Catholic Answers Focus

The recent story of a priest who discovered he had never been baptized unleashed a torrent of anxieties and questions around the sacraments.

How can the Catholic Church teach that our justification is a process when the Letter to the Romans says that our justification is a one-time event?

From ancient times, Christians have celebrated the Assumption of Mary on August 15. In modern times, the celebration of the Coronation of Mary...

Popes are not saints. They are not prophets. They are not world leaders, or media stars, or even theologians. They can be these things, but none of these things are essential to the pope's job.

What does Catholic tradition actually teach about racism? Did Jesus have anything to say about it? Father Hugh Barbour explains how the ancient Faith deals with a term coined in the modern world. Cy Kellett: Racism in the light of divine revelation right now on Focus. Hello and welcome to Focus, The Catholic Answers podcast for living, understanding and defending the Catholic faith. Remember to subscribe wherever you subscribe, maybe at Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified when new episodes are released and please leave us that five star review, it does help to...

Did God really make the universe out of nothing? Is there really any such thing as "nothing"? Trent Horn tackles the difficult concept of "nothing"...

These days one can almost feel that God is asleep. Does he not see the chaos, confusion, and injustice of the modern world?

Apologist and author John DeRosa tackles the idea that the God of the Bible is violent and unworthy of being followed, as he does in his new book.

Father Hugh Barbour takes us on a tour of the role of Christ's Transfiguration in the life of the Church and how it can help us in our spiritual life.

We ask John DeRosa how to respond when we are told that religion is for the weak-minded! Also, Cy does some role-playing as a German atheist...

Christianity is the religion of Joy, but few people understand what Joy is or how to gain it. Father Hugh Barbour joins us to explain.

Of course when a priest stands up to challenge an NFL team on is support for Pride Month he's going to get smacked down on social media.

As Catholics celebrate the feasts of Mary and Martha, we ask Father Hugh Barbour about the family from Bethany that was so intimate with Jesus.

Is there a Catholic model for economics? If so, what is it? If not, what contribution can Catholic Faith make to economic theory and practice?

The sacrament of Confirmation can be baffling to today's Catholics. What is it? What does it do? And what is the correct age to receive it? Father Hugh Barbour answers all our questions.

Father Junipero Serra remains a figure of contempt in some circles because of his association with Spanish Colonialism in California. Who was the man?

This saint, St. Mark Ji Tianxiang, is notable. He's notable, because he's a Saint and a Holy man. But there's something else- he suffered from an opium...

How can the Catholic Church teach that we need Tradition as well as Scripture when the Bible says that Scripture is sufficient as a rule of faith and for making a man “complete”?

Was Fr. Junipero Serra a dark part of history, deserving of his statues and memorials' desecration, or was he a holy man of God?

Is it time to give up on Columbus? In the light of modern scholarship, should we view Columbus with suspicion? Take a look at the real man...

What is the relationship between the soul in a state of grace and the Blessed Trinity? What does it mean that the Trinity comes to dwell in my soul?

How can the Catholic Church teach that we need a Magisterium (a living teaching authority) when John says in 1 John 2:27 that we have no need for a man to teach us since the Holy Spirit will teach us?

Father Hugh Barbour explains the biblical and medieval roots of the modern devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Is devotion to the Sacred Heart a divine response to an increasingly isolated and lonely modern world? CK: Hello and welcome again to Catholic Answers Focus. I am Cy Kellett, our host, and our guest is Father Hugh Barbour, Norbetine priest, former Pryor of St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County which is building a new church. You should look it up online. Hello, Father. FHB: Hello. Hello. CK: It’s very nice to be speaking with you in June, a month of many good things inc...

Yes, the earliest Christians celebrated the Mass, and they did so in ways that are impressively similar to today's Mass.

Cy interview's two of our favorite women religious about there work sharing the love of God with others, and about how one gains confidence in the love of God.

Was there a golden age at the very beginning of the Church when Christianity was unspoiled by a hierarchical structure?

Father Hugh seems to think that God freely gives us all we need for our salvation through the sacraments. He defends this position as we discuss Pentecost and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

How Catholics can believe that the Church is a visible hierarchical institution when Jesus says that the Church in Matthew 18:20 is an invisible union of believers?

Why is the Church so defensive about marriage even when it is not sacramental? Why does the Church insist on the goodness of natural marriage?

How can the Catholic Church can teach that Peter is infallible when Paul rebukes him for not eating with the Gentiles? Karlo Broussard explains.

Is fear a sin? Is it just an emotion? How are Christians meant to understand fear? Is there such a thing as fear that is actually a gift from the Holy Spirit?

ow can the Catholic church teach that Peter is the rock or the foundation of the church when St. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 3:11 that there is no other foundation besides Jesus?

The commandment to love our enemies seems impossible sometimes, especially for those who have been badly hurt. What are we really meant to do?

What is apostolic succession? Did the early Church believe in and practice apostolic succession? Find out here, with Tim Staples.

Understanding the role of friendship in God's life and plan can help us in living out friendship with others.

Sometimes it seems like nothing is solid. Everything, even within the Church, seems to be up for debate. How solid is Catholic doctrine?

Fr. Hugh Barbour and Catholic Answers' president, Christopher Check, acknowledge the struggles that people are experiencing...

There's no reason to say that for that she would be intimately involved with all those mysteries of the faith, but for some reason just had been shunted aside for his resurrection.

Even though we cannot attend Mass while we shelter in place, we can experience real liturgy in our homes by praying the Liturgy of the Hours— and it's more accessible than you might think.

Did the early Church believe that the Eucharist was the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ? Have Christians always believed this?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear about the existence of angels. "The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith.

Senior Fellow in Ethics at the Culture of Life Foundation, RJ Snell, considers the difficult choices facing health care providers in the time of Covid-19. How can Catholic moral teaching inform these choices and ensure they are made humanely?

Sometimes the post-Vatican II push for lay participation can become onerous. What is really needed to be fully Christian? Does everyone need to be a theologian, liturgist, and apologist?

Do Catholics favor traditions of men over the word of God? Jimmy Akin next on Catholic Answers Focus.

Our chaplain joins us for a conversation about the powerful option of “Spiritual Communion” during this time, and any time.

Can You Contract Coronavirus While Receiving the Eucharist? Anxiety blossoms as the most recent coronavirus appears, though in low numbers, in the United States.

The president of Catholic Answers shares insights into the reality of the Crusades to help the Christian who is confronted with that apologetics conversation-stopper: "What about the Crusades?"

In the last century, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls raised the profile of the ancient community of the Essenes. Do these discoveries debunk Christian ideas about Jesus?

Best known for trying to catch Jesus in logical traps, the Sadducees had some strange beliefs for first century Jews.

Father Hugh Barbour explains what’s going on with this ancient Christian practice and why it is perfectly consistent with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles.