Are we called to preach the Gospel to animals?

A reader asks: “In Mark 16:15, Jesus says ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.’ Why the word ‘creature’? Was this a foreshadowing of St. Francis who preached to birds? Please explain this term.” Monsignor Charles Pope

Is pleasure during sexual intercourse sinful?

A reader writes: “I am reading a book on Catholic moral theology. In the book it quotes a well known theologian of the 20th century wherein he teaches, ‘Seeking pleasure and enjoyment in (sexual) intercourse is wrong … it is an intrinsically

‘Our weak and humble nature’

OSV publisher Scott Richert explores an old interpretation of a familiar Gospel passage. Writing about the devil’s temptation of Jesus near the end of his 40 days in the desert, Richert writes that most people today assume that the devil knew who

Modern prophets

Question: Some say the last prophet was St. John the Baptist. But how can this be? Are we without prophets today? — David O’Flaherty, Springfield, Massachusetts Answer: As always with questions like these, it is going to depend on whether the word