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APRIL/MAY
2017
"What
is the meaning of the Second Coming of Christ?" - Gianni
Father Carlos:
If a couple who was married in the Catholic Church divorce, yet
remain intimate with each other and still love each other very
much, are they committing fornication.
I would expect "no", since although they have a civil divorce,
they are still married according to the Church. Is this
correct? - Rcorujo
___________________________________________________
Rcorujo:
Father:
A friend was refused entry into a Catholic Secondary school
because the child was not baptized for 6 months because she was
awaiting papers before 6 months. The reasons behind this, was
that she was awaiting papers from the home office, as she is
from the Philippines and she was unsure of her residence status,
furthermore she wanted all her family to take part in this
event, but could not travel, due to the lack of papers, she is
and was a very devout Catholic and her husband is too, they have
a second son who was baptized within the 6 months time frame.
But the first was not, he was baptized after.
Also the mother suffered severe depression during the period she
waited for her papers. Also, the mother suffered severe
depression during the period she waited for her papers.
My question is, does this brand her as a bad Catholic?
Where was it
written that she has to baptize in 6 months, when the apostles
were baptized as adults, and furthermore the fact that she
desperately wanted her family to take part and was awaiting the
papers, does this work against her decision to baptize later? -
Onet
___________________________________________________
Onet:
I
must say, I am mystified by this situation that you described.
A baptized person is a Catholic Christian no matter what the
age is, and the baptized person is free to be a student at a
Catholic school. I have no idea what the rationalization for
their decision not to accept this student is. The reason why
the student wasn't accepted into the school must be
more
that the student was baptized after 6 months of age. There is
more to this story that you do not know. Any Catholic baptized
person can be accepted into a Catholic school. I must conclude
that there is another compelling reason for the non-acceptance
of this student into that school.
-
Father Carlos
Morales
Your Excellencies:
__________________________________________________
Arjun:
If you are willing to
leave behind your Hindu faith and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,
then you can be baptized and be saved according to Catholic Christian theology.
I know that you will think very deeply about this decision to leave behind your
Hindu faith, customs, traditions, family activities that involve Hindu worship
of various deities, and the Hindu thought process (theology).
the
priest's words so he doesn't feel guilt or sorrow?" - JD
Father Carlos:
Did a priest
ever tell a man that looking at porn is okay? My husband of 52 years has
been addicted to porn for some time. He doesn't go to
church with me anymore and that hurts me too but when I discovered his cell
phone has many porn sites on it,
I was devastated. I did
suggest to him that he go to Penance at a church nearby today. When he
came home he told me that the priest said it was okay to look at porn as long as
he doesn't do anything further.
What the heck does that mean??? Now I am angrier than I was
before... I don't even knowOur marriage isn't the greatest but I would have
never believed he would do this to me or to himself. Ok.. if I can believe my
husband.. Could he be purposely misunderstanding the priests words so that he
doesn't feel any guilt or sorrow?
Done with my rant. I guess I
just don't understand why a priest would give a penitent the red light to
continue in sin. I'm sorry. I suppose this question is too long to expect an
answer. Thank you, A Sad wife. - JD
_______________________________________________________
JD:
You can punish yourself
saying if you were more intimate or more "whatever," he wouldn't be turning to
pornography. That is
not true.
Your husband's pornography addiction is a deep seated problem within your
husband and his own selfishness and narcissism. It might be wise for you to
seek a counselor FOR YOURSELF and talk about this situation with a professional.
You need to understand the nuances of addiction so that you can deal with your
husband. You cannot change your husband. Only your husband can change
himself. People caught in the slavery of addiction will not easily accept
counsel from those around him. So, don't blame yourself for your husband's
addiction. Please pray each day for your husband's deliverance from this
addiction.
Father:
_____________________________________________________
Please be
true to your principles. I do feel, in my opinion, that making a marriage
ceremony a Halloween farce means that they do not take their marriage vows
seriously. They would not have a Goth wedding in the Church.
My prediction:
this civil goth-themed marriage won't last long. Marriage is a serious,
cultural, and religious public act that represents God's love for us all. True
marriage is a sacrament. Marriage is not to be trivialized in such a way. -
Father Carlos Morales
Shalom:
I live in Malaysia and there's something I want to ask
Friar. It's about impassibility. I was just wondering, is God sad when we sin?
I know that sin offends Him, but
does sin also make Him sad? - Christopher
______________________________________________________
Christopher:
God's emotions (or
capability to have emotion) are beyond our understanding. That is what is meant
by "impassibility," the theological construct (theory) saying that God does not
suffer pain or any of the human emotions that we experience (that's a
simplification of this theological idea). But I am sure that God does
delight in His creation, and it is even said in the gospels that when Jesus was
baptized, God said that
"This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased!"
(Matthew 3:17) God is not like us. He is all around us, within us, and beyond
our human understanding. God made us in His Image and Likeness. Each of us
reflect God's self.
When we do not
live up to God's expectations, God doesn't get sad. God is disappointed
because He knows what our potential is. But sadness is a human specific
emotion. While God understands sadness, depression, and other human
emotions, and knows the reason behind our own range of emotions, God Himself
doesn't reduce Himself to sadness. Sadness implies no hope. God is hope.
God is love. God is Spirit. God is life.
Since God is hope,
God does not have sadness. Once again. sadness implies no hope and despair,
emotions that God understands in us but does not have Himself since He always
see the "big picture" of life and time, and understands and knows our part in
His plan and creation. God is disappointed when we fail, but He has hope in us
to learn from our mistakes and weakness. When we do not reach our potential,
God doesn't give up on us. On the contrary, He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ,
to guide us and push us forward through forgiveness of sin to achieve all that
we can be, all that we were created to be, to be holistically saved from death
itself. For our readers, curious about what "impassibility of God" is all
about? See this link for a good summary of the impassibility of God:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impassibility and this link: http://www.theopedia.com/Impassibility_of_God .
Father Carlos:
My husband and
I both went through RCIA about 17 years ago and were confirmed and became
Catholic. 2 of our 3 children were baptized Catholic as well. Our 3rd child was
baptized in the Episcopal
Church. After my husband was transferred for a job we attended an Episcopal
church because the nearest Catholic Church was pretty far away.
Now
we have
moved
again and there are several Catholic churches close to us. We'd like to join
our local parish. Are we still considered to be Catholic? We never joined the
Episcopal Church.
What do we
need to do before we can receive the Eucharist? Our two youngest
children received their first communions within the Anglican tradition....what
do they need to do in order to to receive communion? They are
6
and 10 years old. Thank you, Emily
_________________________________________________________
Emily:
Please talk to your parish priest! Welcome home!
The baptism of your child
in the Episcopal Church is valid and accepted by the Catholic Church. To be full
members of the Catholic Church again will require a profession of faith from all
of you as a family. Your children will go through the Rite of Christian
Initiation for Children (RCIC) so that they can make their own profession of
faith. Please, talk to your parish priest. And once again, welcome home! -
Father Carlos
Morales
Hello
Father:
My question
is: My wife (not a Catholic) has been advised that the best course of action to
help
with her
debilitating menstrual
periods
is
to have a Mirena coil fitted. I have read on Catholic forums that they prevent
fertilization and are not a,bortifacient and would therefore be acceptable from
a moral point of view, but I have also read the opposite. We have two
children and would welcome more.
Is the
Mirena coil incompatible with a normal sex life and the teachings of the
Church? Many thanks for taking the time to read this. I have prayed long
and hard to be guided to a solution. I'll keep praying. Yours sincerely, Greg
Greg:
Hello:
My
question: Please let me know so I can get done because I'm tired of life
and the only thing still keeping me here is fear of hell. I'm in a foreign land
abandoned by my family. No job, no money, no food. Despite all I have been
through I can't bring myself to commit crime to survive. If I kill myself
instead of committing crime will I make heaven? - Emcol
_______________________________________________________
Killing yourself is never an option. Murder is against one of the ten
commandments,
and that includes suicide. And criminal activity is never a Christian option
too! I am sorry to hear that you have been cut off from your family and are
having an extremely difficult time in your adopted foreign country.
But nothing
is impossible. Keep true to your faith in Jesus and ask people around you for
help in getting that job that will push you forward into the future. For
now, talk to God from your heart. Share all your pain with Him. Ask
Jesus to walk with you everywhere. Soon, you will find your occupation and
calling in this world.
Everything looks very dark right now. Do not allow yourself to linger in the
darkness of despair. Instead,
get out of yourself and see what you can do! And
say this prayer all day long: Lord
Jesus, I trust in You.
The doors of opportunity will open for you.
- Father
Carlos Morales
"My Parents are against tattoos. My question is if I get a
if it
has nothing to do with religion? - Jose
Dear all
priests who can answer this question:
But
as Christians, we stand apart from the world and its sinful culture. A
Christian must ask himself or herself what is the purpose of the desired tattoo.
One must also ask how this tattoo would affect their family and those around
them. Any tattoo that is not against God or does not blasphemy God is not
sinful in the New Covenant. So, be honest with yourself: why a tattoo and what
does it mean to you? Can your money spent on the tattoo be better used in
another part of your life? If you get a tattoo, you may receive the wrath of
your parents, but the tattoo itself is not sinful.
So, make the right
decision. Now, I hesitate to bring this up, but in the Book of Revelation,
Chapter 19, Verse 16, the visionary John the Elder, the writer of the Book of
Revelation saw this when he was Jesus: "He
has a name written on his cloak and on his thigh, King of kings and Lord of
lords."
Well, Jesus has a tattoo written on his thigh: King of kings and Lord of
lords. It would seem that this kind of tattoo is expressing Jesus as Lord
and Savior of all creation! Now, don't throw this bible verse around your
parents in a taunting way. You must always respect your parents. Think many
times over whether a tattoo is a wise thing to do. Is this something you want
on your body when you are 50 years old? Be a wise Christian. Make a good
decision about marking up your body. But if you get a tattoo, as long as it
isn't blasphemy against God, it is not sinful.
-
Father Carlos
Morales
Father
Carlos:
__________________________________________________________
And when the end
time comes, your mother will be reunited with her GLORIFIED body. Don't feel
guilty. Instead, feel grateful for your mother and for the coming resurrection
from the dead where there will be no more tears, sadness, suffering or pain!
(see Revelation 21:4). Jesus is Lord! He is coming soon! Alleluia!
- Father Carlos
Morales
Father Carlos:
I've been Baptist since I was a
child. but I'm very interested in the Catholic faith. I'm having a very hard
time, at age 44, with the sins in my past. I know this is the Lord helping me.
My church has no one who would understand the nature of my transgressions and I
NEED someone who has heard it all, and maybe has a calling to counsel me. I
don't know where to look. Thank You,
Becky
_________________________________________________________
Becky:
Are
there no Christian counselors that you can access through your church? I am
sure that they have some Christian counselors that can help you.
You
don't have to speak to your pastor if you don't feel comfortable doing so. I am
sure that your church office has someone you can talk to outside of your church
community. But if you feel that you can't speak with anyone within your church
community, then you might want to make an appointment with your local Catholic
priest and explain your situation.
I am sure that you
can speak with a local parish priest about what is on your conscience. Your
Baptist pastor has heard almost everything. And the Catholic priest has almost
heard everything. So, don't be afraid to speak to someone whom you can trust
about your situation.
- Father Carlos Morales
Father:
I am
seeking guidance on how best to understand a person in my life who is Catholic,
and with whom I am involved in a highly conflicted custody case for our son. My
son's father is a habitual and pathological liar. He has been charged by the
police with several financial crimes. Over the course of our custody case he has
lied extensively, falsified evidence, and fabricated allegations. He never
takes responsibility for his sins. Instead he denies, makes excuses, and
shifts blames on to others. All the while quoting scripture.
So
my question, how do I deal with someone who professes to be a devout Christian
but lives his life contradictory to Christian values. When he denies his sins,
he diminishes the cross. When he avoids any guilt he diminishes CRUXIFIXION
making it seem a fool's errand. In my mind, he conducts himself in such a manner
that the death of Christ seems unnecessarily cruel. So how can he call himself
a Christian? How do I raise a child with a man like this? -
Thank you, Lindsay
___________________________________________________________
Lindsay:
Well, it seems you
understand your husband very well. Catholic or not, you have correctly
understood the situation with a man who is a pathological liar. You are also
correct in saying that your husband's inability to accept responsibility for his
actions is diminishing the eternal value of the saving act of the death and
resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Here is the bad
news: You cannot change your husband's pathology. He can change himself, of
course. We all have free will and we are in control of our destiny. Your
husband can change and repent if he wants. Right now, it seems he lives in his
own pathological world of lies and crime.
We do not have
control over others, so only your husband can change himself and his inability
to see the consequences of his evil actions. But you can confront him about his
actions and show him the truth of the situation. Just know that you cannot make
him see it. He is blinded by sin itself. That's why when we give our lives to
Jesus as Lord and Savior, then we are no longer a slave to sin. Your husband is
enslaved by his sins. Everything you said in your question to me is correct. You
are an amazing spiritual person. Obviously, you are wise and have been guided by
the Holy Spirit. You said that he likes to quote scripture to throw you off and
make him look good or intelligent. Well, even the devil himself can quote
scripture to make himself look like telling the truth. An example of this is
seen in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4. Read it for yourself. Here is the
devil quoting scripture to Jesus! So, your husband can quote scripture to you
all he wants. It is just a ruse to confuse you and deflect the truth from him
and his actions.
Your husband is
showing signs of mental and emotional distress and even illness. Please
understand that this is not your fault, nor is your husband's posturing against
the truth something that is acceptable. He needs to accept responsibility for
all his actions. My advice: pray, pray, pray for your husband's deliverance
from this pathological world of lies and immaturity. I am sure that others have
told you about getting into marriage counseling. That is all good and fine if
your husband is willing to go into counseling. But if he doesn't want to, then
you must do all you can to stay away from your husband, and if possible, keep
your child away from this destructive man.
- Father Carlos
Morales
_________________________________________________________
Katie:
Here is an
answer for you: I am so sorry that life has become so burdensome for you that
you want to die at your own hands. I do not know what you are going
through, and I do not know what events brought you to this moment of great
despair. All I know is that you belong to God, and your life energy
belongs to God alone. God is the one Who decides on who has life and who
does not. You were brought into
this world at your birth because God made you for a specific reason, for this
specific time, for this unique situation.
God does not want you to leave this world until you have
accomplished your destiny and mission on earth. To cut short and not
complete the mission God has given you will be your damnation in the afterlife.
Even if you could go to confession after committing the act of murder call
suicide, you will still be accountable to God for your inability to complete the
mission that God gave you.
How can one ask forgiveness when the act of suicide is
pre-meditated and planned in every detail, even the planning of asking
forgiveness for murder? I understand that your sense of helplessness is
very great and you are probably very alone in your suffering. No one knows
what you have been through except God Himself.
You state
"Lord Jesus, I trust in You."
Just memorize this little prayer and repeat it all day. In time, you will get your beatings back and start being peaceful in your emotional struggles. Don't give up. Something you need to do in the future must be done ONLY by you. I don't know what it is, but only you can do it. "Lord Jesus, I trust in You." - Father Carlos Morales
Father:
As a victim survivor of child sexual abuse, physical and spiritual abuse by religious and clergy as an adult, is it a sin for that soul to seek out understandings what she identifies with dealing with underlying such as the need to be punished by others like corporal punishment by looking at websites, research, reading stories, pictures. this is to help her understand deeply why she has this desire. Is this a mortal or venial sin. I have a hard time expressing this in confession and scared to bring it up. What is your advice on this? - Patricia
_____________________________________________________________
Patricia:
I am sorry to hear that you are suffering so much for what has happened to you at the hands of clergy who have lost their way in the Church, suffering also of those who abused you in your childhood. Your suffering is a heavy burden.
I hope you have reported these clergy abusers to the proper authorities, both to law enforcement and to your diocesan bishop, and your childhood abusers to law enforcement and family members. It is important that you are brave and speak out about what has happened to you. You also asked if looking up pictures and web sites that show punishment fetishes to understand why you have desires for such punishment, you need to stop looking up web sites and start speaking with a psychologist or counselor and speak frankly and openly these issues of punishment, and they will not condemn you in any way. Counselors are non-judgmental when they are listening. Such desires usually have their roots in a wounded psyche that feels guilty for the abuse you have experienced in the past from others and from certain clergy and religious. The only way you can understand these desires (called fetishes) is to speak to an expert about such issues. You will not understand anything from looking at fetish web sites. You will need professional counseling to understand and unlock the secrets hidden within your memory and soul that make you want a desire that will only continue to break your peace of mind and soul. Also, it is time to give all this to the Lord. God knows what you have been through. Jesus knows your pain more than anyone else. Trust in the Lord Jesus and go forward in finding a counselor you can speak about this issue. You are extremely loved by the Lord. God will not punish you because Jesus took upon Himself the sins and guilt of every human being for all time. Trust in God's Mercy. You can go to confession, but I would suggest that you speak with a professional Christian counselor first so that you can form the words you need to speak within the Sacrament of Penance. - Father Carlos Morales
Father Carlos:
There was a time in my life that I actually sold myself to Satan over love. I prayed to Satan. I am a devoted Catholic: and try to be good. No more Satan. Question: Is GOD able to get my soul back? - Mark
Mark:
My question is how you sold your soul to Satan? What was the process? Did you do that by merely saying so (as you said, "I prayed to Satan"), or did you actually go through specific satanic ritual of selling your soul to the devil? Now that you have repented from such folly and have outgrown your petty obsessive desire for "physical love" as embodied by your fantasy love interest that didn't work out, it is time to realize that God forgives all sin because His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, died on the cross for you and your sins. Jesus shed His Blood for you. You know that because you say that you are a "devout Catholic." Then you should know that you can accept Jesus Christ back in your life and when you do, Jesus covers your soul with His Blood which makes you clean and your soul belongs to God. So, now is the time to get on your knees and give everything you have to God the Father through Jesus Christ. When you do, the Holy Spirit claims your soul and you belong to God once again.
The devil is the father of all lies. The great temptation is not being grateful and happy with what you already have. When you "sold" your soul to the devil by "praying to him," you accepted the devil's lie that God couldn't provide for all your needs, including the need for love. You fell into the devil's trap. And sadly, you became so obsessed with your need for "love" that you turned your back on True Love Itself. But God is always willing to save and always ready to accept your love in return for His eternal love. You start by saying this prayer on your knees in humility, and then you go to confession and explain to the priest-confessor what happened. You belong to God now. Act like it, live like it, and believe in the God Who will fulfill your every need and bless you even more.
Here is the prayer
that will break Satan's hold over you and your soul:
You
now belong to the Lord. Your soul is no longer in Satan's grip. Go to
confession as soon as possible. -
Father Carlos Morales
Father Carlos:
If Catholic Church members of Congress vote to remove health insurance from poor and financially struggling Americans under the repeal of the ACA, will they commit a mortal sin? Jim
Father Carlos:
I just wanted to know if I'll never see heaven if I go through with an abortion today because I don't have a life to raise a kid...the father of my child isn't any kind of supportive. He constantly tells me to kill it.. He constantly tells me to kill it.. he don't have a house of his own or a job or money for that matter and I realize that's not what it's about but I also don't have a place of my own, any way to realistically raise a child right now. I'm 24 years old and rely on my parents for more than what I should. I feel like it's not the right time but I am a practicing Catholic and I want to live my life for God and through God's word and I'm mortified at the thought of God not forgiving me for thinking that an abortion is the right thing to do right now. - Gabriella
_________________________________________________________
By God's grace, this child within you has a soul and has a God-given destiny. I am reminded of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, who wrote this in his book, Jeremiah, Chapter 1, Verse 5, about his call from God to be His prophet: The word of the Lord came to me thus: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you."
Your unborn child, fully human, was created by God's Will and Plan for the entire world. Your Child has a God-given destiny. Who knows what your child's future will be, but your child is important in God's plan for the world and humankind. You need to speak to someone about your situation immediately, someone in the church or someone involved in pro-life counseling. I don't know where you are so I am sending you a link to help you in your situation. Here is the link to PRIESTS FOR LIFE and their counseling page with telephone numbers. Counseling is free: http://www.priestsforlife.org/brochures.counsel.html
Your unborn child was created by God for this specific time, for this unique situation, for an important future event. Even if you can't take care of the child, you child can be adopted into a family that will be able to steer him/her to the destiny that God has created for your child. But first, speak with the references in the link that I sent.
May God bless you in all that you do for your child. Your child was created for great things. Who knows, he may be a Pope one day, or a husband with children who will make the world a better place, or a doctor who finds a cure for a serious illness. Like the prophet Jeremiah, your child fulfills these works spoken by God: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I dedicated you." Your child belongs to God.
Abortion is never an option. May the spirit of God make you strong. You are going to be a mother of a wonderful child dedicated by God for great things! May God give you peace during this special time. - Father Carlos Morales
CatholicView:
In the Bible all the barren women were eventually blessed with children. What does that mean for me--a 51 yr old woman who tried everything imaginable to have children, including prayer & faith. We even tried adoption with the State but that failed too. I am now questioning my faith. - Aura
________________________________________________________
Do not question your faith. Know that God hears your cries and one day He will fulfill His plan for you. We cannot know how or when this will be, but we do know that He loves you and has great plans for you. You must hang on and continue to pray.
In the book of 1 Samuel 1:19, God, seeing the tears of Hanna in the the book of 1 Samuel 1:`19, God blessed her and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son and she named him Samuel, which means "God hears all things". Let God make His plan for you: Here is a prayer for you:
"Heavenly Father, whatever be my obstacle
to have a child,
And because You, Who are the giver of all perfect
Depend on the Lord, Aura, and know in your heart that He loves you. Give all your needs to Him. May the Lord bless you always. - CatholicView Staff
CatholicView Staff:
Even though
my religion is not Christian but I have faith on Jesus and Mother Mary including
my own religion. I was brought up in a Catholic School where I use to go for
church every Sunday! It has been a 3 months I am suffering from a breathing
problem and no doctor could identify my illness and still I am suffering!!
Please make a prayer for me .. so I may focus on my studies and live a healthy
life .. !! Amen!! - Rabha ___________________________________________________________
Rabha:
I am saddened to hear that you have a breathing problem the doctors could not identify. But God can do all things. Here is a prayer of faith for you:
"Heavenly
Father, look upon
Rabha
with your powerful eyes of
May God bless you and heal you. - CatholicView Staff
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