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Byline: Father Reginald Martin

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Stewardship

Tithing and Charitable Giving

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The Church’s Code of Canon Law teaches: “The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine…

The Church’s Code of Canon Law teaches: “The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for divine worship, for apostolic works and works of charity and for the decent sustenance of ministers. They are also obliged to promote social justice and … to assist the poor from their own resources” (Canon 222).

Although a contribution of 10 percent stands as the traditional ideal, the law does not specify an amount to be given to the local parish church. Indeed, a comment on the law observes: “The obligation is according to each person’s possibilities since no one is held to the impossible, and family obligations are to be taken into account.… Family resources must be safeguarded.”

Because we must support the poor and contribute to causes that strive for social justice, concerned Catholics might want to divide their charitable resources among a number of causes. Parish needs will always have a prior claim on the generosity of God’s People, but special diocesan collections (or other — even civic — efforts) that aid the poor and seek to make God’s kingdom a visible reality in our time might be considered as well.

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Saints

Why are there two feasts for St. Joseph?

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Q. Why do we have two feast days for St. Joseph? One is March 19, and the other is May 1, I believe. A. Here’s a reply from Father Reginald…

Q. Why do we have two feast days for St. Joseph? One is March 19, and the other is May 1, I believe.

A. Here’s a reply from Father Reginald Martin:

The early years of the Church were occupied with debates concerning the nature of Christ, so although St. Joseph was commemorated in Eastern liturgies during the Christmas season, he received little special attention until the seventh century. By the ninth century his feast was observed on March 11 in some places in Europe. During the Middle Ages the March 19 feast became popular when promoted by Servite and Franciscan preachers. Pope Sixtus IV (a Franciscan elected pope in 1471) extended the March 19 feast to the church in Rome, and it became a universal feast in the 16th century when the Council of Trent revised the Breviary and Missal.

Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903) described St. Joseph as patron of the whole Church: “This is his numberless family … because he is the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus.” The Carmelites observed a feast to honor the Patronage of St. Joseph on the third Wednesday after Easter. In 1955, Pope Pius XII replaced that feast with the May 1 celebration that honors Joseph the Worker. Pope Pius intended this feast to challenge communist May Day observances, acknowledge Christian workers’ value and pay tribute to the nobility of human labor.

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Sacraments

What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes a number of pages to its discussion of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It remarks three degrees of the sacrament: deacons, priests and…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes a number of pages to its discussion of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It remarks three degrees of the sacrament: deacons, priests and bishops, and describes the sacramental tasks properly assigned to each (see No. 1554). Bishops, because they represent the apostles, exercise a ministry of special honor — one that extends back to the earliest days of our faith, and, through an unbroken tradition, connects us to the early Church.

Priests share in this ministry, although to a lesser degree, and a document of the Second Vatican Council, Presbyterorum Ordinis, describes both the priest’s ministry and the authority by which he receives it from the bishop. The Catechism pulls from this document to teach that priests “depend on the bishops in the exercise of their own proper power” and “so are configured to Christ . . . in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the head” (see Nos. 1563-1564).

The point here is to connect the Sacrament of Holy Orders with Jesus, the High Priest. For this reason, too, the bishop is the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is to remind us of the apostolic origins of the sacrament (see Catechism, No. 1313)

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Eternal Life

What Happens In Purgatory?

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St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that the souls in purgatory can expect a twofold pain: the pain of loss, which is the delay of the Beatific Vision, and the pain of…

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that the souls in purgatory can expect a twofold pain: the pain of loss, which is the delay of the Beatific Vision, and the pain of sense, which is the fire of purgatory. Aquinas observed in his Summa Theologica: “With regard to both the least pain of Purgatory surpasses the greatest pain of this life. For the more a thing is desired, the more painful is its absence” (Appendix 1, 2). St. Thomas also taught that the fire of purgatory is the same as the fire of hell. This is, unquestionably, quite frightening, but at least St. Thomas assured us the souls in purgatory will not be tormented by demons, as that punishment is reserved for the damned. Those in purgatory have resisted demonic temptation, so do not deserve to be plagued after death by forces over which they have triumphed in life.

Saints who have written on purgatory are nearly countless. They include John Chrysostom, Augustine, Nicholas of Tolentino (the patron of souls in purgatory) and, in more present times, St. Faustina. Those wishing to consider concise reflections on purgatory from these and other holy souls may be interested in a book by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J., titled “Purgatory Explained.”

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Lent

Mardi Gras

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Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. In times of greater Lenten austerity in Catholic countries, Mardi Gras offered an opportunity…

Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. In times of greater Lenten austerity in Catholic countries, Mardi Gras offered an opportunity for households to consume some foods they would not enjoy until Easter. In England, the day has been celebrated with pancakes (which use eggs, milk and sugar — items our ancestors would have foregone during Lent), while in some areas of Germany the Lenten discipline applied to strong drink as well, so the day before Ash Wednesday became a time for special revelry.

Some have drawn a connection between Mardi Gras and ancient pagan festivals to welcome spring. This may certainly be true, but Catholic liturgists identify another link — namely, a time to extend celebrations of the Christmas season until the beginning of Lent. Whatever the case, certain cities around the world (Venice, Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans) have become identified with elaborate civic festivities leading up to Mardi Gras. These are usually known as “Carnival” (“Farewell to Meat”), a name that conveys the celebration’s religious, pre-Lenten character, although the events themselves (as in Venice) may commemorate military victories. In most places, however, Mardi Gras simply justifies an elaborate — often excessive — party.

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Advent

Why Do We Light a Pink Candle?

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When the General Instruction of the Roman Missal considers the vestments worn by the priest-celebrants at Mass, it states, “As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is…

When the General Instruction of the Roman Missal considers the vestments worn by the priest-celebrants at Mass, it states, “As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained.… Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent)” (GIRM, No. 346).

The rose candle in the Advent wreath is lighted on the Third Sunday of Advent, for it corresponds to the rose vestment that is the option for the day’s liturgical celebrations. The change reflects the joy expressed in the Entrance Antiphon for the day’s Mass, and serves as a special reminder of the joyful event that awaits us at the close of the Advent season.

The name Gaudete, which gives this Sunday its name, is taken from the Entrance Antiphon of the day’s Mass. The verse is from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and, in Latin, reads: “Gaudete in Domino semper; iterum dico, gaudete. Dominus enim prope est.” In English, the text commands us, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. For indeed, the Lord is near.”

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