Ask a Priest

5,433 Responses

Daniel Valdez, on June 3, 2012 at 3:22 am said:

Why do we no longer make living sacrifices to God? In the Bible it says that these sacrifices pleased the Lord, should we consider taking this up once again?

FATHER JOE: Jewish ritual sacrifice ended with the destruction by the Romans of the Temple in 70 AD. Blood sacrifices of old gave honor to God but fell short in meriting the healing of the breech caused by sin. Jesus is both the High Priest and the Victim (Lamb of God) who offers his life in the sacrifice of the Cross. The sacrifices of old are no longer necessary. Jesus is the Redeemer, Lord and Savior. He paid the price that we owed but (left to ourselves) could not pay. Catholics believe that the Mass is a re-presentation of the one-time passion and death of Christ, albeit in a clean or sacramental manner. That is why Catholics speak of commemorations of the Lord’s Supper as the Sacrifice of the Mass. Catholic priests participate in the one High Priesthood of Christ.
Sam B, on May 30, 2012 at 9:11 pm said:

Regarding the entry above where someone receives Holy Communion via their hands vs. by the mouth. Are our mouths really any cleaner than our hands. I’ve heard horrible things said by those who have immaculate appearance and wonderful things said by those who dirty their hands in common everyday work. I would think anything from God to us, is going from Pure to dirty, regardless. Is it any use in splitting hairs and being petty, does a God who rules over the ancient, the mysterious and the terrible in Glory everlasting, really concern himself with human trivialities? Wouldn’t he consider everything about us unclean? Hands and mouth?
Melissa Tan, on May 30, 2012 at 1:35 pm said:

Dear Father Joseph, may I ask when does the Host change to Body of Christ and the wine change to Blood of Christ at Mass?

Thank you,
Melissa

FATHER JOE:

The answer to this question must be carefully explained. The strict answer is at the words of consecration:

“Take this, all of you, and eat it: for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.”

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

However, the rubrics emphasize that these words, along with the proper intention and matter, should be in the context of Mass and are not intended to stand apart. The other elements of the anaphoras or Eucharistic prayers are not expendable. In particular, the epiclesis invokes the Holy Spirit to make the transformation of the gifts and the saving action possible.

There was a historical controversy with Eastern churches on this subject and it seemed that the Greek churches tended to place the weight on the epiclesis or invocation of the Spirit. However, less philosophically exacting, they would insist on the whole prayer and resist focusing on any one part as the most crucial. Emphasizing mystery, they would argue that the entire liturgy is important.

As for the Anglicans, even though we generally reject the validity of their priesthood and Eucharist, some of them take the Roman position to an extreme. For instance, when hosts ran out at communion time, certain Episcopal priests would go to a side table or another room and quickly consecrate additional hosts using just the bare-bones Eucharistic narrative or formula. Such a practice is forbidden to Catholic priests.
Ronie, on May 29, 2012 at 4:05 am said:

Mr. Joe, are you not yet converted to genuine Christianity? inspite of the following comments? in your responses is conflict in all teachings and council meetings of your church, review your history. catholic church is still legislative evrrytime is changing due to council meetings. which is conflict in the bible Revelation 22. we believers should be in executive. we should execute what God has given us. not to legislate who are we. Pope is a man there are subject to sin and is not infallible. only God is good.

FATHER JOE: I am a fully initiated Catholic and a priest. I am a Christian. What are you? Your lack of literacy makes it hard to know what you are trying to say. Are you arguing that because bishops came together in council on important topics that this implies deviation from Gospel truth? The Acts of the Apostles notes an early council in Jerusalem in which both St. Paul and St. Peter participated. Would you reject that council meeting, too? Protestantism is fractured by a lack of concurrence on doctrine and practice by many of its denominations. The unity of Catholicism is preserved by the Magisterium and the constant protection of the Holy Spirit. Truth is defined and defended, not subtracted or disfigured. The governance of the Church was given to the apostles and their successors, the bishops. You wrongly reject this teaching. You confuse the necessary gift of infallibility given the Church with impeccability. Not all the popes have been models of holiness, but they all taught the truth. Similarly, the Church might be composed of sinners, but such is by Christ’s command— that we might know the forgiveness of sins. God is good, indeed, the source of all goodness. He intends to give us a share through the gift of grace.
Anthony, on May 28, 2012 at 11:27 pm said:

(NIV) Daniel 7:25

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.

FATHER JOE: The condemnation here is not against Christianity and the Pope, just look at the time frame, but regards the persecutions of Antiochus IV. He sought to force the Jews to adopt their Hellenistic (Greek) customs. See also 2 Maccabees 1:33, oh wait, you can’t, that book is edited from your bible.

We know 2 FACTS here!

FATHER JOE: You know nothing. Indeed, you make a joke of yourself. If you would look at the Aramaic source text this would become clearer, wait you could not read it anyway. I guess you will just have to rely upon borrowed translations and the ignorant interpretations of bigots like yourself.

The ROMAN PAPACY during the Dark Ages stripped God’s People of their Bibles and made them submit to mere man made traditions.

FATHER JOE: The so-called Dark Ages were anything but dark. The Church and her monasteries preserved learning at a time of great upheaval. Had it not been for the Church, the world would have lost a great deal. Bibles at this time were rare and difficult to produce. No one kept the Bible away from people. Gutenberg would not invent his printing press until 1450! Get your facts straight. Most people were illiterate and bibles were produced by hand, each taking a year or much more to create. They were thus rare and expensive. The Church taught the Bible in art, music and orally in preaching.

If they did not submit to the POPE and the church, they were slaughtered by the thousands! In the year 1487 Pope Innocent VIII ordered the killing of over 3,000 Waldansess who fled to the mountains holding on to their Bibles.

FATHER JOE: You misspelled the “Waldnenses.” Now we have jumped to another epic in European history and you accuse the Pope of murdering bible believers. The claims of the Waldenses to roots in ancient Christianity are regarded as fable by Protestant and Catholic historians, today. They embraced poverty but also mandated perfect continence, dissolving marriages so as to avoid any sexual activity. While their “friends” could get married and support them, true members were forbidden to do any manual work. While they originally embraced the sacraments, today as a Protestant offshoot, they only practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In the U.S. they were merged into the Presbyterian churches. It is true that Pope Innocent VIII instigated a crusade against the heretics, as well as severe measures against sorcery and witchcraft. Dissenters were viewed as a danger to the harmony and wellbeing of society. The mentality of that time, fledging Protestant and Catholic, was not what it is in our time.

Mothers and Children were left to the smoke and flames!

FATHER JOE: Do you really think that the Church recommended the murder of helpless women and children? Primitive people may have gotten out of hand, especially given the link to witchcraft, but Catholic teaching is better than that.

Because they would not bow to a Statue of Mary and to the Pope himself so they were killed!

FATHER JOE: Ridiculous! The issues were a lot more complex than that. Further, we neither worship statues of Mary nor of the Pope. Indeed, we do not give divine worship to either of them.

This is only one of many groups of martyrs that the “Living Church” has slaughtered by the thousands for keeping God’s LAW. They called this the crusades.

FATHER JOE: There were a number of crusades, the most important against the Muslims whose empire had invaded Europe. The Church wanted to preserve access to the Holy Land for pilgrims.

God is CALLING…… “Come out of her my PEOPLE!”

FATHER JOE: Actually, God is calling people like yourself to come to your senses and to come home to the Catholic Church.
Anthony, on May 28, 2012 at 10:29 pm said:

(NIV) Revelation 13:5-8

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

FATHER JOE: There is much symbolic language in the Book of Revelation. Commentaries tells us that the false worship here was that of the pagan Roman emperor and the suffering saints were Christian or Catholic martyrs. The emperor Domitian demanded divine titles like “our lord and god” and “Jupiter” (see New American footnotes). The reference to 42 months is a reference to the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV. It became the symbolic number for all persecutions.

Why does the Catholic Church think they can change TIMES AND GODS LAW with no scriptural authority? Who dares rip out the second COMMAND of the lord thy GOD and claim to have his power on earth?

FATHER JOE: There is no correlation at all with this text and your criticisms. The significance of Christ’s resurrection is why during the apostolic period, and after the expulsion of Christians from the synagogues, and due to the many Gentile converts— the gravity moved from the Hebrew Sabbath to the Sunday observance. If you reject the Lord’s Day, then you must be some variation of Adventist. The commands of God are intact, although the economy of images is amended because of the Incarnation. Now something of the Creator is clearly reflected in his creation. Catholicism is not a “sola scriptura” religion; indeed, the Church is the Mother of the Bible.
Anthony, on May 28, 2012 at 10:26 pm said:

(NIV) 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

FATHER JOE: Paul is dealing with a specific situation, false claims by someone misusing his authority. This selection is in regard to the courageous faith of the Thessalonians as they face adversity and persecution. Paul assures them that God will prevail and divine justice will catch up with those who oppose them. Indeed, the persecution itself is evidence that they are on the saving path of Christ. The faith will always be a sign of contradiction.

The Pope proclaims himself to be God. He is the Man of Lawlessness.

FATHER JOE: The Pope does not claim divinity; he is the servant of the servants of God. Indeed, he is Christ’s Vicar and a slave of the Church. Someone has fed your head with poison.

Exorcisms, the RITE performed by the Catholic Church is the delusion—BE WARNED it is the DEVIL casting out the DEVIL!

FATHER JOE: There is nothing here about the Pope or opposition to the rites of the Church. Your condemnation of the Church because of the exorcism ritual is reminiscent of when the Holy Spirit was blasphemed by those who accused Jesus of delivering souls from bondage by the power of demons. Paul was an apostle of the Church. The bishops are the successors to the apostles. That makes you the dangerous one who is suffering from delusions and facing judgment. Beware!
rmanan, on May 28, 2012 at 1:09 am said:

What verse stated that “rosary helps” or about the “rosary”, and Mary being the mediator between man and Christ, for there is no mediator between man and Christ but man between God and Christ was the ONLY mediator?

FATHER JOE: The Rosary repeats the Hail Mary prayer. The first part of the HAIL MARY comes from Scripture, from an angel and from Mary’s cousin Elizabeth: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” The second half is the Church’s response. Jesus is called the Mother of God to defend the divinity of Christ. Christ is our one true Mediator. This is Catholic doctrine. Do you deny this? Jesus is God and man. Do you deny this? All Scripture has value, including the Scriptural words of the Hail Mary prayer. Do you deny this? You better get your facts straight before trying to challenge others. May God bless and enlighten you!
Anthony M. Franklin Jr., on May 28, 2012 at 12:59 am said:

II USED TO BE AN ALTER BOY AND GREW UP IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND WAS SCHOOLED AT ST. ANDREWS. I loved the church then.

Now that I have a NEW light in me and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirt has came upon my life….. I am a reborn man of the true faith of the real teaching of Jesus and not of MAN! I was baptized by my own free will and not as an infant sprinkled at birth. Was Jesus Sprinkled in a Mangor? I THINK NOT! The TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE…… God is calling his people to COME OUT!!

FATHER JOE:

In faith and baptism you were an adopted son of the Father and a temple of the Holy Spirit. It may be that later on you took more seriously the gift of Christ, but you are wrong to malign the Church for your own failures of early discernment. Indeed, the fact that you have abandoned the Church tells me that you still misunderstand. You cannot love Jesus and hate the Church. Could a man in love with a woman get away with saying, “You have a pretty face and I like your head, but I hate your body?” I doubt it. Well, Jesus is the head and the Church is his mystical body. If you hate the body then your love of the head is also defective. I do not say that you fail to love Jesus, but you still fail to love him as you should. The Holy Spirit protects the Church in the truth and gives efficacy to the sacraments. You have privatized your faith and forsaken the community of faith established directly by Jesus Christ. The faith is passed on by the Church. The Church compiled the books of the Bible and translated them for you. The Church preached the Good News for many years in the beginning with no New Testament at all. Every Catholic is made a new creation and is born again. This is more than an experience of the emotions but a spiritual truth. Were you confirmed? If you then you made the promises of your baptism your own. We do not come to God alone. The baptism of Jesus was not one of regeneration but a theophany or revelation of his identity as God’s beloved Son. He was God and there was no sin needing forgiveness. Jesus is the source of Christian baptism and gives the command at the end of the Gospel of Matthew to go out to the entire world and to baptize in the name of the Trinity: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Your ignorance of this distinction is further proof of just how much you need the Church. It is too bad that you paid such poor attention to your catechism as a child. Our Lord is calling people to come out of the world and to put their sins behind them. The universal call of salvation is a invitation to know and to have faith in Jesus in the company of other believers in the Catholic Church. You should come home before it is too late.
Reality, on May 27, 2012 at 11:30 pm said:

Ok, let’s somewhat break it down, yes as simple as humanly possible, why? You may only see what you want to, that’s why. As the city that sits on seven hills and is controlled by the great dragon, yes Hillel servants to whom you obey.

Every dumbed down atheist could agree the Catholic church worships the Sun God, Yes Jesus Christ is the Sun God, Council of Nicaea? Ring a bell? Sunday worship? Sabbath day from the 7th day to the First Day of the week Sun-Day? And you say Nazi, yes the haughty people of the earth will burn and few men left? Remember the Laws of Moses? Getting any clearer for you now?

FATHER JOE: You are not well and need help. References to the anti-Christ refer to pagan Rome, not the Rome of Christ and the leadership of the Church there. Jesus is not the Sun God but rather the Son of God. He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Worship on Sunday began as a special commemoration of our Lord’s resurrection. Christ’s redemptive work makes possible our new creation. Even in the Book of Revelation it is noted as the Lord’s Day. Your words about judgment are particularly irrational and abusive. The one thing that is very clear is your own ignorance and fanaticism.

Where did they bring the artifacts from the sacking of the Temple Mount as Titus did? You got it Rome, why? You can figure that one out. Yes, a sliver of a history lesson, but I can admit much more can be added, climb out of your idea that homosexuality will bring the Kingdom of Peace?

FATHER JOE: Relics were brought back to Rome for veneration. Rome is the See of Peter. The Popes are the successors of Peter. This is an essential element in Church history and in the self-understanding of Catholics. We are members of a Church instituted by Christ. I suspect the reference to homosexuality is a slur. The Church is critical of the disorientation but preaches that all people have worth and are loved by God.

You teach nothing but war, hatred, child molestation, homosexuality, Why? Because the Jesuit Order can’t have a woman, a family, because you oath is to Nicolas, the black pope, yes, your daddy in other words. Oh quick note, Remember The Keys of This Blood, by your brother in arms Martin, M. maybe a quick read will refresh your memory, what’s left of it?

FATHER JOE: The Church preaches peace, forgiveness, the sanctity of life and the value of marriage as a covenant between a man and woman. The Jesuits are only one Order in the Church and they are committed to important work, especially in education. Traditionally, they were great defenders of the papacy. Legends about the Black Pope are the fantasies of ignorant Know Nothings who persecuted immigrants and hated Catholics. As for Malachi Martin, he was a good man, an ex-priest and a writer of sensationalist books— books that had an obverse and exaggerated effect of conspiracy theorists and kooks.

Ok, we get the idea that if you can read, write, and study history all these statements are true to the events given and then some, for everyone else there is only one Who is the author of the Truth and it will be Defended, and no, not by the one who lives by the sword of war, will die by it, but by the sword of Peace.—Reality Check

FATHER JOE: Malachi Martin died a faithful Catholic. He would not be party to those who hate the Church. The Holy Spirit preserves the truth taught and transmitted by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. You would not even have a bible were it not for the Catholic Church. But why am I arguing with you? Your statements jump here and there with no logical sense. Take your medicine and if your nurse sees this, please keep your patient away from computers and the Internet. He still needs help. I hope you get well soon.
Ora Williams, on May 26, 2012 at 3:08 pm said:

In what part of the Bible does it say that we should pray to Mary, or any of the saints?

FATHER JOE:

Prayer or asking for the intercession of the saints is a practice that goes back to the earliest days of Christianity. It is still an element in the Orthodox churches of the East and even of Anglicanism. The practice is based on several important premises: (1) the faithful departed share in the resurrected life of Christ and are conscious; and (2) that the dispensation of Christ is not a private religion but a corporate one. Death does not sever the bonds forged in life. The saints are still members of the Church. Just as we can pray for each other in this world, the saints can pray that we might know their joy and the acquisition of heaven.

We often ask fellow pilgrims to pray for and with us in this world; Paul had no reservation about such requests (see Romans15:30-32; Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Catholics firmly believe in the Easter mystery. The dead are alive in Christ and are still a part of us.

Intercessory prayer is perfectly in sync with the unique mediation of Christ. “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:1-5).

Our Lord tells us in Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father…” Are not the saints in heaven truly “children of your heavenly Father”? This reality or truth is not destroyed by the grave. That is the whole point of Christ’s victory over sin and death!

The saints (human and angelic) are real, aware, and alive— they pray with and for us as we give glory to God:

“When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones” (Revelation 5:8).

“Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel” (Revelation 8:3-4).

She was blessed among woman but only a woman not divine in any way except that she bore God, but nowhere does the Bible say she was sinless or that she stayed a virgin. In fact it says Jesus had four brothers and sisters, actual brothers and sisters not cousins.

FATHER JOE: Limited Hebrew terminology and translations have fueled your misconception. Listen brother, not that you are my biological brother, your ignorance of Catholicism is showing. We do not claim that Mary is divine. She is a beloved creature of God, a daughter of the Father and Mother of the Christ. The angel greets her as “full of grace” signifying that there was no vacuum or darkness in her caused by sin. The All Holy One would come into the world through a pure vessel. The immaculate conception of Mary was made possible by the subsequent redemptive Cross of Jesus, her Son. She is not saved apart from the Lord. Further, when she visits her kinswoman Elizabeth, she proclaims that God IS her Savior, not that he would be in the future. In this regard, she is unique in the human family. While we read about the brothers and sisters of Jesus, never once is Mary called their mother. A few of these brothers are later identified as children of another Mary, no doubt a relative. Obviously then, we are talking about cousins. Further, at the Cross, Jesus entrusts Mary to his apostle John. This would have been highly irregular had Mary had other children. No, Mary is the perpetual Virgin.

The Bible also says that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God, except Christ who is the Glory of God.

FATHER JOE: Yes and even Mary does not save herself. This is also Catholic teaching.

I am a Baptist and I am not trying to put down the Catholic faith, just wondering why the Church does these things considering they cannot be found in a King James Bible.

FATHER JOE: The King James Version Bible is Anglican; do you not have a BAPTIST Bible? Do you know the original KJV included the Catholic books? Cut off from the teaching authority established by Jesus Christ, people like yourself are seriously handicapped in your appreciation of God’s Word.

My sister is Catholic and I ask her but she cannot tell me.

FATHER JOE: Maybe she is just tired are arguing with you? There is a difference, you know.

There are many other things your Church does that are not taught in the Bible. Where do those things come from?

FATHER JOE: We are not a “sola Scriptura” Church. Indeed, the Catholic Church was preaching the Good News before the New Testament was composed and all we had were the Old Testament (Hebrew) Scriptures. The Church came first, not the Bible. It is because of this that there are two fonts of divine revelation: Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture.

I understand that Catholics say they are the first Church and that Peter was the First Pope but nowhere in Peter’s teachings does he relate to your beliefs.

FATHER JOE: Actually we see his influence at the first Council of Jerusalem. His role is given him by Christ as the ROCK upon which he would build his Church. He is given the keys by Christ, a sign of authority. He is healed and his commission renewed after the resurrection when our Lord told him in a three-fold command to feed his sheep.
Ora Williams, on May 26, 2012 at 1:47 pm said:

If Christ established the Catholic Church then why did it start in Rome, and why were the first churches started in Israel and by different apostles?

FATHER JOE: The Catholic Church did not start in Rome. It began in the Holy Land. The various local churches were all part of the one true Church established by Jesus Christ. Rome becomes the primatial see because that is where Peter was martyred and where his successors continued his visible headship of the Church. The Pope is still the Pope, even if he should live or travel outside of Rome.
Fred, on May 26, 2012 at 2:44 am said:

Lambs, do not listen to the words of a man but read for yourself the Word of God.

FATHER JOE: You mean for them to ignore me; but, are you not a man? Maybe you are the man they should ignore? The Word of God does not emerge from a vacuum. It is proclaimed and taught by the Church Christ established and empowered.

Trust that the Sovereign God is capable of making Himself known to His Children.

FATHER JOE: He has made himself known: in the Word Proclaimed, in the Body of the Church, and in his sacraments– especially the Real Presence of the Eucharist.

The reason for the organized clergy is to facilitate rebellion against the Word of God.

FATHER JOE: Our Lord established his shepherds with his apostles. He gave them a great commission and breathed the Spirit of truth upon them. You blaspheme against this Spirit, the Spirit of God.

Organized religion is a comfort group for like minded people to support each other in not completely following the Word.

FATHER JOE: Our Lord told Simon that I will make you ROCK (Peter) and on this ROCK I will build my Church. Again, you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit by maligning teh community of faith directly instituted by Christ.

One of the many things Christ did when He came to this earth was to speak against the lies of the pharisees.

FATHER JOE: But our Lord told the Jews to do as they say and not as they do. He recognized both their hypocrisy and the fact that their authority came from God. We are all sinners, but the bishops and priests are the divinely appointed leaders of Christ’s Church, the Kingdom of God breaking into the world.

All you need is Jesus. You find Jesus through reading the Word. Loving God with all your heart, mind, body, soul and spirit. Loving your neighbor as yourself. Abide in Christ and He will abide in you.

FATHER JOE: Yes, our faith is not in philosophy or a rule book, but in the saving person of Jesus Christ. But you do not know him as you ought. You read the Word but fail to understand, cut off from the Magisterium. The Church manifests Christ’s charity the world over and yet you selfishly think you know better. You cannot say that you love Jesus and then in the next breath, say that you hate the Church. They are one and the same. There is a profound unity. Would a man tell a woman he loves, I like your head, you have a pretty face, but I hate your body? No, of course not. But you would tell Jesus that you love his head, but hate his body, the Church. It does not work.
ApostleDoctor Joann Reed, on May 26, 2012 at 2:41 am said:

Finally, faith “works” because of who it is placed in. It is not a thing dependent upon you for its vitality. It is not made real by YOU. It is made real by WHO YOU PLACE IT IN; that is why true faith in the true God is independent of your circumstances. Romans 12:3 says that God gives a measure of faith to everyone. Okay, so what do you do with this measure of faith? During trials and tribulations do you withdraw it from your spiritual walk, whine and complain, only to be faithful again when things get more comfortable? Or, do you continue on in faith (because it is in the Creator of the Universe), in spite of your circumstance, and do exactly what the Bible says: “The just shall live by faith,” (Hab. 2:4)? To live by faith means that you continue on trusting God because your faith is in HIM and not in your comforts, your health, your needs, your emotions, or your intellect. To live by faith means that you trust the Lord in all circumstances. In this, God is glorified.

FATHER JOE: Catholics are not pelagians who think we can save ourselves. You are wrong to think otherwise. Faith is a gift from God. We are to dispose ourselves for that great gift. Faith can be realized in our lives. Everything is grace.
Concerned Minister of the Eucharist, on May 26, 2012 at 2:37 am said:

Dear Fr. Joe, I have a question for you. An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at my church dropped a host and he LEFT it on the floor even though he looked down and saw it on the floor. The communicant saw it and picked it up and consumed it. After church I went to the pastor of my church and I told him what happened. He seemed not to care and said oh well and made an excuse for the minister. I was outraged and I am so sick and tired of seeing the abuses that go on in our church regarding the precious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. (In our church we have extra ordinary ministers and the communicants receive the host in their HANDS!) I was so upset that afterwards I thought well you might not care but the Cardinal sure will. I was very tempted to write the Cardinal of our diocese to tell him what’s been going on. Should I have done so? Thank you and may God bless you.

FATHER JOE: You were right to go to the pastor first. If such problems are systemic and the pastor will not do anything about it, you might confide in another priest you trust. That will give you further support if you have to go to the bishop.
bert pooler, on May 26, 2012 at 2:34 am said:

What is Canon Law regarding a priest wearing a vestment to celebrate mass?

FATHER JOE: Canon 929 – In celebrating and administering the Eucharist, priests and deacons are to wear the sacred vestments prescribed by the rubrics.
Jeff, on May 25, 2012 at 1:46 pm said:

I am not Catholic, but my Godson is; as are his family and the other Godparent.

FATHER JOE: Technically, Jeff, that means you were the Christian Witness as Church law requires that a Godparent be a Catholic in good standing.

Since his father died when he was young I have assumed a larger role in his life that expected at the time while his Godmother is in a different state.

Recently, I went to his school as part of a conference regarding his lowered academic performance due to sports activities and had a small “run in” with one of the clerical staff. Both my Godson’s mother and I stated that regardless of my faith, it was still my obligation to see that my Godson was cared for materially and educated properly in his faith to the best of my ability.

FATHER JOE: Your interest in your Godson’s material and spiritual welfare is quite touching and inspirational. I could only wish that more sponsors took their responsibilities as seriously.

This caused some serious issues at the time. I don’t expect to be the source of his religious education, and stated so – that is for the religious staff at his school and his parish priest. He is attending a denominational school run by one of the better known orders with a great past reputation for academics and I expected a somewhat better approach to the situation. It was only after much argument by my Godson’s mother that I was finally allowed to continue in the meeting. After this his mother sent a formal letter to the school that I was to be considered “in loco parentis” for all school matters regardless – academic, athletic, disciplinary etc.

FATHER JOE: The posting is somewhat unclear. I take it that the school wanted to exclude you from the parental meeting because you had no legal status as either parent or guardian.

Is there an official stance on this other than what has been covered in the letter?

FATHER JOE: I did not see the letter, but I suspect the problem was more one of legality. Information about children is regarded as confidential and there can be all sorts of complications if given out to the wrong people. Further, decisions and actions related to young people have to be approved or in concert with those who have legal standing in their regard. Schools are increasingly worried about such things and they might even trump sacramental relationships. We live in a litigious society that is quick to fault schools, even when the real blame rests with parents or guardians. The fact that the mother of your Godson gave a written notice of your good standing and involvement with him would be very important.

How to avoid this same issue in the fall when he attends High School?

FATHER JOE: I see no way to avoid complications, in either a public or private school. Would the mother of the child want to give you some shared legal jurisdiction over the child?
Dole, on May 11, 2012 at 7:21 am said:

Dear Father Joe,

I have a question regarding the Illuminati and the Freemasons. I am sure you are familiar with the theory that there is a group of elite running the world behind the curtains. Now often times this sounds like nonsense but is there any truth to it at all? I don’t completely want to buy into the theory but I don’t want to disregard it. One of the goals of the Illuminati is to establish a new world order, one monetary system, one religion, and ultimately rid themselves of all religion especially Christianity and to destroy the souls of man in the process. It is said that they control everything from Hollywood to the food industry. Sometimes I just sit and ponder and say it cannot be possible, it’s just circumstances and outcomes of bad decisions but I just find it hard to believe. I constantly see the news and whenever the mainstream media gets a chance to bash on the Catholic Church they go right ahead; the Illuminati hates organized religion and the Catholic Church is organized. I see the media promoting immorality like gay marriage and thus leading to the destruction of the family. I see the media trying to incite hatred between the Western world and the Muslim world by not presenting the facts thoroughly or not at all. It makes me angry that many believe that our Muslims brothers and sisters are terrorists when there not. Not so long ago there was a guy on Fox News named Glenn Beck and he was basically promoting Christian fundamentalism (which is also one of the goals of the Illuminati to promote fundamentalism); he was saying that we need to stand by Israel because the Bible said, “I will curse those who curse you and bless those who bless you,” referring to Israel; but isn’t this a misinterpretation being promoted that is leading many to believe that we should stand with Israel and thus leading many to believe that they are fulfilling the will of God. The way I see it in this country is that people constantly blaspheme Gods name but the minute someone says something about Israel it is a crime (well not actually a crime). Basically I see the media trying to promote war between Israel and Iran (which could realistically lead to World War– there’s a chance I don’t know how big but there’s a chance). Thus many honest people will stand by Israel regardless; even if Israel goes to war with Brazil for winning too many World Cups they will stand with Israel. Also I see a lot of symbolism (like the Illuminati pyramid and the all seeing eye) being promoted on television on music videos, comedy central, etc. they especially target the young. All the music today is about sex, money, drugs, self love, do what you please etc. There is rapper, his name is Jay-Z, but his music is offensive to Christianity; yet many believers listen to it and ignored it. In one of his songs he says “and Jesus can’t save you.” Recently, not too long ago a rapper came out and said that the Illuminati is real and I guessed I gave him credibility because he’s an insider. Also I see that many countries are drowning in debts in Europe and in the United States; which leads me to my other point I feel someone is purposely causing this. The Illuminati want to enslave us through debt therefore causing frustration among the masses. I saw the riots in Greece and England and I can imagine what would happen if something happen like that in a global scale. So my question basically is I do not think what is going on is a coincidence; do you think there is some truth to the theory of the Illuminati?

FATHER JOE: Glenn Beck makes for a peculiar fundamentalist given that he is an ex-Catholic turned Mormon. The original Illuminati were formed the same year we won our independence in the U.S., 1776. It was a secret society that eventually infiltrated other secret societies like Freemasonry (origins in the 16th century). Catholics are forbidden (both in the old and the new Code of Canon Law from membership in secret societies. There is a great deal of exaggeration about conspiracies although the prince of the world still conspires against Christ and his Church.
Paul Brann, on May 11, 2012 at 6:20 am said:

Stewardship over animals

Dear Fr Joe,

Jesus described Himself as The Good Shepherd who laid down His Life for His sheep, and I realise that this was allegory, but the shepherd, back in the middle east in those days used to lead and the sheep would follow.

For years, here in UK, it has been a legal requirement that all animals for slaughter must be electrically stunned before having their throat cut and all distress and suffering must be minimised.

Now that we have a very large population of Jews and Muslims, the Law has been ‘relaxed’ despite vetinary advice to the contrary, so that ritual slaughter, either cosher or hallal, can be cruelly enacted. Neither the Koran, nor the Talmud state that an animal must not be electrically stunned, so that using our well developed method of humane slaughter is NOT contrary to their law, but these foreigners still insist on this barbaric and very cruel method of killing. It is estimated that over 25% of our meat is now produced in this way…………..more proof, if proof were needed, that we have become a Godless society.

Slaughter by throat cutting whilst the animal is fully conscious may well have been the method in Jesus’ day, but then electricity had not been invented; stoning homosexuals to death was also a practice in His day but we don’t do that today, so neither should we cause any one of His creation to suffer………we have been given stewardship over all of His creation.

With love, Paul
michelle abalos, on May 9, 2012 at 4:15 am said:

Is it a mortal sin to be mean to you dog?

FATHER JOE: I suppose it depends upon what you regard as mean. Certainly it is wrong to take delight in capriciously hurting any of God’s creatures. Abusive behavior would qualify as sinful.
Paul Brann, on May 7, 2012 at 8:44 am said:

Dear Fr Joe,
I have seen a lesbian Church of England Vicar over here in UK wearing Dr Martin boots, crew cut hair and black trousers with a sort of stole embroidered with butterflies. She conducted a funeral that I went to. Do you think that this is OK?
Best wishes,
Paul

PS
Oh, and a sort of black leather dog collar with shiny metal studs and a very prominent eye brow piercing!
Paul

FATHER JOE: I think I am going to be ill. This time I will keep my own counsel.
Jannah, on May 7, 2012 at 3:26 am said:

First of all where in the Bible or other Holy Book does it say that clerics should even exist? As for a dress code, I could not really care less what they wear or don’t wear. Do not take me wrong but it would not make any difference to God.

FATHER JOE: The Jews had clerical leadership and our Lord appoints his apostles as the first shepherds of his Church. The Jews also used ceremonial garb, as did a secular world, to show ranking and to distinguish leadership roles. I take you precisely as you present yourself, as someone who rejects the need for such ministers. The business about what clerics wear is a smokescreen for the more pertinent objection. Obviously, you see no need for priests or the Church. Indeed, the fact that you would equate any other “holy book” with the Bible is evidence that you are not a person of legitimate Judeo-Christian faith. You just posted your comment here to be nasty and contrary. Do you even believe in God? Of course, a priest is a priest even without the distinctive clothing. But would you insist that the police, fire fighters, doctors, judges and others get rid of their uniforms? And what about the uniforms of soldiers and opposing sports teams? Such things are handy to distinguish the sides. Hum, I think I will keep my collar. As for you, distinctive clothing might benefit us all. Would it be rude to recommend horns and a pitchfork.
Manuel Redondo, on April 26, 2012 at 12:35 am said:

Hi Father Joe, just one question, have you read the history of the Catholic Church?

FATHER JOE: Yes, and it is glorious, especially the lives of the saints!

YES, the lives of the Saints were glorious.

But many mistakes have been made by the Church since its foundation. I am sick of Christians mudslinging each other. We have been doing that for a very long time. We seem to be forgetting that the Lord wants us, not only to Love thy neighbor, but to Love thy enemy— thou shalt not Kill is another. The Lord is Love, and yet we still fight among ourselves. Different Christian denominations believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior. Let us not presume to think that just because a Christian belongs to a different denomination he/she is condemned to hell. Only the Lord knows a person’s heart.

We should not just be preaching about the Word; we should be living it!

Other religions look at us and laugh, calling us hypocrites. It makes my job a lot harder when I try to tell somebody about our Lord. It is their salvation which is at risk. Who is to blame for the loss? Not them! WE ARE, by our actions and the way we live and conduct our lives. We are meant to be the light in this world, and yet all I see and read about is the total opposite!

Just turn on the news and you will see Christians hitting each other over the head with brooms!

We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us try to conduct ourselves the way our Lord Jesus would like us to.

God Bless You All.

Manuel
laShawn, on April 24, 2012 at 7:05 pm said:

Hello, my question is why are the commandments written in stone by the finger of God were changed by the Church?

Jesus is equal with His Father and even he didn’t change them (Matt 5: 17-18). Also, the apostles didn’t change them but adhered to the very same ones in the Bible. God says in Mal. 3:6: “I am the LORD, I change not.” Paul says in Romans 7: 12, “The law is Holy and the commandment just and good.” Why then has the church changed something that the God of Scripture did not himself change?

FATHER JOE:

If you look at the universal catechism, you will see both the biblical and the catechetical listing of the Decalogue. We do not discount or brush the Ten Commandments aside; however, we do believe that our interpretation of them is in light of Christ, particularly in his incarnation and the resurrection. While the prohibition of images was never absolute (as with the serpent on a pole and the angels on the Ark of the Covenant), the fact that God has entered the human family changes the economy of images. Something of the Creator can now be conveyed in his creation. This appreciation comes with spiritual reflection by the Church upon the saving mystery. Obviously the commandment still binds us in that we are not permitted to give divine worship to either an image (statue, icon, or picture) or a created thing. Images are a type of symbolic or representational language.

Here is the selection you cite from Matthew: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” Our Lord’s words here are not only about the final consummation of all things but to his saving work about which he says from the Cross, “It is finished.” The New American Bible offers the following footnotes: “The ‘turning of the ages’ comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of ‘new heavens and a new earth’ (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law, though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.” Our Lord has given great authority to his Church during this new age.

The Book of Malachi speaks the truth that God as God is unchanging. However, in Jesus Christ, God has entered into human history. This is a distinctive element between the Old and New Testaments. We are not converts to Judaism but Christianity. Do you keep the Hebrew Sabbath like the Seventh-day Adventists or do you keep holy the Lord’s Day or Sunday Observance? The former stressed our creation and the day that God rested. The latter emphasizes the day of the resurrection and our re-creation in Christ. This shift was happening during the apostolic age. Christians would gather, often in an elevated place or hill to celebrate the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day. John makes reference to this singular day in Revelation 1:10: “I was caught up in the spirit on the Lord’s day . . . .” Here was an instance where the change in religious gravity was given credence by the early Church in her reinterpretation of the commandments. Similarly, all foods were declared clean and the Jewish dietary laws were dismissed. The Council of Jerusalem ruled against circumcising Gentile converts as demanded by the Mosaic Law. Jesus, himself, revokes the writ of divorce that was permitted. God is immutable but men are not. While laws rooted in our nature cannot change, God certainly had the authority to alter accidentals and to give his shepherds the authority to govern his people.

You quote Romans 7:12. And yet you should know as well as I that Paul is the great apostle of freedom from the yoke of the law. There is recognition of its goodness, but left to ourselves we fall short. The law convicts us. It is God’s grace in Jesus Christ that makes our discipleship possible. If we were just to depend on the law, the breech would remain between heaven and earth. It is only in Christ that we find liberation from sin and death.
mike, on April 22, 2012 at 11:56 pm said:

Father Joe, this wayward Catholic listens to you every now and them…and enjoys…and disagrees with Church teachings every now and then.

With so much need as always, why did the Church spend 50 to 60 million dollars on a shrine ….empty building now in Washington, DC, for the honor and memory of Pope John Paul and millions more on the restoration of the old cathedral in Baltimore— and then close Catholic schools where there are so many needy families in DC and Baltimore.

How many families, marriages and children are hurt by such selfishness? Yet, the Church is so angry about the threat of gay marriage and effects on the family. The Church looked aside when racial segregation and slavery was convenient.

I pray God to forgive my Church because they know their sins and still they spread hate and not the love of Christ.

FATHER JOE:

The Church has an obligation to its patrimony. The cathedral in Baltimore is of singular importance to Catholics throughout the U.S. Baltimore is our primatial see. Much of the money for its restoration was donated for that purpose only. It is also a wonderful setting for worship, one that truly gives honor to God. As for the Pope John Paul II Center, I have to personally admit that I find it a rather ugly and impractical monstrosity. EWTN does a weekly TV news show from there today. That is probably the most use it has ever had. It is a defunct museum that cost too much, wasted space and bored visitors. Who wants to see just a bunch of old pictures on the wall or short videos that mimic the seriousness of the Smithsonian? Various schools tried to take it over, but it is mostly empty unusable space. Why did the bishops think that hordes of pilgrims would go there? I do not know. Certainly the Shrine and Monastery nearby never advertised it. They copied the Mormon Temple Visitor’s Center in offering special exhibits at Christmas, like crèches from around the world. School kids were forced to go, but few others. Yes, I think it was a practical mistake. The Knights of Columbus have come to the rescue now, and will evidently assume the debt and try to make a go of it. They want to revamp it as a center that honors the late Pope and to give a base of operations for the Knights in the nation’s capitol. Bishops sometimes make impractical decisions. No malice was intended, just bad advice, poor planning and apparent bad judgment. I would have preferred a more modest building where we could celebrate the history of Catholicism in America. We will have to wait and see what materializes.

The former ordinary for Baltimore, Archbishop O’Brien is a wonderful man. He was faced with failing schools with low numbers of students. As I recall, arrangements were made for these students to attend other Catholic schools. Populations have shifted. It is not all that easy to move buildings.

I do not know for sure if poor families were hurt. You are right that I think there are sometimes better things that we could do with our money. But still, no one except the U.S. government spends as much money as the Church in charity and social services. The Church is very proactive in such matters, and our verdict about it must reflect the truth and justice.

Along with you, I have had mixed feelings about the Marriage Matters campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I oppose the legal recognition of same-sex unions as a form of marriage. However, marriage itself has been endangered long before this. Just look at the numbers who are cohabitating and the epidemic divorce rate. It seems to me that we should have been just as aggressive on these fronts.

You target the Church on matters of segregation and slavery, and yet my experience of the Church today has been that she is on the side of racial justice. Priests and nuns marched alongside Martin Luther King. The late Cardinal O’Boyle sought to desegregate Catholic schools even before the U.S. government. Indeed, President Eisenhower called him for pointers as to how it might be done. I am not blind to the many sinners in the Church; but please do not close your eyes to all the good.

You might be upset about the Church’s stand on an issue important to you, but the Lord loves you and so does the Church. I became a priest to preach the truth, both the hard and the easy; I was also called to spread Christ’s love and mercy. That is the ultimate mission of the Church. Mike, I will keep you in prayer.

God bless you!