Ask Father

It is a very good thing to end one’s confession by expressing contrition for all of our sins. A common way to do this is by saying, “For these sins, any sins I may have forgotten, and all the sins of my past life, I ask for the forgiveness of God and pardon and penance from you, Father.” This is also a good way for the confessor to know you have finished your confession. If, after Confession, you remember a sin that you did not confess, it is only necessary to confess it in the next confession if it is a grave sin. Even in this case, however, since it was not intentionally withheld, it was forgiven at the time of that absolution in the last Confession. “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been four weeks since my last good Confession. In that Confession, I forgot to mention missing Mass on Sunday due to my own negligence in planning. Since my last Confession, these are the sins I can best recall….” When in doubt, ask your confessor.

This is a good question and one that actually comes up fairly often. The simply answer is as long as it was not an intentional omission it would be taken care of. I normally suggest that penitents, at the end of confession, say “for these sins, any sins I cannot remember and all of the sins of my past life, I ask pardon and penance.” This covers everything. I would also say that on occasion the Holy Spirit brings things up that have been addressed in confession but perhaps still have some residual effects in the soul. It never hurts to explain this to the confessor and mention it at the next confession.

In July of 2007 Pope Benedict XVI allowed for the celebration of the Usus Antiquior or the Mass of 1962 (Pope John XXIII). In the instructions for the implementation of that document, it was made clear that the liturgical norms in force at the time were to be observed. Since the allowance of girls as servers was prohibited until 1994, they are prohibited from serving at the Old Mass. This is why the announcement indicated a request for boys to serve.

The 1994 interpretation and subsequent explanation noted that girls are permitted to serve but bishops are not bound to allow it. Moreover, priests can choose whether or not to allow this service at the altar. As the letter pointed out: “It will always be very appropriate to the follow the noble tradition of having boys serve at the altar. As is well known, this has led to a reassuring development of priestly vocations. Thus, the obligation to support such groups of altar boys will always continue.” Here at St. Mark we have a dedicated group of boys and girls who volunteer to serve. With the exception of the Old Mass where the prohibition remains in place, that practice will continue, and we are appreciative of the dedicated service offered.

The Apostolic Blessing offers the remission of all sins and the plenary indulgence. However, the reception of it does not negate the importance of prayer for the faithful departed because purification must occur both from the temporal punishment due to sin already forgiven but also from attachments to this world. We all need some type of purification. Sometimes this is done in this life, but for most of us some will need to be done in the life to come. Nonetheless, the Apostolic Blessing provides a source of grace and blessing from the spiritual treasury of the Church, and for that reason it is important to ask to receive as soon as death is approaching or when there is a significant danger of dying, e.g. serious surgery. Any time we are seriously ill, we should request and receive confession and the Anointing of the Sick.

The Church gives no prescriptive rule regarding how long one is to kneel after the distribution of Holy Communion. Therefore, different churches have developed different customs. Here at Saint Mark Catholic Church, it seems that the majority kneel until the altar has been cleared at the priest (and deacon) are seated. It would not be “wrong,” however, to be seated after the tabernacle has been closed, and this is the custom in many other places. The important point here regards active participation, which is primarily internal. Whenever one chooses to sit, one’s active participation in that part of the Mass is to interiorly give great thanksgiving to God and meditate upon the wonderful unity wrought by the Most Blessed Sacrament that we have received. It is the most opportune time to pray for your needs and the needs others, for Christ is so intimately present to us!

In Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon), there are two commemorations in which the priest has an opportunity to stop and recollect himself for the intention for which he is offering the Mass, and others for whom he would like to pray. The text before the consecration is the Commemoration for the Living: “Remember, Lord, your servants N. and N. (The Priest joins his hands and prays briefly for those for whom he intends to pray. Then, with hands extended, he continues:) and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you. For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them: for the redemption of their souls, in hope of health and well-being, and paying their homage to you, the eternal God, living and true.” The commemoration after the consecration is the Commemoration of the Dead, and at that time he would recall those deceased for whom he is offering the Mass. The servants which you are asking about here are those for whom the Mass is offered if they be alive. Notice the beautiful intentions the priest has for the person and all who are assisting at Mass: redemption, health and well-being, and that their life might render God homage. This is one of the many reasons we request Masses to be offered for our loved ones, that through the intercession of the Church they may receive a great outpouring of grace.

The liturgical norms of the Church indicate that one is to genuflect to the reposed Sacrament upon entering the Church, upon leaving the church and any time one passes in front of the tabernacle. Some, out of devotion, may choose to offer additional signs of reverence at other times, but this is the minimum requirement. In the liturgical procession, the ministers genuflect before entering the sanctuary and before leaving for the recessional.

The Church’s laws on fasting are contained in the Code of Canon Law, canons 1249-1253. This states that “divine law binds all the Christian faithful to do penance each in his or her own way. In order for all to be united among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special way…” (can. 1249). The canons go on to list every Friday of the year and especially of the Lenten season to be ordered by prayer, good works, penance, and fasting. While the universal norm of the Church is that all Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays, each national conference of bishops has the power to determine more precisely how its nation will observe those Fridays outside of Lent. In the United States, on Fridays outside of the Lenten Season, Catholics are to abstain from meat the whole day (the 24 hour time period from 12am to 12am), unless they substitute some other work of penance, prayer, charity, or work of mercy. The laws of abstaining from meat bind all Catholics from their fourteenth year of age (14) to the beginning of their sixtieth year of age (60). Those who are sick or women who are pregnant are not bound to the laws of penance and abstaining from meat.

Veneration of Relics

Relics are material items that are connected to a saint and are sorted into three “classes.” A first-class relic is all or part of the physical remains of a saint. This could be a piece of bone, a vial of blood, a lock of hair, or even a skull or incorrupt body.

A second-class relic is any item that the saint frequently used (clothing, for example). A third-class relic is any item that touches a first or second-class relic.

Catholics are known to preserve relics of the saints, and it is believed that graces from God flow through these objects to devout souls who venerate them.

Biblical evidence of the use of relics can be found in 2 Kings 13:20-21 when a man was being buried and when his corpse touch the relics of Elisha the prophet, he came back to life and go to his feet. Moreover, in Mark 5:27-29 the woman who had dealt with a flow of blood for many years simply touched Jesus’ cloak, and the flow of blood dried up.

While the Church encourages the practice of venerating relics, it is important to remember that it is not the actual object that imparts healing, but God using the relic to do so. The relic is an instrument of God’s miraculous power.

The Church has defended the veneration of relics since the very beginning. A letter written in AD 156 after the martyrdom of St. Polycarp explains that the faithful venerated his bones and took special care of them:

“We took up the bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together as we are able, in gladness and John and celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.”

In the end, relics of saints allow us to draw close to these holy men and women of the past and God uses these material objects to impart special graces to faithful souls. They are never to be worshiped, and are meant to lead us to the ultimate worship of God.

The Anointing of the Sick can be celebrated for those who freely ask for it or whom it can be assumed would have wanted to receive the Sacrament had he been able to. Ideally, when someone is close to death, but still conscious, it is proper to celebrate the rite of Viaticum (final Communion). If the person is not able to do so, those with him can make the requested responses.

Click here for a detailed explanation of indulgences.

On Sundays at St. Mark, you are probably accustomed to hearing the priest recite Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon) or Eucharistic Prayer III. In Eucharistic Prayer I, the saints listed are the saints of early Roman martyrs, apostles, popes, etc. Since Eucharistic Prayer I is so ancient and venerable, the Church doesn’t “update it” or change it out of respect for its tradition as the Roman Eucharistic Prayer par excellence. Eucharistic Prayer III was written by liturgical reformers in the 1960’s and is supposedly a “briefer” form of Eucharistic Prayer I. Rather than listing all the saints as Eucharistic Prayer I adds, there is the option of adding one saint after Mary and Joseph are mentioned. This option says that either the saint of the day or the patron saint of the place may be included, as you have already stated. When it comes to including the names of more modern-day saints in the Roman Canon, the Church does have the authority to change the names, but out of respect for the sacred source of the text, she has never seen it acceptable to change the prayer.

The Precepts of the Church and the Commandments do indeed share the same level of moral obedience. However, their source is different. The Commandments are given by God and the Precepts are promulgated by the Church. “The five precepts of the Church are meant to guarantee for the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer, the sacramental life, moral commitment and growth in the love of God and neighbor” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 431). Since the Precepts of the Church are moderated by the Church herself, there are times that the Church or one of her ministers can dispense the obligation of the faithful. For example, in times of flooding in a certain area, the pastor can dispense everyone in his parish from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday. In the United States, when certain holy days of obligation fall on Monday or Friday, some US bishops dispense all the faithful in their diocese from the obligation to attend the Mass. However, it is impossible for the Church or her ministers to dispense the faithful from adhering to the commandments.

The only proper method of disposing of blessed items is to bury or burn. You can also bring them to the church, and we will take care of it.

The people who come up at the end of the Communion Rite are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who visit homebound and infirmed parishioners on a regular basis. They take Holy Communion to the nursing homes, rehab centers, and some of our elderly parishioners who cannot come to Mass. While the priests and deacons are the ordinary ministers who normally visit, there are so many in our parish that we use lay people to assist us to continue regularly visiting those who cannot come to Mass. When an ordinary or extraordinary minister carries the Blessed Sacrament on his person out of the church, it is ordinarily placed in a small, round golden container called a “pyx” which is transported within a cloth or leather case that hangs around the neck called a burse. In this way, the minister keeps Jesus close to his heart while traveling.

The designs of vestments have altered and developed throughout the centuries and vary across cultures. The deacon’s dalmatic and priest’s chasuble can be ornamented in different ways. The dalmatics at the parish are ornamented with the “gridiron of St. Lawrence” design that is quite typical and often seen. It represents the martyrdom of St. Lawrence who was grilled alive over a fire. The pattern that is seen on the chasubles that we wear is the “sorrowful crucifix” or “robber’s cross.” It is said in legend that the thieves crucified with Jesus were crucified on a y-shaped cross.

It is not a sin to kill bugs. The commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” has always been interpreted in Judeo-Christian theology to refer only to innocent human life being taken freely by an individual.

When it comes to tattoos, it is not sinful to have a tattoo. However, prudence dictates that any body ornamentation not denigrate the body or contain anti-Christian symbols/images/ideas.

The custom of bell ringing began originally as a way to indicate to the choir when they could and could not sing. Since they were usually a good distance from the altar in a choir loft or designated area for them, they were aided by a bell rung at different parts of the Mass to indicate that they were to begin singing the proper chants or wrap up ornamental music. Only later was the custom extended to Masses without music.

Each of the four evangelists are pictured typically with a symbol. In short, Matthew is pictured with an angel, Mark with a winged lion, Luke with a winged ox, and John with an eagle. More specifically to your question about Mark, the winged lion represents courage and monarchy. It also represents Jesus’ resurrection because lions were believed in the ancient world to sleep with their eyes open. In terms of monarchy, Mark’s gospel is explicitly detailed about Christ’s kingship being revealed in different ways.

While there is no requirement for a priest to offer daily Mass, it is encouraged in the strongest terms. It is not mandated to take into account those priests who may be impeded from celebrating Mass for some reason out of the priest’s control.

In terms of the number of Masses that can be celebrated in a day, the norm is one Mass.  However, for pastoral need (weddings, funerals, etc.) a priest can offer two Masses or even three in necessity.

The Church teaches that animals are created to glorify God and to serve the good of man. The killing of animals is legitimate when they are used for food or clothing. Needlessly killing an animal, however, regardless of its size or the functioning of its nervous system, would be sinful.

We care for animals and use them properly because of their relationship to God and to us, not based on their capacity or incapacity to feel pain. Whales may indeed have feelings, as many animals do seem to have emotions, but this does not make them equal in dignity to man, who is created in the image and likeness of God.

C.f. CCC 2415-2418

There is no instruction in regards to what one should look at when receiving communion, or any indication that one should make eye contact with the Priest, Deacon or Extra-ordinary minister.

The only instruction on the manner of receiving communion is explain in paragraph 160 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which governs all posture and gestures of the Mass.

It states:

"...It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum, March 25, 2004, no. 91).

When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood."

The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church that the entire Church prays every day to sanctify the day and unite our lives throughout the day closer to the altar of the Eucharist.  The “hours” refer to 5 distinct sets of prayers that are prayed throughout the day, but in of themselves do not constitute an hour of time to compete.   You can easily find these prayers for the specific day on www.iBreviary.com or by downloading the app.  

The “brothers of the Lord”.

According to Dr. John Bergsma, the text of Mark 6:3 is often used by Protestants to disprove the perpetual virginity of Our Lady. However, the first two of Our Lord’s “brothers” in Mark 6:3 — namely, James and Joses — are expressly said to the be children of a different Mary who was present at the Cross in Mark 15:40. This “other Mary” is traditionally thought to be the sister-in-law of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is known as “Mary the wife of Cleophas”.

Another rendering of Cleophas is Alphaeus. In the listing of the apostles in Mt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18, & Lk. 6:15 we encounter James the Younger known as James the son of Alphaeus.

Dr. Brant Pitre notes that the Catechism deals with this topic in nn. 499-500 dealing with Our Lady’s perpetual virginity. The Catechism notes that “The Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the “Ever-virgin.” Against this doctrine the objection is sometimes revised that the Bible mentions brothers and sisters of Jesus [Cf. Mk. 3:31-35; 6:3]. The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children if the Virgin Mary. In fact James and Joseph, “brothers of Jesus,” are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls “the other Mary.” [Mt. 13:55; 28:1; cf. Mt. 27:56].

It is really up to the individual. The first step is spending some time making a good examination of conscience (available by the confessionals). If you want to use the regular times then I would suggest coming at 3 on Saturday or 6 on Wednesday to give yourself enough time.

The Solemnity of the Assumption was celebrated in the Eastern Churches originally as the Heavenly Birth of Mary or the Dormition of Mary. While the assumption is not recorded in the Scriptures, it has been held since the beginning that Christ took Mary body and soul into heaven. St. John of Damascus describes the development of the teaching: “St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.” As noted above, it is sometimes called the “Dormition” of Mary, because some Church Fathers say that she did not die in a natural way but fell asleep at the end of her life. This logically follows from the fact that death comes from original sin, but Mary was spared from original sin.

During the 1980s and 1990s there were some catechetical leaders who argued that children were ready for Communion before they were ready to receive the Sacrament of Penance. The Holy See, however, made clear that Penance should precede reception of first Holy Communion.

You have made reference to three different Old Testament books. Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, and Sirach. Depending on the source of your translation, these books may have other names. Ecclesiastes is sometimes referred to as “Qoheleth” or “The Wisdom of Qoheleth,” according to the Hebrew tradition. The Book of Wisdom is sometimes called “The Wisdom of Solomon,” according to the Jewish view that King Solomon is the author (unlikely). Ecclesiasticus is a different book than Ecclesiastes and is sometimes referred to as “Sirach” or “The Wisdom of Sirach.” Ecclesiastes and Ecclesiasticus come from the Latin translation of the name of the books and they share a similar name because Qoheleth in Hebrew could mean “the one who presides over the assembly.” This is translated into Latin as “Ecclesiastes,” which means “preacher.” The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) seemed to have been an assembling of many different pieces of work, so it is literally an “assembly” of sayings, which is why it is sometimes called “Ecclesiasticus.”

The celebrant has the option to use water alone, or wine and water, which is the more ancient way of purification. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, paragraph 279, explains. “The purification of the chalice is done with water alone or with wine and water, which is then drunk by whoever does the purification.”

During Lent, when the scrutinies are celebrated for the Catechumens (Sundays 2,3 and 4), the readings from Year A are used. At St. Mark, the scrutinies are celebrated at the 8:30am Mass. before the Mass, the lector announces the alternate readings.

During the Our Father, it is not appropriate to raise our hands like the celebrant and concelebrants do, nor does the Roman Missal mention that we join hands with those to our right and left. This Protestant practice became popularized by the ecumenical movement of the 70s and 80s, as well as charismatic groups and renewal retreats.

In the Diocese of Charlotte, the Liturgical Norms which govern how the liturgy is celebrated in the parish states, “Holding hands during the Our Father is not found in the Order of the Mass” (n. 53).

The Precious Blood is only ever reserved in the tabernacle in the case that a priest or deacon will be visiting a sick person who cannot receive the Host. It is true that one crumb or one drop of the Sacred Species contains the fullness of Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, the Church has always forbidden the exposition of the Precious Blood or its reservation in the tabernacle, except in the rare instance explained above.

A basic explanation for the Old Testament is that Protestants follow the A.D. “Septuagint” version of Jewish Scriptures. This is a rejection of any text that was not originally written in Hebrew. However, Catholics use the Old Testament, including some portions and books that were written in Greek, that Christ would have used. In terms of the New Testament, the whole Church accepted what Catholics still hold to be the complete New Testament. Martin Luther relegated some NT books to an appendix because they supported doctrine that he denied. Later, many Protestant publishers simply removed them.

A more in-depth article would be helpful: https://catholicexchange.com/catholic-and-protestant-bibles-what-is-the-difference.

Yes, Orthodox churches that are not in union with the Roman Catholic Church maintain belief in the Real Presence and the theology of the Seven Sacraments.

A lay person certainly can keep and use blessed salt, however I think that most parishes nowadays do not keep a supply on hand, but priests that are familiar with it would be happy to bless some for you.  As to it’s use, I don’t think it has much of a different effect than holy water, especially since proper blessed holy water has salt in it; although, I would perhaps think that it might stay around longer than water (which will evaporate) which make its effect last longer.  Generally the way I use it is to put it in food. I usually don’t sprinkle it around since, as mentioned above, that is generally taken care of by the salt in the water.