Does the Church still teach purgatory? - jane

Jane, 

Yes!  The Catholic Church does still teach purgatory!  "Purgatory is a dogma of the Faith., consistently taught and believed through every age of the Church.  It is set forth clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Nos 1030-1032)."
Also, "Scripture sets forth the need and fact of some sort of purifying process for most.  jesus promises that when his work is complete, we will be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 5:48).  Scripture attests that nothing imperfect or impure shall enter heaven (Rv 21:27).
"yet most of us will admit that godlike perfection is rarely observed in those who die, even the very pious.  though I can reasonably conclude I love God and am not aware of mortal sin on my soul, I am far from godly perfection (ask anyone who knows me).
"For this reason, the Catechism states:  'All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. ... The tradition of the church, be reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: (CCC, Nos. 1030-1031).
"thus, St. Paul teaches that our works will all be revealed and tested by fire.  And some of our works, though built on the foundation of Christ (i.e., not conceived in mortal sin), are ignoble, they will be burned away, but the pure works will bring reward.  And though the builder will suffer loss, he yet will be saved - though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Cor 3:15).
"Thus, some sort of purgation after death is taught by Scripture, which also lays the foundation of the need for it.  further, instinct of the faithful to pray for the dead and solemn teaching authority of the Church also testify to the truth that purgation (and, thus, purgatory) is a needed gift of the Lord to us."


Msgr Charles Pope, Our Sunday Visitor, May 8, 2016  "Pastoral Answers: Exploring Purgatory,"
p 15

Is it ok to go to parties where there will be beer and stuff going on as long as I don't drink or do those things? - 10th grader

     I hear you loud and clear!  I wasn't allowed to go to those parties when I was your age either.  I didn't understand it then, but now that I'm a mother, I have a different view of it.  I'd like you to think about this question:  Why do you want to go to such parties in the first place?   If  underage drinking and 'stuff' is happening and you're not joining in, how much fun would you really have anyway?  Simply going to socialize isn't such a good answer.  There are many other fun things you could do to socialize with your friends.  And, think about what would happen when you got to that party.  Those friends, and others who see you not participating in the drinking and stuff will get a kick out of teasing you about not doing it, and most likely try to convince you to just try a little of it.  They may even make bets as to who can get you to do it.  The pressure to participate will be extremely strong.
     Although I know you want to hear that I think it's alright for you to go, what you are describing in your question is not only something that a mom doesn't want for her kid, it's illegal for people your age.  And, it is also what we call in Catholic theology an occasion of sin.  An occasion of sin is " 'any person, place, or thing that of its nature or because of human frailty can lead one to do wrong, thereby committing sin.'  We have a moral obligation to avoid occasions of sin because of what they can lead us to.                     
     "If you go to wild parties like the ones you describe, you are putting yourself at risk of joining in the bad, sinful (and illegal) behaviors that are taking place.   Even if you don't actually fall into sin, you are still silently supporting and giving approval to sin just by being there. ...
     "When faced with an occasion of sin, always pray to get yourself out of the situation.  Just as in the Lord's Prayer we ask the Father 'lead us not into temptation,' we must always be on guard against those things that can lead us into danger."
     You have your entire adult life to drink.  Enjoy being a teenager and do the things teens do.  Invite your friends to go bowling, or play laser tag, or have a movie night, or walk the mall or have a game night.  Do with them whatever it is teens like to do these days!  By choosing now to do what is Godly and good for your soul, you will be building character and gaining the strength you will need after high school to discern between those things which will enhance your dignity or not.  
     Don't allow others to cause you (or lead you) to sin.  To help you make these often difficult, but better, choices, be sure to frequent the sacraments.  Reconciliation and Eucharist especially "provide us the necessary graces for strengthening our resolve to do what is good and avoid what is evil."

Thanks for the thoughtful question.  I will pray for you!!
 

Was Sampson a good guy or a bad guy? - Lee

Lee - 

That question tells me you have really read the story of Sampson!  For those people reading this blog who might not remember, you can find his story in the book of Judges (Chapters 13 - 16).  Sampson was one of the judges in Israel before the time of the Kings.  The judges were people whom God sent to rescue the Israelites out of oppression.  In Sampson's time, the Philistines were the oppressors.  

"Sampson fulfilled that job well.  But Sampson also did some cruel and foolish things, just as most people do.  God didn't force him to do everything right.  Like us, Sampson had the freedom to choose to use his God-given abilities (in his case, strength) for good or bad.   Sometimes Sampson chose to go his own way instead of God's."  

What we can learn from his story is that God uses imperfect people to work out His perfect plan.  We also can learn that God will accept our heartfelt repentance and give us a second chance.   The story is an interesting one.  

* Quotation section from #145 in the book "Over 200 Questions Children ask about God and the Bible,"  by David R. Veerman, M.Div., James C. Galvin, Ed.D., James C. Wilhoit, Ph.D., Daryl J. Lucas, and Richard Osborne.  (c) 1997, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, IL

My Sunday School teacher said we should offer petitions to God. I thought a petition was something you gathered names on and took to the mayor so you could get something done. I didn't want her to think I was being a smart alec, so I didn't say anything. But what did she mean? - Fred

    Dear Fred,  

     Never be embarrassed to ask a question!  If you have that question, probably someone else had the same question!  You can always just say, "What do you mean?"

     

     But, I am glad you had enough courage to ask me!   You are right.  A petition is a formal request, a plea, an asking for something, an appeal. Petition prayer is a little bit more than that.  It is a crying out to God, usually through a spontaneous prayer, which expresses a desire.   Petition prayer is what St. Paul calls “groaning” from the depth of our being.  Holy Spirit helps us with this type of prayer.  Many times, the first movement of petition prayer is asking for forgiveness.

     An example of a Petition prayer asking for forgiveness is, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

·        That said, we recognize that we offer “petitions” at Mass. Those are called intercessory petitions.  During those petitions, we may ask something of God for another person.

·        During Intercessory petitions we may even thank Him for things.   There are no boundaries for petition prayers.  We can offer them up for all people.

Examples of an intercessory petition are:  “Lord, I ask that my child will turn back to you in faith,” “God, please help Marie heal as she grieves the loss of her husband,” “Lord, we ask that you turn the hearts of the members of ISIS to You, the One True God,” “May we trust in You, Lord as we travel our journey every day.” :Lord, please help me remember what I studied when I take my history test."

·        Petitions may also offer up Thanksgiving or Praise.

Examples of petitions of praise &/or thanksgiving are:  “Thank You, God for the wonderful day today.” “Thank You, Lord for good friends.” “Lord, God You are an awesome God!”

 “God, we glorify Your Holy name.”

           

·        At Mass the lector offers up a petition then says, “Let us pray to the Lord,” 

·        Then we respond, “Lord, hear our prayer.”   

     If you would like to learn more about this type of prayer, the Catechism of the Catholic Church has a section regarding the various Prayers of Petition:  CCC 2629 -2645. 

    Thanks for your question - and good luck praying! 

If God is everywhere, why do we have to go to church? -- suze

Suze ...

This is a really deep question encompassed in such few words! My answer to you is peels away a couple of layers I immediately see in it. ... First, I wonder what lies beneath your question.  Is it that you find Mass to be boring?  If that's the case, I would guess that it's because you are not fully engaging in the worship.  Knowing the purpose behind the parts of the Mass, such as the songs, Communion, offering, and etc helps to keep the interest level high.  When you attend Mass, participate in the prayers, read along in the pew missal, really listen to the sermon, sing the songs, and etc., and you will find that the Mass is much more interesting.  It won't seem to last very long at all.  You may actually even discover that you enjoy it!  I mean, do you realize that Jesus comes to us fully - body, blood, soul, and divinity - at every single Mass?  That's not boring at all.  Nope, that's pretty exciting!

If your question is about whether you can worship God in other places, then that's an easy answer. YES!  God can be reached everywhere you go.  However, human beings were made to be in in fellowship with God from the very beginning.  Although faith is a personal thing, it is not meant to be private.  We should not keep our belief in God totally wrapped up in ourselves.  We are to share the Word with others, to go make disciples, to spread the Good News (Gospel) to the ends of the earth!

To keep ourselves motivated and from getting over burdened in our alone-ness, we worship, not only alone, but also with others.  That's a commandment too!  In the New Testament, God tells us, through Jesus,  to join other Christians to worship.  Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath to worship God with other people. And yes, he went alone to the mountain to pray.  He's our example of a model Christian.

Yes, we should spend time alone in prayer and in reading the Bible and listening to what God has for us to hear.  However, Jesus showed us that it's also important to gather with other believers so we can encourage and strengthen each other.  When we pray together, our prayers take on more power, more intensity, more oomph.

Let me give you an illustration:  Think of playing on a basketball team.  You can play it alone.  And playing it alone can be very enjoyable and even challenging.  You can put your efforts towards shooting foul shots, or practice lay ups over and over again, or work at ball handling. And it makes you a better and stronger player.  But, you might build some blind spots which turn into bad habits when you only do it alone.  You might not recognize that you only ever shoot right handed lay ups.  Or you might not realize that you don't put enough backspin on the ball when you shoot.   But, when you go to practice with other people, they sharpen you.  They can see the things you don't.  And, when you play a game with them , they add a dimension to it that playing by yourself doesn't have.  It ups the level.  It ups the fun.  It ups the satisfaction and the thrill of playing.

Like basketball, our relationship with God takes on a new dimension when we pray with others.  Of course we know that the most perfect prayer is the Mass.  Where is Mass celebrated?  At Church!  So, when we pray together we encourage each other.  We sharpen each other.  We strengthen each other.  We also learn from each other and accomplish something bigger than what each of us can when we pray alone.

Keep on praying!

Did children in the Bible color?

Oh, what a fun question! 

"Children in Bible times didn't color with crayons like the ones we have today, but they did draw pictures.  They also played games.  Archaeologists (people who study ancient cities and cultures) have found some of the games. 

"Children back then dressed differently than the way we do, their houses and schools were made differently, and they had different kinds of games.  But they were just like kids today in many ways.  They liked to have fun.  They had family chores to do.  When they were bad, their parents disciplined them.  They studied.  They had times of happiness and sadness.  They were real kids."
Question #190 from "Over 200 questions children ask about God and the Bible " by Veerman, Galvin, Wilhoit, Lucas, & Osborne,  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.  Wheaton, Ill,  (C) 1997.

Is there really such a thing as a Guardian Angel?

     You bet there is!  "Throughout the Bible, there are many accounts of guardian angels providing help and protection to humans.  In the life of Jesus, we read about angels protecting Him as an infant, serving Him in the desert, and strengthening Him during His agony in the garden (Mt 1:20, 2:13, 19, 4:11; 26:53; Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43; CCC 333)  In the Acts of the Apostles,"  Peter was miraculously set free from prison and his friends thought that his angel was visiting them.  (Acts 12:15)  (Did Jesus Have a Last Name by Matthew Pinto & Jason Evert  (c) 2005 Ascension Press, LLC. , West Chester, PA  p 253)
      Psalm 91:11-12 mentions guardian angels which guard us in all our ways.  Their hands support us lest we strike our foot against a stone.  The Bible also mentions Angels in charge of watching over cities/nations and even churches.  Daniel 10 speaks of such an angel.  The book of Revelation speaks to the Angels over the churches of Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and Sardis, and Thyatira. 
     Isn't it a wonderful thought that God loves us so much that He has protectors over us in many places of our path!

I was at a retreat required for my CCD class and we were told it was a sin to play with ouija boards. Can you explain why this is so? - Joe

Joe,

The answer to this question has sooo many layers!  Please hang on tight while I try to explain it as simply as I can!

Flat out:  The Ouija board is a tool, or a way, people converse with supernatural sources.  (contacting the supernatural is called "divination.") This is a serious and harmful thing to do..

The Ouija board can really work, and the only "spirits" that will be contacted through it are evil ones. "It’s true that many people view the Ouija board as just a harmless game, a toy. They claim, 'Oh, I don’t believe in it,' " or 'It's just for fun.'  "However, not believing in something doesn't make something not real." (I could say I don't believe the world is round and that scientists are just trying to trick me into falling off the face of the earth by telling me it's round when it isn't. That doesn't make the earth flat!)

"The Ouija board is real even if you don’t believe in it. And we know this because God himself tells us so.  The Lord repeatedly condemns any and all occultic practices, including divination. While many Bible passages could be cited, the following one is typical of his view of occultic practices: "Let no one ... who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord (Dt 18:10–12, NIV). 

"On the experiential side of the issue, we have the testimony of the Church’s exorcists. Their experience shows that Ouija boards are far from harmless. Some investigating supernatural phenomena from a Catholic perspective have gone so far as to say that 90 percent of their very worst cases involving demonic activity have been linked to the use of the Ouija board. Simply put, nothing positive can ever come from the use of the Ouija board, and God warns us against such things for our own spiritual safety." http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/are-ouija-boards-harmless

So Joe, playing with Ouija boards is a way of connecting with evil spirits.  In a sense, it is talking with them.  What do we call 'talking with God'?  Prayer!  So, in a sense, when you talk to the spirits through an Ouija board, you are praying to the devil, and the devil's minions.  That is idolatry.  ... Like I said at the beginning of your answer, there are so many levels we could touch, but due to the space we have, I will stop my answer here.  I hope this helped you! 

God bless you for being attentive to the Word!

Love is not something we do. An argument of logic.

In this post I want to run a little logic problem; I want to prove that LOVE is not something we DO, that it's not a thing but actually love is something we can BE.

Let's begin by looking at a couple of things the Bible says about love.  First:  "Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love."  1 John 4:8.  

GOD is love.  Ah, that makes LOVE a PERSON!  And I have already proven the premise! But let's see if we can further figure out what that means for us about God.  Can we discover a little bit more about God by using this definition of God is love? 

I say, "YES!" 

Look at 1 Cor 13:4-8a   "Love is patient, love is kind.  It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interest, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   Love never fails. ..."  

If God is love that means God = LOVE.  Logically speaking, that also means that Love is God or LOVE = God   So I can just as easily change the words to 1 Cor 13:4-8a to "God is patient, God is kind.  ..." and I can know more about God's ways of being. 
"Wait," you say.   The next statement would be 'God is not jealous,' but the Bible says God is a jealous God.  Doesn't that blow this definition of God being love out of the water? 

Not at all:  Remember, we must always look at the context of a text when we are trying to interpret it - and remember that translation is often difficult because words have different nuances in different languages.   Let's take a look at one of those Bible verses which proclaim God as a jealous God:     Deut 4:24   Moses is reminding the Israelites that God made a covenant with them.  He is reiterating that they are not to have any idols, that is they are not to have any false gods - because God is a jealous God.  The Hebrew word used for that statement is from the adjective 'qanna' which expresses the idea of intense feeling focused on solicitude for someone ... It says that God has a zeal for His people.  The definition used in this instance does not contain the idea of envy - which is the definition meant in the Corinthians passage.   (As an aside, there is another archaic definition of jealous which holds the meaning of 'demanding loyalty.')

So we see that in the Corinthians passage, the word jealous is being used in the context of being envious.   God is certainly not envious. ...

I can take this one step further.  If I want to find out if I really LOVE my neighbor, I can deposit  my name in that spot ... Can I say I am patient?  Am I kind?  Am I jealous, rude, quick-tempered?  Do I brood over injury?   etc?  And I could ask that about my spouse (or friend -- etc)  Does he love me?  Well, is he patient?  Is he kind ... and so on.  Get the idea?

So, if I want to be an example of Jesus to the world and Jesus is God, then I need to be an example of LOVE to the world and I need to make those statements about myself true.  

But, that's not the focus of this post.  This post is to show that love is not something we do.  And if I use the Bible for my definition, then that is so.  Love is not something we do; Love is actually a person. 

What do you think?

Our Religious Education person keeps telling me that "the family is the first teacher" of the kids for faith. I do not have a degree in theology. I don't know the Bible very well. I am not even a CCD teacher. How can I tell her that she doesn't know what she's talking about when she speaks to me? -- L.

Dear L.

I can see that your concern is very close to your heart and I applaud you for your struggle with it!  First of all, let me tell you to take a deep breath!  What your Director of Religious Education has said is a truth.  But it is not one that should stress you out, but one that should invigorate and challenge you to a higher goal.  

Let me explain.  Home is where life is full of exploration, conversation, and security for children.  It is also the place where children see first hand how life is lived.  What they see, hear, and model there is a clear clue as to how they will view the world.  When they see the family kneel down to say night prayers, or pray at meal time, or grope around on a Sunday morning trying to give everyone a turn in the bathroom as they all get ready to go to Mass, they learn that faith is a part of life.  It is the time they encounter Christ as he lives in us.  (We are the face of Jesus to our children.)  

So much of the faith is about living it.  And that is your role.  You show your children what it looks like to live as a Catholic Christian in the world.  Along with that, the way you share your experiences of faith - like stories of your own First Communion, or Confirmation, etc, then they are free to imagine and ask questions.  It doesn't matter whether you know the answer to a question about God.  What matters is that you are open to discovering the answer with your child.  Your role as one who helps your child encounter Jesus is where your biggest teaching moments come.  

Because of all the time you get with your child, because of the love your child holds towards you, your moments are more important than any other.  Your actions teach.  Your words teach.  And your love teaches.  Learning to relate with Jesus is not about a lesson plan or a degree.  Learning about Jesus is about learning what loving Him is.  

If you don't spend time speaking about Jesus, or modelling Him, then your child won't see the importance of know Him.  So  you don't know the Bible.  Get one that is appropriate for your child's age and read together the stories of the faith.  Your child isn't going to ask you what the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit are.  And if your child does, you can research it.  Your child will ask you questions which require deep thinking and conversation.  They may not have a "correct" response per say, and that's when you encourage your child to keep asking and keep praying.  God will lead the right people to you when the time is right.  

The role of the Religious Education program is to supplement what you do.  If you work as a team with your Catechists, then your kids can grow up with a healthy view of Christianity, and be equipped to face the world when the time comes.   But it takes you to lead the way in setting the atmosphere of openness and acceptance to things of faith.  And that is how you are the FIRST TEACHER OF THE FAITH.

Good luck!  I'll be praying for you!!

I was at Mass today and heard about the City of David. Is this Bethlehem? is this Jerusalem? What about the city called Zion? -Angela

Angela,

I too get confused when I hear about the City of David.  Here's what I finally discovered - and which helped abate my confusion:

Zion was a fortress on a Mount Zion which was on the southwest side of Jerusalem.  In 2 Samuel 5:7-10, King David captures that fortress.  Upon his capturing that city, it then became called the City of David.  Because he captured it.  He then chose to live there and as it was so near the city of Jerusalem - and of course because he lived there others moved there and the living area spread, Zion became known as Jerusalem.   According to 1 Kings 2:10,  David was also buried in Jerusalem.  

In the New Testament, Luke calls Bethlehem the City of David.  (2:11)   Then, that title is referring to the place where David was born and raised.  

So, we have to go with the context of the stories when we are listening to the Bible stories.  And we just have to remember that in the Old Testament the City of David refers to Jerusalem, because that is the city he captured and made his headquarters when he was king.  

Your answer?  Usually,  note: Usually, the City of David refers to Jerusalem.  Once in a while it means the city where he was born - and then it is Bethlehem.  Let the context be your guide.

Crystal clear, right? !! 

I have a friend who always says, "Offer it up," when I am in pain. I don't understand what she means. -B

B-

I remember asking a faithful person in the Church what that meant too.  I think it was just in the last year or so.  Here's how I understand it. ... When I suffer any type of pain, I can join hands with Jesus and we can together offer our hurt as prayer, worship, and offering to God.  We can offer it for the healing of others, for the salvation of souls, for lots of things.  The important thing to note here is that I am joining hands with Jesus to do this.  He suffered for us.  We join Him in his suffering and hence give him the gift of ourselves in order that other may be brought to Him.  I hope that makes sense.

Anyone else have ideas on this?

 

Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday?

The simple answer is, "Yes!"  
Now the longer answer:   To the Jewish people, the Sabbath day was Saturday.  Sunday was the first day of the week.  They still celebrate the Sabbath beginning on Friday at sundown.  

When Jesus rose from the dead, we are told that He rose on the first day of the week.  "For Christians is has become the first of all days, the first of all feast, the Lord's Day ... Sunday:  We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day ... when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead."  Our celebration of Sunday fulfills the commandment to observe the day of worship.  It follows the rhythm and spirit of w weekly celebration of God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.  (CCC 2174 & 2175) 

However, we Catholics allow for a vigil on the Saturday night before to be considered as the Sunday Mass.  ... I think this might come from the fact that the Jews consider that a day starts at sundown.  They get this idea from the Creation story in Genesis.  "Evening came, and morning followed - the first (second, third, etc) day."

Incidentally, a Mass said the day before cannot count as the next day's Mass unless it begins at 4:00pm or later!  ... Oh, so many details!!

To summarize the answer your question, it depends on whether a person is viewing the Sabbath from Jewish or Christian perspective.  Than, it depends on whether you are talking about the evening vigil prior which must be at 4:00pm or later.  

Fasting from meat on Fridays - why was meat chosen for Catholics to abstain from eating? - Linda

Hi, Linda ...

First of all, let's review why we fast:  
- to prepare for special liturgical feasts  CCC 2043
- to acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart   CCC2043
- to express conversion back towards God   CCC 1434
- to obtain forgiveness of sins  CCC1434
- in a nutshell:  to draw closer to God.

But you probably already know all that. 

So what about meat?  There are some "documents that indicate that meat was singled out as being a food Christians occasionally abstained from since the first century.  ... [It] was singled out because it is associated with celebrations and feasts.   ... On top of all that, meat has often been a luxury in many cultures. ... Meat cost a bit more.  Maintaining a spirit of simplicity, people turned to other, less expensive fare." http://bulldogcatholic.org/

Also, my heart tells me that there is more to think about with this question:  Since ancient times the Hebrews offered meat up as their sacrifices in the Temple for things like forgiveness, uncleanness, thanksgiving, etc.  In the New Testament the Jews continued to do so until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.  That they chose meat as THE offering to God showed an "value" in their minds of what one should use to approach God about BIG things.

Added to that, think about the things we call meat.  Meat comes from animals that have blood in them.  Blood was seen as the very life of a creature, and as such, it was seen as sacred.  The ancients were forbidden to partake of blood.  (which was why people turned from Jesus when He said, "This is my blood, take it and drink of it.")   Meat then was the most nourishing element in the diet.  When we give up the most nourishing thing in our diets, we stay somewhat hungry, somewhat lacking from the very life-givingness of our meal.  That lacking allows us to then be a little empty, thus giving us room within us, room which we then are called to fill up with God.

Your question was definitely food for thought! (lol)  

My mom says everything I like will be in heaven. Will there be a McDonalds in heaven? -Tina

Tina 
How wonderful that you  have a question about heaven!  

And what deep thinking about food!  In heaven, people won't have to work, so I doubt there will be a McDonalds there. Who would make the food?

Will there be McDonalds' food available just because we want it?  Like without someone having to make it?  I don't know that either.  

What I do know is that we will be able to eat in heaven.  Jesus tells us that in the book of Revelation.  He says says that to the ones who win the prize of heaven he will "give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God."  Rev 2:7b.  That fruit could be french fries and Big Macs, if God wills it!

However, I actually think God, who gives us the best of everything, will provide us with something even better than that!  Whatever He gives us will be better than anything we enjoy now and better than we can even imagine.  That's something I know for sure!

When I die, will I become an angel? - Tina

Tina,

The quick answer to your question is, NO.  People don't become an angels when they die. People who go to heaven become Saints, not angels.  Why?  Because Angels aren't human people. They too were created by God, but as totally spiritual beings.  

Humans were created as both spiritual beings AND also physical beings.  We have a physical body.  Angels do not.  We know that we will have new bodies in heaven, perfect, resurrected bodies.     We know that because Paul tells us that in his letter to the Philippians:  Phil 3:21  "He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body ..."  He also tells us that in 1 Cor 15:40  "There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies ..." and when the trumpet sounds announcing the end of earthtime, "we shall be changed." 1 Cor 15:52b   

Angels will always be fully spiritual beings because that is the nature which God gave them when He created them.  

What do people mean when they say that relativism is killing our consciences? - R.L.

R.L.

Relativism is the idea that there is no absolute truth. It says that one idea is as good as another.  We hear it like this, "Oh, that might be good for you, but I believe something else."  or "Well, 
if that's good for you, fine."  It says I can have one idea and you can have your own and we can both be right.   But this is not what God says! Jesus, the 2nd person of God tells us:  "I am the way and the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. "  John 14:6   In other words, God is Truth.   We also know God is unchanging.  And, because God is Truth and God is unchanging, we can also be sure that Truth is unchanging and hence we can know that there is an ABSOLUTE truth.

If you want to look at this from another front, you can take this idea of relativism to the extreme and see how it can be shown as a falsity... Take Adolf Hitler.  Can we say he was a moral person because he followed what was good for himself?  Absolutely not!  

So, when people say that relativism is killing our consciences, they are saying that people who believe that there could be one truth for one person and another truth for another person, then they are being bent to the ideas of the world and not of God. 

Hope this helps.

How do we know Jesus wasn't speaking in a parable or something when He said, "This is my body"? - Matt & Jason

Do you realize that more hundreds of scholars have tried to pull that statement apart and tell us that it means one thing or another?  So, your question about how we know we can be sure that Jesus meant it literally is an excellent one!  Although many others don't understand what Jesus was saying, the Catholic Church is very positive about the statement being literal and meaning exactly what Jesus says.

We have a couple of things which allow us to be certain that He really meant what He said about us eating His body.  (By the way, we call the miracle which changes the bread to Jesus' true body and the wine into His true blood  "Transubstantiation.") 

First off, when Jesus taught, he often explained what he meant to the disciples.   If people didn't 'get it,' or if they 'got it wrong,' He clarified what he meant.  When He spoke about eating His flesh it was scandalous to many of the followers.   This idea of "gnawing" or "munching" on someone's flesh and blood was abhorrent to the Jews.  When He spoke of it, He didn't clarify.  He allowed the people to think it was what it is.

That being known, let's take a look at the conversation in John 6:515-69 ... Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."  The Jews then quarreled among themselves saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  ... Just a little bit later they say, "This ... is hard.  Who can accept it?"  and many left and returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.  

Jesus didn't stop and say, "Wait, I meant that metaphorically!  Come back!"  Instead, ...

He looked at the remaining disciples and asked them, "Do you also want to leave?"  and Simon Peter said, "Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."   (from the New American Translation of the Bible)

So, when Jesus said the words about eating His flesh at the Last Supper, they were not new to Jesus' followers.  They had already discussed and argued about what Jesus meant.  They knew He meant what He was saying.  And they believed.

Later, in First Corinthians, "St. Paul said that whoever receives communion unworthily is guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord."  (1 Cor 11:27)  In that culture, to be 'guilty of another's body and blood' is to be guilty of murdering them.  How could Paul say that someone was guilty of killing Jesus because he ate bread that symbolized Him?  Paul [too] knew that the Eucharist was not merely a symbol but actually the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus."  (Did Jesus have a last Name?  and 199 other questions from Catholic Teenagers  by Matthew Pinto & Jason Evert, (c) 2005 Ascension Press, west Chester, PA  p139)

The Church Fathers strongly affirmed that Christ's body and blood becomes present in the sacrament of Eucharist.  The Council of Trent summarizes it too.   It is a beautiful  mystery of our faith which has been part of our history from the very beginning.  

Thanks for the question.  I hope this helps.

Pope Francis' list of "resolutions" for 2016

It's a new year and time for a new set of resolutions.  Pope Francis has put out his list for us to think about this year.  Here is the list - and some thoughts of my own to go along with them. Ponder, pray, and see what God is calling for you to do to be the face of Jesus to the world!

1.  Don't Gossip.  
             Is it true?  Is it your story to share?  Is it necessary to share?   Are you the one who should be sharing it?  Why are you sharing it?  Is it to make yourself look better?  To make someone else look bad?  Will you feel bad after sharing it?  Remember, once it's been said you can't unsay it!

2.Finish your meals.
            But I get soooo full at my meals!  Am I supposed to eat all and get sick or fat?  ... Learn from this time and take smaller portions!  Use a smaller plate to help you portion down!  What you don't waste can be used as leftovers and will keep you from purchasing other things which could be used to feed the poor in your community!

3.  Make time for others.
            Involve them in a conversation and especially take the time to LISTEN from your heart!

4.  Choose the more humble purchase.
          Instead of the $150 pair of shoes choose the $50 pair.  Instead of the $50,000 auto, buy the $30,000 one with better gas mileage.  Better yet, purchase 2nd hanad!   Use up what you have.  Take a portion of the money you've saved and donate it to a charity that helps the poor or homeless or infirm or imprisoned or unborn.   Free yourself from the name brand mania!   And remember: our consumer society is what keeps families and children around the world enslaved in factories which pay them pennies a day or less.  

5.  Meet the poor 'in the flesh.'
          Help with a community dinner.  Stop and speak to the homeless person on the street. Invite that person to a McDonald's meal.  Ask that person his/her name.  and PRAY for him/her.  

6.  Stop judging others.
          Although we are called to judge right from wrong, we are not to be judgmental of another person.  We are not to make ourselves the judge, jury, and executioner towards others.  Pray for the person you want to condemn,  Until you've walked a mile in their shoes you won't know the underlying hurts which lead them to what they are doing.  

7.  Befriend those who disagree.
          You don't have to attend every disagreement to which you are invited.  After all, it takes two to argue.  Agree to disagree and shut your mouth!  You may find out that that disagreeable person is someone who has a need to be heard - and after being heard just might become a great friend.

8.  Make commitments, such as marriage.
           So many are afraid to commit in case they change their mind . . . or for many other reasons. Marriage committed to after a prayerful discussion with God and with a heart towards loving your spouse like Jesus loves the Church is a blessing with unlimited rewards.  However, this resolution is not just about marriage, but about making other commitments too. One example is for volunteering in the Church,   Take on a position.  Commit for a season. God has many blessings waiting to bestow on you.  After that season re-evaluate and if the volunteer position you took on isn't for you, leave that one and take on something else!  It's all about the journey.  Make it a well lived one.

9.  Make it a habit to 'ask the Lord.'
          Ask the Lord about the big things and the little things.  Speak to Him about all your worries  and cares.  Speak to Him about your joys and successes.  He wants to be your #1 friend.  He's already your #1 fan waiting to be asked into your life.  Build a relationship with Him this year.

10.  Be happy.
          Work the other 9 and you'll be surprised to discover than #10 is the outcome!

If God is so loving and forgiving and all that, why didn't He just forgive Adam & Eve? - John

Dear John,

Simply:  "It would not be right or fair for God to just forgive everyone.  There is a penalty that must be paid for doing wrong.  The penalty for sinning against God is death, eternal death.  But God loved us so much that he sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our penalty.  Jesus did this by dying on the cross, in our place."  Question 41 from 'Over 200 Questions Children ask about God and the Bible' (c) 1997 Tyndale Publishing

To put it a little more intricately, allow me to say that you are not the only person who has ever asked that question!  St. Anselm, a saint from the 11th century, asked the same thing. In his pondering he realized a couple of things ... 

1.  If God is the all perfect, all just, transcendent, One whom we are to honor in every way, then humanity - who demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, that we are not perfect - must make an atonement to Him, the all perfect, all powerful, all just, transcendent God  if they are to ever be able to approach Him.
2. If God is all just, then God cannot allow for a wrong to go by unpunished.  Not punishing a wrong would be unjust.
3.  Only a human can atone for humanities' sins.  ie:  a dog can't atone for humanity's sin because a dog isn't a human.  A cow can't atone for it.  An angel can't either - because an angel isn't human either.  Only a human can represent a human.  Think about that like this:  An American can only be represented by an American, not a Chinese person, not an Egyptian, not a Russian.  Same goes with being human.
4.  However, a human can never reach the perfection required by God because humans aren't God.  They are not on the same level as God.  So, whoever makes the atonement also has to be able to deal with God as an equal.  We don't have anyone who meets that requirement.
5.  Hence, God, in His great LOVE, made a way for us to be able to be forgiven.  In His all knowing ways, He prepared for the very happening of sin and planned on becoming human so He could atone. - and that's where Jesus fits in!
6.  Jesus meets all the requirements.  Jesus is totally human - and so can represent us in front of God.  Jesus is also totally God - and so can approach God as an equal.  

And all of that lets us realize that although God didn't "just forgive everybody,"  But, He made it so that we could all be forgiven ... we just have to ask for the gift of forgiveness that Jesus made possible for us to receive.     

Doesn't that make God even greater than you thought!

When I have a problem, does it really matter if I pray? I mean, God already knows what's going to happen, so why should I pray if He already has the results of a problem in His sight? - Julie

Before trying to answer that, let's look at what prayer is.   "Prayer is communion with God. Prayer is communication within relationship.  From a Biblical standpoint, change isn't what prayer is all about. it is more about love and relationship with God."  

So, the answer to your question is YES, it matters that you pray.  God wants to be in communion - that is in relationship - with you.  Just like you share your concerns with a best friend, that's what God wants from you.  Will the end result change?  I don't know.  But, I do know that when I am in communion with God, He blesses me with a peace and acceptance and trust in His higher purpose. That helps me to stay more calm, to worry  less, and to at least go through the troubling time in a much more joyful, less anxious attitude.  And that is always an answer to prayer!

How can I keep my focus when I'm praying?

Yes, it IS sometimes hard to focus when we pray.  Certainly Satan tries to divert our attention and get us thinking of things other than God.  A glare in our eyes, a blaring horn, a crying baby, the telephone, even sleepiness can cause us to lose our train of thought when we are praying.  However, we should just shake the thoughts out and look again towards God.  We don't want to beat ourselves up about it, just catch ourselves at the wandering thoughts and pull ourselves back into the prayer.  We are only called to do the best we can. As we do this over and over again, we will discover that we do better and better keeping our focus.  It's really a training of ourselves.   

There is a wonderful image which St. Faustina described in her Diary which helps me sometimes:  She prayed that she could be like a flower that follows the sun.  What is she talking about?  

I think of the fields of sunflowers when I lived in Kansas.  All the heads would face towards the sun.  As the sun moved across the sky, the heads too would move their positions so that they were literally following it.  It was a really incredible phenomenon.   Those heads continually 'looked towards the sun.'  

So as I ponder St. Faustina's image, I realize that she has given me a pattern I should strive to mimic when I pray: That is "Follow the 'Son.' "  As long as I am looking towards the Son, my prayers will become more focused.  I just need to keep on practicing it ... pray and focus, pray and re-focus. Pray, pray, pray.

I got into a mess at school last week. I thought I had a guardian angel that was supposed to keep me from falling into troubles. -Jake

Oh, Jake!

The answer to your question has a number of layers.  First, you are correct, you do have a guardian angel assigned to you by God.  The angel's job is to care for you in a way that does not interfere with your free will.     The angel is to guard you on your path and guide you, lead you, and protect you, but only in regards as to how you allow your angel to do those things for/with you.  Your angel will lead you to the place God has prepared for you if you permit it!

In the book of Exodus, God speaks to Moses during the delivery of the 10 Commandments.  God says, "I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.  Be attentive to him and heed his voice.  Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin.  My authority resides in him." Ex 23:20-21

So you can see that the protection the angel provides is not one of being your conscience, but one that guides and protects and influences you according to the way we obey God's commands and that guidance the angel extends to you.  You have the choice to listen and obey those nudges of your angel, or you can leave your angel alone.

In the New Testament, Jesus reminds the apostles that we have angels watching over us.  When there are children in his presence he says, "See that you never despise on of these little ones.  I assure you, their angels in heaven constantly behold my heavenly Father's face."  (Matt 18:10)   

So, YES, you do have a guardian angel.

That being made clear, all me to speak to another layer of this question.  That of FREE WILL.  FREE WILL is that special gift from God which allows us to choose God and God's ways or to ignore God's desire for us.   Free will is not the ability to do whatever we want.  We just can't.  For example, I can't go 80 miles an hour in a school zone without getting into trouble.  Someone can't kill another person and not receive a penalty.  Free will is the gift of being allowed to choose God's ways or not.  God doesn't want a bunch of robots in heaven.  God wants people who have chosen to love Him by their own choosing.

The third layer is one of taking responsibility for one's actions.  That is a very hard thing for many people.  When I do something wrong, or bad, or when I hurt someone's feelings, I have to take the brunt of that.  I have to be mature and make amends for that wrong.  It is nobody else's fault that I choose to do something that is wrong.  For example:  If I don't like the kid in front of me in line at school and I decide to give him a little push and it ends up that he is so caught off guard that he falls into the water fountain and breaks his tooth and gets a big black eye, I can't say, "Oh, it was an accident.  I didn't mean to do it."  The real story is that I meant to push him.  That was something bad.  I didn't mean for him to get hurt, but he wouldn't have gotten hurt if I wasn't doing something I wasn't supposed to do in the first place.  The whole mess is my fault.  I then have to suffer the consequences.   And ... I have nobody to blame but me. 

That's called taking responsibility.  It's something that separates being a mature person from an immature one.  It's also a problem we've had since Adam and Eve - remember Adam blamed Eve for eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  Then Eve blamed the serpent.  ... Human nature from the beginning.  

But, we can learn from others and be aware and learn to make better decisions.  That will allow us to grow into the person God desires us to be.  It's not easy, but it will definitely be worth it when we get to God and He says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

Good luck, Jake!!