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FATHER KEVIN BATES, SM Father Kevin: I just discovered the Catholic Public Domain Version Bible. Is this something approved by the Church? I always thought the King James Version is what Catholics were supposed to use. Could you please explain the difference? - James _________________________________________________________________ HI James: I’ve never heard of the Bible translation you mention here. The King James version is the classic version used in the Anglican Church. There are a number of excellent translations that are used in the Catholic Church, among them, the Jerusalem Bible, the Grail translation, and The New Revised Standard Version are three that come to mind. The Jerusalem bible version is the one used in the Catholic Liturgy often. All good wishes. - Father Kevin
Father Kevin: My name is Ernie and I am a builder. I try to pray daily and I am a sinner. I am having some difficult times. Both of my parents are deceased but I have been blessed with a beautiful wife and three kids. Money seems to be a constant problem. I had so many dreams related to my career and have had a very bumpy road financially. I feel very unhappy with myself. As though I might run out of time and never achieve what I want to in my life. Money is important to me but it isn’t just that. I want to end up with a sense of accomplishment. So many people around me seem to have delivered for themselves. I can’t seem to lift this burden. I don’t sleep. Is God listening? I know that there are people living on park benches and are far more troubled but everyone’s problems are unique to them. How do I find happiness? - Ernie ____________________________________________________________ Dear Ernie: Thank you for your letter. In an interview some time ago with Pope Francis, the interviewer asked the Holy Father: “Well how would you describe Pope Francis?” The Pope replied: “Oh he is just another sinner!” So Ernie, you are in very good company! We all long to be fruitful and find satisfaction in our lives. Your fruitfulness may well be in the growing loving relationship you have with your wife and the joy your children bring you as they grow. We live in a western culture where financial success and everything that accompanies it becomes the measure of a person’s acceptability. People even seek political power largely on the basis that they have enough money to pay for a campaign. Such is the case in the US right now! It’s a sad commentary on our society that we regard material success as the measure of a person. I suppose it is good for you to reflect on what it is that is missing in your life in terms of the accomplishment you long for. What is it that you are seeking and haven’t yet found? What do you need to sacrifice in order to achieve that dream? You can be sure that God is listening. If we take the gospel seriously then we know that happiness is not to be found in having so much as in giving. There’s a definite freedom to be found in not having as much as everyone thinks we should in order to measure up. Letting go can bring happiness as well as holding on and is often a better path to take. Finally, if I am at the centre of my own ambitions and dreams then inevitably I will become unhappy. If love, justice, mercy are at the centre of things, then chances are my heart will be more alive and free and able to taste the beauty of life in ways not imagined while I am seeking success in other ways. When love is at the centre of my life, then of course God is at the centre and it is only in God that our deepest joy is to be found. Every blessing Ernie. - Father Kevin
Father Kevin: I have had a hard life though I have not been to war or anything like that. However, I have experienced my life as a kind of unending torment. I feel drawn to the Church after many years of reading various authors (Barfield and Tolkien among them). However, I am filled with anxiety --one reason is that I fear I will be trying to use the appearance of the Church as a "band-aid" for my obviously damaged self. Further, I do not know whether I should approach the Orthodox (Eastern) Church or the Roman Catholic Church. If you can advise at all, I will be very grateful. - John ________________________________________________________ Dear John, Thank you for your letter. What an important moment in your life you find yourself in at this time. I am sure you would find a warm welcome in either the Orthodox or Catholic community. That choice is totally yours and what is more true for your own heart. As for appearing to need the Church as a kind of band-aid, I wouldn’t be too worried at all. Firstly, what others might make of your decision in the end does not matter. Your life is your sacred gift from God and your choices about this life are yours to make. Reflection with friends, good advice and counsel can be helpful, but in the end the decision you make needs to be one which brings you’re a certain peace and a sense that this new direction is the one you most deeply long for. Secondly, at the very heart of Jesus’ ministry was His healing touch. Everywhere we read that He proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God and healed people. His healing is not a band-aid so much as a deep cure for our wounded selves. Moreover, it is not a passive process. We work with God’s grace to bring about the healing we and our world need. Thirdly, our belonging in a community of faith such as a Church, is not merely for the sake of my own happiness and peace. Once I choose to commit myself to the life of the gospel, I commit myself to the mission of the gospel and so I become part of this community of wonderful, wounded and brave people who are living and working so that others can become free to b their truest selves. John every blessing to you as you face these big decisions. You will remain in my prayers. - Father Kevin
Father Cervantes: I've believed in God my whole life. Last week I just accepted God and Jesus into my life I've prayer read the bible and did a cleansing prayer to forgive all my sins and I'm going to get baptized soon. I'm just basically wondering will I be saved by God? Brianna _____________________________________________________________ Brianna: The Christian Faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior gives me the promise of salvation and eternal life. I praise God the Father that you came to know Jesus as His Son and as our Lord and Savior. In time, through your biblical studies and in your life experiences, you will know Jesus even better. And as you know Jesus even better, you will know yourself better and what makes you do what you do. This self-knowledge in Jesus will free you from past habits and instill in you a joy for living free from destructive ways. And the more you know Jesus, the more confident you will become in knowing that you will be living with God forever in heaven. Do not fear, and do not dwell on the past! Do not doubt and do not allow insecurity to take over your new Christian mind. You are being saved, and you will make it to heaven as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus! Welcome to heaven and salvation. You are blest! - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: My father was stabbed to death almost a year ago. What if I never reach that point where I can find forgiveness in my heart? I keep thinking about my father's murderer and other criminals who might be forgiven by God. In which case it would be possible for murderers, rapists, and all other kind of criminals to meet their victims in Heaven, but those family members to the victims who couldn't forgive might be left out. And then we have the victims. Must my father forgive his murderer if he wants to go to Heaven? Must all victims of crimes, no matter how gruesome, forgive those who victimized them? Sincerely, Andersen _____________________________________________________________ Andersen: I am saddened to hear that your father was taken from you in an act of violence that is so painful to think about over and over again. The emotion of your question shows forth clearly and painfully. I cannot speak about your father's murderers and their destiny before the judgment of God. I do know this: forgiveness is the ultimate gift you can give yourself. Forgiveness is the ability to MOVE ON, the ability not to live in the past, and the ability to leave vengeance in the Hands of God. Forgiveness does not mean you forget. You will never forget this act of violence and destruction. You will never forget the pain of separation from your beloved father. You will never forget the consequences of this act in generations of your family to come. Not to forgive, forgiveness basically means you move on to the future, will only embitter you and make you so negative that you will not be able to live the life that God has destined for you. Look at what non-forgiveness is doing to you. In time, non-forgiveness will take any joy of life that you wish for. Forgiveness does not mean that it was "OK" for this act of murder to have happened. Forgiveness is NOT a license for sin and evil. Forgiveness is YOUR personal path to healing of a broken spirit. Forgiveness doesn't mean I forget, but it does mean that I live in the present. In the NOW. Not in the past, in "what might have beens," in questioning of self of how you may have stopped this act against your father and to your whole family. Living in the past is always destructive to the person, to you. So, yes, forgiveness is the key to salvation for all of us who proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once again, I cannot speak for God in regards to the perpetrators of such evil. I can guarantee you that they will suffer the consequences of their action in God's time and in God's way. NO ONE, and I mean, no one, gets away with anything in God's plan for the human race. Even though we are forgiven and our guilt washed away in the blood of the Lamb, the consequences of any act, both good and bad, will follow us even into the afterlife. So, leave what God is going to do to these murderers in His Hands for such judgment is beyond you and your abilities. What you can do is to live life to the full for your father. This means you let go of the past and the need for vengeance and let God take care of everything. Forgiveness of these murderers does not mean that you forget or say in a nonchalant way that it is OK. On the contrary, God's judgment is waiting for these murderers even if they have sincerely asked God for forgiveness and healing of their evilness. For you, it's time to let go of any desire for human vengeance and to let go of the past and anything that you may blame yourself for. Forgiveness is the key to your salvation. It's time to live in the present and carry your father's memory and life in your heart and move on. Father Francisco
Father Cervantes: Long story but a Catholic who I know became a Reverend to marry a friend who originally was going to get married both in the Catholic Church and by him (State registered Reverend). The Church wedding fell apart - disputes with the priest. The Catholic person whom I know still married them. So in eyes of the State they are married but not in the Church. Question I am trying to answer - is the Catholic person who married the couple (man and woman) liable in the eyes of God? Did he commit a sin by marrying them? If yes, How grave is the sin? - Tony ___________________________________________________________ Tony:Sadly, the couple, as you stated, is not sacramentally married in the Church. You are correct in your interpretation of sacramental canon law in regards to Christian marriage. Your friend, who became a "religious minister" so that he could preside at their civil marriage, has done something that is an offense against the Church that carries the penalty of excommunication. A Catholic, who becomes a minister of another religious body, automatically is excommunicated from the Church because that person separates himself from the Church and joins another religious community. Your "Catholic" friend is no longer a Catholic when he submitted to ordination from another "Church." How grave a sin? How's excommunication sound? And is he liable in the eyes of God? To me, he is, but we now leave him to the judgment of God. I am saddened to hear that your "minister" friend has decided that his Catholic faith is not as important as becoming a "minister" to do marriages outside the Church. By the way, if he just became a civil servant of the county recorder and did civil marriages for the state, that would be acceptable and that person would not be excommunicated because he or she is just doing their job for the State. Catholics who are civil servants presiding over civil marriages do not sin and are not excommunicated (State job) since they are not ordained ministers of another religious community. But this person BECAME an ordained minister of another "church." That's a slap in the face of the Church and has earned him a decree of automatic excommunication. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: My question arises from some cognitive dissonance I'm experiencing about Jesus's "turn the other cheek" principle. I have come to understand from Ephesians 5:1-10 that we should not allow anyone to deceive us with empty words or be partakers of evil with sinners, but sometimes we just don't know if we are being deceived or we may be forcefully acted upon by evil, in which case Jesus tells us to not resist and basically allow the behavior to continue in Matthew 39-42. Does this mean that if a man is trying to abduct and rape me, I should simply allow it? Or better yet, help him by giving him even more than what he wants? Thank you for your time and response. - Erica _____________________________________________________________ Erica: In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 38-39, Jesus says this in regards to the Old Covenant version of justice which can be described as human vengeance gone awry: You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. This verse breaks the cycle of violence that comes from people exacting vengeance for what someone else has done to them. Vengeance, the opposite of forgiveness, is always destructive and NEVER EVER makes things right. But this does not mean that you become a person that allows any kind of violence to be done to you just for the sake of violence. Instead, it does tell me that I cannot hold on to evil acts against me forever in my heart. The Lord wants me to let go of the past or anything evil that has happened to me because I need to live a life filled with joy and peace, not a life of revenge and anger that will only destroy the joy of living. Human history is filled experiences of vengeance that does nothing to heal the broken human heart. But you are also expected to protect yourself from anyone who seeks to destroy your God-given and God-made dignity. Self-preservation and self-defense are the instinctual responses, IMPLANTED BY GOD, to any evil act that may be perpetrated on my person. Self-preservation and self-defense are God inspired in times of attack. When someone is "raped," in an example you set forth, that someone is expected to defend himself or herself from the attacker, even if killing the attacker is the only way to protect one's self. This verse from Jesus does not give permission to anyone to do evil upon you. But it does help any victim of any sin not to live in that evil act and to move on in the faith and hope of healing that comes from the Holy Spirit. So, if a man tries to take your freedom and dignity away from you in an act of violence, you must do all possible to prevent this act against you, even if this means killing the perpetrator. Such acts of self-preservation and self-defense is not an act of vengeance, but an act of self love that God demands from me when Jesus repeats the verse of the two great commandments: Love God, and Love Your Neighbor AS YOURSELF. How can you love your neighbor if you don't have a healthy love of self? Love of self demands that I protect what God has created, and that means protecting myself from any act of violence, or anything evil. Jesus wants us to forgive and wants us to live in the present. Seeking human vengeance is always destructive and does not serve to heal my broken spirit. But self-preservation and self-defense are not acts of vengeance as much as it is an act of self-love that protects my God-given dignity. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: ____________________________________________ Oliva: You are an amazing young person with great faith. I want to affirm your faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and your Catholic faith! I wish I had more young people like you who are living their Catholic faith. Your example for the existence of purgatory is a good one but the word, PAID, is the wrong word. Yes, you can say that a broken window has to be paid for, as you say, but I agree with your friend that Jesus paid for the window by His one sacrifice on the cross. Hence, when we sin and truthfully ask for forgiveness, we are forgiven and our guilt wiped away. But here is the rub, the CONSEQUENCES of our actions live on and affect others and myself. So, using your example of the broken window, breaking the window is the sin, and the payment for the window was done by Jesus, but the consequences of breaking the window will ALWAYS be your responsibility before the judgment throne of God. And when we die, those consequences follow us into the afterlife. Purgatory is that moment when we stand before our Creator and Father, Who is total love, and we are presented with the consequences of our sins in the review of our life. Those consequences will carry the pain of the self-realization of what I have done to others around me. Yes, I was forgiven, and yes, my guilt has been washed away by the blood of the Lamb so that I could live my life to the full. But, I have a lot to answer for in regards to my actions and their good and bad consequences. In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 21, Verse 27, John the Elder writes this about heaven: "And nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those written in the Lamb's book of life." So, it seems that after death, there is a purification process of all the bad consequences of our sins, and self-knowledge of what we have done, and the confrontation of those consequences. That is the description of purgatory. Even though the word, purgatory, is not mentioned in the bible, neither are other sacred teachings such as the Trinity, pro-life (anti-abortion), and even the word Bible! But the description of purgatory is implied all throughout scripture. Purgatory is not a "place," like heaven and hell. Purgatory is that process of purification before I enter heaven as described in Revelation 21:27. Purgatory is the process of confronting the consequences of our sins. But even in the process of purgatory, we know that we are saved by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus forgives, He washes away the guilt that would otherwise close off salvation, but sadly, the consequences of sin live on. That is what I will be held accountable for before I go through the gates of heaven. May the Lord be with you. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: I am not Catholic but intend to convert (I'm Jewish and am working on building my faith and eliminating my atheism and then entering an RCIA program prior to marriage in a Catholic Church which I want to do as a sacrament. If I'm not Christian and was never baptized but convert in the future, prior to marrying a devoutly Catholic woman whose previous and only husband died years ago, would I have to get an annulment of my previous marriage prior to my conversion? I was married by a rabbi as a Jew and my ex-wife converted to Judaism prior to the marriage. - Harvey (and thank you!) ______________________________________________________ Harvey: If you were going to marry a Catholic without conversion to the Catholic faith, yes, you would have to ask the Church to begin the process of an ecclesiastical annulment of your previous "natural" marriage. But if you plan to marry your Catholic fiancee after being baptized into the Church, the annulment process is truncated into the Pauline Privilege as described in the First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 7, Verses 12-16. Saint Paul writes this: "If an unbeliever separates, however, let him separate. The brother or sister is not bound in such cases; God has called you to peace." Saint Paul is also saying that if an unbeliever wants to become a Christian believer, then that believer is free to marry a believer despite the converted unbeliever's first marriage. In the "Pauline Privilege,' your first marriage is dissolved so that you can enter a marriage with a Catholic because you became a converted Catholic. So, simply put: if you marry a Catholic without baptism and conversion, you will have to seek an ecclesiastical annulment of your marriage. If you marry a Catholic after being baptized and converted to the Catholic faith, then you will use the Pauline Privilege which would dissolve your first marriage in favor of your new faith and your new marriage in the Church. Either way, there is a formal process of either annulling your first marriage, or dissolving your first marriage in favor of the faith. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: I have been married over 10 years. The sex life was great. After we decided we were not going to have anymore children, my wife cut the sex life out of her life. I am struggling with it. This lead me back to masturbation. (I used to do it). After constantly praying about and going to confession, I manage to overcome it. I spoke to my wife about it, she told me she don't need sex anymore. I spoke to a Catholic priest about my problem. He inform me masturbation in my situation is not a grave sin because I don't do it intentionally. I told him that if I'm in the mood and she's not, well I have to accept her wishes. Yet , the priests told me, in my local parish, it's a grave sin. I am confused. I don't masturbate to intentionally hurt my wife. Is this a mortal sin? - Jeff ______________________________________________________________________________ Jeff:
In your personal situation, masturbation is not considered a
serious sin, though it is still an act of a person not yet
spiritually mature in Christ. Your situation is a difficult
one. It seems that professional medical counseling may be in
order to find out why sexual relations with your wife has become
non-existent. It may be that your wife has a medical issue to
be looked at. Otherwise, please go forward in your life.
Focusing on masturbation can destroy your sense of peace in
Christ. Instead, focus on loving your wife to the full without
the physical sexual intimacies. I wrote an article for this web
site about the sinfulness of masturbation. Here is the link to
that article:
http://catholicvu.com/newpage197htm.htm
Father Cerventes: I am Catholic, very Catholic, come from a very Catholic family. My grand-niece is presently living with her boyfriend. He is non-Catholic; she is Catholic, but seldom goes to Mass. He has no particular religious affiliation, but does not want to be married in the Catholic church. My grand-niece would like a church wedding, but is not really in concert with the Catholic Church. Her boyfriend has proposed and the family reaction is divisive. My nephew, her uncle, is very, very opposed to the wedding, even to a civil wedding. He is refusing to attend even a shower or celebration for the bride, much less the wedding. The rest of the family is pretty much accepting, believing that being civilly married, at least, is better than living together with no protection for the bride at all. Most of us are opposed to a different denomination wedding (other than Catholic), hoping that at some later date the couple might want to return to the Catholic church. Is there any Catholic regulation that prohibits attending a celebration for the bride or supporting her in this time? Love to have an answer to this one. - Imelda ________________________________________________________________ Imelda: You are correct in saying "love has to be answer to this one." Even though your grand-niece's uncle does not want to attend the wedding and all its events, family always comes first. You must respect your grand-nephew's decision not to participate in any celebrations connected to this wedding. I would advise him to re-think his position, but if he is adamantly opposed to this wedding, then what can anyone do? There is no "Catholic regulation" that prohibits attending a celebration for the bride and groom who is not having her marriage solemnized in the Catholic Church. But each family member makes their own decision. Even though the decision may seem hateful to you, the decision must be respected. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: I have a question. If a Protestant Christian, previously baptized in a particular religion such as Methodist or Lutheran, for example, if they attend RCIA and want to convert and become Catholic, do they NEED TO BE RE-BAPTIZED or have to be re-baptized before receiving The Eucharist or Confirmation? The reason I ask is I thought there was only one Baptism and all Christian Faiths say the same words as Catholics do that Jesus said to the Apostles… Baptize them in the name of the Father, The son, and The Holy Spirit(Ghost)? Can someone please answer? Thank you. - Andy __________________________________________________________________ Andy: If a non-Catholic Christian was baptized using the Trinitarian formula, that is to say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," and that baptized non-Catholic Christians desires to be a Catholic, there is no need for a re-baptism. There is an official rite for the acceptance of the non-Catholic Christian into full communion with the Catholic Church. The rite looks exactly like a baptismal rite in the Church, but without the water baptism. There are some non-Catholic Christian denominations that do not use the Trinitarian formula. If a person is from one of these denominations that just baptize in the name of Jesus alone, then they will need to be baptized with the Trinitarian formula. - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: If God made us in His image, but not quite like Him, why does He give us these emotions? Adam and Eve sinned and we pay for the sins of the father - but if we are punished for that - isn't that the same thing as holding our parents responsible for our own action? Aren't we supposed to honor our parent regardless of what they have done? Aren't we supposed to be responsible for our own actions I guess my question got lost. - Loca ____________________________________________________________________ Loca: Yes, God made us in His image and likeness. We are emanations from God our Creator, and we have life because of the Creator. We have free will like the Creator. We have power over our destiny like the Creator. We create like the Father in heaven, though we create imperfectly. We emanate life from ourselves like the Creator through the birth of children. We love like the Creator. We are immortal like the Creator God. We also desire to return to our Father Creator which we do through our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have emotions because God has emotions, and gave us emotions to connect ourselves to Him. We are created in his image and likeness. As to the original sin of Adam and Eve, why do we have to pay the consequences of that sin, as you say, "we pay for the sins of the father?" The truth is: we all PAY for the sins of ourselves and of others.....it's called consequences! For every action has a reaction, good and bad. Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world until they decided that they wanted more and followed the advice of the devil in the form of a serpent. When they sinned, they broke relationship with God, and the consequences of that one sinful act of disobedience continues to be felt to this day. That's why Jesus came to save us from sin and death. One of the consequences of that original sin is death, and another consequence is illness and pain. All this from the first sin. Remember, your every action has a consequence. Yes, we are all responsible for our actions.....and we are also responsible for the consequences of those actions. - Father Francisco
Father Cevantes: My name is Alicia and I am a biology major. The problem I am having is that the more I study science the harder it is to believe in God. I believe in the big bang and evolution but I want to believe in God too. I wish there was scientific evidence for his existence. I have always wanted evidence and nobody can give that to me. I am losing my faith. Please help me. - Alicia ________________________________________________________________ Alicia: I don't understand why being a scientist means that you lose your faith in God. Science is the study of the empirical evidence of how God does things in the universe. On the contrary, my study of science shows that there is a God, a God who has made laws for the universe to follow, for example, the law of physics. God created life, and through the study of science, we see how God did that. We see the details of God's creation in the examination of the smallest of particles. Everything in creation shown through science shows the Hand of God, the Prime Mover, the intelligence behind everything in the universe. If you accept the "big bang" theory for the creation of the universe, then that is not contrary to faith in God. All you have to do is ask where the big bang came from, and you have your answer: God. You can accept the evolutionary process of life on earth as scientific truth, but how did this evolution of life begin if not in God, even if the particles of life came from outside of earth, God made it happen according to His plan. Science is logical, clear in his empirical evidence, and it all points to the Infinite Intelligence we call God. You need proof of God's "existence?" Are you so blind that you cannot see His Hand in the science you study?
Time to open your eyes and see the perfection of God's Creative
power shown to you in all its clarity in science. Even
so-called chaos in science is really part of the plan and
intelligence that always end in perfect order. You are studying
the existence of God in your science classes. Science is
awesome and shows the Intelligence of the Universe, the One I
love called my Father in heaven. -
Father Francisco
Father Francisco:
Thank you to the
priests who provide their time to answer our questions. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Kathy: The Catholic Church has always taught CLEARLY that after death, we live on, though our bodies are in the ground. Our bodies await the last day when Jesus will raise our bodies from the dead and reunite us with our glorified bodies! On the last day, all those in heaven and hell will be reunited with their bodies in which there will be the Last Great Judgement when Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. Thanks for writing in. - Father Francisco
Father Cervantes:
The Glory be prayer
seems to be in 2 parts: Tom: Glory to God is forever, and the words are a poetic way of saying forever. I must remind you that when the end times come and Jesus returns in glory, the heavens and earth as we know it will be transformed and made new (see Revelation 21). The world will be transformed into a paradise that will exist forever. So, "world without end" makes sense, since the world we know now will be changed in an instant, and it will all be made new. - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: I am having some trouble dealing with things. I've had a very strange life. My question has to do with a spirit. When I was in college a spirit took the form of my friend and gave me a paper to sign. I foolishly signed it. I later found that in the paper it said all sorts of horrible things like torture were going to happen to me after I died. The worst part was that there was a section which said not even a priest or the name of Jesus Christ could overrule this if it got signed (which I did without reading). A priest blessed me afterwards and told me it was ok. Is this true? Does the name of Jesus Christ overpower the contract even if the contract says it can't. Please let me know. I want to be a good Christian and this is a difficult issue for me. I know Jesus is more powerful and God can do anything. I was just hoping I could get your take on it. Please pray for me. Thank you. - Daniel __________________________________________________________________________
Daniel: "In the name of the Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, protect me, heavenly Father from every evil and from every evil spirit. Father, I trust in your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I invoke the Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ to wash over me and to nullify all personal contracts I have made with any evil entity. In the name of Jesus, I proclaim my faith and allegiance to you, Father, forever. I belong to you, Father, and no one else. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Jesus alone is my life. Father, I am yours in Jesus Name. Amen." That's it. You are free from that evil contract. Now, rest in the Lord Jesus and live your life to the full without worry. And once again, if you feel insecure about this, repeat this little prayer above whenever you need to. - Father Francisco
Father Francisco:
How do I keep
tolerance in my heart? I work at a world class resort and we
have beautiful photographs hanging in the hall ways. One of the
photos is of a very famous landmark of a cross on the beach. We
recently had a guest of the Muslim faith who asked that the
photo be removed from the hallway, he found it to be offensive.
My first response was anger I am trying to be tolerant of his
view yet I can't seem to accept it. If I was a visitor in a
predominantly Muslim country I would not be offended by a mosque
or other Muslim representation. How do I keep from judging?How do I make my heart love this person even though I am angry
about his request? _____________________________________________________________________________
Joan: Even though this Muslim customer may have asked you to remove a picture with a Christian theme doesn't mean you acquiesce to that odd request. The demands of tolerance also is expected of the customer. This customer may have other issues, such as a psychological control problem. He may demand things because he wants control. Most Muslims I know would not be offended by an art picture of a cross on an empty beach. And as you correctly point out, you wouldn't be offended by an Islamic work of art in a Muslim country. This person while vacationing in Florida, USA, is also visiting a place with different cultural expressions of which he must be tolerant as well. The onus of being tolerant isn't only on you. It is also on the other. If this person really was "offended" by the cross on the beach picture, he would have been more "offended" by the dress of women at the resort, but he didn't complain about that. If he has demanded that the women at the beach or pool cover up, you probably would have told him that this demand wasn't feasible, or offer an option that he should not visit those areas. And that hopefully was your response to his controlling demand of removing a picture of a cross on the beach: "Sir, that is not feasible, but may I offer you another room on another floor instead." When tourists visit other countries, they do so knowing that they are visiting places that are different from their every day experiences. That is what touring is all about! That this person would demand a simple picture to be taken down is ludicrous. Maybe he can find a resort more to his liking elsewhere. Tolerance, or even better, acceptance, means to accept the other as they are without judgment or condemnation. But tolerance and acceptance go TWO ways. If the other is not tolerant of you, then go on your way knowing that you have acted in a loving way. That is all that is expected of you by our Christian faith. Be at peace. You too are limited by your resort's rules and regulations concerning customer service. But no one, and I mean no one, has to fulfill requests that are intolerant and ludicrous. - Father Francisco
Father Francisco: I went to communion. The priest inadvertently put 2 Holy Hosts onto my palm. I swallowed one and kept the other one at home for a few days after which I eventually swallowed it. Was the act of keeping the Holy Host at home a sacrilege? - Maria ________________________________________________________________ Maria: The reservation of the Holy Eucharist outside of a tabernacle and church building is forbidden. The word, sacrilege, is appropriate in this situation. You should not have reserved the Holy Eucharist within your home. You should have consumed both hosts when you received them at communion time. Please go to confession and please, don't ever reserve the Blessed Sacrament in your home. But at the same time, I want to confirm your faith in Jesus Christ as present in the Holy Eucharist. Your faith is what gives you strength and hope in all things. You are so blest to have the faith you possess as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your faith and for your life as a Catholic. God will richly bless you! - Father Francisco
Father Cervantes: My daughter is a Catholic seeking an annulment. Once she gets her annulment, she would like to marry a divorced Lutheran who was married in his Lutheran Church. Does this Lutheran man have to get an annulment too, before he can marry my daughter? My daughter says that annulments are not given in his Lutheran Church. Thanks. - Hotz __________________________________________________________
You are correct. The Lutheran party must receive a decree of annulment to be married in the Church to your beloved daughter. Even though decrees of nullity are not recognized in the Lutheran communion, that doesn't mean that the divorced Lutheran fiance of your daughter is free from this requirement. On the contrary, for the fiance to be married in the Catholic Church, he must apply for an annulment from his previous marriage before he can marry in the Catholic Church. Just as your daughter applied for an annulment, so must he. No Catholic parish would even consider presiding at their marriage until he is free to marry which means that his previous marriage must be annulled. Hope this helps. - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: I am a 23 yrs old girl and am a converted Catholic for 10 years. I have great devotion on God. I wanted to make a nice family who serves God first. So I prayed for a better soul-mate for me. I mean for a Better Boyfriend. I prayed many times. I wanted to marry a good Catholic boy who is truly devoted. As my prayers works I met a Good catholic Boy 5 months ago. We were really happy with each other. Truly caring for each other. That was a nice relationship. I gave my thanks to God. But 2 weeks ago I wanted him to break up with me because he fell in love with other girl who was his friend for many years. At the beginning i told him to stay with me. But last I told him to leave me if you want to leave me. I cannot believe that this isn't the man who God send to me. Because I trusted a lot in my prayers. I cant figure out what happened. I am so much broken now. Even sometimes I put my blame toward God also because i feel like God cheated on me. I really want him again. What can I do? Please answer me. May God Bless you!! - Suma _______________________________________________________________ Suma: Actually, God saved you from a terrible mistake. You should be thanking God for getting this cheating man away from you. God has ALREADY created someone for you to marry, a good man and a good Catholic. But this will happen in God's time, not your time. The fact that your ex-boyfriend left you means that this man was not the man that God made especially for you. If God has called you to the sacrament of marriage and family life, He will guide you to that right man. But this demands patience on your part. You cannot make demands on God for He will work according to His plan for you. This is a time to place your trust in God's plan for you. I know from your words that you want to be married as soon as possible, and you are possibly receiving social and family pressure to do so. But you must wait on the Lord. God will show you the right man for you. Trust Him. All in God's time and plan. Don't let your anxiousness to marry blind you to what God is doing in your life right now. Your ex-boyfriend, running to his old girlfriend, is not the man for you. You will encounter in time a man who will love you and want to have a family with you and you alone. You are in my prayers, and I pray that you will find your future husband soon! - Father Francisco
Father Cervantes: I am 19 years old, and A Catholic View has permission to publish my question. I was raised in a Southern Baptist household and had never been exposed to the Catholic denomination until about 7 months ago. I have fallen in love with what I have seen and want badly to become a part. How do I do that? How do I go about the conversion process? - Cameron ________________________________________________________________ Cameron: I praise God for your testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior within the Catholic Church. The process of becoming Catholic is simple to start. It is a two year process of becoming a Catholic. In those two years, you will learn about the traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church and our relationship with Jesus Christ. The process is called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.). You start by making an appointment with the priest or deacon of your local Catholic Church. As soon as you do that, you will be guided in your faith walk to becoming a member of the Catholic Church. God bless you and may the Holy Spirit illuminate your heart and mind to understand the depth of Christ's love for you. - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: If divorce is considered a "grave" issue by the Catholic church and since one cannot get a divorce without making a conscious free-will decision to do so, that would make divorce a mortal sin, yet the church has taken the words of God "let no man put asunder what I have joined" and are handing out annulments for every cause. I did not want a divorce, nor did I want the annulment, yet both were forced upon me. I do not understand how the church can simply ignore the words of God regarding marriage as being "until death". Nobody has to work through issues when they can go to the Church and have the marriage dissolved and simply walk away. Please help me understand this. - Helen __________________________________________________________________ Helen: I am sorry to hear that your marriage ended in divorce and that your sacramental marriage was ecclesiastically nullified by a Church tribunal. You mentioned the words of Jesus in the gospel, "What God has joined, no one must divide." But the Church KNOWS from our collective experience that some marriages are not made according to God's Will. The Church tribunal that made the decision to nullify your sacramental marriage did so with great diligence. The annulment process is not some kind of instant Church divorce. There is a lot of deliberation that goes into any Church tribunal decision for or against nullity. To simplify, the Church is answering one question only: did God join this marriage? If God joined this marriage, it cannot be broken. If God did not join this marriage, then both parties are able to enter a sacramental marriage that God willed for them. This is all about God's plan for each person called to the vocation of marriage. As I said, NOT every marriage is willed by God. Some marriages are willed by human beings alone without God's input. For example, here is a marriage that is NOT according to God's will and plan for that person: a person who is FORCED into marriage by family or societal pressures cannot be considered married in God's eyes. That would be an example in which a marriage can be ecclesiastically annulled. There are many other reasons that can destroy the person's ability to enter a God-willed marriage. Here is another example: a woman who is forced to marry because she is pregnant. No one who is forced into marriage because of an outside event like pre-marital pregnancy can be expected to make a true loving commitment to God and marriage. There are many other examples, each unique and different. The Church tribunal, after much deliberation, made a decision in regards to your marriage that said that God did NOT join your marriage according to God's will for both your ex-husband and you. Every member of a diocesan Church marriage tribunal do not take these nullity decisions lightly. Each member prays over the whole process, invoking the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions in regards to the validity of a sacramental marriage. In regards to your marriage, the tribunal decided that a sacramental marriage did not exist from the beginning. "What God has joined, let no one separate." The tribunal, through the direction of the Holy Spirit, determined that your sacramental marriage was not God joined. I pray that you will find healing for your broken heart and broken dreams. The same Spirit of God that helped the tribunal to make the determination of nullity will also heal your broken spirit if you let Him. - Father Francisco
Father Cervantes: Is it necessary to take the Eucharist in order to get to heaven? If so then would that statement be applied to the rest of the Sacraments as well such as Baptism, Reconciliation and Confirmation? If those are true, then what does that mean about marriage and Holy orders? Those I assume are not necessary to go to heaven, so why would taking of the Eucharist be? And if it is not necessary to take the Eucharist, then why is it so heavily deemed as important? To explain my curiosity on this subject, I will describe an incident I had. I am interested in missionary work and helping people across seas, and I had conversation with my grandfather (who had grown up Catholic and gone to seminary school however he did not finish) about it. One concern he had was the fact that I wouldn't be able to take/give the people in poor countries the Eucharist, and that caught my attention because I thought to myself that surely that shouldn't stop me from helping them. I do have other questions but I feel it's best to answer them one at a time due to my question complexity. I thank you so much for your knowledge and for trying to answer my questions. Many blessings. - Marissa ______________________________________________________________ Marissa: Here is a quick answer to whether the Eucharist is necessary for salvation: YES, a resounding YES. And here is the scripture to back that statement from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, Verses 53-59: Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me and I in him." In concert with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the sacrament of Penance, the Eucharist is the paramount guarantee of salvation in Jesus Christ. No Eucharist.....no life of Jesus within you according to His Words! Now, as to your desire for missionary work, the main purpose of missionary work is to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus as Lord and Savior, as the reason for our salvation from sin and works of death. As a missionary, you will lead souls thirsting for the love of God to the Eucharist as true food and drink for their souls. I don't expect you to bring communion to do the good work that God wants you to do for people in other parts of the world. But all your work will one day bring people to the altar of salvation on which they will dine on Jesus for their salvation! - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: I'm a Filipino Catholic. I just want to ask if it's true that if the marriage of two siblings has been made for the same years a bad luck will happen to one of the siblings? Thank you. Grace ____________________________________________________________________________ Grace: Siblings cannot contract a sacramental marriage in the Church. No church would preside over a marriage of a brother and sister. The issue of bad luck is really something that comes from occult beliefs that the Church puts no credence in. Brother and sister cannot be married. And good luck and bad luck are experienced by everyone, no? Even the best of saints had bad luck, as some would say. But Jesus was their Lord and Savior, and all bad luck became blessings for their spiritual maturity. For me, good luck and bad luck are irrelevant to the real question: no marriage between siblings. - Father Cervantes
Father Cervantes: I was told by a priest that I need to look into the 7 sacraments and confess. My question: If I confess to a priest my sins, do I need to go to confession again and repeat what I confessed about the last time???? Or do I go to confession until I do another sin??? Or the same sin??? - Terry _______________________________________________________________ Terry: The sacrament of Penance (confession) can be had any time you wish to confess your sins. But, once a sin has been mentioned in confession, it is not necessary to repeat it again because once God forgives, the sin is forgiven. And when the Church forgives, that sin is forgiven. Confession is necessary when a mortal sin is committed. Otherwise, confession once a month is a good spiritual practice. - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: Don't worry I'm not planning anything bad. my question is, is there not a difference between murder and a justified killing. one being a mortal sin and the other being an order or directive from God. Example: a mass shooting of innocent children vs. a person shooting in self defense. Thank you for reading - Dillion _____________________________________________________________ Dillon: There is a world of difference between a murder and an act of self-defense. A murder is an act of the free will to kill someone for any reason. An act of self-defense is an act of protective love of self and others. One is an act of sinful defiance against God Who is Life Itself, while the act of self-defense is an act of love of one's self and others. - Father Francisco
Father Cervantes:
I am an active Catholic and a weekly
Mass attendee. I am acutely interested in how the Church can
better show the face of kindness and mercy especially in lieu of
the Jubliee Yr. I have been struck lately in how lacking the
church is with an ability to show warmth. As a contrast, I am
struck at how well the church can speak about many matters which
are doctrinal and canonical as well as procedural. I know there
is a debate amongst Catholics who fear that the rules and regs
are being sacrificed for a sense of leniency. There is a lot of
hand wringing about Pope Francis and his warm outreach. I do
not see a better alternative to the Francis way. So how can the
church better show a heartfelt embrace of anyone and everyone
..no matter how wayward they may be so as to echo the pope (
especially in this Jubliee Yr)? Thank you. Dan Dan: I am amazed to hear other people's experience of Church in their various parishes around the world. In my part of the world, the Church is vibrant, open to peoples of every culture, and empowering people to be missionaries of Christ to those around them. There are those who focus too much on the discipline of the Catholic Church to the determent of the love and mercy of God. There are those who focus too much on the love of God without taking into consideration that we are all accountable to God for every action in our lives. There has to be a balance between these two extremes: all discipline and legality, or all love and acceptance of everything moral and immoral. Balance is the keystone for spiritual maturity. If you depend on church leaders to show and speak of the mercy of God, you then do not take your God-given responsibility to proclaim the mercy of God in your daily life and in your interactions with others. So, to answer your question, "so how can the Church better show a heartfelt embrace of anyone and everyone," I turn to question back to you, how can YOU better show a heartfelt embrace of anyone and everyone? For the Church is not just its leadership. The Church is YOU! So in Jesus Words in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 46-49: "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of the Father upon you!" You are a witness of God's power in your life. Now preach it by what you say and by what you do. How do you show a heartfelt embrace of all for their salvation in Jesus Christ? - Father Cervantes
Father Francisco: Is there a website where that links specific Bible verses to the Catechism? For example, I'm interested in the Catechism's commentary and the Church's interpretation on the verse 2 Corinthians 5:21. Thank you. - Jim ________________________________________________________________ Jim: The verse from 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21, Saint Paul writes this: "For our sake, He made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Saint Paul is telling the Corinth community that through the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on Calvary, Jesus became sin, the disobedience of humankind that was expressed so clearly by the original sin of Adam and Eve. Sin is broken relationship with God the Creator. Sin is disobedience to what God is and what He has made us to be. Jesus became the scapegoat (Leviticus, Chapter 16) for us all, and the Father laid upon Him the disobedience of us all. Jesus broke the cycle of sin and disobedience and, in return, we -- as a saved humankind through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior -- become the righteousness of God, for God sees Jesus His Son in us who receive Jesus in faith. This verse from 2 Corinthians is a literary device in which Saint Paul is showing a contradiction and an exchange of attributes of God. As Christ became our righteousness, we become God's righteousness. As Christ repaired our relationship with God the Father through His complete obedience to God's Will, we, through faith, have a healed relationship with the Father, direct access to the Father, through Jesus' total obedience. Jesus became sin, so that we can be made right with God. Jesus became broken so that we may be made whole. Jesus became disobedience so that we can be obedient by our free will to God's Will. As to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the entire text of the Catechism is cited in the footnotes with biblical verses and citations of other Church teachings and documents from the beginning of the Church at Pentecost in the Upper Room (Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2) to the present time. Here is the link to the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church and all its footnotes and citations. Here is the link: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm Just click on the chapters to the left and see that particular chapter and all the biblical citations. - Father Francisco
Father Francisco: I have a question about masturbating. I jerk off a lot and for a lot of inappropriate content . Subject idea that even touched my faith and relationship with God. I have faith in God and in Jesus but I don't know what happen to me when I masturbate. Like I'm not in control. Every time I tell God that I will stop and that I know that im sinning, I pray for forgiveness and help to stop and get this bad destructive idea that I feel bad for just thinking about it but I do it day after day ........ I need help plz tell what I have 2 do and if I will be forgiven. Please help I'm a good man I'm good to people. But I'm lost. - Mike ________________________________________________________________ Mike: You are loved infinitely by God. He created you in His Image and Likeness. He created you for a purpose that is greater than you. He created you because He loves you and will continue to love you always, no matter what. You need to focus on the love of God and the salvation you have from your faith in Jesus as your Lord and your Savior. You are focusing on masturbation and your guilty feelings instead of focusing your sight on Jesus Himself and God's love for you. The temptation here, placed by the devil, is not the act of masturbation. The temptation here is to listen to that evil voice saying that you are evil, guilty, dirty, and unloved by God who is so perfect that He doesn't love you anymore. That temptation to think you are so bad that you can't be forgiven is a most evil and UNTRUE thought. Stop obsessing on your actions concerning masturbation. Obsess instead on the love of God, that eternal and unbreakable love that can never be taken back by the Creator. You say that you are a good man and good to people. I accept that as true. God knows that is true. And God wants you to continue putting your faith in Him into action by what you are already doing. You are a good man with a weakness. We all are sinners and we all have weaknesses that challenge us to grow up in God's love and mercy. As God has infinite love and mercy for us, have that same love and mercy for yourself. Now, to the action of masturbation itself. You are now in an addictive cycle, an obsessive-compulsive act that makes you seek the pleasure of masturbation especially in times of stress, overwork, loneliness, or anxiousness. You are addicted to masturbation and the sexual gratification that it offers without any kind of loving return that comes from an intimate relationship with another person. To break an addictive cycle that you are in, you have taken the first step: admitting to yourself that you have a problem, and the problem is the obsessive desire for sexual gratification through masturbation. Now, the second part is to seek help for this addiction. You need to talk to a professional about helping yourself break the cycle of addiction to masturbation. You can talk to your doctor who will refer you to a professional who can help you in overcoming this addiction. The most important part is knowing this FACT: God loves you always. God is not upset with you. God is not angry with you. He knows that once you put your mind and spirit to it, you will control this addiction instead of allowing this addiction to control you. You are always loved by God NO MATTER WHAT. So, get this idea that you are not forgiven OUT OF YOUR MIND for masturbating all the time. God not forgiving you is a LIE that the devil wants you to believe. You are forgiven each time you ask. But God wants you to work on overcoming this addiction. You can also start by exercising, making new friends, praying, and receiving Holy Communion as often as you can (there is a daily Mass in your local parish), and using the Sacrament of Penance (confession) every month. Here is a prayer that you can say every time you masturbate, or you have the temptation to masturbate. Say this prayer often, print it out and place it somewhere you can see it. You are forgiven. As long as you accept and believe in Jesus, you are going to heaven. The devil's temptation wants you to GIVE UP on your struggle for spiritual maturity. Don't give in to the devil's temptation. So, here is the prayer: Father in heaven, I love you with all my heart, and I know and accept that you love me completely always. I do not want to ever be separated from your love. Help me never to give up on my fight against my obsessive desires that do not help me mature and be the person that you have created me to be. Send me your Holy Spirit now to help me in my weakness. Be with me always in Jesus' Name. Amen. For an article I wrote about masturbation in regards to our relationship with God, please see this link and print it out so that you can write on it and make notes. http://catholicvu.com/newpage197htm.htm May the Spirit of God help you move forward and overcome any addictive behaviors that can stop your spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. You are loved always. - Father Francisco
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