Ask a Priest

5,442 Responses

Ethan, on October 19, 2013 at 10:14 am said:

Dear Father Joseph,

It is soon All Souls Day. Is this a day I should go to mass?

Also, should refrain from partying this day?

God bless,
Ethan

FATHER JOE: All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation. All Souls Day is a special day of commemorating the dead; it is certainly worthwhile to attend Mass on this day but it is not obligatory. The priest can offer three Masses on All Souls. Many dioceses will have Mass in the Catholic cemeteries. You should take time out of your day to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
confused, on October 18, 2013 at 8:40 pm said:

Hello, I am a young Catholic and my girlfriend has become pregnant. She isn’t Catholic yet but the baby will be baptized. We are fully committed and are getting engaged to be married. How can we proceed with our situation? We want to live together, to take care of and support our child and get married in a few years once we have some money saved up. Is this permitted in the eyes of the church? What should we do?

FATHER JOE: Is it ever okay for couples to cohabitate and have sex outside of marriage? No, it is not. The child you have created is innocent but premarital sex is a sin. Any further answer I give is dependent upon your ages, maturity, work-prospects and how long you have known each other. If you are young teens I would recommend that either grandparents raise the child or that the baby be put up for adoption. If you are in your twenties, I would suggest that you contact a priest about marriage. It makes no sense to live together with your child and not be married. There is no need for an expensive wedding. Get a few family and friends together and do it right with the sacrament. There is usually a six month waiting period for marriage preparation. If you cohabitate or marry outside the Church, you would still have to go to Sunday Mass but would be asked to refrain from taking Holy Communion. The Pope has urged priests to baptize illegitimate children but beware that there are still some pastors who will not do so when parents are not validly married.
Grace, on October 17, 2013 at 10:28 am said:

Father,
When I say the rosary, I usually meditate on the mysteries and try to apply it to my life. The other day, whilst saying the Rosary, I began praying to Padre Pio. I felt moved to do it but I need to know – did I do something wrong?

FATHER JOE: Intercessory prayer to saints is certainly okay, as long as you remember that all prayer has Almighty God as its proper object.
Julia, on October 16, 2013 at 4:55 pm said:

How does a marriage convalidation work? How soon after an outdoor wedding can it be done?

FATHER JOE:

As far as the Church is concerned, the convalidation is the true marriage. How is it done?

You have to contact your parish priest and take instructions and fill out forms just like any couple seeking marriage would do.

You may have to attend a special Pre-Cana.

In addition to the prenuptial investigation forms, and possibly a FOCUS or PMI Inventory on compatibility, you will also have to provide a copy of the civil license and baptismal certificates.

Catholics should be Confirmed; if not then you need to take religious instructions as well.

The process can take six months.

The couple should exhibit some degree of contrition for choosing to live in sin. Prior to the convalidation, the Catholic parties must go to Confession.

The ceremony where the vows are exchanged must be presided over by a priest or deacon, along with two witnesses. It is usually done outside of Mass because of the element of scandal.

If either party was validly married before then there would need to be an annulment. No convalidation can be scheduled until the annulment is granted. If there is no grounds then the bond is judged as adulterous and there can be no second marriage or convalidation in the Church unless the divorced spouse dies.

REMEMBER, marriage is a sacrament of the Church. The Church has every right to regulate her sacraments. If you marry outside the Church then you are still required to participate at Sunday Mass but are asked to refrain from Holy Communion.
Kimberlie, on October 16, 2013 at 6:38 am said:

Grace,

Thank you for your kind words. I have prayed for the intercession of both St Jude and St Michael. I will most definitely take your advice on St Padre Pio.

God bless you
Julia, on October 16, 2013 at 2:21 am said:

If I get married outside of my Catholic Church can I still raise my kids in that church and have them baptized? Also can I get my vows renewed and if so will that be recognized as the sacrament?

FATHER JOE: If either you and/or the person you attempt to marry is a Catholic, then there will be no sacrament and there will be no lawful and valid marriage to renew. You cannot renew what does not exist. You would have to seek a marriage convalidation. You might still be able to get your children baptized if you promise to raise them in the Church; however, some priests will not baptize children when parents are not properly married. The Pope is more lenient but pastors may not be.
Staci Hansen, on October 15, 2013 at 11:29 pm said:

Could you please answer the following questions for me?
1. How do you advise potential marriage partners who have different religious backgrounds?

FATHER JOE: The Church discourages mixed marriages. A dispensation is required to marry a non-Catholic.

2. How do you advise them as to raising children?

FATHER JOE: The Church stipulates that the Catholic party must do all in his or her part to have the children baptized and raised as Catholics. Refusal to make such a pledge makes the dispensation unlikely or impossible… thus no marriage in the Church.
Julia, on October 15, 2013 at 4:57 pm said:

I’m a catholic and I go to church every Sunday. My boyfriend and I want to get married outside but I also want my wedding to be recognized in the Catholic Church. Is there any way to do both?

FATHER JOE: No, at least not if you are in the Archdiocese of Washington. Most places insist upon marriage in a Catholic church. There are many issues involved… sacraments take place in churches and the priest must have jurisdiction. A priest can only witness a marriage in his own parish or where he is delegated by lawful authority. Double wedding ceremonies are absolutely forbidden. You are either married or you are not, period.
Grace, on October 15, 2013 at 11:22 am said:

Kimberlie,
When you’re strong in your faith, seeing others flounder can be hard. It is these times that patience is most needed as there is nothing worse than losing faith and seeing others get mad at us for it. Yet, you could reach a point where it might get hard to ‘carry your husband and mother’ through the raging waters. Try to surrender them….put them in the care of others – the saints or any saint of your choice. Give them to the saint for ‘safekeeping’. May I humbly recommend to you St. Pio? He’s literally pulled me back from the brink of death and I owe him much. I know he can help you. But like I said, any saint you believe in is just as good. God bless you.
Obianuju, on October 14, 2013 at 9:15 am said:

Good day Padre. I just wanted to verify something and hope that other followers on the blog may get some awareness too. I posted this question last week but I don’t know what happened cause I never got a notification.
I heard that there are non-celibate priests from the east. Mostly those that reunited with the holy Catholic Church from the Anglican Communion are already married.

FATHER JOE: I made a response to the question…
https://bloggerpriest.com/ask-a-priest/comment-page-12/#comment-8145

My question is; how true is it that the Catholic Church has non-celibate priests?

FATHER JOE: The question is unclear. They exist but 80% or more are pledged to celibacy. That is the pattern that predominates in the West.

If we do, are there instances of non-celibate priests around us?

FATHER JOE: This sounds like the same question. Sorry, you are being obscure. Do you mean disobedient priests?

To what extent can such priests exercise their religious duties? Do they celebrate Mass? Attend to confession? Join couples in holy wedlock? What exactly is their function?

FATHER JOE:

Again, to which priests are you referring? Lawfully and validly married priests have the same general duties and priestly function as celibate priests. If priests have attempted marriage outside the Church, they are stripped of their faculties to function and face the prospect excommunication. Priests who have been laicized cannot function or dress as priests. The only exception would be in an immediate life or death emergency. After all, dying people have a right to the sacraments and to the absolution of a priest.

The pattern with the received Anglicans follows the discipline of the East. Bishops cannot be married. A man must be married prior to the reception of Holy Orders. Once a single man is a Catholic priest, he cannot date or get married… ever. If the wife of a married priest dies, he cannot marry again. The same pattern is followed by our permanent deacons.

Udemmadu Obianuju Kathleen
St. Thomas More Catholic Chaplaincy
University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
Kimberlie, on October 14, 2013 at 7:01 am said:

Thank you Father for your response. You have given me strength. Your prayers are very much appreciated. God bless you always
Hans, on October 14, 2013 at 4:43 am said:

I posted essentially this same comment on another site but I think this site gets more traffic. This is a plea for help!!!! I know that the priest here is good, so perhaps he can help.

I am in Las Vegas. Here I find very few priests who are even interested in hearing confession. Frequently there are too many people waiting in line and not enough time for them all to have their confession heard. Also the priests in general seem impatient and lacking in compassion. Haven’t they ever read the story of the Cure D’ars? He heard confessions for hours. That is what we need. We are sick, we need confession, but how can we even go if the priests don’t help us? How can we go if the priests are not even available? We should have priests available at all times to hear confession. What is more important? Do they have any idea how much pain and even despair is caused by their lack of interest in confession? What is more important than helping a sinner repent and receive absolution? If they can’t make that their focus then what is the point? I feel that I can’t even go any more because I get the feeling the priests could not care if I go, they just want to get it over with so they can get on with whatever they think their real job is, they look on the whole thing as a farce, etc. I have not found one priest here who makes himself available throughout the week for confession. Maybe we need a “confession specialist” who can live like the Cure D’Ars and help sinners come back to God. The cold, callous treatment will just repel people, even if they really want to confess. Wake up, priests, please, and help us. Do you think Jesus approves of your attitude?

I am going to amplify my comments a bit. Sorry, I mean no offense. But like many people I am in pain because I want very much to keep within the Church, yet when I go I feel a coldness and emptiness. I don’t find Jesus there, I don’t find the opportunity to confess in an unhurried way and receive the guidance I need. I’m not going to debase myself before a priest who is rude and callous. No way.

I notice that recently Pope Francis made some comments about confession. I think he understands what is going on very well.

I ask the priests what is a better way to spend their time than hearing confessions?

Thanks for reading.

FATHER JOE:

Parishes have scheduled times for Confession. But I have never known a priest who refused to make appointments to hear a Confession when requested. Confession is not full-blown spiritual counseling. It is supposed to be to the point and regulated. As the penitent you give your state in life, the last time you received the sacrament, you confess your sins, the priest gives a penance and maybe brief counsel, the penance is prescribed and the priest gives absolution.

Remember that your diocese has few priests. There are only about 21 active priests, plus the bishop. They have to care for 28 parishes! They must care for a Catholic population of almost 600,000 Catholics! I am confident that they are doing the best they can do.

Rather than parading in public the faults of your local priests, did you talk with them or bring a general concern to the bishop? If there is a need, I have no doubt that the Church would quickly respond to the problem. But it looks to me that they are already over-taxing their clergy for the sake of souls.

Obviously, I cannot speak to the actions of an individual priest, and we all have bad days when our patience is tried and we might come across as harsh and dismissive. Like yourself, I mean no offense, but have you given any consideration to the prospect that part of the problem might be you? Do you really want what the sacrament is about? Do you appreciate the many important elements of priestly service? Have you considered the weight that is upon these men’s shoulders which you can never know first-hand? The sacrament promotes anonymity so as to help insure the seal of confession. Priests are silenced and thus cannot even defend themselves against your charges.

Some critics, not necessarily you, do not respect the authority and presence of Christ that abides in every priest. That is why many do not even come to confession. Others might seek confession as a Band-Aid to a problem where they need more extensive counsel outside the sacrament and restitution has to be made. Still others chatter on about insignificant matters, consuming the priest’s precious time that could be employed in healing souls under the bondage of mortal sin. Examination of conscience is essential; all mortal sins should be confessed, and a sampling of venial sins (especially if they constitute a pattern that can lead to more egregious offenses).

What worries me is that write, “I’m not going to debase myself before a priest who is rude and callous. No way.” Well, I suspect you would not have liked two famous confessors, one whom you have already mentioned: Padre Pio and Fr. Vianney. They heard confessions for hours upon hours, but they did not give much time to individual penitents. Padre Pio was even gruff with penitents and sometimes refused absolution. (These men could read hearts and souls. You could not hide the truth from them.) Confession is not about pampering the sinner. While you might have a particularly bad experience; you condemn a whole class of men. You go to a priest for your sins to be forgiven. It is not a popularity contest or an opportunity for you to parade your personal piety. You might not like the priest, and he might be the worse of sinners, but he has the power to drag a soul from the grips of hell. We must all respect the priest’s role as judge. You come to confession as a sinner and you must face your fault with honesty and a contrite heart. An attitude of enmity short-circuits what the sacrament is supposed to do. You applaud our good Pope, but most of what you know is from the media; but you condemn your priests who regularly forgive your sins and give you the Eucharist. I think you are wrong to do this.

Respect and love your priests, especially those who you feel have hurt or disappointed you. You may owe your priests an apology. If you have criticism, share it in private. If other people want more scheduled times for confession then gather with them and bring your needs to your pastors and bishop.

As I prayed about my response to your question, I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to give you a question in return: Is there a sin of calumny toward these priests, one that you do not want to see, which needs absolution and a few rosaries as penance?

CLICK HERE for the DIOCESE OF LAS VEGAS
Marija Vidak, on October 14, 2013 at 2:48 am said:

Hello. I don’t know if I can do this on this email , but I have the following prayer requests if you don’t mind and I would appreciate your prayers:

1. One women has two young children from my neighborhood and she had either liver or kidney problems and yesterday we heard from a neighbor that there was a death in the family. She is not sure who died because police and ambulance and coroner office was there and they are investigating. Yesterday nor today I didn’t see the children’s mom (this happened yesterday the 12th) so I am assuming that their mom passed away or someone close and my heart goes out to them. Anyway would you please pray with me for this family (for peace, comfort, strength, etc., that they get through this tragic and sad loss and for their healing and so on.) Thank you

2. As for myself and my family, please pray for peace, conversion, repentance, change of heart, for more love and unity in my family and also same for me and that I find employment soon and to keep it. With regard to employment for myself, the other day out of nowhere God put a thought in my head “virtual assistant and the name of my teacher from college.” I will pray about it….please pray that God lets me know clearly what those thoughts mean and what he wants me to do as a result of that and that I obey him in that and everything without hesitation and thank you.

FATHER JOE: I will bring your intentions to prayer and remembrance at Mass. God bless you!
James, on October 13, 2013 at 11:43 pm said:

Thanks for answering my question; it did help. The reason I said it wasn’t scrupulousity was because I wasn’t worried about being in sin and my confessor did seem to indicate that this was a worthwhile concern. I guess I could try bringing it up to him, outside of confession again. Or maybe even one of the priests at my Newman Center. Other people have told me remote mediate cooperation wasn’t mortally sinful. Would this be true? I guess that’s the best starting point since I’d be patronizing a company that supports sin. But again that’s almost unavoidable. I just don’t know if it is justified in leisure.
Dominic, on October 12, 2013 at 2:49 am said:

Father Joe. I was wondering if you have ever heard of a small sect of Kurdish Muslims known as Yezidites? I ask this because I was studying various Religious texts (I know, who does that lol?) and I came across a very odd anomaly, that could be coincidence, but it is to strange to not ask someone who has studied more than I. There is a passage in Leviticus 16 that seems to odd to not be connected some how to this book. In Leviticus 16:8 (And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat (NIV) / for Azazel (ESV).” Also, Leviticus 16:10 Leviticus 16:26 as relating to Satan, in the Torah relating to a King of Babylon that oppresed the Israelites). God tells Aaron to gather 2 lots for sacrifice, the first is for Him the second is for “Azazel of the Desert”. Now here is why I am asking this, Azazel is the name of a Jinn in the Qu’ran that is basically the equivalent to modern Christianity’s “Satan” (Hebrew שָׂטָן, Adversary). In Eden this “Djinn” refused to bow to “Adem” (Adam), and was sent into the desert to be “friends to only those that have no faith”. Now here is where it gets even weirder, the Yezidites believe that there where “Djinn” or “Angels” created before men, same as Christians that were of a very high order. These “Peacock Angel”s or “Seraphim” rebelled against God or “Allah” and instead of being cast out for this, were given watch and dominion over mankind, to watch over us and protect us here on Earth, and are not “Evil” but protective and, though prideful, are still not the “Evil” that has been associated with “Fallen Angels”. So here is my question, and it may sound blasphemous to some, is it wrong to believe that these “Angels” even in there pride can only serve God’s will despite there prideful nature? And secondly, why does Jesus, and Muhammad describe them self as “The Morning Star” (St.Jerome’s Latin translation of the word {Isiah 14:12} “Lucifer eous” or “Lucifer” {Latin Vulgate} literally meaning “Light Bringer”) when describing themselves, when the “Morning Star” is referred to as another name for “Satan”? Is this merely a mistranslated word on the part of St.Jerome?

FATHER JOE:

The Yazidi are Kurds. They mix Zoroastrian teaching with Sufi doctrine. They believe in one God but believe that he places the world under the charge of seven angels.

Your question is not clear. Are you making a comparison between the Bible and the Koran? The Koran is regarded by Moslems as inspired and directly revealed to Mohammad. Christians respect it as literature and respect it as a book highly prized by Moslems. However, we do not accept supernatural claims about it. Indeed, we would argue that it is a synthesis of material from tribal deities, Christianity and Judaism. It was written between 609 AD and 632 AD. The Jewish Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) goes back to around 622 BC, some twelve hundred years earlier! The canon of the New Testament was set by the Catholic Church in the fourth century.

Leviticus 16:7-10

“Taking the two male goats and setting them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting, he shall cast lots to determine which one is for the LORD and which for Azazel. The goat that is determined by lot for the LORD, Aaron shall present and offer up as a purification offering. But the goat determined by lot for Azazel he shall place before the LORD alive, so that with it he may make atonement by sending it off to Azazel in the desert.”

Leviticus 16:26

“The man who led away the goat for Azazel shall wash his garments and bathe his body in water; only then may he enter the camp.”

Leviticus 17:6-7

“The priest will splash the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for an odor pleasing to the LORD. No longer shall they offer their sacrifices to the demons with whom they prostituted themselves. This shall be an everlasting statute for them and their descendants.”

The demon is identified as Azazel, not Lucifer. The name Azazel means “angry/fierce god.” False worship and false deities are equated with demons. This was also the thinking of the early Christians. Instead of making a sacrifice to the demon, his offering would be presented to the true God and then sent off into the desert. It signified a break from the false worship.

The Book of Enoch was probably also in the mix (Angel Watchers) about this Azazel, but it is apocryphal and not in the inspired Bible. Are you seriously asking me why Mohammad made Azazel (a demon) out to be a Jinn? Catholicism does not even speak of such creatures. How should I know? You would have to ask Mohammad and he is long dead. Mohammad purloined bits of pieces of the truth from the Jewish and Christian faiths and holy books. How he jumbled it is between him and God. Neither Mohammad nor Lucifer is the true light. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world (see John 8:12).

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
James, on October 12, 2013 at 1:50 am said:

Hi, so I decided to come here again because I have a question that is not derived from scrupulosity. It is about morality, but not whether or not I’m in sin. Given the circumstances that would be impossible. Furthermore, if this turns out to be nothing then it’s solely the result of misunderstanding information. I have talked about this with my confessor, but our last talk resulted in a misunderstanding. He thought I was worried about being in mortal sin and confessing a sin I wasn’t guilty of. This was partly my fault because I asked him in the confessional. It’s the only time I am able to see him at this point, I did try to make my question distinct from the sins I confessed, but the context of the situation must have given rise to confusion. As a result, I’m embarrassed to bring this up again. I’m hoping you can help me make a decision and maybe provide insight into what he meant by some of his comments (I believe I’m interpreting him incorrectly.

So I had been spending time looking into remote material cooperation with sin
Eventually, this brought my attention to a video game developer I liked. They allow players to enter into same gender romances. Well I had been paying a monthly fee to be.subscribed to their online game. I began to realize that this would.be remote material cooperation. From what I had read I had been lead to believe that this would be mortally sinful (recently I’ve heard the opposite so I don’t know what to think). This caused me to begin considering cancelling my subscription. Since I could pay to restore most of the content I’d loose, I felt like this would be a good alternative. I decided to talk to my confessor about this. He told me that once we knew about something like this we were obligated to do something. He did say that the fact that I’d loose content could justify me keeping my subscription. I mentioned that I could restore most of it. At the end I felt that he believed that cancelling would be best. And so that’s what I did.

Soon after this choice began to bother me. I ceased feeling like I own the game and I miss the content that I can’t restore. As a result, I brought it back up to him. Since I’m off at college on the week days I can only see him in the confessional; so I asked him if restoring my subscription would be a mortal sin. He answered by explaining that I wasn’t in mortal sin, but this wasn’t my concern (I new I wasn’t). He also, seemed to think that I felt guilty for continuing to play the game. He did tell me that I either need to come to the conclusion that I’m not intending to support gay marriage and be comfortable with my decision or cancel my subscription. When I asked about buying expansion packs in the future he seemed okay with me proposing to cross that bridge when I came to it. To me these things indicate that he doesn’t think purchasing from them would be mortally sinful and wants to leave if up to me. What do you think? Also, do you think I’d be committing a mortal sin if I renewed my subscription? Thanks.

FATHER JOE:

First, the sacrament of penance should be reserved exclusively for the confession of sins. Other types of counsel or general conversation should not take place under the seal. Priests also need to be mindful not to set up appointments in the confessional. When it comes to women, it might be interpreted (even if wrongly) as a type of entrapment. The sacrament is just for the sacrament.

Second, I certainly understand remote material cooperation, but honestly I do not know enough about current video games to answer your question. Some might argue that owning a television or paying for cable might constitute a certain level of cooperation. How about going to hotels? Even if you do not watch the television, there is a given level of programing that is part of your bill. I have no idea how online gaming operates. Maybe you would be better off asking a younger priest more conversant with such things? I am of the Atari Pac Man, Missile Command and Pong generation.

You argued that this was not a matter of scrupulosity; but I suspect that it actually is. We are returning to the subject of dubious sin and intent. I have friends and know priests who play games, usually with big guns. My brother had a set up years ago with a James Bond game and a car racing one. When I tried to play with him I soon developed terrible headaches. Some of the 3-D films have a similar effect upon me. It has been many years since I have touched a controller. I prefer books and seventy year old movies. Peace!
Obianuju, on October 10, 2013 at 1:29 pm said:

Dear Father Joe, I read somewhere that priests of the Eastern rites are not necessarily celibates. This is a bit confusing. Does it mean some priests are permitted to get married? If a priest eventually gets married, is he permitted to celebrate Mass? Are is duties exactly as those performed by celibate priests? Do we currently have Catholic priests who are non-celibates and where?

Please pray for me. Yesterday was my 30th birthday 🙂 I give God glory.

FATHER JOE: Particularly in Eastern Europe, but in other places as well, the Catholic Church has both married and celibate priests. They belong to the various Eastern rites of the Church. Their bishops are all celibate. They celebrate all the same sacraments, but according to the Eastern liturgies, not the Roman.
Kimberlie, on October 10, 2013 at 12:47 pm said:

Dear Father. I am in such a state of despair at the moment, I just don’t know what to do. My family is struggling financially at the moment, and we are all under a lot of stress. My problem is that everytime I tell my mom and my husband to have faith, and to get down on their knees and pray, they tell me they have lost their faith in God because He is not helping us. My faith is firm and I thank God everyday that the only problems we have are financial ones, but my husband and mother are losing faith and this worries me terribly. I feel like I am failing at my Catholic duty of keeping the faith alive in my home and in my mother’s home. Will our family be punished for certain members’ lack of faith in God in this troubling time?

FATHER JOE: Dear Kimberlie, God wants to bring healing to people’s lives. He is not a vindictive God. He is faithful, even when we are not. Having said this, we do not get everything we want. Sometimes life is hard and we face problems and pain we wish we could avoid. It is then that I reflect upon the Cross. Our Lord asked us to take up our crosses and follow him. I cannot tell you what the future holds, but stand fast to your faith and continue to love and pray for your family. That alone might one day change their thinking about things. God answers all prayer, even if we get answers that we did not plan upon. Know that he loves you. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Is this not wonderful? Here we are, half a planet apart, never met, and yet we can share a few words and bring one another to prayer. God bless and keep you, Father Joe
Gary, on October 10, 2013 at 7:51 am said:

Dear Father, My friend who is non-Catholic (Iglesia ni Cristo) always asks me to attend their worship. Do I commit sin if ever I attended their worship as observer? Do I also have the grounds of being removed from the Knights of Columbus? Many Thanks, Gary

FATHER JOE: Do NOT attend. It would be seriously dangerous for you to attend worship with the Iglesia ni Cristo. It is not a church but a religious cult. They deny the Trinity and thus have no supernatural faith. They are extremely anti-Catholic and every effort would be made to turn you to their thinking. You would do best to pray for your friend and urge him or her to escape this cult. Denial of a Trinitarian faith invalidates baptism. It is a purely man-made religion that distorts the truth. It is very evangelistic and members would do everything they can to convert you. Like so many cults, it revolves around the testimony of a charismatic figure, in this case, Felix Manalo. They regard him as “God’s last messenger.” In truth, he is a FALSE PROPHET. Denial that Jesus is God makes him one of the prophesied antichrists. They also deny the divinity of the Holy Spirit. They believe that only the Father is God. True Christians and Catholics believe that there is one God (one nature), but three divine Persons in the godhead.
Barry, on October 9, 2013 at 10:56 pm said:

Ok here goes. I have fantasized about [deleted] for 15 years. I never acted on it but for the past 3 years the desire is becoming to strong for me to take and I am afraid I will act on it. So is it wrong of me to ask a priest to [deleted] so I can finally do it. Please help me. I know I am gonna go to hell for this but I need help. I am begging for an answer and direction here. Thank you Barry.

FATHER JOE: Stop fantasizing about it, think wholesome thoughts and say your prayers. Don’t play games with priests. We are about saving souls not pampering those who would take others to hell with them.

Vírus nequítiae suae, támquam flúmen immundíssimum, dráco maléficus transfúndit in hómines depravátos ménte et corrúptos córde; spíritum mendácii, impietátis et blasphémiae; halitúmque mortíferum luxúriae, vitiórum ómnium et iniquitátum.

Sáncte Míchael Archángele, defénde nos in proélio, cóntra nequítiam et insídias diáboli ésto præsídium. Ímperet ílli Déus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, prínceps milítiæ cæléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in múndo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Ámen
Michelle, on October 9, 2013 at 8:10 pm said:

I was wondering if someone has a demon piggybacking on their back what does that mean? I’ve never seen anything like it before. Thnx.

FATHER JOE: I am not sure how they might be using the expression. When one says that a person has “a demon on his back” it refers the weight of guilt or something evil weighing himm down. I have also heard the expression of “a demon piggybacking” on something. It refers to the possibility that the demonic can attach itself to objects and that we must be scrutinizing about what we bring into our homes. You do not hear much about that in Catholic circles but the principle is clear. Ministers will warn people about flea market items, telling believers to be wary of bringing items touched by the occult into their homes.
Helen Stanbro, on October 9, 2013 at 4:01 pm said:

I am very conflicted about charity donations to worthy organizations which are alleged to be sympathetic to abortion. I used to support Doctors without Borders, but I heard that sometimes they offer raped women “emergency contraception” (i.e. early abortifacients). I imagine this sort of thing is rare compared to all the wonderful things they do in areas of conflict where other medical personnel are afraid to go. I just read of them healing a little girl torn up with shrapnel from an IED which killed her mom in a market in Afghanistan where they happened to be en route to get medical care for parasite infections. Is it right to refuse support to doctors who do so much good so bravely just because sometimes some of them might be involved in abortions for women gang-raped by soldiers? Or what about not giving money to hospitals because abortions and sterilizations may be performed there? There are hundreds of examples, including almost all the major animal welfare and wildlife preservation charities because they often support population control, and many of the special disease charities like March of Dimes because they support prenatal diagnosis and abortion, or human embryo stem cell research. It is getting to be almost impossible to find a “safe” charity to which to donate—even some supposedly Catholic charities have been incriminated by some of the very extreme pro-life groups and it is hard to find out why. Sometimes it is only agreeing to share office space with Planned Parenthood, for example. I don’t give huge sums of money to any of these charities, and it is hard to imagine that because some minuscule fraction of my $5 or $25 may conceivably go to abortion, I should never give any of them anything despite all the other wonderful work they do. Yet I certainly don’t want to do anything that would encourage the destruction of even one human life. It seems to me that lives will be lost either way. If Doctors without Borders does not have funds to do their life-saving work, victims will die. But if they do, they may themselves take the lives of hapless embryos in the mistaken belief that it is helping the raped moms. What is the right thing to do?

FATHER JOE: As a rule I do not fund organizations that kill innocent human beings. I am not sure if any of the doctors in DWB do any such procedures. I have also heard a lot of good things about them. Can funds be earmarked?
lindsay, on October 9, 2013 at 8:33 am said:

If a child is brought up in a sinful home (by no choice of his own) and knows no different and is raised a sinner is he seen that way in the eyes of God? Thank-you.

FATHER JOE: Ignorance is a mitigating factor, but hearts can be corrupted and souls can be lost through bad influence.
K. Mitchell, on October 7, 2013 at 2:03 am said:

Is there an official Latin word for “vampire”? None of the classical latin words typically suggested (lamia, strix, vespertilio) really translate well. It seems like the church should have needed one in the last thousand years or so, and I know there’s the “lexicon recentis latinitatis” which lists the Vatican’s neologisms; is it the kind of thing you have access to?

FATHER JOE: I have no knowledge of a new term or phrase for vampire in Latin. It think the use of strix is a stretch unless the undead can change into bloodthirsty owls. The term lamia may not be a perfect match but it is the closest thing of which I can think. The Vatican only publishes 500 copies of the special modern Latin dictionary (Latin/Italian).
Margaret, on October 6, 2013 at 12:50 am said:

I have been married to my husband for over 30 years and we have had three children. I had a tubal ligation after the second child because I was prone to difficulty with varicose veins that get worse with pregnancy. I felt depressed that I had made a bad choice and get it reversed. God blessed us with our third child. Then my husband got a vasectomy because we were getting on in years, afraid to go through more leg problems, and couldn’t afford any more children. I knew it was wrong and I asked my husband to consider NFP instead but he wanted to get the surgery. Next thing that happened is he got prostate cancer and had radiation therapy. We haven’t been intimate for about two years and he still wants to be. I feel it is wrong. He also wants to convert to be Catholic. I don’t know what to do about his desires for sex so I refuse him and that feels wrong as well. I am too embarrassed to speak to a priest face to face about all of this. Is it a sin for me to go along with what he wants just to make him stop bothering me about it? Should I cause him to possibly have an affair or divorce me? I can honestly say that I am not open to life at this point but neither do I want a divorce.

FATHER JOE: Whatever is done is done. It is necessary to preserve your marriage and that means that you should not refuse your husband. Love each other and see the priest about him taking instructions. I will be praying for you.