Friday 29th March 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Currently Reading:

Catholic Replies

November 21, 2014 Our Catholic Faith No Comments

Q. We recently celebrated the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Why does the Church celebrate a church building in Rome? — P.R., Massachusetts.
A. Because the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest church in Christendom and is the church of the Pope, not St. Peter’s Basilica. The Lateran Basilica was built in the fourth century and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester in 324, just 11 years after Roman Emperor Constantine granted Christians religious freedom. He gave the former palace of the Laterani family to Pope Miltiades, and the Popes resided there for a thousand years. We honor this sacred building as a way of expressing love and veneration for the Church of Rome, which St. Ignatius of Antioch said “presides in charity” over the whole Catholic world.
In marking the feast on November 9, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI said that “today’s feast celebrates a mystery that is always relevant: God’s desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships Him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God. Every community, therefore, has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony. For this, we call upon the intercession of Mary Most Holy, that she help us to become, like her, the ‘house of God,’ living temple of His love.”

Q. I understand that in the early Church one received formal Confession only once after Baptism. Extreme Unction was the next opportunity for forgiveness. By the eighth to the tenth centuries, the Irish allowed more formal Confession. What did one do in the interval? — S.C., California.
A. While some Catholics in the early centuries of the Church chose to postpone Confession for grave sins until shortly before death (a rather presumptuous choice since one might not always know when death was imminent), that was not the norm. According to Fr. John Hardon’s Catholic Catechism (cf. pp. 481-500), private Confession of one’s sins was practiced in the early years of the Church.
In the year 459, Pope Leo I censured those who demanded public manifestation of sins, saying that “it is sufficient that the guilt which people have on their consciences be made known to the priests alone in secret confession.” From the time of St. Patrick in the fifth century, there were in existence Penitential Books, said Fr. Hardon, that contained “directions to confessors in the form of prayers, questions to be asked, and exhaustive lists of sins with the appropriate penance prescribed.”
Depending on the gravity of a sin, he said, “the works of satisfaction would be prescribed accordingly. For the graver crimes — parricide, perjury, adultery, abortion — they prescribed such penances as exile, going on a distant pilgrimage, or seclusion in a monastery for life or for ten or seven or three years. For lesser sins the satisfaction might consist in fasting either for a long period or periodically, or again in certain prayers, scourging oneself with knotted cords, or almsgiving.”
These extraordinary acts of satisfaction, said Fr. Hardon, became less severe later due in part to “development of doctrine on the nature of penance in Catholic thought and partly by the gradual practice of indulgences.”
In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council mitigated the rule of public penance that had been in effect for a thousand years and said: “Let everyone of the faithful of both sexes, after he has reached the age of discretion, devotedly confess in private all his sins at least once a year to his own priest, and let him strive to fulfill to the best of his ability penance enjoined upon him.”
This has pretty much been the practice of the Church since the 13th century, with such clarifications as requiring annual Confession once a year only if the penitent is conscious of having committed a mortal sin.
The frequency of people coming to the Sacrament of Penance waxed and waned over the centuries, but the necessity of frequent Confession was affirmed by the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which also defended the practice against the attacks of the Protestant reformers, and by Pope St. Pius X in 1910, who specifically said that children ought to go to Confession “when a child begins to reason, i.e., about the seventh year, more or less.” In the document Quam Singulari, the Holy Father said that “the custom of not admitting children to Confession or not giving them absolution when they have already attained the use of reason must be entirely abandoned.”
The practice of postponing the Sacrament of Penance for children to the fourth grade and beyond came into vogue in the late sixties and still persists in some places despite many official statements reprobating such a delay. Thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “children must go the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time” (n. 1457).

Q. Recently the bishops of the world completed the first phase of their Synod on Marriage and Family Life. The synod was called by Pope Francis. Is it likely that the Pope wants to find out the extent of apostasy in our beloved Church? — J.D.H., California.
A. First of all, apostasy means the total rejection by a baptized person of the Catholic faith. Heresy, on the other hand, is the obstinate denial by a baptized Catholic of some truth which must be believed by divine and Catholic faith, or the obstinate doubt about some truth. The reports coming out of the recent synod — about possible changes in the Church’s teaching on such things as homosexuality, same-sex unions, and Holy Communion for divorced and remarried couples — would involve heresy if in fact some bishops obstinately denied the truth of the Church’s teaching on these matters.
We don’t know from the reports, however, if any bishops obstinately doubt one or more of these truths, or whether they were floating trial balloons to see if these teachings might be modified in some way. We don’t think that’s going to happen, but maybe Pope Francis called the synod to get the issues on the table so that the ancient teachings of the Church can be reaffirmed to a skeptical world. Time will tell.

Q. In our parish, extraordinary ministers dispense the Body and Blood of the Lord at the rear of the church with their backs toward the tabernacle. Some of us find this unnecessary and disrespectful. Also, many of the people who receive at the back of the church walk right out of Mass without having a qualm about offering thanksgiving. Finally, there has been the practice of asking if anyone is celebrating a birthday or anniversary and then singing to those people before the final blessing. Please comment. — M.D.G., New York.
A. First of all, any minister of Communion at the front of the church also has his back to the tabernacle. There is no other way to distribute Communion, and we don’t find this practice disrespectful. However, you are correct that it is highly disrespectful to walk out of church immediately after receiving the Eucharist. We doubt if these people would finish eating dinner at a friend’s house and immediately walk out the door without saying thanks. Doesn’t God deserve the same respect?
Finally, celebrating birthdays or anniversaries during Mass is most inappropriate. It makes the Mass about the people, and not about God. Those kinds of celebrations can take place after Mass, say, in the parish hall.

Q. With the “firing” of Raymond Cardinal Burke from his posts in Rome, with the appointment of Bishop Blase Cupich (who is not opposed to giving Communion to pro-abortion or pro-same-sex “marriage” politicians ) as archbishop of Chicago, and with Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s involvement in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade scandal in New York City, I am greatly concerned for my Catholic Church. Can you give me some positive input? — R.B.K., via e-mail.
A. We can only add to your dismay after observing the virtual canonization of former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino at his recent funeral Mass by his parish priest and the cardinal archbishop of Boston. It’s one thing to pray for the soul of the deceased, and we would never judge the state of a person’s soul; it’s quite another to heap effusive praise on a man who was a vigorous supporter of abortion and the homosexual lifestyle, even to the point of marching in “Gay Pride” parades.
In spite of these disappointing examples, the Church is still that of Jesus Christ, who promised to be with her all days, until the end of the world. Be not afraid!

Share Button

2019 The Wanderer Printing Co.

Vatican and USCCB leave transgender policy texts unpublished

While U.S. bishops have made headlines for releasing policies addressing gender identity and pastoral ministry, guidelines on the subject have been drafted but not published by both the U.S. bishops’ conference and the Vatican’s doctrinal office, leaving diocesan bishops to…Continue Reading

Biden says Pope Francis told him to continue receiving communion, amid scrutiny over pro-abortion policies

President Biden said that Pope Francis, during their meeting Friday in Vatican City, told him that he should continue to receive communion, amid heightened scrutiny of the Catholic president’s pro-abortion policies.  The president, following the approximately 90-minute-long meeting, a key…Continue Reading

Federal judge rules in favor of Gov. DeSantis’ mask mandate ban

MIAMI (LifeSiteNews) – A federal judge this week handed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis another legal victory on his mask mandate ban for schools. On Wednesday, Judge K. Michael Moore of the Southern District of Florida denied a petition from…Continue Reading

The Eucharist should not be received unworthily, says Nigerian cardinal

Priests have a duty to remind Catholics not to receive the Eucharist in a state of serious sin and to make confession easily available, a Nigerian cardinal said at the International Eucharistic Congress on Thursday. “It is still the doctrine…Continue Reading

Donald Trump takes a swipe at Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him

Donald Trump complained about Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him in 2020. The former president made the comments in a conference call featuring religious leaders. The move could be seen to shore up his religious conservative base…Continue Reading

Y Gov. Kathy Hochul Admits Andrew Cuomo Covered Up COVID Deaths, 12,000 More Died Than Reported

When it comes to protecting people from COVID, Andrew Cuomo is already the worst governor in America. New York has the second highest death rate per capita, in part because he signed an executive order putting COVID patients in nursing…Continue Reading

Prayers For Cardinal Burke . . . U.S. Cardinal Burke says he has tested positive for COVID-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said he has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. In an Aug. 10 tweet, he wrote: “Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish to inform you that I have recently…Continue Reading

Democrats Block Amendment Banning Late-Term Abortions, Stopping Abortions Up to Birth

Senate Democrats have blocked an amendment that would ban abortions on babies older than 20 weeks. During consideration of the multi-trillion spending package, pro-life Louisiana Senator John Kennedy filed an amendment to ban late-term abortions, but Democrats steadfastly support killing…Continue Reading

Transgender student wins as U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs bathroom appeal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to a transgender former public high school student who waged a six-year legal battle against a Virginia county school board that had barred him from using the bathroom corresponding…Continue Reading

New York priest accused by security guard of assault confirms charges have now been dropped

NEW YORK, June 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — A New York priest has made his first public statement regarding the dismissal of charges against him.  Today Father George W. Rutler reached out to LifeSiteNews and other media today with the following…Continue Reading

21,000 sign petition protesting US Catholic bishops vote on Biden, abortion

More than 21,000 people have signed a letter calling for U.S. Catholic bishops to cancel a planned vote on whether President Biden should receive communion.  Biden, a Catholic, supports abortion rights and has long come under attack from some Catholics over that…Continue Reading

Bishop Gorman seeks candidates to fill two full time AP level teaching positions for the 2021-2022 school year in the subject areas of Calculus/Statistics and Physics

Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic School is a college preparatory school located in Tyler, Texas. It is an educational ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler led by Bishop Joseph Strickland. The sixth through twelfth grade school provides a…Continue Reading

Untitled 5 Untitled 2

Attention Readers:

  Welcome to our website. Readers who are familiar with The Wanderer know we have been providing Catholic news and orthodox commentary for 150 years in our weekly print edition.


  Our daily version offers only some of what we publish weekly in print. To take advantage of everything The Wanderer publishes, we encourage you to su
bscribe to our flagship weekly print edition, which is mailed every Friday or, if you want to view it in its entirety online, you can subscribe to the E-edition, which is a replica of the print edition.
 
  Our daily edition includes: a selection of material from recent issues of our print edition, news stories updated daily from renowned news sources, access to archives from The Wanderer from the past 10 years, available at a minimum charge (this will be expanded as time goes on). Also: regularly updated features where we go back in time and highlight various columns and news items covered in The Wanderer over the past 150 years. And: a comments section in which your remarks are encouraged, both good and bad, including suggestions.
 
  We encourage you to become a daily visitor to our site. If you appreciate our site, tell your friends. As Catholics we must band together to rediscover our faith and share it with the world if we are to effectively counter a society whose moral culture seems to have no boundaries and a government whose rapidly extending reach threatens to extinguish the rights of people of faith to practice their religion (witness the HHS mandate). Now more than ever, vehicles like The Wanderer are needed for clarification and guidance on the issues of the day.

Catholic, conservative, orthodox, and loyal to the Magisterium have been this journal’s hallmarks for five generations. God willing, our message will continue well into this century and beyond.

Joseph Matt
President, The Wanderer Printing Co.

Untitled 1

Catechism

Today . . .

Abortion Advocates No Longer Consider It “A Necessary Evil,” They Celebrate Killing Babies

Last week, Kamala Harris became the first vice president in U.S. history to make a public visit to an abortion clinic. Though the Democratic party’s support for abortion is nothing new, Harris’ Planned Parenthood appearance does illustrate how that support has become a flagrant celebration of abortion as a public and personal good, essential to both “freedom” and to “healthcare.” At the appearance, Harris proclaimed,  It is only right and fair that people have access…Continue Reading

Wisconsin Supreme Court says Catholic charity group cannot claim religious tax exemption

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a major Catholic charity group’s activities were not “primarily” religious under state law, stripping the group of a key tax break and ordering it to pay into the state unemployment system. Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB) last year argued that the state had improperly removed its designation as a religious organization.  The charity filed a lawsuit after the state said it did not qualify to be considered as an organization…Continue Reading

Walgreens and CVS Will Start Selling Abortion Pills That Kill Babies

The two largest pharmacies in America will start selling abortion pills this month that end the lives of unborn children by starting them to death. Walgreens and CVS will both sell the abortion pills despite the fact that they kill a developing human being and have killed at least dozens of women and injured tens of thousands more. They plan to initially roll out abortion drug sales in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California…Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke announces novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for ‘crises of our age’

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Raymond Cardinal Burke has announced the start of a global, nine-month novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, calling on Catholics to beseech Mary’s intercession on the Church and the world in the face of the “crises of our age.” In a new endeavour published online over the weekend, Cardinal Burke announced a novena beginning in March, and culminating on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

Texas attorney general targets Catholic nonprofit, alleges it facilitates illegal immigration

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 21, 2024 / 21:15 pm Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to shut down a Catholic nonprofit organization in El Paso based on allegations that the group may be facilitating illegal immigration, harboring immigrants who entered the country illegally, and engaging in human smuggling.  Paxton filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit Annunciation House, which has operated in the state for nearly 50 years. The lawsuit asks the District Court of El Paso…Continue Reading

The King of Kings

Cindy Paslawski We are at the end of the Church year. We began with Advent a year ago, commemorating the time awaiting the coming of the Christ and we are ending these weeks later with a vision of the future, a vision of Christ the King of the Universe on His throne before us all.…Continue Reading

7,000 Pro-Lifers March In London

By STEVEN ERTELT LONDON (LifeNews) — Over the weekend, some seven thousand pro-life people in the UK participated in the March for Life in London to protest abortion.They marched to Parliament Square on Saturday, September 2 under the banner of “Freedom to Live” and had to deal with a handful of radical abortion activists.During the…Continue Reading

An Appeal For Prayer For The Armenian People

By RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke on August 29, 2023, issued this prayer for the Armenian people, noting their unceasing love for Christ, even in the face of persecution.) + + On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, having a few days ago celebrated the…Continue Reading

Robert Hickson, Founding Member Of Christendom College, Dies At 80

By MAIKE HICKSON FRONT ROYAL, Va. (LifeSiteNews) — Robert David Hickson, Jr., of Front Royal, Va., died at his home on September 2, 2023, at 21:29 p.m. after several months of suffering and after having received the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. He was surrounded by friends and family.Robert is survived by me —…Continue Reading

The Real Hero Of “Sound of Freedom”… Says The Film Has Strengthened The Fight Against Child Trafficking

By ANA PAULA MORALES (CNA) —Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Homeland Security agent who risked his life to fight child trafficking, discussed the impact of the movie Sound of Freedom, which is based on his work, in an August 29 interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. “I’ve spent more than 20 years helping…Continue Reading

Advertisement

Our Catholic Faith (Section B of print edition)

Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This lesson on medical-moral issues is taken from the book Catholicism & Ethics. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. The email and postal addresses are given at the end of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Ethics (Pages 53-59)…Continue Reading

Color Politics An Impediment To Faith

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The USCCB is rightly concerned about racism, as they should be about any sin. In the 2018 statement Open Wide Our Hearts, they affirm the dignity of every human person: “But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and…Continue Reading

Trademarks Of The True Messiah

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this essay on September 2, and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In Sunday’s Gospel the Lord firmly sets before us the need for the cross, not as an end in itself, but as the way to glory. Let’s consider the Gospel in three stages.First: The Pattern That…Continue Reading

A Beacon Of Light… The Holy Cross And Jesus’ Unconditional Love

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Each year on September 14 the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. The Feast Day of the Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the day St. Helen found the True Cross. It is fitting then, that today we should focus on the final moments of Jesus’ life on the…Continue Reading

Our Ways Must Become More Like God’s Ways

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9Phil. 1:20c-24, 27aMatt. 20:1-16a In the first reading today, God tells us through the Prophet Isaiah that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially when we look at what the Lord…Continue Reading

The Devil And The Democrats

By FR. DENIS WILDE, OSA States such as Minnesota, California, Maryland, and others, in all cases with Democrat-controlled legislatures, are on a fast track to not only allow unborn babies to be murdered on demand as a woman’s “constitutional right” but also to allow infanticide.Our nation has gotten so used to the moral evil of killing in the womb that…Continue Reading

Crushed But Unbroken . . . The Martyrdom Of St. Margaret Clitherow

By RAY CAVANAUGH The late-1500s were a tough time for Catholics in England, where the Reformation was in full gear. A 1581 law prohibited Catholic religious ceremonies. And a 1584 Act of Parliament mandated that all Catholic priests leave the country or else face execution. Some chose to remain, however, so they could continue serving the faithful.Also taking huge risks…Continue Reading

Advertisement(2)