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: 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
Question: What are the four marks of the Church? Answer: A mark is a characteristic that identifies or distinguishes a thing from among other things. The Church Jesus founded is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. These are the characteristics that identify His Church from among the hundreds of ecclesial communities, or “churches,” that exist today. The Catechism contains an excellent exposition of all four of … Continue reading
Question: Am I showing a lack of faith if I take medication? Answer: I don’t think that there is anything inherently “anti-faith” about taking medication. Wine, oil, balm, figs, leaves and similar things are all utilized in Scripture to cure various ailments, and such use is laudable and encouraged: 2 Kings 20:7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and … Continue reading
QuestionL What does it mean to be made “in the image and likeness of God”? Answer: We hear this all the time, right? “You are made in the image and likeness of God.” Intuitively we realize that we are supposed to derive some sense of dignity or selfworth from this fact, but do any of us really know why? What does it actually mean to … Continue reading