The Patrick Madrid Show: December 01, 2023 - Hour 3

Fr. Matthew Spencer talks with a caller seeking advice concerning a family navigating the delicate moral and spiritual considerations surrounding in vitro fertilization (IVF) and what can ethically be done with the frozen embryos. The episode also features a father seeking guidance on the participation of girls as altar servers in the Catholic Church. These insightful and thought-provoking exchanges provide a glimpse into the delicate and complex moral and ethical issues faced by Catholic families today.

• Ted – Confessing a repeating sin: If there was someone who was trying to control alcoholism but is not over it yet, still go to confession?
• Joseph - I wanted to add on to what you were saying about confession and repeated sins. I think Jesus knows our fallen nature.
• Margarita - I was given some Muslim prayer beads. Is it okay for me to keep them?
• Brenda - My friend left the Church and asked me if the Roman empire transferred power to the Catholic Church. So the Catholic Church was not created by Jesus but by the Roman Empire. How do I respond to this?
• Deacon Andrew - I am working with a couple who came back to the faith. They used IVF before they converted. What should they do with frozen embryos? (26:07)
• David - Is it okay for girls to be altar servers?
• Katherine - Why wouldn't the solution for IVF embryos be to implant them in the mother and try to see the other pregnancies through?
• Marge - I became pregnant before getting married to my husband. I didn't go to confession before our marriage because I felt like we hadn't sinned. Is my marriage valid? (42:23)
• Mike - My 16-year-old daughter is preparing for confirmation. She wants to wait until she is 100% sure until she gets confirmed. What should we do?