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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 18, Number 9
 November 2007 
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Are Word, Community, and Eucharist Equal?
Q: Last Thursday at Mass the priest talked about the Word, the community, and the Eucharist being equal: He challenged us about why we bow and kneel before the consecrated cup and bread but not to each other or the Word. Am I confusing equal and the same?
A: A current fallacy floating around in some Catholic circles equates the Eucharist with the Word of God and the congregation. The Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ who is God and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Only the Father and the Holy Spirit are equal to him. To say otherwise is not only the result of fuzzy thinking, it’s heresy!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: The family of a deceased Catholic friend is considering giving the cremated remains to a company that will process a diamond out of the cremains. Can you help me give them a good reason why this is wrong?
A: Although the Church allows for cremation (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2301), it is very concerned that the cremains be treated with appropriate respect (Indult on Cremation, Congregation for Divine Worship, 1997). The cremains should not be scattered but should be disposed of in a dignified manner, whether by committing them to the earth or sea in a suitable container or by placing them in a mausoleum (Order of Christian Funerals 416).
—Michelle Arnold
Q: I have heard two different things regarding the requirement for yearly confession. One person said that we need to go to confession once a year only if we have committed a mortal sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that one must confess serious sins at least once a year (CCC 1457). One can commit a serious sin without it being a mortal sin. So what is exactly is the requirement?
A: The Catechism of the Catholic Church statement, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year" (CCC 1457), includes a footnote reference to the Code of Canon Law: "After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year" (CIC 989). "Grave sins" here means "mortal sins" so, accordingly, "serious sins" in the Catechism are to be understood as mortal.
Keep in mind that for a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be met: grave matter, full knowledge, and complete consent (cf. CCC 1857). A sin of grave matter which lacks either of the other conditions is not a mortal sin. In such a case the matter is grave but the sin is not. The Catechism explains, "One commits venial sin . . . when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent" (CCC 1862).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My priest said there are different levels of heaven and hell. Where can I find Church documentation on this?
A: The term "levels" of heaven and hell to describe the degrees of punishment or reward reflects the literary imagery of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy more than the language of the Church. "Degrees" of perfection or punishment is the proper term. The degree of perfection of the beatific vision granted to the just is proportioned to each one’s merits.
The . . . Council of Florence (1439) declared the souls of the perfectly just clearly behold the Triune and One God as he is, but corresponding to the difference of their merits, the one more perfectly than the other. The Council of Trent defined that the justified person merits an increase of the heavenly glory by good works. (Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 479)
Scriptural support may be found at: Matthew 16:27; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 2 Corinthians 9:6; 1 Corinthians 15:41. The punishment of the damned is proportioned to each one’s guilt.
The Union Councils of Lyons and of Florence declared that the souls of the damned are punished with unequal punishments . . . This is probably intended to assert not merely a specific difference in the punishment of original sin and of personal sins, but also a difference in the degree of punishment for personal sins [cf. Matt. 11:22; Luke 20:47]. . . . St. Augustine teaches "In their wretchedness the lot of some of the damned will be more tolerable than that of others. Justice demands that the punishment be commensurate with the guilt." (Ott, Fundamentals, 482)
Ludwig Ott’s book can be purchased from http://shop.catholic.com.
—Peggy Frye
Q: What is the difference between persons who commit suicide because of extreme illness or a life on drugs and dissolute living and the case of the early Christians who, although warned that they would be crucified if they continued to preach the gospel, preached anyway and were put to death?
A: The difference, and is it a major one, lies in their motives. The person who chooses to take his life is completely centered on himself. The person who spends himself on preaching the gospel to the point of being martyred is completely centered on Christ. The person who is very sick and in great pain and accepts such pain as his cross is centered on Christ as well. Centering our lives of Christ makes all the difference.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Is it liturgically correct to have boulders, tumbleweeds, and dried-up plants on the floor of the sanctuary by the altar during Lent?
A: Regarding the decoration of the altar area during Lent, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:
Moderation should be observed in the decoration of the altar . . . During Lent it is forbidden for the altar to be decorated with flowers. Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), solemnities, and feasts are exceptions. Floral decorations should always be done with moderation and placed around the altar rather than on its mensa. (GIRM 305)
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Can a divorced person without a Church annulment participate in the sacraments?
A: A divorced person is generally not required to seek an annulment unless he plans to attempt marriage again. And unless a person has been excommunicated (divorce is not cause for excommunication), a Catholic always has access to confession. In fact, a divorced Catholic should go to confession as soon as possible if the divorce was an occasion of mortal sin. If the divorce was not an occasion of mortal sin, then confession is not necessary. Either way, the Catholic would be able to lead a normal sacramental life.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I will be attending an early-morning First Communion Mass this Saturday at my church. Our priest announced that our attendance at this Mass would fulfill our Sunday obligation. Is this correct?
A: No. A Saturday morning Mass does not fulfill the Sunday obligation. Canon law says the following: "A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass" (CIC 1248 §1).
—Peggy Frye
Q: I thought I read in the New Testament that Jesus says, "I’m going to Heaven to prepare a place for you. If it was not true I would not say so." I can’t locate that passage now. Is it in the Bible? I want to reply to a Protestant who does not believe that we go to heaven when we die but must wait for the second coming of Jesus.
A: The passage is John 14:3: "And when I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself." So I don’t think this one will help. However, Luke 23:43 hits the target squarely: "This day you will be with me in paradise." Basically what you are dealing with is the particular judgment rather than the general judgment. Read more about the particular judgement at: www.newadvent.org.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Our child’s birth is expected right before Easter. Extended family will be visiting for the holiday and we would like to have the baby baptized then. Is it possible to have a baby baptized on Easter?
A: Baptism may be celebrated on any day, but it is particularly fitting when it occurs at Easter (Code of Canon Law 856). Pope Benedict XVI has always counted it a special privilege that he was baptized the very day he was born, Holy Saturday 1927, with the newly blessed baptismal waters.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Where does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven? I have read in the Bible about Enoch and Elijah, but where does it say God called Mary to heaven?
A: If you are looking for direct scriptural proof of this dogma, you will not find any. Mary’s Assumption was not explicitly recorded in Scripture. However, Pope Pius XII formally defined the dogma of the Assumption in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus on November 1, 1950: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory" (MD 44).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Why can’t priests hear confessions through electronic media such as telephone, e-mail, or Internet?
A: Confession on the telephone or by e-mail is not permitted by the Church for a couple of reasons. First, the sacrament of confession is a personal encounter with Jesus in which he:
personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church. (CCC 1484)
Second, maintaining secrecy is essential. The "Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him" (CCC 1467). E-mail, the Internet, and telephones are never completely private.
The Pontifical Council on Social Communications on The Church and Internet says:
Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-and-blood human community. There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world interaction with other persons of faith. (9)
—Peggy Frye
Q: How should senior citizens observe fasting and abstinence during Lent?
A: According to canon 1252 of the Code of Canon Law, all Latin-rite Catholics are required observe the laws of abstinence starting at the age of 14. There is no upper age limit on abstinence after which the person is automatically excused, but those who need to eat meat for a medical reason may be dispensed from the abstinence requirement. In the United States, the fasting requirement begins at age 18 and continues until age 59. At that age, a person is automatically excused from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but, if health permits, may participate in the fast should he choose to do so.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: For a while I could not receive Communion as a decision had not yet been made regarding the validity of my previous marriage. I have since wondered why the Church holds the worst sinners at arm’s distance. Is the Eucharist truly the body and blood of Christ (who wants all sinners to come to him) or is it a "symbol" of our membership in this exclusive club called the Catholic Church?
A: The Church doesn’t hold the worst sinners at arm’s distance: The sinners themselves do. The Church isn’t forcing them to sin. They are doing that quite on their own. The Church does not withhold the Lord’s compassion any more than he did. But he was only compassionate with those who were repentant, and then he warned them not to engage in such activity again.
When you were waiting for an annulment, you could have received Holy Communion if you were not having marital relations with someone with whom you were not validly married. Perhaps you didn’t know that to do so is a grave sin. One cannot profess one’s unconditional love for the Lord while at the same time engaging in sinful activity.
The Church wasn’t holding you at arm’s distance. You could have gone to confession and determined to live as brother and sister until you were validly married—and then received Holy Communion. Many do. Unfortunately, priests often fail to tell people this.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Does having multiple priests consecrating the Eucharist mean anything or give additional special meaning to the Mass?
A: When two or more priests or bishops celebrate Mass together this is called concelebration, and it is an expression of unity. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains that concelebration "appropriately expresses the unity of the priesthood, of the Sacrifice, and also of the whole people of God" (GIRM 199).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My mother told me years ago that shortly before St. Joseph was betrothed to Mary, he had been married to a woman named Melcha who bore him a lot of children. Is this true, and where does this story come from?
A: The story about St. Joseph being married to a woman named Melcha with whom he had six children is taken from apocryphal writings, which have no authority. From the Catholic Encyclopedia’s entry on St. Joseph:
It will not be without interest to recall here, unreliable though they are, the lengthy stories concerning St. Joseph’s marriage contained in the apocryphal writings. When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others; they lived 49 years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was James (the Less, "the Lord’s brother"). A year after his wife’s death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Judah a respectable man to espouse Mary, then 12 to 14 years of age. Joseph, who was at the time 90 years old, went up to Jerusalem among the candidates; a miracle manifested the choice God had made of Joseph, and two years later the Annunciation took place. These dreams, as St. Jerome styles them, from which many a Christian artist has drawn his inspiration (see, for instance, Raphael’s Espousals of the Virgin), are void of authority; they nevertheless acquired in the course of ages some popularity; in them some ecclesiastical writers sought the answer to the well-known difficulty arising from the mention in the Gospel of "the Lord’s brothers"; from them also popular credulity has, contrary to all probability, as well as to the tradition witnessed by old works of art, retained the belief that St. Joseph was an old man at the time of marriage with the Mother of God. (www.newadvent.org)
—Peggy Frye
Q: Why is skipping Mass such a grievous sin as opposed to murder, which directly harms the life of another person? Skipping Mass affects no one but myself and God.
A: "Skipping Mass affects no one but myself and God." And God? Since when are human persons more important than God?
There is an infinite difference between measuring God by our standards and measuring ourselves by his. We have to start with God when we look at everything. Since he came first, he comes first. He is not just a bigger version of us. He has commanded us to "Keep holy the Lord’s day," and he has a right to demand this of us. Anything of value in our lives (including human life) has value only because of his infinitely greater value.
But Mass is not just a matter of acknowledging his sovereignty, which is what worship is. It is being present at the foot of the cross and giving thanks for the Passion and death that he endured for our benefit.
He loves us so much that he underwent all that suffering to demonstrate his love for us in a way we could somewhat understand. To skip Mass is one of many ways of turning our backs on that love.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: My mother once left a Mass because a nun was delivering the homily. She believes it was heretical—was she correct?
A: Heresy is "the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same" (CCC 2089). Nonetheless your mother is correct that nuns and other laypeople should not be giving the homily at Mass. Redemptionis Sacramentum states:
The homily, which is given in the course of the celebration of holy Mass and is a part of the liturgy itself, "should ordinarily be given by the priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it to a concelebrating priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to a deacon, but never to a layperson. 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." (RS 64)
Assuming your mother met her Sunday obligation by attending another Mass that day, and assuming that she left quietly and without undue disruption, it was not wrong for her to register her displeasure at a significant liturgical abuse by leaving Mass.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: I’m thinking about divorce. What does the Catholic Church have to say about it?
A: Jesus said, "What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9). So, although the Catholic Church recognizes the need for civil divorce in some circumstances, the Church also teaches that divorce does not dissolve the marriage bond before God. Therefore, even in situations where civil divorce is tolerated, divorce does not free the spouses to marry again. Cardinal Levada’s glossary explains:
[Divorce is] the claim that the indissoluble marriage bond validly entered into between a man and a woman is broken. A civil dissolution of the marriage contract (divorce) does not free persons from a valid marriage before God; remarriage would not be morally licit.
If there are sufficient reasons for obtaining a civil divorce in your case, then it would be morally permissible to pursue one, but this would not result in the ability to remarry unless, for example, you pursued and received an annulment that showed your first marriage was invalid.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Why is St. Therese of Lisieux (1873–1897) a patron of aviators?
A: In the early years of the twentieth century, St. Therese’s spiritual testament Story of a Soul became a sensation in Europe and, later, around the world, bringing Therese a legion of devotees. Students of Therese’s life would eventually call this period the "storm of glory," because of all of the favors from heaven it was reported that Therese obtained for those petitioning her intercession.
During this time, World War I broke out and many soldiers on both sides reported seeing visions of a young nun—Therese had not yet been canonized—comforting wounded men of various nationalities along the battle lines. In response to this, many soldiers began carrying pictures of Therese with them into battle. She became a special favorite of French pilots, and this is where her intercession for aviators began.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Our priest said that we are not bound by the 2003 GIRM in the United States because it refers to a new translation of the Mass; only when the local Sacramentary contains the new translation will we be bound by it. Is he correct?
A: The latest version of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal contains a Decree of Publication, dated March 19, 2003, which states, "Effective immediately, this translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal is the sole translation of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, edition typica tertia, for use in the dioceses of the United States of America."
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I took my Evangelical friend to Mass with me last weekend, and after Mass she noticed a woman praying before a statue of Mary. She took the woman’s action as proof that Catholics worship idols. I’ve given her all the arguments in your tract "Do Catholics Worship Statues?," but she still doesn’t buy it. How else can I respond?
A: Perhaps a little logic will help open some doors. Ask for her reaction to this comment from a Catholic: "While I was attending a Protestant service the other day I noticed a woman praying to the Bible!" What would she say about that characterization? Would she say the Catholic misconstrued what was going on, that the woman was not praying to the Bible which she held in her hands with her eyes closed and the Bible pressed to her heart as she prayed, but to the God who inspired the Bible?
No one would jump to the unwarranted conclusion that this woman is treating her Bible as an idol. So why would she jump to the unwarranted conclusion that the woman she saw treated the statue of Mary as an idol? The same goes for having a picture of a deceased relative on the mantelpiece of her home. Would any reasonable person accuse her of ancestor worship? Of course not, so encourage her to use the same logic when she watches Catholics pray.
You might want to read Patrick Madrid’s book, Search and Rescue: How to Bring Your Family and Friends Into, or Back Into, the Catholic Church.
—Peggy Frye
Q: Recently I have found myself questioning my love for God. How can I love someone I have never met? I realize that it is my responsibility to read, study, and pray to know God. But I‘m finding it very hard to believe that I can love someone without actually having him here in front of me. For instance, I did not personally know Mother Teresa, yet I know much about her. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I love her.
A: Sure you can love God. You can love Mother Teresa too. You probably know more about her than you know about many people you deal with every day. What you know, you can love. You know far more about God than you realize. Just look at a crucifix. There you will find more love than anywhere else. You will know far more about his love for you than you can know about anyone else’s love for you—no matter how well you think you know that person. Everything you know is evidence of God’s love. You are quite well prepared to love God. Everything about you has been designed for it. It is why you exist.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Why can’t women be ordained priests within the Catholic Church?
A: The Church does not have the authority to ordain women. In his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Pope John Paul II declared "that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women" (4).
Some of the reasons cited include:
- The example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men
- The constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men
- The Church’s living teaching authority has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God’s plan for his Church.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My friend contends that the Bible can’t be used to argue against abortion because nowhere in the Bible does it state that abortion is wrong and that life begins at conception. How do I respond?
A: Though we don’t find the word abortion mentioned in any biblical text, we can deduce from Scripture, not to mention natural law, reason, Church teaching, and patristic witness that abortion is intrinsically evil. On abortion, consider these Scripture passages: Job 10:8, Psalms 22:9-10, Psalms 139:13-15, Isaiah 44:2, and Luke 1:41.
In addition:
- Genesis 16:11: Behold, said he, thou art with child, and thou shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Ismael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
- Genesis 25:21-22: And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and he heard him, and made Rebecca to conceive. But the children struggled in her womb...
- Hosea 12:3: In the womb he supplanted his brother, and as a man he contended with God.
- Romans 9:10-11: But when Rebecca also had conceived at once of Isaac our father. For when the children were not yet born, nor had done any good or evil (that the purpose of God according to election might stand) . . .
The truth that these verses tell is that life begins at conception. Rebekah conceived a child—not what would be or could be a child. Note James 2:26: ". . . a body apart from the spirit is dead. . ." Since the soul is the principle which gives life to the body, then a child carried in the womb of its mother has a soul because it is alive. To kill it is murder.
—Peggy Frye
Q: Why does the Church use male pronouns to refer to God?
A: Throughout Scripture, God revealed himself in masculine terms. Jesus often spoke of his "Father" and even taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father" (Matt. 6:9-13). Jesus himself was a man, not a woman, and he said of the Holy Spirit, "He will teach you all things" (John 14:26).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Years ago my grandmother gave me a Seven Dolors rosary. Can you give me more information on this devotion?
A: The Seven Dolors are the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The Seven Sorrows are as follows:
- The piercing of Mary’s heart predicted at Jesus’ presentation in the Temple
- The flight into Egypt
- Searching for the child Jesus in Jerusalem
- Meeting Christ on the road to Calvary
- Standing near the cross of Christ
- Receiving the body of Christ from the cross
- The burial of Christ
Information on how to pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, also known as the Servite Rosary because of its promotion by the Order of the Servants of Mary, can be found on the Web site of the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother in Portland, Oregon (www.thegrotto.org).
—Michelle Arnold
Q: At Mass last Sunday the lector ignored the beginning of the Scripture passage in Ephesians 5:24-33: "Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be subject to their own husbands in everything" and began with the section on the duties of husbands. When I questioned the lector, she said she eliminated it because it was offensive to women. I later found out that the priest gave her permission, and apparently this is not the first time he has given such instruction. Should I contact the bishop?
A: If you want to contact a bishop about this, always make mention of the bishop’s authority and your obedience to him as Christ’s representative. Give him full particulars: details of the censorship, date, time of service, the name of the parish, and the name of the celebrant if you know it. And pray: Pray for the bishop, for the priest involved, for the lector, for all those who seek to censor the word of God.
Pray also that they come to understand the deep spiritual significance of submission. Only through that submission can anyone find the true joy and wholeness and peace of Jesus Christ.
—Peggy Frye
Q: Some of my close friends are either atheists or caught up in our materialistic, self-pleasing society. They tell me that Catholics are "too uptight." How can I possibly defend myself against people who have no real faith at all?
A: Could it be that your friends are uptight about the fact that Catholics consider themselves accountable to someone bigger than themselves—and what that might say about them? What if Catholics are right? This could make non-believers very uptight if they let themselves dwell on it much.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: What happens to those who die while excommunicated? Do they go to hell?
A: Excommunication of laypeople principally means that they are cut off from receiving the sacraments. It does not mean that the Church is condemning a person to hell. In fact, excommunication is intended to be a medicine to inspire people to repent and be reconciled to the Church. Once reconciled to the Church, that person may again receive the sacraments.
If an excommunicated person dies without being formally reconciled to the Church, he can be saved if he truly and sincerely repents all of his mortal sins before death. Certainly we may pray that a person in these circumstances be interiorly reconciled to God and the Church through full repentance before death.
—Michelle Arnold
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