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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 20, Number 8
 November-December 2009 
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Are All Sins Equally Bad?
Q: If God is holy, why isn’t venial sin just as bad as mortal? Where is the biblical support for this?
A: All sin is offensive to God, but Scripture tells us that not all sin is mortal: "If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal" (1 Jn 5:16-17).
Mortal sin deprives the sinner of sanctifying grace, whereas venial sin does not. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that, for sin to be mortal, three conditions must be present: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent" (CCC 1857).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: What is Catholic moral teaching on rape and the medical treatment of victims of sexual assault?
A: The Church teaches that rape is always an intrinsically evil act. It not only forcibly violates "the sexual intimacy of another person," but
it does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them. (CCC 2356)
As for the Catholic moral teaching on the medical treatment of rape victims, the 2001 document of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, states:
Compassionate and understanding care should be given to a person who is the victim of sexual assault. Health care providers should cooperate with law enforcement officials and offer the person psychological and spiritual support as well as accurate medical information. A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault. If, after appropriate testing, there is no evidence that conception has occurred already, she may be treated with medications that would prevent ovulation, sperm capacitation, or fertilization. It is not permissible, however, to initiate or to recommend treatments that have as their purpose or direct effect the removal, destruction, or interference with the implantation of a fertilized ovum. (36) For more information on this issue, see: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (4th ed.), available from www.usccb.org, or contact the National Catholic Bioethics Center at www.ncbcenter.org.
—Peggy Frye
Q: Are there guidelines for when the Eucharist is exposed while a priest gives a lesson or lecture?
A: I am not aware of any prohibition regarding a priest preaching during exposition. Certainly, the atmosphere during exposition should be in keeping with a desire to honor and reverence the Blessed Sacrament.
I preached a retreat to a community of cloistered Dominican contemplative nuns while the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. I stood between the rows of choir stalls and faced the monstrance as I spoke. I began each conference on my knees as I led the community in the prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, "O Sacred Banquet," a Dominican custom. The focus of each conference was on the Lord.
I would not have given a lecture or a class on topics not directly related to the Lord at such a time. It would be an affront to the Lord to ignore his eucharistic presence.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: I deeply respect Buddhism and believe that the four noble truths of Buddhism do not conflict with my faith as a Catholic. Am I mistaken?
A: Yes. While Buddhism and Catholicism both affirm that there is suffering in this world, each understands it differently. Buddhism’s answer is to seek escape from suffering through detachment not only from this world but from our very existence ("spiritual euthanasia" as Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft once called it). Catholicism’s answer to suffering is to offer it up in union with God who suffered on the cross to save mankind and make it possible for human suffering to have redemptive value. Until you know your own faith well and are firmly grounded in it, I recommend that you set aside your interest in Buddhism.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: In a non-Catholic marriage, if one spouse becomes Catholic and the other does not, can the spouse that joins the Church receive Communion? Is the couple living in sin?
A: Marriages between non-Catholics are considered to be valid unless something renders a particular one invalid. If one spouse later becomes Catholic this in no way invalidates the marriage. The couple would not be "living in sin" and the Catholic would be able to receive the Eucharist.
—Jim Blackburn
Q: I’d like to give my pastor something to read on why Reiki is incompatible with Catholic teaching. Is there anything official on this topic?
A: Yes. On March 25, 2009, The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document entitled Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Therapy. Here’s an excerpt:
Reiki therapy finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief. For a Catholic to believe in Reiki therapy presents insoluble problems. In terms of caring for one’s physical health or the physical health of others, to employ a technique that has no scientific support (or even plausibility) is generally not prudent.
In terms of caring for one’s spiritual health, there are important dangers. To use Reiki, one would have to accept at least in an implicit way central elements of the worldview that undergirds Reiki theory, elements that belong neither to Christian faith nor to natural science. Without justification either from Christian faith or natural science, however, a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man’s-land that is neither faith nor science. Superstition corrupts one’s worship of God by turning one’s religious feeling and practice in a false direction. While sometimes people fall into superstition through ignorance, it is the responsibility of all who teach in the name of the Church to eliminate such ignorance as much as possible.
Since Reiki therapy is not compatible with either Christian teaching or scientific evidence, it would be inappropriate for Catholic institutions, such as Catholic health care facilities and retreat centers, or persons representing the Church, such as Catholic chaplains, to promote or to provide support for Reiki therapy. (10-12)
The entire document is available at www.usccb.org.
—Peggy Frye
Q: I am an American and was taught that America was ordained by God to stretch from sea to shining sea. What is the Catholic view of this teaching?
A: The idea of manifest destiny comes from politics, not religion. The Catholic Church ministers to people from all nations. It does not teach that the United States, or any other country, had a right to absorb particular parts of the North American continent.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: What is the Catholic Church’s view of single women who pursue motherhood through a sperm bank because they have no other option? Is there any reason that the Church would not accept this child into our faith?
A: Here we have a very clear example of how uncommon common sense has become in our culture. Our culture’s emphasis is clearly on "Me"—to such an extent that a woman can easily become so blinded by concern for her "fulfillment" that the needs of her children are reduced to an afterthought, if that. But every child that is conceived by the uniting of egg and sperm has a right to a mother and a father—not a mother and a sperm donor.
To pull the conception of a child out of the context of the parents’ mutual love for one another is to sin against God’s design for the human race. To deny context is always a lie. A sperm bank is no match for marital love before and after conception.
God created parenthood principally for the benefit of the child. But our culture puts the cart before the horse so that parenthood becomes a matter of ego reinforcement. This inevitably occurs when we begin to put concern for what we want before concern for what God wants.
The question is not whether the Church would accept such a child into the faith. The question is whether a woman would be so selfish as to deny her child the benefit of a father. Our culture is already plagued by the absence of fathers even when they are physically around, let alone when they are not even known. Since God came first, he comes first. Rather than begin with ourselves, we must always begin with him and make our choices accordingly. This is the only way that ultimately works because this is reality.
—Fr. Vincent Serpa
Q: Is it true that the wedding march song cannot be played during a Catholic wedding?
A: Many Catholic parishes recommend that "The Bridal Chorus" from Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin not be used because it is considered secular music. Ideally, only liturgical music should be used during a Catholic wedding. However, some parishes are more lenient on the issue than others and will allow secular classical music. A prospective couple should check with the wedding coordinator of the parish at which they are to marry to determine local protocol.
—Michelle Arnold
Q: What is the symbolic significance at Mass of putting a piece of the Eucharist in the chalice?
A: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains: "The priest breaks the bread and puts a piece of the host into the chalice to signify the unity of the body and blood of the Lord in the work of salvation, namely, of the living and glorious body of Jesus Christ" (GIRM 83).
—Jim Blackburn
Q: Our church has a large cross of the risen Christ on the wall behind the altar. The processional cross also has a risen Christ instead of a corpus. My priest says it’s OK not to have a crucifix, but I’ve heard otherwise. What does the Church say about this, and why is a crucifix at Mass so important?
A: A crucifix is to be either on the altar or near it. Having only a stylized figure of Christ on the cross on the altar or near it is not permitted.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal makes it clear that the cross should be a crucifix:
There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations. (GIRM 308).
If the cross above the altar is not a crucifix, a processional cross with a corpus attached (crucifix) is to be placed near the altar (GIRM 117).
In his book The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI speaks to the importance of the crucifix as the focus for both priest and the faithful at Mass:
. . . the cross . . . should stand in the middle of the altar and be the common point of focus for both priest and praying community. In this way we obey the ancient call to prayer: " Conversi ad Dominum," "Turn to the Lord!" In this way we look together at the One whose death tore the veil of the Temple—the One who stands before the Father for us and encloses us in his arms in order to make us the new and living Temple. . . . The Lord is the point of reference. He is the rising sun of history. That is why there can be a cross of the Passion, which represents the suffering Lord who for us let his side be pierced, from which flowed blood and water (Eucharist and baptism), as well as a cross of triumph, which expresses the idea of the Second Coming and guides our eyes towards it. For it is always the one Lord: Christ yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). (The Spirit of the Liturgy, ch. 3)
—Peggy Frye
Q: I am a vegan. If I were to convert to Catholicism, how would this affect my veganism?
A: You would be free to continue to practice veganism, but you should be willing to acknowledge that the Catholic Church does not require Catholics to be vegans, and you should also be willing to acknowledge that the Church allows for the use of animals for food and other necessary, legitimate purposes (such as medical research). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. (CCC 2417)
—Michelle Arnold
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Catholic Answers
