Christ is the Answer Podcast

Fr. John Riccardo
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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

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 731 – The Ten Commandments, Part 6: Sexuality and Purity

    Episode 731 · The Ten Commandments, Part 6 The ancient Near East saw humans as slaves of indifferent gods, and Fr. John Riccardo says our culture has landed in the same despair, with sex as a commodity and little meaning left in it. He lays out what the Church teaches in its place: marriage as a vocation, chastity as a freedom rather than a no, and a sexuality meant to be a total gift of self. It is frank, pastoral and aimed at adults. This episode helps answer: Does the Church Have a Better Vision of Sex? In this episode * A culture without purpose treats sex as a commodity to maximize pleasure; Fr. John cites Josef Pieper's 'Sex and Despair' and Paul VI's predictions in Humanae Vitae about contraception. * In the Church's vision God is love, we are made in His image as male and female, and marriage is a vocation and a public mission to make God's love visible. * Chastity is a virtue and a gift, 'one continuous unending yes,' not mere abstinence; it brings self-mastery and freedom, and applies to every state of life. * The Catechism names offenses against chastity (lust, masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape) and treats same-sex attraction with respect and compassion while calling all to chastity; Fr. John urges taking pornography seriously. * Marriage has two inseparable ends, the good of the spouses and openness to life; the Church teaches natural family planning over contraception and explains why IVF replaces rather than assists the marital act. * Adultery, divorce, cohabitation and coveting wound the covenant, but God's mercy is greater; divorced Catholics who are in a state of grace may receive Communion, and modesty is part of purity. Timestamps * 1:02 – The ancient Near East, despair and the world's vision of sex * 4:07 – Cosmo, Maxim and the fruit of the sexual revolution * 10:22 – The Church's vision: love, marriage as vocation and mission * 20:49 – The Catechism: male and female, the vocation to chastity * 29:09 – Offenses against chastity * 36:24 – The love of husband and wife; fruitfulness, family planning and IVF * 46:40 – Adultery, divorce, cohabitation and the ninth commandment on coveting and modesty Scripture Genesis 1-3, Isaiah 62:5, Matthew 5:27-28, Matthew 9:15, John 2:1-11, John 3:29-30, Ephesians 5:21-33, Hosea 2 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church 2331-2400 and 2514-2533; Humanae Vitae (Paul VI); Theology of the Body and Love and Responsibility (St. John Paul II); Josef Pieper, 'Sex and Despair'; St. Thomas Aquinas; St. John Chrysostom; St. Joseph; Rutgers National Marriage Project (cohabitation) “Chastity is not abstinence. Abstinence is one unending no; chastity is one continuous unending yes to the question, will I always love you?” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #731 The 6th and 9th Commandments Series: The Ten Commandments 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

  2. 3d ago

    Ep. 730 – The Ten Commandments, Part 5: The Dignity of Human Life

    Episode 730 · The Ten Commandments, Part 5 The fifth commandment sounds simple, but it reaches into abortion, euthanasia, cloning, the death penalty, self-defense, war, anger and hatred. Fr. John Riccardo starts with one question that sits under all of them: is every human being a person, or only some? He then works through what the Catechism teaches, with the care and compassion the topic requires. This episode helps answer: Who Decides Which Lives Are Worth Living? In this episode * Either all human beings are persons with a right to life, or personhood is granted by someone else's arbitrary scale (age, intelligence, usefulness). Fr. John argues for the sanctity of life over a 'quality of life' ethic. * Jesus widens the commandment to the heart: anger and hatred, meaning a desire for revenge or for another's harm, are what He is addressing. * Legitimate self-defense is not an exception, and the principle of double effect distinguishes defending yourself from intending to kill. Punishment has four purposes, including rehabilitation. * The Church teaches that cases where execution is truly necessary are 'very rare, if not practically non-existent' in societies that can protect the public. * Direct abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, therapeutic cloning and euthanasia are gravely wrong; you are not obliged to use burdensome or useless treatment, and a durable power of attorney is recommended over a living will. * St. John Paul II's words to women who have had an abortion offer hope and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation; real peace begins in one's own heart. Timestamps * 1:02 – The fifth commandment and the state of the culture * 4:11 – Who is a person? All human beings or only some * 8:25 – The commandment and Jesus' amplification (Matthew 5) * 13:33 – Legitimate defense, double effect and the purposes of punishment * 20:05 – The death penalty, intentional homicide and eugenics * 24:14 – Abortion, embryo screening and therapeutic cloning * 35:45 – Euthanasia, burdensome treatment and suicide * 45:03 – Anger, hatred, peace and just war; a word to women who have had an abortion Scripture Genesis 4, Genesis 9:5-6, Exodus 23:7, Matthew 5:21-26, Matthew 5:44-45, Matthew 26:52, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, Psalm 94 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church 2258-2330; Evangelium Vitae / The Gospel of Life (St. John Paul II); Donum Vitae (Vatican instruction); Vatican Declaration on Euthanasia (1981); Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity; William E. May (bioethics); Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who “Either all human beings are persons and have the right to life, or only some are. Who has the audacity to decide who is a person?” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #730 The Fifth Commandment Series: The Ten Commandments 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

  3. 4d ago

    Ep. 729 – The Ten Commandments, Part 4: Honoring Father and Mother

    Episode 729 · The Ten Commandments, Part 4 "Question authority" is a popular slogan, often because someone who held authority hurt us. Fr. John Riccardo goes back to what authority actually means, drawing on his own doctoral work and on how Jesus lives it, and why the fourth commandment speaks to parents, bosses and governments before it speaks to children. He then walks through what children owe parents, what parents owe children, and what citizens owe the state. This episode helps answer: Is Authority Meant to Serve or Control? In this episode * Authority comes from a Latin root meaning to increase or enrich; it is given for the good of those in your care, not for the holder's benefit. Jesus models it by serving, washing feet and laying down His life as the Good Shepherd. * Obedience means 'to hear from' or hearken to someone; Jesus is obedient to the Father, and Mary's yes shows she trusted God because she knew Him through Scripture. * The fourth commandment carries a promise (long life, peace and prosperity) and applies to every relationship of authority, not just to families. * The family is the domestic church and is prior to the state; adult children owe parents respect, gratitude and assistance, and obedience ends when they leave home. * Parents owe their children education, respect, good example (including apologizing), evangelization and discipline; the greatest gift is handing on the faith. * Citizens owe obedience, taxes, voting and defense of the country, but also vigilance and the duty to refuse unjust laws without violence. Timestamps * 1:01 – The promise attached to the fourth commandment; 'question authority' * 4:08 – What authority really means (from Fr. John's dissertation) * 10:23 – Jesus on authority: serve, don't lord it over * 14:36 – What obedience means: Jesus and Mary as models * 23:57 – The commandment in the Catechism, and its promise * 25:59 – The family: its essence, origin, end and the domestic church * 31:09 – What children and parents owe each other * 43:36 – Citizens and the state; reflection questions Scripture Exodus 20:12, Matthew 20:20-28, John 10:11-16, John 13:12-17, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 1:38, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 1 Peter 2:13-14, Ephesians 4:2, Proverbs 17:6, 1 Samuel 1 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church 2197-2257 (esp. 2199, 2202-2205, 2215-2218, 2222-2225, 2238-2242); Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity; Robert P. George, The Clash of Orthodoxies; St. John Paul II (the future of the world passes through the family); Vatican II (Gaudium et Spes); Martin Luther King Jr. (nonviolent resistance) “To have authority means to serve: to serve everyone entrusted to your care so that they can find fulfillment.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #729 The Fourth Commandment Series: The Ten Commandments 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

  4. 5d ago

    Ep. 728 – The Ten Commandments, Part 3: Keeping the Lord's Day Holy

    Episode 728 · The Ten Commandments, Part 3 Our culture measures everything by how efficient and busy we are, and most of us don't know how to rest. Fr. John Riccardo looks at the third commandment as a gift: a weekly day of protest against being enslaved to work and money. He explains why Sunday belongs to God, why it is also meant for you, and what it means to treat it as the first day of the week rather than the last day of the weekend. This episode helps answer: Why Is Sunday Mass More Than a Rule? In this episode * The Catechism calls the Sabbath a day of protest against the servitude of work and the idolatry of money; the commandment is aimed at freedom, not restriction. * There is a two-fold crisis: worship (God is owed our worship because everything we have comes from Him) and rest (we measure worth by efficiency, which Pope John Paul II ties to the culture of death). * Exodus grounds the Sabbath in creation, Deuteronomy in liberation from Egypt; Christ's resurrection fulfills both, which is why the Sabbath moved to Sunday. * Jesus restored the Sabbath's meaning: it was made for man, so it is a day for worship, leisure, feasting, silence and works of mercy. * Fr. John says missing Sunday Mass without a real reason is grave, and explains why we go: to receive the Eucharist, where God gives us Himself. He also covers the one-hour Eucharistic fast. * Learn to play and to enjoy beauty: leisure is something done for its own sake, and you have permission to rest. Timestamps * 1:03 – A day of protest against the servitude of work and the idolatry of money * 2:08 – The two-fold crisis: worship and rest * 9:18 – Old Testament: creation (Exodus 20) and liberation (Deuteronomy 5) * 15:09 – Jesus and the Sabbath, and why it moves to Sunday * 24:38 – Early church witness, canon law and Vatican II * 30:07 – Practical questions: grave obligation, fasting, what is forbidden * 38:23 – A day to feast, rest, reflect and show charity * 44:35 – Reflection questions and recommended reading Scripture Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Isaiah 56:1-7, Isaiah 58:13-14, John 9, Mark 2:23-28, John 20:19-23, Genesis 2:7, Acts 2:42-46, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Hebrews 10:25, Revelation 1:10 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church 2168-2195; Evangelium Vitae and Dies Domini (St. John Paul II); St. Justin Martyr (First Apology, description of the Mass); St. Augustine (sermon on the Lord's Day); Code of Canon Law, canons 1246-1248; Sacrosanctum Concilium, ch. 5 (Vatican II); Joseph Pieper, Leisure, the Basis of Culture; James V. Schall, The Unseriousness of Human Affairs “Sunday is not the last day of the weekend. Sunday is the first day of the week, so the week begins with joy and feasting.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #728 The Third Commandment Series: The Ten Commandments 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

  5. 6d ago

    Ep. 727 – The Ten Commandments, Part 2: Honoring God's Name

    Episode 727 · The Ten Commandments, Part 2 Most of us think the second commandment is about swearing when you hit your thumb with a hammer. Fr. John Riccardo says that is only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath is a call to honest speech, and to say what we actually mean, even when we are praying at Mass. This episode helps answer: What Does Misusing God's Name Really Mean? In this episode * Remember and forget are the two great words of the Old Testament; call to mind what God has done for you each morning and night. * God revealed His name as a gesture of intimacy, so how we treat His name measures how we honor Him, as does how we speak of the Church, Our Lady and the saints. * 'In vain' can mean empty or false: the commandment forbids using God's name for anything untrue, including perjury, broken oaths and blasphemy. * Fr. John suggests most people break this commandment at Mass, by saying words like 'Lord, have mercy' or 'forgive us as we forgive' without meaning them. * The Our Father is a real test: forgiveness is an act of the will, wishing the other person well, not a warm feeling. * Honest, honoring speech builds community; watch gossip and detraction, bite your tongue, and don't get scrupulous over ordinary distractions at Mass. Timestamps * 2:06 – Review: remember and forget in the Old Testament * 7:17 – Where to read: Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, Matthew 5, Catechism 2142-2167 * 9:19 – A short excursus on speech: James 3 and Sirach 28 * 15:45 – What 'in vain' means; why God's name is holy (the story of Tom) * 21:56 – Abuse of God's name: blasphemy, oaths, perjury, Christian names, sign of the cross * 30:31 – The deeper meaning: walking through the Mass and the Our Father * 42:33 – Q&A: gossip, naming a child Jesus, distraction at Mass, is Jesus God? Scripture Psalm 78:10-16, Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11, Matthew 5:33-37, James 3:1-12, Psalm 34:12-14, Sirach 28:12-26, Philippians 2:10-11, 2 Corinthians 1:23, Galatians 1:20, Luke 1:48 Also mentioned Catechism of the Catholic Church 2142-2167; St. John Henry Newman (on speaking in church); Tertullian (on the sign of the cross); St. Cyril of Jerusalem (on the sign of the cross); Thomas Howard, Evangelical Is Not Enough / On Being Catholic “I'm trying to come to Mass not to feel good, but to become good.” – Fr. John Riccardo Program #727 The Second Commandment Series: The Ten Commandments 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

  6. Oct 30

    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

  7. Oct 29

    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

  8. Oct 28

    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
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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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