Spirituality
Delving the links of divorce, forgiveness and annulments
Father Ken Doyle enlightens a Catholic convert about the annulment process and reveals its Scriptural roots. Divorce, he writes in his weekly Q & A column, is not always a sin that needs to be forgiven.
God wants us to come together, pope says
Envy, jealousy and meanness are human instincts, but they are not Christian, since the division they cause among believers is the work of the devil, Pope Francis said at his Wednesday audience.
Priest brother-in-law won’t attend the beach wedding
A bride wonders why her groom's brother will attend the wedding reception but not the non-Catholic wedding ceremony on a Cancun beach. There are good reasons, explains Father Ken Doyle in his weekly Q & A column.
Come to the quiet
Michelle Francl-Donnay hears that silent retreats in the Buddhist tradition are becoming popular. So she traces the ancient Catholic practice of seeking silence – perhaps by taking a retreat -- and finding God.
Without Adam and Eve’s sin, would the Redeemer be needed?
In explaining evolution and original sin, Father Ken Doyle writes the Redeemer was necessary from the beginning to open the path to heaven and to enable us to direct our lives outward.
There’s a new pastor, and parishioners aren’t happy
Father Ken Doyle addresses a reader's dilemma when the new parish pastor arrives late for daily Mass and rambles in his homily. Also, a reader counts less than three days for Jesus to lie in the tomb, and wonders why.
Grace and the ‘gift’ of tears
Tears are complicated visitors that arrive beyond our control and touch something deep in us that we can't express or explain, writes Effie Caldarola. They also lead her to reflect on the Jesuit prayer of total surrender to God.
Pope says memorize the beatitudes, assess your care for the needy
Christians should memorize not only the Ten Commandments but also the beatitudes, which Jesus taught as the path to true happiness, Pope Francis said.
‘Thanks’ or ‘no thanks’ when a Muslim offers to pray for you?
A reader wonders whether to thank or decline a Muslim woman's prayers. There's no harm in thanking her for prayers, Father Ken Doyle writes, reminding us we are all children of the one God.
Catholics have questions of liturgy after death
Father Ken Doyle clarifies church teaching on a funeral for a non-Catholic spouse, and the presence of cremated remains in a Catholic funeral Mass.