In the World without of the World - Father Simon Says - November 20, 2025

·51 min·5 clips

Father Simon declares we must resist today's 'spirit of the age' that sacrifices children to gods of prosperity and convenience.

The episode opens with Father Richard Simon welcoming listeners to his daily Bible study show, Father Simon Says, on Relevant Radio. He begins by noting the Feast of St. Rose Duchesne, a French nun who worked in America, and offers prayers with other saints. The main scriptural focus is 1 Maccabees, chapter 2, where Mattathias refuses to eat pork as an act of defiance against King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, killing a Jew who complies and tearing down an altar. Simon compares this to the story of Phineas from Numbers 25, who killed an Israelite and Midianite woman to stop idolatry. He uses these stories to argue against conforming to the 'spirit of the age,' linking ancient child sacrifice to modern abortion and secular values. Simon shares a personal experience from 1973 in Jerusalem, where he wept at the site where Jesus prophesied the city's destruction, reflecting on spiritual peace. After a break, he reads listener letters, addressing questions about the departed praying, gospel interpretations, and the document Nostra Aetate. He emphasizes evangelism through personal example and prayer, citing First Peter 3:15. Another break features a message from Archbishop Bernard Hebda, followed by Simon's 'word of the day' analysis of 'bishop' (episcopos), meaning 'visitor,' to critique church bureaucracy. The episode ends with live calls: Randy asks about vestment colors for All Souls Day, Mike discusses the gift of tears, Jamie seeks advice on attending a wedding after a family member renounced faith, and Caden inquires about Protestant views on bishops and elders.

As heard by us

A loose Catholic radio hour turns saints, prayer, and church offices into lived theological questions.

Father Richard Simon's episode begins with the Feast of St. Rose Duchesne, using her care for the poor, her school for poor girls, and her journey from France to New Orleans as a grounded way into a wider reflection on faith in a troubled world.

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Why you'd press play

Want Catholic answers that wander from St. Rose Duchesne to the faithful departed to bishops, with prayer still in view?

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