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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: Was Jesus male before the Incarnation?
A: Before the Incarnation the Son was pure spirit, just as are the Father and the Holy Spirit. As such, he did not have gender at that time. Only when the Son incarnated as the man Christ Jesus did he become male. The Father and the Holy Spirit remain pure spirit and so do not have biological gender.
For the purpose of revealing himself to us, God has revealed his Trinitarian self primarily in masculine terms because he is the instigator, the first cause; it is he who initiates salvation. It is the Church that is revealed in feminine terms because the Church is the recipient of salvation and the one who nurtures Christians with the graces received from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
For the purpose of revealing himself to us, God has revealed his Trinitarian self primarily in masculine terms because he is the instigator, the first cause; it is he who initiates salvation. It is the Church that is revealed in feminine terms because the Church is the recipient of salvation and the one who nurtures Christians with the graces received from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q: I'm baffled by the passages in Scripture that say the apostles didn't recognize Jesus when he rose from the dead (e.g., John 20:14). Should we not take this literally, or did Jesus really look different?
A: When Jesus rose from the dead, it wasn't as though he was resuscitated (as were others who rose from the dead, like Lazarus); instead, Jesus' Resurrection was the kind of resurrection that all of the saved will have at the end of time: He received and we will receive our glorified bodies. While we will know each other in heaven, we may look different than we do now. In like manner, Jesus' glorified body probably was different in some respects from the body he had during his public ministry, but it was close enough to what he had before that his disciples eventually recognized him (see John 21:4-7). Luke 24:16 also notes that in one of Jesus' encounters with the disciples that "their eyes were kept from recognizing him," suggesting that he may have looked the same, but people were miraculously kept from understanding who he was for the moment
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: I have Protestant friends who say that Jesus died only for Christians. Is this true?
A: Jesus died for the redemption of all mankind. The apostle Paul says, "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). God desires the salvation of all men (cf. 1 Tim. 2:3-4), thus he died to redeem mankind and offer salvation to all. His death redeemed mankind collectively, so we can say that even non-Christians are redeemed. Because each person has free will, he can choose to reject the salvation offered him as a gift. So, while all are redeemed, it is possible that not all will be saved. Christ's death is sufficient for the salvation of all, but it is efficient for the salvation of those who choose to accept that gift.
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: Why is the pope called the "Holy Father" instead of just "Father"?
A: Catholics call the pope "Holy Father" not as an acknowledgement of his personal state of soul but as an expression of respect for his office as successor to Peter and head of the Church on earth. His is a holy office.
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)
Q&A from Catholic Answers, "Quick 5" (San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2001)