Feeding Fathers

Somebody online says they’re Catholic, then tells you this is a sin, this is the tradition, and this is what the Church has always done. How are you supposed to know if that’s actually true?

We get into the part most Catholic content skips: what the Magisterium actually is, why an encyclical isn’t automatically dogma, and why “the Church teaches” is a much smaller category than your feed makes it.

Using examples like receiving Communion in the hand vs. on the tongue and prayer after Communion, we critique absolutist online claims and highlight how customs, rubrics, intention, and circumstances matter when evaluating whether something is sinful.

We also address AI and impersonation scams, including fake priest accounts and AI-generated content, urging discernment about whether content draws viewers toward Christ or fuels anger and attachment to influencers.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Tristan Farida

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00:00 Who Speaks for the Church
00:27 Coffee and Milk Debate
04:03 What Makes Catholic Content Trustworthy
06:21 Ordinary vs Extraordinary Teaching
08:24 Hand or Tongue for Communion?
10:35 Prayer After Communion Controversy
13:15 "Our Father" Gestures
17:28 Custom Tradition and Innovations
21:52 "Is This a Sin?" Culture
27:13 Church Teaching vs Opinion
31:00 Impersonators and AI Scams
36:48 Discernment for Catholic Media
37:42 Faith in Sports

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A Catholic bishop used to own Friday night television. 30 million people watched every week tuned in to watch Fulton Sheen crack jokes, write on his chalkboard, and preach the truth. Today, he is beatified in St. Louis.

On the day of Fulton Sheen’s beatification, we reflect on his primetime media impact (30 million weekly viewers on "Life Is Worth Living") and what made him effective: lived faith, storytelling, humor, a compelling voice, and devotion to daily Holy Hour.

We compare today’s “culture of convenience” and short-form media to Sheen’s call for effort and meditation and link it to Catholic media today, stressing fidelity to Church teaching while engaging the wider culture through outlets like ours, EWTN, Catholic Answers, Word on Fire, and Bishop Barron’s appearance on Theo Von’s podcast.

Naturally, we react to Catholic influencer clips, answer listener questions, and invite locals to the upcoming Chaldean American Festival.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Tristan Farida

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Self-proclaimed apostle, Kathryn Krick, looks into a camera and tells a room that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are for every one of you.

Deion Sanders walks into a post-game press conference, "calms himself down," and everyone just stares.

Nobody here is trying to talk you out of the Holy Spirit. That’s not the argument. The argument is what happens when you lift the word “baptism” off the sacrament Christ actually gave the Church, staple it onto a feeling, film it, and leave half the internet wondering why their prayer life looks so quiet.

If you’ve ever watched someone fall over, speak in a language nobody in the room knows, and then gone home wondering what you’re missing... tune in. Not to mock it, but to ask whether the feeling is the point.

A listener also wrote in: how do you even go to confession when you already know you’ll probably sin again? Kathryn has thoughts on that sacrament, too.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Augustine Joseph

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00:00 Controversial Crew
02:31 Reacting to Viral "Tongues" Clips
04:48 Baptism Language Objection
08:50 Meaning Of Language And Word
17:36 Charisms And Discernment
21:25 Feelings vs Faith
30:07 Confession Questions
32:56 Cardinal's Aura Farming Tweet
40:02 Kathryn Cult Vibes
41:52 Bishop Barron's New Movie

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We hit 100 episodes. Wow.

We have to thank YOU, the listener, for making this possible. We wouldn't be here without you.

Last week’s episode set people off with five seconds about Harry Potter, the gluttony comments, the usual...

So, in appreciation of our amazing audience, we are celebrating 100 episodes by answering YOUR questions! And you asked us EVERYTHING.

 

Some questions you can look forward to:

Should you ask God for something if His will is already set?

Why is Fr. Andy mad?

What do you tell a little kid when the lights go out and she wants to know why God did it?

Are we starting a Twitch channel?

What does becoming holy mean in the Chaldean tradition?

We got way too much food, there’s cake, and we might even sing you a song.

If you’ve watched every episode, you already know how this goes. If you only showed up because last week made you mad, start here and enjoy the ride.

 

Fr. Andy Blog on Why We Pray for Stuff: https://younan.blog/2020/10/12/why-pray-for-stuff/

Purchase "The Book of Before and After" Liturgy of the Hours of the Church of the East: https://a.co/d/08k5ft4c

 

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Fr. Tristan Farida, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo

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00:00 100th Episode
02:34 Gluttony Backlash
06:20 Favorite Movies
08:32 Do We Watch Anime?
10:12 Should We Start a Twitch Channel?
11:54 God in the Storm
20:22 Andrew Finally On Camera
21:36 Would You Rather
22:33 Mental Health Stigma
25:20 Priesthood Surprises
28:57 Chaldean Rite Reading List
31:04 Fulton Sheen
34:45 Books That Build Faith
37:24 Praying With Confidence
41:27 Why Is Father Andy Mad?
42:34 Chai Chat Throwback
45:13 100 Episodes Reflection
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What do you do when prayer starts feeling like homework? When you’ve said every novena, every rosary, and your kid still won’t talk to you? When church is packed but the way people treat their families doesn’t match the words? When you don’t know the “right” form of prayer, so you just… don’t start?

We get into the prayers that sound impressive and go nowhere, the tiny honest ones that actually do something, the difference between inviting God in and asking Him to do your job for you, and why jumping straight to a holy hour can backfire.

We react to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s comments on daily prayer and peace, and emphasize prayer as an authentic reaching beyond oneself toward God, whether through formal prayers like the Our Father or a simple cry for help.

We also settle a very serious question involving Harry Potter, sandwiches, and whether you should panic about every witch in a story.

Next week is episode 100! Drop a question, a favorite moment, or something you’ve always wanted to ask the fathers. Very good chance we’ll read them on the show!

"Chai Chat" on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkQq1cQqNPTDNyXv4JxzflbItqFiDWzID&si=RLsqkle6ZMkFfun4

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Augustine Joseph

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00:00 Throwback Content
00:58 Huberman On Prayer
04:02 Authentic Prayer Matters
06:50 Pharisee Vs Tax Collector
09:30 Prayer And Responsibility
14:18 God Initiates Friendship
18:17 Grace Through Practice
21:02 Practical Prayer Tips
24:15 Daily Sacrifices As Prayer
26:42 Guilt And Prayer Burden
28:43 Aquinas On Prayer Time
30:24 Make Prayer Interesting
33:45 Harry Potter Panic
40:36 Start Small Family Prayer
41:03 Episode 100

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