Category: Catholic Life Explained

What Is Mammon?

Question: When Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” what does he mean? What is mammon?

Answer: When you hear Scripture proclaimed each Sunday,

Question: How can a priest counsel people about marriage when he has never been married?

Answer: If a marriage counselor is in a bad marriage does that mean that he or she will be a bad counselor?

Sharing Your Faith

Question: My friend has never heard of Christ and I want to share the Gospel with her but I’m afraid to. How do I share my faith?

Answer: There are a lot of ways to bring up the topic of religion,

Immaculate Conception

Question: I’ve heard people call Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit being “immaculately conceived.” Is that what the Immaculate Conception is?

Answer: While these two events are often confused,

Who Can Offer Anointing of the Sick?

Question: Can anyone offer the Anointing of the Sick to a sick or dying person, or is that only something a priest can do?

Answer: The Letter of James speaks to us of the ancient tradition of a special anointing and blessing of those who are sick: “Is there anyone sick among you?

Baptismal Bib

Question:

At my grandson’s Baptism, the priest put a bib on the baby. I do not remember seeing this before. Why is this done? Is it something new?

Answer:

When an adult is baptized,

Question: What happens to a consecrated host if it accidentally falls to the ground?

Answer: This a very practical question because, as we all know, accidents happen, even during the most careful celebration of the liturgy.

Social Morality

Question: Our parish has been focusing on issues of peace and justice. What are the principles that guide decision-making and social morality?

Answer: There are seven principals of Catholic social teaching that guide our sense of social morality.

Question: Besides the Wise Men, what is significant about the Epiphany?

Answer: Epiphany means “manifestation,” or public display. The feast is usually celebrated January 6. In the US, it is celebrated on the Sunday nearest to January 6.

Question: What is holy water and how do I explain the reason that it is placed at the entrances of churches to my non-Catholic friends?

Answer: Holy water is a sacramental, a reminder of the life of the Church expressed and celebrated through the sacraments.

How are the feasts of the baptism of Jesus and the account of the wedding feast of Cana related to the Epiphany celebration?

Answer: The Epiphany season focuses on revealing Jesus to the world. Following the Christmas celebration,

Why do some sacraments leave a character or mark on the soul? Don’t all sacraments affect the soul? 

Answer:

All sacraments mediate grace and connect us to Christ and to the Church. Some sustain us in our faith journey,