Byline: Father Reginald Martin

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Suffering

Can Suffering Help Make Up For Sin?

Father Reginald Martin

April 1, 2023 7:41 am April 1, 2023

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The Sacrament of Baptism frees us from sin and makes us a new creation (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1213). It does not, however, take away our free…

The Sacrament of Baptism frees us from sin and makes us a new creation (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1213). It does not, however, take away our free will, and experience shows us we are sadly prone to fall into sin after our initial conversion. God’s mercy provides a number of remedies for such subsequent sin, principally the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores the union with God that is weakened by sin, but we may still suffer a lingering need for spiritual purification. Our theology teaches us we may accomplish this purification here on earth or, after our death, in purgatory.

We call this purification “atonement,” and we accomplish it in various ways. The Catechism identifies traditional forms of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, as well as “revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness” (No. 1435). The text also recommends frequent reception of the Eucharist (No. 1436).

The value of atonement is its power to unite our pain with the suffering of Christ. The cross “reconciles man with God … and it heals” (No. 1990). To seek signs of the cross in our life enables us to embrace Christ’s love more intimately.

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Stewardship

Tithing and Charitable Giving

Father Reginald Martin

March 29, 2023 7:41 am March 29, 2023

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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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Lent

Purple Cloth Coverings

Father Reginald Martin

March 18, 2023 6:51 am March 18, 2023

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Catholics of a certain age recall crosses and statues draped in purple throughout Lent, an unmistakable sign of the penitential season the Church had entered and invited us to embrace….

Catholics of a certain age recall crosses and statues draped in purple throughout Lent, an unmistakable sign of the penitential season the Church had entered and invited us to embrace. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, / in quiet and in trust shall be your strength” (30:15). Removing distractions from church interiors was one way to focus our minds on God’s call to a deeper interior life with his Son.

Things have changed somewhat today, but covering images remains an option, and the rubrics in the Missal for the Fifth Sunday of Lent state: “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from this Sunday may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.”

Massgoers will notice subtle — but important — changes in the liturgical texts beginning the Fifth Sunday of Lent: a new Preface, and prayers calling us to pay closer attention to Jesus’ passion. Covering statues on this Sunday underscores a deeper step we take with Christ on his Lenten journey.

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Saints

Why are there two feasts for St. Joseph?

Father Reginald Martin

March 8, 2023 7:22 am March 8, 2023

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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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The Church

What is the minimum requirement for a person to become a cardinal?

Father Reginald Martin

March 3, 2023 7:51 am March 3, 2023

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The Church’s Code of Canon Law states, “Those promoted as cardinals are men freely selected by the Roman Pontiff, who are at least in the order of presbyterate and are…

The Church’s Code of Canon Law states, “Those promoted as cardinals are men freely selected by the Roman Pontiff, who are at least in the order of presbyterate and are especially outstanding for their doctrine, morals, piety, and prudence in action; those, however, who are not yet bishops must receive episcopal consecration” (Canon 351).

An earlier text in the Code describes the tasks that fall to cardinals. It remarks cardinals elect the pope and provide assistance when the pontiff summons them together to discuss matters of particular importance. Cardinals also assist the pope in less visible ways, such as when they serve as the administrative directors of various Vatican offices. We are used to seeing cardinals exercising the bishop’s role in important dioceses. This is a long-standing honor paid to men who have particularly distinguished themselves in service to the local Church.

In November 1970, Pope Paul VI introduced a policy obliging bishops (including cardinals) to submit letters of resignation when they become 75 years old. This does not mean a cardinal loses his title, but it affords the pope the opportunity to consider whether a man should be allowed to surrender the burdens of his office and enjoy a time of retirement.

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Scripture

What Did Adam and Eve Know?

Father Reginald Martin

March 2, 2023 7:00 am March 2, 2023

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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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