Q&A Potpourri #2 How long does it take for a person to become Catholic? It depends on the individual. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process can take anywhere from 8 months (the typical length) to 2 years (the recommended length), but some people go through years of personal study into the Catholic faith before they finally make the decision to enter the … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #1 What is baptismal grace? Baptismal grace is the grace that a person receives when he or she is baptized. This grace has the effect of cleansing a person of all sin. Can you baptize your child a second time as a Catholic so as to change the godparents? No. According to the Catholic Church, a person can only be baptized once. Who … Continue reading
Question: Does the Bible say anything about drinking alcohol? Answer: Yes, it does, whenever it mentions the consumption of wine or “strong drink.” The responsible consumption of wine is encouraged in the Bible. Jesus and the Apostles all took wine to drink at the Last Supper (cf. Mt 26:27,29). Jesus would not have made Himself sacramentally present in wine if wine was prohibited. The Son … Continue reading
Question: Is the Rosary “vain repetition”? Answer: As you know, the praying of the rosary requires the repetition of several prayers. As such, some non-Catholics assert that Jesus condemned prayers like the rosary when He said, “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt 6:7). The King … Continue reading
Question: What do we mean when we say in the creed that Jesus “descended into hell”? Did Jesus really go to hell? Answer: While we use the word “hell” today to refer to the place of the damned, where there is fire, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, the Apostles’ Creed is actually referring to a difference place. The Greek word that we translate as … Continue reading
Question: Does the Bible say anything about having priests in the Church? Answer: Yes it does. God told his people through the mouth of Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). It was through His holy priesthood that God guided his people and provided for their worship and holiness both in the … Continue reading
Question: How does a person receive salvation? Answer: One would think that such a simple question would have an equally simple answer. But, it doesn’t. That’s because the object in question – salvation – is itself a mysterious reality. Before we can answer this question, we must attempt to define what we mean by the word salvation. We must grasp hold of both its present … Continue reading