Question: Does “ask and you shall receive” mean that we should expect to get anything from God as long as we pray for it? Answer: The passage you are referring to is Mt 7:7 – “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” A passage from John’s gospel is similar to it: “if … Continue reading
Question: I was reading a commentary on the Bible that said it used the “early Church fathers” as a guide in interpreting the various passages of the Bible. Who are the “early Church fathers” and how much weight should their writings have in our understanding of the Bible? Answer: The early Church fathers are those men from the first few centuries of the Church who, … Continue reading
Question: I know that it is good to pray FOR the souls in Purgatory, but can we also pray TO them? Short answer: From what I can tell, the Church has not definitively settled this question. There is certainly nothing that explicitly forbids it. As such, it remains a topic that is up for debate, and it is for each individual Catholic to decide whether … Continue reading
Question: I am a cradle Catholic who has become disenchanted with the Church. What books would you recommend I read that will convince me to come back? Answer: It is very admirable of you to give Catholicism a second chance. Some people give little thought to abandoning the Church of their youth, yet I see from your words that you consider this to be a … Continue reading
Question: At the wedding feast of Cana, it seems like Jesus rebuked Mary when she told him that there was no more wine. Is that really what happened? Answer: Well, first of all, here is the passage in question: Jn 2:1-5 On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 Jesus also was invited … Continue reading
Question: What is the history of the rosary? Answer: [The following is from “A Brief History of the Rosary,” This Rock magazine, Dec. 2002. Used with permission] The Catholic Encyclopedia (vol. 13, p. 184–189) recounts that in the early centuries of the Church monks would recite the Psalms as part of their rule of life. Since learning the Psalms was necessarily restricted to those who … Continue reading
Question: What specific graces do we receive from the sacrament of Confession? Why should I go to confession when I can just pray to God and tell Him I’m sorry? Answer: The grace that comes from the sacrament of Confession is abundant and overflowing. From the sacrament we receive actual grace, which strengthens us in our daily task of doing good and avoiding evil, and … Continue reading