Why Catholic?

If God is the Creator of light, then it stands to reason that He is greater than light. And if He is greater than light, then His experience of time is different than ours, since time is relative to the speed of light. In this episode, Justin Hibbard continues the series on the Nature of God by exploring the metaphysics of God and how this affects God being personal to us. Subscribe to Why Catholi...

Many people struggle reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New? Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so mean yet Jesus seems so peaceful and loving? In this episode, Justin Hibbard continues the series on the nature of God by exploring the various ways God communicates with us. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy s...

Justin Hibbard begins a new series on the nature of God by exploring the Trinity - the most basic, orthodox premise of Christianity. Why should we believe that God is one being in three persons, and do we see any examples of such a complexity in our own dimension? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Be...

In this episode, Justin Hibbard reflects on what it was like being interviewed on the EWTN show The Journey Home , how the Coming Home Network played a big role in his journey, and how we can all prepare to share our stories and the hope we have. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast). Become a free subscr...

In this special interview episode, Justin Hibbard is joined by the Dickinson family - the award-winning creators of the Diary of a God-Man series. Week-in and week-out this family of 10 takes on the massive challenge of illustrating the daily liturgical readings in comic book form with the goal of bringing the Word of God to as many children as possible. In this episode, you’ll learn how the idea...

Justin Hibbard concludes this series on Catholic ethos by examining the 7 principles of Catholic social justice teaching. While social justice means all sorts of things to different people, we’ll examine how does the Church defines social justice, and the practical ways it encourages all of humankind to create a more just society. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check ou...

Can we expect people to live up to a certain set of moral standards, and if so, what are those standards? In continuation of our series on Catholic ethos, Justin Hibbard addresses the cardinal virtues - the longstanding teaching of philosophers and Catholics regarding what it means to be a good person. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop...

Justin Hibbard continues the series on Catholic Ethos with the Unity of Life. We live in a world that often contradicts Christian morality. How does the concept of unity of life help us think about holiness and sin? And how can we apply this concept of the unity of life to the Vatican’s controversial declaration “Fiducia Supplicans?” Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check...

Justin Hibbard continues the series on Catholic ethos by exploring the philosophical and theological ideas of transcendentals - inherent traits in all things that exist. Why does the Catholic Church emphasize truth, goodness, and beauty, and what can we learn from shows like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood about using a common framework to share our Christian faith? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you...

Justin Hibbard continues the series on Catholic ethos by examining the ethos of suffering. Why do Catholics purposefully incorporate suffering in their lives, and what can we learn from people like St. Francis of Assisi or Stephen Colbert about how to view suffering as a gift? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this...

Justin Hibbard continues the series on Catholic ethos by addressing the Catholic concept of a “Holy Day of Obligation.” What is a holy day of obligation, and how are Catholics required to observe it? More importantly, what is the purpose of a holy day of obligation, and how can Catholics approach these days with a mature Christian mindset? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts....

Justin Hibbard continues the series focused on Catholic Ethos by examining the words mystery, mystical, and mystic. Why do Catholics often use the term mystery? Does mystery mean something can’t be known, and why are Catholics comfortable with mystery? Justin also touches on the Catholic mystics who experienced strange phenomena. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out...

Justin Hibbard kicks off a new series focused on Catholic Ethos by examining what the phrase “faith seeking understanding” means. What does faith look like? Why is there a difference between how the Eastern and Western Catholic Churches practice What’s the difference between a childlike faith and a childish faith? And how should we help our faith grow in maturity? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherev...

Father Deacon Anthony Dragani, a Deacon in the Ukrainian Catholic tradition, joins Justin Hibbard to talk about the history and practices of Eastern Catholicism and specifically the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Fr. Dcn. Anthony, a professor of Religious Studies at Mount Aloysius College, specializes in Eastern Christianity and helping Western Catholics better understand Eastern Catholicism. Watch th...

In this special event episode, Justin Hibbard dives into the three days that make up Allhallowtide - Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. When did these celebrations begin? Why and how does the Catholic Church celebrate them? And what are the origins of our practices of trick or treating on Halloween? Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catholic...

There have been many efforts by various Protestants such as Rick Warren and Mark Devers to list the purposes or marks of a healthy church. And while these are good functions that all churches should strive to implement, the historical marks of the true Church are that it’s “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” In this final episode on our series on the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Ju...

Tradition!!! The Catholic Church believes in this concept called Holy or Sacred Tradition. However, it’s important to understand what Holy Tradition is and isn’t. In continuation of the series on the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Justin Hibbard explores this concept of tradition while also defending the claim that every Christian believes in some sort of holy tradition and applies it...

When the Church Fathers said that the true Church was one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, what did they mean by the word Apostolic? Did it mean just that the True Church followed the teachings of the Apostles, or was it something much bigger. In this episode, Justin Hibbard continues the series on the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church by examining the meaning and significance of the word “...

Many people often refer to the Catholic Church as the “Roman Catholic Church,” but what they don’t realize is that the Roman or Latin church is just one church among 24 churches that makes up the Catholic Church. In this episode, Justin Hibbard interviews Father Collin Nunis, a native of Malaysia, who serves at St. Joseph's Melkite Catholic Parish in Melbourne, Australia, which is part of the Melk...

Lots of non-Catholic Christians claim to believe in the (little “c”) catholic church, but are they in fact “catholic” in the sense that the church fathers meant when they penned the creeds? In continuation of our series on the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Justin Hibbard explores the meaning of Catholicity - what it means to be “catholic.” Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get y...

How does Catholic dogma develop? Why does the Catholic Church decide to make define very specific dogmas like the perpetual virginity of Mary? In this episode, Justin Hibbard continues the series on the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church by looking at the 2000-year-old ecclesiastical practice of defining dogma. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Cat...

Why does the Catholic Church have a well-defined hierarchy? Why don’t we have 12 Apostles and a handful of Deacons like we see in the Bible? In this episode, Justin Hibbard continues the series on “The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” by examining the development of the hierarchy and why it was so necessary to preserve the unity of the Church. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get you...

Many people (particularly Protestants) refer to the Catholic Church and Catholics as “Roman Catholic.” As Justin Hibbard explains in this episode doing so is a misnomer because it excludes 17 million Catholics who are part of the Eastern Catholic Churches. In continuation on our series on One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, we look at the 6 rites and 24 sui juris churches that make up the Cath...

Michael Snellen, a Catholic convert and the host of the Catholicism for the Modern World podcast joins Justin Hibbard to talk about his experience at World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. Listen as Michael shares about the world’s largest gathering and some of his experiences with such a diverse group of people. Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Why Catho...

In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o'clock on Sunday morning.” Not much has changed since. However, if the Church is supposed to be a place where we learn how to empathize with others, if it’s supposed to reflect Heaven, then the Church ought to be the most integrated institution? In continuation of our series on “One Hol...