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"phatcatholic apologetics" is a blog devoted to defending and explaining the Catholic faith via Q&A's, debates, tracts, papers, and an extensive collection of links to the best Catholic resources on the internet.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'questions and answers'
Catholic Q&A: Part 6
Here is a recent batch of questions that I answered in the "Catholicism" category at WikiAnswers. Also see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.Which days other than Sundays are Catholic obliged to attend Mass?Besides Sundays, Catholics are also obliged to attend...
What Are the "O Antiphons"?
An antiphon is a short verse from a psalm or other usually biblical source that is chanted (or at least recited) before and/or after a psalm. The O Antiphons are the antiphons chanted during the Octave of Christmas, the seven days before Christmas Ev...
Mt 24:40-41: The "Rapture", or Something More?
What does Jesus mean when he says that, when the “Son of man” comes, “two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left” (Mt 24:40-41)? Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind ...
What’s the difference between nondenominational churches and the Catholic Church?
Nondenominational churches (as their name suggests) are not affiliated with any particular denomination. This means that there is nothing distinctive about their theology or their governance that aligns them with any particular denomination. The Cat...
Catholic Q&A: Part 4
Here is a recent batch of questions that I answered in the "Catholicism" category at WikiAnswers. Also see Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.What are the material signs of a sacrament?The material signs of a sacrament are those elements of the sacrament tha...
Catholic Q&A: Part 3
Here is a recent batch of questions that I answered in the "Catholicism" category at WikiAnswers. Also see Part 1 and Part 2.What is proper behavior in a Catholic church both before and after Mass?One should act reverently in a Catholic church both b...
Catholic Q&A: Part 1
Here is a recent batch of questions that I answered in the "Catholicism" category at WikiAnswers. I do this from time to time because I think it's good to get the right information out there when it comes to the Catholic Church, and because it also s...
How to Read the Bible
Should the Bible be taken literally? Is any of it metaphor?Well, it depends. Besides the literal sense of Scripture there is also a spiritual sense. This in turn is divided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. Each one brings a differe...
Defending the Book of Maccabees
A friend recently told me that the Book of Maccabees shouldn’t be in the Bible because it has prayers for the dead in it. How should I respond to that?There are a handful of books in the Catholic bible that are not included in Protestant bibles. Th...
Mary\'s Fiat and Magnificat
I always hear people speak of Mary’s “fiat” and her “magnificat.” What are these things?Mary’s fiat is found in Lk 1:38. It is her “yes” to God, which she declared once the Angel explained to her that she would conceive a son by the p...
What Is a Prophet?
In the Old Testament, a prophet was someone who brought the word of God to the people by the power of the Holy Spirit. “He has spoken through the prophets,” as we say in the Nicene Creed. Sixteen books in the Old Testament (the “prophetic books...
Why Do Catholics Believe in Sacred Tradition?
Well, basically, Catholics commit themselves to the Sacred Tradition of the Church because it is out of this Tradition that Scripture came, because Scripture itself recommends and confirms this Tradition, and because nothing in Scripture says that th...
What Is Transubstantiation?
Transubstantiation is what takes place in the Mass when the bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It is basically a way of explaining how the change from "bread" to "Jesus" takes place. In transubstantiation, the ...
A Catholic Assurance of Salvation
A member of the Holy Culture forum recently asked me the following questions:Is it true that the Roman Catholic Church believes that a person isn't saved until after their life on earth is finished? The reason I ask that is because I think it means m...
When We Go to Heaven, Will We See God Face to Face?
Indeed we will. Theologians call this the "Beatific Vision." Scripture says that the angels already behold the face of God:"See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my ...
Is All Sin Equal in God's Eyes?
Most Protestants reject the Catholic distinction between mortal and venial sin, asserting instead that all sin is equal in the eyes of God. To me, that amounts to saying that the sin of a child who doesn't take the garbage out like he is told is the ...
Catholic and Protestant Teaching on Matrimony
What does the Catholic Church teach regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage? How does the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage, divorce, and remarriage differ from some protestant denominations teaching on this subject?The Catholic Church teach...
On Biblical Saints and Canonized Saints
How does one become a saint within the Catholic Church? How do you biblically separate saints from regular Christians, particularly since to many Protestants it would seem that sainthood is bestowed by the pope who is a man. Finally, is sainthood onl...
How Can Jesus Be the Only Way if Mary is the Coredemptrix?
The word "coredemptrix" means "woman with the redeemer." She stood beside her Son as He gave up his life for mankind. She did not fight for his life to be spared or resist in any way what had to be done. Instead, as one who committed no sin and who k...
How to Go to Heaven
I recently answered the following two questions in my Q&A thread at the Holy Culture forum:If somebody walked up to you on the street and asked you for everything they need to do to go to heaven, what do you tell them?I'd tell him that he needed a sa...
Hail Mary and Holy Mediums
Before I explain the interesting title for this post, I need to give some background info.Any veterans of my blog will recall that back in '06 and '07, a large amount of my blog content came from Q&A's and debates that I engaged in at a Protestant fo...
Questions and Answers about Catholicism
Here is another Q&A Potpourri for you. Again, all of these questions came from submissions to the "Catholicism" category at WikiAnswers. I in turn provided the following answers:How long does it take for a person to become Catholic?It depends on the ...
Q&A Potpourri
Every now and then I like to answer a few quick questions about Catholicism over at WikiAnswers. I welcome any opportunity to share the Truth of the Church with others. Plus, it provides good content for my blog! Here is the most recent batch:What is...
What do we mean when we say in the Creed that Jesus "descended into hell"?
While we use the word “hell” today to refer to the place of the damned, where there is fire, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, the Apostles’ Creed is actually referring to a difference place.The Greek word that we translate as “hell” in t...
How Does the Church Believe a Person Receives Salvation?
One would think that such a simple question would have an equally simple answer. But, it doesn’t. That’s because the object in question – salvation – is itself a mysterious reality. Before we can answer this question, we must attempt to defin...
Does the Bible Say Anyting about Having Priests in the Church?
Yes it does. God told his people through the mouth of Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). It was through His holy priesthood that God guided his people and provid...
Scripture on the Anointing of the Sick
Does the Bible say anything about the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick?Yes it does. The most explicit reference comes from the Letter of St. James:“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ...
Why Is the Wednesday of Holy Week Called "Spy Wednesday"?
That question was posed to me today and I didn't have the slightest clue what to say. But, it was an opportunity to do some research and learn something new, so I'm thankful for that.What I discovered is that today is called "Spy Wednesday" because t...
Faith in Medication
Am I showing a lack of faith if I take medication? I don’t think that there is anything inherently “anti-faith” about taking medication. Wine, oil, balm, figs, leaves and similar things are all utilized in Scripture to cure various ailments, an...
The Brothers of Jesus Don't Scare Me
Why does the Bible say that Jesus had brothers if Mary was a virgin her whole life?There are several verses in Scripture that refer to the “brothers” of Jesus (cf. Mt 12:46; 13:55-56; Mk 3:31; Lk 8:19; Jn 7:1-10; Acts 1:14; Gal 1:19). However, it...
