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In John 5:43, Jesus declared:I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.With the advent of Protestantism and the confusion that followed, and that continues to this day, Christians, outside of the Catholic Church, have, at best, an incomplete understanding of the power of these words. When Jesus says, “I come in my father’s name,” he reveals the nature of the authority he possesses from God, the Father.We use this phrase—at least, the “in the name of” part—similarly in modern parlance in law enforcement when a police...

There are usually a few Masses per year at which there can be expected to be a large number of non-Catholics present. Christmas and Easter Masses are popular with non-Catholics, mainly because they are visiting Catholic family and friends. Nuptial Masses, especially when one of the parties to be married is a non-Catholic Christian, will have large turnouts of non-Catholics (sometimes up to half the congregation). Non-Catholics can also be expected at Masses offered for other sacramental firsts and life-cycle events, such as confirmations and funerals.This reality raises a common question for the apologists here at Catholic Answers: What...

In the Gospels, the most famous miracle associated with Jesus—other than the Resurrection—is the Feeding of the Five Thousand. It’s recorded in all four Gospels.But Matthew and Mark record an additional, similar miracle, known as the Feeding of the Four Thousand. The numbers connected with this miracle are a little different (four thousand people are fed, they use seven loaves and “a few small fish,” and they pick up seven baskets of leftovers), but it’s the same basic type of miracle.That may be why Luke and John chose not to record it: Given the space limitations on ancient books,...

A Brief Recap Not long ago, the IRS went after Catholic Answers and imposed fines on the ministry. Our crime? I wrote in one of my E-letters that 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry shouldn’t be allowed to receive Holy Communion because of his pro-abortion voting record and public advocacy of child-killing. Now, it’s important to note that at no time did I or anyone at Catholic Answers tell people whom to vote for or whom not to vote for. We merely stated our view that pro-abortion Catholic politicians should not be allowed to receive Holy Communion. Well, for this simple...

Yes, I guess I can agree with Catholic Answers that my calling Senator Biden "Ding-Dong" (or at least implying that Joe was the person in the un-holy Obama-Rham-a-Ding-Dong trinity) is uncharitable. I suppose "hypocrite" or "heretic" would be more technically correct, at least from the Catholic critic's standpoint.

Defending and Explaining Catholicism In and Out of (Voting) Season A conversation with Karl Keating, founder and president of Catholic Answers IgnatiusInsight.com: What made you and the folks of Catholic Answers decide to create the Voter’s Guide For Serious Catholics? What was your goal? Karl Keating: The goal was to help Catholics apply the Church’s moral teaching when they entered the voting booth. Over the years we’ve received thousands of e-mails indicating that there was confusion among serious Catholics—those who are trying to be good Catholics--and so we wanted to give them the Church’s teaching in a way that was...

On Tuesday August 31, Catholic Answers ran a full-page ad in USA Today in several major markets advising Catholics how to vote, in light of Church teaching, on five key, non-negotiable issues. The ad contained the text of the "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," created and produced by Catholic Answers. Although entirely legal (the Voter's Guide does not promote or advocate any party or candidate), the ad and the Voter's Guide have been considered controversial, especially to some Catholics opposed to the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. On September 20, 2004, Francis Kissling, President of Catholics for a Free...