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Each weekday, you'll find a new question and answer. Check back for the new question and scroll down to see previous day's entries! Let us know what you think - - or question! -- by emailing us at tcanswer@osv.com.
Blue Advent?
Q. I noticed a Catholic Church decorated for Advent with a blue banner, large blue stars hanging on the wall and a blue Advent wreath with 3 blue candles and 1 pink candle. The altar cloth was white, and the priest wore a purple chasuble. I heard the blue symbolizes the night sky.
Other Catholic churches have no blue. Could you elaborate on the new blue?
M.B., via email
A. In modern times some parishes have replaced the traditional purple furnishings of Advent with blue ones, with various reasons given for the change. Nevertheless, purple has an important, specific and ancient dual meaning: It is the color both of penance and of royalty.
It’s not surprising, then, that the Church instructs us not to tamper with this and similar aspects of our liturgical customs. When we do, we lose the intended significance of the custom, and we distance ourselves needlessly from earlier generations of the faithful who trusted the wisdom of the Church enough to maintain the tradition faithfully.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) provides the Church’s authoritative rules for celebrating Mass. Here’s what it has to say about the matter:
“346. As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained: namely, … Violet or purple is used in Advent and Lent. … Rose [pink] may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).”
Blue, a color traditionally associated with Our Lady, is prescribed as the liturgical color in Spain and some Latin American countries for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is also used for other Marian feasts in some Eastern Catholic churches. But nowhere is blue prescribed in the Roman Rite in the U.S. for Advent or for any other time.
For the full text of the GIRM, click here.
Marriage Question
Q. If someone was first married in the Catholic Church, then divorced and, without receiving an annulment, again proceeded to marry several times over, would that person be allowed to receive Holy Communion? Would his present marriage be valid at all?
N.N., via email
A. It’s always a little tricky to address situations such as this one from a distance and without full knowledge of the situation. Having said that, however, if you are indeed describing this person’s circumstances accurately, his present “marriage” is not valid.
For this reason, he should not be receiving Holy Communion unless he has recognized and repented of these grave sins, received absolution through sacramental confession, and either separated from his present partner or committed himself to living with her as brother and sister.
Of course, if the latter is the case, the priest offering him Communion might be aware of the circumstances and thus be justified in doing so. On the other hand, the priest may know nothing of the man’s past. Either way, the scandal caused is regrettable. I urge you to pray for this man and the woman with whom he is now living.
Read Nothing Before Vatican II?
Q. My husband is in the process of making his confirmation, and I am accompanying him to his classes each Sunday. We are disturbed about some of the teachings taking place. For instance, today we were told that confession does not need to be done frequently and we do not need to confess in order to receive Communion.
We were also told that we should not be reading anything before Vatican II because it is no longer the teaching of the Church. Can you please clarify what the correct teaching of the Church is?
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D.:
The warning you received about not reading anything written before Vatican II is simply absurd. The Second Vatican Council in some instances enlarged upon, and clarified, what the Church has always taught. In no way whatsoever did the Council change the Church’s teaching.
With one important qualification, it is true to say that one does not need to go to confession in order to receive the Blessed Sacrament. The qualification is this: One must be in a state of grace, truly repentant for all of one’s venial sins and having no unconfessed mortal sin.
It is misleading and harmful to tell persons they need not go to confession frequently. Our Holy Father has repeatedly urged on us the importance, indeed the urgency, of frequent confession. When we go frequently, we can more fully open our hearts to Jesus Christ, and more fully receive His healing love.
Did the instructor tell the class about our “Easter duty”? If we have sinned (and who of us has not?) we are all obliged by Church law both to go to confession and to receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once each year. Of course, we are obliged at least to attend Mass every Sunday and every holy day of obligation. The season for fulfilling one’s Easter duty extends from the first Sunday in Lent to Trinity Sunday.
Is Giving Ten Percent Mandatory?
Q. Members of Protestant churches and most Bible Christian sects contribute 10 percent of their total income to their churches. Is this practice mandatory for Catholics?
C. Colaco, London, England
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Francis Hoffman, J.C.D.:
The practice of giving 10 percent of one’s total income to the Church is also known as tithing and is rooted in the Old Testament. God told the Israelites that they must give a tenth of their first fruits from the harvest and flocks for the maintenance of the temple and of the priestly class in the proper worship of God (see Gn 28:22; Nm 18:21–29).
The practice of tithing is not mandatory for Catholics, although all Catholics are obliged to support the Church as far as they are able. Some cannot give 10 percent, while others can give much more. However, if you were to speak to Catholics who have made the commitment to tithe, many would tell you that God always provides enough for them and their family, and that they feel blessed to live by faith.
“Twelfth Night”?
Q. What exactly is the holiday known as “Twelfth Night”?
L.G., via email
A. In most of the Western Church, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are the 12 days beginning with Christmas Day itself and concluding with the vigil of Epiphany on the traditional calendar. (The traditional observance of Epiphany was on January 6, so today, January 5, would be the last of the 12 days). Epiphany, of course, honors the visit of the Wise Men (also called “Magi” or “Kings”) to worship the baby Jesus (see Mt 2:1–12).
We should note that in some traditions, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” begin instead on the evening of December 25 with the following day, December 26, considered the “First Day” of Christmas. In these traditions, the 12 days thus include Epiphany itself (January 6).
The merrymaking celebration called “Twelfth Night” (that is, the twelfth night of the Twelve Days of Christmas) traditionally took place throughout parts of Western Europe on the evening of January 5, the vigil of Epiphany. It was observed by feasting, plays, and all kinds of tomfoolery. Some of its distinctive customs apparently had their roots in celebrations that pre-dated the coming of the Christian faith to that area of the world.
The customary fare for Twelfth Night feasting in England featured “wassail,” an ale-based drink mixed with honey and spices. It was served in large bowls passed among family members and friends with the greeting “Wassail!” which comes from the old English phrase “Waes hael,” meaning “Be well!”
Also important for Twelfth Night celebrations was the “Kings’ Cake,” in honor of the visit of the “Kings” who came to worship Our Lord. A bean, coin or little figure of the Christ Child was baked into the cake, and then slices of the cake were distributed. Whoever found the object in his or her piece was chosen to rule as “king” or “queen” over the festivities.
Since the Mardi Gras season traditionally begins with Epiphany, this cake became part of those celebrations in French homes, including those in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S.
A final note: William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, Or What You Will (written c. 1601) was written to be performed on this holiday.
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