A reader writes: “Wasn’t Mary a surrogate mother? Did she not bear a son for someone other than her husband, Joseph? Jesus was the Son of God. Was he not conceived by artificial insemination? She didn’t have intercourse with anyone. … I
A reader writes: “The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council states: ‘the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith
A reader asks: “I read that a penitent can go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a confession in hand. Why is this not mentioned as an option? I have great difficulty with the usual format. I have not received the Eucharist
A reader writes: “I recently heard that it’s OK to leave out the introductory and ending prayers of the Rosary and only say one Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, a Glory Be and the Fatima prayer for each Mystery. Is that correct?”
A reader writes: “Do theologians hold that the only sin against the Holy Spirit, a sin that cannot be forgiven, is to refuse to repent and accept God’s forgiveness unto the point of their death? I’ve been giving a lot of thought
A reader asks: “Why does the Church teach that if a Catholic goes to confession and makes a good confession, the sins are wiped away, but we’re still going to be judged for all our sins that we committed on Judgement Day?
A reader writes: “Scripture tells us that when we die and enter heaven, we will be reunited with family and friends. May we also conclude that it will also be possible to meet famous celebrities such as movie stars, musicians, writers, world
A reader writes: “I’m noticing that at every Mass I attend, there seem to be those few that approach the altar, accept the holy Eucharist, and instead of returning to their seats in grace or prayer, they simply walk toward one of
During the Consecration at Mass the priest says, “do this in remembrance of me.” But, a reader writes: “A friend says this does not literally mean ‘in memory of’ but rather ‘do this as a memorial,’ a continuation of Jesus’s sacrifice. I
A reader writes: “In the Bible, there is so much emphasis on keeping the Sabbath. Is going to church on Sundays in disobedience to God’s command since in the Scriptures there is nothing to back up worshiping on Sunday?” As Monsignor Charles