The Salty Catholic

A majority of Protestants we come across believe in the doctrine of "Faith Alone", which claims that all a Christian needs to be justified is their faith and any work does not add or take away from them being saved. They will cite a few scripture passages support this claim. As Catholics we need to be able to defend this false teaching. In this episode we are going to take a look at the two most common passages that Protestants use and how we could show them that these verses not only don't teach "faith alone", but when put in context, especially with other verses in the Bible, they teach that faith AND works are needed for justification.

KNOCK KNOCK!! It's that time of year where you might get a knock on your door from a Jehovah's Witness and they are going to want to share some good news with you from the Bible. As Catholics our mission is to preach the gospel at all times. So instead of slamming the door shut on a Witness, we should instead treat them with charity and engage with them and guide them to the truth. In this episode, I will go over a brief history of how this movement began, some of the things that they believe in, and some ways we can refute their beliefs and arguments. ******************************** Link to the interlinear Greek bible translation from their own website: https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/kingdom-interlinear-greek-translation/books/ ********************************

Do you ever want to have a conversation with a Muslim and share the faith but are intimidated by some of their objections? In this episode I will be going over some common Islamic objections about Christianity and how to respond to them, and also some falsehoods that Islam teaches about who God is.

One of the toughest questions we ask ourselves is "why do I suffer?" or "what is the purpose of my suffering?" It is a difficult concept to ponder upon as Catholics, that a God who loves us so much permits us to suffer. In this episode, Jeff Kassab guest hosts as she shares a personal testimony of how his own suffering brought him to the Christ he thought he knew, and how suffering can be offered not just for us, but for others.

We are in a culture where we are spoiled because we are used to getting everything fast. We want answers right away. We want results right away. We want our food right away. We have no time or no patience to wait for anything. And when we don't get things to happen when we want and how we want it we get frustrated and throw a fit. Whether it's spiritual growth or in ministry, it's easy to get frustrated when we don't see quick results. And we end up quitting and blame it on God. We also have some church leaders who take a business oriented approach of their ministry, where they treat the faithful as consumers and will say and do anything to fill the pews, even at the expense of watering down the Gospel message.

Most of us today fear the world more than we fear the Lord. The Scripture says "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom". But what does it mean to fear the Lord? Why should we be afraid of someone we are supposed to Love? In this episode I discuss what it means to fear the Lord and how fearing the world is destructive to our nature and our relationship with God.

In this episode, Delone Arabo discusses his past life as an atheist and his journey to the Lord. As a former atheist, he noticed that many Catholics are taking their faith for granted. How can someone who knew Jesus their entire life be so lukewarm with their faith, where as someone who converted not long ago fall so deeply in love with the Lord?

In this episode guest host Patrice Abona shares the truths and lies of the feminist movement and dives into the true identity and roles of women in society today. Book references: The Anti-Mary Exposed by: Carrie Gress https://tanbooks.com/products/books/life-family/women/the-anti-mary-exposed-rescuing-the-culture-from-toxic-femininity/ Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women's Movement by: Sue Ellen Browder https://www.christianbook.com/subverted-sexual-revolution-hijack-womens-movement/sue-browder/ Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood by: Carrie Gress https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/ultimate-makeover/ULMO.html

Catholics really need to stop being so soft with those who attacking the faith and causing people to pull away from Catholicism. We read in Scripture how Christ (righteously)became angry with people who were destroying the faith and even used some harsh language to get his point across. Yet we have Catholics who criticize those who preach and defend the faith, claiming that it is not Christ-like to be a little bit harsh with hose who are attacking the faith and leading many astray. In today's episode we get to see how Jesus dealt with FOOLS and what we can learn from Him.

Pelar Esshaki guest hosts the Salty Catholic and discusses his Saltiness towards husbands and fathers in today's society. As a father to 11 children (eleven....not a typo), Pelar discusses the importance of being a strong husband and father that is grounded in faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He does not hold back when sharing his own personal failures in fulfilling his duties as husband and father in hopes that his personal testimony can guide and motivate men to not make the same mistakes he did. If you are a man who doesn't feel fulfilled in your role at home or a wife who looking for a man's first person perspective on the struggles of being a father, hopefully this episode can be a starting point to make that change in your life.

Why be Catholic? A lot of Catholics don't really know how to answer this questions. When asked, the best they can come up with was "This is how I was raised". Being Catholic is not something cultural we inherit like a last name, rather it is the fullness of truth. In this episode I explore WHY someone should be Catholic and WHY Catholics have the obligation to invite the world into the Church.

"Spiritual but not religious" has become a very popular in the current culture. Some people claim that they can have a spiritual life without the practice of a religion, but they end up making up their own private form of religion to practice along the way. In this episode, I explain the difference between spirituality from a Catholic perspective and from a secular perspective and show that detaching spirituality from religion, even if still claiming to be Christian, can pull us away from Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI that “the term love has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words.” In this materialistic and self centered culture we live in the word "love" seemed to have lost its meaning. We have an obligation as Catholics to preach what love truly means. In this episode I discuss what love means from a Catholic perspective and how the culture totally has it wrong.

The 7 Sacraments are probably the most fundamental parts of Catholicism, and much like most things regarding the faith Catholics found a way to screw them up. We treat sacraments the way we treat a child's 1st birthday, or graduation day, just a thing that we go though life. We tend to not focus on the meaning of the sacrament and the effect it has on is in the physical and metaphysical. In this Episode I give my take on how Catholics are mistreating most, if not all of the Sacraments.

Who says you can't have fun and be funny when you preach the gospel? In this episode I make a case for why we as Catholics SHOULD include humor when preaching the gospel, most especially in the digital era that we are in where Memes have become one of the biggest ways many people communicate with each other. Humor can bring joy, defuse tension, and allow us to speak freely about some important issues.

Our faith should not be based on how we feel about life. If we allow our feelings to guide our faith then we will eventually be faithless. Our emotions are always changing but the reality of God will never change, so why should we trust something that is always changing instead of something that never changes? In this episode I will go in depth on how our feelings can damage our relationship with God and lead us away from the truth.

The Bible is the most misquoted and misinterpreted book in the history of the world. Part of that is because many people, believers and non-believers, have a misguided understanding of what the Bible is. For the most part, people have difficulty with HOW to read the Bible. For Catholics, these difficulties can be frustrating especially when we engage in a conversation with skeptics who use scripture to attack the faith, or even when we engage with those who call themselves Catholic who have a completely wrong understanding and end up promoting false teachings that go against Scripture and the Church. In this episode I will explain what the Bible is and share a few tips on how the bible SHOULD be read in hopes that anyone listening can pick up the Bible and begin to read it with a new perspective that will hopefully give them a more clear and precise understanding.

Can you separate religion from politics? Is it possible to be a Catholic only in your private life but not in a public, social setting? In this episode I will discuss why Catholics should not surrender when told to "keep your religion out of politics" and why it is important for Catholics to engage in discussions that involve public policy, most especially the ones that promote ideas that are intrinsically evil and directly contradict Scripture and Church teachings. As Catholics, we should not hold back our greatest weapon against the secular world: The Word of God.

When you change language you change thought. Change thought and you fundamentally change the culture. Nobody knows this better than the ones who ascribe to the progressive ideology. Words have meaning, and when the meaning of these words are changed then we start to look at the world in a different way. In this episode I will be discussing why words matter, how language helps us understand God and his plan for us, and how changing the language leads us away from the truth. I will provide a few common examples of euphemisms and share some tips on how to identify these euphemisms and how to best respond to those who use them. Don't forget to follow our Instagram page! https://www.instagram.com/the.salty.catholic/

There seems to be a lot of misconception of what prayer is from an outside perspective, and a misunderstanding from within Christianity. And even when prayer is understood, it seem as though many Christians are not being fruitful with their prayers. In this episode, I will explain what prayer is and the purpose of praying. Then I will break down some of the most common misconceptions about prayer. Finally, I will give examples (from Scripture) on how we often pray the wrong way (or at least our prayers are not as fruitful as they should be.

Is there a case where abortion is permissible under catholic teaching? For this episode I took a deep dive in the historical and philosophical literature of the church to find the answer. I read many writings of the Church fathers, Popes, Bishops, and even studied the Bible closely to finally get an answer. I am going to give you all of the cases where abortion is permissible under catholic teaching and then explain them in such a perfect way that anyone listening can understand.

Hell is a topic many people avoid. It's scary and ugly to think about the possibility that anyone, including ourselves, can end up there for eternity. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. IT'S REAL! So why is it that so many Christians don't believe that it exists, or at most think that it is not eternal? We often hear objections that a just and loving God wouldn't send people there for eternity, or that God doesn't even send anyone there at all. In this episode, I will present what the Bible and the Church teach about hell and make the case that hell is real, hell is eternal, and hell is a just punishment.

After the baptism of Jesus, he was led by the spirit to be tempted by the devil. The devil tempted Jesus in 3 different ways in order to see if he was truly the Son of God. How does Jesus respond to the devil's temptations? How do they apply to us today? How can we fight back against these temptations? In this episode I take a look at how these temptations have manifested themselves in our current culture and how they separate us from the Word of God.

Modern Christianity has a lot of noise. If you really listen you will hear many false gospels being preached. There are many appeals to the self-centered, individualistic nature of human beings. It's all about ME and what I want from God, almost completely disregarding what God wants from ME. In this episode, I explore this "Gospel according to me" and how it has shaped the culture in a negative way.

Who were the Sadducees? They aren't mentioned in Scripture much. In this episode I take a look at Mark 12:18-27 and discuss who the Sadducees were, what they believed in, and how Jesus responds to them. I will also discuss the similarities between the Sadducees and the modern, progressive, liberal Christians how we can use the same response Jesus gave and apply it to the progressive Christian Theology. Please don't forget to share this episode!

If I was arrested and charged with being a Catholic, would they have enough evidence to convict me? It's sad to say but for most self-professed Catholics today the answer is most likely no. In this episode, I discuss the "Catholic In Name Only" group within the church, what role Catholicism plays in their life, and what the effect it has had on Catholicism and the world around us.

The Bible has been and always will be misinterpreted and misunderstood, even among Christians. This can cause much confusion and division among people. Some misinterpretations happen to be a lot more common than others. In fact, some can lead people away from the truth completely and be used to justify their outlook on life. In this episode, I go over 4 of the most common ones we hear today and provide some context to hopefully shed light on their true meaning. Hopefully when you hear someone using one of these incorrectly you can charitably correct them and help them understand their meaning. Hope you enjoy!

"Why are there so many rules in the church?" we may have heard people ask this question or we may even ourselves have thought about this question. Why is it that the Church has so many rules? Why can't we just worship God whichever way we feel like without being told how to do something? In this episode, I explore the importance of having rules not just in the Church, but in life in general.

In this episode I talk about Liberal Christianity and discuss why it's so empty, bland, and how it effects our community. No guest on this episode because I didn't want anyone else to take the heat for what I wanted to say.

In this episode I sit down with my great friend Jeff Kassab as we discuss some ways and resources where we can learn more about the faith and give some tips on how to read scripture.

On the first episode of the Podcast, I with Fr. John Jaddou to discuss what it means to be "salt of the Earth".