speaks of fasting as a penitential work and sign. And Christians from their beginnings have had both feast <em>and fast </em>days, which are determined not by individual wants, but by common ecclesial discipline. So to claim that Catholic customs of fasting (limiting meals) and abstinence (refraining from meat) are “unbiblical” is simply unhistorical—including in the history of the Bible.</p>
<p>Ash Wednesday—a day of fast and abstinence—is about a month away (February 19). In classical Protestant theology, fasting and abstinence were considered unacceptable “popish” practices. The Protestant Reformation in Zurich, for example, is considered to have begun when people publicly ate sausages on a Lenten abstinence day in the Swiss city in March 1522. Ulrich Zwingli wrote a whole essay about it.</p>
<p>But, as we can see from scriptural witness, fasting—as known in Christian circles—is a Christian tradition with pre-Christian roots.</p>

Hold On . . . Is Jesus Against Fasting?

<p>Carrie Gress explores the intricate relationship between feminism and Catholicism. From tracing feminism&#8217;s historical roots to discussing its impact on modern society, she offers an insightful perspective on how the Church can provide an alternative to the prevailing feminist ideology. Tune in as she navigates through complex topics with depth and clarity, shedding light on the path forward for Catholics in today&#8217;s world.</p>

Can Catholics Fix Feminism?

Why is missing Mass a Mortal sin?

Can a person who never heard the Gospel be saved. If so, what makes Christianity necessary?

What is the most effective way to convert without impacting my family?

I am having trouble becoming Catholic because of marriage records.

I’m not Catholic because you redefine your morality.

<p>&#8220;Why is missing Mass a mortal sin?&#8221; This question opens a discussion on the gravity of our obligations to God and the Church. Additionally, the episode addresses whether someone who has never heard the Gospel can be saved and explores effective ways to convert without affecting family dynamics. The conversation also touches on the challenges of becoming Catholic and perceptions of morality within the faith.</p>
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Why Is Missing Mass a Mortal Sin? – Why Aren’t You Catholic?

A Reply to my Profane Christian Critics

<p>During the time of World War I, a controversial series of extraordinary events is reported to have occurred in Portugal. Most Christians today either are unaware of the events or don’t appreciate their significance.</p>
<p>This article is <em>not </em>about the 1917 Fatima apparitions by the Blessed Virgin Mary. The little-known events described here occurred earlier.</p>
<p>According to three young children, supernatural beings were encountered between 1915 and 1916. Lucia dos Santos (age eight) and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto (ages five and seven) claimed to have been visited by an angel prior to 1917 the Fatima apparitions. Although the type of interaction was different for each child, the messages were the same.</p>
<p>An investigative approach commonly used in science and criminology was undertaken to determine the validity of these claims. Evidence based on firsthand testimony was divided into categories: direct and circumstantial. This evidence was assessed by examining the trustworthiness of these children and simple logic, as well as any potential psychological, sociocultural, and environmental influences.</p>
<p><strong>In the backdrop of World War I, hardship and despair plagued Portugal</strong>, but a glimmer of hope arose when several shepherd children in the village of Fatima claimed to have been visited by angels. Fatima, a poor, out-of-the-way mountainous community of no sociopolitical consequence, is located on the slopes of the Serra Do Aire mountains, approximately 80 miles north of Lisbon.</p>
<p>During these times, the general political landscape in Europe was one of revolution and war. The assassination of Portugal’s king resulted in the abolishment of the monarchy. The controlling political party, dominated by Freemasons, embraced progress and science. Religion was seen to be outdated. Many religious were arrested and expelled; religious activities were outlawed and seen as a threat; and in 1911, a series of anti-Catholic laws were instituted under the slogan of “Separation of Church and State.” Spreading news of angelic visions would be seen as dangerous and not tolerated.</p>
<p>Most people in Fatima were peasants, who raised animals and farmed to survive. They had a simple and devout faith in God, with a Catholic church being a main building. Beyond religious instruction at the church, there were no schools, so children were instructed at home. Between 1914 and 1918, Portugal reported a 70-percent illiteracy rate, suggesting a higher level in the remote regions, such as Fatima.</p>
<p>Multiple peasant children from the village of Fatima claimed to have been visited by a supernatural being between 1915 and 1916. The visits’ purpose was to prepare the children for the suffering to follow and the need for man to repent of sin.</p>
<p>The most significant aspects of Lucia’s testimony are summarized below.</p>
<h2>1915 Appearance</h2>
<p>Lucia, while tending the family flock with some friends, explains, “Around noon they ate lunch and then invited her companions to say the rosary. We just started and saw a figure, like a statue of snow suspended in the air above the trees.” Lucia told no one, but the other children told their families.</p>
<p>When Lucia’s mother heard of the incident and asked, Lucia’s response was that it looked like a person “wrapped in a bedsheet.” Her mother dismissed the event as “childish foolishness.”</p>
<p>Similar events occurred two additional times. Hearing of the event from other village families, Lucia’s mother became very angry with her.</p>
<h2>1916 Appearances</h2>
<p>Francisco and Jacinta were now allowed to take their families’ herds with Lucia to graze.</p>
<blockquote><p>We ran through the rosary and began playing. A strong wind shook the trees. Raising our eyes we saw a figure above the olive tree walking toward us. It was a young man fourteen or fifteen years old, white like snow, whom the sun made transparent as crystal and of great beauty.</p>
<p>When he got near to us, he said, “Fear not! I am the Angel of Peace, Pray with me.” Kneeling, he bowed his head all the way to the ground and made us repeat three times, “My God! I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love thee. I ask thee for forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.”</p>
<p>Rising, he said “Pray like this. The ears of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.”</p></blockquote>
<p>On another occasion, the children were playing, and the visitor identified himself as the Angel of Portugal and said, “Above all accept and bear with submission the suffering that the Lord send you.”</p>
<h2>Final Appearance</h2>
<p>Lucia states that the children went to their knees and started to pray, “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love thee . . . ”</p>
<blockquote><p>A light shined upon us. We stood up and saw an angel, in his left hand was a chalice over which was suspended a Host, from which a few drops of blood were dripping into the chalice. The angel left the chalice suspended in the air, knelt next to us, and made us repeat three times:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore thee profoundly and offer thee the most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles on earth in reparation for the insults, sacrileges, and indifferences with which he is offended. And through the infinite merits of his most sacred heart and the immaculate heart of Mary, I ask thee for the conversion of poor sinners.”</p>
<p>The angel then stood up and gave me the sacred host and the precious blood to Jacinta and Francisco and said,</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;">Eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ, horribly insulted by the ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.</p>
<p>Prostrating himself again to the ground he repeated with us, “Most Holy Trinity . . .” and disappeared.”</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>The following direct evidence is based on Lucia’s testimony.</strong> Circumstantial evidence is related to the event.</p>
<p><u>Direct Evidence</u>: Lucia and some unrelated friends in 1915 observed a being like a statue suspended above the trees. Lucia kept this event to herself; however, the other children reported the experience to their parents.</p>
<p>In 1916, Lucia and her cousins encountered visitors identified as the Angel of Peace and later the Angel of Portugal. Only Lucia spoke with the angels. Jacinta heard all the responses, and Francisco had only visual interactions. Yet they all provided the same description of the visits.</p>
<p><u>Circumstantial Evidence</u>: The sophistication of words and phrases repeated by the children indicate an advanced level of theology—for example, “Eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ, horribly insulted by the ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.”</p>
<p>Although Lucia instructed her cousins to secrecy, Jacinta told her mother. Word spread, reaching Lucia’s mother, who demanded that Lucia stop spreading lies. Animosity in her family grew, and yet, subject to these unpleasant conditions, Lucia’s account never changed. Amid hostility and ridicule, the children were unwavering in their belief and their description of the events.</p>
<p><u>Trustworthiness of an Eyewitness</u>: Details from their upbringing indicate that Lucia was pious, obedient, and not one to lie. Yet she disobeyed her mother. Francisco was described as passive and quiet, whereas Jacinta, the youngest, was strong-willed. Given their family life, upbringing, and age and the fact that honesty was instilled in them early, there isn’t any indication that they could have fabricated and maintained such a complex story.</p>
<p>Psychology and cognitive science have demonstrated that our memory is malleable. Extraordinary events, especially those surrounded by strong emotional or spiritual significance, are often reconstructed to align with expectations. Since angelic visits were unexpected, isolated events, any influence of expectation is unfounded.</p>
<p>Suggestions that the children’s visions could be related to the religious environment of the country also seem improbable, since they had no interaction with the outside world. Further, the information provided by the visitors was theologically too sophisticated for illiterate children to naturally dream up. Life in these remote hamlets was focused on survival and not on supernatural appearances.</p>
<p>Finally, the people of the town, fearful of potential governmental retaliation, reported nothing of these events to the outside world until after the apparitions of 1917 became public. The possibility of a sociopolitical agenda must therefore be excluded.</p>
<p><strong>In general, people under forty are either unaware or skeptical of these events</strong>, and believers tend to focus only on the “wow factor” of the final apparition, the Miracle of the Sun, not fully appreciating what had occurred already in Fatima. The critical message delivered by the angelic visitors clearly emphasized the hurt, insult, and blasphemies toward our God by humanity. However, as a result of God’s infinite mercy and forgiveness, salvation is available those who pray and repent.</p>
<p>This message is even more urgent today, as evidenced by the number of global conflicts over the last hundred years, the lack of respect for the human person, the growth of individualism, and the outright indifference toward God. In light of the ingratitude and blasphemies committed directly against the Lord, the loss of salvation for many is at hand.</p>
<p>The secular fascination with UFOs, aliens, and other paranormal phenomena has missed or neglected the real supernatural phenomenon that has already occurred. I hope this short article will raise awareness of the 1915-16 angelic apparitions in Fatima, highlighting the urgent need to return to prayer and repentance for the salvation of souls.</p>

What You Didn’t Know About Fatima

Catholic Answers Magazine features daily articles to help you explain and defend the Catholic faith, deepen your knowledge of its mysteries, and bring yourself and your neighbor closer to the Lord and his saving truth.

Articles

Where in the Bible is the idea of Mary’s sinlessness found?

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Why do Catholics believe in the Assumption of Mary?

How can one restore hope and faith when doubting the efficacy of prayer?

How can Catholics explain the term “Catholic” being Biblical when the word itself is not in the Bible?

<p>In this episode of <em data-start="19" data-end="42">Catholic Answers Live</em>, we tackle some of the most thought-provoking and commonly asked questions about the Catholic faith. Topics include the biblical basis for Mary’s sinlessness and the Assumption, as well as how to explain the word &#8220;Catholic&#8221; despite it not appearing in Scripture. We also explore the Church’s teaching on the respectful handling of cremated ashes versus the veneration of saints’ relics. Listeners ask how to understand Acts 2:38–39 in relation to infant baptism and seek guidance on restoring hope during spiritual dryness and doubt in the power of prayer.</p>
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Catholic Teaching on Cremated Ashes, Saints’ Relics, and Infant Baptism

<p>One of the tenets of Reformed theology is the belief in <em>total depravity</em>, or the idea that man is wholly defiled and incapable of doing good before being regenerated, or born again, in Christ.</p>
<p><strong>According to the most prominent author of Reformed theology,</strong> John Calvin, “the will is so utterly vitiated and corrupted in every part as to produce nothing but evil” (<em>Institutes </em>2.2.26), and “man is so enslaved by the yoke of sin that he cannot of his own nature aim at the good, either in wish or in actual pursuit (2.3.5).</p>
<p>Thus, Calvin teaches that it is impossible for man to do any good before he is regenerated in Christ. And if he is regenerated, it is in no part attributed to any of his own actions. It is solely the work of God.</p>
<p>This means if God does not choose to regenerate us, we are incapable of ever doing good and thus ever being saved. All we can do is sin, and we cannot turn away from evil in any capacity.</p>
<p>If we have no say in our salvation, then, how could we have any say in our damnation? We wouldn’t. In fact, according to Calvin, all of the evil deeds we commit are simply the result of our depraved nature. We do not have the ability to do otherwise.</p>
<p>But if this were the case, how could God justly punish us for something that we <em>had</em> to do? Would a judge punish somebody with a life sentence for a crime he was forced to commit, with no possibility of doing otherwise? That seems pretty unfair.</p>
<p><strong>A Calvinist might push back and say Catholics agree that God determines</strong> who receives the grace of final perseverance and who does not. Although this is true, it is also true that all people are given sufficient grace to be saved <em>if</em> they are willing to cooperate with it. Thus, in the Catholic world, each person is given a real chance at salvation; God can truly be said to desire the salvation of all, since he gives everyone the opportunity to be saved.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Catholic Church teaches that human nature is not fully depraved or corrupted. According to the <em>Catechism of the Catholic Church</em>, “human nature has not been totally corrupted,” but is simply “wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin” (405). As a result, humans can perform acts of natural good throughout their life even if they have never been regenerated in Christ, since human nature is not fully corrupted or inclined to evil. This aligns with our everyday experience.</p>
<p>For example, a firefighter might be an atheist, but he could still have the virtue of courage and risk his life to save others. A mother might not be a believer, but she could still practice love and selflessness with her children. Even though it is certainly more difficult to do this without having efficacious grace from the sacraments, it is still possible.</p>
<p><strong>The teachings of Calvin are clearly misaligned</strong> <strong>with ordinary human experience.</strong> Even though non-believers may not be saints, they are certainly not people who “produce nothing but evil,” as Calvin suggests.</p>
<p>Not even Scripture describes individuals in this way. For example, in 2 Chronicles 19, King Jehoshaphat is described as doing evil and thus meriting the wrath of God, but also having some good in him:</p>
<blockquote><p>Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord. Nevertheless some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asherahs out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.”</p></blockquote>
<p>In addition to this, God invites all to seek after him and thus do good: “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22). If it were impossible for everyone to turn to him, why is he inviting us to? Again, this would be asking the impossible. It would not be fair.</p>
<p>It would also be unfair for Christ to judge the saved from the damned by their charitable works, since the damned have no possible way of ever having done good works. It would be like a parent requesting of his child, “If you grow five feet overnight, I will reward you. But if you don’t, I’ll punish you.” One might respond to the parent that he’s being completely unfair and unreasonable. How could you punish a child for failing at an impossible task?</p>
<p><strong>And yet this is how God the Father is under the Calvinist framework.</strong> He demands an impossible task of most of the world, since wide is the path to destruction and narrow is the path to life. Most people would be eternally punished for something they had no control over. How could God be infinitely just and loving then?</p>
<p>It is clear he couldn’t—which is why the Calvinist view of total depravity is . . . well, totally wrong, and inconsistent.</p>

Total Depravity Is Totally Wrong

<p>How can the Catholic Church teach that we need a Magisterium (a living teaching authority) when John says in 1 John 2:27 that we have no need for a man to teach us since the Holy Spirit will teach us? The author of Meeting the Protestant Challenge responds.</p>

Is a Church Magisterium Unbiblical?

<p>St. Teresa of Calcutta is often described as having lived for decades in a “dark night of the soul.” The phrase has become so common that people apply it broadly to mean any prolonged period of aridity, or <em>dryness</em>, in prayer, or any season of difficulty in the spiritual life. How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m going through a dark night of the soul” when what he really means is that he feels distant from God, or is merely not feeling spiritual consolations?</p>
<p><strong>But here’s the truth: that’s not what the dark night of the soul is</strong>—at least, not as St. John of the Cross describes it. The term has a precise meaning in the spiritual writings of mystics and Doctors of the Church. When we conflate it with mere spiritual dryness, we not only misuse the term, but miss the profound beauty of what God is really doing in the soul.</p>
<p>Let’s clear this up by first laying out what John of the Cross actually meant when he wrote about the <em>two</em> (yes, two) dark nights.</p>
<h2>The Two Dark Nights</h2>
<p>First, I would like to make a PSA about the writings of John of the Cross. People flock to read <em>The Dark Night of the Soul</em>, but most do so out of context. John first wrote <em>Ascent of Mount Carmel</em>, which explains the dark night of the senses (which traces a soul’s elevation toward God as it grows in holiness in the earlier part of the spiritual life). <em>Ascent of Mount Carmel</em> is written in three parts. Originally, John intended to write this as four parts, with <em>Dark Night of the Soul</em> as part four. Ultimately, he ended up writing <em>Dark Night of the Soul</em> as a separate work, but when we read it without first reading <em>Ascent of Mount Carmel</em>, we can miss important context.</p>
<p>Across these two works, John describes two phases of purification through which a soul passes on its way to union with God:</p>
<ol>
<li>The Dark Night of the Sense</li>
<li>The Dark Night of the Spirit (what many simply call “the dark night of the soul”)</li>
</ol>
<p>The first of the two nights—the dark night of the senses—occurs when God begins to lead the soul beyond simple meditation into mystical prayer<em>—</em>a stage in the spiritual life where a soul experiences God spiritually rather than through the senses. The familiar experiences of sweetness in prayer, consolations, and pleasant feelings are removed. This is not simply because God is testing the soul, nor is he withholding his love. Rather, he is drawing the soul into a deeper, more raw love for him—one no longer dependent on feelings or consolations.</p>
<p>As John writes,</p>
<blockquote><p>this first night pertains to beginners, occurring at the time when God begins to bring them into the state of contemplation. . . . And the second night, or purification, pertains to those who are already proficient, occurring at the time when God desires to bring them to the state of union with God (<em>Ascent</em>, Book I, ch. 1).</p></blockquote>
<p>This purification strips away attachment to the lower faculties of the soul—the senses, imagination, and emotions—so the soul may enter into a type of prayer called <em>infused contemplation</em>, through which God himself illumines the soul. Also contrary to modern vernacular, infused contemplation is not simply a deeper kind of meditation, but a type of prayer into which only God can bring a person, and in which the person tastes the sweetness of prayer spiritually rather than physically.</p>
<p>The second night, the night of the spirit, comes much later. It is far more intense, rare, and  transforming. This is the true “dark night of the soul.” It purifies the higher faculties of the soul—intellect, memory, and will—in preparation for the final stage of union with God, what John calls the <em>transforming union</em>. To take a step back here, the dark night of the spirit comes only once a soul has gone beyond the introductory stages of contemplation and into divine union (and progressed beyond the initial simple union with God, even!).</p>
<p>In this second night, faith, hope, and charity are all purified and deepened. The soul experiences profound darkness—not because God has abandoned it, but because his light is so overwhelming that, as with staring directly at the sun, the soul experiences it as darkness.</p>
<blockquote><p>The more clear and evident divine things are, the more dark and hidden they are to the soul naturally. Thus . . . the stronger the sun’s rays the more it blinds the visual organs; overcoming them by reason of their weakness, and depriving them of the power of seeing. So the divine light of contemplation, when it beats on the soul, not yet perfectly enlightened, causes spiritual darkness (Dark Night, Book II, ch. 5).</p></blockquote>
<p>The dark night of the spirit is not ordinary dryness. It is due to not the distance of God, but the closeness of God. It is God working in the soul, burning away even the most hidden imperfections so that nothing remains but pure love. John uses the analogy of a drum of dirty oil that is set on fire—at first, the flame is dirty and filled with pollutants, but over time, the impurities are burned away, and the flame burns clean. The flame represents God’s love, which burns more purely in the soul after the two nights.</p>
<h2>Ordinary Dryness vs. the Two Dark Nights</h2>
<p>It’s important, then, to distinguish between the ordinary dryness most of us experience and the supernatural purifications of the dark nights.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Spiritual dryness </strong>can come from many sources: fatigue, stress, illness, distraction, sin, or even God gently leading us to love him beyond consolations. These periods are normal and to be expected. They test our perseverance and faithfulness.</li>
<li><strong>The dark night of the sense </strong>is not just dryness, but the beginning of infused contemplation. The soul is no longer able to meditate as before. It feels empty in prayer but is secretly being drawn closer to God.</li>
<li><strong>The dark night of the spirit </strong>is the profound purification of the higher faculties of the soul. It is not just difficulty in prayer, but an all-encompassing purging of the soul, preparing the soul for total union with God.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>This is why we must be careful with language.</strong> Not every dry patch in prayer is a dark night. Sometimes it is just dryness. Sometimes it’s the night of the sense. The dark night of the spirit is a rare and advanced stage in the ascent to divine union.</p>
<p>It can be dangerous to misuse the term because we can either over-spiritualize our experiences or trivialize the true grandeur of God’s purifying work in the soul. So let’s use the proper language, acknowledging that all three experiences have their place in the spiritual life.</p>

Dark Night of the Soul: Not What You Think

<p>What&#8217;s the most reasonable thing to see when you walk through the door of a Catholic young men&#8217;s gathering? The answer is nothing, because you&#8217;ll be blinded by all the cigar smoke.</p>
<p>Smoking is a popular pastime, even after decades of state-sponsored condemnation. Catholics are no strangers to it, either: G.K. Chesterton wrote that &#8220;to have a horror of tobacco is not to have an abstract standard of right; but exactly the opposite. It is to have no standard of right whatever. . . . A man does not make dividends for the Big Boss by smoking, and therefore smoking has a smell as of something sinful&#8221; (<a href="https://archive.org/details/generallyspeakin00ches/page/4/mode/2up?q=%22horror+of+tobacco%22"><em>Generally Speaking</em></a>, 1929). Yet we&#8217;ve all been hammered with statistics on the harms that come from tobacco in all its forms.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">And so, in today&#8217;s edition of Both Sides Now, you&#8217;ll find that where there is smoke, there is fire. Hopefully not hellfire, though. Is smoking a sin?</p>
<p style="font-size: 24px; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="#pat">Click here for YES!</a></strong></p>
<p style="font-size: 24px; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="#joe">Click here for NO!</a></strong></p>

Is Smoking a Sin?

<p>Mid-December, 2024. No Christmas trees or wreaths. No lights strung across buildings. No carols.</p>
<p>It was my first Christmastide outside the U.S. or Mexico. Even as hostility toward Christ has risen in the U.S. and <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/viva-cristo-rey">secularism</a> has long existed in Mexico, both are still Christian societies. And China is not—a reality that hit home like never before. Without the secular trappings, our Lord’s incarnation moved me in a new way. Yet the lack of attention to the coming feast of Jesus’ birth wrenched my heart. More than ever, I longed for China to turn to Christ.</p>
<h2>“Most people in China are Christians”</h2>
<p>Sunday before Christmas, we headed to Mass in Lianyungang, where my husband’s family lives. On the way, our DiDi (equivalent of Uber) driver said he’s a Christian, too.</p>
<p>“How many Christians are there in China?” we asked.</p>
<p>“Most people,” he answered. “They just don’t say so.”</p>
<p>Although China is far from the most hostile country in the world to Christianity, <a href="https://www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/china/?_source_code=WHPB20C">repression</a> there <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/new-report-chinese-campaigns-to-control-christianity-worsened-in-2019-p3d2mma1">has</a> <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259557/china-is-removing-crosses-from-churches-replacing-images-of-christ-with-xi-jinping-per-uscirf-report">worsened</a>. I worried about the risks for our relatives in China if we looked for an <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/a-hidden-church-in-china">underground</a> church. My husband had no such concerns, nor did his family appear to. Still, we kept to <a href="https://www.catholic.com/qa/may-i-attend-a-state-approved-mass-in-china-to-fulfill-my-sunday-obligation?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=search&amp;utm_campaign=justin&amp;utm_content=ai_summary">official churches</a>.</p>
<p>Tucked behind businesses, Xinpu Catholic Church had a nativity scene, its stable ready for the baby Jesus, and even a <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/refuting-the-pagan-roots-of-christmas-claim">Christmas tree</a>. Mostly older parishioners crowded the pews, joyfully worshiping for over an hour in the freezing space, the church obviously too poor to have enough heaters.</p>
<p>Christianity reached China in 635, brought by a Syrian <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/nestorianism">Nestorian</a> who traveled the Silk Road to present a Bible and proclaim the gospel to the emperor. (Or perhaps <a href="https://www.ucly.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tombstone-carvings-from-ad-86.pdf">earlier</a>.) A <a href="https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/172060">stele</a> from 781 written in Chinese and Syriac shows that Christian communities existed in several northern cities, before the Tang empire suppressed the religion, though eventually it would be <a href="https://ignatius.com/christians-in-china-digital-cchine/?searchid=0&amp;search_query=Christians+in+China+A.D.+600+to+2000">reintroduced briefly</a> by the Mongols.</p>
<p>The Catholic Jesuit history is better known. Landing in Macau in 1582, <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/matteo-ricci-sj">Venerable Matteo Ricci</a> immersed himself in Chinese culture and language. A firm proponent of inculturation, Ricci preached Christ using Chinese concepts. He wanted the gospel to ring true in context. What better way to make disciples for Christ (Matt 28:19-20)? As Pope Benedict XVI writes in <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-truth-of-the-gospels-vindicated"><em>Jesus of Nazareth</em></a> (<a href="https://shop.catholic.com/jesus-of-nazareth-from-the-baptism-in-the-jordan-to-the-transfiguration/?searchid=10549152&amp;search_query=pope+benedict%2C+jesus+of+nazareth?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=search_ad&amp;_gl=1*1br8249*_gcl_au*NjIxNjYxOTQyLjE3NjA4MDYxNzg.">vol. I</a>, 198, 173), wherever Christianity spreads, it brings “to completion all that is precious and great” in local traditions, “transforming and integrating their positive elements into itself.” Ricci’s views of longstanding forms of honoring ancestors, terms for God, and other issues became part of the complex, lengthy <a href="https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/matteo-ricci">Rites Controversy</a>.</p>
<p>Since Ricci’s time, many Christians in China <a href="https://www.catholic.com/audio/caf/st-mark-ji-tianxiang-addict-martyr-and-saint">have</a> <a href="https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/martyrs-in-china">died</a> <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-cost-of-discipleship">for</a> <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/do-not-stop-us-from-dying-with-you">Christ</a>.</p>
<p>All of this weighed on me during our trip.</p>
<p>In Shanghai, predictably, Christmas trees were less uncommon. Carols even played in the lobby of our hotel.</p>
<p>During Christmas night Mass at Saint Ignatius of Loyola, or Xujiahui Cathedral (徐家汇主教座堂), with its <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-16-tm-china29-story.html">mid-nineteenth-century origins</a>, English translations of the readings appeared on screens. But my husband had to convey the gist of the homily later. Same with Father’s invitation to Protestants and nonbelievers at the packed Mass. Given that some people take churches as tourist attractions, certain Protestant services required you to register in advance or even show a foreign passport, which seemed counterintuitive at best. Since I teach world Christianity at a college in Indiana, I’d wanted to go to a Protestant service, too, but we couldn’t find an open one. Father’s message to non-Catholics? In essence: You are welcome. Come and learn, join the Church our Lord founded on earth, benefit from the sacraments!</p>
<p>A Catholic China would indeed bring people into the fullness of the faith.</p>
<h2>“China doesn’t have Christians”</h2>
<p>Near the start of Lent in Southern California, I met probably the most faithful child I’d ever come across—an eight-year-old Chinese-American girl, whom I’ll call Hannah.</p>
<p>As we got to know her family over the summer, Hannah showed us her Bibles, expressing delight and wonder at stories from both testaments.</p>
<p>An apologist in the making, she has challenged friends who don’t believe in God. Once, she relayed, she yelled at someone on the phone until her mom told her to stop. I affirmed her zeal but suggested alternative ways she might reach people, leading to a discussion of our favorite arguments for God’s existence.</p>
<p>Earnestly, Hannah asked about faith. Prayer. Angels. The devil. Creation and evolution. Sometimes my head spun, and I would ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.</p>
<p>One day Hannah told us, “My dad says China doesn’t really have Christians. They don’t like Christians.”</p>
<p>Struck by the contrast, I recalled the DiDi driver. We said her dad’s basically right but also described Masses we attended in China.</p>
<p>Soon after, Hannah went to Mass with me. On the walk to the church’s double doors, she paused before a station: Jesus being nailed to the Cross.</p>
<p>“That’s so sad,” she said, staring at the image, about at her eye level.</p>
<p>“Yes. But he died for our sins, to save us.”</p>
<p>During Mass, she sang and listened. She appeared more engaged than other kids, displaying that spiritual hunger, unusual in one her age, especially without a clear religious foundation at home. It would make more sense from the child of an Evangelical family. Sadly, my experience doesn’t call to mind many fervent Catholic children, perhaps owing to modern Western catechesis, with its “<a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/kids-know-how-to-call-your-bluff">strange ability to destroy the imagination of children</a>.”</p>
<p>On our walk back, Hannah again paused before a station, asking the meaning of INRI above Jesus’s head as he hung on the cross.</p>
<p>About Mass, she said with a smile and bright eyes, “It was really interesting.”</p>
<p>I could have wept. I grew up in a Mexican-Italian family that never missed weekly Mass (or stations of the cross during Lent). My memories of church from Hannah’s age include being bored and looking forward to a donut and socializing afterward. The most fervent time of my childhood was in a pro-life youth group and on retreats, the vibrancy later dissipating in Catholic high school. Secular university ushered in a dark period, before I fought to bring God back into my heart and my life.</p>
<p>How did Hannah learn to believe? Where did she get her fervor for the Lord?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px">1. <strong>God’s grace.</strong> I can only discern that he chose her.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px">2. <strong>A Chinese/Chinese-American church</strong> her family briefly attended elsewhere.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px">The oldest such church appears to be in <a href="https://www.pccsf.org/our-story">Chinatown, San Francisco</a>. These mostly <a href="https://sola.network/article/chinese-christians-conservative-evangelical/">conservative Evangelical churches</a> reach people right away, an example being one of my Mandarin language teachers in Texas who found her way to a local congregation despite her limited time in the U.S. As a graduate student in Iowa, my husband met missionaries who invited him to church and hosted him for dinner early on. The Catholic Church could perhaps make reaching <a href="https://www.usccb.org/resources/partners-evangelization-chinese-american-catholics">Chinese/Chinese-American</a> communities more of a <a href="https://www.uscatholicchina.org/">priority</a>.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 40px">3. <strong>The U.S.—even Southern California</strong>, where hotel rooms in some areas don’t have Bibles—is still Christian. In Hannah’s case, there are the public school teacher who talks about God, a believing friend, yard and roadway signs: “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DI9Kp5Eu3-d/">Jesus Loves You</a>.” “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prayerchangesthingsofficial">Prayer Changes Things</a>.”</p>
<p>The following week Hannah shared a prayer, saying, “Jesus taught it.”</p>
<p>“We said that together at Mass—the Our Father. Do you remember?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah!” A smile, then a little frown. “How do people memorize it?”</p>
<p>“By saying it often.” I winced to myself. Growing up, I often said the Our Father mindlessly. Later, <a href="https://shop.catholic.com/jesus-of-nazareth-from-the-baptism-in-the-jordan-to-the-transfiguration/?searchid=10549152&amp;search_query=pope+benedict%2C+jesus+of+nazareth?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=search_ad&amp;_gl=1*1br8249*_gcl_au*NjIxNjYxOTQyLjE3NjA4MDYxNzg.">Pope Benedict</a> led me to reflect on its meaning and significance.</p>
<p>“I want everyone in the whole world to believe in Jesus,” Hannah said another day. She worried about her little brother, who’s one. “What if he won’t become Christian? What if he listens to his friends?”</p>
<p>“You can teach him. Help him hold on to faith.”</p>
<p>Before we left town, I showed Hannah a video of the St. Ignatius choir singing “Ave Maria” in Shanghai and a Chinese couple’s <a href="https://youtu.be/UPeTt51WvfQ?t=2069">testimony</a> at a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265385/contemplating-a-crucifix-led-to-conversion-of-young-chinese-atheist">Marian Eucharistic event</a> in <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/from-communist-to-catholic">Spain</a>. For work reasons, my husband and I live in two states—far from easy. What a blessing to spend summer together, and to come across Hannah.</p>
<p>I’m grateful God didn’t put her in my path when I was lukewarm or lapsed, and would have had few or damaging answers! I know I still made mistakes. Sometimes I double-checked things in Scripture and the <em>Catechism</em>, returning newly armed. Without the Church, I would have been adrift.</p>
<p>I’d considered Protestantism once, <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-reformations-toxic-fruit">dizzied</a> by all the denominations, disagreements, and splits yet drawn to conservative Evangelicals’ great love for Jesus. But it didn’t remove the problems with <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-im-catholic-the-foundational-error-of-sola-scriptura"><em>sola scriptura</em></a> or <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/galatians-216-and-sola-fide"><em>sola fide</em></a>. <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/making-converts-of-cradle-catholics">Cradle Catholics</a> can and should (and some do) cultivate the vibrancy you’ll often find among certain groups of Protestants. But had I left the Church, where would I have gone for help answering Hannah’s questions, when the Bible alone doesn’t necessarily have all the answers or <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/how-to-read-the-bible-as-a-catholic">interpret</a> itself? When other churches offer confusing, incomplete, or no answers?</p>
<p style="text-align: center">* * *</p>
<p>Back in Indiana for the school year, I wonder how Hannah is doing. Will her parents take her to Mass? Will her Evangelical classmate invite her to church? God willing, I’ll see her again when I return to California. For now, I pray that Hannah, her family, Chinese everywhere, and all people find their way to the Lord and his Church.</p>
<p>As for the numbers of Christians in China, estimates range from 2 to 9 percent of the population, or about <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/08/30/christianity/">20 million</a> <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/12/chinas-christian-population-appears-to-have-stopped-growing-after-rising-rapidly-in-the-1980s-and-90s/">to</a> <a href="https://www.asiaharvest.org/christians-in-china-stats/china">130 million</a> people, with Protestants like our DiDi driver far outnumbering Catholics. To be sure, in Protestant groups, it often seems almost anyone can become a missionary, as you might expect, given the “<a href="https://shop.catholic.com/stunned-by-scripture-how-the-bible-made-me-catholic/">Protestant Principle</a>”: each person as his “own arbiter” (121).</p>
<p>Though Catholics must take greater care with <a href="https://pontificalmissions.org/home">evangelism</a>, the Church could do more to carry out <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/3-john-paul-ii-teachings-that-havent-aged-well">Pope St. John Paul II’s</a> <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio.html">call</a>. Teach laypeople to evangelize in our everyday lives. Ingrain it in cradle Catholics from an early age. Use homilies and other methods to reinforce it.</p>
<p>In “<a href="https://www.catholic.com/audio/cot/protestantism-is-winning-and-the-lesson-for-catholics">Protestantism is Winning (and Has a Lesson for Catholics)</a>,” Trent Horn gives advice that’s also useful in Chinese/Chinese-American contexts. We can focus on the Church’s apostolic origins and fullness of the Faith. Treat our Catholic faith as a matter of spiritual life and death. Let it guide our every interaction. For our part, in China and everywhere, we can do more to invite people to Mass, look for <a href="https://maryknollsociety.org/how-support/volunteer-opportunities/taiwan-gap-volunteer-program/">missionary opportunities</a>, ask the Lord to help us <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/not-the-best-way-to-evangelize">evangelize well</a>, and bring more people into his Church.</p>
<p>May he one day turn the DiDi driver’s words into a reality. Let it be a Catholic China, bringing the richness and fullness of the Faith and unity in the <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/what-does-church-mean?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=search&amp;utm_campaign=justin&amp;utm_content=ai_summary">one Church</a>. The packed Masses we attended and Father’s appeal on Christmas, while Protestant churches turned people away, promise to bear fruit someday. For even if someone walks in a tourist, our Lord can change his heart. We can help, too.</p>

How Many Christians Are There in China?

<p class="" data-start="418" data-end="791">On this encore special Holy Thursday episode of <em data-start="459" data-end="482">Catholic Answers Live</em>, Cy Kellett sits down with apologist Joe Heschmeyer to explore the profound meaning of the Last Supper. Why did Jesus institute the Eucharist and the priesthood on this night? How does the Gospel of John’s account—focused on the washing of the feet—fit with the synoptic Gospels’ focus on the bread and wine?</p>
<p class="" data-start="793" data-end="1095">Joe connects the dots between the Passover sacrifice, Christ’s role as the Paschal Lamb, and the liturgical richness of the early Church. You’ll also learn why Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Church’s most sacred three-day liturgy—and how Catholics today are called to enter into this mystery.</p>
<p data-start="793" data-end="1095">Join The <em>CA Live Club</em> Newsletter: <a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email">Click Here</a></p>

What Happened on Holy Thursday? The Last Supper and the Priesthood

Intro: Why Pope Leo XIV chose the name Leo

Overview of Rerum Novarum and Pope Leo XIII

Origins of Catholic Social Teaching

Response to Industrial Revolution

Gregory XVI and Marari Vos

Theocracy vs. Catholic moral leadership

Definition of Catholic Social Teaching

Human flourishing and property ownership

Dignity of workers and work conditions

Modern implications: AI as a moral issue

Market economy vs. socialism

Greed, envy, and class warfare

Role of unions and political integrity

How AI might affect human dignity

Solidarity and Subsidiarity explained

Common Good and the role of the family

<p>In this episode of <em data-start="231" data-end="254">Catholic Answers Live</em>, Cy Kellett is joined by theologian Tom Nash for a deep dive into Catholic social teaching through the lens of <em data-start="366" data-end="381">Rerum Novarum</em>, the 1891 encyclical by Pope Leo XIII. Prompted by Pope Leo XIV’s decision to connect his papacy with his namesake, the discussion explores why <em data-start="526" data-end="541">Rerum Novarum</em> remains foundational for the Church’s response to modern social and economic upheavals. From labor rights and the dignity of work to AI, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the proper role of the state, this hour unpacks timeless Catholic principles for navigating new challenges. Whether you&#8217;re new to Catholic social teaching or looking to revisit its core insights, this episode offers a clear, passionate, and relevant exploration of how faith meets public life.</p>
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<p>Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit <a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</a></p>
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Understanding Catholic Social Teaching From Pope Leo XIII to Today

7 Myths about the Catholic Church

Should Christians Support “Cancel Culture”?

Learn To Spot This Common Logical Fallacy (Counterfeit Argument)

Pope Benedict XVI vs. The “Dark Passages of Scripture”

<p><strong>Episode 123: Year C &#8211; 4th Sunday of Lent</strong></p>
<p>In today’s episode, we focus on three details that are relevant for doing apologetics. The first comes from the first reading, which is taken from Joshua 5:9a, 10-12. The relevant apologetic topic is the Eucharist, and more specifically the belief that the Eucharist is not merely a symbol. The other two details come from the second reading, which is taken from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, and each has to do with the question of whether justification is merely forensic or a state of interior righteousness. One detail is presented as support for the interior righteousness view, and the other detail is presented against it.</p>
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<p>Readings: <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/033025.cfm">Click Here</a></p>
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<p>Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! <a href="https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday">Click Here</a></p>
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Why the Miraculous Manna Proves the Eucharist Is More Than a Symbol

Does binding and loosing represent the Sensus Fidelium?

Why is the pill considered abortifacient?

Does God operate based on condition? I can’t wrap my head around the principle of double effect.

How do I explain to my daughter in law who’s going to OCIA the perpetual virginity? She learned in class that the Church has never clarified and that her perpetual virginity is optional to believe?

We tend to hear in TOB circles that men who are addicted to pornography should be avoided when considering marriage? Would you say the same start can be used for women?

How do you avoid making circular arguments for the papacy and magisterium?

<p>A common misconception is that Mary’s perpetual virginity is optional to believe. We clarify Church teaching and how to explain it respectfully, along with insights on binding and loosing, the birth control pill, and how to talk about pornography and marriage.</p>
<p>Join The <em>CA Live Club</em> Newsletter: <a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email">Click Here</a></p>

How Can I Explain the Perpetual Virginity of Mary to Someone in OCIA?

<p>In this episode Trent responds to Gavin Ortlund’s recent video Purgatory: A Protestant Perspective and it’s claims about what the Church fathers really believed regarding purgatory and the afterlife.</p>

Did the Church Fathers Believe in Purgatory? (Response to Gavin Ortlund)

My Former Debate Opponent is Now Catholic!

Why isn’t there an infallible translation of the bible?

How does consecration to saint’s work?

Gen 35:16 says Benjamin was born in Canaan, but Gen 35:26 says he was born in Paddan-aram. Is this contradictory?

What occurred during the Great Schism?

You do know this celebration of the dead [veneration of the saints] has pagan Roman origins like all the other pagan infiltrations camouflaged as church traditions?

I’m talking to an evolutionist bible scholar. How do I convince him of monotheism?

AMA: Infallible Translations, Consecration to Saints, Great Schism, and More

<p>Did you know there is a feature in modern Bibles that is only a few centuries old that ha potential to distort the meaning of God’s word?</p>

How Modern Bibles Conceal Doctrine

How do I respond to a protestant when they ask why I feel a need to confess my sins to a priest?

Why do we not spend more time in the church forming disciples?

Why do we say it’s impossible not to know if you’ve committed a mortal sin?

Why does there seem to be a vast difference in the teaching the Church has preserved and the practical application and knowledge of your average Catholic?

Why can’t a parent take communion if they have a child who is living at home with a boyfriend or girlfriend?

<p>&#8220;How do I respond to Protestants on confession and sin?&#8221; This question opens a discussion on the necessity of confessing sins to a priest, addressing common misconceptions. Other topics include the Church&#8217;s role in disciple formation, the understanding of mortal sin, and the challenges faced by Catholics in applying Church teachings in everyday life.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter</span></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</span></a></p>

How Do I Respond to Protestants on Confession and Sin?

<p><span><span><span><span>Understanding the full truth of the human person is an important step in providing healing. Dr. Greg Bottaro is the executive director and founder of the Catholic Psych Institute and the author of <em>The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time. </em>He shares how a fully Catholic view of the person leads to better outcomes.</span></span></span></span></p>

Christ the Healer, Part 2

If the Old Testament can be known without an infallible authority, then how come we can’t have that for the New Testament?

How do you defend the faith against Protestants on social media? Is it better to find common ground or go on striking on what they oppose?

If God is immaterial and he created the material world how do you explain the interaction between the material and immaterial substances?

What efforts are being done by the Catholic Church to facilitate the union between them and the Orthodox?

Regarding the crusades, how do we rationalize and defend the idea that the pope offered forgiveness of sins for those going on a military expedition?

How do you defend protestant questions on apostolic succession?

<p>If the Old Testament was accepted without an infallible Church, why is that needed for the New Testament? We explore this key apologetics question, along with topics like apostolic succession, Catholic-Orthodox unity, and defending the faith online.</p>
<p>Join The <em>CA Live Club</em> Newsletter: <a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub?email">Click Here</a></p>

Why Do We Need Infallible Authority for the New Testament Canon?

<p>In this free-for-all-Friday Trent breaks down 7 things Gen Z is not a fan of in contrast to the views of older generations.</p>

FFAF: 7 Things Gen Z Doesn’t Like

<p><strong>Episode 113: Year C &#8211; 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time</strong></p>
<p>In today’s episode, we focus on one detail found in the Gospel reading, taken from John 2:1-12, which is the Wedding Feast at Cana. The related apologetical topic is Mary’s sinlessness and her role as the New Eve.</p>
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<p>Readings: <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011925.cfm">Click Here</a></p>
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<p>Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! <a href="https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday">Click Here</a></p>
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Mary’s Sinlessness and the Wedding Feast at Cana | Year C

<p>What is the Gospel of Thomas? Is there just one such gospel? What can it teach us about Jesus? Tim Staples joins us.</p>

The Gospel of Thomas

<p>Our friend from down under, Monica Doumit, the Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney, shares another legal innovation from Australia, laws that are meant to protect gay people by making it illegal to teach chastity as Catholics understand it. We ask her what the laws require, and what the Catholic Church actually teaches about human sexuality.</p>

Is Chastity Education Anti-Gay?

<p>Everywhere you will find misconceptions about the Church&#8217;s role in slavery. Even most Catholics do not know the truth about what the Church did, and did not do, regarding slavery.
Best-selling author Paul Kengor joins us to share some of the surprising true story.</p>

The Catholic Church and Slavery

<p>The ancient Jewish people worshiped God within a cloth tent (“Tabernacle”) and a solid stone temple between roughly 1400 B.C. to A.D. 70. Within them were lots of odd furniture items, such as an altar, an incense altar, a lamp, and a water basin.</p>
<p><strong>From a Catholic perspective, these items fit perfectly into a Catholic Mass.</strong> So it can be helpful to look at these things for greater depth of understanding at Mass. But from a non-Catholic perspective, these things look like a bunch of superstitious nonsense. Non-Catholics also would benefit from understanding their background</p>
<h2>The outer courtyard</h2>
<p>Within the outer court of the Tabernacle and the Temple were two pieces of holy furniture: the bronze altar and the bronze basin.</p>
<p><strong>The bronze altar</strong> (Exod. 27:1-8). Within the outer court, there was an <em>altar of ascension</em> or <em>sacrifice</em>. This is comparable with the Catholic altar. The Jewish sacrificial altar was like a box with four horns on the top ends. It was made from acacia wood and plated with bronze. Within the altar was a fire that had been lit by God (Lev. 9:24). Just as God had appeared like a consuming fire on Sinai, so the fire of the altar symbolized his presence in the new Sinai (Exod. 24:17).</p>
<p>On top of the altar was a bronze grating, and the priests would sacrifice dead animals to God by <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-kind-of-god-demands-animal-sacrifices">burning them</a> on top of this grating. The priestly duty to “till and keep” the Tabernacle (Num. 3:7-8, 8:26, 18:5-6) was fulfilled through the sacrifices. Those two words (<em>till</em> and <em>keep</em>) were commanded of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15), indicating that the Tabernacle was a new Garden of Eden.</p>
<p><strong>The bronze basin</strong> (Exod. 30:17-21). Next to the altar was a water bowl or <em>laver</em> called the bronze basin. It was comparable to a Catholic holy water font. The Aaronic priests would cleanse their hands and feet in this basin as a ritual cleansing, for they were interacting with God’s invisible presence on God’s property. God’s presence was lethal, and the way to prevent themselves from dying was to cleanse themselves in the water (Exod. 30:20-21).</p>
<p>Since the whole Tabernacle complex was God’s property, the water within the basin was called “holy water” (Num. 5:17). God is all-holy, which implies that his property and possessions were holy, so, quite naturally, the water was holy, too.</p>
<h2>The holy place</h2>
<p>The holy place of the Tabernacle and Temple had three pieces of holy furniture: the golden menorah lamp, the golden table, and the golden altar of incense.</p>
<p><strong>The golden menorah lamp</strong> (Exod. 25:31-40). There was a solid gold oil lamp that lit up the holy place. This is like the candles next to the altar at the Catholic Mass. The menorah lamp had six tree-like limbs, each of which had at the top of it an olive-shaped cup that was lit. The lamp reminded Israel of the tree of life, further identifying the Tabernacle as a new Eden.</p>
<p>Every day, the priest would change out the oil from the menorah lamp. The light represented God’s face, as can be seen in Aaron’s priestly prayer of Numbers 6:25: “The Lord make his face to shine upon you.” These six lights were movable, and they were directed towards a table with unleavened bread on it.</p>
<p><strong>The golden table</strong> (Exod. 25:23-30). Across from the golden menorah lamp was a golden table that had bread and wine on it. The Catholic connection there should be apparent, for every Mass involves bread and wine. The Jewish table was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. There were plates on top of the table that held the bread, bowls and flagons that held the wine, and plates and dishes for incense.</p>
<p>There were twelve unleavened bread cakes, with each loaf weighing around five pounds, meaning that there was sixty pounds of bread on the table. The bread symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. The priest would change out the bread every Sabbath and would eat the bread in a holy place. The menorah lights were directed toward this table, so the lights would shine upon the loaves, indicating God’s light shining on Israel (Num. 6:25). The bread was called the “bread of the Presence” (Exod. 25:30) and was designated as an “eternal covenant” (Lev. 24:9).</p>
<p><strong>The golden altar of incense</strong> (Exod. 30:1-10). Past the menorah lamp and table was the golden altar of incense. <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-have-incense-at-mass">Catholics use incense at Mass as well.</a> The Jewish altar of incense was right up against the holy of holies.</p>
<p>Aaron the priest would offer incense upon this altar once a day. While entering in to do this, he would have an <em><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/mary-the-ark-of-the-new-covenant?fbclid=IwAR0kpj7BwsemehLRHi07fW_Mdt3XkS2HjtqyIAW1yWrjZP93h3FDs8ZM6sc">ephod</a></em> over his chest with twelve stones on it. This indicated that he represented all twelve tribes of Israel. The reason he would offer incense was because of the smoke it would produce. This recalled how God had appeared to Moses under the blurry cloak of smoky clouds upon Mount Sinai (Exod. 24:15-18).</p>
<p>The use of incense in the Tabernacle recreated God’s glorious theophany to Moses upon Sinai for all generations. Incense also blurred the priest’s vision so that he would not see all-holy God, and it also signified humanity’s ascent to God’s holy mountain of heaven.</p>
<h2>The holy of holies</h2>
<p>The holy of holies was where God dwelled as a cloud (Lev. 16:2), and the high priest alone (Aaron) could enter it. There was only one piece of furniture within this most holy place, and it was the most important of all.</p>
<p><strong>The Ark of the Covenant</strong> (Exod. 25:10-22). Within the holy of holies was a golden chest with two angel statues attached to the top. The lid or flat top of the ark was called the mercy seat. The ark was made of acacia wood and plated with gold.</p>
<p>Within the ark were the two tablets that Moses came down Mt. Sinai with (the Ten Commandments), the flowered staff of Aaron the high priest, and a golden jar of the manna that came down from heaven (Heb. 9:4).</p>
<p>This ark was considered the holiest place, not only of the Tabernacle, but of the entire world. For just as God spoke from the peak of Sinai as a cloud, so the holy of holies was overshadowed with God’s cloud. God said, “There I will meet with you [Moses], and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Exod. 25:22). This piece of furniture is comparable to the Catholic tabernacle that contains the Eucharist in every Catholic Church.</p>
<p><strong>The Tabernacle was immensely important to Israel.</strong> It housed the presence of God as a new Eden and new Sinai. Catholics are not pulling it out of a hat when they have the same furniture items as the Jews.</p>
<p>Learn more about these things in the Protestant scholar L. Michael Morales’s book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Shall-Ascend-Mountain-Lord/dp/0830826386"><em>Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus</em></a>.</p>

The Jewish Mass

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<p data-start="0" data-end="712" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">In this episode of <em data-start="19" data-end="42">Catholic Answers Live</em>, we explore key questions about Catholic doctrine and Scripture. Topics include the Church’s teaching on Purgatory, the meaning of “under the earth” in Scripture, and Pope St. John Paul II’s quote on free will and the greater good. Jimmy discusses who the Church Fathers are and how to read them, how doctrinal development fits with the end of public revelation, and biblical support for the resurrection of the dead and Christ’s second coming. He also addresses whether a priest can deny communion to someone kneeling and whether baptism removes both sin and attachment to sin.</p>
<p><a href="https://wvw.catholic.com/radioclub">Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter</a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/speakers"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catholicanswersspeakers.com</span></a></p>
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