All Things Catholic with Dr. Edward Sri

  Do you have family or friends away from the Catholic Faith?  St. Monica’s example offers six practical things we can do to help bring our loved ones back to Christ and the Church.  Too often we focus on how to change our son, sister or friend.  But the first step in evangelizing our loved ones might involve changing our own heart and approach to evangelization itself. Are we...

Where is Mary’s Queenship in the Bible? Is this just Catholics exaggerating Mary’s role, trying to put Mary on par with Jesus the King, so they make her a Queen? In this episode Dr. Sri unpacks the rich Biblical foundation for the feast the Church celebrates this week - the feast of Mary’s queenship - and shows clearly that the Bible reveals Mary to be our Queen. Get a chance to win a free signed...

Did Mary experience death before she was assumed into heaven? Or was she preserved from death because she did not have original sin? You might be surprised about what the Catholic Church actually teaches on Mary's Assumption.

“How can we stay with a Church that has so many problems?” Dr. Sri unpacks key insights from Bishop Barron’s recent book “A Letter to a Suffering Church” - a book that takes a hard look at the clergy abuse scandal and offers hope and some practical ways forward. If you don't have time to read it, listen to this brief summary of the many gems in this helpful book. Shownotes: Learn more about this b...

Why would Catholics build a whole basilica dedicated the Blessed Virgin Mary? Isn’t this distracting from Jesus? Shouldn’t we be building churches in honor of Jesus, not Mary? And why would the Catholic Church have a special liturgical feast day celebrating the dedication of this Marian basilica?  In this special edition, we go to the principle church dedicated to Mary all the world, as we pr...

Our marriage began with JP2 blessing it in Rome on our honeymoon. So for our 20th wedding anniversary last week, we wanted to do a special marriage pilgrimage to Krakow and walk in the footsteps of this great saint. In this episode, Beth and Edward Sri discuss the importance of couples getting time away and share from their experiences at the sites of JP2's youth and years a priest and bishop in K...

Every detail of the Gospels is there for a reason: to show Jesus fulfilling all the ancient prophecies from the Old Testament.  More than any other Gospel, Matthew is constantly alluding to Jewish hopes and expectations to demonstrate how God has been preparing humanity for the Savior and how Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. Do you know the two main ways Matthew shows prophecies coming t...

Why does the Catholic Church hold up Matthew’s Gospel as so crucial for passing on the Faith--whether as a parent, teacher, catechist or friend? And why does Matthew stand out in times of evangelization and renewal in the Church? Matthew’s background as a tax collector gives an important clue into how he gave his Gospel a beautiful structure - a structure that is the key to understanding the story...

When the saints die, they don’t get cut off from the Body of Christ. They’re closer to Jesus and thus even closer to us, able to hear our prayers and intercede powerfully for our needs.  In this episode, Edward Sri answers listeners questions on a range of topics, including Mary, the Saints, Purgatory, and responding to our teen and young adult children’s questions about the Catholic Faith. &...

Mercy is the highest expression of God’s love. But His mercy is not like that of a judge who merely pardons our violations of the law or a demanding boss who one day decides to overlook the mistakes in our work.  This week’s Solemnity of the Sacred Heart invites us to ponder the Biblical truth of God’s mercy - a mercy rooted in God’s amazing unconditional love, a love that remains faithful ev...

How can Catholics believe the Eucharist is really the Body of Christ? ‘It’s just a piece of bread!  It’s just a symbol of Jesus, not his real presence,’ some would say.  But there’s one Biblical passage that offers the richest theology of the Eucharist and most clearly demonstrates how much Jesus wanted to give us his very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the total gift of Himself in ev...

Do you want your heart to have more space to receive God’s Love in your life?  Learn from one of Dr. Sri’s favorite saints in Rome, St. Philip Neri, who is a patron saint for the New Evangelization.  This special edition was recorded in Rome outside Chiesa Nova, where St. Philip Neri is buried.

“Holy Spirit, inspire me in all my actions….guide me in all my decisions….” After Pentecost, the Apostles were transformed men. We can experience that same transformation in the Spirit today - if we grow in deeper relationship with the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  

Mary isn’t just open. She actually allows God to act in her life - even when it’s hard and unclear and when all she can do is walk by faith and not by sight. How can we be more like Mary, living trustful surrender as she did? For more on this topic, see Edward Sri's book "Walking with Mary" (Image Books).

Mary’s "Yes" was not a one-time "Fiat" in Nazareth. She had to renew her trustful surrender to the Father’s plan repeatedly throughout her life. Will we, like Mary, always be on the lookout for the next step God is asking us to take?

“What makes the Bible different from Muslim, Hindu or other sacred texts from the world’s many religions? Can a modern serious thinker really believe that God inspired human beings to write his Scriptures?  Doesn’t that sound like fairy tales?”  In this episode, Edward Sri addresses these and other questions about the divine inspiration of Scripture.  

Does your mind wander when you pray the Rosary?  Discover five keys to help you overcome distraction and encounter Jesus and Mary more in this powerful prayer.  May is Mary’s month and a good time to reinvigorate our devotion to Mary. In this episode, Edward Sri draws on insights from his book "Praying the Rosary Like Never Before"   

Why do the Gospels never mention Jesus appearing to Mary on Easter? Does that mean it didn’t happen?  Actually, the Risen Jesus probably appeared to Mary first - eagerly rising from the dead as early as possible on Easter morning so he could be reunited with his mother.

Can a serious thinker in the 21st century really believe in the resurrection of Jesus? When people die, they stay dead.  How can Christians claim Jesus was different? The resurrection of Christ seems like a fairy tale—a Christian myth, invented by the apostles. That’s what many people in our secular age might think about Easter. How would you respond?  Gain the clarity and confidence to...

The Cross is not Christ's defeat. It's his moment of triumph.  Discover the Biblical meaning of the last three sayings from the Cross: "I Thirst"...."It is finished"....and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." For example: "I Thirst." Jesus isn't just thirsting for something to drink. He thirsts for you—for your love, time and attention..for your total surrender to him. Will you make...

Was Jesus abandoned by his Father on Good Friday? What is the meaning of his words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It's far from a cry of despair. It's actually a cry of confident hope amid great darkness. And the Biblical background to Jesus’ words gives us a roadmap for facing our own trials today.

Shortly before he dies, Jesus gives us one last gift: the gift of Mary as our spiritual mother. Indeed, this scene of Mary and the beloved disciple at Calvary is one of the most crucial Biblical passages for demonstrating Mary’s important role in the life of every Christian. In this episode, Edward Sri walks through the Biblical foundations for Mary's spiritual motherhood as he considers the third...

Did you know that the Good Thief was blaspheming Jesus at Calvary, joining the others in their mocking of Christ?  What made him suddenly have a change of heart and encounter God’s amazing love and mercy? Edward Sri unearths the Biblical background of this last minute conversion and Jesus' final words to him: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  

Imagine being at Calvary with Jesus looking you in the eye and speaking these Seven Last Words personally to you.  In this episode, Edward Sri unpacks the Biblical meaning of Christ's Seven Last Words. But don’t think of these merely as words spoken to the world in general. Jesus was thinking of you on Calvary. He know what you’d be going through this year, this month, this day—and He spoke t...

“God loves us with all the passion of a true love,” says Pope Benedict. Discover how the theological background of the word ‘passion” can help us encounter God’s love for us in a deeper way this Lent. Special give-away in this episode. To enter a drawing for a signed copy of Edward Sri's new book "No Greater Love," email topic ideas for future episodes to: info.edwardsri@gmail.com