Catholic Answers Focus

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…

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 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…

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 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…

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 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…

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 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…

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 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…

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 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…

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 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…

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 14 February 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…

Transcribed - Published: 7 February 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 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…

Transcribed - Published: 24 January 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 17 January 2024

Karlo joins Cy to discuss whether the Church is consistent in the teaching on sexual morality. …

Transcribed - Published: 10 January 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…

Transcribed - Published: 3 January 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 27 December 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 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…

Transcribed - Published: 13 December 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…

Transcribed - Published: 6 December 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? …

Transcribed - Published: 29 November 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 15 November 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…

Transcribed - Published: 8 November 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?   …

Transcribed - Published: 1 November 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 …

Transcribed - Published: 25 October 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…

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 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…

Transcribed - Published: 11 October 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…

Transcribed - Published: 4 October 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.     …

Transcribed - Published: 30 September 2023

With the 50-year anniversary of the original film, The Exorcist, and the release of a sequel coming out, 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.     …

Transcribed - Published: 30 September 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 27 September 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…

Transcribed - Published: 20 September 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…

Transcribed - Published: 13 September 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…

Transcribed - Published: 6 September 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…

Transcribed - Published: 30 August 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…

Transcribed - Published: 23 August 2023

Christians often think that Christianity is purer–more Christlike–when it is less doctrinal. Tim Staples explains the dangers of this grave error.   …

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 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…

Transcribed - Published: 9 August 2023

With the Oppenheimer movie filling theaters, and today the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, here’s an encore of our most popular atom bomb episode. …

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 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…

Transcribed - Published: 2 August 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…

Transcribed - Published: 26 July 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.   …

Transcribed - Published: 19 July 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…

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 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…

Transcribed - Published: 5 July 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…

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 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…

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 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, …

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 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&#…

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2023