As cited in the Catechism (#2043), the Precepts of the Church maintain that each person has the duty to support the material needs of the Church. Of course a person fulfills this obligation according to his abilities. The Code of … Continued
Since the year 1300 when Pope Boniface VIII declared the first Holy Year, the Catholic Church has regularly celebrated “Holy Years,” usually every twenty-five years (at least since 1470), except for special circumstances, like in 1983 when a Holy Year … Continued
On January 16, 2001, Cardinal Sodano, Secretary of State of the Holy See; Cardinal Noe, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica; and Leonardo Sandri, opened the tomb of Blessed Pope John XXIII, who was beatified on September 3, 2000 (Blessed Pope … Continued
Many of the faithful sincerely believe that the Shroud of Turin is the actual burial cloth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Without declaring its authenticity, Pope John Paul II has clearly attested to the value of the Shroud. For instance, … Continued
The miracle of Lanciano is the first, and many believe the greatest, Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. Keep in mind that strictly speaking a miracle is an extraordinary event produced directly by God, or by His will and command … Continued
Upon first hearing, this petition of the Our Father does sound like we are asking God not to lead us into temptation. (The Our Father is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.) In this sense, the petition sounds like … Continued
Interestingly, the Catechism admits, “The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction” (#2729). How easy it is for any of us to be saying our prayers, or reading Sacred Scripture or another spiritual book, and then to realize our minds were … Continued
The origins of the Masons or what is officially called Freemasonry are hard to pinpoint. With the decline of cathedral building in the aftermath of the Protestant movement, the guilds of masons began accepting non-masons as members to bolster their … Continued
Before approaching the history of the Inquisition, one must keep in mind two basic points: First, the Church has been entrusted by the Lord to preserve the deposit of faith and to hand on the authentic faith to later generations. … Continued
As Catholics, we make a distinction between public and private revelation. Public revelation is defined as follows: God, in His infinite goodness and wisdom, chose to reveal Himself to mankind; in accord with God’s divine plan of salvation, Jesus Christ– … Continued
This is a good question. The answer is, “Yes, in accord with the virtue of modesty.” In his Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul lists modesty as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, those “perfections that the Holy … Continued
The story of the Miraculous Medal arises from the apparitions of our Blessed Mother to St. Catherine Laboure, a novice at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris (where it still stands today at 140 Rue du Bac). … Continued
The fable about Pope Joan surfaces in the writings of Dominican Jean de Mailly in the thirteenth century. From this work, another Dominican Etienne de Bourbon (d. 1261) incorporated the fable in his work on the “Seven Gifts of the … Continued
Since the death of our beloved Pope John Paul II on April 2, 2005, many have been hailing him as “Pope John Paul II, the Great.” Three Popes have had the title, “the great,” appended to their name: Pope St. … Continued
In an address to a recent meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1996), the Holy Father commented on the subject of evolution and recognized the progress of science in explaining the origins of life and the process of creation. … Continued
In one sense, we should not be surprised at the lack of proper manners and dress at Church. After all, we live in a society where people pierce their various body parts– eyebrows, noses, and tongues– just like the farmers … Continued
The papal crown, or tiara, was traditionally worn by the Popes of the past few centuries until the pontificate of Pope John Paul I. Like many ceremonial items, the papal tiara developed over time. Since the Pope is also the … Continued
The Passion Narratives of the Gospels do not name the characters in question; rather, the names are part of the early tradition that developed within the Church. Nevertheless, considering both of these individuals whom the Church considers as saints is … Continued
Basilica, cathedral, and shrine are distinct terms, but not mutually exclusive, for instance, a basilica may be a shrine, and a cathedral may be a basilica. A good description of each will be helpful. The basilica structure was developed by … Continued
St. Helena is often depicted holding a cross because tradition maintains she found the true cross in Jerusalem. Before delving into this matter further, some background information is necessary. Because of Jewish insurrections, the Roman Emperor Hadrian (reign A.D. 117-38) … Continued