Catholic Replies
Editor’s Note: Regarding the question of whether the story of Jonah really happened, R.T. of South Dakota recalled the time that he was a seminary student in Rome and one of his professors said that the story was a myth. R.T. said that one of the other students in the class produced a modern-day newspaper article, which was about a crew that was hunting whales when one man fell overboard and was swallowed up by a whale. They tried to catch the whale, according to the story, and chased it for three days and three nights before harpooning it and catching it. When they cut the whale open, they found the man inside, alive and well.
“Obviously,” said R.T., “the professor didn’t teach us any more about the story of Jonah being a myth.”
Q. I attended a service and distribution of ashes yesterday. A laywoman read the Gospel. It strikes me as being not licit for someone other than a deacon, priest, or bishop to carry out that function. However, I am unable to quote any authority to back me up. Can you tell me if I am correct or not? — P.L., Illinois.
A. In the 2004 Vatican document Redemptionis Sacramentum, which was aimed at correcting liturgical abuses, it says that “within the celebration of the sacred liturgy, the reading of the Gospel, which is ‘the high point of the Liturgy of the Word,’ is reserved by the Church’s tradition to an ordained minister. Thus, it is not permitted for a layperson, even a religious, to proclaim the Gospel reading in the celebration of Holy Mass, nor in other cases in which the norms do not explicitly permit it” (n. 63).
The only exceptions to this rule are when several people share the Gospel reading on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
As you can see, the prohibition against having a non-ordained person read the Gospel applies to Holy Mass, and if the ashes were blessed during a Mass, then the Gospel would have to be proclaimed by an ordained person. We are not aware of a similar prohibition when the ashes are distributed at the type of service that you attended on Ash Wednesday, especially in these days when many parishes are without a full-time priest or when one priest is covering several parishes. In those cases, it may be necessary to have a lay person preside and read the Gospel.
Q. Replying to a question about where in the Bible God promised Adam and Eve that He would send a Messiah, you cited Gen. 3:15 and quoted that verse as follows: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head while you strike at his heel.” But in my Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, the same verse has God telling Satan: “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” These two statements sound totally different. Could you please explain why there is such a difference between the two quotes? — J.L., Missouri.
A. The reason for the change in gender (“He will strike at your head”) in the New American Bible translation is to make clear that the offspring or seed of the woman, traditionally understood to refer to Jesus, will crush the power of Satan. Here is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this passage:
“After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the coming victory over evil and his restoration from the fall [cf. Gen. 3:9, 15]. This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium (‘first gospel’): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers” (n. 410).
The footnote to this verse in your Vulgate edition notes that the early Church fathers differed on their interpretation of Gen. 3:15. Some read the word as ipsa, meaning woman, while others read it as ipsum, meaning the seed. “The sense is the same,” says the footnote, “for it is by her seed, Jesus Christ, that the woman crushes the serpent’s head.”
Q. In my local newspaper there was a picture of a carnival float making fun of Vladimir Putin in what the caption called “the traditional Rose Monday carnival parade in Düsseldorf, Germany.” I know about Mardi Gras on the day before Ash Wednesday, but what is Rose Monday? — B.W., Florida.
A. In Germany, Rosenmontag or Rose Monday is similar to Mardi Gras in this country, but it takes place two days before Ash Wednesday in German-speaking countries, such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The street carnival is a continuation of the old Roman tradition of slaves and servants being masters for a day, and many schools and businesses give teachers, pupils, and employees the day off on Rosenmontag. Like Mardi Gras, the celebrations usually include dressing up in fancy costumes, parades, floats, and of course heavy drinking and carousing.
Q. With regard to the truth of Protestant teachings, the obvious question concerns our actual residence in Heaven. According to these brothers, we are all destined to be there regardless of the path we choose along the way. However, when we are in Heaven, will we each hold the same beliefs or will we each hold separate beliefs? Will we finally accept all that Christ said, all that Christ taught, all that Christ did without qualification? Or will we each continue in our comfort zones by choosing selectively? — S.M., Minnesota.
A. No, there won’t be any selective beliefs and teachings in Heaven. All will finally understand and accept all that Jesus believes and teaches and will recognize Him as the way, the truth, and the life. Whatever confusion or ignorance existed on Earth will disappear in Heaven. There won’t be conflicting beliefs since all will be one in worshiping and praising God. There may be many mansions or dwelling places in Heaven (cf. John 14:2), but there will not be many beliefs.
Let us pray that those today who are far removed from what Jesus taught will repent and believe in the Gospel before it is too late.
Q. Can you tell me where I can find a quotation from St. Augustine about him not believing in the Gospel unless the Catholic Church had moved him to do so? I would love to use the quote, but would like to know where it can be found. — K.M., via e-mail.
A. The quotation can be found in the Letter of Mani Called “The Foundation” (AD 397). Here is the exact quote:
“If you should find someone who does not yet believe in the Gospel, what would you answer him when he says, ‘I do not believe’? Indeed, I would not believe in the Gospel myself if the authority of the Catholic Church did not influence me to do so.”
Q. I have noticed in obituaries for Protestant ministers that they were “called” to serve as ministers. I am puzzled as to who was calling them to serve in their various churches. We believe that men are called to be priests in the Catholic Church, but what is the difference between that calling and the calling of ministers? — M.L.N., Minnesota.
A. We don’t know the procedure for calling men (and women!) to the ministry in Protestant churches. While the process may be very rigid in some churches, where the candidates go through seminary training, we know of pastors who got their ministerial licenses online. And with tens of thousands of Protestant denominations in the United States now, it is not unreasonable to wonder how authentic the calling of some of these pastors really was.
In the Catholic Church, however, if a man thinks he is called to the priesthood, he still has to go through an extensive screening process regarding his physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual readiness, as well as years of seminary study to prepare him for the priesthood. He is scrutinized all through this process to make sure that his calling is legitimate and that he does in fact have all the necessary qualities for a man who will be standing in the place of Christ.
