Ask a Priest

5,442 Responses

Jin, on April 24, 2015 at 10:26 pm said:

Thank you for your help, Fr. Joe.
Would it be better if I say “It is in God’s knowledge that we will be behaving in certain ways in time so that God’s promise can be fulfilled. God’a promise always comes true word by word”

Thank you very much once again Father, thank you for your patience and understandings
Jin, on April 24, 2015 at 1:45 pm said:

Hi Fr. Joseph,

Sorry to keep bother you, but I really need a help with my paper. I just want to make it double sure that what I wrote is in line with the teachings of the Church. Is the paragraph below agree with what we believe as Catholics?:

“(When it comes to God’s promise)….It is foreseen by God that we will be behaving in certain ways so that God’s promise can be fulfilled in the most absolute terms. The order of divine providence is unchangeable and certain, all things happen as they are foreseen by God, whether from necessity or from contingency”

Thanks again Father,

FATHER JOE: You are citing St. Thomas Aquinas and the SUMMA: “The order of divine providence is unchangeable and certain, so far as all things foreseen happen as they have been foreseen, whether from necessity or from contingency” (Reply to Second Objection: Whether providence imposes any necessity on things foreseen?). He would be the great Catholic authority.
john, on April 24, 2015 at 3:43 am said:

Praise be to the Lord of heaven and earth, our savior the lord Jesus Christ. I witnessed a minor miracle tonight. I got a speck of something in my eye. After rinsing and probing, I could not find it, and it wasn’t removed. Of course, I prayed about it somewhere in this time. Shortly on later, during a task, I felt a “funny pain” in the area of distress. The great pain and distress was now gone! Could it be the speck was divinely removed? I believe so. Thank you for your blog Father Joe!
Jin, on April 23, 2015 at 10:33 pm said:

Hi Father Joseph,
Do we, the Catholics, believe that God, by his infallible prescience on this universe, has appointed and ordered all events in time from the very beginning, even those events that directly proceed from, or at least influenced by, human free will? If the Catholic Church does believe this, is this the reason why God’s promise is always fulfilled?

FATHER JOE:

Divine prescience is often categorized under predestination. Catholicism admits that from our perspective as creatures in time it often appears that God knows or can foretell the future. However, as I said before, the term is not wholly accurate because God lives outside of time. There is no potency as such in God. He is the “unmoved Mover.” All actualities are realized. God sees or knows everything in the eternal now. Further, while God gives us freedom to act, either loving or rejecting him and his laws, nothing will subvert his overall will. Divine providence cannot be circumvented. Adding to the profound mystery, God is all good and never “directly” intends evil. That is why we view all evil, moral and natural, as a result of original sin and the fall. We often confirm the primordial sin with our own mortal and venial sins. Sin and evil is on the human side of the equation. This freedom that God permits us is an expression of his “passive” will.

God saves whom he wills and he is the source of grace. Salvation is purely a gift. While we can speak of a predestination to glory (St. Augustine); Catholicism does not buy into the view of Calvinism that God directly foreordains the damnation of certain souls, along with accompanying signs of his disfavor in this world like poverty, pain, sickness, etc. Catholics believe there is a universal call to salvation but not that everyone will be saved. God is aware that some will resist his grace. God does not elect to foresake them. However, he will not destroy human free will. Calvinism is a form of determinism that asserts that salvation is through an absolute election while damnation comes through God abandoning a soul. This view is considered heretical.
Tina Riley, on April 23, 2015 at 9:06 pm said:

Father, thank you for so clearly explaining where I stand in connection with my question (posted 23 April). All my confusion and sadness in this regard has gone. Thanks again.
Joe, on April 23, 2015 at 7:15 pm said:

Good afternoon Father! I sent you an email as well, but I’m not sure if it went through so I will post my question here too.

I have a moral dilemma. My parents received an offer yesterday from an unmarried couple to purchase our house located in southwest Ohio. Fearing a lawsuit from the couple due to fair housing laws, my parents gave them a counter offer, and it appears the couple intends to accept our offer. I don’t know if the couple is Catholic or not, but they don’t intend to marry until after they move into the house & the couple didn’t really consider purchasing a home before this past Saturday. Currently, the girlfriend rents an apartment, and the boyfriend lives separately in a house, but they intend to live together if they purchase my parents’ home. Would it be sinful to proceed with the sale based on their intentions? Thank you for your advice!

God bless,

Joe

FATHER JOE:

What the couple does after the house is bought is a matter out of your hands. It would be more problematic in a leasing situation because that implies a continuing relationship. There is also the problem of what you know and how you know it. Can you distinguish between friends (like two men or two women) who share a house and same-sex couples involved in a sinful lifestyle? Can you always know if a heterosexual couple is truly married? For all you know the marriage might not be recognized by the Church or the relationship might be adulterous. In theory I think it is admirable to rent or sell only to those who share our moral values. But it would be wrong and impossible to interrogate everyone who makes an offer. Added to this is the growing religious restraint. Discrimination of any sort might be regarded as criminal or illegal.
Tina Riley, on April 23, 2015 at 7:09 pm said:

Good day Father Joe,

I’m a cradle Catholic but have been lapsed for some years.

I have been married twice, both times were not in a church and neither husband was Catholic. I was married in a registry office; not sure if that’s what you call them in the US, but that’s the term used here in the UK). My first marriage produced all three of my children; my second none. I have been separated from my second husband for over 2 years.

I’ve tried to return to Church but the priest tells me that unless I have my first marriage annulled I can’t take Holy Communion. Would the annulment mean that my children were born out of wedlock? I feel an annulment of my first marriage would change the status of my children and I feel as if I would be denying them somehow.

Can I be a practicing Catholic if I don’t take Holy Communion at all?

Thank you.

FATHER JOE:

It may be that the priest misunderstood you. Was he young? I would recommend talking with another priest. What you report is not reflective of Catholic discipline.

Here is where things stand. Lapsed or not, as a baptized Catholic you can only be married before a priest or deacon with at least two witnesses. The marriages before a judge or clerk may have been legal but they are NOT recognized as either valid or licit by the Church. You do NOT need a formal annulment. What you require is a declaration of nullity because of lack of canonical form for both attempted unions. There is a simple form that must be filled out for each with a copy of your baptismal certificate and copies of the marriage licenses and divorce decrees. The last one I submitted to the Tribunal here in the States came back within three weeks. That would free you to date or possibly get married in the future within the Church.

As for receiving Holy Communion and returning to the practice of the faith, as long as you avoid cohabitation with a romantic partner, you only need to go to Confession and receive absolution. You do not need even a declaration of nullity to return to the sacraments.

The status of your children is a matter here of the state. Nothing changes about them one way or the other as far as the Church is concerned.

Hope all this helps!
Tonya Atwell, on April 23, 2015 at 4:25 pm said:

I would like to know if the Catholic church changed the 4th commandment Saturday(Sabbath) to Sunday?thanks

FATHER JOE:

Pope John Paul II wrote about this in 1998 with his apostolic letter, DIES DOMINI.

There is a definite movement in gravity toward the Lord’s Day because of the resurrection and our re-creation in Christ. This transition was made by the apostolic and Catholic Church.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini.html

He writes (excerpts):

18. Because the Third Commandment depends upon the remembrance of God’s saving works and because Christians saw the definitive time inaugurated by Christ as a new beginning, they made the first day after the Sabbath a festive day, for that was the day on which the Lord rose from the dead. The Paschal Mystery of Christ is the full revelation of the mystery of the world’s origin, the climax of the history of salvation and the anticipation of the eschatological fulfilment of the world. What God accomplished in Creation and wrought for his People in the Exodus has found its fullest expression in Christ’s Death and Resurrection, though its definitive fulfilment will not come until the Parousia, when Christ returns in glory. In him, the “spiritual” meaning of the Sabbath is fully realized, as Saint Gregory the Great declares: “For us, the true Sabbath is the person of our Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ”.(14) This is why the joy with which God, on humanity’s first Sabbath, contemplates all that was created from nothing, is now expressed in the joy with which Christ, on Easter Sunday, appeared to his disciples, bringing the gift of peace and the gift of the Spirit (cf. Jn 20:19-23). It was in the Paschal Mystery that humanity, and with it the whole creation, “groaning in birth-pangs until now” (Rom 8:22), came to know its new “exodus” into the freedom of God’s children who can cry out with Christ, “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). In the light of this mystery, the meaning of the Old Testament precept concerning the Lord’s Day is recovered, perfected and fully revealed in the glory which shines on the face of the Risen Christ (cf. 2 Cor 4:6). We move from the “Sabbath” to the “first day after the Sabbath”, from the seventh day to the first day: the dies Domini becomes the dies Christi!

21. It was for this reason that, from Apostolic times, “the first day after the Sabbath”, the first day of the week, began to shape the rhythm of life for Christ’s disciples (cf. 1 Cor 16:2). “The first day after the Sabbath” was also the day upon which the faithful of Troas were gathered “for the breaking of bread”, when Paul bade them farewell and miraculously restored the young Eutychus to life (cf. Acts 20:7-12). The Book of Revelation gives evidence of the practice of calling the first day of the week “the Lord’s Day” (1:10). This would now be a characteristic distinguishing Christians from the world around them. As early as the beginning of the second century, it was noted by Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, in his report on the Christian practice “of gathering together on a set day before sunrise and singing among themselves a hymn to Christ as to a god”.(19) And when Christians spoke of the “Lord’s Day”, they did so giving to this term the full sense of the Easter proclamation: “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:11; cf. Acts 2:36; 1 Cor 12:3). Thus Christ was given the same title which the Septuagint used to translate what in the revelation of the Old Testament was the unutterable name of God: YHWH.

23. It was this newness which the catechesis of the first centuries stressed as it sought to show the prominence of Sunday relative to the Jewish Sabbath. It was on the Sabbath that the Jewish people had to gather in the synagogue and to rest in the way prescribed by the Law. The Apostles, and in particular Saint Paul, continued initially to attend the synagogue so that there they might proclaim Jesus Christ, commenting upon “the words of the prophets which are read every Sabbath” (Acts 13:27). Some communities observed the Sabbath while also celebrating Sunday. Soon, however, the two days began to be distinguished ever more clearly, in reaction chiefly to the insistence of those Christians whose origins in Judaism made them inclined to maintain the obligation of the old Law. Saint Ignatius of Antioch writes: “If those who were living in the former state of things have come to a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath but keeping the Lord’s Day, the day on which our life has appeared through him and his death …, that mystery from which we have received our faith and in which we persevere in order to be judged disciples of Christ, our only Master, how could we then live without him, given that the prophets too, as his disciples in the Spirit, awaited him as master?”.(21) Saint Augustine notes in turn: “Therefore the Lord too has placed his seal on his day, which is the third after the Passion. In the weekly cycle, however, it is the eighth day after the seventh, that is after the Sabbath, and the first day of the week”.(22) The distinction of Sunday from the Jewish Sabbath grew ever stronger in the mind of the Church, even though there have been times in history when, because the obligation of Sunday rest was so emphasized, the Lord’s Day tended to become more like the Sabbath. Moreover, there have always been groups within Christianity which observe both the Sabbath and Sunday as “two brother days”.(23)
kawanehtesham, on April 23, 2015 at 10:23 am said:

Hi,

I would like to ask a question please:

Is the Holy Spirit— one aspect of the three aspects of the Trinity— the same as the “Spirit of God” which was hovering upon the waters in the beginning?

Thank you.

FATHER JOE:

FIRST, remember that the Blessed Trinity is both the most important revelation of Christianity and a profound mystery.

SECOND, the Persons of the Trinity are not “aspects” of the deity. The classical definition delineates genuine Christianity from the cults. We believe in THREE DIVINE PERSONS in ONE GOD (DIVINE NATURE).

While we might make distinctions about creation, redemption and sanctification— these activities are also proper to God as God. It is God that creates us, saves us and makes us holy. It is certainly appropriate to see the Holy Spirit in the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters of creation. But the main truth remains, that it is the one God that called us into being and invites us into the divine life.
Lisa, on April 23, 2015 at 5:28 am said:

Morning, I am worried about my local priest. He has of late listen to a horrific confession. Of which through other sources i also know the details. Who does the priest turn to for help coping if he is not?

FATHER JOE: It is none of your business! Further, these other sources and you have evidently violated the seal of Confession. That is a mortal sin. A priest cannot reveal by word, action or intimation anything he hears in Confession. Violation of the seal would mean his damnation and lead to excommunication from the Church. Anyone who overhears a Confession is also under the seal. Violation of this secrecy is the real problem here— far worse than anything the priest was told.
Diana Strauss, on April 22, 2015 at 2:48 pm said:

In regard to whomever asked about the Jews and salvation:

What an excellent and fair minded answer you gave!

By the way, your Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, said, in an interview on the program “World Over” at the time he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, that the Jewish People have an unbroken and eternal covenant with G-d and that He reserves for himself the salvation of the Jews to be done in His own way, and that is no contradiction to Catholic belief.

In Pope Benedict’s (Cardinal Ratzinger’s) words – in a book(?) or document he wrote in 2000:
“G-d did not revoke his covenant with the people of Israel…. The Scripture is absolutely clear, the fidelity of G-d. He is faithful to his promises and so the people of Avraham are always G-d’s people and all of the Jewish People will be saved. G-d has reserved for Himself the salvation of the Jewish People; he will do it personally, so we will leave it to Him personally. How He will do it will be in G-d’s hands.”
Jean, on April 22, 2015 at 7:24 am said:

Is it a sin if the husband wears the wife’s lingerie while they are engaged in the marital act? He is not gay nor a transvestite.

FATHER JOE:

It is probably sinful for a number of serious reasons, although the gravity might be mitigated in some cases due to gender dysphoria or other mental illness. Why is it wrong? The late Pope John Paul II taught us that lust, even in marriage, is a sin. Playing such games is more an element of lust then the lawful passion between spouses. Further, the Scriptures and an understanding of natural law would direct us to remain within the restraints of gender and to do nothing that compromises our identity as either men or women. While dress is culturally conditioned, we should always live in harmony with our biological identity— masculinity for men and femininity for women. The effeminate male is always looked upon as somehow compromised or even tainted by homosexuality (even if such is not actually the case).

“A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, your God” (Deuteronomy 22:5).
dorthea, on April 22, 2015 at 6:55 am said:

Hello Father Joe.

I’m a 16-year-old girl from Denmark. I have a question.

I’m writing an essay about abortions, because I think it is wrong to kill a child. The other girls in my class and my teacher think I’m weird. They are not Catholic like me. I would really like to know, what is your opinion of abortion?

Thank you.

FATHER JOE: The unborn child is a human person. Wait nine months and you will have to give him or her a name. This is a truth, regardless of religion. Abortion kills or murders a child. Abortion is a symptom of selfishness. People who speak about CHOICE are quick to usurp the freedom and rights of the unborn child. They would deny the child the RIGHT TO LIFE that comes from membership in the human family. I know a beautiful child who was the result of a rape. Could the pro-abortion proponents look into his eyes and tell him that he should he have been killed? I know a beautiful woman, who survived a botched abortion and was born alive. Should we kill her now because the abortion failed? God is the author of life. We have no authority to take innocent human life. Abortion is evil and a mortal sin.
Cassidy, on April 21, 2015 at 6:55 pm said:

Hello Father,

We are students at a Catholic high school in Canada and we are doing a presentation on homosexuality, same sex marriage, and same sex couples adopting children. We have a few questions that we would like to get a priest’s perspective on.

Thank you, we hope to hear from you soon.
Cassidy and Shannon

FATHER JOE:

First, what is the Church’s overall view on homosexuality?

It is viewed as disorientation. We love our homosexual and lesbian brothers and sisters; however, we view their sexual activity as immoral and sinful. This is reflective of the biblical prohibitions and our understanding of natural law (the complementarity of the male and female bodies).

Second, what is the Church’s view of same-sex marriage?

The Church opposes it as a legal fiction. True marriage can only be contracted between men and women. Those with unalterable same-sex attractions are called to lifelong celibacy. The marital act between married men and women promotes fidelity but is open to the generation of new human life. Neither masturbation nor anal intercourse further these ends.

Third, during Holy Communion, is a homosexual male or female allowed to receive the body of Christ?

If they are trying to live celibate and chaste lives then they can regularly receive the sacraments. If they are in a state of serious sin, then they would be asked to abstain.

Fourth, what is the Church’s view on same sex couples adopting children?

The Church would prefer that children be raised in traditional families. Catholic adoption services were shut down in Boston and Washington when the government insisted that services be rendered to same-sex couples.

Fifth, in some countries, homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty, what is the Church’s standpoint on this and do they believe a person should be condemned for being homosexual?

Are we speaking about Islamic societies? The Catholic Church would not condone capital punishment. Indeed, today she opposes it across the board. While sodomy was criminalized in the U.S. when I was young, I hear no voices in the Church today who would demand civil punishments for homosexuality.

While not compromising Christian truths, we would urge a level of toleration and respect. However, the Church and people of faith should not be forced to give approval for sinful acts. Further, while we would oppose bullying, religious liberty would be violated if teaching or preaching against sex outside of heterosexual marriage should be deemed hate-speech and/or censored by fines or imprisonment.
Ashley, on April 21, 2015 at 12:44 am said:

Hello Father,
I am writing with a bit of a problem and I need to know what can be done if anything. My fiance is not baptized. He and I have planned to marry in a church. He has also been married in the past. He got an annulment through the courts, but we found out today that he may not have had one in the eyes of the church. He is starting this process today, but it has been ten years since he has been married. We have our date set for seven months from now. My question is, is there any way to speed up the process of his annulment? Or, if he was never baptized, was his marriage in the eyes of the church even valid to begin with? Is there any other way to prove that his marriage was invalid ten years ago? We have our heart sets on getting married in the church my grandparents got married, and I am hoping we can get this all sorted out. But in such a short time, I’m worried. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

FATHER JOE: A civil annulment has no more standing in the Church than a civil divorce. Was his first wife unbaptized or a Christian? If the first spouse were Catholic, a simple declaration of nullity would be required. Anything else and the marriage would require a formal case annulment. That could take a year or more. Churches are forbidden to schedule weddings until the parties are free to marry in the Catholic Church.
Fabian, on April 21, 2015 at 12:41 am said:

Good evening! It’s almost 7PM here in San Antonio, Texas. When I was twelve I read the King Jame’s Version of the Bible For the first and last time. For some reasons, I believe this was the best time to read it. For other reasons, I believe this was the worst time to read it. By “read it,” I mean from Genesis to Revelations in its entirety and in the sequence in which it was written. Several questions have risen since. No priest has been able to answer my questions in a manner that I felt satisfied. One archbishop completely avoided my question. Because of this experience, I have strayed from the divine path. Particularly one question flooded my emotions: Why does the Bible instruct to stone unruly children to death? Why? Did we misinterpret stone, choose to misinterpret stone, or did we choose to add this to the Bible? I know with all of my logical sense that there has to be God. There has to be a creator. Everything does not result from nothing. What I want to know is why do we blindly follow the church? They are wrong on so many levels. Why will the church not change its story? When the church changes its story, it’s over aliens and UFOs. I believe aliens exist. I do not believe aliens have ever visited us. A civilization so evolved would leave inferior civilizations alone. Their physical and metaphysical evolvement would deem us unnecessary. Don’t bother. What we are calling aliens must therefore be extra-dimensional beings. I call this the great deception. Demons aren’t the only extra-dimensional beings, but if we are to trust the Bible’s message then we must trust that the presence of what we call aliens must actually be occult. Sorry for the longevity of my comment. I’m very confused, but it’s only because I have to sort through the lines of truth and deception which seem to run parallel.

FATHER JOE:

FYI, the King James Bible is a Protestant, not a Catholic Bible. The translation is a bit archaic and it is missing seven books in the Old Testament.

You can blame neither the archbishop nor a priest for failing to walk with the Lord. The fault is yours.

First, the Bible is both the inspired Word of God and is authored by men. The human author neither takes down direct dictation nor is used like a pencil. God tolerates and uses the worldview and understanding of his human instruments. Second, the truths of Scripture must be understood in a contextual manner, not as in an isolated proof text. Third, the seeds of revelation planted in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture grow in an organic way in the teachings of the Catholic Magisterium. God is not pleased with the killing of innocent children; however, in the hardness of human hearts, such is how some might interpret the justice of God. What we should acknowledge is the severity of sin and how all life belongs to God.

We do not blindly follow the Church. Ours is a faith seeking understanding. The true blindness is if we cast aside the teachers in the Church instituted by Christ and safeguarded by the Holy Spirit.

There is no official Church teaching about aliens and UFO’s— except in terms of the hypothetical and maybe angels. Angels have visited us and you might regard them as aliens. Angels are pure spirits and have never been born. They are not human. There are both good and bad angels (demons).

If you mean material “intelligent” aliens from outer space, I am unsure as to whether they exist or not. Statistical probability is not evidence. Except for lower animals and bacteria, we might be alone. Certain string theories posit other dimensions, but this is also uncertain and might only be a gimmick of forced math. How any of this connects to the Bible or to what the Church teaches is beyond me. I regard talk of UFOs and aliens to be rather silly, more in keeping with science fiction and fantasy than either real science or true religion.
Ronya, on April 20, 2015 at 8:05 pm said:

Hey Father whats good, I was just wondering if someone were to go to hell if they smoked the bible…….. I’m asking for a friend!! not me!!!

FATHER JOE: Have no idea what you mean by saying “smoked the bible.”
Steve w, on April 19, 2015 at 1:59 pm said:

Why do they say keep the Sabbath holy, because Saturday is the Sabbath but they go to church on sunday????

FATHER JOE: See my response to Tonya.
Vicki, on April 19, 2015 at 1:32 pm said:

Good morning!
My husband and I are thinking about coming back to the Catholic church. We have been attending an Assemblies of God church for about 10 years, and just feel it’s not a good fit for our family anymore. The local Catholic parish seems to be alive and thriving, and we both have thought about going back, but are intimidated at the thought of the process involved in doing so.

I have been reading up on the process, and from what I understand, we must go to confession and basically confess that we sinned by going to another church for all these years. I feel like this would be a lie because I don’t feel that going to the Assemblies of God church was a mistake at any time. I’m not comfortable with lying to a priest to get back into the Catholic church. Does this mean we can’t come back?

FATHER JOE: Are you ready to return? There is a precept of the Church that mandates for Catholics to participate at Mass on Sundays and holy days. Other denominations would not satisfy this law. There are no doubt many in the Assemblies of God who are good people in love with Jesus. But as a Catholic, you left something far more important. The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary re-presented in an unbloody manner. Holy Communion is the real presence of Jesus given as our food. You have deprived yourself of the Eucharist for a long time… that is where your sin resides and that is what should be confessed. Come home.
Dominique, on April 18, 2015 at 5:26 pm said:

Good morning Father Joe,

Is every one of God’s promises to humanity absolute in the strictest sense?

For example, let’s assume that God made a promise to me, saying “I will never let Bob find out where you live”(God never made this kind of promise to me, it’s just an assumption). Now, by my free will, I can choose to tell Bob where exactly I live. Is it correct to say that, however, such attempt to contact Bob will be doomed to failure no matter how hard I try because God said he will never let Bob find out where I live? I think it’s correct because to me, when God makes a promise, he sees all events that is going to take place in future beforehand and after taking all the future event into account, he will only make a promise that can hold 100% truthfully in future. Since Catholic Church teaches that God is of absolute veracity, I don’t see any problem with my reasoning. Is my reasoning correct?

Thank you Father.

FATHER JOE: Sorry, but I am afraid that there are several elements with which I would have to take exception. First, God does not make capricious promises. Second, there is such a thing as the principle of non-contradiction. God can do all things except those things that conflict with his nature and reason. A silly example is this one: if God is almighty— can he make a rock too heavy for him to pick up? If he can make such a rock, then there is still something he cannot do—lift it! The supposition is nonsensical and has no real meaning. Third, God does not foresee or anticipate the future. God lives outside of time. He sees it all as “present” or “now.” Divine providence is a mystery because we only see a small part of the picture and even that is not viewed clearly. It respects human freedom and volition but God’s will cannot “ultimately” be circumvented.
Tucker, on April 17, 2015 at 2:40 pm said:

Hi Father,

I grew up Catholic. I attended Catholic school. Recently we got new neighbors who are Jewish. They have a son my age and we became friends. He asked me a question and stumped me. When I asked my teacher sister Margaret, I was suspended for a week.

As we know we can go to confession and be forgiven. And if we don’t we end up in hell.

Nazi Adolf Eichmann had a chance to confess to a priest before he was executed. Are we to believe that he ended up in heaven and the millions of Jews who did not are now in hell?

It can’t be true. And if this is not true, then maybe….

FATHER JOE:

First, salvation is a gift and no one deserves it. Second, God gives his grace to whomever he wills, even outside the Church and sacraments. Third, we do not know who is saved and who is not. Fourth, Confession is a wonderful way that Christ forgives us in the Church, but it is not the only way. Fifth, sometimes the worst enemies of the Catholic Church are Catholics themselves.

As for Adolf Eichmann, if he went to Confession with a priest before his death, then he may have received the mercy of Christ. However, please know that the priest’s absolution and the efficacy of the sacrament also depend upon the disposition of the penitent. We must come with contrite hearts (genuine sorrow for sin) and a firm purpose of amendment. Given the seal of Confession, we will never know what was said between them. However, our Lord asked us to imitate God’s mercy in loving our enemies and forgiving those who hurt us. Some might view such an attitude as scandal, but it is still the glory of Christ’s work on the Cross.

Even the worse of sinners can know forgiveness in Christ— this is true even if men refuse to forgive.
Jennie, on April 17, 2015 at 12:57 am said:

Hello, I am Catholic and my husband is a non-practicing Baptist. We were married in a civil ceremony in January of this year. I would like to have our marriage blessed in the church as my faith is important to me. However there are a few complications as my husband had a divorce prior to meeting me. From what I understand he would need to have an annulment of his prior non-Catholic marriage in order to marry in the church is this correct? Secondly my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told he has a life expectancy of 6 months hence our sudden civil ceremony. I worry that this is not enough time to obtain an annulment. Also if he passes and my marriage is never blessed by the church am I barred from attending communion forever?

FATHER JOE:

Let me first speak to the academics here. If your husband were married to another Protestant then YES, he would ordinarily need an annulment before your current marriage could be convalidated in the Catholic Church. This can take as much as a year and there must be grounds. If the first marriage were to a Catholic in a ceremony outside the Church then he would only need a simple declaration of nullity because of lack of canonical form. This takes as little as a month.

Now let me address the practical. I am so sorry that your civil law spouse is ill. Six months is not much time for a formal case and given the cancer it might be difficult and upsetting to pursue. He would have to fill out a deposition and write an essay about the prior bond, narrating the engagement, marriage, problems and the demise of their relationship. Baptismal forms or letters are collected, as are copies of the marriage license and divorce decree. Suitable grounds would have to be found because true sacramental marriages cannot be dissolved. We look for things like immaturity, addiction, deceit, mental disease, etc. It might be a lot— too much to put a dying person through.

In short, answering your immediate question, if he dies then all you have to do is go to Confession and resume fully practicing your faith and taking Holy Communion. In the meantime, you should still go to Mass. If it should happen that marital intimacy becomes impossible, you might also seek reconciliation earlier. Indeed, at that point, given that he is not practicing, you may want to suggest that he speak with a priest. He could be received into the Church on his deathbed and given the sacraments. Talk to your local parish priest anyway, as there may be other pastoral helps for the two of you during this trying time.

Many prayers!
Kevin, on April 16, 2015 at 8:34 pm said:

I am Catholic but I am also politically libertarian. Having said that I believe marriage is a sacrament, however I do not believe government (local, state, federal) should be involved in marriage at all! Most arguments for same sex marriage have nothing to do with the sacrament and have to do with the legality and contractual aspects of marriage. Am I in error in my stance to get government out of marriage?

FATHER JOE: There are a number of good Catholics who feel as you do. They argue that since the civil and Church definitions of marriage have diverged, that we compromise ourselves by any association with it. They suggest that priests should not be able to legally witness marriages contracted by the state, which is the current situation in the U.S. (but not in all countries). The pertinent issues here are matters like homosexual unions and easy divorce. My concern is that any retreat to a religious ghetto gives the current government administration precisely what it wants. They want the Catholic Church out of the public forum, at least when it opposes a liberal or secular agenda. Marriage is viewed as a basic building block of a civilized society. Rather than retreating, I would suggest becoming more aggressive in defending traditional marriage. But that is my opinion. The Church teaches that marriage is a natural union and contract as well as a religious covenant between spouses and God. Married couples need to have their unions acknowledged by government and the larger society so that the rights and privileges of their bond can be properly protected and nurtured. This is important for the couple and any possible children. Peace!
Anita, on April 16, 2015 at 12:30 am said:

I can’t find Supporting Proof from the Scripture or the Magisterium for female circumcision, please direct me to passage from the following.

FATHER JOE: Female circumcision is MUTILATION of the human person. Unlike male circumcision, it destroys or inhibits the faculty to enjoy the marital act. It is a sin and is condemned by the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has said: “The many forms of slavery, the commercialization, and mutilation of the bodies of women, call out to us to be committed to defeat these types of degradation that reduce them to mere objects that are bought and sold.”
chinonye, on April 15, 2015 at 5:54 pm said:

Hello Father
I started reading about the lives of saints, most especially those that received revelations from Jesus, and I must confess there has been this stirring in my heart, like as if I wanted to be like them, receiving visitations from Jesus but I try to suppress those feelings. I read somewhere that its not good to desire such. I’m on the verge of abandoning those articles so that I wouldn’t commit sin. Hope I didn’t commit sin? I try suppressing those desires. Thanks