Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Jenna Marie Cooper: Does a prenup invalidate a marriage?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: A friend is in a relationship where his fiancée won’t sign a prenuptial agreement because she thinks it would make the marriage invalid. It could be grounds for annulment. “For richer and for poorer” etc. What is the canonical opinion here? (Sydney, Australia) A: When we speak about a prenuptial agreement, or […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Where did Lazarus go before Jesus raised him?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Regarding the people Jesus raised from the dead, where were their souls while they were dead? (Location withheld) A: Among the many miracles Jesus performed as part of his public ministry, some of the most remarkable include his raising several recently-deceased people from the dead. In the Gospels we read of the […]

Question Corner: Jesus became man so I could become God? Do people talk too loudly before Mass?

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  QUESTION CORNER By Jenna Marie Cooper Q: I’m reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and have a question about CCC 460. Can you please fully explain the lines: “For the son of God became man so that we might become God” and “… might make men gods.” I am to become GOD? That […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do we relax Lenten fasts on Sunday?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays, because every Sunday is a “little Easter” when we remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. I hear people say it is “cheating” if one doesn’t abstain on Sundays from whatever one “gives up” during Lent, but I wonder why one would […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: What are miracles? Why are they needed to declare someone a saint?

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  QUESTION CORNER Q: A two-point question: It is common to hear, “It’s a miracle,” for a sports comeback victory. Does the church actually have a definition of a miracle? When it comes to canonization, miracles are required, aren’t they? Does a miracle happen in other domains except health and medicine? (Cape Girardeau, Missouri) A: […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Can laypeople ever absolve sins? Can you have Latin chants at a Novus Ordo Mass?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: If someone is dying, can anyone hear their confession and offer absolution? (Fredericksburg, PA) A: No. Only an ordained priest has the power to forgive sins sacramentally in Jesus’ name. Even in an emergency, non-ordained laypeople are not able to confer absolution; nor can Catholic deacons, even though they are ordained. Interestingly […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Do I have to wait until the song ends? Why is the Easter Candle not always lit?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Can I leave Mass after the blessing, or must I wait for the recessional hymn to be sung? (Syosset, New York) A: The final blessing is the official conclusion of the Mass, so — in that sense — once the final blessing is said, Mass is over and you may leave without […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why do days of obligation differ? How do vegetarians do Lent?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why do Holy Days of Obligation differ from year to year, diocese to diocese, and around the world? (Los Angeles, California) A: Holy days of obligation — days when Catholics are obligated to attend Mass — are discussed in canon 1246 in the Code of Canon Law. This canon first describes Sundays […]

Jenna Marie Cooper: Why confess to a priest? Will the priest be angry if I haven’t gone in awhile?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Why must I confess to a priest, when I can just talk to God? (Newark, New Jersey) A: Jesus told his Apostles: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23). Our bishops are the direct successors to the Apostles and, together with their priests, […]