Questions of Faith If a spaceship landed on earth and we were greeted by extra-terrestrial life with our own intellectual and spiritual capabilities, how would the Church react? Assuming that these aliens came in peace, it’s fair to say that it would not contradict our Faith to baptise them. The Church has no official position…
Questions of Faith If all the bread and wine in the world disappeared overnight – and could no longer be made, would we be able to celebrate the Eucharist? Assuming that the Church wouldn’t make a special case to change its rules on this matter given the bizarre circumstance, the answer is no. It’s common…
Questions of Faith While for Catholics, calling a priest ‘Father’ seems like a non-issue, for many other Christian denominations, this practice is seen as unbiblical. The accusation is an understandable and thought-provoking one, given that Jesus says: “Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Matt. 23:9).…
Questions of Faith There are plenty of religious artefacts, statues and artistic pieces which elicit intrigue, wonder and sometimes confusion. One object that fits into this category is the Moses – a sculpture by the famous Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti – which is housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. It…
Questions of Faith One question which often ruminates in the minds of those exploring the Faith is ‘Who created God?’ This theological question is so perplexing in that everything around us that we see and feel has a cause. The watch that we wear was made by a watchmaker and the houses we live in…
Questions of Faith Most people have experienced the sadness of witnessing an animal die, usually a beloved pet who brought great joy throughout their short lifespan. During the grieving period, it’s common for parents to tell children that there’s a special place for all the animals who have departed from their world – like a…
Questions of Faith There’s an old story about an astronaut who went far out into space and upon his return was asked if he had seen God. He replied, to their surprise, that he had, and when pushed to describe what God looked like, he said: “She’s black.” It’s not clear when this thought-provoking tale…
Questions of Faith It’s almost taken as a given today that the origins of humankind can be explained through the theory of evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are believed to have developed from earlier forms. There’s a common assumption today that Catholics don’t believe in evolution, and instead adopt a…
Questions of Faith Easter is a very special time in the liturgical calendar, in fact, out of all the events Catholics celebrate, Resurrection Sunday is undoubtedly the most important. This is because on this day, Christians remember that after three days of death following his crucifixion, the Son of God rose from the dead fulfilling…
Questions of Faith There’s a common belief today among sceptics of Catholicism, and Christianity in general, that Jesus was just another pagan god, and so no different from the pagan deities that were believed in before him. This has become a popular internet conspiracy, and even some, though not many, scholars have endorsed this theory.…
Colm Fitzpatrick