question corner CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Why won’t the church grant me an annulment after my husband had an affair? Jenna Marie CooperOctober 1, 20254 min read The goal of the church’s nullity process is to determine whether there was some problem or issue at the time of the wedding that was serious enough and of such a nature so as to prevent a true marriage from ever being contracted in the first place. CommentaryGun ViolenceQuestion Corner Question Corner: Can parishes lock doors after a school Mass begins for safety? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 24, 20254 min read A church building is a sacred space that is open to the public by its very nature. The faithful fundamentally have a right to join in the prayer conducted in a church building since it is, in a sense, their spiritual home. CommentaryMarriage & Family LifeQuestion Corner Question Corner: Would a couple who had excellent marriage prep have a harder time getting an annulment? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 17, 20254 min read It is possible that excellent marriage preparation could “work against” a couple seeking a declaration of nullity in some circumstances. But most of the time, it probably would not. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Does a person’s mortal sin prior to becoming Catholic follow him or her until confession and absolution? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 10, 20254 min read When in doubt, bring it up in confession anyway. If a person does bear the guilt of a sin committed in their pre-Catholic life, the priest will be happy to grant absolution. CommentaryMarriage & Family LifeQuestion Corner Question Corner: What is church teaching on openness to kids in marriages between older adults? Jenna Marie CooperSeptember 4, 20254 min read In order to marry in the Catholic Church, a couple does need to be at least open to life in principle — but it is not a requirement that children necessarily be foreseen as a realistic possibility in the intended union. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Does the church ever use the word ‘divorce’ or does it only talk about ‘annulment?’ Jenna Marie CooperAugust 27, 20254 min read Sometimes people have the mistaken idea that “annulments” are some kind of Catholic-approved divorce, but this is not at all accurate. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Why don’t bishops excommunicate politicians who support abortion? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 20, 20254 min read While the act of directly causing an abortion is a canonical crime that is punished with an automatic excommunication, (see Canon 1397, 2) this only applies in scenarios where a particular individual actually brought about an abortion personally — and not in situations where a person promoted abortion in a more abstract way. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: Is it simony that my parish wants to charge a fee for having a funeral livestreamed? Jenna Marie CooperAugust 13, 20254 min read The church does have material needs that arise in the course of her spiritual mission. And so it is not simony to accept or request donations on the occasion of the celebration of the sacraments, as long as it is understood that such a donation is truly a free-will offering and not a condition for the sacrament’s administration. CommentaryQuestion Corner Question Corner: How accurate is the portrayal of Judas in ‘The Chosen?’ Jenna Marie CooperAugust 6, 20254 min read We know that God is infinitely loving and merciful, so I believe that Jesus would have readily and joyfully forgiven Judas if he had only turned back to God and sought reconciliation. CommentaryFeatureQuestion Corner Why would God allow Satan to torture Job? Jenna Marie CooperJuly 31, 20254 min read Why would God allow Satan to torture and torment Job when he knew Job was a wonderful man and if God is, indeed, omniscient? (New Jersey) Previous 1 … 2 3 4 … 25 Next
