For thousands of years, Catholics used to celebrate Christmas communally with processions, public gatherings, pilgrimages, etc. But in America, especially over the last 50-100 years, Christmas traditions have become private,…
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Traditional Catholic Christmas Celebrations (#291)
Greg shares an update on what's been going on behind the scenes and where the podcast is going next. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: cons…
Lords a leaping? Maids a milking? Partridges in pear trees? What's the "12 Days of Christmas" and what does it have to do with Catholicism? Greg and Ed explain why Catholic Christmas lasts 12 days and what happens during the…
The Catholic Church, through Pope Francis, has declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year, a Year of Mercy. The faithful are invited to travel to Rome, or to their local cathedral, and walk through a special door to receive an indul…
Every year on December 12, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patron saint of Mexico and dear to the Mexican people, but also the patron of the Americas. Her story, miracle, and rel…
Every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ed asks what this doctrine means and why it matters so very much. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism…
Every year at this time, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. What is this celebration, and why did the Church adopt it only 100 years ago? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Websit…
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What is the "Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe?" (#283)
Catholics talk about the "Sacred Heart of Jesus." There are images, paintings, and devotional prayers dedicated to it, and Pope Francis just released a 30,000 word encyclical about it. To Protestants or American Evangelicals…
The most sobering and somber subject in Christianity is Hell. Greg and Ed discuss what it is and why some souls end up there. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcat…
The Catholic Church teaches that in addition to Heaven and Hell, there is a third possible destination for a soul upon death: Purgatory. Protestants reject this, but most don't really understand what Purgatory is and why it …
In this first of three episodes on the "Last Things," Greg and Ed explore what heaven is, and is probably not, like. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.…
Ed asks Greg how the Catholic liturgy evolved. Was the worship of the early Church more informal and unstructured? When did all the complex parts and pieces of the mass get added? Greg explains that the premise of the questi…
Recently, Ed went to a Protestant Evangelical funeral, which was more of a "celebration of life." He asks Greg if Catholic funerals are different. Why and how? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! W…
For secular folks this is Halloween, for Catholics it's the eve of All Saints Day, but for Protestants it's Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his complaints against the Catholic Church to a cathedral door in Germany…
Last year, Greg and Ed talked about Halloween. Since it's coming up, we thought it's worth revisiting the conversation. Can Christians participate? Are its origins really in the Catholic Church incorporating pagan Celtic rit…
If, as we say in the Nicene Creed, the Catholic Church is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church," what about those outside of it? Can they be saved and go to heaven? Greg and Cory explain what the Church teaches. Sup…
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Is There Salvation Outside of the Catholic Church? (#276)
Recently, Pope Francis made some headlines by saying that religions are like languages, each trying to express something about God in its own way. A lot of people, including many of our listeners, were confused and asked wha…
One of the Catholic Church's seven sacraments is Anointing of the Sick. It used to be called "last rites" or "extreme unction," but the new name more accurately describes the sacrament. What is it? What's does it accomplish?…
When it comes to theological errors, there's nothing new under the sun. There are only so many ways to fall off the tightrope of orthodox Catholic doctrines, and in every era the same mistakes get repeated under new names by…
Protestantism is built upon "Five Solas." "Sola" is Latin for "alone," and so the battle cry of the Reformation became: Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone"), Sola Fide ("Faith Alone"), Sola Gratia ("Grace Alone"), Solus Christ…
Several years ago, one of the first conversations between Greg and Ed the Protestant was about the Catholic sacrament of Confession (or Reconciliation as the Church calls it). We've had a lot of listeners asking about confes…
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From the Vault: Explaining Confession to a Protestant
Greg and Ed continue their conversation about those who say they are spiritual but not religious. What exactly does that mean? And why does Greg say that he's religious because he's spiritual? Support this ministry so more p…
