Q: My brother is an alcoholic and has already had one failed marriage because of it. He recently got an annulment and is now planning his second wedding. How can the Church let him marry again when it seems obvious that his second marriage is going to fail as well? A: Naturally I cannot comment…
Q: There’s a really beautiful Eastern Orthodox church in my neighbourhood. Every time I pass by it, I always wonder, is this one of the churches that Catholics can attend? (Ohio) A: I think you might be confusing the Orthodox with Eastern Catholics. While the Orthodox have valid sacraments and very similar doctrinal teachings as…
Q: One of the Protestant churches I attended in the past said that when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, it came to every believer in Jesus, including down to today, which they said meant we all ought to be able to do miracles. Another church taught the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles only,…
Q: Recently, I heard a priest speak on the importance of supporting your “territorial parish,” which he made sound like whatever parish happened to be in your neighbourhood. But I have been an active member of a different parish for years, and I don’t understand the need to support a parish I didn’t choose to…
Q: In a recent article, you quoted the Code of Canon Law for what constitutes a valid nonsacramental marriage. I’m not sure if you know this, but the Jewish marriage document – the ketubah – is essentially a prenuptial agreement that outlines the protections the spouses are to receive should either one initiate divorce proceedings.…
A: I assume by “St Michael prayer,” you mean the prayer that usually begins: “St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle…” My own thought is that, since this is technically a devotional prayer and not part of the liturgy strictly speaking, if the St Michael prayer is prayed in connection with a Mass, then…
Q: Is it always wrong in every case to lie? What about the so-called ‘little white lie?’ I’m thinking of situations where you tell a person something you know is false to spare their feelings, when they’re likely never going to know the truth anyway. A: Our Catholic faith teaches us that lying is an offense against the…
Q: How do God’s will and the Holy Spirit play a role in a conclave? A: I think ultimately, events in the life of the Church like conclaves bring us to the mysterious place where God’s providential ordering of history intersects with human free will. On one level, there is nothing miraculous about a conclave.…
Q: How could Jesus’ death ‘cleanse us from our sins’ and ‘assure our entrance into Heaven’? If that is the case, why do we need confession? A: First, since it pertains to some of the deepest mysteries of our faith, I think the exact ‘mechanics’ of how Jesus’ passion and death redeemed the fallen human race…
Q: Recently my cousin got engaged and is in the planning process of her wedding. She is a baptised Catholic and has received both first Communion and confirmation. Over time my cousin slowly fell away from the Faith. The man she is marrying is a great guy – however, he is not Catholic. From the looks of it, the…