CALLED TO COMMUNION - Dr. David Anders - May 20, 2020

what's stopping you from becoming a Catholic why can't women become priests 1 a 33 2 8 8 EWTN I don't understand why I have to earn salvation one eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six why do I need to confess my sins to a priest what's stopping you this is called to communion with dr. David Anders on the EWTN global Catholic radio network hey everybody welcome again to called to communion here on EWTN the program for our non Catholic brothers and sisters as the young lady just said what is keeping you from becoming a Catholic is it something that happened to you years ago is it something where you just kind of went yeah I think I'm done with Catholicism for a while for whatever reason you're not a Catholic what would be the reason to bring you back into the Catholic faith or if you've never been a Catholic why are you now interested in finding out this and that about the Catholic faith we'd love to answer your questions here is our phone number eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six if you're listening in outside of North America please dial the u.s. country code and then two oh five two seven one two nine eight five you can also text the letters EWTN to five five zero zero zero wait for our response and then text us your first name and your brief question message and data rates may apply are you an emailer you could certainly email us CTC at ewtn.com as the address CTC at ewtn.com all right Charles berry is our producer Ryan Penney is our phone screener Jeff Burton is on social media he can pass on any questions you might want to pose via YouTube or Facebook live because we're streaming there right now I'm Tom price in our recently cleaned up and disinfected studio about ten feet away from dr. David Anders hey Tom how are you today well I'm doing great how about you very good glad that we're going to lead off in just a moment here with an email and if you would like to send us an email for a future show we like to keep that address out there just for you the address CTC at ewtn.com all right we've got a great one to lead off with and this is going to require a dictionary definition because it's one of those big words that you don't hear very often this is from Henry who says how are Catholics to respond to Protestants who put forward the doctrine of perspicuity of Scripture depending on how it is defined it sounds like the belief and material sufficiency of Scripture which I have heard Catholics may subscribe to thanks Henry what is that big word so in in Protestantism the the doctrine of Scriptures perspicuity this is a Protestant doctrine is the doctrine that the Bible is is sufficiently clear to be understood with reference to questions pertaining to our ultimate salvation no they don't typically hold that that necessarily everything in Scripture is perspicuous but that but that you know people of good will and the church collectively may not every individual but in general folks that approach the Bible with the proper disposition and the aid of the Holy Spirit can understand those things that are necessary for salvation without and this is very critical without the apparatus of sacred tradition or the teaching authority of the church but it's a quality that they proposed in hairs in the text itself right all right how would a Catholic respond to that charge well you know under girding this this position by Protestants is the is the notion that God gave us the Bible to be our rule of faith that if you want to know what the Christian faith is what it teaches what we need to know about God or ourselves or the moral life of the church that the Bible is there to answer those questions now if that were true that's not actually true but if that were true and it wouldn't make any sense for God to to provide this revelation and make it unintelligible to make it incoherent or inaccessible thus and thus the doctrine of scriptures perspicuity so so a Catholic comes at this question from a completely different frame of reference namely that that's not the point of the Bible whether or not the Bible is intelligible and make sense or can be understood that's not the purpose of the bump it's not there to be a rule of faith and answer every question we might have about faith or doctrine or morals if you want if you want the authoritative teaching about what the Christian faith is then you actually go to the teaching church embedded in the traditions and the material authority of the Catholic of the Catholic Church that's how you know what Christianity is and the Bible serves a different function the Bible is there for edification the Bible does give us an inspired account of the lives of the prophets the history of Israel Christ the Apostles the epistles it's it's it's replete with with wisdom literature and poetry and song and laments and all these things are powerful texts for theological and spiritual and prayerful reflection and they lie at the center of the church's prayer life and worship but it's not a textbook on dogmatic theology and as such it comes in sort of varying degrees of perspicuity and and varying modes of approach I think it's evident this is just an empirical historical question it can't be perspicuous in precisely the way Protestants assert because Protestants themselves have historically disagreed with one another profoundly on even the most essential questions so let me give you an example today most Protestants that I have ever met would would contend that the nature of Christ's presence in the Eucharist is not a make-it-or-break-it kind of question and they may you know they may have different opinions on that issue whether Christ is or is not present in the Eucharist but they would typically hold and this is sort of just my experience anecdotally that by large differences of opinion on that question are not deal-breakers for the Christian faith I say that position was not the position of the earliest Protestants who regarded the nature of Christ's presence in Eucharist as a question that pertained essentially to the salvation of the soul and it was absolutely a maker to break it question see Protestants today versus Protestants 500 years ago can't even agree on what questions are essential Wow and so I just think it's an empirical historical fact that it's not perspicuous in the way in which some evangelicals assert and like a little quickie definition of perspicuity or just just so we know we're talking about yeah that's the Protestant idea that it's sufficiently clear that anybody with good will or the church can't understand what the text says that's necessary for our salvation okay okay very good well what that is a helpful for me and hopefully it is helpful for Henry as well as all of our listeners thank you so much for that and if again if you'd like to send us an email for a future show the address CTC at ewtn.com we are ready to go to the phones if you are ready to get to your phone and call eight three three two eight eight ewtn if you have a question for dr. David Andrews on this Wednesday afternoon again the number eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six for the Wednesday edition of call to Communion here on EWTN to stay with us [Music] prayer is a variety of forms of communication sometimes we simply read one another hi how are you and we say small short prayers similarly to God all the times we engage people in deep conversations other times we engage our families and family reunions and big meals similarly with God we engage him in Eucharist and deep meditation as well can a Catholic be a socialist don't miss the good fight on Saturday Trent Horne and Catherine piccola refute this tempting but false notion drawing on Scripture history Catholic social teaching and basic economic reality that's the good fight 2 p.m. Eastern on e WT n global Catholic radio network now not only can you watch EWTN anywhere but anytime with EWTN on-demand get on-demand access to more than 12,000 EWTN programs including live shows and specials all in one place all free just go to ewtn.com forward slash on-demand there's nothing to fill out no memberships required and no fees to pay all you need is an internet connection and you're good to go EWTN on-demand fast easy and [Music] if we invite you to join us for a great weekend show doctor doctor on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern you're gonna hear discussions of practical and current medical topics with a focus on the dignity of the human person body and soul this program I got to tell you if you have not heard it it has really hit its stride when the pandemic was just starting to become a thing when people were first starting to notice it the three doctors were all over it they've been bringing on experts they themselves are experts so don't miss dr. dr. Saturday morning 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here on EWTN radio okay here's our phone number for you and that is eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six Sid wants to know I heard you say that although our sins are forgiven that on the final judgment day we are still responsible for the harm that those sins did so do we then get condemned for those harms and actions what happens to for example st. Augustine and st. Ignatius are they condemned okay thanks I appreciate the question no absolutely not no no no no no no all right so keep in mind the point of the final judgment is not only to condemn the wicked but also to vindicate the righteous right and so the saints in heaven how you will be fully vindicated in the public sphere and in their material bodies and st. Paul says that we actually we the righteous presuming we are I just actually participate in the act of judgment and passed judgment on the fallen angels so so that's part of the glory of the Saints is that they get to stand in judgment over those that would that would contradict the plan of God and and God of course gets vindicated in his righteous on the final day so it's not just to mete out punishments but also rewards on the final judgment now with respect to the to the the way in which we were responsible for our acts even after we are forgiven that has nothing to do with the question of our reconciliation to God right because you're reconciled to God in virtue of your repentance and God's acceptance God's forgiveness so if I go to confession for example and I say dear God I'm sorry you know till the priest I'm sorry he says i absolve you in Christ's name the name of the Father Son Holy Spirit I'm really absolved I mean I'm reconciled to God in that moment in my salvation insofar as I am in the state of grace is shirred why then do I have to do penance well you know it's just like if I offend my wife and you know a track mud on the kitchen floor or something when she asked me to take my shoes off and I said I am so sorry she's no problem I forgive you what what's the right thing to do then you get them on off the floor that's right I don't go stomping around three more times you know and it's not that I'm not forgiven I am forgiven I shall go get the mud off the floor cause it's the right thing to do okay very good and thank you so much for your email we do appreciate that it's called a communion here on EWTN phone lines are open for you right now at eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six and if you're ready now let's go to the phones and speak with Charlie in Kansas City listening on Catholic radio network a first-time caller hey Charlie what's on your mind today howdy go right ahead yes oh yeah dr. Anders I was just wondering for all those people out there in the world that aren't Christian aren't Catholic and aren't Christian but they're good people whether they be Hindus or Muslims or whatever and they just don't believe in Jesus Christ and you know what happens to them when they die do they go to hell or do they go to heaven or yeah thanks I appreciate the question so if they're good that's a really key if if they're good and let's define what we mean by good good to somebody who loves God above all things and the neighbor as their self right if that because that's the summation of all the law and prophets somebody loves God above all things and the neighbor is themself they're gonna go to haven't period in paragraph no matter what their historical knowledge of Christ but here comes another question if if we're going to attain that kind of goodness love of God above all things and our neighbors our self how are we gonna do that that seems like pretty tall order in fact it seems like the kind of thing we could only do if God helped us to do it and that's in fact the case and where the Catholic Church understands that is this divine help the help that we need to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourself is in fact grace grace Church teaches is a participation in God's very own nature in a creative manner st. Peter says second second Peter 1:4 that we are participants in the divine nature through the promises of Christ and so we need grace we need grace is anyone who's strived for holiness or virtue or life of virtue understands it ain't easy it ain't easy we need help can that help come to us outside the confines if you will of the institutional Catholic Church yes it can yes it can however within the Catholic faith we have a promise of divine assistance so Christ has promised us that within the institutions of youth Ollis ISM in particular the life of the sacraments grace really does a company in a in a in a in a certain way the celebration of the sacraments in the life of faith and and so we can rest assured so you know spoke earlier about reconciliation the Sacrament of Penance if I go to penance if I go to reconciliation I confess my sins and the priest says i absolve you that's a sign of God's forgiveness but it's a sign of God's forgiveness that has Christ's promise attached to it whoever sins you forgive are forgiven so it's not only a sign it also affects the reality and I now have certainty that my sins are objectively forgiven and that God has given me grace to avoid sin in the future that's the benefit of having a tangible sign or instrument like the church like the sacraments outside the Catholic Church Christ has not attached a promise of divine assistance in the same way to the rites or doctrines or ceremonies of another tradition that doesn't mean God can't reach those people with His grace and and to be sure he must often do so but we don't have any objective tangible evidence that he has done so in a particular case we also have to be very wary about passing judgement you know Jesus says don't judge lest you be judged and we don't want to judge someone too harshly too negatively but neither do we want to be presumptive in assuming or determining that another person is quote-unquote righteous because God alone sees the heart so if someone outside the Catholic faith is in fact righteous through the help of God's grace loving God above all things and the neighbor is himself then they will go to heaven when they die but we still do right as Christians to present the gospel to them to invite them to participate in the Catholic faith wherein they can get the full truth about our relationship to God about our moral duties but the promises that God has made to us in Christ and the means of grace provided to us in the sacraments charlie thank you so much for your call that opens up a line for you right now at eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six the Wednesday edition of call to communion here on EWTN interesting question here via Facebook from Martin Martin says how do we add our quote redemptive suffering to the sacrifice of the mass it is automatically or is it automatically added by being Catholic or do we have to make a proclamation before it is applied okay thanks so so the the efficacy of any prayer is determined to a certain extent by our intention that's not the only factor but our intention plays a role and so you know if I if I said any Catholic let's say I go to Mass in the state of mortal sin with bitterness and resentment because my mother makes me my mother may have never made me go to Mass but let's just say for the sake of argument she did and and so I'm there for all the wrong reasons and I'm actually there sort of railing in my heart against God and His law in the church and my mom or whoever else well I'm not doing anything right to advance my salvation or anybody else's and I'm not actually participating in the grace of the mass but let's say I go there with the right intention to love God to serve Him to worship him to unite myself to him then I am going to receive something now how explicit does my intention need to be I mean do I need to formulate it as a proposition you know where I I cross the threshold and I go up I hereby now in this moment unite my sufferings to that over the cross and to the Holy Sacrifice of the mass and in you know barring the repetition of that formula it doesn't take no it's not that mechanical it's not that mechanical all right it's this is really in the order of love nevertheless it's useful to our spirituality to articulate these truths in propositions that like a Creed for example that we state to ourselves and to others to help us form those proper intentions it doesn't mean you have to state the formula right or even that you need to have an explicit awareness of it there is such a thing as an implicit faith but nevertheless it's helpful to do so okay we appreciate that thank you so much for a checking us out today on Facebook there's a question now from Sam who said Sam's watching us on YouTube Sam says how do I answer a Protestant who says to me do you really think God is going to deny me heaven because I don't believe in Catholicism oh thanks absolutely not no I don't think that God is gonna deny you heaven because you don't believe in Catholicism he might deny you heaven because you do believe in Catholicism oh right in fact that's exactly what the church says so let's take the position of the Protestant who comes to believe that the Catholic Church was established by Christ as the sign and instrument for salvation in the whole world he recognizes that that that's that's Christ manifest intent that we that we be Catholic that we live within the unity of the Catholic faith and receive him in the sacraments so he comes to that understanding and then finds out ooh I might have to leave my Protestant pastor it I might have to get another job I might I might make my my mother-in-law mad I think I'll stay where I am it's more comfortable now you're in the position of disobeying conscience danger day now you're in the position of disobeying conscience but let's take the Protestant who's grown up in a tradition that says the Pope is the Antichrist that Catholic Church is the of Babylon that Catholics are superstitious neurotic nut jobs who think that they can climb to heaven on a set of rosary beads while flagellating themselves that's what I was taught almost exactly almost exactly word for word that Wow yeah and and that and that Satan wants me in the Catholic Church and that I have to do everything in my power to run from those Catholics lest they pull me in in their sneaky ways that's really what I used to think okay well that's what if that's what you're taught and that's what your parents teach you your pastors teach you you have no historical evidence to the contrary well then you're not responsible for your ignorance it's it's literally invincible ignorance because you followed the authorities that you think are reliable you believe yourself to have done your due diligence by way of understanding the path that God has set for you and you're really following your conscience even though your conscience is misinformed no you're not going to go to hell because your invincibly ignorant you might however go to hell because your lustful though or angry or proud right or or slothful or gluttonous you might go to hell for those things but not simply for your ignorant of Catholic truth okay and thank you so much of Sam for of checking in with us today here on EWTN is called a communion our phone number eight three three two eight eight EWTN here is Sal and Jackson Michigan listing on Good Shepherd radio hello Sal what's on your mind today yes I have a friend who kind of gets real deep into thinking and because of it makes it so where he has a difficult time believing in God or coming to the faith or anything and so and he knows a bit about it though he Catholic and yes you know if when two people get married two become one flesh you know then does that mean that if I said you know I could go my herb I could go my whole life's being good but if my wife is a die-hard sinner then she somehow affects me and then I go to hell or vice versa you know that if you're one flesh then whatever you do it affects the other I mean the most I was saying is you know it's one flesh but two souls but still and even talked about the part in the Bible saying like don't do like lay with a prostitute because of the body of Christ and it like making it to where basically you're making like Jesus like what the president or something like that so yeah I just I don't know how should I answer that yeah well I'm a little bit thank you appreciate it I'm a bit puzzled by your statement that your friend knows a good bit about Catholicism because it sounds like he doesn't know much about Catholicism because this is not a Catholic belief right there's absolutely no no idea in the Catholic faith that I am directly moral morally responsible for my spouse's faults or sins or or she for mine okay now that doesn't mean that I don't have some moral responsibility for her moral condition or situation so for example you know if I'm if I create scandal for her if I create scandal for my wife I don't give her opportunities to go to Mass or I put occasions of temptation in front of her what not then then I might I might I might be a source of stumbling to her and I'd be responsible for that but for her free choices I'm not I'm not directly morally responsible no no so in what sense does husband and wife become one flesh well you know when you take a spouse you you you met you take on certain rights and obligations to that person and you know you treat that person's good as if it were your own you treat that person salvation as a matter of utmost concern to you so if my wife is one flesh with me then I'm gonna care if she sends I'm gonna care if she lives a life of virtue I'm gonna try to live my life in such a way that I can help her on the path to heaven because I love her and if you love somebody your benevolent towards them you want good towards them and in a way that's different from someone with whom you don't have that lifelong covenant of love that doesn't mean we don't love other people but you love your spouse and unique way and you you take on your spouse's interests in a way that's that's unlike any other kind of relationship there's also and this kind of goes into the question he raised about the prostitution in in biblical idea the the bond of marriage creates a bond a commonality that is that is like unto but more powerful than the genetic similarity right even so much so that within Jewish law you you it was considered incest to have relations with someone who was bonded to you by marriage even if they were not genetically similar to you that's why the guy in first corinthians was in a lot of trouble for taking his stepmother even though his father had died because it was considered that she was one flesh with his with his with his father easy in that way okay very good and south thank you so much for your call in a moment we're gonna continue with phone calls we've got a couple lines open for you right now jump in at eight three three two eight eight ewtn that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six call now Raymond Arroyo we need ewtn radio for the reason that mother angelica founded this enterprise she saw this as a holistic approach reaching the whole person bringing the truth and life the leading catholic voices are on EWTN radio [Music] dear family let us pray together mother Angelica's prayer for the United States Lord God I ask an all humility that you bless this country as unworthy as we are protect it from every evil protect it from the enemy protected Lord that it may accomplish thy will and keep thy commandments I asked Lord with a pleading heart to look down upon us in our unworthiness give this country a renewal of devotion to you to your law and to your Commandments Lord let us be once more a country under you Lord maybe once more say In God We Trust guide us and protect this country from every evil and every harm amen me wtn teaching the truth you have this beautiful compassion and an affirmation of every caller you don't write in to each person's need and then you ask all of us to pray for that person and I do I just think you really really have a great ministry it is really our tonic and live Catholic how our priests from around the world handling the pandemic if you're a priest we want to hear from you tomorrow on take two with Jerry and Debbie at 12 p.m. Eastern now back to call to communion with dr. David Anders [Music] it's called a communion on this Wednesday afternoon our phone number is eight three three two eight eight EWTN if you have a question for dr. David Andrews hey call now while you can still get in a couple lines open at eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six we'll go back to the phones in a moment first of all a quick question from Edward watching on youtube today Edward says is the blood poured out at the Last Supper the same sacrifice as Calvary if so does this contradicts Scripture which says that there was one sacrifice okay thanks I appreciate the question was the blood poured out at the Last Supper the same as the blood of Calvary yes and no yes no okay so so the the Catholic doctrine on the nature of the Eucharist is that in the Eucharist first of all we don't have Christ's blood separate from his body we have that only represented in the symbol of the double consecration of bread and wine but Christ's body and blood are whole and entire in the Eucharistic species because Christ is undivided no he dies once so that kind of answers your question there the in the in the words of institution when the priest can fax the Eucharist in Christ was made truly present it's the resurrected Jesus at the right hand of God Jesus as he exists right now in his proper person who becomes present in the sacrament right and so in the chalice and in the host under any particle of either one of them you have the entirety of Jesus you have all of Christ whole and entire in in both species he's not actually separated so we're not we're not separating Christ's body from his blood in in the sacrament of Holy Communion so it's the same only in the sense that it's this the same victim does the victim who died historically in Calvary that Jesus is also that very same person is also present in the Holy Sacrifice of the mass but not at the same temporal instant right the instant of Calvary Jesus is historical death on Calvary happened once and for all and that remains located in the past we don't kill him again nor are we reaching backwards in time to pull Jesus off the cross and throw him into the Eucharist he's actually called down from heaven in his glorified state that's who's present in the Holy Sacrifice of the mass now at the Last Supper the Jesus present in the Eucharist at the Last Supper was the very same Jesus who was seated at the table with the disciples so the way san agustin put it was this he said Christ held himself in his own hands and when the disciples communed at the Last Supper they were in fact consuming the body and blood of Christ the very same body and blood that was also seated with them historically fascinating Edward appreciate your call your a question and we also appreciate the fact that you're watching us today on youtube thank you so much it's called a communion here on EWTN back to the phones right now at eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six here is a Theresa in Jackson Michigan listing on Good Shepherd radio hey Theresa what's on your mind today is that major reason that's you go right ahead okay I'm not I mean Scranton Pennsylvania okay okay dr. Andrews I heard an evangelist explain that a lady went to visit her Elizabeth because she wanted to get out of town so that no one would know she was pregnant so I quickly telephoned and said I think she wanted to sanctify she Jesus wanted to sanctify I John st. John and he said oh no he said a lady was an ignorant woman and that's why Jesus was lost and the temple so I'd like you to explain it briefly although we would need the rest of our lives to explain her um yeah thanks I appreciate the question so if we actually read what st. Luke has to say about the question he's actually silent on the issue of the Blessed Virgin his motivation right but I think we can read a little bit into her state of mind from the Magnificat and from her her prayers where she gives thanks to God in recognition of the profound dignity that he has conferred upon her and her own prophecy all generations will call me blessed does not sound like the language of somebody who was overcome with shame right and while our lady did not have omniscience right which is a divine attribute she certainly doesn't know everything right um and and did not know the the historical location of Christ when he was when he was in the temple she knew an awful lot she knew an awful lot by the spirit of prophecy right and and in the Magnificat is testament to that fact so it seems to me from the context of the of the scripture the most obvious reason that Mary went to visit Elizabeth was to rejoice I mean this is what you know when you when you when you get pregnant or your wife gets pregnant yeah you know after after you know at least in my case after the shock and I got up off the floor you know the next thing you want to do is you want to sing praise to God I literally did right there's an old Protestant worship song called shine Jesus shine oh yes and I wouldn't grab my guitar and started running around the apartment singing shine Jesus shine because I was so excited at the thought of having a sign and as it turned out to be in fact first born was a sign and and you know you get on the phone and you call everybody you know mm-hmm beautiful Teresa thank you so much for your call glad that you're listening to us there in Scranton on our great affiliate jmj Catholic radio called a communion here on EWTN one line open if you want to snag it eight three three two eight eight EWTN that's eight three three two eight eight three nine eight six here is a car Molino right now are listening in montreal quebec online ewtn.com Carmelina what's on your mind today thanks for taking my call I wanted to ask dr. Anders like I have a sister she's she says she's a Baptist but they she's not really it's not really a church or something like that and one day we were talking and I told her like that we have a crucifix with Jesus on it and I said you have only a cross and she said well she was on the cross but he came down not one I was wondering like what's the difference what is it yeah thanks I appreciate the question so so there is a reason why Protestants typically have crosses without a raised corpus that don't have the body of Christ depicted on the cross and that crash that Catholics do have that that artistic tradition but it has nothing to do with the question of Jesus's resurrection because Catholics also believe that Jesus is resurrected from the dead and in fact we represent that in art as well and you know in in my own church my own parish at Easter we always put up a lot of artwork specifically for the season specifically of the resurrected Christ and I've been in many parishes around the world that have depictions of the resurrected Christ so Catholics also venerate and worship Christ's resurrection why more importantly did Protestants stop depicting the crucifixion why did they stop depicting Christ on the cross many Protestants today have forgotten the reason that they did that they don't know and so they make up this story about well catholics think that he's still in the tomb which is absurd right the real reason Protestants stopped doing that was that in the sixteenth century particularly in in Switzerland and in France in those countries those countries that were touched by the reformed tradition coming out of Zurich and Geneva those Protestants had the belief that if you represented the person of Christ in artwork that that violated the second commandment they thought that it was idolatrous to represent Christ in artwork of course they were wrong about that but that's where that's where that idea came from and so actually those guys they didn't even like to have crosses at all of any kind they didn't like to have any religious artwork at all Herick swingley who was the reformed theologian in zurich actually whitewashed his churches and so it was kind of like you know going to church surrounded by cinder blocks and was very boring and I even got rid of church music he didn't wanna have organs and Saha yeah and but that's where that tradition came from within Protestantism okay hope that clears it up for you and thank you so much for your call Carmel II know it is called the communion here on EWTN we roll on now with Sally let's see here Sally is in Houston listening on the EWTN app trying to get my screen going here there we go Sally what's on your mind today thank you for taking my call I have a question I do some discussion and is a mortal sin to destroy yeah thanks I appreciate the question so the the code of canon law says that catholics should treat blessed items with reverence and they shouldn't be used in improper or profane way and so out of out of reverence for the for the sacramental of blessing Catholics have a pious tradition of burning or burying blessed items when they need to be disposed of but no it's not a mortal sin it's not a mortal sin and ultimately mortal sin has to be something that you do knowingly and it has to be a grave thing and you have to do it without compulsion right and and so you know if you're just cleaning out most of Catholics that I know have about fifty thousand broken rosaries you know ten thousand prayer cards a bunch of broken statues of Saint Joseph you know and no you're not obligated to keep the stuff in the back of the drawer for all eternity I mean our houses would overflow definitely appreciate your call there Sally in it is very good to hear from you in Houston called a communion here on EWTN I want to tell you about a wonderful thing that EWTN has done and that is launched this fabulous website and social media gathering place called Church pop it features new online Christian content that is fun informative and always inspirational just looking at some of the items right now on a church pop here's an article called a let's walk down memory lane things that kids who grew up Catholic will remember or what about this one if you're feeling sad or distressed try this prayer to st. Dymphna the patron of the mentally afflicted and what about this one may not have heard about this of the Virgin Mary allegedly appears to coronavirus patients in a Colombian hospital what is that all about check it out by finding the latest on Church pop you can find it on snapchat Instagram and on the web at Church pop com Church pop dot-com called a communion on this Wednesday afternoon here is Knoll in Poughkeepsie New York listening on Sirius XM 130 hey Noah what's on your mind today I just wanted to get some clarification because you has mentioned that within the last 15 minutes I was regarding to the universal idea I can be of another faith not believe in Christ and by my good works by my own self-effort I can still get into heaven and yet I'm thinking of the scripture that there was no other name among men given to us whereby we must be saved and it refers to the Christ so can you explain to me how does that work sure sure sure so so we need to kind of drill in a little bit on this business about my own self-effort that you mentioned because that's that's that's all that's a qualification that I did not say I didn't articulate it that way you you've kind of added a little qualification that I didn't that I don't articulate Catholics can't get to heaven by their own self-effort Catholics can't Christians can't believers in Jesus can't write because on our own look I don't care you can go raise a thousand hospitals feed the poor you know outdo Mother Teresa how does that somehow entitle you to an eternity of bliss I mean even even 80 years of incomparable good works might merit you know I don't know a 50 year long Caribbean vacation or something you know I mean there might be some proportionate reward but eternity of bliss no heaven is is utterly gratuitous with respect to our natural merits we can't compel God anybody to give us an eternity of bliss he gives us the gift of himself out of sheer benevolence he gives me the gift of himself to us in this life in grace and an eternity in the beatific vision out of sheer benevolence nevertheless because of how God has designed the universe he he gives us this gift of himself in through and with our moral cooperation so so the receiving of God's very self into our life takes the form of the reshaping of our will and character around his likeness and image that's you know it's if God gives us himself he gives it to us as kind of like an impression you know okay sticking to us and and infusing us with his very self but it's an informing that changes our life and character to make us like him so the idea that I could somehow receive that impression and yet not resemble him is incoherent so my moral cooperation is integral to the reception of God's free gift of himself and in that way my my moral behavior is important but it'd be utterly wrong to think that this was something that I did apart from God's miraculous intervention in my interior life now your question is how does that work in someone that actually has no historical knowledge of Jesus well first of all we know that it does work we know that it has happened simply from the Bible because all of the righteous who were saved before the coming of Christ had at best and inchoate knowledge of Jesus by way of of prophecy and best and st. Peter tells us that the prophets who prophesied about Christ did not know what they were saying they they wanted to see the fulfillment of their own words that they only dimly understood but that was even that was the best right but there were those outside the household of Israel who didn't even have that much you know think about Jobe the righteous Jobe who is not an Israelite and yet he comes he knows God and comes to have a very profound and intimate relationship to God that's overpowering in fact at the at the end of the book Melchizedek would be another one right all of the antediluvian righteous people who come even before the covenant with Abraham right that that that God that God calls his own these people did not have an historical knowledge of Jesus so how were they saved well they were saved in virtue of the grace of Christ as anyone who is saved visit they were saved in virtue of the grace of Christ transmitted to them in a way known to God right and it would have been in response to what was evident to them about God and and the moral life from nature or from whatever revelation God provided to them all right and no well thank you so much for your call we appreciate that from you in Poughkeepsie the communion here on EWTN let's go to David now in Chicago listening on Sirius XM 130 a first-time caller hey David what's on your mind today I was listening to a speaker on YouTube he was talking about Saint Agustin and he said at the beginning of st. agustín's career he believed man his free will but if the speaker said at the end of st. agustín's career he changed his mind and taught and believed that man does not have free will and I was wondering if dr. Anders could opine on that would he know III would know I would know and your and your and your fellow on YouTube has not done justice to st. Augustine's theology or to his philosophy so what is true about st. Augustine is that Augustine did go through several distinct philosophical periods and so scholars of Augustan typically distinguished three they talk about the early Agustin the middle Agustin and the late Augustine and Augustine himself towards the end of his life wrote a book called the retractions where he went back through his entire corpus of literature and he talked about the elements of his early books that he still affirmed in those places where he had changed his mind all right now this is actually the mark of real genius and intellectual integrity and fruitfulness you know a lot of people and humility and humility a lot of people kind of make up their mind on what they think when they're 23 24 and then they never have another original thought for the rest of their life but but you know great thinkers often often changed their Vidkun steen whose not great like Agustin made modern philosophy it did the same kind of thing you got early that can Stein get late but Kim Stein and this is the mark of a really creative fertile intellect and when it comes to the question of free will Agustin wrote a book on free choice of the will in the round oh I think we're on 387 388 that has a very robust doctrine of human freedom and he wrote it really in contra distinction to the Manichaean heresy that he had come out of he had previously been a manichaean determinist and agustín never backed away from his conviction that humans have free will however as he went along in his intellectual life and his spiritual life he began to qualify that conviction with great and greater inside from from the biblical data and so in particular around the time he encountered simplicious it was a fellow by the name of simple Ishii's wrote a letter to simplicial trying to explicate paul's doctrine of election and predestination and then in the Pelagian controversy of the four hundreds when he began to really really take account of the necessity of previant grace and the reality of predestination and the gift of perseverance he had to qualify his understanding of human freedom in a way to accommodate those biblical doctrines but he continued to write books about it and he'd write stuff on titles like on grace and freewill right how God's grace interacts with our freedom for example and and that what the position that the mature agustin came to is basically the position of the Catholic Church which is that that grace actually makes us more free makes us more free so how's that possible well it you know without grace I'm more or less the slave of my passions and my in my associations and I'm and I'm not actually free to do the good I mean I might have the freedom the way say a heroin addict is free you know I mean I forever act it might you know do this bad thing of that bad thing or you know choose that drug pusher or that drug pusher but that's not real freedom because he's the slave to his addiction right real freedom is being able to get off the heroin and real freed is being able to get off the Sun and and so the freest person for Augustine is the one whose will is the most confirmed in charity because their sphere of free good human action has opened up vastly more so he still has a very robust notion of freedom but it's a little bit more qualified more nuanced than in the 380s there you go David appreciate your call it's called a communion here on EWTN going now to Theresa in Philadelphia listening on her Alexa device hey there Theresa what's on your mind today about lately about this thing called the three days of darkness and I'm concerned about it we be concerned should we be going out getting our candles blast preparing in case it happens soon okay thanks I will give you my personal opinion this is the personal opinion of David Anderson okay you may take it or leave it you may throw this in the trash if you don't like what I say because I'm not the Pope right I'm just a little old me I would not be getting butch candles I would not even buy any extra batteries for my for my for my flashlight right and why do I say that right because this is not this is not something that is public revelation that Christ revealed it's not in sacred scripture it's not a sacred tradition it's based on private revelation that that some people have claimed it's not one that seems to have been particularly embraced by the Magisterium of the church by the bishop I mean I don't know any Catholic bishop that's running around telling people to load up on bless candles and you know and whatnot in anticipation of this thing so there's no theological authority not Scripture not revelation not the church's teaching authority that that indicates that I should take this seriously and it seems to me like a bunch of apocalyptic hocus-pocus and the kind of sort of paranoid conspiratorial thinking that have long associated cost the whole scope of Christian history with with disaffected people who feel somewhat alienated and put out and worried about the state of the world and and take refuge in apocalyptic fancy rather than digging down and doing the real work of serving the common good my private opinion sure and well labeled on your part by the way I Teresa thank you so much for your call we're going to wrap up here with an email and this is from Steve who says dr. Andrews what are some good sources that would offer reflection and a positive explanation against the idea of polygenism in the Bible I know that Pope Pius the 12th denies it in Humana generous but are there some other good sources giving more reflection on the accounts in Genesis that seemed to suggest polygenism yeah yeah yeah yeah thanks I appreciate the question so so Pius the 12th his encyclical Humana generous is really kind of the go-to Magisterial treatment of this question and and it and it's it's it's a little bit open-ended right I mean the Pope articulates the concern that that uh the polygenesis has a theory involved in a theory of human origins threatens the doctrine of original sin and the Adam Christ parallelism and sacred scripture and for that reason he suggests that Catholic theologians need to look elsewhere as a way to integrate the faith with what anthropology and biology revealed to us about human origins the the difficulty we have is there just seems to be an awful lot of genetic evidence for some kind of polygenism at least in the pre hominid you know the early hominid pre-adamite ancestors and and so many even quite orthodox and serious theologians who do not want a descent from the church in any respect have had to think pretty hard and and carefully about this question kenneth kemp is one that you might want to look up who has a fairly sophisticated article on how we can how we can blend 5/12 concerns about polygenism with what the scientific data seems to show Nick and our Austria Co Dominican theologian of the Eastern Province and the two mystic evolution website is another resource trying to thread that needle and good resource for easily accessible so that's what comes to mind all right very good thanks for those resources there and Steve hope that's helpful for you dr. David Andrews thank you my friend thanks Tom we do this program Monday through Friday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern right here on EWTN radio with an encore at 11:00 p.m. Eastern so if you missed it during the day catch it in the evening also a best-of called a communion on sundays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern and check it out the podcast anytime at ewtn radio dotnet on behalf of Charles Ryan and Jeff I'm Tom price along with dr. David Anders CR right here tomorrow on EWTN all the communion god bless hey oh this is father Mitch Pacwa open

Channel: EWTN

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Length: 54min 6sec (3246 seconds)

Published: Wed May 20 2020