Beta
This website is in beta. For the full experience, download the app.
This website is in beta. For the full experience, download the app.
We recently visited St. Peter’s Basilica and brought back holy water. Some of the holy water was unfortunately spilled during transit, and someone suggested that I add regular water to make more holy water. I looked into it, and read that “a common practice amongst Catholics is to mix holy water with regular water with the purpose of making all the water holy.” Is that right? It seems like if this process is repeated, I’d eventually end up with a bottle of regular water.
First mailbag in a couple of months – remember that I am always happy to take your questions: Question 1: During RCIA this past week, we discussed the fallen soldiers in 2 Maccabees 12:40. My question is: are those soldiers considered martyrs, and if so, do all martyrs go to purgatory? (Asked by Monica Snell) Answer: Monica’s question relates to the discussion of eschatology this past week in RCIA. During discussion of purgatory, the citation of 2 Maccabees came up. For those catching up, here is the passage in question, 2 Maccabees 12:32-34, 39-46: “After this feast, also called Pentecost, they lost no time in marching against Gorgias, governor of Idumea, who opposed them with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred cavalry. In the ensuing battle, a few of the Jews were slain… On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” The soldiers in question here are fighting alongside Judas Maccabeus in his revolt against the godless in the land. Let’s take Monica’s question in its two parts: (1) The first question is whether the soldiers who died in 2 Maccabees 12 are martyrs. The dictionary definition of a martyr is a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs. Of martyrdom, the Catechism says: “Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. the martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude.” (2473) When it comes to evaluating the causes of the saints, however, theologians have typically agreed on three criteria necessary for someone to be considered a Christian martyr: (1) that they die (martyrdom involves the actual loss of life – not injury), (2) that their death was inflicted by an enemy out of hatred for the faith to which they witnessed (the killer knew they were a witness to Christian faith and killed them because of it), and (3) that death was willingly accepted. Therefore, the term martyr would not properly apply to someone who was victim of injury to their body or reputation, to a Christian killed for unrelated reasons (robbery, for example), or death which was resisted. I recently had the opportunity to hear the presentation of the cause for Blessed Stanley Rother, the priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City who was martyred in 1981 in Guatemala. During the examination of his cause, they had to evaluate whether he was a true martyr. He ultimately met the criteria for these reasons: (1) he was killed by a local death squad, (2) he was killed because Rother’s witness to the Christian faith was inspiring the faithful to resist the regime, and (3) he willingly returned to Guatemala even after being informed that his name was on a list of those marked for death (while he physically resisted on the night of his murder, he had previously noted to those around him that he would resist not to escape death but only to make sure that he was killed outright and not taken captive to be used as a hostage or leverage against his flock). Therefore, Rother met the criteria of a martyr. This is a long aside of showing what qualifies as martyrdom. Given that the men in 2 Maccabees were killed in battle, they would not qualify as martyrs as they did not willingly accept martyrdom, nor were they necessarily killed for their religious convictions as much as their armed opposition. (2) It has generally been accepted that legitimate martyrs “punch their ticket” to heaven and therefore are not in purgatory. The reason for this is that the disposition of heart to willingly/knowingly go through the forfeiture of life for the Gospel is such that there is an intimate union with God in Christian love. Such a one inherently dies in a purified state. The causes of martyrs are still required to show heroic virtue as a step towards canonization; however, this is because canonized saints are put forward for veneration by the faithful as examples to be followed. In fact, the Church has held that those martyred for the name of Christ before being baptized (common in the ancient Church) are counted as having been baptized by blood. Therefore, one can think of it as a martyr dying in the state of one who has just been baptized – without stain or blemish! ----- Thanks for the questions! Remember to post during the course of the week and I will get to some as time allows each Wednesday. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. Amen.
I have been away from the mailbag for a while – it had been slow on questions during the summer and then I was out for a couple of weeks. With a couple of questions in the backlog, back to the mailbag: Question 1: Why does the deacon kiss the book after he is done reading the gospel? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: To appropriately answer this, let me begin with a citation from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council: “…Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, ‘the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross’, but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20).” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7) There are four distinct ways we recognize the presence of Christ in the liturgy: (1) In Word (2) In Sacrament (3) In the priest (who at the consecration acts in the person of Christ) (4) In the Church gathered (the totality of the assembly) Thus, each is reverenced in a pair of ways. The first is through the kiss. At the beginning and end of Mass, the clergy kiss the altar, which is itself a symbol of Christ and extension of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The deacon (or a priest in his absence) kisses the Gospel after the Word is proclaimed, unless a bishop or major prelate is present, in which case, the book is brought to him for the kiss of reverence. In ancient times (and still preserved in some Eastern traditions), the Book was actually kissed by each of the members of the assembly as well. The Sign of Peace (traditionally kiss of peace) also is offered between people present. The second symbol is that of incense, which is why the altar is incensed, the Book of the Gospels is incensed, the Eucharist is incensed, the priests are incensed, and the assembly is incensed. As an aside, some wonder why deacons do not receive a distinct incensation in the Mass like bishops and priests do – because in this particular symbol, they do not represent a distinct representation of Christ like those acting in persona Christi do. Therefore, the deacons carry the symbolism of Christ’s presence as part of the assembly and are properly incensed as part of it. Long answer short, the book is kissed as a sign of reverence to presence of Jesus Christ in the Word proclaimed. Question 2: What should we do if an item is broken and needs to be disposed of, but are unsure if it has been blessed? Also, do you have any practical tips on teaching repentance and contrition to small children who disobey their parents and throw balls in the house? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: My tip would be that when in doubt, dispose of the item with reverence (as covered in the space before, that means burning or burying wherever possible). As for the latter part, you are on your own, mom! Make them dig the hole in which to bury the object they broke? (just kidding) ----- Thanks for the questions! Remember to post during the course of each week and I will get to some as time allows each Wednesday. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. Amen.
We recently visited St. Peter’s Basilica and brought back holy water. Some of the holy water was unfortunately spilled during transit, and someone suggested that I add regular water to make more holy water. I looked into it, and read that “a common practice amongst Catholics is to mix holy water with regular water with the purpose of making all the water holy.” Is that right? It seems like if this process is repeated, I’d eventually end up with a bottle of regular water.
First mailbag in a couple of months – remember that I am always happy to take your questions: Question 1: During RCIA this past week, we discussed the fallen soldiers in 2 Maccabees 12:40. My question is: are those soldiers considered martyrs, and if so, do all martyrs go to purgatory? (Asked by Monica Snell) Answer: Monica’s question relates to the discussion of eschatology this past week in RCIA. During discussion of purgatory, the citation of 2 Maccabees came up. For those catching up, here is the passage in question, 2 Maccabees 12:32-34, 39-46: “After this feast, also called Pentecost, they lost no time in marching against Gorgias, governor of Idumea, who opposed them with three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred cavalry. In the ensuing battle, a few of the Jews were slain… On the following day, since the task had now become urgent, Judas and his companions went to gather up the bodies of the fallen and bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” The soldiers in question here are fighting alongside Judas Maccabeus in his revolt against the godless in the land. Let’s take Monica’s question in its two parts: (1) The first question is whether the soldiers who died in 2 Maccabees 12 are martyrs. The dictionary definition of a martyr is a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs. Of martyrdom, the Catechism says: “Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. the martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude.” (2473) When it comes to evaluating the causes of the saints, however, theologians have typically agreed on three criteria necessary for someone to be considered a Christian martyr: (1) that they die (martyrdom involves the actual loss of life – not injury), (2) that their death was inflicted by an enemy out of hatred for the faith to which they witnessed (the killer knew they were a witness to Christian faith and killed them because of it), and (3) that death was willingly accepted. Therefore, the term martyr would not properly apply to someone who was victim of injury to their body or reputation, to a Christian killed for unrelated reasons (robbery, for example), or death which was resisted. I recently had the opportunity to hear the presentation of the cause for Blessed Stanley Rother, the priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City who was martyred in 1981 in Guatemala. During the examination of his cause, they had to evaluate whether he was a true martyr. He ultimately met the criteria for these reasons: (1) he was killed by a local death squad, (2) he was killed because Rother’s witness to the Christian faith was inspiring the faithful to resist the regime, and (3) he willingly returned to Guatemala even after being informed that his name was on a list of those marked for death (while he physically resisted on the night of his murder, he had previously noted to those around him that he would resist not to escape death but only to make sure that he was killed outright and not taken captive to be used as a hostage or leverage against his flock). Therefore, Rother met the criteria of a martyr. This is a long aside of showing what qualifies as martyrdom. Given that the men in 2 Maccabees were killed in battle, they would not qualify as martyrs as they did not willingly accept martyrdom, nor were they necessarily killed for their religious convictions as much as their armed opposition. (2) It has generally been accepted that legitimate martyrs “punch their ticket” to heaven and therefore are not in purgatory. The reason for this is that the disposition of heart to willingly/knowingly go through the forfeiture of life for the Gospel is such that there is an intimate union with God in Christian love. Such a one inherently dies in a purified state. The causes of martyrs are still required to show heroic virtue as a step towards canonization; however, this is because canonized saints are put forward for veneration by the faithful as examples to be followed. In fact, the Church has held that those martyred for the name of Christ before being baptized (common in the ancient Church) are counted as having been baptized by blood. Therefore, one can think of it as a martyr dying in the state of one who has just been baptized – without stain or blemish! ----- Thanks for the questions! Remember to post during the course of the week and I will get to some as time allows each Wednesday. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. Amen.
I have been away from the mailbag for a while – it had been slow on questions during the summer and then I was out for a couple of weeks. With a couple of questions in the backlog, back to the mailbag: Question 1: Why does the deacon kiss the book after he is done reading the gospel? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: To appropriately answer this, let me begin with a citation from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council: “…Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, ‘the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross’, but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20).” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7) There are four distinct ways we recognize the presence of Christ in the liturgy: (1) In Word (2) In Sacrament (3) In the priest (who at the consecration acts in the person of Christ) (4) In the Church gathered (the totality of the assembly) Thus, each is reverenced in a pair of ways. The first is through the kiss. At the beginning and end of Mass, the clergy kiss the altar, which is itself a symbol of Christ and extension of the Eucharistic sacrifice. The deacon (or a priest in his absence) kisses the Gospel after the Word is proclaimed, unless a bishop or major prelate is present, in which case, the book is brought to him for the kiss of reverence. In ancient times (and still preserved in some Eastern traditions), the Book was actually kissed by each of the members of the assembly as well. The Sign of Peace (traditionally kiss of peace) also is offered between people present. The second symbol is that of incense, which is why the altar is incensed, the Book of the Gospels is incensed, the Eucharist is incensed, the priests are incensed, and the assembly is incensed. As an aside, some wonder why deacons do not receive a distinct incensation in the Mass like bishops and priests do – because in this particular symbol, they do not represent a distinct representation of Christ like those acting in persona Christi do. Therefore, the deacons carry the symbolism of Christ’s presence as part of the assembly and are properly incensed as part of it. Long answer short, the book is kissed as a sign of reverence to presence of Jesus Christ in the Word proclaimed. Question 2: What should we do if an item is broken and needs to be disposed of, but are unsure if it has been blessed? Also, do you have any practical tips on teaching repentance and contrition to small children who disobey their parents and throw balls in the house? (Asked by Jordyn Woods) Answer: My tip would be that when in doubt, dispose of the item with reverence (as covered in the space before, that means burning or burying wherever possible). As for the latter part, you are on your own, mom! Make them dig the hole in which to bury the object they broke? (just kidding) ----- Thanks for the questions! Remember to post during the course of each week and I will get to some as time allows each Wednesday. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. Amen.