Catholic Answers Live

Latest Episodes:

#12904 How Can I Help a Cousin Overcome Addiction and Find Faith? - Scott Weeman Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

“How can I help a cousin overcome addiction and find faith?” This episode addresses practical advice for supporting loved ones in recovery while also touching on personal struggles like quitting smoking and the impact of addiction on one’s beliefs about God. Additionally, the discussion includes insights on distinguishing between lust and admiration, as well as the moral implications of addiction.

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Questions Covered:

11:41 – What advice would you suggest for me to give a cousin who is coming out of addiction and is now enthusiastic about the faith?
16:49 – I want to stop smoking because of major health reasons, but another side that doesn’t.
19:54 – In my recovery work, my thoughts and beliefs changed a lot on God? Is this common?
30:00 – What would be the difference between lust and admiring beauty? And avoid behaviors in the future sin?
34:51 – If you have an addiction can this qualify as a mortal sin or is there a transition position during the healing.
50:05 – Where does one draw the line with a drinking vice or addiction? I crave beer but will go a few days with out. Does craving or regularity mean an addiction.

#12903 Are Relics Pagan? Salvation, Scripture, and Marriage Issues - Joe Heschmeyer Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

“Are relics just a pagan practice adopted by Catholics?” This question opens a discussion on the intersection of tradition and belief, while also addressing varied topics such as the role of scripture in debates with atheists, the nature of final judgment, and the validity of Mass at interfaith weddings. Additionally, the conversation touches on the Catholic understanding of salvation and the responsibilities regarding marriage convalidation.

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Questions Covered:

01:56 – Are Relics Just a Pagan Practice Adopted by Catholics?
15:05 – Can I leave scripture out of a debate and still make my point to an atheist?
23:18 – Can we be enough at the final judgement?
31:00 – Can Mass be celebrated at a wedding between a Catholic and a Protestant?
32:55 – What don’t Catholic’s believe about the notion of Salvation by faith?
42:35 – Should I appeal to my Bishop if my priest says I need to convalidating my marriage before receiving the Sacraments?
49:14 – If you are a Catholic with extra money you don’t need, is this a mortal sin based on CCC 2446 and 2 homily of Lazurus by St. John Chrysostom?

#12902 How Do I Deal With Anxiety? Relationships and Joy - Gregory Popcak Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

“How do I deal with anxiety?” This question opens a discussion on the prevalence of anxiety issues and the surprising insights from Greg Popcak’s book, *Unworried*, which challenges common perceptions about its causes. Additional topics include managing anxiety in relationships and finding ways to cope without medication, providing a comprehensive look at this important issue.

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Questions Covered:

03:00 – How common are problems with anxiety?
11:45 – In your book, Unworried, you say a surprising thing; that anxiety isn’t primarily caused by stressful events. What is the real cause of anxiety?
16:20 – Sometimes I struggle with anxiety. How do I deal with the things that make me worried?
23:34 – I suffer from anxiety and don’t want to take meds. What is the way forward?
34:58 – How do I deal with anxiety in relationships?
42:11 – Am I depending too much on myself when it comes to embracing lack of joy and suffering?
48:32 – What do you recommend I do to help relieve anxiety on top of the things like prayer and fasting I have done that has been helpful?

#12901 How Can the Eucharist Be Jesus Body? Faith and Rituals - William Albrecht Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

“How can the Eucharist be Jesus’ body?” This question opens a discussion on the profound mystery of the Eucharist, addressing concerns about Jesus’ words on spirit and flesh. The conversation also touches on the historical context of the Eucharist, the nature of Catholic Mass compared to other rituals, and how to respond to misconceptions from friends of different faiths.

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Questions Covered:

01:40 – How can it truly be the body and blood of Jesus if he says that it is the spirit that gives life and the flesh is of no avail?
14:00 – Aside from Ambrose of Mila, where can we see clearly the Eucharist becoming the body and blood of Christ?
22:20 – Does ‘scene’ in 2 Thess 2:7 mean or related to tabernacle?
31:41 – I’m Syro-Malabar Catholic. How is the Catholic Mass more than just a ritual like in other religions like Hinduism?
35:00 – How do I respond when my Hindu and Muslim friends say the Eucharist is superstition?
38:16 – How are we supposed to understand that the Eucharist is really Jesus as fallen away Catholics?

#12900 Weird Questions - Jimmy Akin Sep 19, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

04:14 – Like in the movie Surrogate. Imagine you’re at home controlling a flesh and blood robot. If you were to go to confession, would it be valid or would it be like confessing over the phone to a priest and if you were to attend Mass and receive Holy communion would the grace transfer to your spirit, would this flesh and blood robot be considered an extension of your body or need baptism to make it eligible for the sacraments if it was engineered from human DNA because of Adam and Eves original sin.
17:36 – I don’t remember if you answered this during your show, but in ep. 330 of Jimmy’s Mysterious World you went over Lyn Buchanan’s remote viewing experience for the military project Stargate. Lyn recounts that when remote viewing Jesus, He turned and looked at Lyn. My question is, what did Jesus look at? Was it Lyn’s “mind”?
23:27 – Can I wear a cowboy hat and cowboy boots if I don’t own a horse??
31:14 – How does time work in purgatory? Will we have to “revisit” all the moments where we’ve fallen short in order to right those wrongs? Or are we “frozen” in time until our final judgment? Or does time continue to flow linearly like it does on Earth? Or is there some other theory that I haven’t mentioned/thought of myself?
43:32 – If a vampire is a cop and I don’t invite him or her in, would he or she be able to serve a search warrant on my home?
51:46 – I’ve heard geologists say that all “dirt” is fossilized dinosaurs and or dinosaurs’ “matter”, meaning their waste and such. If this is true, when God made Adam, would the “dirt” have been this dino matter or was he made with pre-dino dirt?

#12899 Weird Questions - Jimmy Akin Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

03:38 – Did the Virgin Mary invent chili? I first heard of this on an episode of Tasting History with Max Miller. He talked about Sister Mary of Agreda who was reported to be bilocating from her convent in Spain to the Jumanos Indians in New Spain. All I’ve been able to learn about her is from Wikipedia where it says she is a venerable of the Church from the 1600s. Apparently the Jumanos Indians reached out to friars in the area that they had been visited by a “lady in blue” to seek help, and according to Max Miller the lady in blue also gave them the recipe for chili. According to Wikipedia Sister Mary also wrote books about the Virgin Mary, so I was thinking maybe the Virgin Mary gave Sister Mary the recipe for chili to give to the Indians. It makes my heart warm thinking that the Virgin Mary gave us chili.
12:00 – Mentalese
22:12 – What evidence do you find that UAP’s or UFO’s are not from outer space, but from earthly beings that are far advanced compared to us?
28:50 – Do animals praise God in their own way?
44:47 – Are sightings of cryptids, ufos, ghosts, etc all thought projections, or real?

#12898 Fulton Sheen on the Demonic - Tom Nash Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

03:40 – Archbishop Fulton Sheen is remembered so fondly by so many people, but what might be forgotten is that he took the demonic very seriously. What, in general, was his view of the demonic and of our struggle against demons?
06:30 – His teaching on demons is closely connected to his teaching on the cross. What did he mean when he described the devil’s temptations of Christ in the desert as “shortcuts from the Cross.”, and where do we see those same shortcuts being offered today?
15:25 – Why does the modern world find belief in the devil embarrassing or primitive, and what do Catholics risk losing when they reduce evil to psychology, politics, or social conditions?
20:58 – Sheen believed that the Mass and Eucharistic adoration are powerful weapons in spiritual warfare. What is happening spiritually at the Mass, and why does the Eucharist provoke such particular hatred from the demonic?
24:11 – Sheen called the Cross “the greatest basis of unity in the world.” In an increasingly fractured society, how can the Cross unite people when it is also such a demanding and controversial sign?
32:45 – Sheen warned that souls may be lost not only through deliberate evil but through simple neglect. How does spiritual complacency—neglecting confession, Mass, prayer, or the fight against sin—give the devil room to operate?
36:20 – What is a Holy Hour?
43:35 – How did Sheen seen the cultural crisis of the sexual revolution?
50:12 – How did Sheen connect faith and reason?

#12897 The Legacy of Fulton Sheen - Monsignor Jason Gray Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

02:25 – Who was Fulton Sheen?
04:15 – How did Sheen become a radio and tv star?
09:30 – How did Sheen’s protestant audience view and think of him?
13:20 – The beautification process for Sheen
15:27 – Sheen and the Missions
17:25 – Sheen’s view of politics
21:50 – What would Sheen think of Catholic media today?
24:58 – How did Sheen get into media?
31:57 – What was Sheen’s process of creating episodes of “Life is Worth Living.”
33:49 – How does the Pope figure out who can be beautified?
36:50 – What is the difference between Servant of God, venerable, and Blessed
37:50 – How decide if something is a miracle or not?
43:40 – What was the particular miracle performed by Sheen and what is the evidence for it?
49:50 – What does Sheen’s beautification mean to the United States and the world?
52:25 – Where can I go to know more about Fulton Sheen?

#12896 What We Get Wrong About Prayer - Joe Heschmeyer Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

01:42 – What is the point of prayer if God can’t change?
15:31 – Can I say the wrong thing to God, get prayer wrong, maybe by being angry or selfish?
21:34 – What if I am upset with God?
28:38 – Is there a danger of praying too much or over spiritualizing my problems?
35:42 – What about fasting? Is it necessary?
45:40 – What about prosperity gospel? Manifesting, putting it out into the universe, naming it and claiming it…

#12895 What We Get Wrong About Prayer - Joe Heschmeyer Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Questions Covered:

02:37 – What do people get wrong about prayer?
16:00 – Can I get better at prayer?
29:45 – Three Types of Prayer: Vocal, Meditative, Contemplative
43:00 – I don’t need Church, I meditate in nature

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