Catholic Answers Focus

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. 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 my heroes is Walker Percy, who once said, “In the modern world, you can have 20 people sitting on a bus, a city bus together, and none of them are occupying the same world.” And this is the problem …

Father Hugh Barbour takes on the growing Marian Consecration movement and explains its theological roots. What is consecration and can one really consecrate oneself to Mary? Is Marian consecration, anything more than just a pious practice? 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. And as everybody knows, Christians are divided over the person of Mary and over how to honor her and all that, and Catholics are in one camp and many other Christians are …

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, and are Catholics obligated to battle them in the streets? Karlo Broussard examines their seven tenets to see. Cy Kellett: What’s behind the growth of the Satanic Temple? Karlo Broussard next. Welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and there has been some news out about the growth of the Satanic Temple. So we thought we’d tac…

Jesus tells us that there is a certain sin that will not be forgiven. Because Jesus is God, we can be sure he is not misleading us. But what is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and how can we avoid it? Father Hugh Barbour explains. Are you scared of committing the sin against the Holy Spirit? We’ll help you out with Father Hugh next.. Cy Kellett: What if there was something that you could do that could not be forgiven, that would guarantee your damnation? I’d want to know exactly what that was, and probably you would want to know exactly what that was as well so that you could avo…

The author of Purgatory Is for Real, Karlo Broussard, explains the reality of indulgences and why they are effective in paying off debts. What is the deal with indulgences? 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. One of the things that comes with being Catholic is the understanding that there are many real and true and existing things. There are aspects of reality that are not obvious to our seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling, and ar…

As the editor in chief of the Catholic News Agency, 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. Some improvement is needed, to say the least. The state of the Catholic church with a man who knows, JD 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 I recently had an opportunity to sit down with the editor in chief of the Catholic News Agency, JD Flynn, to talk about the sta…

Meditation, mindfulness, centering — it’s all the rage. But what are the implications of these things for the Christian person? Father Hugh Barbour breaks down what meditation is and why the Church, actually, has a great deal to teach the world about how to get it right. Transcription coming soon. …

Cy Kellett is his own guest in this episode. On the 56th anniversary of Lumen Gentium, he discusses what the Church proposes as the way to personal relationship with Jesus. This process—Encounter, Conversion, Communion, and Mission—brings the person into intimacy with Jesus while cementing the person into the life of the Church. How to have a personal relationship with Jesus, with me, Cy Kellett, next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and this week is Jesus week here at Catholic Answe…

In what sense is Jesus available to us in the Eucharist? Can anyone understand it? And why is his presence in the Eucharist central to our salvation? Father Hugh Barbour explains. It’s Jesus Week, and we talk about Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with Father Hugh Barbour 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 it’s Jesus Week here at Catholic Answers, like shark week only better. And as we prepare for the Feast of Christ the King during this Jesus We…

We meet Tim Staples in the year 3,000 to ask what has changed in the Church and what has stayed the same? Could there be new sacraments? How much could the ones we have now change? And what will be the Catholic response to technology beyond our current imagination? Cy Kellett: We now interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcasts to bring you this trip into the future, into the year 3000 with Tim Staples. Hello, and welcome again to Catholic Answers Focus, the time traveling podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I am Cy Kellett, your cruise director for this tri…

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.…

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? And does God need all these sacrifices? Cy: How should we think about biblical sacrifices? Jimmy Akin, right now. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending the Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host, and remember to subscribe to focus on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you listen, so that you’ll get a notice when new episodes are available and, if you would, p…

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…

Our own Karlo Broussard has a new book that not only defends the doctrine of purgatory but explains why Christ’s teaching about purgatory is a key part of the Good News of salvation. He shares with us why purgatory is such good news for us. Cy: Karlo Broussard explains Purgatory, next on Focus. Cy: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic answers podcasts for living, understanding and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. I have to admit, I don’t know you well, but just looking at you, I think you’re going to spend some time in Purgatory. I see that…

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…

St. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” might well have been a moral failing that he simply could not overcome. Father Hugh Barbour explains how this reading of 2 Corinthians offers those of us who struggle with habitual sin a liberating glimpse into the personal and unfailing love of God. Cy: What was that thorn in St. Paul’s flesh? Father Hugh Barber is next. Cy: Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcasts for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett your host. And you may be surprised to find this out, but almost every sin…

Many people have grown quite concerned that Pope Francis might, in fact, be a bad pope. We asked Joe Heschmeyer, the author of the book Pope Peter, to examine common complaints against Francis, and consider what our obligations would be if these complaints turn out to be true. Cy: What if Francis is a bad pope? We ask Joe Heschmeyer next. Hello and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending the Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. We get kind of serious this week because people raise serious questions about whether or not Pope Francis i…

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? Father Hugh Barbour explains. Cy: What does a blessing do? Father Hugh Barbour is next. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. What a blessing to have you here with us today. Catholics are constantly getting stuff blessed. If a priest starts to bless us, we know exactly what to do. Every now and then, someone will show you their Rosary and tell you who bl…

Media depictions sell the “Rapture” as a Christian doctrine. But the event generally understood as the Rapture is not Christian doctrine at all. Karlo Broussard, the author of Purgatory Is for Real, decodes the truth about the end times. Cy Kellett: Do you want to be raptured? Karlo Broussard 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 Karlo Broussard is here with us to talk about the rapture. Is it something you should be anticipating, working towards, worried …

The author of a brand new book called Exorcism, Father Vincent Lampert explains exorcism as a ministry of charity. 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. Cy Kellett: Let’s talk with an exorcist, right now on Catholic Answers Focus. Hello, and welcome to Focus, the Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding, and defending your Catholic faith. I’m Cy Kellett, your host. If you generally choose to listen to this podca…