Excommunicated for an Abortion?
Our diocese distributed a pamphlet on examining your conscience. It states that having an abortion or encouraging a woman to do so would mean automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church. If I do that, is this so?
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Why Was Jesus Baptized?
Q. Matthew 3:13-17 describes the baptism of Jesus, including John the Baptist’s objection that Jesus should be baptizing him. Why did Jesus want to be baptized, anyway? A. This question was raised by Christians already in the first century, which ...
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Purgatory on Earth?
I read somewhere a theory that after death we live our lives over again to see the sins we committed, the people we hurt, and that impact on others. At my advanced age, I am constantly recalling various times in ...
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Baptizing Grandchildren Secretly
At a recent meeting, the topic of unbaptized grandchildren came up. I have been told by many priests and deacons that I could not baptize my grandchildren because it can only be administered once. What happens when grandparents baptize their ...
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‘Dresser of Sycamores’
Q. In Amos 7:14, at the king’s sanctuary in Bethel, the prophet verbally defends himself against the priest Amaziah by denying that he ever said he belonged to a company of prophets. Amos adds, “I am a herdsman and a ...
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Giving Up on Giving Up: A Lenten Reflection
Years ago, as Lent approached, I asked a trusted spiritual counselor what he was going to give up. He gave me a sly grin and said, “I’m giving up giving things up for Lent.”
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