“Let us always remember that the way we treat the last and the least of our brothers and sisters speaks of the value we place upon all human life.” @Pontifex, 12 January 2023
“We need daily #prayer, time dedicated to God, so He can enter into our time. We need frequent moments in which we open our hearts to Him so He can daily pour out his love on us and nourish our faith.” @Pontifex, 13 January 2023
“Just as the earth bears abundant fruit when it is well cultivated and cared for, so it is with us. When we cultivate our spiritual health, when we have a well cultivated relationship with the Lord, we begin to bear very good fruit.” @Pontifex, 14 January 2023
“John the Baptist sets his disciples in Jesus’s footsteps. He is not interested in having a following for himself, but he bears witness and then takes a step back, so that many would have the joy of meeting Jesus. #GospelOfTheDay (Jn 1:29–34)” @Pontifex, 15 January 2023
“Brothers and sisters, let us not forget the battered people of Ukraine who are suffering so much! Let us stay close to them with our thoughts, with our help, and with our prayers.” @Pontifex, 15 January 2023
“In the love we show in this world, in loving with tenderness, we will discover that every day and every thing bears within it a fragment of the mystery of God.” @Pontifex, 16 January 2023
“Those who are familiar with God’s Word receive healthy lessons about what is essential. They discover that life is not the time to look at others and protect themselves, but is an opportunity to go out and meet others in the name of the God who is near.” @Pontifex, 17 January 2023
Humanizing the monster. Dom Bettinelli and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this DS9 episode where Kira is confronted with a humanized view of Gul Dukat, a man who did unspeakable evil to her people and the idea of setting aside old wounds for a common good.
Mummies have long been an object of fascination, but how they were made has been a mysterious trade secret of the “men of Anubis.” Jimmy Akin continues his conversation with Dr. Bob Brier to discuss what he’s learned about mummies as one of the world’s foremost experts.
Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?
You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515
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.
Fiorvento Law, PLLC, specializing in adult guardianships and conservatorships, probate and estate planning matters. Accepting clients throughout Michigan. Taking into account your individual, healthcare, financial and religious needs. Visit FiorventoLaw.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.
“I urge everyone to persevere in demonstrating through closeness and solidarity to the battered people of Ukraine who are suffering very much, asking for the gift of the peace for them.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
“Discernment is an art that can be learned and has its own rules. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to place on our path people who can accompany us on our journey toward God.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
“Jesus, Crucified and Risen, the Living One and the Lord, was the destination to which Pope Benedict led us, taking us by the hand. May he help us rediscover in Christ the joy of believing and the hope of living.” @Pontifex, 4 January 2023
“The Magi who set out following the star teach us that faith is a story of setting out and setting out anew. Faith does not grow if it remains static. We need to bring it outside, to live it in a constant journey towards God and towards our brothers and sisters.” @Pontifex, 6 January 2023
“On the Feast of Epiphany, World Missionary Childhood Day is celebrated. I greet all the boys and girls who everywhere in the world are spreading the joy of being Jesus’ friends, and are dedicated through prayer, sacrifice and offerings, to support the missionaries of the Gospel.” @Pontifex, 6 January 2023
“I extend my heartfelt best wishes to the communities of the Eastern Churches who celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, in particular the suffering people of Ukraine. May the Lord’s birth instill comfort and inspire concrete steps that can finally lead to peace.” @Pontifex, 7 January 2023
“By having himself baptized, Jesus reveals that the true justice of God is the mercy that saves, the love that shares our human condition and is in solidarity with our suffering, entering into our darkness to restore light. #GospelOfTheDay (Mt 3:13–17)” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
“Let us do as Jesus did: let us share, let us carry each other’s burdens, let us look at each other with compassion, let us help each other. Let us ask ourselves: am I a person who divides or shares?” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
“Let us not forget our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Today, seeing Our Lady who is holding the infant in the Nativity scene, who nurses him, I think of the mothers of the victims of war, of the soldiers who have fallen in this war in Ukraine.” @Pontifex, 8 January 2023
“The paths of peace are paths of solidarity, for no one can be saved alone. We live in a world so interconnected that, in the end, the actions of each person affect everyone.
https://t.co/yIExqxBNkg Speech” @Pontifex, 9 January 2023
“Let us #PrayTogether that educators be credible witnesses, teaching fraternity rather than competition, and helping especially the youngest and most vulnerable. #PrayerIntention #ClickToPray RS Video” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
“The joint signing of the #RomeCall for #AIEthics by Catholics, Jews and Muslims is a hopeful sign. Religions are accompanying humanity in the development of a technology centered on the human person, thanks to the shared ethical reflection on the use of algorithms. #Algor-ethics” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
“Sick people are at the centre of God’s people, and the Church advances together with them as a sign of a humanity in which everyone is precious and no one should be discarded or left behind. https://t.co/AvGBBjPkrh Message” @Pontifex, 10 January 2023
“We don’t have to wait til we are perfect to bear witness to Jesus; our proclamation begins today, right where we live. And it does not begin by trying to convince others, but by witnessing every day to the beauty of the Love that has looked upon us and lifted us up.” @Pontifex, 11 January 2023
Prime directive! Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss this story of the advanced alien species being mistaken for gods. What are the ethics of the Prime Directive? Does Picard go too far in what he says about religious belief?
The idea of the afterlife is universal in human history, ancient Egyptians included. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli welcome famed Egyptologist Dr. Bob Brier to discuss what the ancient Egyptians believed, including it was similar and different from Judeo-Christian beliefs.
Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?
You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515
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.
Fiorvento Law, PLLC, specializing in adult guardianships and conservatorships, probate and estate planning matters. Accepting clients throughout Michigan. Taking into account your individual, healthcare, financial and religious needs. Visit FiorventoLaw.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.
“Let us #PrayTogether for Pope Emeritus Benedict who is supporting the Church in silence. Let us ask the Lord to console him and to sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end.” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
““Everything pertains to love” is the title of the Apostolic Letter to be published today to commemorate the fourth centenary of the death of Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church. Apostolic Letter” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
“The Love of God that was revealed in Bethlehem brings consolation to our hearts troubled by the drama of the war in #Ukraine and in other parts of the world. Let us remember that the last word in the history of humanity belongs to God because ”everything pertains to love“.” @Pontifex, 28 December 2022
“God loves us so much that He shares our humanity and our lives. He never leaves us alone either in joy or in sorrow because He is the Emmanuel, the God with us, the light that illuminates the darkness and the tender presence that accompanies us on our journey. #Christmas” @Pontifex, 29 December 2022
“The Baby Jesus, with his Mother Mary, and St Joseph, radiate the light of mercy and salvation for the human family and for individual families. This light encourages us to offer human warmth to those family living through difficult situations. #HolyFamily” @Pontifex, 30 December 2022
“To all men and women of good will, I express my desire that, as artisans of #peace, you may work, day by day, to make this a good year! May Mary Immaculate, Mother of Jesus and Queen of Peace, intercede for us and for the whole world.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“Even when we feel plunged into a dark and difficult maelstrom of injustice and suffering, we are still called to keep our hearts open to hope, trusting in God who accompanies us with tenderness, sustains us, and guides us along our way. #Peace
yN Message” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“The divine motherhood of Mary reveals God’s utmost respect for our freedom. God could have come into the world in a thousand ways manifesting his power and, instead, willed to be conceived in full freedom in Mary’s womb.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“Let us pray to our Mother in a special way for her children who are suffering and no longer have the strength to pray, and for our many brothers and sisters throughout the world who are victims of war, passing these holidays immersed in violence and indifference.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“In celebrating the World Day of Peace, let us implore Mary Most Holy, the Mother of God, so that in this epoch, polluted by diffidence and indifference, she might make us capable of being compassionate and providing care.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“At this time, let us invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy for Pope emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all join together, with one heart and one soul, in thanking God for the gift of this faithful servant of the Gospel and of the Church.” @Pontifex, 1 January 2023
“God does not love us in word but in deed; not from “on high”, from far away, but “up close”, from within our flesh, because in Mary, the Word was made flesh, because in Christ’s chest a heart of flesh continues to beat, it beats for each and every of us!” @Pontifex, 2 January 2023
“When we have strong feelings of doubt and fear, and we seem to be sinking, we must not be ashamed to cry out like Peter: “Lord, save me” (Mt 14:30). This is a beautiful prayer! And Jesus immediately stretches out his hand.” @Pontifex, 3 January 2023
Prodigy season 1 has ended and Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss the season finale, where the next season might go, and their thoughts on Prodigy as a whole.
It’s the New Year, so Cy Kellett of Catholic Answers Live is asking Jimmy Akin weird questions from listeners, about topics like Capt. America; Johnny Cash; St. Patrick and snakes; did Mary have two spouses?; Jesus’ wounds; and baby Jesus’ umbilical cord.
Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?
Questions covered (times are approximate):
3:26 – Can you explain the Biblical references in the Johnny Cash song “when the man comes to town” and is it biblically accurate? I’d love to be able to share Jimmy’s thoughts on this on social media.
13:12 – I understand that in devotional language the Blessed Mother is “The Spouse of the Holy Spirit”. But it’s confusing to hear in the same prayer that the Blessed Mother is also the spouse of Joseph. (Did Mary have two spouses?) Also, I once said that Joseph was the “husband of Mary” and was corrected that he was the “spouse of Mary” and that made a big difference. She explained the marriage of Joseph and Mary was only “for show” and the “real” marriage was to the Holy Spirit. So what’s the right way to explain this gently – without having to disturb the pious fictions that people have lived with for a long time?
17:40 – I am reading a book “The Rod of an Almond Tree in God’s Master Plan.” Basically, the theory is that God gave Adam a rod from the Tree of Life when He expelled Adam and Eve from Eden. The miraculous rod makes its way from Adam to Enoch, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. David thrusts it into the ground while fleeing Jerusalem from his son Absalom. The miraculous rod grows into the tree that Christ was crucified upon to atone for our sins. Have you heard of this theory before? What do you think? Potential topic for “Mysterious World?”
21:32 – Is it possible the person of the Holy Spirit made brief appearances in the Bible? When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the tomb (John 20:14-18), and to the two followers on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) and to the seven disciples fishing (John 21:1-14), is it possible that their eyes did not see Him because they were not seeing God the Son at first, but God the Holy Spirit for a brief time?
27:39 – In the Winter Soldier movie, Captain America meets his old love interest from before he travelled into the future and finds out that she married and grew old with someone else after she thought Captain America had died back in the 1940s. In the latest Avengers film, Captain America travels back in time to before Peggy Carter married this other man and marries her instead, thereby pre-empting the unnamed other man from ever marrying Peggy Carter. While Captain America was traveling back in time like this, would it have been adultery for him to have desire for and even make the move to pursue and marry a girl who he knew was married in his own future time but not in the time he was currently traveling to? Seems like this might be adultery for him, but not for her. What do you think?
32:26 – What’s the deal with St. Patrick and the snakes on the “plain”? I can’t find anything definitive out there.
36:34 – Why does the glorified Jesus not have the wounds of the Scourging at the Pillar or Crown of Thorns while keeping the nail marks and side wounds?
38:07 – Jesus’ nails were in his wrists (according to the Shroud of Turin), why do stigmatic saints have the wounds on their hands?
42:28 – How can genetic mutations cause evolution?
49:14 – Did Jesus bi-locate or multi-locate in the New Testament?
50:14 – Who would have cut Jesus’ umbilical cord? Or did the Virginal Birth not require this to happen?
You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515
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.
Fiorvento Law, PLLC, specializing in adult guardianships and conservatorships, probate and estate planning matters. Accepting clients throughout Michigan. Taking into account your individual, healthcare, financial and religious needs. Visit FiorventoLaw.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.
In a new Christmas tradition, Jimmy Akin welcomed everyone, especially those who might alone, to join him for a livestream festive gathering on Christmas day where he answered many questions.
Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?
You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515
This Episode is Brought to You By: Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World is brought to you in part through the generous support of Deliver Contacts, offering honest pricing and reliable service for all your contact lens needs. See the difference at delivercontacts.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.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 30 September 2022 to 17 January 2023.
