Q: When I was evangelical, we said a ‘saved’ person went immediately to Heaven at death. In a recent homily our priest said most Christians, including himself, will likely go to purgatory at death. How can Jesus’ shed blood pay for a person’s sins, but they not go to Heaven at death? A: Your…
Q: I have heard some priests refer to ‘non-sacramental’ marriages on the annulment question. I presume these are civil marriages. Is it so? Or do these marriages become ‘non-sacramental’ due to the various other faults in the couple’s status? A: Terms like ‘sacramental marriage’, ‘non-sacramental marriage’, ‘civil marriage’, and ‘valid marriage’ all refer to slightly…
Q: Why did God send Lucifer down to Earth to live and rule amongst his beloved creations? A: I don’t think we can say that God truly sent the devil – also known as Lucifer, or later as Satan – down to Earth in quite the way your question envisions. While the devil was cast…
Q: I’ve often wondered why Catholics emphasise the Eucharist more than the wine, as the wine is not offered at Communion time. Jesus said to do both in remembrance of him. Isn’t it wrong to not receive both as Jesus taught? A: First, the Eucharist is both the bread that becomes the body of Christ…
Q: Listening to a Catholic radio station one day, they mentioned that leprechauns and fairies were demonic. This shocked me. St Patrick’s Day celebrations always include leprechauns. Fairies are loved by little girls and big girls alike. I made a small fairy garden for me and my granddaughters. We also have many other fairy items. Are we…
Q: I was married in a non-Catholic wedding ceremony, then divorced years later civilly. Once I became Catholic and wanted to marry again, I got an annulment of the first marriage. My non-Catholic friends and relatives said this was a Catholic cop out to get around Jesus’ prohibition against divorce, by saying that the first marriage ‘never happened’. Could you comment?…
Q: What is the criteria determining who can wear a ‘clerical collar’? I’m not sure if it varies from one seminary/diocese to another, but I’m curious why seminary students would wear a collar since they are not a member of the clergy just yet? It’s caused a bit of confusion for adults and children alike…
Q: Some people have said a spiritual communion is the same as a sacramental Communion when one has a sincere desire and cannot receive otherwise. If this is so, why do we say, “Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.” Would it count in the case of making…
Q: What is the position or rule of the Church concerning cremation? A: There is a short answer to your question in Paragraph 2301 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which tells us that, “The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.” But we can gain…
Q: I am baptised Catholic and was married in a Catholic church. Then I was divorced and remarried in a Methodist church. She is a baptised Methodist. Then she recently did RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults] and joined the Catholic Church. How can I receive Communion again? What are the steps? A: For…