question corner CommentaryEucharistQuestion Corner Question Corner: Why do Catholics emphasize the body more than the blood of Jesus in Communion reception? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 25, 20244 min read It is the consistent traditional practice in Eastern Catholic churches to administer Communion under both kinds as a matter of course. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Are fairies and leprechauns demonic? And what happened to Barabbas? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 18, 20244 min read The church does not have any current official teaching on fairies or leprechauns. However, in traditional folklore, fairies and leprechauns were not the sweet and playful creatures that they tend to be in our modern depictions, and they have an association with pre-Christian European paganism. CommentaryMarriage & Family LifeQuestion Corner Question Corner: Is the annulment process just a way to get around the church’s prohibition on divorce? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 11, 20244 min read In order to ensure that declarations of nullity are not simply “rubber stamped” or “cop outs,” the church has a specific process, carried out through the ministry of diocesan marriage tribunals, for investigating whether or not a marriage was invalid. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Who can wear a clerical collar and is it sinful to eliminate animal pests? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 4, 20244 min read Some seminaries attach the wearing of clerical clothes to a specific stage of formation called “candidacy,” but candidacy can also occur at different times in different places. CommentaryQuestion CornerWorship & Sacraments Question Corner: Should general absolution be a more regular practice? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 28, 20244 min read If a parish is able to have at least a weekly Sunday Mass, then there would likewise seem to be enough of a priestly presence in that area to allow penitents to have their individual confessions heard within a reasonable time frame. CommentaryQuestion CornerWorship & Sacraments Question Corner: Is spiritual communion the same as sacramental Communion? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 21, 20244 min read While a spiritual communion might be a praiseworthy aid to one’s spiritual life, it is not the same thing as a physical, sacramental Communion. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: What is the church’s position on cremation? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 19, 20244 min read The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body. CommentaryEucharistQuestion Corner Question Corner: What are the steps to receive Communion after divorce and remarriage? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 7, 20244 min read This can be a hard truth, but it is good to understand that this inability to receive Communion is part of a consistent theological rationale, as opposed to being something arbitrary. CommentaryQuestion CornerRespect Life Question Corner: What level of involvement in abortion carries the canonical penalty of excommunication? Jenna Marie CooperJuly 31, 20244 min read 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.” CommentaryQuestion CornerWorship & Sacraments Question Corner: Is a parish required to provide a screen and kneeler in the confessional? Jenna Marie CooperJuly 17, 20244 min read 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. Previous 1 … 1 2 3 … 20 Next