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This Rock Volume 17, Number 10   December 2006     Reasons for Hope By Cherie Peacock   Letters   Are Old Testament Women Nameless, Silent, Passive Victims? By Catherine Brown Tkacz   Further Reading   Where Have All the Sisters Gone? By Russell Shaw   What Your Family Can Learn from the Holy Family By Mike Sullivan   Resources for Your Holy Family   The Church and Torture By Fr. Brian W. Harrison, O.S.   Damascus Road If This Is Christianity, I'm Outta Here! By Patrick Beeman   By the Book Saddleback on Salvation By Jim Blackburn   Truth Be Told The Dissolution of the Monasteries By Matthew E. Bunson   Up a Notch The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit By Frank X. Blisard   Quick Questions   Last Writes By Karl Keating    Subscribe    Permissions

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Just War Theory

Q: Can a Catholic believe that the U.S. was justified in its decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II?

A: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation." A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons—especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons—to commit such crimes. (CCC 2314; cf. Gaudium et Spes 80)

Q: In the last couple years I have come back to the Church. I just went to confession, but the priest would not absolve me of my sins because I am still living in a non-sacramental marriage and my wife is agnostic. I asked him if it mattered that we are not having sexual relations. He said no and that I should encourage my wife to marry me in the Church. What should I do?

A: The priest gave you incorrect advice. So long as you are living a chaste lifestyle, you are entitled to receive absolution and then Holy Communion. You need to find another confessor. I would suggest that you receive Communion where your situation is not known so as not to give scandal to anyone who might not understand.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa

Q: What happened to those who committed a mortal sin before the sacrament of confession was instituted?

A: They would have needed perfect contrition for their souls to be cleansed of mortal sin. Perfect contrition is having sorrow over sins that is motivated by love for God rather than the fear of punishment only. Since God is both perfectly merciful and perfectly just, they could still obtain the forgiveness of sins and the purification of the soul.
—Peggy Frye

Q: Why does the current Mass disobey Pope St. Pius V’s apostolic constitution Quo Primum, which mandates that only the codified Tridentine Mass of Pius V is to be used?

A: Quo Primum concerned a disciplinary matter in the Church, not an infallible teaching on faith or morals. Evidence of this is that an infallible teaching on faith or morals would not—indeed could not—allow for such exceptions as "unless approval of the practice of saying Mass differently was given" or "unless there has prevailed a custom of a similar kind" In fact, the document states, "We in no wise rescind their above-mentioned prerogative or custom."

Such matters of Church discipline always remain subject to future change by equal or greater authority. In light of this, wording such as "in perpetuity" must be understood as "from now on, until this or another equal or greater authority determines otherwise." Pope Paul VI held equal authority to that of Pope St. Pius V. Therefore, changes to the Mass under his authority were licit and valid.
—Jim Blackburn

Q: I am studying to become a registered nurse. My Traditionalist friends say that any good Catholic would never work on a Sunday, as it is reserved as the Sabbath and that I’m required to find another job that allows me to never work on a Sunday—even if that means less prestige or less money. There are plenty of pagans and Protestants who can work on Sundays instead, they say.

A: I hope your Traditionalist friends are never patients in a hospital on a Sunday. Nursing the sick on Sunday is a work of mercy. The Sabbath is not Sunday. It remains on Saturday since it is a part of the Old Law. Sunday has taken its place for Christians. It is the day of the Resurrection and is the Lord’s Day. But it is not literally the Sabbath!

How about the Gospel of Mark 3:1–6? The Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath. Jesus asked:

"Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Q: I don’t understand why the faithful are allowed to baptize one another. What makes this sacrament different from the others that an ordained priest does not have to administer it?

A: The ordinary ministers of baptism (in other words, the people ordinarily expected to perform baptism) are priests and deacons. Because baptism is ordinarily necessary for salvation (John 3:5; CCC 1257), in life-and-death situations in which a priest or deacon is not available, anyone—including Catholics, non-Catholics, non-Christians, and non-theists—may baptize so long as they do so in the correct manner and with the correct intention (to baptize).
—Michelle Arnold

Q: My pastor said the "gesture of reverence" made by the faithful (e.g., bowing) when receiving Holy Communion is optional. Is this correct?

A: The rubrics specified in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal specifically instruct the communicant to bow his head before the sacrament as a gesture of reverence, so it is required for those physically able to comply.

When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his head before the sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the precious blood. (GIRM 160)

Q: Why do Matthew’s and Mark’s listings of the names of apostles differ from Luke’s in listing Thaddeus instead of a second Judas?

A: The apostle Thaddeus mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew (10:3) and Mark (3:18) is one and the same as the first Judas mentioned in Luke (6:16). It is likely that this apostle was called by other names to avoid confusing him with Judas Iscariot. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture explains:

Doubtless like others of his time he enjoyed several names, and it is natural that the early Christians should have avoided the name he shared with the traitor. (p. 948)

Q: How can we find happiness in heaven if someone we love/know goes to hell? Some people say we will be satisfied with God’s justice, but this sounds rather cruel and cold.

A: You are thinking very much inside the box. You can’t do that when you think of heaven. It’s not just another earth-like human situation with clouds and pastel cherubs added. What you need to do is to ask yourself if you really think heaven is for God’s sake. I mean this literally. It’s all about God. God is infinite goodness, goodness without limit, pure unlimited love. This is something beyond any experience we are capable of imagining at this time.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa

Q: Recently a priest told me that John Paul II should have stepped down much earlier because having someone as pope who was "practically drooling" and not able to "do his duties" hurt the Catholic Church in front of the world. What do you think?

A: John Paul II considered his continuation in office to be an acceptance of the cross given him by Christ. He responded to suggestions that he resign by saying, "Christ didn’t come down off the cross." John Paul’s service to the end demonstrated to the world that the papacy is about more than efficiency. It is a call to service and a call to suffering. Not for nothing did Benedict XVI call the possibility of his own election "this guillotine" and pray to be spared it.
—Michelle Arnold

Q: My friend read that in the years following the promulgation of Humanae Vitae (1968), Bishop Fulton Sheen began to take a more permissive stand on contraception than that taught by the Church. Please reassure me of his complete fidelity to Church teaching on this matter.

A: I can find no evidence whatsoever that Sheen ever took a permissive stand on contraception. He was true to the teachings of the Church on all matters of faith and morals. And if he had ever taken a liberal view of Humanae Vitae, he would be the poster boy for the dissenters. He is not.

Perhaps your friend was referring to an excerpt form Thomas C. Reeves’s book The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen, where Sheen was accused of "waffling" on Humanae Vitae during a 1969 David Frost television interview. According to Msgr. George Kelly’s review of that incident, Sheen’s response was simply misunderstood because it was not clearly articulated (see Kelly’s review at www.catholic.net).

Further proof of his fidelity to Church teaching on contraception is evidenced by the following excerpt from his book Three to Get Married:

Planned unparenthood is the deliberate and willful decision on the part of a husband and wife to exclude from God the opportunity to create another to his image and likeness. It is the human will freely frustrating divine will, as certain agricultural policies deliberately control the productivity of the earth for the sake of a higher economic price. The nonserviam of Lucifer has had its catastrophic effect throughout creation, and particularly in those who say: "I refuse to accept from God that which is his holy will, the increase and multiplication of life." The refusing to be a co-operator with God is to spoil and maim oneself, for of the unused talents, our Lord said: "Take the talent away."

Q: I attend mass at the Newman Center of my college here in the United States. There are no kneelers and no one kneels. Should we kneel at Mass?

A: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal instructs:

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. (GIRM 43)

Q: I am experiencing a renewal of my faith. I already pray the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but I think saying the Divine Office would be an added benefit. Where I can get a copy?

A: The Daughters of St. Paul offer a one-volume edition that contains all of the Divine Office except the Office of Readings. Catholic Book Publishing also offers a one-volume edition that lacks the Office of Readings. Its four-volume edition contains the entire Divine Office. I suggest that first you familiarize your self with the Liturgy of the Hours by praying it online: www.ebreviary.com.

Alternatively, Magnificat is a monthly magazine that provides for each day simple versions of Morning, Evening, and Night Prayer, plus the Mass readings, brief lives of the saints, and a short spiritual reading from one of the saints or a spiritual leader: www.magnificat.com.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa

Q: Most crucifixes show Jesus’ chest wound on his right side, which is opposite from the heart cavity. Do we know for certain where he was pierced, or is it a pious tradition that the spear entered his right side?

A: John the Evangelist tells us that Jesus’ side was pierced (John 19:32–35) but does not say which side. Crucifixes are artistic renderings, not exact reproductions, so the depiction of Christ’s chest wound on the right side may be artistic symbolism. In Scripture, those on Jesus’ right are the ones to be saved (Matt. 25:32–33) and they are saved by the blood that he shed for them (Matt. 26:28).
—Michelle Arnold

Q: When a Catholic wishes to marry a non-Catholic, does the couple need to promise to raise their children as Catholic in order to be married by a priest in the Church?

A: The Code of Canon Law states:

A marriage between two persons, one of whom has been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it . . . and the other of whom is not baptized, is invalid. (CIC 1086)A marriage is prohibited between two baptized persons of whom one is baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it after baptism . . . and the other of whom is enrolled in a Church or ecclesial community not in full communion with the Catholic Church. (CIC 1124)

• The Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church.
• The other party is to be informed at an appropriate time about the promises that the Catholic party is to make, in such a way that it is certain that he or she is truly aware of the promise and obligation of the Catholic party.
• Both parties are to be instructed about the purposes and essential properties of marriage, which neither of the contracting parties is to exclude. (CIC 1125)

Q: Our church has an electric sanctuary candle. Is this permitted?

A: Canon 940 states only that "a special lamp is to burn continuously before the tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved, to indicate and to honor the presence of Christ." While the traditional lamp with a wax candle is normally used to burn near the tabernacle as a sign of honor shown to the Lord (Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass 11), the canon does not indicate what type of lamp is required. So, yes, it is permissible to replace the wax candle with an electric lamp.
—Peggy Frye

Q: I want to confess an obvious sin, but I do not feel remorse or regret for doing it. Do I need to be regretful to confess this sin or will it be forgiven even if I have no remorse?

A: What is required is repentance, which is an act of the will. Remorse and regret are emotions, which you may or may not feel and do not have control over. Feelings of remorse and regret are not required, but they are helpful in keeping us from sinning again. One way to encourage such feelings is to develop a devotion to Christ’s Passion. Meditation on the agonies Christ suffered to merit for us the grace we receive through confession helps in developing a horror for sin and a just remorse for the sins of one’s life.
—Michelle Arnold

Q: I have read that when a person is not yet able to receive the sacrament of confession, he can use the act of contrition. What specifically is that, and how does one make an act of contrition?

A: Contrition may be either perfect or imperfect. While perfect contrition forgives all sins, it does not relieve us of the obligation to go to confession. The Catechism explains:

When [contrition] 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.

The contrition called "imperfect" (or "attrition") is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process that, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself, however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of penance. (CCC 1452–53)

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. (p. 62)

Q: Is Seventh-day Adventism a cult?

A: Seventh-day Adventism is not a cult. It does promote some strange ideas, including some with a decidedly anti-Catholic foundation, but it is a genuinely Christian denomination. Its members are both validly baptized Christians and theologically Christian in their beliefs (unlike, for example, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are neither).
—Michelle Arnold

Q: Are the Protevangelium of St. James and the Gospel of the Birth of Mary authentic documents?

A: They are both authentic documents, but that does not mean that they are true. They are not forgeries, but they are apocryphal. As such, these writings are not inspired but may provide some otherwise useful information.
—Jim Blackburn

Q: My comparative mythology class textbook and professor teach that the Christian faith took some of its most significant elements from a Persian religion dedicated to Mithra. Is this true?

A: While Mithraism appears to have had many similarities to Christianity, it seems that Mithraism copied from Christianity, not the other way around. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains:

Our knowledge regarding Mithraism is very imperfect . . . mostly ingenious guesswork; of the real inner working of Mithraism and the sense in which it was understood by those who professed it at the advent of Christianity, we know nothing. . . . Some apparent similarities exist; but in a number of details it is quite probable that Mithraism was the borrower from Christianity.