Catholic Answers Live – Episode #12464

Can We Hire Psychics for Missing Persons and Other Teachings?
Guest: Dr. Karlo Broussard
Host: Thomas Graff
Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Catholic Answers Live explores deeply challenging questions about Catholic doctrine and spirituality, framed by live audience calls. Dr. Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and author, takes thoughtful, thorough, and pastorally sensitive questions about difficult spiritual phenomena, Marian devotion, predestination, purgatory, and salvation outside the Church. The episode’s main theme: clarifying Catholic teaching on controversial or confusing points—especially responses to spiritual suffering, proper Marian titles, and how the Church understands predestination and other hotly debated doctrines.

Key Questions & Discussions

1. The Effectiveness of Sacramentals, Spiritual Suffering & Haunted Houses

Caller: Samuel (Columbus, OH)
Timestamp: 01:36 – 10:52

Samuel's Story & Question

• Samuel, 71, recounts moving into a house where two murders occurred and experiencing what he identifies as possible demonic activity (auditory phenomena, sense of evil). Despite sacraments, frequent prayers, house blessings, psychiatric help, and deep devotional life, he experiences persistent spiritual darkness and mental health challenges.
• Core Question: “How effective can sacramentals be if I continue on the same path to where every day, and I don't mean once in a while, every day it feels like I want to give up?” (03:34)

Dr. Broussard’s Response

• Solidarity and Encouragement: Acknowledges Samuel’s cross; encourages to not give up seeking both medical and spiritual help.
• On Efficacy of Sacramentals:
  • Sacramentals may not “work” in an external, empirical way (e.g., haunted activity resolves, or he feels relief), but they always bear spiritual fruit—often invisible.
  • Quote: “There is no act of love that goes wanting, no act of love that is futile or lacking in fruits... you can be at peace... that God will bring about these spiritual fruits within you.” (05:03)
• God’s Action is Often Hidden: The growth in holiness may be internal, unseen even by the one suffering.
• Practical Advice:
  • Recommends seeking assistance from a diocesan exorcist, given persistence of disturbing phenomena.
  • Reiterates: perseverance in faith is itself evidence of God’s grace.

On Ghosts, Purgatory, and Spiritual Phenomena

• Can souls manifest after death?
  • Yes, Catholic tradition (e.g., mystics) acknowledges this as a possibility, but it’s rare and subject to God’s providence.
  • However, most “frivolous” activity (e.g., repeated disturbances) is more likely demonic, not souls from purgatory seeking prayers.
• Actionable Advice:
  • Regardless of the cause, “take it as a prompt to pray for the departed souls of those individuals. And that, Samuel, is yet another act of love, act of love of neighbor, which can help you grow in holiness...” (10:33)

2. Predestination, Grace, and the Catholic/Thomist vs. Calvinist Debate

Caller: Stephen (North Carolina)
Timestamp: 14:35 – 25:12

Stephen’s Question:

• Struggling to understand Thomas Aquinas’ teaching on predestination (“ante praevisa merita”—before foreseen merits), dealing with how this resembles Calvinist unconditional election, and reconciling this with the Church’s condemnation of Calvinism and the assertion that no one is predestined to hell.

Dr. Broussard’s Response:

• Key Distinction—Calvinist vs. Thomist View:
  • Calvinism: God actively causes the reprobate’s damnation.
  • Thomism: God permits damnation; damnation as such is always a result of the soul’s free choice against God, not God’s direct causality.
  • Quote: “The effect of damnation will be entirely due to the causality of the will choosing against divine charity and not in any way due to the divine causality.” (17:12)
  • “God’s permission is a sine qua non, that without which you cannot have sin to begin with...” (18:09)
• Justice of God:
  • The grace of final perseverance (dying in friendship with God) isn’t owed to anyone; God’s not unjust in permitting some to die without it.
• On Sufficient vs. Efficacious Grace:
  • All receive sufficient grace in the order of providence; grace towards final salvation (efficacious grace) is given to some without injustice to those who do not receive it.
• Resource Recommendation:
  • Taylor Patrick O’Neill, Grace, Predestination and the Permission of Sin. (25:12)
• Practical Implication:
  • “Damnation is really truly a result of the individual choosing against God. The power to get to heaven was given to him, and he really uses will to thwart the directionality of that sufficient grace, which is salvation...” (23:50)

3. Marian Titles: Responding to SSPX Objections to ‘Mater Populi Fidelis’ Document

Caller: Vince (British Columbia)
Timestamp: 29:27 – 37:20

Vince’s Question & Summary

• Involved in a catechism group with many Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) members. After the Vatican’s Mater Populi Fidelis document, SSPX leaders called for reparation for what they see as an “offense” against Mary (discontinuing use of some old Marian titles).
• Vince, having read the actual document, feels it’s beautiful and exalting of Mary, and is puzzled by the SSPX’s reaction.

Dr. Broussard’s Response

• First Recommendation:
  • “My only recommendation…ask them, have you read the document?” (30:52)
• Content vs. Terminology:
  • The Church is not rejecting the theology, only being cautious about confusing or misunderstood terms (like Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of all Graces).
• On Discontinuing Titles (Co-Redemptrix, etc.):
  • The concern: such titles risk eclipsing Christ’s unique mediatorship, “can therefore create confusion and an imbalance of the harmony of the truths of the Christian faith.” (34:52)
  • Mary’s role is unique and exalted—her “yes,” unity at the Cross, intercession—but not on par with Christ’s unique redemption.
• Key Point:
  • “[Mary] is not the mediator of redemption of the human race. And that’s what the document articulates. And if your friends have a problem with that, well, then we’re going to have to jump back to square one as to what the redemption is and who’s the agent...” (35:25)
• On Mediation of Graces:
  • Mary intercedes for all graces but doesn’t “give grace” as an agent cause—only God does that.

4. Purgatory at the End of Time

Caller: Vicki (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
Timestamp: 37:57 – 41:56

Vicki’s Question:

• What happens to the souls in purgatory and those living with some attachment to sin if Jesus returns and establishes the new heavens and earth?

Dr. Broussard’s Response:

• Not Definitive Teaching—Speculative Theology:
  • At the second coming, “those souls in purgatory would…come to a completion of their final purification at that moment…” (38:39)
  • For living souls needing purification: their purification would be “instantaneous,” not durational.
  • “Whatever is lacking in the duration of purification can be made up for in the intensity of purification.” (41:32)

5. Logical Grounds for Faith in Jesus’ Divinity

Caller: AJ (Quad Cities, Iowa)
Timestamp: 45:05 – 51:52

AJ’s Question:

• Logical-minded Catholic, sometimes struggles with doubts. Seeks logical, rational arguments for Jesus’ divinity—beyond the sincerity of apostles, which could also apply to other faiths.

Dr. Broussard’s Response:

• C.S. Lewis’ Trilemma (Liar, Lunatic, Lord):
  • Establishes need to trust historical reliability of New Testament.
  • Jesus is not a liar (no motive, apostles had nothing to gain, willingness to suffer and die).
  • Not a lunatic: “If there’s enough historical evidence to lead us to the conclusion that Jesus is a wise teacher, well, then it logically follows that he’s wise enough to know who he is.” (46:52)
  • “He beat the most intellectually sophisticated members of his community…That tells me that Jesus ain’t no lunatic.”
• Miracles & Resurrection:
  • “The ultimate reason…why we know Jesus is who he says he is…is, number one, his miracles, and then number two, the greatest miracle being his resurrection.” (50:25)
• Resource:
  • A Case for Christ by Dr. Brant Pitre

6. Salvation Outside the Catholic Church/Invincible Ignorance

Caller: Timothy (Vancouver, Washington)
Timestamp: 52:30 – 54:26

Timothy’s Question:

• Is it true the Catholic Church teaches that anyone who's aware of the Catholic Church but doesn't join it goes to hell?

Dr. Broussard’s Response:

• Depends on what “aware” means.
  • Simply having knowledge of the Church doesn’t mean automatic condemnation.
  • If someone knows the Church is established by Christ and willfully rejects it, then final impenitence can result in hell.
  • Those unaware or ignorant may be “invincibly ignorant”—not at fault and not held culpable.
  • “We are not saying if you’re not Catholic, you’re going to hell, but with the proper nuancing and conditions met, we can have a proper understanding.” (54:18)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Sacramentals & Hidden Grace:
  “No act of love goes wanting…The fruits may not very well be external yet. But…I can promise you…those acts of love…increase grace, and help you ascend the heights of sanctity…” —Dr. Broussard, 05:03

• On God’s Permission in Sin & Predestination:
  “God’s permission is a sine qua non, that without which you cannot have sin to begin with…if God does not permit it, he would be causing reality, being, goodness, which means the individual would be choosing God.” —Dr. Broussard, 18:09

• On Marian Titles:
  “Holy Mother Church is just saying we’re not going to use this lingo anymore because of the potential confusion…given our circumstances of the day.” —Dr. Broussard, 33:55

• On Jesus, Liar/Lunatic/Lord:
  “He beat the most intellectually sophisticated members of his community at their intellectual games…that tells me that Jesus ain’t no lunatic.”—Dr. Broussard, 47:39

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:36 — Samuel’s story of spiritual attacks and sacraments
• 03:34 — “How effective can sacramentals be…every day it feels like I want to give up?”
• 08:11 — Ghosts, purgatory, and spiritual manifestations
• 14:35 — Stephen’s question on Thomist predestination
• 17:12 — Distinguishing Calvinist and Catholic views of reprobation
• 21:54 — Sufficient grace and free will
• 25:12 — Resource recommendation: Taylor Patrick O’Neill’s book
• 29:27 — Vince asks about Marian titles controversy
• 34:52 — Risks of confusion with “Co-Redemptrix”
• 37:57 — Vicki’s purgatory-at-end-of-time question
• 45:05 — AJ’s quest for a rational case for Jesus’ divinity
• 50:25 — Miracles and the resurrection as proof
• 52:30 — Clarifying “No salvation outside the Church”

Summary & Takeaway

This episode offers thoughtful, nuanced apologetics on tough issues: the invisible but certain effects of sacramentals and suffering, predestination without Calvinist determinism, why certain Marian titles cause concern, purgatory’s end-times role, intellectual faith in Christ, and salvation’s boundaries. Dr. Broussard keeps a consistently pastoral, scholarly, and practical tone, welcoming both deeply felt spiritual suffering and rigorous theological questions.

For resources mentioned, visit:

• Catholic.com – Predestination and related topics
• Taylor Patrick O’Neill, Grace, Predestination and the Permission of Sin
• Brant Pitre, A Case for Christ
• Dr. Broussard’s books, e.g., Purgatory is For Real

Next Up: Ask Me Anything with Joe Heshmeyer