Questions Answered – February 2023

God “Breaks Into” Time Question: Why do we say that God is breaking into human history when speaking of Jesus? What is God breaking into? The Heaven-Earth divide? Answer: This term, which comes to us from contemporary theology, is act … [Read more...]

“Speak, Mary, Declaring What You Saw, Wayfaring”

Musings on a Funeral Procession

“By means of the funeral rites, it has been the practice of the Church, as a tender mother, not simply to commend the dead to God but also to raise high the hope of its children and to give witness to its own faith in the future r … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – July 2022

Roots of the Apostles’ Creed Question: In the Apostles’ Creed we profess: “On the third day he rose again from the dead.” What does it mean to say “again” in this context? Answer: The Apostles’ Creed has a long and pious tradition behind … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – July 2021

Why Jesus Is Called the “New Adam” Question: I am a bit troubled by so many people calling Jesus the new Adam. I think to do so gives the Jehovah’s Witnesses an advantage they can easily take, that is to prove Jesus is a creature and not th … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – June 2020

At Mass with Jesus on Calvary: Reflections on the Prayers of the Mass and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist By Fr. Gene Martens, SJ. Reviewed by Fr. James Swetnam, SJ. (skip to review) Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – April 2019

Do Baptized Converts Need Confession First? Question: During the Easter Vigil, non-Christians are baptized, receive First Communion and are confirmed, while converts are received into full communion with the Church, meaning also and above … [Read more...]

Christ’s Resurrection and Ours

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory? (Lk 24:26) After the death of Jesus, it seems that even those who had been closest to Him were blinded by the pain of disappointment and despair. … [Read more...]

Early Summer Book Reviews

Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?: Questions and Answers about the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. By Carl E. Olson. (Ignatius Press, 2016), 199 pages. Reviewed by Matthew B. Rose The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion … [Read more...]

Easter Morning

The heart of our Catholic Existence is to replicate the Risen Christ’s life. It is not Good Friday that saves our souls, but Easter morning. For without our Lord’s victorious rising from the tomb, the ignominy of the Cross would have just be … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Question: Can you explain to me just what is referred to as the “dark night of the soul” in the mystical life? Should all Christians experience these? Answer: The question of the dark night of the soul is central to any description of th … [Read more...]

The Glory of the Resurrection

The Wonder of Our Future Life

God’s desire is that we praise him and give him glory for all eternity. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is an act of praise and thanksgiving where we are invited to become consciously aware of everything God has done for us, and how our p … [Read more...]

A Reflection on the Gifts of the Glorified Body

From the turmoil over sexual orientation and gender identity, to the questions of abortion and euthanasia, the significance of the body for human identity and well-being is before our eyes as much as it ever was. In Veritatis Splendor, Pope … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

What is the teaching of the Church on the resurrection of the dead, and on reincarnation? Some theologians maintain that Jesus went to Hell after his death as a sinner. Is that possible? Question: What is the teaching of the Church … [Read more...]