Homily vs. Sermon: Does the Difference Matter? Question One: According to the liturgy of the Catholic Church, what is the difference between a homily and a sermon? Answer: The distinction between a homily and a sermon in the Catholic … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
Questions Answered – April 2026
What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe About Jesus? Question One: My neighbor is a Jehovah’s Witness and she believes very different things about Jesus than I do as a Catholic. What exactly does a Jehovah’s Witness believe about Jesus compa … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2026
February 23, 2026 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Predestination: What Does the Church Teach? Question One: Do Catholics believe in predestination? Answer: Catholics do indeed believe in predestination, though the Catholic understanding of the term differs markedly from what is often … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – February 2026
January 26, 2026 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Who Are the Doctors of the Church? Question One: Last November, Saint John Henry Newman was named a Doctor of the Church. How does one become a Doctor of the Church? Answer: The title of Doctor of the Church is among the highest honors … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – January 2026
St. Paul and “Completing the Sufferings of Christ” Question: Dear Fr. Cush, how should we interpret the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians 1:24. It appears as if he says that by what he suffers he completes what is lacking in … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – December 2025
November 26, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
What Is a Doctor of the Church? Question One: Dear Father Cush, what is a Doctor of the Church? Does the Church have any specific requirements for a saint to be declared a Doctor of the Church? Are all the Fathers of the Church also … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – November 2025
October 27, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
How Did Jesus Experience Temptation? Question One: Dear Father Cush, what is the Catholic Church’s understanding of the Temptations of Jesus in the Desert? If Jesus is sinless, how is he tempted? Answer: The Temptations of Jesus in the … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – October 2025
September 29, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Unbaptized Infants in Catholic Theology Question One: Dear Father Cush, I was told that the Catholic Church no longer believes in Limbo since the Second Vatican Council. Is this the case? Answer: The concept of Limbo has been historically … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – September 2025
August 29, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
The “Great Schism”: What Happened and Why? Question: Dear Father Cush, why did the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church split? What does the Catholic Church teach about receiving the Sacraments in the Orthodox Churches? Answer: The … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – August 2025
July 30, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
What Is a Resurrected Body Like? Question: What does Saint Thomas Aquinas teach us about the nature of the resurrected body of Jesus? What does he teach us about our own resurrected bodies at the end of time? Answer: Saint Thomas … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2025
June 27, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Why Does Jesus Have Two Genealogies? Question One: Dear Father, I am in a Bible study in my parish and I was wondering, as we are about to begin reading the New Testament, I am wondering why are there two different genealogies for Jesus in … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – June 2025
May 29, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Does Sin Cause Natural Disasters? Question: Dear Father Cush, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic theologians, are natural disasters caused by Original Sin? Answer: What a great question! Let’s examine it thoroughly. A … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – May 2025
April 30, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
In Memoriam: Fr. Brian Mullady, O.P. We at Homiletic and Pastoral Review mourn the passing of Rev. Brian Thomas Becket Mullady, O.P., STD. Fr. Brian was a noted theologian, preacher, author, and professor. For many years, Fr. Brian was … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – April 2025
March 28, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
What Is Jesus’s Risen Body Like? Question: Dear Father Cush, As we approach the celebration of Easter, what does the Church teach about the nature of Jesus’s resurrected body? What did it look like? Answer: According to Saint Thomas Aqu … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – March 2025
February 21, 2025 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
Do Anglicans Believe in the Real Presence? Question: Dear Father Cush, thank you for answering the question about what the Lutherans believe concerning the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Surely, the Episcopal … [Read more...]
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