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Q: Besides Sunday, what other days are e required to go to church as Christians?
A: As Catholics we are called to go to Mass on all Sundays of the year and on the Holy Days of Obligation. The Holy Days of Obligation change depending on the country you are in. For us here in Canada the only Holy Days of Obligation are January 1- The Feast of Mary, Mother of God and December 25 - Christmas. But it is better to do our best to take part in Mass as often as we can, especially on special feast days and solemnities.
Q: Should Catholic parents force their children to be confirmed against their will?
A: No, they should not force their children to be confirmed. Although confirmation can be validly received by infants, as is done in Eastern Catholic churches, when the person to receive the sacrament is old enough to make his own decision, he should be allowed to decide for himself whether or not he will receive it. Canon law states:
Apart from the danger of death, to receive confirmation lawfully a person who has the use of reason must be suitably instructed, properly disposed, and able to renew the baptismal promises (CIC 889).
If a child is unwilling to receive confirmation, he is not properly disposed and cannot lawfully receive confirmation.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Apart from the danger of death, to receive confirmation lawfully a person who has the use of reason must be suitably instructed, properly disposed, and able to renew the baptismal promises (CIC 889).
If a child is unwilling to receive confirmation, he is not properly disposed and cannot lawfully receive confirmation.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q: Do miscarried fetuses have souls? If so, what happens to them?
A: All living things have souls, and all human beings have spiritual, rational souls made in the image and likeness of God. If a human being is conceived then that person has a spiritual, rational soul. So, yes, miscarried children do indeed have human souls. As for their eternal destiny, they share the same hope for heaven that the Church believes is possible for all unbaptized children (cf. CCC 1261).
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q: Is it judgmental to point out someone's error?
A: First, pointing out the truth is not judgmental. Here are a few more examples of what does not constitute being judgmental:
-It is not judgmental to make a moral appraisal of whether a person's actions are sinful or whether the person is likely culpable for them.
-It is not judgmental to have a negative emotional reaction to what is objectively evil.
-It is not judgmental to bear in mind that a person you have forgiven has committed harmful actions in the past and may commit them again in the future.
One way to avoid being judgmental is to avoid making rash judgments.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: "Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved" (CCC 2478, cf. St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises 22).
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
-It is not judgmental to make a moral appraisal of whether a person's actions are sinful or whether the person is likely culpable for them.
-It is not judgmental to have a negative emotional reaction to what is objectively evil.
-It is not judgmental to bear in mind that a person you have forgiven has committed harmful actions in the past and may commit them again in the future.
One way to avoid being judgmental is to avoid making rash judgments.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: "Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved" (CCC 2478, cf. St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises 22).
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q: If a person does not believe the consecrated host becomes the true body and blood of Christ, does that make a difference in what happens when he receives it? If he were given a shot of morphine, his belief that it is not morphine would not change the effects on his body. It would seem the same thing happens with the host. The body and blood of Christ enters his body and gives him grace, no matter what he believes.
A: Every one of the sacraments is a personal encounter with Jesus. Grace is a share in his life and in his love. He never forces his love on anyone. Certainly the reality of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist does not depend on the state of soul of the communicant. He can receive the Eucharist as an act of sacrilege. But he cannot receive the grace of the sacrament without a proper attitude or disposition. It's like going to the well without a bucket. The water is real. But without a bucket, he leaves without any water. Love is two ways. A person cannot enter into a love relationship without being willing to love.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)