Spirituality
Praying to family members; rules for liturgical ministers
Q. Sometimes when I pray, I ask for the intercession of certain well-known saints. But at other times I pray instead to departed people whom I have known, loved and respected -- my grandmother, for example, or my aunt. Q. Sometimes I'm confused about my church. Recently, as chairperson of parish ministries and acting on orders from my pastor, I had to tell a young woman who is in an invalid marriage that she could not serve as a lector or eucharistic minister. (She was devastated and felt rejected by her church.)
Look for the mercy of God, not his punishment
"The Bible" is the name of a TV mini-series that aired on the History Channel earlier this year and proved to be extremely popular. A husband and wife team produced it. They are actress Roma Downey (of "Touched by an Angel"), and reality show producer Mark Burnett (who produced "Survivor" and "Celebrity Apprentice").
‘Fear the Lord,’ but don’t be afraid — there’s a difference
Q. I often hear references, both in worship and in religious teaching, to "fear of the Lord." I struggle with this because I think of God as so forgiving and passionate in his love for the people he has created. Do we really mean "fear," or just the highest respect? (Farmington Hills, Mich.) Q. Regarding vocations to the priesthood, what is the church's stance on whether to let a homosexual person enroll in the seminary? (North Plainfield, N.J.)
Resist sleek cars, ‘living on the edge,’ Pope tells future priests, nuns
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Be joyous, authentic and loving while resisting fly-by-night commitments, catty gossip and sleek cars, Pope Francis told future priests, brothers and nuns. Vocations don’t come from catchy campaigns or pursuing personal goals; the consecrated life is the result of prayer and answering an “unsettling” yet loving invitation from God, he told […]
Pope: Escape from sin, don’t be afraid of where God will take you
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Don’t let sin and temptation be a trap — flee from evil and don’t look back, Pope Francis said. Sometimes “the only answer is to flee and not be embarrassed about fleeing. Recognize that we are weak and we have to run away” from harmful sins, he said July 2 during […]
Closing of consecrated church; Catholic funeral if divorced
Q. What is your opinion on consecrated churches? Can these buildings be closed and torn down? (Brookville, Ind.) Q. I have been a practicing Catholic for the past six years. My husband is not Catholic. Both of us were married previously, and both marriages ended in divorce. I want to know if I would be denied a Catholic funeral Mass because of our present circumstances. (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for July
General intention: “That World Youth Day in Brazil may encourage all young Christians to become disciples and missionaries of the Gospel.” Mission intention: “That throughout Asia doors may open to messengers of the Gospel.”
Vengeance of God versus mercy; killing animals
Q. The pastor of my church has preached for years about how loving, forgiving and merciful God is. But in the Old Testament, there are many occasions in which God destroys men or threatens their destruction (Noah's ark and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the avenging angel with the firstborn in Egypt, etc.). So did the nature of God change after the birth, death and resurrection of his son? Or am I supposed to disregard the readings of the Old Testament? (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Q. What is the church's teaching on killing insects, rodents or any of God's creatures if they are doing you no harm? (I've seen children try to burn ants with a magnifying glass.) (Morrilton, Ark.)
The superficial and the rigid ‘masquerade’ as Christians, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christianity isn’t a school for teaching a superficial form of being nice to everyone, but it’s also not a boot camp where everything is rigidity, rules and long faces, Pope Francis said. “The Lord calls us to build our Christian life on him, the rock, the one who gives us freedom, […]
Saying ‘our Father’ means seeing others as brothers, sisters, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Christians address God as “our Father” they acknowledge that God created and loves them, but they also recognize that all people are their brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said. “We have a Father who is very close to us, who embraces us,” the pope said June 20 during the homily […]