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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 7
 September 2007 
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What to Do When Mormons Come Calling
Q: Someone in my Bible study used 2 John 10-11 to argue that Catholics should not invite Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses into their homes. How are we to understand this verse?
A: "If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine (that Christ does not have God) do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting; for he who greets him shares his wicked work" (2 John 10-11).
The 1953 Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture says the following:
2 John 10-11: Warning against false teachers: A firm faith in the divinity and in the incarnation of Jesus Christ is needed to preserve true Christian charity. Many seducers are seeking to undermine this faith. These men should be avoided, because they have the spirit of the Antichrist, and may cause them to lose the full reward for their past good deeds. They profess to advance beyond the teachings of Christ, as if our Lord had not taught the full truth. Now, whosoever follows their teaching cuts himself off from God. In order to prevent this threatening danger to the faith, the Apostle enjoins that the customary hospitality is not to be extended to teachers of false doctrines. These men ought not even to receive usual greeting, lest this be interpreted as a sign of recognition and approval.
The same warning should be heeded by Catholics today, especially those who are either weak in faith, do not have a strong working knowledge of their Catholic faith, or both. Isaiah Bennett in his book, When Mormons Call, exhorts Catholics to think hard before inviting a Mormon missionary into their home. He says, "If you let them in and listen to their presentation, you’ve taken the first step they want you to take . . . Mormon leaders have made it clear that each member is to seek potential recruits. It’s part of their work to ‘spread the gospel’ to every person." He goes on to say:
Before discussing faith with anyone, be sure to know, love and practice your own. You don’t have to be a religious expert with an answer to every problem that’s raised. But you do need to have a firm understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church, their foundations in reason, Scripture and Tradition, and a desire to live a life committed to Christ . . . You also need inner peace. (14-16)
Without those two ingredients, he says, you should not invite dialogue.
—Peggy Frye
Q: My husband and I found out a little while back that we are expecting our first child. I spent a short time questioning God's decision to send us a child just now, and I prayed for a miscarriage, that he "reconsider." I did not do anything that would endanger the life of my baby. Still, was praying for a miscarriage a grave sin? I wonder if the surprise of becoming pregnant and the unstable moods of the first trimester played a role, as I no longer am worried—in fact, I'm very happy.
A: I suggest that you mention it in confession. I can’t know what your state of mind was and therefore how culpable you were. Of course, all mortal sins can be completely forgiven through the sacrament of penance. If you have been honest in what you have confessed, you will walk out of the confessional free of all sin—no matter what the nature of the sin was. When Jesus told his Apostles: "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven" (John 20:23), he meant it.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Why do Catholics mark their doorways with chalk at the start of every year?
A: Marking the doorways with blessed chalk is an old Catholic custom to honor the feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the manifestation of the Christ child to the Magi. The inscription that is made is as follows:
20 + C + M + B + 07
The "20" and "07" stand for the current year. The plus signs are crosses. The acronym "CMB" stands for the first initials of the names that tradition has assigned to the Magi (.aspar, Melchior, and Balthasar).
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Does drinking coffee with cream break the fast?
A: Even coffee without cream breaks the one hour Eucharistic fast. But it does not break the fast on a day of fast and abstinence.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: How old is the Catholic Church?
A: Although the Church as we know it today did not become "visible" until the day of Pentecost shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, the Church was in formation from the beginning of time. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,
[A]lready present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the old Alliance. Established in this last age of the world and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end of time. (CCC 759)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My godson is marrying outside the Church. I want to tell him why he must marry in the Church, but I don’t know how much pressure to apply. My friends suggest I insist he marry in the Church. What do I do?
A: The Church teaches that
Only those marriages are valid which are contracted in the presence of the local ordinary or parish priest or of the priest or deacon delegated by either of them, who, in the presence of two witnesses, assists, in accordance however with the rules set out in the following canons. (CIC 1108 §1)
Of course you shouldn’t try to force the couple to marry in the Church. But that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t marry in the Church, or that you should not make your position known. It means only that the responsibility to marry in the Church is theirs and not yours.
I encourage you to inform your godchild of his obligation to marry in the Church. Perhaps you can offer him some reading materials on the importance of being validly married. If he refuses to listen to you, then at least you did your best.
—Peggy Frye
Q: A member of a tribunal told me that a valid, consummated, sacramental marriage can be annulled on the basis of "incompatability of faith" even though Handbook of Prayers (Scepter Publishers, 1995), published by the authority of the NCCB, states: "The Church does not have the power to dissolve a valid sacramental marriage that has been consummated" (23). What can you tell me?
A: The Handbook of Prayers is correct. The Church’s Code of Canon Law agrees: "A marriage that is ratum et consummatum [meaning valid, sacramental, and consummated] can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death" (CIC 1141).
I suspect that you misunderstood the tribunal member. To say that a valid marriage can be annulled makes no sense. An annulment never invalidates a marriage—it simply recognizes and declares that a valid marriage never existed. There are cases, however, in which a valid marriage that is either (1) not sacramental or (2) not consummated may be dissolved, but dissolution is very different from annulment in that dissolution actually ends marriage.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: My husband and I are farmers. We would like to shut down our farming operation on Sundays except for feeding the cows. His parents do a lot of work on Sunday. My husband tries his best to not work on Sunday but out of respect for his father will take a turn in a harvest rotation if his father asks him. Can farm operations continue on a Sunday?
A: A lot rides on what is considered "necessary" work. If the work is truly necessary, then it is allowed on Sunday. If it is not necessary, but you can make a lot more money with it, then one should put God first and not work. God is never outdone with generosity. He deserves our time and attention.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Are parents allowed to select the sex of their children? My husband and I have two girls and would like to try for a boy to complete our family.
A: Even if one had a way to select for sex that did not involve aborting children of the "wrong" sex or otherwise violating the integrity of the marital act (e.g., by using invitro fertilization), it can be argued that to do so may open a couple to the temptation to treat children in a utilitarian fashion rather than treating them as gifts from God possessing inherent human dignity. The Church expects parents to remain open to life and to lovingly accept the children God entrusts to them, regardless of their sex.
Donum Vitae states: "The child is not an object to which one has a right, nor can he be considered as an object of ownership: rather, a child is a gift, ‘the supreme gift’ and the most gratuitous gift of marriage, and is a living testimony of the mutual giving of his parents" (DV 8).
—Michelle Arnold
Q: If I decide to wear a scapular, and then choose not to wear it for no good reason, have I sinned?
A: The Church does not oblige anyone to wear a scapular. It is a voluntary matter. To choose not to wear one is not a sin. However, one could have a sinful reason for not wearing it, such as disdain for God or the Blessed Virgin.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: If it was God's will for a couple to have six children, but instead they practiced family planning so that these children were never born, would God see to it that these children were born to different parents, or would they not be born at all?
A: Your question seems to assume that the six hypothetical children’s souls exist somewhere waiting for their bodies to be conceived by their parents—it doesn’t work that way. A child’s soul does not come into existence until conception at which point it is created immediately by God (see Catechism, 366). Therefore, if someone chooses not to conceive children, children never exist.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Are the Knights of Peter Claver a Catholic group?
A: The Knights of Peter Claver (www.kofpc.org) is a lay organization of African-American Catholics similar to the Knights of Columbus. The group takes its name from St. Peter Claver (1581–1654), a Jesuit missionary who is said to have converted over 300,000 slaves to Catholicism.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: Are there different levels of heaven? I’ve heard the analogy about different size glasses being "full," but what does the Church teach on this?
A: "The degree of perfection of the beatific vision granted to the just is proportioned to each one’s merits." This is a dogma of the faith. In his book Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma Ludwig Ott explains, "The Decretum pro Graecis of the Union Council of Florence (1439) declared: The souls of the perfectly just ‘clearly behold the Triune and One God as he is, but corresponding to the difference of their merits, the one more perfectly than the other’" (439).
Here are some Scripture verses which provide evidence for this teaching:
- "In my Father’s house are many rooms" (John 14:2).
- "[The Son of man] will repay every man for what he has done" (Matt. 16:27).
- "[E]ach shall receive his wages according to his labor" (1 Cor. 3:8).
- "[H]e who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I am in RCIA and have a question pertaining to Jesus’ commissioning of Peter in Matthew 16:18: "You are the rock. . ." Why wouldn't this be recorded in Mark since Mark was recording directly from Peter? It just seems strange that this important justification for Peter as first pope is only in Matthew.
A: Matthew’s special focus is in presenting the Good News to Jews, so he takes great pains to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Thus he writes of the keys given to Peter, which hearken back to Isaiah 22, where Eliakim is invested with authority: "I place the key of David on his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open" (Is. 22:22). Eliakim is seen as a type of the Messiah. This simply was not Mark’s focus. Our prayer is that you will reach Easter with the joy of being home!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: My priest leaves the sanctuary to exchange the sign of peace with the congregation. This encourages people to leave their pews and wander all over the church shaking hands and giving hugs. Is this allowed? If not, where can I find the documentation?
A: During Sunday Mass, except on special occasions, the priest is not permitted to leave the sanctuary to exchange the sign of peace with members of the congregation. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 154:
The priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but always remains within the sanctuary, so as not to disturb the celebration. In the dioceses of the United States of America, for a good reason, on special occasions (for example, in the case of a funeral, a wedding, or when civic leaders are present) the priest may offer the sign of peace to a few of the faithful near the sanctuary. At the same time, in accord with the decisions of the Conference of Bishops, all offer one another a sign that expresses peace, communion, and charity. While the sign of peace is being given, one may say, Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum (The peace of the Lord be with you always), to which the response is Amen. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 82: As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by Conferences of Bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner.
—Peggy Frye
Q: My brother just became engaged. His Protestant fiancée wants an outdoor wedding. We have been told that the Catholic Church does not perform outdoor weddings, so our uncle, who is a priest and my brother’s godfather, will not be able to perform the ceremony. My uncle’s efforts to convince them to have the wedding in a church have been unsuccessful. What does the Church expect my uncle to do?
A: Your brother needs to see his parish priest about this right away. It may be possible to get a dispensation that would allow them to have a Protestant wedding in deference to the Protestant bride. Since there are no restrictions about outdoor weddings for Protestants, the wedding could be outside. But—and this is a big but—they have to get permission from the diocese for the Church to recognize the marriage as valid. I hope this works, because if it doesn’t, you can’t support your brother if he chooses to enter into an invalid marriage. Your family does not have to respect his decision if he chooses to sin!
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Is gambling a sin?
A: Gambling is not in itself immoral but it can lead to immoral behavior if practiced without prudence and temperance. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,
Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant. (CCC 2413)
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Every Sunday a Protestant service is held in a local Catholic high school chapel. Is this permitted?
A: Yes, provided the school complies with the following guidelines from Principles and Norms on Ecumenism:
Catholic churches are consecrated or blessed buildings which have an important theological and liturgical significance for the Catholic community. They are therefore generally reserved for Catholic worship. However, if priests, ministers or communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church do not have a place or the liturgical objects necessary for celebrating worthily their religious ceremonies, the diocesan bishop may allow them the use of a church or a Catholic building and also lend them what may be necessary for their services. (PNE 137)
—Peggy Frye
Q: Does the hour fast begin an hour before Mass begins or an hour before receiving Communion?
A: The Eucharistic fast is to be observed for one hour prior to the reception of the Eucharist, not prior to the beginning of Mass. Code of Canon Law states, "A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine" (CIC 919 §1).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Is it a sacrilege if my ferret drinks holy water? I tried to stop him.
A: No, it is not a sin for a pet to drink holy water, so long as you are not deliberately giving the water to it for a sacrilegious purpose. After all, pets are sprinkled with holy water when they are blessed. Are you aware that in some parts of the country it is illegal to have a ferret? Just a thought.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
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Catholic Answers
