Christ is the Answer Podcast

Fr. John Riccardo
  • 4.8 (904)
  • Christianity
  • Daily

📻 Christ is the Answer, hosted by Fr. John Riccardo, offers compelling Catholic teaching and heartfelt pastoral insights, helping listeners draw closer to Christ and navigate life's challenges with faith and hope. christistheanswer.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 726 – The Ten Commandments, Part 1: No Other Gods

    Episode 726 · The Ten Commandments, Part 1 Most of us learned the Ten Commandments by memorizing them, and that may be why they feel like a list of restrictions. Fr. John Riccardo starts at the beginning, with who was speaking, to whom, and where, and shows why the commandments read very differently once you know that. Then he looks at the first one, which he says is the most frequently broken and the least confessed. This episode helps answer: Is God the Enemy of Happiness? In this episode * We become who we are by our free choices, so the reward of choosing good is actually becoming good. * The crisis in the church is that too many people know about God but do not know Him personally; biblical knowledge is relational, not just information. * The Ten Commandments were given to freed slaves in the desert after 450 years in Egypt, so God is first a liberator, not a rule-maker. * The commandments are addressed to 'you' singular, written by the 'finger of God,' and never arbitrary: they flow from His love and aim at our happiness. * The first commandment has three parts: God is God and you are not; do not try to make an image of Him or box Him in; and do not let anything enslave you, from addictions to work, money or reputation. * Catholics can make and venerate images because God took on flesh in Jesus; we do not worship the statue but the God it points to. Feelings of God come and go, as Mother Teresa's long dryness shows. Timestamps * 1:02 – Why be good? Our choices make us who we are * 3:03 – Do I know God, or just know about Him? * 9:14 – What does God want for us? The devil's oldest lie * 16:37 – Context is everything: the Israelites, Egypt and Exodus 3 * 23:16 – Where to find the commandments; what Jesus did with them * 30:31 – The first commandment: no other gods, no images, no slavery * 41:56 – Two reflection questions, then Q&A on images and knowing God Scripture Hosea 4:6, Amos 8:11, John 17:3, Exodus 3:7-8, Exodus 20:1-6, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Deuteronomy 30:19, Matthew 5:17-30, Romans 13:10, Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14, Colossians 1:15, Exodus 32 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2052-2557; Baltimore Catechism; Theology of the Body (St. John Paul II); Second Council of Nicaea (8th century, on sacred images); Mother Teresa “The Ten Commandments are, in essence, obliging us to be happy. Thou shalt be happy. I made you for happiness, and these are the way to find it.” – Fr. John Riccardo Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

  2. 1d ago

    Ep. 725 – Theology of the Body Introduction, Part 3: The Image of God

    Episode 725 · Theology of the Body Introduction, Part 3 Is the Church down on the body? Fr. John Riccardo says the opposite is true, and uses the first chapters of Genesis and St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body to show that your body is the visible expression of your person, made for self-giving love. This is the densest session of his four-part introduction, and it explains why the Fall wounded how we see each other. This episode helps answer: What Does Your Body Say About Who You Are? In this episode * The Church does not despise the body; John Paul II's Theology of the Body gives a biblical anthropology to counter a dualism that treats the body as a thing the 'real me' merely uses. * The body is a sacrament of the person: bodily actions say something true or false, as with a husband and wife's self-gift or Judas' kiss in Gethsemane. * Original solitude shows that humans are unlike the animals, and that it is not good to be alone; we find ourselves only in the sincere gift of self. * Original unity: man and woman share equal dignity and complementary difference, and their communion of love images the Trinity and is fruitful. * Original nakedness is the 'peace of the interior gaze' before the Fall, where no one was used or objectified. * The Fall began by accusing the Giver; it broke the relationships with God, the earth, ourselves, and each other, and lust is objectifying a person; the problem is the will, not the body, and it can be healed. Timestamps * 3:06 – Why John Paul II gave the Theology of the Body and how it is structured * 9:16 – Adequate anthropology and the charge that the Church is down on the body * 13:23 – Dualism, euthanasia, and the body as a sacrament of the person * 20:42 – The four horizons: beginning, fall, redemption, resurrection * 25:45 – Original solitude, original unity, and the communion of persons * 42:29 – Original nakedness and the hermeneutic of the gift * 44:29 – The Fall, shame, lust, and concupiscence Scripture Genesis 1-3, Matthew 19:3-9, Matthew 5:8, Matthew 22:23-33, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 4:15, Luke 22:48 Also mentioned Theology of the Body (St. John Paul II); Humanae Vitae (Paul VI); General audiences of 1979-1984; Catechism of the Catholic Church “The problem now isn't with our bodies. The problem is with our wills. That's where the disorders happen.” – Fr. John Riccardo Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 725 – Theology of the Body Introduction, Part 3: The Image of God

  3. 2d ago

    Ep. 861 – Prayer and the Best Personal Trainer

    Episode 861 If you only talk to God when something is going wrong, Fr. John Riccardo says you are in good company, and also missing the point. In a talk to a men's gathering, he explains why prayer is about receiving God himself, and why the sign that it is working is that you start to look more like Jesus. This episode helps answer: What Is Prayer Really For? In this episode * Prayer takes time, attention, and effort; you cannot be a disciple without praying, because discipleship is a relationship, and relationships need time. * Jesus' puzzling words to the royal official suggest that we often come to God only when we have a need, which saddens a Father who wants to give us himself. * Saying prayers is different from praying: it is the difference between talking to your wife with the remote in your hand and turning off the TV. * Check your motive: are you praying to appease God or because you love to be with him, even when prayer feels dry? * The goal of prayer is the gift of God himself, and the fruit is conformity to Christ, above all growing in mercy. * We need others to hold us accountable, as in a small men's fellowship, and we need Scripture, especially the Gospels, as the best personal trainer for the soul. Timestamps * 3:05 – A family's tragedy and why a priest has nothing to give without prayer * 6:09 – The royal official's son, and why we come to God only in need * 10:15 – Three essentials of prayer: time, attention, and effort * 29:05 – The object of prayer: God's gift of himself, and being changed * 36:20 – Three reflection questions on accountability, motive, and friendship * 40:24 – Why men need a small fellowship to grow in faith * 44:30 – Homily: Scripture is the single best personal trainer Scripture John 4:46-54, Luke 11:9-13, Matthew 6:6, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:21-23, Philippians 3:12-14, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Exodus 17:8-13 Also mentioned Jesus of Nazareth (Pope Benedict XVI); What Happens at Mass (Fr. Jeremy Driscoll); United States Catholic Catechism for Adults; Fulton Sheen on the holy hour; St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises “There's a huge difference between saying prayers and praying. It's really easy to say prayers. It's a lot more difficult to pray.” – Fr. John Riccardo Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 861 – Prayer and the Best Personal Trainer

  4. 4d ago

    Ep. 806 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 4: Dropping Your Nets

    Episode 806 · Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 4 The twelve apostles had already dropped their nets, and they were still jockeying for the best seats. In this closing Mass homily of a parish mission, Fr. John Riccardo says that is good news for anyone afraid they have to be perfect first, and then asks what is at stake for the people in your life if you stay on the edge of the pool. This episode helps answer: Why Does Following Jesus Matter So Urgently? In this episode * Dropping the nets does not mean abandoning your family or becoming perfect; the apostles had left everything and were still clueless and competing. * The Gospel of the third passion prediction shows that the cross is the plan, not a tragic accident: Jesus came to give his life as a ransom. * Jesus says his blood is poured out for many, not to limit his love, but because God desires all to be saved and will not force anyone's freedom. * Every baptized Catholic is a missionary; Christ has no hands, feet, or voice now but ours, and the gospel was entrusted to us rather than to angels. * Fr. John challenges the comfortable assumption that salvation is automatic; if it were easy, the scourging and the cross would make no sense. * Imagine standing before the Lord and a friend asks why you never told them; Fr. John invites listeners to say yes without needing clarity about the future. Timestamps * 1:55 – Fr. Steve Matea's testimony: three times he dropped his net * 17:41 – Homily begins: the thresholds, and the image of the pool * 20:48 – Why the Gospel fits: twelve disciples who dropped the nets and are still jockeying * 23:59 – What is at stake: salvation, and why 'for many' rather than 'for all' * 28:04 – Every Catholic is a missionary, and Christ has no hands but ours * 30:12 – The friend who never heard the gospel from you, and the call to say yes * 37:20 – Bonus: a Sunday-night testimony of faith, stars, and cancer Scripture Matthew 20:17-28, Luke 5:1-11, Romans 10:14-15, Galatians 2:20 Also mentioned Forming Intentional Disciples (Sherry Weddell); Catechism of the Catholic Church on salvation and non-Christians; Spe Salvi (Pope Benedict XVI); St. Patrick's Breastplate “Christ has no other hands now but yours. He has no other feet now but yours. He has no other voice now but yours.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #806 Mission #4 Series: 2013 Lenten Mission Description: Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 806 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 4: Dropping Your Nets

  5. Oct 23

    Ep. 805 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 3: Getting to Know God in Prayer

    Episode 805 · Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 3 Most of us can say what we believe about Jesus and still feel we do not really know him. Fr. John Riccardo tells how he finally stopped running from God's call, and gives one concrete dare for anyone standing at the edge of the pool: one hour a week in front of the Blessed Sacrament. This episode helps answer: How Do You Actually Get to Know God? In this episode * Naming exactly what you fear is often what makes it possible to drop the nets; vague fear cannot be brought to the Lord. * Most people stall between curiosity and openness, but Fr. John thinks many in the pews are already at seeking, holding the nets and wondering whether to let go. * You cannot surrender to someone you do not know; the way to know the Lord is the way you know anyone, by wasting time with him. * The Mass presupposes conversion, and the Eucharist is the summit, so many people struggle to benefit from it until they have begun the climb in prayer. * Fr. John shares his own story of running from Jesus' call for years before saying yes, and says surrender brought freedom he never expected. * Eucharistic adoration works because it is simple: expose Jesus and he does the work; Fr. John describes his own daily holy hour of listening, intercession, and journaling. Timestamps * 10:24 – Spiritual warfare, and the bishop who was told he looked holy * 16:37 – Fear of greatness, and naming what you are afraid of * 21:44 – Fr. John's own story: Jesus in the car and years of running * 31:56 – Why the Mass is not enough by itself, and the mountain image * 36:03 – The night at Divine Child when Jesus said it is easy, just put me out * 44:24 – The dare: one hour a week, and what to do in adoration Scripture John 12:32, John 6:67-69, Philippians 3:12-14, Matthew 4:18-20 Also mentioned Forming Intentional Disciples (Sherry Weddell); St. John Paul II on not settling for mediocrity; Strengthen Your Brothers (Archbishop J. Peter Sartain); Prayer of Abandonment (Charles de Foucauld); St. Patrick's Breastplate; Eucharistic adoration “I cannot surrender to somebody I don't know. The only way I get to know the Lord is the way I get to know anybody else: I waste time with him.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #805 Mission #3 Series: 2013 Lenten Mission Description: Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 805 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 3: Getting to Know God in Prayer

  6. Oct 22

    Ep. 804 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 2: Meeting Jesus

    Episode 804 · Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 2 You can be baptized, confirmed, married in the church, and still never have met the One it is all about. Fr. John Riccardo tells what happened when a group of RCIA candidates met Jesus in a single weekend, and then asks where you and the people you love actually stand. This episode helps answer: Can You Be Catholic and Not Know Jesus? In this episode * Paul's conversion follows an arc: an unexpected encounter with Jesus, then learning who God really is, then learning who you are as God's beloved, then wanting to tell everyone. * Paul's past was as dark as it gets, yet he calls himself the foremost of sinners so that no one will think their past is unforgivable. * Much Catholic practice runs on an infant paradigm, as if faith arrives automatically; baptism gives the capacity to believe, but each person has to activate it with a personal act of faith. * Sherry Weddell's five thresholds of conversion are trust, curiosity, openness, seeking, and intentional discipleship; moving from curiosity to openness is the hardest step. * An intentional disciple has consciously decided to follow Jesus within the church and reordered life around him; pastors estimate only about 5 percent of parishioners are there. * Many people have the nets in their hands and are asking whether to drop them; Fr. John asks each listener to name their threshold and what it would take to let go. Timestamps * 11:25 – Why people came on the RCIA retreat, and the Feast of St. Paul's Conversion * 16:34 – Paul's conversion and its arc, from encounter to knowing who God is to knowing who you are * 25:53 – How 30 retreatants met Jesus in 48 hours by simply lifting him up in adoration * 32:07 – Forming Intentional Disciples and the infant paradigm * 37:17 – The five thresholds of conversion * 50:47 – What will it take to drop the nets? Scripture 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, John 12:32, Acts 9:1-22, Philippians 3:8-11, 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Matthew 4:18-20 Also mentioned Forming Intentional Disciples (Sherry Weddell); St. John Paul II on explicit personal attachment to Jesus Christ; Michael Lawler on the virtue of faith bestowed in baptism; Eucharistic adoration “It's kind of fun to be an evangelist. You don't have to do much. You just have to get out of the way.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #804 Mission #2 Series: 2013 Lenten Mission Description: Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 804 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 2: Meeting Jesus

  7. Oct 21

    Ep. 803 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 1: Trusting God

    Episode 803 · Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 1 You can serve, give, and live a decent life and still be missing the one thing that matters. In the first night of a Lent parish mission, Fr. John looks at Martha, the rich young man and the first disciples, and asks whether you know Jesus as a friend or only know about Him. He also names two reasons faith is so hard and gives a short set of questions to answer in writing. This episode helps answer: Why Is It So Hard to Trust God? In this episode * What's missing, even in a thriving parish, is a deep friendship with Jesus. Being active (Martha) or good (the rich young man) is not the same as knowing him. * The central challenge is to "drop your nets": leave the old life that defined you and follow him. * Faith is hard because the Fall left us suspicious of God, and because suffering leads us to put God on trial. * Many Catholics are well sacramentalized but poorly evangelized: they know about God but don't know him. * Faith is "God's work in me, to which I respond," and our response is surrender. * Pew data shows fewer than half of Catholics are certain you can have a personal relationship with God; Fr. John offers nine questions to journal on. Timestamps * 3:03 – Opening: a parish at a threshold * 7:13 – The good things happening in the parish * 13:29 – Martha, the rich young man and "drop your nets" * 21:44 – Why is faith so hard? Suspicion of God (Genesis 3) * 26:54 – We know about God but don't know him; what faith is * 33:04 – Benedict XVI on encounter; the shrinking witness of friends * 37:09 – Homework: nine questions to journal on; closing on Augustine and "I Thirst" Scripture Luke 10:38-42, Luke 18:18-23, Matthew 4:18-20, Philippians 3:7-14, Genesis 3, Mark 9:24, Hebrews 12:2 Also mentioned Forming Intentional Disciples (Sherry Weddell); St. Augustine, Confessions; Pope Benedict XVI on encounter with the living God; Pew Research Center survey of Catholics; C.S. Lewis (God in the dock); Fr. Francis Martin's definition of faith; Mother Teresa, "I Thirst" “Faith is God's work in me, to which I respond.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #803 Mission #1 Series: 2013 Lenten Mission Description: Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 803 – Lord, I Believe, Help My Unbelief, Part 1: Trusting God

  8. Oct 20

    Ep. 795 – Living as a Christian in a Post-Christian World, Part 4: Living as a Catholic

    Episode 795 · Living as a Christian in a Post-Christian World, Part 4 If someone asked you to define yourself in one sentence, would "disciple of Jesus" come to mind? Fr. John tells his own story of knowing God as a child but only meeting Him in college, and says that meeting is the point. He speaks to a crowd of over 300 Catholic and Protestant Christians about what it means to live as a Christian when the culture treats faith as an add-on. This episode helps answer: What Does It Actually Mean to Be Catholic? In this episode * To be Catholic is to have met the living God and been radically reoriented around him, not just to belong to a parish. * Four features make faith hard in our culture: faith is an add-on, moral relativism reigns, critical thinking is lacking, and there is little piety (reverence for each person). * Through baptism every Christian is a priest, prophet and king: offering his life, speaking for God, and defending widows, orphans and the poor. * Abortion is a matter of reason and human dignity, not just faith: either all human beings are persons or only some are. * Pornography and abortion both flow from a lack of reverence for persons, who are created by God and destined to share his life. * Four practical steps: be intentionally Catholic, practice piety in your family, get involved in human dignity at the parish level, and be salt and light in the public square. Timestamps * 4:08 – How do you define yourself? A disciple * 6:15 – "They forgot the mission" and Fr. John's own conversion * 13:25 – What it means to be Catholic: encounter and radical conversion * 20:35 – Four challenges of today's culture * 30:59 – Baptism makes us priests, prophets and kings * 35:06 – Abortion and the call to fight for human dignity * 49:26 – Four things to take home: personal, family, parish, society Scripture 2 Samuel 11:1, Romans 12:2, Hebrews 10:25, John 2:1-11, 2 Peter 1:4, Matthew 5:13-16 Also mentioned Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal editorial; C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory"; Peter Kreeft, Shocking Beauty; Theology of the Body (St. John Paul II); St. Patrick's Breastplate; Pope Benedict XVI on eternal life; Gonzales v. Carhart (2007) decision “There are no unimportant people. But we live in a culture which has little sense of respect for each other.” – Fr. John Riccardo Description: Instruction on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other topics critical to those seeking answers to life’s greatest questions This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christistheanswer.substack.com/subscribe

    Ep. 795 – Living as a Christian in a Post-Christian World, Part 4: Living as a Catholic
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📻 Christ is the Answer, hosted by Fr. John Riccardo, offers compelling Catholic teaching and heartfelt pastoral insights, helping listeners draw closer to Christ and navigate life's challenges with faith and hope. christistheanswer.substack.com

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