Byline: Father Reginald Martin

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Scripture

What Did Adam and Eve Know?

Father Reginald Martin

August 16, 2019 7:34 am August 16, 2019

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When it considers our first parents and their original sin, the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes: “A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship [with God] only in free…

When it considers our first parents and their original sin, the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes: “A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship [with God] only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating ‘of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ spells this out: ‘for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die’” (No. 396). The tree, the Catechism teaches, represents the limits human creatures must be prepared to embrace. We depend upon God; our freedom is subject to God’s law.

God’s command not to eat from that tree in the Garden could not have been clearer; nor could the threatened consequences. That much, at least, Adam and Eve must have known. Likewise, they must have understood they were risking God’s friendship by their disobedience. However, we may assume they were unaware of the consequences for future generations and the results that have been fully explained only by later theologians.

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Death

Funerals For Suicide Victims?

Father Reginald Martin

August 16, 2019 7:33 am August 16, 2019

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St. John writes, “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us” (1 Jn 4:10). God’s love enables us to love God, and then his…

St. John writes, “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us” (1 Jn 4:10). God’s love enables us to love God, and then his creatures. We are the first of God’s creatures we learn to love. This is not mindless selfishness, but respect for God’s creation, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes, “Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality” (No. 2264).

However, we must remember our life is a gift given in trust. God expects us to give it back. The Catechism remarks: “We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of” (No. 2280).

The Fifth Commandment forbids all forms of murder, but we must leave to God’s mercy the judgment of those who commit suicide. Thus the Catechism teaches: “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives” (No. 2283). For this reason the Church no longer forbids funeral rites or burial to Catholics who have committed suicide.

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Eternal Life

What Happens In Purgatory?

Father Reginald Martin

August 15, 2019 7:46 am August 15, 2019

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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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Sacraments

Baptism At Sunday Mass?

Father Reginald Martin

August 14, 2019 7:32 am August 14, 2019

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church Catechism devotes a chapter to the Sacraments of Initiation — that is, baptism, Eucharist and confirmation. The text remarks, “Certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel … profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion” (No. 1229).

Whether these sacraments are conferred at one time (as is the case with adult converts) or over the course of years (as with those reared as Catholics) Christ’s death and resurrection remain the center and focus of these sacraments. Therefore, the Mass is a logical time to celebrate them, as we do each year at the Easter Vigil. Indeed, in parishes that embrace the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, catechumens progress through a series of brief ceremonies at Mass, which allow the congregation to welcome them and acknowledge their progress in the faith.

The Catechism points out: “Baptism is the sacrament of faith. But faith needs the community of believers” (No. 1253). This is a good argument for including baptism as part of the Eucharistic celebration. However, time constraints, especially in large parishes with many infants awaiting baptism, may make such public celebration of the sacrament impractical.

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The Church

Basilica or Cathedral?

Father Reginald Martin

August 6, 2019 7:40 am August 6, 2019

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The term “cathedral” comes from cathedra, the word describing a bishop’s throne. A cathedral, thus, is the principal church in a diocese. A bishop may preside over services anywhere in…

The term “cathedral” comes from cathedra, the word describing a bishop’s throne. A cathedral, thus, is the principal church in a diocese. A bishop may preside over services anywhere in his diocese, but one church — usually in the place where he lives — is designated the cathedral.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia makes an interesting point, observing a cathedral need not be the diocese’s most impressive church. Many Catholics are surprised to learn that St. John Lateran, not St. Peter’s, is the cathedral of Rome.

What is less clear is the designation of a “basilica.” Originally, the term described a hall for public business, with an area designated for a legislator to sit. In its early days, the Church celebrated its liturgies in private homes, but embraced the notion of a special site for the presider. As the Church grew, and constructed special buildings for its services, it adopted this form for its structures. Later, an altar became part of the area reserved for the presider.

The present Code of Canon Law does not mention basilicas, but the earlier code observed that the Holy See grants the title, and acknowledged the “antiquity, dimensions or fame” of a church (see 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 1180).

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Religious Life

Are all Monks Priests?

Father Reginald Martin

August 5, 2019 8:04 am August 5, 2019

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The Church’s Code of Canon Law, reflecting on the consecrated life, observes, “[religious life] means separation from the life of the sinful world while at the same time ministering in…

The Church’s Code of Canon Law, reflecting on the consecrated life, observes, “[religious life] means separation from the life of the sinful world while at the same time ministering in and to the same sinful world” (comment on Canon 607). This ministry takes many forms, including the witness of those who pray for the world’s salvation within a monastery.

The words “monk” and “monastery” come from the Greek word “monos,” which means “single.” Monks originally withdrew from society to live by themselves, but later gathered together into monasteries, where, as today, their common life supports the individual, contemplative exercises that characterize the monastic vocation.

Because a monk is called to cultivate an intensely private, inner spiritual life, members of monastic communities do not ordinarily — like members of many other religious communities — undertake public, parochial ministries that require priestly ordination. Thus the question of a monk’s ordination is determined by the custom of a particular monastery.

In some monasteries, the monk himself is encouraged to discern whether the Holy Spirit is calling him to priesthood; in others, the community chooses brothers to undergo priestly formation when the sacramental needs of the monastic community demand additional priests among the community’s members.

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