Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders - 05/29/26

Ajouté : 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]in radio.

[00:00:09]>> This is an EWTN Newslink. I'm Teresa Tomeo from Catholic Connection. Vice President J.D. Vance says the US is very close to finalizing an agreement to extend the fragile ceasefire with Iran for 60 days. The two countries have reportedly agreed on a memorandum of understanding, but the White House says President Trump has yet to sign off on it. Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson is pleased after meeting with the Pope in the Vatican. Following yesterday's visit, the mayor said the first question he received from the Holy Father was, "How's Chicago?" The mayor says he invited the Pope to celebrate Mass in Chicago's Grant Park next year. He said that he and the Pope also discussed slavery, immigration, war, and a little baseball, as well. For more news with a Catholic perspective, visit ewtnnews.com.

[00:00:53]I'm Teresa Tomeo and Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders starts [music] now.

[00:01:06]>> What's stopping you from becoming a Catholic?

[00:01:10]>> Why can't women become priests?

[00:01:11]>> 1-833-288-EWTN >> I don't understand why I have to earn salvation.

[00:01:18]>> 1-833-288-3986 >> Why do I need to confess my sins to a priest?

[00:01:25]>> What's stopping you?

[00:01:27]This is Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders on the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network.

[00:01:35]>> Everybody, welcome again to Called to Communion here on EWTN. We are live on this Friday afternoon. Delighted to be with you. Here is our phone number if you have a question about the Catholic faith that we can answer, hopefully, especially if you yourself are not a Catholic. Here's that phone number, 833- 288-EWTN.

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[00:02:25]All right, we are ready to rock and roll here. Pedro Piriles our producer, Matt Cabinsky handling the phone screening.

[00:02:31]Ace McKay is on social media. I'm Tom Price along with Dr. David Anders.

[00:02:35]>> Tom, how are you today?

[00:02:36]>> I am well. I'm hoping that your weekend plans are congealing.

[00:02:41]>> [laughter] >> Well, you know congealing is probably the wrong metaphor for the weather we're having right now.

[00:02:48]>> I love to use wrong metaphors.

[00:02:49]>> Yeah, well, you know, this is the show of wrong metaphors.

[00:02:53]>> I think we kind of roll that way. We're going to lead off with a question here.

[00:02:56]As a matter of fact, we're going to go to the phones. What do you know about that? Got a question from Ed in California watching us on YouTube. Ed, you are first up. What's on your mind today?

[00:03:07]>> Hey guys, thank you so much for taking my call.

[00:03:10]So, I I'm a layman and my question regards the ladies' right and privilege to publicly, that's the key, publicly criticize a pope authentic ordinary magisterial teaching. How should we go about doing it? What are my right What should it look like logistically?

[00:03:29]>> Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate the the question. So, the code of canon law says that the people of God have a right and sometimes the duty to express these kinds of things.

[00:03:41]And the the extent to which one should make those kinds of complaints public and in what venue and context depends a lot on the individual's standing and qualifications.

[00:03:53]So, uh you can certainly imagine a situation in which somebody who doesn't know what they're talking about is spewing, you know, off at the mouth in a way that causes a scandal and is not contributing to the common good of the church or to society, right?

[00:04:10]And and generally the people who do that the most are the ones that are the least capable of recognizing their incapacity to speak authoritatively or helpfully in public, right? So, you know, a one of the one of the component parts of prudence, like the virtue of making good decisions, is the the sub virtue of docility, meaning that I have the capacity to seek counsel and take advice and listen to other people, right? So, you know, in order to make a prudential intervention, it is necessary that you be able to listen to correction, right? If you don't have that capacity, I don't care how qualified you are, it's probably a bad idea. And as an kind of an aside, there's a you know, there's a there's a scientific field now that that that studies wisdom as a as a human attribute.

[00:04:56]>> Really?

[00:04:56]>> Yeah, it's something distinct from intelligence and rationality.

[00:05:00]>> Okay.

[00:05:00]>> And one of the interesting things that's come out of wisdom studies is that there is not a perfect correlation between wisdom and intelligence. There's a there's a correlation, but the shape of the curve is kind of J-shaped, meaning if you're if you're just really low IQ, you you're probably not very wise. But if you're at the genius level of IQ, you're also often not wise because you're so used to being the smartest person in the room who never has to take counsel, >> Yeah.

[00:05:29]>> that you find it incapable of doing so, right? You know, and so some some place up the right side of the curve, you know, where you have intelligence up to a certain level but not so that it it sort of surpasses your humility and your ability to listen to what others people have to say is sort of the sweet spot for for wisdom.

[00:05:44]So, you do You this right. You do have this right.

[00:05:47]And its application it really is a matter of prudence, right? And we talked about the some of the subsidiary virtues that are necessary necessary for that.

[00:05:55]So, you know, to take for example the context of a radio show and a and a lay Catholic radio host like myself. I might hold private opinions about this or that pope. Or this or that priest or this or that bishop. And but it probably wouldn't be prudent for me to to in this context say everything that I think all the time, right?

[00:06:17]>> Okay.

[00:06:17]>> Because the purpose of this show is to invite people to consider the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Catholic faith. And somebody just tunes in, they've never heard anything about Catholicism before they tune in right in the middle of a diatribe and hear me like lambasting some some cleric. They might get the wrong view. They might not be able to contextualize that properly and I would risk causing scandal. So, if you are, let's say, you're a lay member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, for example.

[00:06:44]>> Okay.

[00:06:44]>> Right?

[00:06:45]Well, you're not a cleric, but you have a kind of standing in the Catholic world that's obvious that's been authenticated by church authority so that, you know, what you say isn't magisterial teaching, but it would carry a lot of weight. You know?

[00:07:00]So, your interventions in that field would obviously be a lot more meaningful. This you're somebody the church recognizes as having competence and authority and orthodoxy in your field and you can speak authoritatively.

[00:07:09]There are all their kinds of papal commissions, pontifical commissions that have been set up to speak authoritatively on this or that issue.

[00:07:16]Experts are usually recruited this sort of thing.

[00:07:18]>> Mhm.

[00:07:19]>> And you know, I think like a lay seminary rector, for example, would would be somebody that uh would stand in a position to speak authoritatively say to his local bishop's conference on questions of theology in a way that I wouldn't.

[00:07:35]Right? You know, our respective positions in the church, the offices that we hold, our qualifications, and so forth would make public intervention more or less prudent according to circumstance.

[00:07:43]>> Okay, is that helpful for you, Ed?

[00:07:46]>> Uh well, real quick, in Canon 212, it says pastors and sacred pastors. To me, that means the local ordinary bishop.

[00:07:53]Shouldn't we go to our local ordinary bishop first and primarily before we go online, mass media, and blast the Pope with our canonical right?

[00:08:01]>> Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right.

[00:08:03]That's That's this in this And I I didn't reference the Canon, but I didn't reference it by number, but the the point that you make is primarily yes, making your needs known to your ecclesiastical pastors. That is the way That is the way the Canon is worded. Um you asked specifically about the public sphere as something distinct from that, and so I tried to bring in the consideration of prudence.

[00:08:23]>> Very good. Hey, Ed, thanks so much for your call. That kicks us off here, and that opens up a line for you right now at 833 288 EWTN. That's 833 288-3986.

[00:08:35]You can call us or text us. And we've got a text standing by. We'll get to that after the after the break here.

[00:08:41]We'll also talk with Joseph in North Dakota. Lots more straight ahead on this Friday edition of Called to Communion.

[00:08:48]By the way, because [music] it is Friday, phones tend to fill up rather quickly, so you may you may want to call in now with that question of yours.

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[00:09:05]>> May is the month of Mary. How are you planning to honor the Blessed Mother?

[00:09:10]Whether it's planting a Mary garden in your yard, placing flowers by her image in your home, or adorning a statue of her with a handmade crown, there are many ways to express devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. EWTN invites you to celebrate along with us as we honor our Blessed Mother throughout her month with masses, devotions, TV, and radio specials.

[00:09:36]>> [music] >> Join us this week as we prepare for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And of course, Catholic Radio's premier shows featuring Called to Community with Dr. David Anders, Mother Angelica Live Classics, Catholic Answers Live, EWTN News Nightly and more. EWTN Radio, your source of truth that allows Catholics to grow in their faith and recognize the true mission of the Catholic Church.

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[00:10:43][music] We're live. We're waiting for your phone call at 833 288 EWTN. Call or text 833 288 3986.

[00:10:54]>> Tom, before the break, I I I uttered an an absurdity that I want to correct. It is as a We're talking about bad This is a show of bad analogies, you know? I just used one. I said, you know, somebody about speaking publicly authoritatively, you know, who doesn't have a clerical office in the church.

[00:11:09]And I said something about lay seminary rectors. And as soon as I said it, I went, there aren't any lay seminary rectors. [laughter] They're all priests.

[00:11:15]So, a canon law actually requires you to be a priest. There is, however, and I just looked this up, there is a rector of the Pontifical Lateran University who's a layman, right? Appointed by Pope Francis. But, everyone else in the world, according to canon law, you can't actually have a lay seminary rector.

[00:11:28]But, you could have lay professors of theology. So, just switch that out in your mind.

[00:11:33]>> Yeah, for those of you keeping score at home. And by [clears throat] the way, wouldn't that be a great name for a band? Bad analogies.

[00:11:39]>> Oh, that's fabulous.

[00:11:40]>> Like Bad Company.

[00:11:42]>> I was like, why would lay seminary director be a director be a [laughter] good analogy good name for a band?

[00:11:46]>> That's funny. Hey, we've got something wonderful for you online. It's absolutely free. It's an ebook, The Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary prayer book. Two of the most beloved devotions in the church, of course. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary. You can grow in your devotion to the two hearts with this free Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart prayer ebook. It's from ewtn.com/catholicism.

[00:12:16]Click on Seasons and Feast Days. Again, ewtn.com/catholicism and then click on Seasons and Feast Days. Back to the phones now at 833-288-EWTN.

[00:12:29]Here's Joseph in North Dakota listening on the great Real Presence Radio.

[00:12:33]Joseph, happy Friday. What's on your mind today?

[00:12:38]>> Hello.

[00:12:39]>> Hey Joseph, what's on what's going on with you?

[00:12:42]>> Oh, yes, yes. So, I called earlier and I I was asking yesterday I was listening to I think for the Catholic Answers and uh they were saying that that the church cannot lead people to sin.

[00:12:58]But then recently I I learned of the I learned about that history of the church regarding Pope Nicholas where he uh he launched the papal bull authorizing slavery uh especially of the African people.

[00:13:16]So, which led to racialism and knowledge of the state and then the Bible says that it murder.

[00:13:25]So, which is a sin also.

[00:13:27]So, so my question is, how how do do you reconcile the fact that the church teaches that cannot teach error or or lead people to sin, but with that history because even Pope Pope Francis was elected in 20 20, he apologized and listened to the Pope.

[00:13:49]Uh Leo also apologized. And then the follow-up question would be how to evangelize evangelize the black community uh with that history?

[00:14:01]>> Um yeah, thank you. I really appreciate the question. So, I think there's a a little bit of a conceptual confusion about what the church says about itself.

[00:14:10]So, the church says that um when the church teaches authoritatively on a matter of faith or morals and declares that a particular doctrine has been revealed by God and does so in a way intended to define the essential content of the Christian faith.

[00:14:34]Now, if you listen to that definition, that's pretty specific, right? So, the church has to teach something as a doctrine that has been specifically revealed by God and to do so in a way intending to make it clear that that's an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. When the church does that, it does not make mistakes.

[00:14:55]That's called the the charism of infallibility. But most of what clerics do, most of what the Popes do, most of what the bishops do or priests do, does not fall into that category.

[00:15:07]And so, is not protected by the charism of infallibility, which means that in the ordinary course of his daily life as Pope a Pope and the bishops can and do teach erroneous doctrines. Or erroneous practices, or erroneous counsel, or imprudent counsel. And that's clearly happened many times in church history.

[00:15:31]Um so you know, to take a um a kind of uh uh notorious example, there was a late antique early medieval pope who um who who seemed to give cover to political cover to a heresy called Monotheletism.

[00:15:53]Don't worry about the content of Monotheletism, but like you know, later councils defined Monotheletism as a heresy, right?

[00:15:59]>> Okay.

[00:15:59]>> And and there was a pope who said who basically gave cover to Monotheletism because he was trying to reconcile different theological parties. He never taught it as something that God had revealed um and that was essential to the Christian faith, but he sort of conspicuously failed to condemn it.

[00:16:17]>> Mhm.

[00:16:17]>> And and and gave a lot of cover to people who held it. Well, that was a imprudent move on his part, right?

[00:16:23]>> Yeah.

[00:16:24]>> Um there are other examples from history of church of of I'll I'll give you another one. So there was a a medieval pope, John uh the 22nd, who absolutely taught an erroneous doctrine about the destiny of souls that die in the state of grace.

[00:16:39]Uh and he had to be corrected by a future pope who who who did in fact teach authoritatively what Catholics have to believe on that topic. At the time that John was teaching this privately, he never taught it in the way that I suggested. He never said, "Here is a doctrine revealed by God that's essential to the Christian faith that I mean to define and everybody has to believe this." He didn't teach it in that manner, right? So he's not protected by the charisma of infallibility. And when it comes to to prudential judgments, that's sort of practical interventions, you know, in the practical sphere, popes can make bad judgments all day long, right? That I mean we have histories of medieval popes who decided the best way to defend the church was to take up arms and say, you know, go to war with the city-states in Italy or or, you know, the Holy Roman Empire or something. And in in retrospect, we can look him back on it and go, "Yeah, maybe maybe raising an army and killing people was probably not the best idea." You know I mean like so that Yeah, that happens all the time. Um so there's no contradiction there. Now, as to the question, how how should the Catholic Church go about evangelizing people of African descent given the fact that Catholics throughout history, non- non-African Catholics have been implicated in gross injustices towards people of African descent. Well, I should say it's just a sort of an empirical observation that however the church should or ought to do it, they seem to be doing it in spades because some of the largest um uh membership growth in Catholic churches in the world today are in fact in African countries. And that's that's where the the the the magnificent growth is happening in the Catholic world. And and Catholic bishops and priests and clerics are are really sort of rising to the top in terms of proponents of orthodoxy and and and beacons of Catholic teaching throughout the world.

[00:18:38]In my own diocese, we have number of African clerics that are serving in our diocese and they're just really really really beloved. And we're like, I don't It's not so much a question of how we're supposed to evangelize them. I'm like, "Guys, come over here and evangelize us.

[00:18:51]You're doing a fantastic job of it, you know." Um but you know, I think in humility is the answer to the question.

[00:18:58]I mean Catholic doctrine, Catholic doctrine teaches that all people are made in the likeness and image of God regardless of race or or or or or sex or ethnicity or what have you. And we're all equal in that way. And so anybody that would act otherwise is acting contrary to the gospel. And now Frank had mentioned that Catholics don't always live up to their ideals, and sometimes they magnificently fail to live up to their ideals, and they can be hypocrites.

[00:19:23]Uh repentance and humility, I think is the proper response to that.

[00:19:26]>> I think you can see where um looking back on, you know, something released by the Vatican, you know, Joseph mentioned uh well, the Vatican released a papal bull from I don't remember who the who the Pope was at that time.

[00:19:40]Uh that sounds very official to the perhaps uninformed layman.

[00:19:45]>> Yeah, that's exactly right, and that's why we have to draw really clear distinctions.

[00:19:49]>> Sure. Sure. Joseph, thanks again for your phone call. It is Called to Communion on this Friday afternoon.

[00:19:54]We're live. We're waiting for your call at 833 288 EWTN. If you have a question about the Catholic faith, especially those of you who are not Catholic yourselves, again, call or text 833 288 3986. Here's a text that just came in from Anna in New York.

[00:20:13]Anna says, "If extraordinary ministers are meant to be used in extreme cases, what constitutes a need for them? If there is a priest and a deacon present, what constitutes the need for laity to then distribute Holy Communion?"

[00:20:29]>> Yeah, well, I think it's understandable why the church would not prescribe a specific cleric to laity ratio.

[00:20:39]>> [laughter] >> You know, you've got to surpass, you know, I don't know, 20 lay people per cleric in order to have an extraordinary minister, because these things have got to go and be contextual, and and and and you you have to have some prudent judgment. But basically, given the confines of the liturgy, uh and the uh cultural expectations surrounding it and so forth, um you know, a a prudent consideration by the pastor that we've just got a whole bunch of people here. We need to probably bring in the troops, you know, to to do this. Is a reasonable one, right? I mean, if you can get the job done, I mean, as a practical matter, I mean, if you think if you go to daily mass, daily mass is usually, you know, 10% of what you're going to get in terms of of uh of uh Sunday mass. And it's not uncommon you go to daily mass and there's just maybe a dozen or two dozen people there. No need for an extraordinary minister in such circumstances. But, you know, when you've got the balconies are full and it's standing room only in the back and all this.

[00:21:32]Um uh as is happening more and more commonly.

[00:21:36]>> Love that.

[00:21:37]>> I love the fact that it is happening.

[00:21:38]>> May I go to church now and and uh in my parish and it's just like um well, if you come in 1 minute late, you know, hope you like standing. You [laughter] know, I mean, it's we're going to have extraordinary ministers.

[00:21:48]>> Good good problem to have.

[00:21:49]>> A problem to have.

[00:21:49]>> Absolutely. Anna, thanks so much for your text. Here's another uh question from Aaron Aaron Aaron in Hastings, Michigan. He called in, could not hold, but he left us with this question. I'm trying to get back into the Catholic faith or at least considering it after some years away. Uh I was wondering if during this process, I should take the sacraments of reconciliation and communion.

[00:22:12]>> Okay, so so let me get this clear. He was Catholic and he stopped practicing.

[00:22:17]>> Right.

[00:22:18]>> Okay. So, the the way for you to get back into the practice of your Catholic faith is first and foremost go to reconciliation.

[00:22:24]>> Right.

[00:22:24]>> Right? You do that. Canonically, you're in good you're in good stead now. You can go to communion. Go to confession, go to communion. Now, if you feel like you're in need of instruction, like if you left in adolescence or something and you don't know your faith very well, there's nothing stopping you from sitting through an RCIA class >> Yeah.

[00:22:42]>> or or getting some other sort of introductory text on Catholic faith and doctrine. You might look at uh at uh Father John Trigilio's Catholicism for Dummies, for example, you know. Um but you can do that, too. But, I mean, if you're if you're already a a baptized, confirmed, communed Catholic, you just go to go go confession and and um and start going back to mass.

[00:23:02]>> Aaron, thanks for checking in from Hastings, Michigan. Here's a question that we received from uh Henry via email. The woman I've been dating has premonitions about future events that usually come to pass.

[00:23:16]A, could this be a real thing? B, what would the church say about all this?

[00:23:21]>> Uh I'm going to give you my private opinion.

[00:23:24]>> Okay.

[00:23:24]>> Private opinion. You are welcome to reject my private opinion.

[00:23:28]Um some people have intuitions um that uh that provide real insight.

[00:23:36]And I my private opinion uh based on study is that those intuitions uh if they're not luck are usually based on the real phenomenon of implicit learning.

[00:23:50]So, there is something called implicit learning.

[00:23:53]It's a real thing that cognitive scientists evaluate. It's been It's been It's been proven in scientific experiment. You can teach people things without them knowing that they're learning it.

[00:24:04]And they can become aware of facts without knowing that they know them.

[00:24:07]And if they don't know that they know them and they don't know why they know them um then they will sometimes have really strong intuitions about the way things are supposed to go uh that they can't explain.

[00:24:19]And it's not necessary to invoke some numinal mystic cause. It's It's sufficient to just look at the way human neurology functions. Um I'll give you an example.

[00:24:28]I um uh I used to read a lot of literature in finance.

[00:24:33]And uh it's fun. It's not always very profitable, but it's fun to read memoirs of people who are who were you know, historically great traders and they you know, bought and sold this that and the other thing and made all kinds of money.

[00:24:44]And I remember reading a um uh an interview with a hedge fund manager who had you know, some tremendously successful trader that worked for him.

[00:24:52]And the guy um came in to work one day and uh uh and he had had a dream the night before that the market was going to open at this level and then it was going to rise to this level, then it was going to drop to this level, and it was going to close at this level.

[00:25:09]And he watched the screen all day and the market opened exactly where he dreamt that it would. It rose to exactly where he thought it was going to rise and it dropped to where he thought it was going to drop and it closed where he thought it was going to close.

[00:25:19]>> Woah.

[00:25:20]>> And um and so the interviewer said, "Well, how much money did you make that day?" He said, "I didn't make a dime because I was not about the the day I start trading on my dreams is the day that I I'm going to go bankrupt, you know?"

[00:25:31]>> Well, yeah.

[00:25:31]>> But the point is and if you spend enough time in these kinds of environments, you do begin to develop intuitions just from sitting there and watching the same patterns day in day out day in and day out and you might not be able to give an intelligible reason why, but you have this intuition, you know? And that's true if you're in sales, it's it's, you know, if you're a professional tennis player, you develop an incredible ability to anticipate where the ball is going to go. I mean, every field is like this and our our our our our knowledge base is greater than our express explicit propositional learning. So, that's the way I would explain it and I but again, kind of like the trader, I think the day you start trying to take that to the bank or ascribe some supernaturalist interpretation to it, then God forbid that you ascribe the Lord's will to it, you know?

[00:26:13]>> Yeah.

[00:26:14]>> Um that's the day you start wrecking your spiritual life because you're going to fall rapidly into superstition.

[00:26:18]>> Mhm.

[00:26:19]I wonder what Warren Buffett would have to say about trade by dream.

[00:26:24]>> You know, uh >> Charlie Munger.

[00:26:25]>> Charlie who who they were both geniuses, you know, Munger Munger had a a greater gift for the turn of phrase.

[00:26:32]>> Really?

[00:26:32]>> Yeah. Go look up Munger quotes sometimes, they're hysterical. Um but uh Charlie Munger said um Warren and I are not smarter than everybody else, we're just way better at not being stupid.

[00:26:42]>> I like it.

[00:26:43]>> good?

[00:26:44]>> Wow. Hey, if you were ready to give us a call, we're ready to get that call.

[00:26:48]833-288-EWTN. [music] Call or text it is called a communion on this Friday afternoon still time for your phone call 833-288-3986 288-3986 [music] >> Do you ever wonder about angels or demons and how they affect us? Do you have questions about the saints in heaven? Do you want to pray better? Does the spirit of God live in you?

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[00:27:52]>> [music] >> Teresa Tomeo and Italy's shrines and wonders. Amalfi, along the famous Amalfi coast, is known for the incredible cathedral of St. Andrew's and unfortunately [music] also for its massive crowds. But for a nice break from all those tourists, head just a few minutes south to the lovely and much quieter village of Atrani. The good news is you don't have to get stuck in the traffic jams with all those tour buses trying to reach it. Simply walk through a somewhat secretive pedestrian tunnel connecting the two and in 10 minutes you're in what seems like an entirely different world. Atrani is the smallest town in all of Italy and among the most charming. Once you emerge from the tunnel, you'll find the lovely town square, Piazza Umberto, with a handful of excellent restaurants, coffee shops, [music] and wine bars as well as beautiful beaches nestled between the cliffs. Italy's shrines and wonders by Teresa Tomeo is available now at EWTNRC.com.

[00:28:43][music] >> I'm Deacon Harold Burke Sivers. Join me for Beacon of Truth today at 4:00 p.m.

[00:28:55]Eastern. On the next Beacon of Truth, talking about books as spiritual food.

[00:28:59]Now, back to Call to Communion with Dr. David Anders.

[00:29:07]>> [music] >> Still time for your phone call to EWTN's [music] Call to Communion with Dr. David Anders. 833-288-EWTN.

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[00:29:20]833-288-3986.

[00:29:24]Congratulations to one of our great EWTN radio affiliates, WASB, 96.5 FM, serving Stanley, Boyd, and Cadott, Wisconsin, celebrating their 11th anniversary. Congratulations to Deacon Ned Welkome and his great team there at All Saints Catholic Parish from all of us here at EWTN. Got a text from Bran in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bran says, "My brother, who is a Protestant, says that it doesn't matter if he becomes a Catholic because, as long as he doesn't 100% believe the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation, he has invincible ignorance and will go on to heaven anyway."

[00:30:08]"What can I tell him to help give him urgency to seek and come into communion with God's true church?"

[00:30:14]>> Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate the question. Well, what what you can tell him is a different question from how he needs to understand his situation. Now, whether you can communicate it or not is another matter.

[00:30:25]Um, you know, when I hear this kind of remark, it's sort of like saying, you know, "I won't be morally responsible if I die of lung cancer as long as no one tells me that smoking is bad for me."

[00:30:37]>> Yeah.

[00:30:37]>> Yeah.

[00:30:38]>> You know, I mean, like, that might be true. Uh, may- maybe maybe you you won't be morally responsible if no one tells you that the smoking is bad for you, but you'll still be dead.

[00:30:47]And you'll still have lung cancer, and you'll still have lived a a much more miserable life than you could have, right? And and so it it root, I think, part of this error is that in in many, not all Protestants, but in many Protestant theologies, there is this hard and fast absolute line drawn between the saved and the lost or the saved and the not yet saved.

[00:31:10]And it's the only thing that matters, right? It just as long as you get on the right side of that line, everything will be all right.

[00:31:16]And that is not uh the way Catholics think about salvation or life in Christ at all, right? That you know, Jesus said, "I have come that you might have life and have it to the full or have it abundantly." Catholics believe that our union with Christ is meant to to inculcate human flourishing, flourishing that begins in this life and continues on to eternity. Um St. Thomas said that the the the the gift of grace is the seed of eternal life begun, right? You begin to experience that now, and it it transforms your being in the world. Um so, your existential situation is profoundly different if you are Catholic compared to if you're this kind of sort of dualistic Protestant. When I became Catholic, I did not automatically become holy. I'm still not automatically holy, all right? But it did radically change my self-conception and the way I related to other people in the world. Um I'll give you a concrete couple pieces of examples.

[00:32:15]So, first of all, uh early in my life as a fundamentalist Protestant, I was taught to be suspicious of natural science.

[00:32:24]Right? Yeah, that that particularly uh the discipline of psychology, geology, um biology, and anthropology as disciplines were quite literally occupied at the highest echelons by people who were deliberately obscuring the truth of uh you know, antediluvian Earth um and the young age of the Earth because they hated God in the Bible. That was the that was the that was the propaganda that we were sold, right? And so they weren't they weren't honest people, they weren't fair shooters, and you really didn't have any insight to be gained from them. Uh they were they were mendacious evil manipulators, right? And so that that inculcated a a profoundly unmerited hubris in me, right? I mean, in us we we thought we were the you know, the bee's knees and we knew the truth and and a and a very unwarranted condescension towards people who knew a lot more than we do.

[00:33:15]Right? In other words, it made us fools >> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:33:17]>> with respect to our relationship to the natural world. Um and that same kind of antagonism carried over into all of our relations. And so um you know, the way I looked at individuals was typically, are they on the right side of this quote-unquote salvation line or not?

[00:33:30]Have they have they you know, done the ritual that I think they need to do? And if they haven't, then my primary relationship towards them is one of proselytizing, not learning, right? You don't really have anything essential to teach me, I'm here to teach you because I in my 12-year-old wisdom know everything there is to know about eternity because I know the Bible, right? That's all I need to know and that's you know, and Catholicism just just destroyed all of that for me.

[00:33:53]And I read I realized first of all that the line between light and dark, saved and unsaved, you know, elect and damned is is is God's to define, not mine. It's hidden from me.

[00:34:02]Um that uh sin differs from sin in gravity, um and that the virtues are not uniquely uh uh reduced to the Catholic community, right? But that that that are sort of resplendent throughout the world and lots of cultures and individuals and people, regardless of their personal histories, can be repositories of wisdom and insight and have something valuable to teach me and I need to learn from and that's what humility and prudence and docility are all about. My own salvation depends on my capacity for listening empathetically to other people with whom I might otherwise be inclined to disagree, right? Because that's that's how I'm going to inculcate inculcate the kind of love and compassion and humility that are necessary for my own salvation.

[00:34:40]So, it just profoundly changed my existential relationship to the world and in consequence made me a better human being, maybe not wholly, but a fundamentally better human being and I hope wiser and I hope humbler, right?

[00:34:54]So, well, I don't want any of that.

[00:34:57]>> [laughter] >> No, I mean there's a there are profound reasons to adopt a Catholic view of reality.

[00:35:03]>> Of course. Brandon in uh Grand Rapids, we hope that is helpful for you. Thanks so much for [clears throat] your text.

[00:35:08]Let's go now to uh the phones and David in uh the state of Washington listening on the great Sacred Heart Radio. Hey there David, what's on your mind today?

[00:35:18]>> Oh, hello. Um So, you answered a question about uh intuition and it sounded like you were saying that the Holy Spirit may not be uh talking to people that they should avoid thinking about those kinds of things when there are messages messages messages that they think came from the Holy Spirit and um I my family experience is that my mother was a mystic and she knew things absolutely impossible to know. Like she knew when books would be published 3 years before they were written and she knew the title of the book and author and things like that.

[00:36:02]They were Christian books and she there's no way she could have known that.

[00:36:05]And at the time this was the late '60s and early '70s, completely rejected by her Presbyterian pastor. She went to a Catholic priest and they said, "Oh, we don't deal with that ever."

[00:36:16]That was the Catholic perspective in 1970 for her.

[00:36:20]And my question is sounds like you're saying that that may still be the case within the is. The Church. And >> Okay, thanks. Yeah, I really appreciate the question. Really appreciate the question. So, uh I did say at the outset when I answered the question that I was going to give my private theological opinion.

[00:36:36]>> Right.

[00:36:37]>> And that I wasn't representing my opinion as being the official Catholic response.

[00:36:42]I also did not say that the Holy Spirit can't speak to people. I didn't say that.

[00:36:47]Um I I do think that most cases of alleged mystical insight uh can be explained um either as manipulations on the part of the alleged mystic or as uh as simple examples of implicit learning that are wrongly interpreted as supernatural. And I I I stand by that. I think that is largely the case. I mean, and I that would include sort of run-of-the-mill experiences of uh uh you know, people who believe that God is telling them something. I I think that most of that can be explained and and uh you know, as a you know, auto-suggestion and and and absorption and other kind of psychological tendencies. And I think that because most of the people who represent that God is telling them to do something, well, God gives them such just such god-awful advice, right? There are just way too many people with neurotic spirituality who do harmful things in the name of God and claim that God told them to do it to take seriously every claim of divine inspiration. I think most of them are fallible. Most of them are spurious.

[00:37:45]I did not say some of them aren't genuine. Never made that claim. And in Catholic theology, there is absolutely something called private revelation.

[00:37:53]>> Yep.

[00:37:53]>> Um but the Catholic should treat private revelation very, very critically and subject it to extremely strong tests before they put any credence in it.

[00:38:07]And uh and this is the attitude that the church takes. If somebody presents himself as a mystic and and utter something authoritative, and let me tell you something, this happens all the time.

[00:38:16]Occasionally, those make it through the filter.

[00:38:20]And the church will say, "Yeah, you don't have to reject that one."

[00:38:26]Now, they'd never say, "This is absolutely from God."

[00:38:30]You know, they don't come that close cuz that this is not part of public revelation, right? Right. But they'll say, "Yeah, you don't necessarily have to reject that one." Many times they'll say you do have to reject that. And the criterion is not just historical accuracy.

[00:38:44]Right, you know, so uh if, for example, I had the ability to predict book titles 3 years in advance, that would not mean that you should follow my spiritual advice.

[00:38:55]Because maybe I can predict book titles, but I give really bad moral counsel. I mean, that's that's a perfectly intelligible thing, you know, it could happen. And the church doesn't use that as a criteria. So, when the church is evaluating, say, claims of mystic insight, they would they would look at things like, well, you know, did it come true?

[00:39:13]But they would also say, well, what's the moral character of the person making the claim? What kind of counsel are they giving? How consonant is that with Catholic doctrine? Um does that contradict anything in scripture or tradition? They would bring all those criteria to bear. Um and after the fact, if it turned out the person was a holy of good morals, you know, accurate, taught nothing contrary to the Catholic faith, what they said was edifying, etc., then the church might say, "Yeah, you don't have to reject that one."

[00:39:40]Okay. Hey David, thanks so much for your call from Washington state called to Communion here on EWTN. We have time to go to Jim in Dallas listening on the great Guadalupe Radio AM 910. Hello Jim, what's on your mind today?

[00:39:55]>> Thank you. Uh as as Christian Catholics, is it isn't it really, really important to be careful not to make uh money and profits We don't want to make it into an idol, a false god. And you mentioned about 8 minutes ago that Warren Buffett is such a great example of a of a of a of a of a steward of money. But the fact of the matter is I think he I've read over the years that some people say, "Well, Warren Buffett is the high priest of of the loot. The idol is money."

[00:40:37]>> Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate the question. Actually, I didn't say anything of the sort. I I didn't praise Warren Buffett's character. I didn't praise Warren Buffett's company or his enterprise. I didn't set him up as any sort of moral example. In fact, I I didn't really talk about Warren Buffett at all. I talked about his business partner Charlie Munger for a very specific reason that had nothing to do with endorsing any of their business practices.

[00:41:02]Um the context in which which I mentioned Munger was I was discussing in what wisdom consists. What is in fact wisdom? How do you have it? And is wisdom the same thing as intelligence?

[00:41:13]And my contention is that wisdom is not the same thing as intelligence. You can be a very smart person and make uh really bad moral choices and give very bad counsel. Um and one of the things that's necessary for um for uh uh uh for doing that is having having the virtue of docility. The the capacity to actually take counsel from other people.

[00:41:36]Interestingly, I didn't I didn't quote this passage from Munger, but Munger actually said that a lot of people with high IQs are terrible investors because they have terrible temperaments.

[00:41:45]>> Uh-huh.

[00:41:45]>> Which is analogous to the point that I'm making. Just cuz you're smart doesn't mean you always make good choices.

[00:41:50]Um now, I I earlier in the show I also talked about if we are docile and teachable in this way, we should be open to learning from people with whom we disagree.

[00:42:00]>> Absolutely.

[00:42:00]>> Right. We may not share all of their values. We might not share their worldview. But wisdom is wisdom wherever you find it, right? And truth is truth wherever you can locate it. And you know, I I don't have to endorse, say, the >> [clears throat] >> the Berkshire Hathaway model of social engagement or economics in order to recognize good sense when I hear it. And if Charlie Munger happens to say something that's that's insightful or true, that doesn't mean that doesn't amount to a to an endorsement of his in total life. It's just well, that was a true statement, you know, I mean.

[00:42:29]>> Yeah.

[00:42:30]>> There you go.

[00:42:31]>> There it is. Appreciate [clears throat] your call from Dallas, Jim. Thanks for checking in with us. Call to Communion here on EWTN. Coming up next on most of these EWTN stations, it is Open Line Friday with our Friday hosts, Mr. Colin Donovan, answering your theological questions, anything you need to know about the Church, the teachings of the Church, where we're coming from and where we're going. That'll be at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on most of these EWTN stations. Here's a text from Gemma that just came in. I was wondering when the Jesus expelled the demons from the demoniac, they begged Jesus to put them into the pigs.

[00:43:08]So, does this mean that they became non-existent rather than spending eternity in hell?

[00:43:14]>> Yeah, thank you. No, they did not become non-existent. They still exist.

[00:43:18]The pigs don't, but but the demons do.

[00:43:21]>> Okay, very good. Jim in Ann Arbor also sent us a text.

[00:43:26]Scrolling down to get it here. Jim says, I don't understand why Jesus gave us his body and blood to join or be with us and also sent the Holy Spirit to also be with us. Do we have a union with Christ and the Holy Spirit?

[00:43:43]>> Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate the question. So, actually, there are multiple modes in which we enjoy the presence of God, right?

[00:43:52]There's there's there's not just one mode. There's several different modes in which we come to enjoy the presence of God. So, one that St. Paul mentions is very subtle, but very beautiful and very powerful.

[00:44:06]In Acts chapter 17, St. Paul says God is he in whom we live and move and have our being.

[00:44:13]And so, that's that is the mode of Christ of God's presence with us that theologians call the mode of divine immensity.

[00:44:21]Meaning it's something different from ubiquity. Ubiquity just means God's everywhere. Immensity means that all of God is present to every particle of creation sustaining it, creating it, you know, creating it, sustaining it, and being at every at every instance.

[00:44:35]And so, that our very being is an act of participation in God.

[00:44:38]Um and you know, if you think about it, like I exist in virtue of chemistry and my history and the laws of physics and those things in turn depend on prior causes which depend on prior causes which ultimately depend on a first cause, not just first temporally like it existed in the past and no longer exists, but I mean like chemistry doesn't happen 55 years ago and then stop for me to be here. Like it's still active in constituting my my being. The very act of being is like that. Like I participate in the eternal act of being that is God, right? That's amazing mode of presence.

[00:45:14]Right?

[00:45:15]That is obviously a different mode of presence than the incarnation.

[00:45:19]Right? So, I have I have I have union with God in that God entered into history in the person of Jesus. He taught, he lived, he died, he rose from the dead. He left that body of teaching, instituted the church. Right? Um and I have I have I I have a union with God, union with the Christ through that vehicle, through the Catholic Church that he left, which he says is his body. Through baptism we're united to Christ.

[00:45:44]Um so, that's a different mode of presence.

[00:45:46]I enjoy Christ in the persons of of of my fellow Christians.

[00:45:50]Uh you're right. He also sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us. And the spirit works in a lot of ways in our lives, but he works by prompting us uh to moral action and dissuading us from evil, um us little actual graces and inspirations to do good to make prudent choices so forth but then he also gives us himself in the mode of Holy Communion where we have the body and blood of Christ in this very mysterious way given to us in the sacrament and because of that we have a visible point of unity around which the mystical body of Christ which is the church gathers that constitutes us as the people of God publicly and it also gives us a living sacrifice that we can offer back to God the body and blood of his own son that he gave to redeem us from our sins so I wouldn't have that if I just had the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life which would be enough for me right I mean I would think it'd be enough but with then we wouldn't have this visible sacrament that we could offer to God the body and blood of his son that would be this point of contact and form of unity that would bring the the visible church together you know to gather in liturgical worship so all of these modes has some utility in the development in our inner world development as Catholic people >> Jim thanks for checking in from Ann Arbor hope that is helpful for you called to communion here on EWTN kind of a tough question here from William who says Dr. Anders my son has recently come out as a pansexual he happens to have a boyfriend we've spoken to him about it in the biblical sense still he loves his boyfriend he recently asked me in my opinion on what Paul meant using the word arsenokoitai I gave him my opinion then he asked what if they were married would that keep him out of heaven look I know what I've read and learned however I don't want to lead him wrong nor have him just forget about God altogether you know could you please help me out on how or what to tell him about all this >> yeah thanks I appreciate the question so the I mean the Catholic teaching on sexuality is pretty clear. There's no ambiguity about it at all. The Catholic position is that sexuality is a beautiful gift of our natural bodies meant for the procreation of children within the context of lifelong monogamous marriage. I mean, that's that's what sexuality is. Deviations from that norm are frowned on by the church. So, I mean, no ambiguity there.

[00:48:15]Um now, you know, when when Catholic kids start trying to exegete Koine Greek to justify their lifestyles, I think that this is the you know, I think they are I think they're bluffing.

[00:48:29]Right? I think this is an evasion. I think this is a kind of subterfuge because they're trying to poke holes in in the Catholic, you know, vision of human sexuality or find excuses or whatever. And and I mean, would it change his behavior?

[00:48:43]I mean, at the outset, if you if if there were a lot solid, absolutely certain exegetical proof that by arsenokoitai Paul meant exactly what the Catholic Church means, would that change his behavior?

[00:48:58]Probably not. Right? He's looking for a rhetorical poke that he can use against you. Yeah, he's looking for a zinger. Aha, Mom, see, Paul doesn't agree with you. Aha, ha. But he's just looking for justification.

[00:49:11]>> Yeah.

[00:49:11]>> You know, he's not looking for a reason.

[00:49:12]He's looking for a justification. And in point of fact, arsenokoitai uh is seems to be a neologism, a made-up word that that Paul used um that's drawn from two different texts in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament where we find um uh uh where we find prohibitions on men lying with other men the way they would lie with women. And the the word arsen and koitai are both used, but separately, and Paul seems to have combined these texts into a singular concept, men that lie with other men.

[00:49:48]And so, if you read them against the Old Testament narrative, it that I think the most rational explanation is the one that appears on the face, which is that men who lie with men as they would with a woman. You know, that's that's not okay for Christians to do, not okay for people to do.

[00:50:03]>> Nope.

[00:50:03]>> Now, obviously, you know, biblical scholars go to their work with agenda.

[00:50:10]Like they're humans. They um you know, and so there's a there there are political uh battles over the translation of these terms.

[00:50:19]Because for these exact reasons, people have an axe to grind and they're they're trying to find some warrant. This is why as Catholics, fortunately, we don't do theology by simple exegesis.

[00:50:28]>> Okay.

[00:50:29]>> Uh you know, exegesis is always a little bit ambiguous cuz Paul's not around to tell us what he meant. So there's always there's always a little bit of ambiguity. That's why God didn't leave us with the Bible alone.

[00:50:39]>> Yep.

[00:50:40]>> He left us with the Bible and a living interpreter.

[00:50:43]>> There you go. Thanks so much uh for that question. And we have just enough time to get to Mark in Fargo listening on the Great Real Presence Radio. Mark, we have just a couple of minutes here. What's on your mind?

[00:50:53]>> Okay, just a a correction then a question.

[00:50:57]Um okay, Dr. Anders, I really love love your show. However, I don't understand when you had a caller or an e- No, it was a you had someone asked earlier this week, "Do my sins hurt God?" And you said, "No."

[00:51:14]But our sins crucified Jesus. So, can you explain what you meant?

[00:51:20]>> Yeah, absolutely. I really appreciate the question. So, so when I'm when I'm talking about God in the abstract, right? And I'm not necessarily thinking about the incarnate God who is the person of Christ, the historical Jesus who lived on lived and died on the cross. I'm just thinking about the divine nature as such, it is Catholic doctrine that the divinity is impassible.

[00:51:43]So, God qua God does not experience pain or emotions of any kind because he's impassable. He does not change. He doesn't have passing states of mind. He can't go from happiness to boredom to pain to relief. All those are things that would be characteristic of changeable beings. God is an impassable simple being who doesn't have changes of state. He is eternally blessed in himself. That is a dogma of the Catholic faith concerning the inner nature of God. Now, if you're talking about the incarnate Lord who is Jesus, he is both God and man.

[00:52:16]Right? And so Christ qua human, Christ as a person with a human nature, obviously has the capacity to feel pain, emotional pain, physical pain. Jesus said "Ow" when he stubbed his toe.

[00:52:30]And so it's not inappropriate uh in terminology to say God stubbed his toe.

[00:52:38]Right? And And we do that. We do that as Catholics when we speak about Christ. We say that Mary gave birth to God, God died on the cross, God stubbed his toe.

[00:52:47]Um my Lord and my God, Thomas says to Jesus. That's all appropriate language, but it has to be understood within the terms of the hypostatic union.

[00:52:55]>> Right. Right. Right.

[00:52:56]>> Um now, you know, to uh So what you say is true, right? But I But I was answering a different question.

[00:53:06]>> Okay. Is that helpful for you, Mark?

[00:53:08]>> And No, that that that helps. I I just think most of our listeners um aren't studying the uh Angelicum. So I think if someone says to Mike sins hurt God, I think it's appropriate to say yes, my sins and your sins crucified Jesus who is both God and man. Um so thanks for clarifying that. My My question is normally you don't get questions like this, but I really respect your prudence, so I wanted to ask you like >> I got to I got to jump in cuz we're down to the last 20 seconds. Would you do do a favor and call us back next week and we will uh continue this. Would that Is that fair?

[00:53:45]>> That's very fair. Thank you both and have a have a lovely weekend.

[00:53:49]>> Thanks, Mark. Thanks, Mark. You as well.

[00:53:51]We hope everybody has a wonderful weekend. And as we're heading out the door, a quick text from Melissa in Texas, should Catholics eat pork, especially knowing that the demons, as we said earlier, were cast into pigs?

[00:54:03]>> Well, I I personally don't eat pork for health reasons because I try to avoid saturated fat, but if that's not an issue for you, if your cholesterol is fine, um you know, load it up with some bacon, but I mean that you know, [laughter] it sure smells good, you know? I mean, I like a pork chop as much as anybody else and there's absolutely no reason why a Catholic should avoid any food, St. Paul says. And Jesus said that all things are clean that God has made. So, eat away unless you're trying to um improve your cholesterol.

[00:54:33]>> You ever heard bacon referred to as um meat candy?

[00:54:36]>> Meat candy, that's a very [laughter] good description.

[00:54:38]>> Dr. David Anders, thank you, sir.

[00:54:40]Appreciate everybody and we we hope everybody has a great weekend. Uh we'll be at it again on Monday [music] at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on most of these stations.

[00:54:48]Do check us out. We will see you then.

[00:54:50]Until then, this is Tom Price along with our fantastic cast here behind the scenes and with Dr. David Anders. Have that great weekend. See you on Monday.

[00:54:59]God bless.

[00:55:06]>> Monday morning on the Sunrise Morning Show. We'll celebrate the Feast of St. Justin Martyr, patron saint of Catholic apologists. We'll also get more thoughts from the Church Fathers on Christian maturity with Father John Gavin and take a look at this week in Catholic history with Kevin Schmeising. Plus news, weather, sports, and everything you need to start your day.

[00:55:26]>> The Sunrise [music] Morning Show, Monday at 6:00 a.m. Eastern on EWTN Radio.

[00:55:37]>> Meditate [music] on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit with our free ebook that guides you through the novena in honor of the Holy Spirit. It's available now at [music] ewtnmission.com/holyspirit.

[00:55:51]>> The power of prayer depends [music] on God's action, not on our praying. The Holy Spirit >> [music] >> prays within us with groanings too deep for words, as Romans 8 says. [music] And he empowers us to seek God and to seek from him all that we need. And the answer to prayers are always from God in order to worship him.

[00:56:22]>> The most original Catholic content is on EWTN Radio.

[00:56:28]>> Who do you belong to? This is Doug Keck.

[00:56:30]This week on The Catholic Sphere, Father Gerald Murray, Mary Rice Hasson join Colin Donovan and myself to discuss whose responsibility is it to make decisions for your children.

[00:56:41]>> The Catholic Sphere, Sunday afternoon 2:30 Eastern on EWTN Radio.

[00:56:51]>> [music] >> The mystery of [music] the Trinity is the deepest mystery revealed to us by Jesus. It is the only way we can come to understand [music] God as eternal love.

[00:57:05]It's the very heart of God's mercy. As we praise [music] the three-in-one, we grow in love. We learn to love as he loves. Find out more >> [music] >> next on Breaking the Bread.

[00:57:20]We often begin [music] Mass with the prayer from this Sunday's Epistle. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

[00:57:29]We praise the God [music] who's revealed himself as a Trinity, a communion of persons.

[00:57:35]Communion with the Trinity is the goal of our worship and the purpose of the salvation history that begins in the Bible and continues in the Eucharist and the sacraments of the church.

[00:57:46]We see the beginning of God's self-revelation in this week's first reading as he passes before Moses and cries out his holy name, "I will be gracious and show mercy."

[00:57:57]Israel had sinned in worshipping the golden calf, but God does not condemn them to perish. Instead, he proclaims his mercy and faithfulness to his covenant.

[00:58:08]God loved Israel as his firstborn son among the nations. Through Israel, heirs of his covenant with Abraham, God planned to reveal himself as the father of all nations.

[00:58:20]The memory of God's covenant testing of Abraham and Abraham's faithful obedience lies behind this week's gospel. In commanding Abraham to offer his only beloved son, God was preparing us for the fullest possible revelation of his love for the world. As Abraham was willing to offer Isaac, so God did not spare his only beloved son, but handed him over for us all. In this, he revealed what was only disclosed partially to Moses, that his kindness continues for a thousand generations, that he forgives our sin and takes us back as his very own.

[00:58:57]>> [music] >> Jesus humbled himself to die in obedience to his father's will, and for this, [music] the spirit of God raised him from the dead and gave him the name above every name. This is the week [music] we glorify in this week's responsorial song, the name of our Lord, the God who is love.

[00:59:14]This is Scott [music] Hahn for Breaking the Bread.

[00:59:21]>> Breaking the Bread is a production of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

[00:59:26]If you'd like to receive written [music] copies of Dr. Hahn's reflections on the Sunday Mass readings, you can contact us by email >> [music] >> at [email protected] or call us at 740-264-9535.

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[01:00:09]>> From EWTN News Nightly in Washington D.C., I'm Veronica Dudo with an EWTN News Link. Negotiators for the US and Iran have reached a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire [music] by 60 days and begin new talks on Iran's nuclear program. President Trump says he is meeting with advisors today to make a final determination on the proposal.

[01:00:29]Romania says a Russian drone hit an apartment building as part of an attack on a nearby Ukrainian port. NATO [music] has condemned Russia for its quote reckless behavior. Two people were injured in the crash. Spain is [music] preparing to receive Pope Leo the 14th for his fourth apostolic trip where he will visit Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. [music] During his activities from June 6th to the 12th, he will bless the new tower of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. I'm Veronica Dudo with EWTN News Nightly.

[01:01:01]Follow us on social media and join us this evening.

[01:01:06]>> [music] >> From the studios of EWTN, this is Open Line with today's host, Colin Donovan.

[01:01:14]In North America, call toll-free 1-833-288-EWTN. [music] That's 1-833-288-3986. [music] Outside North America, call 1-205-271-2985 [music] or send an email to [email protected].

[01:01:36][music] >> Have a tremendous Friday to you.