Catholic Answers Focus

#536 You Gotta Use Words - Thomas Heyne, MD, M.St Apr 24, 2024

As a student at Oxford and an instructor at Harvard, he tried living by the maxim, “Preach always, and when necessary, use words.” It didn’t work. Then he started talking about Jesus, and people responded. Some by coming into the Church. Now, Dr. Tommy Heyne is on a mission to get Catholics talking openly and confidently about the Lord. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic Faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. What about this one? What about the advice we sometimes get that we should p…

#535 Suffering 101 - Mark Giszczak Apr 17, 2024

The fact of suffering poses real intellectual challenges to the Christian message. So how do we share the gospel of a loving God, when suffering seems to reflect so poorly on him? Mark Giszcack, author of Suffering: What Every Catholic Should Know, joins us. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. One of the greatest challenges faced with any person who wants to explain and defend the Catholic faith is life, and the fact that life involves sometimes overwhelming suffering. So you got to be able to answer…

#534 Good News: God Is Father - Fr. Mark-Mary Ames CFR Apr 10, 2024

Father Mark Mary Ames joins us for a conversation about the centrality of God’s Fatherhood to the Christian message. The author of The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God, offers insights for sharing God’s Fatherhood with others, even those who struggle with father imagery. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and today we talk about God the Father, and about, well, first of all, coming closer to God the Father, but also about opportunities with e…

#533 Is Belief in the Eucharist Absurd? - Karlo Broussard Apr 03, 2024

Karlo Broussard joins us to discuss the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist, specifically if believing that Jesus is fully present is absurd. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And not too long ago we talked with Karlo Broussard about the Eucharist and particularly the words of institution and some Protestant arguments against the Catholic belief in the literalness of the words of consecration. This is my body and this is my blood. This time we talk with Karlo again, b…

#532 The Accurate Date of the Crucifixion - Jimmy Akin Mar 27, 2024

A topic that tends to come around during Holy Week is the accuracy of the crucifixion, including when it occurred. In this episode, Cy and Catholic Answers Senior Apologist, Jimmy Akin, discuss the question of when exactly Jesus was crucified. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And when exactly was Jesus crucified? That is our question this hour. It’s interesting, at least to me, quite interesting that as you examine that question, you get into some i…

#531 A Deep Dive into the Real Presence of the Eucharist - Karlo Broussard Mar 20, 2024

The conversation over the real presence has been around for some time. Bible verses get thrown around but when we look at the full context of scripture, the words of Jesus come fully alive with its full glory. Catholic Answers Apologist, Karlo Broussard, joins us for a compelling conversation on this topic. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellet, your host. And among the things that Catholics have to defend, because it is the most precious thing in this world to us, is th…

#530 Keeping Cool in Apologetics Conversations - Trent Horn Mar 13, 2024

It can be tempting to bring the heat when defending Christ and his Church against infuriating arguments (and obnoxious personalities). Our guest, Trent Horn, has developed a reputation for turning down the heat while remaining firm in the truth. He shares some of his secrets with us. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and we have one of the world’s best Catholic podcasters and YouTubers, authors and defenders of the faith with us to talk about how you keep cool in…

#529 Apologetics for Regular People - Erik Tafoya Mar 06, 2024

Erik Tafoya’s story of imprisonment and redemption is a powerful demonstration of God’s mercy. Now Tafoya is on a mission to bring apologetics to everyday folks. He shares his story and his techniques for explaining and defending the Faith. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And sometimes when we’re making the show, we’re like, “We have a topic and we want to find somebody who’s an expert in that topic.” And sometimes we have a …

#528 Can Catholics Fix Feminism? - Carrie Gress Feb 28, 2024

Carrie Gress explores the intricate relationship between feminism and Catholicism. From tracing feminism’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’s world. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, an…

#527 What Is My Body For? - Stephanie Gray Connors Feb 21, 2024

A major theme of modern morals is the slogan, “My body, my choice.” But is my body just a thing for me to use as I please, or does it have a more glorious purpose? Stephanie Gray Connors joins us for a discussion of the Christian view of the body, rooted in the unshakeable truth that God is love. Listeners can get a discount on Stephanie’s latest book, My Body For You, by purchasing at https://stpaulcenter.com/mybodyforyou and using the code FORYOU15 Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy …

#526 Wars and Rumors of Wars - Joseph Capizzi, Ph.D. Feb 14, 2024

Given the hyper- destructive nature of modern warfare, and the frequency of modern military engagements, can a Christian still accept the Just War thinking of earlier ages? Would Jesus? We asked theologian Joseph Capizzi, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at Catholic University of America. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for the living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. Maybe one of the challenges to understanding and defending our faith right now is modern warfare. What exactly is the church’s position here? How are …

#525 The Best Argument for God - Pat Flynn Feb 07, 2024

In his engaging new book, The Best Argument for God, Pat Flynn gives … wait for it … the best argument for God. We asked him to share it with us. We also asked him for suggestions on becoming proficient in defending God. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. I’m very happy to welcome Pat Flynn, who has a wonderful new book out called The Best Argument for God, which we are about to talk about. And this is one of the things that, well, I don’t know if t…

#524 Apologetics in a Digitized Age - Kyle Washut Jan 31, 2024

Kyle Washut, president of Wyoming Catholic College, joins us to discuss the difficulties of evangelization and apologetics in the plugged-in era. He explains why, if you want to come to WCC, you won’t need to bring your phone. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. It’s hard to defend your Catholic faith if there’s nobody listening when you’re defending it. And we’re not listening to one another. We are absorbed in our devices. And I’m not saying that in a mean way because…

#523 Straight to Heaven? - Karlo Broussard Jan 24, 2024

Some Christians are adamant that those who confess Jesus as Lord go directly to Heaven when they die. But is this teaching biblical? Karlo Broussard joins us for a discussion of what Christians can really hope for at death. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And does the Bible teach us that we get immediate entrance into heaven after death? We hear that a lot. There’s even TV commercials to that effect and lots of websites that will teach that. And many Christian comm…

#522 Love in Action: Navigating Controversies with Accompaniment - Tom Nash Jan 17, 2024

Tom Nash explores the controversy surrounding the term “accompaniment” and delves into its true meaning, emphasizing the importance of genuine love, humility, and support in helping others grow in their faith and address challenges. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. Today we’re lucky we have Tom Nash in studio with us. Tom Nash works with us here at Catholic Answers answering all kinds of apologetics questions. He’s an author and longtime theologia…

#521 Are Christians Consistent on Their Beliefs on Sexuality? - Karlo Broussard Jan 10, 2024

Karlo joins Cy to discuss whether the Church is consistent on the teaching of sexual morality. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and happy to be with you. This time, a conversation about sexuality and in all honesty, if we really, I think were to maybe make an evaluation of why the world rejects the Catholic Church today, a great deal of it has to do with the sexual revolution. It’s certainly not all of the story, but a great deal of it has to do with the sexual re…

#520 Looking for Mary, Finding the Bible - Fr. John Waiss Jan 03, 2024

Catholics and Protestants often use biblical proof texts as they argue about the role of Mary in salvation. But this can form bad Bible reading habits, says Father John Waiss, author of Bible Mary: The Mother of Jesus in the Word of God. He joins us for a conversation about how looking for Mary can teach us better Bible reading. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, delighted to be here with you in the new year and talking about a new book that we have here at Catholic Ans…

#519 Christmas Day with President Chris Check - Christopher Check Dec 27, 2023

A special Christmas Day episode of Focus with Catholic Answers President Christopher Check. …

#518 Free Speech, Genocide, and Liberalism’s Failure - Chad Pecknold Dec 20, 2023

University presidents are under fire for allowing genocidal and anti-Semitic speech on their campuses. But what can they do? Theologian Chad Pecknold from Catholic University of America joins us for a discussion of the Catholic approach to free speech issues. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and defending our faith becomes more difficult it seems as the society becomes less and less attached to the values that have gotten it where it is now, as we become more and more …

#517 Is the Virgin Birth Copied from Pagan Mythology? - Trent Horn Dec 13, 2023

As Christmas draws near, Trent sits down with Cy Kellett to discuss the unique elements of the Incarnation and how to answer arguments that claim it is a myth borrowed from paganism. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And one of the places you got to defend your Catholic faith is over there on YouTube where people will post things that debunk the Christian faith sometimes. They’re debunking. There’s a lot of good debunking going on over there, but sometimes t…

#516 Understanding Indulgences in the Catholic Faith - Joe Heschmeyer Dec 06, 2023

Joe Heschmeyer, author of The Eucharist is Really Jesus, explores the misunderstood topic of indulgences. He explains the historical context and biblical perspectives on indulgences, addressing misconceptions and highlighting the fine line between legitimate spiritual generosity and the improper commodification of spiritual goods that tarnished the reputation of indulgences in the past. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and anyone who has ever found themselves in the pos…

#515 Is the Pope Just The First among Equals? - Michael Lofton Nov 29, 2023

Michael Lofton, author of Answering Orthodoxy, joins us for a conversation about the first millennium of Christianity. Is it true that the pope was once considered just the first among equals, or was there always something more about the role of the Bishop of Rome? …

#514 The Catholic Solution to Racism - Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers Nov 22, 2023

In his new book, Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers is boldly honest about the Catholic Church and racism in the United States. But he is also hopeful because he believes there is an answer to the evils of racial division in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He joins us for a conversation about racism and Catholicism. …

#513 What Christians Get Wrong About Original Sin - Joe Heschmeyer Nov 15, 2023

Joe Heschmeyer delves into the Catholic doctrine of original sin, responding to a Reddit user’s query about its compatibility with the innate goodness of humanity. He discusses the impact of original sin on relationships with God, fellow humans, creation, and oneself, shedding light on the theological nuances and the need for redemption. …

#512 Unmasking Moral Shame Culture - Karlo Broussard Nov 08, 2023

Karlo Broussard joins us to talk about his new book, The New Relativism: Unmasking the Philosophy of Today’s Woke Moralists. We discuss issues related to moral shaming and accusations of being judgmental, hateful, and bigoted, particularly concerning lifestyle choices associated with the LGBTQ+ community. Karlo explores the underlying moral relativism behind such accusations and offers critiques of this approach, emphasizing the importance of open and reasoned discussion on moral issues. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and d…

#511 Consumerism and the Christian Faith - Andrew Petiprin Nov 01, 2023

Whatever the world might say, Christian moral teaching is about more than sex. Andrew Petiprin joins us for a conversation about the Christian perspective on money, particularly in a consumerist culture. How is a Christian to live when “happiness” is on sale everywhere? Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and today we talk about something that may seem slightly tangential to the whole apologetics endeavor, and that is consumerism. But I don’t think …

#510 The Church Fathers Against Protestant Theologies - Joshua Charles Oct 25, 2023

Joshua Charles, from the “Becoming Catholic” blog, describes his discovery that when the Church Fathers talked about heresy, the things they described sounded remarkably similar to his own Protestant beliefs. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. Very happy to welcome Joshua Charles this time. I think maybe, possibly, the first White House speechwriter we’ve ever had on here, although I couldn’t guarantee it. I’m not sure. But you can find his work …

#509 Surviving Your First Year as a Catholic - Keith Nester Oct 18, 2023

Cy Kellett welcomes Keith Nester, a former Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism. They discuss the challenges faced by converts and how to help them navigate their first year in the Catholic Church. Keith also shares insights into the beauty of the Mass and the importance of understanding the “why” behind Catholic practices. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and we make it our business here at Catholic Answers to try to explain and defend the fa…

#508 Is Christianity Good for the World? - R. Jared Staudt Oct 11, 2023

Scholar Jared Staudt joins us for a conversation about the social value of Christianity. Does it do any good for anyone? Does it have a good record as a movement? Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. We’re going to talk a little bit about whether Christianity has been good for the world or bad for the world, but try to guess which side we’re going to come down on. Maybe share some ideas with you about how Christianity has actually been quite good for the world. You might even be surprised…

#507 Understanding Church Councils - Paul Senz Oct 04, 2023

Church councils have shaped and formed the Faith for every living Christian, whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. So what is the basis for the councils, and what do we make of their teaching. We get answers from Paul Senz, author of “Church Councils: 100 Questions and Answers.” Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and this time we welcome Paul Senz, the author of Church Councils: 100 Questions and Answers, a new book from Catholic Answers Press. And i…

#506 (Bonus) “The Exorcist” 50 Years Later - Tom Nash Sep 30, 2023

With the 50-year anniversary of the original film, The Exorcist, and the upcoming release of a sequel, we figured this would be a great time to sit down and talk to contributing apologist Tom Nash to discuss the film that caused such a stir. …

#505 Questions Protestants Can’t Answer - John Martignoni Sep 27, 2023

Protestantism has some explaining to do about its own traditions. Did the new theologies of the reformers actually make sense? Do they make sense today? John Martignoni joins us. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and we got a long time author with a new book. And the new book is about does Protestantism make sense? And it’s a Catholic approach to looking at Protestantism and just asking in a basic, honest, straightforward way, does this hang together? Would a …

#504 Why Catholics Aren’t Wrong about John 6 - Karlo Broussard Sep 20, 2023

If Catholics are right about John 6, every Christian is under divine command to celebrate the Eucharist. So is the Catholic Church right? Karlo Broussard joins us to explain why Catholics aren’t wrong. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic beliefs. A lot going on as far as the Eucharist goes. We have all this kind of bad news that we’ve had in recent years about Catholics not accepting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, or maybe not even knowing the teaching, which is, in some ways, eq…

#503 The Gospel of Thomas - Tim Staples Sep 13, 2023

What is the Gospel of Thomas? Is there just one such gospel? What can it teach us about Jesus? Tim Staples joins us. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living understanding and Defending Your Catholic Faith. One of the most popular conversations we’ve ever had here if the internet is to be believed, and I think in this case it is. One of the most popular conversations we’ve ever had here at Catholic Answers was a conversation with Tim Staples about the Book of Enoch. So we thought, well, let’s go back to Tim and ask him about othe…

#502 The Catholic Church and Slavery - Paul Kengor Sep 06, 2023

Everywhere you will find misconceptions about the Church’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. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and one of the things, among the many, that modern people accuse the church of is the accommodation to slavery or maybe even an encouragement of slavery. And so, i…

#501 Sex Positivity - Angela Franks Aug 30, 2023

Are you “sex positive”? If not, get ready to be called a closed-minded bigot. Theologian Angela Franks, from St. John’s Seminary in Boston, gives us a Catholic critique of the “sex positivity” movement. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and today, a very special opportunity to get to talk with Dr. Angela Franks, who is a professor of theology at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, and a well-known speaker and author, as a matter of f…

#500 Why Catholics Reject Sola Scriptura - Casey Chalk Aug 23, 2023

The idea that Scripture is the sole rule of faith is central to the thinking of man Protestants, who see Tradition as a watering down of scriptural purity. But Catholics have good reason to reject this view. Author Casey J. Chalk explains. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And one of the things you have to be able to defend as a Catholic is the Catholic understanding of the Bible, of what the Bible is and how the Bible is to be used. And even in some cases, how passages…

#499 Why Doctrine Matters - Tim Staples Aug 16, 2023

Christians often think that Christianity is purer–more Christlike–when it is less doctrinal. Tim Staples explains the dangers of this grave error. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Tim Staples with us this time. Tim, of course, the author of Behold Your Mother – A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines. I mentioned that in particular because we’re going to talk to Tim about doctrine because you might hear, well, not that you might hear, if you…

#498 What Christians Get Wrong About the Resurrection of the Body - Joe Heschmeyer Aug 09, 2023

What does it mean that Jesus “rose from the dead?” Did his body literally come back to life? What kind of life? Joe Heschmeyer discusses common errors about the Resurrection, and the beautiful truths we often miss. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, joined in studio this time by Joe Heschmeyer. We usually connect with him via the internet. Joe, welcome. Joe Heschmeyer: Hi. It’s good to be here in person. Cy Kellett: I’m awfully glad to have yo…

#497 (Encore) Was Dropping the Atom Bomb Moral? - Christopher Check Aug 05, 2023

With “Oppenheimer” filling up the cinemas, and today being the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, we take a look back at an earlier episode we produced about the morality of dropping the atom bomb. Can a Catholic assent to blowing up entire cities? What about when to do so will save perhaps millions of lives? Catholic Answers President Chris Check joins us as we consider again America’s use of Atomic weapons to end a long, bitter war with Japan. Cy Kellett: Why would a Catholic support nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Chris Check is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome t…

#496 Major Controversies in First Century Christianity - Jimmy Akin Aug 02, 2023

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. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Last time we talked with Jimmy Akin, we talked about when did the early church know that Jesus was God? Now we continue with the early church theme to ask Jimmy about the contro…

#495 Confession of a Catholic Worker - Larry Chapp Jul 26, 2023

Larry Chapp has some confessions to make, and some powerful insights to share with a Church in crisis. He joins us for a conversation about his new book, “Confession of a Catholic Worker: Our Current Moment of Christian Witness.” Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And the conditions of the world and the Church in recent decades have given us a whole lot of writing, some conversations through documentaries and all the other media about what are we to do no…

#494 When did the Early Church Know that Jesus Is God? - Jimmy Akin Jul 19, 2023

The earliest Church did not think Jesus was God, says one modern theory. Rather, he was deified over time by people who loved his message. Jimmy Akin examines this theory, and finds precious little evidence for it in the historical record. …

#493 Discussing Euthanasia - Monica Doumit Jul 12, 2023

Discussing euthanasia with Monica Doumit. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and we’ll talk a bit about euthanasia today we’re around the world we’re having to defend what used to be a pretty straightforward idea, which is that you should not take the lives of innocent people and that we should do all we can to care for those who are in distress rather than dispose of those who are in distress. No longer, maybe a majority idea in large parts of the…

#492 Jesus, Love, and the Threat of Hell - Karlo Broussard Jul 05, 2023

“Jesus loves you, and if you don’t have faith in him, he’ll send you to hell.” In one form or another this reduction ad absurdum is used against Christians again and again. It is not just silliness, however. The problem of hell is a tough one, as apologist Karlo Broussard explains in this episode. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And among the things that are probably hardest to accept about the Christian conception of the world, the Christi…

#491 The Ethical Dilemma of Transhumanism - Fr. Tad Pacholczyk Jun 28, 2023

Having failed at humanism, secular modernity now moves on to trans-humanism. Father Tad Pacholczyk, director of Education for the National Catholic Bioethics Center explains transhumanism’s ethical problems. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and in the area of bioethics, in the area of biological technologies and the integrating of our own biology with other kinds of technology, things are moving fast and are likely to start moving faster. That’s just how…

#490 Ethical Options for Infertility - Kimberly Henkel Jun 21, 2023

What are the options, and where is the hope, for Catholic couples who encounter infertility? Ann Koshute and Kimberly Henkel, founders of Springs in the Desert, a ministry to those struggling with infertility, join us for a conversation. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. We do apologetics here. That’s what we do. Sometimes the most important apologetic, really the ground of apologetics, that is, explaining and defending the faith to others, is to live it. Esp…

#489 The Power of Sacramental Marriage - Dan Burke Jun 14, 2023

The Sacrament of Marriage is filled with power for growth toward intimacy with God. Dan and Stephanie Burke, from the Avila Institute, explain how they are helping couples access that power and thrive. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and today we’re going to talk a bit about marriage. We have a wonderful couple here who we were just having a conversation over lunch and I thought, “Boy, this would make a perfect Focus episode.” And they said, …

#488 Making Sense of the Catechism - Jeff Cavins Jun 07, 2023

Jeff Cavins and Father Mike Schmitz are now doing for the catechism what they did for the Bible. Cavins joins us to explain the value of the catechism in sharing the Faith. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your faith. I’m Cy Kellett. And as we think about sharing the faith and defending the faith these days, we can take heart not from too many things, but from this we could take heart that the church has a magnificently and a relatively easy to use tool available to help us to defend and to share the faith. I…

#487 Talking to Kids About Gender and Identity - Ana Samuel May 31, 2023

In such a confusing world where nothing seems to make sense anymore, one question comes to mind: how do we discuss anything with our kids when they keep getting conflicting answers? Ana Samuels joins us to discuss gender identity with our children and how to speak clearly on these issues. …

#486 Anger Management in Apologetics - Dr. Ray Guarendi May 24, 2023

Defending the Faith can take an emotional toll. Rather than turn to bitterness, the person who engages with those who attack the Faith will be most effective with some distance and calm. Psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi offers tips on how to gain this distance and calm. …

#485 African Roots of the Church - Mike Aquilina May 17, 2023

Mike Aquilina, author of Africa and the Early Church, explains the African roots of much of what we now take for granted in Christianity. His work reminds us of an age when Christianity spread quickly in all directions so that before the Muslim invasions, a fruitful Christianity had taken root in Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Eritrea, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. …

#484 The Seal of Confession - Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau May 10, 2023

Once again, legislatures in some states are considering bans on the seal of confession. We asked the chaplain of Catholic University of America, Father Aquinas Guilbeau, to explain why we have the seal, and why breaking it won’t to anyone any good. …

#483 How Should a Catholic Think About Anti-Semitism - Joe Heschmeyer May 03, 2023

Anti-Semitism is the bigotry that never rests. And these days, there are Catholics in the public sphere once again proposing degrading ideas regarding Jews. How is a Catholic to understand Catholic/Jewish history in a way that comports with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Joe Heschmeyer joins us. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, joined this time by Joe Heschmeyer, and we’re going to talk about a somewhat difficult topic for Christians to discuss, one in which we prob…

#482 The Truth About Justification - Tim Staples Apr 26, 2023

Faith or works or faith plus works or just lots of good works? How are we justified before God? Tim Staples explains the Catholic understanding of the role of grace before all else. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome again to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and Tim Staples here with us again, this time to talk about justification. When we think about the things that divide Catholics and Protestants, justification’s always one of the top, maybe the top among those. And I was thinking I might say…

#481 The Controversies Around Religious Freedom - Michael Lofton Apr 19, 2023

What is religious freedom? Did the Church err about religious freedom at Vatican II? Michael Lofton from “Reason and Theology” tackles one of the great controversies of the council. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic Faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. And this time we talk a bit about a controversy within the Catholic Church one that good apologist or good defender of the faith would want to have some familiarity with because different Catholics and, and, and those in the Catholic orbit who may …

#480 Confirmation: A Misunderstood Sacrament - Simone Rizkallah Apr 12, 2023

Why is it so difficult to explain the Sacrament of Confirmation? And why does the Latin Church seem to offer it just at the wrong time? Simone Rizkallah digs into the controversy. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and one of the things we need to live better, understand better and defend better, so we’re going to cover all three in this episode, is the sacrament of confirmation. Well, one of the reasons we have to defend it is there’s a general lack of unders…

#479 The New Hidden Relativism - Karlo Broussard Apr 05, 2023

With the strident morality of modern movements such as “Me Too,” it would seem that relativism has been replaced with moralism. Well, maybe not, says Karlo Broussard in his latest book, “The New Relativism.” In this episode, he explains how moral outrage is often a cover for an entrenched relativism. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and Karlo Broussard is our guest. He’s got a brand new book out that you can get over at shop.catholic.com or…

#478 Getting Started in Apologetics - John Martignoni Mar 29, 2023

Having started from scratch himself, John Martignoni explains how to get started as a Catholic apologist. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith, I am Cy Kellett, your host. And we get asked a lot, how do I do what you all do? Not talking about me specifically but about the folks around here, this whole apologetics thing. Many people are interested in being better at defending the faith. I think, in large part, that comes from lived experience that the faith is under assault in many places. Some people w…

#477 The Practice and Morality of In Vitro Fertilization - Dr. Craig Turczynski Mar 22, 2023

Dr. Craig Turczynski, the former director of in-vitro fertilization, andrology, and hormone assay laboratories at Louisiana State University Medical Center-Shreveport explains how IVF is done, and why it raises grave moral concerns. CORRECTIONS: 1. The number of IVF procedures annually is about 250,000 not 250. 2. Cytoplasmic transfer is taking cytoplasm from a young woman’s egg and injecting it into the infertile woman’s egg. It is not injected into the woman. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers’ podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic f…

#476 Racism and Sola Scriptura - Don Johnson Mar 15, 2023

American racism was given the power of religious fervor by those who thought the Bible alone provided the rule of faith. Don Johnson, author of “Twisted Unto Destruction: How ‘Bible Alone’ Theology Made the World a Worse Place,” explains. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and delighted to welcome Don Johnson to the program this time to talk about racism, and sola scriptura, and how those two things go together. And maybe you think, “Could t…

#475 The Mass in the Early Church - Joe Heschmeyer Mar 08, 2023

Modern people often have an unrealistic view of “development” in the early Church, thinking that ideas such as the divinity of Christ or practices such as the celebration of the Mass were products of early Church life rather than things received directly from Jesus. Joe Heschmeyer, author of The Early Church Was the Catholic Church, helps debunk some myths about where the Mass came from. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and delighted to get to talk with Jo…

#474 How to Understand St. Paul - David Anders Mar 01, 2023

Many Catholic/Protestant doctrinal differences have their roots in misreadings of the Apostle Paul. EWTN’s David Anders explains the relatively simple message of Paul and why modern ideas of Paul so often miss the mark. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, delighted to welcome Dr. David Anders, who you know from EWTN Called To Communion with Dr. David Anders, which airs each day on the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network. And from time to time when I am listening, and …

#473 Can Jesus Really Heal Addictions? - Scott Weeman Feb 22, 2023

Scott Weeman, founder of Catholic in Recovery, sits down with us to talk about how Jesus is the answer to finding healing from addiction. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host, and today we got one of our favorite guests from Catholic Answers Live and someone who’s doing just wonderful work in the field of healing from addiction and obsession and all of these kind of things. He’s the founder of catholicinrecovery.com. He’s the author of the 12 Steps and the …

#472 Who Can Receive Communion? - Msgr. Eugene Morris Feb 15, 2023

Recently there has been controversy over who can and can’t receive communion. Msgr. Eugene Morris joins us to help clarify this important question and gives us the proper parameters when knowing who can and cannot receive communion. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending Your Catholic faith. Today we talk about why some people, or maybe all people at some time, I don’t know how to quite how to put it, are excluded from receiving the Eucharist in the Catholic Church. Many people are deeply offended by this. Man…

#471 How The Moral Law Led Me to Catholicism - Tim Staples Feb 08, 2023

Tim Staples has shared his conversion story around the world, but one part of that story is of particular importance today: How the moral teaching of the Church, far from driving everyone away, often provides a powerful incentive to become Catholic. …

#470 Why Is the Filioque a Big Deal to Eastern Orthodox? - Michael Lofton Feb 01, 2023

Michael Lofton, from the Reason and Theology podcast, gives us a primer on the words that many people think are the main divider between Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Does the question about whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father “and from the son” really divide churches? Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Our guest is Michael Lofton, the proprietor of the podcast Reason and Theology. And one of the things that Michael is well known for is…

#469 The Manliness of Religion - Karlo Broussard Jan 25, 2023

In the Western societies, fewer men than women practice religion. Karlo Broussard argues that, at least in part, this means they are likely failing at the hard work of manliness. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Karlo Broussard, our guest this time. And we’re going to talk a little bit about religion as it relates to men because it does seem… I don’t know the last time you were in a Catholic church, but that more women are taking seriously the ca…

#468 Remembering Cardinal Pell - Monica Doumit Jan 18, 2023

His sudden death and final writings have put Australian Cardinal George Pell into the headlines around the world. Given his importance, we went down under to get insights into his view of the Catholic role in today’s world. Our guest, Monica Doumit, is the Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. One of the great defenders of the Catholic faith in recent decades has been Australian …

#467 Why Did John Write His Gospel? - Tim Staples Jan 11, 2023

Tim Staples shares the story of the dark figure early Church writers say motivated John to clarify the truth about Jesus Christ. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and it may not seem obvious, but many of the earliest Christian writings had to do with defending the faith; not just expressing the faith, but defending it. Today we talk about the Gospel of John with Tim Staples, senior apologist here at Catholic Answers, and author of all kinds of stuff you could find…

#466 Racism and Critical Race Theory - Edward Feser Jan 04, 2023

Philosopher Edward Feser has read the major texts of critical race theory and has some concerns. He joins us for a discussion of his newest book, All One in Christ: A Catholic Critique of Racism and Critical Race Theory. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and maybe we’ll be helping with the living part today because, among the great plagues of the modern world, the many things that make modern life burdensome, is racism. It’s not necessarily a plague tha…

#465 Why Parishes Don’t Work - JD Flynn Dec 28, 2022

For most people, the Parish is where the Catholic Church happens. But something is not quite right in parish life. JD Flynn, founder of pillarcatholic.com, digs into why today’s parish is not quite what it could be. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And today we talk a bit about the parish. There’s lots of concern about what we should be doing as Catholics in the worlds today. Podcasts like this are one answer. We got radio shows, we got TV shows, we go…

#464 Was Vatican II Merely Pastoral? - Michael Lofton Dec 21, 2022

Sometimes the Second Vatican Council gets a weak defense: “Well, it was just a pastoral council, so why worry about it?” Michael Lofton, from Reason and Theology, asks whether this defense is true? Is Vatican II really “just pastoral”? Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host and this time we talk a bit about the Second Vatican Council, which yes, we are still talking about almost constantly, still debating about, still even fighting about 60 years a…

#463 The Argument That Led Me Out of Mormonism - Jeremy Christiansen Dec 14, 2022

Jeremy Christiansen, author of From the Susquehanna to the Tiber: A Memoir of Conversion from Mormonism to the Roman Catholic Church, joins us for a conversation about arguments against Mormonism. Which will work and why? Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. We’ll talk a bit about defending your Catholic faith this time, because among those who are interested in defending the Catholic faith there’s probably three people they’d most like to try out th…

#462 Transgenderism and the Need for Community - Jason Evert Dec 07, 2022

Jason Evert from chastity.com joins us for a discussion of transgenderism from a Christian perspective. Most importantly, what is driving the current mania for switching genders, and how might a disciple of Christ respond? Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And I’ll bet you sometime in the next few months, between now and the end of the year, you’re going to have a conversation about transgenderism. That’s going to happen at Thank…

#461 Ethical Finance and Investing - Deacon Frank Reilly Nov 30, 2022

Jesus spoke a great deal about money and wealth, but how do we apply his teaching in a world of complex financial interconnectedness? Deacon Frank Reilly, the founder of Reilly Financial Advisors, now a part of Creative Planning brings a lifetime of experience to the question. Terence McGoldrick, Providence College Theology Professor, is an advisor to Deacon Frank in the work of finding morally acceptable investment opportunities. Both join us for a discussion. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending you…

#460 Catholic Social Teaching in Action - James Cavnar Nov 23, 2022

The term “social justice” can make lots of people roll their eyes. But the teachings of Christ have profound social dimensions. So how does a Catholic view of social development differ from the world’s? We asked Jim Cavnar, cofounder of Cross Catholic Outreach to give us some answers. …

#459 The Church Oppresses Women DEBUNKED - Simone Rizkallah Nov 16, 2022

Modern secular people have forgotten the role of the Catholic Church in lifting humanity out of ignorance, violence, poverty, and disease. Perhaps most forgotten, is the Catholic contribution to an embrace of the dignity of women. Simone Rizkallah, director of program growth at Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women), explains. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic Faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. One of the things we do here as Catholics is that Catholics have a sorted history when it co…

#458 God as Mother - Joe Heschmeyer Nov 09, 2022

At times the Bible uses feminine imagery for God, so why do we not refer to God as mother? Joe Heschmeyer considers whether the modern Church should reconsider the masculine in reference to God. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Joe Heschmeyer our guests today. And the question is, what do we make of those who would prefer to address God as mother? Well, how do we respond to those who would prefer to address God as mother? Or might in fact say, …

#457 No. The Bible Does Not Support Abortion. - Trent Horn Nov 02, 2022

Trent Horn, author of Why We’re Pro-Life, digs into some of the Bible verses that people use to support abortion. Turns out, the Bible is pro-life. Go figure… Find out how you can get free copies of Why We’re Pro-Life at whyweareprolife.com. …

#456 Was Genesis Re-interpreted After Scientific Discoveries? - Jimmy Akin Oct 26, 2022

Did Science Kill the Biblical Worldview? Astrophysicist (not historian) Neil deGrasse Tyson gives a little history lesson about how science forced Christians to give up the biblical worldview. Is this real history, or did he make it up? We asked Jimmy Akin to give us a take. …

#455 Is “Christofascism” a Thing? - Joe Heschmeyer Oct 19, 2022

Joe Heschmeyer joins us for a look at the growing popularity of the word “Christofascism.” What does it refer to, and are Catholics who want to spread the Faith guilty of it? …

#454 Does the Church Encourage Superstition? - David Anders Oct 12, 2022

Dr. David Anders joins us for an in-depth look at the accusation that the Catholic Church is superstitious. The Catholic relationship to superstition might at times be complicated, but the complications have a very Catholic remedy. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And we’re familiar with the need to defend the faith against objections, but sometimes, we end up defending the faith more against a misimpression or a suspicion about the faith, and superstition i…

#453 Doing Catholic Apologetics with Muslims - Charbel Raish Oct 05, 2022

Charbel Raish, founder and chief executive of Parousia, one of Australia’s leading Catholic media apostolates joins us for a discussion of his early embrace of Islam and his subsequent rediscovery of Catholic Faith. Cy Kellett: Charbel Raish from Sydney, Australia. Thanks for being with us. Charbel Raish: Thanks for having me. Cy Kellett: From Parousia Ministries. Charbel Raish: That’s right. Cy Kellett: And is that, that’s- Charbel Raish: Parousia. Parousia. Yeah, it was, we’re known as Parousia Media for a long time, but then we dropped the word media because we do s…

#452 The Sinister Plot of the Transgender Movement - Don Johnson Sep 30, 2022

Today’s children face many new adversities that past generations could never have imagined. Filmmaker, Don Johnson sits down to discuss his new film Dysconnected, and the truth behind this radical movement thats being pushed on our children. Dysconnected: The Real Story Behind the Transgender Explosion Cy Kellett : Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Ct Kellett, your host, and very happy to welcome my friend Don Johnson this time to talk about a new film that Don has. This is actually a very bus…

#451 Did God Really Make Men and Women Equal? - Deborah Savage Sep 28, 2022

Theologian Deborah Savage, currently teaching at Franciscan University in Steubenville, delves into the Hebrew wording of Genesis 1 and 2 to uncover new and liberating insights into God’s revelation of the meaning of womanhood and manhood. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast, for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. There’s some accusation against the Catholic faith actually, that perhaps it has strains of misogyny in it, maybe strains of a kind of old way of thinking about men and women that makes men the superiors of women, o…

#450 Can Catholics Follow Astrology? - Jimmy Akin Sep 21, 2022

Can Catholics follow astrology? Jimmy Akin, host of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World, joins us to discuss the Catholic approach to astrology. Does the Bible forbid it? Can a Catholic follow the daily horoscope? Is there any reason to believe in astrology at all? Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Jimmy Akin is our guest this time and we wanted to ask him about astrology. Actually, astrology been around, I guess, about as long as people have been around, but very …

#449 St. Cyprian of Carthage’s Advice on Enduring Persecution - Ben Safranksi Sep 16, 2022

What can our forebears teach us about dealing with persecution? In this bonus episode, we ask theologian Ben Safranski how one very important early Christian – Cyprian of Carthage – dealt with Roman persecution in some surprising ways. …

#448 Meeting the Rapture Challenge - Karlo Broussard Sep 14, 2022

Are Christians going to be taken up and out of the world before the big trouble with the anti-Christ begins? Catholics say no, that is a false view of God’s revelation regarding the end times. Our guest, Karlo Broussard takes up a popular Protestant challenge: How can the Catholic Church teach that faithful Christians will experience the final trial when the Bible teaches that Christians will be raptured before such a time? Cy Kellett: Karlo Broussard, apologist here at Catholic Answers. Thanks for being with us for focus. Karlo Broussard: Cy Kellett. Thanks for having me. Cy Kellett: Y…

#447 Was Sodom and Gomorrah Really About Homosexuality? - Mary Healy Sep 07, 2022

The Bible has relatively few passages about homosexuality, and modern thinkers have found ways to explain some of them away. For example, is Genesis 19 really about homosexuality or is it really about a failure of hospitality? Dr. Mary Healy, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, gives us a bracing Catholic answer. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers podcast for Living, Understanding and Defending Your Catholic Faith. One very delicate area of Christian apologetics in our times is homosexuality. There’s a great deal of confusion abou…

#446 Can Artificial Intelligence Have a Soul? - Jimmy Akin Aug 31, 2022

At Google, some employees are starting to think the computers have come alive. How might a Catholic understanding of souls help us explore the matter? Jimmy Akin joins us for what turns out to be a bit of a hilarious conversation. Cy Kellett: Jimmy Akin, senior apologist of Catholic Answers, thanks for doing Focus with us. Jimmy Akin: Hey, my pleasure. Cy Kellett: So… Jimmy Akin: What are we focusing on today? Cy Kellett: Artificial intelligence. I know this is one you have focused on before and you know a good deal about, but it became news when an employee of Google suggested or made …

#445 Traditions of Men (in the Bible) - Karlo Broussard Aug 24, 2022

What exactly does it mean when Christ accuses the Pharisees of abandoning the commandments of God in favor of traditions of men? What are the implications for us? Karlo Broussard explores the proper place for “traditions of men.” Cy Kellett: Karlo Broussard, apologist here at Catholic Answers. Thanks for being with us. Karlo Broussard: Cy Kellet, thanks for having me. Cy Kellett: It’s always good when you’re here for focus. Karlo Broussard: Amen to that. Cy Kellett: And one of the things we can focus on with you because you’ve spent a lot of time in scholarly res…

#444 The Secret History of Transubstantiation - William Albrecht Aug 17, 2022

The term transubstantiation has been used for centuries within the Church but does it actually men? William Albrecht, co-author of The Secret History of Transubstantiation joins us to explore its true meaning. …

# Did Mary Have Other Children? - Tim Staples Aug 10, 2022

Every so often the debate over Mary having other children comes up. Tim Staples, author of Behold Your Mother, joins us to debunk this claim. Cy Kellett: Tim Staples, Catholic apologist. Thank you for being with us on Catholic Answers Focus. Tim Staples: It is great to be with you, Cy Kellett. Cy Kellett: I stress Catholic apologist because I want to challenge you a bit on a Catholic belief. Tim Staples: Uh-oh. Am I in trouble? Cy Kellett: I’m going to challenge you with the Bible, and this just is a passage of the Bible that seems so clear and seems to have such an obvious, indisputabl…

#442 Was God’s Wife REMOVED From the Bible? - Jimmy Akin Aug 03, 2022

Tik Tok seems pretty sure that the God of the ancient Hebrews had a wife, an idea that perhaps would debunk the Jewish story of covenant with the One Lord God. We asked Jimmy Akin, author of The Bible Is a Catholic Book to evaluate the merits of the whole “God had a wife” idea. Cy Kellett: Senior apologist, Jimmy akin. Thanks very much for being here with us on Catholic Answers Focus. Jimmy Akin: My pleasure, Cyril Kellett, host of Catholic Answers Focus. Cy Kellett: Also, I should say, host of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. I should have added that. And here’s one for you. The in…

#441 What the Webb Telescope Tells Us About God’s Creation - Karin Oberg Jul 27, 2022

Have you seen the recent images from the James Webb Telescope? Catholic convert and Harvard astrochemist, Karin Öberg joins us to examine the recent images and what they tell us about God, the beginnings of our universe, and bug people. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. Recently, we all got to see some magnificent images from a magnificent piece of technology, the James Webb Telescope. Out there in space, somewhere, looking deep into the past using its various sensors. And this raises a tremendou…

#440 Was the Sabbath Changed from Saturday to Sunday? - Joe Heschmeyer Jul 20, 2022

Seventh Day Adventists claim that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday centuries after the life of Jesus. Joe Heschmeyer, author of The Early Church was the Catholic Church, joins us to debunk this claim. Cy Kellett: Apologist, Joe Heschmeyer, thank you for being here with us on Catholic Answers Focus. Joe Heschmeyer: The pleasure is mine. Cy Kellett: You want to talk about the Sabbath? Joe Heschmeyer: Yeah, lets. Cy Kellett: It seems very straightforward, and yet it’s a matter of some great controversy. Joe Heschmeyer: It’s even a denominational splitting issue. Cy …

#439 The Prosperity Gospel is DANGEROUS - Tim Staples Jul 13, 2022

What do Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and Jesse Duplantis have in common? They all promote a form of Christianity that preaches a good and easy life. Tim Staples breaks down the reasons why the prosperity gospel is dangerous and exposes the pitfalls of this theology. Cy Kellet: Tim Staples, Catholic Apologist, thanks for being with us. Tim Staples: It is great to be with you, Cy Kellet. Cy Kellet: I want to talk to you about the prosperity gospel. And this is something that really is big. The prosperity gospel is really big, and I do sometimes feel a pang of guilt that we don’t talk ab…

#438 Is Hell Empty? - Michael Lofton Jul 06, 2022

Is hell empty? Michael Lofton joins us to answer the question that seems to be surrounded by controversy in many Catholic circles. Cy Kellett: Will hell ever be empty? Michael Lofton is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host confessing to you that one of the hardest things to defend is hell. It’s a very unpleasant thought. It certainly doesn’t comport with our modern idea that everybody gets a participation trophy. There seems to be some very serious consequences …

#437 Hope and Life After Prison - Joe Gilbreath Jul 01, 2022

Former inmates often struggle adjusting to everyday life. In this episode, we talk to Joe Gilbreath, founder of RiseUp Industries and Mike Lucero on bringing hope to those adjusting to life after prison. riseupindustries.org Cy Kellett: Taking Jesus seriously about visiting prisoners. Folks from Rise Up Industries, next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And today a special bonus episode. Cy Kellett: Jesus has so many good friends. Sometimes his very best friends a…

#436 Debunking Common Pro-Choice Arguments - Trent Horn Jun 29, 2022

With the Supreme Court weighing in on abortion, all the old pro-choice arguments are being dragged out again, and they haven’t gotten any stronger. Trent Horn breaks down some of them with us. Cy Kellett: Are clever pro-choice arguments really that clever? Trent Horn is next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and we’re joined by Trent Horn this time. And Trent is the perfect person to talk to. He’s been doing pro-life advocacy, pro-life apologetics…

#435 God Is Present to You - Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, OCD Jun 27, 2022

BONUS EPISODE God Is Present to You For the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 24), Sister Regina Marie Gorman reflects with us on the ways God remains ever-present to us. The joy of that presence is the key to every life. Cy Kellett: Is it really possible to live in intimacy with God? Sister Regina Marie Gorman is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. I had the great privilege recently of talking with Sister Regina Marie Gorman, a well-known sister, a wom…

#434 Is Speciesism the New Racism? - Logan Gage Jun 22, 2022

PETA has an ongoing campaign against “speciesism,” saying humans have no right to use animals. But is speciesism—even though it sounds like “racism” or “sexism”—really such a bad thing? Cy Kellett: Is being a speciesist as bad as being a racist? Dr. Logan Gage is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And one of the things that we’ve been saying for years is, “In order to defend the Catholic faith more and more, you…

#433 Can I Know Anything For Sure? - Pat Flynn Jun 15, 2022

Apologist Pat Flynn, from the Philosophy for the People podcast, gets down to basics with us to defend the idea that we can, indeed, know things with certainty. This defense of knowledge helps when we are confronted with the argument that no one really knows anything for sure. Cy Kellett: How can we even know anything? Pat Flynn is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and Pat Flynn is here with us today to help us settle something that is very unsettled and it …

#432 Is Pentecost the Birthday of the Church? - Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo Jun 08, 2022

It’s common to hear the feast of Pentecost referred to as the birthday of the Church because it marks the day when the Apostolic Church received the Holy Spirit in a definitive and powerful way. But is this the same as birth, or is something else happening at Pentecost? Father Hezekias Carnazzo, founder of the Institute for Catholic Culture, is our guest. Cy Kellett: When exactly was the church born? Father Hezekias Carnazzo is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, at l…

#431 Should the Bible Be Rated NC-17? - Trent Horn Jun 01, 2022

One strategy used by those who want to denigrate the Bible is to say it doesn’t meet Christian standards of what is acceptable in the media. It’s a clever move, but is it true that the Bible is too sexy and violent for respectable reading? Cy Kellett : Should the Bible be reserved for mature audiences only? Trent Horn is next. Cy Kellett : Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and if you’re going to defend your Catholic faith you’re going to have to defend the Bible.…

#430 Peter (Not His Profession of Faith) Is the Rock - Suan Sonna May 25, 2022

Some Christians claim that Peter, the man, is not the rock on which Jesus builds his Church, but Peter’s profession of faith is. Actually, no. Apologist Suan Sonna explains why. Cy Kellett: Did Jesus really found the Catholic church with a pun? Suan Sonna is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And if you engage at all in defending the Catholic faith, one of the things that you will have to defend is the papacy. And in order to do that, you’re goi…

#429 Is Francis Pope: Munus vs Ministerium - Michael Lofton May 18, 2022

An argument has been spreading that Francis is not the pope because Benedict retained some of the papal powers. We ask apologist Michael Lofton to explain the munus/ministerium debate. Cy Kellett: What about the theory that Pope Benedict resigned only part of the papacy? Apologist Michael Lofton is next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and our guest this time is Apologist Michael Lofton. Michael Lofton has actually been quite critical of Pope Francis, and so we t…

#428 You Don’t Need the Silver Bullet Proof for God - Logan Gage May 11, 2022

Ever wished for a killer proof to convince all of Twitter that God exists? Logan Gage, head of the philosophy department at Franciscan University, says there is actually a better strategy. Maybe just point to the variety of evidence, and help others to see it. Cy Kellett: I know you want it, but you don’t need that one killer argument to prove God’s existence. Dr. Logan Gage is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and especially in this, it used to b…

#427 Los Cristeros: The Catholic Warriors of Mexico - Christopher Check May 05, 2022

Chris Check, president of Catholic Answers, joins us for a Cinco de Mayo bonus episode to discuss some of the struggles faced by the Catholic Church in 20th Century Mexico. It’s a dramatic story with astonishing heroes and heroines, and nasty villains, one of whom called himself, “The personal enemy of God.” …

#426 The End of Roe? - Joe Heschmeyer May 04, 2022

It looks like Roe v. Wade is finally about to be overruled. What does it mean that the news has been leaked? What does the draft decision say? Joe Heschmeyer joins us to discuss what appears to be very happy news. Cy Kellett: Apparently, Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Joe Heschmeyer is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Thank you so much for being with us. Cy Kellett: We’re going to respond to a recent news story in this episode, because it’s a b…

#425 Spiritual Warfare for Apologists - Dan Burke Apr 27, 2022

Good apologetics is not just a quest to have the right answer. It is, instead, one tool in a larger struggle to win souls. This means that it involves spiritual battle. Our guest, Dan Burke, explains spiritual battle for apologists. Cy Kellett: You want to defend the church? Don’t neglect your own spiritual life. Dan Burke is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host. I remember being a young California Catholic heading off to Boston College to study theology and…

#424 Why Jesus Gave Bishops Authority to Teach - Suan Sonna Apr 20, 2022

Catholics can use to Scripture to defend the fact that Jesus empowered the Church with a permanent magisterium, but our guest, Suan Sonna, says we should also just use some common sense when we explain the magisterium to Protestant Christians. Cy Kellett: Does the church actually have the authority to speak for Jesus? Suan Sonna is next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. And one of the things that we Catholics have to defend is the idea that Jesus left a teaching church, a church with the authorit…

#423 Holy Week Through the Eyes of the Apostles - null Apr 13, 2022

Rod Bennett’s new book, These Twelve, helps us see Jesus’ mission through the eyes of the Apostles. For Holy Week, Bennett reflects on what the Apostle’s experienced as Jesus continued to teach them even as he suffered his passion. Cy Kellett: Holy Week through the eyes of the apostles. Rod Bennett is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and for Holy Week, a special conversation with Rod Bennett. Many people know Rod Bennett as the author of t…

#422 Father Stu and Faith at the Movies - Mark Wahlberg Apr 11, 2022

Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson share a few thoughts on what makes a good “faith” movie as we discuss their excellent new film Father Stu. After that we get the lowdown on the real Father Stu from his friend and fellow priest Father Bart Tolleson. Cy Kellett: Finally a great movie about the priesthood. Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson and Father Bart Tolleson, next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Maybe you heard about the new movie opening this week, Father Stu. It’s a movie ab…

#421 3 Things Agnostics Get Right - Pat Flynn Apr 06, 2022

Agnostics say they just don’t know the answer to life’s biggest question. Pat Flynn, Host of Philosophy for the People, says that, while agnostics make some good points, their decision not to decide is ultimately a mistake. Cy Kellett: Hey, let’s face it. Agnostics make some strong points. Pat Flynn is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, The Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Thanks so much for being here with us. Among those who we might contend intellectually here at Catholic Answers, what d…

#420 Liberals, Liberalism, and Liberal Democracy - R.R. Reno Mar 30, 2022

A debate is raging within Catholicism over the legitimacy of modern liberalism. R.R. Reno, editor of First Things magazine, stops by to help us understand the stakes in the debate. Cy Kellet: Modern ideas about freedom are not setting people free. Catholics are debating what to do about it. R.R. Reno is next. Cy Kellet: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m psych Kelly, your host. First Things is a big deal. It has had a huge effect on culture in recent decades, and it is one of the places that religiou…

#419 Fast From Being Furious - Joe Heschmeyer Mar 23, 2022

Is it really true that if you’re not angry you’re not paying attention? Joe Heschmeyer, author of The Early Church Was the Catholic Church, explains why anger at modern problems is not always a virtue. Cy Kellett: Ever hear phrases like, “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention?” Joe Heschmeyer challenges those ideas next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. Joe Heschmeyer with us this time. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. We talk with Joe about anger, specifically …

#418 Rethinking In-Vitro Fertilization - Stephanie Gray Connors Mar 16, 2022

Is there a wrong way to have a baby? Stephanie Gray Connors, author of Conceived by Science explains the human rights issues with in vitro fertilization. Cy Kellet: Everybody loves a baby, but is IVF a moral way to get one? Stephanie Gray Connors is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. The better we get at reproductive technology, biological technology, the finer the distinctions become that we need to make. And this can really drive people crazy. They can say things like, “You’re just splitti…

#417 Three Things Atheists Get Right - Karlo Broussard Mar 09, 2022

Atheists get the big thing wrong, but that doesn’t mean they get everything wrong. Karlo Broussard, author of Prepare the Way, explains why Catholics and atheists can agree on some important insights about God. Cy Kellett: Actually, atheists get a lot of stuff right. Karlo Broussard is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. We’re going to understand our faith by understanding what those who don’t have faith have to say about God. This time, Karl…

#416 Fed-up Catholics Shouldn’t Turn to Orthodoxy - Michael Lofton Mar 02, 2022

Michael Lofton of the Reason and Theology podcast shares his experience of leaving Catholicism for Orthodoxy and eventually returning. He explains why he concluded he needed to be in communion with the pope, and why every Christian should. Cy Kellett: Is the grass greener in the Orthodox Church? Michael Lofton next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. This week, we welcome Michael Lofton who made his way from Protestantism into Catholic Church, made his way from the Catholic Chu…

#415 Just War and American Wars - Joe Heschmeyer Feb 23, 2022

Apologist Joe Heschmeyer joins us to review Catholic Just War teaching, and spend some time discussing how that teaching applies to modern American wars. Cy Kellett: Is it still possible to have a just war in the modern world? Joe Heschmeyer is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. War become more common in recent years than it was in the past. We thought maybe in the modern world, with the rise of the modern world, warfare would go out of vogue, but it cer…

#414 Are We Living in a Simulation? - Pat Flynn Feb 16, 2022

Are you a simulation created by some dude on his computer in his basement? In fact, couldn’t our whole universe be a simulated universe? Patrick Flynn, Catholic philosopher and host of The Pat Flynn Show and Philosophy for the People tackles the growing consensus among the smart people that we might be living in a simulation. Cy Kellett: Could we really be living in a simulation? Pat Flynn is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. This week, we welcome a new affiliate,…

#413 A Response to Patrick Coffin’s “Seven Pieces of Evidence That Francis Is an Antipope” - Joe Heschmeyer Feb 14, 2022

In recent years, people have been discussing the legitimacy of Pope Francis’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’s main points. Cy Kellett: Is it possible that Pope Francis is not the pope? Joe Heschmeyer is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Little bit of a special episode this time. Joe …

#412 Twisting the Definition of “Religion” - Joe Heschmeyer Feb 09, 2022

Who gets to say what a religion is, and why do “World Religions” classes so often fail in their approach to Christian Faith? Joe Heschmeyer, author of The Early Church Was the Catholic Church, explores the politics around the word “religion.” Cy Kellett: Why modern definitions of religion get Christianity wrong. Joe Heschmeyer is next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answer’s podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host and one of the things we might have to defend our Catholic faith agai…

#411 Woke Schools Are Indoctrinating Your Children - Noelle Mering Feb 02, 2022

Schools are indoctrinating your kids into the woke agenda. How did we get here? Noelle Mering, author of Awake, Not Woke, reviews the history that brought our educational institutions to their current crisis. Why did we go down this road, and can we recover? Cy Kellett: How did we get to the point where schools are actively indoctrinating children? Noelle Mering is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. Our friend Noelle Mering in her book, Awake, Not Woke, has a chapter on education and how edu…

#410 How the Incarnation Made Your World Possible - Gary Michuta Jan 26, 2022

God came among us as a man, but the world is still a mess. So what difference did the life of Jesus make? Gary Michuta, author of Revolt Against Reality, explains how Jesus initiated a revolution in world affairs. Cy Kellett: How is your world different because God became a man? Gary Michuta is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And Gary Michuta joins us this time. He has a brand new and wonderful book, Revolt Against Reality: Fighting the Foes of Sanity and Truth from t…

#409 Abortion: Cut Through the Noise with this Simple Argument - Joe Heschmeyer Jan 19, 2022

Will they or won’t they overturn Roe v. Wade? All the focus on the Supreme Court life cases means lots of media spewing confusion about abortion. Who can answer all of this confusion? Well, you can, by keeping things honest and simple as Apologist Joe Heschmeyer explains in this episode. Cy Kellett: An extremely simple pro-life argument. Joe Heschmeyer is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Cy Kellett: We’ve been doing a lot of programming on pro-l…

#408 Top Three Apologetics Mistakes! - Trent Horn Jan 12, 2022

Number two will BLOW YOUR MIND! Popular Catholic Apologist Trent Horn, the author of Why We’re Catholic, reflects on the three big errors all apologists should avoid. Cy Kellett: What are the big mistakes apologists make? Trent Horn is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. Cy Kellett: I’m Cy Kellett, your host. One of the great defenders of the Catholic faith and one of the great defenders of life in the world today is our young friend, young Trent Horn. And he has a great following…

#407 Early Christianity Was Totally Eucharistic - Joe Heschmeyer Jan 05, 2022

Drawing on his newest book — The Early Church Was the Catholic Church — Joe Heschmeyer describes what the very earliest Christians believed was happening in the celebration of the Eucharist. Did they see it as a sacrifice or just a memorial? Did they understand it as a sign or as the real presence of Jesus? Cy Kellett: Did the very earliest Christians think about the Eucharist like we do? Joe Heschmeyer is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Happy N…

#406 What Was the Star of Bethlehem? - Jimmy Akin Dec 29, 2021

Was it a comet? Was it a shooting star? Do we have any clues as to the nature of the Star of Bethlehem? Jimmy Akin brings some fascinating speculations about what the star might have been. Cy Kellett: Is there any way to know what the Star of Bethlehem was? Jimmy Akin gives it a try next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. This time, a little bit of understanding. What exactly is the Star of Bethlehem? There’s been all kinds of interesting speculation, and you know what? You know who loves a …

#405 A Very Pagan Christmas - Jimmy Akin Dec 22, 2021

The most wonderful time of year — the tree, the lights, the cider — oh, and don’t forget the stories about how Christmas is a pagan holiday basically stolen by Christians. Jimmy Akin joins us to get to the root of some of the claims made about the hidden paganism of Christmas. Catholic Answers is proud to present a very Pagan Christmas, with Jimmy Akin. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host and that’s how I feel every Christmas. We’ve got t…

#404 Latino Catholicism Is Huge. It Deserves Better Apologetics. - null Dec 15, 2021

Deacon Charlie Echeverry from the Living the Call podcast joins us for a discussion of the opportunities available to better serve the Latino Catholic community. He explains how an apostolate such as ours — and maybe yours — can help bring the Church together in the US and make things less difficult for Catholic families in the future. Cy Kellett: You know what’s weird in the American church? It’s getting more Latino while Latinos are getting less Catholic. Deacon Charlie Echeverry from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, th…

#403 Is China Policy a New Investiture Controversy? - Steve Weidenkopf Dec 13, 2021

Drawing on his book, Light From Darkness: Nine Times the Catholic Church Was in Turmoil and Came Out Stronger Than Before, historian Steve Weidenkopf answers our questions about the current Vatican deal with China. Is the agreement to let the Chinese government have a say about bishop appointments a return to the days of the Investiture Controversy? Cy Kellett: Is the China deal a repeat of the investiture controversy? Steve Weidenkopf is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. The long history of…

#402 What Modern People Can Learn from St. Joseph - Joe Heschmeyer Dec 09, 2021

Joe Heschmeyer — author of A Man Called Joseph: Guardian for Our Times — joins us to wrap up the year of St. Joseph. We dig into the fascinating history of his veneration, and ask why he seems such a perfect father-figure for modern people. Cy Kellett: Turns out St. Joseph has a lot to teach modern people, Joe Heschmeyer is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host. And please raise your hand if the following applies to you. You didn’t really do much to observe t…

#401 Four Things Pro-Choice People Get RIGHT - Monica Doumit Dec 01, 2021

Monica Doumit, the Director of Public Affairs and Engagement for the Archdiocese of Sydney, is one of the clearest pro-life voices on Earth. Here’s what happens when we ask her to admit some of the things pro-choice people are right about. Cy Kellett: Pro-choice arguments actually get a lot right. Monica Doumit is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. And we’re not exactly going to be defending the Catholic faith at this time. We wanted to talk with one of our … well, you can p…

#400 Vox FAILS with Monogamy “Explainer” - Dan Kuebler Nov 24, 2021

Vox Media’s series of explainer videos failed badly when it tried to use science to suggest that monogamy doesn’t really fit with human nature. We asked Dan Kuebler, Professor of Biology and Dean of the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Franciscan University, to help us understand monogamy in a more adult way, using both scientific and moral arguments. Cy Kellett: What can science really tell us about monogamy? Dr. Dan Kuebler is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’…

#390 What Vatican II ALMOST Taught About Sex Changes - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 17, 2021

In the second part of our discussion with Father Hugh Barbour about Catholic Faith and the transgender movement, he brings out a forgotten document from Pope John XXIII. The document was never promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, but it says a great deal about how the Church thinks about sex, and sex “reassignment.” Listen to the first part here: Aquinas on Transgenderism Cy Kellett: What the Second Vatican Council almost said about sex changes. Father Hugh Barber next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for Living, Understanding and Defending Your Cat…

#389 Aquinas on Transgenderism - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 10, 2021

Thomas Aquinas, the Church’s greatest theologian, had lots to say about the nature of the human person. So what would he say about the modern transgender movement? We asked Father Hugh Barbour. Cy Kellett: What would Thomas Aquinas say about transgenderism? Father Hugh Barbour is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. So much talk about transgenderism these days, and it finally occurred to us, I wonder what Thomas Aquinas would have to say about that? And so we decided, we’ll ask a Th…

#388 The Jewish Roots of Praying for the Dead - Joe Heschmeyer Nov 03, 2021

The Jews of Jesus’ time, like Jews today, prayed for the dead. Apologist Joe Heschmeyer looks at how Jesus and the early Church responded to this widespread practice and finds strong evidence that the Lord intended his Church to continue it. Cy Kellett: God’s people have always prayed for the dead. Joe Heschmeyer is next. A shocking change occurred when in the 16th century some Christians began to teach that we could not or should not pray for the dead. Jesus never said any such thing, nor did the apostles or the gospel writers, which raises a question. Cy Kellett: If the Jews pra…

#387 Netflix’s Midnight Mass: Four Views of Death - Joe Heschmeyer Oct 27, 2021

Netflix goes heavy Catholic in its series Midnight Mass. But does it get the Catholic view of death right? Apologist Joe Heschmeyer joins us for a discussion of the various takes on death presented in Midnight Mass. Cy Kellett: Catholic take on Netflix’s Midnight Mass, Joe Heschmeyer is next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and one thing that we know in this movie era, in this era of the moving image, the Catholic church looks good on film. And they did it again in a n…

#386 Forgiveness: Jesus Gave Amazing Power to Priests - Karlo Broussard Oct 21, 2021

Some Christians miss or explain away the amazing gift that Jesus gave his Church when he told the Apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven…” This unique moment is given to us in John 20:23. Karlo Broussard joins us to explain why the most obvious reading is the right one — Christ gave the Apostles the power to forgive sins. Cy Kellett: Did Jesus give the church a sacrament of confession or not? Karlo Broussard is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy K…

#385 You’re Doing Catholic Politics Wrong - Andrew Willard Jones Oct 13, 2021

Catholics in politics are big in the news these days. But a truly Catholic politics might not be what you think. We talk about the meaning of politics form a Catholic perspective with theologian Andrew Willard Jones author of new book, The Two Cities: A History of Christian Politics. Cy Kellett: What is the place of the church in politics? Andrew Willard Jones is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, The Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host. Before we start, let me just review where we are as Catholics in the public …

#384 Disney’s Loki Confronts Ultimate Questions - Joe Heschmeyer Oct 06, 2021

Loki now has his own TV show on Disney+, and the god of mischief raises serious issues of atheism, polytheism, freewill, and conversion. We get Joe Heschmeyer’s take on all of it from a Christian perspective. Cy Kellett: Disney’s Loki raises big questions. Joe Heschmeyer’s glorious purpose is to answer them, next on Focus. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And like many people, I have watched Loki, the new Marvel series on the Disney+ platform, an…

#383 St. Peter’s Vs. Modernism - Duncan Stroik Sep 29, 2021

Being entirely objective, the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome is the best building in the world! We ask Duncan Stroik, the founder of the Sacred Architecture Journal, to explain why this is, and why churches, and other buildings today, don’t match it. Why don’t we build churches like St. Peter’s anymore? Architect Duncan Stroik is next. Cy Kellett: Duncan Stroik is Professor of Architecture at Notre Dame University and the founding editor of Sacred Architecture Journal. And we had the great, good fortune of having a visit from him here at Catholic Answers. So we sat down to talk wit…

#382 The Surprising Thing That Brings Jesus Joy - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 22, 2021

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. Cy Kellett: What does confessing to a priest actually do? Father Hugh Barbour is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. How I’m making Jesus happy. Is that a real thing? Can you make Jesus happy? Well, one of the great insights that Father Hugh share…

#381 Final Judgment Cheat Codes - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 15, 2021

Father Hugh Barbour explains what Jesus meant when he said the measure with which we measure will be measured back to us. Is he really going to judge us the way that we judge others? If so, its time to get to work on all that judgment, gossip, and resentment. Cy Kellett: Are you telling me I can never judge somebody? Father Hugh Barber, next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and are you judgmental? Are you resentful of other people because of the judgments you make…

#380 The One Thing Jesus Asks You to do for Him - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 08, 2021

More than anything, the devil hates to see you at Mass. And Jesus was clear that he, personally, desired you there. Father Hugh Barbour is back, and he explains why the Mass must be at the center of every Christian life. Cy Kellett: Getting back to mass, participating fully in the mass. Fr. Hugh Barbour is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus. The Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host. A little bit about living your Catholic faith. This time with Fr. Hugh Barbour, our guest, Fr. Hugh Barbour, encouraging y…

#379 The Jordan Peterson Effect: Opening Minds to the Bible - Christopher Kaczor Sep 01, 2021

Catholic Scholar Christopher Kaczor finds a great deal to admire in Jordan Peterson and his followers. But is Peterson’s work a fully-satisfying body of thought, or is it more of a doorway to deeper satisfactions for the mind? We discuss Kaczor’s new book — Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life. Cy Kellett: Is Jordan Peterson leading people to Christianity? Christopher Kaczor is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answer’s podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett…

#378 Is My Soul Immortal? - Karlo Broussard Aug 18, 2021

The author of Purgatory Is for Real tackles a tough philosophical question — is my soul made to last forever? If so, how do we know this? If not, what could happen that would destroy the life of my soul? Cy Kellett: Is there something immortal about you? Karlo Broussard next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and I really enjoy talking with Karlo Broussard and maybe go at little technical this time, but that’s my fault. I kind of led Karlo into that because I wante…

#377 Is this Papacy Self-Defeating? - Larry Chapp Aug 18, 2021

Theologian and Catholic Worker Larry Chapp joins us for a discussion of Pope Francis’ Motu Proprio on the Latin Mass. Was this a missed opportunity for the pope to achieve his larger goals? Is there any better way available to reach those goals? Cy Kellett: Is this a self-defeating papacy? Dr. Larry Chapp is next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. I’ve been wanting to have Dr. Larry Chapp on the program. Lots of folks actually recommend him all the time…

#376 What is a Soul? - Karlo Broussard Aug 16, 2021

In the first of two conversations with Karlo about the soul, Cy asks Karlo to explain what a Christian means by “soul.” Where is the soul? Does everything have a soul? What is the point of having a soul? Using the tools of philosophy, Karlo gets us some answers. Cy Kellett: What is a soul anyway? Karlo Broussard, next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I have to admit this one comes from me. I wanted to have this conversation with Karlo, because I struggle with the idea of the soul because I think …

#375 What Is the Mind? The Catholic View - Jimmy Akin Aug 11, 2021

We ask Jimmy Akin, apologist and host of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World, whether there is a Catholic way to understand the mind. Jimmy reviews some of the current thinking about what the mind is, and explains what a Catholic can, and cannot, accept. Cy Kellett: What is a mind anyway? Jimmy Akin is next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, very glad you are here with us. Hey, right up front, let me just say if you could maybe like and subscribe if you’re watching on Yo…

#374 What’s Wrong with Woke? - Noelle Mering Aug 09, 2021

In her new book, Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology, Noelle Mering argues that our “woke” moment is, in fact, a surrender to the age-old temptation to take the place of God. It is also the direct consequence of the sexual revolution. She joins us to explain how an awake Christian can help free the world of the destructive ideology of “woke”. Cy Kellett: Can a Christian get woke? Noelle Mering is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. …

#373 Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Catholic Faith - Christopher Check Aug 04, 2021

Can a Catholic assent to blowing up entire cities? What about when to do so will save perhaps millions of lives? Catholic Answers President Chris Check joins us as we consider again America’s use of Atomic weapons to end a long, bitter war with Japan. Cy Kellett: Why would a Catholic support nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Chris Check is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host, and this week, as this episode is posted, we’re commemorating the anniversary o…

#372 The Unchristian Roots of STEM Education - William Fahey Aug 02, 2021

To lure parents who want their kids to be competitive in a high-tech society, some Catholic schools promote themselves vigorously as providing a top-notch STEM education. But just how compatible is the STEM mentality with Catholic ideas about formation and education? Dr. William Fahey, President of New Hampshire’s Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, joins us to explain why the Catholic educational tradition is better for students than STEM training. NOTE FROM HOST: Dr. Fahey and I both used the word “Medicine” instead of “Math” as the last word in the STEM acronym. This use is uncommon,…

#371 Rescuing the Bible from Experts - Scott Hahn Jul 28, 2021

Why is studying the Bible in college so often injurious to faith? Is it because scientific investigation of the Bible has the power to debunk it? urney toward answering these questions.…

#370 Is the Church Hiding the Book of Enoch? - Tim Staples Jul 26, 2021

What is the Church hiding in keeping the Book of Enoch out of the Bible? Genesis mentions him, and the New Testament includes reference to...…

#369 Missing Mass Is Deadly - Karlo Broussard Jul 21, 2021

How on Earth could it really be a mortal sin to miss Mass? This seems so harsh! Catholic Answers Apologist Karlo Broussard takes up a hard challenge...…

#368 Catholicism and Race - Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers Jul 19, 2021

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers has an apparently unpopular answer to the scourge of racism -- imitating Jesus. Our society refuses this path...…

#367 Using Words to Hide the Harm of Abortion - Stephanie Gray Connors Jul 14, 2021

From the beginning, support for abortion has relied on using language to hide reality -- specifically the reality of killing an innocent boy or girl.…

#366 Summer Fiction for Catholics - Mark Brumley Jul 12, 2021

Mark Brumley, the well-read president of Ignatius Press, joins us for a brief conversation about books in which he gives his suggestions for Catholics looking for some good summer fiction.…

#365 Is Divorce Really a Sin? - Leila Miller Jul 07, 2021

Does the Catholic Church still teach that divorce is wrong, even sinful? And if so, why, especially given that so many Catholics are divorced?…

#364 Is Christianity Anti-Woman? - Elizabeth Kelly Jul 05, 2021

Catholic author and speaker Elizabeth Kelly joins us for a discussion of the supposed "anti-woman" bias in Christianity. Is it real?…

#363 Getting Manliness Wrong - Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers Jun 30, 2021

You can hardly tune into a Catholic podcast or read a Catholic publication these days without someone complaining about the lack of manliness?…

#362 A Catholic Summer Reading List - Todd Aglialoro Jun 28, 2021

Todd Algioloro, director of publishing here at Catholic Answers, offers ideas for some "delightful" Catholic summer reading.…

#361 Are Sacramentals Magic? - Shaun McAfee Jun 23, 2021

Catholic writer Shaun McAfee joins us to defend the Catholic use of sacramentals -- holy water, crucifixes, blessings, etc. This practice looks a lot like magic to both our Protestant and secular friends.…

#360 Did the Supreme Court Allow Catholics to Discriminate? - Joe Heschmeyer Jun 21, 2021

Supreme Court decision that allowed a Catholic social service agency to continue refusing to place foster children in the custody of gay couples...…

#359 Saved Outside the Catholic Church? - Tim Staples Jun 16, 2021

Our own Tim Staples discusses the Catholic claim that there is no salvation outside the Church? How are we to understand this truth, and what does it mean for those who do not enter the Church?…

#358 Are Catholics Too Assimilated? - Bishop Donald Hying Jun 14, 2021

In his new book, Love Never Fails, Madison Wisconsin Bishop Donald Hying helps Christians to take up the adventure of living in Christ, even in the modern world, every day.…

#357 Is Religion Just a Coping Mechanism? - Karlo Broussard Jun 09, 2021

Karlo Broussard, author of Prepare the Way: Overcoming Obstacles to God, the Gospel, and the Church, answers the common Freudian objection to belief in God -- It's just wish fulfillment.…

#356 Must We Accept Every Church Council? - Tim Staples Jun 07, 2021

Tim Staples is here to address the growing reluctance of some Catholics to accept the authority of church councils. Where do councils get their authority, and how much deference must a Catholic give them?…

#355 Is Salvation Guaranteed? - Karlo Broussard Jun 02, 2021

Karlo Broussard takes up the challenge of those who say Romans chapter 8 assures the Christian that salvation cannot be lost.…

#354 Does the Church Act with the Authority of Jesus? - Tim Staples May 31, 2021

Tim Staples returns to Focus with a question taken from his School of Apologetics course "Evidence for the Church": Did Jesus really give his authority to a human institution?…

#354 Holding Bishops Accountable - Jason Negri May 26, 2021

Clearly Catholic bishops need closer collaboration with lay Catholics if we are ever going to get past the leadership models that led to the sex abuse crisis.…

#353 How to Evangelize Using Social Media - Fr. Simon Esshaki May 24, 2021

The call to evangelize has only grown more important, though it may look different today than it did in 100 A.D. Fr. Simon Esshaki talks about the call from Jesus Christ for all Christians to go out into the world, sharing the good news.…

#352 Why the Ascension and Pentecost Are Essential - Tim Staples May 19, 2021

With his death and resurrection, Jesus completes the great work of our salvation and gives us the perfect sign that he has conquered sin and death.…

#351 Calvinist Objections to Free Will - Trent Horn May 12, 2021

A prominent strain of Christianity denies free will as it strives to defend the omnipotence of God. But does such a strategy turn God into a monster?…

#350 Atheist Objections to Free Will - Trent Horn May 10, 2021

Does neuroscience, or any science, pose a challenge to believing human beings have free will? Trent Horn joins us for a discussion of today's fashionable denial of the fact of free will.…

#349 Is God an Egomaniac Narcissist? - Karlo Broussard May 05, 2021

Karlo Broussard responds to an atheist critique of the God of the Bible, that he is a narcissist whose ego makes him hungry for the worship of his creatures…

#348 Would Aliens Destroy Christianity? - Karin Oberg May 03, 2021

A common pop-culture assertion is that if there are intelligent extraterrestrials then Christianity is ruined. Would this discovery disprove the Bible?…

#347 The Writers Who Knew the Apostles - David Meconi Apr 28, 2021

Renowned scholar of St. Augustine, Father David Meconi, SJ, joins us for a discussion of the Apostolic Fathers. Did these men really know the Apostles?…

#346 Did Jesus Allow Some Divorce? - Karlo Broussard Apr 26, 2021

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus seems to soften his usual crystal-clear teaching against divorce. But what is he saying? Is adultery an exception?…

#345 Does Conscience Trump Doctrine? - Joe Heschmeyer Apr 21, 2021

What if my conscience says one thing and the Church says another? The Catholic Church clearly teaches that I must follow my conscience...…

#344 Why Have Priests if We’re All Priests? - Karlo Broussard Apr 19, 2021

Karlo Broussard, author of Meeting the Protestant Challenge, takes on a common challenge to the Catholic priesthood. If all Christians are priests...…

#343 Is Tradition Reliable? - Joe Heschmeyer Apr 14, 2021

It seems like Scripture is so solid, and Tradition is so ephemeral. Why should we trust that God has revealed himself to us in Sacred Tradition?…

#342 Is Tithing Just a Tax? - Ed Condon Apr 12, 2021

Canon lawyer and journalist Ed Condon from pillarcatholic.com joins us to answer some hard questions about tithing. Is tithing required of every Christian?…

#341 Religion Is Not Social Activism - Fr. Jeffrey Kirby Apr 07, 2021

As tempting as it may be to treat social activism as if it is our highest calling, in fact, it is not. Father Jeffery Kirby's new book, Real Religion...…

#340 Is the Big Bang a Proof of God? - Karin Oberg Apr 05, 2021

Karin Oberg is a professor of astronomy at Harvard University who also teaches Aquinas at the Thomistic Institute. Who better to ask?…

#339 Who Is the Anti-Christ? - Jimmy Akin Mar 31, 2021

Jimmy Akin breaks down the antichrist foretold in Scripture. Can we know who it is? What will the signs be that we are truly dealing with the antichist?…

#338 Is the Covid-19 Vaccine the Mark of the Beast? - Jimmy Akin Mar 29, 2021

Modern governments sometimes demand that entire populations participate in this program or that, which regularly raises the question of the Mark of the Beast.…

#337 Biblical Religion Is Not Self-Help - Fr. Jeffrey Kirby Mar 24, 2021

Taking our cue from his new book Real Religion, we asked Father Jeffery Kirby to explain a distinction he makes between the religion of self-help and the religion of the Bible.…

#336 Is Vatican Blessing Decision Anti-Gay? - Karlo Broussard Mar 22, 2021

CNN host Don Lemon took on the Vatican in a conversation with the women of The View. He explained that he doesn’t think God approves of the Catholic refusal to bless same-sex unions. We asked apologist Karlo Broussard to respond to Mr. Lemon’s take. Cy Kellett: Don Lemon lectures the Catholic Church. Karlo Broussard responds next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And the Vatican said recently Catholics are not going to bless same-sex unions. And you might be surpr…

#335 Is it a Sin to Call Someone a Jerk? - Scott Hefelfinger Mar 17, 2021

A listener asks us if it is wrong to say bad things about others, especially online, if the bad things are true. Turns out, it is, and theologian Dr. Scott Hefelfinger explains why.…

#334 Is Chastity Education Anti-Gay? - Monica Doumit Mar 15, 2021

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.…

#333 Catholics and Inquisitions (Part 3) - Christopher Check Mar 10, 2021

Chris Check wraps up our three part series on Catholics and Inquisitions with a sober look at an iconic time in Catholic history. Learn more here.…

#332 Anger as Bad Apologetics - Matthew Walther Mar 08, 2021

Do you really suppose that your families care as much as you do about the latest supposed outrage half a world away that you have learned about on your computer?…

#331 Catholics and Inquisitions (Part 2) - Christopher Check Mar 03, 2021

Why did the Church end up in such a bitter struggle against the Cathars, and how did that struggle play out? Our three-part dive into the various Catholic inquisitions continues as we ask Catholic Answers President Chris Check what really happened in the Medieval Inquisition. How bad was the Medieval Inquisition? Chris Check is next. Cy Kellett: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers Podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and the Medieval Inquisition is the one that started it all. Before we talk about the Spanish Inqu…

#330 Sharing the Faith with Those Who Don’t Care - Matt Nelson Mar 01, 2021

Geraldine writes in to ask for an episode on "indifferentism." Just how are we supposed to share the Faith with people who show no interest?…

#329 Catholics and Inquisitions (Part One) - Christopher Check Feb 24, 2021

We begin a three-part dive into the various Catholic inquisitions with Catholic Answers President Chris Check. In part one we ask about the mindset of the Catholics...…

#328 Confession and Modern States - Monica Doumit Feb 22, 2021

Anti-confession laws are bringing frightening implications not just for priests but for Catholic schools and other Catholic institutions throughout Australia.…

#327 Defending Classical Theism - John DeRosa Feb 17, 2021

John DeRosa, author of One Less God Than You, explains what classical theism is, why the Catholic Church embraces it, and how to defend it against less noble visions of the divine. Cy Kellett: Does classical theism still work? John DeRosa next. Cy Kellett: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. Cy Kellett: One of the things we have to defend is the existence of God, but it’s not just that we believe that God exists and we have to defend that. There are things that we can say …

#326 What Good Does Adoration Do? - Fr. James Boric Feb 15, 2021

Father James Boric, the rector of America's first cathedral, the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, joins us to explain why he chose Eucharistic...…

#325 How to Disagree with the Pope - Joe Heschmeyer Feb 10, 2021

Joe Heschmeyer, author of Pope Peter - Defending the Church's Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis, is back with more help explaining how to deal...…

#324 Is Hell Unfair? - Karlo Broussard Feb 08, 2021

Karlo Broussard, the author of Purgatory is for Real, addresses an email correspondent who asks: "Isn't eternal punishment unfair for finite sins?"…

#323 Does God Change His Mind? - Jimmy Akin Feb 03, 2021

The Bible seems conflicted on whether God can change his mind. Can he? And if he cannot, how do we explain those pesky Bible passages?…

#322 Modernism - Fr. Sebastian Walshe Feb 01, 2021

"Modernism" is the charge against the Church in many parts of the internet. In fact, it is common to find Catholics attacking the Second Vatican Council as modernist heresy.…

#321 Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls - John Bergsma Jan 27, 2021

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls changed the way modern scholars view Judaism in the time of Jesus.…

#320 How the Holy Spirit Guides the Church - Jimmy Akin Jan 25, 2021

Especially in times of upset within the Church, we might well ask just what the Holy Spirit is doing. Does the Spirit really lead the Church?…

#319 Are the German Bishops a Danger? - Ed Condon Jan 20, 2021

What is up with Germany's bishops and their attempts to re-write some basic Church teachings? Is a schism in the offing? We asked Ed Condon.…

#318 The Lady of All Nations Controversy - Tim Staples Jan 18, 2021

Tim staples joins us for a conversation about just where things stand regarding the alleged apparitions to Ida Peerdeman...…

#317 Deepak Chopra’s Jesus - Trent Horn Jan 14, 2021

As a leader in New Age thought, Deepak Chopra has taken it upon himself to explain the real meaning of Jesus. But does he shed light on...…

#316 Sex Robots Will Destroy Us - Todd Aglialoro Jan 11, 2021

We're not kidding with this title. Todd Aglialoro joins us for a conversation about the role sex robots could play in the destruction of civilization.…

#315 Is Drinking Christ’s Blood Unbiblical? - Karlo Broussard Jan 06, 2021

How can the Catholic Church teach that we actually eat and drink the  Body and Blood of Jesus when Scripture forbids partaking of blood in Leviticus 17:10?…

#314 Is Enola Holmes the Most Evil Movie Ever Made? - Marie Bates Jan 04, 2021

How can Catholics respond to movies and television that pose such grave moral challenges?…

#313 Journalism and Truth - Tim Ryland Dec 30, 2020

Tim Ryland, editor of Catholic Answers Magazine helps us close 2020 with a reflection on the state of journalism. Specifically, given the parlous state of journalism, how can anyone know the truth about what the heck is going on?…

#312 Is Baptism Really Necessary? - Karlo Broussard Dec 28, 2020

How can the Catholic Church teach that baptism is necessary for salvation when the Bible show people receive the Holy Spirit before baptism...…

#311 The Perfection of the Nativity - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Dec 23, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour explains some of the ways God arranged for his son to be born in just the right way, place, and time.…

#310 Distraction in Prayer - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Dec 21, 2020

Understanding what prayer is goes a long when when tacking problems with distraction in prayer. Father Hugh and Cy discuss how to start praying...…

#309 Victims of the Sexual Revolution - Bishop Thomas John Paprocki Dec 16, 2020

Our society has all but given up on protecting the innocence of children. This is a grave matter, one the Catholic Church must speak up against, and Bishop Thomas Paprocki joins us to do just that. Cy Kellett: How did the modern world turn out to be so abusive of children? Bishop Thomas Paprocki, next. Hello and welcome to Catholic Answers Focus, the podcast for living, understanding, and defending your faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And today we tackle a tough subject with a tough Bishop. Let me just say it right out. The modern world has become abusive of children. We congratulate …

#308 A World Broken into “Worldviews” - Fr. Robert McTeigue Dec 09, 2020

People today live in physical proximity to one another even as they occupy very different worlds. Father Robert McTeigue, author of Real Philosophy for Real People explains how we got here, and some possible cures.…

#307 Hard Truths About Marian Consecration - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Dec 07, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour takes on the growing Marian Consecration movement. What is consecration and can one really consecrate oneself to Mary?…

#306 Satanic Temple for Beginners - Karlo Broussard Dec 02, 2020

This year has been a pretty good one for the Satanic Temple. They've even gotten a good deal of positive press. So who are they, what do they believe?…

#305 What Is the Sin Against the Holy Spirit? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 30, 2020

Jesus tells us that there is a certain sin that will not be forgiven. What is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and how can we avoid it? Find out here.…

#304 Are Indulgences a Scam? - Karlo Broussard Nov 25, 2020

The author of Purgatory Is for Real, Karlo Broussard, explains the reality of of indulgences and why they are effective in paying off debts.…

#303 Is the Church Failing? - JD Flynn Nov 24, 2020

JD Flynn has reporters covering the Church around the world. We asked him to give us an assessment of the state of the Church today.…

#302 Can a Christian Meditate? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 23, 2020

Meditation, mindfulness, centering -- it's all the rage. But what are the implications of these things for the Christian person?…

#301 A Catholic Relationship with Jesus - null Nov 18, 2020

The Church proposes the way to personal relationship with Jesus - Encounter, Conversion, Communion, and Mission -- brings the person into intimacy with Jesus...…

#300 Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 16, 2020

In what sense is Jesus available to us in the Blessed Sacrament? And why is his presence in the Eucharist central to our salvation? Fr. Hugh explains.…

#299 The Church in the Year 3000 - Tim Staples Nov 11, 2020

We meet Tim Staples in the year 3,000 to ask what has changed in the Church and what has stayed the same? Join us as we explore the Church in the year 3000!…

#298 Praying for the Dead - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 09, 2020

Guest host, Chis Check, asks Fr. Hugh to defend praying for the dead. Fr. Hugh explains why praying for the dead is every Christian’s duty. Cy Kellett: What are Catholics doing when we pray for the dead? Father Hugh Barbour is next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your usual host, but we’ve got a guest host today, Chris Check, in conversation with Father Hugh Barbour. Catholics, as we’ve said on an earlier episode this month, pray for the dead all throughout November.…

#297 Why Does God Command Sacrifice? - Jimmy Akin Nov 04, 2020

In the Hebrew Scriptures, God gives quite specific directions on how to make sacrifices to him. We ask Jimmy Akin why God does this? What good does it do?…

#296 God Judges You, Deal with It! - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Nov 02, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour explains the two judgments. What happens at our particular judgment? What happens at the general judgment? And what does all of this have to do with ghosts who might need some help? Cy: What happens when God judges you? Father Hugh Barber is next. Cy: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending the Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. And usually I wait until the end of these podcasts to ask for your financial support, but it’s come to my attention that some of you are not listening all the way to the e…

#295 Good News About Purgatory - Karlo Broussard Oct 28, 2020

Karlo's new book defends the doctrine of purgatory and explains why Christ's teaching about purgatory is a key part of the Good News of salvation.…

#294 Saints and Souls in the Next Life - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Oct 26, 2020

What happens when we die? Answers are limited, but the news is generally good. Father Hugh Barbour shares insights into the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. Cy: You are connected to the dead, and before long you’re going to join them. Father Hugh Barbour helps you deal with that, next. Cy: Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending the Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your host. I always like talking to Father Hugh, but there’s a particular joy that comes with talking to him about what happens on the other side. As Catholi…

#293 Power in Weakness? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Oct 19, 2020

Father Hugh explains how the reading of 2 Corinthians offers us a liberating glimpse into the personal and unfailing love of God.…

#292 What If Francis Is a Bad Pope? - Joe Heschmeyer Oct 14, 2020

Many people have grown quite concerned that Pope Francis might, in fact, be a bad pope. We asked Joe Heschmeyer to examine complaints against Francis.…

#291 Why Do Catholics Bless Stuff? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Oct 12, 2020

A Catholic priest will literally bless your cat if you ask. But what is this ritual about? Why do we do it, and what does it accomplish?…

#290 The Rapture Code - Karlo Broussard Oct 07, 2020

Media depictions sell the "Rapture" as a Christian doctrine. But the event generally understood as the Rapture is not Christian doctrine at all.…

#289 The Truth About Exorcism - Fr. Vincent Lampert Oct 05, 2020

The long-time exorcist of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has seen many strange things, but insists that the most important lesson from exorcisms is to rely on Christ, who is the help of all in need.…

#288 Who Gets to Be Called a Catholic? - Fr. Sebastian Walshe Sep 30, 2020

With election season passions heating up, Catholics are more willing than ever to excommunicate each other online. What does it take to be a Catholic?…

#287 What Does an Archangel Do? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 28, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour helps us get ready for the Feast of St. Michael with a reflection on angels. Who are they? What do they do?…

#286 Why the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? - Jimmy Akin Sep 23, 2020

It's one thing to believe in God based on philosophical proofs. But what about the claim that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the true God...…

#285 Horoscopes, Astrology, Catholicism, Oh My! - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 21, 2020

What if you could get a personal message each day from beyond this world? Millions of people seek such messages in astrology charts and readings.…

#284 Does This Argument Prove God? - Jimmy Akin Sep 16, 2020

Jimmy Akin joins us and we gave him two simple tasks -- explain the Kalam Cosmological Argument and tell us whether it proves that God exists. Jimmy obliged.…

#283 Two Sorrowful Feasts - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 14, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour joins us to explain why Catholics have feast days that celebrate sadness. This time we cover the twin feasts of Christ's Cross and Mary's sorrow.…

#282 Christ Tells You Who You Are - Joe Heschmeyer Sep 09, 2020

Joe Heschmeyer explains why Christ has the definitive answer on each person's identity, and how meeting him settles our identity questions.…

#280 Hey America, Jesus Is God! - Karlo Broussard Sep 08, 2020

A recent survey is heartbreaking for those who know Jesus is God come among us. Larger percentages of Christians no longer believe this.…

#281 Prayer Tips for Busy People - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Sep 07, 2020

Prayer tips for busy people; Father Hugh Barbour explains why including God in the things you are already doing can turn your life into a life of prayer.…

#280 Are Your Future Sins Forgiven? - Karlo Broussard Sep 02, 2020

How can the Catholic Church teach that we need to worry about losing our salvation through mortal sin when the Bible teaches that we have been sanctified...…

#279 Why the Fuss About Sacraments? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Aug 31, 2020

The recent story of a priest who discovered he had never been baptized unleashed a torrent of anxieties and questions around the sacraments.…

#277 What Justifies a Christian? - Karlo Broussard Aug 26, 2020

How can the Catholic Church teach that our justification is a process when the Letter to the Romans says that our justification is a one-time event?…

#276 Mary Is Your Queen - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Aug 21, 2020

From ancient times, Christians have celebrated the Assumption of Mary on August 15. In modern times, the celebration of the Coronation of Mary...…

#275 What Popes Are Not - Joe Heschmeyer Aug 19, 2020

Popes are not saints. They are not prophets. They are not world leaders, or media stars, or even theologians. They can be these things, but none of these things are essential to the pope's job.…

#273 Racism for Catholics - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Aug 17, 2020

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. Cy Kellett: Racism in the light of divine revelation right now on Focus. Hello and welcome to Focus, The Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending the Catholic faith. Remember to subscribe wherever you subscribe, maybe at Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified when new episodes are released and please leave us that five star review, it does help to…

#273 Creation from Nothing - Trent Horn Aug 12, 2020

Did God really make the universe out of nothing? Is there really any such thing as "nothing"? Trent Horn tackles the difficult concept of "nothing"...…

#272 Is God Asleep? - Fr. Sebastian Walshe Aug 10, 2020

These days one can almost feel that God is asleep. Does he not see the chaos, confusion, and injustice of the modern world?…

#271 Is the Biblical God a Maniac? - John DeRosa Aug 05, 2020

Apologist and author John DeRosa tackles the idea that the God of the Bible is violent and unworthy of being followed, as he does in his new book.…

#270 Insights from Christ’s Transfiguration - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Aug 03, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour takes us on a tour of the role of Christ's Transfiguration in the life of the Church and how it can help us in our spiritual life.…

#269 So What if Religion is for the Weak? - John DeRosa Jul 29, 2020

We ask John DeRosa how to respond when we are told that religion is for the weak-minded! Also, Cy does some role-playing as a German atheist...…

#268 Joy - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jul 27, 2020

Christianity is the religion of Joy, but few people understand what Joy is or how to gain it. Father Hugh Barbour joins us to explain.…

#267 A Priest Challenges Pride Month - Karlo Broussard Jul 22, 2020

Of course when a priest stands up to challenge an NFL team on is support for Pride Month he's going to get smacked down on social media.…

#266 Was Jesus Too Harsh to Martha? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jul 20, 2020

As Catholics celebrate the feasts of Mary and Martha, we ask Father Hugh Barbour about the family from Bethany that was so intimate with Jesus.…

#265 Is There a Catholic Economics? - Trent Horn Jul 15, 2020

Is there a Catholic model for economics? If so, what is it? If not, what contribution can Catholic Faith make to economic theory and practice?…

#260 What Does Confirmation Do? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jul 13, 2020

The sacrament of Confirmation can be baffling to today's Catholics. What is it? What does it do? And what is the correct age to receive it? Father Hugh Barbour answers all our questions.…

#263 Serra in Context - Robert Senkewicz Jul 08, 2020

Father Junipero Serra remains a figure of contempt in some circles because of his association with Spanish Colonialism in California. Who was the man?…

#262 Addict, Martyr, and Saint - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jul 06, 2020

This saint, St. Mark Ji Tianxiang, is notable. He's notable, because he's a Saint and a Holy man. But there's something else- he suffered from an opium...…

#261 Two Failed Passages on Sola Scriptura - Karlo Broussard Jul 01, 2020

How can the Catholic Church teach that we need Tradition as well as Scripture when the Bible says that Scripture is sufficient as a rule of faith and for making a man “complete”?…

#260 Who Was Fr. Junipero Serra? - Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone Jun 29, 2020

Was Fr. Junipero Serra a dark part of history, deserving of his statues and memorials' desecration, or was he a holy man of God?…

#259 Villain Columbus? - Carol Delaney Jun 24, 2020

Is it time to give up on Columbus? In the light of modern scholarship, should we view Columbus with suspicion? Take a look at the real man...…

#258 The Blessed Trinity in My Soul - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jun 22, 2020

What is the relationship between the soul in a state of grace and the Blessed Trinity? What does it mean that the Trinity comes to dwell in my soul?…

#257 Is a Church Magisterium Unbiblical? - Karlo Broussard Jun 17, 2020

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?…

#256 The Sacred Heart - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jun 15, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour explains the biblical and medieval roots of the modern devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Is devotion to the Sacred Heart a divine response to an increasingly isolated and lonely modern world? CK: Hello and welcome again to Catholic Answers Focus. I am Cy Kellett, our host, and our guest is Father Hugh Barbour, Norbetine priest, former Pryor of St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County which is building a new church. You should look it up online. Hello, Father. FHB: Hello. Hello. CK: It’s very nice to be speaking with you in June, a month of many good things inc…

#255 The Early Church Was Liturgical - Tim Staples Jun 10, 2020

Yes, the earliest Christians celebrated the Mass, and they did so in ways that are impressively similar to today's Mass.…

#254 How Can We Know That God Loves Us? - Sr. Maris Stella Jun 08, 2020

Cy interview's two of our favorite women religious about there work sharing the love of God with others, and about how one gains confidence in the love of God.…

#253 The Early Church Was Hierarchical - Tim Staples Jun 03, 2020

Was there a golden age at the very beginning of the Church when Christianity was unspoiled by a hierarchical structure?…

#252 The Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Jun 01, 2020

Father Hugh seems to think that God freely gives us all we need for our salvation through the sacraments. He defends this position as we discuss Pentecost and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.…

#251 Does Matthew Teach an Invisible Church? - Karlo Broussard May 27, 2020

How Catholics can believe that the Church is a visible hierarchical institution when Jesus says that the Church in Matthew 18:20 is an invisible union of believers?…

#250 Why Is Marriage a Sacrament? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. May 25, 2020

Why is the Church so defensive about marriage even when it is not sacramental? Why does the Church insist on the goodness of natural marriage?…

#249 Paul’s Rebuke and Peter’s Infallibility - Karlo Broussard May 20, 2020

How can the Catholic Church can teach that Peter is infallible when Paul rebukes him for not eating with the Gentiles? Karlo Broussard explains.…

#248 Is Fear a Sin? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. May 18, 2020

Is fear a sin? Is it just an emotion? How are Christians meant to understand fear? Is there such a thing as fear that is actually a gift from the Holy Spirit?…

#247 Is Peter Really the Foundation of the Church? - Karlo Broussard May 13, 2020

ow can the Catholic church teach that Peter is the rock or the foundation of the church when St. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 3:11 that there is no other foundation besides Jesus?…

#246 Love Your Enemies - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. May 11, 2020

The commandment to love our enemies seems impossible sometimes, especially for those who have been badly hurt. What are we really meant to do?…

#245 The Early Church Was Apostolic - Tim Staples May 06, 2020

What is apostolic succession? Did the early Church believe in and practice apostolic succession? Find out here, with Tim Staples.…

#244 Friendship in God’s Plan - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. May 04, 2020

Understanding the role of friendship in God's life and plan can help us in living out friendship with others.…

#243 Can Doctrine Be Trusted? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 29, 2020

Sometimes it seems like nothing is solid. Everything, even within the Church, seems to be up for debate. How solid is Catholic doctrine?…

#242 Spiritual Struggles in Lockdown - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 27, 2020

Fr. Hugh Barbour and Catholic Answers' president, Christopher Check, acknowledge the struggles that people are experiencing...…

#241 Our Lady’s Role in the Resurrection - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 22, 2020

There's no reason to say that for that she would be intimately involved with all those mysteries of the faith, but for some reason just had been shunted aside for his resurrection.…

#240 Experience Real Liturgy in Your Home - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 20, 2020

Even though we cannot attend Mass while we shelter in place, we can experience real liturgy in our homes by praying the Liturgy of the Hours— and it's more accessible than you might think.…

#239 The Early Church Was Eucharistic - Tim Staples Apr 15, 2020

Did the early Church believe that the Eucharist was the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ? Have Christians always believed this?…

#238 What Do Catholics Believe About Angels? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 13, 2020

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear about the existence of angels. "The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith.…

#237 Coronavirus, Triage, and Pro-Life Ethics - R.J. Snell Apr 08, 2020

Senior Fellow in Ethics at the Culture of Life Foundation, RJ Snell, considers the difficult choices facing health care providers in the time of Covid-19. How can Catholic moral teaching inform these choices and ensure they are made humanely?…

#236 You Don’t Need to Be a Theologian (Unless God Calls You to Be a Theologian) - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Apr 01, 2020

Sometimes the post-Vatican II push for lay participation can become onerous. What is really needed to be fully Christian? Does everyone need to be a theologian, liturgist, and apologist?…

#235 Why do Catholics Follow “Traditions of Men” When the Bible Says Not To? - Jimmy Akin Mar 25, 2020

Do Catholics favor traditions of men over the word of God? Jimmy Akin next on Catholic Answers Focus.…

#234 Spiritual Communion in a Time of Coronavirus - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Mar 18, 2020

Our chaplain joins us for a conversation about the powerful option of “Spiritual Communion” during this time, and any time.…

#233 Coronavirus and the Catholic Church - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Mar 11, 2020

Can You Contract Coronavirus While Receiving the Eucharist? Anxiety blossoms as the most recent coronavirus appears, though in low numbers, in the United States.…

#232 The Crusades and the ‘Evil’ of Christianity - Christopher Check Mar 04, 2020

The president of Catholic Answers shares insights into the reality of the Crusades to help the Christian who is confronted with that apologetics conversation-stopper: "What about the Crusades?"…

#231 The Essene Code - Jimmy Akin Feb 26, 2020

In the last century, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls raised the profile of the ancient community of the Essenes. Do these discoveries debunk Christian ideas about Jesus?…

#230 Sadducees vs. Jesus - Jimmy Akin Feb 19, 2020

Best known for trying to catch Jesus in logical traps, the Sadducees had some strange beliefs for first century Jews.…

#229 Is Catholic Devotion to Relics Weird and Pagan? - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem. Feb 12, 2020

Father Hugh Barbour explains what’s going on with this ancient Christian practice and why it is perfectly consistent with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles.…

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