Episodes

After four years of raw, honest conversations, Ed the Protestant returns with big news that longtime listeners have been praying for and waiting to hear. What started as burnout on modern church life in episode #8 has led to a profound shift—one that changes everything for Ed and challenges all of us to count the cost of following Christ fully. Greg and Ed unpack the weight of real commitment, the ontological reality of the sacraments, why Catholicism feels “more real” than anything else, and th...

Ever feel completely done with church—burnt out, over it, ready to sleep in on Sundays and call it quits on the whole evangelical scene? You're not alone. In this raw, honest conversation, Greg and his longtime Protestant friend Ed open up about hitting that wall after decades in the contemporary American church world: the constant cultural chasing, overstimulation, theological flip-flops, leadership chaos, and guilt-driven busyness that left them both exhausted and questioning if church was eve...

Greg unpacks the often-misunderstood practice of asceticism—the spiritual training of saying "no" to ourselves so we can say a bigger "yes" to God. Far from misery or earning salvation, Lent's self-denial (fasting, giving things up) is biblical discipline, modeled by Jesus in the desert and echoed throughout Scripture, that builds freedom, self-mastery, and deeper union with Christ. Greg contrasts this ancient Christian heartbeat—alive in Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and early traditions—with its nea...

Greg sits down with his longtime Protestant friend Ed to tackle one of the biggest hurdles for many coming from evangelical backgrounds: the Sacrament of Confession (or Penance and Reconciliation). Ed shares his lifelong comfort—and unease—with keeping sins "just between me and God," while Greg explains how the priest acts in persona Christi (in the person or place of Christ) with the authority Christ gave to Peter and the Church to bind and loose, offering not just advice but true absolution. T...

In this follow-up conversation with Cory, we unpack why you can walk into one Catholic parish and experience a reverent, chant-filled Mass with Latin elements, then go to another and hear contemporary music or a more conversational style—yet both are fully valid Catholic Masses. We explain the Roman Missal (the "script" of the Mass), the difference between the unchanging Ordinary and the variable Propers, the legitimate options priests have (like different forms of the Penitential Rite or Euchar...

In this conversation with Cory, we dive into the practical side of Catholic life: where you can actually go to attend Mass. We start with the basics—your local territorial parish—and then explore all the other valid options, from oratories at monasteries and religious houses, to campus chapels, military chapels, mission churches in rural or underserved areas, and even parishes that serve specific ethnic or cultural communities. Whether you're in OCIA, a curious non-Catholic, or a cradle Catholic...

Ever heard someone shrug off a clear Church teaching by saying, “Well, Jesus never said that”? It’s a line that’s been used for centuries to challenge Catholic doctrines, practices, and now even basic moral truths. In this snapshot episode, Greg takes on the argument head-on—whether it’s Protestants questioning sacraments, liturgy, or the priesthood, or (more alarmingly) some Catholics and clergy using it to defend things like homosexual acts or gay marriage. Jesus didn’t give an exhaustive rule...

In the second part of this two-episode series, Greg moves from the initial Profession of Faith to the lifelong Catholic posture of religious submission of intellect and will to the Church’s authentic magisterium on matters of faith and morals. Drawing from forty years of ministry experience, he contrasts the deepening crisis of trust and doctrinal fragmentation in Protestantism with the stability offered by a divinely protected Church that demands—and deserves—trust. Using G.K. Chesterton’s insi...

In the first part of this two-episode series on trusting the Church, Greg walks listeners through the solemn Profession of Faith that candidates make when entering full communion with the Catholic Church—usually right before Confirmation at the Easter Vigil or a regular Mass. He explains the exact words spoken (“I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God”) and why this public, sacramental vow carries the weight of a marriage pro...

In this episode of our “OCIA: The Bridge to Rome” series, Greg takes listeners on a journey through the Stations of the Cross, sharing his unforgettable experience praying them on Jerusalem's Via Dolorosa at dawn amid echoing Muslim calls to prayer. He explores the devotion's rich history from early Christian pilgrimages and St. Helena's discoveries to Franciscan popularization and St. John Paul II's biblical alternative, detailing each of the fourteen traditional stations with their scriptural ...

Get ready for something brand new on the Considering Catholicism Podcast! On Sunday, February 15 at 7:00 PM Eastern, we’re launching our first-ever live livestream webinar — and you’re invited. Here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/ConsideringCatholicism/events/150105481 In this exclusive Patron-only event, we’ll follow Egeria, the incredible 4th-century Spanish woman who crossed empires to pray at Mount Sinai, the burning bush site, and Holy Week in Jerusalem. Her diary reveals a hierarchic...

This “OCIA: The Bridge to Rome episode,” explains the Lenten practices of scrutinies and dismissals for those preparing for Catholic initiation. Drawing from the OCIA ritual and early Church tradition, he explores how dismissals restore ancient discipline for reflecting on God's Word, and scrutinies (with their minor exorcism prayers) offer healing deliverance from sin's influence for the unbaptized elect, tied to transformative Gospels. Reassuring and reflective, this monologue addresses common...

In this installment of our "OCIA: The Bridge to Rome" series, we look at Lent—the Catholic Church's 40-day season of preparation for Easter. Drawing from Scripture, the Catechism, and early Church history (from pre-Nicene fasts to Nicaea's formalization), Greg explores its biblical foundations in Christ's desert temptation, distinctive practices like Ash Wednesday, Stations of the Cross, liturgical shifts to penance, Friday fish fries, and Mardi Gras origins. He addresses "giving things up" as d...

The Hundred Years’ War split Catholic Europe, with popes and bishops backing different sides in a brutal conflict between England and France. A teenage peasant girl named Joan followed voices she believed were from God telling her to fight for her occupied homeland — even when that put her at odds with churchmen allied with the English. Tried and burned by an ecclesiastical court, she appealed to the pope and died clutching a crucifix. Twenty-five years later the Church declared the trial invali...

In 1302 a devout lay Catholic was sentenced to death by a papal legate for refusing to surrender his city’s freedom to foreign control. He spent his life in exile, wrote the Divine Comedy, placed popes in Hell for political corruption — and died in full communion, now praised by recent popes as a gift to the Church. Part 2 shows how Dante distinguished the divine office of Peter from fallible political decisions, defended patriotism as a Christian virtue, and gives today’s Catholics clear permis...

What do faithful Catholics do when the Vatican’s diplomatic choices seem to conflict with love of country or local sovereignty? It’s not a new question. For 150 years the popes formed a strategic alliance with the rising superpower France, invited French armies into Italy, and branded resisting Catholic cities as disobedient. Even the young St. Francis rode out on the pro-papal side. Part 1 of a calm, historical look at one of the longest tensions in Catholic life. SUPPORT THIS SHOW Considering...

Greg and Ed the Protestant explore a tension many feel today—does belonging to the truly universal ("catholic") Church mean we have to downplay or even apologize for loving our particular homeland, culture, and people? Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas's teaching about patria (fatherland) and the virtue of piety, the Incarnation of Christ in a specific time and place, and their own experiences traveling the world, they argue that authentic Catholicism doesn't erase our rootedness in a particular pl...

Greg and Cory dive into "the Filioque clause"—those three controversial words ("and the Son") added to the Nicene Creed in the West—and explores why it became a flashpoint for the Great Schism of 1054. Triggered by Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to Nicaea (ancient Nicea) for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, they break down the famous triangle diagrams illustrating Eastern and Western views of the Trinity, the "monarchy of the Father," papal authority, and whether this ancient divide...

In this installment of the "OCIA: The Bridge to Rome" series, Greg explores Catholic moral teaching, starting with the shared love of the Ten Commandments across Christian traditions. He then unpacks what sets Catholicism apart: natural law as God's design knowable by reason, rejecting total depravity for a wounded-yet-redeemable human nature, distinctions in sin (mortal vs. venial, temptation vs. consent), the telos of acts, absolute moral norms, and virtue empowered by grace. Perfect for OCIA ...

In this episode of the OCIA: The Bridge to Rome series, we dive into the Catholic liturgical calendar—what it is, how it works, and why it matters for anyone exploring the faith. Discover how the Church sanctifies time through seasons like Advent, Lent, and Easter, unfolding the mysteries of Christ's life year after year. Perfect for OCIA participants as a supplement, curious non-Catholics previewing the rhythm of Catholic life, or cradle Catholics seeking a refresher to share with others. We'll...

In Part 2 of our conversation, Jacob opens up about the final stretch of his road to Rome—approaching the Tiber with an 80% conviction, navigating the challenges of a supportive but non-converting spouse, and raising young children in a spiritually divided household. He reflects candidly on the RCIA (now OCIA) experience: the intellectual satisfaction of answered questions, the paradoxical beauty of surrendering the intellect in trust, and the initial spiritual unease that gave way to profound p...

Greg introduces Jacob, a 34-year-old software engineer (working in AI), husband, and father of soon-to-be-four who's recently come into the Catholic Church after a rich intellectual and spiritual journey from evangelical Protestantism. Jacob shares how reading the early Church Fathers, St. John Henry Newman, and even deep mystical works like St. Teresa of Ávila's Interior Castle gradually broke down his skepticism and drew him forward through beauty, truth, and the living tradition of the Church...

As New Year's Eve approaches and many of us think about resolutions, we're pulling a classic episode from the vault: "Our Duty to Improve." In this candid conversation recorded a few years ago, Greg and Ed the Protestant reflect on a question that's both practical and deeply doctrinal: Does God expect us to become better versions of ourselves? Drawing from Scripture (like the Parable of the Talents), the idea of stewardship, and their own experiences in evangelical and Catholic circles, they c...

Most of us flip to January 1 without a second thought, but that date only works because Pope Gregory XIII fixed a 1,600-year drift in the old Roman calendar. The problem wasn’t just inconvenience—it threw Easter off by ten days, threatening the Church’s ability to celebrate Christ’s resurrection on the right Sunday. Gregory convened Jesuit astronomers, skipped ten days in 1582, and gave the world a calendar accurate to within a day every 3,300 years. Far from opposing science, the Church led it,...