Why Catholic?

Justin Hibbard continues our series on the Catholic Approach to Prayer by focusing on intentional prayer. Why do Catholics use the term “prayer intentions,” what do they mean by “offer it up?” and why do they often read prayers rather than pray extemporaneously? What are some practical ways we can be more intentional about our prayers and live out the command to “pray without ceasing?” Subscribe t...

Is prayer something we do, or is it an opening for God to do something far beyond our efforts? In continuation on our series on the Catholic approach to prayer, Justin Hibbard explains a theory of how God uses prayer to rewire our brains. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on the Catholic approach to prayer with exploring the ancient discipline of Lectio Divina. How can we incorporate Scripture and meditation into our prayer, and how does God use that time and space in transformative ways? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a f...

Do Catholics worship images and statues? In continuation of our series on the Catholic Approach to Prayer, Justin Hibbard talks about the use of images in Catholic liturgy. How do these images invoke the use of imagination, and why is imagination an essential ingredient for prayer? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support...

Justin Hibbard begins a new series on the Catholic Approach to Prayer by exploring why it’s so challenging for Christians to pray? Why is prayer so important, and why do we struggle to have a disciplined prayer life? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Cathol...

Justin Hibbard is joined by Fr. Christopher Gray - Pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Park City, UT and Maria Villar - St. Mary's Director of Charity to talk about how the parish has become a beacon of charity in the Wasatch Back. Learn how St. Mary's grew from providing assistance to being a hub for collaborating with assistance organizations within the local community. Subsc...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on Sacred Scripture by demonstrating how to utilize a variety of hermeneutical principles to not only interpret Scripture but to immerse yourself in Scripture. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on Sacred Scripture by demonstrating how to utilize a variety of hermeneutical principles to not only interpret Scripture but to immerse yourself in Scripture. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on Sacred Scripture by looking at how the heresy of gnosticism provides the context for much of the New Testament. Which writers and passages seem to specifically focus on combatting gnosticism? How does that context help us better understand the meaning of Scripture? And in what ways do we see gnosticism today? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your p...

In continuation of the series on Sacred Scripture, Justin Hibbard examines the three primary ways of numbering the 10 Commandments. Why are there multiple ways of numbering the 10 Commandments? And did the Catholic Church, as many Protestants claim, just delete the second commandment in order to justify idolatry? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic...

Justin Hibbard continues the series on Sacred Scripture by examining all the chapter and verse numbers in the Bible. When did these numbers get added, and how do they sometimes skew the way we read and interpret Scripture? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why...

In continuation of our series on Sacred Scripture, Justin Hibbard dives into Dei Verbum paragraph 12, which gives nine aspects of Catholic Biblical Interpretation. In this episode, you’ll learn more about each of these principles: 1. Scripture is God’s Word inspired to humans through humans. 2. Authorial intent. 3. Phenomenological language. 4. Form criticism. 5. Historical-grammatical criticism....

In continuation of our series on Sacred Scripture, Justin Hibbard is joined by Kenny Burchard - a former Pentecostal Pastor, host of the show Catholic Bible Highlights, co-host of the On the Journey podcast, and Director of Development at the Coming Home Network. Justin & Kenny (two former Protestant Pastors) talk about the importance of the relationship between Scripture and the Church. Video ver...

In continuation of our series on Sacred Scripture, Justin Hibbard takes a look at the foundational Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura and demonstrates why it is an illogical, unbiblical, its unworkable, universally inapplicable, impractical, its subjective, and hypocritical premise. Discover why the Catholic Church has rejected this 500-year-old doctrine as a heresy and why we should rejoice in...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on Sacred Scripture by examining how Catholic authority is supported by Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium. How do Catholics understand this dance between these three aspects, and how does every Christian and Christian denomination actually operate similarly to the Catholic Church? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the W...

In continuation of our series on Sacred Scripture, Justin Hibbard explores why Protestant Bibles are smaller than Catholic Bibles. Why did the Protestant reformers remove 7 books along with parts of Daniel and Esther from the Bible that had been existence since the 4th century? And how has their premise been definitively debunked with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Subscribe to Why Catholi...

Justin Hibbard continues our series on Sacred Scripture by examining how the Bible developed into what it is today - the most sold book in the world. In this episode, you’ll learn about some of the aspects about the Bible that make it unlike any other book, how the Old and New Testaments developed, and how the Church decided on what books should be included as Sacred Scripture. Subscribe to Why Ca...

Justin Hibbard launches a new series on Sacred Scripture by looking at the sacramentality of Scripture. How does the sacramental worldview transport us into an eternal space, and how is Scripture a particularly important part of that portal between earth and eternity? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast)...

Seek 2025 is coming to Salt Lake City January 1-5, 2025. In this special episode, Justin Hibbard talks with co-emcee and Focus missionary John Michael Lucido about what to expect at Seek 2025 and the work that Focus is doing on college campuses. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscri...

Justin Hibbard concludes the series on the Papacy by exploring three questions: Why has the papacy evolved into what it is today? Why was the Pope so political throughout history? And why is the Church headquartered in Rome? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscriber or a patron of Wh...

In continuation on our series about the Papacy, Justin Hibbard explores the papacy of Pope Francis. What makes him a particularly controversial Pope, and how should Catholics respond when they find themselves in sharp disagreement with the Holy Father? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free...

How does one become the Pope? In continuation of our series on the papacy, Justin Hibbard examines the history and development of the papal elections. How was the Pope elected in the early Church? Why did it lead to antipopes? Why were there lengthy periods of time when the Chair of St. Peter was vacant? And what historical moments have led to how the Pope is elected today? Subscribe to Why Cathol...

In continuation of our series on the Papacy, Justin Hibbard gives a brief snapshot of some of the greatest Popes in history. What common traits did these great Popes share; how did they balance spiritual, political, and administrative leadership; and how did their papacies change the world? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceed...

In continuation with our series on the Papacy, Justin Hibbard explores the papacies of some of the worst Popes in history. Who were these Popes of infamy? How did they even ascend the Chair of St. Peter? And what lessons do they offer us today? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscrib...

In 1870, the First Vatican Council defined the dogma of papal infallibility. In continuation on our series on the Papacy, Justin Hibbard explains what papal infallibility is and isn’t, why the Catholic Church decided to expand infallibility to the Pope, why Popes aren’t eager to use it, and what dogmas have been declared by the Pope through his charism of papal infallibility. Subscribe to Why Cath...