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
Q&A Potpourri #10 Question: Is the Eucharistic Prayer considered part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or is it a separate rite? Answer: The Eucharistic Prayer is considered to be part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Lately the Eucharistic Ministers have been permitted to return to their seats once they are finished distributing the Eucharist. I thought they weren’t supposed to return to their … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #8 Question: Who wrote the letters in the Catholic Bible? Answer: There are many letters in the Catholic Bible and they weren’t all written by the same person. Paul, the great evangelist from the Acts of the Apostles, wrote Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Traditionally, Paul was also … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #7 Question: What are the material signs of a sacrament? Answer: The material signs of a sacrament are those elements of the sacrament that effect our senses and direct our minds to the spiritual reality that the elements signify. Each sacrament has its own material signs: Baptism: water, oil, candle, white garment Confirmation: oil, laying on of hands Eucharist: bread, wine Reconciliation: the … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #6 Question: What is proper behavior in a Catholic church both before and after Mass? Answer: One should act reverently in a Catholic church both before and after Mass, and even when Mass is not being celebrated, because the Eucharist is present. When a Catholic first enters the church building, he dips his fingers in the holy water font and makes the Sign … Continue reading
Q&A Potpourri #5 Question: What is the idol of gold that the Israelites created? Answer: You may be referring to the golden calf that the Jews created once they began to doubt that Moses would ever come down from Mt. Sinai. You can read about the creation and destruction of the golden calf in chapter 32 of the Book of Exodus, from the Old Testament … 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