God “Breaks Into” Time Question: Why do we say that God is breaking into human history when speaking of Jesus? What is God breaking into? The Heaven-Earth divide? Answer: This term, which comes to us from contemporary theology, is act … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – January 2023
Are the Son and the Father Equal? Question: How can the three persons of the Trinity be equal if Father and Son is a hierarchical relationship? Answer: Your question strikes at the very heart of the Christian religion and was the first … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – December 2022
The Mass as Sacrifice Question: Why do you call the Mass a sacrifice? Does not Paul say the sacrifice of the Gentiles is a sacrifice to demons? “A broken and contrite heart O Lord thou will not despise,” I read in the psalms. Answer: Sac … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – November 2022
Incomplete Consecration and its Consequences Question: At Mass yesterday, the parish priest forgot to bring wine in preparing for Mass. Instead of going to the sacristy to get some he remained in the sanctuary and consecrated the hosts — b … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – October 2022
Church Teaching and the Theological Ethics of Life Question: There has been much talk about the Church changing her teaching on Humanae Vitae. This apparently is due to a recent document from the Pontifical Academy of Life: Theological … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – September 2022
Truly Believing in the Real Presence Question: I am 73 and a lifelong Catholic. I struggle with the doctrine of the real presence. I say this partially because if Catholics really believed this, the churches and adoration chapels would be … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – August 2022
Mixing Unconsecrated Hosts Question: Is it a sin for a priest to mix unconsecrated hosts with the consecrated Precious Blood in intinction when distributing communion? Answer: The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2022
Roots of the Apostles’ Creed Question: In the Apostles’ Creed we profess: “On the third day he rose again from the dead.” What does it mean to say “again” in this context? Answer: The Apostles’ Creed has a long and pious tradition behind … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – June 2022
Can Holy Water Be Mixed? Question: Can you replenish holy water that you have for personal use by adding to it with regular water when it gets low? Answer: First it is important to discuss just what holy water is and what it signifies. … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – May 2022
A Priest’s Spiritual Obligations Question: Could you comment on the strict obligation of the Divine Office for priests (under pain of mortal sin) but no similar obligation for the offering of daily Mass? Answer: The answer to this q … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2022
Qualifications for the Priesthood Question: What are the qualities a person needs to be a Catholic priest? Answer: The best way to answer this question is to follow the address given by Pope Benedict XVI a number of years ago to the … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – February 2022
What Is the Church’s Magisterial Teaching? Question: Do we owe religious submission of intellect and will to those teachings of the Pope contained in documents (addresses, allocutions, letters, etc.) that were not published in the Acta A … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – September 2021
Intinction With Unconsecrated Hosts? Question: Is it an egregious (sin) matter, if a priest does intinction of unconsecrated hosts with consecrated Precious Blood while distributing Holy Communion? Answer: Presumably this reflects a … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – August 2021
The Knowledge of the Incarnate God Question: If Jesus is both human and divine, why didn’t he know everything God would know from the moment of birth or soon after? How could Jesus not know the second coming if God the Father knew and they … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2021
Why Jesus Is Called the “New Adam” Question: I am a bit troubled by so many people calling Jesus the new Adam. I think to do so gives the Jehovah’s Witnesses an advantage they can easily take, that is to prove Jesus is a creature and not th … [Read more...]
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