#12481 What Good Does My Suffering Do For God? – Ask A Priest w/ Fr. Matthew Spencer - Fr. Matthew Spencer

“Why don’t we remember being babies?” This question opens a fascinating discussion about memory and development, alongside intriguing inquiries about the implications of an infinite multiverse on God’s creation and redemption. Other topics include the possibility of witnessing historical events from afar and the nature of cryptids, exploring whether they could be demons in disguise. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 11:20 – My 8-year-old wants to know why we don’t have memories from when we are babies? 29:40 – Greetings from Northern England, where we also eat dinner in the middle of the day! My question is this: If an infinite multiverse does indeed exist, does that mean that in each universe God would either have to 1) not create rational beings capable of falling or 2) when he does, incarnate in each universe to redeem it? If a third option is possible it would seem that the fall and the incarnation are not necessary, and if they aren’t God wouldn’t be perfectly good in allowing them. 43:26 – If we could quickly travel vast distances in space and also had extreme telescope technology. Would it be possible to travel thousands of light years away, then turn our amazing telescopes back on earth and watch the pyramids being built or travel 65 million light years and see what killed the dinosaurs etc.? 50:00 – Could some cryptids be demons in disguise?

“Can demons possess parasites?” This intriguing question opens a discussion on the nature of possession and its implications for smaller creatures. The conversation also touches on the validity of a civil marriage conducted under extreme circumstances, and the complexities of the law of attraction in relation to Catholic theology. Join us as we navigate these thought-provoking topics. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 01:54 – If I were stranded on a desert island with a woman and we wanted to be married, could we exchange vows and consider ourselves married until we are rescued and finally have access to a priest? 05:38 – From the perspective of Catholic theology and canon law, how would the church view Adolf Hitler’s marriage to Eva Braun—conducted in a civil ceremony in the Führerbunker shortly before suicide? Specifically, how would factors like lack of sacramental intent, possible impediments (e.g., public notoriety, consent, coercion, psychological state, lack of openness to children), and the lack of Catholic form (or emergency situation) affect its validity or liceity? 21:26 – How true is the law of attraction, and how much do we create our reality with our thoughts and feelings? 34:47 – Here’s a weird one. We know that demons can possess people and animals, but can demons possess creatures smaller than this? Say, Parasites, bacteria and viruses? Given the overwhelming role that the gut microbiome plays in mood, emotions, cravings etc., it would seem advantageous for a demon to possess these smaller creatures and manipulate man via biochemical means if they couldn’t possess him directly. If this is possible, would this be a case of possession or oppression? Additionally, might this be the reason that some demons can only be cast out by fasting? I.e fasting radically changes the gut microbiome and perhaps the creature they are possessing are killed off by the process of fasting. 45:42 – Is bilocation cloning, time travel, or doppelgängering (like something that’s not the bilocated person taking the form of the person, like an angel or something)? In the first and second example, what’s going on with the soul there? Is it two of the same soul in two places? Or two bodies one soul? Is that two different people? What happened when one of them goes away? What is going on?!

“Why don’t all Christians speak in tongues?” This question opens a discussion on the Church’s teachings about this practice, including why not everyone experiences it and the belief that it is not essential for salvation. Other topics addressed include the authority of the papacy in the early Church and the significance of having a Mass said for the deceased. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 05:10 – What does the Church teach about speaking in tongues? Why can’t everyone speak in tongues? and Why do we reject the notion that speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation? 19:00 – What specifically can we do or not do in terms of blessing others? 39:48 – My friend argues that the authority of the papacy didn’t exist in the early Church. How can I better explain that the pope had supremacy from the beginning? 41:45 – What is a male in the context of priestly ordination? 53:00 – What does God do differently if I have a mass said for my deceased father?

“Are laypeople supposed to raise their hands during the Our Father?” This question opens a discussion on the practices of the Mass, alongside inquiries about the role of saints in intercession, the meaning of almsgiving in Sirach 3:30, and how to reconcile personal distrust in the Church while seeking to return. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 03:58 – Are we supposed to raise our hands or hold hands during the Our Father as Mass? 15:38 – I notice people specifically ask saints to heal or protect them, not God. It’s off-putting. Can they do other things apart from interceding? 23:10 – In Sirach 3:30 it says that almsgiving atones sin. What does that mean? 24:50 – How do I reconcile my distrust for the Church? I want to return but I’m conflicted. 45:20 – I’m a Christian and a minority. How do you deal with people who tell me I should convert because their religion is better? 50:34 – I get frustrated when the choir sings and adjusts the responsorial Psalm. What would you recommend I do?

“Why did the Jews deny Jesus as the Messiah and the early Church?” This question delves into the historical and theological reasons behind the Jewish rejection of Jesus. Additionally, the discussion touches on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s origins, Peter’s role in the early Church, and the fate of Mary Magdalene, providing a rich exploration of early Christian history. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 05:15 – Why did the Jews deny and miss Jesus as the Messiah in the times of the early Church? 12:52 – When the Church of the Holy Sepluchre was erected, was it considered a Byzantine? 21:43 – How did the early Church view Peter’s role? 29:38 – What happened to Mary Magdalene? 32:58 – Did Paul assume Sola Scriptura in 1.Timothy 3:15? 49:00 – How did the Early Church communicate the gospel?

“Did the Early Church Know About Apostolic Succession?” This question opens a discussion on the beliefs of the early Christians regarding the continuity of church authority. Other topics include the magisterium’s authority over other religions and the reasons behind the split of the Coptic Church, providing a broad view of early church dynamics and teachings. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 02:30 – Did the Early Church Believe in Apostolic Succession? 14:59 – Level of authority that the magisterium have with regards to what other religions teach? 24:25 – Why is there not more emphasis on the split of the coptic church? And what caused the split? 33:05 – Join the Catholic Answers Cruise on the Rhine! 41:45 – What’s the moral difference in investing and usury? 50:40 – How does doctrinal development affect how we read the early Church and who have they accepted the developments?

“Why do Catholics pray to Mary?” This question opens a discussion on the role of Mary in Catholic devotion, supported by biblical references. Other topics include the Catholic perspective on 1 Corinthians 15:29, the origins of purgatory, and how to address misconceptions about Catholicism in conversations with friends from different denominations. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 01:13 – I’m in the process of converting. Is there anything I should avoid doing? I just don’t know much? 08:00 – What is the Catholic position on 1 Cor. 15:29? 18:34 – St. Gabriel… Where does the idea of purgatory come from? What other sources other from Maccabees? 29:01 – Why do Catholics pray to Mary? What are your bible references? 36:21 – My Pentecostal friend invites me to his Church, and they say some crazy things about Catholics. How do I correct them during their services? 41:52 – Jn 6-7. How do you have a discourse with a protestant who doesn’t believe what Jesus is saying? 48:25 – How do I respond to Protestant challenge that being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to be a part of a visible church? 53:20 – Does the Church have any teaching on speaking in tongues?

“How To Respond to Protestants – Mary’s Assumption and Tobit” Today’s show answers caller’s questions regarding how to defend the Catholic faith. Additionally, the conversation touches on the historical context of Mary’s assumption and the challenges surrounding the book of Tobit, including its implications on purity and divine inspiration. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 04:30 – Catholics say that Mary’s bodily assumption is something divinely revealed. Yet, there is no historical attestation of this belief until the 5th century. 23:13 – How do we answer the challenge that we don’t recrucify Jesus at every mass since it is a sacrifice? 34:45 – What do Catholics make of the Desposyni? 46:12 – Tobit. How is Tobit not made unclean by carrying dead animal parts and why does an angel lie? This doesn’t seem like the book of Tobit is an inspired book

“Are these mock baptisms dangerous?” This question opens a discussion on the significance of sacramental integrity, alongside inquiries about when to defend the sacraments, the importance of marriage, and responses to Protestant views on the sinner’s prayer. The conversation also touches on receiving communion with mortal sin and the practice of communion on the tongue. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 14:58 – How do I know when its good to defend the sacraments or when its not worth explaining them to someone? 18:38 – If you’re trying to convince someone why marriage is important what would you say? 32:06 – How do respond to the protestant claim that we need to recite the sinners prayer while they discount the importance of the sacraments? 40:22 – What does the Church teach about people who receive communion with mortal sin on their soul? 49:08 – Would you be able to offer up suffering from your own sin? 51:10 – Why aren’t we going back to communion on the tongue?

“What good does my suffering do for God?” This question opens a discussion on the purpose and value of suffering in the Christian life. Additionally, the episode addresses the potential for Anglican and Lutheran reunification, the validity of the sedevacantist mass compared to the Novus Ordo, and insights on loneliness and sadness from a faith perspective. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 05:23 – What good does my suffering do for God? 14:19 – If the Anglican and Lutherans were to return into full communion, would the bishops or the monarchs make it happen? 17:35 – What makes the sedevacantist mass invalid compared to the Nous Ordo? 22:18 – What does God say about loneliness and feeling sad? 34:08 – I’ve been Catholic for less than a year and I don’t understand who the elect are? 46:00 – Have you ever had someone have a vision or experience with Jesus? And what have you advised them?