|
Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
|
This Rock
Volume 18, Number 8
 October 2007 
|
|
|
Did John Paul II Condemn Non-Catholics?
Q: Pope John Paul II commented to the youth at the Greek Melkite Cathedral of Damascus, "You cannot be a Christian if you reject the Church founded on Jesus Christ." A Protestant author uses this, along with paragraph 846 in the Catechism, as evidence that the Church teaches that only Catholics can go to heaven. Did the pope say non-Catholics cannot be saved?
A: Pope John Paul II’s remark is consistent with the constant teaching of the Catholic Church. Notice that he uses the word "reject" which, in context, means making a conscious decision against the Church that one knows to be founded by Jesus Christ.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church text confirms this: "They could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it" (CCC 846, emphasis added).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Is it OK for Catholics to have their marriage witnessed by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X?
A: According to the Code of Canon Law, Catholic marriages ordinarily must be witnessed by the local ordinary or the parish priest, or by a minister—usually a priest or deacon—delegated by them to do so (canon 1108 §1). Because SSPX priests do not have faculties from the Church to witness Catholic marriages, Catholics may not have their marriage witnessed by an SSPX priest.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: A husband and wife are validly married in the Catholic Church, and after several years get a civil divorce, never seek an annulment, live chastely after the divorce, and then reconcile. Are they allowed to have intercourse since they are still married in the eyes of the Church, or must they first have their marriage acknowledged by the state?
A: For a Catholic, divorce is a purely civil matter and does not affect the validity of a sacramental marriage whatsoever. The husband and wife will always retain the right to express their marriage vows sexually. When such individuals reconcile, they are certainly free to live as man and wife.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: I seem to remember reading in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal that a crucifix showing Christ crucified must be present in the altar area during Mass. Is this correct?
A: Yes:
There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations. (GIRM 308)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My friend is convinced that the reason the Church used Latin was so the people couldn’t understand what was being said at Mass, especially the Gospel. How do I respond?
A: Remind your friend that prior to Vatican II, Latin-English missals with side-by-side texts were used at Mass, so the faithful could follow along and not miss a word. Usually the priest read the Gospel first in Latin, then in the vernacular. Sermons were given in the vernacular. If the Church didn’t want anyone to understand what was being said at Mass, then everything, including the homily, would be have been spoken in Latin, and the people would not have had missals to follow during Mass.
Latin was used in the Mass for centuries because it is the official language of the Church. Cardinal Arinze says that Latin "suits a Church that is universal. It has a stability modern languages don’t have . . . "
In Mediator Dei, Pope Pius XII calls the use of Latin in the liturgy "an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth."
The use of the Latin language, customary in a considerable portion of the Church, is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth. In spite of this, the use of the mother tongue in connection with several of the rites may be of much advantage to the people. But the Apostolic See alone is empowered to grant this permission. It is forbidden, therefore, to take any action whatever of this nature without having requested and obtained such consent, since the sacred liturgy, as we have said, is entirely subject to the discretion and approval of the Holy See. (MD 60)
—Peggy Frye
Q: How are prayers distributed in purgatory? I find it hard to believe that a famous person would enter heaven ahead of a poor, friendless soul simply because the celebrity has more people praying for him.
A: How prayers help the suffering souls in purgatory is God’s domain. All we can do is petition for those souls who we believe may be in need of prayers and trust that God will apply the graces obtained by such prayers in a just and merciful manner.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: What does "honor your father and your mother" mean? If the parents are abusive, does this change anything?
A: St. Paul clarifies the fourth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you" (Ex. 20:12), in his letter to the Ephesians: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Eph. 6:1, emphasis added).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains:
As long as a child lives at home with his parents, the child should obey his parents in all that they ask of him when it is for his good or that of the family . . . But if a child is convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, he must not do so . . . Obedience toward parents ceases with the emancipation of the children; not so respect, which is always owed to them. (CCC 2217)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Since paragraph 2297 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church forbids deliberate mutilation, why is non-therapeutic circumcision allowed?
A: Mutilation involves altering the body for non-therapeutic reasons in ways that interfere with the body’s ability to function. Circumcision was established by God as a sign of the Old Covenant (Gen. 17:10–14) and practiced by God’s people in obedience to him for thousands of years until it was superseded by baptism (Col. 2:11–14). Therefore, we must assume that God would not establish a ritual for his people that can be considered deliberate mutilation and thus intrinsically immoral.
Even so, parents who object to non-therapeutic circumcision have the right to refuse to circumcise their sons as a matter of conscience. They should, however, take care not to make their arguments against circumcision in such ways that it casts aspersion on the legitimate choice of other parents to circumcise.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: What are the standards in regards to the faithful choosing one priest to hear their confession over another? If a person goes to confession, but deliberately does not confess a sin by choice because of fear or anxiety, what should he do? On a similar note, if a person fails to confess a grave sin by accident, what should he do?
A: People are allowed to avoid any confessor for any personal reason—including the embarrassment over a particular sin. No one is obliged to confess face to face. One is free to go to any parish he chooses for confession.
If one deliberately chooses to withhold a mortal sin in confession, that in itself is a further mortal sin and the whole confession is invalid. If the Lord could suffer such agony on Good Friday to forgive our sins, the least we can do is humbly and honestly confess them. If one forgets to confess a mortal sin, that sin is still forgiven in confession, but the person is required to mention it the next time he goes to confession as an act of sorrow and contrition. It’s the least we can do in the face of God’s love for us.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Is a Magic 8 Ball just a toy or is it a divination tool?
A: Unless it is used with a deliberate intention to divine the future, a Magic 8 Ball is a toy similar to a child’s folded-paper fortune-teller. It does not appear that the Magic 8 Ball should be put in the same league as the Ouija board, which is a well-known divination tool that has been misleadingly marketed to children as a board game.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Our five-year-old granddaughter is not baptized. Her parents don’t seem interested. My husband and I take her to church almost every weekend. Can we have her baptized?
A: Unless your granddaughter is in danger of death, canon law does not allow you to have her baptized against both her parents’ will. Code of Canon Law states:
For an infant to be baptized licitly: (1) the parents or at least one of them or the person who legitimately takes their place must consent; (2) there must be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be delayed according to the prescripts of particular law after the parents have been advised about the reason.
An infant of Catholic parents or even of non-Catholic parents is baptized licitly in danger of death even against the will of the parents. (CIC 868)
Note: Although your granddaughter is five years old, she still counts as an infant since she has not yet reached the age of reason, which is customarily understood to be seven years of age.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: In the Apostle’s Creed it says Jesus rose twice. How is this possible?
A: Jesus rose from the dead only once. The Apostle’s Creed says:
- He descended into hell.
- The third day he arose again from the dead.
- He ascended into heaven.
Think of it in this way: Jesus descended (went down) into hell, then on the third day he rose "again" (came up again) from the dead. After Jesus came up from the "dead," the Creed says "He ascended into heaven." Thus, Christ rose from the dead only once.
—Peggy Frye
Q: A Catholic friend sometimes has psychic flashes of the past, the future, and of people’s souls. This person did not seek this ability and has no control over it. Is it a sin?
A: A person is not morally culpable for things he does not will. Only if one deliberately seeks out knowledge of the past or future through occult means, or if one puts groundless faith in supernatural or occult phenomena is there a problem.
The phenomenon that your friend is experiencing might not be occult but a form of private revelation. He should be careful, however, not to discuss this ability with impressionable souls. Sharing such knowledge with those who do not understand could be a cause of scandal.
There may also be a danger that this person may be tempted to develop his supernatural abilities or exploit this knowledge. For that reason, I recommend that this person seek assistance from an orthodox and balanced confessor or spiritual director for help in dealing with this phenomenon in a manner that is in keeping with his Catholic faith.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: What exactly is a soul?
A: The glossary at the back of the U.S. version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines "soul" as follows:
The spiritual principle of human beings. The soul is the subject of human consciousness and freedom; soul and body together form one unique human nature. Each human soul is individual and immortal, immediately created by God. The soul does not die with the body, from which it is separated by death, and with which it will be reunited in the final resurrection.
Here’s more:
The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that "then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.
In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person. But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God’s image: "Soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.
The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.
Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.
The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the "form" of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.
The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God—it is not "produced" by the parents—and also that it is immortal: It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.
Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly," with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord’s coming. The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.
The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one’s being, where the person decides for or against God. (CCC 362-368)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Our new pastor wants to put the parish offices next to the narthex of the Church. It seems to me that business will be done within the church. Is there anything that I can do to stop this?
A: The narthex, or vestibule, is not in the church proper. I don’t think you have much of an argument, certainly not as far as Church directives are concerned. I gave a mission in Canada, where it rains a lot. The vestibule is quite large and opens into the parish hall and kitchen, meeting rooms, the parish office and the priests’ offices. People can also just wait there until their ride arrives—all this without getting soaked. It was great!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Are parties for the deceased appropriate? In keeping with his wishes, the widow of a friend is holding a big bash to celebrate his life. She has asked my husband to give a eulogy. Is this something a Catholic can attend and participate in?
A: I do not know of any Church document that would prohibit it. Attending might give your husband a sense of having honored his friend’s final wishes. If the party atmosphere seems inappropriate, you can leave quietly after offering your sympathy to the bereaved. You might also want to have Masses said for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: My understanding is that hosts that have been spit out by a communicant who is unable to swallow must be dissolved in water and then the water is poured down a sacrarium. But what do you do if you are visiting a nursing home or a homebound communicant where it is impractical to get to the sacristy? The GIRM is vague on these special circumstances.
A: The only practical thing to do is to pick up the host with a handkerchief or paper towel and bring it to the sacristy. It may be inconvenient, but this is the body of the Lord. Nothing deserves greater care and consideration.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Can we as Catholics equate wishing someone luck as actually wishing someone God’s blessings or should we avoid the phrase "good luck" altogether?
A: Most people use the phrase "good luck" as a colloquial equivalent to "I wish you good fortune and hope that you will obtain it. " A Catholic could use the phrase with that intention. The word good comes from an Old English word for God (e.g., goodbye = "God be with you"; Good Friday = "God’s Friday").
—Michelle Arnold
Q: I’m in college and have been defending my Catholic faith to an acquaintance, who is a strong fundamentalist on campus. Through an e-mail conversation last week, I have explained, with Scripture backup, some Catholic issues he opposes. Now my opponent asks for a face-to-face debate. It this a prudent way to do apologetics? How can I turn down the debate and not be the "loser"?
A: Not everyone has the gift of thinking fast on one’s feet. This in no way means that one’s position is weak or fallacious. If you are not experienced in debate, tell him so and that the truth can be well expressed by means of e-mail—or is he afraid of letting the facts speak for themselves?
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: During the Ash Wednesday liturgy, my Jewish wife was offended to hear Jews referred to as "hypocrites." How can I explain to her why Jesus would say such a thing about her people?
A: Jesus was a Jew himself and was certainly not calling all Jews hypocrites. There are hypocrites in every group (Catholics included). In the Gospels, when Jesus uses terms such as "hypocrites" to describe the people with whom he was dealing, he was not addressing that word to all Jews of his time or all Jews of all time, but rather to those he was interacting with at the time.
—Michelle Arnold
|
