|
Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
|
This Rock
Volume 15, Number 4
 April 2004 
|
|
|
Q: Recently I was attending Mass in another diocese, and when I approached the extraordinary minister of the Eucharist to receive on the tongue, I was denied Communion. Not wanting to make a scene, but fairly confident of my rights, I whispered that I can receive this way. The minister apologized but said that the bishop does not permit Communion on the tongue. How can this be?
A: The universal law of the Latin rite is that we receive Communion on the tongue. To receive in the hand is an indult or special permission that does not exist in most parts of the world. By law, it is a right of the faithful to receive on the tongue, and the faithful must not have their rights denied.
The Vatican promotes Communion on the tongue not only for its long tradition but because it "expresses the faithful’s reverence for the Eucharist" and "removes the danger of profanation of the sacred species" (Memorial Domini 1277).
Since the indult was granted, profanation of the sacred species does now occur. John Paul II states, "In some countries the practice of receiving Communion in the hand has been introduced. This practice has been requested by individual episcopal conferences and has received approval from the Apostolic See. However, cases of a deplorable lack of respect toward the eucharistic species have been reported, cases that are imputable not only to the individuals guilty of such behavior but also to the pastors of the church who have not been vigilant enough regarding the attitude of the faithful toward the Eucharist. It also happens, on occasion, that the free choice of those who prefer to continue the practice of receiving the Eucharist on the tongue is not taken into account in those places where the distribution of Communion in the hand has been authorized" (Dominicae Cenae 11.9).
The new GIRM, in its directives for distributing Communion, states, "The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. . . . The priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ). The communicant replies Amen and receives the sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is allowed and if the communicant so chooses, in the hand" (160–161).
Notice that it says, "The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant." It does not say, "At the discretion of the extraordinary minister of the Eucharist" or "at the discretion of the priest or bishop."
Q: Can angels appear in the shape of animals, such as a dog or cat?
A: An angel is pure spirit and, as such, has no shape. A body is a material thing; while material things change and die, pure spiritual beings do not. But for the purpose of interacting with us, an angel may at times assume a shape in order to fulfill the purpose God intends for the angel to accomplish.
If for the purpose of the angel’s visit to be accomplished the angel wants to be recognized, the angel would most likely assume a shape that would allow this. But the purpose of an angel’s visit may require an angel to go unrecognized. The author of Hebrews warns Christians, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2).
God the Holy Spirit was willing to appear as a dove (cf. Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). There is no reason in principle that an angel could not appear in animal form.
Q: Matthew 27:5 says that Judas hanged himself, while Peter says in Acts 1:18 that he fell and was disemboweled. How can we reconcile what appears to be an apparent contradiction?
A: There are two possible ways to reconcile the verses:
- Luke’s purpose in Acts may have been simply to report what Peter said at a point in time when the apostles’ information on Judas’s death may well have been sketchy. After some of the Temple priests converted (cf. Acts 6:7), they may have given further details on Judas’s death that were later incorporated into the Gospel accounts.
- It is also possible that after Judas hanged himself the rope broke and he fell onto rocks that disemboweled him postmortem. Matthew’s emphasis then would have been Judas’s actions in taking his own life, while Peter’s emphasis was on what happened to him after his suicide.
Q: In Luke 8:10, Jesus says that he speaks in parables so that "seeing they [the Pharisees and scribes, I presume] may not see, and hearing they may not understand." Why wouldn’t Jesus want them to look and see and to hear and understand?
A: God did not withhold grace so that the Pharisees and scribes could not understand; they put up barriers to God’s grace and thus were unable to understand.
God’s grace is offered to everyone, including the Pharisees and scribes. But Jesus knows that their disposition is such that they will not respond to God’s grace. (They don’t want to give up their sins; they don’t want a kingdom anywhere but here; they want to be in positions of power, not positions of service as Christ’s message commands.) Therefore, they will not be able to grasp the deeper meaning that the parables help the willing mind to understand.
So Jesus wants to teach those willing to hear what he has to say without revealing information to those who, through their unwillingness to understand it properly, might use the information against him and others who follow him. Christ says, "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you" (Matt. 7:6).
Q: Our parish is having First Communion in the second grade and first confession in the fourth grade. Is that right? Also, when I go to confession, my priest does not want to know my sins or how many times I committed them. Did the Church change the way we go to confession?
A: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Children must go to the sacrament of penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time" (1457). This is backed up by the Code of Canon Law 914.
The Church has not changed the requirements for confessing our sins in confession. Canon 988 states, "A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all serious sins committed after baptism and not yet directly remitted through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which one is conscious after diligent examination of conscience."
Q: I’ve been having trouble lately defending the practice of praying for those who are sick. Praying that those who are ill and their loved ones would accept God’s will, whatever that may be—that type of prayer makes sense to me. But doesn’t praying for someone’s healing imply that we have some control over God’s will? If God felt it was time to bring a sick person home to him, would everyone’s prayers for healing somehow change God’s mind, as if what we wanted was better for the world than God’s plan? And if prayer can accomplish that, it seems unfair to the sick person who has no one to pray for him.
A: Do you think that those people who asked Jesus to heal them in the Gospels should have kept quiet? If Jesus wanted to heal them, he would know their need and respond if he chose to. But the fact is that Jesus told us to ask for what we need (cf. Mark 11:24; Luke 18:1). He obviously wanted those people to express their confidence in his power and love. So it is with us. It is not a matter of trying to change God’s mind. God may very well intend to heal certain sick persons if they ask him to. The prayer of petition requires faith. It is good for us, and he always wants what is good for us.
Q: Who is the patron saint of healing? My son-in-law would like to choose that saint’s name for his confirmation name.
A: The possibilities are endless, as there are saints to pray to for just about every ache and pain known to man. If your son is looking for a saint with a special interest in praying for those involved in the healing sciences, there are several choices: Luke (patron of physicians), Camillus de Lellis (patron of nurses), and Raphael the archangel (whose name means "God has healed").
Q: I have heard that Jesus is present in a very special way for fifteen minutes after you receive his precious body and blood. Is this true? My RCIA director does not believe this.
A: It usually takes about ten minutes for the host and the precious blood to be diluted and assimilated in the stomach. During these minutes the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ reside sacramentally within the person’s body in the most intimate of communions.
Q: Do we still use the terms mortal and venial in reference to sin?
A: Mortal (deadly) and venial are still terms used by the Church to distinguish serious sin from less serious sin (cf. CCC 1855). Mortal sin is mentioned also in 1 John 5:16–17: "If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal."
Q: Is the priest "another Christ" when he says Holy Mass, hears confessions etc.?
A: The Church teaches that the priest ministers in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. In speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22–23).
Q: I’ve always wondered what the Catholic Church means by "blessing," especially in blessing objects. Does the object bear a new and real virtue?
A: Briefly, a blessing on an object is a prayer that praises God for the act of creating this object and implores that the object be used for his greater glory. The Catechism puts it this way: "Among sacramentals, blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father ‘with every spiritual blessing.’ This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ" (CCC 1671).
Q: The pastor of my church has been allowing a retired nun to give the homilies during Mass. Is this allowed?
A: No. Here is the relevant text from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal(revised edition, 2002): "The homily should ordinarily be given by the priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it to a concelebrating priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to the deacon, but never to a lay person. In particular cases and for a just cause, the homily may even be given by a bishop or a priest who is present at the celebration but cannot concelebrate" (66).
As you can see, it is preferred that the celebrating priest gives the homily himself. In particular circumstances a bishop, deacon, or another priest can give the homily. But it is never to be given by a lay person.
Q: Can you explain where America is in biblical prophecy, if at all?
A: America is not mentioned in Scripture at all. Biblical prophecy, to the extent that we understand its meaning, applies to us as human beings, not necessarily to us as Americans. Of course, our country must strive to create a just society and build a culture of life, as the Holy Father has admonished us; but that applies to all societies and countries at all times, in the past, present, and future.
Q: I am currently praying the novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux in hopes that she will give me a rose in answer to my question. I’ve discovered that I haven’t been praying the novena in the exact way prescribed for obtaining an answer. Must I start over?
A: St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) is famous for promising to send down a shower of roses as signs of her prayers for people after her death. The image of a shower of roses is just that: an image of the graces she promised to ask for and, through his love, obtain from God for those who prayed for her intercession. Some people who have prayed for Thérèse’s intercession have discovered roses in unexpected or unlikely places while praying the novena and have taken such sightings as a tangible sign of Thérèse’s intercession on their behalf.
While such a favor is a lovely reminder of this saint’s intercession, there is something of which you should be careful. If you approach this novena from the perspective that, if you pray it in exactly the right way, you will be rewarded with a rose in answer to your question, you are engaging in superstition.
The Catechism warns, "Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition" (2111).
A novena is simply the pious practice of praying for a particular intention nine times. It is usually done with one prayer over a nine-day period but can be done by praying the same prayer nine times in a row. Any formal, informal, or spontaneous prayer done in a set of nine times constitutes a novena. You may use a formal novena that is approved for devotional use or you may put together your own set of prayers for your private use. The only requirement is that the prayers not be said with the intention to manipulate an answer from God. Whatever they are—if they are said faithfully and with trust in God that he will answer your prayer in the manner he wills to do so—they are fine.
So, in short, no, you don’t have to start over this novena; but you must abandon any thought that saying a novena will be automatically rewarded with the response you have specified.
|
C A T H O L I C A N S W E R S :
[TOP]
of
