Please clarify the Catholic Church’s position on divorce. I had been taught as long as I remained unmarried after being divorced, I was still in good standing with the church, and could continue to receive the sacraments. I was recently researching mortal sins, and saw an article saying annulment was “permitted” by the church, but not divorce. I would sure appreciate clarification. — Anonymous in our diocese Read More

After the death of Jean Vanier on May 7, 2019, I wrote about his groundbreaking work in establishing relationships with people with intellectual disabilities. I in fact had a personal memory: Mr. Vanier had spoken to my seminary nearly 40 years ago. I felt the genuineness of his willingness to carry out this most important work. Read More

The evil one attempts to steal our peace in order to block our reception and response to God’s messages. Worries, anxieties, fears, wanton passions and inflamed anger are all ways that the evil one tries to agitate our spirit to make it unreceptive to the Holy Spirit. He does this by distracting us from the reality of the present moment. Instead, the devil tempts us to dwell on unpleasant thoughts of the past or the possible foreboding future. Neither of these is the reality of now. In this way, the evil one tricks and steals our peace and the possible… Read More

Why do the altar boys/girls stand on each side of the priest holding a candle now during the homily? —Teresa in St. Elmo Read More

What is the Catholic Church’s teaching on evolution? — Stan in Liberty Read More

Can you please tell us why the Feast of the Circumcision is deleted from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church? I was raised over 70 years ago in our faith. I have the Missal with this in it. Now young Catholics have no idea it ever existed. Will you explain this? — Joe in Jacksonville Read More

Mary, our Blessed Mother, is the ultimate created expression of the Holy Spirit. Her guidance and understanding of the Holy Spirit are inexpressible. She is truly the Mother of God because God entrusted himself to her and he became Incarnate, the Redeemer of mankind. The Holy Spirit waited for her “yes,” then the Man-God was conceived in her womb. In the books of Exodus and Numbers, Moses and the Israelites discerned and heard aloud the Word of God in the tent of meeting. The Ark of the Covenant, in a shimmering Cloud of Glory, dwelt in this tent. This is… Read More

It’s Oscar time! I imagine that this note is surprising, coming from me. I do not see many movies. Regular readers of this column know that I am more into books than films. I am the type of person who, when I see a film based on a book I’ve read, find the film to be something of a cheat. Read More

Our faith has its own “sniffer.” It can sniff out good doctrine from bad doctrine when our hearts are attuned to prayer and flexible in the hands of God. This is the gift of “spiritual sense.” Faith is the infused gift we receive at baptism that enlightens our spiritual intellect. It is capable of illuminating the mind and heart with supernatural instinct and insight, but only when we are living in accord with the teachings of the church. The Holy Spirit speaks in a voice that is gentle, still and small; made audible especially to us. If we allow ourselves… Read More

All the readings are so serious from the Bible. Are there any readings that tell us, did Jesus have a sense of humor? — Mike and Lynn in Sherman Read More

The two fundamentals most lacking in the spiritual lives of most people today, I believe, are curiosity and imagination. How can we grow in relationship with God if we are not the least bit curious about who he is and what he’s about? Read More

In Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel, our Lord gives us the parable of the sower. In this parable —a parable of the Kingdom of God—seeds are sown in various places: on bird-filled paths, rocky ground, shallow soil, amidst thorns and thistles, and on fertile soil. Only the fertile soil offered proper ground for the seed to sprout and grow. Read More

In recent days, I have seen a couple of obituaries of theologian Father Johann Baptist Metz, who died at age 91 on Dec. 2 in Muenster, Germany. I recall having written a paper in my theology studies on the virtue of hope, and having referred to Father Metz’s thoughts on hope. Read More

 The exact origin of the Advent wreath is not fully known, however, there is much evidence to show that this was a Germanic tradition that dates back several hundred years, and the wreath was originally a pagan practice. The pre-Christian Germanic people would light the candles during the cold winter months to remind themselves that the light and warmth of longer days would return. Read More

 Continuing from the last issue —most of us exhibit a combination of the four temperaments, but one usually predominates. Our temperaments are innate and hereditary. They are permanent and can be modified only secondarily without being totally eliminated. Acquiring the moral virtues are the greatest means to shape and modify the temperaments. This knowledge helps people to know themselves better, and to find good strategies for overcoming bad habits. In the last issue we examined the temperaments: sanguine and melancholic. The remaining two, choleric and phlegmatic: Read More

My Protestant friends say if we truly believe it’s the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, when we receive the Eucharist, isn’t that cannibalism? Read More

Would it be OK to take my high school age grandkids to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Kentucky? — Stan in Liberty Read More

In my column of Sept. 29, I described a moment in high school in which my religion teacher, Sister Marie McCloskey, OSU, stressed that our God is passionate about the here and now as well as the hereafter. As we learned from this publication in the Nov. 10 issue, Sister Marie died in New Orleans on Oct. 4 at age 105. Read More

In the last issue the four temperaments were introduced: sanguine, melancholic, choleric and phlegmatic. These are based on the predominant characteristics of our own internal make-up. Most of us exhibit a combination of these temperaments, but one usually predominates. Our temperaments are innate and hereditary. They are permanent and can be modified only secondarily without being totally eliminated. Acquiring the moral virtues are the greatest means to shape and modify the temperaments. Spiritual writers and modern psychologists have utilized this knowledge to help people know themselves better, and to find good strategies for overcoming bad habits.   Read More

In continuing the subject of the sacrament of reconciliation and purification from sin, there are some interesting concepts to help us understand our tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. Ancient spiritual writers have delineated some components of our human psyche that, once identified, can assist in uncovering root causes for certain types of behavior. These components, known as temperaments, are inclinations and reactions that each person has with regard to a given stimulus. For example: When we are assigned a huge task; or have a large block of free time; or find ourselves at a party — how do we react to these… Read More