Episode 88: Year B – 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details, both of which come from the Gospel reading for this upcoming 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, taken from John 6:1-15, which is John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. One detail, Jesus’ question to Philip, gives rise to the topic of the historical reliability of John and Luke’s Gospels. The second detail, the fragments picked up after the crowd ate, pertains to the Eucharist. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise?…

Episode 87: Year B – 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time  In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details in the readings for this upcoming 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. The first detail is found in the second reading, taken from Ephesians 2:13-18. The relevant apologetical topic is that we as Christians are no longer bound by the ceremonial precepts of the Old Covenant, which would include the Sabbath. The second detail is in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 6:30-34. The relevant topic, which isn’t all that apologetical in nature, is the Church’s teach…

Episode 86: Year B – 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focuse on three details in the readings for this upcoming 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, one of which comes from the second reading, taken from Ephesians 1: 3-14. The relevant apologetical topic is the gratuity of the initial grace of salvation. The other two details are found in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 6:7-13. The first detail has to do with the topic of Jesus’ authority over unclean spirits, which he gives to the apostles. The second detail is the report that th…

Episode 85: Year B – 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday of Catholic Word, we focus on one detail from the Gospel reading for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, taken from Mark 6:1-6—namely, the mention of Jesus’ brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude, along with his “sisters.” Obviously, the topic of concern is the Catholic belief of Mary’s perpetual virginity. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here …

Episode 84: Year B – 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we focus on three details for this upcoming Sunday Mass Readings. Two of the details come from the first reading, taken from Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24, and both have to do with theological questions concerning death—God’s causal relation to it, and its relation to the fall of Adam. The third detail is Jesus’ raising of Jairus’ daughter in the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 5:21-24, 35b-43, which is the shorter version that leaves out the story of the hemorrhaging woman. The apologetical topic is the historicity of the stor…

Episode 83: Year B – 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details from the second reading and Gospel reading that are relevant for doing apologetics. The detail in the second reading, taken from 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, is Paul’s teaching that in Christ we are a new creation. The topic that comes to fore here is the nature of justification as intrinsic righteousness. One of the details in the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 4:35-41, is Mark’s report of Jesus calming the winds and the sea. As we will see, when read in light of the Old T…

Episode 82: Year B – 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details in all, two of the three coming from the second reading, taken from 2 Corinthians 5:6-10. The relevant apologetical topics are Purgatory and the causal effect that our good works have on receiving eternal life at judgment. The third detail, found in the Gospel reading Mark 4:26-34, relates to the topic of Sacred Tradition. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podca…

Episode 81: Year B – 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we focus on two details found in the readings for this upcoming 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, both of which have to do with Mary. The first detail, found in the first reading, taken from Genesis 3:9-15, is the enmity that God promises to set between the devil and the “woman.” For Catholics, as we shall see, this relates to Mary’s freedom from sin: both original and personal. The other detail is found in the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 3:20-35, where Jesus seems to downplay the role of Mary by talking about who…

Episode 80: Year B – Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord In this episode, we focus on two details found in the first and second readings, along with the Gospel, for this upcoming Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, Year B. Both of them pertain to the Eucharist. The detail in the first reading, taken from Exodus 24:3-8, overlaps with the one detail in the Gospel that we’re going to focus on—“the blood of the covenant.” For the second reading, we focus on the teaching that Christ has entered the heavenly sanctuary with his blood once for all and its rel…

Episode 79: Year B – Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity In this episode, we confine ourselves to the Gospel reading for this upcoming Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B, taken from Matthew 28:16-20. There are several details that relate to a variety of apologetical topics, two of which deal specifically with this Sunday’s solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: The trinitarian formula for baptism and the revelation of the Trinity. The other apologetical topics that come to fore are the Sacrament of Reconciliation and apostolic succession. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catho…

Episode 78: Year B – Pentecost Sunday In this episode, we have the readings from Pentecost Sunday, Year B as our target for reflection. There are several details that we touch on. The first is the gift of “tongues” found in the first reading, taken from Acts 2:1-11. We will briefly touch on this detail given that we’ve already dealt with it for Pentecost Sunday, Year A. The other details, however, will be taken from the optional readings for the second reading, taken from Galatians 5:16-25, and the Gospel, taken from John 15:26-27; 16:12-15. The relevant apologetical topic for the option…

Episode 77: Year B – Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord In today’s episode, we reflect on several details found in the readings for this upcoming Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year B, that are relevant for doing apologetics. We’ve already had the opportunity to reflect on some of them for the Solemnity of the Ascension, Year A in episode 26 of the Sunday Catholic Word. The others, however, do not overlap with Year A due to the optional second reading from Ephesians 4:1-13 and a different Gospel, taken from Mark 16:15-20 The Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholi…

Episode 76: Year B – 6th Sunday of Easter There are three details that I want to focus on in the readings for this upcoming 6th Sunday of Easter, Year B. The first two come from the first reading, which recounts the event involving. Cornelius and his Gentile friends, taken from Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48. The apologetical topic that both details relate to is the Sacrament of Baptism. The third detail is found in the Gospel reading, taken from John 15:9-17. The topic that comes to the fore, like in last week’s Gospel, is the relationship that our good works have with our salvation. The R…

Episode 75: Year B – 5th Sunday of Easter There are three details that we focus on in the readings for this upcoming 5th Sunday of Easter, Year B. One detail comes from the second reading, taken from 1 John 3:18-24. The relevant topic is the role good works play in our salvation. The other two details are found in the Gospel reading, which taken from John 15:1-8. The apologetical topics that come to the fore are the Catholic interpretation of Jesus’ words “eat my flesh . . . drink my blood” in his Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 and the possibility for a Christian to lose the gift of s…

Episode 74: Year B – 4th Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday There are three details that we highlight in the readings for this upcoming 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, also called Good Shepherd Sunday. The first two details come from the first reading, taken from Acts 4:8-12. The relevant apologetical topics are Peter the Rock (and thus the Papacy) and Jesus’ divinity. The third detail is the major theme of the Gospel—Jesus the Good Shepherd. The passage is John 10:11-18. The apologetical topics that come to fore with this theme is Jesus’ divinity and Peter’s role as the first pope. …

Episode 73: Year B – 3rd Sunday of Easter There are four details that we focus on for this upcoming Sunday Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter. The first two come from the first reading, taken from Acts 3:13-15, 17-19. The relevant topics that come to fore are the early Church’s belief about Christ’s divinity and the Church’s teaching on invincible ignorance when it comes to sin. Details three and four are in the Gospel reading, taken from Luke 24:35-48. There are two apologetical topics that come into play: the bodily nature of Jesus’ resurrection and its significance for counter…

Episode 72: Year B – Divine Mercy Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details that are relevant for apologetics in this upcoming Divine Mercy Sunday readings. The first comes from the first reading, which is taken from Acts 4:32-35, where we’re told the early Christians didn’t claim any possessions to be his own but had everything in common. Of course, the relevant topic is whether this provides biblical justification for socialism. The remaining two details are taken from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 20:19-31. The relevant topics that we…

Episode 71: Year B – Easter Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on five details found in each of the readings for this upcoming Easter Sunday, Year B. The first detail comes from the first reading, taken from Acts 10:34a, 37-43, which is Peter’s testimony that they have witnessed the ministry of Jesus and his resurrection. The relevant apologetical topic is that Christian faith is not blind faith. The next two details are taken from each of the optional second readings, Colossians 3:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8. The relevant topics are the nature of justification…

Episode 70: Year B – Palm Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on nine details found in this upcoming Sunday Mass readings for Palm Sunday, Year B. The first two details come from the Gospel reading for the procession with palms, which is taken from Mark 11:1-10. The relevant apologetical topic is Jesus’ Messiahship. The next set of details come from the second reading, taken from Philippians 2:6-11. The relevant apologetical topics that arise with these details are Christ’s divinity and Christian universalism, the idea that all we will be saved in the end. The la…

Episode 69: Year B – 5th Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on five details from the readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Year B that relate to apologetics. The first two come from the second reading, which is taken from Hebrews 5:7-9. Each detail gives rise to questions concerning Christ’s perfection and the extent of his knowledge in his human nature. The remaining three details all come from the Gospel reading, taken from John 12:20-33. Two of the three don’t relate to any specific common apologetical topic. However, they do give rise to possible obje…

Episode 68: Year B – 4th Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, there are two details in the readings for this upcoming 4th Sunday of Lent, Year B that we’re going to focus on that are relevant for apologetical discussions. The first comes from the second reading, taken from Ephesians 2:4-10, and it relates to the important topic of the relationship between our good works and salvation. The second detail comes from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 3:14-21. The relevant topic there is the nature of the “eternal life” promised to those who believe, and whet…

Episode 67: Year B – 3rd Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, there are three details that we focus on. One comes from the first reading, taken from Exodus 20:1-17, which records God’s deliverance of the ten commandments. The related apologetical topic is having religious statues within our religious spaces. Another comes from the second reading, taken from 1 Corinthians 1:22-25, and it has to do with whether God approves of philosophical reasoning. Finally, the third detail comes from the Gospel reading, which is John’s report of Jesus’ overturning of the moneych…

Episode 66: Year B – 2nd Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details that come into play when engaging in apologetical discussions. The first two come from the first reading, which is taken from the story of Abraham’s offering of Isaac in Genesis 22:1-18. The relevant topics here are several. First, there’s the issue of whether it’s consistent with God’s goodness for him to will the death of an innocent human being and command someone to carry out that will. The others deal with the topic of justification—that it’s a process and works do justify.…

Episode 65: Year B – 1st Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on several details found in the second reading and Gospel reading that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first two come from the second reading, which is taken from 1 Peter 3:18-22. The relevant apologetical topics are the Sacrifice of the Mass, Purgatory, and the Sacrament of Baptism. The last three details are found in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 1:12-15, and the relevant topic is Jesus’ Messiahship. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look …

Episode 64: Year B – 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on several details found in all the readings for this upcoming 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. Unlike what we’ve seen in all the previous episodes of the Sunday Catholic Word, these details aren’t as directly related to apologetical discussions as the details in previous readings. But given that they’re related in some ways, it’s worth mentioning. The relevant topics that we’ll be discussing is the Sacrament of Confession, the New Testament ministerial priesthood, respect for the C…

Episode 63: Year B – 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two apologetical details found in the second reading and Gospel reading for this upcoming 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. The first detail is found in the second reading, which is taken from 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23. The relevant apologetical topic that we discuss is the idea of our participation in the saving work of Christ, which can be used to illuminate two apologetical topics: a) a proper understanding of the relation between the saints’ intercession and b) the unique m…

Episode 62: Year B – 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details that are relevant for doing apologetics. The first comes from the first reading, taken from Deuteronomy 18:15-20. The apologetical topic that comes to the fore is the intercession of the saints, and particularly the objection from necromancy. The second and third details come from the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 1:21-28, and it relates to Jesus’ divinity. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here   …

Episode 61: Year B – 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we’re going to focus on three details that are relevant to apologetics. The first comes from the first reading, which is taken from Jonah 3:1-5, 10. The related apologetical topic is God’s immutability (the doctrine that God can’t change). The other two details are in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Mark 1:14-20. The related apologetical topics are Jesus’ divinity and Messiahship. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here …

Episode 60: Year B – 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, the major apologetical topic that we focus on is Peter and the papacy. There are two details in the Gospel, taken from John 1:35-42, that enter this sort of discussion. The first is the fact that Andrew followed Jesus before Peter and the second is Jesus’ promise that Simon’s new name would be “Cephas.” Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday…

Episode 59: Year B – Epiphany of the Lord In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, I focus on several details that come from the Gospel reading for this upcoming Sunday’s feast, the Epiphany of the Lord. The Gospel is taken from Matthew 2:1-12. We’ve already talked about some of the details and challenges that arise from this text in episode 7 of the Sunday Catholic Word for Year A, the major one being issues surrounding the star. You can check out that episode for a treatment of those details. Here, we’re going to focus on other details that pertain to the historical reliability of …

Episode 58: Year B – Feast of Holy Family In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, I focus on five details that come from all three readings for this upcoming Feast of the Holy Family, Year B. The first detail is Abraham’s faith and the righteousness that is credited to him spoken of in the first reading option taken from Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3. When this detail is read in tandem with the second reading option taken from Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, and 17-19, the related apologetical topic that comes to the fore is justification and the idea that it’s not a one-time event in the past but ha…

4th Sunday of Advent, Year B In this episode of the Sunday Catholic word, we focus on two details in the Gospel reading for this upcoming 4th Sunday of Advent, which is taken from Luke 1:26-38. One of the two is read in tandem with the first reading, taken from 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16. The apologetical topic that it relates to is Jesus’ Messiahship. The other detail deals with the Blessed Mother, particularly her perpetual virginity.   Readings: Click Here   Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here   Hey everyone,   Welcome to The Su…

Episode 56: Year B – 3rd Sunday of Advent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details, two of which are found in the second reading, taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. The third detail is in the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 1:6-8, 19-28. The apologetical topics that the two details in the second reading relate to are the good of the charismata (charisms of the Holy Spirit) and the nature of the human person. The main topic that the Gospel reading relates to is Jesus as the Messiah. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? …

Episode 55: Year B – 2nd Sunday of Advent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details that pertain to apologetics. The first comes from the first reading, taken from Isa. 40:1-5, 9-11. Its apologetical significance comes to light when read in tandem with the Gospel reading, which is taken Mark 1:1-8. The apologetical topic that relates is Jesus’ divinity. The second detail comes from the second reading, taken from 2 Peter 3:8-14. The related topics there are predestination and Christian universalism. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandi…

Episode 54: Year B – 1st Sunday of Advent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we start a new Liturgical year, Year B. There are three details that we focus on for this upcoming First Sunday of Advent, each coming from a different reading. The detail from the first reading, taken from Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7, relates to the apologetical topic of the problem of God’s permission of sin. The detail from the second reading, taken from 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, is related. It deals with God’s freedom in distributing the grace of final perseverance. The detail from the Gospel, Mark 13…

Episode 53: Year A – Solemnity of Christ the King In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we end our apologetical reflections for Year A of the Sunday Mass readings with the Gospel reading for the Solemnity of Christ the King, taken from Matthew 25:31-46. We focus primarily on the Gospel reading. However, the apologetical value of some of the details can only be appreciated against the backdrop of the first reading, which is taken from Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17. So, we reflect on both the Gospel and the first reading in this episode and highlight details that relate to the topics of J…

Episode 52: Year A – 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on the Gospel reading alone, which is taken from Matthew 25:14-30. There are two details that relate to the apologetical topics of good works (and their relation to salvation) and the doctrine of Hell. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here   Hey everyone,   Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and de…

Episode 51: Year A – 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we focus on two details that are relevant for doing apologetics. The first comes from the second reading, which is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The relevant apologetical topic is the Rapture. The second detail comes from the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 25:1-13, and it relates to the apologetical topic of Hell. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here     Hey everyone,   Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the …

Episode 50: Year A – 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we spend our time focusing on two details found in the second and Gospel readings for this upcoming 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. The first detail comes from the second reading, which is taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13. The relevant apologetical topics are Sacred Tradition and the Protestant belief in Sola Scriptura—the belief that Scripture alone is our infallible rule of faith. The second detail, which is found in the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 23:1-12, relates to the Ca…

Episode 49: Year A – 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details that are relevant to apologetical discussions. Two of the four come from the first reading, which is taken from Exodus 22:20-26, and each deal with separate questions: whether God is a moral monster for killing people and whether charging interest on a loan is sinful. The other two details come from the Gospel reading, which for this 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A is Matthew 22:34-40. These details relate to two apologetical topics: the necessity for Christians to…

Episode 48: Year A – 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we do not focus so much on a particular detail that’s relevant for apologetical discussion. Rather, we focus on the whole exchange that takes place between Jesus and the Pharisees in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Matthew 22:15-21. The first reading, which is taken from Isaiah 45:1, 4-6, comes into play as well, but only in light of what’s going on in the Gospel. The relevant apologetical topic is Jesus’ divinity. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look …

Episode 47: Year A – 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details from the Mass readings for this upcoming 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. One of the three comes from the first reading, which is taken from Isaiah 25:6-10a. The remaining two come from the Gospel, which is taken from Matthew 22:1-14. The correlating apologetical topics include the problem of evil, the necessity of good works for salvation, and the reality of Hell. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here &nbsp…

Episode 46: Year A – 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one detail that arises from the Gospel reading for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, taken from Matthew 21:33-43—Jesus as the “cornerstone.” The relevant apologetical topic is Peter and the Papacy. The question of concern is whether the metaphor of the cornerstone applied to Jesus in this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading excludes Peter being the “rock” upon which Christ promises to build His Church in Matthew 16:18. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merch…

Episode 45: Year A – 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we focus on three details that arise from the first and second readings for this upcoming 26th Sunday of Ordinary Tiem, Year A. The apologetical topics that these details relate to are the problem of evil and the divinity of Jesus. The detail that pertains to the problem of evil comes from the first reading, which is taken from Ezekiel 18:25-28. The other two details both, both of which pertain to the Divinity of Jesus, come from the second reading, which is taken from Philippians 2:1-11. Readings: Click Here Looking for …

Episode 44: Year A – 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details that are relevant for apologetical discussions, each of which are found in the first reading, taken from Isaiah 55:6-9, the second reading, taken from Philippians 1:20-24, 27a, and the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 20:1-16a. The detail from the first reading relates to the problem of evil. The detail from the second reading relates to the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. The third detail relates to two different apologetical topics: the issue of deathbed conversion…

Episode 43: Year A – 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time   In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one apologetical topic. We will be focusing on our duty to forgive offenses committed against us. …

Episode 42: Year A – 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details that are relevant for doing apologetics. One is found in the second reading, which is taken from Romans 13:8-10. The relevant topic is capital punishment and lethal self-defense. The second is found in Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel, which is taken from Matthew 18:15-20, and relates to the nature of the Church as a visible and hierarchical society. Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here   Speaker 1: This is the …

Episode 41: Year A – 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode, we focus on three details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first of the three comes from the second reading, which is taken from Romans 12:1-2. The relevant apologetical topics are the relation that our good works have to Christ’s sufficient work on the cross and our final salvation and the nature of our justification as interior righteousness. The other two details come from the Gospel, which is taken from Matthew 16:21-27. The apologetical topics that come to the fore there are, again, the relation of good wo…

Episode 40: Year A – 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one detail that’s relevant to apologetics: the keys of the Kingdom of heaven given to Peter, which is found in the Gospel reading for this upcoming 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, taken from Matthew 16:16-20. Many familiar with apologetical discussions know that this detail relates to the Papacy. Many also know that its relevance to the Papacy becomes especially clear when this detail is read within the interpretative context of Isaiah 22:15-22, some of which (vv.19-23) is the first r…

Episode 39: Year A – 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we going to focus on five details found in all the Mass readings for this upcoming 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. One detail comes from the first reading, taken from Isaiah 56:1, 6-7. Three come from the second reading, which is taken from Romans 11:13-15, 29-32. The fifth detail comes from the Gospel reading, which is Matthew’s record of Jesus’ exchange with the Canaanite woman who requests that He exorcize her demonically possessed daughter, found in Matthew 15:21-28. There is a host o…

Episode 38: Year A – 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details found in this upcoming Sunday Mass readings. One detail comes from the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 9, verses 1-5. The other three come from the Gospel, which is taken from Matthew 14:22-33. The relevant apologetical topics for the three details in the Gospel are the Historical Reliability of the Gospels, Jesus’ Divinity, and the reality of Christ’s human nature. The detail in the second reading doesn’t have any relevance for apologetics.…

In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details relevant for apologetical discussions found in the first reading and the Gospel for this upcoming Sunday’s Feast of the Transfiguration. The topics that these details relate to are Jesus’ Divinity and the intercession of the saints. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080623.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass r…

In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on a total of five details that come from the three readings for this upcoming 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. The first detail comes from the first reading, which is taken from 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12. The relevant topic there is the Divinity of Jesus. The two details that come from the second reading, taken from Romans 8:28-30, relate to the problem of evil and the mystery of predestination. The problem of evil is also tied to one of the two details that we highlight in the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 13:44-46. Like last week’s Gos…

Episode 35: Year A – 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus solely on Jesus’ parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat found in the Gospel reading for this upcoming 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, which is taken from Matthew 13:24-30, and 36-43. There are two apologetical topics that this parable gives us opportunity to focus on: the reality of Hell and the problem of evil. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072323.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-mercha…

Episode 34: Year A – 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we zero in on three details in the readings for this upcoming 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. The first two come from the second reading, taken from Romans 8:18-23. The relevant apologetical topic that each relate to, though in different ways, is the problem of evil. The third detail is basically the whole of the Gospel reading, which is Jesus’ parable about the Sower and the seed in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. The relevant apologetical topic that I will draw out is the possibility that Christ…

Episode 33: Year A – 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we highlight four details that are relevant for doing apologetics from the readings for this upcoming 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. Two of them, which have to do with the bodily nature of Christ’s resurrection and the possibility for Christians forfeiting the gift of salvation, comes from the second reading, taken from Romans 8:9, 11-13. The other two come from the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 11:25-30. The apologetical topics that arise out of the Gospel reading are the Historica…

Episode 32: Year A – 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details that are relevant to explaining and defending the Faith. The first comes from the second reading, which is taken from Rom 6:3-4, 8-11, and the relevant topics are the salvific efficacy of Baptism and the nature of justification. The remaining two details come from the Gospel reading, which is taken from Matthew 10:37-42, and the relevant topics are Jesus’ Divinity and the authority of the apostles. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070223.cfm Looking for…

Episode 31: Year A – 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first, which deals with the topic of original sin, comes from the second reading, taken from Romans 5:12-15. The remaining three details come from the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 10:26-33, and deal with the topics of the General Judgment, Salvation, the Divinity of Jesus, the immortality of the soul after death, and the general resurrection. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062523.cfm Looking for Sunday …

Episode 30: Year A – 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first comes from the first reading, taken from Exodus 19:2-6a, and is relevant to discussions about the New Covenant ministerial priesthood. The second detail is found in the Gospel reading, which is taken from Matthew 9:36-10:8. The apologetical topic that it relates to is the Papacy. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061823.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic…

Episode 29: Year A – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we reflect on the readings for this upcoming Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. There are two details that we focus on. The first comes from both the first reading (taken from Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a) and the Gospel (taken from John 6:51-58)—namely, the revelation that the Eucharist is the New Manna. The second detail, Paul’s teaching on participation in the body and blood of the Lord, comes from the second reading, which is taken from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. Rea…

Episode 28: Year – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, which deals with the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we focus on three details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first two are specific to the Solemnity and the other is not. Concerning the ones that are specific to the solemnity, one of them—God’s name as “I Who I Am” or “He Who Is”—comes from the first reading, which is taken from Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9. The other, which is Jesus’s clear distinction between Himself and the Father, comes from the Gospel, whi…

Episode 27: Year A – Pentecost Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first reading, which is taken from Acts 2:1-11 (Luke’s account of the Spirit descending upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost), gives us our first detail: the gift of tongues. The second reading, taken from 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13, has two details that give us opportunity to reflect on the salvific value of the Sacrament of Baptism and, again, the gift of tongues. Finally, the Gospel reading, taken from John 20:19-23, deals with the Sac…

Episode 26: Year A – The Ascension of the Lord In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on five details that come each of the readings for the Ascension of the Lord, Year A, which for most dioceses in the United States was transferred from May 18th to this Sunday, May 21st. The topics that these details highlight are as follows: Jesus’ resurrection, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and its relation to the Sacrament of Confirmation, Jesus’s Messiahship, Jesus’ Divinity, and the trinitarian formula for the Sacrament of Baptism. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/05…

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details that come from the readings for this upcoming Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A. The first detail, which comes from the first reading from Acts 8:5-8, 14-17, pertains to the Sacrament of Confirmation. The two details found in the second reading, which is taken from 1 Pt 3:15-18, provide an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the apologetics ministry itself and the moral principle that we should never do evil to bring about a good. The last detail that we reflect on is found in the Gospel, …

5th Sunday of Easter In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two details that come from the first and second readings for this upcoming Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A. The first reading is taken Acts 6:1-7 and the second is taken from 1 Peter 2:4-9. Both details touch on the topic of the Sacrament of Holy Orders—the order of the diaconate and the order of the priesthood. The Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! Click Here Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass rea…

Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and defending our Catholic faith. I’m Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and the host for this podcast. In this episode, we’re going to focus on a total of five details that come from all three readings. They relate to several different apologetical topics: the spiritual efficacy of the Sacrament of baptism, the nature of justification, the intercession of the saints, and the Eucharist. THE F…

Episode 22: Year A – Third Sunday of Easter In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on three details in the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A. The first detail is Peter’s speech on the Day of Pentecost, which makes up the first reading from Acts 2:14, 22-23. This corresponds to the apologetical topic of the Papacy. The second detail, coming from the second reading (1 Peter 1:17-25), is Peter’s comment about God judging us according to our works, which, of course, relates to the topic of salvation and the relationship that good works have with it. The third det…

Episode 21: Year A – Divine Mercy Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, Karlo focuses on three details that are relevant to discussions concerning Socialism, the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Sacrament of Confession. The details come from each of the readings for this upcoming Divine Mercy Sunday. The first detail is Luke’s reference to the early Christians holding all things in common, which is taken from the first reading in Acts 2:42-47. The second detail is Peter’s statement in the second reading, which is taken from 1 Peter 1:3-9, that we are born anew through the resu…

Episode 20: Year A – Easter Vigil In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus specifically on the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil Mass because it relates directly to the solemnity that we celebrate this upcoming Sunday, the Resurrection of our Lord. The passage comes from Matthew 28:1-10. We pick out five details in the narrative that skeptics point to as evidence that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection aren’t trustworthy. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040823.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.…

Episode 19: Year A – Palm Sunday In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on five details found in the opening Gospel and second reading for this upcoming Palm Sunday, Year A. For the Gospel, we stick with the Gospel reading (Matthew 21:1-11) for the procession with palms at the beginning of Mass since it specifically relates to Palm Sunday. The second reading comes from Philippians 2:6-11. The apologetical topics that the details relate to are the historical reliability of the Gospels and the divinity of Jesus. Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040223.cfm Loo…

Episode 18: Year A – Fifth Sunday of Lent In this episode of The Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on several details found in the Gospel and second reading for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Year A. The story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45 and Paul’s teaching on “the flesh” in Romans 8:8-11 equips us with tools needed to engage in conversations about the problem of evil, soul-sleep objections, the Eucharist, Jesus’ resurrection, the doctrine of the resurrection in general, the divinity of Jesus, and the historical reliability of the Bible. The Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/re…

Episode 17: Year A – Fourth Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on five details in the Liturgy of the Word for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A. Four of the five come from the Gospel reading, which, for the long version, is taken from John 9:1-41 (the short version is verses 1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38). It’s the story of the blind man whom Jesus healed by applying mud mixed with His spit and telling him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The fifth apologetical detail is taken from the second reading, which is Ephesians 5:8-14. The apologetical themes covered in this …

Episode 16: Year A–Third Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we’re going to focus on five details present in the Liturgy of the Word for the 3rd Sunday of Lent that are relevant for doing apologetics. Four of the five come from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 4:5-42. These four details are connected to several different apologetical themes: Catholic rituals in worship, the divinity of the Holy Spirit, the incorporeality of God, the male only priesthood, and the Eucharist. The fifth detail comes from the second reading, which is taken from Romans 5:1-2…

Episode 15: Year A–Second Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we’re going to focus on two details present in the readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent (Year A) that are relevant for doing apologetics, particularly with our Protestant brothers and sisters. The first detail is Jesus’ communication with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, which comes from the Gospel reading taken from Matthew 17:1-9. The second detail is Paul’s teaching on the gift of salvation being given independent of our works, which is found in the second reading taken from 2 Timothy…

Episode 14: Year A–First Sunday of Lent In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one apologetical theme: original sin. The second reading for this upcoming First Sunday of Lent (Year A), which comes from Romans 5:12-19, gives us opportunity to provide biblical evidence for this dogma of faith. The Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022623.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcom…

Year A–Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time The Gospel reading for this upcoming Sunday Mass for the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, comes from Matthew 5:38-48. There’s one detail in it that we focus on in this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word: Jesus’s instruction to turn the other cheek. This teaching is often interpreted to mean that we as Christians must never defend ourselves. But as we argue in this episode such an interpretation is wrong. The Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! SCW Merchandise Hey everyone, Welcome to The Sunday …

Year A-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on one detail that comes from the Gospel reading for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, which, in its long version, is taken from Matthew 5:17-37. The key detail that’s relevant for apologetics is Jesus’ statement that the individual will “be put in prison” and “will never get out till [he has] paid the last penny.” As we argue in this episode, this “prison” is a reference to purgatory. The Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! SCW Merchandise   H…

Episode 11: Year A—Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we look at three details in this upcoming Sunday Mass readings that are relevant for apologetical discussions. The details that come from the Gospel, which is Matthew 5:13-16, are Jesus’ teaching about “salt losing its flavor” and Christians being “the light of the world.” The third apologetical detail, which is Paul’s deemphasis of human wisdom, comes from the second reading, which is taken from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. The Readings: Click Here Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no furthe…

Episode 10: Year A–Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we look at two details that have relevance to doing apologetics. The first, which is Jesus’ teaching on poverty in spirit and purity in heart, comes from the Gospel reading, which is the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12a. The other, which is Paul’s teaching on the “righteousness of Christ,” comes from the second reading, which is 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Both details have to do with the of nature of justification. The Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012923.cfm Looking for Sunday Cath…

Episode 9: Year A–Third Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we look at five details that have some connection to doing apologetics. Four of the five come from the Gospel, which is Matthew 4:12-23, and one from the second reading, which is 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. The five details are: 1) Jesus and the fulfillment of the Isaian prophecy from 8:23-9:3, 2) the non-narrative attestation to the healing ministry of Jesus, 3) the residence of Peter and Andrew, 4) Jesus’ meeting with Peter and Andrew, and 5) the factions within the Corinthian Church. The Readings: …

Episode 8: Year A–Second Sunday of Ordinary Time In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we look at the Gospel and second reading for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A. Of the three apologetical details that we’re going to look at, two of them—the images of “water and spirit” and the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”—come from the Gospel, which is John 1:29-34. The third detail—Paul’s use of “saints”—comes from the second reading, which is 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. The Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011523.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no fu…

Year A–Epiphany of the Lord This upcoming Sunday is the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Consequently, the readings are selected to match this feast. In this episode, we’re going to focus solely on some challenges that pertain to the Gospel reading taken from Matthew 2:1-12, where Matthew narrates the story of the Magi and the star. Of the two challenges that we will consider, one of them pertains to the star itself and the other to the journey that the Magi make. The Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010823.cfm Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no furth…

Mary Mother of God, Year A: In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on the second reading for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, which is Galatians 4:4-7, and show how it provides biblical evidence for the belief that Mary is the Mother of God. We also go outside the readings for this feast and look at the key biblical passage that the Church has looked to throughout history for biblical support of Mary’s divine motherhood: Luke 1:43. Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday Speaker 1: This is …

The Nativity of Our Lord/ Midnight Mass, Year A In this episode of the Sunday Catholic word, we reflect on the Gospel reading for the Midnight Christmas Mass. The lectionary prescribes different readings for the different Christmas Masses: Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Christmas day. Since the Midnight Mass deals with the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, and it has the most details that are relevant for doing apologetics, we focus on the Gospel reading for the Midnight Mass, which comes from Luke 2:1-14. We address two objections that skeptics pose to us as Christians, one of which pertains to Lu…

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two apologetical themes found in the Liturgy of the Word for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A. The first theme, the perpetual virginity of Mary, comes up in the Gospel reading, which is Matthew 1:18-24. The second theme is the nature of justification as intrinsic righteousness and is found in the second reading from Romans 1:1-7. Speaker 1: This is the Sunday Catholic Word, a production of Catholic Answers. The only podcast to look at the Sunday mass readings from an apologetics perspective. Karlo Brou…

Third Sunday of Advent, Year A In this episode of The Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four apologetical themes that all arise out of the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Advent (Year A), which is taken from Matthew 11:2-11. The four themes are as follows: 1) the Messiahship of Jesus, 2) the divinity of Jesus, 3) the historicity of the “messenger” text, and 4) the greatness of John the Baptist in relation to the Blessed Virgin. Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday Speaker 1: This is the Sunday Ca…

Second Sunday of Advent, Year A In this episode of The Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four apologetical themes that appear in the Liturgy of the Word for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A: 1) The divinity of Jesus; 2) The nature of Christian baptism; 3) Hell; and 4) The importance of good works once we’re converted. All four themes come from the Gospel reading from Matthew 3:1-12. Looking for Sunday Catholic Word Merchandise? Look no further! https://shop.catholic.com/catholic-answers-merchandise/?q=sunday   Voiceover: This is the Sunday Catholic Word, a production of Catholic Answe…

First Sunday of Advent, Year A: In this episode of The Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on two apologetical themes that arise out of the Liturgy of the Word for the First Sunday of Advent, Year A. The first is the so-called rapture doctrine (at least the pre-tribulation version of it), which comes up in the Gospel reading from Matthew 24:37-44. The second is the doctrine of “once saved, always saved,” which the second reading from Romans 13:11-14 gives us an opportunity to talk about. Readings …