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.

A faithful Catholic may indeed receive holy Communion twice in one day — but the second reception must be within the context of a Mass.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).