Year: 2021

Shuttlepod One (ENT) – The Secrets of Star Trek

The ultimate bottle episode. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this lifeboat story of Enterprise that fleshes out the Malcom Reed character, but has more plot holes than a shuttlepod riddled by micro-black stars.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Exodus! (Did It Happen?) – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

The Bible records the story of Moses and Exodus, the foundational event in the Jewish faith, but some skeptics say it never happened. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine the evidence to determine whether the Exodus really occurred.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

Mysterious Headlines

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Aaron Vurgason Electric and Automation at AaronV.com. Making Connections for Life for your automation and smart home needs in north and central Florida.

Catechism Class, a dynamic weekly podcast journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Greg and Jennifer Willits. It’s the best book club, coffee talk, and faith study group, all rolled into one. Find it in any podcast directory.

Best-selling Christian author Jacqueline Brown. Get a free audio copy of her award-winning novel “The Light”. Who do you become when the world falls away? Get the book at SQPN.com/TheLight. Appropriate for mature teens and adults. Learn more at jacqueline-brown.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Weekly Francis – 04 August 2021

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 6 July 2021 to 4 August 2021.

Angelus

General Audiences

Homilies

Messages

Papal Tweets

  • “The Lord is aware of all that we have been through in this time. He is close to those who felt isolated and alone, feelings that became more acute during the pandemic. He is not indifferent to this. #IamWithYouAlways” @Pontifex 23 July 2021
  • “The Lord is always close to us: through new invitations, new words, with His consolations. The Lord is eternal. He never, ever retires. #IamWithYouAlways” @Pontifex 24 July 2021
  • ““I am with you always” are the words as Bishop of Rome, elderly person like you, want to address to you on the first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. The Church is close to you, to us. She loves you and doesn’t want to leave you alone! #IamWithYouAlways
    @laityfamilylife” @Pontifex 25 July 2021
  • “The significance of this Day is that every grandfather and grandmother, every older person, especially those among us who are most alone, might be visited by an angel! #IamWithYouAlways
    @laityfamilylife” @Pontifex 25 July 2021
  • “Dear grandparents, what is our vocation today, at our age? To preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young and to care for the little ones. Let’s never forget this. #IamWithYouAlways
    @laityfamilylife” @Pontifex 25 July 2021
  • “It would be good to ask ourselves every day: “What do I bring to Jesus today?”. He can do a lot with one of our prayers, with a gesture of charity for others. This is how God loves to act: He does great things, starting from those small things. #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 6:1–15)” @Pontifex 25 July 2021
  • “In this time of pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are a sign of hope, a sign of universal brotherhood marked by a healthy competitive spirit. #Tokyo2020” @Pontifex 25 July 2021
  • “On this #WorldDayAgainstTraffickingInPersons, I invite everyone to work together with the victims to transform the economy of trafficking into an economy of care. #CareAgainstTrafficking #EndHumanTrafficking #TalithaKum” @Pontifex 30 July 2021
  • “The invitation in the #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 6:24–35) is this: rather than being concerned only with material bread, let us welcome Jesus as the bread of life and, starting out from our friendship with Him, learn to love each other. Freely and without calculation.” @Pontifex 1 August 2021
  • “Let us pray for the Church, that she may receive from the Holy Spirit the grace and strength to reform herself in the light of the Gospel. []” @Pontifex 3 August 2021
  • “The Gospel is the Good News and the force that changes our lives and hearts for the better. For this I ask you to read the Gospel every day and meditate on a short passage to be nourished from this inexhaustible source of salvation. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex 4 August 2021
  • “Let us #PrayTogether for all priests so that, following the example of #SaintJohnVianney, they may bring to all their brothers and sisters in difficulty the living Gospel of their witness of love, mercy, and solidarity.” @Pontifex 4 August 2021
  • “Today, a year after the terrible port explosion in the capital Beirut, I appeal to the international community to offer #Lebanon concrete assistance in undertaking a journey of “resurrection”, so that Lebanon may once more be a message of peace and fraternity.” @Pontifex 4 August 2021

Papal Instagram

A Town Called Mercy – The Secrets of Doctor Who

The Doctor in the Old West. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha talk about the balance between justice and mercy, whether the good done today compensates for evil done before, and the Doctor’s own conscience about his deeds.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Gift (VOY) – The Secrets of Star Trek

Kes’s departure from Voyager was forced by the arrival of 7 of 9. Jimmy, Dom, and Fr. Cory discuss how she was written out of the show, compare her transformation to religious ecstasy, and the ethics of Janeway forcing 7 of 9 to leave the Borg Collective.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Transporters & Sacraments? Frozen Embryo Guardian Angels? Human-Animal Hybrids? & More Weird Questions! – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

It’s a fifth Friday so Cy Kellett of Catholic Answers Live is asking Jimmy Akin more weird questions from listeners, including would I need to be re-baptized after going through a transporter; what happens to guardian angels of frozen embryos; what about human-animal hybrids; and more.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Questions covered:

  • 01:58 – Is it possible that we are made in the image and likeness of God due to the Grandfather Paradox of Jesus assuming human flesh to begin with?
  • 07:20 – My friends came up with a fun weird question for the next show: If I am transporting the Eucharist in my car, can I use the carpool lane?
  • 10:34 – Do frozen embryos make their guardian angels wait with them?
  • 12:03 – Will the bodies of people in hell (or heaven for that matter) need to eat and drink? Will our bodies just, subsist without sustenance?
  • 16:30 – How was the holy house of Loretto transported from Nazareth to Italy.
  • 19:01 – What happens to a person who can’t remember their sins through memory loss from, say, an accident, aging, or a disease like Alzheimer’s? Do they cease being culpable for their sins if they can’t remember them to repent and ask for forgiveness and reconcile with God?
  • 23:43 – What could the physics of the “new heavens and new earth” (new creation) be like, such that this would no longer disintegrate due to entropy, etc.?
  • 29:59 – If the Star Trek style transporter kills the person and creates a clone with that person’s memories, would a person who gets transported in such a manner have to be baptized or confirmed again? Would a priest who gets transported have to be ordained again? What about confession? What if you commit a mortal sin, then get transported, would the clone with your memories have to go to confession?
  • 34:17 – If hell is complete and final separation from God, and God is necessary for existence, how do people and angels exist in hell? Another one – is the devil in hell yet, and if not, are the people in hell waiting for him to get there or are they all waiting until the end and judgement to enter hell?
  • 39:34 – What are the spiritual and perhaps biological implications of combining human and pig or cow DNA? Besides having no justifiable health consideration and being seriously wrong for tampering with trying to create previously non-existing life forms, is it possible that a cow or pig could come to the realization that it will wind up as steak or bacon? If it is well known that trauma from violent wars can be passed down and sudden unknown memories which seem like deja vu do happen, is there enough information here to make human/animal chimeras unequivocally illegal? Who do we call?

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Aaron Vurgason Electric and Automation at AaronV.com. Making Connections for Life for your automation and smart home needs in north and central Florida.

Catechism Class, a dynamic weekly podcast journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Greg and Jennifer Willits. It’s the best book club, coffee talk, and faith study group, all rolled into one. Find it in any podcast directory.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Mindwarp – The Secrets of Doctor Who

The 6th Doctor is still on trial and Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss the bombastic action by guest star Brian Blessed, the hidden motivations of the Time Lords, and the sudden departure of Peri as Companion.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Vortex (DS9) – The Secrets of Star Trek

When Odo’s strict code of justice conflicts with a growing sense of compassion and mercy, his character has a moment of growth. Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss how this episode provides a major leap forward for the changeling character.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Border Patrol Ghost (Luis Santiago, San Diego Ghost Story) – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

The US-Mexico border in San Diego sees thousands of people cross back and forth every year, but few people know that in the 1990s, the area got a reputation as a paranormal hotspot. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine one ghost story from the border and what could explain it.

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

Mysterious Headlines

This Episode is Brought to You By:
Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Aaron Vurgason Electric and Automation at AaronV.com. Making Connections for Life for your automation and smart home needs in north and central Florida.

RosaryArmy.com. Have more peace. Visit RosaryArmy.com and get a free all-twine knotted rosary, downloadable audio Rosaries, and more. Make Them. Pray Them. Give Them Away at RosaryArmy.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download