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Q u i c k Q u e s t i o n s
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This Rock
Volume 18, Number 6
 July-August 2007 
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Does Infallible Mean Perfect?
Q: In what sense is the Pope infallible? Does that mean that he is perfect or inerrant?
A: Papal infallibility means that the Pope is protected from error when he "proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals" (CCC 891). This does not mean that he is impeccable (incapable of sin) or inerrant (incapable of error).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Protestants sometimes ask me "Are you a Christian?" How do I respond without letting them know how insulting I find the question?
A: One possible answer to the question "Are you a Christian?" is "Yes, I’m a Catholic." It is very possible that your non-Catholic Christian friends do not intend to be insulting but are asking as a prelude to "witnessing" to you. By answering their question with a "yes," you are affirming that you are Christian. By adding that you are Catholic, you are informing them of your Catholic affiliation and that you consider Catholics to be Christians.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Why isn’t the death penalty included in your "Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics"? Look at the last paragraph of no. 2267 of the Catechism.
A: The death penalty did not make the list because it does not involve something intrinsically evil. If that were the case, then the Church would not permit recourse to the death penalty under any circumstances. Instead, we read in the Catechism the following:
The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor.
If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, given the means at the state’s disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender today . . . are very rare, if not practically non-existent. (CCC 2267)
The statement that recourse to the death penalty today should be "very rare, if not practically non-existent," is a matter of prudential judgment (cf. Evangelium Vitae 56).
—Peggy Frye
Q: I know it’s okay to leave one parish for another, but what is the best way to handle questions from parishioners from your former church? I currently attend a reverent Dominican parish. My former parish, which stresses the social, is struggling financially. What do I say to my former parish? Should I just use the excuse of more convenient Mass times or tell them the truth?
A: You have found a parish that obviously better suits you. By all means tell your former parish the truth, but in a polite way. You can tell them that you prefer quieter liturgies that emphasize God more than the congregation. They really do need to hear this—and often—until they begin to "get it."
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: I have read that it is the sin of presumption to say that you know you are going to heaven, yet at the end of Paul’s life he wrote, "From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me" (2 Tim. 4:8) and John said, "I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Were John and Paul committing sin when saying that they know they have eternal life?
A: While we do not have an absolute assurance of salvation, we do have a moral assurance. That is, we are assured of salvation provided we die in a state of grace—free of unforgiven mortal sin. With this in mind we can understand the confidence with which Paul and John write.
Presumption is different. It presumes salvation may be attained either (1) through one’s own abilities, or (2) through God without one’s own cooperation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,
There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit). (CCC 2092)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: During the Final doxology my priest has the congregation sing, "Through him, with him, in him . . ." Is this permitted?
A: No. Only the priest is permitted to say those words, in Latin the Per Ipsum. Inaestimabile Donum says:
The assembly does not remain passive and inert; it unites itself to the priest in faith and silence and shows its concurrence by the various interventions provided for in the course of the Eucharistic Prayer: the responses to the Preface dialogue, the Sanctus, the acclamation after the Consecration, and the final Amen after the Per Ipsum. The Per Ipsum itself is reserved to the priest. This Amen especially should be emphasized by being sung, since it is the most important in the whole Mass. (§a.1.4, emphasis added)
—Peggy Frye
Q: If a sacrament is an outward sign of grace, then why is the process of being ordained a sacrament for a priest but not a sacrament when women become nuns? How is this fair?
A: A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ. Jesus determines what a sacrament is and who will receive it. As for the priesthood, it is not comparable to religious life. In fact it’s not comparable to any other thing on the earth. It is a share in Christ’s priesthood which he himself established. No one is worthy of it. A Catholic priest actually ministers in the person of Christ. That Jesus ordained only men would be unfair if all human beings had a right to such an honor. The fact is, we don’t.
Religious life, on the other hand, is a way of living that is based on the evangelical counsels that Jesus preached. The vows of religious life represent the totality of human existence. We are all called to be chaste (both married and single), we are all called to obey lawful authority, and we are all called to be poor in spirit. Religious life accentuates these by going a step farther, thereby drawing attention to them. It acts as a beacon, reminding people that we all owe God the oblation of all that we are. Religious life is opened to men and women alike.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Is a Catholic allowed to marry a non-Christian under any circumstances? I know Scripture states not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, but does this mean there are no circumstances in which a Catholic could enter into marriage with a non-Christian?
A: The Catholic Church calls this situation "disparity of cult," and there are circumstances in which such a marriage may be allowed. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about disparity of cult and mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic):
Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.
According to the law in force in the Latin Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority. In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage. This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.
Through ecumenical dialogue Christian communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a common pastoral practice for mixed marriages. Its task is to help such couples live out their particular situation in the light of faith, overcome the tensions between the couple’s obligations to each other and towards their ecclesial communities, and encourage the flowering of what is common to them in faith and respect for what separates them.
In marriages with disparity of cult the Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband" (1 Cor. 7:16). It is a great joy for the Christian spouse and for the Church if this "consecration" should lead to the free conversion of the other spouse to the Christian faith. Sincere married love, the humble and patient practice of the family virtues, and perseverance in prayer can prepare the non-believing spouse to accept the grace of conversion. (CCC 1633-1637)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Do we have bibles from A.D. 400-1500, and were the deuterocanonicals left out or put in a separate section in any of them?
A: Bibles from that time period do exist today in museums. Even a second-century Latin translation of the Bible based on the Old Testament (Septuagint) and New Testament Greek has survived. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls this version the Vetus Itala (Old Latin), and says "Its New Testament is possessed complete in some thirty-eight manuscripts, but its Old Testament text has survived only in parts." Until Martin Luther the deuterocanonical books of the Bible were never omitted or put in a separate, non-canonical section of the Bible.
See the Catholic Encyclopedia entry "Versions of the Bible" at: www.newadvent.org.
—Peggy Frye
Q: My wife and I are confirmation sponsors for a couple who are cohabitating. What is the best resource to steer them in the right direction?
A: I recommend referring this couple to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, "To receive confirmation one must be in a state of grace" (CCC 1310). Cohabitating couples (understood to mean unmarried but living together as husband and wife) are not properly disposed for the sacrament of confirmation.
Preparation for confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit—his actions, his gifts, and his biddings—in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands. (CCC 1309)
Though the state of grace is not necessary for the validity of confirmation, it is necessary for confirmation to be received lawfully.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Fr. Groeschel says that at our final hour God offers his divine mercy to each individual. I believe this, but isn’t this contrary to the Catholic teachings that if an individual dies with mortal sin on his soul, his destination is hell?
A: The Lord’s divine mercy is contingent on whether the person wants it or not. The Church has always taught that even in the last moments of life if a person repents, he or she will receive God’s mercy and be forgiven.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: A friend recently told me she was at a Catholic church whose sanctuary lamp was enclosed in glass that was not red. Is this OK.?
A: Yes. While red is considered the traditional color of a sanctuary lamp, there is no liturgical law regulating the lamp color. What is required is that the lamp be near the tabernacle "fueled by oil or wax, and should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ" (General Instruction of the Roman Missal 316).
—Peggy Frye
Q: What is the difference between a memorial and a feast on the Church calendar? The key says solemnities, feast days, and memorials are capitalized. How do you know which are feasts and which are memorials and what is the difference?
A: A solemnity is the highest rank of celebration and is identified in the calendar with an S. Easter, Christmas, All Saints Day, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, and other celebrations of events in our Lord’s life on earth and certain saints are solemnities. The Gloria and Creed are always said on such days. Solemnities are like Sundays, though most of them are not days of obligation.
Feasts are the next rank down and are identified with an F. They consist of the celebration of certain saints like the feast of the Archangels or most of the Apostles. The Gloria is required on these days, but not the Creed.
Memorials are the lowest rank and are simply the celebrations of most of the saints. The Gloria is not said on these days. Obligatory memorials, identified with a capital M, must be observed. Optional memorials, identified with an m, may be observed but such observation is not required.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: I am a 30-year-old man who converted to Catholicism a year ago. I’m interested in the priesthood but wonder how long one must wait before taking such a step.
A: How long a convert is required to wait depends on the individual. An Orthodox priest who entered the Church is already ordained and may have to wait a lesser time to be granted faculties to celebrate the Catholic sacraments. An Anglican or Lutheran clergyman may have to wait longer for a dispensation from celibacy, if married, and for ordination. A layman without a clerical background goes through much the same process as any other Catholic layman, although recent converts may be asked to live the Catholic life for several years first to make sure their conversions are not fleeting.
I recommend speaking with the vocations director of your diocese, or, if you are interested in becoming a religious order priest, of the order in which you are interested. The vocations director will let you know what requirements you are expected to meet.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Was grace given in the baptism of John?
A: No. The Council of Trent (Sess. VII, Canon I. on baptism) anathematized the teaching that the baptism of John had the same effect as the baptism of Christ.
St. Thomas Aquinas also answered that
[T]he whole teaching and work of John was in preparation for Christ: just as it is the duty of the servant and of the under-craftsman to prepare the matter for the form which is accomplished by the head-craftsman. Now grace was to be conferred on men through Christ, according to John 1:17: "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Therefore the baptism of John did not confer grace, but only prepared the way for grace; and this in three ways: first, by John’s teaching, which led men to faith in Christ; secondly, by accustoming men to the rite of Christ’s baptism; thirdly, by penance, preparing men to receive the effect of Christ’s baptism. (Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, available at: www.newadvent.org)
—Peggy Frye
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Catholic Answers
