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? […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Adding context to the ‘fall’ of Satan
Question corner Q: Why did God send Lucifer down to earth to live and rule among his beloved creations? (New Jersey) A: I don’t think we can say that God truly sent the devil — also known as Lucifer, or later as Satan — down to earth in quite the way your question envisions. While […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: It’s OK to enjoy fairies, leprechauns
Question corner Q: Listening to a Catholic radio station one day, they mentioned that leprechauns and fairies were demonic. This shocked me. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations always include leprechauns. Fairies are loved by little girls and big girls alike. I myself made a small fairy garden for me and my granddaughters. We also have many […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Clarifying marriage nullity process
Question corner Q: I was married in a non-Catholic wedding ceremony, then divorced years later civilly. Once I became Catholic and wanted to marry again, I got an annulment of the first marriage. My non-Catholic friends and relatives said this was a Catholic cop-out to get around Jesus’ prohibition against divorce, by saying that the […]
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