Question: What is the proper gesture of reference towards the tabernacle both during Mass and outside of Mass? Answer: Our outward gestures, especially those that take place within the context of liturgy and prayer, should reflect our inner disposition, our own thoughts and feelings about what we are doing. That is why a question like this is an important one: it is an opportunity for … Continue reading
Question: What’s the difference between nondenominational churches and the Catholic Church? Answer: Nondenominational churches (as their name suggests) are not affiliated with any particular denomination. This means that there is nothing distinctive about their theology or their governance that aligns them with any particular denomination. The Catholic Church, however, has a very distinctive theology and governance that separates it from other Churches or ecclesial communions. … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #9 Question: In Baptism, what is the meaning of the anointing on the chest? Answer: The anointing with oil on the chest is meant to give the child the grace and the strength to live the Christian life. In ancient times, athletes would massage their muscles with oil to prepare themselves for competition. Soldiers would do the same to prepare themselves for battle. … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #4 Question: Does First Communion come before Confirmation? Answer: It depends on when your diocese has chosen to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. In the United States, Confirmation can be celebrated anywhere between the age of reason (7 yrs) and age 16. So, if your diocese celebrates Confirmation in the second or third grade, then it will come before First Communion. But, if … Continue reading
Question: Should the Bible be taken literally? Is any of it metaphor? Answer: Well, it depends. Besides the literal sense of Scripture there is also a spiritual sense. This in turn is divided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. Each one brings a different layer of meaning to the text. The literal sense is the sense that the human author wished to convey to … Continue reading
Question: A friend recently told me that the Book of Maccabees shouldn’t be in the Bible because it has prayers for the dead in it. How should I respond to that? Answer: There are a handful of books in the Catholic bible that are not included in Protestant bibles. These are Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and Baruch, as well as additions … Continue reading
Question: What is Purgatory? Answer: People tend to think of Purgatory in a variety of ways: “Purgatory is a place where souls who don’t deserve heaven get a second chance to be with God”; “Purgatory is the best that I can hope for in the afterlife, since heaven is only for really holy people”; “Purgatory is a place where souls work their own way into … Continue reading