Go Ask Your Father

Caller Question- Have you ever heard of the Pardon Crucifix? Caller Question- My brother wasn’t married in the Church. Do you think he is in Heaven? Caller Question- Is the command verb in Greek a command to do something once, or to continuously do something? Caller Question- Where is Jesus’s first miracle in the Bible? Caller Question- Isn’t it a doctrine of the faith that Judas is in hell? Caller Question- Why will we need resurrected bodies at the Last Judgement Day, if we will be in Heaven? Caller Question- What are our responsibilities to our godson, who comes from an abusive household and lives with us? Catechetical Corner- Legitimate exercise of authority. Caller Question- Can the Holy Souls in Purgatory pray for us? Caller Question- I read the book “Dictator Pope,” and how can we explain the misdeeds of the Vatican to others?

Msgr. Swetland talks about a Wall Street Journal article on homework for junior high and high school students. Caller Question- What is the best translation of Scripture? Caller Comment- I think high school has too much pressure nowadays. Caller Comment- I think homework is necessary for children to comprehend materials. Caller Comment- Some kids need homework, and some do not. Schoolwork should be individualized. Msgr. Swetland talks about Fr. Flanagan and Boystown. Caller Comment- I think schoolwork should be individualized to match the students’s needs. Caller Comment- I think we should all have a continuing religious education, especially parents and teachers in Catholic schools. Catechetical Corner- Pope Francis’s Wednesday Catechesis- The Our Father- The attitude of prayer. Caller Question- Why is the lectionary not tied to the New American Bible for the Old Testament? Caller Comment- I think we need to keep up homework, because our kids are very behind most other developed countries. Caller Comment- I think students should have quality homework and not just busywork.

Msgr. Swetland talks about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Caller Question- Was the Septuagint the original Bible of the early Church? Did it contain the apocrypha? Email Question- Can a person receive Communion at the Vigil Mass on Saturday and then again on Sunday? Caller Question- Why did God put the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve? Caller Comment- When I taught my children to ride a bike, I knew they would fall over. Catechetical Corner- Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Caller Question- If I forget a sin, is it forgiven in Confession? What should I do? Caller Question- Does my daughter, who recently passed away, know that my family is in pain?

(Encore Hour) Caller Question- How can we encourage our pastors to talk more about the universal call to holiness? Caller Question- How can I pray if I cannot stand times of silence because of a brain tumor I have? Caller Question- Should we give our family priority when we are evangelizing? Caller Question- Why would someone leave the Catholic Church if we have the Real Presence in the Eucharist? Catechetical Corner- Pope Francis’s General Audience- Summary of the Pope’s Trip to Ireland. Caller Question- My daughter-in-law won’t make the Sign of the Cross when she prays with us. What should I do? Caller Question- When is a proper time to ask a priest for a blessing?

Caller Question- Was St. Joseph also immaculately conceived? Caller Question- How can I convince my Protestant husband to learn more about Catholicism? Msgr. Swetland talks about persecutions in the Church around the world, and whether or not Catholics who hold public-sector jobs should use preferred pronouns of transgender people. Caller Question- Aren’t there some non-negotiables, such as transgenderism, that Catholics cannot go along with. Caller Comment- I will not use different pronouns when I talk to my transgender friends, but I will use their preferred name. Catechetical Corner- Pope Francis’s Wednesday General Audience- Prayer in Silence. Caller Comment- I disagree with you and the use of transgender pronouns.

Caller Question- How do I respond to family members who don’t believe Jesus is God? Caller Question- What does the Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrate? Were both Mary and Jesus immaculately conceived? Msgr. Swetland talks about St. Nicholas. Caller Questions- If I can’t make Mass on Sunday, does that mean I have to go to Mass twice on Saturday- for the Holy Day and for Sunday? Do people in the public square really know that they are sinning? Caller Questions- What does it mean that Mary was/is a Perpetual Virgin? Why does it say that Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days? Caller Comment- I am a Syrian Christian, and we do public Confessions. Caller Comment- I can help explain Mary’s Perpetual Virginity. Caller Question- When did the devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph start? Who started it? Caller Comment- The earlier Syrian caller is not in Communion with the Catholic Church. They are Monophysites.

Guest Host- Fr. John Paul Erickson Caller Question- How can I help my husband come back to the faith? Caller Question- Why did God command Moses to kill people, but made one of the Commandments “Thou Shall Not Kill”? Caller Question- Is the Book of Revelation a call for prayer and repentance? Caller Question- I am trying to find out more about my faith. Do you have any spiritual reading recommendations? Email Question- Is it okay if the priest told me to do the Act of Contrition and Penance outside of the Confessional? Caller Question- Is the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano approved? Why don’t we talk about it more? Caller Question- Do we use the Memorial Acclamation of “Save us, Savoir of the World” during Advent? Caller Question- Have you heard of a book by an ex-Satanist who became a Catholic? Email Question- My family member had a bad experience at Confession, and now does not go back. Is it a mortal sin to not go to Confession at least once a year? Caller Question- Why does God allow the devil to exist?

Msgr. Swetland talks about the importance of making a retreat. Caller Question- As a convert, what was the most moving argument that convinced you to become a Catholic? Msgr. Swetland talks about Fr. Alfred Delp, SJ and his Advent reflections. Caller Questions- Why do Catholics baptize infants? Why do Catholics have graven images? Caller Questions- How can I respond to my family members who have left the faith and are now bashing Our Lady? Why are Catholics who abandon their faith for a Protestant church baptized again? What happens to a child who is not baptized and dies? Catechetical Corner- The Sacrament of Penance. Caller Comment- You shouldn’t denigrate Protestant objections to the Catholic faith.

Msgr. Swetland talks about Pope Francis’s December Prayer Intention. Caller Questions- Is it okay to make announcements before the homily at Mass? Should there be clapping during a song at Mass? Caller Question- What should I do if I can’t afford the fees associated with getting my marriage blessed? Caller Question- How can we find a better language to talk to young people about the Gospel? Caller Question- If you find yourself in mortal sin, but make a perfect act of contrition, can you receive Communion? Caller Question- How can I explain to my friend the problem of evil, and why God doesn’t strike down those doing tremendous evil? Caller Question- Why do daily missals not tell us what feast day it is? Caller Comment- I think people should think that there is a chance for redemption for sinners. Catechetical Corner- Christ Jesus, Meditator and Fullness of All Revelation. Caller Question- What are some ways we can engage in conversation with people who have fallen away from the Church?

Email Question- Why do you trust the government? Caller Question- How should we handle Santa Claus with with our children? Caller Question- If I know that premarital sex is wrong, can I advise someone I know is having premarital sex to use contraception? Caller Question- What is the Third Secret of Fatima? Caller Comment- How I handle Christmas traditions, having been born in Germany. Caller Comment- How I handle Santa with my children. Caller Question- What do you think about abandoning the image of Jesus as The Lamb of God? Catechetical Corner- Facing temptation in prayer. Caller Question- How can laypeople help the Church in this time of crisis? Caller Question- How can people reconcile predestination with reconciliation?

Msgr. Swetland talks about Pope Francis’s view of business. Caller Question- Does praying to saints violate the First Commandment? Caller Questions- When does the soul enter the body at conception? What happens with twins? What are the ethics of abortion and ectopic pregnancies? Caller Question- What did Jesus mean when He said “Woe to pregnant and nursing mothers in those days!”? Caller Question- Did my friend’s sons leave the seminary because she didn’t pray hard enough? Caller Question- Can plenary indulgences only be given by the pope? Caller Question- How can I help a family member who lost his son? Catechetical Corner- The right of economic initiative.

Msgr. Swetland talks about how to use the Advent Season to prepare for Christmas. Email Comment- We should abolish the Center for Disease Control! Caller Question- I just came into the Church. Can you help me understand praying to Mary? Caller Question- If God created us with free will, does God bear responsibility for some of our evil? Caller Question- My niece is Catholic and marrying a Coptic Orthodox man. Will this affect her status in the Catholic Church? Msgr. Swetland talks about Bl. Henry Cardinal Newman. Caller Question- When and why did we start having Daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration? Caller Question- How do I get my sons to stop cohabitating with their girlfriends? Catechetical Corner- Pope Francis’s Wednesday General Audience- How the 10 Commandments should be seen as the guide to an authentic human life. Caller Questions- When we die, can we go straight to Heaven, or do we have to go to Purgatory?

Caller Questions- Do Catholic believe in praying in tongues? When were priests allowed to be married? Caller Question- Was Vatican II necessary? Caller Question- Why do we have statues and religious images if the Bible forbids it? Caller Question- Why was it not okay for King David to take a census of the people? Caller Question- Can you explain Matthew 16:27-28? Caller Question- How do we know what Jesus looks like? Caller Question- What is the origin of eating fish on Fridays during Lent? Catechetical Corner- Advent and the liturgical year. Caller Question- If Christ is the Head of the Church and the Holy Spirit guides the Church, why is the Church in such trouble now?

Caller Question – Is it okay to have a fundraiser on a Holy Day of Obligation? Caller Question – How should she respond to people who think that letting priests get married will solve the abuse scandal? Caller Question – Did only Peter have infallibility, or all popes? Caller Question – Is his first marriage still valid if he was legally divorced? Catechetical Corner – The Profession of Faith  

(Encore Hour) Email Comment- Clarification on fraternal correction in the Bible. Caller Question- How can I calm my concern that there are some people who are trying to change the teachings of the Church? Caller Question- What do you think of letting children watch the Harry Potter movies? Caller Question- Why do Catholics not say the Doxology after the Our Father at Mass? Msgr. Swetland talks about St. Hedwig. Caller Comment- Faithful should stay away from occult books. Catechetical Corner- The Eucharist and the Unity of Christians. Caller Question- Do you have a book you could recommend to a non-Catholic history teacher?