All Roads Lead to Rome: On Becoming Roman Catholic (OCIA)

054 - Faith vs. Works

This episode addresses one of the oldest debates between Protestants and Catholics: are we saved hy faith or works? Beginning with Martin Luther's struggle with scrupulosity and his emphasis on Sola Fide, this episode explains how the Reformation framed salvation as an either/or question—and why Catholic teaching sees that framing as a false dichotomy. Through Scripture passages from Ephesians, Romans, Galatians, James, Matthew, and Philippians, as well as a study of the Catechism, the episode explores how grace, faith, and works fit together rather than compete with one another. The central takeaway is that salvation begins with God's free gift of grace, is received through faith, and is lived out through a transformed life of charity, holiness, and service. Catholics do not believe we can earn heaven through good deeds, but neither does Scripture support a faith that remains unchanged and inactive. Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net [http://www.allroadsleadtorome.net/]. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube. Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

053 - Your Vocation

This episode explores what it means to discover and live out your calling from God. Beginning with Dante's Divine Comedy and its sobering image of the "Lodge of the Indolent," the episode challenges you to consider whether you are taking your faith seriously or simply drifting through life while postponing the deeper questions of purpose, vocation, and obedience to God's will. The psychological concept of Selective Attention is introduced to show how we filter out things that are truly not our focus in life. So, if our faith life isn't the focus, then God related moments get filtered out and ignored. Finally, it is through focused attention, prayer, spiritual direction, patience, and a willingness to follow God's will rather than our own that leads us to understand our true vocation Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net [http://www.allroadsleadtorome.net/]. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube. Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

052 - Church Feasts

This episode is on Feasts of the Church. It explains why Catholics do more than simply remember important holy days: they participate in them as living moments of faith, worship, reflection, and community. There are three levels of feast days—Solemnities (which mark the most important events and mysteries of the faith), Feasts (which honor major saints and significant events in the life of the Church), and Memorials (which help us remember other saints, devotions, and themes from Church history). Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net [http://www.allroadsleadtorome.net/]. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube. Please tell A Catholic Churious Friend about us!

051 - Science, Religion, And The War That Never Was

This episode challenges the familiar claim that religion and science have always been locked in conflict. This "war" is largely a modern myth, popularized by writers like John William Draper and Andrew Dixon White, whose polemics shaped generations of misunderstanding. Along the way, the episode revisits familiar flashpoints—Galileo, Columbus, creation, and the so-called Dark Ages—to show how historical nuance is often lost when ideology is presented as fact. The conversation also spotlights Catholic contributions to major scientific developments, from Gregor Mendel's foundational work in genetics to Georges Lemaître's role in the origins of Big Bang theory, and uses Robert Spitzer's research to explore how cosmology, consciousness, and near-death studies can support belief in God and the soul. The central takeaway is clear: in Catholic thought, truth cannot contradict truth, so genuine science and authentic faith ultimately work together rather than against each other. Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net [http://www.allroadsleadtorome.net/]. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube. Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!

050 - Papal Encyclicals

In this milestone 50th episode of All Roads Lead to Rome, Dr. Bickford steps back from the headlines around Magnifica Humanitas to answer a more basic and important question: what exactly is a papal encyclical? This episode explains where encyclicals come from, why they matter in Catholic life, and how they differ from other forms of Church teaching. The episode also highlights several of the most influential encyclicals in recent Church history, including Rerum Novarum, Humanae Vitae, Fides et Ratio, and Caritas in Veritate, before returning to Pope Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas, released in May, 2026, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. By connecting historic Catholic social teaching with today's questions about technology, work, truth, and human dignity, Dr. Bickford gives listeners a practical framework for understanding why encyclicals still matter—and why this latest one is drawing so much attention. Please visit our website: www.AllRoadsLeadtoRome.net [http://www.allroadsleadtorome.net/]. You can sign up for our newsletter, leave me a voice message with a comment or suggestion, get connected with us on socials, and you can become a Patron who makes all of this magic happen! AllRoadsLeadToRome.net We are also on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube. Please tell A Catholic Curious friend about us!