Summer is already half gone, my Quizzical friends. But whether we’re watching a sunset, sharing a meal with family, or enjoying a quiet evening in prayer, these moments remind us that life’s greatest blessings are often its simplest. So, grab a chair, sit back and enjoy this week’s Quiz.
1) PAPAL ENCYCLICALS
In his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV stated that a long-standing social justice teaching first developed by Sts. Augustine and Aquinas is now “outdated.” What is the teaching he is referring to?
a) Right to private property
b) Tithing
c) Just war theory
d) Stewardship
2) CHURCH HIERARCHY
What is the name of the central administrative body of the Holy See that assists the pope in governing the worldwide Catholic Church?
a) Vatican dicastery
b) Pontifical commission
c) Apostolic body
d) Roman curia
3) SAINTS
July 22 is the feast of Mary Magdalene. Which of these statements about her is true?
a) She baptized the first Gentile convert shortly after Pentecost.
b) She was the first person to witness the risen Jesus.
c) She helped to write one of the four Gospels as a companion of St. Mark.
d) She was present at the transfiguration of Jesus.
4) OLD TESTAMENT
In 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12, to whom was God talking when he said, “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you”?
a) Solomon
b) David
c) Moses
d) Daniel
5) NEW TESTAMENT
Who was the brother of Martha and Mary?
a) Nicodemus
b) Joseph
c) Lazarus
d) Zacchaeus
6) CHURCH IN HAWAII
This year, the Diocese of Honolulu started the countdown to the 200th anniversary of Catholicism in Hawaii. The yearlong observance honors the arrival of the first missionaries to Oahu in 1827. What religious order did they belong to?
a) The Society of Jesus
b) The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
c) The Order of Friars Minor
d) The Dominicans
7) THE MASS
Which liturgical object is used by the priest to hold the bread that will become the body of Christ during the Eucharistic prayer?
a) Paten
b) Corporal
c) Aspergillum
d) Thurible
8) MARIOLOGY
What is the primary purpose of Marian devotions in the Catholic Church?
a) To worship Mary
b) To honor Mary
c) To ask Mary to forgive our sins
d) To replace participation in the Mass
Answers: 1) c, 2) d, 3) b, 4) a, 5) c, 6) b, 7) a, 8) b