Should Jesus be depicted on crucifixes as alive or dead? March 27, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The crucifixion was a progressive event in time, not one static snapshot, so it would be reasonable for an artist to choose to portray any number of given points of this part of Jesus’ passion.
Question Corner: Why isn’t a pro-life petition part of the Prayer of the Faithful for every Mass? March 21, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Respect Life In more typical parish settings, perhaps the pro-life intention might be “hidden” and implicit rather than explicit and obvious in a given intercession.
Question Corner: Does the Polish National Catholic Church have a valid celebration of the Eucharist? March 13, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner In our lives as Catholics, we are not only obligated and privileged to partake in the Eucharist, but we are also called to maintain communion with the body of Christ, which is the church, which is united visibly under the teaching authority of the Holy Father in Rome.
Question Corner: For those who avoid meat anyway, is there another Lenten Friday penance? March 7, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent, Question Corner if you personally feel that Friday abstinence during Lent is not enough of a sacrifice to be spiritually beneficial for you, you are certainly free to incorporate another penitential practice in addition to abstinence on Fridays.
Question Corner: Are you relieved of the duty to attend Mass on Sunday at a certain age? February 28, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner An 80-something Catholic in good health who was capable of physically traveling to Mass would be just as bound to observe the Sunday obligation as their younger counterparts.
Question Corner: Did Pope Benedict XVI validly resign? February 21, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Pope Benedict clearly manifested his intention to step down; his resignation announcement was made at a meeting of the College of Cardinals and in front of several journalists.
Question Corner: Is Communion by intinction permissible, and is the devil a being? February 15, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The practice of administering Holy Communion by intinction — i.e., where the minister dips the host in the precious blood, which the communicant then receives on the tongue — is certainly “legal” and is an established option for receiving communion under both kinds.
Does watching a televised Mass provide spiritual nourishment? February 7, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner A true fully, conscious and active participation in the Mass is understood to require our literal, physical presence at the liturgy. Because of this, watching Mass on a screen would not fulfill the Sunday obligation.
Question Corner: Can Catholics married outside the church take Communion? January 31, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Marriage & Family Life Canonical form is an important concept to understand and be aware of because if a Catholic does not marry according to canonical form — say, if a Catholic decided to get married by a justice of the peace — this marriage would be considered not only illicit, but also invalid.
Question Corner: Why do Orthodox churches have a valid celebration of the Eucharist? January 23, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary Catholics and Orthodox not only share belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, but also a shared understanding of the sacrament of holy orders and thus the nature of the priesthood.
Why so much incense at Mass, and isn’t devotion better than obedience? January 17, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The smoke that rises from the burning of incense has for millennia been understood by the Christian community as a symbol of the prayers of the faithful rising up to God.
Question Corner: Why does the Christmas season end with Jesus’ baptism? January 10, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Jesus’ baptism truly is a major “turning of the page” in Jesus’ life, since, after his baptism at the hands of John the Baptist his quiet, hidden life became one of public ministry, wherein he actively sought to make his saving mission and identity known and proclaimed.
