Ask a Priest

5,442 Responses

Fritz, on February 22, 2016 at 10:55 pm said:

I have two questions: First, What is the ‘new Heaven’ to come after Heaven is destroyed.Rev.21:1.
Second question: My girlfriend asked me about the fallen angels. Why they mated with earthly woman and who and what were their offspring. I told her they did so to try and corrupt the human bloodline and throw a wrench so to speak in Gods Plan. The naphillim were the offspring. Aside from being giants, did they also have godly abilities? (Don’t get me wrong! I KNOW there is only one God. I’m just not sure how to phrase the question) David killed Goliath. Was Goliath and siblings naphillim? By the way, Davy killed them too didn’t he? One stone each?

FATHER JOE:

Who are the Nephilim? The notion of hybrid creatures from the union of angels and human women was probably an element of Hebrew folklore borrowed from the pagan culture around them. Certain Church fathers speculated that the “sons of men” might have been human and the descendants of Seth who married into the line of Cain. This would reject a literalism (with angels) and merely suggest contamination with bad blood. I do not believe angels as spiritual entities, fallen or not, would have the capacity to breed with human women.

The new heaven and the new earth refer to the fullness of Christ’s eternal kingdom, the consummation of all things, and the entry of the Church (the New Jerusalem) into the heavenly glory.
Ruth, on February 22, 2016 at 6:47 am said:

This is with regard to sindy616p comment that someone came up to her and said that she would die.

Dear sindy
About a decade ago when i was a teenager, i remember this evening where i was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Church. There was another woman too. After i finished praying this woman came up to me and said You Are Gonna be a Bride soon.

You know what? Im still unmarried.

Our lives are directed by God. Every course of action is directed by God. Not by other people’s bizarre predictions.

I hope this helped. Peace 😊
Ray Jakes, on February 21, 2016 at 10:57 pm said:

Greetings, i want to be a diocesan priest but i was only able to secure admission into a congregation. In truth,i have thinked on this vocation status and the only way i feel that i am called to is to be a diocesan priest instead of congregation. I want to transfer to my diocese as a secular priesthood candidate after i must have finished my philosophy education under the congregation. I write to ask if this my intention is lawly and if it can be possible to start as a congregation priest and end as a diocesan priest

FATHER JOE: Such transitions do happen but you should speak to your spiritual director and vocations director.
David Dabrowski, on February 19, 2016 at 4:40 pm said:

Hello,

My name is David Dabrowski and I am 16 years old. I have a question regarding an app. The name of an app I would potentially use and is a stock trading app to maybe earn money is called Robinhood. (Here is a link to the app in Apple’s App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/robinhood-free-stock-trading/id938003185?mt=8 .) I think Robinhood is a fictional character who stole from the rich and have to the poor. Since Robinhood stole and is the name of the application, is it morally wrong or a sin to use it?

There is another app called Wish (similar to Amazon where there are sellers in a marketplace) that is a shopping app. I have seen what is to my knowledge inappropriate/sinful items on there. I recently bought a solar do it yourself building kit for learning and such. Also I bought a what I think is a smartwatch. Is it morally wrong and/or a sin to use the app (and also the website), shop and purchase items from Wish? (Also is “Wish” and acceptable name?)

Thank you so much.

God bless!

David

FATHER JOE:

I know nothing about the application. Robin Hood was much more than a thief. The character is viewed as a patriot. He is a supporter of the true king, Richard the Lionheart. The king’s brother (John) unjustly taxes his people, adding to their suffering and poverty. Robin Hood is pushed into so-called outlawry, not to make himself rich, but to protect the poor and to restore justice. (At least that is one variation of the legend or folklore.)

As for WISH, I really do not understand what you are talking about. Is it a game?
Katherine, on February 19, 2016 at 5:40 am said:

Father Joe,

For quite some time, I experience crying while I pray. For any prayer, whether it be giving thanks for my life, or even when I see beautiful things that make me appreciate being alive. Is there a reason for this? I cannot seem to find an answer to this. Thank you very much.

Katherine

FATHER JOE: There is no necessary connection between prayer and tears. Are you thinking about something sad? I would suggest examining what in your life brings you to crying. Peace!
Roy, on February 19, 2016 at 12:00 am said:

Dear Father .Joe, I forgive the pope for implying a man can be a wall builder and not also a bridge builder. I forgive Trump for not reading into the pope’s nuanced words more carefully . I forgive the media for calling this a war of words. Can we just write off apparent compassion demonstrated(with a spoken sound bite)?

FATHER JOE:

Trump says a number of things that are troubling, especially his tendency to degrade persons with insults. As for the Pope, what did he say?

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

Asked if American Catholics should vote for someone with Trump’s views, Francis said, “I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.”
sindy616p, on February 18, 2016 at 1:50 am said:

Hi, Father,

today I was on the bus and this elderly woman sat infront of me she tooked a simple book (I couldn’t see what it was about) and read it.when I got out of the bus she did as well..and then she come up to me and said: gorgeous, you will die soon…she said it as if she wanted me to die…like you will see..you will die…what should I do now? or I don’t really need to think about it?

FATHER JOE: Put it out of mind. Don’t play into superstition.
Mindy, on February 17, 2016 at 11:04 pm said:

Hi Father,

I’m a little scared to even talk about this, as it’s so shameful and really I don’t even know how to start. When I was 17, I did one of the worst things a Catholic can do. I had an abortion. Immediately I knew that what I did was a mistake, and was filled with regret and guilt. I went to confession, and the priest had said that God had forgiven me and gave me penance. It have been 15 years since, and every day I still live with the guilt and the thought of that child. It’s hard for me to believe that I have been forgiven when I have a hard time learning to forgive myself. Recently I read that as part of the Year of Jubilee, the pope has allowed priests to forgive the sin of abortion. Does this mean they were not able to in the past? Was I not really forgiven at my first confession, and even worse am I excommunicated from the church? I did not realize at the time that what I had done had caused me to be excommunicated. I found this out later, and all this time I have still being going to church because I thought I had been forgiven and welcomed back into the church. I’m so confused, should I go to confession again this year? I don’t know if I will ever find peace in my heart for the mistake I have made, but I feel like I must continue to pray for forgiveness.

FATHER JOE: I take it you live in the US? Priests in the US, Canada and much of Europe are permitted in their faculties to remove the censure of excommunication and to absolve in Confession the sin of abortion. So YES, you were forgive 15 years ago. Further, one only incurs the censure of excommunication if you were previously aware of it. You said you were not, so you were NOT excommunicated. God has forgiven you. Now, forgive yourself and make a difference for others in your life. If you need it, there is a program called Project Rachel to help grieving women. Peace!
Carol A Selfridge, on February 17, 2016 at 10:46 pm said:

Perhaps your priest was asking if you ” acted upon” your indecent thoughts in addition to just having them creep into your mind. It’s not the way most of us might ask, but perhaps it is a possible explanation. God Bless You.
Harry, on February 15, 2016 at 10:51 am said:

Father Joe I am on the fence as to leave the Catholic Church at 65 years old I cant even believe God exists. If God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to die for us, why do we still suffer cancer, which also innocent children contract autism, and everything else as far as disease goes. Plus the church is hypocritical I saw an article on the internet that Pope bought some homeless in Rome sleeping bags, why didn’t he sell one of the Vatican paintings or relics and build them a high rise apartment building. Not to mention where does all the money that the parishes get go, many priests I know have cottages on the lake go on cruises, have new cars as the flock pours 4,000.00 dollars a week into the collection basket, yet If I needed help they would give me 2 rolls of toilet paper an expired box of cheerios, and a hearty we will pray for you. Certainly if the Holy Eucharist was truly the body and blood of Jesus people would be healed of their infirmities every day, consider the woman with a hemorrhage and stated if I just touch the hem of his garment which she did and was healed how much better consuming Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

The free will argument is ridiculous because I did not ask to be born, my father and mother made me, and if God knew everything from creation why would he create a planet full of misery suffering and daily drudgery, no matter how rich one is. Life has no meaning and no purpose, I didn’t ask to be born and have suffered immensely in my life, praying to God gets no results you might as well not even waste your time. In fact the more I read the Bible the less I believe it. The old testament presents a cruel tyrant of God that wipes out cities etc. If God is love how can this be. There are many days when I wish I was never born especially with the cruelty mayhem violence and total lack of morality and human cooperation, not to mention all the excellent people who work all their lives believing in a myth somewhere in the sky where we will be united with our loved ones. Think about it If God so Loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son than he would love us far to much to create the world we live in. Finally Jesus says from the Cross according to the New Testament “It is finished” If we are restored to an Eden like state then why do we still suffer in other words Jesus died in vain. He said I came to give you life and give it to you more abundantly but all we have here on this planet is heartache and misery. Historians admit that the Mathew Mark Luke and John were probably not the original authors of the Gospels. It seems organized religion especially in the Catholic Church is nothing more than an ecclesiastical progression of Charlatans that bilk their flocks out of millions living a high lifestyle with much sexual debauchery , and control their flocks with threats of excommunication and medieval dogma that was used to control the serfs. If I loved my children I would not let any evil befall them so it is obvious that God doesn’t love us and Jesus was not his only begotten Son, besides how does a spirit beget a Son. Totally ridiculous. Please answer, I have stopped attending Mass because I am not going to make the priest rich at my expense while the widows and orphans who contribute to the Priests high on the hog lifestyle starve and freeze.

FATHER JOE:

I am going to be straight with you. It is not my intention to hurt you but you use strong language and I need to reciprocate. My intention is to wake you up.

Faith is a gift but we must do what we can to nourish the gift through reflection and prayer. What was the measure of your faith throughout most of your life? How deep did it go? Was it genuine or did you go through the motions? Often it is not God who distances himself from us but rather, us who put up walls.

The dilemma is in the “if” found in your questioning. Jesus is the Son of God and he suffered that we might be healed— he was mocked that we might be called by name— and he died that we might live. The redemptive work of Jesus satisfies for sin and heals the breech between ourselves and the Father. However, while sin and death have been conquered, they have yet to be undone. Such awaits the final consummation. Our Lord says that we must take up our crosses and follow him. We are not promised perfect happiness in this world. But we have an eternity that awaits us. This promise of a share in the resurrection is what fueled the faith of the ancient martyrs. It is the remedy to a view of creation as cold and uncaring. Not to believe is to despair with no hope and only the prospect of becoming worm food. I have known holy men and women with Autism who witness God’s love to the rest of us. My own niece has Downs and yet she delights to sing and dance. She shows me something of God’s face. 90% of such children are aborted— a terrible crime. I have known sufferers of cancer who have joined their pain to the passion of Christ for the salvation of souls. While the problem of pain is a profound mystery; the religion that best answers the question is Christianity. We have a God who places himself in solidarity with us, even in the messiness of life.

The Catholic Church does more for the poor than any other religion. Indeed, funds spent by Catholic Charities and other relief services are only challenged by what the US gives away in aide. Of course, the Church gives to everyone without strings attached. Jesus, himself, said that we will always have the poor with us… when challenged about the expensive oil with which he had been anointed. The Vatican exhausts the papal budget every year to help others. As for the arts and treasures of the Vatican, these do not belong to the Pope. He pledges upon taking his office to safeguard the Church’s artifacts in her churches and museums on behalf all humanity. If sold to private collectors, the world would be deprived of them. Remember the old saying; men do not live by bread alone. Instead of looking at the good he does, you deliberately seek evil.

If you personally feel such an urging to make a difference, then sell your home and belongings for the poor. Or do you have an obligation to family members? Are you afraid of becoming a vagrant? The world and the Pope’s spiritual family also need the resources that inspire. The Church’s outreach cannot be reduced to a short-sighted and materialistic humanism.

Are you on the street? Have you asked for help? Diocesan priests have small salaries. They are not rich men but they do what they can. Most Protestant ministers are better off than Catholic clergy. Despite low salaries, diocesan priests must pay for their clothes, car, insurance, etc. Religious priests belong to communities and take the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. You commit calumny against many good and selfless men. The late Fr. McKenna carried $4 a day in his pocket for supper (his only meal). He started SOME (So Others Might Eat) in DC. Often a beggar would get his money and he would go to bed hungry. It is too bad that you did not know him.

And where is the biblical woman with the hemorrhage now? The physical healing pointed toward faith and forgiveness. Everyone healed by Jesus eventually got sick again and died. We are promised that if we die with Christ, we will live with him. The Christian should not fear mortality and dying. While death was not the way it was supposed to be; it is transformed by Christ as the passage from this world to the next. We are promised that all tears will be wiped away. We will have a share in our Lord’s victory where there will be no more suffering and no more death.

Your argument against free will is the same used against the existence of the devil. If God knew he would rebel and we would sin then why create us all in the first place. Within God’s mysterious providence, the element of freedom is real. There is no fate. God does not want us as robots or smart ants. Freedom is something of the divine that he would see reflected back from us. Sin brought suffering and death into the world. It still does. Crying about pain or how hard life is does nothing to improve things. Indeed, it is reflective of a moral cowardice. Is the ultimate capitulation atheism or is it suicide— throwing away what the author of life gave us? You may not have asked to be born, but only because life (even a difficult one) is a gift which you did not deserve. Your parents may have loved each other, but they are only contingent agents in your creation. They can no more exhaust the meaning of your existence than they can their own.

Okay, if your fatalism is true and you had the president’s football of missile codes, what would you do? Would you push the button and destroy the planet and all life with nuclear fire? If consistent, this is what you are saying. Such despair leads to a sickness of the mind and soul.

Your problems with the Bible are two-fold: (1) You do not understand what you are reading; and (2) you are failing to appreciate that reading Scripture is also an encounter between persons. We must be disposed to meet the Lord and to allow that meeting to change us. There is harshness in Scripture because it details salvation history, with all the mountains and valleys. There is also a tenderness that you have somehow missed. We see again and again a God who calls us to know healing and forgiveness.

And are you so enlightened that we are to accept your dark judgment? Do you think people of faith are all ignorant fools? You shortchange the question of pain and the issue of the last things. You are evidently not even honest in this comment. You start off saying that you are “on the fence” about abandoning the Church; and yet here you classify religious belief as “a myth somewhere in the sky.” Your assessment is both simplistic and pathetic. I do not fault atheists who soberly and intelligently address the issues of existence and ultimate meaning, particularly when they preserve civility in their deliberations. But yours is a response more of the emotions than of reason. Are you really an atheist? You are awfully angry at a God that you suppose does not exist. Further, the notion that our deity is simply “the man upstairs” falls short of the reality promoted by the Church. While God cannot be identified with his material creation, Catholicism does posit that God is in everything, keeping creation in existence from moment to moment. More than this, he would have us share the life merited by his Son so that we might both conquer the grave and live with him forever. You offer no alternative other than returning to dust on a planet that will one day be consumed by a dying sun.

Such a world as we know provides the opportunity for supreme witness. It may be that the struggle is what makes saints out of certain sinners. Neither you nor I can imagine what the mind of an infinite and omnipotent deity might be like. It is not for us to judge him. I cannot say if this is the best of all possible worlds; all we can do is to cooperate with divine grace so that we might be the best disciples we can be. Remember the mystery of the Trinity. We have a God that shares in our lot. We are not abandoned. There is an intimacy and immediacy with the Judeo-Christian God that other religious visions cannot match. We see beauty and order around us. If there were no God, and an infinite regression is nonsensical, then there would be no universe and no YOU to reject anything!

You misunderstand Christ’s assertion, “It is finished.” Our Lord establishes a Church and the sacraments. At the final consummation both faith and sacraments will pass away. Faith is belief in that which is unseen. Sacraments convey the saving presence and activity of Christ behind sacred signs. At life’s end or the second coming, we will see God face to face. All will be made manifest. We will fully experience the heavenly nuptial banquet. Already members of his kingdom, God will invite us into his house. We will be drawn into the Trinity, the very inner life of God. Right now we scratch the surface about God and eternal truths. But revelation is real because we have been called into relationship with God. You can only love one that you know. As best as we are able, we should know and love God. The redemptive work of Christ was indeed finished on the Cross. But his saving work had yet to be realized in us. That is the work unfinished. Generations would be born to struggle and to grow in holiness. That is where we find us.

We are not restored to an Eden state. Original sin can be forgiven but we still suffer from concupiscence and fall into personal sins. As I said before, sin and death are conquered but not undone. Further, heaven will not be an Eden state either. We are not merely talking about natural happiness. That would be more like the theory of a limbo for the innocents. Heaven is also a profound spiritual state. We were made for God and the beatific vision. There is a profound unity with the divine. God is a joy. Heaven is to be with God.

As for the given authorship of the Gospels, they were certainly representative of those apostolic communities to which they were ascribed. Indeed, they represent the various emerging traditions of Christian faith. The New Testament is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is the gift of the Church. Oral traditions were put to writing to be preserved and shared. Nothing about truthfulness and meaning is compromised. Mark (prior to 70 AD) and then Matthew (close in time but probably composed shortly after the destruction of the Jewish Temple) are the oldest Gospels. Luke was probably written by a Syrian physician from Antioch around 80 to 90 AD. John (between 90 and 100 AD) was probably edited by one of the given apostle’s disciples.

As I read your comment about “sexual debauchery” and “control” and greed, it becomes clearer and clearer that you are an imposter and liar. It may be that you deceive yourself. Let us be frank— you have already left the Catholic Church. Everything about your comment is geared to incite a negative response. Maybe you think no response is possible? Maybe you suppose a deletion would confirm your deep-seated bigotries? The story of the Catholic Church is the legacy of the saints. Despite the weakness of men, God has preserved the Church. Going back to the beginning, when Peter denied Jesus, our Lord has sustained his Church and called his shepherds and flock back to fidelity. You close your eyes to all the good that the Church has accomplished. Catholicism rejects the so-called prosperity gospel and the Catholic priest is frequently the poorest minister in town. Indeed, he even embraces celibacy so that he can be poor where most men are rich. He stands as a sentinel guarding his people and awaiting the coming of the Lord. But you are blind to all this. All you can do is condemn and blame. I am so sorry for you.

You are the one who is ridiculous. You write, “If I loved my children,” well, do you have any children? No? Would you contracept so that they might never be born? After all, you curse your own birth and existence! You are certainly not worthy to judge either God or his Church. We proclaim a Gospel of Life. Yours is a testimony of despair and death.

You equate God as “spirit” to mean impotent and intangible or unreal. Certainly this is not the perspective of the Church. If you no longer believe in either the incarnation or a deity then you should no longer take Holy Communion. No one compels you to place money in the Church offertory. There is no charge for the sacraments. How can you give what you do not have? The offertory (money and Eucharistic gifts) signify our own self-donation and surrender. We ask that just as bread and wine might become the body and blood of Christ— that we too might be ever more transformed into the likeness of Christ.

I tire of your calumny against good priests who have given up ever so much, that men and women might have their sins forgiven. They shed tears for their own weaknesses and for the hardness of hearts from men like you.

I will remember you in prayer.
Karen smith, on February 14, 2016 at 7:18 pm said:

I annuled my marriage thru the church. I have been married to my current husband for fourty years. We did not get married in the church. Can I receive communion?

FATHER JOE: You need to have your current marriage con-validated in the Catholic Church. Then you would be free to take Holy Communion. Contact your parish priest.
conran adams, on February 14, 2016 at 2:19 am said:

in the sacrament of reconciliation,what does a priest mean when he asks did you chase that indecent thought

FATHER JOE: I am not sure what you mean. We may not be culpable for fleeting bad thoughts. However, a deliberate preoccupation with certain bad thoughts and taking secret delight in them would constitute sin. Did he mean this?
michael ROACH, on February 13, 2016 at 5:14 am said:

what is the Church’s teaching re mutual masturbation between husband & wife occasioned by inability to achieve engagement between M&F genitalia because of physical disability (widespread arthritis in an 86yo male & ED)?

FATHER JOE: Various forms of touch might permitted if they lead to the marital act or help to complete it. However, masturbation is otherwise forbidden.
voidval04, on February 11, 2016 at 1:50 am said:

Hi father. I recently moved out because i can no longer live with my emotionally amd verbally abusive mother. I let her know where i live because i felt if i didnt that god would punish me but she came and started making trouble and i have roommates. I want to ignore her calls and not talk to her but i feel god will punish me. I also decided to continue school and use money from a loan she took for me to pay for my rent. She always relied on that money to pay her bills but she thinks i graduated college already. I didnt tell her because i needed the money to finally leave. I just feel like whatever decision i make god will always punish me. I want to be free of my mother but i dont want god to punish me more than he has if i ignore her. I just feel like everywhere iturn nothing good will happen and i will be forever terrorized by my mother and god wont ever help me. I feel like im on the verge of suicide. Is there any prayer or something i can do so god can not hate me and help me and not punish me?

FATHER JOE: Some mothers have trouble letting go. The irony is that this can ultimately increase the distance between family members. It sounds to me that it is time for you to start living your own life. Love your mother and try to forgive her. However, refuse to be manipulated by her. Parents should enable their children, not take advantage of them. Abusive control is a sin, but it is hers. You may feel guilty but it seems you are doing the right thing. God wants you to be free and happy.
patrickthomasmorgan, on February 10, 2016 at 8:56 pm said:

Dear Father Joe,

There’s a scenario on which I’d like to get your viewpoint. My sister (raised Roman Catholic) married an Anglican. They were married in the Catholic church. Her husband recently became an Anglican minister in a traditional Anglican church in America. When they had a child, they had the child baptized a Protestant, which caused a lot of family heartache, and led to her husband cutting her off from her family for many months. I’ve learned that she no longer attends Catholic Mass, choosing to go to the Anglican service instead.

I’d like to know what you think about this situation. What if she was forced to do this by her husband? She feels like she’s abiding by her wedding vow, and thinks that her family—especially the priest who married them—is to blame somehow. She’s left to do most of the caring for her child, and gets little sleep, and I fear that the combination of lack of sleep and overbearing spouse has led her to make unwise decisions. Given this complicated situation, with multiple pressures, what is your view of all this?

Thank you for thinking about my questions.

FATHER JOE: It is a bad situation. Before they married she promised to do all in her power to continue living her faith and to raise any children as Catholic. He was made aware of this promise. There had to be a level of certitude that he would cooperate in order to get the dispensation for the marriage. If you are correct, she is now under heavy coercion and he refuses to allow her to fulfill the agreement. She is compelled to do what she can to preserve the union; but no one has the authority to force her to abandon her faith. How is the priest who married them to blame? He witnessed a marriage over which they were the ministers. But about some of this you are speculating. Has she seen her priest? Has he sought to talk with her husband? How firm is she really in the faith?
Scarlette, on February 10, 2016 at 2:14 pm said:

Sorry Father, I should have been more clear. The CCD teacher said, ” “…he had to try three times before He got it right.” That was regarding Jesus healing the blind man. She even got the number of “tries” wrong.
Thank you and God bless you.
John Allen, on February 10, 2016 at 2:33 am said:

Fr. Joe,
If one is mentally ill, is he or she held accountable for the sins they commit due to the illness? Thanks, john

FATHER JOE: Mental illness mitigates against culpability.
charissa, on February 9, 2016 at 8:40 pm said:

Hi – so tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, but I’ve just been prescribed antibiotics for my second round of c difficile and I need to take them 3 times a day with food, and have yogurt or probiotics in-between. I’m wondering if I would be somewhat medically exempt from fasting?

FATHER JOE: Given that medication is prescribed, something light would be permitted to help with the stomach.
Scarlette, on February 9, 2016 at 2:58 pm said:

Thank you for your response Father. Here is a comment from the CCD teacher about the mistakes Jesus made “…he had to try three times before He got it right.”

I can’t imagine anyone believing that our Lord went around fumbling and making mistakes here and there. It would then bring into question every thing He did (whether it was just one of His mistakes).

I would feel better if I could tell my daughter that you (a priest) has said that Jesus did not make mistakes.
Thank you very much, Father.
peeptuisku, on February 9, 2016 at 10:26 am said:

Hello, Father!

I have a question about ash wednesday or this whole week in general and fasting.

1) Since this year my birthday is on the same day with ash wednesday then how should I react when my colleagues give me small gifts (which might be chocolate or something sweet? Then it would be polite to share it with them and taste it myself as well. But on this occasion…

Of course I’lI accept congratulations and gifts but it’s still a strict day of fasting. Is it ok to bring candy to my students on that day? etc Is it ok if I keep it moderate and use another day for fasting? (I would still abstain from meat and big meals). That wouldn’t be for myself but rather for others.

2) On this Friday I’m going to visit my girlfriend in another town (I haven’t seen her for month) and she’ll probably cook something for me (and it’s Valentines’ day this Sunday) She knows, accepts and is aware about my faith, the lent and fasting (she’s not catholic but she prays rosary every day and has same principals about marriage etc).

I’m sure that she still prepares something for me on that day and she asked if it’s ok to eat fish on this friday/ash friday (she knows that we should abstain from meat on fridays)… is it a sin to celebrate a bit on that day? (Since it’s ash friday, I assumed that it’s more important than other fridays during lent)…

Thank you, Father!

FATHER JOE: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. In answer to your questions: (1) You are not permitted to move the day or modify the discipline; (2) You should not do anything that would compromise this witness or tempt another (like giving out candy); and (3) given the penitential nature of Good Friday, you can certainly eat fish and pray with your girlfriend but other celebratory activities would be best on another day. Peace!
Olivia M. Obringer, on February 8, 2016 at 5:37 pm said:

My non-Catholic friend thinks it’s silly and unfair that priests can’t marry. I honestly don’t know why people make such as huge deal out of this topic. Jesus wasn’t married! I’ve told that in the priesthood, they devote their entire lives and being to God, and if they want a family and still to serve God, get married, but if they want only to serve God, then priesthood. She still thinks it’s unfair. She says her pastor makes it work. Why does everyone condemn the fact that priests can’t marry? I’ve spoken with another person, too, and they said “Well maybe the church wouldn’t be persecuted if priests could marry.” What?
chinonye, on February 8, 2016 at 1:22 pm said:

Hi Fr.
I have another question. I have a couple of songs on my phone. I love them so much but they contain the N word, S word and one has something like this ” we ve got this king size to ourselves”. Would it be wise to continue listening to them? I really don’t like the crude words but I love the melody. Honestly most of the songs I like have this problem. Should I delete them? Thanks

FATHER JOE: Can you imagine Jesus listening to it? Singing to it? I think not. Then what do you suppose about yourself?
Olivia M. Obringer, on February 8, 2016 at 5:00 am said:

Why, when the altar servers bring the priest the water and wine before the bread and wine become the Body and Blood, do they bow when they leave? It’s not Jesus yet….

FATHER JOE: They are bowing to the priest and altar. The altar is one with the Cross. The celebrant participates in the one high priesthood of Jesus Christ. There are many modes of presence in the Mass.
Scarlette, on February 8, 2016 at 3:46 am said:

Hello Father: My daughter is attending ccd classes and her teacher told the class not to be afraid of making mistakes “because even Jesus made mistakes”. I am certain this is false but I need my daughter to hear the truth from a priest. Our own priest is new to the parish and I am not comfortable asking him. Thank you, Father.

FATHER JOE: What mistakes did Jesus make? There is no guarantee that every nail he hammered in the carpentry shop went straight and did not bend. But such reflects the brokenness of a fallen world, no mistake of his. Nails are not perfect. We are not perfect. But we know that Jesus was sinless. His selection of Judas ended up in betrayal and yet that was part of divine providence and Jesus is God. I do not know for sure what the teacher meant.
caketastydelish, on February 7, 2016 at 11:35 pm said:

I am not a catholic but am considering converting.

I’m a 24 year old male Iranian American (though I was raised in a christian church, not Muslim) and I was baptized in the fifth grade. That church is the Disciples of Christ. Then in my teenage years and early 20’s I more or less became atheist. Then for the past 6 months or so I gradually become more and more religious even though I wasn’t attending any church. I simply prayed on a regular basis and went from being agnostic/atheist to firmly believing in God after seeing what a difference he was already making me.

As an Iranian-American I participate in Iranian heritage celebrations, such as Nowruz. Many of their festivities come from Zoroastrianism, the ancient Iranian/Persian religion which predates both Islam (and Christianity) by many years.

Some of these festivities are things such as jumping over a fire at the new year, because that supposedly cleanses you of evil spirits. Now I don’t actually believe jumping over a fire does anything for you but I do it anyway to preserve a culture which I feel to be a part of and a culture that is dying out and because many Iranian Americans have become ashamed of their heritage due to the discrimination we face in public and in the media.

Another aspect I have is that Zoroastrianism is arguably the the world’s oldest monotheistic faith (scholars debate whether it or Judaism came first) and some of the religious aspects of Zoroastrianism are strikingly similar to both Judaism and Christianity. The Persian people lived alongside the Jews in the same geographical area so the cultures intermingling shouldn’t be terribly surprising after all.

Zoroastrians believe in a messiah that will come from God (just like Jews believe) so I don’t know if Zoroastrianism is “wrong” so much as outdated, much like Judaism. Jesus Christ has come and died for our sins so the teachings of what predated him are irrelevant. Even someone with a strict biblical interpretation would have to somewhat agree with me. Example: In the old testament you cannot eat pork but in the new testament you can. However, I see why parts of the old testament that haven’t been contradicted by the new testament, such as the 10 commandments, are still very much relevant.

So my views on whether Zoroastrianism (and other ancient monotheistic religions) is that they may have had truth at one time, but it has lost relevance with Jesus Christ and the teachings of the New Testament. Nobody needs to jump over fires or whatever else anymore because God sent his only son to die for our sins. I take the new testament to be completely true and the old testament to not be wrong so much as outdated, just like Zoroastrianism. Although I will note that some parts of the old testament are still God’s wishes (again, 10 commandments being an example). And that is because even though some of the new testament contradicts the old testament, at least the old testament is included in the bible itself, which I believe the bible to be true.

So the bottom line is would my Persian identity conflict with being a Catholic. I participate in Persian traditions although I don’t take them at literal face value to be true. Many of these things are simply an excuse for the Iranian-American community (there are very few of us unless you live in Los Angeles which I do not) to get together.

I certainly do not identify as a Zoroastrian as that religion does not include Jesus Christ who died for my sins. However since they did talk about a ‘Messiah’ who would come to earth it makes me wonder if they were thinking of Jesus. Similarly to how Jews predict the same thing, although Jews obviously do not accept Jesus to be that Messiah whereas I do.

Whether God wanted the Persian people to be Zoroastrian BEFORE Jesus’s time I do not know although now that he has come I recognize Christianity as the one true religion.

I am not an official Catholic yet (I’m not even in RCIA yet) but currently I am attending a Catholic church every Sunday and if I continue to feel comfortable in a few months I will probably join (or try to join, if they take me).

Although, I’m not sure if my beliefs contradict Catholicism. I hope they don’t.

FATHER JOE: Christianity sometimes appropriates and transforms cultural elements from other traditions. However, the faith itself remains faithful to the Judeo-Christian heritage. Whether or not something conflicts with the Catholic faith would have to be examined on a case by case basis. I would urge getting an approved catechism and bible translation used by the Church for study. RCIA in the fall would be important, but not everyone may be able to answer your specific questions. Roman Catholicism counts the Chaldean Catholics as part of our universal Church. There has also been movement toward reunion with the Coptic Christians. You may find in these believers familiar elements from your culture. God bless you!