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Catholic Q & A
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On this page, we'll be listing some of the Catholic questions and answers published in the bulletin and Parish Updates. At this time, there is no particular order to the listing.
Q&A from various sources
Q
How long does Jesus remain present in the Holy Eucharist
A How long does Jesus remain present in the Holy Eucharist? Only as long as the appearances of bread and wine remain. If a sudden fire were to destroy the sacred hosts in the tabernacle, Jesus would not be burned. The appearance of bread would be changed to the appearance of ashes, and Jesus would be gone. When, after Holy Communion, our digestive processes have destroyed the appearance of bread within us, Jesus no longer is bodily present, only his grace remains.
Leo Trese, The Faith Explained, Scepter Press, pp. 363-364
Q
How can we be sure to receive the Eucharist properly and reverently?
R Observe the Fast from any food or drink at least one hour before receiving the Eucharist. [Water & medicine are exemptions] The sick need only to fast for 15 mins prior to Communion.
Go to Confession prior to Communion if you are conscious of any mortal/serious sin.
While in line for Holy Communion, stay recollected and focused. Avoid greeting others along the way.
Make a bow of the head as you approach the minister of Holy Communion.
If receiving the Eucharist in the hand, extend your hands toward the minister, palms up, one hand upon another.
If receiving on the tongue, open your mouth sufficiently and extend your tongue. Do not move before the sacred host is placed on your tongue.
Respond "Amen" when the minister shows you the host and says "The Body of Christ." Other replies, i.e. "Thank you," are inappropriate. "Amen" is sufficient and shows one's belief in the Real Presence.
Allow the host to be placed in your hand. Then step aside and with, your free hand, take the host and consume it. Never try to take the host from the hand of the minister. Do not walk back to your place carrying the host. Do not make the sign of the cross with the host before coonsuming it. If one's hand is impeded through the use of a cane, holding a purse, tissue, or child, it is more practical to receive on the tongue.
Do not genuflect before returning to your place. It is also unnecessary to make the sign of the cross after receiving. Upon returning to your place, spend a few minutes in a prayer of thanksgiving; afterward, one might join in singing the hymn.
When the Precious Blood is offered, approach the minister, bow your head and reply "Amen" after he/she says "the Blood of Christ." Take the chalice from the minister and take a sip of Precious Blood, and then hand the chalice to the minister. Carrying the host in order to dip it in the chalice is never allowed. Communion from the chalice is optional. The "sign value" is fuller, but we believe that in receiving the host or chalice alone, we receive the fullness of the Lord's Real Presence. This is called the "Doctrine of Concomitance."Q
Why does the Church accept Mass intentions?
R When a priest offers Mass, he applies the special graces that flow from the Mass upon a particular person or intention. Since the Mass is the “source and summit of the Christian life” and the sacrifice of Calvary renewed, it possesses a power that our personal prayers do not. Offering Mass for particular intentions is an ancient practice evidenced by inscriptions in Roman catacombs that remind the reader to pray for the deceased. Tertullian (c. 200) wrote of observing the anniversary of a spouse with prayers and sacrifices, i.e., the Mass. In his Confessions (c. 397), St. Augustine relates that his mother, St. Monica, instructed him, “One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord.” Canon Law permits a priest celebrating or concelebrating a Mass to accept an offering (stipend) to apply the Mass for a specific intention (Can. 945 §1) and affirms that those who give an offering contribute to the good of the Church by supporting its ministers and works” (945 §2). The priest does not take the money for the Mass itself, but for the purpose of supplying the things necessary for Mass and for his own support. The Church lays out specific rules so that the practice is not abused. The bishops of a region set the amount acceptable for their area, but a priest will offer Mass even if someone cannot provide an offering. In most places the offering is $10. One is not paying for the graces that flow from the Mass that are of infinite value and cannot be paid for, but for the material things required for Mass. [Adapted: Philip Kosloski, Aleteia.org; 2017} Q
What do we mean by Ordinary Time?
R Because the term ordinary in English most often means something that's not special or distinctive, many people think that Ordinary Time is that part of the Church’s calendar that is unimportant, even though Ordinary Time makes up most of the liturgical year—33 or 34 weeks! Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" not because it is common but because the weeks of Ordinary Time are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo and the English word order. These weeks are numbered between the seasons of the year that have their own distinctive character—Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Green is the liturgical color for Ordinary Time when there is no special feast. Green vestments have traditionally been associated with the time after Pentecost, when the Church, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, began to grow and to spread throughout the world. Ordinary Time is observed in the post-Vatican II calendar. In the Extraordinary Rite, the Sundays of Ordinary Time are called Sundays After Epiphany and Sundays After Pentecost Q
Why does the priest or deacon put a drop of water into the chalice at Mass?
Why does the priest later, place a particle of the sacred host into the chalice?R Both actions are very ancient and began as practical necessities, but eventually the necessities disappeared and were even forgotten. The Christians continued the practice but began to interpret the actions symbolically. In the ancient world, the Greeks added water to wine because it was often thick, gritty, and too strong. It was simply good taste to add water to wine before drinking it. The Romans loved all things Greek, so they adopted Greek customs and spread them throughout the Empire. And even though it was not originally a Jewish custom to add water to wine, it soon became part of the Passover meal itself and, hence, part of the Mass. As early as the 4th century, catechists explained that the water represented humanity and the wine, divinity. Once you put the water into the wine, it’s impossible to take it out again and so it was symbolic of the union of the Christ’s divinity and humanity in the Incarnation. While putting the drop of water into the chalice of wine, the priest or deacon says quietly, “Through the mystery of this water and wine may be come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”
The practice of dropping a piece of consecrated host into the chalice (the commingling) is an ancient custom. Originally, there was only one Mass in each city on Sunday at which the entire community would gather with the bishop. As Christianity spread, it became physically impossible for all to gather for the one celebration and Masses began to be celebrated throughout the area. To maintain he connection to the bishop’s liturgy, a small portion of the host consecrated by the bishop was taken to the other Masses. This particle was mingled into the chalice Of course, we no longer receive a fraction of the bishop's host for each celebration. The celebrant breaks off a small fraction of the larger host used at that particular Mass and places it into the chalice. He says quietly (inaudibly): "May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it." Just as the fraction of the host, the paschal Lamb of God, symbolizes the death of the Lord, so the commingling rite symbolizes the Lord's resurrection. In death, body and blood are often separated in life they are united.Catholic Answers
from the United States Catholic Conference, Washington DC
Q As a Catholic, may I be cremated? A Yes. The Church’s definite preference is for burial of the body. However, since 1963, cremation has been permitted. In 1997, the Vatican gave the bishops of the United States permission to allow the celebration of funeral Mass with the cremated remains present. Q When should cremation take place? A The Church strongly prefers that cremation take place after the full funeral liturgy with the body. The presence of the body most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the person and better expresses the values that the Church affirms in its rites. This is the body once washed clean in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the Bread of Life…This is the body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Q Must cremated remains be buried/entombed? A Yes. Respectful final disposition of cremated remains involves interment or entombment. Options include a family grave in a cemetery marked with a memorial stone, or in a columbarium. Q May I scatter the cremated remains? A No. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in a home are not the reverent disposition the Church requires. Burial at sea of cremated remains differs from scattering. An appropriate and worthy container heavy enough to be sent to its final resting place, may be dropped into the sea in accord with local government regulations. Q & A by Matthew J. Pinto [Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons?]
What is Purgatory?
Purgatory is the state of purification that some souls undergo before receiving the Beatific Vision, the vision of God. It is an infallible teaching of the Church. Purgatory is for people who are destined for heaven but who have venial sins on their souls or the effects of forgiven mortal sins, which must be cleansed (Matt. 5:26) Because “nothing unclean shall enter” into heaven (Rev. 21:27) God has established a place of final purification, purgatory. At our personal judgments after death, (Heb 9:27; 2 Cor 5:8) we will know our past life as never before. If we are saved but are still attached to the vestiges (remnants) of sin, we will not only see the justice and logic of purgatory but will actually want to go there. As C.S. Lewis wrote: “Our souls demand purgatory, don’t they?” No questions will arise; no justification will be offered. We will adore and humble ourselves before Jesus when we first meet him, but then want to leave his presence because it would be an insult to Him for us to stay. When we sin, we love ourselves more than God and his laws. This is disordered love. This sin is like the impurities found in newly mined gold. To make the gold perfect, we need to put it through fire. The fire sweats out the impurities. This is analogous to the purification process in purgatory. (1 Cor 3: 12-13) There is an objection by Protestants that the doctrine of Purgatory “takes away from the work of Jesus on the cross at Calvary.” This is not true. Purgatory is an application of the cross. Jesus’ death is so powerful that it can actually purify us in the afterlife. The souls in purgatory are purged of their sin by their sharing the sufferings of Christ.Catholic Replies by Fr. James Drummond
If a Catholic attends a funeral service in an Episcopal Church and the officiating minister invites all to receive communion, may he or she do so?
A Catholic should not receive communion in a non-Catholic Church since it implies that it is the same thing as receiving the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. Catholics believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, while most other Christian denominations consider the species [bread and wine] to be symbols of our Lord’s Body and Blood. The Catholic Church considers “intercommunion” a result of unity in faith and worship, not a means of achieving it, and the Church asks Catholics to refrain from intercommunion while praying for that full unity willed by our Lord.
What is meant by the sin against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven either in this world or in the next world (found in Matthew 12: 31-32)?
It seems probable that this passage refers to the sin of final impenitence, the obstinate rejection of God’s mercy and love even at the moment of death. While a person who is truly sorry for sin will always be pardoned, the person our Lord was talking about does not seek pardon and completely and finally rejects the assistance of the Holy Spirit offers to turn that person away from evil and back to God.