Question corner Q: We know that Our Lord loves everyone and thus would want to be as close to each person as possible. Can non-Catholics receive holy Communion since this would help achieve the Lord’s ultimate desire to be within the heart and soul of every human being? My spouse is an Episcopalian and refuses […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Rules, limits of receiving Communion
Question corner Q: Can a Catholic receive holy Communion twice in one day? Also, is it possible to ask to receive Communion outside of Mass under normal circumstances, or is this something that is only possible for the sick? (Scarsdale, New York) A: To start with the second part of your question, the short answer […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Nonalcoholic wine is not valid matter
Question corner Q: I’m a parish priest and recently, when I went to order hosts and sacramental wine for my parish, I noticed the company I usually shop from was offering something called “nonalcoholic church wine.” I told the lady on the phone that I imagine this isn’t valid matter for consecration at a Mass, […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Kneeling for Communion is not wrong
Question corner Q: I have been hearing that the “norm” in the United States is to receive Communion standing. Does this mean that people who try to kneel for Communion are breaking canon law? (Florida) A: You are correct that receiving holy Communion while standing is the local norm for the United States, but this […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Baptism benefits all, even infants
Question corner Q: Some evangelical friends were recently quizzing me on the Catholic understanding of baptism. They were especially asking about Jesus’ baptism, and whether this indicates Jesus had some sin or sins of which he needed to repent. They had the same question regarding infant baptism, as infants would seem to neither be able […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Jesus was sinless, but faced temptation
Question corner Q: Could Jesus sin? If not, was he truly human and free? (Iowa) A: This is a rather complex question that gets into some deep Trinitarian theology. But I think we can still break this down into some accessible takeaway points. For some background, we believe that Jesus is truly and fully God, […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Death ends marriage, but not love
Question corner Q: I have a question about the vocation of marriage. I’m very moved by the examples of widowed family and friends who continue to be very devoted to their deceased spouse, praying for them daily and visiting their graves often. Often they speak of looking forward to seeing their spouse again in heaven. […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Relic, prayer customs have scriptural roots
Question corner Q: What scriptural basis is there for praying for the dead, for their repose, or for praying to the dead, for their intercessions? And in a related way, what scriptural basis is there for the Catholic practice of “relics,” such as saving a person’s bone fragments? My Protestant friends say these practices are […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Indulgences help us, those in purgatory
Question corner Q: Please explain what an indulgence is and how it can reduce or eliminate the time a soul must spend in purgatory. A: Indulgences are perhaps one of the more misunderstood parts of Catholic practice. But indulgences are deeply rooted in several key Catholic theological concepts, such as the nature of purgatory, the […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Purgatory readies us for heaven
Question corner Q: When I was evangelical, we said a “saved” person went immediately to heaven at death. In a recent homily our priest said most Christians, including himself, will likely go to purgatory at death. How can Jesus’ shed blood pay for a person’s sins, but the person doesn’t go to heaven at death? […]
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