Catholic Answers LIVE
Catholic Answers Live, hosted by Cy Kellett, is a daily, two-hour radio program dedicated to Catholic apologetics and evangelization. According to listener surveys, it is a runaway favorite on Catholic stations across America.
As a call-in program, Catholic Answers Live connects listeners to prominent leaders in the Church today—including scholars, nuns, priests, bishops, and cardinals—and touches on every aspect of our lives as Christians. You'll hear discussions on just about everything relating to the Church: doctrinal controversies, family concerns, social issues, evangelization, ethics…you name it!
Catholic Answers Live airs every Monday through Friday from 6-8 PM Eastern (3-4 PM Pacific) on over 360 AM and FM stations in the United States, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 130, and through the Internet at catholic.com. If you can't listen live, you can subscribe to our podcast or download individual shows from our MP3 archive.
Call in with your question at 1-888-31-TRUTH!
Most Recent Episodes
Tim Staples draws on his new School of Apologetics course — Evidence for the Church — 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?
Do I have to accept all of the councils of the church? Tim Staples, 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 time we address what I think is kind of a disturbing trend in the con…
Questions Covered:
01:24 – I understand the Catholic Church bans membership in secret societies for many reasons, especially since historically since groups like the Freemasons were seen as anti-clerical. I was wondering how secret does a secret society need to be, I recall when I was inducted into the honor society Phi Beta Kappa, it was brought up there were secret rituals, but done away with during the anti-Masonic movement in the nineteenth century. So would it have been illicit for a catholic to be in something like this when the secrecy was in place. From my understanding lots of fraternity’s had histories like this, the only one to my knowledge that keeps the secrecy is Yale’s Skull and Bones- would that also be banned from the catholic point of view?
07:20 – My friends have asked me to pray with phrases like “I bind Satan… in the name of Jesus, I bind all demons… for the sake of the Blood of Christ I bind … I cast out…” I am uncomfortable with the idea of invoking any power to bind or otherwise command evil spirits to do anything. The idea of addressing evil spirits is alien, repugnant, and even sounds occultic to me. However, some priests on the Internet pray in this way, and recommend that their viewers do likewise. Prayers are (or should be) addressed to God, and for the intercession of angels and saints before God in heaven. Among the things we can pray for our conversion and the conversion of sinners. When I mention this, I’m accused of neglecting the urgent need for spiritual warfare. Is there a charitable way to tell my friends that confronting demons in this way is highly not recommended? If I must be marginalized by the prayer groups that insist on these formulas, I’m ready for that.
18:35 – I’m a budding Revolutionary War Reenactor in the Ohio Valley. The frontier of the US in that time frame. We’re Catholics even here during that time period? How would they fulfill their yearly confession and mass attendance obligation? I’ve always wanted to portray a Catholic, but I’m struggling to find any info. My husband prefers Civil War, so I also have kind of the same question about the same thing. What would a Catholic portrayal of a Civil War Catholic look like? Any resources for how to find actual people to base my portrayal on to honor the real Catholics that were here for those pivotal times in history?
24:22 – My whole family loves Mysterious World. My son has a weird question. My son wants to know if it’s moral to kill vampire human hybrids. This question is inspired by the second Blade movie when the character Abraham kills all the hybrid fetuses. Assuming the theory of human evolution as popularly understood is correct, are we to assume that the human soul evolved alongside the growing capabilities of the human mind/body: ie. from vegetative, to sensitive, to rational? If so, at what point in human evolution would the jump have been made to each stage? And what would be the status of the souls of early proto-humans who died before people achieved the capacity for higher souls? In a related question, where do archaic human subspecies fit into this? Can we make any guesses on whether they had rational souls, and if so, can we expect to see Neanderthals and Denisovans in the hereafter?
50:23 – In the early 90’s there was a sci-fi show called Quantum Leap, about a man named Sam who travels through time by “leaping” into other people. In one episode, he leaps into a priest right when he’s supposed to say “you may kiss the bride.” Later he tries to hear a confession, but gets interrupted. My question is, if Sam (who’s not ordained) actually carried out these sacraments while leaped into the priest, would they be valid and/or licit?
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Questions Covered:
04:49 – St. Athanasius said that “God became man so that man can become god.” I am a Protestant and I do not understand that. Can you explain what he meant?
12:01 – What are the limits on what an apologist can read or investigate?
14:48 – It would be a sin for me to know that someone next door was being abused and not to tell someone who could help. God knows of people being abused all over the world. Isn’t it a sin for him not to let us know or tell us about it?
21:05 – Are the apparitions at Garabandal approved by the Church?
24:22 – What is the morality of the remote viewing you were discussing on your podcast, considering that the Church condemns fortune tellers, psychics, etc?
36:30 – If God tells us not to worry, then why was Jesus in agony in the garden of Gethsemane?
41:52 – If my mom’s ashes are going to be scattered, can I participate, even though I have not endorsed it being done?
48:14 – What is the need for the Trinity? What is the reason for it?
52:01 – Matthew 27 talks about the curtain being wrent in two. Is this meant to be taken literally?
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Questions Covered:
07:07 – How did a female enter the Old Covenant?
14:45 – Why is Sunday the Lord’s Day and not the Sabbath, which is Saturday?
20:00 – Why does the CCC say that the two purposes of sex are unitive and procreative? No one uses it for the procreative, they enter into it for the unitive aspect.
33:19 – If you bless food and there is some leftover, does that food need to be blessed again or is it still blessed from the first prayers said?
36:42 – Why would God make people homosexual to then send them to hell for acting on their attractions?
48:50 – In 2 Samuel 24, why does God punish David for taking a census?
52:10 – is the role of salvation in the lives of people who lived before Jesus who were not Jews? Could there have been salvation for them?
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Questions Covered:
05:13 – What does the Church teach about following laws given to us by the government?
19:58 – Who made God?
21:19 – I am a Jewish rabbi who does a lot of interfaith work. I am not so knowledgeable about Catholicism. Can you explain to me the purpose and function of Baptism?
37:06 – I am a non-Catholic thinking about converting to the Catholic faith. What is apologetics and what is the reason for apologetics? I hear you mention it a lot on your show.
43:32 – If all good comes from God and humans are made in his image, how do we explain innate goodness and compassion that we see in some primates and other animals?
47:20 – What are the ways that we can have and build treasure in heaven?
50:17 – Why is sin defined so differently in the Mosaic law versus in the New Covenant?
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