Question Corner: Why can’t non-Catholics receive Communion? February 26, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Eucharist, Question Corner Under ordinary circumstances, the church does not allow non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion. But this discipline is not meant to “keep people away from Jesus.”
Question Corner: Why can’t the church offer a completely gluten-free host? February 19, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Eucharist, Question Corner It is true that actual wheat must be used in a valid celebration of the Eucharist, but there are still ways to receive holy Communion even as a Catholic with a severe gluten intolerance.
Question Corner: Is a person divorced due to an abusive marriage unable to receive Communion? February 12, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner Divorce only becomes an obstacle for receiving the sacraments when a divorced Catholic attempts to remarry civilly without having had their first marriage declared null by a Catholic marriage tribunal.
Question Corner: Can you receive Communion twice in one day? February 5, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Eucharist, Question Corner A faithful Catholic may indeed receive holy Communion twice in one day — but the second reception must be within the context of a Mass.
Question Corner: Is non-alcoholic church wine valid for consecration? January 29, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Worship & Sacraments Canon 924 is telling us that the wine, which is to become the blood of Christ, must be something that can truly be considered “wine” in a strict sense.
Question Corner: What is a consecrated virgin? January 22, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Vocations Consecrated virginity is a unique vocation for women in that it is centered in the local diocesan church rather than a particular group or religious community.
Question Corner: Is kneeling to receive Communion allowed? January 15, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Worship & Sacraments Receiving holy Communion while standing is the local norm for the United States, but this doesn’t mean that those who choose to kneel for Communion are doing anything wrong or “illegal.”
Question Corner: Why do we baptize infants, and why was Jesus baptized? January 8, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner On a practical level, through Catholic baptism, infants become official members of the Catholic Church, which among other things qualifies them to receive the other sacraments.
Question Corner: Why is Mary’s perpetual virginity so controversial for Protestants? January 1, 2025By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner The church has constantly taught the belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity from her very foundation, this teaching has also been somewhat of a “hot topic,” even in ancient times.
Question Corner: What is the point of the Mass reading about the genealogy of Jesus? December 18, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner God uses the lowly, the humble and the unexpected to achieve his purposes. It perfectly sets the stage for the greatest “surprise” of all, that the King of Kings should come to us in humble circumstances, born of a virgin and laid in a manger.
Question Corner: Could Jesus sin? If not, was he truly human and free? December 11, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner If we consider sin as a turning away from God or breaking God’s commandments, then it would seem to be a logical impossibility for Jesus to sin. Jesus, as God, cannot turn away from or betray himself. And we know that Jesus never did sin in actual fact.
Question Corner: Can my son be baptized? December 4, 2024By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner, Worship & Sacraments In a beautiful way, the church’s law in this area echoes the words of Jesus himself: “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).
