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Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
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This Rock
Volume 16, Number 5
 May-June 2005 
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Is It Okay to Wear Jeans to Mass?
Q: I have never worn jeans to Mass, but I see others do it all the time. Is it okay to wear jeans, or is it not a good idea?
A: The Church does not have a law prohibiting the wearing of jeans at Mass. Even St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, which has a very strict dress code, permits people to wear jeans. But the decision to wear jeans should not be based on what "everyone else is doing"; rather, it should be based on what seems appropriate for the occasion according to one’s own prudential judgment. To the extent that it is possible, one should wear clothing that is neat, clean, modest, and without holes or tears.
Q: When I became a Catholic, I assumed I would confess all the things I did in the past, but I was told I did not have to go to confession because baptism would take care of all that. Is that true?
A: Baptism takes away all sin—original and personal—and the punishment due to sin. For an adult, all that is necessary before receiving the sacrament is sincere sorrow for sins (i.e., repentance).
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37–38).
For young children, because they are not yet capable of sinning, only baptism is necessary.
Q: Are kneelers required in a church?
A: There are no universal Church laws requiring that there be kneelers in Catholic churches. Pews are not required either. But Catholics are required to kneel during certain parts of the Mass—whether there are kneelers or not. A bishop, though, may require that all the churches in his diocese have kneelers.
Q: It is my understanding that those who deny the Trinity (Oneness Pentecostals, for example) are not considered Christians because they deny the nature of God. If that is true, why do we consider those who deny the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to be Christians? What is the difference?
A: It is a valid baptism that makes a person a Christian. If a person is baptized validly with the proper matter (water), proper formula ("In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"), and proper intention (to baptize), he is ontologically Christian; that is, his very being is Christian. If he believes in the divinity of Christ and in the Trinity, he is theologically Christian—he holds Christian beliefs.
But as baptism imparts a permanent supernatural character upon the soul, a person’s status as a Christian is not dependent on how well he either understands or practices his faith.
Oneness Pentecostals are considered to be non-Christians primarily because they do not have a valid baptism: They baptize in the name of Jesus only. Ontologically speaking, they are not Christians because they do not have a valid baptism. Theologically speaking, they deny the Trinity and thus do not hold to classical Christian orthodoxy.
Most non-Catholic Christians who deny the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (e.g., Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists) have valid baptisms. They are ontologically Christian. If they believe in the divinity of Christ and in the Trinity, then they are also theologically Christian.
Q: When and how should one contact an exorcist?
A: The first step is to contact your diocese, which may have an appointed exorcist or may direct you to another diocese. But before an exorcism can be performed, psychological illness or natural causes must be ruled out. While many cases of suspected demonic possession are reported, only rarely is one attributed to demonic activity.
The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority that Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One and not an illness (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1673).
Q: Does the Church allow prenuptial agreements for second marriages? I am entering a second marriage after the death of my wife and wished to execute a prenuptial agreement in order to protect assets accumulated by my late wife and me for our minor children.
A: Prenuptial agreements are a matter of civil law, so canon law does not rule them out in principle (for example, to determine how property would be divided among the children of a prior marriage upon the death of one spouse).
But in practice prenuptials may run afoul of Church law in a number of ways. For example, they cannot subject a marriage to a condition concerning the future (e.g., an agreement about the dividing of assets in case of divorce). The Code of Canon Law provides: "A marriage subject to a condition about the future cannot be contracted validly" (CIC 1102).
The Canon Law: Letter and Spirit, a commentary on canon law, explains that condition may be defined as "a stipulation by which an agreement is made contingent upon the verification or fulfillment of some circumstance or event that is not yet certain." It goes on to state that "any condition concerning the future attached to matrimonial consent renders marriage invalid." For example, a marriage would be invalid if the parties stipulated that they must have children or they have the right to divorce and remarry someone else.
Q: I am not clear on the difference between doctrine and dogma. Can you clear it up for me?
A: In general, doctrine is all Church teaching in matters of faith and morals. Dogma is more narrowly defined as that part of doctrine that the Church has defined infallibly and declared to be believed as revealed.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "The Church’s magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these" (CCC 88).
Q: I recently heard that abortion carries the penalty of excommunication. If a woman later repents, can this excommunication be lifted by a priest in the confessional?
A: A Catholic who procures an abortion, either a man or a woman, is excommunicated automatically. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae, by the very commission of the offense, and subject to the conditions provided by canon law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death as well as to the parents and the whole of society" (CCC 2272).
The Code of Canon Law generally requires that latae sententiae excommunications be remitted by a bishop. "If the penalty has not been reserved to the Apostolic See, an ordinary can remit a latae sententiae penalty established by law but not yet declared for his subjects and those who are present in his territory or who committed the offense there; any bishop can also do this in the act of sacramental confession" (CIC 1355).
Because abortion is so common in our society, bishops in the United States generally give ordinary confessors of their dioceses the ability to remit these excommunications.
Q: What is Wicca?
A: Here is a nutshell description of Wicca by Catholic journalist Sandra Miesel in the June 2002 issue of Crisis:
Wicca—the most popular form of the new paganism—is an initiatory mystery religion that attempts to re-create the ancient religions of western Europe. Its usual deities are the Horned God and the Triple Goddess—Maid, Mother, and Crone. (A few Wiccans see a non-gendered Oneness behind the pair.) Other characteristics include three degrees of initiation, use of ceremonial magic, rituals begun with a circle drawn by a female and subsequently divided into symbolic quarters, and leadership by a high priestess who can "draw down the moon," temporarily incarnating her goddess. The high priest may incarnate the god. Practices vary so widely, however, that only general remarks can be offered here—any of which some Wiccans might dispute ("The Witches Next Door" [www.crisismagazine.com/june2002/feature4.htm]).
Q: What is the difference between a monk and a friar?
A: In addition to the standard vows in consecrated religious life of poverty, obedience, and celibate chastity, a monk takes a vow of stability that ordinarily requires him to remain within his community. Generally speaking, once a monk enters the cloistered life, he does not leave. Friars, on the other hand, although they have a communal life, do not take a vow of stability and often are given public ministries. This, for example, is why friars such as the Franciscans and Dominicans were active in the evangelization of the New World while monks such as the Benedictines established monasteries much later.
Q: My mother is an Anglican and has been receiving the sacraments at a Catholic church in the Philippines. Should my mother convert to the Catholic faith to receive the sacraments?
A: The Anglican church does not have valid holy orders; therefore, eucharistic intercommunion between the Catholic Church and non-Catholic Christians is not ordinarily possible (see CCC 1400). Thus, your mother should not be receiving Communion in the Catholic Church. The good news, though, is that you now have an opportunity to share the truths of the faith with her.
Q: A priest told me that there is a "grave obligation" for a husband and wife to have marital relations and that a refusal by one spouse to engage in marital relations could be justified only by "grave reasons." Is this true?
A: In marriage, the husband and wife have become one flesh. They are no longer totally independent. By their wedding vows they have given the right to their own bodies to each other. So yes, there is a grave obligation that each has to be sexually available to the other at appropriate times and in the context of generosity and mutual consideration.
There are times when, for any number of reasons (including health), marital relations would be painful or burdensome. Concern for the other ought to be the norm on the part of both parties.
If either party has a continuing aversion to marital relations, medical and/or psychological help should be sought.
Q: Our daughter is engaged to a Catholic, and his mother is insisting on a nuptial Mass. We agreed, out of respect for their strong Catholic beliefs, to have the wedding in their town and in their Catholic church. But we are non-Catholic Christians and are having a difficult time accepting the prospect of having a ceremony with Communion that excludes not only us but our daughter at her own wedding. Can you help us in dealing with this problem?
A: While a Catholic and a non-Catholic Christian may have a nuptial Mass if they desire it, they usually are counseled to have a wedding ceremony outside of Mass, because only the Catholic partner is able to receive Communion. This ceremony may be presided at by either a priest or a deacon and is as valid as a nuptial Mass. The pastor of your daughter’s fiancé can explain this to the fiancé’s mother.
There is a way to accommodate this prospective mother-in-law’s desire for a Mass in conjunction with her son’s wedding: The groom’s family, those of the bride’s family who wish to participate, and the couple can attend a Mass either the day before or the morning of the wedding. Only the Catholics present will be able to receive Communion at this Mass, but at least the non-Catholic Christians, including the bride, will not be excluded from Communion at the wedding itself.
Q: I was told that people who died prior to Jesus (including even those who were trying to live for God) all went to hell regardless. Is this true?
A: By his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus opened heaven (CCC 1026). Prior to that time, the just went to a place referred to as the "bosom of Abraham," where they would be comforted. But not all went to the bosom of Abraham. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), both Lazarus and the rich man died, but Lazarus was comforted in the bosom of Abraham while the rich man was in a place of torment. A great chasm separated the two.
The Catechism explains:
Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell"—Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek—because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham’s bosom": "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham’s bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell." Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him (CCC 633; cf. Roman Catechism I, 6, 3).
Q: I was trying to defend the Eucharist to a friend, and he countered by saying that drinking blood is forbidden under Jewish law. How do I respond other than to say, "Jesus commands it"?
A: Indeed, Jewish law forbids the drinking of any kind of blood: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life" (Lev. 17:11). The blood of animals was offered on the altar to atone for sin. Because it was associated with life, it was to be used solely for this purpose.
This is why many of Jesus’ followers left him when he told them they must eat his flesh and drink his blood or they would not have life within them (cf. John 6:53–66).
But when the Son of God was sacrificed, his was the perfect sacrifice. His blood supplanted the offering of animal blood. He fulfilled the Mosaic law, so we are no longer subject to it. We can eat pork, shellfish, and meat and milk together.
The prohibition against the drinking of blood was in anticipation of his blood. We drink his blood because it is the blood of the atonement for sin—of which the earlier animal sacrifices were only a sign.
Q: It seems like we ask for forgiveness both at Mass and in other standard prayers. Can sins be forgiven without the sacrament of reconciliation?
A: The sacrament of reconciliation (penance) is generally required for the remission of mortal sins committed after baptism (which forgives all sins committed up to that point). The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains, "Christ instituted the sacrament of penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since baptism, have fallen into grave sin and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification" (CCC 1446).
While sacramental confession of both mortal and venial sins is recommended (cf. Code of Canon Law 988 §2), venial sins may be confessed directly to God. Ordinarily, mortal sins are forgiven by sacramental confession. Moreover, the Catechism notes, "[Scripture and the Fathers] cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: efforts at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity, which covers a multitude of sins" (CCC 1434).
Perfect contrition also obtains forgiveness. "When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called ‘perfect’ (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible" (CCC 1452).
Q: How do we know that the Protoevangelium of James is credible?
A: We don’t. But because it is an ancient document, dating to the first half of the second century, it may contain accurate historical traditions that give Christians an idea of some of the stories that were circulating regarding Mary’s childhood and the selection of Joseph to be her guardian and spouse. It opens our minds to other possibilities, specifically the idea that Joseph was an older widower and wed Mary to be her support and the guardian of her virginity. Catholics are not required to believe that the Protoevangelium of James is accurate, but it could be, and that offers new things to ponder. The Protoevangelium of James can be found online at www.newadvent.org/fathers/0847.htm.
Q: Are we supposed to stand or kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer? Is one more proper than the other?
A: Liturgical law in the United States requires the faithful to kneel from after the Sanctus to after the Great Amen.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following: "In the dioceses of the United States of America, [the faithful] should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the Consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the diocesan bishop determines otherwise" (GIRM 43).
Q: Is there really a "hierarchy of truth"?
A: There is indeed a hierarchy of truths. The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy explains:
In the message of salvation there is a certain hierarchy of truths, which the Church has always recognized when it composed creeds or summaries of the truths of faith. This hierarchy does not mean that some truths pertain to faith itself less than others but rather that some truths are based on others as of a higher priority and are illumined by them (General Catechetical Directory 43).
For example, the existence of God, God’s being Triune, and the belief that God the Son became incarnate are truths that are higher up in the hierarchy than the beliefs that Bethlehem happened to be the site of Jesus’ birth, the book of Jude belongs in Sacred Scripture, or indulgences can be granted by the Church’s power of the keys. Each of these beliefs is true and cannot be denied or dismissed, but they are lower down in the hierarchy of truths than the core doctrines of the faith.
Q: What is meant by a convalidation of marriage?
A: Convalidation (or validation) of marriage is the technical term used in canon law to describe what most people refer to as having a marriage blessed in the Church. In his book Annulments and the Catholic Church, canon lawyer Edward Peters defines convalidation as "the renewal of consent necessary before a marriage can be recognized as valid." Thus if the original marriage was invalid for one of any number of reasons (for example, if it involved a Catholic marrying outside the Church without a dispensation), then it is possible for the parties to be married validly by convalidation, provided that the defect that invalidated their union the first time is removed.
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