FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016
ASK A PRIEST
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
FATHER KEVIN BATES, SM
FATHER LAZARUS CHAWDI
PRIEST STAFF
CATHOLICVIEW STAFF
PRIEST STAFF
"I
live in a rural area and there are no
Catholic Churches
close by. How can I join and be saved
if no Churches are
in the area? Will I be condemned to
hell?" - Nick
Father Francisco:
I was wondering how one would become a
Roman Catholic when one does not have
the resources to become a Catholic. I
come from a rural area in the south
where there isn't a Catholic church
hours from here. It got me thinking
about other people from North Korea and
other Muslim countries where there are
no churches, and how they too could
become Catholics when they need baptism
and the Eucharist, but we don't have a
physical church to go to. In summary,
how could one receive the sacraments,
join the Church, and be saved, when they
simply don't have the resources to do
so? Are we condemned to hell even
though we want to join, but can't due to
our socioeconomic or political
environments? Thanks. - Nick
____________________________________________________________
Nick:
Nothing can separate you from the love
of God, and that means that distance
from a Catholic congregation cannot
separate you from the love of God Your
faith in Jesus will save you. You will
never be condemned to hell because you
cannot be close to a Catholic parish
church. God sees everything, and He
sees your heart and your faith. He
rejoices in your faith and has made a
place for you in heaven, your own
mansion (see John 14: 1-4).
Though you will one day be accepted into
the Catholic Church through a parish
community of faith, you can start now by
studying the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH. Here is the official link of
the Catechism in English from the
Vatican website:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
The whole Catechism is there and all you
have to do is click on the chapter links
and read that Chapter.
It will take you a while to digest the
truths of Catholic teaching, but take as
long as you want. Read each chapter
from the beginning and take some notes.
And as a good start, please read the
Gospel of Mark first as you read the
Catechism. When you finish, you will be
ready to make that long journey to your
nearest parish church. You may want to
call them first to see if there are any
missions or visiting priests or deacons
or catechists coming to your area. Tell
them that you want to be a Catholic but
distance keeps you away. Since they
know what is involved in your part of
the world, they will advise you what to
do next.
Meanwhile, you will study the Catechism
from the link I gave you, and you will
read the Gospel of Mark. After that,
you can read the whole New Testament
from Matthew to Revelation. After
that, you will be ready to be brought
into full communion with the Catholic
Church. God bless, and move forward in
studying the Catholic faith. Jesus is
Lord and Savior! He is with you now.
You are in His Hands now. Trust Him and
He will find a way for you to come to
the altar of the Lord to receive the
sacraments!
- Father Francisco
"My
husband and I have been away from the
Church for a while. Now
my husband has Stage IV Lung Cancer and
wants to be cremated
when he dies. He wants a Memorial
Mass. Will he be denied since
we have not attended Church?" - Kathy
Father Francisco:
My husband and I are both Catholics. We
have been away been from the Catholic
Church for a while. My husband was
diagnosed with Stage IV Lung
Cancer. His wish is not to have
a viewing or a funeral home service.
His wish is to be cremated. He was
wondering if he could have a Memorial
Mass when he passes? Would he be denied
if we have not been to church?
-
Kathy
______________________________________________________
Kathy:
Yes, your husband can have a Memorial
Mass in the parish church if he wishes.
You can have the cremated remains there
in the parish church for the Mass if you
wish. Please talk to your parish church
to make any arrangements if you have any
concern. It is best you talk to your
parish priest so that your husband can
now
receive the Sacrament of the Anointing
of the Sick as soon as possible. To
receive this sacrament, one doesn't have
to be dying. I know that the reception
of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the
Sick will bring comfort to your
husband. Plus, having your parish
priest administer this sacrament will
introduce your husband to your parish
priest so that when he is asked to
preside at the Memorial Mass for your
husband, the priest will know whom he is
praying for.
I am saddened to hear of your husband's
fight with lung cancer. I will say a
special prayer for him today and I will
pray that the Spirit of God give you
strength and peace as you say goodbye to
your husband. Remember, our faith in
the Risen Jesus as our Lord and Savior
gives us the confidence in knowing that
we will see each other again in our
heavenly home. -
Father Francisco
"I have seen a lot of articles lately
about stories that are
identical to Jesus' story that predate
the time He lived.
I'm so confused and this really worries
me. Does this mean
that the story of Jesus or Jesus himself
could be false?"
- Jennifer
Father
Cervantes:
I have seen a lot of articles lately
about stories that are identical to
Jesus' story that predate the time he
lived. For example: http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/03/17/5-near-identical-jesus-christ-myths-that-predate-jesus/
I was
born and raised a Catholic, but I'm so
confused and this really worries me.
Does this mean that the story of Jesus
or Jesus himself could be false? How
could these stories that are identical
the story of Jesus that predate him come
about what the bible teaches is true?
Please make sense of this for me. Thank
you. - Jennifer
______________________________________________________________________
Jennifer:
Jesus is a historical figure. The
apostles and disciples are historical
figures. Mary is a historical figure.
Their earthly existence has been proven
by other historical documentation, such
as Josephus, writer of Jewish and Roman
history during the first century.
Pontius Pilate is a historical figure
and archeology has found stones
with his name on it. The Egyptian gods
mentioned in the article from LIBERAL
AMERICA are figments of the human
imagination that answered people's
metaphysical questions at that time.
Mythology was the language of people who
were seeking answers and setting up
cultural expressions of a people.
These Egyptian gods and others were not
historical figures with the exception of
the first Buddha. Jesus is not only
historical fact, Jesus died and rose
from the dead. The New Testament was
written to explain the whole existence
of Jesus on earth as the second person
of the Trinity, the Son of God. But
also, Jesus is the Messiah, Lord, and
Savior of the whole human race, and the
Holy Spirit inspired the myths of other
peoples to prepare themselves for the
reception of Jesus as Lord.
Since God has an infinite view of all
creation (He sees the BIG picture while
we only see a small part of the
picture), and has a infinite view of the
destiny of humankind, the Holy Spirit
was talking and inspiring people for all
time to seek the Father in heaven. God
just didn't abandon people after the
first sin and breaking of our
relationship with our Creator through
the act of disobedience by Adam and
Eve. On the contrary, God was busy
trying to guide and communicate with all
humankind to reestablish their
relationship with our Creator.
There are certainly interesting
similarities with the mythology of old
and the facts of the life of Jesus as
described in the gospels. God was busy
preparing all humankind (through
time) to accept and welcome Jesus as
Lord and Savior so that all can come to
salvation through faith in Him. The
mythologies of old prepared our
ancestors to literally come to Jesus!
Jesus wasn't ONLY for the Hebrew
people. Jesus is for ALL of us. Jesus
is real. No one disputes that, not even
the publication LIBERAL AMERICA.
LIBERAL AMERICA did find some
similarities between the Jesus gospel
story and ancient religious myths. But
Jesus is real. The gods of ancient
myths are not. I recommend you to do
this: sit in silence one day, away from
the noise of everyday living. Open your
mind to the peace and quiet of the
place. Then ask Jesus to show Himself
to you. In your silent meditation (no
talking other than your invitation to
Jesus to reveal Himself to you), you
will experience a spiritual connection
with Jesus and then you will know that
Jesus is real and the gospels are
truth. When that happens, you will know
with all your heart that Jesus is your
Lord and Savior and you will have no
more questions about His existence. -
Father Cervantes
"I
was baptized in a Gospel Church but
wanted to be Catholic. I
showed a priest my baptism certificate
showing I was baptized in
the Name of the Father, the Son.
and the Holy Spirit
but he re-baptized
me not saying the names of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Am I going to be condemned? - Daniel
Father Cervantes:
When I converted to Catholicism a few
years ago the Priest asked me if I had
been baptised previously I let him know
I had been Baptized in a Full Gospel
Church when I was 14. He asked me for a
copy of my baptism certificate which I
gave him, he also asked me if when I was
baptized was it done in the Name of the
Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.
Again I let him know yes that is how I
was Baptised. After he spoke to the
arch diocese he was told that he was to
do a conditional baptism on me. I read
up on it and felt that as long as the
Priest said it was conditional as he was
told to do I would go ahead. When it
came time for the conditional baptism,
the word conditional was not uttered. I
spoke to the person in charge of RCIA
about this and they said that the Priest
had said he would not do a conditional
baptism (even though he was instructed
to do so). Now this has been bothering
me, as even in our Creed (we confess one
Baptism), as a child I was taught that
if you were baptised more than once it
was like saying the first one didn’t
take or it didn’t come from God. Now I
100% believe that my first baptism was
done correctly and that God recognized
it, it was done through the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit. So my question
is, do I need to confess having a second
baptism? Am I going to be condemned?
Please help. - Daniel
____________________________________________________________
Daniel:
You are not going to be condemned. I do
not know why you are thinking so
negatively. You are correct in saying
that your baptism in the Full Gospel
Church is valid which means that your
Christian baptism was done correctly, as
you say. But a conditional baptism
means that you are baptized again "just
in case." Your parish priest wanted to
make sure that your baptism by the Full
Gospel Church was valid, and when the
Archbishop of your Archdiocese gave the
order to do a "conditional baptism," it
means that baptism by water and the
Trinitarian formula is
done again.
Usually the words, "I
conditionally
baptize you in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,"
are said. But if he left out the word,
"conditionally," he still intended that
baptism to be conditional even if he
didn't say it. You now know for sure
that you are baptized according to the
direction of Jesus in the gospels. I
know that this is confusing for you, but
in reality, you were not baptized
twice; you were
validly baptized
by the Full Gospel Church and
conditionally
baptized in the Catholic Church. You
are not condemned at all. You have
nothing to confess. You are
extremely blest to have this conditional
baptism as you enter into full communion
with the Catholic Church. You are so
blest!
And welcome to the Catholic Church, an
apostolic Church founded by Jesus upon
the foundation of the apostles. I will
say a special prayer for you as you
continue to grow in Christ in the
Catholic spirituality, tradition, and
discipline. Welcome home, brother
Daniel!
- Father
Cervantes
"When is God going to answer my prayers
for healing
from depression and anxiety?" -
Christian
Father Cervantes:
When is God going to answer my prayers
for healing from depression and anxiety?
When is he going to heal me from the
mental and emotional damage I suffered
in childhood? When is he going to give
me justice for these things? I'm tired
of praying and not getting answers for
these things. - Christian
___________________________________________________________________________
Christian:
I am sorry to hear of your struggles
with depression and anxiety. I am even
more saddened that this mental and
emotional damage came from your painful
childhood experiences. You have an
immense cross to carry, but as Jesus
said to us in the Gospel, Luke, Chapter
9, Verse 23:
Then He said to all, "If anyone wishes
to come after Me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow
Me."
You have carried your emotionally
painful cross for a long time.
Each of us has a cross to bear, and we
actively carry that cross so that we can
learn a lesson for our spiritual and
emotional growth. I know that you are
tired of carrying the cross that has
come to you through no fault of yours.
The cross you carry come from others who
have damaged your self-worth and your
joy of life. But there comes a time
when you must stop being the victim of
others' negative actions and decide to
take control of your own life
and destiny. Your prayer to God to
deliver you from this indescribable pain
has been heard and has been answered.
But it takes some work on your part to
see how God has answered that prayer.
God is not some kind of magic genie that
with a wave of His Hand will instantly
heal you of your childhood damage. That
damage can only be healed by you taking
the initiative to free yourself from the
past and live in the present.
You must no longer view yourself as a
victim of the past but as a victor of
the present. As long as you hold on to
the past, and as long as you keep the
grudges against those who harmed you,
then you will not be able to proceed
into the future -- for you will be stuck
in the past. To be healed of your
depression and anxiety, God has given
you therapists to help you manage your
emotional pain, understand your pain,
and overcome your pain.
To be healed of your emotional pain, you
must let go by forgiving those who
damaged you. Forgiveness is the ability
to live in the present and not in the
past. Forgiveness is not to be seen as
it was OK that these people damaged
you. Forgiveness means that you let go
and leave judgment to God in His time
and place. Forgiveness means that you
move forward as you live in the present
and plan for the future. Forgiveness
means to let go of being a victim. You
have been a victim so long of evil
people. You have grown accustomed to
being a victim. It will take some work
for you to be a victor! A victor
in Jesus Christ!
Your first step is to accept that God
has already heard and fulfilled your
prayer for deliverance from depression
and anxiety that comes from your damaged
childhood. Your second step is to make
the decision to be a victor and not a
victim. Your third step is to trust God
totally to guide you. Your fourth step
is to find professional help to steer
you to a healthy life. This deliverance
from depression and anxiety will take a
lot of work on your part. Please do not
be impatient. You will be free in
little steps until one day, you will
realize that you have been freed from
your pain. May I suggest a little
prayer for you to say each day.
Instead of impatiently asking God to
deliver you from this pain, try this
prayer instead:
"Father, I am hurting. I am confused
about my past. But I trust you and I
know
that You have already answer my prayer
to be free from my depression and
anxiety.
Help me see your Hand in my life. I
thank you for helping me, for hearing my
prayer.
Help me forgive and live in the
present. Help me be free from the
past. I trust You and
have total faith in You. In Jesus'
Name, send your Holy Spirit of joy and
peace upon me.
Amen.
No one really knows your pain except God
Himself Who knows all things. But know
that there are those around you willing
to help once you decide to let go and be
a victor. Be victorious!
- Father Cervantes
"I know that our life must concentrate
on the love of God and the others.
To love what is worthy to be loved,
beautiful and pure is quite simple.
But how can we love all people?" -
Madeleine
Father Francisco:
I have a
question and I hope you might help me
with some guidance. I know that our life
must concentrate on the love of God and
the others. To love what is worthy to be
loved, beautiful and pure is quite
simple. But how can we love all people
altogether? What positive
characteristics can we attach to those
people that disseminate only hatred,
evilness, envy or indifference? What
good parts should we find in order to
love them? Next to God, alone in prayer,
everything is simple but, next to the
others the flame of faith, tranquility,
goodness and joy are shattered. I should
love all people but because of their
distance to God I feel troubled and I
have the tendency to avoid them. I know
that I shouldn’t but how can someone
love them and what is to be loved in
them because I don’t think that I should
love their sins and evilness. Thank you
and God bless you. -
Madeleine
_____________________________________________________________
Madeleine:
Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew the
following (Matthew 22:34-40):
He said to them, "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first
commandment. The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. The whole law and the
prophets depend on these two
commandments."
The teaching is clear. The commandment
is to love God and to love our neighbor
as ourselves. But what is the
definition of love? The word love is
tossed around these days so easily that
it becomes a cliche. The Greeks in
Saint Paul's time had an understanding
that love can be defined in three ways,
brotherly love (phileo),
sexual love (eros),
and Godly love (agape).
The Greeks also had a word for parental
love (storge).
Jesus is asking us to love our neighbor
with a Godly love,
agape
as the Greeks would say. Saint Paul
defines Godly love in the First Letter
of the Corinthians, Chapter 13. In
summary, Saint Paul says this about what
love is: Love is patient, kind; it is
not jealous, is not pompous, not
inflated, not rude, does not seek its
own interests, is not quick-tempered, it
does not brood over injuries, does not
rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with
the truth, and love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
What concerns me about your question is
that you say you have a difficulty in
loving people who are, as you judge
them, evil, filled with hate and other
disgusting ways. You say it is easy to
love what is beautiful and divine, yet
you can't translate that Godly love to
people around you that are not like
you. I must say that your judgmental
attitude about other people who are not
like you remind me of the parable that
Jesus told in the Gospel of Luke,
Chapter 18, Verses 8-14. Jesus told
this story of a Pharisee who went to the
temple and prayed this:
O God, I thank you that I am not like
the rest of humanity -- greedy,
dishonest, adulterous -- or even like
this tax collector. But the tax
collector stood off at a distance and
would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed, O God,
be merciful to me, a sinner.
Your question smacks of such deep
judgmental attitude that was condemned
by the Lord Jesus Himself in the gospel
of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 1-5,
Stop judging that you may not be judged
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure
will be measured out to you. As
soon as you began the question on how to
love others around you who are so far
from God (as you say, "because of their
distance to God"), you sat in judgment
against those not like you or have
the same religious attitude as you. You
become the Pharisee before God Who loves
all He has created and made no matter
what their status is in regards to their
relationship with Him who is Love. You
cannot judge anyone, nor can you point
to anyone around you who doesn't match
up to your standards of what it means to
be in relationship with God. How can
you judge if someone is distant from
God? How can you? You should be on
your knees and praying the simple prayer
of the sinful tax collector judged by
the self-righteous Pharisee:
Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
The first problem in loving your
neighbor is your judgment of them
without even knowing who they are, and
even if you did know who they are, your
judgment of their relationship to God is
not in your realm of expertise since you
are NOT the Judge who sits on the throne
in heaven.
Once you accept your own sinfulness, and
once you accept that you cannot even
hold your head up high before the
presence of God Who is perfect, once you
accept that we are all sinners, then you
can begin the journey to love
your neighbor even if that neighbor is a
sinner too. At the moment, it seems by
your own words that you are no where
near loving your neighbor as Jesus
commands us. Loving your neighbor, as
Saint Paul writes, demands patience,
openness, kindness, and not inflated
with self-righteousness or rudeness. I
accept people as they are. I don't
judge them. I don't place them in a
category. I don't say in my mind that
they are evil and not like me. When I
see someone, I accept them for who they
are, and I am patient in dealing with
them. That is what is demanded from you
by the Lord. Saint Paul didn't say that
love means that you are best friends
with everyone, or that you have these
positive fuzzy feelings for everyone.
Love does demand that I never judge
anyone.
I am not better than anyone. I
am patient and kind. But I am not
seeking fuzzy and good feelings here. I
am seeking to do God's Will, not mine.
I am seeking to bring God's patience to
others. Love is not always fuzzy
positive feelings. Love is openness to
the other without judgment. Accept
people as they are. Do not judge. In
your dealings with anyone, respect who
they are even if they do not respect you
for who you are and for the faith you
profess by your actions. And finally,
love is truth. Sometimes, your love for
others may impel you to share with
them the truth of your faith in Jesus,
especially if you see someone who is
sinning or see someone who is
self-destructive in their actions. It
is then that you can speak with great
patience and kindness the words that
they need to hear to change their
lives. If they accept your love for
truth, you have gained a soul for
heaven. If they don't accept your love
for truth, then you pray for them, not
judge them.
After I just gave you a little shaking,
I want to praise God for you. There are
not enough Catholics, and Christians in
general, that would even think of asking
the question that you did on how to love
their neighbor. The focus on love being
fuzzy and positive confuses the
Christian who thinks that loving
neighbor always means that I have these
wonderful close feelings for people.
That only confuses the Christian trying
to live a life of Godly love (agape).
Love does mean that I do not judge, for,
as someone once said, save for the grace
of God go I. Love means that I am
accepting. And love has a
responsibility: to act in truth
always. And when someone does not
accept your Christian message, you pray
and not condemn. You pray and not get
angry. You pray and leave it in God's
Hands without judgment. Lending your
hand to help your neighbor to salvation
is what God wants. He doesn't need OUR
judgmental attitude. He
is the ONLY Judge. I
do not exclude
anyone from my "world," for exclusion is
also judgment. I accept all not because
I love them, but
because God loves them,
even if they are the worst of sinners.
Thank you for your question, but I also
praise God for your faith. Your prayer
life is wonderful since you say that it
is easy for you to contemplate the love
and beauty of God. Now it's time to
take your prayer life and see in your
neighbor the image and likeness of God
that God created in all of us.
Be Jesus to all, for that is what is
meant by loving your neighbor as
yourself. Loving yourself also means
that you do not judge yourself
destructively. Instead, love the sinner
that you are and in doing so, you will
love the sinners around you, loving
them to salvation in Christ. -
Father Francisco
"I was molested by my brother's best
friend. I turned to drugs
and alcohol and I felt no value. I
don't feel strong enough to
fight the devil off. Any guidance?" -
Shanna
Father Francisco:
I have been battling
this question for thirty seven years
starting at
the age of 10. I was molested by my
brother's best friend. At that time,
the little girl Shanna before she went
to bed said her prayers was murdered
that night the first time that he
touched me. A new Shanna was born one
that was sad and angry and hated herself
who lost her faith in God. I was
assaulted and raped more times. I
turned to drugs and alcohol and I chose
men who were physically abusive to me
because I hated my myself. I had no
respect for myself. I lost my faith in
God. Everyday I fight to get my faith
back. I have religious statues,
pictures, Rosary, prayer books, and my
Bible is in my house to guide me. The
problem is is that I feel that God
doesn't love me . If he did why did he
let those terrible things happen to
me? Why am I still suffering today?
Everyday I feel like I'm being
punished. I have PTSD, depression,
anxiety, borderline personality
disorder, disassociation, and etc. I
feel as if everyday Lucifer is trying to
pull me to his side and I really need
God's help because I don't want to be a
part of Satan. I don't want to go to
hell. I don't drink, I don't do drugs
anymore. I don't have a relationship
right now. I'm by myself. I don't know
if I'll ever really know how to love
someone or how to let them love me. I'm
so scared. Please help me. I feel
Satan behind every door just waiting for
me. I do believe in God and His Son
Jesus Christ with all of my heart. I
just don't know if they believe in me.
How do I know if they love me? How
will I know if they're with me? Please
help me. I'm so scared that I'm not
strong enough to fight the devil off. I
did go to therapy for my issues but this
is different. It's hard to talk to a
therapist and when I do, I don't think
they understand just how much this means
or how I feel about it. Thank you for
listening. Any guidance or help would
be grateful and appreciated. -
Shanna
______________________________________________________________
Shanna:
Your pain, your nightmare, has lasted
too long. You are a suffering victim of
a person's criminal actions. This man
took your childhood innocence and left
you with nothing to replace it other
than pain and disgust. Your broken
heart speaks volumes about your pain
and this burden that you have carried
alone. I am also sure that your family
probably didn't give you the support you
needed when you were most vulnerable.
You also held this secret much too
long. The good news is that you have
progressed and have made great strides
in getting back to some kind of control
over your life. Now, it is time for the
"birth" of a new person! It is time for
you to be the victor not the victim
anymore.
You asked why if God loves you that He
allowed this horrible set of nightmarish
acts to happen to you. I must tell you
quite openly and honestly: what happened
to you is NOT God's fault. It is the
complete and total fault of your
brother's best friend who violated you
again and again during your most
vulnerable childhood. Let me repeat
again: what happened to you is not
God's fault. He loves you totally. But
in the mystery of human free will, God
could not stop what people want to
do. God could have put obstacles to
stop us from doing evil acts, but if a
person through his own free will wants
to do something, that person will do it
even if God doesn't want it to happen.
God respects the free will of each of us
and will not intervene in our free will
decisions, even if it is a destructive
decision. God loves you, but your
brother's friend did not. God cares for
you, but your brother's friend did not.
God lifts you up, but your brother's
friend through his free will act against
you stopped God's Hand from lifting you
up from your pain.
Now, it is your free will to make a
decision to move on and leave behind the
pain and the loss of your innocence. It
is time to decide on your own to live in
the present and not in the past. It is
time for you to make the free will
decision to be the victor and not
the victim of your perpetrator's
evilness.
Let's look at your victories so far: no
more drugs, no more alcohol abuse, and
an awareness of your mental and
emotional state. You know the problems,
and you know how to talk them
through with a therapist. These are
victories! You are slowly, on your own
schedule, leaving behind victimhood for
the freedom of being a victorious person
in charge of your life and destiny. God
does not want you to live like a
victim. God wants you to live as a
victor, a winner of life's challenges
and problems no matter how dark these
problems are.
You say that you have spoken to
therapists and you feel that "they don't
understand how much this means or how I
feel about it." No one, and I mean, no
human being on earth can truly
understand your pain. No one has walked
in your shoes. No one has felt your
confusion and disgust of the events of
36 years ago. But that doesn't mean
your therapist doesn't care or have no
concern about your situation. It
doesn't matter if anyone understands
your pain. All that matters is this:
that you talk about your painful
experiences so that you can be a victor
over these bad experiences. It doesn't
matter if the therapist understands
you. It only matters that you continue
to talk about your pain to someone who
can listen and not judge you. It is in
the talking about what happened to you
and the consequences of those acts made
against you that will set you free. And
there is one person who understands
everything: that is Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior. I want you to talk to
him about everything. I want you to
share with Jesus your shame, disgust,
confusion, your sense of being lost with
Him in your daily prayers. Every day,
talk to Jesus as the One who will keep
your confidences and who understands
what you went through. When He died on
the cross, He saw you from that cross
2,000 years ago and died for you and
loves you infinitely.
God loves you but I know that you don't
"feel" that. You are so focused on
those terrible acts by that evil person
that you cannot move. You have been
spiritually and emotionally paralyzed.
The devil is not around the corners of
your life, but the devil does present a
terrible temptation to you: the devil
wants you to remain a victim. The devil
does not want you to be the victor. The
devil wants to keep you in your present
state. God wants you to progress to
freedom, to victory because of God's
love for you. As long as you keep your
eyes on Jesus, and keep talking with
Him, you will be in heaven. Do not fear
about going to hell. God has you in His
Hands. He will not let you go. But you
have free will!!!! You must make the
decision to ask God to make you
victorious!!! All you have to do is to
take God's Hand and say,"Lord,
let's go forward. I'm not looking
back." And
when you become a victor, you will be
able to help others who have had similar
horrible experiences. One of the things
that will happen when you become a
victor is that God will want you to help
other victims to become victors! You
are not alone for there are others who
like you have been made
victims by monsters like your brother's
friend. Through your victory over the
past, you will become a healer
of others' souls. God will work through
you if you ask Him to do so.
Free will: that is what we all have and
God will not intervene in our free will
decisions. God loves you as you are and
He loves you to victory! You have free
will too. You must decide to accept
Jesus Christ truly into your heart and
soul, and move on. You can do it. With
the help of others, such as your
therapist, you will be a winner.
Remember, it doesn't matter if your
therapist understands you or anyone else
understands you. What matters is that
you talk freely about your pain so that
you can gain self-knowledge and
understand why you do what you do. You
are loved. You are special. Believe
it. Accept that you are loved and
unique in this world. Here is a little
prayer for you to say every day, even
several times a day:
"Jesus, with you I am victorious!
Jesus with you, I am loved no matter
what. Jesus with you, I am saved."
Just say this prayer every day, as often
as you like. The more you say this
prayer, the more you will be closer to
complete victory in Jesus Christ! And
you will be truly victorious when you
are able to forgive your brother's
friend for what he did to you.
Remember, forgiveness doesn't mean it's
OK. Forgiveness means that you move on
and live in the present and not in the
past. The last challenge for complete
victory is forgiveness of that monster
and forgiveness of yourself. You are
almost there! I see victory in Jesus
Christ for you! The future looks so
bright for you! Alleluia! -
Father Francisco
"In the Papal Encyclical of 1864, which
appeared as The Syllabus,
it is said that the view that freedom of
conscience and of religion
is given to each human being as his own
right is a folly and a
delusion. Where does the Church of 2016
stand in relationship
to this?" - Jeff
Father
Cervantes:
In the
Papal Encyclical of 1864, which appeared
as The Syllabus, it is said that the
view that freedom of conscience and of
religion is given to each human being as
his own right is a folly and a delusion.
Where does the Church of 2016 stand in
relationship to this? I am a
Christian, but not Catholic though I am
considering become one. Thank you. - Jeff
_____________________________________________________________
Jeff:
The papal encyclical, The Syllabus of
Errors (promulgated in 1870), written by
Pope Pius IX, was written to combat the
many errors of thinking that was going
on at that time that have their basis in
the anti-religion, anti-clerical bias
that was being practiced in
post-revolution France, and in post
Benito Juarez Mexico, two Catholic
countries that were fighting against
secularism and the destruction of the
moral life as presented in the teachings
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The
Syllabus of Errors was also a reaction
to the growing antagonism against the
Catholic Church in Europe and the
many attacks by leaders of countries to
destroy the Church's voice in matters of
public concern. Pope Pius IX set forth
80 thesis, written in the negative
(meaning that the thesis is what was
being told as truth by a condescending
and secular elite of the time), that
outlined the errors of thought as
anti-Christian. In regards to your
specific question, you quote the
following:
that the freedom of conscience and of
religion is given to each human being as
his right is a folly and a delusion.
The words you quote are not an exact
translation of point 79 which states in
the negative (meaning that this sentence
is false) the following in a more exact:
X. ERRORS HAVING REFERENCE TO MODERN
LIBERALISM
77. In the present day it is no longer
expedient that the Catholic religion
should be held as the only religion of
the State, to the exclusion of all other
forms of worship. -- Allocution "Nemo
vestrum," July 26, 1855.
78. Hence it has been wisely decided by
law, in some Catholic countries, that
persons coming to reside therein shall
enjoy the public exercise of their own
peculiar worship. -- Allocution "Acerbissimum,"
Sept. 27, 1852.
79. Moreover, it is false that the civil
liberty of every form of worship, and
the full power, given to all, of overtly
and publicly manifesting any opinions
whatsoever and thoughts, conduce more
easily to corrupt the morals and minds
of the people, and to propagate the pest
of indifferentism. -- Allocution "Nunquam
fore," Dec. 15, 1856.
So, point 79 states that the pope and
the teaching Church at the time saw
unfettered liberty to do whatever one
wants as destructive to the human
person, an anarchy of moral behavior
that does not serve the good of all
humankind. The Church sees itself as
the true instrument and the keeper of
the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and does not recognize anything that
acts against the truth of Jesus Christ.
Just to give a CRAZY example of the
"civil liberty of every form of
worship," I think about the liberty of
people sacrificing animals for their
worship, or the worship of Satan through
human acts that can be best described as
pornographic and destructive of human
dignity. The Church only sees the
worship of God as Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit as the only true form of the
worship of God. That worship of God as
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was
revealed to us as a universal truth
through the words of Jesus Christ
Himself who is Truth. Once I belong to
Christ, the truth of the Gospel is the
only truth that matters. The rest is
delusion. Moral laxity is an illusion.
Either the Gospel is totally true or it
is not totally true.
As a Christian, I accept the totality of
the Gospel as truth and guide for my
life that leads to salvation. There is
no wiggle room for truth in Jesus. The
Syllabus of Errors, written and
promulgated in 1870, is still the guide
the teaching Church uses to this day in
regards to teaching the truth in the
midst of moral laxity, intellectual
indifference to Christian truth,
and subjectivity in regards to one's own
actions to what is good for the
individual as versus in what is good for
all. So, the so-called "freedom of
religion" that is considered by many
as my own individual right is folly in
God's eyes because in reality, even
though each of us searches for the
truth, Jesus Christ is the Truth no
matter what anyone believes otherwise.
The teaching Church then and now speaks
clearly to all Christians: Jesus is
Lord, Savior, and Truth. Everything
else is folly.
- Father Cervantes
"I
know you will have entirely adopted a
faith-based monotheist
religion and would like to understand
how devotees are able
personally to reconcile the beliefs
required by your religion.
How you reconcile the ‘faith-based’
religion you have adopted
with contradictory verifiable
knowledge?" - Julian
Father
Francisco:
I
write to you because I know you will
have entirely adopted a faith-based
monotheist religion. I would like to
understand how devotees are able
personally to reconcile the beliefs
required by your religion where they
contradict the findings of scientific
enquiry. For instance, you probably know
something of the progressing scientific
evidence concerning the origins of our
Universe, and the evolution of life
including ourselves. Similarly, we know
how the monotheist concept of a ‘creator
God from ‘beyond, before and outside’
existence was developed in the early
Middle East, because as with all the
content of all religions and other
spiritual traditions, none of those
ideas existed until people created them.
Please can you explain in personal
rather than doctrinal terms, how you
reconcile the ‘faith-based’ religion you
have adopted with contradictory
verifiable knowledge? With best wishes
and thanks for any thoughts you can
offer and some minutes of your time. -
Julian.
_________________________________________________________________
Julian:
You asked for my personal explanation of
my faith in one God and how I reconcile
that faith (my love relationship with
the Creator) to the empirical evidence
of science. I must tell you, I see NO
CONTRADICTION between my faith in God
and what science has so far uncovered
about the origins of the universe. I
see science with its empirical evidence
as the uncovering of how God does things
in the universe. I see Intelligence in
the universe, and science is showing me
how that Intelligence is working around
me.
As science begins to answer some
questions, science also poses new
questions in our scientific search for
the origin of all things. For me as a
believer in one God, I know that all
things have emanated from God, and has
its origins in God. Science is
providing me the proof of the existence
of God, the Prime Mover, the
Intelligence behind all things in the
universe, the Lawgiver of the universe
that keeps everything in proper
order, even in creative chaos, there is
order.
For me, faith in God does not contradict
science at all. How does it? How can
it? -
Father Francisco
"I know this is the year of Mercy. But
when do
we hear about God’s Justice?" -
Christopher
Dear
Father:
I know this is the year of
mercy. Does not a good Father also
discipline His children when they
misbehave? I know God does not punish
but when is His Justice shown? Thank
you. - Christopher
_____________________________________________________________
Christopher:
Wonderfully and thankfully, God is NOT
like us. When we humans talk about
justice, we talk about pay back or
revenge. For example, if someone kills
someone, then we expect a death penalty
for that crime as if killing someone
else makes things right. It doesn't.
When God talks about justice, He shows
us His Son on the cross. An innocent
and sinless man who was crucified on our
behalf as the ultimate and final
sacrifice for sin. God's Justice is not
revenge or sentencing, God's Justice is
described as making things right,
healing of anything that is broken.
Healing and reconciliation is God's
Justice. Jesus' one and final sacrifice
on the cross healed the rift between God
and humankind, broken by the original
sin of Adam and Eve. Now, we have full
access to God no matter how sinful
anyone of us are. But, as you put it,
when God's children "misbehave," the
price to be paid for sin is not imposed
on us by God. The price of sin is
imposed on ourselves. Every action that
I do has consequences, good and bad. If
I sin, there are consequences and God
will not intervene to keep us from
suffering the consequences. God doesn't
punish, nor does He exact "human
justice." On the contrary, He allows
the consequences of our sins to do its
job of "punishing" us. God doesn't have
to punish or discipline because we do a
great job ourselves. When people say,
"God is punishing me," I respond why
they did what they did to themselves? I
am the cause of my own punishment. Hell
is a place for those who through their
own actions (not God's) condemn
themselves to that place through their
own free will. Hell exists because God
respects my choice to either love Him or
not. And God respects my free will and
does not intervene when the consequences
of my actions deliver a painful
punishment to me. God's Justice is
healing and reconciliation. Human
justice is vengeful and negative. God's
Justice is making things right, putting
together what is broken. Human justice
seeks to inflict pain in an effort to
punish for one's need for payback.
God's Justice is salvation. Human
justice is destruction. The Church has
been proclaiming God's Justice since the
gospel of Jesus Christ was preached.
I do appreciate your concern, though,
that the Church can slip into talking
more about God's love (in a fuzzy and
love-y way that speaks nothing of
consequences.. and hell) instead of
talking about the consequences of sin on
ourselves and those around us. And we
will be held accountable before God for
what we do! But our Christian faith is
about living without fear because we are
basking in the love of God. The
problem, though, is when peoples'
consciences are not formed according to
the Word of God, an uninformed
conscience can certainly blind itself to
the consequence of sin. And that is the
problem today! Sadly, we have people
whose consciences are not formed by the
Word of God and the disciplines of the
Church. Their consciences are being
formed by selfishness and individualism
that does not take into the account of
the morality of their actions and the
consequences not only on themselves but
on others around them. People without
Christian consciences bring pain to
those who are Christians. The challenge
is for us as Christians to form the
consciences of all who seek Christ.
Yes, you are correct in saying that the
Church's preachers and teachers need to
emphasize the consequences of sin not
only on the sinner but on the innocent.
My frustration is that in recent times,
the Church has floundered on the forming
of consciences for Christ. We can talk
about salvation, but we need to
emphasize the forming of consciences.
We can talk about God's love, but we
need to talk about God keeping us
accountable for what we do (the final
judgment, for example). We need to
teach and challenge our young people so
that they can think like God thinks
(that is what is meant by forming
consciences...we need to think like God
thinks). And when consciences are not
formed in Christ, there will be more
crime and sin, consequences of
individualism and narcissism. You can
do your part by speaking loudly about
the consequences of sin and the
formation of mature consciences. Church
-- we need to preach the Gospel of
Christ fully, not only about the love
and salvation of God (the amazing free
gift called grace), but of the price of
sin on ourselves and others. -
Father Francisco
"Can I offer my suffering up for
forgiveness for my own
sins?" - Scasper
Father
Cervantes:
Can I offer my suffering up for
forgiveness for my own sins? - Scasper
______________________________________________________________
Scasper:
Of course you can! Saint Paul writes
this in his letter to the Colossians,
Chapter 1. Verse 24:
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your
sake, and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of
Christ on behalf of His Body, the Church."
Not only do your sufferings help you in
your walk to salvation but your
suffering is a prayer of atonement for
all those in the Church. Your
sufferings are a prayer that is
universal and affective for the
salvation of those who follow Christ as
their Savior. Saint Paul also writes
this in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 3-5:
"Not only that, but we even boast of our
afflictions, knowing that affliction
produces endurance, and endurance,
proven character, and proven character,
hope, and hope does not disappoint."
Through your suffering, you are being
formed into the image of Jesus Christ.
You are extremely loved and blest!
Through your prayer of suffering, you
are not only ensuring your own salvation
through faith, you are prayerfully
ensuring the salvation of others, like
myself, through your suffering. Thank
you for your prayer! We all need it as
we journey to heaven. -
Father Cervantes
"Is it possible for modern science to
determine the racial group
Saint Peter belonged to?" - Salahuddin
Father Cervantes:
I would like know whether it was
possible for modern science to determine
the racial group Saint Peter belong to
through scientific analysis drawn from
the remains contained in the Confession
of St. Peter's Basilica? - Salahuddin
___________________________________________________________________
Salahuddin:
I am not a scientist, but such studies
have been done with the remains of a
body that was in the tomb that is
directly under the papal (high) altar in
Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The tomb is a first century (61 A.D.)
edifice. On the tomb are the words,
"Peter is here." When Peter was
martyred in Nero's circus near Vatican
Hill around 61 A.D., his followers, the
first Christians of the Church of Rome,
took his body and buried the body on
Vatican Hill where later, Saint Peter's
Basilica was built. Here is a link to
one of the archeologists, Margherita
Guarducci, who worked on authenticating
the remains of Saint Peter, Apostle
and the first bishop of Rome:
http://www.stpetersbasilica.info/Necropolis/MG/TheTombofStPeter-1.htm
There are also other documents there
concerning the remains of Saint Peter!
We do know that the remains under Saint
Peter's high (papal) altar belong to a
man who was between the ages of 65-70,
and a strong man. His feet are missing
which makes sense since his death was
done by crucifixion, upside down. The
Roman executioners chopped off his feet
to take down his body. The Christians
buried Peter's body after that. -
Father Cervantes
FATHER KEVIN BATES, SM
"When I was a teenager I committed sins
that
I knew were wrong. What if I did not
know they
might be mortal sins when I committed
them? - Dennis
Father Kevin:
Sins from my long ago past came to mind
and although they don't seem to be earth
shaking, they may be objectively mortal
sins. At the time of committing them I
was a teenager or younger and I am
almost certain I knew that they were
wrong. My question is What if I did
not know they were mortal when
committing them but knew they were
wrong? Are they still mortal and I am
I required to confess?- Dennis
_________________________________________________________
Dear Dennis:
Thank you for your question – you remind
me of myself when I was a young bloke!!
Every second though we had, especially
if it was a sexual one, was thought to
be sinful. Did God make us the way we
are? Yep! Does God know the way we
tick? Yep. Does God love us
unconditionally, forgive u
unconditionally, open his arms and run
towards us each time we turn even a
little bit in his direction? According
to Jesus, yep again! It doesn’t mean
that we haven’t sinned, but it does mean
that whatever we come up with is no
match for God’s tender mercy.
So it’s high time we took the spotlight
off ourselves and onto the love the
Father for us as Jesus suggested and get
over ourselves! Life is too short too
precious and crying out for us to do
something for the bringing forward of
the kingdom of Love, which leaves no
time for self-absorbed regrets. Every
blessing,- Father Kevin
"My non-Catholic wife and I have been
married for 40 years.
I have been away from the Church but now
I attend and
receive the Eucharist. Do I need to
marry in the Church
and does my wife need to become a
convert?" Jerry
Father Kevin:
I was married outside the church
for 40 years. My wife is not
Catholic. We are still married
but we don't have a sexual
relationship. For many years I
didn't attend church. Now I am
attending church and receiving
the sacraments. Do I need to get
married in the church now to
live in a state of grace? Does
my wife need to become a
convert? Thank you. - Jerry
________________________________________________________________
Hi Jerry and thanks for your
letter.
God’s grace is a gift and from
the sound of things you are so
very well graced in your wife,
your own integrity and your
questions. We come to the
Eucharist because we are hungry,
not because we are perfect or
fit it into to someone else’s
pre-determined structures or
expectations. Just listen to
Jesus and his presence with
people whose lives were
ambiguous at best! Let him take
you gently forward more deeply
into his life of grace and as he
always said, stop being
frightened. Yes there may be
steps you wish to take in order
to regularise your marriage with
the church. You should take
these steps firstly with great
respect for your faithful wife
and your commitment to her.
Nothing must prejudice that
beautiful gift you’ve made to
each other.
As for you not having a sexual
relationship? I would hope your
reasons are not born of scruples
or some religious rule someone
laid on you at some point. Life
is too short for that! Jesus
said that he longed for us to
have life to the full.
Surely we are selling His love
short if we reckon He didn’t’
really mean it!
Every blessing to you and your
wife.
- Father Kevin
"I have not taken communion in 30 years
and I lost my
mother last year. I have been
struggling with questions
of faith. How can I find faith again?"
- Deanna
Father Kevin:
I haven’t taken communion in 30 years,
even longer for confession. Since I
lost my mother to cancer last year, I
have been really struggling with
questions of faith. I don’t know how to
believe anymore. I have never seen or
felt anything that has made me believe.
I wish I could have had the comfort of
faith when my mother passed but it did
not come to me. I just felt empty. How
is it possible to put aside all my
skepticism and find faith? Thank You.
-Deanna
______________________________________________________________
Dear Deanna:
I am sorry for your loss and the death
of a mother contains a grief that never
leaves us, as I well know myself.
However, death should be no surprise.
We are all queuing up for one of those! So what is it that damages your faith
about your mother’s death: its timing,
things that were left unsaid or undone?
It can’t be death surely, it’s a normal
as birth.
Here in Sydney I journeyed with an
eminent surgeon as he died from the very
form of brain cancer he had been
pre=eminent in treating in others. He
expressed to me a scepticism about God,
the afterlife and so on, and as he
neared the end he asked for the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. I asked
him why he longed for this and he told
me he wanted to be in God’s grace.
Something was shifting in him. In a book
published after his death, he had
written that following our conversation,
he had decided to put aside his
scepticism and simply trust.
His heart and the hearts of many
benefitted from his last journey here.
Feeling empty is part of the journey of
faith for each one of us, you, me, the
great saints and best of sinners, so you
are not on your own there even though
you feel as though you are. You may now
need to find faith, but maybe, just
maybe love may need to find you. I pray
that when you are ready, you are open,
for love is always open to you, whatever
your emptiness and grief. Love and
prayers. - Father Kevin