You Asked For It!

There are 3 sorts of questions that will be asked and answered here.  First are questions parishioners have submitted to the WPC office.  These will be answered by Father Rick.  Second, we may present questions about our Catholic Faith taken from the book, "In His Light" by Rev. William A. Anderson, D. Min., PH. D.  Third, will be questions and answers taken from the book, "Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons? by Matthew J. Pinto.  The answers are supported by Scripture, theological studies, Church documents and teachings, and saintly men and women of the past and present.

FYI: What is the foundation for human dignity?

Taken from “In His Light” by Rev. William Anderson:  The foundation for human dignity is that all human beings are created according to the image and likeness of God.  According to the readings today: Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and identified himself with all human beings when He said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40)  Human dignity does not merely refer to the need of a person to care for oneself, but it calls all people to recognize the needs and dignity of others. 

You Asked For It: Is there a relic under the altar in our church?  Does/should there be one?

Fr Rick Responds:  No, there is not a relic under the altar in the church (at this time).  The Church no longer requires one.

FYI:  A relic is an object or personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved as a tangible memorial.  Historically, the altars of a church were built over a relic of the saint to whom the church is dedicated.  We do have in our possession, in the sacristy here at St. Patrick, a stone which contains a relic of St. Patrick.  It is apparent that we have  unusual circumstances.  The relic was removed, perhaps, during renovations many years ago.  We have been working to locate the relic papers that authenticate it. St Rose, however, has a relic of St. Rose of Lima along with the authentication papers.

Did you know?  For more information regarding relics refer to:  http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur80.htm  

You Asked For It: In the Creed it says Jesus descended into hell after He died and before He rose from the dead.  Why did He descend into hell?  I thought that when people went to hell they were there forever.

Fr Rick Responds:  What we understand here is that before Jesus unlocked the gates of heaven with his death and resurrection everyone (good and bad) were in a state of being separated from God.  Jesus went to them and delivered all the good people from this place and brought them into heaven.  However, all of the evil people remained in hell.

You Asked For It!  “Fr. Rick, Do we know if the Chief Priests killed Lazarus because he was raised from the dead by Jesus and brought many Jews to believe in Jesus?"

Fr. Rick replies: “No we do not have any record of Lazarus being killed by the Chief Priests.  In the Holy Land they do have a tomb marked as the traditional place in which Lazarus was buried.  Even though he was raised from the dead by Jesus, that was not the "Resurrection Unto Glory" that we will experience on the last day.  Jesus just brought Lazarus back to life (on earth) but he did die.”         

You Asked For It!  “Fr. Rick, how could Peter become our first Pope when he denied he knew Jesus 3 times and was not there when he (Jesus) was crucified?

Fr. Rick replies: “Peter did deny Jesus and he was not there at the cross.  But right after he denied Jesus he repented and the Lord forgave him.  Since he was sorry for what he did Jesus kept him as the first Pope.  Peter then could witness to how kind and merciful the Lord is, as he went about preaching and teaching about Jesus.  Peter would one day be martyred in Rome and win the crown of Sanctity.  All in all, he turned out to be a great saint because of the love and mercy of Jesus for him.  Let us try to be like Peter who repents when we do wrong and accepts the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness!”                                  ”                                 

You Asked For It!   When does the Season of Lent officially end?

"In The Light" tells us:  The season of Lent ends with the Triduum, the three sacred days that include Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil.  Lent properly ends with the beginning of the celebration of the Liturgy of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.  This liturgy begins with an opening prayer, but the liturgy has no conclusion.  The people simply leave the worship area quietly or remain for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  The Good Friday liturgy has no formal beginning and no ending.  The Easter vigil liturgy has no beginning, but it does have an ending.  These three sacred days, known as the Sacred Triduum, actually form a single liturgy that begins on Thursday and reaches its peak in the Easter Vigil.  The Triduum ends on the evening of Easter Sunday following vespers.  During these days, the Church celebrates in a profound way, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.  At the Easter Vigil, the Church rejoices that Christ, who has died, has now been raised, and has brought us into a new life.

You Asked For It: Does it really matter if you don’t go to church every Sunday?

Fr. Rick Responds:  Yes, it really matters that we go to church every Sunday.   This is so important to Our Father in Heaven that He made it one of the Ten Commandments.  God knows that we need to feed off of Jesus through His Word and the Eucharist.  By not coming to the “Meal” (Mass) we wind up starving spiritually.

According to the Catechism:  The first precept (rule) of the Church is “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor.”  The faithful are to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the Mysteries of the Lord and the Blesses Virgin Mary and the saints.  First, by participating in the Eucharistic Celebration…  (CCC #2042)  

You Asked For It: How do I know when God is talking to me?

Fr. Rick Responds:  God speaks to us through Scripture, the Sacraments and especially, Holy Mass.  He also speaks to us through the people who love us and very often he speaks to us through that inner voice of our conscience to avoid evil and do only good.

Try This: We need to fight for quiet times in a world of noise.  Escape all media, be still and know that He is God.  Begin by praising Him for all the attributes and actions that you have been experiencing and then listen to Him in extended time in His Word.  Pour out your deepest feelings to Him in prayer and listen deep in your soul for His responses.  Let His voice be the only thing to which you are listening .

You Asked For It: Why did Jesus pick 12 Apostles?

Fr. Rick Responds:  Jesus was following the Old Testament traditions of reinstating the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  This is a symbolic number that Jesus used to show that He was bringing forth the Kingdom of God in all of its fullness. 

FYI:The number 12 in the Bible is said to spiritually refer to “The Kingdom (Congregation) of God”.  A good example would be the 12 brother, the 12 sons of Jacob, who became the 12 tribes of Israel.  This was the Old Testament congregation, or Children of God.  This was not a coincidental number of births, this was God ordained. The significance is passed on to the New Testament as Jesus chose 12 Apostles.  The Apostles became the new representation of the Kingdom of God.  The exact same spiritual number assigned to the Congregation of God on both sides of the Cross.

You Asked For It: Why is there purgatory?

Fr. Rick Responds:  There is a purgatory because God knows that we are often not ready for Heaven.  Purgatory is Heaven’s Kindergarten, where we spend time dropping all things from our lives that are not worthy of life in Heaven.  This is the place of the final purging of all that is not heavenly in our lives.  That is why we call it Purgatory.  Here is another example of God and His infinite mercy.

You Asked For It: If you are in purgatory how long are you there?

Fr. Rick Responds:  No one knows for sure how long people are in purgatory.  God has not told us.

You Asked For It: How do you get to heaven… by the prayers of others or by your own repentance?

Fr. Rick Responds:  We get to heaven by following Jesus each and every day and by being open to His Holy Spirit.  He is leading us to The Father in Heaven.  This means that we will have to walk with Him in deep prayer each and every day and walk away from all that displeases Him (repentance).  The heart of the matter here is that we are following Jesus.

Prayers for Souls in Purgatory:  Have you lost a loved one who has passed away?  Do you know someone who has?  Prayers for souls in purgatory can help them.  While we can hope that our loved ones are enjoying Eternal Life with God, it never hurts to pray for their souls:   Oh Lord, hear my prayer and let my cry come to you.  God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Your servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our sincere prayers they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Through Christ Our Lord.  Amen. 

FYI: Why do we call priests “Father”?

Taken from The National Catholic Register (copyright 2007):  Christ built the church upon a body of men who entered into a new relationship at the Last Supper.  Like the Trinity, the Church’s hierarchy is a relationship of persons made up of the Pope, Bishops and priests, centered on Christ. 

Just like biological fathers, they may not all be perfect, but they carry an image of God the Father that reaches beyond their human limitations. 

We call priests Father they engender new life within us and lead us to our home in heaven.

A Prayer for Fathers:  Most Gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for our earthly fathers, those to whom you have entrusted the responsibility to provide loving prot ection of their families and guidance of their children.  We thank you also for our priests and bishops whose spiritual fatherhood is so vital to the faith of your people.  We ask your blessing on all those whom you have entrusted fatherhood.  May they receive your Grace abundantly.  We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son and Our Lord.

FYI: What exactly is “Confirmation”?

Taken from Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons? By Matthew Pinto:  Confirmation is one of the 3 Sacraments of initiation; the others are Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.  These Sacraments make us part of—or more fully part of—Christ’s Church.  Confirmation is the Sacrament by which the Holy Spirit comes to us in a radical way after Baptism, to strengthen us (confirmation means “strengthening”), to increase and deepen the grace of our Baptism and to make us “soldiers for Christ.”  Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are specially equipped to spread and defend the Faith by word and deed, as witnesses of Jesus.

All too often, some people are apathetic to Confirmation.  They need to know that the things of God are not to be taken lightly.  I suspect if we get to heaven, we will see the crucial role our Confirmation played in bringing us to eternal peace and happiness with God.

You Asked For It: Have you ever sinned?

Fr. Rick Replies:  Yes, we all sin in one way or another.  Everyone has to deal with a broken sinful nature, including a priest.  That is why I go to confession regularly and try my best not to sin anymore. 

FYI:Can anyone be sinless?  No one can be sinless on his or her own.  Only God can enable a person to remain free of sin.  Through no merits of her own, the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin by a special grace from God.  This is called the Immaculate Conception.  She was also preserved from personal sin throughout her life by divine grace.  Otherwise, she would have been a sinner like the rest of us.  This is why she called God her Savior (Luke 1:47).  God saved her from falling into sin, Before the fact, not after the fact, as with us. Taken from: Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons? By Matthew Pinto

You Asked For It: How can I teach spirituality to my children?

Fr. Rick Replies:  The best way to teach spirituality to children is through the family living spirituality together and supporting one another.  The family rosary and saying prayers together is most powerful.  There are many things that a family can do.  Sitting down as a family and talking about the Word of God on a Sunday and what it means and how to live it in our daily lives, is one example.  But it really comes down to the life of the family communicating devotion and spirituality to the children. 

FYI:The book “Raising Faith Filled Kids” by Tom McGrath is a great resource for parents who are looking for ways to communicate the Catholic Faith and spirituality to their children.  This book contains lots of ideas and examples that anyone can easily incorporate into their family life.  We have one copy in the parish lending library, for you to borrow.  It is located in the entrance way of the parish offices.

You Asked For It: Why can’t we confess our sins directly to Jesus?

Fr. Rick Replies:  Every time we go to the Sacrament of Confession we are confessing our sins directly to Jesus through the priest.  A sacrament does just that.  It makes the living presence of Jesus real in our lives.  This is something we cannot do with just our own “thinking”

FYI:From The book “Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons?” by Matthew Pinto: Why can’t we just go to God for Forgiveness? - Because God wants to reach us through the Church, the community of believers.  He wants us to be a family.  So He gave us spiritual fathers in the priesthood.  The priests have the authority to administer His forgiveness to us.  “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.  Whose sins you retain, they are retained,” Jesus told the apostles. (John 20:21-23)

FYI: Why is it so important to go to church?

ANS: From The book “Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons?” by Matthew Pinto: Why is it important for a lover to be with his beloved?  If we love God, we will want to spend time with Him in the way He wants us to.  God wants us to go to church, to give ourselves to Him in worship.  He wants us to do it through His Son’s own self-surrender and sacrifice, the Eucharist.  All that requires our going to church as God commands.

Another reason for going to church: we receive special graces from worshipping God and from receiving the Eucharist.  Going to church can change us and convert our hearts.  It can teach us we are not the center of the universe—God is—and He deserves our praise and thanksgiving.