Questions Covered:
20:59 – What gives the German bishops the authority to do what they’re doing? If they don’t have authority why doesn’t the pope reprimand them?
23:29 – What are your thoughts on establishing a Catholic monarchy?
30:06 – This disunity is what’s keeping me from being Catholic. How should I approach this?
34:16 – I know there’s a pope who, when he was elected, immediately got rid of the bishops and appointed new ones. Do you happen to know who this pope was?
45:35 – Is it fair to make a comparison of the surveys the protestant churches sent out to the survey the bishops sent out for this synod?
50:54 – Is there a similar disparity within the German bishops as to the US bishops?
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Questions Covered:
01:55 – How much of a hand does God have in our suffering?
08:04 – Why does Jesus refer to himself as “son of man?”
15:12 – What did Jesus mean when He said “the end of the age” in Matthew 24:3?
23:58 – What criteria did the Church use to choose which book is canonical and which is not?
37:15 – Is it valid to think that souls of those who only had a baptism of desire can enter purgatory?
42:01 – When did the apostles begin believing in the Trinity?
48:50 – Why did some songs change from using the name Yahweh to God?
52:30 – Did the Jews believe that the soul is mortal?
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Questions Covered:
06:15 – Why do Catholics pray to the saints and Mary?
15:10 – Was St. Ann cleansed of original sin because of her conceiving of Mary?
19:12 – Will we be able to teleport to other planets in our resurrected bodies?
24:07 – A Oneness Pentecostal argued that the saints praying for us places a burden on them and that’s why it’s impossible for them to pray for us. How do I respond?
33:52 – Is there any explanation on the sinless Mary that is biblically founded? I’d love to hear concretely why we can assume she’s free of sin.
39:42 – What power does Mary have as intercessor?
46:00 – What are your thoughts on astral spiders? Are they demons or of a demonic nature?
52:03 – I heard a prophecy that said that once Queen Elizabeth died, Jesus would return. Is this true? What are your thoughts on this prophecy?
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Questions Covered:
03:46 – Is it appropriate for a Catholic to use the practice of accessing your inner child by using your non-dominant hand to write with?
10:37 – My dad is very close to converting to Catholicism. His wife is more hesitant, do you know any books in Chinese that I could give her?
14:00 – Why doesn’t the Church come out and say marijuana isn’t an intrinsic evil and actually has good potential for medical use?
21:42 – What would happen is a mega church pastor converted to Catholicism, would he be able to be ordained as a priest?
31:57 – What is the Catholic interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6?
41:36 – My catechism book says that if you feel guilty for a sin that you have already been forgiven for, that you should still confess it. Is this true?
46:57 – Is it alright to ask Jesus to pray for you?
52:50 – What’s the proper term for a person who received all the sacraments but didn’t live it out until 20 years after being away from the Church?
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Questions Covered:
03:40 – Would you like to continue our Socratic dialogue on the argument from cosmology?
18:03 – Why do we have and need godparents for sacraments?
20:58 – Why do some translations have “blessed are you among women” in the story of the Annunciation but not in others?
24:06 – Can you compare the Catholic and Protestant understanding of 1 Corinth. 11? Was there both a feast and a liturgy?
32:00 – How do we talk to Protestants about the Deuterocanon?
41:34 – Why doesn’t the Church include the Didache and Clement’s letter to the Corinthians into the canon of scripture?
44:43 – What is sanctifying Grace? How do we get it? Did Jesus need it and how did He get it?
48:35 – Why did the translation change from “forgive us our debts” to “forgive us our trespasses?”
51:39 – Is it proper to take pictures of the Eucharist in the monstrance?
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Questions Covered:
04:55 – How does the annulment process work? If the process is approved, what does that imply?
14:30 – If I stand in line for confession but it ends, am I still able to receive communion even though I didn’t get to go to confession?
17:59 – Since Jesus is the only path to salvation, how is it possible to pray to Mary? Is it somewhere in the bible?
28:34 – Is there still purgatory after the final judgment?
33:09 – What is a lukewarm soul?
39:50 – Are you allowed to get married after your ex-wife dies? And if you remarry, can you receive communion?
43:33 – 1 Jn 3:6 My friends use this passage as evidence for once saved always saved. How do I respond?
48:50 – Is it likely that Joseph moved up the “engagement phase” with Mary? If Mary and Joseph had had marital relations during the betrothal, would it have been a stonable offense?
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Questions Covered:
02:45 – Where’s the line for fraternal correction for a pope?
11:48 – Is increase in merit necessary to enter into heaven?
22:56 – One of my favorite saints is Padre Pio but I struggle with his severity in the confessional. How do we square his approach with our current approach of mercy?
35:19 – 1. Corinth 6:1-11 Why did the Church change the wording of Paul from condemning homosexuality to condemning boy prostitutes?
46:30 – Acts 2:41 Does it conflict with Peter’s promise that baptism will be for our children?
52:10 – Is it ok to attend a re-baptism of a friend or family member in a protestant church?
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Questions Covered:
02:32 – If demons can possess people, could Raphael have possessed a willing host such that when he introduced himself as Azarias son of the great Ananias he wasn’t actually lying? I heard an answer recently where you addressed this falsehood and my husband came up with this potential alternate solution.
12:11 – What blessings can a layperson give? What effect does it have? How does it differ from blessings given by priests bishops and deacons?
17:17 – If God is omniscient, why does he create souls he knows he is going to throw into hell at the end of their life?
23:33 – Jimmy, I love your Mysterious World! Can you explain what the Apostolic Pardon is? I think many people would be interested to learn about this since none of us are getting out of this world alive. Thank you and God bless.
29:44 – The Enchiridion of Indulgences seems to grant a plenary indulgence at the moment of death to every Catholic who makes a regular practice of praying throughout their life. Can you confirm this, and whether this is something automatically applied to every Catholic who regularly prays, such that purgatory for praying Catholics is not an option?
36:59 – Does the penance given in the confessional in response to a good full confession equate to a plenary indulgence?
40:28 – What is the canonical status of the Greek introduction to the Book of Sirach? Is it considered to be an inspired part of the book or is it more like the Greek Ezra, 3 Maccabees, or Psalm 151–a work associated with the Bible, and sometimes even printed in the Bible, but not considered to be Scripture (“semi-scriptural stuff”)?
47:46 – What is the difference between sinful usury of biblical times and non-sinful usury of modern times?
50:10 – Is somebody who is unable to access their preferred form of the Mass (e.g., someone who would usually go to a Latin Mass and only a Novus Ordo Mass is accessible, or vice versa as well) required to attend another form to meet their Sunday/Holy Day obligation?
And if so, what can someone say to somebody who is convinced they are excused from their obligation if their preferred form of the Mass is not accessible on a given obligatory day?
Resources Mentioned:
https://jimmyakin.com/2020/12/why-would-god-create-people-he-knows-will-go-to-hell.html
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Questions Covered:
03:14 – If a Catholic was not a practicing Catholic at the time they eloped & married a non-Catholic who says they were Baptized as a teenager in a Catholic Church after attending service once, but has no proof of Baptism and no one in their life including them remembers where or how Baptism might have happened… is their marriage a natural valid marriage or invalid?
04:50 – And if the Catholic wanted to become an active Catholic & baptize their toddler, what would need to happen first, if anything, besides Confession?
07:17 – Also, this family is a military family and doesn’t stay put very long to figure these kinds of things out, which is partly why they ended up married civilly in the first place since neither was even in the same country in the months leading up to their marriage. It’s complicated.
13:10 – Did the characterization of God in Hebrew tradition differ from the Christian characterization of God? According to the Old Testament, Moses saw God face to face and God appeared as a column of smoke. However, St. John states in John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12 that no one has ever seen God. If so, who did Moses see? Old Testament is pretty adamant that Moses actually spoke intimately with God, not as a prophet does.
23:20 – Since we lost Sanctifying Grace because of Adam and Eve, how is it that some people, after the downfall, were able to continue to “do good”?
31:06 – I wonder how we are supposed to view satan. In the Old Testament, it seems like satan is just filling a role, I’m thinking specifically in Job. While any other mention of satan it is as a title. Job specifically tells us that satan is roaming between heaven and earth. God speaks to him as he does to anyone else. Then there’s a shift in the New Testament where satan is a specific being and has become malicious. Is satan just an angel doing what he is supposed to do, or is he an evil entity that is out to get us?
37:04 – We pray for the souls in purgatory. Can souls in purgatory pray for each other?
38:07 – Was Joseph of Arimathea eventually buried in his own tomb?
45:05 – Why don’t Catholics believe in the rapture? I have had to explain this so much to people, I think it would be helpful.
52:33 – Did Mary have labor pains due to original sin? Was Jesus born in a natural and ordinary way or was it something extraordinary (i.e ‘like a ray of light that passes through a glass without breaking it’). Has the Church officially ruled on the matter? If not, what position should a catholic adopt in this regard? What about those folks (even Catholics) who believe Mary did have labor pains due to original sin?
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Questions Covered:
01:38 – A family member with dementia has me thinking a lot about this: Say you’re Catholic and maybe haven’t been the most charitable or loving, but you do your basic duty of Mass and Confession. Dementia creeps up–either slowly or quickly–and you get to the point where you don’t know what day it is, much less is able to make an examination of conscience for confession. I just wonder about the state of the soul that can’t improve or offer things up. I know you’re not responsible for your actions if you’re not in your right mind, but do you think they can gain any merit just for the trial of what they’re going through?
05:37 – Any thoughts/ideas about when the Great Pyramid was built? Some say 4000 BC, but others claim 10,000 BC is more like it, even pre-flood, where its air shaft would then point to a different Star.
16:36 – What’s the best way to talk to people who just don’t see anything good about what the church teaches?
18:17 – I have been in a few debates about “limbo.” Does it exist? And do un-baptized children go there?
So many different thoughts on this from many different theologians
21:44 – Is the Latin Mass evil, good, or wonderful, and why does Francis hate it so much?
24:00 – How would you answer Atheist regard the problem of “unresistant unbelief”? If a fellow says he wants to believe in God and be a Christian (as one famous Atheist YouTuber said recently), but just needs some confirming sign to push him over the hump, what explanation can we give for why God refrains from doing so? Or is there some other reply?
28:26 – How is it possible that when a semi-trailer is carrying a bunch of honeybee hives, a honeybee can fly outside of the hive and just hover right there while the truck is moving 75 miles an hour and the honeybee doesn’t get left behind? This blows my mind lol I need Jimmy’s help
33:18 – I know it is illicit for someone like a grandparent to baptize a child in secret, against both parents’ wishes, and against their priest’s decision even though my understanding is valid. My question is, did the child ultimately benefit from this? If yes, why is it considered illicit? If not, how come?
Was it just neutral?
36:23 – Do vampires have souls? Is it murder to slay a vampire (assuming the classical undead form)?
41:55 – What do you think of AI-created “art” (MidJourney, etc)? I used to think there could be a Turing test equivalent, i.e., that we’d always be able to tell the difference between computer-generated images and human-created art, but as I see what is being created by MidJourney and the like I’m having doubts
45:23 – Is there a distinction between Hell / Hades / Gehenna / Sheol (Shuh ull)/ Lake of Fire, or are they all the same thing?
50:08 – Why is sex outside of marriage sinful? This seems to be an overwhelming reality.
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Questions Covered:
01:58 – If you were dying, could you relay your confession to another person and they tell it to a priest? Also, can you say a confession over the phone?
08:09 – Is there any evidence for or against St. Thomas evangelizing India?
12:48 – What would the Mass look like if the reforms of Vatican II were faithfully implemented? Resource Mentioned: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2021/07/23/the-mass-of-vatican-ii/
21:08 – How does remote cooperation with evil get defined and how does it apply to using the benefits of medical research?
24:46 – I would love to know how, exactly, the early Church knew that Mary had been assumed into heaven. Is there a gospel somewhere (small “g” because it’s not in the canon of Scripture) that attests to it? I believe it–I just would love to hear where it was written down what happened, and how everyone reacted, kind of like the Ascension narrative!
30:02 – After St. Peter died, what were the relative levels of authority between the subsequent popes and the remaining apostles?
34:17 – If through Adam’s sin we all inherit original sin, and if Jesus is the new Adam, why do all of us after Jesus’ time who are children of baptized people still inherit original sin?
36:22 – How do we know (and explain) that the catechism doesn’t contradict prior Church teaching about there being “No salvation outside of the Catholic Church”?
44:11 – In the book “Ten Popes who Shook the World,” Eamon Duffy wrote: “The most famous of all ‘papal’ bible texts, Mathew 16:18 – ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church…and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven’—is quoted in no Roman source before the time of the Decian persecution in the middle of the third century, and the very roots of what may be called the foundation myth of the papacy are uncomfortably complicated.”
True or not, what makes a “Roman” source definitive and what is the earliest/best source for this passage.
50:11 – Why do we kneel for prayer during Mass and yet we stand for The Lords Prayer??
51:32 – Was Moe Berg really a spy?
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Questions Covered:
09:19 – My husband has expressed interest in becoming Catholic out of convenience for the family. How do I give him resources without being intrusive?
21:43 – When do we think Jesus knew he was divine?
36:06 – Why doesn’t the Catholic Church use the name Jehovah if that’s His name?
43:38 – Can anyone bind or loose?
49:25 – How did Lucifer fall if he was one of the highest of angels?
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Questions Covered:
02:51 – Why are there people that reject the 3rd Secret of Fatima?
09:58 – Regarding Mk 9:14-29 and the story of the healing of the demoniac boy. What’s your take on the father’s unbelief?
15:25 – Are writings necessary for canonization of a saint? Is it necessary for them to have written documents?
18:57 – Would it be reasonable to believe that Mary knew that she was conceived without original sin?
20:50 – How would a Catholic immortal respond to the situation of being immortal? Would it be legitimate for them to fight another immortal?
24:59 – What are your thoughts on the prince of Persia in the book of Daniel? Was that a person or a demon?
33:23 – Did the flood in Genesis flood the whole world or just the known world?
38:11 – Who was the first pope?
41:17 – Is there a kind of annulment for the priesthood?
48:18 – Can 2 divorced Catholics who never annulled their marriages date each other?
51:26 – I’m converting, and I want to know the difference between praying in the name of Jesus versus praying in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
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Questions Covered:
02:56 – What makes masturbation a mortal sin?
07:59 – If the protestants lost apostolic succession because of their errors, why did the Orthodox lose it?
12:45 – Act 5 and Joshua 7 because the stories are so similar, can we say that Peter is a new Joshua?
16:53 – What are the Catholic grounds for divorce?
20:18 – I watched a video that claimed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not related. Is this true?
24:28 – What’s the purpose of venerating saint relics?
31:05 – I found some Old Testament verses about illegitimate children and now I feel worthless. What does God say about us?
36:20 – When did the shift happen from calling priests by their last name to their first name?
42:13 – What drew you into the Catholic Church?
46:08 – Can you help clarify the difference between divorce and annulment?
49:42 – My parish depicted Adam and Eve as a parable. Was it a real story?
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Questions Covered:
06:12 – How do I understand Mary from a Catholic perspective compared to an American Baptist?
13:20 – Why did God make poison ivy?
18:55 – What was Jesus’s vocation if he was high priest, carpenter ect? How does that compare to our understanding of our personal vocation?
29:09 – How do I respond to a protestant who holds Martin Luther in high regards in Christianity?
36:03 – When St. Paul was traveling around the world, did he do anything that today would be considered Catholic practices?
42:30 – Why are there so few canonized Latin American saints compared to European saints?
52:00 – Is there a difference between getting baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit verses in the name of Jesus?
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