Question Corner: What level of involvement in abortion carries the canonical penalty of excommunication? July 31, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Respect Life Looking at the crime of abortion specifically, one meaningful phrase in the relevant canon is that the penalty applies to those “who actually procure an abortion.” We can read “actually procure” as meaning: “directly and intentionally bringing about an abortion in a specific instance.”
Question Corner: Is a parish required to provide a screen and kneeler in the confessional? July 17, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Worship & Sacraments While the church expects confessions to be heard in a designated confessional under ordinary circumstances, there are times when it would be permissible to celebrate the sacrament someplace else.
Question Corner: Why would Jesus curse a fig tree that was out of season for not producing fruit? July 10, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner I don’t think it would be wrong to see this episode as one more illustration of Jesus’ humanity — i.e., Jesus was hungry and then disappointed at the lack of figs.
Question Corner: What does ‘Ordinary Time’ mean in the church’s calendar? July 3, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The first few weeks of Ordinary Time occur during the winter, until it is interrupted by Lent and the Easter season. After the Easter season closes with Pentecost, Ordinary Time resumes and carries on through late spring until early winter with the beginning of Advent.
Question Corner: Why does the Catholic Church oppose contraception? June 20, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The church teaches that deliberately and purposefully seeking to separate the procreative and unitive aspects of the marital act is intrinsically wrong.
Question Corner: Is my friend ‘dead’ in Christ due to her irregular marriage status? June 12, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner There are ways to work out complicated irregular marriages so that a person can regain a full sacramental life in the church, but every situation is unique and comes with its own set of concerns and nuances.
Question Corner: What is church teaching on yoga and reiki? June 5, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Health Care, Question Corner Catholics should not practice or receive reiki, because it would be inappropriate, if not spiritually dangerous, for a Catholic to seek out purely supernatural healing apart from Christian prayer or the sacraments.
Question Corner: Is logging Mass attendance for Catholic school discounts aligned with canon law? May 30, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner These days, it can be expensive to run a Catholic school, but at the same time Catholic education should be accessible to those who are striving to raise their children in the faith.
Question Corner: Can voting for a politician in a particular political party be sinful? May 22, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: 2024 Election, Commentary, Question Corner Catholics are called to vote according to their well-formed conscience so as to support the dignity of human life in all areas.
Question Corner: Does an obligation to attend Mass on Ascension Thursday include those traveling outside the diocese? May 15, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The holy days of obligation you are actually bound to observe as a Catholic depend on what your local bishops’ conference (the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States) has decided to do.
Question Corner: Can I go to a Methodist church since there are no Catholic churches nearby? May 8, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner A Methodist Sunday service would not fulfill the Sunday obligation for a Catholic.
Question Corner: What role might artificial intelligence play in catechesis? May 1, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: AI, Commentary, Question Corner While AI can share information on a given topic in perhaps a more accurate or more efficient way than would be possible for many humans, nothing can replace the value of a person-to-person relationship in evangelizing and handing on the faith.
