MY JOB IS NOT TO REBUKE, BUT TO FRATERNALLY CORRECT

QUESTION? / COMMENT!

I am pretty concerned about your episode “clarifying Catholic teaching” for Candace. She needs to be rebuked for dabbling in the occult and spreading her errors all over the world. You are not doing her or the world any favors by not demanding (if she is truly your friend) she stop those activities and stop acting like they are ok to do, as you never explicitly said DON’T continue these. Being a “new” Catholic does not excuse her. You have a responsibility to use strong language discouraging this activity!! Just as you would your kids if they were doing occult activity.  She is spreading her errors and it is scary for Catholics listening to her!! They are being led down a path of the devil by her and she is not facing any consequences for her occult activity from you or others. 

I will pray for you to see clearly the need to rebuke her and all people dabbling in the occult. She needs to be advised to seek help from a priest or exorcist as soon as possible. 

ANSWER! / COMMENT!

Thank you for your email and for your concern, expressed in the love of Christ. I appreciate your zeal for the purity of Catholic teaching and the salvation of souls—it's a fire that echoes the heart of our Lord. Blessed Mary, pray for us indeed!

I want to assure you that in my podcast conversation with Candace Owens (linked here for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFpreM5sXI&t=209s), I did not shy away from clearly instructing her—and anyone listening—on Catholic doctrine regarding these matters. I explicitly identified practices like opening the "third eye," astral projection, and related occult activities as rooted in demonic deception, not Catholic faith. I referenced exorcist authorities like Fr. Chad Ripperger and others, describing them as doorways to evil spirits that should be renounced and prayed against. I urged discernment, recourse to the sacraments, and caution against such experiences, distinguishing potential divine communications (like dreams from souls in purgatory) from demonic mimicry. My goal was to clarify errors charitably while encouraging her growth as a new Catholic.

As you noted, rebuking is indeed what Jesus did to Satan directly (e.g., "Get behind me, Satan!" in Matthew 16:23). In my vocation as a lay evangelist, I am in the business of teaching the faith, instructing souls, and rebuking demons through prayer and the authority given in Christ—not harshly rebuking individuals over whom I have no spiritual jurisdiction. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2447) lists "instructing the ignorant" as one of the spiritual works of mercy, which is precisely what I did in that episode: providing clear Catholic teaching to correct misunderstandings and guide toward truth.

Scripture also calls us to temper our speech: "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6), and to be "speaking the truth in love" so that we "grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). Harsh, demanding language can sometimes close hearts rather than open them, especially with someone still maturing in the faith.

Importantly, I am not Candace's priest, her bishop, or her husband—I have neither sacramental spiritual authority over her nor natural-law authority as a spouse. I am her equal in Christ, a brother speaking to a sister. If she senses any misstep in her words or experiences, the proper path is to consult her own priest, her bishop, or her husband (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 in context of orderly discernment and authority in the Church).

St. Francis de Sales, a Doctor of the Church who converted 70,000 Protestants back to the Catholic faith through gentle persuasion, famously said it's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. That was my approach: firm truth delivered with charity and encouragement, aiming to draw her closer to Christ and His Church rather than push her away.

My qualifications to teach and preach come from the graces of Confirmation (CCC 1285), which strengthens us with the Holy Spirit for witness, and the call of the laity to evangelize (CCC 899-900 on the lay apostolate; CCC 904, 906, 910, 913 on participating in Christ's prophetic office through teaching, living, and defending the faith). I have also been honored with the 19th Annual Archbishop Fulton Sheen Award for excellence in Catholic teaching, which reflects the Church's recognition of this mission.

Rest assured, I share your concern for souls being misled by occult influences. I pray daily for Candace and all who hear these discussions—that the Holy Spirit guide them to full truth in the Catholic Church. Let's continue praying together for clarity, conversion, and protection from error.

In the love of Christ and under Mary's mantle,