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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 19, Number 4
 April 2008 
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How to Get Started in Apologetics
Q: Although I have no formal theological education, I have a strong desire to learn how to engage in apologetics. Where do I start?
A: I recommend you read the "Apologist’s Bookshelf" and "Starting Out as an Apologist" tracts (available at www.catholic.com), subscribe to orthodox Catholic periodicals (e.g., This Rock), and do as much study as you can.
Apologetics is a unique sort of discipline, and proficiency only comes after substantial experience in live situations, one-on-one discussions, and so forth. I encourage you to study hard and put that study to good use in your parish. What better place to hone your apologetic skills than in your own parish (e.g., RCIA, CCD), which is, according to Catechesi Tradendae, "the pre-eminent place for catechesis." Think about the great good you can accomplish in the apostolic work of drawing others into a deeper relationship with Christ and his Church.
In Christifideles Laici, John Paul II speaks to the importance of the parish in faith formation:
Situated and at work within the particular Church or diocese is the parish, which has the essential task of a more personal and immediate formation of the lay faithful. In fact, because it is in the position to reach more easily individual persons and singular groups, the parish is called to instruct its members in hearing God’s Word, in liturgical and personal dialogue with God, in the life of fraternal charity, and in allowing a more direct and concrete perception of the sense of ecclesial communion and responsibility in the Church’s mission. (61)
—Peggy Frye
Q: Why wasn’t Jesus named "Emmanuel," as the angel told Joseph that he should be named?
A: The word Emmanuel translates to "God is with us." Matthew recalls the messianic prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 and states that its ultimate fulfillment is found in Mary’s Son: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (Matt. 1:23).
"Name," in this sense, does not refer to the actual name Joseph and Mary were to give to their Son (cf. Matt. 1:21, Luke 1:31); in this case, the word is used in the sense of "to call" (i.e., "they shall call his name Emmanuel," cf. Is. 7:14). Analogously, one could say of baseball legend, Babe Ruth, "They called him the Sultan of Swat," without intending to mean that "the Sultan of Swat" was George Herman Ruth Jr.’s given name. Just as Babe Ruth’s nickname was meant to indicate that Ruth was a great hitter, so Emmanuel indicates that the expected Messiah would be "God with us."
Emmanuel, "God is with us," also calls to mind the last verse in Matthew (28:20): "Behold, I [Jesus] am with you always, until the end of the age."
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Due to medical problems, my doctor wants me to undergo a procedure that will stop my menstruation. If this procedure is unsuccessful, a hysterectomy or high doses of birth control pills will be necessary. Can I follow my doctor’s advice?
A: You can follow your doctor’s advice. Legitimate medical procedures and medications necessary for healing the body are not at odds with Church teaching. In his encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated: "[T]he Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever" (HV 15).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I am constantly worried about my daughter and her family. I know Christ told us not to worry about tomorrow, but how do you stop worrying? How does a believing Catholic go about shedding severe anxiety?
A: First off, if one is suffering from clinical anxiety, one ought to see a professional who specializes in such psychological difficulties. But for the rest of us, there aren’t enough hours in the day to worry about all that is wrong. Happily, we have the anti-worry, anti-anxiety antidote: Good Friday. I suggest that you spend quality time daily, reflecting on the Passion of the Lord and how vulnerable he made himself. His vulnerability is our shield against vulnerability. Naturally speaking, the worst thing that can happen to us here is that we die. But by his death, our death becomes a birth. He is shoulder to shoulder with us in our human journey.
I suggest that you look at a crucifix (before the Blessed Sacrament if possible) and reflect on his agony in the garden—which was really the agony in his mind. Anxiety is a mind thing. He suffered it to the point of sweating blood. He is with you in this and he can put your mind to rest.
Then reflect on and thank him for enduring the betrayal by Judas, the denials by Peter, and the abandonment by the apostles. Thank him for enduring the arrest and the cruelty of the guards and members of the Sanhedrin. Thank him for enduring the endless interrogations and that long night. Thank him for enduring the brutal scourging which robbed him of blood and strength and left him with a pounding headache that remained with him until death. Thank him for enduring the mockery and crown of thorns that caused such pain—and the rejection at the praetorium. Thank him for carrying the cross which caused such extreme shoulder pain—and for falling onto the filthy stone streets with the cross on top of him—and getting up each time. Thank him for receiving the nails into his hands and feet. Thank him for struggling to push down on his nailed feet to raise his body in order to fill his lungs with air as he hung on the cross once it was raised into place. Thank him for enduring such agony for three hours until his strength gave out in that eternal moment when he gave up his spirit and died—giving us his life.
This whole ordeal, but especially his time on the cross (where he couldn’t even scratch his nose) was a lesson on releasing control and submitting to the Father. Such awareness puts our lives into perspective.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Muslims worship Allah, but I’ve been told that the Church teaches that Muslims worship the one true God. How can Allah be the one true God?
A: The word Allah is the Arabic equivalent to the English word God. The word Allah is used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews as well as Muslims. Although they have an incomplete understanding of the nature and revelation of God, Muslims worship the same God whom Christians and Jews worship.
The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. (Nostra Aetate 3)
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Is the sign of the cross on the forehead, lips, and heart before the Gospel reading for the priest only?
A: Everyone is instructed to do this. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states,
At the ambo, the priest opens the book and, with hands joined, says, Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you), and the people respond, Et cum spiritu tuo (And also with you). Then he says, Lectio sancti Evangelii (A reading from the holy Gospel), making the sign of the cross with his thumb on the book and on his forehead, mouth, and breast, which everyone else does as well. (GIRM 134)
Former This Rock contributor Fr. Mateo offered the following explanation for this ritual: "For the word which Christ brought and which is set down in this book we are willing to stand up with a mind that is open; we are ready to confess it with our mouth; and above all we are determined to safeguard it faithfully in our hearts."
—Jim Blackburn
Q: What exactly is wrong with the book A Course in Miracles? My sister said she thought it was Catholic-based, but I said I didn’t think so.
A: Forget about this one. It is New Age in Christian trappings. It teaches that all is relative, that there are no absolutes, and that Jesus is one of many enlightened masters. As I said, forget this one!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: There was an article in our local paper about a woman being ordained as bishop then ordaining other bishops. Is this valid?
A: No, it is not a valid ordination. The Church cannot validly ordain women.
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Luke 22:32), I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful. (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis 4)
—Peggy Frye
Q: My wife and I have been practicing NFP since we married. However, due to breastfeeding, the normal signals used to chart her cycle are completely haywire. It is impossible for us to say with certainty where she is in her cycle. What is the Church’s teaching in this case?
A: If NFP is not reliable for any reason, you may find the only moral method for regulating births to be abstinence. However, there are methods of breastfeeding through which the mother will generally experience an extended period of infertility. For more on this, I recommend that you consult an NFP expert.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: When we think of Jesus, a humble man comes to mind. But when we think of the pope what comes to mind is a man wearing custom clothing, sitting on the papal throne, with people kissing his ring. Why is there such disparity between Christ and his vicar?
A: When an ambassador is representing his country abroad, should he wear a T-shirt and jeans or formal attire? When taking part in official diplomatic ceremonies, are the marks of honor given the ambassador by his host country for him personally or for the country he represents? In like manner, the pope is the primary ambassador for Christ and for the heavenly kingdom. Formal attire honors the dignity of his office and the Person he represents. Marks of honor given the pope are not for him personally but for Jesus, who he represents.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: I’m 15 years old. I recently went to confession to confess sins of masturbation and perverted thoughts. I have spoken to two priests from different parishes, and they gave me this answer: that because of my age, and because of "raging hormones," I should not worry about it. The Catechism says otherwise. Does anybody know if masturbation is truly a grave sin if you’re 15 years old?
A: Go with the Catechism. It represents what the Church actually teaches. Many teenagers with raging hormones remain chaste. It is quite possible. I suggest that you check out the Pure Love Web site: www.pureloveclub.com
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: When did the Church come up with the doctrine that each species (bread and wine) contains both the body and the blood of Christ?
A: Transubstantiation was officially defined in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council.
However, the Church has always held that "Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts" (CCC 1377).
The Council of Trent (1551) declared:
Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation. (Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1642)
According to the Catechism, "The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ" (1377).
—Peggy Frye
Q: I don’t think Lot offering his virgin daughters to be raped (Gen. 19) was anything to be celebrated, despite his motivation to protect his visitors, do you?
A: No. Lot offered his daughters to the Sodomites in order to protect his guests. In doing so, he was choosing to commit one evil in order to avoid another; the Church clearly teaches that this is wrong: "One may never do evil so that good may result from it" (CCC 1789).
The Catholic Encyclopedia article on Lot explains: "Lot interceded in behalf of his guests in accordance with his duties as host, which are most sacred in the East, but made the mistake of placing them above his duties as a father by offering his two daughters to the wicked designs of the Sodomites." A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture agrees: "Lot cannot be praised. He chose what he considered the less of two evils" (195).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My child asked me if Jesus has brown skin. I didn’t know how to answer the question, since the only pictures or statues we have of Jesus show him as Caucasian.
A: Jesus was a Palestinian Jew, which means he probably looked similar to modern-day Israelis. However, because Jesus’ mission was to the whole world, different peoples are free to create images of him that show him to be one of their own people. That is why you will sometimes see statues or icons of a "Caucasian Jesus" or an "African Jesus" or a "Native American Jesus" or an "Oriental Jesus." Such images demonstrate the universality of the Incarnation.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: What difference does it make whether our Lady was always a virgin? Why does it matter whether she was or not (aside from the fact that the Church chose to define this)?
A: Besides the fact that the Church has taught that Mary was always a virgin from its earliest days before the New Testament was even written, it continues to do so today because of what this fact says about Jesus. From the cross Jesus shared his Mother with us all. But her womb was a tabernacle for him alone. We wouldn’t think of using the tabernacles in our churches to house anything but the Eucharist because it is the sacred body of Christ; so too with Mary’s womb. It’s all about who Jesus is. Mary is special because of how much more he is special. She is all about him!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
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